One human family

Posted on March 23rd, 2008 by george.
Categories: technology, synthesis, space, future, death, life, enlightenment, serendipity, coincidence, numbers.

Arthur C. Clarke, one of my most exalted heroes, has passed to the next world.  There is no way I could ever pay proper respect to his spirit or legacy, so I’ll let him speak for himself.

Rest in peace, Mr. Clarke, immersed in everlasting joy and assured in your new, infinite knowledge that all your wishes are true, and will come true for us.
You like coincidences?  Check out my most recent flickr photo, which I posted before leaving for Mexico and have left up for nearly a week.  I have read 2001:  A Space Odyssey, and 2010:  Odyssey Two, but until today I did not know that the second sequel was entitled 2061:  Odyssey Three.  Third book’s the chardm, as they say.

P.S. This is my third visit to Mexico.

7 comments.

Double Feature

Posted on March 10th, 2008 by george.
Categories: film.

If you’re looking to avoid the bland in the recent crop of movies (10,000 B.C., Semi-Pro, and the well-intentioned, somewhat funny, but off-the-mark Be Kind Rewind), allow me to recommend a couple winners.

First up is the new McConaughey/Hudson flick Fool’s Gold, which while cheesy, is a feast for the eyes of sun-drenched tropical locales, big white yachts, gorgeous blue underwater worlds and soaring cinematography.  This could easily be an infomercial for scuba school.  For anyone obsessed with the islands and tropics like me, this is a fun, mindless frolick through happyland.  There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, more than a little slapstick, and a great cameo by Donald Sutherland as the bumbling but kind multimillionaire.  Hudson plays the post-postmodern American woman to a tee, and it’s always funny to watch McConaughey do his hunky/funny guy routine.  A great popcorn film to chase away the winter blues.

Second is, without a doubt, the best heist film I’ve seen in a decade:  The Bank Job.  Simply named, this flick packs a mean punch.  Jason Statham has made the best script choice of his career.  While Transporter and Crank showcase his gruff, tough-guy, martial arts shtick well, this is the movie he can look back on and say, “Yeah.  I am a real actor.”  It’s a thinking man’s action film, with surprising twists, wonderfully British dialogue and humor, and loads of suspense.  I’m not a fan of violence, but the strength of this plot is too good to be missed.  The fact that this movie is loosely based on true events proves that reality really does make for the best entertainment, and sometimes the little guy can outsmart the system.  Don’t miss The Bank Job.

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