Phantasmic Links 6.15.09

Due to a parade Saturday evening, I couldn't go to my normal 5 PM mass. I like that time. It's quiet, there are plenty of open seats, and the majority of the congregation are elderly. There are a few scattered younger families with babies or small children, always cute and welcome diversions. On Sunday morning, the 7:30 mass is similar but a bit too early for my tastes, while it's the 10:15 that takes those cute kids and multiplies them by crying and yelling. This Sunday, the kids were all well-behaved, save for one little boy who decided to roam in the middle of the priest's homily. “Hello,” said the priest, pausing in midsentence to greet the child casually strolling across the altar, before resuming his sermon without missing a beat.

Later, I noticed an older woman doubled over in a coughing fit a few rows up. Everyone was singing and didn't seem to notice, except for one lady who walked over and gave the grateful woman a cough drop. Human kindness is so rare, it's nearly miraculous. But what really moved me was when the coughing lady was joined by a little girl, presumably her granddaughter returning from her lessons, and the woman pulled a fresh bottle of water out of her purse and gave it to her. She had water the whole time, but put her granddaughter first. Our elders sacrifice so much for us, and it's easy to miss the little things like that when we're younger. At the end of the mass, the priest called up a young ensign who was shipping out to the gulf next week, and he received a blessing. He also received roaring applause and a standing ovation from a grateful congregation, hopefully a great morale boost to carry with him as he went off to defend our nation.

It was definitely an eventful mass, moreso than the Saturday celebrations. In addition to it being our pastor's 50th birthday, several kids also made their first communion. A lot happened in the first hour of my day, well before I found myself on the roof trying to adjust an antenna to get better reception, before I took my camera to a construction site, before I mowed the lawn and welcomed the return of the sun, not seen in nearly a week, and of course before I gathered this week's PHANTASMIC LINKS:

(1) A good introductory voiceover is an important ingredient in any science fiction movie. Here are 50 great ones.
Hat Tip: J-No.

(2) A Texas town bids goodbye to the word “Hello”. You'll never guess why.

(3) Milo is a fairly advanced new artificial intelligence. Science fiction or slightly scary fact?

(4) Landing on Mars? That shouldn't be a problem with the world's largest space parachute.

(5) Skills are important, but as technology changes, some skills become obsolete.

(6) What if the Kelvin met the Enterprise? Some very cool animation.

(7) Clickplay describes exactly what you must do to win. The tricky thing is to do it in as few clicks as possible....

(8) The Cheat Commandos embark on their first 2-part episode! Witness the arrival of a new group and a shocking betrayal! It both mocks the stupidity of one of my childhood favorites and reinforces my love for it.

(9) You'll be amazed by this stop motion animation with post-it notes.
H.T.: Rey.

(10) In Stackle, you must remove blocks from the bottom of your tower and move them to the top, without toppling the whole thing. I got to zone four before it all fell apart...

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!