Groonk[dot]Net ಠ_ಠ

Here’s a time lapse video from Kien Lam that we found roughly a month ago. We’re sure it’s made the round on the blog-o-internet-sphere but it’s a damn fine ride that deserves posting.

YOu can learn more about each scene on Kien lam’s website.

17 Countries. 343 Days. 6237 Photographs. One incredible journey.

Original Music: “Places and Faces” by William Lam. Will is an extremely talented musical composer whose range is barely touched in this composition he wrote specifically for the video. He’s also my little brother. If you want to commission William to write music, email him at MetaphysikaSounds[at]gmail[dot]com.

via +Laughing Squid

Over on Motherboard , Abraham Reisman interviewed Warren Ellis about Newt Gingrich’s aspirations for a USA moon colony. We figured Mr Ellis might have a word or two on Gingrich’s obvious vote grabbing statement. Mr Ellis did not disappoint.

The following excerpts are just a few choice moments from the interview. It was a bit difficult deciding which thoughts were best.

Abraham Reisman: What kind of merit is there to Gingrich’s proposals — which he’s self-described as “grandiose” — for developing a rocket that can reach Mars, establishing a permanent moon base, and so on?

Warren Ellis: Well, let’s start with the “51st State” bit that’s being bandied about. Speaker Gingrich knows as well as the next political mammal that the Outer Space Treaty forbids any one nation from claiming sovereignty over the moon. So, not so much with the 51st State crap.

[...]

Going to Mars is important. Going back to the Moon is, I think, important. But his plans and reasons for going make about as much sense as if he had said we had to go to Mars to find him something new to marry. I’m genuinely interested in seeing the human race escape the planet and go exploring. Speaker Gingrich would like to be elected.

Are there other technological goals on the scale of space travel that you think humanity should be pushing for, right now? If so, do you see models for us achieving them?

I’m not sure where everyone got the idea that the human race can only do one thing at a time. “What about here on Earth?” people say. “Shouldn’t there be other goals here that we should be pushing for?” Sure there are. But at this late date I’m fairly sure we’ve mastered walking and chewing gum as a simultaneous operation.

I’m not suggesting that we can’t do two things at once. But if there were things in addition to space travel that you think could have a similarly massive effect on humanity’s ability to grow as a species…

Curing cancer. Increasing quality human longevity. Induced pluripotential cell treatments. Nailing down that weird neutrino anomaly that seems to allow for faster-than-light communication. The usual shopping list. Also I want an orbital death ray.

You will read the entire interview on Motherboard.

They claim to have more video on how they did it and extended footage in the works. We’ll keep an eye on their Facebook page for these bits.
Official site http://www.facebook.com/legomaninspace

YouTuber Babelcolour assembled a mighty tribute to science fiction drama on television. Anything that promotes the wonder of Who is aces in our book. While watching we noticed the subtle changes in the show’s style over the almost 50 years of its history.

The 2nd Doctor’s Who-mobile(we’re not kidding) was especially striking. And by ‘striking’ we mean ‘a bit silly.’ The 70s were crazy as hell.

Read more…

Music – Reason 5 [Harry101UK]
Video – Premiere Pro CS5 [Harry101UK]
Lyrics – [A.P.H.I.D.1.0 + Harry101UK]

YouTuber HarryUK did all the music, video-editing and voices for this parody of the classic song “This is Halloween” from the classic movie NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

via geeks are sexy

Notice how all the older audience members are not amused by this at all. *Throws the devil horns at them EVEN HARDER*

Screen Team Show just made our radar. Groonkly Eyes are on you, STS. Keep up the good work.

Read more…

Official Synopsis

A special education teacher, his class, and their inspiring journey through U.S. space camp

What We Learned: John Corbett (Northern Exposure‘s Chris in the Morning and that guy from HBO’s Sex in the City) filmed a thing in Huntsville,AL? How the heck did we miss a film crew stomping around Huntsville? Oh yeah, because this city fails to advertise anything worth noting.

Why We’ll Watch: We like to watch anything filmed in our current resident city. Now matter how hard we get that nagging feeling that it’ll be mediocre at best. Looking at you Rocket City Rednecks(which isn’t even filmed in Huntsville) and 1980s flick SPACE CAMP. On top of that it’s a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie so it will be aggressively milking all the “feel good moments” it can manufacture. Aside from all that, we’ll watch the flick. It’s a space bastard’s weakness to watch films in the genre.

Despite our suspicions, or movie cynicism, we’ll be DVRing the film. Tonight is a recording night.

When’s it coming? Tonight(January 29, 2012) on ABC.

Official site: http://www.spacecamp.com/smilemovie

Read more…

In October 2010, a father and son launched an iphone and HD camera into space to film low earth orbit.

We talked it up back then.

A Space Balloon Remix video set to a cut from Brian Eno’s 28 DAYS LATER soundtrack quickly followed. We just found out about that this year.

via +Sean Cowen

Hold on to your spacesuits, faithful listener. The Blasters get incredibly nerdy and philosophical on this one.

Discussed in this episode: Mellow Sam vs Angry Sam, the future of energy, will robots become better liars than humans and why @C_Duncan is wrong about his “improvements” to this hard science fiction classic.

This episode has the distinction of being the most popular download in the Blast Shields Down series. Find out why.

HOST :@Groonk

---

LISTEN:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Talk at us on:

• Twitter @bsdpodcast
• Google+ Greg MacGuffin
• Google+ Pages Blast Shields Down
• iTunes Where you can be kind and rate us highly.
• Our Web House http://blastshieldsdown.com/

Read more…