Exceptional human talent

 I came across a video that I initially watched for the Japanese dance team that has evolved hip hop dancing to the next level. They are incredible. Since the video is short it took me a while to realize that the music is created with two human voices: Dharni a Grandmaster beatboxer and his wife a singer.

There is no enhancement of any kind. At most he uses a cup and straw.

Group: Avantgardey

Dharni and Mamiko

https://youtube.com/shorts/C5SVQuVMTME

The collaboration is incredible. Dharni has expanded his repertoire does a lot of cover songs from EDM to old pop songs using anything from beatboxing, throat singing to imitating sounds.

I'll add more as I come across them, I'm astonished that no instruments other than human voice is being used.

Beatboxing has its roots in rap and carried the idea of battling eachother into the genre

 Unlike rap, the competitors impress eachother with the sounds they can produce. There is little animosity, the message when they do use lyrics is much more positive. 

Fun with language

 

This was something I wrote during the Olympics, which autocorrect kept altering. Couldn't stop laughing:

For the last two weeks it has been Schnitzel or sleet almost every single dad. It's been cold, everything is covered in Schnitzel. I think that the municipality has given up on removing all that Schnitzel every day.

John was telling me that his city was dumping the snow onto bike lanes making them looking Schnitzel ramps.

Human translation:

For the last two weeks it has been snowing or sleet almost every single day. It's been cold, everything is covered in snow. I think the municipality has given up on removing all that snow every day.

John was telling me that his city has been dumping snow onto bike lanes turning them into snow ramps. Next Olympics maybe?

Never thought I would be spellchecker an algorithm rather than the other way around. And it just did it again.

*Sigh*

More movie reviews

 In the absence of anything blogworthy here are more movie reviews

Extinction (2018) with Michael Pena. Surprisingly good scifi action. The only trailer I watched didn't reveal too much. There's a twist I didn't see coming.

The sheep Detectives good wholesome fun and a very original idea. Sheep who solve the demise of their shepherd.

Feel free to add your recommendation or comments.

Shima Enaga and movie reviews

 

This fluffball is the Shima Enaga bird which inhabits the northern region in Japan. I recently came across this little creature; snowball in the front, tree bark camouflage in the back. Of course the cutest bird happens to be Japanese.

In order to escape what is going on I engaged in the banalities of life. Here are some movie reviews:

Superman (2025) Utterly silly and juvenile. I do not know why people liked it so much. The attempts at diversity fail in my opinion. Superman is hardly an alien who can compare to the current situation.

Remarkably bright creatures. Simple but delightful magic realism and it doesn't need to be anything more. Not a movie I would usually watch.

Fantastic Beasts series. This was a surprise. The CGI is stunning, the movies are very beautiful. Newt scamander is an independent wizard who rescues endangered magical creatures. The third installment deals with the evil Grindelwald during world War 2 a parallel in the magical world to actual events in the real world. Unfortunately, the series was canceled before we can see the outcome of his defeat.

The HP book/movie series was more subtle; the purebred wizards who were dismissive of half blood wizards. Here in the prequel they want to rule them. The comedic genius of Dan Fogler is there for comic relief on a very serious subject matter. I really enjoyed it.

There is one scene that stuck with me in particular. Dumbledore is as powerful as Grindelwald, but doesn't seek power or becoming a ruler. In a battle against evil, not allowing himself to be warped by power doesn't diminish his own power in any way.

Longevity

 I know that many of my readers are seniors so it will probably be too late, but much of the funding to extend the human lifespan has gone in the wrong direction.

This is actually due to science fiction and technology. In sci-fi, it was much more interesting to upload our mind into a robot with special abilities than talk about people with 1000-year lifespans. In the movie industry eg. Ghost in the shell matrix transcendence uploads/cyborgs or Jupiter could only be achieved by some special elixir harvested from other humans.

In the 50s one particular visionary who was also a little insane was Walt Disney who famously froze his head. (The tissue is likely destroyed even if we had the technology).

The problem currently is that the billionaires in the tech sector believe that this is THE path to longevity. Uploading. It won't be, but billions are poured into the research which could be used to figure out how to get aging DNA to continue repairing it the same way as it did in our twenties instead. To be honest, I'd much prefer my own body than being some cyborg who replaces it's parts.

In reality, elephants live longer than humans, whales an average of 80 years. Amphibians and lizards regrow limbs. Some sharks live 300 years. There is research but too little. They do all of this without medical intervention.

Another reason that these type of tech giants shouldn't be deciding medical science especially when they have no clue about it.

Jelly Caturday

 Here's a new heartwarming story about a kitten (hit by a car) saved by a Vet couple in a war zone.

https://greatergood.com/blogs/news/cw-how-an-injured-kitten-named-jelly-survived-thanks-to-veterinarians/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=cw-how-an-injured-kitten-named-jelly-survived-thanks-to-veterinarians

While I'm on a cat theme there's an artist on youtube named Frugit. Funky jazz music all from a cats perspective with titles like She's my cat lady and I knead them biscuits. It's quite funny. Enjoy.

Ignorance is not Bliss: Brotherhoods

 How do beliefs in secret societies happen?

Coco is an aquaintance who asked me for advice regarding her son who is on his path to a career in physics. I quite enjoy conversations with him, but Coco is the first person ever whom I had to quickly cut out of anything.

On occasion she would call to ask about some scientific discovery presumably so she could relate to her son. Then she'd escalate into a verbal argument. Among the least important is the fun fact that torties and calico cats are always female (males exist but it's very rare and they're a genetic abnormality.) Coco did not believe me.

Then came her asking me about the Illuminati. I told her that it was an invention by Dan brown. No they existed based on the low quality program she'd seen on television. 

Brotherhood fraternities organizations like the freemasons have always existed. They serve many purposes. The masons kept their trade secrets and passed them on to their members  the same way today's tech companies try to protect their intellectual properties and patents.

World domination isn't plotted because any business "family" is highly competitive, however deals are sometimes made at these networking meetings. 

Humans love mysteries and stories. Galileo met with other scientists to discuss ideas and discoveries often secretly, because the Church feared that a heliocentric solar system would undermine its power. At most they "conspired" to get scientific facts into the world. That he was a member of some secret society plotting to take over the world is a lot more fun to believe in.

Of course movies like National treasure with Nic Cage fuel the imagination instead of just being seen as a fun Indiana Jones type of movie.

 Fiction based on a few kernels of fact becomes even greater fiction and the less than mediocre people on this planet have finally been given the internet platform to read and believe these conspiracy theories and myths with an arrogance that they did not have before.

This is part of what happened over the last decade in particular. As to Coco turned out that she has a history of being craycray. Here's a good article on this phenomenon.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170809-the-accidental-invention-of-the-illuminati-conspiracy

I always try to see the best in people as well as their potential, but I recently decided that I'm not doing it anymore. Let people die in ignorance as long as they don't impose their bats..t on to me.

Ignorance is not bliss: Gregorian chants

 I've been thinking about posts and this one has been sitting in my mind, so maybe putting it out there will finally put the topic to rest. Or not.

Minirant coming up.

Ignorance and stupidity. And by stupidity I mean people capable of learning but chosing not to.

I've dealt with this my entire life and usually eventually let it go, especially in the sciences. There is no point, but what I didn't encounter in the past and it's caused by the internet is the aggression with which people need to tell me their opinion.

The smaller example is a lovely Italian family that invited us to dinner. Deeply religious strict catholics. Warm and welcoming, while waiting for everything to be ready and refusing help, the husband was searching for background television. MTV was the "sound of the devil." *shrugs*. Tom and Jerry was picked.

There was no interest of any kind in my work. I accepted it and we talked mostly about them. More channel surfing and when a channel had a wonderful modernized show on gregorian chants, I suggested we leave it on. The wife exclaimed "OMG what is that? It sounds like the devil".

I laughed and thought they were joking. They're deeply religious, Jesus imagery throughout their home, they know every meal that goes with every holiday. They attend mass and services. 

I've used gregorian chants for studying and when I need to focus since I came across them and find them very soothing, especially in Latin. Couldn't tell you what hymn I'm listening to at any given time.

They listened and watched for a bit. "It's devil music" the wife exclaimed. At this point I asked you don't know what this is? She shook her head. Monks singing hymns in Latin? Blank stare. It's kind of your history roman catholic monks? Nothing. I realize the maybe their church doesn't use them but they listen to music and have never asked themselves what it is?!?

How does this happen? How do people restrict their knowledge so much?

This is but one anecdote and it's saddening, maddening when it comes to basic science or politics or many of the arts that many people don't have any curiosity about.

Lugubrious

 Everybody knows by Leonard Cohen resonates with me today as I struggle to make sense of everything and how we got here today. Again.

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows that the boat is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
Everybody talking to their pockets
Everybody wants a box of chocolates
And a long-stem rose
Everybody knows

Everybody knows that you love me baby
Everybody knows that you really do
Everybody knows that you've been faithful
Ah, give or take a night or two
Everybody knows you've been discreet
But there were so many people you just had to meet
Without your clothes
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

And everybody knows that it's now or never
Everybody knows that it's me or you
And everybody knows that you live forever
Ah, when you've done a line or two
Everybody knows the deal is rotten
Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton
For your ribbons and bows
And everybody knows

And everybody knows that the Plague is coming
Everybody knows that it's moving fast
Everybody knows that the naked man and woman
Are just a shining artifact of the past
Everybody knows the scene is dead
But there's gonna be a meter on your bed
That will disclose
What everybody knows

And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows, everybody knows
That's how it goes
Everybody knows

Everybody knows

In the physics community someone is proposing to make Pluto a planet again. Our history is being altered through AI and a future generation will not know any better. Everything seems a little pointless at the moment. Then I remind myself that knowledge is power and negativitydoes not last forever.

EVERYBODY KNOWS that as well.