Because fuck you that’s why.

She’s dead Jim.

Bill Nye pastes Ken Ham

Much to my surprise, Bill pretty much wiped the floor with Ken Ham. Most revealing was the answer to the question “What would change your mind?” to which Ken Ham replied “Absolutely nothing.” Bill’s answer was fantastic “Evidence. Show me some evidence and I’ll change my mind.”. It left no doubt as to who was really open minded.

The World’s End

The final film in the Cornetto Trilogy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Definitely worth a watch.

Bill Nye to Debate Answers in Genesis kingpin Ken Ham

Bill Nye is to debate Ken Ham on February 4th. Personally I think this is a mistake on Bill’s part as I doubt he has the ability to take Ken Ham in a debate. Indeed to take any creationist in a debate you must first be prepared to deal with the avalanche of dishonesty and misinformation they present in their arguments which I sincerely doubt Bill Bye is.

Justin Robertson presents: Revtone - Love Movement ( Ulrich Schnauss Remix )

Snowdonia is beautiful but so is the track this drive is set to: Justin Robertson presents: Revtone - Love Movement ( Ulrich Schnauss Remix )

Craziest Theories about Existence

Love this article, especially the idea that the universe might be a giant computer. If the universe was a giant computer calculating some kind of answer, what the hell would the question be??

http://www.cracked.com/article_20484_the-6-most-wtf-scientific-theories-about-existence.html

More Nostalgia – Denver the last dinosaur opening scene

Funny Scene from World’s End

I Love you

I am you PARENT, you are my CHILD

I am your QUIET PLACE, you are my WILD

I am your CALM FACE, you are my GIGGLE

I a your WAIT, you are my WIGGLE

I am you your DINNER, you are my CHOCOLATE CAKE

I am your BEDTIME, you are my WIDE AWAKE

I am your LULLABY, you are my PEEKABOO

I am your GOODNIGHT KISS, you are my

I LOVE YOU

The Immortal Game

Widely regarded as the most epic chess game ever played.

The Immortal Game: Adolf Anderssen vs Kieseritzky [C33]
London, 1851
The Immortal Game was a chess game played by Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky in 1851 in London.
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Qh4+ 4.Kf1 b5 [4...d6] 5.Bxb5 Nf6 6.Nf3 Qh6 7.d3 Nh5 8.Nh4 Qg5 9.Nf5 c6 10.g4 Nf6 11.Rg1 cxb5 12.h4 Qg6 13.h5 Qg5 14.Qf3 Ng8 15.Bxf4 Qf6 16.Nc3 Bc5 17.Nd5 [17.d4] 17...Qxb2 18.Bd6 [18.Nc7+; 18.Re1] 18...Bxg1 It is from this move that Black's defeat stems. Wilhelm Steinitz suggested in 1879 that a better move would be 18... Qxa1+; likely moves to follow are 19. Ke2 Qb2 20. Kd2 Bxg1. [18...Qxa1+ 19.Ke2 Qb2 20.Kd2 Bxg1] 19.e5 Qxa1+ 20.Ke2 Na6 21.Nxg7+ Kd8 22.Qf6+ Nxf6 23.Be7# 1—0

Classic Early 90s TV Series

Who remembers this Australian children’s program – I thought it was classic.

The Hiatus ends

I’ve decided to resurrect this blog after a year of not posting. I intend to some extent to return to the original purpose of this blog which was to post anything that caught my interest and try and generate as much original content as possible. The content from hereon out may seem random and eclectic but hopefully there will be plenty to capture people’s interest.

Ken Ham refuses to debate

A frequent accusation by creationists is that evolutionists refuse to debate. Nothing could be further from the truth, people aware of the dishonest debate tactics of creationists and well grounded in the various academic disciplines connected to evolution frequently beat creationists within an inch of their lives during debate. Perhaps none more so than Aron Ra who challenged Ken Ham to a debate multiple times, Ken Ham has refused every time because he knows just how badly he will lose. Below is a lecture Aron Ra gave specifically about Ken Ham’s facebook following. I was instantly banned from this page and my post deleted simply for posting Aron Ra’s debate challenge.

Mass Effect 2 Afterlife - Long Version

Philosorapter

Prometheus (2012)

I’ve been meaning to write this review for some time but currently have about seven different projects on the go at once so it has gotten shifted down my list of priorities. I still don’t have much time to write this so it’s going to be a very quick review.

Firstly I’d like to say that whilst this isn’t the best film I’ve ever seen, it’s certainly not the worst and despite some of the criticism it’s receiving I think it is a great film. When I sat down and the opening credits rolled, I was treated to an absolutely spellbinding introduction to the film, I honestly thought Ridley Scott was about to hit one out of the ballpark Blade Runner style. Indeed for the first fifteen minutes of the film I was convinced this was going to be the case. The opening soundtrack was so haunting and definitely gave the impression that I was in for a treat. The shots of the ancient Earth were filmed in Iceland, a place which I swear to myself I will eventually visit. Apparently they took Scott two weeks to shoot but by God they work. And even after the introduction the film still seemed to be shaping up to be a classic.

Unfortunately the film doesn't continue anywhere near as profoundly as it begins. It settles down and eventually becomes a run of the mill science fiction thriller, not a horror film as some were expecting.

The film lends credence to the ancient astronaut theory which whilst I think is bullshit, nevertheless is an intriguing idea. There are also some intriguing concepts within the film. Scott does seem to like exploring the idea of synthetic life and continues to do so in this film through Michael Fassbender who plays the android David. Michael Fassbender evidently borrows more of his andriod style from the replicants of Blade Runner than Bishop of the Aliens sequel. Still he is probably the most interesting character in the film. He is forced to obey orders arguably against his better judgement. The film also insinuates that he is bitter about being told that he doesn't have a soul and the film also insinuates that he feels very differently about the matter. His reaction to being told that 'he's not a real boy' is subtle but noticeable. I'd have to say he acted well throughout this film.

Charlize Theron's character Meredith Vickers is also arguably an android but this is left ambiguous in the film. She plays a cold and sterile character - selfish and spoilt but the film strongly hints in a number of places that she may too be artificial.

Noomi Rapace's character Elizabeth Shaw was evidently meant to echo Ellen Ripley from the original alien films. Even though she had coaching lessons to perfect her British accent it still slipped in places and didn't quite work though the film is set in 2093 so perhaps it's forgivable.  Nonetheless she plays a great and charismatic character who you genuinely root for.

Even though this is a prequel to alien, it's not a strict prequel and until the last couple of minutes, it could really be regarded as a film entirely unto itself. That said, there are some definite crossover moments such as finally after 33 years revealing what exactly the space jockey from the original Alien film actually was.

There were some poor points in the film. Guy Pierce's makeup was terribly done although he acted the part well. The film didn't tangle my intellect as much as I would have liked it to but then again what more can you expect from a summer blockbuster? The science team didn't exactly strike me as being elite either which detracted from my enjoyment a little. The CGI is well done. This is definitely a film that will divide people as to its quality but I think ultimately any fan of Scott films will enjoy. Others will find something to gripe with. The film is marginally better in 3D than it is in 2D (I watched it in both) but ultimately the difference is a moot point.

I would say overall that Prometheus is a great film, it's not stellar and it's certainly not Ridley Scott's best but it's an enjoyable ride and much better than some of the crap being released these days. Definitely worth a watch for any fan of science fiction.

Finally the film is evidently intended to be the first of perhaps a trilogy so it will be interesting to see where the unanswered questions go in the next films (should they get made).

Wisdom...

The next big movie this year…

That will almost certainly be excellent.

Avengers Assemble (2012)

I really have to review this film because well, it’s totally fucking epic. Not since the Dark Knight has a superhero film of such quality and panache graced the silver screen and any comparisons between this film and that one are completely justified. I wouldn’t say it was as good per se but it’s definitely in the same league. Unlike the Dark Knight, this film doesn’t take itself nearly as seriously, the script isn’t nearly as good but this film overdoses spectacularly on special effects which when combined with the reasonably well written script and a plethora of strong leading characters who have an interesting dynamic between them all creates a film that is a hell of a lot of fun. It’s not difficult to see where the $220 million dollar budget has gone either, in terms of SFX this film reminds me in many ways of the ugly love child of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon.

By the time the film was finally released I had heard enough of the hype to expect a good film and it surely delivered. Marvel Studios has been building up to this film for some years, releasing first Iron Man, then continuing through The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and finally Captain America. To this end, the backstory for most of the characters is already in place leaving just Hawkeye who needed to be introduced. Director Joss Whedon obviously has a passion for the source material this film is based upon and it really shows. The only other feature film I’ve seen of his direction is Serenity and that film was amazing, the TV series Firefly to which it is the conclusion also being a greatly enjoyable ride. So there was no doubt in my mind really that he could pull this one off.

It’s the subtleties that make this film all the better though. The movie sports a very strong cast including Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark / Iron Man), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers / Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner / The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Tom Hiddleston (Loki) along with Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts). The interaction between this diverse cast feels very organic and at times is down right hilarious – there were more than a few moments in the film where I was in stitches. The humour felt well placed and helped to move along a film which at 2 1/2 hours long seems to fly by.

Ultimately for fans of the genre and fans of any of the character films I cannot recommend this film enough. I haven’t seen a film this year which tops it. IMDB Rating 8.9 / 10.

My new favourite song

'Social cleansing' housing benefit cap row

CLICK HERE - SOCIAL CLEANSING

We really need to start seeing through the bullshit. Many, many people in this country are idle wasters - that is a fact that is not up for dispute. At £400 A WEEK simply for housing benefit, they are really taking the piss, and that's before you even start on the rest of the benefits these dole scum receive. It is so far beyond ridiculous I don't quite know where to start. Where I come from, it is possible to get a three bed house rented for £80 a week, so why should we taxpayers pay this extortionate sum for these untermenschen who have no desire or inclination to ever work again. Why work when you get EVERYTHING you need, and most of what you want paid for by the government?

Society's underclass is only going to get worse with this namby-pamby treatment of the long-term unemployed. As a country we need to wake up, smell the coffee and get them into government sponsored work programmes where they work long, hard hours for their benefits. The only realistic way to get people off benefits is to make working pay better than benefits.

Let's just do some simple maths. Take one family receiving housing benefit of £400 a week in London. You put them in a £80 a week jobby in Nottingham. The saving there annually is £16,640. As the average wage is around £25,000 a year, in effect, you would need at least 5 average waged persons paying tax at the standard rate, just to pay for the difference for 1 single family. Of course this doesn't take into account all the other benefits that are being received.

Is that fair?

Red Dwarf X finally finished filming

The mask is off, the locks are cut, the fangs are out and the H is gone…

Filming for the eagerly anticipated 10th series of Red Dwarf has now finished. Richard Naylor, Associate Producer tweeted the news;

’Red Dwarf X officially wrapped! The dreads are off‘.

The new series  which is set to air on the freeview channel Dave in the Autumn will consist of six 30 minute episodes. It marks the return of Dave Lister, The Cat, Rimmer and Kryten. Expect to be treated to the usual quick witted one liners, put downs and Listers love for curry.

The last outing for the boys was back in 2009 after a 10 year hiatus. These were the Red Dwarf: Back to Earth Easter specials, a three part series which was received with mixed reactions. The specials gave multiple nods to past plots and was also heavily influenced by the cult film Blade Runner.

Although technically this should be Series 9, Doug Naylor stated that he didn’t want to make a ninth series but would like to do a series 10.  Wait! Surely missing out an entire series lacks plot consistency and would alter its story arc and character development? Welcome to Red Dwarf, Smoke me a kipper… I’ll be back for breakfast.

Kurt Vonnegut's 8 Tips on How to Write a Great Story

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

Imagine the future

I’ve only just heard about the latest techno-wizardry likely to hit shops in the next couple of years but what I do know is I fucking want one. It seems kind of an inevitable development thinking about it, the first step to turning us all into cyborgs but in 10 years I can seriously see everyone wearing a pair of these damn things. So Google are cooking something up at their super secret X labs where they dream up all manner of shit from space elevators to real life terminators and they’ve come up with something called Project Glass – essentially  a pair of glasses with a heads up display that can instantly access the Internet for information, make phone calls, send texts, plan routes, act as an organiser and all manner of miscellanea - view the vid for an idea.

Although it seems these aren’t quite ready for rolling out onto the market just yet, the concept is there and just seeing the concept in action is enough to already sell a product to me that hasn’t even been invented yet. But one thing is certain – this is the future!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/09/google-project-glass-augmented-reality

The best documentary ever made

Anyone who seriously thinks that Creationism should be taught in schools or that evolution is in some way unscientific should watch this documentary. It weighs in at three hours long but it is so information dense it should be classed as a work of art.

Anonymous on the war path

Predictably Anonymous is dissatisfied with UK government plans to spy on every single one of its citizens, taking a step back from harassing the Chinese government to harass the UK government instead.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f3384904-8186-11e1-b39c-00144feab49a.html#axzz1rUAp0Klg

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/hackers-group-anonymous-crashes-home-784250

The Hunger Games (2012)

Just a quick review for this flick I caught at the cinema the other day. Based on the hugely popular trilogy of books by Suzanne Collins, the Hunger Games could be considered in many ways the spiritual successor to the Twilight saga. However whilst I felt very meh in my opinions of Twilight and haven’t felt compelled to watch any of the sequels, the Hunger Games is a different kettle of fish. I wasn’t overly enamoured by the premise of the film which made it sound very much like a loose remake of the Running Man and indeed in many respects this is true but this film has a dark, gritty and visceral quality that puts it light years ahead of that film.

So I think the reason I wanted to see this film was because of all the hype surrounding it and a vague notion I got somewhere along the way that there might be some truth to the hype meaning I had to watch it at some point to determine if there was anything of value. And indeed there was. The Hunger Games takes place in a post-apocalyptic America of some description though the exact circumstances of how America comes to end up like this are neither clear nor particularly relevant since the film is primarily about the barbarity of human nature and the whole idea of a fascist society that lets children kill each other for entertainment and that is really all that needs to be known. To this end, twelve districts, forced to operate under the thumb of an oppressive central government, are compelled to annually send one male and one female teenager as “tribute” to the Capitol. There, they will compete in a televised blood sport – the eponymous “Hunger Games.” When her little sister is selected by lottery for the games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) steps in to take her place. Along with baker’s boy Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss departs for the capitol, where she discovers a world of exoticism and violence. Eventually, she and Peeta are thrust into the arena, where they must fight for their lives against dozens of other tributes.

This is a long film, it weighs in at 2 1/2 hours but aside from the first 15 minutes or so, the film is well paced and never feels too long or drags. The intensity of the arena is very well done and is on its own an achievement in cinematic storytelling. That this film manages to score a 12A rating at the hands of the BBFC is also particularly impressive since it’s quite violent, bloodthirsty and features numerous scenes of children slaughtering other children. I also mentioned that the plot of this film seemed like a loose remake of the Running Man. That is in some ways true but it’s more like 1984 meets the Truman Show meets The Running Man and in my opinion better than all three.

I did have some minor gripes with this film. I liked the minimalistic style of the districts which reflected some campy films of the 70s like Logan’s Run and THX1138 but I disliked the goofy and overdone makeup and costumes that many of the characters wore – this was something I also hated about the fifth element and I felt it detracted from the realism a little. I also didn’t think the casting for this movie was done fantastically well – I did like Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson (I nearly lolled when he first came on screen because my mind immediately leapt to Zombieland and his ‘devil may care’ attitude) but ultimately I didn’t think any of the other main characters in this film were well cast. Lawrence and Harrelson carried the film for me – especially Lawrence who does a superb job and I don’t think could have been cast any better.

The best film I’ve seen so far this year without a doubt as well as a masterpiece that exceeded my expectations,  the trailer really doesn’t it do it justice. Go see.

The Queen of Atheism speaking at the Reason Rally

More Mass Effect 3 Ending Memes

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