"Fractal Forest"

Each day this week, I am going to try posting a new piece of abstract art that I've created.

I'm starting a new gallery, with hi-res images that I'll continually add to.

Abstract Art

by Paul Micarelli 

 
This is the first image I'm uploading:

"Fractal Forest"

by Paul Micarelli

I'll also make prints & products featuring each design available in my Cafepress store.

The Monkey Buddha Bazaar:

Buy "Fractal Forest"

Forms in Nature

On io9, I saw this visually inspiring video that hints at the geometric patterns that underly our reality.

The study of these mathematical patterns, found in nature and in human creations, is called "Sacred Geometry". It includes properties such as the Golden Ratio, the Fibonacci spiral, and the Flower of Life pattern.

This video, however, subtly centers around the most fundamental of forms- the circle.

Vimeo:

Forms in Nature:

Understanding Our Universe

Gorilla in Space!

Ok, it's not a real gorilla...

Astronaut Scott Kelly decided to have some fun & wore a gorilla suit while chasing fellow astronaut Tim Peake on the International Space Station (ISS).

Gorilla on the ISS

When I first started this blog, I considered calling it "Space Ape" to play on the idea of humans as spacefaring simians.

Neon Baby Paul

Today is my birthday, and I want to simply express my gratitude for being able to experience the miracle of Life.

I no longer take my mortality for granted, & see each moment I have in this world as something to treasure.

Luckily, my parents took pictures as I was growing up, so I have a good number of memories & images from my childhood. I came across this photo of me at a few weeks old:

Most of my photos when I was a baby are pretty cute, but in this one I'm a butt-ugly little thing. Still, I'm glad to have it as a record of my life.

Here's a less troll-like pic of my baby years:

For my own amusement, I converted the colors in the first baby pic to neon.

 

Then, I figured I'd make an animated GIF out of it.
This is a tribute to my very existence.

Dimensional Shadows

I recently had one of my creations posted at the awesome blog about geometry, math, & fractals-Geometric-Aesthetic.tumblr.

It shows the fundamental Euclidean elements as shadows of higher dimensions.

 

“Shadows of Higher Dimensions”

• The 0-dimensional point is a shadow of a line...

• The 1-dimensional line is a shadow of a square...

• The 2-dimensional square is a shadow of a cube...

• The 3-dimensional sides of a cube are the shadow of an (unfolded) hypercube.

It's an image I've posted here before, along with my 3D rendering of Dalí's Crucifixion, and an animation of a 4D hypercube.

The Simpsons Reality Zoom

The Simpsons is one of my all-time favorite shows. I don't really watch TV anymore so I don't see it as much, but it's still a long-running classic.

This is an animated GIF of one of the best show openings- in which the camera continually zooms from The Simpsons couch, to the Earth, to the cosmos, then loops into the atomic realm, into DNA, to the cellular level, then out to Homer's head.

 It is a humorous illustration of the idea of a fractal reality, in which dimensions and universes are nested withing each other.

NYC Toy Fair 2016

Of course, I had to get a pic with this monkey character

wearing my favorite color, from the new game, EQ.

This past Saturday, I pulled myself away from the 2 year anniversary I was celebrating with my girlfriend to go to New York City. It was the weekend for the annual Toy Fair, held at the Javitz Center.

I've been attending for most of my professional career, since the studio I work for has done a lot of work for clients in the toy & game industry. I always enjoy going to see the many fun products on display.

This year, I was looking for companies to produce some game ideas, including a new publisher for the award-winning strategy game I created, "Da Vinci's Challenge". I made enough contacts & opened enough possible doors to feel like it was a worthwhile trip.

Here are the photos I took of the trip:

Picasa Photo Album:

"NYC Toy Fair 2016"

Monkey Mech

On Rude Mechanicals, I saw this funny (but awesome) custom figure of a monkey controlling a robotic mech & had to share it.

I think this can also be a metaphor for humans, as simians that have learned to build & use technology to augment our physical abilities.

"Dreams of Dalí" Virtual Reality

I saw this awe-inspiring video on Neatorama. I've been a life-long interest in art, and Dalí is one of my favorite artists. I had the pleasure of seeing an exhibit of his work many years ago at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

This video, "Dreams of Dalí: A Virtual Reality Experience" shows the tremendous potential of virtual reality and digital art to experience new worlds & alternate modes of consciousness. It is a virtual tour 'inside' the Dalí painting "Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s Angelus".

The fidelity of graphics and the ability to perceive in 3D are allowing for the creation of dreamlike, impossible experiences- perfect for a new way of enjoying the art of Dalí.

Super Bowl Sacred Geometry

 

Although I've always been pretty athletic & love playing sports, I'm not a big fan of watching football, or sports in general. However, this past weekend I went to my brother's house since he was having a Super Bowl 50 party.

I was surprised to see in the halftime show, during Coldplay's performance, the use of The Flower of Life symbol- in their stage design, drum kit, & outfits.

The Flower of Life is a symbol of interlocking circles is the basis for a strategy game, based on the philosophy of sacred geometry, that I designed & have had published: "Da Vinci's Challenge".

The Flower of Life is an ancient symbol that represents unity, vibrational energy, and inter-connectivity. It has been used in art & architecture since the beginning of known history.

Because of the NFL's ridiculous copyright protections, the only decent video I could find of the performance so far is here:

SPIN.com

Here’s Coldplay’s Entire 

Super Bowl Halftime Show

Below, I've posted some screenshots showing the stage with the Flower of Life symbol, and it's use on their bass drum & clothing.

The Flower of Life graphic morphed into a swirling galactic vortex, then a solar burst.

I don't believe there was anything nefarious or Illuminati-related with the use of this symbolism. I actually think the artists recognize the pattern as a symbol of consciousness & cosmic creation.

Future of Food: Cultured Meat

I've started a series exploring the possibilities facing one of the most necessary aspects of our survival as individuals & as a species. How are we going to product nutrition for coming generations?

The Monkey Buddha Archives:

Future of Food

One of the most important developments in food technology is one that I haven't posted about yet, but think about a lot. This is the technique of producing muscle cells & tissue without a living animal, known as cultured or lab-grown meat.

This is an approach that has the potential to solve a number of our current ethical, environmental, and logistical problems with eating the meat from the flesh of a living creature. It could be more efficient, more sanitary, and environmentally-friendly than current methods of raising animals for meat. Of the utmost ethical & spiritual importance is the fact that the process does not inflict suffering on a sentient creature.

"When a man has pity 

on all living creatures, 

only then is he noble" 

- Buddha

Despite my personal recognition of the moral concerns with the consumption of meat, I still love it and don't plan to give it up. I eat fish & chicken regularly, enjoy beef, and even have ground bear meat in my freezer from a hunt my brother-in-law went on, that I'm going to use to make chili. However, if there were were more widespread availability of in vitro meat, I would definitely prefer that option.

Although it is currently prohibitively expensive for large-scale production of lab meat ($18,000 per pound!), this cost will drop sharply as the industry advances & expands.

The last major announcement in this area was the announcement of the first lab-made burger in 2013.

Gizmodo:

The Future Will Be Full of Lab Grown Meat

Here are a couple articles I've seen recently on the topic. They were spurred by the announcement of the first lab-cultured meatball, by startup company Memphis Meats.

Huffington Post:

'World's First' Lab-Grown Meatball 

Looks Pretty Damn Tasty

 

IFLScience.com:

Lab-Grown Meat Will Be On The Market Within Five Years, 

Says Biotech StartUp

I like this quote by one of the founders that expresses the desire for progress that accompanies any invention, especially one with potentially world-changing consequences:

“We plan to do to the meat industry 

what the car did to the horse and buggy.

Cultured meat will completely replace the status quo 

and make raising animals to eat them simply unthinkable.”

-Uma Valeti, CEO of Memphis Meats

Year of the Monkey

I came across this cool limited edition print of smokey monkeys, by artist James Jean.

"Year of the Monkey"

by James Jean

I love the style & mystical feeling of this image.
The print sold out so it's not available to buy, but at least it's viewable online.

Spider vs.Grub

I love being outdoors & observing nature and take alot of photos of animals in the natural world.

Nature Photography

by Paul Micarelli

My brother has uploaded a couple videos he took, showing inter-species conflicts in the animal kingdom. The first one showed a wasp & a hummingbird fighting over the contents of a backyard feeder.

This past week he posted a new video showing a brown spider attacking & subduing a grub. Don't ask me what inspired him to put the crazy music behind the video...

The Force Awakens & The Future of Star Wars

 Image Source

Recently I went to my second viewing of "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens". This time I watched it in 3D, & I enjoyed it with more of an eye toward the details that I missed opening weekend.

Being a life-long Star Wars fan, I read forums and articles discussing the movies. There is a lot of speculation about the next two episodes in the series, concerning the story & all the different characters. That's the greatest thing about this story, or any powerful work of fiction- it can spur the imaginations of the masses.

Obviously, a lot of people are talking about the past and the future of Rey, the Force-sensitive protagonist of the new movies. Many (including me) think that Rey is related to Anakin & Luke somehow, since the movie saga has been focused on the Skywalker family. However, some have tried to argue that Rey could be just a youngling in Luke's new Jedi academy with a predisposition to The Force. I think there are too many signs pointing to her being part of the Skywalker bloodline. By the way,

I loved this take from a commenter on a Cinema Blend article about "The Force Awakens" ending:

Yes. I fully expect the 7-9 trilogy to be about finally uniting both sides of the Force.
My thoughts on the entire story so far:

• Eps. 1-3: The attempt of the Jedi to deny all elements of the dark side lead to their eventual destruction. 

• Eps. 4-6: The attempt by the Sith to eliminate the light side leads to their destruction. Interestingly, both Vader and Luke use both sides of the Force to different degrees to (probably?) destroy Palpatine.

• Eps. 7-9: As mentioned before, I think we'll see a final uniting of both sides of the Force.

I always find it interesting that the light side and dark side of the Force are interpreted as representing good and evil. The great realization that both sides can be used for good and both sides can be used for evil will be the ultimate fulfillment of the prophesy.

This would be in line with the resolution to the Matrix movies- in which Neo did not end up destroying the machines... but merging with them.

Unifying duality, not engaging in conflict, is the solution to the question of existence.

So, it will be interesting to know if Luke's experiences lead him to the conclusion that a higher conception of the Force is one beyond the concepts of Light & Dark.

Rey could be a catalyst for this merging of The Force. She has passion & emotional vitality, but is also able to connect to the stillness that allows the Force to flow through her. Perhaps she will be able to utilize the full spectrum of The Force's power, as opposed to a Jedi or a Dark Side user who only facilitates one particular aspect.

I think The Force Awakens movie poster hinted at the fact that Rey will be influenced or tempted by the Dark Side, with Kylo Ren's red blade directly aligned with her staff. Like Luke who was also directly confronted with evil, this will give her intimate insight into the darker aspect of The Force. Ultimately, though, Rey's soul is good at the core and will not be easily corrupted, similar to Luke's resistance to Vader & The Emperor. She will use even this knowledge out of compassion & a sense of right.

If they show it in depth, the contrast between Snoke's training of Kylo & Luke's training of Rey will be very interesting. I'm sure it will present two very different perspectives on both The Force and events in the Star Wars galaxy. I am looking forward to finding out more of the background of Luke & Snoke, as well as the origins of Rey, in the next movie.
  
"The Force Awakens" was a jumpoff point for this new series, and I'm hoping that the next episode goes deep & philosophical like Yoda's teachings in "The Empire Strikes Back". Those are the mystical elements of Star Wars that have always spoke to me. So far, it looks like this sense of mysticism & spiritual philosophy will remain as an integral element to the stories.

There are many movie & media spinoffs planned, but I hope that the central theme of the main movies remains an individual's connection to The Force.

On a related note, here is an article that points to the extraordinary abilites that we humans have in our reality. The potential of the mind is vast & limitless, and we may very well be capable of "Jedi-like" powers.

Waking Times:

Scientific Proof Of Jedi Powers 

and How To Develop Them

All Lab Chimps in U.S. Set Free

Since my last post was about a bizarro world where chimps evolved from humans, I thought I'd share this positive news about our fellow simians.

I've also posted before about laboratory chimps being set free & the moving way they react to their newly-acquired freedom.

The Monkey Buddha Archives:

Lab Chimps Released

Recently, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it will be retiring the last of it's lab chimps used for scientific research. They will be retired to an animal sanctuary to live a more enjoyable life.

Gawker:

All U.S. Lab Chimps Are Finally Going To Paradise: 

A Retirement Home in the South Somewhere

It is a small dent in the cruelty and horror humanity inflicts on animals continuously around the world, but it is at least a step in recognizing the intelligent minds and conscious perceptions of these beings.

How would you feel if you were put in a cage & experimented on? That is exactly how a chimp, monkey, or any other sentient creature feels. An animal is just not thinking about it's misery in the form of language. The pleasure expressed when the animals are free is undeniable.

Reverse Evolution

I saw this funny image on the Tumblr blog Inner Cosmos, showing an alternate reality in which apes have evolved from humans.

This bizarre fact is being taught to a class of intelligent monkeys, using a chart showing the reversed evolution of hominids.

The writing on the board also shows that math is universal, since arithmetic was apparently independently derived by these smart apes.

Physics of Life

I try to inform myself in all areas so that I have a general knowledge of many things. There is an infinite amount of information to be gained, & I want to know as much of it as I can absorb.

Scientific topics are a favorite of mine, because I feel like scientific investigation can help us understand reality. The more I learn about knowledge & discoveries from different scientific fields, the more I feel like I am looking into a never-ending fractal dimension of information.

Biology and quantum theory are two areas that I have been focusing on lately, listening to many lectures about the realm where these intersect. My mind absolutely boggles when I think of the activity happening of cellular & molecular level, throughout all living things. It's crazy to think of proteins and cells interacting, moving, & sending signals to each other at a nonstop pace!

The macrocosm mirrors the microcosm, and vice-versa. This fascinating article explained how the mass behavior of animals is giving researchers a hint into how matter becomes self-organizing into living systems. It's something that is ultimately truly mysterious, but by trying to figure it out, we can better understand ourselves & our world.

Nature:

The Physics of Life

Mindfulness Practice

I have learned about & tried different types of meditation. I find these practices to be helpful in cultivating an interesting & meaningful experience in this life.

A Guide to Meditation for the Rest of Us

Mindfulness meditation is an approach to everyday life, in which direct attention is maintained by the observer consciousness.

As the Zen saying goes:
"When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. But above all don't wobble!” - Lin Chi.

Here is an article on the specific meditation technique of mindfulness practice.

How Does a Mindful Practice Do Anything?

Terence Mckenna Quotes

 Terence McKenna was a thinker, writer, public speaker was interested in such topics such as- altered states of consciousness, culture, and technology. He was, in my opinion, one of humanity's greatest minds.

The monkey Buddha Archives:

Terence McKenna

I would recommend any one of his talks that can be found online. I've listened to dozens & dozens of hours of his recordings & I never get tired of his loquacious episodes into the nature of the mind & reality.

This is a extensive list of some of Terence McKenna's very quotable thoughts that I came across recently. 

Awaken:

73 Mindblowing Terence McKenna Quotes

Here are a few of my favorites:

“You are a divine being. You matter, you count. You come from realms of unimaginable power and light, and you will return to those realms.”
– Terence McKenna

“The artist’s task is to save the soul of mankind; and anything less is a dithering while Rome burns.  If artists cannot find the way, then the way cannot be found.”
-Terence McKenna

 “We are caged by our cultural programming. Culture is a mass hallucination, and when you step outside the mass hallucination you see it for what it’s worth.”
– Terence McKenna

“Half the time you think your thinking you’re actually listening.”
– Terence McKenna

“We have been to the moon, we have charted the depths of the ocean and the heart of the atom, but we have a fear of looking inward to ourselves- because we sense that is where all the contradictions flow together.”
― Terence McKenna

NASA's RoboSimian

It's a new year, and I thought I'd post about the future- specifically futuristic monkey-like robots.

I've had this article filed away, that talks about a robot designed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab.

 Gizmodo:

Robosimian: NASA’s New Monkey Robot 

Designed for Search & Rescue

The RoboSimian can shift between a wheeled configuration and a mode using four appendages that resemble a cross between monkey limbs and a tentacled creature like an octopus.

Here is a video of it in action. It is a pretty ingenious and interesting design:

Although many of the DARPA robots were humanoid & bipidal. However, there's no reason robots need to look like humans, or any other known creature.

Tibetan Sky Burial

Today is the time where we celebrate yet another completion of the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

The New Year celebration is recognized around the world & symbolizes the continual process of renewal. Along with that renewal of all things on an ever-occurring basis, there is also decay & dissolution. These are simply subjective distinctions for the eternal process of change in all forms.

Destruction & Creation are inherent in all phenomena. The Universe is in a continual state of oscillation- in which things arise, change, and dissolve.

So, as we look forward to a New Year & new beginnings, we should also be mindful of the impermanence of all things. It is inevitable that all things we can currently experience will eventually be no more.

These are Buddhist notions of non-attachment, used to free the spirit from suffering in this human realm. It is a difficult & almost impossible practice for emotional beings such as humans.

For both practical & spiritual purposes, Tibetans who live in the Himalayas practice "sky burials" for their dead. The bodies are chopped up and allowed to be consumed by the vultures & other living creatures that are nourished by it. Part of the reason for this is because the ground is rocky & hard, so burial in the dirt isn't possible. In the spiritual sense, Buddhists believe that the dead body is an empty vessel, so there is no reason to give it any preservation.

I saw this article recently, that made me think about this ritual in the context of the passing of the current year and the unstoppable flow of time.

Daily Mail:

The Tibetan 'Sky Burials'

Robot Buddha

I saw this interesting clip from the movie "Doomsday Book". The story is referred to in the film as 'Heavenly Creature'. In the movie, an A.I. is depicted that is recognized as an enlightened being- a 'robot buddha'.

It raises ponderous questions about the nature of mind. How we would be able to know if an artificial intelligence or even a non-human intelligence were able to experience consciousness? Would an A.I. be able to attain "enlightenment" and provide spiritual insight to people?

Robot Buddha

"Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens" Review

This past Sunday, I had a special outing with my entire immediate family, our significant others & kids, and my parents, to see "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens". My sister-in-law ordered us a block of tickets to see the movie in reclining chairs. We all loved the movie & really enjoyed it.

In this review, I'll give my brief opinion without any spoilers, and with some spoilers afterwards.

• First, here's my spoiler-free review:

It was awesome & had the best of everything that someone can appreciate about the richly detailed fictional Star Wars universe. So, if you haven't seen it, stop reading this & go see it- NOW!!!

• Ok, now there may be **SPOILERS** from here on:

First of all, I was born around the release of the first Star Wars, now known as "Episode IV: A New Hope". That singular movie has expanded into a much larger story that has captured the cultural imagination for decades. The Star Wars saga has always entertained & deeply inspired me. I loved the original trilogy as a kid, & even as an adult I'm continually amazed by the creative forces that could form such epic artistic creations. Most importantly, the spiritual elements communicated in the movie are unlike anything that someone in the Western world otherwise encounters through pop culture.

"The Force Awakens" successfully carries on this tradition of entertaining storytelling, coupled with deep insight into the nature of the human soul and it's relation to the world. It is a movie with everything good about the Star Wars movies, and very little of the negative.

First of all, the cast is solid in this movie. To me, the most important thing for this movie has been the inclusion of the characters from the original trilogy. The fact that Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and the droids appear in the movie give a true sense of continuity to the overall story.

Although we don't get to see much of the legendary Jedi master Luke Skywalker in this episode, his appearance is powerful enough to satisfy me for now, until his larger role in the next movie. In the beginning of the movie, both the heroes & the villains in this film are searching for Luke, who has gone missing after a tragedy surrounding his attempts to establish a new Jedi order. They are all trying to connect pieces of star map that will lead to an ancient Jedi temple where Luke is believed to have exiled himself.

As great as it was to see the existing characters again, the new characters really shined in this movie. FN-2187, who is later called Finn, is a stormtrooper who does not fit into the mindless mode of death and terror that his training requires. The transformation of the faceless soldier into a friendly, personable hero was an interesting and effective transition. His authentic demeanor & sense of humor made him an extremely likable character, who thankfully survived to see future adventures. The rolling droid BB-8 is a fun & personable robotic character who is just as expressive as the older R2-D2, who is in power-down mode until there is a sign that the galaxy is ready to find his master.

Kylo Ren is the masked Dark Side villain, who is one of the leaders of the First Order. After the rise of the new Republic, this powerful organization has continued the pursuit for galactic military domination, begun by Palpatine's Empire. Kylo has a rank outside the normal military chain of command, similar to Darth Vader's unique position of authority in the Imperial Fleet. Kylo is portrayed as a deeply conflicted and emotionally unstable maniac, with an uncontrollable temper that leads to some frightening & disturbing confrontations. Early in the movie, it is revealed that Kylo Ren is actually Ben Solo, the Force-sensitive son of Han & Leia. This means his grandfather was Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader. On his ship, Kylo tries to commune with the spirit of his ancestral Sith Lord through Vader's iconic helmet, which is now just a charred relic. Although he apparently trained under Luke Skywalker with a new Jedi order, Ben was turned to the Dark Side & into Kylo Ren by a enigmatic figure called Supreme Leader Snoke.

Snoke is the seemingly disfigured Dark Side master, who is pulling the strings behind the scenes. His appearance was one of the surprising visual aspects of the story. He is shown as a seated 25ft tall giant, a towering figure looming over Kylo Ren & General Hux, the military leader of the First Order forces. His voice echoes throughout the dark, cavernous chamber in which he communicates with his minions. However, it is revealed that this enormous image is just a holographic projection. The Emperor appeared holographically in the same larger-than-life way to Darth Vader in "The Empire Strikes Back". Therefore, it seems reasonable to think that the huge projection of Snoke is not his actual size. In fact, I'd guess he appears physically small and frail in person. However, that does not mean that he does not have tremendous power from The Dark Side. After all, "Size matters not," as a diminutive (yet powerful) character once said.

All of these characters were compelling and in their own right. The dynamics of their stories set up an arc with tremendous potential for an interesting narrative covering the next 2 movies.

The main protagonist of this new series, who is pivotal to the story and experiences drastic changes over the course of the film, is a girl named Rey. Abandoned at a young age on the desert planet of Jakku, Rey is a lonely and struggling scavenger. She visits the wrecks of Imperial & Rebel Alliance ships that were scattered throughout the sands after a battle that happened on Jakku decades ago. She is forced to survive by trading in mechanical parts she finds in the ruins for small rations of food. Rey literally comes from nothing, but by the end of the movie she has the potential to be one of the greatest Force users in the Star Wars galaxy.

Throughout the events of the movie, Rey unlocks latent powers that allow her to survive impossible circumstances and directly challenge the dark power of Kylo Ren. During the course of her adventures with Finn, BB-8, Han Solo, & Chewy, she comes into contact with the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker from his time as a Jedi. After he turned into Darth Vader and was defeated by his master Obi-Wan Kenobi, this weapon was held by Obi-wan. He watched over Anakin's son, Luke until he was old enough to receive his father's weapon. Luke used this lightsaber until it was lost at Cloud City, when his hand was sliced off by Darth Vader before revealing their true connection.

Somehow this lightsaber ended up in the hands of Maz Kanata, a millennium-old alien who lives in a palace that's a bar & a hangout for space pirates. Maz is visited by the group of heroes traveling aboard the Millennium Falcon. Rey is eventually attracted to a basement area, which holds the Skywalker lightsaber in a small chest. Contact with this lightsaber triggers a hallucinatory vision in Rey. The sequence went by so fast & had so much going on, that it was hard to perceive everything that was happening. It seemed to be a flashback showing the history of the users' experiences while in possession of the lightsaber, mixed in with Rey's own buried memories. I'm sure these visions will be expanded upon in the story to come. Like many heroes, she first refuses the call of her journey when she refuses to take the lightsaber from Maz.

After this initial trigger from finding the lightsaber, Rey's Force powers begin to grow quickly. When she was captured by Kylo Ren and interrogated, Rey not only resists his mind probe to find the rest of the Skywalker map, but she actually begins to mentally fight back & pull information from Kylo's thoughts instead. She taunts him with what she had sensed in his mind- that he is plagued by doubts about whether he will be able to become as powerful as his icon, Darth Vader.

Although Finn goes into combat with the lightsaber against an injured Kylo Ren to defend Rey, he is quickly taken out. After being incapacitated during this battle, she eventually emerges to take possession of the lightsaber to fight Kylo. Drawing on her natural abilities & what little she has been taught about the nature of The Force at this point, Rey puts up a considerable fight with the unmasked Kylo. She becomes mentally still & focused in the face of a raging Kylo Ren, drawing on The Force to overcome her antagonist as he attempted to lure her onto his side. It was a great contrast in the different aspects of The Force, as well as their relative power & effectiveness. They are separated by their surrounding environment crumbling around them before a clear victor can be determined, ensuring a future confrontation.

Although Kylo Ren was badly injured, Rey's ability to harness The Force, wield the lightsaber, and hold her own against a more experience opponent is an indication of the potential she possesses. After her ordeal with Kylo, she finally is able to track down Luke Skywalker on an isolated island in a remote star system, where she presented him with the weapon of his father in a powerful, silent ending to an amazing movie.

Considering that the entire Star Wars saga has been the story of the Skywalker family, it's hard for me to think that Rey is not Luke's daughter. My brother said he saw what looked like a gravestone at Luke's dwelling. Perhaps Luke fell in love, but ended up losing the mother of his child. This combined with his failure at reviving the Jedi was enough to make him regretfully withdraw to his current location. Even though Kylo/Ben is the only definite descendant of Anakin Skywalker we know of, I can't see him becoming the focus of the hero's journey that defines the Star Wars stories. This leads me to believe that Rey will be the new Jedi, who perhaps brings further balance to The Force. As many people have noticed, her use of a long staff in fighting aggressors on Jakku could eventually lead to a fighting style that uses a double-bladed lightsaber, similar to Darth Maul's, which would be pretty awesome.

Obviously, I enjoyed the characters, old & new, in "The Force Awakens". I have read many criticisms about the plot of the movie being a rehash of "Episode IV: A New Hope". I'm not going to repeat all the similarities, and although I see many familiar aspects of the original, this movie was so good that it doesn't really bother me. Instead of a Death Star, the First Order builds Starkilller Base, an entire planet that is weaponized by somehow drawing energy from a star to blast away planetary systems. This is completely unimaginable technology, but, hey, this is science fiction.

I went into the movie trying to avoid as many spoilers as possible. I tried not to get my expectations too high, but "The Force Awakens" exceeded them in every way! I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through, with no cringe-worthy moments- such as Jar-Jar's character or Darth Vader's "NOooooooo!!!" at the end of "Revenge of the Sith". Usually I pick movies apart, even ones like Star Wars, of which I am a fan. However, this movie brought back all the best things that the Star Wars series had to offer. My family spent hours discussing it afterward, and everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

This is the movie every Star Wars fan has wished for, and was an incredible lead-in to the new trilogy. The Star Wars story is a mythology for the modern age, and I am deeply inspired to be able to continue experiencing such a wonderful work of storytelling and visual creativity.

The Official Monkey Buddha Rating: 9+ out of 10!

"The Force Awakens" Trailer- Final Thoughts

Like so many people, I am anxiously anticipating seeing "Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens" this weekend.

My sister-in-law reserved a block of tickets for my immediate family for Sunday, so I'm trying to remain spoiler-free until then. Until now, I have been absorbing all the trailers & information I could find. Now I'm going to patiently wait, until I see the latest movie in a legendary series that has inspired me since I was a young child..

The people who have seen the movie already have given it overwhelmingly positive reviews, which is confirming my high hopes. Just from the trailers & footage I've seen, I knew it looked like a faithful continuation of the Star Wars legacy.

I previously posted my impressions of the official trailer, which was masterfully done & succeeded in driving the hype train full-steam ahead!

The Monkey Buddha Archives:

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Trailer

After I wrote that post, I thought of some other things that I wanted to say about it. While I'm waiting to see the movie, I figured I'd share some additional observations.

The one thing I love about the entire Star Wars saga is how it speaks to the human desire for expansion, of both the self & of all life. Specifically, the movies speak to the human (& alien) desire for traveling into outer space and among the stars.

This sentiment is captured in the trailer when Rey looks up to see the spaceship flying upwards through the atmosphere of her home planet Jakku. You can see the look in her eyes that reflects the longing to travel outside your own boundaries and experience all the Universe has to offer.

The other thought I had was about the relationship of man & machine, which is a constant theme throughout the movies. The scene that brought this to my mind was the brief glimpse of a hooded figure, reaching out to touch R2-D2 with a robotic hand. I'm assuming the person is Luke Skywalker, who no longer wears a glove to cover the replacement for the hand that was sliced off by his father, Darth Vader. It look like they are in a fire-lit cave or a secluded rocky area. One thing I have heard is that Luke has been missing for awhile, so maybe this is him reuniting with his friendly droid.

This brings up the interesting dynamic of humans & robots being friends, and truly trusting each other. I've always said that the droids, C-3PO & R2-D2, are really the central characters, who remain throughout the generations of human lives in the story. In fact, R2-D2 could be the biggest hero of the series, who saved his biological companions in many, many seemingly impossible situations. 

Because it's memory has not been wiped, R2 is an artificial intelligence that could be said to have developed a personality, and perhaps even a conscious mind. This raises several questions- How does The Force affect or influence electronic beings? Can the power of The Force be utilized or experienced by a droid? Perhaps these are questions that will be answered in the coming stories.

Finally, the image of Luke's cybernetic hand led me to think about the use of technological prosthesis or augmentations to the physical body. In the original trilogy, Luke was aware that having this robotic part represented the possibility that he could eventually become "more machine than man" like his father, if he lost his sense of humanity. 

However, a life form can obviously have mechanical additions without becoming evil or soulless.  The question becomes, how much can a living being be replace by technology & still be a conscious individual? Darth Vader was still a human, but disfigured & encased within a suit that double as life-support. General Grevious was mostly machine, except for his central nervous system & viscera.  Perhaps as long as you have a biological nervous system & brain, you can be considered to be a living person. Then, how does droid intelligence and personality factor into the idea of something being "alive"?

This is why I love Star Wars, it makes us confront deep questions about ourselves, life, the world, and our place within it. I look forward to seeing "The Force Awakens" with an excitement that no other cultural phenomenon can match. It is a story that has inspired me & countless others for our whole lives, and ignites the imagination of every person who truly engages it. It is truly the mythology of our age.

How to Build a Lightsaber

With my tickets to the opening weekend of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" already secured, I figure it's only appropriate to share some Star Wars posts while waiting anxiously to see the movie.

One of the most iconic aspects of the Star Wars saga is the preferred weapon of the Jedi & the Sith- the lightsaber. The beauty of science fiction is that the elements of the story don't necessarily have to be based in current scientific understanding.

Although we don't have the technology to develop a working lightsaber, that hasn't stopped people from imagining ways to bring this legendary melee weapon to life. Here's a post I made in 2010 about building this deadly energy blade:

The Monkey Buddha Archives:

Building a Lightsaber

I recently saw this article which discusses some of the problems & possible solutions involved with creating a working lightsaber.

The Conversation:

How to Build a Real Lightsaber

Here's a video from the excellent series FW: Thinking that also explores the possibility of building a lightsaber. The lightsabers in the movies are plasma weapons, however, not lasers.

Since I'm talking about lightsaber construction, I have to include my own crude schematics that I drew as a high school student, back in 1996. I knew just enough about physics to let my mind go wild thinking about how to solve this perennial problem in sci-fi tech.

In reality, I didn't know what the hell I was doing, but it was fun to think about...

The Monkey Buddha Bazaar

I don't usually run ads, ask for donations, or try to earn money through this blog. This is something I do for my own enjoyment & creative release.

However, I do have a Cafepress store, with products featuring many of my own designs, photography, and abstract art. I appreciate anyone who purchases items from my shop, any time of year:

Cafepress Shops:

The Monkey Buddha Bazaar

Some of the designs have been featured in previous posts on The Monkey Buddha blog:

The Letter Clock™

Celtic Ireland Flag

Green Earth

Know Thyself

Under the Big Green Leaf

Meta Morphosis

Nebulous Nightmares

This is a truly frightening image, of imposing beings that are able to grasp a planet in their fingertips.

The idea of a threat on a cosmic level is something that humans are completely unable to face. We tend, collectively, not to consider our narrowly-occupied place in the endless size & scale of the Universe.

"Nebulous Nightmares" 

by Matthew Attard

Hilarious Knock-off Toys

I've posted many times about horrible graphics & poor product design. Absurd items with crappy artwork always amuse me.

Recently I saw this gallery which had a nice collection of truly awful & funny items:

Imgur

43 Hilarious Chinese Knock-off Toys

There are a couple that I've posted about before.

 

 Specialman

  

"Sense of Right Alliance" Action Figures   

Here some other ridiculous items I've shared here:

 God*Jesus Robot

 Galaxy Cop

 Adventure Man