My fourth annual list of summer movies. 26 of them this year. Some blockbuster (Avengers, What to Expect, MIB3), some artsy (Intouchables, Invisible War, Robot & Frank). For previews and info on the popular ones, go to the Yahoo! Summer Movie Guide.
When you can't find it on Google
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Food, sights, and culture in Rome, Venice, and Athens
As I mentioned in my previous post, my friend Kurt and I took a vacation to Italy and Greece earlier this month. What follows is a budget-traveler’s recap of twelve days from Rome to Venice to Athens (I don’t think we ever spent more than $50 US on a meal for two – and Kurt doesn’t drink). Since neither of us had been to this part of the world before, we generally stayed on the beaten path and hit most of the typical sights in each city. The two of us combined took over 600 pictures; you can browse through about half of them online (mine, Kurt’s) for more vivid pictorial accounts of the trip.
Read more Food, sights, and culture in Rome, Venice, and Athens
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s testimony for space exploration (Senate hearing videos and documents)
Astrophysicist superstar Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson (Wikipedia bio), addressed the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on Wednesday; only three of the committee’s 25 members were present. Below is a copy of Dr. Tyson’s submitted testimony, slightly modified from his speech at the hearing; anyone care to transcribe the entire hearing? I’ve also embedded other videos and links relevant to the hearing since I haven’t been able to find everything in one place on other websites.
Takeaway quote:
At what cost? The spending portfolio of the United States currently allocates fifty times as much money to social programs and education than it does to NASA. The 2008 bank bailout of $750 billion was greater than all the money NASA had received in its half-century history; two years’ U.S. military spending exceeds it as well. Right now, NASA’s annual budget is half a penny on your tax dollar. For twice that—a penny on a dollar—we can transform the country from a sullen, dispirited nation, weary of economic struggle, to one where it has reclaimed its 20th century birthright to dream of tomorrow.
Day trip to see Robyn in Columbus
Part concert review, part travel log, this is the brief account of an excursion this past Sunday to the capital city of Ohio. Yes, this is the third blog entry this year that I’ve mentioned Robyn.
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light track ratings
The new Foo Fighters album came out on Tuesday. I practically passed out while listening to it for the first time on a stationary bike today. I had heard a couple of the first singles before, but I still haven’t read any reviews, so here’s my own quick Wasting Light first listen rating for each track.
My Oscar 2011 predictions
In a few hours, America’s favorite gawking event will begin, first with the red carpet at 7pm EST on ABC followed by the awards from 8:30-11:30. Here are my predictions. I’ll probably be Tweeting and on Facebook during the event.
