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I’m not sure what to make of the Aeon Flux trailer. I want the movie to be good, but the trailer isn’t quite doing it for me. What do you think?

Atom Films’ Pink Five is a hilarious Star Wars spoof highlighting the adventures of one ditzy X-Wing pilot. The short film won “the coveted George Lucas Selects Award in the 2003 Star Wars Fan Film Awards,” and I can see why.

There is also a sequel, Pink Five Strikes Back, which won the Audience Choice Award in the 2004 Star Wars Fan Film Awards. The third in the trilogy (?), Return Of Pink Five (formerly The Revenge Of Pink Five), is still in the works. Should be fun…

Metro Arts and Architecture is a great site that features photos of and links to sites on different cities’ Subway and Metro stations’ architecture and artwork:

Subways need not be boring or dreary! Many operators of metros, subways or underground railways want to attract more passengers with good station design. This often means extra effort and higher costs for the metro operators but it seems to pay when a metro is more than only a means of traffic but something the population can be proud of.

Read below which metro systems double as the world’s longest art galleries and in which cities you can see stunning underground palaces, museums, aquariums, an ancient chapel, the world’s first example of computer-generated architecture and other kinds of interesting things in subway stations.

I’ve only been on a couple of the Subways mentioned on the site, but it seems I didn’t pay enough attention to my surroundings. I’ll definitely need to return with a more discerning eye (and a camera)…

Star Wars As It Should Have Been (a good amount of NSFW themes and language ;-p) is a hilarious Flash slide show that defies description. Just go see it, but don’t say I didn’t warn you…

The Flash video They’re Taking The Hobbits To Isengard is, um, different.

As you might have heard, the Kansas Board Of Education is poised to set back scientific progress by centuries and “tentatively approved new state science standards that weaken the role evolution plays in teaching about the origin of life.” The whole debate was part of a broader attack on evolution by Christian Fundamentalists who are advancing their Creationist agenda in the guise of a less innocuous-sounding faux science called “Intelligent Design.”

But enough about that; you can hear about that in the “Mainstream Media.” What you haven’t heard about is the more serious decision to actively stifle Pastafarianism, the religious belief in the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Proponents of this theory have recently sent the Kansas School Board an open letter discussing their disappointment over their exclusion from the debate:

Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.
…
I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; One third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.

You should definitely look at the rest of the site, as the conspiracy extends much further. You are probably not aware that “global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s.” Think about it!

Obviously, this is not a real religious belief (yet) but was rather created to highlight the lack of scientific merit in “Intelligent Design.” Thankfully, as demonstrated by several responses from members of the Kansas School Board, not everyone on that board is totally ignorant. Unfortunately, they are in the minority:

Dear Mr. Henderson, Thanks for your message. Thanks for the laugh. Your web site is fascinating. I will add your theory to a long list of alternative theories I intend to introduce when it is appropriate. I am practicing how to do this with a straight face which is difficult since it’s such a ridiculous subject; it is also very sad that we are even having the discussion.

I will be one of the four member minority who will be voting against the flawed science standards currently being proposed by the six member majority.
Sincerely, Sue Gamble

RAmen.

Check out this video of Boeing flight tests conducted to verify the aircrafts’ ability to withstand extreme crosswind landings. Amazing…

Shaft responded with a link showing a video of a “less than textbook” crosswind landing. The rest of the site is a great source for all kinds of aviation videos.

I’ve decided to get rid of the Archive Calendar in the right sidebar, replacing it with a drop-down Archives Menu. The calendar was annoying to update, and even I didn’t really use it, so I figured it wasn’t worth keeping around. I was inspired by Freshblog’s implentation, but I ended up using code I found at Roveberg.com.

I also switched to a monthly Blogger archive rather than a daily one to keep the drop-down display size within reason. Let me know what you think!

Six Apart has a fun gallery entitled If Bloggers Had Been Around Throughout History that pokes fun at bloggers’ sometimes inflated sense of self-importance.

This video (direct link to QuickTime movie) is pretty damn funny…