Phantasmic Links 3.10.08

This was more or less another good weekend. Part of me feared we'd be rained out of our first parade of the season on Saturday. Part of me hoped we wouldn't have to play in such conditions. My dad called in the morning to check, and as far as our band leaders knew, the St. Patrick's Day gig was still on. The skies opened on the way there, fog and torrential downpour making it impossible to see. Radio reports told of flooding in the area we were heading to, and I wasn't sure we were going to make it. Make it we did though, and covered in plastic ponchos(or “honchos”, as my dad keeps calling them), we were on our way into the eye of the storm. It was misty but not raining, at least until the last few blocks when wind, rain, and some hail pelted us. Every year someone's hat blows off during this particular parade; this year was my turn.

Drenched but paid, we headed home. After a nap and a shower, I was back out to meet some friends at an art gallery and check out the drawings of a former coworker. It's always interesting to learn about the art people create outside of our commercial day jobs, and this guy had a pretty awesome geometric pencil technique. The show offered a variety of media, from oil paintings to panoramic photographs to sculptures to collages, all very impressive.

On Sunday morning, despite the clocks moving ahead an hour, I managed to catch an early mass and a matinee of 10,000 B.C. I don't regret seeing it; it was every bit the visual feast the trailer promised. Yet I probably could have waited for the DVD. Historical inaccuracy and bad acting aside, a lot of plot elements were telegraphed and a lot of moments were unintentionally funny, giving more than a few of us a good laugh. Emmerich tried to make his version of 300, and while it wasn't as bad as his Independence Day, it wasn't as good as Stargate. See it, but there's no hurry to see it in theaters.

I thought Sunday afternoon would be spent repairing my rear bumper, damaged in a collision on Friday. My dad had some bad news. He thought we could just drill some holes and patch it up, but as he showed me when I rolled under there with a flashlight and a creeper, the rusting underbelly of a 19 year old car doesn't offer many solid spots to drill, especially near a gas tank. He thought it was just cosmetic damage to the outer bumper, but underneath I could see the inner bumper was bent inwards, something a body shop would have to fix. It looks like I'm going to have to get an estimate after all, and hope the insurance of the woman who hit me covers it. When someone hit me four years ago it was covered and my car wasn't totaled; my dad's not so sure I'll be as lucky this time. I know I need a new(er) car, but it's going to suck if it's not my choice and someone else's carelessness is the catalyst. It doesn't seem fair.

I got caught in the rain but I earned my pay. I saw a great art show. I saw a not-so-great movie, but was still entertained. And I learned my car has an uncertain future. Last weekend was definitely better than this one, but this one wasn't so bad. For consistency, I'll once again end my weekend by gathering this week's PHANTASMIC LINKS :

(1) I know I mention Myclofigia every week, but it's great to see our city grow with each new click. We've passed 200 citizens, and a few apartment buildings are starting to spring up. Can skyscrapers be far behind?

(2) I measure my life in small increments. Did I have a good day? A good evening? A good weekend? B13 measures an entire year's worth of photos in his best video yet. Click on over to congratulate him on 365 consecutive days of captivating images, and see if you recognize the guy at about 1:18....

(3) Earlier this week, Rhodester reminded me of The Idiot Test. While we've seen that before, I discovered four sequels. How many tries will it take you to best Idiot Test 2, 3, 4 and The Ultimate Idiot Test?

(4) Dubai looks like a great place to play sky tennis and an even better place for aerial photography.
Hat Tip: Rey

(5) MCF Prime Suspects bears no resemblance to me whatsoever, other than a coincidental choice of acronym...
H.T.: Lyndon

(6) Britain now has a camera that sees under clothing. This is a great device in the war on terror that has absolutely no other applications...

(7) If you wouldn't think a stick figure Spider-Man cartoon done in MS Paint would be very good, you'd be very wrong. I think someone has a future as a storyboard artist.

(8) While we're on the subject of animation, let's check out another 25 animated shorts.
H.T. Darrell.

(9) Seen from space, the Earth at night is spectacular.

(10) I have misplaced my...face? Seriously, prosthetics have come a long way in helping people lead normal lives.

(11) Celebrities and unknown people alike are ready for their Close-Up.
H.T. Darrell.

(12) Someone mapped out a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure tale as a graph. I thought I had free time.

(13) Astronauts will assemble a robot in space. I love science fact.

(14) For some reason, I think Joss Whedon likes lesbians. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

(15) Finally, what better way to tell time than with an Etch-A-Sketch Clock? Genius.

Have a link to a game, movie, article, or anything else you think might be “phantasmic”? E-mail me and it just might appear in an upcoming PHANTASMIC LINKS!