Quick Post: Simply A Great Read - James Cameron Article in The New Yorker

Jim here. If you are a James Cameron fan, consider this a MUST read: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/26/091026fa_fact_goodyear

I have been asked a few times why are the humans on AVATAR's Pandora using older technology if this is set in the future (a good question) - read on! (From the article): Cameron looked around excitedly as the machine guns started to rattle and shells popped off in every direction. He snapped his fingers nervously. The acrid smell of gun smoke filled the air. Pointing to his left forearm, he said, “I have a piece of shrapnel right here from ‘Terminator 2’ that never came out.” Tiny, tight smile. “We made up the three barrel guns,” he said. “The two waist guns are .30-calibre machine guns modified for the movie. It’s an older model, a Vietnam-era M60. The idea is that Pandora has such a hot, humid climate, with incredibly powerful magnetic fields, that they can’t use sophisticated energy weapons. A lot of the equipment is retrofitted, from their perspective, because it works on Pandora. So you’ve got vehicles that are more consistent with twentieth-century warfare.” His face was flushed and happy. “It’s all just an excuse to do helicopters versus pterodactyls,” he said.

Read the article. I am not kidding. It covers a lot of ground and is well worth the time to read it! This is the first time I am officially jealous over another Cameron article. Very well done, Dana Goodyear.

And next to the shot of Cameron manning a gunship machine gun - this is the best shot of Cameron yet :-)