"A VISITOR FROM THE PAST"

Even though this video was created for the 4th of July, it's message needs to be heard every day!

Spiderpig...Spiderpig...Does whatever a Spiderpig does...

Yes...I went to see "The Simpsons Movie" tonight!

And as Comic Book guy would say: "Best Movie....Ever!"

At least if you are as big a Simpsons fan as I am.
I'm not going to say anymore about the movie 'cause I don't want to give anything away, except to say...don't rush out of the theater as soon as the credits start to roll...you'll miss a few funny moments.

OMG! All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash!!!

Oh no! How will people read about my incredibly boring life?!?

The Jena Six

Earlier today I was listening on my MP3 player to an episode(from July 10th) of the "Democracy Now!" podcast and couldn't believe this news item!

It is an outrageous story of racism and injustice that is taking place in the town of Jena, Louisiana. The two videos below are part of the 'Democracy Now!' report and tell the story better than I could, so please watch them. I'm surprised that this story hasn't gotten national news coverage, but this was the first I'd heard the story.




There are actually six parts to this report, but I just put up these two. You can find the other sections on YouTube. Click the links below:
Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

There's a petition here calling upon the Civil Rights Division of the U.S Department of Justice to investigate this case. I urge everyone to go and sign it to bring this to the attention of the Federal government. There are currently almost 5,000 signatures, please add yours.

There's a link in the sidebar (and the post title) to 'Democracy Now!' as well if you'd rather read the story. The website "Friends of Justice" also has updated information on this case. A defense fund has been set up to provide money for lawyers for the accused students who have not yet gone to trial. The address to send donations to that fund is as follows:
Jena 6 Defense Committee
PO BOX 2798
Jena, LA 71342

This kind of hatred and injustice CANNOT be tolerated--whether it be racism, homophobia, religious intolerance, or any other irrational hatred, it must be exposed and opposed !
Generally I don't get too upset or angry, but something about this story really got my blood boiling!
I think what first struck me was the fact that the black students at this school asked for permission to stand under what was considered to be the 'white students' tree. Since when does anyone have to be ask permission to stand in a particular spot? What kind of a country are we living in when the President commutes the sentence of one of his friends, while these students are being charged with serious crimes over a schoolyard fight?

Boom ! Boom! Whoosh ! Ooohhh!

It rained here on the 4th of July so I didn't go out to see the local fireworks, but today there were some at a nearby city so I went to see them and take a little video. It gave me a chance to try out the new digital camera I recently got. The fireworks display was put on in Freedom Park in the town of Scotia, which is just across the Mohawk river from the city of Schenectady. I stood on the bridge over the river to take this video. The sound near the end is a bit muffled because I unknowingly had my finger over the microphone on top of the camera. I was using both hands to steady the camera and didn't realize the opening for the mic was on top.
Hey--give me a break ! I've only had the camera for a week; I'm still learning what features it has.
Anyway....here's the link to that video: FIREWORKS !

Friday The 13th !

HaHa ! Fooled you-this post has nothing to do with Friday the 13th ! Except for the fact that it happens to be today's date.
I recently bought a new digital camera to replace the cheap one I got a couple of years ago and took some random photos and video to test it out. Since I never travel anywhere interesting, I
shot these pics while wandering through a local park and from my apartment window.
I even came up with titles for them just to make it look as though I actually know what I'm doing (don't really have much experience with photography).

Two Paths Diverged In A Wood (apologies to Robert Frost)
~click on the title to read Frost's poem~


Wood Nymph
~click title for more info. on nymphs~
Caught a photo of a little wood nymph hiding in this log. Look closely and you'll see his face peeking out from the opening.

Don't be scared, little fellow--I won't hurt you!

And finally, just some video of a thunderstorm taken from my window--click here.

Harry Potter Mania !

Yes!! It's that time again...when movie theaters and bookstores will be overflowing with aspiring wizards! The movie opened yesterday and next week (July 21) the last book in the series will be out. I haven't seen the movie yet but I'll admit I did just pre-order the book from my local Borders bookstore. I was going to wait and eventually just buy a used copy on Amazon.com as I did with the last book, but decided--hey! why not join in the mania!
So, in honor of the Harry Potter craze, here's a trailer from the movie:


Whoops! Sorry, I guess someone must have cast a confusion spell on me! I feel alright now so here's the real trailer:


And as an extra treat, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can listen to some music from the soundtrack along with stills from the movie.
(I had to place it there as it was too large to fit in the sidebar.)

More Than Meets The Eye

TRANSFORMERS !

Wow-- Aren't they cool !





And look how big this one is !













Hey! Wait just 60,000,000,000 nanoseconds* here !

These transformers don't look anything like the ones from the movie !

(*that's 60 billion nanoseconds=60 seconds=1 minute)

Ahhh...that's better. My brain must have short-circuited there for a bit.


As you may have guessed by now I recently (yesterday,actually) saw the new "Transformers" movie. And I give it two robotic thumbs up !

I never really watched the Transformers cartoons when they were first on TV, but I have to say I thought the special effects and CG in this movie are way better than any cartoon graphics!
There's plenty of action and excitement throughout the movie, and the battle scenes are fantastic! The only thing I found a little annoying is that scenes of the robots actually transforming are kind of quick and it's hard to follow the transformation clearly. Guess I'll just have to wait for the DVD so I can slow it down enough to see better.
If you haven't seen it yet, I'd suggest you head for a movie theater this weekend...you won't be disappointed.
And even if you hate robots you still get to see that cute Shia LaBeouf (including a brief shot or two of him in his boxers).

(P.S. click on this post's title to go to The Transformers official movie site)

~~~UPDATE~~~
If you are a real Transformers fan/geek, check out these cool animated T-Shirts over at ThinkGeek.com !
Although they are a little pricey for my budget at $34.99.
{And just so you know, I didn't go looking for these shirts, but happened to see them on another website. OK--I admit it--if I had the money to spare, I'd buy one, 'cause I'm kinda geeky.}

Click Here For A Live Web Cam (not porn)

Just an interesting item I came upon while web-surfing. Be patient-it may take a few seconds to load.

Stellar Fireworks

With the 4th of July coming up I thought I'd put up this new photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of some spectacular "fireworks" in space. It may not look that impressive in a photo, but this galaxy (NGC 4449) is made up of hundreds of thousands of blue and red stars!
Stars are forming here at a much higher rate than in NGC 4449's past, resulting in what is known as a "starburst".
This picture is from Space.com-click here to visit their site for more on these "stellar fireworks".