MacArthur genius awards

Most people are realistic enough to know that they will never win a Nobel prize. But winning one of the annual MacArthur Fellows grants, the so-called ‘genius’ awards, seem much more realistic. For one thing, there are many more of them awarded annually, with the this year’s crop numbering 21. And while the awards of $625,000 are given to “to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction”, many of the winners seem to be ordinary people who have been plucked out of obscurity.
[Read more…]

Cyclist survives collision with truck and car

This video of a road accident in Russia is stunning. The accident was caused by a cyclist, car, and truck all simultaneously breezing through an intersection. It is amazing that not only was the cyclist not killed by either the car or the truck, but that he recovered quickly enough that he got up off the ground and went to the aid of the truck driver trapped in the cab of the overturned truck.
[Read more…]

My horoscope predicts a big day for me tomorrow

Susan Miller is a very popular astrologer. She puts up her monthly horoscope predictions for free on her website Astrology Zone at the beginning of each month and has a huge readership, estimated at 6.5 million. Recently she has been running late with her postings because she says she has been sick. You would think that her readers would cut her some slack, but no. These repeated delays have apparently caused great consternation among those who apparently need their monthly horoscope fix in order to live their lives and are distressed by not being told what to do in a timely manner, and some of them have turned ugly, accusing her of a lack of ‘professionalism’.
[Read more…]

Child abuse

The media has been abuzz with the atrocious behavior of football players assaulting the women and children in their lives. As disgusting as that behavior is, what is also odious are the defenses being offered by prominent figures such as CNN’s Don Lemon and Charles Barkley for such abuse, saying that they received similar treatment from their parents when they were children and see nothing wrong with it or that it is somehow some cultural thing.
[Read more…]

Learning about Togo

Togo is one of the many nations of the world whose name I recognize but about which I know nothing. I hope to change that over time since Alicia, the daughter of a cousin, will be spending the next two years on a Fulbright Fellowship in the town of Kara in the north of that west African nation, working with an HIV/AIDS treatment program.
[Read more…]

How did he do this?

There is something quite hypnotic about this digitally manipulated short film set to music by Fernando Livschitz that seems to show traffic going through a busy intersection, weaving in with pedestrians and cyclists. Since it was not done using green screens (I think), I have no clue as to how it was done so that the cuts and splices became so invisible that the whole thing looks like a choreographed ballet. I know there are VFX professionals who read this blog and I am sure they can figure it out and let the rest of us know.
[Read more…]