Callie

The high value of gold and platinum is only reflective of rarity, usefulness, and use in jewelry and investment. Platinum is an insanely useful catalyst and a sudden increase in supply would be a great boon to industry because it would become economically viable to use it in a wider range of applications (it would help immensely with the development of fuel cells, for example). Both gold and platinum are highly resistant to corrosion, with gold having a high conductivity, malleability, and ductility. Gold is used in spacecraft for that very reason (and its high malleability and ductility means you can make a very thin layer of it). Having more gold and platinum would be a boon for the economy. Some people would lose money they invested in gold, but it wasn't that great of an idea to invest in it anyway. Gold would still be used in jewelry because people have always admired its color and luster.

What's striking about space is that we know so little of it: objects are still being discovered in our own solar system. Voyager 1 was launched thirty-five years ago and is now in the heliosheath. A golden record is a hitching a ride with a few samplings of our civilization...and it hasn't even left the door. Maybe in the near-future we'll be able to construct a craft capable of reaching a speed one tenth that of light. It would be a feat of engineering and yet it would take over four decades just to reach the nearest star system. Explorations of our own planet have long been romanticized but have lost some of their meaning. Space is a different story though. We still look up and wonder, a wonder that will stay with us for many, many eons. And in all those many eons I will have long been returned to dust. It's rather sobering, really.

I felt this year in film was somewhat better than the lackluster selection in 2011. Here's to hoping that 2013 might be like 2010! Chronicle: 6/10 - A mostly unoriginal storyline but nonetheless decent. Jiro Dreams of Sushi: 9/10 - A superb documentary that also made me really hungry. The Hunger Games: 7/10 - This film suffers from not being violent enough for its subject matter. Some of the supporting actors weren't that great, but overall it's a solid film with an interesting score and a great lead. The Avengers: 6/10 - An entertaining film with solid action scenes, but the plot isn't anything exceptional. And maybe a flying, cloaking aircraft carrier is just a little over the top. The Dark Knight Rises: 3/10 - This movie makes no goddam sense. The Master: 8/10 - The interaction between the two main characters is engrossing thanks to great acting performances and a well-written screenplay. A few parts were difficult to follow though. Looper: 5/10 - Meh. There's some great action sequences, but the time travel concept in the film is flawed from the get-go. Seven Psychopaths: 6/10 - I liked Christopher Walken's performance a whole lot. The other actors kind of drag him down, and although there's some good laughs, it's not as funny as it should be. (Oddly, about three-quarters of the people I saw in the theatre were baby boomers) Skyfall: 7/10 - The opening scenes of the film are terrific and the MI6 director is an awesome character. It's too bad the villain is poorly constructed and almost seems to be enforcing a prejudiced stereotype. The Hobbit: 7/10 - Way, way, way too long in the exposition. Once it finally gets started it's epic, but it certainly doesn't live up to hype. The most disappointing aspect of the film, I thought, was the score. I still want to see Django Unchained and the Silver Linings Playbook, but have not yet had the opportunity.

Bah, it's 2013 already! Oh wait, I turn 21 in ten months!

This just in: Spiderweb Software has confirmed that its arachnid customers overwhelmingly choose shadowwalkers as their main characters in the game Avadon: The Black Fortress.

Wow, Christmas happens pretty often.

Maybe now people will stop cluttering my Facebook news feed with silly eschatological musings.

I had a character in Fallout 1 that could swing a knife ten times in one round, and fire a plasma rifle five times per round (and there's a perk which can grat you even more action points). I had way too much fun abusing engine glitches.

This film was a bit long in the exposition...

I hope my mom bought a decent wine for this year's Christmas dinner. Last year's was terrible. Oh Christmas...since when was it December?

'Twas more of a criticism of FOX News pundits than anything.

Discussions about gun control after mass shootings are usually fruitless because people's emotions are flying high.

Is that pineapple on there? Sweet, succulent pineapple?

Correlation does not equal causation!

My spaminess as of late has been dampened by finals and projects. Once winter break comes around I'll be insanely bored though...

That's a pretty high R^2 value!

A happy belated birthday to Sylae!

It's not easy making a pun out of a song that has only, like, seven different words!

Oh wow, hi. You must have been gone for a year or so!

Sounds interesting. I think I'll terrorize the world with my own nation.

Obama and Romney had white turkey chili together at the White House. (Who picked the menu?)

There seem to be several competing and irreconcilable plot lines going on. I'm a bit confused. Edit: I somehow accidentally submitted this post with just "I"

I've met a girl named Winter, which I thought was an unusual name. I'm just surprised I haven't met anyone named Year or Wet Season.

Excalibur's eyes open haphazardly like the trunk of an abandoned Oldsmobile. A blurry figure enters his field of vision. He can't quite make out where he is, but he can sense a hard, uncomfortable surface digging into his back. Adding to the confusion, various sorts of oscillations gently trek into his ears. His brain stokes a few dying embers of awareness and assembles, with difficulty, the word "tardis" from those oscillations. The light penetrating his field of vision begins to acquire greater definition. His brain has now picked up inertia, turning a few wisps of flame into a carefully controlled blaze. The brain recognizes the feathers...of a velociraptor! "muh muh guh oh..." he mutters. His muscles move in such a way that he (barely!) manages to fumble into the nearby seat. He glances at his legs, which are marred by the unmistakable stain of dried blood. The velociraptor emits an unintelligible noise, cocks its head, and stares at him. He returns the glare, but only with a great feeling of fear. A trembling hand meekly grabs for the sword at his side and he cowers in the seat with his back against the wall. Excalibur's jaw lowers feebly and he asks solemnly, "Are...are we there yet?"

I have the poster for Pulp Fiction, which I think is particularly great. And I must have a boring personality because my favorite film posters are ones that would commonly come up in such a discussion. A Clockwork Orange, Silence of the Lambs, Apocalypse Now etc. My favorite poster, though, is the one for American Beauty.