Hero Of Time.

If you don't know anything about the Legend of Zelda series of video games from Nintendo, then before reading any more of this, please research the topic a little bit. Though I am a huge fan of the Zelda series, I have only ever finished one of the games (twice), Link to the Past (SNES). Essentially, the story of each game revolves around three main characters: Link (the green-capped hero), Zelda (the helpless princess), and Ganon/Ganondorf (the bad guy). Some more "hardcore" Zelda fans may even remember the brief stint of the Zelda TV Show. I'm sure those fans often dreamed of one day watching a Zelda movie at their local theatre. Though there is absolutely no reason to believe Nintendo will ever produce such a movie, some VERY die-hard fans of the series have decided that they will create the first Legend of Zelda fan film, entitled "The Legend of Zelda: Hero of Time". Not only do they supply a few screenshots of the current production, but they even have a fairly lengthy trailer; though it's obvious its a fan film, it does not look bad at all.

South Park Returns.

If you haven't heard the news, Isaac Haynes, the voice actor for Chef from South Park quit. He quit because he fealt that Matt Stone and Trey Parker (the creators of South Park) had gone too far in their satire of religion: "There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins ... Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored" - Isaac Hayes Matt Stone responded to this statement saying that "this is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians." Anyways, I just saw the first episode of the tenth season of South Park, and just as I (and many others) predicted, the episode revolved around the events I just described. DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF SPOILERS Basically, the whole premise of the episode is this: Chef has just returned from his trip with with Super Adventurers. Soon after he arrives, the town starts noticing Chef's abnormal behaviour, which was cleverly portrayed by using old Chef soundbytes when he would speak. They soon find out what has changed about Chef; he wants to molest children. Don't worry, they had more classes than this. The kids then visit the Super Adventurers to find out what happened to Chef. They discover that these group of adventurers travel the world to molest children of different nations and cultures and had brainwashed Chef into desiring the same. The metaphor became OH SO CLEAR at this point. The Super Adventurers brainwashing Chef is a metaphor for, you guessed it, the Scientologists brainwashing Isaac Hayes. It didn't stop there either, the head Super Adventurer described how they came to be and it was VERY (and on purpose) reminicent of how they described the story behind Scientology; I suggest you watch that episode first (it's called "Trapped in the Closet"). Anyways, the kids are trying to unbrainwash Chef when the Super Adventurers kidnap him and take him back to their "clubhouse". The kids go after them, rescue Chef and are about to escape when Chef decides that he truly wants to be a Super Adventurer and returns to the clubhouse. Except as he is walking across a wodden suspension bridge, it breaks and he falls into a casm where he is implailed by a rock and ripped apart by a mouintain liion and a bear. Naturally, we hear "THEY KILLED CHEF! ... YOU BASTARDS!". A funeral scene follows where Kyle speaks out about Chef exclaiming how no one chould get mad at Chef for returning to the Super Adventurers, but rather, should get mad at the Super Adventurers for brainwashing him. This is the moral to the whole episode and was a very nice end to the episode. I cannot wait to hear what Isaac Hayes has to say about this; it was clear that Matt and Trey were hurt that Isaac would leave them like that and hate that he has been "brainwashed" by Scientologists.

New Say Anything In Early 2007.

Say Anything is a great band. They recently re-released their debut album "...Is A Real Boy" with a second CD called "...Was A Real Boy". Now they have begun working on their second full length album due in early 2007. Here's a quote from the article that discusses the next album. CHECK IT OUT. "We've started writing a couple of songs," Bemis tells Billboard.com. "It's going to be a lot more about what happens once you've gained an identity, rather than searching for one, which is what the last record was about. This one's about knowing who you are and how to love with it."

The Lonely Island.

Do you remember how great that Lazy Sunday video was? Well if you loved that, you'll probably enjoy this Natalie Portman Gangsta Rap Video, which was also written by the same guys, known as The Lonely Island. These guys are not only responsible for both SNL sketches, but are also responsible for the Channel 101 prime time hit, The Bu.

Now Martians Will Find Google Helpful Too.

Have you ever used Google Earth, Google's software masterpiece that allows you to zip around a 3D model of Earth created from satellite images? Well I have, and if you haven't you will not find the this post that interesting. So check it out before reading any further. Google has done it again and released Google Mars, though it only exists on the web right now, like Google Local, and is not available for download. In fact, Google Mars resembles Google Local so much more than Google Earth that I don't even know why I began this post relating the two. Either way, you will definitely find Google Mars interesting for a lil' while even though a lot of mars has yet to be mapped (which you will quickly realize after playing with Google Mars for a bit).

Nothingness Or Infinity?

I'm still watching the Nova videos I talked about in my last post. Something just occurred to me: Either the universe began as nothing and then BOOM. Or it was always there. Both are very uncomfortable ideas: infinity and Nothingness. So either the universe has always existed in some form, or it merely appeared from nothing. Which do I find more uncomfortable? Definitely the idea of NOTHING THEN BOOM. I'm sure all of you (2 or 3 readers) find the idea of pure nothingness to be more than terrifying; you may also find it very peaceful. When I was younger I would often get think about my death and what it would be like, and every time I would get this image of zooming out of earth and the solar system and then BOOM, the image would end; needless to say it would leave me terrified. My idea of death was infinite nothingness, so perhaps the idea of infinity and nothingness are not too different. However, nothingness could also be described as the complete opposite of infinity, in which case I'd like to revoke the previous sentence. Either way, the idea of nothing freaked my out and still does. The idea of infinity, though impossible to comprehend, is not only less terrifying, but also seems more probable; I mean, who has ever heard of something coming from nothing? But then again, who has ever heard of something w/o a beginning? Neither seems possible. So which idea do you prefer, NOTHINGNESS or INFINITY? I'm assuming no one will comment let alone provoke a thought-inspiring conversation, so I will repost this on my newsvine column shortly. Oh, and I could obviously not find an image of infinity or nothingness, as neither can be properly illustrated in a single 2D image, so I just found a guy with his head in his ass.

God I Love Physics.

If you ever found interesting, but hated the idea of learning all those endless formulas and symbols, then you might find these 28 videos interesting; I definitely did. I can guarantee you will enjoy them if you enjoyed "What The Bleep Do We Know". They are pretty much about the "Theory of Everything", or rather, different theories on how the universe works and is. This begins with Newton's theory of Gravity and then where Einstein and Boyle took that (with an obvious emphasis on Einstein), leaving the last half on String Theory. The 28 videos make up the 3 one hour NOVA specials that played on PBS some time ago (I didn't both finding out when). The narration is well done and includes many interesting/fun CGI elements as well. Obviously, the best part of the whole "mini-series" is the many interviews, though I found Edward Witten's voice to be particularly annoying. All in all, if you've ever wondered about multiple dimensions (one theory suggests there are 11), gravity, sub-atomic particles, the Big Bang, or anything about the universe, then try to find to watch all of these videos.

Why Must iTalk So Much About Apple?

If you keep track of this blog, or my column on newsvine (see sidebar for recent posts) then you have probably noticed how much I mention Apple and their products. So why do I talk about Apple so much? Is it because I own an iPod and a Powerbook? Is it because I have a strong affection for The Underdog? Or am I simply obsessed with the way in which Apple design their products? Well, it does have to do, somewhat, with all of that, but it mostly has to do with the fact that people care about Apple and people talk about Apple. Are you aware that Dell has dropped their hard drive based MP3 players? Do you even know what they were called? Of course not; who cares. A few weeks ago, Apple silently added a 1GB iPod Nano to their line-up; they didn't use any kind of hyped-up Steve Jobs keynote. A few days later, my father mentions to me about it, telling me how he heard it on the news. Dell drops their "version of the iPod" and no one knows; Apple announces a Nano of smaller capacity and it makes the evening news. People care about Apple. If you follow any tech news sites, subscribe to any tech news feeds, or simply spend time on any tech forums then you are bound to witness the incredible rumour mill surrounding Apple and what they might soon be releasing. A high definition tv? A PVR-enabled Mac Mini? A tablet Mac? A touch screen video iPod? These are all rumours that have surfaced over the last few months. People love to talk about Apple. It's not just the rumour mill that keeps Apple on the forefront of tech news, it is also their never-ending stream of Steve Jobs Key Notes and, what many have dubbed, his "Reality Distortion Field"; he knows how to make people believe in him. There is no one else in the tech industry as famous for his/her presentations as Jobs. No one. I've never been so excited over something I don't care about in the least. It's unbelievably entertaining to hear Jobs announce and discuss the latest version of iDVD, a program I have never, and will never use. Apple knows how to present itself. So when you get annoyed about my next Apple-related post (don't be surprised if my next post is), remember that it's not just because of my boner for anything Apple, Apple just happens to be what everyone likes talking about.