What Are Wakanda’s Kimoyo Beads?

One of the major technologies in the world of Wakanda is Vibranium, which is a fictional alien metal that has fantastical properties that help advance technology. Vibranium can be used in various weapons, armor, and communication systems.

One of the most intriguing ways that Vibranium is used in the film is in the Kimoyo Beads, which incorporates all of these various aspects, within a Kimoyo Bead bracelet. It seems as though the Kimoyo Bead bracelet can be found on many everyday citizens in Wakanda. This may play into the overall idea that the technology of Wakanda has been democratized and available for everyone within the land.

In the film, the Vibranium-powered Kimoyo beads can be used in various ways. The various uses of Kimoyo Beads include electromagnetic bombs used to destroy information systems, remote piloting of various vehicles, a microphone and speaker setup for eavesdropping, real-time communication that also includes a built-in holographic display, and because of the fantastical properties of the Vibranium, it can also be used to heal.

A lot of this technology centers around the fictional alien metal of Vibranium, but the various aspects of the Kimoyo beads can be represented in many real-world technologies. The communication capability of the Kimoyo Beads with the holographic display can be thought of as our modern smartphones and the wearable technology of smartwatches. While the holographic 3D video-conferencing system aspect of the Kimoyo Beads is still being worked on in the real world including Porto (formerly known as Portl), the communication capability of the technology and the way it’s portrayed in the film as a prevalent technology for the people may be similar to our smart devices.

As far as some of the other technologies that are being applied by the Kimono Beads, the ability to remotely pilot a vehicle is similar to our ability to fly drones controlled by our smartphones. With the other applied technologies within the Kimono Beads (besides electromagnetic bombs)—there’s probably an app for that.

What Is the Black Panther Suit Made Of?

In the comics, the Black Panther is a superhero that not only has some of the most powerful technology, which includes the Black Panther suit, but he also harnesses the power of a meteorite mutated plant called the “heart-shaped herb” giving him additional superpowers. While we won’t get into the potential botany explanations—let’s dive into the Black Panther suit and what the technology does for the superhero.

The Black Panther suit has Vibranium sewn into the fabric further advancing the technology incorporated within the suit. The suit gives the user enhanced strength, speed, nearly impenetrable protection, and the ability to absorb a tremendous amount of kinetic energy and use it when needed. It also monitors the wearer’s vital signs and biometrics including heart rate. It then wirelessly sends the information to connected computers.

In the movie, the suit and all of its technology can fit seamlessly and invisibly into a necklace. While modern technology isn’t quite close to being able to accomplish fitting all of the technology into an accessory, the rest of the technology isn’t as fantastical as it may seem. In many ways, the technology found in the suit is similar to a combination of stretchable bioelectronics and nanomaterials that can measure a body’s biometrics and the robotic exoskeleton suit that has been developed by the army.

These technologies have been around for some time and are being innovated in various ways and for various purposes.

How Does Wakanda’s Magnetic Levitation Train Work?

There are many futuristic vehicles of transportation in the films, which include the Talon Fighters and Royal Talon Fighters, the Dragon Flyer, levitating chariots, and a magnetic levitation (Maglev) train. The technologies that are incorporated within these futuristic technological vehicles are self-piloting planes and virtual reality-operated vehicles

This can be attributed to real-life VR-operated drones that users can remotely pilot from a headset. There are even competitions (via The Drone Racing League) that test the skills of VR-operated drone pilots. While we aren’t close to flying cars just yet—the technology behind Wakanda’s magnetic levitation rail system is similar to the ultra-high-speed ground transportation project by Elon Musk called the Virgin Hyperloop.

The Hyperloop is a system that uses a network of tubes that will connect various hubs worldwide. The technology used in the Hyperloop sounds similar to Wakanda’s tech in many ways. An electromagnetic force levitates and propels the pod within the vacuum tube reducing air friction and drag. The Hyperloop pod floats within the tube with a frictionless magnetic cushion. This low-pressure atmosphere allows for high speed and low energy consumption.

Even in the real world, we aren’t too far from a magnetic levitation rail system. The Hyperloop already completed its first human test run in 2020, and the potential commercialization looks to be around 2025 or 2026.

Wakanda’s Fully Automated Footwear Technology

In the original film, Shuri shows King T’Challa (the Black Panther) one of her latest inventions, shoes that are “fully automated like the old American movie baba used to watch”. She references the movie Back to the Future and Marty McFly’s self-lacing sneakers.

The fully automated footwear showcased in Wakanda is far more advanced than McFly’s Nike sneakers. Shuri’s fully automated footwear are sneaker insoles on the ground and once King T’Challa steps on them, a shoe forms on his feet out of nowhere.

Although we aren’t close to shoes appearing from an insole, real-life self-lacing Nike Mags from the Back to the Future movies have been available to the public since 2019. Since then, Nike has released various forms of technology in their Nike Adapt line of sneakers. Users can customize their sneaker color and fit with the Nike Adapt App through voice commands using Siri Shortcuts or Google Voice.

Conclusion

In Wakanda, one of the major driving forces of their technology lies within the extraterrestrial rare metallic ore called Vibranium. If tempered properly through a mixture of science and magic, the metal can amplify mystical energies and enhance technologies by tapping into energy at a virtually infinite quantum level.

This magical alien metal isn’t available to innovators in the real world, but our technological advancements even without this powerful (and fictional) metal continues to be nothing short of remarkable. Many of the technologies that are found within the Black Panther and Wakanda Forever have real-world representations that continue to be used by everyday superheroes for everyday tasks.

The post The Technology of Wakanda Is Closer Than You May Think appeared first on Colocation America.

If you are a movie buff, who’s all into tech, here is a list of ten movies that show the history of artificial intelligence in films. Whether you know or not, but AI has been the center of attraction for filmmakers since the era of the silent-motion picture started.

Let’s take a look.

Metropolis (1927)

Let’s start right from the beginning. The 1927 epic — Metropolis of Fritz Lang had cutting-edge visuals of that era. Its plot is still relevant and became an inspiration for all the movies afterward. 

This first sci-fi movie gave a peep into very advanced machinery. It changed everyone’s collective perception of the future at that time. Also, it put forth the scenarios around human and machine interactions. Above all, it inspired and molded the attitude of humans towards real and imaginary creations of AI. You can see the ideas of Metropolis influencing many recent films and shows like Black Mirror, Blade Runner, etc.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stanley Kubrick’s movie is an epitome of the rise of the evil computer. In one of the scenes, the HAL 9000 makes up its mind to exterminate two astronauts. The reasons for this kill is ridiculous but futuristically worrisome. The HAL 9000 computer did it because it was unable to resolve the order to hide the true identity of its mission with the self-described inability to fail — if you could remember, in one of the scenes, the ‘9000’computer self-claimed that it never made any mistake or twisted information. 

HAL is a half-metallic computer with unblinking red eyes and half-human voice. It’s funny to see how a computer refused to explain its failures and actions, gave meaningless reassurances, and liked gentle taunting. Cohesively the meltdown kicked off a strange human-like feeling in it which left us asking ourselves if HAL 9000 was like us even though it doesn’t have any emotions. 

Many people considered HAL as the best example of artificial intelligence. However, the film didn’t shed more light on its working patterns. In reality, we are far away from AI being so advanced that it starts killing humans.

Star Wars (1977)

Mentioning AI-based films without Star Wars is definitely a crime. Anyway, the 1977 space-opera blockbuster is known for bringing many real-life AI and scientific concepts together. There is no doubt in saying that the movie has shown, motivated, and influenced several futuristic technologies. Some of them you will find in existence which others being developed or under development phase. 

The movie is the representation of the tension between humans and technology. 

While many of the technologies shown in the movie exist today, some of them will still take time to develop. The AI-based prosthetic limbs demonstrated in the film are now closer to reality. 

Then there is robotics that’s similar to today’s robotics. The 21-B, C-3PO, R2-D2, and the military robots are artificial intelligence laden machines which perform the same tasks as of a human.

Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott’s 1982 flick is one of the most influential movies based on artificial intelligence. It revolves around the subject of how AI could combine with the human race or the society to the next level. It gave the sci-fi genre new subjects which shoes AI either destroying humanity or protecting it. 

The film asks just how much human-like features a robot needs before having the same rights. The humanoids are bioengineered so brilliantly in the movie that they are almost psychologically equal to humans. Even, the false memories implanted in them as emotional cushions made them believe that they are human (just like the latest series Westworld).

The movie seems relatable with fascinating and complex AI characters. This film completely eliminates the fine line between human and machine.

WarGames (1983)

Imagine a scenario in which a supercomputer asks you to play a game, which in reality is a nuclear war game. Terrifying, isn’t it? Well, the movie follows a high-school hacker who accidentally gets access of War Operation Plan Response (WOPR) — a US military supercomputer that’s programmed to foretell the possible results of a nuclear war. The high-school hacker gets access to a nuclear war simulation, which he believes to be a computer game.

However, JOSHUA (the computer) tied into the nuclear warhead control system and incapable of realizing the difference between reality and simulation, tries to begin the Word Ward III.

The movie looks into the adverse outcomes of artificial intelligence when it fails to tell the difference between reality and imitation.

The Terminator (1984)

The series of Terminator looks at all the memorable AI characters — classic T-800 models and the scary AI Skynet. It captures the fear of technology. It’s a future where an out-of-control AI sends humanoid AI hitmen to kill humans. It’s all because the AI went on destroying the human race.

The movie is a cautionary tale, of course, fastened on our elemental uneasiness about artificial intelligence. Here are the contradictory elements — while at one end, Skynet portrays the darkest version of artificial intelligence, The Terminator offers a hopeful version of AI. The idea of programming AI to help us is firmly planted into our minds.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (1999)

This movie is where a child humanoid is introduced. We don’t know whether it would become a reality soon, but the director of the film portrayed it very well. It shows the creation of Mecha, humanoid robots that are capable of complex thoughts but lack emotions. 

The whole movie revolves around David (the child humanoid) wanting the love of Monica (his mother, not really though). A lot of circumstances take place; humans are extinct, and artificial intelligence evolved. Even it’s so advanced in the movie that they showed them bringing back a human using their genetic material but just for one day to learn more about them. David chooses Monica, where he learns that she truly loved him. 

The irony is here that we are in the state to study more about AI. Who knows in the future, we would become extinct and a subject of study for AI.

The Matrix (1999)

Matrix puts forth the evil nature of AI in the form of Agent Smith. This ruthless AI isn’t just doing what it’s been programmed for but also poses a significant threat to humanity.  The movie, however, never explains the origin of that hatred. Even when the machines take human forms, the difference is noticeable. 

Whatever happens in the movie, the existence of Agent Smith as sentient software is a constant reminder that AI is not just a piece of hardware. It also reminds us that depending on the artificial intelligence on a dangerous level isn’t a good idea for the humans.

Her (2013)

The cult classic released in 2013 highlights the idea of humans getting attached to AI-powered technology. The movie also implies that artificial intelligence can’t notice and render human emotions. 

However, the freedom of knowledge given to the AI, along with its outstanding processing abilities contradicts it. The AI handles multiple relationships and conversations concurrently. The movie frames artificial intelligence on a positive note. However, it still rings a bell that technology can behave uncontrollably when unchecked or built under uncertain ethical circumstances. The film displays that many lonely people are getting attached with sentient AI or operating system which leave them heartbroken when they depart.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

This is the best example of AI gone rogue. With superhuman speed, genius intelligence, incredible strength, subsonic flight-speed and demi-god like toughness, the humanmade robot goes wrong. It plans to conquer the universe by eliminating all the intelligent lives of the world. The movie shows the conflict between artificial intelligence and living beings. 

Not just the AI-powered robot goes on a rampage but also creates its own forces and attacks human beings. 

It portrays the matter what if AI goes rogue and poses a threat for the whole of humanity?

Conclusion

The use of AI which had been limited to the movies only has now penetrated our personal lives. Siri, Alexa, logo generators, and many other technologies have become an integral part of our lives. AI, in many circumstances, is a boon but there is no denying in the fact that it may create mayhem. 

We can see it in the movies as many directors have portrayed.

We hope you liked the list discussed above. Let us know if we missed many other movies based on AI.

The post 10 Films That Show the History of Artificial Intelligence appeared first on Colocation America.

If you’re a sci-fi movie addict, this might be music to your ears: Hollywood can’t stop churning out roles depicting data centers, and they’re doing it with all alacrity. Does that scare you?  That goes to show that in the coming days or months, many more will rain down like a pack of cards.

In an information-laden society, data centers will always be an integral part of our lives, more so that the concept is still on the silver screen. Trying to tell a story that depicts the essence of data centers in a real world couldn’t be said better by the array of Blockbuster Hollywood movies on the line up—from Matrix to Swordfish, and even Transcendence too.

With the fancy career of the data center being a victim of lousy scripting just like any actor, expect the manifestation of the cameos in different dimensions. From the gaffs that we find so hard to ignore high tech gadgets that change our disbelief, even data and servers have come to be an integral part of these roles.

Feature personalities such Keanu Reeves or Johnny Depp and you have a blockbuster starring you in the face.  Give a thumb up for these movies, even though they’ve not had it all rosy, they have picked up some intriguing support characters over the years.

Most featured films follow a familiar narrative—a smart and intelligent geek makes his way to the server room and plants a gadget close to the server, which sets off an action that shatters the course of events. If you’ve followed this movie up until this moment, it is only natural to be tension-soaked.

At this juncture, let’s take a peek into the world of data center concepts as featured in Hollywood movies.

Transcendence

The movie Transcendence brings to fore the technological advancement in the area of nanotechnologies, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and data centers. If you have been wondering what the future hold for the latter, Transcendence may give you more than a handful of ideas. The movies exemplify green technologies, cooling, power, etc., in the realm of the data center.

In reality, these infrastructures are as massive as they come, and the Brightwood Data Center—located five-story beneath the surface— in the movie lends credence to what we should possibly expect some time in the future. This looks similar to the constructions in recent times—typically NSA data center, SubTropolis Technology Park’s LightEdge data center, etc.

Hackers

Movies like Hackers leverage blinking light boxes to bring the idea closer home—it also creates an impression of what to expect from data centers in years to come.

Ocean’s Eleven

Ocean’s Eleven highlights another cameo where Livingston Dell (Eddie Jemison) surreptitiously finds his way down to the casino data center with the direction clearly written on his hands, enabling him to gain access to a video stream—secured by the casino’s cameras—through an Ethernet cable. We know that may be far from reality, it does not steal the shine off to an almost perfect depiction of a real-life data center. And that’s the idea.

Live Free or Die Hard

Live Free or Die Hard, also known as Die Hard 4.0, is yet another classical piece on the super high way of data centers, starring Bruce Wills. Released on June 27th, it received some bashing for being the only film in the series rated PG-13; some fans even complained that the film took a different feel as opposed to others in the series.

The entire plot speaks of “the Russians” wreaking havoc when they hacked into the vital infrastructure. With access to an array of critical systems, using a single dashboard; the move was well-thought out and impressive.

Director Kevin Smith played “Warlock” and has to himself a home data center. Also featured is the emergency data dump rolled into a single backup data center.

Entrapment

Entrapment caught our attention with yet the same narrative; released in 1999. The main casts of this movie—Sean Connery and Catherine—find their way into the server room, and breaks open the cabinet.

With help from patch cables, they were able to redirect traffic bypassing the encryption to steal from the stock exchange. Virginia Baker, who played Zeta-Jones character, brings out a cable from her laptop and almost immediately, an alarm set off. Some critics think there is a significant blunder—you trigger an alert when you hack into something.

Skyfall

Data centers that are in tune with reality, portrayed by James Bond, reviewed another possibility. The movie brings to focus a well-arranged system. According to Chris Crosby, CEO, Compass Datacenters, he put it quite simply: “data center movie of the year.“

The Matrix

In a world where data center seeks after renewable energy as an alternative source, humans in the matrix were the perfect battery. In a way, the energy given out surpassed that required to keep humans going and incubated. Even though some of the machines look real, we couldn’t help but believe dystopian future that characterizes parts of the data center.

The center was responsible for keeping the virtual simulation world active and also to pacified humans. This continued until a rebellion attack by Neo played by Keanu Reeves.

Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy brought in another feel of the subject matter. The cabinets come with spaces, but not in a row, and those are rather unusually. Maybe future servers will feature no heat or heat profiles equally spaced between cabinets

Even though the infrastructure depicts an utterly futuristic system, the servers are evenly spaced apart, typical of checkerboard pieces. The programming guys should know better, especially about cold and hot aisles for this film, and that makes it impossible for any connection to take place. Since everything in the data center is futuristic, you’d have least expected Garrett Hedlund, real name Sam Flynn, to bring out an iPhone instead of a futuristic Nokia phone.

Avatar

Now, Avatar comes with more data than any other movie you may think of. It even surpassed the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy all combined. Miramar—a suburb of Wellington—is houses the data center where the blue creatures emerge from.

Weta Digital Ltd—a visual effect company—professionally created the stunning images in this James Cameron movie. This company was also responsible for the computer-rendered scenes as they appear in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. With the help of 3-D imaging software, the director’s vision became a screen reality—Weta Digital was at it again—with 17.28GB representing each minute of Avatar.

Now, let’s bring a twist to it.

Imagine the original Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark —but this time with a twist. A clerk pushes away a crate filled with the Covenant. The 21 Century version comes with no rows of shelving and boxes; it has nothing in it except a desk, as well as a shipping bay and computer.

Now, for the IT version, the data center manager will be positioned at the computer console in a dry basement. The software and hardware that take an excellently arranged setting are now in the cloud. That may be our lot when Everything-as-a-service, (XaaS) becomes a reality.

And the Make-believe World of Hollywood

Hollywood is known for embellishing the truth to deliver top-class entertainment. The special effects have swept us off our feet—so we stay glued to our TV sets. The plot twists and the fantastic casts all wowed us every step of the way. In all of this, characters interact with worlds yet unknown, and even the one we are familiar with. As depicted by some roles, the co-star is inanimate, as a data center, and we can’t throw away the Hollywood magic that comes into the mix alongside those scenes.

In most cases, they go unrecognized, or the characters interact with them in seemingly unbelievable ways. A patch cord can do amazing things, so says Hollywood, and we watch all it plays out in our very eyes. The main character connects to a small electronic device via his laptop, and before you know it, he hacks through firewalls, pushing aside encryption to achieve his goal.

Conclusion

Data centers will never cease to be infused into storylines. Since they’re part of our lives, we can’t rule out their importance and how they affect our day-to-day activities; we can only receive them with open arms. Even if you’re not a sci-fi movie fan, you’ll in some way connect to the story—some laughable though—and make sense from what the writer is trying to convey. Let’s keep our finger crossed, stay glued to our TV sets—on the edge of your seat if need be—for what is unveiling next from the “incubator room” of Hollywood.  We can’t have them enough, at least for movie addicts who will do anything to have collections of such movies in their “closet.”

The post Data Centers as Depicted by Hollywood appeared first on Colocation America.

–Obligatory Space Post of the Week: Space is about to get a whole lot more visible, as NASA has finished construction of the James Webb Space Telescope. What is the JWST, you ask? Well, it’s the successor to the Hubble telescope, and will allow us to see deeper into space and look at distant, early galaxies that may give us clues as to how the universe formed billions of years ago. It’s like Super Sizing your order at McDonalds, but instead of more fries and a larger drink, they give you steak and the ability to see in infrared. The JWST plans to launch in 2018, and will take a 30 day journey to its resting place behind the Earth, to shield from the sun. From there, it’ll take about 6 months to get everything ready in order to start doing science. AND SCIENCE IT WILL.

-Speaking of science, here’s a wonderful breakdown of 42 must-see sci-fi movies as chosen by the fine folks at Ars Technica. There’s some old classics on there like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, and Mad Max: Fury Road, and The Matrix. Huh, wonder why the left off the next two movies in The Matrix trilogy? (Hint: they suck).

-Being the victim of a home invasion is a terrifying experience that leaves people feeling unsafe in the one place they should find solace. However, when a koala invades your home, I’m pretty sure that’s a sign of good luck in Australia. I don’t know, everything is backwards and upside down there. (Via Mashable):

-Art can take on many forms, but this interactive gallery that features extensive use of projectors and animation takes consuming art to a whole new level. (Via Sploid):

And finally…
-Check out this video of unsatisfying moments that made me want to punch my computer screen. (Via BoingBoing):

That’s it for this week, enjoy your weekend!

The post Friday Fun Blog: High-Definition Space Edition appeared first on Colocation America.

Welcome back! It’s time once again for another Colocation America Reviews–this time, we take a look at our favorite documentaries. Because learning is fun only in movie form. First off, how is everyone doing?

Samantha

Great!

Chris

I feel like we haven’t talked in awhile even though we are literally in the same office

Samantha

Sorry, I was trying to see if I can spell feen – or whatever that slang term is

Chris

Feen? The hell is feen?

Samantha

Yeah – it’s slang but not the slang term I wanted

Chris

Slang for what?

Samantha

I wanted to say, essentially, I’m a documentary junkie

Chris

Should we change this into a slang review?

Q.C.

Ooo please! Let’s do slang. I love slang.

Chris

That might be in the pipeline now.

Q.C.

Now what does a Documentary junkie get off on?

Samantha

Great documentaries, duh

Chris

Oh ok, that narrows it down.

Q.C.

But like… any type of documentaries?

Chris

Yeah, let’s start with that–what’s everyone’s favorite genre or type of documentary?

Q.C.

True Crime

Samantha

Personally, I dig any documentary but I have to go with World War II docs. That is super narrow

Chris

Like the kind that the History Channel used to show constantly before they started on aliens?

Q.C.

Besides “Band of Brothers” what is your favorite WWII documentary?

Chris

My favorite is the Tom Hanks documentary ‘Saving Private Ryan’. I didn’t know Hanks was in WWII

Samantha

Every comment I was going to make after that is done – I thought Forest Gump was a documentary, then wasn’t Hanks in the Vietnam War too?

Photo credit: aceshowbiz.com

Q.C.

You didn’t? I think that’s all the evidence you need

Chris

That’s the worst picture of anyone I’ve ever seen

Samantha

That scary hair! Halloween came early

Chris

Sam’s right–it’s like someone is wearing a Tom Hanks mask

Q.C.

You didn’t know how Sully became so good at water landings? He practiced in Pearl Harbor. Everyone else crashed. He didn’t

Chris

Ok, Sam–favorite WWII documentary?

Samantha

Well the most recent one I saw was on two sons of Nazi officers and how they deal with being the son of killers. Or rather what they felt about their Dads

Chris

What’s it called and where can you find it?

Samantha

Netflix but for the name, I need to login to my account and like everyone else in the world, I forgot my password

Chris

Perfect. I’m also a pretty big history buff, so those WWII docs are right up my alley–especially when it crosses with paranormal and you get stuff like Hitler and the Occult type stuff. I’m a sucker for anything that pertains to the paranormal or conspiracies

Samantha

Got it! Winner is: My Nazi Legacy

Chris

Oh, nice

Samantha

Thank you Google (Netflix fail)

Chris

That sounds like a sitcom on ABC. “My Nazi Legacy”, Mondays at 8pm on ABC. Followed by “Sh*t My Hitler Says” at 9

Samantha

Yeah – rough! Speaking of Netflix though, their documentaries are awesome. I have been meaning to watch 13th

Chris

SO GOOD

Samantha

Is it?!

Chris

I watched it the other day and it’s amazing

Samantha

Ok – I will watch it!

Chris

Very eye opening, especially dealing with how they frame the idea of the prison system as modern day slavery

Q.C.

Another Netflix one y’all should check out is “Amanda Knox”

Samantha

So good – I watched that one!

Q.C.

Yes! Not many come from the horse’s mouth, but this one did and it landed

Samantha

So is Foxy Knoxy (or whatever they called her), crazy?

Q.C.

Ummmm I don’t know. I think she got a bad rap because everyone thought she was a slut for buying lingerie

Samantha

Agreed – I support her!

Chris

She’s in prison still, right?

Q.C.

No, she’s living in Seattle

Chris

Ahhh, America’s prison.

Q.C.

Yeah, basically

Samantha

She got out, came back to the US, and was still on trial

Chris

(Just kidding, Seattle. You’re lovely and I hope to visit your gloomy city soon)

Q.C.

Italy does that whole you have to prove your innocence thing

Chris

Guilty until proven innocent?

Q.C.

and the USA was like, “NAWWWW Y’ALL TRIPPIN’”. I, personally, don’t think she did anything.

Chris

Hahahah was that the official statement from the US?

Q.C.

Yes it was. However, I can’t speak for her former boyfriend, though.

Chris

Because he’s dead?

Samantha

My favorite part in that documentary was when the Italian police/crew were all like “we have been doing law before you were born, America”

Q.C.

Photo credit: drawception.com

HAHAHAHHA. So stupid. Let’s go, Italy! Let’s roll. Let’s law it up

Samantha

I mean they have a point. Then again, America is always right, right?

Chris

Yes, we are.

Q.C.

Always

Chris

ALWAYS

Q.C.

More right than Italy, that’s for sure

Samantha

We are right even when the evidence says otherwise

Q.C.

When Italy is concerned, yes

Samantha

But in this case, we were right

Q.C.

We were protecting our own. These colors don’t run and we protect our own

Chris

Speaking of being right even when evidence says otherwise–what did everyone think about ‘Making A Murderer’?

Samantha

He was set up

Q.C.

Loved it. I thought it was brilliant film makers making their point brilliantly

Chris

So much for my “FREE BRENDAN DASSEY” t-shirts.

Samantha

And poor kid who just wanted to leave and would say anything to do so

Q.C.

He just wants to watch Wrestlemania

Chris

Free to watch all the WrestleMania’s in the world. I felt bad for Brendan, but Steve totally did that sh*t.

Samantha

He was the real victim here (well and the unfortunate lady)

Q.C.

Listen, if you throw cats into fire for fun… you probably grow up capable of murder. I’m sure these filmmakers could make anyone seem innocent. They’re really, really talented

Chris

My favorite part of that entire documentary was the reveal that Steve’s primary defense of his first rape charge was that he didn’t wear underwear

Q.C.

“I never rape without my underwear. That would be uncouth and, frankly, rude.”

Chris

“Your Honor, it couldn’t have been me. The suspect was said to be wearing tighty-whiteys and as you see here, I go all commando, baby.”

Q.C.

Samantha

HAHA – poor guy. In other news, have you two ever seen Jesus Camp?

Chris

YES

Q.C.

No :disappointed:

Chris

I lived Jesus Camp for 12 years, thank you

Samantha

Oh really? Were you in the documentary?

Q.C.

He’s the boy on the cover

Chris

Not the actual camp in the doc, but something incredibly similar. I went to private Christian school from K-8

Samantha

I didn’t realize that – and this is how you turned out?

Q.C.

No wonder you’re so fascinated by the occult

Chris

Totally. Yeah, Jesus camp didn’t really stick

Q.C.

That’s a real shame

Samantha

Why not?

Chris

But I saw people do the same stuff shown in the doc–speaking in tongues, being possessed by the Holy Spirit

Q.C.

Awesome. That sounds great. If I was to get possessed by any spirit, I would hope it would be THE holy one

Chris

Not to get too religious-centric, but I always thought it was odd that classmates would speak in tongues and convulse on the ground from the power of the Holy Spirit and then go do long division like 20 mins later. Like they weren’t just possessed by a spirit

Q.C.

Arithmetic is close to godliness

Chris

“I just had a life-changing spiritual moment. What’s 128 divided by 4?”

Q.C.

Hahahaha. Have y’all seen Dear Zachary?

Samantha

YES! Love that one – depressing

Chris

Great review

Q.C.

Yes! That’s such a juxtaposition, but so correct

Samantha

It’s the truth! I was SO mad when my friend told me I should watch that; I cried

Q.C.

I made me feel the most feelings of any documentary. I cried too

Samantha

That one is a crier

Q.C.

Y’all hear of this? https://freedocumentaries.org/ GREAT site

Chris

Dats wassup.

Samantha

What? This is amazing!

Chris

Have any of you seen the documentary that Dan Akroyd made about aliens? It’s…..a thing.

Q.C.

Hahahahahha well, I know what I’ll be doing the next hour or so

Chris

I saw a documentary about aliens with Dan Akroyd and thought, “Oh cool…a comedic take on one of my favorite subjects with one of the comedy greats.” Turns out, it is not funny AT ALL. It is VERY SERIOUS

Samantha

Yeah. He is no joke in that

Chris

You’ve seen it Sam?

Samantha

Yeah – I thought it was weird, haha

Q.C.

Ok, I can’t go any further without remarking on how fantastic each and every 30 for 30 is

Chris

YES! They are all amazing. I highly recommend everyone watch ‘30 for 30: Broke’. You will save all of your money. And re-think every purchase you’ve ever made

Q.C.

Yes! That one is fantastic!

Samantha

I haven’t seen that one

Chris

It’s about the lavish lifestyles of athletes and how the majority go broke within 3 years of being out of their respective leagues

Samantha

Oh that is intense

Chris

Come for the fun tales of lavish spending, stay for the depressing story about buying a Hummer H2 in cash instead of paying child support with your last ever NFL check

Q.C.

I like the ones that follow a particularly volatile personality like Randy Moss or Maurice Clarett. They make you think twice before judging anyone

Chris

My favorite is also The U

Q.C.

Love The U. The SMU one is good too—really, any of the ones that go into the shady stuff of college athletics are great

Chris

“The NCAA released a video about all the things you couldn’t do anymore. That sh*t was our highlight reel!” – Michael Irvin, ‘The U’.

Samantha

HAHA

Chris

‘30 for 30: War Eagle, Roll Tide’ is also amazing

Samantha

I have to check this out

Chris

An Alabama fan poisons a 100 year old tree over a college football rivalry. His excuse is, “I have too much ‘Bama in me”

Samantha

I so want to move to the South

Chris

To poison foliage over football rivalries? The USFL Documentary is also amazing, if you want to see an example of how future-President Donald Trump ruined a competitive football league.

Samantha

What business has Trump not attempted?

Chris

A successful one. BURN!

Q.C.

HEYOOOO!

Chris

IN YOUR FACE! BOOOOM!

Samantha

Wow there

Q.C.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_burn_centers_in_the_United_States

Chris

ROASTED. Find your nearest center, Donnie. Ya ass just got burnt

Samantha

All bad

Chris

How do you guys feel about Mockumentaries? I highly recommend any of the Christopher Guest movies

Q.C.

Like Paranormal Activity–or more comedic ones?

Chris

His latest, “Mascots”, is on Netflix and it is wonderful.

Samantha

Yes ‘Mascots’! Ahh ‘Best in Show’ is so good!

Q.C.

I never saw any of these! Time to add to the list!

Samantha

Good stuff though

Chris

Ok, let’s wrap this up: what’s everyone’s favorite documentary?

Samantha

Tough question – I may have to crazy on this one and say ‘March of the Penguins’!

Chris

Oh, that’s a great one

Q.C.

Mine is ‘Star Wars’

Samantha

I knew you were going to go there

Chris

Morgan Freeman could make paint drying sound captivating.

Samantha

Can there be a documentary on Morgan Freeman narrated by Morgan Freeman?

Q.C.

I would love that

Chris

My favorite documentary is probably ‘102 Minutes That Changed America’.

Q.C.

‘102 Minutes…’ is fantastic. Chilling

Chris

It’s about 9/11, goes minute-by-minute from the time the first plane hits till the towers fall, and is comprised entirely of non-news home videos.

Samantha

Wow

Chris

Currently available on the History Channel On-Demand, I believe. Also on the Internet somewhere. There’s a part after the second tower falls where a family is recording from their apartment a few blocks from the WTC. Their young child keeps asking what is happening and they have to assure them that everything is okay and to go in another room. When the child goes into the next room, the parents both break down audibly. At that point, someone began chopping an onion in my apartment.

Samantha

I think we have given people some great docs to go check out

Q.C.

Check out all 7 Star Wars documentaries about JFK’s push to beat Russia in the Cold War, narrated by Mark Hamill, Samuel L Jackson, & Daisy Ridley

Chris

In terms of super-duper conspiracy stuff though, you can’t go wrong with “Zeitgiest: The Movie”

Samantha

Every review has to mention a conspiracy, I am glad we got a couple in today

Chris

ARE YOU SAYING IT’S SOME KIND OF CONSPIRACY, SAM?

Samantha

Everything is as it appears

Chris

Well, that’s it for this week! See you guys next time

Q.C.

#TheEmpireDidNothingWrong

The post Colocation America Reviews: Documentaries appeared first on Colocation America.

On to the links!

Hey do you remember those awesome Nike Mags shoes from Back to the Future? The ones that laced themselves up and looked more like space boots than sneakers? Well, Nike recently auctioned them off for the space-time-continuum bending amount of $104,000 at an event in Hong Kong. Fun fact: these shoes can make you run at 88 mph.

A barbershop in Michigan is fighting the good fight and offering a discount for all children’s haircuts when the child reads a book to the barber. That’s awesome and a great opportunity to connect with the community, help children in their reading and reading in public, and get a sweet haircut at the same time.

Australian diver Beau Pilgrim was able to capture an amazing video of a humpback whale breaching the surface of the waters right next to him. Shout out to Beau for the awesome shot, and also for not totally crapping his pants as an 80,000lb whale rushes towards the surface only meters away.

Elon Musk announced his plans to get people onto Mars soon, and that’s pretty awesome. But check out this rundown of all the missions NASA, SpaceX and other agencies plan to make to Mars in the next few years. Anyone want to sign up for that one-way trip? Mars Base Camp sounds pretty cool too—I can’t wait to see the tree swing they have set up.

Paranormal Video of the Week: Check out this crazy video of what appears to be Bigfoot captured on a trail cam. If it’s a hoax, it has to be perpetrated by the people that installed that trail cam. There’s no way you can see that camera while walking through the woods that high in the tree. Secondly, I think we underestimate just how big the forests of North America are. Walk a mile into the woods and turn around—there’s not a lot out there and you become alone very quick (Via OutdoorHub):

And finally…

The 2016 Presidential Election has been one for the ages. Candidates have established their platforms (mostly), and talked about the issues (not really), and with less than a month left, things are really heating up. However, there is still one issue that has yet to be discussed and that is the existence of extra-terrestrials and our government’s involvement with them. Well, at least one candidate isn’t discussing it.

After having her emails hacked, Democratic nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was revealed to be ALL IN on the UFO conspiracy—at least her Chief of Staff is. In newly recovered emails, Chief John Podesta had emailed back and forth with the only man who can crack the ET conspiracy: Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge.

That’s it for this week! Enjoy your weekend!

The post Friday Fun Blog: Humpback Breach Edition appeared first on Colocation America.

On to the links!

Hurricane Matthew is currently hitting Florida and the Southeastern coast, and while the majority of residents have evacuated—and we hope you are currently safe—some brave souls decided to venture INTO the hurricane. Those people are the pilots for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who are tasked with taking detailed data recordings of the category 3 hurricane. Check out the turbulent video courtesy of pilot Jim Van Fleet, who also has the most “pilot” name of all time (Via Sploid):

Flying through #Eye of #Matthew 5 times. Can see eye on Radar, finally see out window about 1:30 in. @NOAA_HurrHunter @CBSNews @spann #flwx pic.twitter.com/GiwvM653Mv

— Jim Van Fleet (@JamesVanFleet) October 6, 2016

As mentioned above, the majority of the eastern coastal cities in Florida and other southeastern states have evacuated in anticipation of Hurricane Matthew making landfall. Transportation engineers have successfully implemented the evacuation of nearly 2 million residents, and here’s a fantastic look into how a mass evacuation is pulled off.

Is this a polar bear cub playing in a kiddie pool filled with ice? Yes, yes it is. (Via Mashable):

Why do the British and American spellings of the same words differ– i.e., “color/colour”, “favor/favour”, “center/centre”? In short, because the British are still salty about 1776! USA! USA! USA! USA! (Via Sploid):

Obligatory Space Post of the Week: There was a “UFO” spotted during a live feed space video this week, that researchers and experts are saying was just a piece of “space fluff” caught on the camera lens. DON’T LET THEM LIE TO YOU THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE. WE ALL KNOW WHAT YOU’RE HIDING, “NASA” IF THAT’S EVEN YOUR REAL AGENCY NAME! NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPACE ALIENS. COINCIDENCE?!?!1

Ted Cruz stepped out onto the stage at the 2016 Republican National Convention and total the audience and viewers at home to “vote with your conscience”, which was a subtle way to tell Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump to go f*ck himself, as everyone assumed Cruz was there to explicitly throw his support behind Trump. Much more recently, Cruz actually did endorse Donald Trump, and promised to help get him elected. Turns out, the way to do that was phone bank for Trump, which was capture hilariously by some hero, and turned into a giant Photoshop battle by the fine folks on the Internet.

The complete opposite of Ted Cruz is something that actually makes children smile and that’s Disney. They have their own research lab, which has developed a hopping robot that will one day be used to make a child smile, and that’s awesome. A lot of companies throw millions of dollars itno research to develop robotics that will be used by the government, but not Disney; their sole purpose is the smiles of children.

That’s it for this week! See you next time!

The post Friday Fun Blog: Polar Bears Playing Edition appeared first on Colocation America.

We’re in the thick of the 2016 Presidential Election, with the first Presidential debate happening on Monday. So let’s talk Presidents! First off, if I could sum up my politics in one sentence, it’d be from Nas: “I’m out for dead presidents to represent me.” C.R.E.A.M. Dolla dolla bills y’all

Samantha      

Presidents? What are those?

Q.C.      

I would like to endorse who could have been the best president ever: Alexander Hamilton

Chris      

It was amazing that he was able to get so much done while communicating only in song

Q.C.      

But anyways, let’s start by saying who we’re voting for in this upcoming election

Chris   

I’m writing in Kanye West.

Q.C.      

I thought he was going to run in 2020?

Chris      

Trying to get the movement started already. KANYE 2020 “HOW SWAY”

Q.C.      

He might be a bigger disaster than what we have now, and that’s with all due respect to Yeezy

Chris      

Don’t you dare say that—he made College Dropout

Samantha      

I avoid conversations of politics so this is a hard one for me.

Chris      

That’s why we’re not going to talk politics and we’re talking Presidents!

Samantha      

We know Kanye is a real runner in 2020.

Q.C.      

Just say Trump (like we all already know) and get on with it

Chris      

First off—who is everyone’s favorite president and why?

Q.C.      

May I clarify the question?

Chris      

Sure.

Q.C.      

Is this favorite while president, or favorite because of their entire, awesome life?

Chris      

Let’s go with the latter first

Samantha      

Abe was pretty cool but I think I have to go  FDR

Q.C.      

Oh, well then it’s definitely Teddy

Picture taken back when hunting ivory was about as American as it got

Samantha      

Chris?

Chris      

In terms of sheer awesomeness—Teddy Roosevelt. Anyone that can fight a bear or single-handedly build the Panama Canal by himself over a long weekend is definitely the baddest dude of all time.

Samantha    

Did you know there are only 5 living US presidents

Q.C.      

Are there really? Carter, Bush, Bush, Clinton, and Obama?

Chris      

Yep

Q.C.      

I guess you’re right. Wow–I figured there would be a few more

Chris      

Truman was able to cryogenically freeze himself. Project Manhattan. He’s been living in secrecy with the lizard people under Mount Shasta.    

Q.C.      

Ah, yes. See—I knew there was more. Speaking of Obama, he’d be first on my list of Presidents to get a beer with

Samantha      

Out of the 5 alive?

Q.C.   

No, out of all of them

Samantha      

Oh I would totally have a beer with George W Bush. I know – crazy

Q.C.      

You know he’s a painter now?  He’s not a good one, that’s for sure

Chris      

I’d definitely have a beer with Washington. First question, “Sup with all them wooden teeth?”

Samantha      

He didn’t have wooden teeth. I just saved you a beer.

Chris      

Yeah he did

Samantha      

Sorry—I am stuck on these paintings

Q.C.    

Sam, how could he say he has wooden teeth, but also never tell a lie, if him having wooden teeth was a lie?

Chris      

Oh sorry. I stand corrected–he didn’t have wooden teeth, but he did have dentures made out of OTHER TEETH WTF. That’s way worse than wooden teeth

Q.C.      

Oh that’s awesome. That’s way more badass

Chris      

Wearing other people’s teeth like you’re some serial killer? I mean, if it’s the teeth of his enemies, that’s pretty cool. But just random other teeth? Gross.

Q.C.      

I defeated one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen… and ripped the teeth from King George himself to use as dentures

Chris      

That’s cool

Q.C.      

That might move him above Teddy

Samantha      

He didn’t even want to be president, really

Chris      

Who, Bush? We know. That’s why CHENEY TOOK OVER 9/11 IT WAS AN INSIDE JOB TOWER 7

Samantha      

Oh – no, not him—Washington. But that is an interesting point

Chris      

Yeah, Washington was a reluctant first President

Samantha      

I know a lot of random facts about Presidents without looking it up on Google

Q.C.      

Does anyone give a rip about James Madison?

Samantha

James Who?

Q.C.      

Yeah, ignore that. No one cares

Samantha      

You know who was kind of cool for his time? Grover Cleveland

Chris      

Named after the famed Sesame Street character

Q.C.      

Ah, yes.

Chris      

Why was Grover cool? I feel like we don’t hear about these other Presidents

Samantha      

I mean, only because he was single and then got married while president

Chris      

Oh snap. We definitely wouldn’t elect a single person today. Not a chance.

Samantha      

Dear Editor Q – should “President” be capitalized?

Q.C.      

Yes. If you’re typing it on US soil, then yes. That’s how these things work, I think

Samantha      

I guess it is the same as Prime Minister

Q.C.      

Only much better

Samantha      

Can we take a moment here to just say that Churchill is my favorite ever?

Chris      

I once read a biography about Harry Truman in elementary school for a book report. It was the most boring thing I’ve ever read. Probably why nobody talks about those other Presidents.

Q.C.      

Yeah I just looked over a list of Presidents again and wooooboy are there some stinkers in there

Chris

I’ll never forgive Truman for having a boring life.

Q.C.      

Who, besides Truman, faced the toughest problem while in office?

Samantha      

The Civil War was pretty bad

Chris      

Bush, 9/11. Hands down. End of convo….BUT ONLY BECAUSE HE KNEW IT AND THAT’S WHY HE WAS IN FLORIDA WHILE DICK CHENEY WAS FORCING THE US INTO AN ENDLESS WAR!!1! TOWER 7 LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE

Q.C.      

I read that you can see the face of Satan when one of the planes hit the tower

Samantha      

Presidents Review turns into Conspiracy Theories. Who killed JFK?

Chris      

DICK CHENEY

Q.C.      

James Franco killed JFK

Chris      

As ordered by the Illuminati who were ordered by the Reptilians to make a strategic move in the galactic war between themselves and the Grey Aliens

Q.C.      

Under the command of the Plutonians

Chris

NO ONE DENIES THIS.

Samantha

Oooooookay.

Chris      

Who is everyone’s least favorite President?

Q.C.      

Ok, so how far back do we have to go before we reach the first non-lizard President?

Chris      

Aaron Burr was the last non-Reptilian President

Q.C.      

HAHAHAHHAHAHA I love that statement so much hahahah I’m dying

Samantha      

Wait—are we bringing up Vice Presidents too? And how do you know them?

Chris      

I’m gonna be honest. I don’t remember the majority of Presidents

Samantha      

Lease favorite? Lyndon B Johnson

Q.C.      

My least favorite, without a doubt, was Chester Arthur. Talk about a dope

Samantha      

Random question – have either of you ever wanted to be President?

Q.C.      

No way

Chris      

Maybe when I was little and had zero power and felt like I wanted to have some sort of power. But now that I’ve looked at the “before and after” photos of Presidents—NOPE

Q.C.      

Yeah that JFK before and after is a bad look

Samantha      

Chris – you already don’t have a lot of hair…It wouldn’t be that bad, right?

Chris      

I’m not worried about losing hair. I’m worried about looking like I haven’t slept in 8 years    

Photo Credit: realclearpolitics.com

Q.C.      

I guess black does crack

Samantha      

…

Q.C.      

(I’m so sorry guys)

Chris

You should be.

Samantha      

For the record, I am sure he hasn’t slept

Chris      

Chris      

Photo Credit: newsandfroyo.com

Q.C.      

hahahaha oh god

Chris      

EVERYONE LOOKS WORSE! It does not look fun–you REALLY gotta want to be President

Samantha      

You realize people do age, right?

Chris      

Yes, but like THAT?!

Q.C.      

Photo Credit: time.com

Samantha      

Or it’s just make up

Q.C.      

This guy at least got some color

Samantha      

People may not trust you if they think you look all fresh and clean    

HAHA

Chris      

Ahhh, Reagan. Our last black-and-white President before the universe instituted color

Q.C.      

Photo Credit: realclearpolitics.com

I feel like carter just changed the part in his hair

Chris      

Changing with the times, Jimmy

Samantha      

Yeah, what?! No one does that

Chris      

Carter kinda wasn’t the best President, either

Q.C.      

Yeah he sucked. This might be the most jarring change    

Photo Credit: getty images

Q.C.      

Now THAT’S aging. I’ll tell ya what, Reagan was all over the place before and after    

 Here he is completely changing races    

Samantha      

Chris – you want to know why you don’t remember a lot of the presidents? It’s because they, well, sucked

Chris      

That’s true. That Truman book I read? I had to either do a book report or a diorama. I opted for the diorama and since there was no exciting parts of the book, it was just two LEGO people standing in a LEGO forest.

Samantha      

Did that work?

Chris      

I got a B. F**k Truman.

Q.C.      

Hahahaha. Dude what? That’s a terrible grade. Did you at least have a bunch of dead Japanese LEGO people lying on the ground or disintegrated into walls?

Chris      

Nah. They didn’t really cover that part in the elementary school biography.

Q.C.      

Oh, well I bet that would get you an A. When Trump invents time machines, I recommend going back in time and adding that

Chris      

I would’ve at least been able to make a cool nuclear reactor or something

Samantha      

Yeah “cool”

Q.C.      

How awesome would it be to be the first elementary school kid to make a nuclear reactor out of LEGOs

Chris      

They would’ve elected me class President

Q.C.      

and I would have given you an A

Samantha      

No – intelligence is not a requirement for Presidents

Chris      

Did either of you run for class office?

Samantha      

Nope!

Q.C.      

Nope, I let the nerds do that, while I played football and did cool things and definitely didn’t play D&D

Chris      

I once ran for class treasurer on the platform that I’d refund any money that vending machines accidentally ate. That was my only platform.

Q.C.      

Did it work?

Chris      

I lost in a landslide.

Q.C.      

Awww

Samantha      

Good try though

Chris      

Thanks guys

Q.C.      

Those Trump branded time machines can’t get here quickly enough for you. I hear he’s ahead of schedule building them

Chris      

I have so many mistakes to correct. Believe me. The HUGEST mistakes

Q.C.      

I’d start with the two mentioned here first. I’m sure they were your two largest mistakes

Chris      

Any other Presidential things we wanna talk about?    

Fun fact: Lincoln was a huge fan of live theater.

Samantha      

Ah so many other fun facts. Fun Fact #1264 in My Head: Thomas Jefferson had a lot of sex with everyone

Q.C.      

“Always keep an open mind. Like me, for example, I don’t really like the theater but I’m going to give it a shot” – Abraham Lincoln

Chris      

HEYOOOOOO

Q.C.      

Lincoln’s last words were “Good thing these tickets were free, Major Rathbone, this play su-“

Chris      

JFK’s were, “What’s that guy doing over on that kno–” BACK AND TO THE LEFT

Q.C.      

HAHAHAHHA

Chris      

9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB PERPETRATED BY THE LIZARDS NEVER FORGET! KANYE 2020 “HOW SWAY”! That’s it for today guys. Thank you!

The post Colocation America Reviews: Presidents appeared first on Colocation America.

On to the links!

Congratulations to the The Independent UK for writing my favorite lede of 2016: “Harry Potter author moves to dismiss suggestions dead gorilla is among the forms of advanced magic that can be used to shield people from Dementors.” Harambe, the famed dead gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo turned pop culture meme icon, still lives on in the hearts and exposed p*****s of his devoted fans.

Photo Credit: The Independent UK (linked above)

People are weird. Sometimes, people bring their weirdness into public. And sometimes, you’re forced to sit next to that weirdness on a redeye flight because some weirdo bought a full-price airline ticket for a doll. Wanna know how I know he’s a “weirdo” and not just a fancy doll collector doing responsible transportation of a valuable item? HE GAVE THE DOLL A NAME AND BIRTHDATE.

Gigantic bouncy castle? Gigantic bouncy castle.

Hey! Today is the birthday of super famous Mexican luchador El Santo! Go give someone you love a hurricanrana to celebrate the lucha libre legend. El Santo took his wrestling fame and turned it into movie stardom, like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson with a dope mask.

What do we need to know before we send manned missions to Mars? That it’s a planet inhabited entirely by robots.

Fall is here, and people are heading to pumpkin patches, drinking cider, and wearing sleeveless puffy vests, according to every Target ad I’ve seen lately. People also love corn mazes, and nobody does it better than this Massachusetts farmer that uses GPS and a lot of math to make the coolest mazes around.

And finally…

As summer comes to a close, let’s look back on the most important video of the season: a T-Rex doing flips on a jetski. What a time to be alive. (Via Sploid):

See you next week!

The post Friday Fun Blog: Patronus Harambe Edition appeared first on Colocation America.

On to the links…

A lot of businesses have become incredibly pet friendly—including here at Colocation America, where dogs are roaming the office on a daily basis (like, someone’s dog, not just random, wild dogs)—and that’s a great thing. Our pets shouldn’t be left alone for long stretches of time, so it only stands that they’d become part of the corporate culture. Take Joey the chihuahua, for instance: he has his own photo ID at his human’s workplace.

Look at him! All ready for dog-business, dog-meetings, and more doggy-based office hijinks.

NASA’s out here trying to find out more about life on Earth by sending a craft into space (Via Mashable):

Robots sumo wrestling? YOU. F*CKING. KNOW. IT. I’m really looking forward to robots taking over most of our major sports. ROBOTS CAN’T GET CONCUSSIONS, ROGER GOODELL!

Are you too poor or not enough of a hippy to go to Burning Man, but always wanted to find out what’d it’d be like to be on numerous drugs while there? Check out this funky timelapse video that is like a mini acid trip. Or, pop acid in your office right now and then watch the video. Nobody will know. (Via Sploid)

Nintendo is bringing its franchise player to mobile, as Mario gets a new game called “Super Mario Run”. Collect the coins, jump down tubes, recklessly murder innocent mushroom-people…you know, the classic Mario stuff. This is the first in a series of Nintendo-related games that will be released in the coming future, as Nintendo tries its hand at the mobile game market.

Oil and water DO NOT go together well at all; they’re natural enemies like East and West Coast rappers, lions and hyenas, and me and dairy—BUT they make for beautiful art. Check out these cool pictures of oil and water getting intimate.

And finally…

[WARNING: POTENTIAL NSFW/L AHEAD]

-The 15^th anniversary of the September 11^th attacks is on Sunday, and our world has been irrevocably changed since that day. Personally, I find myself watching videos and looking at images from that day and feeling a disconnect from it all, despite living through it. It doesn’t feel like the images and videos are real, like they almost come from a high-budget action movie, because what happened on that day was so monumentally surreal that it almost does seem like a Michael Bay flick.

What sets 9/11 apart from other horrific attacks like Pearl Harbor, for instance, is the sheer amount of video footage of the attacks themselves. It’s all on camera. All of it. Every agonizing and tension-filled second was captured for the whole world to see. Video of the attacks has been replayed millions of times since, and politicized, capitalized upon, and analyzed to the point of desensitization of the public at large, that it’s become just another thing.

But it’s not just another thing—it’s an event that shaped our world permanently; an event that took the lives of 2,996 people who, when starting their day, had no idea that it would end like that; an event that made us realize that heroes aren’t from distant planets or forged by gamma rays, but are people—people like you and I– who were afraid, but stood in the face of almost certain death and gave their lives in the service of others because it was their duty.

Below is a video shot by a student at NYU, one of the clearest videos of the attacks that a private citizen captured on that day—it perfectly captures the confusion, sadness, disbelief, and anger felt on that day.

Never forget.

The post Friday Fun Blog: Robots Sumo Wrestling Editon appeared first on Colocation America.