Neill Blomkamp who previously directed Halo and Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame are behind the massively promoted new movie District Nine which opens today nationwide. I’m assuming most readers of this blog are Sci-fi fans who plan on eventually seeing this new film.
What you might not know is that Blomkamp actually created a short film predecessor to District 9 called Alive in Joberg that has been on YouTube for about three years. Here it is in case you missed it:
You can also catch an interview with Blomkamp and D9’s star Copley here and one of the trailers for the movie here.
If you’ve seen the film please let us know what you think in the comments. Thanks.
If I was Juno Cho, LG’s President of Mobile Products I would not be a happy man this evening. In fact I would be pissed. No. I’d want a crossbow with a picture of Michael Bay’s face tacked to the target.
Michael Bay should be mortified but, in spite of his considerable directorial talent, I’m not so sure he’s that bright. Or perhaps, like some others with creative genius, he has a bright headlight with a narrow focus. If he was anyone else, this would be a cautionary tale.
Here’s what went down:
Today at CTIA, LG was showing off their global promotion in conjunction with Dreamworks SKG and Michael Bay of their collaboration around the new Transformers Revenge Movie. This included the world premier of the trailer for the movie just at the end of the day. After the trailer which had delivered quite a crowd, Juno delivered a few words culminating with a very warm welcome for their surprise guest, Michael Bay, who just happened to be in town for an awards show in the next day or two.
Michael was warmly applauded. Casually dressed, he seemed at ease as he took the mic, said hello, then said, “I have some big news: I’ve just been named the next CEO of LGE…” The crowd laughed.
Michael smiled again and then delivered a nice turd for his partners by saying “No. Seriously – I don’t know anything about mobile phones. In fact, look at my phone (which he held up) – it’s a Thirty-Nine dollar Samsung”
You could feel Mr Cho’s anger from across the room. LG people ran to get phones, Mr. Cho went up to Michael (who seemed oblivious to the enormous slap he’d just delivered to every LG employee’s face) and said, “Here now you have an LG phone” and gave him his own personal device. He took the mic back and quickly wrapped up the disastrous press conference. But not before Micheal could dish out a little more pain…”but all my contacts are in the other one” he said in a petulant voice.
Juno said “we’ll take care of that.” I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of care he was imagining taking and of whom.
Way to go Michael, that was classy as hell. I don’t think you could have insulted them more thouroughly if you’d planned it for months.
Making matters even worse, I later heard that they’d even scripted all Michael’s remarks but for whatever reason, maybe because he’s retarded or perhaps he’s just a total jerk, he elected to trash LG instead.
Samsung must be delighted – they’ll still be talking about this next time I’m back in Korea, just you watch.
As you may know if you’ve read this site previously, I work for the David Allen Company as the Editor of GTDtimes, the community hub for all things GTD. David, the author of both “Getting Things Done: the art of stress free productivity” and “Making it All Work: winning at the game of work and the business of life” and the rest of the David Allen Company team have been hard at work putting together what may well be one of the most important and valuable conferences you could possibly attend, particularly given the current economic environment and the resulting need to take your productivity and capabilities to a new level not merely to excel but possibly simply to survive.
Here’s why David thinks people should attend the conference in his own words:
Incidentally, much of the original impetus for this even was generated by my late friend Marc Orchant who had spoken passionately of the need for a convocation of GTD practitioners where we could meet, exchange ideas, share stories, educate one another, learn, develop new best practices and help ourselves get closer to that effortless state of truly having a mind like water. I will be there and hope to see many of you there too.
Britain’s “The Sun” is reporting on some of the most amazing UFO footage recorded to date. From the Sun:
The 42-year-old and a number of residents claim the UFOs were spotted over a four month period between May and September near the compound in Istanbul.
He said: “I don’t know what these things are. We filmed them several times and they are totally unknown to us. I was very excited when I saw them and I want the world to know that UFOs do exist”.
Almost two-and-a-half hours of footage was filmed featuring a variety of objects ranging from incredible flying saucer-type ‘craft’ to clustering orb-like lights hovering in the night sky.
Genuine
The clips were handed to the Sirius UFO Space Science Research Centre in Turkey who interviewed witnesses and painstakingly combed through the footage frame by frame.
International UFO researcher Haktan Akdogan said: “In this amazing video footage, physical forms of UFOs and their metallic structures are clearly noticeable.
“What is more important is that in the close-up of some footage of the objects, entities in them can be distinctly made out.”
He continues: “We have spoken with all of the witnesses and had detailed analysis conducted on all two-and-a-half hours of footage.
“After conducting all of the analysis we came to the conclusion that this video footage is 100 per cent genuine.
“The objects filmed are structured objects and are not the result of misidentification or natural phenomena, aircraft or astronomical objects.
“They are not the results either of any kind of computer animation. Now is it a time for world governments to acknowledge the reality of UFOs.”
From what I can discern from the video, it appears that this craft is what Bob Lazar referred to as a “sport model” only even smaller. In fact to me it looks all the world like a sports car cockpit with a clear bubble over the center space where it appears that there is something controlling the vehicle – pehaps the alien pilot??
I paused the video numerous times during the segments where this clear section is visible and it even appears that you can see some luminous controls on a dashboard. I kid you not.
So, is this real or is it a well executed hoax? So far the experts are proclaiming the footage to be genuine but we will have to see if it withstands future scrutiny. If it is legitimate then it is clear that we are getting closer than ever to disclosure, either because it is the right thing to do or because the extraterrestrials are tired of waiting…
TED Talks are among the most incredible, valuable and interesting resource I’ve yet to find online. With visionaries from all walks of life sharing their knowledge of physics, engineering, religion, music and more they never fail to inform, inspire, expand our worldview, and sometimes, as in the case of the talk I’m about to share with you, scare the hell out of us.
In the talk you can see below Irwin Redlener educates us about the evolution of the nuclear threat from the days when only the US had “the bomb” through present when there are at least nine countries with nuclear capability and when as much as half of the former Soviet Union’s terrifying arsenal is either insecurely stored or has actually gone missing.
From the days of “duck and cover” and “mutually assured destruction” to the present day threat of a single detonation of a low yield “suitcase bomb” or even a conventional explosive impregnated with depleted uranium, Redlener explains the survivability of a nuclear event (an all out nuclear war, Irwin says, is not survivable) and what to do to improve your odds as much as possible.
I rate this video a “must see”, but if you don’t have the 25 minutes to spare or you can’t handle some of the rawer truths of this material here are the bullets:
Nuclear War is not survivable, a single Nuclear Attack is
If you are in the vicinity of a nuclear attack do not look towards the blast – if you do you will be blinded either temporarily or permanently
Keep your mouth open to avoid having your eardrums blown out by the pressure of the blast
If you are within the immediate vicinity to within half a mile of the blast, your chances are essentially nil, the temperature at the blast site is tens of millions of degrees Fahrenheit.
If you are from one half to two miles from the epicenter your odds improve to about a 50% chance of surviving the initial blast
From two to eight miles from the explosion your odds improve to about a 90% chance of survival
Within the first 15 to 20 minutes after a blast it is critical to get further away from the epicenter. traveling just 1.2 miles further from the blast in a perpendicular direction from the blast generated wind can have a profound impact upon your survival and your long term health due to fallout exposure. This is because the fallout from the mushroom cloud is going to come straight back down on the site of the blast.
If you cannot get away from the epicenter it is critical that you get sheltered. Best is underground (an old school fallout shelter, a deep basement, or anyplace where earth and concrete separate you from the environment. An alternative is to be above the ninth story above ground (for a ground level detonation)
Once you find shelter, whether inside or outside the radius of the initial fallout, stay there for at least 72 hours or until you are told by remaining authorities (assuming any exist) that it is okay to venture out.
As soon as it is possible, remove any clothing that you might have had on during or immediately following the blast and shower to remove residual fallout from your hair and skin.
Cover as much of your self as possible with clean clothing and bag and bury the clothing you had on during the blast.
Survivability is largely determined by your willingness to leave the area and stay out of harms way.
The only way to guarantee survival is to abolish nuclear weapons completely
Dr. Edgar Mitchell, NASA Astronaut and the 6th Man to Stand on the moon recently made the above statement during a live interview on Kerrang Radio.
He went on to say that the Roswell crash – he actually called it the “Roswell Incident” took place and stated that he was not the only man to have stood on the moon who was in the know on this topic. As you can hear in the YouTube clip of the actual interview (below), the host is shocked nearly speechless at Mitchell’s revelation.
Having listened to the interview as well as having followed this topic with keen interest for most of my life I have to say that this is one of the most credible, high-profile disclosures of extra-terrestrial visitation that has ever been made.
Beyond his stature as an Astronaut, Dr Mitchell is a well-known scientist with a reputation that is beyond reproach. It is difficult – if not impossible – to repudiate his remarks.
As responsible journalists the host of the show as well as his producer attempt to get a response from someone within NASA – this clip is also below. NASA’s response – both that of the public relations officer that fielded the call as well as the written response the show also received were suprising in the first case and predictable in the second.
The telling quote from the PR person:
“I can try to do that for you [get someone to comment]. Let me see who would be willing to dispute what an Astronaut said – if he said it…”
By itself this statement is fairly curious but in the context of his pauses, umms, ahs and weak attempts to refute the possibility that Mitchell did in fact make these statements it would seem to speak volumes in relatively few words.
The written reply they received was not nearly so surprising:
“Dear Alex, NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any cover-up. Dr Mitchell is a great American but we do not share his opinion on this issue. Thanks for the opportunity to comment.”
During the interview the host and Dr Mitchell discuss the timing of an “official disclosure” – by which one would assume they mean a duly authorized government or military official holding a press conference and stating publicly that we have been in contact with entities from outside of our solar system, that they are intelligent, possess vastly advanced technology and are clearly not hostile towards humans.
What we should realize is that this is EXACTLY what happened in the interview. Our government – either willingly, or perhaps as a result of the inexorable pressure being exerted by other countries’ disclosures – is trickling this information to us in ever greater depth and from persons of ever increasing credibility.
While there are probably still people at the highest levels inculcated with the fear the Brookings Report engendered, it would seem that others have realized that the truth of this matter will ultimately be revealed whether they like it or not. Given this fact, the only way they can retain any credibility is to leak this information a little at a time ahead of finally acknowledging the facts while at the same time blaming previous administrations for their cover-up and the decades of lies and denials.
Dr Mitchell is unquestionably patriotic and I find it difficult to believe that he would make these statements so casually. Personally I suspect that his remarks on Kerrang Radio are simply a next phase in the disclosure process that is taking place even as I write this. Similarly, NASA’s statements of denial are also part of the process – they are intended to give those people who NASA believes may find this information difficult to accept a refuge in the form of contradictory statements from an “official source”.
If I am correct in my assessment you can expect more of this type of disclosure/ refuted disclosure over the next couple of months with the source doing the disclosing becoming ever more public, and ever more “official” while the part doing the refuting will likewise diminish in credibility and stature during the same period.
I know some people won’t believe any of this until there’s a press conference complete with UFOs on the Whitehouse lawn but for the rest of us this is a very exciting time. Hopefully there’s much more to come!
If you haven’t seen this video before you are likely going to find it difficult to believe what you are seeing. This little girl from South Korea who has been blind since birth makes her debut on a South Korean television show called Star King and stuns the judges, guest and studio audience.
Yoo Ye Eun has had no formal training in music, yet, according to her adoptive mother, she can hear a piece just once and immediately find the melody and principal chords on the piano. Watching her tiny hands find the keys is truly remarkable. How often in one’s life do you truly get to “see” genius in such a visible and graphic fashion?
I’m not a guy that’s driven to review movies. Generally speaking, I figure that my taste and my opinion don’t matter much to other folks when it comes to cinema; and when you consider that I’ve lived in LA for the better part of the last decade yet still regularly fail to identify celebrities when they’re sitting at the next table in a restaurant there are certainly loads of people better qualified than I to provide general cinematic criticism.
So why this film? It isn’t the special effects. They’re only average. The dialog is decent but by no means exceptional. The score is very good – perhaps a bit too noticeable at times but well chosen and interesting. The casting is good – the characters seem to fit the roles and vice-versa. The plot is definitely clever and the pace is reasonable. Hancock is smarter than your typical comedy too. There’s an emotional undercurrent in this movie that makes it much more interesting than your run of the mill summer comedy.
So why, given that what I’ve written above seems to indicate that this movie is perhaps just slightly better than average would I offer a sincere recommendation to you to see this movie – even if it is the sole move you see at a theatre all summer?
There’s a simple reason, really. Will Smith. Make no mistake about it. Will’s potrayal of this lonely, conflicted, non-communicative super hero is an acting tour de force plain and simple. If this moview were of a more dramatic rather than comic bent Smith would be on everyone’s list for an Academy Award. As it stands, in spite of the problems presented by giving the best actor nod to a lead in a comedy, he still might get the Oscar. He’s that good.
Smith is so good in fact that I realized while I was watching the film that I was seeing a truly great actor at the peak of his skills. His scowl, his puzzled expression, the waft of his hand under a barrage of critism, his look of puzzlement when he’s complemented instead of derided – the small gestures, the pursed lips, the furled brow- they simply work and make this film so much greater than the sum of all of its other parts.
I’ve always enjoyed Will Smith. His easy, engaging, accessible humor and the fun, avant garde roles he selects have kept him within striking distance of my favorite actors and films for years but with this role he makes the leap from near the head of the line to far beyond it.
This is a movie well worth seeing in the theatre. It’s a film that you can enjoy with friends or with your kids. It’s lighhearted and silly but deep enough that you get to see what a master craftsman does with a role that requires extreme overacting yet subtle, nuanced acting in the same role at the same time. Few people could pull off such a task yet Smith does so brilliantly.
It’s so good I’ve already seen it twice and it was even better the second time. As I said at the beginning of this post, I don’t make a habit of reviewing films or even making reccommendations to friends – but then again, I rarely see a movie where I was so impressed by an individual actor as I am with Smith in Hancock. Hopefully, those of you that take my advice and see this movie will enjoy it asuch as I did. Either way, please let me know what you think in the comments.
To win the contest you need to determine what common theme is in each video and post your answer in the comments section of the post at GTDtimes.com. I’m testing this out to see if readers like the feature so I expect to do this weekly for the foreseeable future.
I’m posting the videos here as well simply because these are some of the most awesome examples of human excellence that you might ever see. Incidentally, as of the time of this post no one has correctly identified this week’s theme (although several people have come very close to getting it).
Even if you don’t care about the contest, give yourself a treat and take a ten minute break and check these videos out. If you don’t find them awe-inspiring you are either one of the people in the videos or sadly already deceased (in which case I have to ask – what are you doing reading blog posts?) ..anyways, enjoy.
And because he’s so incredible some more Laird Footage for your viewing pleasure:
An extra hint since this one is proving difficult:
Lance Armstrong is “the man”. I had the privilege of racing with Lance for a number of years on the US National Team and competing against him as a professional- his intensity and desire to prevail are hard to put into words.
Imagine having 23 consecutive perfect days… Now imagine having those 23 perfect days at the same time each year for seven years in a row. This is beyond astonishing. It is probably beyond comprehension. The significance of this achievement cannot be reasonably compared to any other athletic accomplishment. Every other record simply pales in comparison. Think about what it takes to achieve this level of perfection and you’ll have solved my riddle for this week.
After Bush’s remarks made earlier today in Israel, one has to wonder if the man has completely lost his marbles. While I’m no fan of Obama and have sincere doubts about his ability to lead this country (though I share equal skepticism that McCain can do any better)I have no doubt that Bush’s inflammatory remarks reflect far worse upon Bush than they do upon Obama.
What truly boggles the mind about the President’s idiotic statement is the fact that his grandfather, Prescott Bush not only worked for companies that aided in the Nazi buildup, Prescott himself profited handsomely from these same companies, once his funds – which were seized under the “Trading with the enemies act” were returned to him in contravention of the law following the war. Some accounts have him netting as much at $1.5 million from these companies, a huge amount of money at that time.
According to John Loftus, a former US Attorney who prosecuted Naxi war criminals in the 70’s:
“This was the mechanism by which Hitler was funded to come to power, this was the mechanism by which the Third Reich’s defence industry was re-armed, this was the mechanism by which Nazi profits were repatriated back to the American owners, this was the mechanism by which investigations into the financial laundering of the Third Reich were blunted,” said Loftus, who is vice-chairman of the Holocaust Museum in St Petersburg.
“The Union Banking Corporation was a holding company for the Nazis, for Fritz Thyssen,” said Loftus. “At various times, the Bush family has tried to spin it, saying they were owned by a Dutch bank and it wasn’t until the Nazis took over Holland that they realised that now the Nazis controlled the apparent company and that is why the Bush supporters claim when the war was over they got their money back. Both the American treasury investigations and the intelligence investigations in Europe completely bely that, it’s absolute horseshit. They always knew who the ultimate beneficiaries were.”
“There is no one left alive who could be prosecuted but they did get away with it,” said Loftus. “As a former federal prosecutor, I would make a case for Prescott Bush, his father-in-law (George Walker) and Averill Harriman [to be prosecuted] for giving aid and comfort to the enemy. They remained on the boards of these companies knowing that they were of financial benefit to the nation of Germany.”
According to some historians, the Bush family political dynasty was founded with these funds making Bush’s remarks today absurd in the extreme as well is profoundly ironic.
Here’s a guy, with the lowest approval rating of any US President in the history of this country, who has dragged this country into a war based upon lying to the US Congress and the American people, who has himself (along with his family) secured astronomical profits as a result of this ill-conceived and unlawful military activity, and whom, if it were not for the strength of his family’s political connections would not only not have been Governor of the state of Texas but would never have had even one let alone two disastrous terms as our President.
Clearly, this man has no moral compass whatsoever. Frankly I am amazed that he is even allowed upon Israeli soil. If there were any justice in the world the man would be brought up on war crimes and hopefully one day he will. Moreover, one can only hope that the $40 billion class action suit recently filed against the Bush family by two survivors of Auschwitz will devastate the family financially; removing them from their ill-gotten position of influence and putting them back into the pond from whence they crawled where they too can experience the “benefits” of their political machinations just like the rest of us do.
Until then let us not allow the rhetoric of a person with hands as obviously dirty as those of this President cast to aspersions when what we know he’s done (not to mention the things that we suspect including possibly a role in 9-11 and the murders of not one but perhaps two Kennedys) are in and of themselves grounds for impeachment and imprisonment.
Suking up to Hitler – heh. Try funding him, profiting from his efforts and founding a political dynasty as a result. As Keith Olberman said once again in his broadcast last evening, “with all due respect Mr. President, shut the hell up.“
StarrTrek is Oliver Starr’s personal weblog. For the most part, this blog is focused on developing technologies in the Mobile, Web2.0 and Green Energy ecosystems however that is not to say that I will limit myself to these topics should the desire strike to delve into politics, UFOlogy, health or conspiracy theories of various kinds.
