 | Dia de los Muertos in Tzintzuntzan "Tzintzuntzan"a city in the state of Michoacán, means "Place of Hummingbirds" in the ancient Purépecha language. From at least 1100 until the arrival of the Spanish in 1522, Tzintzuntzan was the center of a city that once held some 40,000 royals, nobles, priests and bureaucrats who administered a widespread empire of 1.5 million people. The Purépecha were the only group in the region to successfully resist the warlike Aztec nation (which attempted at least three major invasions of the Purépecha empire. To celebrate the Dia de los Muertos, the local residents have developed a tradition of celebrating at night in the city's two graveyards which are ablaze in flickering light of thousands of candles placed on hundreds of gravesites to honor the dead. |
 | Flicker and the Fringe Flicker must travel through the wasteland that once was his home to get to the Tower of Light. Only the horrible Fringe stands in his way. A short film by Whitestone Motion Pictures. Visit www.whitestonemotionpictures.com for more info, and to download an ipod version. |
 | Tzintzuntzan cemetary "Tzintzuntzan"a city in the state of Michoacán, means "Place of Hummingbirds" in the ancient Purépecha language. From at least 1100 until the arrival of the Spanish in 1522, Tzintzuntzan was the center of a city that once held some 40,000 royals, nobles, priests and bureaucrats who administered a widespread empire of 1.5 million people. The Purépecha were the only group in the region to successfully resist the warlike Aztec nation (which attempted at least three major invasions of the Purépecha empire. To celebrate the Dia de los Muertos, the local residents have developed a tradition of celebrating at night in the city's two graveyards which are ablaze in flickering light of thousands of candles placed on hundreds of gravesites to honor the dead |
 | Giant Black Holes When a star runs out of nuclear fuel, it will collapse. If the core, or central region, of the star has a mass that is greater than three Suns, no known nuclear forces can prevent the core from forming a deep gravitational warp in space called a black hole. Searching for black holes is a tricky business. One way to locate them has been to study X-ray binary systems. These systems consist of a visible star in close orbit around an invisible companion star which may be a neutron star or black hole. The companion star pulls gas away from the visible star. As this gas forms a flattened disk, it swirls toward the companion. Friction caused by collisions between the particles in the gas heats them to extreme temperatures and they produce X-rays that flicker or vary in intensity within a second. Many bright X-ray binary sources have been discovered in our galaxy and nearby galaxies. In about ten of these systems, the rapid orbital velocity of the visible star indicates that the unseen companion is a black hole. The X-rays in these objects are produced by particles very close to the event horizon (the outer edge of the black hole, from beyond which no knowledge of events can ever be passed to the outside Universe). However, not all the matter in the disk around a black hole is doomed to fall into the black hole. In many black hole systems, some of the gas escapes as a hot wind that is blown away from the disk at high speeds. Even more dramatic are the high-energy jets that radio and X-ray observations show exploding away from some stellar black holes. These jets can move at nearly the speed of light in tight beams and travel several light years before slowing down and fading away. |
 | The Tesseract, Transformers, and The Cosmic Christ We are liquid consciousness converging into a sea of ever reaching music funneled through the ten dimensions. When we at last see our mirror image through the hypercube as revealed through inner perception. We may fall backwards within ourselves before this universe's own inception. The light may fade and whither weary Atop a cosmic funeral dreary.. A faint and flicker human path.. to look beyond the Tesseract. Join me as Optimus Prime guides us through the Cube, and the Fourth Dimensional Hyper Cross of the Sun, and into the unknown. A future we are creating even now. Look to the frozen mandala in the sky, an externalization of your systemic third eye. Thanks to Jake Kotze, Zeitgeist, and the amazingly talented Alex Grey. |
 | On Finding Myself (In The Midtown Tunnel) Shot with my Sony Ericsson w800i camera phone. The morning of my return to New York, I awoke early to catch the first bus back into town. The wall was glowing gold; the moving shadows cast by the rising sun that windy morning were stunning, haunting, and, coupled with the howling outside, ominous. On the journey, the gush and hiss of tires racing through the Midtown Tunnel, bounced off the gray, shiny asphalt, and collided with the engine's high-pitched hum. The result: a muted, hollow, endless echo shrouding me in melancholy and claustrophobia. The flashes of fluorescent light from the tunnel's tiled walls -- flickers of light throwing images to my eyes, frame by frame -- mimicked celluloid in the darkness of a movie hall. The figures of my fellow passengers, lost in thought (there, yet not) and non existent, shadowy reflections of myself, all super-imposed themselves on my retina, and by default, my mind's eye. I felt suspended, transported to another sadder world, with tons of steel strapped around my waist, hurtling towards the mouth of the tunnel. There, at the proverbial end, the artificial flashes met a piercing flow of sunshine and I became homesick for the beginning. My eyes squeezed tight to adjust, my mind's eye remembered, and I ached to turn back and start the day over, when everything had a softer glow. But then the city began to whiz by my window. And rising up on every side, it brought me back to work. These visions were connected. Soft glow, and staccato bursts, both were dreamlike. Both seemed unreal, imagined, yet were clearly seen. Both were so beautiful, and so mundane and ordinary, appearing as they must have done every day the sun rose on that bedroom, or the cinema played on this commute. But today I had seen them; I remembered their daily, repetitive appearance and wished to find myself again, homesick in the Midtown Tunnel. |
 | The Simpsons Ride - Universal Studios Hollywood (READ DESCRIPTION) The Simpsons Ride - Universal Studios. Not Actual Ride Video.PLEASE WATCH MY OTHER VIDEOS!! This brand-new $40-million attraction is replacing the Back to the Future attractions in Florida and Hollywood. PRESHOW: You enter the building through a 26-foot-tall Krusty head, along a squishy tongue carpet. The first thing you see is a colorful 10-foot-wide map of the Krustyland theme park. There are 10 rides and 5 shows available at the Krustiest Place on Earth: "Krustyland Rides" * Traumanator Roller Coaster * Tooth Chipper Roller Coaster * The Sea Captain's Queasy Time Lagoon Adventure * Radioactive Man -- the Ride * Captain Dinosaur's Pirate Rip Off * Screamatorium of Dr. Frightmarestein (starring Milhouse, Ralph and Cletus) * Happy Little Elves in Panda Land * Krusty's Balloon Parade * Death Drop * Yard Work Simulator "Krustyland Shows" * Krusty's Wet & Smokey Stunt Show * The Isotop-ettes Musical Spectacular (starring twin sisters Patty and Selma) * Sideshow Mel & Mr. Teeny's Musical revue * Impervo the Painless (starring Groundskeeper Willie) * Madame Manjuala: The Future Looker-Atter (starring Apu's wife) Along the queue line you can see posters advertising these rides and shows, and even interact with some characters, such as Moe the Bartender, who mans the Krustyland Information Booth nearby. After a brief queue, groups of 8 riders enter a funhouse holding room. Krusty the Clown tells us about the 'Upsy-downsy, spins-aroundsy, teen-operated ride thrilltacular' dark ride that will astound the world, and we see an Itchy & Scratchy safety video warning what will happen if you don't keep your legs and arms inside the ride vehicle at all times. THE RIDE: As the 'Prepare to be thrilled' door opens in front of guests, the new Krustymobile ride vehicle is revealed, with a huge Krusty the Clown head at the back and a red/gold/blue paint job with white stars. The ride vehicle is covered in LED lighting and the paintjob glows under the ultraviolet light in the room. Just as you're prepared for a typical dark ride through the swinging doors in front of your vehicle, you're lifted 10 feet in the air on an unseen scissor lift and you're plunged, along with The Simpsons, into Krusty's newest attraction. The 6 minute ride film (nearly 2 minutes longer than Back to the Future: The Ride) features 29 characters from the animated TV show. Featured characters (with voice actors in brackets): - Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) - Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner) - Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright) - Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith) - Maggie Simpson - Krusty the Clown (Castellaneta) - Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) - Grampa Abraham Simpson (Castellaneta) - Selma Bouvier (Kavner) - Patty Bouvier (Kavner) - Milhouse Van Houten (Pamela Hayden) - Martin Prince (Russi Taylor) - Ralph Wiggum (Cartwright) - Police Chief Wiggum (Hank Azaria) - Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (Azaria) - Moe Szyslak (Azaria) - Groundskeeper Willie (Castellaneta) - Professor Frink (Azaria) - Cletus Spuckler (Azaria) - Snake Jailbird (Azaria) - Squeaky Voice Teen (Castellaneta) - Hans Moleman (Castellaneta) - Barney Gumble (Castellaneta) - Louie the Hitman (Castellaneta) - Itchy (Castellaneta) - Scratchy (Harry Shearer) - Kang (Shearer) - Kodos (Castellaneta) - Happy Little Elves (Information from the LA Times Travel Blog) The basic shape and operation of the Back to the Future building is unchanged, but the technology has been replaced and updated - instead of a 70mm IMAX projector, there are 4 state of the art high resolution (4k) Sony digital projectors showing 60 frames per second to ensure a perfectly reproduced high-quality projected image on every ride, accompanied by Dolby cinema-quality multi-channel digital sound. The high frame-rate will ensure a flicker-free movie, which looks as real as it's possible for the inhabitants of Springfield to look. The scissor lifts (that lift the ride vehicles out of the 'garage' loading area) and the motion bases on which each vehicle sits have all been replaced and updated, and Universal has even installed a new 90-foot domed screen to suit the new digital projectors (it's now a slightly reflective screen rather than being matt white). As a tribute to the much-loved Back to the Future ride, an animated Doc Brown character appears in the ride movie, and the ride vehicle has a gull-wing door, just like the 8 passenger DeLorean time vehicles from the past/future. Simpsons characters have been added to the Streetmosphere of live characters around the park, and there's lots of Simpsons merchandise on sale in the closed former Time Depot store next to the attraction, which has been rethemed as a Kwik-E-Mart. There was talk of the adjacent Doc Browns Chicken being rethemed as a Krusty Burger outlet, but there's currently no sign of this happening (March 2008). |
 | ZANO freedom fest freedamn fest freedumb fest fee~dim fest fur~dome fest freeze'm fest more secret rituals exposed from Immaginarium field experts' hidden cameras, capturing uncanny mythic happenings which go on in Chateaux Noir ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? |
 | Cavafy Poem 73: Kaisarion 'Kaisarion' is poem no. 73 in the Cavafy canon. Pronunciation, like spelling, is the very devil. People speaking the same language sometimes fail to understand one another. When ancient Greek and Latin meet English, chaos ensues. The Romans said not 'Hail Zizar!' as in the English version, but 'Ar-way Kizer' (Ave Caesar). The Germans got it right with their Kaiser. The son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra was called not 'Size-arion' (Caesarion) but Kaisarion. By August, 30BC, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Mark Antony were all dead and Kaisarion was the nominal ruler of Egypt. The invading Octavius Caesar, later called Augustus by the respectful Romans, who was a 'Caesar' because he had been adopted by Julius, coming into the presence of the boy pharaoh Kaisarion at Alexandria, is said to have spoken the words (referring to himself and the boy) "Two Caesars is one too many!" Kaisarion was murdered. So we drift back (drift back from the present moment in the year 2008AD) to that same city of Alexandria around the year 1916-1918AD and to Cavafy's flat in the Rue Lepsius where, book on knee, he is himself drifting fondly back to the year 30BC and recalling the to him magic being Kaisarion. Wormholes in the fabric of space and time, through which we travel in the Tardis we call Art and Poetry! 73.KAISARION Evening. Chair by the lamp. In my hands an old book of Ptolomaic inscriptions, vellum spine and marble boards, beautifully printed on handmade paper. The matter: formulaic highflown titles, fulsome praise and flattery. How glorious the Ptolomies, strong and wise, everything they did a sounding epic! The women of that illustrious line half goddesses, Berenice and Cleopatra. Having hunted down the references I required just before closing the volume I noticed a mention of Kaisarion. At that name there came a flutter to my heart. The eyes of vision opened. You were there, standing before my chair, lightly garbed, weight resting on one leg, staring forward like a living statue. We know almost nothing about you but I have created by truly mystic art and contemplation of all the wide world's beauty an archetypal image, a magic being. Late last night as the light in the lamp flickered and died, I let it go out. As the flame faded your imago formed, your eidolon glowed before me, shimmered. I shivered with longing, adoring your shape and face, your immaculate conjured presence in my room looking as you did in Alexandria standing before the conquered people, your people, as the Roman came: your kohl-bright eyes a little tired, trembling slightly at the naked knee, hoping he would be merciful. Had I been Octavius and you waiting there, I'd not have complained of too many Caesars. |
 | Kaisarion: by Constantine Cavafy 'Kaisarion' is poem no. 73 in the Cavafy canon. Pronunciation, like spelling, is the very devil. People speaking the same language sometimes fail to understand one another. When ancient Greek and Latin meet English, chaos ensues. The Romans said not 'Hail Zizar!' as in the English version, but 'Ar-way Kizer' (Ave Caesar). The Germans got it right with their Kaiser. The son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra was called not 'Size-arion' (Caesarion) but Kaisarion. By August, 30BC, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Mark Antony were all dead and Kaisarion was the nominal ruler of Egypt. The invading Octavius Caesar, later called Augustus by the respectful Romans, who was a 'Caesar' because he had been adopted by Julius, coming into the presence of the boy pharaoh Kaisarion at Alexandria, is said to have spoken the words (referring to himself and the boy) "Two Caesars is one too many!" Kaisarion was murdered. So we drift back (drift back from the present moment in the year 2008AD) to that same city of Alexandria around the year 1916-1918AD and to Cavafy's flat in the Rue Lepsius where, book on knee, he is himself drifting fondly back to the year 30BC and recalling the to him magic being Kaisarion. Wormholes in the fabric of space and time, through which we travel in the Tardis we call Art and Poetry! KAISARION Evening. Chair by the lamp. In my hands an old book of Ptolomaic inscriptions, vellum spine and boards, beautifully printed on handmade paper. The matter: formulaic highflown titles, fulsome praise and flattery. How glorious the Ptolomies, strong and wise, everything they did a sounding epic! The women of that illustrious line half goddesses, Berenice and Cleopatra. Having hunted down the references I required just before closing the volume I noticed a mention of Kaisarion. At that name there came a flutter to my heart. The eyes of vision opened. You were there, standing before my chair, lightly garbed, weight resting on one leg, staring forward like a living statue. We know almost nothing about you but I have created by truly mystic art and contemplation of all the wide world's beauty an archetypal image, a magic being. Late last night as the light in the lamp flickered and died, I let it go out. As the flame faded your imago formed, your eidolon glowed before me, shimmered. I shivered with longing, adoring your shape and face, your immaculate conjured presence in my room looking as you did in Alexandria standing before the conquered people, your people, as the Roman came: your kohl-bright eyes a little tired, trembling slightly at the naked knee, hoping he would be merciful. Had I been Octavius and you waiting there, I'd not have complained of too many Caesars. |
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
