Now, where was I?

I feel like quoting Richard Dreyfuss’ character from Close...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:23:08 -0500

I feel like quoting Richard Dreyfuss’ character from Close Encounters of the Third Kind here by saying “This means something. This is important.”

It certainly is. :)

Watching Memento

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:16:47 -0500

on a Saturday afternoon. Roommate’s cousin is here watching it for the first time. Life is good today.

I showed this video to my media production students today. I...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:36:56 -0500

I showed this video to my media production students today. I used it as the epitome of vile marketing. The narration is so bad that many viewers (in my class and on Youtube in general) thought it was a joke at first.

I love the Star Wars phenomenon, up until 1999. Yes, I have to admit that I had a great time watching The Phantom Menace when it was first released. I had grown up watching my Betamax tape of Return of the Jedi countless times. But over the years, I have grown to loathe George Lucas and his revisionist ways.

Today, the only way that I can enjoy a balanced diet of Star Wars is through the brilliant work done by Bioware. Star Wars: The Old Republic (the MMORPG) has allowed me to reclaim a dear friend that I had lost. It is the only way that I can relish the expansive and creative world that a young filmmaker had ~~fashioned~~ stolen from countless sources, including Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress.

Ok, enough ranting. Watch the video above and prepare to bleed from your eyes and ears. I’m off to Nar Shaddaa to continue living vicariously through my bounty hunter.

I didn’t get to see all of the movies that I wanted to in...

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:09:12 -0500

I didn’t get to see all of the movies that I wanted to in 2011. But of the ones I saw, these were my favorites, from #10 to #1. I originally wanted to use video clips for this montage, but decided to find screenshots that could serve as teasers for the movies. I was amazed by the fact that most of these movies contained several scenes in which the characters would stare into the distance. I enjoy solitude to a great degree, and I guess I enjoy seeing characters who also seem enjoy it.

Even without DNS provisions, SOPA and PIPA remain fatally flawed

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:59:36 -0500

Even without DNS provisions, SOPA and PIPA remain fatally flawed:

The special interests behind the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act are in full retreat, throwing the bills’ most controversial provisions overboard in a desperate attempt to stop the entire bill from sinking. Realizing that proposals to create a DNS-based blacklisting scheme had become politically radioactive, the bills’ sponsors—Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), respectively—have pledged to drop these provisions. On Tuesday, even the Motion Picture Association of America declared that DNS filtering was “off the table” for this year’s legislation.

(Read the rest of the article here or by clicking on the title of this post. Ars Technica performs some of the most consistent, intelligent, and honest examinations of technology and science issues that I’ve seen. I had been looking for a solid summary of the real ramifications of these two bills and I feel like I’ve finally found it.)

The Strength to Choose Another Way

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:15:33 -0500

gamessavedmylife:

Joan discusses how Yuna’s bravery in FFX helped her confront her abusive husband and escape her marriage.

Read More

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:38:00 -0500

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory:

The third installment in this documentary series about the West Memphis Three, created by filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, airs on HBO this Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 9 PM. These guys were also responsible for producing and directing Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, the Sundance Channel’s excellent series Iconoclasts, Crude, and Brother’s Keeper, among other works. I will definitely be checking it out.

Whether you loved or hated some of the contrived plot points of...

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:53:57 -0500

Whether you loved or hated some of the contrived plot points of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, I think you will love this video. It re-re-imagines the show as an old-school role playing video game.

Also, there are massive spoilers in this so please do not watch it if you intend to watch the show at any point in the future.

Another year has come and gone. Here are all the ticket stubs I...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:40:00 -0500

Another year has come and gone. Here are all the ticket stubs I collected during the past 365 days. Mostly movies, but a few music concerts, baseball games, and other events. I didn’t go to the movies as much as I have in previous years, but I still got to see some quality flicks.

I’ll be posting my favorites of 2011 tomorrow, but for now, Tree of Life, Melancholia, Drive, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Bridesmaids, and Source Code are at the top.

Happy new year!

Station Commander Captures Unprecedented View of...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:46:00 -0500

Station Commander Captures Unprecedented View of Comet

“International Space Station Commander Dan Burbank captured spectacular imagery of Comet Lovejoy as seen from about 240 miles above the Earth’s horizon on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Burbank described seeing the comet as ‘the most amazing thing I have ever seen in space,’ in an interview with WDIV-TV in Detroit.”

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There has been a lot of buzz about Comet Lovejoy over the past few weeks. Here are some of my favorite photos and videos:

Comet Lovejoy and the ISS
Comet Lovejoy over Paranal
Using Many Instruments to Track a Comet
Stéphane Guisard’s gallery (check out the rest of his amazing photos and videos of space)

geekrest: Fan-Made Minimalist Posters For The Dark Knight...

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:47:34 -0500

geekrest:

Fan-Made Minimalist Posters For The Dark Knight Rises

via GeekRest

I think I’m more excited about Prometheus than almost...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:39:05 -0500

I think I’m more excited about Prometheus than almost anything else in all of popular culture, except maybe The Dark Knight Rises and Django Unchained. Ridley Scott, the world of science fiction has been begging for you to come back to where you started.

Going to see Melancholia again tonight. It’s been a few...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:32:00 -0500

Going to see Melancholia again tonight. It’s been a few weeks, so I’ve had some time to think about it. The movie has gotten better and better in my mind since I first saw it. I’m excited to be able to watch it again, not to find out what happens, but to really focus on the little things.

Recently, I showed Inception to my psychology students after our...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:36:47 -0500

Recently, I showed Inception to my psychology students after our unit on consciousness, sleep, and dreams. We talked about the movie the next day and they filled out a response sheet. This drawing was at the bottom of one of those sheets.

Well, almost another year has come and gone, and genrocks has...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:29:19 -0500

Well, almost another year has come and gone, and genrocks has posted another beautiful montage of moments from some of this year’s movies. I love that he mostly finds clips that are similar in look, tone, and movement, even if they come from movies that were not necessarily well made.

I personally wish he had used even more shots from The Tree of Life and Melancholia, but I was very happy to see ones from I Saw The Devil, Source Code, and Hanna.

Absolutely brilliant. Now this is what a minimalist movie poster...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:19:43 -0500

Absolutely brilliant. Now this is what a minimalist movie poster should be.

I’m leaving to watch a special early screening of The Girl...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:54:51 -0500

I’m leaving to watch a special early screening of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in NYC!

Skyrim has taken over my life. Whenever I’m not at work or...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:41:47 -0500

Skyrim has taken over my life. Whenever I’m not at work or doing anything else that is essential to the life I have chosen to live, I’m running through the mountains and plains of Skyrim, battling bandits, finding caves to clear of evildoers, and soaking in the world that the folks at Bethesda have beautifully and thoroughly imagined.

This little rap about the game is really good in and of itself, and even better when you’ve experienced some of Skyrim for yourself. Enjoy!

And check out the rest of the Dan Bull channel at Youtube.

The original version of this song is probably the last U2 song...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:49:09 -0500

The original version of this song is probably the last U2 song that I absolutely loved. Achtung Baby was a monumental album for the band, but it may have been even more important for me because of how much it opened up my mind to what music could be.

When I found out that there was an album of U2 covers called “AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered” that could only be found with an issue of Q magazine, I was actually pretty sad that I wouldn’t have direct, legal access to the tracks from the beginning. So, I’m thankful that there are a few videos on Youtube that I can watch to hear these great interpretations.

Garbage has been my favorite band since I first started listening to them in the mid 1990s. Shirley Manson’s amazing voice backed up by three meticulous musicians who happen to be producers. Their music has always been mixed and mastered to perfection (in my humble opinion), with creative guitar and percussion parts, and Manson’s voice and energy to carry the whole thing.

So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Garbage’s cover of one of my favorite U2 songs would be the one I love most on the recent album. I love that they changed many of the chords to minor ones. It makes the song a little bit more sad or melancholy, which is their trademark. I love the harmony during the second and third choruses. And I can’t get over the fact that a song that helped me get through my freshman year of high school is now being sung by my favorite voice on earth.

This cover comes kind of close to the greatness of Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt.” That’s how much I love it.

Listening to this M83 track while staring at spiral galaxy M83...

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 08:48:42 -0500

Listening to this M83 track while staring at spiral galaxy M83 from constellation Hydra. A perfect combination.

Starting off each day by looking at the Astronomy Picture of the Day helps me to feel centered. You should try it. :)