Monthly Archives: April 2014
Redefining Immortality
(Source: Wikipedia)
Transcendence will project on movie screens all around the United States today. As a science-fiction thriller, first-time director (and acclaimed cinematographer) Wally Pfister and his all-star cast (Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Paul Bettany) will pose surprisingly relevant questions about the current state of mankind and womankind and whether racing on the autobahn of developing increasingly personal technologies and building machines with only “pure upside” is the road we should be taking. Or, at the very least, at the speed innovators appear to driving their savvy imaginations in this day and age.
Can (or should) humans live forever, consciously, inside a computer?
The term “the grid” is taking shape and evolving in ways many of us either didn’t think was possible or were, quite frankly, fearful of. Once this mainframe is built (or perhaps it already is), is it even possible to dismantle it?
There are infinite questions to be pondered from this movie and other science-fiction thrillers. For instance: What does artificial intelligence look like today? What is its true reach? Is that reach good or bad?
Some may think that technology is tinkered with in basement facilities with pale walls, computers, wires and varying degrees of limitations. But what if the concept of “the cloud” is as unlimited and open as its sounds?
This blog has written about technology before, including its benefits and drawbacks. Without seeing Transcendence, an opinion cannot rightly be rendered. But this film presents a couple hours to escape into a creative and entertaining story of artificial intelligence and the pursuit of advanced technology on a Friday or Saturday night, as well as to take a moment to pause and reflect on the subject matter.
How long until we are in the “age of transcendence” as defined by Pfister and Co.? What does this mean for society as individuals, as well as the collective? Is the infinite space above and all around us becoming finite and controlled without us knowing? Should it be if it’s guided by a genius?
There’s one way to find out and it’s called Transcendence, playing in a theater near you.
Maybe we should ask Siri about transcendence…
Dude is Going to Look Like a Lady Again
Normally, there isn’t so much news about sequels made within the same 2-week period, especially when it concerns follow-ups to beloved ’80s and ’90s classics.
Strangely, the latest scoop of a man dressing up as an old Scottish nanny has the potential to revive Steiner Street to its 1993 golden presence.
It was recently announced that famed scribe and director Chris Columbus put his hands up in the form of an “L” and reverse “L” and joined his thumbs together for a vision of a Mrs. Doubtfire sequel in the joyfully eccentric northern California city of San Francisco.
Oh, and this is happening with the wonderfully crazy, wild and spontaneously hilarious Robin Williams.
It’s impossible to doubt the comedic fire he’ll surely bring to this sequel.
While we’re not experiencing hot flashes at this news, we’re all experiencing flashes of our favorite scenes from this story of a marriage and family of three children broken up by divorce in a funny, yet very real fashion. And the fact that the 1993 original was funny, sweet and painfully real with the tugging of our heart strings throughout was a defining dynamic that perfectly complemented the unforgettable comedic one-liners of Robin Williams and, of course, a stellar cast.
There is no release date, but that shouldn’t stop our cautious optimism of what will eventually be projected on the silver screen for multiple generations to enjoy.
Thankfully, somebody boxed the trailer from Mrs. Doubtfire and then shipped it onto the Internet (that process can get confusing).
“Could you make me a woman [again]?”
“Honey, I’m so happy!”
And Uncle Frank, maybe make an extra mask or two…just in case.
P.S. I’ll never forget when my family and I were at a cafe in Kauaʻi several years ago and my sister and I were ordering food just feet from somebody who looked very familiar…
Yes, he was 007. And yes, he was super nice. But, he was also the hapless Stu Dunmeyer.
Incredibly, I believe he was driving a Mercedes!
Finding That Killer Instinct
“I got soul, but I’m not a soldier”
The power of the written word as expressed though music is completely unsurprising. Not a new revelation at all, but this obvious observation does not diminish the inspiring and revealing nature of a perfectly-crafted phrase sung for, to and from the heart.
As a talking camel strutting through a busy American office would ask right about now, “guess what day it is?”
Wednesday is the most confusing day of the week. It’s not near the beginning (uggh) or near the end (yay!), but smack down in the middle. Thankfully, that song lyric above is the quintessential answer to this mid-week dilemma. Monday and Tuesday, yes, we are relentless “soldiers” for our jobs and our companies. However, once the first sign of light starts to break on the horizon over that tall stack of papers (literal or figurative), that warm, comforting glow is a guiding force that we again need to embrace our adventurous and random side for the end of the week and of the weekend ahead.
Below is a list of 7 things to do today or this evening as a reminder that “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier.”
Here we go:
- Go to a local farmer’s market and buy food you’ve never cooked before and try your hand at it
- Break out into a dance with a friend/friends on a street or walkway with people around for 10 seconds
- Blast music from your car (sans profanity or vulgar material) with entertaining bravado
- Sit outside on a park bench (weather permitting) and read a good book
- Always, always read and spread the awesomeness of Jimmy’s Daily Planet!!
- Go to a bar in a nice restaurant and secretly pay the tab of a couple in love
- Watch the abridged video below for visual motivation from the killer source of this post
After all, isn’t it about ‘all these things that we’ve done’?
The Tax Man Should Never Own a Bike
April 15th is the last day to mail taxes.
After wasting a perfectly good Saturday/weekend navigating through the mind-numbing maze of booklets, rules and multiple variations of “line 3 minus line 4,” people can finally start to put their minds at ease. Hopefully, there will be a refund in your future to splurge on something truly fun and antithetical to the entire process and existence of taxes (in 6-7 weeks for the old school paper submitters).
Just be on the lookout for the tax man today so you don’t get penalized with the “walking into the post office to mail your taxes” tax…
One thing never seems to change: the tax man always comes calling at 10:40, but it’s rarely an easy experience.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 