Well, that day finally came! It made this Star Wars fan’s heart proud to sit down with his two daughters and see those blue letters on the screen, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”

There are, of course, different schools of thought in regards to when and how you should introduce your children to the Star Wars universe. Here’s a Public Service Announcement about talking to your children about Star Wars (sent to me by my brother).

Regardless of when you choose to introduce your children to Star Wars, sooner or later you’re going to have to deal with the “other Star Wars.” You know, the one with Jar Jar Binks.

A week or two after watching the original trilogy with the girls, we sat down and watched Episode 1: The Phantom Menace because they had been asking about it. When it was over, I was almost afraid to ask what they thought. What if they liked it better than the original Star Wars? What if they *gulp* actually liked Jar Jar Binks?

My fears turned out to be unfounded. Both of them agreed that they liked the original Star Wars better. Emily said, “I liked the other guys better…Luke Skywalker…Dark Vader (as she calls him)…the shiny guy (C3P0)…princess Leia. I liked her hair.” It brought a tear to my eye.

Have you had the “Star Wars talk” with your kids yet? How old were they when you introduced them to Star Wars?

If for some reason you haven’t seen the movie yet then I should point out what should be obvious by now: SPOILER ALERTS BELOW.

So for everyone who has seen the movie (or for those of you who haven’t but are just nosey and want to keep reading anyway), were you as sucked into that story as I was? I didn’t know whether to stand up and clap at the end or throw my popcorn at the movie screen. Instead I just said, “Whoa” and then realized how much I sounded like Neo from the Matrix.

Of course, a movie as complex and popular as Inception simply begged for designers to jump in with stylish info-graphics analyzing the many intricate levels of the movie. Here’s a few of the more popular ones I’ve seen floating around the Internet.

There, everything make sense now?

Probably my favorite explanation of the movie was this hilarious video from CollegeHumor:

“Sorry, my bad. Sometimes my thoughts of my dead wife manifest themselves as trains.”
“So everyone has weird neurosis but for some reason yours can disrupt other peoples dreams?”
“Just this once…maybe another time.”

lol…ahh, what is it about our strange fascination with being confused?

So, here’s the million dollar question…

CHUCK

Thanks to Hulu, I don’t watch most TV shows on the night they actually air. So we just got around to watching Monday’s episode of Chuck. I’m sure the show’s writers took pleasure in further torturing Chuck+Sarah fans by pairing them both up with someone else (I laughed at this LA Times post: “New Chuck Romances Destroy Television, Life Itself“). For those of you looking for resolve, you’re gonna have to wait three weeks because of something called the Winter Olympics…go figure.

LOST

Ok, this show just keeps getting more and more confusing. Locke is the smoke monster? Sayid has an evil darkness growing inside of him? And that same darkness once grew inside of Jack’s sister? And, oh yeah, Jack’s sister is Claire in case you forgot (who also returns in this episode looking like someone from a Pantene shampoo commercial). I’m not holding out high hopes for the conclusion of this show but I’m already along for the ride.

MY NEW CAMERA

My new D90 arrived in the mail on Tuesday and I have been taking pictures of everything while I learn how to use it, and I do mean everything. Even with just a few hours and some basic knowledge it’s amazing the kind of pictures I’ve been able to capture. Here’s a few: Emily’s “Don’t Mess With Me” pose, Sisters, Flashdance, Chloe, Emily, “Peace Out”

KENYA TRIP

I can’t believe this trip is just a little over two weeks away already! I’ve been getting everything in order with my Visa application and stuff. I even downloaded a Swahili language app so I can learn some basic phrases before I go so now I know that “Sielewi” means “I don’t understand” (I’ll probably be saying that a lot).

LISA’S BIRTHDAY

Last but certainly not least…today is Lisa’s birthday!! I’m taking her out for a birthday lunch (don’t tell her…it’s a surprise) and then later tonight I’ll be telling her about my special surprise gift! I can’t tell you what it is but I’m sure you’ll be hearing about it on the blog in the coming months. Muha ha ha ha!!

As my favorite pig used to say, Ba de ba de ba de, that’s all folks! (can anyone actually remember Bugs Bunny Porky Pig* saying that on cartoons growing up?) *Thanks to Curtis for catching the mix-up…I guess it’s been long since I’ve seen Loony Toons!

In the movie, news anchor Howard Beale (played by Finch) delivered a speech railing against the media machine he was a part of.

We’ll tell you any sh*t you want to hear. We deal in illusions, man! None of it is true! But you people sit there day after day, night after night, all ages, colors, creeds. We’re all you know.

You’re beginning to believe the illusions we’re spinning here. You’re beginning to think that the tube is reality and that your own lives are unreal.

You do whatever the tube tells you.
You dress like the tube.
You eat like the tube.
You raise your children like the tube.
You even think like the tube.

This is mass madness — you maniacs! In God’s name you people are the real thing, WE are the illusion.

Here’s the full video of the speech from the movie (note: scattered profanities throughout the clip). Even though this movie was made over 30 years ago it holds frightening relevance to our media-saturated culture today.

Speech from the Movie “Network”

Pretty heavy stuff, isn’t it? While this film was made before the advent of the Internet you could just as easily replace the word “tube” with “the Internet” for an equally challenging rebuke.

What do you think…Has the Internet, blogging and social media made things better? Or are we in even more danger of losing our ability to think for ourselves?

** quick check….nope, it’s not on there. Whew!**

As I was sitting here drinking my coffee it finally clicked. It was from this amazing cover of the song by one of the best air-bands of all time – The Cool Cats from Season 5 of Scrubs:

I smile to myself every time I watch that. Notice how Ted even steps on the pedal of his guitar 50 seconds in.

But don’t be misled, air bands are not just for fun and laughs. Every year thousands compete in the United States Air Guitar Championships (completely true…like I could make this stuff up). This competition has highlighted the talents of superstars like David “C-Diddy” Jung, Fatima “Rockness Monster” Hoang, Randall “Big Rig” Layman and Craig “Hot Lixx Hulahan” Billmeier.

Again, I assure you, I’m not making this stuff up.

So I’m thinking we need to form a bloggers air band.

What should we call ourselves?
What instrument would you play if you auditioned?
What would our hit song be?

We have an IMAX theater near us so I thought I would give the movie a fair shot and see it on the big screen. You’re immediately dropped into a story-line that doesn’t waste time on lots of back-story. The movie progresses and you’re slowly reeled in but it doesn’t really take off until your first glimpse of the Pandoran luminescent landscape at night. I leaned over to the people I was seeing the movie with and whispered, “I want to visit that planet!” It was simply breathtaking.

My big hesitation was how well 10-foot blue people with tails would come off. The Na’vi, as they’re called in the movie, take on a life of their own. For a movie that is 2/3 completely digital (created using computer animation) it’s amazing natural and realistic. The tall Na’vi look as natural and realistic as their live-action counterparts.

By the time the movie was over I realized that I had just watched what many are calling a new milestone for filmmaking. Up until now we’ve seen movies try to edge closer and closer to that digital frontier of animated realism. Some fall horribly short and wind up with animated people and creatures that just look creepy (Polar Express, Beowulf) while others have come so close (Gollum in Lord of the Rings). This is, in my opinion, the first movie to blend large portions of computer-generated footage with live action and successfully pull it off.

I’ve seen this movie twice already (in amazing IMAX 3d) and was blown away both times. My only gripe as a designer is Cameron’s use of the world’s ugliest and most over-used font, Papyrus, for the movie title and subtitles throughout the film (I got a chuckle out of “An Open Letter from Papyrus to James Cameron“). Seriously? With a virtually unlimited budget you couldn’t pick a better font than Papyrus? Deep breaths…

Overall, this movie has far exceeded my expectations. James Cameron in all of his genius has created a new world that filmmakers will be struggling to match for years to come (click here to read WIRED’s article on the film for a more detailed look at the new technology Cameron helped pioneer).

Have you seen the movie yet? What did you think?

I was such a huge fan of the original 1982 Tron as a kid. The effects are nowhere near today’s standards but I still immersed myself in that glowing world of blue (am I the only one who used to pretend he was Tron every time he had a Frisbee in his hand?).

Like Star Wars, it was definitely a movie made well before its time. I can remember many memorable scenes like the light cycle race perfectly in my head over 25 years later.

There are even rumors that Daft Punk will be scoring the complete new Tron: Legacy soundtrack. Here’s the official synopsis and some preview images of the new movie that they released at Comic Con. Judging from this advance VFX footage and these images I’m already excited.

Official Synopsis- Tron: Legacy is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (GARRETT HEDLUND), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (JEFF BRIDGES), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant (OLIVIA WILDE), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

[ht: cinemablend]

Any other TRON fans excited about this?

Rachel Getting Married deals with the often complex and stressful dynamics of a family that has been through personal pain. Learning to forgive and move past pain and bad decisions is a theme that is woven throughout the story.

During one scene, Hathaway’s character is sharing some of her story during an AA meeting. She said something that has been running through my head since I watched it.

I struggle with God so much, because I can’t forgive myself. And I don’t really want to right now. I can live with it, but I can’t forgive myself. And sometimes I don’t want to believe in a God that could forgive me.

I think more people can relate to that statement than we might expect. So many people keep it together so well on the outside while inwardly struggling with intense guilt and shame. As Christians, we sometimes talk of love, forgiveness and acceptance so casually that we forget that some people have a hard enough time forgiving themselves let alone believing that an all-knowing God could accept them the way they are.

Let’s remember that despite how people look on the outside, most carry burdens of guilt that we couldn’t possibly imagine. Many people spend a lifetime trying to outrun memories of a past they’d like to forget. They struggle reconciling themselves with an image of a God who isn’t mad at them or doesn’t hate them as much as they hate themselves.

Forgiveness is a beautiful thing but sometimes, it’s not the easiest pill to swallow.

Even after ten years since the first Toy Story, watching this teaser trailer makes it seem like only yesterday. To Infinity, and beyond!

What’s your favorite kids movie (that you secretly love as an adult)?

In the lines from the TV show opener they say:

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him.
We have the technology.
We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic man.

I had a friend growing up who used to LOVE watching reruns of that show. He would make the techno-beat sound from the show as he imagined himself as Steve Austin running 80mph and breaking through walls with his fist.

On one occasion I remember my friend attempting to prove how high he could jump by setting up a chair that he would leap in a single bound. The only problem was that he set the chair up in a doorway so when jumped and cleared the chair he hit his head on the doorframe. Ouch.

Ok, let’s bring the conversation from 70s TV shows to the present. We’re called to spread the gospel and make disciples (Mt. 28:19). Jesus set the ultimate example by choosing 12 unlikely candidates to train up as leaders and spread his message around the world.

We Can Build A Better Leader. We Have The Technology.

What is interesting is that the individuals Jesus chose wouldn’t be the people we would have picked. He chose fishermen and tax collectors. If you lived in those times and were given the responsibility to find 12 people to start a worldwide movement, don’t you think you might have chosen people with more “leadership material?” I mean, throw some religious or civil leaders in them mix or at least a PTA president.

Instead Jesus poured into those unlikely, unqualified disciples and the greatest single movement to sweep the world is the result. I’d like to look a little closer at a few of Jesus’ leader-building principles in the next few posts but let’s discuss your ideas and experiences first.

Because you read my blog I’m going to assume that I’m talking to a group of leaders who find ways to grow as a leader and improve their leadership reach. Let’s take it a little deeper though and talk about being a leader who builds other leaders.

What tools, programs or resources would you use if you were asked to build the six-million dollar leader?