Bad Scifi Friday and "Monster on the Campus"

"Evolution reversed -- And HORROR that waited a hundred-million years, becomes a terrifying reality!  MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS!"

"The Wonder Hospital"

"The Wonder Hospital" is a wonderfully bizarre little film by filmmaker and animator, Beomsik Shimbe Shim.  A delightful little trip into the surreal, take a few minutes out of your day to enjoy.

Children of Robots

Did you have youthful dreams of becoming an evil scientist?  Or perhaps you just wished you could have played and tinkered and created man-eating Robots as a child?  ME TOO!!  Now, we can give our children the opportunities we lacked, so their lives are not left so unfulfilled and as empty as our own. (Minus the "evil" part of the equation. We prefer "good" man-eating Robots, thank you very much.)

FIRST, a Robotics competition founded in 1989 is one amazing program.  From their Jr. FIRST LEGO League (beginning at age 6), all the way to FIRST Robotics Competition for high-schoolers,  FIRST seems to have something for everyone. As an adult, you can even relive your childhood dreams and mentor a team!  Is it the Boy Scouts for geeks?  Perhaps...but it's not all fun and games.  The FIRST program makes a serious impact on the children they interact with.  According to FIRST, and a Brandles University Study:

"When compared with the comparison group, FIRST students are:

• More than 3 times as likely to major specifically in engineering.
• Roughly 10 times as likely to have had an apprenticeship, internship, or co-op job in their freshman year.
• Significantly more likely to expect to achieve a post graduate degree.
• More than twice as likely to expect to pursue a career in science and technology.
• Nearly 4 times as likely to expect to pursue a career specifically in engineering.
• More than twice as likely to volunteer in their communities."

To find a FIRST program near you, search their database HERE.  Curious about their vision and mission?  It's pretty inspiring:

"To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders."

Dean Kamen, Founder

Beirut - Vagabond

 Beirut, a band described as "combining elements of indie-rock and world music", has grabbed my attention.  They will be playing at Coachella this year, so if you're attending that festival GO SEE THEM!!

For those of us who can't see them live, we can watch their latest video for taste of awesome.    

Robot Monday admires Benedict Campbell

Photographer and digital artist, Benedict Campbell, is one talented fellow.  An experienced and sought after photographer, he produces images which command attention and capture the imagination.  As described on his website, "With Benedict’s creative origins very much grounded in photography, his use of computer generated imagery has been to enhance reality, rather than detract from it. "

Campbell blurs the line between human and robot, while maintaining a level of beauty that boggles the mind.  To see more from this talented artist, visit his professional site, or his personal site, where you can see images not available through his portfolio.