Monday, March 18, 2013

Top 10 Movie Countdown Blogfest

From the Ninja Captain Alex comes a challenge for March 18th: List YOUR top ten favorite movies.






Creating a list is easy, narrowing it down to 10 movies is not. I chose movies that changed trends, introduced new technology or styles, and some that are simply classics that never die. I've included the links if you want to know more.


DG's Top Ten:

1)  2001, A Space Odyssey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film)


2)  A Clockwork Orange
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clockwork_Orange

1971 poster, A Clockwork Orange


3)  Casablanca
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_(film)


4)  The Seven Samurai
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Samurai


1954 Japanese Poster, The Seven Samurai



5)  Lord of the Rings (Fellowship of the Rings)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(film_series)


6)  The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good,_the_Bad_and_the_Ugly



1966 Poster, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly



7)  The Red Balloon (Fr.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Balloon




1956 DVD cover, The Red Balloon


8)  Les Miserable (2012)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables_(2012_film)


9)  Midnight in Paris (2012)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_in_Paris


10) 42nd Street
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42nd_Street_(musical)


***

What's your favourite of these 10 (if any)? OR Which is new to you?
Please share your choice in the comments, and keep on bloghopping.

The Linky List is at Alex's Blog.

***

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

National Wormhole Day Bloghop - March 13-14

Where would you go IN TIME, if you had the chance? Backwards or Forward?




National Wormhole Day Blog Hop: March 14th, Albert Einstein's Birthday. Brought to you by Stephen Tremp, Laura Eno, and Luanne (LG) Smith at Bards and Prophets. Thanks to Carrie Butler for putting together the badge!

Happy Birthday, Einstein!

Imagine this: What would you do or where would you go if you could traverse a wormhole through space and time just once? One safe round trip passage. Would you go back in time or forward into the future, and how far? Would you want to see what the edge of the universe looks like?

The assignment for this bloghop: In 100 words, more or less, tell us what you would do with a two-way ticket to traverse a wormhole.

***

Wormhole Station Express loading dock (NASA) by DG Hudson


***DG's Choice***
 
Departure Gate:  Wormhole Express No. 9

Time period: 1000 years into the future, in another constellation far from Earth.
 
Where: Literati World, a readers' and writers' paradise
 
Tourist attractions:

Bistros and Coffee shops to sit and write and submit on site; discussions on current and classic books run continuously. Reservations and translators are required, unlimited coffee, galactic snacks, or wine.

Libraries recreated from antiquity through to our current cultures and beyond. These literary institutions also include the known galactic writings and encyclopedic collections from civilizations on the edge of space. 

(Warning: this post is in the '100wc + more' category)
 
What I would do:

Photograph everything for PROOF I was there
 
Visit libraries of Alexandria, and other centres of learning like MoonBase IV (a future institution)

Rent a PFV(personal flying vehicle) for an aerial trip to photograph future cityscapes
 
Sample the local food specifically designed to sharpen the senses when reading or writing

Test the teleporter that goes to the wormhole ship.

IF that wormhole doesn't wipe my laser photos on the return trip, I'll write a post about it.  Press that button so your seatbelt will buckle itself.

Check out the other time travel stories on the Linky List at Stephen Tremp's Blog, or at the other host links.
 
***
 
Whether you're in the bloghop or not, let me know where you would choose to go. The galaxies are out there, waiting. . .dream big.
Please share in the comments and thanks for dropping by.

****
Thanks to Stephen, Laura and LG for hosting such a fun event!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Vancouver Views - Brockton Point, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Garden and More


As part of the Vancouver Views series, this post features a few of the local spots in Vancouver, British Columbia. From a multicultural city with the charm of a 'town', it has grown to a major metropolis. Hope you enjoy the tour.  There will be more of these posts in the coming weeks.



Brockton Point in Stanley Park, Vancouver, by DG Hudson


This view of Brockton Point shows Burrard Inlet in the background on a sunny day and is part of the Stanley Park* drive running through this large city park. Many tourists and locals visit here year round. As a scenic spot, it's quite popular for weddings, group shots, etc.  Located at the east end of Stanley Park, it was named for Francis Brockton. The Brockton Point Lighthouse is an automated light.

*Stanley Park will be featured in another post.


***

The BC Hydro Building, located in downtown Vancouver, was photographed from a parkade roof. Standing tall behind the church steeples, it towers over the city and brightens our life with electricity. You can't always see the architecture when too many tall buildings cluster together, but for now, this one is visible. Links follow the post for more information.



BC Hydro Building, Vancouver, by DG Hudson


***

Statue of Harry Jerome, a runner of Olympian quality from the 1960s, against the Canada Place Sails on the left and the Vancouver city skyline. This statue rewards one of our local athletes from the city's past. Harry was born in Saskatchewan, one of the prairie provinces.



Harry Jerome statue, Vancouver, by DG Hudson

***

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Chinese Garden, on the edge of Vancouver's Chinatown, is a peaceful, beautiful oriental garden and museum. Gifts of custom chopsticks, and other collectible gifts are displayed, as well as smaller copies of the Dragon head used for the Chinese New Year's festivities. The first garden of it's kind outside of China, the museum also displays information about the history behind its creation.



Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden, Vancouver, BC, by DG Hudson


***

Have you ever been to Vancouver? Do you travel or prefer to explore your own country? What is your favourite city to explore?
Please share in the comments. I'm always listening. Thanks for dropping by.

***

References

http://www.venturevancouver.com/brockton-point-stanley-park Brockton Point

http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/sites-landmarks-and-totem-poles.aspx
Vancouver visitor sites

http://vancouverchinesegarden.com/mission-history/ History of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden

http://www.aviewoncities.com/buildings/vancouver/bchydrocentre.htm BC Hydro

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Jerome Harry Jerome

***

Friday, March 1, 2013

Back From the Future Blogfest !


M. Pax has teamed up with the lovely Suze of Subliminal Coffee, and Nicki Elson, for the Back from the Future Blogfest.  




We don't get to ride in the Delorean, but we do get a surprise from the future. . .


You're up before dawn on a Saturday when the doorbell rings. You haven't brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the front door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you ... from you.

You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully, you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox -- sent from ten years in the future -- and it's filled with items you have sent yourself.


What's in it?



Retro Box from the Future, circa 2023, by DG Hudson


In my shoebox mailed from Paris in 2023, these things were found :

- Short-flight boots
Gives the wearer the ability to fly like Superman just above the traffic.  A test prototype, gifted only to scifi writers.

- A camera
Press a button and the photo becomes simulated reality (similar to the paintings at Harry's wizard school, you know the one).

- Photo of the family residence in Paris
We live in France for half the year in 2023 on the proceeds from my best-selling scifi novels.

A sketch and plans for a PFV (that's personal flying vehicle)
Introduced by Honda/BMW Corp. in the year 2023.

- An issue of a Medical Journal
Featuring new visual apparatus to protect our eyes from sun damage. The eye protection is required while the holes in our damaged ozone layer are repaired with a protective shield.

Now, I have a few questions. Do I share these discoveries with the world? Will I get arrested for flying above the traffic?  How will they catch me? Hmmm.

***

Would you want to test a personal flying vehicle or short flight boots?  OR Would you be a little worried about opening a box from the future? Please share in the comments and thanks for taking the time to drop by my blog.

Hope you have fun checking out those shoeboxes via the list below!

***

Linky List has been removed; see host blogs for the original.

****