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In this video, Evan Puschak takes a close look at the iconic chase scene in Point Break to see how director Kathryn Bigelow uses POV shots to help put the viewer right into the action in a way that is incredibly immersive. Oh, and there a surprise appearance by Disneyland’s Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
Confession: I have never seen Point Break. Guess I should watch it now?
Tags: Evan Puschak · film school · Kathryn Bigelow · movies · Point Break · video
A nationwide study of young people in South Korea found a significant increased risk (~3.5X) of hearing loss for those with a positive diagnosis of Covid-19 (versus those without).
For the first time, wind & solar generated more of the EU’s electricity in the first 6 months of 2024 than fossil fuels. “We are witnessing a historic shift in the power sector, and it is happening rapidly.”
I was among the minority of viewers who enjoyed the first season of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series The Rings of Power, so I was excited to watch this extended trailer for the show’s second season. It seems to give away a little too much of the story for my taste (even though we all knew where it was going), but I am definitely pumped for season two.
Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.
Season two starts streaming on Amazon Prime on August 29.
Tags: The Lord of the Rings · The Rings of Power · trailers · TV · video
Ran across this hilariously nonsensical gymnastics commentary by Joe Tracini this morning and it definitely filled up the ol’ joy meter. “Winding up for a spooky bassoon…”
Lithub: The Republicans’ Project 2025 is disastrous for books. “Project 2025 is the single most expansive, extreme attack on our freedom to read that we’ve seen with ambition for federal government implementation.”
Margaret Sullivan: “I urge news decision-makers to take Trump’s authoritarian desires very seriously.” Like when he tell evangelicals: “You won’t have to [vote] anymore, four years, it will be fixed. It will be fine. You don’t have to vote anymore.”
“None of us knows if we can do this. And we are about to do it anyway.” Rebecca Traister writes about “the thrill of taking a huge risk on Kamala Harris”. (I’m not quite there yet…being thrilled instead of anxious.)
Hey, public voting is open for the Tiny Awards! I was on the judging committee so I can’t tell you my favorites, but there are lots of lovingly crafted, goofy, creative sites to choose from. Go vote!
Ok, I did not know this, and it’s blowing my mind: we have been imaging exoplanets for such a long time that scientists have made time lapse movies of their motion around their stars. This one is a 12-year time lapse of four planets orbiting a star called HR 8799 (images from 2009-2021):
And this one of Beta Pictoris b covers a time period of 17 years (2003-2020):
HR 8799 is 133.3 light-years away from Earth and Beta Pictoris is 63.4 light-years away. That’s amazing! (via @philplait.bsky.social)
Tags: astronomy · planets · science · time lapse · video
On her birthday, US Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who is Palestinian-American, wore a keffiyeh & held up a “Guilty of Genocide” sign during Netanyahu’s Congressional address. “It’s shameful that members of Congress would give a standing ovation to genocide.”
