Moon Explosions

President Bush may face a somewhat unexpected impasse in his dream of establishing a moon-base. It seems the moon is struck by meteorites much more frequently than previously expected.

A single meteoroid produces a spray consisting of thousands of "secondary" particles all traveling at bullet-like velocities. This could be a problem because, while the odds of a direct hit are low, the odds of a secondary hit may be significantly greater.

In somewhat related news, it seems the "Real Life Alien" footage was a bit of a bust. Apparently, the footage has been around since 2003 and, surprise surprise, it's not very convincing. Here is a still shot:

The Truth is Out There

And so are lies, phonies, and crackpots, so a healthy dose of skepticism is always recommended. Rocky Mountain News is reporting that an authentic video showing a living, breathing alien will be released tomorrow. But hold on.

Peckman said the general public will have to wait to see it because it's being included in a documentary by Stan Romanek.

"No one will be allowed to film the segment with the extraterrestrial because there is an agreement in place limiting that kind of exposure during negotiations for the documentary," he said.

So much for the free dissemination of important, earth changing information. What's worse:

"It shows an extraterrestrial's head popping up outside of a window at night, looking in the window, that's visible through an infrared camera," he said. The alien is about 4 feet tall and can be seen blinking, Peckman said earlier this month.

Ah yes. Very convincing. If you ask me, this sounds like a PR stunt for the upcoming X-Files movie. Regardless, I'm excited to see the video. I'm always up for a little creepy video tomfoolery, even if it is fake.

Evolution of the Intelligence Sweet Spot

I remember reading, during what must have been middle school, about what the world might look like today if the massive extinction event that occurred 65 million years ago and killed most of the dinosaurs had never happened. There seemed to be a trend in therapod evolution that selected for smaller size, bipedalism and increased intelligence. Some scientists hypothesized that, if not for the mass extinction, a sentient, humanoid species not unlike ourselves may have evolved. [This hypothesis was hijacked and explored by the 'live action thrill ride' Super Mario Brothers the Movie)

Since then, I've always wondered if there's something to the idea that advanced intelligence may be inseparable from a certain range of preconditions, such as size, metabolism (therapods were warm blooded with 4 valved hearts!) and strangely, even bipedalism. I mean, I often scoff at the depictions of aliens in movies and television as so similarly human in form and function, but maybe there's an evolutionary sweet spot, a goldilocks zone, for intelligence. Certainly Bonobos and chimps conform to these conditions, but they are our cousins so maybe they are not worth considering. Dolphins don't quite fit the mold, although we share a few important similarities. Octopuses are another famously smart species, and they too share some striking similarities.

Anyway, I don't want to get all humanoid-supremacist. But I thought this possible trend might be something worth considering (and perhaps it's more obvious or over-generalized than I realize.)

El Curioso Caso de Benjamin Button

I saw the trailer for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button before Indiana Jones. The film, based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is directed by David Fincher and stars Brad Pitt as a man who is born old and ages in reverse. It looks bizarre and absolutely beautiful. I've often thought about the strange recapitulation that occurs as we get older and become almost more childlike in brain function and dependency. This film seems like an interestingly peculiar treatment of the subject.

Indiana Jones and the Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Sam and I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this morning. As expected, the film was disappointing on almost all fronts. John Williams seems to have delivered his most lack-luster score to date, the acting and writing were, with some exceptions, cartoonish and terrible, the style was plastic and emotionless, and the storyline was convoluted, unbelievable and unoriginal.

I award Indiana and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 2 Pope hats out of a possible 5:

New Weezer Music Video Features THE INTERNET!!!1

Indiana Oh Noes

I just watched the first 30 minutes of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. If what I've seen so far is any indication of the rest of the film, then most reviews have been very kind. It was God awful. I simply could not believe what I was watching. Just. Wow.

Kind of sad.

Featured Doodle -- Fetal Man-Baby

What's he got?

Yay! Fetal Man-Baby just scored a date!

Fetal Man-Baby looks like Louey (Louie) Anderson.

doodle

Less Bummed Out

All right, as usual, the pendulum has swung the other way and I'm feeling a little less down. That is all. :)

Bummed Out

I went to my first day of work at Kerasotes Theater on Monday. The work was fairly mild, the people were nice, and besides terrible leg pains after standing for 5 hours, the job was tolerable.

Except the pay is ridiculous. And a few shame-inducing jabs have plunged me into depression. It's tough. On the one hand, I'm doing what I want --I'm pursuing my own projects and experiencing the last few years (months?) that my family will remain at least a shadow of its former self. On the other hand, if you had asked me 8 years ago where I saw myself now, the answer would only underscore the staggering disappointment I have become. And I can no longer tell if my familial love, anxieties and depression are sincere or a cover for ineptitude and laziness.

I'm too attached. That's my problem, I think. Too bad knowing is not enough to break the spell.

God Blog

First Geoffrey Chaucer hath a blog and then Charles Darwin got a blog. It only made sense that God should have a blog too.

It's a little rough around the edges, in an insensitive kind of way. But if you're up for a mean spirited laugh, check out Stuff God Hates.

Ghostbusters Gameplay

The game I've been dreaming about since the year of my birth (1984, the same year Ghostbusters released) is finally coming together. Glad to see the developers are putting the hundreds of minutes of excellent, unused Elmer Bernstein score to good use.

Calling Out Republican Stupidity

Is this a turning of the tide? Is the media finally going to start calling out conservative pundits, and indeed the president, for their gross stupidity? McCain's innumerable gaffes have been getting more media attention (although still not enough). And now Chris Matthews totally takes right-wing radio host Kevin James to task on his abusive ignorance of history.

Check it out.

Matthews has lost a lot of points with me lately, especially now that Hardball has adopted a garish show format that imitates all the other talking head crap out there. Seriously, there's not even a pretense of objectivity any more. It seems every news program has been replaced by some loud, opinionated, ignorant goon.

But Chris may have finally won a few points back. ...just a few.

Sony PS3 Ads Get Raunchy

Sony has been known for producing some bizarre and disturbing advertisements for the PS3. Looks like they have another winner:

click for full ad

No, that's not a penis, silly goose! That's a thumb! Look closer (I dare you!) Actually, even though I generally loathe Sony ads, I really do think this one is a winner because EVERY game blog is talking about it. Free advertising? Sony wins!*



*Anyone have any clue why my paragraph spacing becomes single spaced after I put up a picture? I've tried a dozen ways to fix it, but nothing works and I can't find any html code that deals specifically with the problem. LAME!

The Amazing Intelligence of Crows

Holy Sh*t!    I had no idea.   Mind = blown.

More Than I Can Chew

I've FINALLY finished "The Last Easy Summer;" I'm ready to submit it to a few competitions and publications and then put it behind me.

I've bit the bullet and accepted the job at Kerasotes Theater. The pay is dismal, but the hours are flexible, so I'm hoping to continue my pet sitting business on the side. Curse For the Dogs for rejecting me again! Boo!

A new cartoon idea is bubbling in my brain. Hopefully I'll put some concept art together, write a pitch document and get back in touch with Disney Television Animation. The series is tentatively entitled, "Dr. Quark and the Quantum Kid."

I may be starting my own website with the help of my uncle that would serve as a news aggregator for video game related articles. Keep an eye out for gamenewslinx.com in the future.

I plan on writing a short horror screenplay tentatively entitled "The Devil in the Barn" about a man struggling against an impish monster on his farm.

Finally, Colin has enlisted me to write a short piano piece for an animation project he's working on. I've agreed to help as best I can.

Not a Very Scientific Graph...

...but it amused me. And then it made me sad.



Then I read this story about an Iraqi father who killed his own 17 year-old daughter after discovering she was infatuated with a British soldier.

'Death was the least she deserved,' said Abdel-Qader. 'I don't regret it. I had the support of all my friends who are fathers, like me, and know what she did was unacceptable to any Muslim that honours his religion,' he said.

Now I'm even sadder. :(

Superb Blog Entry

I wish I could write with such clarity, cadence, and humor! I heartily recommend "The Pentecostal Church and The Holy Ghost Want You To Wear Pig Panties" from the blog Violent Acres. A taste:

I know this might be hard to believe, but my brother and I generally liked being a part of the Pentecostal church. For one thing, the majority of the parishioners refrained from using birth control, so there were always tons of kids around for us to play with. For another thing, church was exciting. Who needed a television set or video games when you could simply attend the Wednesday night service?

Happy Mother's Day

The Fuller Weightloss Program

If you had asked me a month ago about how much I weighed, I would have replied, "Oh I don't know, probably 145 maybe 150 pounds." So imagine my surprise when I eventually made it to a scale and weighed in at 160lbs.

I've since resumed my diet and exercise routine from the summer after Senior year of high school (although, admittedly, with a little less fervor) Thanks in part to my father's genetics, and some good old fashioned will power, I can get by pretty comfortably with one full meal a day. (pro tip: a small bowl of cereal, a granola bar, a bottle of water or a can of soda can help kill hunger pains)

I also jog daily, once around the neighborhood, and then sometimes finish with a long walk down the nature trail. The first few jogs in my routine were pretty easy, but the trick is to go a little further every time. And even though I hear you're not supposed to exercise before bed, I manage 200 crunches before I go to sleep. (During the summer of '03 I also added 100 sit-ups)

In two and a half weeks, I've managed to drop about 4 or 5 pounds. It's probably not the healthiest way to go about losing weight, but for me, it's fairly quick and easy. As an added bonus, it makes me a little more tired, so I go to sleep around 12 or 1am, as opposed to 3 or 4amm, and wake up at 9 or 10am.

Win!

wat...?

John Mayer Gets More Likable

The Science Channel

In case local Indianians and cable tv watchers are unaware, the Science Channel has been recently added to our glut of selections. At my home, the Science Channel is on channel 66 and it has quickly become one of my favorites.

Check it out!

Jay Fuller's Blog

Will the real Jay Fuller please stand up?

Sorry, I'm just writing this entry to assert that I am the REAL Jay Fuller, born and bred!

...except for the fact that my name is actually James Joseph Fuller Jr, or as my Boston friends sometimes teased, "Jimmy-Jo"



Anyway, the real reason I'm writing this entry is to, hopefully, disrupt google searches that might lead to that "other guy."

As a reward for reading this terrible entry, I present:

Jay Fuller is . . .

. . . the lead pastor of JourneyPointe Church in Locust Grove, GA. I’ve been married to Tracey (my first and only wife) for 18 years. I have two kids (Megan, 13 and Trey, 8). I was born in New Jersey, but I’ve lived in Georgia for the past 36 years. My interests include golf (although I don’t get to play nearly enough), college football (wish they played year ’round-Go Dawgs!), and playing the drums (which explains the word “rudiment” in the blog heading). I love classic rock and just about anything from the 70’s and 80’s with the exception of Wham! and Culture Club. I own a record player and I’m not afraid to use it.

Don't believe me? Just check out my blog: Jay Fuller's Blog

Man, this dorkous malorkus is beating me on google! Do a search of "Jay Fuller + Blog" and you get my eerie doppelganger!

Strange, his blog even has something of a space theme...

WHO ARE YOU, YOU IMPOSTOR?!?

Response to Ryan's Post

I can't seem to leave a comment on Ryan's blog, so I'll post my response here and move it over there once everything is in working order. This comment is in response to Ryan's entry, "Sokushinbutsu."

Wow. The naked will to power is nothing next to the naked will to live, and to live forever. It seems people will say, do, and believe anything just for a chance at immortality.

Although I'd like to claim the following idea as my own, Dr. Myers expressed it today more eloquently than I could ever hope.

"...eternal life. There can be no such thing. People change all the time, and the I that is here now will not be the same I that could exist in 20 years; my mortality is a part of my being, and removing that would be an event so traumatic and so life-changing that it would produce an identity even more substantially different than the vast revolution I went through 51 years ago, when I gastrulated. Immortality is meaningless and achieving it is impossible.

That's not to say we don't want a long life and will fight off death as long as we can. It's just that life itself represents a kind of incremental dynamism that can't be frozen without destroying it."

emphasis mine

Vote or Cry

I just got back from voting. Don't forget to vote! Indiana is an important primary state this year. I don't want to reveal my vote and influence anyone, so I'll just include these pictures of the presidential candidates.

Barack Obama



Hilary Clinton



John Bush --er, McCain

RIP Mildred Loving

From Pharyngula:

"Loving was the woman who, with her husband, was tried in the 1960s for the crime of interracial marriage; their victory before the Supreme Court led to the striking down of laws banning racially mixed marriages across the country. Here's part of her account:

Not long after our wedding, we were awakened in the middle of the night in our own bedroom by deputy sheriffs and actually arrested for the "crime" of marrying the wrong kind of person. Our marriage certificate was hanging on the wall above the bed. The state prosecuted Richard and me, and after we were found guilty, the judge declared: "Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix." He sentenced us to a year in prison, but offered to suspend the sentence if we left our home in Virginia for 25 years exile."

You know, I had started to buy into the whole argument that gay marriage is a state issue, but if history, human rights, and common decency mean anything, then this issue should have already been resolved by the Supreme Court.

Ironman

I went with the family over the weekend to see Ironman. Aside from a sometimes grating soundtrack, which is otherwise unimpressive, this film is a fun ride and terrific start to this season's slew of summer flicks. As I understand it, this is the first film that Marvel has had a more active role in producing. If Ironman is any indication, Marvel comic book properties may finally be in better hands --their own.

The movie follows war profiteer and tech-wiz Tony Stark as his life is flipped upside down after being taken hostage somewhere in the middle east and escaping with a hastily designed bionic suit. A couple iterations later and he's effectively perfected the suit, assuming the role of a superhero, but retaining all his snarky cynicism.

Hang around after the credits for a special guest appearance. (Or you can cheat and just watch it now)

I award Ironman 4 pope hats, of a possible 5:

Richard Wright "Black Boy"

I remember reading "Black Boy" by Richard Wright in 12th grade honors English and it made a real impression on me. Since then, my memories of the book have faded and I remembered only that it was my favorite school assigned book.

I've since picked up the 400 page autobiography of the author's early life and, while I've found it to be disappointing in some respects, I've definitely rediscovered its appeal. Here's a favorite selection:

"Granny was an ardent member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and I was compelled to make a pretense of worshiping her God, which was her exaction for my keep. The elders of her church expounded a gospel clogged with images of vast lakes of eternal fire, of seas vanishing, of valleys of dry bones, of the sun burning to ashes, of the moon turning to blood, of stars falling to earth, of a wooden staff being transformed into a serpent, of voices speaking out of clouds, of men walking upon water, of God riding whirlwinds, of water changing into wine, of the dead rising and living, of the blind seeing, of the lame walking; a salvation that teemed with fantastic beasts having multiple heads and horns and eyes and feet; sermons of statues possessing heads of gold, shoulders of silver, legs of brass, and feet of clay; a cosmic tale that began before time and ended with the clouds of the sky rolling away at the Second Coming of Christ; chronicles that concluded with the Armageddon; dramas thronged with all the billions of human beings who had ever lived or died as God judged the quick and the dead . . .

While listening to the vivid language of the sermons I was pulled toward emotional belief, but as soon as I went out of the church and saw the bright sunshine and felt the throbbing life of the people in the streets I knew that none of it was true and that nothing would happen."

Clinton vs Obama in Star Wars

So utterly brilliant.

Mario Kart Wii Friend Code

Add me, comment with your friend code, and I'll add you!

0387-9179-2785

plain old wii code: 1326 6970 5705 0615 name: SHAKE

Free Music

Rareware has graciously posted free mp3 files that make up the beautiful soundtrack to Kameo. View the individual tracks here.

If you're like me and adore medleys, here are three 20 minutes pieces that comprise the entire Kameo soundrack, as well as including never-before heard work.

I've only listened to the first medley so far, but I'm getting a very nice Shenmue meets The Lord of the Rings meets Danny Elfman vibe. How can you go wrong?

Kameo Medley 1

Kameo Medley 2

Kameo Medley 3

A Tiny Taste of "The Last Easy Summer"

      A brief, summer storm had carried loose sand down the steep road and left it to dry and bake in a pothole. Joel ran his finger through the sand, flicking cat droppings as his older brother reclined on their lawn’s still-cool grass. An easy, eastern breeze tickled the children’s hair. Ethan squinted an eye and spoke from the side of his mouth.
      “I’ll jump it. I don’t care.”
      Joel stared at the sand and drew lines into a curse word.
      “Yeah, and what if the Perv gets ya?” He dashed the brazen word with a swipe.
      “More exciting than this.” Ethan switched his squinting eye and sat up.
      “ ’Sides, I can outrun that fat bastard easy.”

I'd post more, but I'm kind of paranoid about sharing too much.