So long, Bill

Tongue in cheek tribute to Bill Gates.

Wired:


David Letterman's blue screen spoof:


Engadget's Day In The Life:

Does faith have space in science fiction?

As a person of faith who's also an unabashed science fiction and fantasy fan, my interest was piqued by this recent article on God Is My Co-Pilot which looks at how scifi addresses religious issues.

Despite a recent trend toward secularism, God is still front and center in the ages old debate between science and religion. There is a popular misconception that a great divide exists between science and religion. In fact, science-fiction has always tackled religious themes — many times, quite overtly. While the trend recently has seemed to tip slightly in favor of the secular persuasion, God is making a strong comeback... [Battlestar] Galactica’s trip down the path certainly isn’t new in either the realm of science-fiction or television, but given the current climate and trends toward secularism, I find it refreshing. It does represent somewhat of a radical departure from recent, overt attempts of the popular media to avoid religious issues, let alone religious controversy.

While the article's main pro-religious example is the reimagined BSG series, it makes a major omission on the flip side. In the scifi genre, Star Trek is a classic example of an intentionally secular series, where most - if any - religious references and beliefs were "alien" in nature, and humanity or science usually prevailed over any higher power. This was largely due to Gene Roddenberry's own atheism, and remained consistent, with few variations on the theme, throughout the various spin-offs.

My own preference for faith in scifi is somewhat in between. I'm drawn to allegories - sans any heavy handed preaching - where spiritual elements are woven throughout the hero's (or heroes') journey of self discovery, often fraught with sacrifice, betrayal, love, war, doubt and eventually, belief. In a similar vein, writers such as Arthur C. Clarke, George Lucas and Eric Kripke have also cited Joseph Campbell's universal journey of the hero across multiple mythologies as key influences on their respective works. This is what attracts me to shows like Star Wars, Supernatural, BSG and to some extent, Stargate and Heroes; ancient mythology and more modern classics by CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Madeleine L'Engle, and Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, Piers Anthony's Adept and Stephen King's Gunslinger series.

If you're a Supernatural fan, read more here!.

2008 SyFy Genre Awards

Here they are, the 2008 SyFy Genre Awards nominees! You'll be able to vote for your favorites once a day between June 25, 2008 and July 25, 2008 at www.SyFyPortal.com. All clips are owned by the companies and people who created them, and we only claim ownership on what we made.

The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination

JK Rowling gave the Harvard Commencement address this year on failure, imagination and life long friendships. Wish we had her at our commencement years ago! My favourite parts below.

On this wonderful day when we are gathered together to celebrate your academic success, I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure.... Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential.... personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement.

And as you stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called ‘real life’, I want to extol the crucial importance of imagination.... Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation. In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.... Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise. And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are. They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages; they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally; they can refuse to know.

If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

And tomorrow, I hope that even if you remember not a single word of mine, you remember those of Seneca, another of those old Romans I met when I fled down the Classics corridor, in retreat from career ladders, in search of ancient wisdom: As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.

Recovering from Idol-atry

Goodness! What am I going to do on weeknights now that American Idol is over? The funny thing is, this was the first ever season of AI that I'd watched from start to end, as I thoroughly enjoyed the auditions, most of the final 12 and definitely both Davids.

I'm glad David Cook won as I felt he had the more mature presence and better overall package of musicianship, personality and intelligence (gotta love a guy who loves words!). His rock style was refreshingly innovative and contemporary, even if Archuleta had purer vocals. That said, no doubt both will go on to do very well.

Cook's unique arrangement of Lionel Richie's "Hello" got me hooked:


Here's a few moments I enjoyed in the finale (and that extended Love Guru promo was definitely NOT one of them).

The hillarious spoof of Gladys Knight and Her (New) Pips:


One Republic and Archuleta "Apologize":


Carly Smithson and Michael Johns, who both left way too early, duet on "The Letter" (Wayne Carson Thompson):


Cook reflects on "The World I Know" (Collective Soul):


Archuleta reminds us to "Imagine" (Beatles):


The final results and David Cook's first single as American Idol 2007 - "Time Of my Life" (Regie Hamm):

We are a city on a hill

This excerpt from John Winthrop's 1630 sermon "A Model of Christian Charity" was recently used during the inauguration of Harvard's 28th president, Drew Gilpin Faust. Based off a passage in the bible (Matthew 5:13-16), Winthrop suggests that God holds us accountable for our deeds, esp. when placed in positions of leadership.

For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken ... we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God.... We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a-going.

I find this view still valid today, no matter our "status" - government leader, corporate CEO, relief worker, labourer, doctor, teacher, military man, homemaker, parent, student.... Each of us is called to be a faithful steward of what we have (or have been given), and this includes being an informed and compassionate global citizen. Consider "to whom much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." (Luke 12:48).

Five reasons to watch P. Ramlee the Musical

5. Back by popular demand, it's only in Singapore till May 19 (tickets here) before moving to Kuala Lumpur from May 28 till June 15. The show sold out in both cities in its first season.

4. Experience a musical almost entirely in Malay, peppered with classic favourites like Getaran Jiwa and Jangan Tinggal Daku. No fear, for those language challenged, there are subtitles!

3. Support a local production to celebrate a local legend. I thought the female leads (especially Liza Hanim as Saloma, Atilia as Junaidah and Melissa Saila as Norizan) outshone Musly Ramlee who was debuting in place of Sean Ghazi from the original cast.

2. Go down memory lane from Penang to Singapore to KL in the 1940-70s, a time of independence, transformation and eventual separation for Singapore and Malaysia. Witness how this impacted the "people" through the eyes of P. Ramlee and his circle of loved ones, the Shaw brothers and Malay Film Production troupe.

1. Learn about a man who loved deeply and lived fully, as well as the context behind his art: He had three wives, was divorced twice, acted in 60 films (directing 37 of those), composed and performed over 250 original songs, and won multiple Asian Film Festival awards (best musical score, male actor, comedy film, most versatile talent) -- before his premature death at 45.

P. Ramlee's last song, Air Mata Di Kuala Lumpur (Tears in KL) is a poignant reflection of his life, sung here by his last wife, Saloma: