Category: entertainment

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Ode to Spot

Lately I’ve been watching reruns of Star Trek: TNG (season 6) and I came across Data’s poem, Ode to Spot. Somehow it seems better 17 or so years later.

Felis Cattus, is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature?
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behaviour you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

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Stomp

Last night I attended Stomp in Calgary at the Jubilee Auditorium with Kelli and her parents. It was pretty amazing to see and hear the variety of rhythm and music composed from the sounds of brooms, chairs, PVC piping, and match boxes, just to name a few. The biggest surprise came when I began to realize it’s as much a visual narrative as it is about the sound.

Stomp in Calgary

Here is my sneaky snap shot that I took at the end of the show (photographs are discouraged). I assume it’s because flashes and LCD screens are distracting, so I made sure to turn both off.

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Dancing Robots

A short video showing the entertaining robot, Titan.

From the website:

Titan the robot is the new and unique entertainment concept that has taken the United Kingdom by storm. Titan is equally at home in almost any arena and switches from street theatre to corporate hospitalty with ease. In fact the events Titan has previously appeared at have spanned almost every possible genre including large outdoor events, product launces, celebrity partes, trade shows, shopping centres, music festivals, fashion shows, and even several TV appearances and has even been used in a national advertising campaign by one for the UK’s largest holiday companies.

Titan’s allure spans all age groups, ethnic backgrounds and languages, he really does have a universal appeal; we have yet to find an event where Titan doesn’t fit in.

Hit play or watch Three Robot’s Dancing at Youtube.

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Indiana Jones is Back

Queue the John Williams theme song, finally a movie from a franchise worth watching is under way.

The Man with the Hat is Back

Indiana Jones

For the first time since 1989, Harrison Ford dons the familiar costume on Thursday, June 21, 2007, as the upcoming Indiana Jones adventure begins production under the direction of Steven Spielberg. The new Indiana Jones movie is set in the 1950s and stars Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt, Ray Winstone and Jim Broadbent. The Lucasfilm Ltd. production will be released by Paramount Pictures worldwide on May 22, 2008.

Please make it a good one Mr. Spielberg.

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Conan at LucasFilm

YodaWhen I took a stroll around the presidio while in San Francisco last January, I stumbled upon the LucasFilm compound—the place where they make so many of the world’s great special effects.

Today I came across a humorous Conan O’brien clip in which Conan visits the studio, checks out some of the movie memorabilia and he even gets suited up in mo-cap gear. His tour was a lot more extensive than mine.

It was interesting to see him interacting in some of the places I had photos, like these ones of Darth Vader andBoba Fett. I also got one outside with a similar background of the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts.

The YouTube video was pulled.