Life – Miniatur Wunderland
It’s not so often that I get pleasantly surprised while surfing the Internet for whatever stories catch my eye but here is a Youtube video extolling the virtues of the Miniatur Wunderland tourist attraction in Hamburg, Germany. I have seen miniature models before but never of this scope and as this feature video presents I am stunned by the level of quality craftsmanship and attention to detail that is apparent in this project.
We’re Back!
Well, it’s been a long time coming but after a very long hiatus The Galactic Pillow blog is back and (hopefully) better than ever! For those wondering why I’ve been off the air it comes down to the arrival of our little bundle of joy last August which has thrown my schedule off considerably!
"The Times They Are-A-Changing" – The country is destroying itself outside your window…
One of my favourite television series in recent years has been Veronica Mars. Watching Kristen Bell playing the title character, a cross between Nancy Drew’s sleuthing prowess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s quick wit and sarcasm, solve a slew of mysteries was just plain engagingly amusing. There’s an episode during its third and final season (Episode 12: There’s Got to Be a Morning After Pill) where Veronica is lying in bed with her fingers entwined with her lover, Logan, which really struck an emotional chord. The duo had suffered a continuously destructive on again off again relationship over the past few years, alternating between bouts of intense passion followed by equally fiery temper. Though it was obvious that both Veronica and Logan had deep emotional bonds with the other the relationship was always much too temperamental to last. As they shared a moment of quiet respite a lyrical but melancholy alternative rock song wafted through the speakers capturing the essence of their turbulent relationship.
The country is destroying itself outside your window
Hear the pulsing machines breaking down
See the buildings crumble to the ground
- “Western Meadowlark”, Brown Recluse Sings
"The Times They Are-A-Changing" – The Final Frontier
Space the Final Frontier,
These are the voyages of the starship Shenzhou 15,
As I sit here at my computer reminiscing about my most memorable events of the past twelve months my thoughts, as they so often want, turn to Star Trek but this time not so much centered on Kirk and co warping to distant stars to seek out new civilizations but instead much closer to home, namely the Earth and its moon.
During the first week of August 2008 the world was glued to their TV sets not because of the economic turmoil that was about to descend like some petulant alien invasion but rather all eyes were on Beijing for the start of the summer Olympics. This was a grand spectacle like no other, probably never to be rivaled at least in the short term. Just how many countries could mount such a lavish production and spend upwards for $40 billion dollars on staging the games and the related infrastructure needed to accommodate them. To put that into perspective that’s the entire yearly nominal GDP of the Dominican Republic or Oman or Syria. That’s about 1/3 the nominal GDP of Egypt and a staggering amount of investment by any measuring yardstick.
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays from everyone here at The Galactic Pillow! Wishing everyone a safe and joyous holiday season. Hopefully, Santa (or whoever you believe in) brought you what you wanted. If not, make sure you get the gift receipt! In the meantime drop us a comment on what loot you received.
© 2008 The Galactic Pillow
The Accidental Tourist
One of the greatest pleasures in life is indulging in the culinary arts and trying as many dishes as your stomach can handle. It is always a pleasure to try something you have never had before in your life and come away feeling not only content but also psychologically fulfilled in the process. Sure, there is always the chance that you might not like it but at least you gave it a shot – it just didn’t suit your particular tastes. I’m a pretty adventurous guy when it comes to trying new food although I haven’t quite gotten around to eating deep fried grasshoppers or scorpions yet as I just can’t stand the way they look. If someone were to “hide” it in, say a stew, I might be able to trick myself into eating it just like the time when I was a young pup and my parents told me to eat this piece of “chicken” that turned out to be frog. I liked it and I still liked it even after they told me what it was. Maybe I should just wear a blindfold so that I can’t visually look at something that might turn my stomach.
A New Frontier
Well, after much cajoling, my wife has finally convinced me to start up a new Internet endeavor. Suffice it to say, instead of doing my usual regular web designs I’ve decided to do the trendy thing and start up a blog. As for what it is that this blog will be about, the quick answer would be – I have no idea! Actually, that’s a bit of a misnomer since I have some clue as to which topics I would like to expound on but for now let’s just say that it is going to be a mish-mash, hodgepodge of topics ranging the entire gamut from entertainment (movies, video games) to politics (OBAMA!) to what I ate last weekend for dinner. I just KNOW you really need to discover exactly what I stuffed into my stomach!
Since this is my first post in my brand spanking new blog I might as well begin with the obvious — Star Trek and more importantly, WTH is the Galactic Pillow? I won’t get into the grand concept of the Galactic Pillow today (it would take too long to explain) but I will speak a bit about Gene Roddenberry’s creation.
Like tears in rain…
* This is the first post I ever wrote in WordPress back on my very old site but I’ve posted it here for historical reasons *
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
Perhaps one of the greatest scenes in cinema history perfect in tone and execution unfolds before the viewer after over 100 minutes of pure visual bombardment punctuated with extreme bouts of violence all coming to an end not with a bang but with a somber moment of tranquility.
Cinephiles will undoubtedly know which film this quote comes from but although I’m known to write movie reviews from time to time this line of dialogue is going to serve a much different purpose here as a jumping off point for this blog.
