Movies
Reading Time: 16 minutesHISTORY OF STAR TREK Podcast tar Trek premiered on NBC TV on September 8, 1966… 60 years ago. It is my favorite television show; I was glued to the TV for the first episode and every one after that. It had a significant influence on my choice of a career in technology. The show…
Reading Time: 4 minutesMOVIE REVIEW: THE ODYSSEY (NO PLOT SPOILERS) walked out of the theater after seeing The Odyssey with these thoughts and feelings: “Spectacular, awesome, massive, intense, harrowing, violent, merciful, evocative, fearful, seductive, humbling, restrained, overwhelming, noble, epic… an immersive experience, not just a movie.” I found the film noble, uplifting, and immensely satisfying. For those who…
Reading Time: 6 minutesHISTORY OF D-DAY Podcast version Why has D-Day captured the imagination of American consciousness for over three-quarters of a century? Eighty-two years ago, on June 6, 1944, the Allies launched an offensive on the Normandy coast of France to liberate continental Europe from the Nazi German occupation. On Twitter/X, the hashtag is #DDay82…
Reading Time: 4 minutesMovie Review: Pressure – the Weather Before D-Day “The eyes of the world are upon you.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s “Order of the Day” to the Allied Expeditionary Force on D-Day It was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The Allied Expeditionary Forces, commanded by General Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower, had assembled an armada to…
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF TOWEL DAY May 25 celebrates Towel Day to honor Douglas Adams, the author of the five (or six) book “trilogy” Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Created in May 2001 to mark the passing of English science fiction humor author Douglas Adams, the day is set aside for fans of his writings to carry a…
Reading Time: 6 minutesHISTORY OF STAR WARS The original Star Wars movie premiered on May 25, 1977. Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away… …in Berkeley, in November 1976, I picked up a new science fiction novel called “Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker” by George Lucas. I did not know then that…
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF MAY THE FOURTH ay 4th, or May the Fourth, is a geek holiday that has gained popularity in recent years due to a popular film franchise. But where did it begin?
Reading Time: 9 minutesMOVIE REVIEW: A GREAT AWAKENING, THE HISTORY BEHIND IT “Arise, O sleeper, awaken!” his phrase, famously associated with the great evangelical preacher George Whitefield, is featured in his open-air sermon in Philadelphia in the movie A Great Awakening… “Let us proclaim freedom to the captives. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! Arise,…
Reading Time: 4 minutes Movie Review: Project Hail Mary (no plot spoilers) he most anticipated movie of 2026 has been Project Hail Mary. Amazon has spent about $200M on the film, and I think it’s going to be money well spent. It has grossed an estimated $33.1 million on its opening day, including $12 million from Thursday previews…
Reading Time: 6 minutesHISTORY OF PETER PAN Podcast version All of this has happened before, And it will all happen again. o begins my favorite Walt Disney animated movie, Peter Pan, which debuted on February 5, 1953. The original movie poster said: “It will live in your heart forever” …and indeed it has. Why was…
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF GROUNDHOG DAY Podcast version roundhog Day comes from Candlemas Day, observed for centuries in parts of Europe on February 2. The custom was for the clergy to bless candles, representing how long winter would be, and distribute them to the people. What are the pagan, Christian, and secular roots of this…
Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF MIDDLE-EARTH, PART 2: TOLKIEN’S ENGLISH INSPIRATION .R.R. Tolkien had a 35-year career at the University of Oxford, spending the last part of his time at Merton College, across the street from Magdalen College, where his friend C.S. Lewis taught. His younger brother, Hilary Tolkien, had a farm in Evesham, England, in the Cotswolds,…