Microsoft finds that a 4-day workweek benefits the company as well as its people. This is an auspicious development. And needful in my estimation. See link below:
JCT Quote
Life’s seeming reality is fraudulent. It’s not about what you see. It’s all about what you believe with the heart. ~ JCT
Tutti Frutti
“Got a gal.. name Daisy… She almost drives me crazy!”
The one and only => Little Richard! Not extolling him for it, but Little Richard was flat dang crazy before it was fashionable.
There are probably less than ten or so musicians in the 1950’s who truly helped define rock n’ roll. Little Richard was definitely one of them.
***
Thank you, Pandora.
Protected: For My Grandkids – 3
Computer Animation
A footnote here as accords my last Toy Story 4 post:
As I confessed in that last post, I am behind the times. Perhaps too much so… I don’t know. And I don’t watch all that much TV either. Modern media seems to be so pre-possessed with the conditioning and indoctrination of the masses, that I feel some reluctance in watching too much television.
That being said, I have to reiterate how incredible computer animation has become. I suppose this all primarily started with Pixar’s original 1995 film, Toy Story. The state-of-the-art has only advanced since then obviously. I watched (and enjoyed) another computer animation film yesterday called Robots (2005). Very entertaining => anthropomorphic robots enduring life’s hassles. Another creative piece gone wild. And funny.
Where will this all end? With advancing computer technology, holographic technology, and artificial intelligence… is the “holodeck” far away? Boggles the mind trying to extrapolate things. Kinda’ scary too. You don’t dare believe everything you see on film these days. Reality is spoofed all too easily.
Comic strips ==> cartoons ==> computer animation ==> ???
This brings corollary questions to mind: can robots actually become sentient one day? If so, will they have civil rights? Could robots mayhap evolve into a threat to the human species? I guess these may be possible discussions for future posts.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
“To Infinity – And Beyond!”
Yo! Woody!
I realize I’m WAY behind the curve. I am, indeed, behind the times a tad (possibly motley understatement).
That being said, I just have to comment on Toy Story 4, which the wife and I just recently watched on demand TV (indeed a rowdy date night for us 😏). What a MAGNIFICENT piece of creativity! Has to be one of the most creative pieces of cinema that I’ve ever experienced. Cosmic creativity in my book.
Incredible computer animation! An amazing and gargantuan leap from the early day cartoons that I grew up with – like Popeye:
Like Felix The Cat. Like Woody Woodpecker. Like all the fantastic Disney cartoons: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, etc. etc. Like all the great Looney Tune cartoons: Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, The Roadrunner, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepe Le Pew, Caspar The Friendly Ghost, etc. etc. There’s more but I have to stop myself. I’m getting giddy.
I guess one of my observations is that today’s CGI extravagances had a solid foundation from which to evolve. Today’s artists can draw ample inspiration and technical prowess from what preceded them. As in most art, cartooning (?) extrapolates from basic structures and precedents previously established. Art and technology build positively. Why does the human equation seem to continue deteriorating?
What a preposterous and incredible achievement Toy Story 4 was though. These kinds of film require a daunting level of collaboration. The ending credits are a mile and a half long – and I’m sure, rightfully so. So many creative minds working together. Impressive!
Possibly it’s just this old man’s purview, but I gotta’ tell you: that movie blew me away. I would not have previously believed that such poignant human drama and emotion could have been embedded within the vehicle of a cartoon. Who would have ever believed 25-30 years ago that a cartoon could actually be somewhat of a tearjerker? Possibly a maudlin observation you say? Not to me.
Perhaps it’s more correct to observe that this kind of cinema is just simply a representative sample of the state-of-the-art in computer animation. The Lion King is another incredible example of the state-of-the-art. As computer animation and holograms begin to marry each other, look out! “Holodeck”, here we come!
I suppose they don’t even call Toy Story 4 “cartooning” anymore, But as far as I’m concerned, Toy Story 4 establishes a new zenith in cartoon cinema. As I said, Reality and fantasy are becoming increasingly hard to distinguish. Scary proposition, folks 😮.
Pixar(Disney) has done an incredible job.
Too Much EMI/RFI
We are exposed to entirely too much electromagnetic and radio frequency radiation. Have you ever observed how the birds seem to be more averse to areas with cell phone towers and high voltage power lines?
I keep worrying about the bees disappearing so catastrophically (EMI/RFI?). Not only a horrible tragedy but a pervasive threat to continuing human survival. Bees are a critical link in the ecosystem. We lose the bees, how do all the wonderful fruits, flowers, and other plants get pollinated? It threatens the entire food chain.
Have you ever held your cell phone for a longer period of time? When I do, seems like I always get a burning/numbing/tingling sensation in the hand holding the phone. Now maybe it’s just my imagination, but I can’t help but suspect that the darn cell phone is what makes my hand tingle. Happens all too often.
Technology is wonderful. No doubt about it. However, maybe our bodies and nature are trying to tell us something. Far too little thought is given to human safety. The almighty buck has to come first, you know. As per usual, man’s health seems to be an afterthought.
As do a lot of (actual) experts I would have to agree that we are exposed to FAR TOO MUCH microwave radiation. There are ongoing studies that suggest there is a direct causal link between microwave exposure and resulting carcinogenic maladies. Though the outcry is becoming louder (thank God), humankind is facing a horrific prospect here. It would appear like we may allow our technology to destroy us.
Wi-fi is reputed to be a source of major microwave contamination. Within the strict confines of our homes, wi-fi is increasingly finding habitat in a multitude of devices and appliances. Below is an informative link concerning best protecting yourself from wi-fi. Kind of a detailed discussion, but possibly useful.
WiFi Radiation – How To Protect Yourself
Handle With Care
www.pandora.com/traveling-wilburys/vol-1/handle-with-care/TRVtc9rqn5clX62
Dream on dreamers…
Just make sure you “Handle With Care.”
Dance, Dance, Dance
www.pandora.com/beach-boys/beach-boys-today/dance-dance-dance/TRvZwrdrmVlrPbw
Dance, Dance, Dance! Yeah, Momma’!!
ELO – Livin’ Thing :: A Metaphor For Me
Music:: Intentional or unintentional => Parable. Allegory. Metaphor. A grand chemerical fractal.
Rock n’ roll can be appreciated on another level as a metaphor (and sometimes parable/allegory). Another great reason OLD SCHOOL rock n’ roll blesses my soul so much.
Our walk with God => it’s a Livin’ Thing!
Our faith, being tested and exercised => it’s a Livin’ Thing!
Our joy and wonder => it’s a Livin’ Thing!
Our worship of the MOST HIGH => it’s a Livin’ Thing!!
***
YouTube – audio and video
Pandora – audio (also possessing lyrics)
***
www.pandora.com/artist/electric-light-orchestra/a-new-world-record/livin-thing/TRkPJKj7b6gbVvg
And We Shall Be Received Into Glory
Be JOYFULLY re-assured in God’s ubiquitous presence. Quash the anxiousness constantly assailing your soul’s flank. God is intimately abiding with us… always and forever. He is forever inside of us and outside of us. The Holy Spirit abides.
Ministering angels do warfare all around us. Though it can often seem like God is busy elsewhere, He is not. Even though prayer does not always manifest immediately, God is actually totally focused on each one of us every sub-microsecond.
God cares for each of us with a tender passion beyond all description. He waits patiently for our attention, but He desires that we hearken – not because of His own need for authentication and obeisance, but because it’s what’s best for us:
Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.
God’s pretty darn big. He can simultaneously manage multiple affairs with total concentration and total dedication. God invented true multi-tasking. He is infinite in capability… working eternally and pre-eternally. He is the infinite asymptote toward which all creation yearns and stretches.
When the world gets you down, always remember: at the end of the road… We shall be lifted up and received into glory. There will be JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY!!!
*******
Below is a wonderful word from Rabbi Schneider encouraging us to live in God’s presence (short video):
Ancient History Being Destroyed
Photo: “In 2018, archaeologists bathed part of a Guatemalan forest in laser beams to reveal the profile of a hidden, ancient metropolis.”
Climate Change is destroying our ability to explore the past. Modern technology may assist. See below link:
They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used Too
I’m talking about Westerns – a previous staple in the American diet. Early movies, as well as early American television strongly majored in the Western genre.
People were absolutely enamored with Westerns back in the day (more-so the 1950’s, early 60’s). Tales of the Wild West and cowboys (mostly depicted as the prototypical American hero) were all the rage. Just all the rage! Men AND women just couldn’t get enough of it.
I remember so well an incident from my early childhood back in the 1950’s. In Kansas City back in the day, my father had purchased some not-inexpensive tickets to an outdoor theatre for the family. I think the place was called The Starlight Theater (memory??). The theatre would stage different dramatic and musical extravagances, showcasing different Hollywood stars in a neat, nighttime, outdoor environment during Kansas City summers. It was neat. I got to meet Carol Burnett once backstage.
Anyway… I remember so distinctly some inescapable grumbling going on behind us once at one of these events. The grumbling kept getting louder. Finally and believe me, nobody in the near vicinity could miss it, you heard a man loudly exclaiming: “You can just stay here then. I’m not missing Gunsmoke! I’m leaving!” Now I don’t know of a certainty but I think this man actually did get up and leave. That’s all too typical about how fanatical many people were about Westerns back in the day. This man was not about to miss an episode of Matt Dillon! It just wasn’t going to happen.. 🐎👌😧
“Back To The Future”… Today the wife and I still take in a lot of Western fare on the Dish Encore Western channel. Late afternoon there’s a nice lineup of Tales of Wells Fargo, Cheyenne, and The Lawman. Great stuff! We catch those programs when we actually think about doing it. 🥴
There’s a whole bevy of old TV Westerns that we enjoy – some of which are: Tales of Wells Fargo… Cheyenne… The Lawman… Have Gun Will Travel… The Rifleman… Sugarfoot… Maverick… Gunsmoke… and many others (not all of these on Encore, by any means).
The wife and I like the clean and integrity-ridden characters depicted in these series. It reminds us of how people moreso used to be. Before the days that Hollywood had become so totally absorbed and co-opted, there was once a time and a place in America where virtue, character, and integrity were valued.
Our entertainment vehicles were once truer to the more indigenous vision of what American character had once strived to be. Historically speaking, we have SO greatly lost that.
With the modern age, deep-state controlled media/entertainment complex, we now major in the devious… the sadistic… the pornographic… the downright demonic. ‘Blood and gore’ and unbridled sadism appear to be the favored entrees instead of old school Western integrity. Good faith… good will.. honesty… respect for the other guy… All such antiquated nonsense has pretty much now been kicked back into the alley along with the trash.
We have driven God and His Word out of the schools and everything else. Early on, we are taught to blindly follow zee’ orders. We are pounded into believing that there isn’t necessarily a right and a wrong in life. Everything is relative now. God has died an untimely death, but don’t worry about it: “proper authorities will take care of things.”
I’ve related this before, but it bears repeating: each generation is progressively losing it. It’s happening generationally. Thank God for grocery stores, indoor plumbing, electricity, etc. But we are not getting more advanced in the human sense. This world continues to degenerate as far as human character and our value system goes.
Yes, there’s still a lot of good work that takes place. Thank God for those people. But in a more mass-scale way, each successive generation becomes increasingly impoverished in the human sense. We are not becoming more enlightened and advanced. We have been largely deceived.
I greatly fear for where this all is leading (knowing from whom the leading comes).
Relatedly (it bears repeating), please reference my earlier post: Young People: Please Just Consider :: note: there are three previous Young People posts (I am referring to the earliest one).
Chapter 2: Jack and Chuck Debate Westerns
“I have a feeling that when he stops whittling… something’s going to happen.“ – the character, Cheyenne, in “Once Upon A Time In The West.”
Author’s Note: Jack and Chuck are best friends. Early middle-aged and now both single after marriages, they work at the same technical support desk for a major technical firm in Houston, Texas. Kindred spirits, on weekends and days off, they frequently get together – barring neither one of them has a hot date, of course.
Chuck, an average-looking Anglo guy with short, chopped hair and slightly receding hairline, has been recently divorced – his second divorce. Chuck has no children. Currently, Chuck’s main hobby (actually avocation) is chasing women.
Jack is a little shorter than the 6-foot tall Chuck – with long, medium-brown hair. Jack sports a fitter, tanner look than the paler Chuck. The opposite sex would probably say Jack is better looking. Jack has been married once. Divorced five years before, Jack has one six-year old daughter, whom he is allowed to see only one weekend a month. Jack’s hobbies are watching sports, movies, and reading blogs (yep, he’s a strange one alright 🤔).
Both men love movies. They also love to drink – and we’re not talking about an occasional cordial here.
Stay tuned, because things are about to get exciting for this pair – just not exciting in a way that the two of them might desire.
***
Jack: So, what is your favorite Western, Batman?
Chuck: No question. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Not much question about that, is there?
Jack: I’d have to give it the number two spot.
Chuck: Oh, come on. You gotta’ be kidding.
Jack: Nope.
Chuck: Clint Eastwood with Lee Van Cleef!? Great action. Great story. Westerns don’t get any better. I mean: that’s pretty well-established consensus.
Jack: Maybe so, but the movie’s still number two in my book.
Chuck: So Rainman… what pretender are you throwing into the ring?
Jack: “Once Upon A Time In The West.” Charles Bronson. Henry Fonda. Jason Robards. Hands down. ALL TIME greatest Western film ever made.
Chuck: Good movie… if I’m remembering the right movie. …But number one??
Jack: Absolutely!
Chuck: What makes you say that?
Jack: It’s better conceived. More engaging. The plot is more complex than simply just good guys/bad guys gunning after the gold. If you remember… and you probably don’t… the plot unfolds in a more interesting way. And Bronson? He’s a piece of work in this film {Chuck unsuccessfully tries to interrupt}. Don’t get me wrong. Love Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. However. “Once Upon A Time” just has better overall depth.
Chuck: Buddy boy. Sometimes your calls are out in left field.
Jack: Well… that’s better than them being out in the parking lot.
Chuck: {smirking, disgusted guffaw}
Jack: {long pause} So… didn’t you say you had a date with Talia tonight?
Chuck: Well, kind of.
Jack: Kind of?
Chuck: Yeah, but I don’t know. That bad-ass hurricane that’s coming in has me worried. You can barely get around out there right now. I almost didn’t make it over here.
Jack: Supposed to be super bad alright. You’re probably stuck here for awhile.
Chuck: Yeah. Hope you’ve got enough beer. That other twelve-pack cold yet?
Jack: Doubt it. D’you bring your jammies {smirk, dig}.
{stay tuned}
Cosmic Jack-O’Lantern
“Outflows of radiation and particles from a massive O-type star carved deep gouges in this nebula, making the cloud of gas and dust look like a spooky jack-o’-lantern.“
(Image: © NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Calisthenics Are Good
Slightly perturbed by, I guess, just general circumstance… I was being chided pretty rudely by the wife for: probably legitimate stupidities on my part. Trying to remain calm and not retort, I was wiggling my toes (both feet, kinda’ serial fashion):
WIFE: WHY are you wiggling your toes?
JCT: I’m doing my daily calisthenics. 🏃🏻♂️😎
US dollar: Russia, China, EU are motivated to shift away from USD
“The greenback’s status as the world’s major reserve currency could come under threat, as a group of countries seeks to undermine its importance, according to Anne Korin of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security.”
www.cnbc.com/2019/10/31/de-dollarization-russia-china-eu-are-motivated-to-shift-from-using-usd.html
16 Tons and Whaddya’ Get
“Saint Peter, doncha’ call me cause I can’t go…”
The below is an informative post. It shows how incredibly egregious money printing has become. Possibly or possibly not, might a few silver coins stuck away buy any protection in the future? Do precious metals really provide any insurance? Who knows? Time will tell, I guess.
Only one thing is clear: a debt-ridden, fiat currency-based economy will not stand the test of time. See the post below: it informs as to the horrible economic state of current affairs. Maybe skip to the “Conclusions” if it gets too lengthy for you.
news.goldseek.com/GoldSeek/1572451685.php
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Tennessee Ernie Ford was a good man (“good” in the advised sense).
This Life Is A Metaphor
The older I get, the more I see metaphor in so many things. Small things. Large things. Details. Trivial daily tasks. Just so many things seem to take on larger, richer, and more expressive meaning in my life.
Now maybe it’s just me, but there seems to be so much wisdom to be gleaned even in dealing with small things in life. God wants to bless us with wisdom. I really believe that. He shows us things to instruct us.
Jesus used a lot of parables. Parables and metaphors seem to be somehow similar. In a believer’s life God sends a lot of instructive metaphors in our direction. Sometimes we’re not too dense to hear some of them… 🥴
God wants us to be able to PERCEIVE CLEARLY. If we perceive clearly, fear and insecurity will greatly dissipate. He wants us to happily anticipate *what is to come*. This life is but a very minuscule metaphor of *what is to come*.
The joy and the ecstasy that soon awaits the believer is “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” And I’m hoping that my use of the word “ecstasy” is not too outrageous here. Can you even begin to imagine living in eternal ecstasy in God’s presence? The physical human body certainly could not tolerate such nor the mind to even truly perceive such, but I’m hoping our spiritual bodies in heaven will give *new depth and meaning* to the word, “ecstasy”.
God Bless you good brothers and sisters out there. I am greatly encouraged by your blogs. Strange but wonderful way to gather together, isn’t it?
Thank you, WordPress.
I Am Continually With You
God promises to continually be with us.
Though we sometimes feel so alone, we need to better *grok* that God is always here with us continually guiding, protecting, and blessing us. From Psalms, Rabbi Schneider reassures (short video):
JCT - Born Again 