A glimpse at what \”could\” be Cowboy Bebop

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

From Japanator.com, a image manipulation of Keanu Reeves as Spike from Cowboy Bepop…
 

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Absolutely sad…  But who knows…  It\’s still just a rumor at this point…
Mr. Reeves may not get the job in the live action production….
Days of the future present: A glimpse at what \”could\” be Cowboy Bebop – Japanator.com – anime blog, anime podcast, manga, anime wallpapers, pictures, games, movies, and more!.

Keeping violent media away from boys could be a bad idea

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Ars Technica examines \”The Trouble with Boys\” by Peg Tyre.  The book postulates:

\”Boys get expelled from preschool at four times the rates of girls,\” she writes. \”They are prescribed the lion\’s share of ADHD medication, they get most of the C\’s and D\’s in middle school, and they drop out of high school more than girls. Currently, only 43% of undergraduates in the United States are men.\” So what\’s the solution? Tyre\’s suggestion is simple enough: let boys be boys by simply letting them engage in the aggressive fantasies that come to them naturally.

As a result, \”we\’re in this place—as a culture—where smart, right-thinking parents discourage their sons from violence,\” Tyre said. \”It\’s perfectly normal for little boys to think and talk around violence; it doesn\’t mean they\’re going to be violent.\”

It sounds like a book that I will have to read & review…..

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Keeping violent media away from boys could be a bad idea – Ars Technica.

A Challenging game — Portal

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Want a game, that doesn\’t require you to be a mass murdering combat soldier? Or a hot rod driver being chased by the police?
How about a game guaranteed to make you think, but that has a large humor quotient?
Take a look at Portal… I insist… Really…

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From Wikipedia:
In Portal, the player controls the character named Chell from a first person perspective as she is challenged to navigate through a series of rooms using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (\”portal gun\” or \”ASHPD\”). The portal gun can create two distinct portal ends, orange and blue. Neither is specifically an entrance or exit; all objects that travel through the one portal will exit through the other. However, a portal shot cannot pass through an open portal; it will simply fail or create a new portal in an offset position. If a portal of the same color as an existing one is created, the previous portal is destroyed. Not all surfaces are able to accommodate a portal. Portals can not be created on moving objects, glass, special wall surfaces, liquids, areas that are too small, or particle fields. Chell is sometimes provided with cubes that she can pick up and use to climb on, or to hold down large buttons that open doors or activate mechanisms. Particle fields exist at the end of and within some test chambers that, when passed through, close any open portals and disintegrate any cubes carried through.
Portal\’s plot is revealed to the player via audio messages from GLaDOS (voiced by Ellen McLain) and side rooms found in the later levels. The game begins with Chell waking up from a stasis bed and hearing instructions and warnings from GLaDOS about the upcoming test experience. This part of the game involves distinct \”test chambers\” that, in sequence, introduce players to the game\’s mechanics. Chell is promised cake and grief counseling as her reward if she manages to complete all the test chambers.
[amtap amazon:asin=B000PS2XES]

Diving Into the Russian Nuclear Sub Wreck

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

From IO9 (http://io9.com/348371/diving-into-the-russian-nuclear-sub-wreck )
The Kursk was a Russian nuclear cruise missile submarine that was lost under mysterious circumstances involving some explosions in 2000. Here it is a year later, dredged up from the waters by a Dutch crew. Want to see the insides?

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Thanks to Seth L, who pointed out these cool pictures in a comment thread about scary settings in scifi movies.

The Top 100 Banned or Challenged books in 2000-2007

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

I am a bibliophile, and while I certainly choose not to read some genre\’s and even some particular books, I have never believed that I should be able to force you to not be able to read a particular book / genre.  In fact, I personally never thought that I would read some JD Robb, or Laura K Hamilton books…  But my wife had them lying around, and I was out of good reading material….  Do I have to elaborate further?
Never the less, Banned Books & Challenged books have always been one of my peeves…  So please take a look at this list, and see what books you might not be able to read, if these challenges ever succeed….
Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books in 2000-2007 

  1. Harry Potter  J.K. Rowling 
  2. Alice series Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 
  3. The Chocolate War Robert Cormier 
  4. Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck 
  5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou 
  6. Scary Stories Alvin Schwartz 
  7. Fallen Angels Walter Dean Myers 
  8. It’s Perfectly Normal Robie Harris 
  9. And Tango Makes Three Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell 
  10. Captain Underpants Dav Pilkey 
  11. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain 
  12. The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison 
  13. Forever  Judy Blume 
  14. The Color Purple Alice Walker 
  15. The Perks of Being A Wallflower Stephen Chbosky 
  16. Killing Mr. Griffin Lois Duncan 
  17. Go Ask Alice Anonymous 
  18. King and King Linda de Haan 
  19. Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger 
  20. Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson 
  21. The Giver Lois Lowry 
  22. We All Fall Down Robert Cormier 
  23. To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee` 
  24. Beloved Toni Morrison 
  25. The Face on the Milk Carton Caroline Cooney 
  26. Snow Falling on Cedars David Guterson 
  27. My Brother Sam Is Dead James Lincoln Collier 
  28. In the Night Kitchen Maurice Sendak 
  29. His Dark Materials series Philip Pullman 
  30. Gossip Girl series Cecily von Ziegesar 
  31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know Sonya Sones 
  32. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging Louise Rennison 
  33. It’s So Amazing Robie Harris 
  34. Arming America Michael Bellasiles 
  35. Kaffir Boy Mark Mathabane 
  36. Blubber Judy Blume 
  37. Brave New World Aldous Huxley 
  38. Athletic Shorts Chris Crutcher 
  39. Bless Me, Ultima Rudolfo Anaya 
  40. Life is Funny E.R. Frank 
  41. Daughters of Eve Lois Duncan 
  42. Crazy Lady Jane Leslie Conly 
  43. The Great Gilly Hopkins Katherine Paterson 
  44. You Hear Me Betsy Franco 
  45. Slaughterhouse Five Kurt Vonnegut 
  46. Whale Talk Chris Crutcher 
  47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby Dav Pilkey 
  48. The Facts Speak for Themselves Brock Cole 
  49. The Terrorist Caroline Cooney 
  50. Mick Harte Was Here Barbara Park 
  51. Summer of My German Soldier Bette Green 
  52. The Upstairs Room Johanna Reiss 
  53. When Dad Killed Mom Julius Lester 
  54. Blood and Chocolate Annette Curtis Klause 
  55. The Fighting Ground Avi 
  56. The Things They Carried Tim O\’Brien 
  57. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Mildred Taylor 
  58. Fat Kid Rules the World K.L. Going 
  59. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things Carolyn Mackler 
  60. A Time To Kill John Grisham 
  61. Rainbow Boys Alex Sanchez 
  62. Olive’s Ocean Kevin Henkes 
  63. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Ken Kesey 
  64. A Day No Pigs Would Die Robert Newton Peck 
  65. Speak Laurie Halse Anderson 
  66. Always Running Luis Rodriguez 
  67. Black Boy Richard Wright 
  68. Julie of the Wolves Jean Craighead George 
  69. Deal With It! Esther Drill 
  70. Detour for Emmy Marilyn Reynolds 
  71. Draw Me A Star Eric Carle 
  72. Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury 
  73. Harris and Me Gary Paulsen 
  74. Junie B. Jones series Barbara Park 
  75. No Far From the Bamboo Grove Yoko Watkins 
  76. Song of Solomon Toni Morrison 
  77. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes Chris Crutcher 
  78. What’s Happening to My Body Book Lynda Madaras 
  79. The Boy Who Lost His Face Louis Sachar 
  80. The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold 
  81. Anastasia Again! Lois Lowry 
  82. Are You There God?  It’s Me, Margaret Judy Blume 
  83. Bumps In the Night Harry Allard 
  84. Goosebumps series R.L. Stine 
  85. Shade’s Children Garth Nix 
  86. Cut Patricia McCormick 
  87. Grendel John Gardner 
  88. The House of Spirits Isabel Allende 
  89. I Saw Esau Iona Opte 
  90. Ironman Chris Crutcher 
  91. The Stupids series Harry Allard 
  92. Taming the Star Runner S.E. Hinton 
  93. Then Again, Maybe I Won’t Judy Blume 
  94. Tiger Eyes Judy Blume 
  95. Like Water for Chocolate Laura Esquivel 
  96. Nathan’s Run John Gilstrap 
  97. Pinkerton, Behave! Steven Kellog 
  98. Freaky Friday Mary Rodgers 
  99. Halloween ABC Eve Merriam 
  100. Heather Has Two Mommies Leslea Newman 

Out of 3,869 challenges reported to or recorded by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, as compiled by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association.  The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom does not claim comprehensiveness in recording challenges. Research suggests that for each challenge reported there are as many as four or five which go unreported.Â