Long before Chinese director Zhang Yimou gained international fame for his eye-catching, impressive opening ceremony to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he had a reputation for making epic movies full of soul, grit, dramatic storytelling.
I raise this now because To Live, which was made in 1994, has moments to keep in mind.
As in: What you have might not always be yours. Winners can become losers. Losers can become winners.
Overall, though, appreciation – in my mind – is tops.
The above clip highlights that clearly – with the adult son of a wealthy mansion owner losing everything while gambling. That launched an epic look at China’s history through his eyes and experience.
The idea of receiving something for free has been around for centuries. Certainly, I like the idea – and I’m not just talking about the free hug movement.
I mean: Who doesn’t like receiving something – say a new car or clothing -Â for free?
But the notion seems more fitting for an autonomous collective (especially one depicted by the British comedy group, Monty Python), where a group of people has agreed to provide labor and services for everyone’s well being with the exchange of money lower on the priority list.
This YouTube video clip made by Tufts University applicant Michael Klinker was, well, just too good to pass up. Really.
The New York Times article, which talks about Klinker’s creation and college applicants using YouTube to gain admission to Tufts, is making the online rounds – for good reason.
I mean, a blue elephant – who has swirling helicopter blades – soaring through the air, doing a flip and hovering here and there?
Just flicking my wrist and getting the gyrating piece of plastic to return to my palm made me happy.
So, when I saw that Seattle was going to host the 2010 Pacific Northwest Yo-Yo Championships, I knew where my family and I had to be on Saturday – at the competition site, the Center House under the Space Needle.
I’ve joked about this before but if a robot can ever make delicious, hot, chili-laden mapo tofu – the way the cook at Old Sichuan in Kent, Wash. can dish it up – I’ll truly be impressed.
And of course, a bit perplexed.
But hey, who can complain when a dish of garlicky, spicy tofu sits before you on a blustery, stormy day with winds whipping in the sky and temperatures dropping?
Whether it’s done by ASIMO, the Honda robot, or humans, the successful making of mouthwatering mapo tofu reminds me of that saying by Deng Xiaoping, the late Chinese paramount leader:
It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white,” he was fond of saying, “as long as it catches mice.
I agree with many of the Vimeo commenters about artist Rob Carter’s fabulous stop-motion video, Metropolis, which looks at Charlotte, North Carolina - it’s fantastic.
I especially agree with one of the commenters, who noted that it has a very Monty Pythonesque quality to it – which is a compliment, indeed.
His work chronicles the city, which he said is growing fast with various skyscrapers and stadiums.
So after my son and I watched the opening performance of the Lunar New Year festival in Seattle, we met up with my wife.
The three of us headed over to Hing Loon, a Cantonese Chinese restaurant which is one of our favorites in Seattle.
During last year’s Lunar New Year celebration, my parents were visiting us – and the five of us made our way to the scrumptious restaurant where the waitresses remember you and are friendly.
On Saturday, we ducked inside because our bellies were giving us signs that it was time to fill up – and our choice for the day were noodles.
Then, moments after we sat down – just as what happened when my parents joined us last year – we spotted Seattle martial arts master Mak Fai and his crew of lion dancers make their way to the popular restaurant.
With my son at my side, I turned on my digital camera, switched to video mode and captured Saturday’s Lunar New Year celebration in Seattle’s Chinatown International District.
It was terrific – bringing back memories and giving my son a chance to see what I saw in San Francisco and Oakland Chinatowns when I was a kid.
My grandparents lived in those Chinatowns and my parents would take my sister and me to celebrate and watch the colorful, loud street performances.
Sir Richard Branson's new submersible, dubbed the Necker Nymph, received widespread media attention. The sleek watercraft is made by Hawkes Ocean Technologies. Image source: Hawkes Ocean Technologies
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I know it’s easy to call for innovation to drive economic growth at any point in history.
And the context of the times can always be sticky. If the United States was flush with venture capital or excess dollars in 2010, it would make the answers and next steps so much easier.
Of course, we are all familiar with the economic times.
The Economist, the august, market-oriented publication, recently reminded readers in the United States of words that always merit attention: Jobless recovery.
That said, innovation is continuing in this country – albeit not at the pace that many would like to see – as evidenced by Sir Richard Branson’s new, sleek submersible watercraft, the Necker Nymph.
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