Bullet time

New to the pantheon of filmic technique is the slow-motion, three-dimensional track and pan that ever since The Matrix (1999) accompanies every other firing of a gun in a Hollywood film.

Besides being wicked bad-ass cool, "bullet time" as it is sometimes called, has a base in physiological fact. In moments of stress and danger (such as, for instance, when somebody fires a gun at you), individuals can experience a subjective time dilation in which the brain diverts all resources to tracking and evaluating the quickly evolving circumstances. Result: the bullet seems to be moving in slow motion.

I experienced this very effect two days ago when my darling daughter hurled a projectile at me in an arc that intersected with my nose. Slowly the plastic ring tumbled end-over-end, growing ever larger in my field of vision until--bonk!--it bounced off my face. Sophie giggled delightedly.

All of which is to say, she's started throwing things--really well. She's got good aim, and we're doing our best to encourage her not to aim at us. This is difficult due to the aforementioned delighted laugh, which is itself delightful. So hard not to giggle back at her.

The only other option, the one her mother and I opt for in stronger moments, involves removing the projectile from her possession--an operation that results in a brief, but heartfelt temper tantrum.