Of Hawking And God

This morning, around the globe, nearly every news outlet is talking about Stephen Hawking's new book The Grand Design and his general premise that God is not necessary to explain the universe. Here are a few links:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1308278/Stephen-Hawking-God-did-create-Universe.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11161493
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6811FN20100902

I of course agree with Hawking wholeheartedly, but that is not the issue of this post. My issue is with the way each article has used a particular phrase pulled from A Brief History of Time: "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we should know the mind of God", to say that Hawkins once accepted that God had a role in creating the universe.

This is simply not true.

For one thing, it's not even the entire quote.

''However, if we do discover a complete theory it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we would know the mind of God.''

Hawking and physicists in general who associate God with the laws of physics are never referring to a literal higher being in the traditional sense, rather they referring to an "abstract principle of order and harmony". A mathematical equation so important & immaculate that it could be likened divine.

For some more in-depth writing about Hawking, I suggest going back in time (see what I did there?) using some of the links below:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2uoQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=1osDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5720,2940411&dq=hawking+god&hl=en
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/03/books/waht-place-for-a-creator.html?pagewanted=2
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/19/science/mystics-and-science-hawking-s-views.html

Enjoy.

What CG Dreams Are MAde Of

I just had to post this video...it's just so jaw dropping amazing. And with the exception of some clouds, some birds and a green screened camera operator...the entire thing is CG. Hell this makes me question the quality of CG in Avatar! Anyway the video speaks for itself and afterward check out the composition breakdown video to pull back the curtain & expose the wizard. Enjoy!

UPDATE: HD is disabled for embedding, so I highly recommend clicking through to Vimeo and watching it in the highest quality available!

The Third & The Seventh:

Composition Breakdown:

Exhausting Unemployment

Just stumbled on a fantastic five-part series of articles about falling into poverty in America titled "Meet the 99'ers", which refers to the millions of Americans who have exhausted their 99 weeks of state & federal unemployment insurance and have nothing left.

Through most of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, I experienced 51 weeks of unemployment and I would be lying if I said that I didn't have a few close friends who honestly scolded me and thought I was abusing my benefits and just not trying hard enough to get hired. I understand first-hand the feelings of self-loathing, worthlessness & depression that can come with extended unemployment and I can only hope that articles like these will help those lucky enough to dodge the recession bullet to show empathy and compassion for the many still struggling.

Contrary to what the Republican party would have you believe, the unemployed are not gaming the system, they are not happy, they are not "hobos", they're not lazy or stealing your tax dollars or any of the other myriad of names that the GOP has called them. They are you and me. Regular people, just trying to get by in a really bad recession...actually it's a depression.

Maybe most importantly, to those neigh-sayers, please remember that we all paid for this insurance, it's not free money any more than getting reimbursed after your house gets robbed is free money. I paid 17 years of unemployment insurances dues, and I was warranted every dime I needed.

Anyway, I urge you to read the five short articles, but here is a taste:

From USPoverty.Change.org - "We've had to sell our car, burn through both of our 401(k)s and charge up all our credit cards just to stay afloat," she says. "We're a month behind on our rent. I jump every time the doorbell or telephone ring because I know that it is someone looking for money from us, and we don't have any."
-------
The fact that she's been unemployed for over two years is still shocking to Yvonne. She started working at 15 years old and has decades of experience in administration, including work at a movie studio, a major university, a biomedical engineering company and more. But since she was laid off from her job as an executive assistant at a local union in 2007, she can count the number of temp jobs she's gotten on one hand.
-------
Susan, who's 55 and lives in Philadelphia, has been pounding the pavement since 2008 when she was laid off from her sales job at a consulting business.

"I've looked everywhere," Susan said. "I have probably sent out 400 resumes in the last year and a half, two years. I've gotten one interview. One interview."

The Life, Character & Career of Glenn Beck: Common Nonsense

I have yet to read Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance, but I will. In the mean time, this interview by AlterNet blogger Sara Robinson, with author/journalist Alexander Zaitchik, is just amazingly astute and you can get a real sense of the analysis you will be recieving when you fork over your hard earned dollars for the book.

Here are a few nuggets from the article:

"What makes that founder appropriation possible is relative ignorance on the part of his fan base. The only books on the subject they read are these religious psuedo-histories that Beck recommends to them. Also: Beck himself has only recently started to learn about this stuff, and he's really not a scholar on early American history, to put it mildly."

"But he [Beck] does seem to see himself now as not just a movement leader, but actually, if his words are to be believed, a conduit for the Word of God itself. The idea that God is giving him this plan for the saving of the Republic..."

"He's constantly talking about his personal redemption narrative, which begins with the tragedy of his mother, and continues through this sort of 700 Club arc through a valley of depression and despair before he finds Jesus. This isn't exactly how it happened, but it's the story he's always run with, for good reason. He knows his audience."

"So it seemed that he sort of absorbed and adapted that aspect of Mormonism to his entertainment purposes, and uses it to bond with religious conservatives who respond to that kind of non-logical messaging. It's part of what accounts for the chasm of understanding between his fans and critics. Liberals just have no idea what's going on when Beck tears up. But his fans often see it as a sign of sincerity, even authority."

"It's important to keep in mind that it's only a very small percentage of the country at large that's watching this guy, and those people tend to be the more hardcore, less-educated conservatives."

"It's certainly important that his statements—and those of his peers, like Rush Limbaugh—are taken seriously and debunked. I'm glad there are organizations like Media Matters out there doing real-time fact-checks on these guys."

"Autobots! Transform and Hover Out!"

If you haven't seen the eye-candy and geek-gasm that is the upcoming video game Tranformers:War For Cybertron, you are missing out. The story is actually a prequel to anything you have seen in the Transformers universe before (with the exception of the comics). It takes places on the Transformers home world of Cybertron and tells the story of the civil war that brought about the Autobots exodus to earth. Apparently it also follows Optimus on his path to becoming a Prime. It seems a lot of creative liberty was given to the developers and they were able to expand on the idea that the Transformers don't really appear as Earth-like vehicles yet, because they haven't been there. For example Optimus is a large hover-vehicle instead of a truck, thus my title for this post. Anyway the short video below explains much better than I and it exhibits a battle scene with Omega Supreme! So sit back and prepare to wipe away drool! Release day is June 22nd. Enjoy.

My first FAILBlog submission: Not For Children FAIL!

All the cool geek sites were busy yesterday and today, salivating over the release of a Star Wars Lightsaber Night Light. While I think it's pretty geektastic and I wish I had one when I was a kid (read: RIGHT NOW!), I was more entertained by the safety warning under the photo. Thus, my first submission to FAILBlog was born. Enjoy!

P.S. If you're feeling chiritable, please vote me up or Digg it!

Coolest. Video. Ever.

There is not much I can say, you just need to watch...as our world devolves into PIXELS.

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Discover more animation and arts videos.

UPDATE: Since it came out the same day, I figured I through this up on the same post. Another amazing CGI short sci-fi film called "The Gift". This one is apparently being picked up by a studio, to be made into full length feature. More at Wired website.

May we actually see Glenn Beck removed from airwaves?

According to Alternet.org, it seems Glenn Beck's television show has gone nearly a week with not a single advertiser. They've apparently been running weather reports during regularly scheduled commercial spots. While this is great news for all, especially for brainwashed listeners of his vitriolic soothsaying, two things are unclear; will Fox actually remove Beck's show from it's UK lineup or keep him on the air at a loss, simply to further their corporate agenda; and will all of Beck's stateside advertisers be shamed into standing against the show as they were overseas.

While sites like StopBeck.com keep a running tally of the advertisers that have jumped ship and the ones still remaining, I don't expect the battle to be as easily won here in the US. For one thing, I listen to Beck's radio show and pay attention to who advertises (specifically so that I can avoid them), and there are several advertisers who blatantly side with Beck. Even going so far as to say they will stand by Beck during their 30 second radio spot. Think about that...these folks are paying money to advertise during Beck's show, they get about 20-30 seconds to sell their product or get their message across and they are using some of that time to shill for Beck!

While the fight to encourage advertisers to distance themselves from right-wing propaganda shows like Beck's will not be short or easy, there are still plenty of ways to help. You can start by signing the petition at ColorOfChange.org (the folks that started the campaign against Beck that has led to over 90 sponsors disassociating themselves with the vile program. But more than anything else...talk about it. Write about it. Make people aware. Question people when they say they are a Beck follower.

I often get asked why I bother, when the types of people who follow Beck will never change their minds and I, and the sources I cite, are often criticized for being "just the same" with a opposing view (i.e. O'Reilly vs Olbermann). My answer to those naysayers would be to raise awareness, just like you would for any other good cause; from women's rights to seat belt & helmet laws. But I think I'll reword a passage by Richard Dawkins from the Prelude to the paperback version of The God Delusion to best sum it up. -- When two opposite points of view are expressed with equal force, the truth does not necessarily lie midway between them. It is possible for one side to be simply wrong. And that justifies passion on the other side. It is all too easy to mistake passion that can change it's mind for fundamentalism, which never will. Beck is passionate, as are his fans. But Beck is also an infamous liar and has proven himself a historical ignoramus; there is vast amounts of evidence to prove so. It is for these reasons that I argue against anyone listening to anything Beck has to say; with a passion that matches the passion of those who promote his rhetoric. My passion is based on evidence. Theirs, flying in the face of of evidence as it does, is truly fundamentalist. -- To let it slide, to dismiss these people as unimportant & ineffectual, to ignore misinformation, half-truths, historical revisionism & out right lies, is a disservice to ourselves, our country, the world and worst of all, our children & other impressionable minds.

"Seize every opportunity to ram it home." -Richard Dawkins

My 2010 New Year's Resolution - Move My Money!

An article posted yesterday entitled "Take Your Money Out of the Hands of the Banking Oligarchs" says it much better than I, but the general idea is to remove your money from any of the big banking conglomerates and place it in a bank highly rated by the volunteer service group, Institutional Risk Analytics or into a local credit union (IRA is looking to offer a way to rate CU's, coming soon in 2010). Over a holiday dinner discussion, writers Arianna Huffington & Rob Johnson, political strategist Alexis McGill, filmmaker/author Eugene Jarecki and Nick Penniman of the HuffPost Investigative Fund, concocted a way that everyday folks like you and I, can help create a more stable financial system. Shortly there after their ideas became the "Move Your Money" campaign. From the article:

"The idea is simple: If enough people who have money in one of the big four banks move it into smaller, more local, more traditional community banks, then collectively we, the people, will have taken a big step toward re-rigging the financial system so it becomes again the productive, stable engine for growth it's meant to be. It's neither Left nor Right -- it's populism at its best. Consider it a withdrawal tax on the big banks for the negative service they provide by consistently ignoring the public interest. It's time for Americans to move their money out of these reckless behemoths. And you don't have to worry, there is zero risk: deposit insurance is just as good at small banks -- and unlike the big banks they don't provide the toxic dividend of derivatives trading in a heads-they-win, tails-we-lose fashion."

As I write, the bank finder widget at the article link above and the one at http://moveyourmoney.info/, both don't seem to be functioning correctly (hopefully a sign of swarming interest), but until it's back up, here is another way: Go to www.IRABankRatings.com, register and start taking advantage of their local bank finder; just click "demo" next to banks in your area to see their rating. You'll notice the info reported is often a couple years old but, the trends that get some banks A+ ratings, while others get F's are not something that has probably changed anytime recently.

I am moving my money out of Chase next week. I hope for all our sakes, you will choose to do the same.

Happy New Year! Enjoy!

Avatar - The Perfect Movie

How can I say what I need to get off my chest without being understated. I have seen a lot...A LOT...of films in my life. I used to have trouble finding things to watch with friends that I hadn't already seen once, or twice...or more. Among those hundreds..maybe thousands of films there are definitely only a distinct few that really stand out. I mean the ones that touch you in ways that evoke memories for years to come.

Perhaps not even just the movie itself, but perhaps the movie is so good it reminds you of the very time period it was released. Star Wars and Indiana Jones aren't just classic series', they remind me of my youth. I remember being in the theaters, receiving the toys at Christmas. I remember building wooden guns and pretending to be space marines from Aliens, tree forts became the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon and halved broom handles became light-sabers.

I also remember movies as I grew older, for other reasons. I remember being touched to tears by Schindler's List while all alone in a $2 cinema. I remember seeing Jurassic Park in the first all digital theater to pop up in my neck of the woods. I remember people I went with, the places I was and like music; movies oft take me back to those days and have me reliving the same feelings again. And so on and so for forth. But those films I listed above aren't always considered the "greats" (with the exception of Schindler's List & maybe the original Star Wars). The term "greats" comes out when you mention The Shawshank Redemption, Unforgiven, Forest Gump, The Usual Suspects, Saving Private Ryan... How about older? Blade Runner, Full Metal Jacket, Empire Of The Sun, The Godfather, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange...and that's only going back to the early seventies!

Each of those films had particular pieces of greatness though. Some had great special effects or modeling thats looked real. Some had incredible actors with equally well written scripts. For others it was a musical or an orchestral score so powerful, the music would become an actual co-star. Others still could be enthralled by the epic vistas or cinematography. Even fewer among these may contain several of these aspects, yet none seemed to ever really contain them all. Can one single movie contain it all?

I am writing this today, a mere hour after leaving the film, to let you know that James Cameron's Avatar is The. Greatest. Movie. Ever. Made. I'm gonna let you soak that in for a moment......................

You ready? OK, here we go; and I promise not to give away anything:

It's a complete film, perfectly executed in every way. As a student of film, I can tell you teachers will be using this film for years to come, to show how to make a movie right. The only flaw you could possibly bring attention to in this movie is the fact the the story elements could be said to have been ripped from the pages of many greats before it. But that's my point, Cameron has taken the best ingredients of many stories and cooked up the finest five star dish ever laid before you. Check that...it's not just a dish, it's a three course meal.

The story is very thought provoking, the over arching theme being the strong or the have's taking advantage of the weak or the have not's. Dances With Wolves comes to mind when looking for comparisons. But there is also clever bits of comedy, the inevitable ill fated romance, the horror of mass destruction and genocide (in this case maybe xenocide would be more appropriate), and let's not the forget the action. The script is smart, not cheesy or overly cliched. The conversations feel real, honest and appropriate. The pacing is immaculate. And the research! The amout of study that must have gone into development! They created an entire world! A complete ecosystem! The anatomy of creatures, from huge to insect size, is frankly striking. The language of the alien people is as deserve as what we have got from the years of development of Elven and Klingon.

The acting is superb. Let's forget the main stars, although they delivered the script as eloquently as one would expect of a well healed theater group. The director really coaxed excellence out of his performers. The actors chosen to play the alien race, made the their invented language sound poetic. It didn't sound halting or forced. It was immersive and inflected with emotion, like real languages are. Not like the stale tongue weaving of LOTR's Elves or the guttural bursts that is Star Trek's most famous fake dialect. There were were, of course, obvious stand out moments; like the inevitable troop rallying, reminiscent of Braveheart.

The music is also outstanding. It's James Horner, I shouldn't have to say anymore. Can you hum the music from Willow or Star Trek II or Aliens or Titanic or The Rocketeer or Apollo 13 or Braveheart...yeah, he did it again. That aside the sound mixing, the sound effects and the foley work is incredible. The creature sounds alone should make other sci-fi movies ashamed of themselves and the sound field is so acute...it all added to the feeling that you were there in the forests with the actors. Not watching it on a screen; although some credit for that must be given to the 3D effects.

So let's talk about the 3D for a moment. The version I saw tonight was in "Real D 3D" and after this weekend, I will be able to compare it to the "IMAX 3D" experince, but until then I can say that it was a resounding success. This was the fourth movie I have seen in 3D, the other three were all animated: Coraline, Monsters Vs Aliens & Up. Those were all great in 3D, but I'll admit I was tentative about seeing real live action displayed that way. I just didn't expect to like it. I stand corrected. The 3D experience was half this film. I walked out wanting to return to the forest. Like I had visited there on vacation and couldn't wait to look at all the photos I had taken just hours earlier. The were scenes where bugs flitted across the camera, like I could reach out and touch them. I felt the unease and queasiness hit me as characters on screen dared to look over cliff edges from great heights. And I sucked in my breath as flying creature borne riders, took mind numbing dives from on high. I miss it already.

Let's talk action. While the story is full bodied, the action is the shot glass of hard "A" at the bottom of this Jägerbomb. To say the least, when the action comes, it's intense. As towering structures fell I felt a twinge of flashbacks to the twin towers and held my breath as debris and smoke billowed. During one scene aboard an aircraft mid battle, I found myself actually biting my tongue. That has never happened to me from a movie before.

The world. The environment, the vistas, the water, the foliage, the animals, the gas giant in the night sky...the floating frakkin' mountains! You have never witnessed anything like this world Cameron has dreamed up. It's surreal. Yet familiarities with our own world's biology make it seem so plausible and visceral. It is awesome. Not "dude that's awesome" awesome....but awesome like the Great Wall and the pyramids awesome. Awesome like that famous photo of Earth, taken from the moon. Aurora Borealis awesome. AWESOME!

And finally let's talk about the animation...although that word doesn't seem to do justice to CGI in this movie. There is no way to distinguish between computer graphics and camera-shot images in this movie. According to Cameron, the movie is 60% CGI and 40% live action and miniatures...but I couldn't see it. I caught my mouth hanging slack-jawed several times throughout the nearly 3 hour movie. The attention to detail is astounding. You cannot tell where reality ends and fantasy begins. There are none of those scenes where you can just "feel" the green screen, despite how good it looks. Each frame of this movie, could hang in an art gallery as testament to the greatness of the handiwork and artisanship of the animators involved.

In closing I'd like to share that up until now, my favorite movie of all time was James Cameron's The Abyss. It too is one of those films I felt "had it all". Humor, story, romance, action, sadness, frightening, special effects, music, etc... But again, nobody has every really made a film quite like this one. As the credits rolled I felt dumbfounded. I just kept saying "wow" out loud, over and over. I was in complete disbelief. How is it possible? How could one movie do, what Avatar just did? How can you top that? I felt like just wandering outside into the night, in a daze, occasionally pausing to shout out to my fellow citizens of Seattle, "go see this film; it will change your life".

Well maybe not change your life, but it will move you. Whether it be to tears, to the edge of your seat, to stand up and cheer, or laugh heartily with the crowd...it WILL move you. It's even moving me to spend another $14 to see it aging this weekend. Be prepared for this movie to sweep the Oscars and any other meaningful award show too. Place your bets now. I think I am out of things to say. Now it's time to sleep (if I can) and dream of the Na'vi and of the planet called Pandora. I can't wait to get back.

Ink - What Indie Film Dreams Are Made Of

When was the last time you saw a movie that really broke ground, stood apart from the pack and surprised you in ways you weren't sure movies could do anymore? Let's face it, there are a lot of good movies out there. Well made, talented actors, beautiful sets, amazing cinematography; but usually they are just reiterations on a theme you've seen before. I have just finished an independent film called Ink. To say the least, I was blown away. I had seen a quick trailer for this film some time ago and added to my list to see, but it wasn't until today, after a word of mouth recommendation to see it, that I forced myself to sit down and give it a chance.

Ink is many things. At it's heart, it's about redemption, but that's just the creamy filling. The candy coated exterior is packed with dream worlds, creepy looking villains, well choreographed action scenes, surreal shoot locations and hypnotic special effects. I don't even really want to elaborate on the story any further than the trailer does. Half the enjoyment of this film was in the journey of discovery! The first 20 mins of the story is almost frustrating in its complexity and apparent disjointedness...but like any good puzzle, it all starts to come together quickly and fall into place.

And the music! The music is so good. In fact I just saw a link to buy the soundtrack on the YouTube page while I was looking for the trailer embed code. There are several segments of the film, that evoke emotion like a good music video, there is actually very little dialog compared to your average flick. The film makers do a great job of getting points across without needing to have those odd scenes where two characters talk about plot points. You know, like they are talking specifically for you to overhear what the are saying as opposed to carrying on an actual conversation, often starting with a line like "so let me get this straight..." or "so wait, you mean that..."

I will say that Ink is not complete without flaws. For all the wow moments and dream-like sequences...there are a few spots where you can tell that this was a low budget independent film and a couple actors are noticeably noob-eriffic. But if you can get your expectations of flawless & polished film making to relax for just a bit, you will find a diamond in the rough. There is actually a 10 minute "making of" in the DVD extras that shows how many of the costumes, back drops, stunts and make up were done on a limited budget. And though I have yet to listen to it yet, there is also a full length commentary that I'm interested in.

To sum this up; this movie has all the right elements of a great film. You may even find yourself ready to shed a tear near the end. It's a cult hit in the making. You will never regret the 2 hours you spent watching or the 5 bucks you spent on the rental. Although you also wouldn't regret buying it. I think this is going to be added to my list of odd but awesome films that I will watch over and over again in the future. Story-wise, there are no similarities, but it kinda reminded me of Dark City or maybe Donnie Darko. It's got odd, quirky characters. Dark & disturbing villains. Great props, a touch of sci-fi, tons of atmosphere and a surprise twist in the end that leaves you whirling.

Get this film, grab some popcorn, dim the lights and get ready for a movie that really has no peers. You will be raving to your friends, as I am now and I guarantee this film will be in your top ten of 2009...if not all time. Enjoy.

All Americans Should Be Proud

As I listened to the rants of the ignorant last week, I was appalled at how many people people were ready to stand up and say Obama didn't deserve his Nobel Peace Prize. To those haters and detractors, I ask: When was the last time you had any interest in any of the Nobel prizes? Do you know any history about why the Peace Prize is awarded or whom it has been given? No? I didn't think so. So why don't you show just a modicum of decency and patriotism and shut your ignorant pie hole. Rachel Maddow sums it up perfectly in the video below, "The American President just won the Nobel Peace Prize. By any reasonable measure, all Americans should be proud". However Rachel didn't even touch on any of the humanitarian & civil service work Obama has been part of before he was even a Presidential contender. Educate yourself. Enjoy.

Proselytize this!

So after Keith Olbermann's fantastic and touching full hour Special Comment last night regarding Health Care Reform & his father's diminishing health, I decided that since I cannot afford to donate any money to the National Association of Free Clinics, that maybe I could volunteer and donate some time instead. On the NAFC website, I found one local free clinic: Haller Lake Christian Health Center. There site has a volunteer page outlining the varied types of volunteer help they could use and an application form. I opened the application form to find that, not only is the entire document written annoyingly in Comic Sans font, but it is laced with Christian "ideals" and propaganda. Here are a few nuggets:

"Mission Statement: To show Christ, the Great Physician, to the community of North Seattle, Washington through a church-
based health clinic for the medically underserved"
"...providing them with quality compassionate health care and asking the Holy Spirit for opportunities to share the Good News of the Great Physician
with them."
"HLCHC’s foundation for establishing an ethics policy is based on our understanding of the Bible."
"HLCHC Statement of faith: I. The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is inspired by God. It is the only infallible authori-
tative Word of God. There is only one God. He is infinitely perfect..."
"VIII.The second coming of Jesus Christ to the earth is imminent.—Hebrews 10:37"

And Then my favorite:

"Have you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Yes or No?" & "Describe your relationship with Jesus Christ (continue on back if more space is needed)."

All I want to do is volunteer some time in hope that my effort in some small way may help the Health Care Reform deciders come closer to universal care. You can name your center "Sacred Heart" or "St. Mary's", or whatever you want and I won't care, but the moment you start asking about how my life is or isn't affected by Christ on a application form...I get the feeling you may turn me down if you find out that I think you are ridiculous for believing in said god.

Am I off base here? I think it's really inappropriate.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A Samurai Western To Rule Them All

Just got done watching this for the third time; it just looks too awesome for words. The trailer Warriors Way has my mind swimming with fond memories of Six String Samurai, Kung Fu Hustle and even Ghost Dog.
Watch. Drool. Enjoy!

IG-88: The Dancing Robot [video]

This music video by Mixmaster Lobot was winner of Best Animated Movie in the Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge 2007. Enjoy!

**Extra credit if you can name the non Star Wars film that a certain sound effect in this video is from. Hint: the sound only occurs once in the video during the fight sequence.

Funny Videos | Funny Cartoons | More Video Clips

Richard Dawkins - Frontline Soldier In The War Vs. Religion

Went on a Richard Dawkins binge the last couple days an decided to post a few things for anyone interested to watch/listen. I'd like to highlight the Christian organized debate between Dawkins and Dr. John Lennox; moderated by former federal judge William H. Pryor Jr. It was extremely interesting to me and I'm sure that many believers would enjoy it simply because Dr. Lennox teaches on Science and Religion at the University of Oxford. He is one of the very few celebrities of faith you will ever hear carrying on a (semi) rational and educated discussion about the coexistence of religion, science and reason. I mean he's still suffering the delusion of Christianity, but at least he isn't just proselytizing. Anyway, enjoy.

The God Delusion Debate [audio only, via Dawkins' website]

Root Of All Evil - The God Delusion










The Root Of All Evil - The Virus Of Faith










Enemies of Reason - Slaves to Superstition


Part 2 [embedding disabled]
Part 3 [embedding disabled]





An Atheist Call To Arms


Royal Institution Christmas Lecture for Children - Growing Up in the Universe (one for the kids)

What You Wish You Could Say; Introducing the Comic Genius of Tim Minchin

Tim Minchin is my new favorite comic find; his work all seems to be in songs (mostly on piano) and he is Aussie. He's basically the thinking-man's Weird Al Yankovich (and that is a very poor comparison mind you). The first video below is a 9 minute beat poem by Minchin called Storm (which I thoroghly intend to memorize), followed by several other funny songs of his that I stumbled accross.  Enjoy!

Storm


If I Didn't Have You


Inflatable You


If You Really Loved Me


Taboo


Some People Have It Worse Then Me


There are tons more on YouTube, go check 'em out.

Honoring The Fallen

It has been 18 years since we as a nation (via the media) have been allowed to view the homecoming of fallen servicemen. The following is a video of the short transfer ceremony of Air Force Staff Sergeant Phillip Myers at Dover Air Force Base. Myers, now a recipient of two Bronze Stars, was killed while dismantling a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. The family was asked if they would like to allow media and they agreed. I found this video extremely moving.

I highly recommend muting the volume of the commentators and just watching the procession:


This clip is from an episode of Countdown, which can be viewed in it's entirety here.

For a more complete story on the original ban on media at Dover, check out this clip from NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I hope I am not the only one who would like to see more public displays of respect like Canada has done with it's Highway of Heroes:

World Builder - Man builds holo world for woman he loves.

World Builder is one of a couple videos posted by Bruce Branit available to view on Vimeo. This award winning short film is not only a fantastic display of computer graphic effects from Branit VFX, but is also a very touching story. More people need to be connected to films like these. This is a re-post from DorkMuffin.com, go check out her site, it's a big wad of awesome. Oh and if you can, I recommend full screening this one. Enjoy.

World Builder from Bruce Branit on Vimeo.

Watchmen Saturday Morning Cartoon

This is of course a joke...there is no Watchmen cartoon for kids. But that didn't stop author Harry Partridge from purposefully , in his own words, "totally and unironically misinterpret[ing] the source material". Anyway, on the eve of seeing the finally realized live action Watchmen film, I hope all you longtime fans love this I much as I did. Sorry no embed, just a link (click on 'watch this movie' after the jump). Enjoy.

Saturday Morning Watchmen

UPDATE: Someone posted it to Youtube and I highly expect it to get pulled down soon, but if you are too lazy to click through to the authors site, here is a poor quality embed...while it lasts.