Every online dictionary should replace their definition of awesome with a link to this video:

Thank you Bollywood for this contribution to awesome, and to the directors of this amazing looking film for blowing your "special effects" budget on one scene.

If you are interested in music then you'll find this video on the creation of a totally new instrument worth watching. Mark Deutsch's ability to make his vision for the Bazantar a reality is amazing. What's even more incredible, is how he learned to play it in his dreams.

A security camera catches the scene in a cruise ship dining room as the ship hits some bad weather:
(If you don't have time for the whole video watch the first 2 minutes and then skip to 5 minute mark and watch for another minute)

Bonus: a cruise ship almost tips over in bad weather

In a previous blog post, I referenced a quote by Stuart Hameroff about the nature of consciousness. In the following video, Hameroff and Deepak Chopra discuss this topic in greater detail.

An important point is that consciousness does not arise at a certain level of complexity but is embedded into the very fabric of the universe itself. This point of view can help us realize the oneness we share with the world around us. (As differentiated entities in nature, some are more complex than others, some are more aware than others, but none are "better" than others; that would be like saying an organism is better than a cell).

Another important point is that humaness (i.e. consciousness) cannot be reduced to simple bio-chemical processes in the brain. Consciousness is not just a product of neurons in our brain acting as on-off switches, which, at a certain point of complexity create consciousness. (As a side note: the de-humanizing effect of this view point in the world of technology is the topic of a good book by Jaron Lanier called You Are Not a Gadget.)

Here's the video:

Check out Jenson Kimmett from Edmonton Alberta winning the 2010 yo-yo championship. These are some mad skilz. Canada representin' yo..... yo.

I don't share too much on Facebook but recently posted this video there. Matisyahu is a fantastic performer with a strong message that gives his music an undeniable power. If you get the chance to see him live, definitely check it out.

You can also listen to all his songs for free on his website.

I used to play quite a bit of ultimate frisbee; especially in University. The sport unfortunately doesn't get the respect it deserves when it's played at a high level. This highlight real catch,however, made it onto ESPN and seems to have earned some props from the announcer:

P.S. - sorry about the stupid add at the beginning of the vid

Here's a you tube version without the commentary

In recent months, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has brought our attention to the extreme hazards and true costs of oil and gas exploration. Until I watched the documentary "Gasland" however, the scope and obscenity of the problem hadn't really registered. "Gasland" is a synopsis of the natural gas boom since 2005 when Dick Cheiney and the Bush administration fast tracked legislation that made oil companies such as Haliburton and Encana exempt from government regulations such as the clean water act. The clean water exemption in particular is shocking because the process used to extract the gas (called "fracing") involves injecting a carcinogenic cocktail of chemicals into the earth where it then seeps into the groundwater.

At this point your inner-self might be saying "blah-blah-blah...I've heard this all before... big oil with ties to government pollutes the environment... same old story". It's easy to become desensitized and that is why I implore you to watch "Gasland". Images of (previously clean) tap water literally being lit on fire offer the requisite documentary shock value but it is the documentary's over-arching (and overwhelming) warning that hits home: the current deregulated exploration and extraction of natural gas is systematically poisoning and destroying the groundwater supply in the continental United States.

I think it is important that this movie get viewed by as many people as possible and I am therefor linking to the torrent site ( here ) so you can download it and watch it.

If you do download it, I would suggest going to the movie's web page and making a donation.

I don't think the trailer does the movie justice but check it out anyways: