Love and Robots (Don't Mix)

This is the climactic scene from the anime film Metropolis. It gets my vote for the best deployment of a Ray Charles song. It's a little hard to tell from this edit, but the video begins with a bloody finger pushing a button.
(spoiler alert)


This movie is, of course, a re-imagining of Fritz Lang's 1926 film, Metropolis. For the Philistines that have never seen the original film, I'll let the rock band Rammstein give you a quick plot summary.

It takes all kinds.

Sometimes, I like to hit the 'Next Blog' button and see what Blogger tosses my way.  I suppose that the voyeur in me loves the candid slice of some stranger's enthusiasm.  Many are downright silly or banal, but some take me by surprise.

Here's a few that caught my eye today.

Heavy Haulage Blog

That's right.  "This is a diary of Heavy Haulage, Crane and Plant photos from the UK and Europe."  Pretty interesting stuff when you think about it.

Ruben Martijn

This is like Alexander Calder's successful Scandinavian nephew.  I suppose they are mock-ups of design ideas, but I can't help but see them as Modernist offices for bizarre, little wire creatures.

Proyecto Renova

This blog appears to be devoted to the conception, execution, and subsequent floral-wallpapering of a semi-industrial bench.  Whoever is behind this bench is doing a very thorough job. 

I could go on, but it is a lovely day in Seattle, and each lovely day could very well be the last, so out I go.

Give the 'Next Blog' button a try sometime.  At the very least you'll get to see somebody's adorable kids/dogs/cats/knitting/friends.  Or better yet, just go get your friends' kids to knit a suit that will strap together a dog and a cat.

Or something. 

Well, Hell's Bells...

So, a column in this week's Stranger mentioned that the internet had video of a monkey on a Segway.  

It did?!! Why didn't I hear about this?

Well, it did, and, truth be told, it's pretty amazing.  Push past all the Japanese subtitles and laugh-boxes, and it's a damned interesting.  You can really see his monkey brain getting a grasp on how that weird machine works.

He's a real sport about it too.

Honestly, this made me want to have some animal friends.
We could skate, play video games, and just hang out. Afterwards, we could meet up with the rest of the gang and do hood rat stuff.

It'd be just like highschool.

Yes we did.

America, high-fives all around.  

Especially you, Sarah Palin.  

Thanks.  You can go home now. 

Republicans, please listen to the words of your former candidate:

'I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together, to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences, and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.'

Now is the time to show a little patriotism-- real patriotism, not the cheap, partisan knock-off that is pinned to everybody's lapels. 

Image from Obama Magazine.

Dear America,

Please don't screw this up.

Seriously.

Image yoinked from the BBC