Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

Hayao Miyazaki is at it again. Ponyo (aka Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) is a variation of the Little Mermaid story, with a fish girl who want's to become human. From the trailer, it looks like this is going to be yet another masterpiece!



Ponyo is the tenth feature film written and directed by Miyazaki.

I was first introduced to Miyazaki's work with "Warriors of the Wind", a 1980's heavily-edited version of "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind", which was the film I cite with turning me on to Japanese anime and manga.



Over the years I have collected and/or seen the majority of Miyazaki's major works, and a bits of his short works (thanks to YouTube).



I have to say that I still hold that Miyazaki's films are better than most that come out of American studios. However, I think Pixar has learned a lot about animation and storytelling from the examples that he has laid down.

Facebooking vs. Blogging

I opened a Facebook account late April because some friends and family were on a I had received a couple requests to join in. So, reluctantly, I joined to see what it was all about.

It seems to be a part Twitter, Blog, and Flickr. Central to it all is the ability to see what your friends are posting on one page. You can also tie your Facebook account with your Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, Photobucket, and a host of other online accounts so additions there show up on your Facebook page for all to see. Quite handy for the socially addicted individual.

I have used it quite a bit in the past two months, posting things I might have posted here, there. So, is Facebooking better than Blogging? It depends on what you are using it for. Facebook is a good way of keeping connected with the little things that are going on - those short posts you don't want to clutter your blog with, while blogging is more suited for those longer winded posts.

Also, since I can post pictures, links, movies, and even embed my rss twitter feed, there isn't much I can't do on Blogger than what I can do with Facebook. Except create a social networking location. But that's not what I intended to do here.

Are Cyborgs the Future of Humanity?

Is the next step in human evolution cyborgs? Very doubtful, economically speaking it's just a really big stretch. I'd place my money on genetic enhancements trumping cybernetics, though I don't doubt cybernetic enhancements may find a short lived niche, somewhere.

The main drawback of cybernetics would be upkeep and upgrades. At the pace technological evolution is at currently, you have to change your computers and cell phones every few months to keep up with the latest advances. Would you be willing to go in and have your cybernetics upgraded as often?

Imagine the cost.

Also, cybernetic augmentations would not carry over through reproduction. So you'll have to budget each child's cybernetics.

Nanotechnology might simplify the installation and upkeep processes, but it would still be unpleasant and costly.

Biological and genetic engineering is most likely the road humanity will decide to follow if they decide to take control of their evolutionary path. The biggest benefit would be if the changes were such that they could be passed from parent to child. However, there's no saying if the parents upgrades would be compatible or cause some unforeseen mutations in the offspring.

In the end, you have to ask yourself, is it worth it?

WTF?!

I'm never going to fly again...

That's some killer turbulence. Seriously, WTF?!

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