Posted at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Monday. 10:30AM. I'm sitting on an American Airlines plane heading to Alabama. I reach into the magazine pocket and pull out the American Airlines Magazine and start flipping through it.
I come upon an article titled the Peter Pan Syndrome. It told the story of a Brooklyn freelance photographer and street artist named Katie Sokoler. What this woman does is nothing short of amazing! I've always had an eye for art and I love the occasional touch of whimsy. That pretty much sums up Katie Sokoler. As the magazine says "One artist has a mission to keep New York young — one daydream at a time".
Two of her projects completely blew me away. The first came to life by Katie wondering what the people on her subway were thinking while chugging along on the B train. She began cutting out thought bubbles from construction paper and adding whimsical pictures to the bubbles like hearts, flying people etc. She would then paste the thought bubbles around her Brooklyn neighborhood and then lay in wait for some unsuspecting passerby to fall into her art trap.
SNAP! A camera shutter went off and presto, instant art piece! It's so simple, yet elegant. Katie just brings a real "feel good" emotion when looking at her work.
I mean, how fitting is this image? Some random guy walking past a bakery thinking about cupcakes. She definitely stirs a different feeling other than the humdrum commutes everyone takes blindly during their days.
I don't think I've ever quite seen art the way she portrays it. Women thinking about love, dogs dreaming of that ultimate bone, men lost in thought over that perfect woman. You name it and Katies' brought those thoughts to life somewhere in Brooklyn, New York. Her work really is amazing. I'll be honest, it's very seldom that someone can show me the side of humanity that feeds off of the good and whimisical things in life. All too often, especially in these times, negativity abounds. It's not healthy. People like Katie Sokoler are tiny sparkling gems in the sea of humanity. When you find one, hold on to it.
I'm not letting Katie go anytime soon.
Oh, here's another one of her projects that I absolutely love. She was inspired by Peter Pan's shadow playing tricks on him for this project. She merely cuts out human shapes from construction paper and pastes it to a wall. She then lays in wait armed with her trusty camera. Again, unknowing passersby contribute greatly to her pieces.
The outcome is extraordinary!
Seriously, if you need a pick-me-up then head over to her website - Color Me Katie. Then prepare yourself for a trip through wonderland! I've never experienced anything quite like this - EVAR!
Well, let me know what you think of my little discovery! Going to go find some construction paper. I think Katie has inspired me to try some of these ideas out for myself!!
Till next time!
ShawnPosted at 06:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Then dig in for a nice helping of this fan film I discovered recently. Not sure how long it's been out, I believe chapter one came out a few years ago. and chapter two released just last month but I was stoked when I finally found it!
It's called I.M.P.S - The Relentless.
I.M.P.S stands for Imperial Military Personnel Stories as told by troopers stationed aboard the Revenge Class Heavy Carrier - The Relentless.
The fan film really manages to bring out a personal side to the life of Storm Troopers. Your typical military unit, lewd, crude and ready to kick ass. This is a really well done film setup almost like a documentary. If I'm not mistaken the narrator appears to be Peter Cullen of Optimus Prime fame but I could be mistaken. Sure sounds like him though!
Here's a teaser for chapter one-
Anyway, GO CHECK OUT THIS FILM! You can download the episodes from the site or you can just head over to You Tube and find them posted. There are currently two chapters released so far and the website looks to have a total of 8 chapters planned so there is much more to see from I.M.P.S - The Relentless!
-SjN
Posted at 05:14 AM in Nerd | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
That, my friends, makes a good movie.
-SjN
Posted at 07:40 AM in Film | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
A time of joy. A time of cheer. A time to reflect on the year and how well you contributed to all that is good in the world.
For me, this holiday just isn't the same without injecting some good old, proven science into the legend that is Santa Claus. For it is not wise to assume the existence of such a legend as fact without applying Santa to the rigors of the scientific method. So, for your reading pleasure, I give you an old Internet classic -
The Physics of Santa Claus:
In conclusion - If Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's most assuredly dead by now.
Merry Christmas....
Posted at 05:51 AM in Science | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Was given this toon today and thought it was simply awesome. Leave it to Sesame Street to put all of the craziness in today's politics into perspective!
This strip was created by cartoonist - Mike Luckovich and it really sums it all up in an amazing piece of artistic work.
I'm keeping it short today but felt I just had to post this! Click on the image for a full size version!
Oh, and SUPPORT HEALTH CARE REFORM!!!
Posted at 05:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Ahhhh... The Ghost Hunters. T.A.P.S - The Atlantic Paranormal Society. For those that don't know, T.A.P.S is a paranormal investigation team that started this "little" show a few years back called the Ghost Hunters on the SyFy Network.
I've been a fan from pretty much the beginning. Loved the tech involved and the way they went about the investigations. However, I've always taken the paranormal footage generated with a grain of salt. I guess that's the whole scientist side of me keeping me in the realm of fact.
Today however was a bad day. You see, there is information coming to light that may paint a dark picture over the whole "science" of paranormal investigations.
While perusing Twitter, I came across some mentions of an interview conducted by a radio show called the Ghost Divas. They interview people in the paranormal business. They recently interviewed an investigator named Donna LaCroix who used to be a starring investigator on the show Ghost Hunters.
Take a listen to DONNA'S CONFESSION here.
It would seem that things are not as they seem on the Hit paranormal show. In a way I'm disappointed but on the same side of the coin, I can't say I'm surprised. I place paranormal investigation in the realm of crop circles, aliens and big foot. To which I quote the late great Carl Sagan:
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence..."
Yes, the T.A.P.S team produced some great evidence but if there is the slightest injection of doubt, you have to throw it all away. You can't believe just for the sake of believing. Donna's interview has the potential of doing some damage to the show and the field. We'll have to see how it plays out.
For you die hards out there, don't be too disappointed. Watch the show for the entertainment value. It's a great show but don't take every bit of evidence they gather as gospel. It is just a show after all.
Give it a listen. It's well worth the time! Oh, there are a few bad words riddled through out the interview so for those with sensitive ears, take heed.
SjN
Posted at 01:31 PM in Television | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
I gotta tell ya, for the past couple of months, I've been in a real rut when it comes to my home entertainment system.
I recently upgraded my cable service for HD content and am absolutely loving it. There was one problem however.
My trusty Series 2 Tivo doesn't support HD programming and hence, I had to disconnect it. At the time I thought to myself "Meh, I'll never miss it..."
How wrong I was.
As with most TiVo owners, I had become accustomed to not being chained to my TV any longer. Gone are the days of having to rush home to catch the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory or The Simpsons. Nope, schedule it and forget it. Having an HDTV with no Tivo is like having cake without frosting or a sundae without whip cream and a cherry.
So what did I do about that little situation?
Well, I called the cable company. They offer a "DVR" upgrade and all I had to do was go down and pick it up. I figured what the hell, so I made plans to head to the cable store on Monday. Enter the universe. I was as checking mail yesterday and as the Universe usually does, it guided me to a new course. I swear, if there is indeed a god, I have no doubt that it is the universe. But I digress.
Got an email from TiVo yesterday stating that if I upgraded my service to an HDDVR, they would knock a hundred bucks off the price! I scored a Tivo for only a hundred bucks which was good since I also tacked on the lifetime service!
So now I have a shiny new TiVo en route to my hot little hands! I CAN'T WAIT!
Then, this morning I was perusing the TiVo website and found this - A FREE WIRELESS ADAPTER! I called up TiVo and told them that I just bought an HD DVR and wanted to see if I could get in on this free action. About 5 minutes later, BAM! I have a WiFi adapter on it's way! That's one thing I have to say about TiVo, their customer service is fantastic!
So, why TiVo and not my cable companies DVR? Aside from the obvious recording, how about:
I LOVE TiVo. So should you...
Posted at 11:24 AM in Life | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
The date was May 1st, 1983. There had been advertisements airing on NBC for weeks about a new science fiction mini series known only as "V". The ads were somewhat cryptic and because of that, anticipation for the mini series grew. People weren't sure what to expect.
I fondly remember sitting around the television that night, armed with a Swanson's TV dinner (salisbury steak rocks!) and a cup of Kool-Aid preparing myself for the science fiction goodness that was about to befall me.
I gotta tell you, the series didn't disappoint me at all. It made quite the impression on my young mind. The idea of an alien race descending on Earth with peaceful intentions and then building up to realize that there are underlying overtones of world domination really captivated me.
One aspect of the series I loved were the parallels of Nazi occupation that went along with the film. There was even a Jewish family portrayed in the film that touched on the similarities between the Visitors and the old Nazi regime. It really got the gray matter working.
I won't go into too much detail in the event that you actually haven't seen it yet but at the time, the series definitely made it to my personal top ten list of must-see sci-fi flicks to catch. Heck, it could have made top ten for the kick ass visitor uniforms alone!
Fast forward 26 years. Saturday, October 17th, 2009. I'm sitting in my living room scanning my plethora of DVD's wanting to watch something. I come to my V Mini series DVD. I pull it from the shelf and slam it into my DVD player. I cooked up a giant batch of kettle corn and cracked open a root beer. Soon, I was relaxing on my couch munching away and getting lost in V. Now granted, the film DEFINITELY is showing it's age. Some of the special effects (well, a lot of the special effects) leave something to be desired. But hell, give the movie a break, it was filmed in 1983 after all! But surprisingly it still managed to captivate me and keep me there. I had a great time. As a matter of fact, I will be watching the second half "The Final Battle" today!
Style-wise, everything about the film was just so extremely cool for 1983. The uniforms, the ships, and this unbelievably awesome logo. To this day, I would LOVE to get this as a tattoo. Upon learing that it is actually a "science-fictionized" swastika however, I'm not so sure anymore.
I still think is cool ;-)
Anyway, if you haven't seen V, take a day or two, rent it and sit down for some good old science fiction fun.
Oh, watching the original might make the new series more enjoyable! Wha? New series?
YES!!
ABC is preparing to air a brand new series! Get ready, I'm hoping this turns into a GREAT remake of the original! Getting TiVo ready to rock and roll!
Well, I'm going to head downstairs and get ready for V - The Final Battle! Have a great Sunday everyone!
-=SjN=-
Posted at 06:27 AM in Television | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
In today's society, it has become taboo to even utter the phrase "I don't like kids". Children have been placed on this unattainable pedestal that even god himself would have trouble conquering.
Well, I am here today to set the record straight. I don't like kids. Call me pathetic, call me self centered, call me a #&#^$#@! Whatever. I don't like them, I've tried to like them but you know what. I JUST DON'T! There, I said it.
You know what? It's okay. It's perfectly fine to not like children. It doesn't make you a monster, it doesn't make you any less human. It makes you someone who doesn't like kids. Period.
I would venture to guess that a majority of people feel this way yet stay quiet about it. Even parents! For every "cute" thing your kid does, I am 100% positive that there are a thousand things that your kid does that drives you up the wall. It's a fact of life.
One of the reasons for my disdain of children is that unattainable pedestal society places them on. Just today I was watching the news about a bus crash. All the news could report was the fact that some kids got injured! Paramedics, police, firefighters rushed to the scene to help the children!!! Finally at the end of the broadcast you heard this - "Oh, and 15 adults were injured and the driver died..."
Like adults are any less F'ing important.
I remember when I was a kid, I could run outside and do crazy things like ride my bike without helmets, elbow pads and knee pads! Imagine that! I broke bones, scuffed my knees daily and got bloody noses. It's part of being a kid. Life lessons are a very important thing growing up! Today's kids lack that. They are so sheltered and protected that they ultimately grow up being evil little monsters. Yesterday there was a news report that 3 teens, in their infinite wisdom decided to douse this other kid sitting by a swimming pool and set him on fire. ON FIRE! What the hell?
Nope. I seriously don't like kids.
And yes, I can hear you now. "Don't blame the kids, blame the parents" True. Totally true. But at some point kids must share the brunt of responsibility. They are not untouchable little angles. Parents today are not allowed to discipline their children anymore. Go ahead and try it. Spank your brat in the grocery store and see what happens. You'll either stir up a flash mob or you'll be visited by CPS. It's absolutely ridiculous. Then there are teachers. The poor teachers. With the absence of discipline in schools, kids run rampant. Schools are full of drugs, guns wayward sex and all kinds of vile activities. Give the teachers their paddles back and lay down some laws.
Now, to be fair, there are good kids. Kids that do what they are told, obey the rules and go on to be productive members of society. I applaud them. My problem is that number is incredibly small. I fear for our future.
Finally, if you don't like children, it's okay. Like George Carlin once said, "Children are like any other member of society, some winners and a whole lot of losers". It's just a fact of life. There is no rule written anywhere that states you MUST love children at all costs.
Go forth in your feelings. Don't hurt them, be nice, that's a part of being a respectable member of society but stay true to your feelings.
One last thing, it may be unfair to say I don't like kids as it's not 100% the kids fault. What really causes this feeling towards children is how we, as a society raise our children. Rearing kids without discipline, is a recipe for disaster (and NO, Timeout is NOT discipline). A good crack on the ass does wonders and establishes boundaries. Something that kids today know nothing about.
That is all,
-SjN
Posted at 07:23 AM in Life | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)