Bad Lip Reading - Walking Dead Season 4

Seriously, I think, even if you don't watch "The Walking Dead" this is funny.  But if you DO watch the show, it's freaking hilarious!

Oh, and before I forget, all the scenes are from Season 4, so while none of the words in this "Bad Lip Reading" will give away anything, I suppose there are some spoilers in the images.  So, be warned.

Man, this is funny!  I have to see more of these "Bad Lip Reading" videos.



Carl's rap is laugh out loud funny!

Damsel in Distress - video by feministfrequency

I still love the Zelda and Mario games.  But the points made in the video are still worth hearing and taking into account.




And, yes, I would love to see Zelda be the star of a game!

***IT'S Happening Somewhere (And We Care WHY?)

Love this.  Some offensive language, but it can be excused because of the message it's delivering.

Genius.



I saw this because I follow @JeriLRyan on Twitter.

Legend of Zelda for Wii U - Trailer

This is what I have been waiting for.  It's what I bought Wii U hoping to play.



I want it soonest.

Reading Rainbow Kickstarter - Video

You have to have heard about this.  If not, you have to hear about this.

I am looking forward to having Reading Rainbow for my grandchildren, just as we had it for my children.

Bring Reading Rainbow’s unlimited library of interactive books and video field trips to kids everywhere & help classrooms most in need!



The Kickstarter link

P.S.  Like Star Trek?  Stay to the Very End of the video.

Talk Nerdy to Me - Video

Yeah, so this was going around facebook earlier this week, and it's just the sort of thing I like.  Why?  Let's not analyze, shall we?  Let's just talk nerdy.

The Only Winter I Want Now

I spent a long time writing yesterday's post.  So today, you only get a video.

But it's a good one.

I have been looking forward to "Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier" for a long time.  And it's getting so close!



Falcon! And the Winter Soldier!

Hey, if you don't know the Winter Soldier story -- do yourself a favor:  Don't look it up before the movie!  Just go to the movie and see what they do with it.  I bet you'll like it.

And sure, they might do an Iron Man 3 "Mandarin" thing with it.  But I really, really doubt it.

And if you don't understand that '"Mandarin" thing' reference, then I bet you enjoyed Iron Man 3 even more than some Iron Man fans did. 

(But I really enjoyed Iron Man 3.  And to you party-pooper Iron Man purists, the '"Mandarin" thing' was almost ironic.  Plus, Marvel "fixed" it with "All Hail the King.")

TableTop Day 2014 Approaches!

On April 5, 2014, all around the world, people will be gathering to play games!

Thanks to an extremely successful web series called "TableTop" -- in which Wil Wheaton and various friends of his demonstrate how to play various games -- by playing them! -- a day was set aside last year for people to play games.  Photos of people doing this radical activity were shipped around the Interwebs with that Twitter thing and other less well known avenues.

(Some lame attempts at humor are contained in this post.  Almost forgot that warning.)

Anyway, this year, Mr. Wheaton and his friend, producer and mega-web-star Felicia Day announced the 2014 TableTop day in this video.




Taking our cue from these great supporters of gaming (who are also gamers, themselves), the Dudes and I are preparing for a full day of gaming on Saturday, the fifth of April.

I cannot appropriately express how excited I am about that!  One exclamation point does not seem sufficient!!!

I anticipate more than 12 hours of fun.  And, unless I get so caught up in the fun that I completely space it off, I intend to tweet a few photos for #TableTopDay.

Whether you find an event occurring somewhere around the world (which the website can help you find) or just get together with family and/or friends (as we will) I hope you get a chance to play a game on TableTop Day!

Jon Stewart - For the Win - So What Should People Buy with Food Stamps

If you are an opponent of the Food Stamp program, then just be an honest opponent of the food stamp program. Say you don't believe anyone should get any money from the government to help them eat.  Just say it.

Because when you decide to deride each and every choice made by a person using food stamps (by using unsubstantiated stories) and when you seem to be saying "anyone on Food Stamps had better be having a miserable life, or they don't deserve Food Stamps" then you don't just sound uncaring about your fellow American.  No - you don't just sound uncaring; you are uncaring.  And Jon Stewart will fry you.




(In case you can't see the video above, here is the link.  It's about 8 minutes long, even though it looks like it will be longer.)

This is both funny and sad.

So tell me, according to Fox News: What is acceptable for people to buy with Food Stamps?  Not healthy food (fish, organic.)  Not bait so you can try to catch healthy food.  Are you unemployed because of the economic downturn, having been laid off so some executives can meet a Wall Street earnings expectation?  Well, you have to let your dog starve, because we don't want you spending Food Stamp money on dog food.  Did you and your family finally take advantage of 50% off day at Disneyworld to have some fun?  Or did some church group give you free tickets?  Better not buy food there with Food Stamps! In fact, you better just hand in your food stamps, because if you can have fun, you don't deserve them.  And, heaven knows, your baby had better be using cloth diapers! (It's not clear if buying detergent and diaper rash cream with food stamps is acceptable in this case. The "logical conclusions" don't seem to be part of the anti-Food Stamp arguments.)

Again, if you are politically or morally opposed to Food Stamps, then just be against it.

But if you're going to tell people exactly how they have to spend their Food Stamps then:

1. Give us the list.  What is acceptable?  Is it flour and meat? (But not fish. God no, not fish.) Is that all?  What's the rest?  Give the list.  What can people buy without you callously criticizing their choices?  And then ...
2. Don't ever, ever, ever criticize liberals again for having government too involved in our lives, because there isn't much that's more intrusive than telling "poor folks" what they can buy.

Bohemian Gravity - Video

Yet another video I encountered through facebook which deserves to be saved.

Tim Blaise creates music and music videos, and he's a graduate student in physics.  Put that mix together with some serious creativity and musical ability and you get this (and others.)



And, to be complete, here is the link from io9.com which was initially shared.

Mars Rover Year 1 in 2 Minutes - video

So, this is cool.

More Internet Things

I think I did this sort of post once before, but whether I did or not here it is:

Some things I've shared on Facebook which were worth my time and which I might want to see again in the future.


Serious and Cool

AIDS-Related Problem solved by gamers
 
Funny and Cool

Laser Grid game

Quote Quiz - Shakespeare or Batman?

To be a Kid again


Musical and Cool

Billy Joel sings with student accompaniment

Ender's Game - the Trailer

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card is one of the best books I have ever read.

For years, fans of the book (which basically include anyone who has ever read it) have hoped for a film version of the story.  Finally, it's been made.  Here's the trailer.



What does it look like, to you? 

To me, it looks like a pretty standard "Earth is fighting aliens and we need a Reluctant Hero to win" story.

Which, of course, makes sense -- to a point.  I mean, that's what Hollywood is going to make out of the story, so it makes sense the trailer shows that. 

The problem, though, is this: for years the movie did not get made because the author, Card, wanted enough control to ensure that the essence of Ender's Game did not get lost in a movie version.  And I had heard that he finally got that control.  So, if he did, how does the movie end up looking like this?

My hope?  It's the old trailer bait-and-switch.  We have all seen trailers which lead us to believe one thing about a movie, only to find that the movie was quite different.  We have also all seen trailers which seem to show us the entire story, but in fact, only show us a tiny piece of it.

If this trailer is like those, then Ender's Game has a chance to be something special.  Because, you see, the story is Something Special with two capital S'es.

If, on the other hand, the trailer is a good indicator of what we'll see in the theater, then we'll be seeing another Starship Troopers.  And the world does not need another Starship Troopers.  And Ender Wiggin deserves better.

Here's hoping.

Unscripted - Famous Improvisations in Film

This one is definitely worth saving for posterity.  I have not seen all 25 films in this list, but I have seen most of them.  I love the fact that an improvising actor can have such a positive and memorable addition to the work.

Sherry's Fashion Show Video

For the past six semesters, my wife, Sherry has been pursuing a degree in Apparel Design in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota.  This will be her second Bachelor's degree, because she and I both graduated from Luther College a while back, and she majored in Chemistry and Biology for that degree.

As one might expect from an Apparel Design program, the big final project is the creation of a line of apparel.  The resulting fashions were on display in a show called Flux in February.

Here is the video from the show.  I am imbedding the whole video; Sherry's work comes down the runway starting at 12:19.  She designed a line for professional women, and used professional women to model the pieces, including our daughter Sarah, my sister Deb, and our neighbor Judy.

I'm so proud of her, and impressed by her work.  Enjoy!

Stairway to Heaven - Heart Tribute

Every once in a while -- or maybe more often than that -- I come across a video and share it on Facebook. But some of them are definitely worth saving a little more "permanently"  -- and deserve some comment.  This is one of those videos.

"Stairway to Heaven" was released when I was only 10, and I suppose it took me a while to first hear it.  But once I did, it became a part of my youth, and a part of the mystery of poetry which is music.  I imagine I am not alone.  "Stairway to Heaven" has rock, it has haunting minor elements, and the imagery of the lyrics evokes far more in my mind than the words would on their own.

And then there's Heart.  Ann and Nancy Wilson can really make a song rock, but in songs like "These Dreams" they can also paint lush pictures.  And, clearly, Ann can sing!

So, when I found this video, in which Heart does "Stairway to Heaven" in a tribute to Led Zeppelin, I watched it. And watched it again.  I simply love their interpretation.  In many ways, it's clearly the original.  In other ways, it's got Heart stamped all over it.

So, if you like the original, or if you like Heart, or both -- I bet you'll like this.

Inspiring, Touching

Maybe you've seen this on Facebook or YouTube by now.  If you haven't, take a look.





Honest love and respect; appreciating the value of family - the value of people - the value of relationship.

Connor and Cayden Long:  These brothers represent what being human is all about -- or should be all about.




Thanks, Aaron, for sharing it.

Table Top - Alhambra

By now we all know I love games.  This past year, one of the best additions to my gaming life is the web series "Table Top" on the Geek and Sundry YouTube channel.  This series is hosted by Wil Wheaton, and in 30 minutes shows a group of enjoyable people having a good time learning to play a table top game.

Some of they games they have featured are already in my game library (Settlers of Catan, for example) but others are new to me.  This is how I found out about Small World, for example.

The show has been on hiatus for a while, but it just released a new episode today, and the featured game is something I had never heard of - Alhambra.  Watching these four people play not only teaches the game, but also gives hints as to potential strategies and clearly shows how much fun friends can have.

I think this is another "buy."

GoldieBlox - Engineering Toys For Girls - Video

And now, maybe the last of this batch of things I shared on Facebook, but don't want to lose track of.

Watch this video.  Have your faith in the future of humanity raised.

When I get to buy gifts for a granddaughter, I will remember this.

Written By A Kid - Web Series

This year, Felicia Day, Kim Evey, Wil Wheaton (and probably more cool web people) started a channel on YouTube with a slate of web series.  One of them is "Written By A Kid."  Anyone who has had young children knows how amazingly creative they can be.  Kids think up stories almost without trying, and the stories are imaginative and full of interesting plots, characters and items which come from imaginary places as often as from real life.

"Written By A Kid" allows kids to tell their stories, and then creative TV-Movie people put them on screen.  It's a great concept.  The way they can afford to do these is for people to "Like" them on YouTube, and even better to "Subscribe" to the channel.  Their financiers pay based on the number of people who do those things.

The very first one got me hooked, and I have enjoyed every one of them since.  Here's the first:

Scary Smash



Yes, this is another in my series of things I put on Facebook. Ssdly, I can't find it on Facebook anymore. See? Facebook does not Always have Everything you posted in the past. That may be a good thing for people who posted embarrassing photos, but really, what are the chances that THOSE will be the things Facebook leaves off your timeline?