It must be trailer day today, as this is the second new movie trailer I find myself posting. But it can’t exactly be helped. Today, as I found myself sitting here, taking care of my sick wife, and enjoying Die Hard, I was reminded of a very important trailer I caught over the weekend. While watching Skyfall in the theater, an especially exciting and action packed preview came on that got my wife all excited.
At first, I was kind of thinking “Oh God, not another one”. But after a few seconds of intense action and lots of explosions, I got caught up in the fever and realized I wanted to see it too! I mean, why stop making them as long as formula still works and audiences can be expected to turn out in droves? Anyway, here it is, the second trailer to be released from the studio in recent months, and the one that confirms the date of release (Feb. 14th, 2013)
The first full-length trailer for the upcoming Man of Steel Superman relaunch is here. And the footage is really quite telling. We get a glimpse of Jor-El, Superman’s father, the antagonist General Zod, and the love interest of Lois Lane. There’s even footage of Superman’s homeworld, Krypton, being destroyed. For those who are especially excited, know that there’s just six more months before these goodies are delivered on the big screen – June 14th, 2013!
The first trailer of the upcoming Star Trek movie, titled Star Trek: Into Darkness, has just hit the airwaves. And if the one minute preview is any indication, it seems that JJ Abrams is sticking to the same combination of carnage and explosions that made the first movie such a hit. Not much is made clear about the exact plot from the trailer, but it does seem to indicate that Earth itself will be threatened by some “awakened evil” intent on getting revenge.
Star Trek geeks, I invite you to plumb this one for some hint as to what the reference material could be. Is Abrams combing the original series for an enemy and a plot arc, or is this something entirely new? Should we all just wait and enjoy the movie when it comes out? Okay then! Enjoy the trailer too…
Hope you’re all having a great and relaxing Sunday. And just to liven things up, here’s a bunch of rapping dwarves entering Bilbo Baggin’s home! Courtesy of The Hillywood Show, Lil’ John, LMFAO, and Peter Jackson’s forgiving lawyers 😉
My thanks to Rami for bringing this one to my attention. Man, I can be so out of it when it comes to pop culture sometimes! But I think you’ll agree, this is not something any fan of Big Bang Theory, or flash mobs for that matter, could afford to miss. Downright awesome in terms of its sheer suddeness, choreography and presentation. One has to wonder how you organize something like this considering all the people and coordinating dancing involved.
Be sure to watch to the end too. Not only do they cover many different songs, but the finish caps it off with hilarity! And the cast themselves, they got some sweet-ass dance moves. Mainly I just watching Penny – God, is she hot! – but Howard, Raj, Leonard and Bernadette bust a few too. Man, that’s a good show. Enjoy the clip!
Came across this little gem yesterday while looking into news about GOT Season 3. Rebranding shows as sitcoms seems to be all the rage these days, and GOT is hardly immune. Remember the trailer for Season 2 that pitched the show as a romantic comedy? Wasn’t that just totally boss! Of course, ever since seeing it I periodically get the tune of “Call Me Maybe” stuck in my head, which suuuucks! After this one, I think I might find myself humming the theme for Seinfeld on and off too. Enjoy!
In the days leading up to Thanksgiving in the US, Curiosity performed her first “touch and do” maneuver. This was the process whereby the rover drove up to and inspected an interesting looking rock using the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) on its arm, then moved onto the next point of interest on the same day.
This latest maneuver now puts Curiosity inside the ‘Glenelg’ geologic formation. The NASA science team selected this as the first major science destination because it lies at the intersection of three diverse types of geological areas that will help unlock the secrets of Mars’ ancient watery history and evolution to modern times.
What makes this historic is that it is the first time the rover has conduct a touch and go maneuver on the same day. Ordinarily, the rover performs these duties separately. According to Curiosity Mission Manager Michael Watkins (of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif), “[this] is a good sign that the rover team is getting comfortable with more complex operational planning, which will serve us well in the weeks ahead.”
In honor of this event, NASA scientists created a animation of the maneuver using the same software they do to plan the rover’s movements. Beginning with the examination it made using its arm sensor, the animation then shows (with painful accuracy) the rover making the 25.3 meter (83 foot) transit to its next location.
Since it was first observed clinically in 1981, HIV and AIDS have come to be viewed as one of the most deadly and infectious diseases in history, exceeded only by the Bubonic Plague and Smallpox. As of 2010, it was estimated that roughly 34 million people were living with HIV/AIDS, an increase of close to three million from the previous year. And although accurate statistics are sometimes difficult to come by, due to the fact that motrality rates are especially high in underdeveloped regions of sub-Saharan Africa, it is widely believed that anywhere from 1.5 to 2 million people die every year as a result of the disease.
However, researchers at Caltech have been working on a potential solution which may eventually lead to the development of an HIV vaccine. In recent years, biologists have identified a strain of antibodies that are capable of neutralizing most strains of HIV. Led by Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, the Caltech research team is experimenting with introducing these antibodies into test subjects (lab mice) to see if it would act as an effective barrier to infection.
The approach, known as Vectored ImmunoProphylaxis (VIP), is essentially an inversion of the traditional vaccination method. Previously, researchers would focus on designing substances that activate the immune system so as to block infection via antibodies or attack infected cells via T cells. The VIP approach differs in that it provides protective antibodies from the start, thereby ensuring that the HIV virus is killed before it can develop into AIDS, and providing a respite for the immune system which is usually called on to do the work.
And so far, the results have been encouraging. After introducing the antibodies into a series of lab mice, the researchers found that the mice were then able to generate a high concentration of the antibodies throughout their circulatory systems. When they then proceeded to introduce the HIV virus intravenously to the mice, the antibodies protected them from infection.
Naturally, there were concerns going in that human bodies might not react in the same way as the mices’, either in terms of their production of the antibodies or their resistance to infection. However, Baltimore and his team were sure to use mice which have been known to be more susceptible to the HIV virus than others, and administered doses of the virus that were well in excess of what would be needed to lead to infection. In the end, they introduced the mice to 125 nanograms of the virus, 100 times what would be required to cause infection, and yet still the mice were protected.
For those living with HIV, this is exciting news! Though it does not represent a cure for those already carrying the infection, it does mean that future generations can live without fear of the contracting the terrible disease. What’s more, those who have it will no longer have to fear passing it on, either through sexual intercourse to their partner, or through pregnancy to their children. Yes, with continued testing and some eventual human trials, HIV may very well come to share the same fate as Polio, Tetanus amd Typhoid, diseases which were once considered terribly infectious, fatal, and untreatable.
Just came across this on Wired.com, a sci-fi short about a futuristic cyborg assassin that is tasked with restoring the world’s ecosystems. That’s the basic premise of ROSA, the brain child of resident Jesús Orellana, an amateur director based in Barcelona who released this movie to the world last year. After premiering at the Seattle International Film Festival, the shortplayed at Screamfest, Toronto After Dark, Anima Mund and Sitges International Film Festival.
The story follows the exploits of Rosa, a beautiful cyborg whose appearance calls to mind such archetypes as Trinity, Cortana and a little Halle Berry thrown in for good measure. After waking from her cryochamber, she finds a world that is stark and lifeless, and sets out to accomplish her mission. As part of the “Kernel Project”, she was designed to help restore the Earth’s to its former glory. But soon, she discovers that she is not the only one awakened to the horror of the modern world…
Needless to say, the video is both eye-popping and downright impressive, especially when you consider one mind created it from the comfort of his basement. In addition to the kick-ass fight scenes, detailed environments and rich subtext, the video has some great production value going on! After making the rounds in 2011, the video came to the attention of the Raymond Brothers and Scott Glassgold, three Los Angeles based producers who are now developing it into a full-length live-action movie. No word yet on when it will be out, but if the source material is any indication, it ought to be great!
Remember Project Glass, the Google glasses that featured a heads-up-display and the option for augmented reality? Yeah, that was quite the big ticket news item for fans of cyberpunk and people who felt smartphones were becoming a little passe. Well, it seems that the world of sporting goods doesn’t want to be left out of the loop either!
They are known as the Oakley Airwave goggles, a set of eye wear that allows skiers to to consult stats on a heads-up-display while they are on the sloped. Amongst the information that skiers can project into their field of view are such stats as distance, temperature, speed and altitude. In addition, the goggles have a wireless connection feature which will keep the user apprised of their incoming calls and text messages. No word yet if emails will be included, but one thing at a time I guess 😉
I can remember my father telling me that you could tell if a person was important based on whether or not they carried a cell phone. According to him, unimportant people carried cell phones to look important; whereas important people didn’t need them because people waited on them. Having one only meant that you were on call wherever you were. And I don’t know about you, but the slopes is one place I don’t want to be reached! That’s why I go there in the first place!
Still, it’s a cool concept as far as hands free communication and networking are concerned. Coupled with Project Glass and other such products, this new wave of devices is paving the way for a future in which cell phones are obsolete. I imagine Apple and Blackberry are going to have something to say about this, or possibly an even more revolutionary product in mind. Only time will tell…
Stories by Williams 