A collection of digital wonders and some other stuff
Tip #1: Be careful when raking the leaves in your yard too enthusiastically. One could easily injure his back and find himself in a very painful predicament and still have a yard full of leaves.
Tip #2: Don’t buy candy two-weeks before Halloween because on a Sunday afternoon with an injured back you better believe that candy won’t make it through the hour.
I’ve watched Michael Moore’s movies and read his books. I think he’s not really all he’s cracked up to be – in fact I’m actually very critical of a lot of the ways in which he operates. However after watching the This Divided State movie trailer and the other clips available at iFilm I was so disgusted with some of the people at UVSC, it just made my blood boil!
This Divided State follows the explosion of community protest surrounding Michael Moore’s visit to Utah Valley State College (UVSC) in October 2004. Though UVSC is located in one of the strongest Republican strongholds in the United States, vehement opposition to liberal filmmaker Michael Moore’s visit was much greater than anticipated. Death threats, hate mail, bribes, and lawsuits were all candidly captured on film. Equally surprising, however, was the overwhelming “uprising” of students in support of Michael Moore. Additionally, since the controversy took place in Utah, a heated religious debate broke out as to whether Mormons can profess to be liberal without betraying their religion.
When it comes down to it, it’s not about whether you agree or disagree with Moore’s viewpoint. It is about whether you believe the students have the right to bring him to their school to share that viewpoint.
Also check out the This Divided State official site.
I just got hired on at the University of Lethbridge working for the International Centre. After a two and a half month hiatus from the workforce, I’m really happy to finally be bringing in some cashola. Having money will make buying groceries that much easier.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the break. I think it was important for me to take some time to really nurse the wounds from my break-up. Thinking about it, it’s kind of funny how the break-up got way more coverage on my blog then the actual engagement. I suppose I should have taken it as a pretty major sign that she didn’t really want to get married when she refused to tell her dad the big news. I just wanted to marry her so badly that I ignored the signs.
I guess I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s got more problems than she’s worth. There’s the good old fashioned emotional problems and not to mention her huge commitment issues—she doesn’t even want kids. We just weren’t on the same page. I predict that she will continue to surf from guy to guy until she finds she’s alienated everyone so much that nobody wants anything to do with her. I still think she’s missing out big-time on me, but hey you reap what you sow I guess.
It’s still hard not to like her, and I think I’d like to be friends with her in the future, but it looks like she is going to need a lot of time before she’s ready for that.
The Presidents of the United States of America (the band) have put together a music video comprised of footage shot exclusively with cell phones.
From the Presidents’ site:
The director of the video, Grant Marshall from Film Headquarters, said he was very excited when Presidents of the USA agreed to this idea. He came up with the idea after the company’s creative team lamented how budgets for Australian music videos were far lower than those for international clips. Producer Nick Wolff said “We joked that budgets were getting so small that the next thing we’d be doing is shooting on a mobile phone.” (emphasis mine)
And that is exactly what they did. (Link has various video format choices)
When I heard that BitTorrent was collecting money from investors, it left me confused because BitTorrent is an open source protocol. It’s like hearing that HTTP or FTP was rounding up funds. Fortune.com recently published an article outlining exactly what the BitTorrent deal is all about. It sounds like Bram Cohen, the designer of the BitTorrent protocol, intends to sell media on a commission basis – kind of like what Google Video does.
I got into a conversation about evolution last night with an active member of the Mormon Church. I presented the concept that though other religions seem to think evolution is the tool of the devil, LDS folks shouldn’t think so. This afternoon I discovered a great article by Michael R. Ash, The Mormon Myth of Evil Evolution, which shows that the official Church position on evolution is neutral.
Even if you’re not from a Mormon background, you may find it interesting how a major world religion has avoided committing itself one way or the other to such an obviously important topic. Also I don’t think one has to be a Mormon in order to try and reconsile one’s beliefs with science; perhaps there is something every religious person could learn from the article.
If you liked Michael R. Ash’s article, you may also find of interest Duane E. Jeffery’s well-known and often cited Seers, Savants and Evolution: The Uncomfortable Interface.
The Aquaskipper only $595 (US). Even though it looks very fun, I think I’d get tired pretty fast.
Be sure to watch the Aquaskipper video (2mb wmv).
Americans who want to bomb places they can’t find on maps. I just can’t resist posting this (video).
The never ending fall is back, this time with more cowbell Dubya.
Apparently the remains of some giant creature have washed up in India following the tsunami last December, or is it a hoax? The verdict is still out on this one, but the story and video are compelling nonetheless. Maybe it’s a blue whale, maybe it’s a dinosaur or maybe it’s just an elaborate computer generated image. You be the judge.
(via Snopes)