Phantasmic Links 6.14.10

6:15 AM is an ungodly hour on a Sunday morning, yet that's the time I found myself leaping up at the sound of a smoke alarm, dispensing with my usual stretching routine, and bolting out of my room, leaving a trail of sheets and empty sports drink containers in my wake. My father, in the bathroom shaving, was ignoring the noise because he thought it was a car alarm. But in the smoke-filled kitchen, I spotted a small pot on the stove, the water all boiled away, with the remains of an egg resting on the burned surface. The thing must have exploded, as the egg shell was on one side and the yoke opposite. I turned off the stove, opened the skylight, and waved newspapers at the alarm until it went off. “I guess I forgot....” said the old man, not as concerned as I was. He then tossed the still scalding-hot shells into the garbage, atop some bits of cardboard I thought for sure would catch fire.

I got back to sleep for another two or three hours, with some difficulty, until it was time to get up and drive out to Queens. There, one of our band leaders would drive us to upstate New York for a nice little Italian feast and, other than some rain and some bad traffic on our return trip, was far more uneventful than the way our day began. Senior citizens: sometimes you have to watch them like children.

I'm beat. Here are some PHANTASMIC LINKS:

(1) This is a fascinating piece on time and the perception of time, from a fellow Italian. He makes some great points, and I liked that rather than condemn video games, which aren't going away, he offered a digital approach to education as a solution to reach the rewired brains of our next generation. And honestly, even before he revealed what most people would do with an 8-day week, I was already thinking about how much more work I could get done. This thing will definitely make you think....

(2) LEGO™ robots do battle on a giant chess board.
Hat Tip: J-No.

(3) Even I had no idea how many times artists had paid homage to the cover of Todd MacFarlane's Spider-Man #1. I knew of only two variations of that illustration, but the article revealed a third one I missed and a handful of others I'd never even seen before.

(4) Mortal Kombat may not be returning to the big screen yet, but I hope this spec trailer gets enough support to make a movie that looks just like this.

(5) This is an interesting article looking at the increase in sequels as the Summer movie genre. This year is a particularly big year for sequels...

(6) Vader and Stormtrooper corsets? Besides being expensive, and a disturbing gender-swapping fantasy, they ignore the sexiest Star Wars® outfit of all.
H.T.: J-No.

(7) Man loses camera. Camera gets tangled up with Sea Turtle. Sea Turtle ends up filming part of its underwater journey before the camera is shaken free, washed up on shore, and discovered.

(8) This is my current favorite commercial: Black Sheep returns via some Kia-driving hip-hop hamsters.

(9) Paper Mario takes a stop motion stroll through a school. Nostalgia is had by all; mushroom is had by none.

(10) Who is chasing kid? BEAR is chasing kid! Quick, use the Kid Launcher to help him escape! Upgrade to fly farther and unlock new achievements.

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!