So, Squarespace has finally released an iPhone blogging app. Color me impressed so far. You can obviously post articles, they include picture uploads as well.
The real gem is that they allow you to view and edit posts from within the app no matter if you posted them on the iPhone or web. Pretty cool. You can also check your web statistics to see the traffic coming to your site Next build looks like they'll have commenting tools built in.
Alfred Hitchcock loved to terrify people. He delighted in the perverse nature of man's soul and psyche. One film stands out, as the evil was not human, but of the avian type- more appropriately, The Birds.
This article's focus is not to speak about the movie Birds, or Hitchcock's genius (that could be a later blog post) but I wanted to share an interesting article and video that had my memory fetch the imagery above.
They say art mimics real life and in the case of the following article I found, Sir Alfred Hitchcock had his finger on a certain pulse. Watch the video below and then read on...
This video was made during previous experiments. In the Brevia section of the 9 August 2002 issue of Science, Weir et al. report a remarkable observation: The toolmaking behavior of New Caledonian crows. In the experiments, a captive female crow, confronted with a task that required a curved tool (retrieving a food-containing bucket from a vertical pipe), spontaneously bent a piece of straight wire into a hooked shape -- and then repeated the behavior in nine out of ten subsequent trials.
Creepy cool, huh?
So, Oxford scientists have been running experiments with crows, all centered on food retrieval, and recorded that these animals are able to use up to three types of tools in procuring their food. The article I read tested the birds in different scenarios and they were able to adapt and utilize up to 3 different tools to accomplish their task. Now, these Caledonian crows are known to use tools in the wild to retrieve food, but the scientists wanted to see if these birds had cognitive skills beyond non-human or primate animals that showed similar cognitive skills. The results were that the crows could adapt and create tools, sometimes as the need arose, without any previous tool training. Though the researchers stated that these results do not prove complex cognitive abilities, it does mark an example of higher cognitive competence above non-human animals.
So, though modern Cinema would have us believe that our futures would look something like this:
Rest assured it will most likely resemble this:
Hitchcock was so ahead of his time...love this scene:
All in all, the future doesn't look too bright for us humans...
I am a big Comic book fan. sadly, I don't have the time now to collect individual comics as they are released, but I do try and pick up compilations of particular series and graphic novels that interest me. Lately, I have been able to read some great graphic novels and trade-backs. I want to recommend two comics here that I read recently that were very good.
This Graphic Novel starts in our present world when suddenly all mammals with a Y chromosome die. The protagonist in the story is Yorick Brown who, along with his male monkey, are the lone male survivors of the plague. I will not get into spoilers, but the story unfolds rather quickly through some quick flashbacks (which are introduced at the beginning of each chapter) and bringing you up to speed. The world is thrown into chaos and a very twisting and inventive story unfolds, the first novel being a survival story. There are 10 graphic novels in total for the entire run. I have only read the first one, but I have the others queued up for purchase. A must buy.
I haven't read a Bernie Wrightson comic in a very long time, he had left the genre for the last decade. The one that comes to my mind the most is Cycle of the Werewolf by Bernie and Stephen King. That graphic novel became the movie Silver Bullet. That graphic novel drew me in completely through the visual style- Bernie Wrightson's panels popped off the pages with a surreal realism that breathed life into King's basic story. City of Others follows the exploits of killer for hire Stosh Bludowski who has no capacity for the human emotion of caring. A job he takes leads him into a world full of zombies and vampires. Very cool concept (although not terribly original), but executed well. Niles and Wrightson, who share writing credit, create a very likeable anti-hero and construct a very depraved world. Wrightson's art is spot on and again breathes life into an otherwise thin story. This graphic novel makes me want to track down more of Wrightson's early work. I just hope he stays in this medium for a long while now.
To all those folks running out to picnics and family gatherings or heading for the shore, have a great Memorial Day.
For many years now, Memorial Day has been closer to me than most other holidays due to my previous military career. I was a Field Artillery Meteorologist for the US ARMY throughout the early to mid 90's. I have very fond memories of my time in the military, from my see-saw time in BASIC training at Ft. Sill, OK, to drilling weekends and 2 week bivouacs in the Army Reserves. Sometimes the day to day stuff in the military can be monotonous and you question some of the decisions that trickle down- there are certainly critics of the military and its actions. But, one thing that has always stuck with me is the camaraderie of my fellow soldiers. The bond you create with these guys are long lasting, even though you may not see them for years. People are brought together by a common cause, incident, or experience. We certainly shared many together as soldiers. From Boot camp to sitting in the motor pool playing endless games of spades. It's those days that I remember the most, the laughter and no care that descends around you in the most difficult of situations- it is those times that make life tolerable. It is the most important lesson Uncles Sam taught me- no matter the situation, no matter the outcome, the human will can never be destroyed and will always survive.
So to all my comrades in the Armed Forces, I remember you today. To my brothers who fell in these times and times past, I salute you.
I held it truth, with him who sings To one clear harp in divers tones, That men may rise on stepping-stones Of their dead selves to higher things.
Today I was sent a few funny videos that I want to share with my small audience. I just found out that one of my friends reads my posts but doesn't comment. I yelled at him for not showing the love. Comments are like crack to bloggers, it's what we live for. So if you are reading this, leave a comment (not talking to you Snabulus!).
SO my first funny video is of a guy I actually respect- a sci-fi novelist who doesn't always get his dues. I first heard of Harlan Ellison through Star Trek TOS, and then read a few of his novels and short stories. What I didn't realize was how much of a real pisser he is. I've read about the antics of Harlan Ellison many times before, watched video snippets of interviews where he has gone off. He is always a lively fellow. Well, my friend Pringle Pat pointed me to a video of a documentary of Ellison called Dreams With Sharp Teeth. Though I respectfully show you this video, I hope to not raise the ire of Mr. Ellison nor of his closest litigious advisers.
Enjoy, a funny interlude with someone who has been once called "possibly the most contentious person on Earth"...
Next on the funny block is a nice video created by the funny crew over at Sarcastic Gamer. I few weeks ago Microsoft released a few videos showcasing technologies in the future. They were artistically created to give you a glimpse of what technology could look like. So the Sarcastic Gamer crew took one of the videos and sort of dubbed it. Anyway- here is what they put together.
Finally, this last video phenom is one most tech nerds experienced last year. It was created by Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the most excellent Firefly. It is a pretty funny short starring Doogie Howser's Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. It's about an Evil Scientist in training who is in love with the girl next door, but is trying to thwart his arch nemesis. Oh yeah, it's a musical too. I am not going to give you a full review here, but the 40 minute video is worth the watch. Very quirky, very funny, and oddly touching. A rare gem. The Phenomenon part of this movie short is that Joss Whedon financed it on his own and released it as an ad supported free stream or paid iTunes download. The experiment here was to see if there was a revenue model for a self produced movie, circumventing Hollywood and their heavy hand. I am not sure how it has done, but I would not mind a sequel.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 09:37PM 
