Godzilla

…in 1954 we awakened something…

I just watched the trailer for the new Godzilla movie and it’s really good. Brian Cranston plays a feature role (looking  nothing like Walter White) and adds quality acting to an otherwise SFX based flick. The trailer is full of cool cliches, such as the obligatory, trumpeting BWAAAAS in the back ground and it’s the first I’ve heard  Gyorgy Ligeti’s Requiem and Lux Eternal in a movie since the apes were running up and touching the monolith in 2001 – A Space Odyssey.

It took me forever to connect to the Godzilla website (consistent mySQL connect failure) which isn’t a surprise. I’m sure it will be  swamped for awhile. Godzilla is directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters) and written by Max Borenstein.

Check out the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIu85WQTPRc

I bet it’s a hit.

What?

Just ran across this in the Detroit Free Press and www.physorg.com today:

1 in 4 Americans doesn’t know Earth circles sun

Like the article states, on the bright side three quarters of Americans realize that the Earth indeed revolves around the sun.

What does this say about the state of science education in the United States?

You can check it out here: http://www.freep.com/article/20140215/FEATURES01/302150062/1-in-4-Americans-doesn-t-know-Earth-circles-sun

The System Goodreads Contest Winners

The winners of the The System – A Detroit Story – book giveaway was announced by Goodreads today. Four hundred and ninety people entered and there were five winners.

The winners are:

Deb from New York

Christina from Michigan

Chessie from Texas

Jeff from Connecticut

Olivia from Washington

I wish everyone could have won, and again, thanks to everyone who entered. The books will be sent to the winners early next week.

 

The Beatles

Fifty years ago tonight I sat at my buddy’s house down the block in front of a small black and white TV, waiting for the Ed Sullivan show to come on. We suffered through cliched, boring, ancient acts such as Martin and Rossi (who?), jugglers, obscure operatic Broadway stars and other cheesy performances. We waited, and waited, and waited.

Finally, Ed Sullivan announced, “Now yesterday and today, our theater’s been jammed with newspapermen and hundreds of photographers from all over the nation, and these veterans agreed with me that this city never has witnessed the excitement stirred by these youngsters from Liverpool who call themselves The Beatles. Now tonight, you’re gonna twice be entertained by them. Right now, and again in the second half of our show. Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles! Let’s bring them on.”
It was like falling through a trap door. It changed our world- forever. Everyone I knew begged their parents for guitar the next day (including me), and those that got them started taking lessons and forming rock and roll bands. There was no one like the Beatles before that appearance, and no one since. I feel fortunate having witnessed a profound, life changing cultural earthquake.