Parrot Buggy

Allow my to break my update dry spell with a parrot buggy!



You're welcome.

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See

Personally, I'm all for sustainable living because we only have one planet, and regardless of whether or not human made climate change is real, a healthy and clean Earth is better for all of us. As a Christian I believe that we should be good stewards of the earth, and destroying it through neglect and irresponsibility is downright sinful.

Saw this video today. It's an older one, and it simplifies arguments a good deal, but it uses good old fashioned economics to make a point. It's all about opportunity cost, and the opportunity cost is simply too high given what is at stake.

Now, all that said, I'm not suddenly a bleeding heart big government liberal. I believe that people needed to be educated about the subject, and should make the right choice on their own. When things are put in perspective regarding the consequences of our actions and the burdens our children, possibly we, and certainly the rest of the human race will have to bear, I don't see how there really is a choice at all.

Be a good steward of God's creation.When it's put in those terms, no rational believer could disagree.

Disney Wars

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Seriously, quit the whining. Disney buying out Lucasfilm does not mean doom and gloom. People need to step back and put a few things in perspective.

The Prequels Weren't Exactly Gems of Cinema

There, I said it. It's the truth, the ugly truth. But if you think Disney is going to create a super awful cheesy Star Wars as compared to Lucas, you need to rewatch the scene where Anakin Skywalker, at the age of 11, manages to, for the first time in his life, climb into a vacant Naboo Starfighter, pilot it into space, survive a dogfight, fly through a Trade Federation Battleship and destroy the thing from the inside.

I was going to go on at length about any other number of terrible, awful lines in the prequels, but really, I think the above caliber of storytelling pretty much sums it up. "Wahoooo!"

What Else Does Disney Own?

Turns out, Disney has bought out some other beloved IP's in the last few years, and no one had shed a tear. What are the two biggest names they've purchased?

It takes a bit of crack investigative reporting (wikipedia), but in case anyone has been hiding under a rock lately, it turns out both Marvel and Pixar are owned by Disney. Here's the short list of terrible, awful movies that partnership has given us:

Pixar

• Cars
• Ratatouille
• Up
• WALL-E
• Toy Story 3
• Brave

Marvel

• Iron Man 2
• Thor
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• The Avengers
• Iron Man 3 (Upcoming)

Boy, those righteous fanboys are right, Disney has completely ruined the IP's owned by those franchises. Damn you, Disney, for giving me The Avengers!

Think of the Potential

Disney World can now dedicate a portion of the park to Star Wars, AND a portion of the park to Indiana Jones. Remember, Indiana Jones is owned by Lucasfilm. You might be able to visit the Temple of Doom in a few years time, or walk into Mos Eisley's Cantina. Just think about that for a second.

And to Wrap Up...

I'm not saying there isn't room for Disney to complete destroy the franchise. There is. It could happen. But I do think there's more reason to be positive than negative, all things considered.

I mean, really, do you remember the prequels? No? Well, allow me to give you a couple prime reasons to take off your rose colored glasses, and remember that not all things nostalgic are good, and sometimes, a fresh change just might be a good thing:

The Flames

The Flames

Primal.
Burned into the Collective consciousness
Like a war horn
Stirring the spirit of man.
It demands the
Heart of a conquerer,
For all else will be consumed.
The blood flows
And feet begin to feel once again.
     [The cold grass beneath them.]
Air becomes life,
Caressing the skin,
Cooling the burning heat from the body.
The sound of shadows,
Whispers of long lost fears,
Tickling the back of the mind,
Though surely shadows cannot harm
An Immortal.


---

It's very rough. Not entirely pleased with it, but I don't like editing too much. It's dishonest. But I'm out of practice. Maybe I'll get back in form in the near future.

Canyon City Lodge No. 730 Officer Installation

Canyon City Lodge will be holding its annual officer installation on July 14th, 2012, at approximately 10:30 am. The event is open to the public; all are welcome. If you've ever wanted to visit a Masonic Lodge and see the building, this is your chance. Brethren will be on hand to greet all and answer any questions you may have before we begin the installation. Afterwards, the newly elected officers will quickly close the lodge (which will be tyled and not open to the public), following which light snacks will be served. 

If anyone has any interest in going, but they're uncomfortable attending by themselves, please let me know. I'd be more than happy to introduce you to the lodge members and show you around. 

+5 Intellect

I've decided to start a separate gaming blog to save those non-gamers who may view my personal blog from my past times. It's a double whammy, because I no longer feel I have to hold back regarding games now that these two worlds are separated. In the nerdiest spirit I can muster I present +5 Intellect.

Russia and Japan aim for the Moon - A New Space Race?

Source Article.

It was a rare confluence — the heads of the space agencies for Europe, Canada and Russia, along with senior representatives from the space agencies of India and Japan — all up on the dais together at a hotel in Washington DC, where they were on hand on 22 May to talk about the benefits of international collaboration at the Global Space Exploration Conference.

Vladimir Popovkin, the head of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said that Russia will pursue extensive, long-lived operations at the Moon’s surface. “We’re not talking about repeating what mankind achieved 40 years ago,” Popovkin said, through a translator.  “We’re talking about establishing permanent bases.” Similarly, JAXA, the Japanese Space Agency, issued a clear pronouncement about targeting the Moon.  “We are looking at the Moon as our next target for human exploration,” said Yuichi Yamaura, an associate executive director at JAXA.

Interesting. The last time another country beat us to a space exploration goal, we quickly caught up. Now it seems that once again those Ruskis  are excelling against us in vision regarding space exploration. I wonder if, lacking the cold war, we'll allow our indignance fuel our innovation as it did in the past. Or if we'll simply let another nation beat us.

Admiral, there be whales here!

This picture was recently taken by a NASA satellite:

There's been numerous weak attempts to explain it away through the use of proton impacts on the camera's sensor, but I think those of us who are faithful know the real explanation. Look at the blip. Now, look below:

Don't see it? Maybe from a different angle:

Here's what NASA is really trying to hide: Star Trek IV is all true. The whole thing is true, and someone just pulled a slingshot maneuver to come back to 2012 because some galactically important non-sentient species on Earth has gone extinct in the future. I find it fascinating that they even did it in a B'rel-class Bird of Prey. Star Trek has been spoon feeding us truth for decades to prepare for the eventual first contact. Good thinking there government conspiracy.

"But John," you say, "Why isn't there a bright trail of light following the ship in the photo? There's clearly a visible trail of particles following the Bounty in that glorious scene from the movie!"

It's not a comet. Ice isn't burning off. There's no reason for the trail other than Hollywood bling.

So, I give you proof that the truth is out there. You're welcome, America.

(All images blatantly ripped off the internet.)

A Charge With A New Mason

Once upon a time I posted about Benjamin Franklin's Twelve Virtues. Tonight, I was reminded that I never pursued my planned project from a full two summers ago. (I think I just found a summer project...)

The below video is one of the many being produced by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts utilizing the likeness of Benjamin Franklin (a Freemason) to promote education and discussion about the Masonic Fraternity and its ideals.

I must say, I think the video below is one of the most poignant I've seen from them. I've long said that time is our most precious resource, as it is the one which we can never accumulate more of, and our dear 'Mr. Franklin' seems to agree. All the videos in this series are worth a watch.

Mass Effect 3's Ending - A Different Interpretation

Like many, I played through the Mass Effect series, and was beyond pumped for the third installment of the series. And like many, upon play through completion, I thought the game was excellent until the very end. And, what a bitter end it was. I could understand what all the rage was about. Plot holes were aplenty, and you were left with... well, very little, considering the massive scope of the series.

Well, I was recently scouring the internet for something, anything, that would justify the ending given to us, the sad disappointment to such a work of art. And, well, I found that justification. And it is beyond anything I could have asked for.

Fair warning: Massive spoilers ahead.

The Definitive Interpretation:

I was introduced to what is being referred to as the "Shepherd's Indoctrination" interpretation. The video below is all you really need as proof, though much more can be found with a simple Google search.

A Summary:

From the moment you step onto the Citadel at the end through the Deus Ex Machina moment that is inexplicable, everything is a dream. Shepherd is knocked unconscious by Harbinger while running at the beam, and which in a dream state is going through one final fight against Reaper Indoctrination. The three choices you're presented with at the end of the cut scene and dialogue aren't deciding the fate galaxy, or even the Reapers. They're deciding the fate of Shepherd's mind.

As you'll see, there are hints the entire game. Shepherd is slowly succumbing to Indoctrination. He's had as much or more contact with the Reapers as anyone else in the galaxy. It makes sense.

And if you choose wisely, and play through the third game wisely, you're given an image of Shepherd taking a breath at the end of the other cut scenes. He's buried amidst a significant amount of rubble. How can this be reconciled with the fiery explosions of the Citadel? Easy. As mentioned before, he was never on the citadel. He was unconscious in London. The true ending of the game has yet to be seen.

I'll leave the rest to the video. It very clearly and concisely makes the arguments for this interpretation. To the point that I don't even consider it a theory at this point. This is the true interpretation in my mind. Bioware tricked us. They tricked all of us. We were indoctrinated by the game. And this is one of the most epic and genius endings to a series I can imagine.