Anyone Have John Connor On Speed-Dial?

Slashdot reported on Thursday that researchers in California have developed an artificial muscle that heals itself and generates electricity. 'We've made an artificial muscle that, when you apply electricity to it, it expands, more than 200 percent, the motion and energy is a lot like human muscles,' said Qibing Pei, a scientist at UCLA and study author. The researchers used flexible carbon nanotubes as electrodes. If an area of the carbon nanotube fails, the region around it seals itself by becoming non-conductive and prevents the damage from spreading to other areas. This material also conserves about 70% of the energy you put into it. As the material contracts after an expansion the rearranging of the carbon nanotubes generates a small electric current that can be captured and used to power another expansion or stored in a battery.

This is fascinating stuff, especially for those of us who await Skynet's inevitable take over of the planet.

I'm Having a Fan-gasm

The extended HD trailer for Iron Man is out, and I get more and more psyched each time I watch it (I just finished viewing number 5...)

Robert Downey Jr. seems absolutely amazing as Tony Stark, and the whole movie seems to have that blend of wry humor and incredible action visuals that made Spiderman such a film success.

Here's hoping that (if it's any good) Downey Jr. isn't adverse to making a few sequels...

I've Got Every Digit Crossed

Seems some of the major news outlets are reporting (with a cautious optimism) that the Writer's Strike currently depriving me of all that is good in life, not to mention a billion dollars worth of revenue for the industry, may be drawing to a close. Apparently the studios and the writers have both indicated a willingness to compromise on some of the issues at the root of the situation.

All I know is, the sooner these people get back to work, the sooner I can finally get my Heroes fix... the shakes are starting to get worse and I've started to see that weird symbol in my sleep...

Gotham by Bricklight

Just found out about this and thought I'd share... especially since even the concept is enough to have my inner 11 year old jump for joy. Information is limited, but it appears to be in development by Traveller's Tales and has a release date of Spring 2011.

If it's anywhere on par with the LEGO Star Wars series, this is going to end up being a must-have.

Somewhere a Stoner is Weeping

Pizza Hut's latest promotion, the "Crunchy Cheesy Crust" pizza, certainly LOOKED very tasty in the commercials and advertisements I had recently seen. "Self," I said, being prone to grandiose and slightly deranged conversations with myself, "You should try out this delicious looking new take on what is a beloved staple in your limited diet..." (I tend to be verbose when carrying on pompous dialogues with my self.)

Order it I did, and eagerly popped open the box to devour my fresh pizza... only to unveil a rather sad looking, flat pepperoni pie with what appeared to be burnt parmesan webbed across the crust. Biting into the first slice confirmed the dismal quality of the meal before me... bland, cardboard-like crust supported the most meager of cheese and pepperoni portions, regardless of my having indicated my preference for extra cheese during the ordering process. Reaching the crust, I found my initial assessment of the "crunchy cheesy" aspect of the crust to be proven... practically inedible.

Now I like Pizza Hut generally.... a good pan pizza from them will kill the munchies everytime... but this is one new idea that should have stayed in the corporate office drawing board.

Pardon Me While I Go All Fanboy On You

I came across the trailer for the second in the series of the new and reimagined Batman franchise and it looks pretty damn sweet. I vastly prefer this take on the venerable DC character, especially since the last franchise devolved into camp and silliness (Nipples on the Batsuit, Joel? You should be ashamed...). Christian Bale is a very believable Bruce Wayne and Morgan Freeman's presence in any film automatically elevates its watchability.

Heath Ledger in particular looks to have delivered a chillingingly psychotic performance as the Joker... his talent will be missed.

We Need To Draw The Line Somewhere

Hayden Panetierre (Claire the indestructible cheeleader on Heroes for those of you who are, in fact, tragically unhip) has partnered with Dooney and Bourke to promote a leather handbag she designed. That's cool for her and all, but her handbag is made of real leather... from real dead cows slaughtered for that purpose. While this doesn't bother me in the least since my opinion of cows is rather low, it SHOULD be a big deal to Miss Panetierre, who has made several public statements concerning the plight of whales overseas... even going so far as to participate in a whale saving protest that resulted in a warrant for her arrest being issued in Japan.

So what I want to know is, where is the line? Whales are cute and make little chirruping noises that sound almost like language, so they're automatically more important on the list than cows? Are cows not worth saving because they happened to evolve into a rather tasty animal?

Spongebob sings Eminem

I found this while surfing late tonight and had to share. It truly has to be seen to be believed.

The Apostacy has Begun

After many weeks of being cruelly cut off from cyberspace, I have finally rejoined the 21st century.... and I have done so with a brand new Macbook.

Having always been an exclusive PC user, I'm intrigued with the sleek shiny appearance of my new portal to the real world. Like a brand new girlfriend, I sorta know what I'm doing... but then something completely new and intriguing reveals itself.

I think I've got a crush on my new computer.