Healthy Desserts - by Green Kitchen
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Healthy Desserts is an inspiring source of organic and tasty desserts for each and every sweet tooth...
Dr. Panda Hospital
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What kid doesn't think about being a vet or doctor? Here’s their chance to help Dr. Panda take...
Animoto Video Slideshow Maker
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Turn your memories into movies in 5 minutes. Easily create video slideshows set to music using the...
Between the Stops: The View of My Life from the Top of the Number 12 Bus
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Blade Runner (1982) in Movies
Oct 10, 2017
I totally forgot how slow this film was. The whole thing moves at a snail's pace and half of the runtime is spent looking at Harrison Ford's reaction shots. I had it in my head that the pace of Blade Runner was similar to that of A New Hope, but I was way off. I get it, it's not a sci-fi action flick, it's a hard-boiled, contemplative detective film, but it really was a slog.
I still feel the same way about this movie that I always have, the world and setting is better than the movie itself. There is a reason that so many movies took elements of Blade Runner's amazing setting and used them as inspiration for their own films. To this day the sets and the majority of this 35 year old film's visuals still look great, that is an achievement not to be scoffed at.
I will always appreciate Blade Runner for what it did for sci-fi movies that came after it, but if you saw this film as a kid and are thinking about going back to re-watch it again for the release of the sequel, I would actually recommend against it. This movie was so much better in my head than it was when I actually re-watched it and I somehow like it less now after re-watching it. This shouldn't take away from the importance and influence of this film though and if you consider this a classic, it would be hard to argue with you.
“Effortless inspiration for a happier life.” It has been scientifically proven that gratitude can be beneficial to both mental and physical wellbeing. It is also acknowledged that being thankful is difficult for many people due to negative circumstances or pessimistic personalities. Gratitude is a little, hardback book by writer and graphic designer, Dani DiPirro, whose purpose is to encourage the reader to show and feel more gratitude in their lives. In a way, this is a self-help book.
Using quotes, written insights and activity suggestions, DiPirro guides the reader through a number of situations in which one can be grateful. The author’s insights are sensitive but to the point, suggesting that everyone faces these problems, and does not isolate individuals. The quotes help to emphasise the points she makes and the activities are simple and relevant.
The activities themselves are nothing to be afraid of; they are not strenuous or difficult, they merely require you to think or complete a task that does not require you to go out of your way: “ Reflect on the last time you experienced compassion or forgiveness.”
The book itself is simply yet beautifully designed. The red colour theme makes it feel bright and positive; however will be more attractive to women than it would be to men. The print is large, clear and easy to read; suitable for all ages and backgrounds.
Although roughly 130 pages, it only takes ten minutes to read from cover to cover. However, this is not the intention of the author. To get the most out of the book, each section/task should be tackled individually in order to experience the outcome you are hoping for: feeling a sense of gratitude. This is a book that you can return to time and time again, whether you feel motivated or need a little pick me up.
At the back of the book DiPirro has provided lists of top ten ways to be grateful in different environments. These are useful for when you are experiencing problems in the home, or at work, and need help stepping back and seeing the bigger picture.
Overall, Gratitude is a lovely, inexpensive guide to help people gain a more positive outlook on life. There are also other books in this series that focus on different areas of life that people struggle with; e.g. forgiveness and living in the moment. Gratitude is the ideal book to give as a gift to a loved one, or even to keep on your own bookshelf or bedside table, accessible when needed.
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Upgrade (2018) in Movies
Oct 2, 2018 (Updated Oct 3, 2018)
Well this is it.
Upgrade is a Sci-Fi movie that doesn't follow the most unique concept in the genre, but does it in such a fresh and fun way that it works incredibly well. Upgrade also does a really good job at making you feel some genuine emotions of sadness and pity, something that I really didn't expect to get from a movie like this. When it comes to the action and violence in the movie, Upgrade embraces it's B-movie inspiration and gives us some awesome grisly practical effects along with some cool action choreography to go with it.
There are some elements to the plot that may seem bizarre to those not familiar with the more campy side of this genre and the movie does slightly feel like a video game at times. However, I don't feel that this is to the movie's detriment and instead, actually adds to the fun ride that the film is taking you on.
I also like the way the movie ended, although I saw the reveal of who the big bad was going to be coming a mile away, what happened afterward was really surprising and pretty bold and risky. I don't want to spoil anything here if I can help it, but let's just say I thought that they were going one way, which would have been a really poor, cliché ending for a movie like this and then they went in totally the opposite direction, subverting expectations and instead, choosing to end the film on a genuinely unexpected note. Whether you like the ending or not, I think that the guts it took to pull it off, deserves some praise.
Overall, Upgrade is a really fun watch. It has it's high octane action sequences as advertised in the trailer and it also has some surprisingly tender, heartfelt moments to go along with all of the stunts and gore. Definitely worth a watch if you are a sci-fi fan looking for a thrilling, bloody good time.
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction in Books
Oct 16, 2018
This book is written by Dan Barker, a former evangelical preacher. The inspiration for this book comes from a single paragraph in Richard Dawkin’s God Delusion, which goes as follows:
“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomanical, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
Now that’s quite a statement! And it’s also what Barker’s book is centred around. In Part 1, Barker sets out examples of these 19 characteristics within the Christian bible.
Sadly for Christianity, not only had barker found examples of every single one of these 19 characteristics, but he usually found several examples in every case. In fact, the reason I haven’t given it a higher rating is because it was so repetitive, with so many examples of remarkably similar and disturbing passages. A whole chapter is dedicated to each of the descriptors in turn, and the whereabouts of each of the passages are clearly noted in bold before being presented underneath.
In Part 2, Barker takes the argument further still:
“He [Dawkins] forgot to mention that the God of the Old Testament is also a pyromaniacal, angry, merciless, curse-hurling, vaccicdal, aborticidal, cannibalistic slavemonger.”
Again, the following chapters are full of examples of these characteristics.
The book is predominantly a laundry list of evil requests and doings of the God of the Old Testament, but Chapter 28 asks “What About Jesus?” And here Barker even manages to find evidence that Jesus endorsed invasion and bloodshed (Deuteronomy 6.15-19), and encouraged the beating of slaves (Luke 12:47-48). Barker also sites a lot of Jesus’ bad advice
Several passages may be unpleasant for even strong atheists to read. I couldn’t get over how many times “fingers dripping with blood” comes up in the Bible.
Overall, Barker has little comments around and between the examples he sights, but I would suggest that this makes for a stronger argument, handing the role of jury to the reader. Obviously this book will upset just about any Christian who attempts to read it, and for those who do read it may feel better to recall that the analysis is only of how God is presented in the Bible, and not an analysis of any effect (if any) of God in their daily lives.
Brumpolarbears (22 KP) rated The Old Hellfire Club in Tabletop Games
Jun 18, 2019
In The Old Hellfire Club two to six players take on the roles of the destitute final members of an ancient aristocratic secret society as they recount the tales of their greatest adventures to the patrons of the shadiest public houses of Old London Town. Drawing on the cards in their hands for inspiration, players weave an ever more elaborate (although far from honest) tale of daring and adventure in the hope that the drinking den’s patrons will offer them a penny for their woes. As competition for the pennies on offer increases, so too do the exaggerations and outright lies players tell about their role in the story in the hope of making themselves seem more deserving. At any time, a player can challenge anothers versions of the story by playing a less impressive card from their own hand, thereby revealing the exaggeration and taking the rewards for the story. When the tale reaches its climax, whoever has been given the most pennies wins the game.
You can win pennies by getting away with telling extravagant lies about the adventures you had (by playing
high value Boast Cards without being successfully challenged by other players), through the charity of
strangers (by meeting the conditions set out on certain Patron Cards), and by satisfying the predilections of
the mysterious benefactors lurking in the audience (by successfully playing the most cards from a particular
suit over the course of the game).
While there’s still some time until you can physically purchase The Old Hellfire Club, which launches on Kickstarter on 9 April 2019, the developers have launched a free….yes free….print and play version of the game, meaning you can print your own copies of the cards and play with friends.
You can download a copy of the file by visiting The Old Hellfire Club’s profile on Boardgame Geek. I cannot rate this game highly enough. While I was sceptical at first because, in all honesty, I’m not that great at creating stories on the spot, especially those set in Victorian England, The Old Hellfire Club was incredibly quick to pick up. During the preview at UK Games Expo there were quite a few laughs, particularly when I joined Karl Marx for a gin or two. Who knows where future tales may lead.