Visit a National Park this Summer to Celebrate Your Citizenship & the Glory of the Great Outdoors.
My latest piece for David!
Author: CaptainJaq
I am a father as well as a world traveling, dog loving, scuba diving, book collecting, writer - currently residing somewhere in Eastern Europe. His words have been spoken by Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and Robin Hood, been read by David Copperfield, and criticized by his 7th grade English teacher. He'd like to thank the members of the Academy, although he doesn't know why. In his spare time, he's a university professor and a kick-ass uncle.
Weigh in
So a few month ago, I made a post about my own accountability. I was trying to lose weight and get rid of the belly and all that. And I’m still working on it, but I recently hit a milestone for me and I wanted to make an update to keep up with said accountability.
So, as of the end of May, about 4 months or so after I started this thing, I’m down a bit.
Continue reading “Weigh in”Cinema’s greatest scene: ‘Casablanca’ and ‘La Marseillaise’
Casablanca is widely remembered as one of the greatest films of all time, coming in at #2 on the AFI’s top 100 list and similarly regarded by many other critics. You can quibble with its exact rank, but it’s at least undeniable how iconic Casablanca remains. Even now, more than 70 years after its 1942 release, few movies have ever produced as many enduring quotes. Continue reading “Cinema’s greatest scene: ‘Casablanca’ and ‘La Marseillaise’”
This Is the Best Dinosaur Fossil of Its Kind Ever Found
The 110 million-year-old fossil of a nodosaur preserves the animal’s armor, skin, and what may have been its final meal. The 5-year-old in me, who wanted to be a paleontologist, is thrilled beyond measure. The 49-year-old me is almost as stoked.
And here’s another piece, from Gizmodo, looking at how it “still has it’s skin.“
You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you – The Oatmeal
A lot of people have been posting this and I’m going to as well. It’s an important thing to understand – not just for you but for me, too.
Source: You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you – The Oatmeal
Roll the d20 for damage…
So I just read this book – Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons by Michael Witwer and my initial thought was that it “Makes me long to find my dice and get a campaign up and running…”
This got me thinking about D&D and role-playing and creative endeavors and all that stuff.
Steve Valentine’s – MAGIC ON THE GO
Okay, so you all know I am an aficionado of the magical arts. That is to say, I loves me a good card trick. I also really enjoy learning the methods and the psychology behind a great performance of magic as well. This was often the focus of the many articles I wrote for Magic Magazine over the years.
And now, Steve Valentine, twice awarded by the Magic Castle (lecturer and close-up magician of the year), has started Magic on the Go, a kinda “Netflix of magic” so if you’ve ever wanted to learn from one of the best, now’s your chance.
May the Fourth Be With You: Princess Leia’s Stolen Death Star Plans
Palette-Swap Ninja, whom I have never heard of before, is a parody band who focus on geek culture. This year, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope and the 50th Anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band they did what anyone would naturally do — mashed up the two.
That’s right, it’s Princess Leia’s Stolen Death Star Plans! #PLSDSP Continue reading “May the Fourth Be With You: Princess Leia’s Stolen Death Star Plans”
Wonder Gal | David Magazine
This month, for David Magazine, I take a look at the new Wonder Woman film starring Gal Godot, as well as a brief history of the character and her creator. Of course, while you’re there, you might want to check out this related article about women in the Israeli army (of which Gadot herself was a member a few years back)
At the same time, there’s some interesting commentary happening at The Mary Sue about the lack of advertising and promotion for this film.
Take Two #24: Street Magic, Part 1 | Magicana
This week’s Take Two looks at performers whose “stage” is the street—from 1502, to the 1970s, and right up to the present day.
Aga-Boom in Spain
For those of you wondering what it is I do when I run away with the clowns… here’s a good overview. What a great office to have.
The Shape of Stories
I use the Vonnegut clip which ends this piece all the time in writing classes. It’s fascinating in that we absolutely can map the arc, but it’s the details where it all gets interesting.
Plus, they use a Čiurlionis image in the header, which is just cool!
Source: The Six Main Stories, As Identified by a Computer – The Atlantic
My summer reading list
Last year, Best SciFi Books.com published a list of the top 17 pulp science fiction novels. While I may or may not agree these all qualify as “pulp” they are certainly a great list to get you started reading. In fact, the site has some other great lists, all of which are perfect for fostering the kind of geeky debates I sorely miss. For example, here’s their top 10 underwater SF books (of particular interest to me) as well as the 29 Best Alien Invasion Science Fiction Books and The 23 Best Science Fiction Books by Female Authors!
Of course, if all you’re interested in are the covers, check out this Pinterest page! I wish they were still honestly putting out books with these covers, as opposed to doing it self consciously or with a wink, nod and tongue firmly planted in cheek. Maybe I should write one?
Either way, though, there’s some mighty fine books for summer.
Let the debates begin!
It’s my potty…
A few weeks ago, Rasa told me she wanted to buy Monki a potty.
Now, Monki was a few weeks shy of 9 months old at the time and, being an American, where potty training doesn’t usually start until sometime after 18 months or so, I figured she was a little early, no matter how smart or clever our baby was. Continue reading “It’s my potty…”
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 