To Readers of this Blog...

...just wanted to let you all know that I have a change of address and will no longer be posting on this blog. I've set up a new blog using Wordpress, and so far I am extremely pleased with the service. I really like the new layout - even though I've got quite a bit to learn about the more complicated aspects of it.

I'll be leaving this blog up for awhile, though... at least until I've figured out some way to archive what's on here. :)

My new blog address is www.inkslingerblog.wordpress.com. I hope you'll follow me over there. Thanks!

Persevero,
Scribe
  

The 5 Best Sci-Fi Films Ever Made...

The Matrix (1999)
R
As one critic aptly noted, "... [The Matrix] is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it's a thinking man's journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy." Fusing a one-of-a-kind premise with mind-blowing special effects (most notably "bullet-time"), this is a classic film that sci-fi fans will not want to miss. And there's plenty to think about long after the credits have finished rolling. Biblical themes - such as Original Sin - are easily found beneath the enthralling storyline.

“You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

I Am Legend (2007)
PG-13

I've seen this one a total of four times now... and after each viewing, I still come to the same conclusion: I Am Legend is an under-appreciated gem in the realm of science fiction. Not only is the story smart and compelling, but along the way it raises some really fascinating questions about the nature of sin and redemption. Another plus is director Francis Lawrence's extraordinary, computer-generated rendering of a decaying Manhatten, NY. As for Will Smith, he turns in a remarkable performance as the lonely but determined Robert Neville. I'm honestly surprised he didn't get an Oscar nomination.

"I'm listening..."

Minority Report (2002)
PG-13
Set in the chillingly possible future of 2054, Minority Report easily ranks as one of the most intelligently provocative sci-fi thrillers you'll ever see. Period. The premise - intriguing and eerie at the same time - is top-notch. That said, there are several tastelessly indecent scenes which definitely ought to be edited. Viewer discretion advised.

"You know I can't see without my glasses..."

I, Robot (2004)
PG-13

In addition to thrilling action-sequences, stunning visuals, and a clever script, I, Robot leaves the viewer with some serious food for thought, and should give pause to anyone who thinks that technology is free of ethical or moral questions. 

"So we have robots building robots? Now that's just stupid."

The Road (2009)
R
The Road is a disturbing yet poignant post-apocalyptic tale that's genuinely hard to watch sometimes, even if you have a strong stomach . On the one hand, it presents with gritty realism the wickedness that the depraved man is naturally inclined to (the scenario with the cannibals is more realistic than we'd care to admit). On the other hand, it is also an incredibly powerful story of a father's fierce love for his son. Should be required viewing for older male audiences.

"Even if you knew what to do, you wouldn't know what to do."

Persevero,

One Small Step for a Man...

July the 20th marked the 41st anniversary of the first man landing on the moon. Supposedly, the computers which guided the tiny spacecraft had less capability than the one you are using now to read this blog. Interesting, huh? Here's the video of the dramatic 1969 telecast...

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Persevero,

Reel Quick

For some time now, I've been working on setting up the conservative movie review site Reel Quick. I finally launched it yesterday, and you can visit it here at http://www.reelquick.blogspot.com/.  Before you do so, however, there are a few things I'd like to explain...

 ------------------------

What's in the name?
I dubbed my site Reel Quick because it's supposed to be exactly that: a place where you can find quick but comprehensive movie reviews from a Christian perspective.

~

Why?
Those who know me know I love movies. I enjoy watching them, critiquing them, and talking about them. I had originally intended Reel Quick to be only a personal journal, a place where I could record my thoughts about the films I watched. But as I thought more about it, I realized that there might be others who could benefit from the site as well...

Truth be told, the vast majority of secular movie sites provide inadequate - if not downright misleading - reviews. For example, have you ever sat down to watch something that was labeled "family friendly", and then found to your dismay that it was everything but? My family has. And it's aggravating in the extreme. My hope is that Reel Quick will be of benefit to those who have the same frustration, and are in search of quality, conservative movie reviews.

 ~

How does it work?
My formula for reviewing movies is actually pretty simple. 
- First, I provide details regarding the studio, director, actors, etc.;
- Second, I include a brief description of what the movie is about;
- Third, I rate the movie's content on a scale of 0 to 10;
- Fourth, I write a brief note, stating my opinion of the film;
- Finally, I jot down an age recommendation.

(It is important to add here that when it comes to indecent content and strongly offensive language in films, my parents usually do all the editing; thus, when I say that this or that film contains such and such amount of indecency or profanity, my knowledge of it is almost always secondhand)

~

What movies?

I'll readily admit that I do not watch the majority of what Hollywood cranks out these days. Why? Because it's usually nothing but garbage fit for gutter rats. I'm not going to go and watch trash for the sole purpose of reviewing it. No sir...

The movies I do review are varied in genre: there's action/adventure, suspense, drama, science fiction, etc. I also review older movies that other movie sites may not have.

~ 

In conclusion, I'd simply like to make the point that my reviews are no substitute for your own discernment and discretion. Remember that as you peruse the site. My reviews are not authoritative, infallible directives; they are meant to act only as a guide. That said, I sincerely hope Reel Quick proves to be of at least some benefit to those who use it. Soli Deo Gloria!

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Persevero,

 

The Next Time You Sneeze...

Ever read The Secret House by David Bodanis? It's a fascinating book. I haven't read all of it yet, so this isn't going to be a review. The portions I have read, however, are nothing short of amazing. Bodanis (author of the bestselling E= mc2) takes the reader through an average day in and around an average house, revealing the jaw-dropping science that hides under the surface.

~

I was reading a bit of The Secret House earlier this morning when it struck me that an excerpt from it would make superb post material. So here it is...

"Having a cold means that you have lots of extremely small virus 'creatures' living in your throat and nose. (Viruses are even smaller than bacteria, containing little more than nucleic acid surrounded by protein, but capable of reproducing and propagating themselves when landed on a suitable target cell.) These viruses lead to an urge to sneeze, and however well brought up you are, however much you realize the social opprobrium such an explosion in confined quarters will produce, the urge to let loose soon becomes well nigh irresistable. The microbiological evidence is that viruses have evolved irritant proteins on their surface so they can trigger off a sneeze that will propel them to the fresh feeding grounds of new human hosts. A wadded-up old kleenex may be frantically jammed against the nose, but for a sneeze that wants to get out, there is no defense.

"Our guest's sneeze will speed out of his nose at 40 miles per hour or more - that's a Force 8 on the Beaufort scale. This compares with the gentle five miles per hour - Beaufort Force 2 - of normal breathing. Now while a kleenex is perfectly designed for feeling soft and reassuring when dabbed against a sniff, it's not at all well constructed to withstand the dual nostril blast of a sneeze. Beaufort Force 8 is, as the shipping manuals attest, capable of 'breaking twigs of trees.' There's no need to mention what ti can do to the guests's mere tissue. Just to make matters worse, a well-used kleenex is going to be a wet kleenex, and wood-pulp based products (as the kleenex) when wet drop to only 30% of their usual strength. (It would be even worse, but for the stiffening resin that's added to every one of the estimated 300 billion plus paper tissues sold yearly.) And then there is the problem of the holes.

"A paper tissue is more hole than tissue. Indeed a kleenex is soft precisely because its fibers are so far apart; woven closer together the kleenex would be a more sanitary object, but unfortunately feeling like a crinkly plastic sheet it would be a less saleable one too. The smallest nasal spray globules speed right through those market-enhancing holes. In the spray globules are the living virus creatures. One second after the guest's sneeze they will be through the tissue and already 12 to 15 inches in front of his nose, and in that time the sprayt globules they're riding on will undergo a curious change. Blasted in a 40 mile per hour wind they quickly dry out from the friction as they gush through the air. All that's left of the soft water globules is a flotilla of dart-shaped mucus residues. On these hardened carriers the viruses travel far, gliding horizontally across the front hallway, quite as alive as they were in the nose. They're going much slower now than at the sneeze release, and have at least a 30 minute flight in store before they hit the far wall. If, that is, there's nothing in their way. Let two horrified human dinner be standing in line with the flight path, and the darts will smack into them instead of the wall. They will land on the shirt, they will land on the face; they will crash- land on whatever part of the body they can reach."

~

Hmmm... now that's a description that makes one view sneezing in a different light. It makes me think of a hand grenade exploding and sending shrapnel all over the place. Time to duck and cover. The next time you see someone about to sneeze, forget the kleenex: hand 'em a bath-towel instead! It could dampen the devastating effects of the blast. Maybe.

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              Persevero,         

The Richest Man

My family came across this story while we were doing our morning devotions. It's short, simple, and illustrates the importance of making God your treasure...

"A rich man named Carl loved to ride his horse through his vast estate to congratulate himself on his wealth. One day on such a ride, he came on Hans, an old tenant farmer who had sat down to eat his lunch in the shade of a great oak tree.

Hans' head was bowed in prayer. When he looked up, he said, 'Oh, excuse me, Sir. I didn't see you. I was giving thanks for my food.'

'Hmph!' Carl snorted, noticing the coarse dark bread and cheese constituting the old man's lunch. 'If that were all I had to eat, I don't think I would feel like giving thanks.'

'Oh,' replied Hans, 'it is quite sufficient. But it is remarkable that you should come by today, Sir. I... I feel I should tell you, I had a strange dream just before awakening this morning.'

'And what did you dream?' Carl asked with an amused smile.

'It seemed there was beauty and peace all around, and yet I could hear a voice saying, 'The richest man in the valley will die tonight.'

'Dreams!' cried the landowner. 'Nonsense!' And he turned and galloped away.

'Lord, have mercy on his soul if he really is to die so soon,' Hans prayed as he watched horse and rider disappear.

Die tonight, mused Carl. It was ridiculous, of course! No use his going into a panic. The best thing to do about the old man's dream was to forget it.

But he couldn't forget it. He had felt fine, at least until Hans described his stupid dream. Now he didn't feel too well.

That evening he called his doctor, who was also a personal friend. 'Could you come over?' he asked. 'I need to talk to you.'

When the doctor arrived, Carl told him the whole story. 'Sounds like poppycock to me,' the doctor said, 'but for your peace of mind let's examine you.'

A little later, his examination complete, the doctor was full of assurances. 'Carl, you're as strong and healthy as that horse of yours. There's no way you're going to die tonight.' Carl thanked his friend, and told him how foolish he felt for being upset by an old man's dream.

It was about 9 A.M. when a messenger arrived at Carl's door. 'It's old Hans,' the messenger said. 'He died last night in his sleep.'"

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

~ Matthew 6:19-21, KJV

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Persevero,

What Does It All Mean?

Some of these stats are amazing; some bizarre; and still others disconcerting. They show how quickly the world is changing. For unbelievers, that's bad news. After all, the world is all they have to hold onto. It's the only treasure they'll ever have. They try to grab it, slow it down, keep it still. But they can't. They're digging their fingers into crumbling sand... and they keep slipping.
~
For the followers of Christ, things are different. Change holds no terrifying uncertainty for us. That's because Someone stronger than we are is holding onto us. We may live in an ever-changing world - but we are under the care of a never-changing God.

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Persevero,

From the School Library...

"Don Abbondio was always absorbed in thinking out how he could ensure himself a quiet life, and was not interested in advantages of the sort which can only be obtained by hard application or by taking a few risks. His personal system consisted primarily in avoiding conflict whenever he could, and in giving way whenever conflict became unavoidable.

~

"His policy was one of unarmed neutrality in all wars that broke out around him, such as the conflicts which were then so frequent between clergy and lay authorities, between military and civilians, between noble and noble - right down to the quarrels between two peasants, arising from a hasty word, nad settled with fists or knives.

~

"If Don Abbondio could not help taking sides, he always sided with the stronger of the two contendants - very circumspectly, however, and making every effort to show the weaker party that he had no real feelings of emnity towards him.

~

"'Why couldn't you have been the stronger than the other fellow?' he seemed to say. 'Then I could have been on your side.'

~

"He kept away from bullies when he could; he pretended not to notice passing, capricious acts of arrogance, and greeted those that arose from a serious and deliberate intention with total submission. With his low bows and his air of respectful cheerfulness, he could induce even the most forbidding and contemptuous of men to give him a smile when they met in the street. In this way, poor Don Abbondio had reached the age of sixty without ever getting into serious trouble."

~ from Ch. 1 of I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed),
by Alessandro Manzoni

Hmmm... that's an interesting philosophy... but in the long run, will
it really get him anywhere worthwhile?

* * *
Persevero,

2010 Reading List

A list of the books I hope to have read by the end of 2010 (apart from assigned school reads)...

~

Discipleship/The Christian Life
Finally Alive by John Piper 
War of the Worldviews by Gary Demar
Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints by John Piper, Randy Alcorn, Justin Taylor, and Jerry Bridges
Tearing Down Strongholds by R.C. Sproul, Jr.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Light Up the Darkness by Jamin Hubner
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis

~

Political Issues
America Alone by Mark Steyn

Common Sense by Glenn Beck

~

Philosophy
The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton

~

Biography/History
Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis by Terry Glaspey

William Wallace: Guardian of Scotland by A.I. Murison
A Worthy Company: Brief Lives of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution by Dr. M.E. Bradford
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose

~

Fiction
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Overton Window by Glenn Beck
The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Out of the Silent Planet (Space Trilogy Bk. 1) by C.S. Lewis
Perelandra (Space Trilogy Bk. 2) by C.S. Lewis
That Hideous Strength (Space Trilogy Bk. 3) by C.S. Lewis
Fear is the Key by Alistair MacLean
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
The Hunger Games (Hunger Games Trilogy Bk. 1) by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire (Hunger Games Trilogy Bk. 2) by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay (Hunger Games Trilogy Bk. 3) by Suzanne Collins
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle

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Persevero,

Scribe

The Judge

Now that's neat.

How to Leave a Comment

For those of you who don't know, the comments on my blog are called "Bottles of Ink". So if you want to leave a comment, simply scroll down to the end of the post you wish to comment on, and there you'll see "Bottles of Ink" in the place where "Comments" usually is. Click on it, and you're set. Sorry if that's been confusing. Thanks! :)

Persevero,

Scribe

A Preamble

Scribe, here. Welcome to my new blog! I'll be keeping it updated regularly - that is, God willing, and if I don't get kidnapped by Little Green Men, scalped by savages, or zapped by lightning. I will also be posting occasionally on my family's blog The Good Life. My prayer is that every word I write will be to the edification of fellow Christians and to the Glory of Christ Jesus, who is the only sure foundation and rock upon which to anchor our lives.

Persevero,

Scribe