Monkeys+Brain Control+Robots= End of Humans (or awesome zoos)

This video shows what could be the beginning of the end of human civilization. Monkeys are now controlling robots...with just thier minds. Let the war on the primates begin.

These monkeys have probes the width of a human hair inserted into the section of the brain that controls movement. The monkeys are also immobilized so they cannot move their limbs. Then a scientist offers the monkey a little snack. Then the monkey, using only his brain, controls the robot arm to grab the food from the scientst and put it in his mouth (the monkey's mouth, not the scientist's).

These so-called scientists claim they are trying to understand more about the brain so as to treat or even cure brain disorders such as Parkinson's or even Alzheimer's or mental illness. I don't buy it. It looks to me that they are just trying to create a super army of MonkeyBots to take over the world. Know what I think when I ponder on the future of this experiment?

And, of course, let's not forget...those Damn Dirty Apes!!!

Last night at Midnight I was sitting in the Cinemark waiting for the next installment of Indiana Jones to start. We waited for two hours until midnight finally rolled around and the lights went down. As the previews played I felt a little excitement building inside me in anticipation for the next adventure of Dr. Jones. The Lucasfilm logo flashed onto the screen and it began. Two hours later I wished I had been in bed and asleep instead of in the theatre. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was good. There were a lot of things that stayed true to the Indiana Jones genre and there were some things that were a bit of a stretch even for an Indie movie (Shia LeBeouf swinging on vines through the jungle…really?). Since it is a period piece there were a few things that I thought were a bit hokey at first but when I thought about it, they really seemed to fit (think Roswell and the atom bomb). Harrison Ford is in his mid-sixties but still manages to slip back into his Indie character and still manages to leaves a trail of destruction as big as the other three movies. I wasn't blown away but I do recommend you see this movie.
Excuse me but I need to get something out of the way…

An Open letter to George Lucas:

Mr. Lucas,

First and foremost, thank you so much for the fantastic movies you have brought us over the years. Many of them have changed lives and, to some extent, changed the world. You contributions are legendary and we thank you for that.

Having said that: Please stop making movies.

You have lots of money. Ridiculous amounts. You have pretty much every movie making technology at your disposal and in your name. This does not mean you need to keep making movies. I thought that became very apparent with the Star Wars prequels. People saw them because they said Star Wars but left the theatres wondering what just happened. You and Spielberg made a great team. Made. As in past tense. Please leave the movie making to the new guys. They have wonderful new ideas of what movies should be. New ideas. And they all seem to use ILM and Skywalker Sound; your studios, so it’s like you’re helping anyways. Let’s let that be your new legend. ‘Cause let’s be real, this Indiana Jones movies fell the same way the new Star Wars movies did: pretty good but just not the same.

Thank you, Mr. Lucas, for all you’ve done but please stop.

Sincerely,

Mike Harris

She's Cookin'

Here's a cute video of Brookie. I think we can all guess who she's going to vote for on American Idol.

your iPod will kill you someday

Hopefully you all remember when I told you about the Eagle Ray leaping out of the water and striking a woman on a boat in the face, killing her instantly.

That’s nothing…Listen to this.

This happened on Tuesday in British Columbia, Canada and is absolutely ridiculous (and not just because it happened in Canadia). 23 year-old, Isaiah Otieno, was on his way to his mailbox, rocking out to his iPod when a crashing helicopter came out of nowhere. The helicopter struck Otieno and dragged him for an undisclosed distance. Otieno did not survive.

I thought the Eagle Ray was pretty bad but this is a helicopter in a rural area that hit a kid walking to a mailbox. A HELICOPTER!! Now comes the controversial arguments of “Was it the iPod’s fault that he didn’t hear the helicopter coming?” There have already been attempts to ban iPods while crossing the street in New York and elsewhere. No doubt this will bring up the issue again. Crossing the street in New York is one thing. People probably get hit by cars every minute in New York. It’s like a rite of passage there. But really, how often do helicopters fall from the sky and hit unsuspecting iPodders? I like my iPod but I’m not attached to it like some people. I know people who treat their iPod like an extra appendage and would not be able to function without it. It’s sad really. If you wanna go deaf, that’s your call. Crank up the volume and enjoy your hearing as it slowly slips away. But just beware of cars while crossing the street and fiery helicopters falling from the sky that will kill you.

via gizmodo

my retro binge

For those of you that don't know I was recently accepted in the Graphic Information Technology program at ASU. The degree is offered at the Polytechnic campus (ASU East) and we are applying for family housing on the campus. The campus is the old Williams Air Force Base so the houses are old Air Force houses. These houses scream retro so during my daily perusal of Craig's List I hit retro gold. I would put every single one of these in that house and it would be magnificent. Here some of the gems that I found:

Best. Couch. Ever.

Retro-tastic!


My sister almost cried when she found out these were sold!

I would turn this into the best cabinet you've ever seen!!



Every dinner would taste better on this table. I'm sure of it.

What better way to store your books than on an old school library cart.

strictly for my ninjas

A good friend of mine, and the singer for our band, Jared Nielson, made this video a while back for an Institute Film Festival. It's done in the style of Ask A Ninja. It won him first place and some gift cards to Cheesecake Factory (a gift that keeps on giving in insanely over sized portions). Seeing how I still think this is funny, I thought I'd share it with the handful of people that actually read this blog.

Keeping with the theme, for more cool ninja action, check out the progressive online comic book, Dr. McNinja. I stumbled upon it not long ago and have been a fan since.

Mermaids and cloaking devices

I was called at the begining of the year as the Valiant 8 teacher, the kids that are turning 8 this year. I told them at our first class that if they would bring their scriptures to church they would get a point and when they get to 50 points we would have a class party. Such were the events that brought on the pool party I held for them this last Friday. Little did I remember the days of being an 8 year old. Everything was normal and to be expected when the first two girls arived, but then the boys came. Only two of them but the dynamics between an 8 year old boy and girl is a completely different world from the one we live in. I tried playing with them for a while, but I didn't know when to take them seriously or if we were still pretending. I quietly stepped out of their world to watch in amazment as a twisted and complex storyline of mermaids, humans, androids and cloaking devices ensued before my very eyes. Luckily no one was really hurt and everyone "got along." It's pretty entertaining watching my primary kids, but when it all comes down to it, I'm glad I get to give them back to their parents.

cute personified

You can make any picture look like this. Go HERE and upload your photo to have it aged and made all cool-vintage-like!

via How About Orange

Iron Man is Gadgetastic!!

Unbeknownst to a lot of people, Iron Man was released in theaters at 8 PM on Thursday instead of midnight Friday like everyone else though. Kristi and I took advantage of this and went on a date to the movies. To start there is a killer trailer for the new Indiana Jones movie. If you are not excited about this upcoming awesomeness please leave this blog immediately. There was a great new trailer for The Dark Knight that hints at just how dark the feel of the movie is going to be. The new Narnia movie made an appearance as well as new flicks from Adam Sandler and Mike Myers.

The movie starts and doesn’t waste any time getting to the good stuff. Robert Downey, Jr.’s character, Tony Stark, seems all too perfect for him (much like Hugh Jackman and Wolverine). He doesn’t try for laughs, his personality just draws them. There is a lot of humor in this movie which really surprised me. There is a thin line you walk between awesome and cheesy when you try to make an action movie funny. From where I sat, it never strayed into cheesy. Not once.

There’s gunfire, explosions, hostile situations, flying, back-stabbing and lots and lots of action. This movie simply has it all. If you’re a comic book fan and have enjoyed the Marvel and DC movies up to this point, buckle up. This one, in my opinion, is right there with Batman Begins and passes up all three Spider-man and X-Men movies. If you’re a gadget and technology nerd, like I am, you’re likely to slip into a techno-coma with all the sweet gadgetry, robots and AI that Tony Stark has. The man builds a freaking exo-suit in a cave in the middle east while being held captive! The suit progresses from there. Becoming more streamlined, more powerful and, let’s face it, more aesthetically pleasing.

Jon Favreau is slowly becoming one of my favorite movie makers, especially if he keeps making gems like this one. With Films like Zathura and the ever-awesome Elf, he’s becoming a force to be reckoned with in the movie industry.

Iron Man is beautifully executed with great special effects. This is an absolutely must-see for anyone claiming to be a comic book fan and, truthfully, anyone who loves a great movie.

Rating: 4 out of 5 MRU’s (Movie Rating Units) (yes, I made those up)

p.s There's a coda at the end of the credits, so you may want to stick around a bit longer.

overheard conversation

White girl: “What’s up, Rob?”
Thug-like Hispanic guy, Rob: “Just standing out for the West Side. Know what I’m sayin’, cuz?”
White girl: “No. I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Thug-like Hispanic guy, Rob: (no response)

I have no idea why but this totally made my afternoon.