Today marks the anniversary of Albert Einstein’s birth on March 14, 1879. Known most famously for his equation, E=mc², he always seemed to me to be the most approachable of geniuses, mostly due to his broad sense of humor, rebelliousness and philosophical approach to science. I try to live by his example all the time. For instance, how he approached solving problems by visualizing them in his mind rather than using words. I try using that approach with JEFBOT – I generally have a vague notion of what the joke’s going to be and I kind of just let it coalesce in my brain over time until I can “see” the panels. Doesn’t always come out the way it was in my mind, but that’s my process most of the time. Not that what I’m doing is in any way “genius” but if I’m going to emulate a way of thinking, I think his way is a pretty good choice.

I also frequently try to wrap my head around his special theory of relativity throughout random times on any given day. I mean, I “get it” at its most fundamental core – that time is relative based on how fast you’re moving - but how he came up with that theory, by imagining light traveling alongside a train, is what occupies my mind. Can we think like he did? The physiology of his brain was found to be different than most people’s, but is it possible for anybody to change their thinking in such a way that they can see things the way he saw them? Not sure. Probably not. But it’s fun to try.

Happy Birthday, Albert!

Fans of great science fiction lost a giant yesterday (03/18/08) when Arthur C. Clarke, best known for the novel and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, died at 90 years of age. I’ve been a huge fan of his short stories and novels since I was a kid, my favorites being the 2001 and Rama series of novels and I recommend them wholeheartedly. I never did get around to reading the last of the 2001 series, 3001: The Final Odyssey, or the final Rama book, Rama Revealed, but they’ve both been moved up the reading list now.

It’s amazing just how many movies, television shows and videogames owe a debt to Mr. Clarke’s works. I see his influence all the time, from the unknown, alien crafts in the Star Trek movies (especially The Motion Picture and The Voyage Home) to the technomages and energy beings of Babylon 5, to (most recently) the advanced technologies left for younger races by elder, alien species in Mass Effect on the XBOX 360, so many countless themes and grand ideas in today’s science fiction were inspired by his works.

He was a pretty amazing guy, even apart from his literary works, with his knowledge as a physicist and mathematician used to theorize how satellite technology could be instrumental in global communications (see Clarke Belt) and his work helping gorillas in Sri Lanka, where he lived since 1956.

Just an incredible guy with an incredible life. I’m going to go dig out my ACC hardcovers and get to reading! If you haven’t read any of his novels yet, you should get thee to a bookstore immediately - I suggest starting with Rendezvous With Rama or Childhood’s End and be amazed.

I really thought I was going to love this movie. It seemed tailor-made for me, really; Hong Kong director/actor Stephen Chow’s previous two films Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer are among my favorites, and I’m a sucker for the whole “monster pet” genre - Pokémon, Gremlins, Lilo & Stitch, Digimon, etc. are all gold to me. Unfortunately, I was left mostly disappointed by this story of a boy-and-his-alien by the time the credits rolled.

The movie starts out promising enough, with a father (Ti, played by Chow) and son (Dicky, played by actress(!) Xu Jiao) living in squalor so the boy can attend a nice school and get a decent education. Dicky’s a likeable kid and a good student until he becomes jealous of a schoolmate’s toy robot dog, CJ1, and throws a tantrum in a department store when his dad can’t afford to buy him one. Sadly, Ti must scour the local junkyard to find a toy for his son, and comes across a green, gumdrop-looking thing which, unbeknownst to Ti, was deposited there earlier by an alien spacecraft. He brings the object home to his son, telling him it’s a toy even better than CJ1 (Dicky christens it “CJ7″) and, just about the time Dicky becomes bored with it, the glob morphs into an adorable, big-eyed, soft-haired, ready-for-toy-shelves, cgi creature. This is where the movie took a downturn for me.

After CJ7 is “born” most of the humor derives from violence towards it. First we see Dicky mistreat it by stretching and pulling its limbs and face, then Ti finds it and, thinking it’s just a toy, stretches it even more and smashes it with a pan, then CJ7 gets taken to school where it’s terrorized by the kids there, and soon after, Dicky gets angry with it and tries to literally kill it. Sure, the violence is completely over the top and cartoony, just as in Soccer and Kung Fu, but here, it comes off more disturbing than funny, since it was apparent being cut, hit, stretched and smashed physically hurt CJ7. I mean, I’m all for violence against extraterrestrials but at least let them fight back. If CJ7 bit off Dicky’s arm after being stretched one last time, it would have been hilarious. Unfortunately, the most the alien can muster is shooting little Raisinettes of poo at the kid, which is, again, disturbing.

I’ve heard this movie is doing huge business in Hong Kong, where it’s second only to Titanic in box office receipts, but I don’t think it’s going to do as well as Chow’s past couple efforts here in North America. Yeah, the acting’s good (even if the dubbing isn’t so hot) especially from the children, which is rare, and the special effects are okay, but unlike say, Steven Spielberg’s E.T., there’s no emotional connection to the people, the story or anything going on, really. Even when the script takes a dark turn near the end, I wasn’t invested in the characters enough to be really touched.

If you’re a fan of Stephen Chow’s, you should go check this movie out to see some familiar faces from the casts of his past movies and to support Sony Pictures for releasing it in the States. If you’re not a fan, I’d suggest renting Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle, and giving this a pass.