We all knew this would eventually happen.

It was only a matter of time.
We tried to deny it.
We took solace in that denial.

But deep inside we knew we could never prevent it:

Octopi have declared a war to humanity!

Eternal sunshine at a drugstore near you

It seems like the idea of the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is not so far in the future.

No need for machines either... Just pills...

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/18/0629251&from=rss

Contact

I watched Contact this weekend.
Arguably one of the best movies ever made.
This is probably the 5th or 6th time watching it in the last 4 years.
Why?
Below are snippets of the dialogue that are just worth it!
Reading them is one thing. Watching them performed by amazing actors is yet another.

[When Ellie talks to Hadden inside his plane]
- The powers that be have been busy lately.
Falling over each other to position themselves for the game of the millenium...
Maybe I can help deal you back in.
- I didn't realise that I was out.
- Well, maybe not out, but certainly being handed your hat.


[ When Ellie is being pushed to answer the question of whether she believes in God ]
- I believe... I believe I have already answered that question.

[ When Ellie is at the hearing, being 'questioned' about the validity of her testimony with respecpt to the trip ]
- You come to us with no evidence, no record, no artifacts.
Only a story that, to put it mildly, strains credibility.
Over half a trillion dollars were spent.
Dozens of lives were lost.
Are you really gonna seat there and tell us, we should just take this all on faith?
- Please answer the question Doctor.
- Is it possible that it didn't happen? Yes.
As a scientists I must concede that, I must volunteer that.
- Wait a minute, let me get this straight.
You admit you have absolutely no physical evidence to backup your story.
- Yes.
- You admit that you very well may have halucinated the whole thing.
- Yes.
- You admit that if you were in our position you would respond with the same degree of incredjulity and skepticism .
- Yes.
- Then why don't you simply withdraw your testimony and concede that this journey to the center of the galaxy in fact never took place.
- Because I can't!
I had an experience. I can't proove it, I can't explain it.
But everything that i know as a human being, everything that I am, tells me that it was real.
I was given something wonderful, something that changed me for ever.
A vision of the universe that tells us undeniably how tiny and insignifficant and how rare and precious we all are. A vision that tells us that we belong to somehting that is greater than ourselves, that we are not, that none of us are alone.
I wish I could share that. I wish... that everyone, if even for one moment, could feel that awe and humility and that hope....
That continues to be my wish.

Phoenix ... Such a perfect surprise

So here you are, catching up with Alias, starring Jennifer Garner (Sydney).
You've watched season 1, 2 and 3. And yesterday, yesterday you were hardly prepared for what was about to happen. "Could you ever believe such a perfect surprise"?

You watch the first episode of the 4th season.
Not bad. Fine plot and something more:
Sydney, in one of her aliases bares an uncanny resemblance to Famke Jansen.
None other than the actor who played Dr Jean Grey in X-Men 1, 2 and (soon to be released) 3.
Kind of cool, but not really. After all, resemblance is very subjective. Even more so since what someone wants to be true, generally believes to be true.

But then, the second episode. Oh the second.
"Authorized Personnel Only - Part 2".
Something is revealed...
Sydney's new codename is: Yup, you guessed right: Phoenix!!!
None other than Jean Grey's codename.

Can you really believe it?
Two of your favorite ficticious characters, end up being connected in such an unexpected kind of way!
But is that it?
Not quite, there's more:

Jack's (Sydney's father) codename is Raptor.
And at some point we hear: "OK, Phoenix Raptor, it's up to you now!"
The Phoenix Raptor would be the firebird that appears as the manifestation of Jean Grey's powers. There are several occasions in the X-Men Mythology (just love that word), where all hope is lost, and it's up to Phoenix to save the universe. When that's the case, a very huge Phoenix Raptor will most certainly appear.

Cool or what?