Citizens of the Cosmos – Announcements – E-Flux

Curated byDaniel Muzyczuk.

What if Katarzyna KobrosHanging Constructionshad come from investigating zero gravity and life beyond our planet? She was probably exposed to Cosmist ideas, which were discussed in artistic circles in Revolution-era Moscow. And what if Wadysaw Strzemiskis interest in inaugurating a museum was also partly inspired by the writings of Nikolai Fedorov, who compared the world after the conquest of death and resurrection for all to a museum, a space where time is suspended? These speculations connect an intellectual movement that originated in Russia in the mid-nineteenth century with the origins of the Muzeum Sztuki.

Cosmism assumes that resurrection is possible through technology. This thought experiment led to a vision of radically transformed culture and living conditions. Nikolai Fedorovs doctrine had consequences in such remote fields as the Soviet space program, new poetry, Constructivism, museology, and even blood transfusion research.

The Muzeum Sztuki, a museum of the avant-garde, is holding an exhibition that introduces this multiplicity of ideas and the aesthetics of Cosmism. It isorganizedaround research by Anton Vidokle (born 1965), an artist and publisher who has spent nearly a decade exploring and working withthe philosophy of Cosmism in order to imagine a future devoid of death, war, decay, and the exploitation of nature. The exhibition features a series of his films, shot in Japan, Ukraine, Italy, Russia, andKazakhstan, which stage some key notions of this intellectual and artistic tradition.

The show also includes works from the Muzeum Sztukis collection as the holdings of a speculative Cosmist International. This exhibition seeks to show that the Cosmism movement has not been limited to Russia, by emphasizing the work of Ukrainian artists who have explored the field. Fedir Tetyanych was a performer, designer, painter, and poet who was deeply moved by the notion of the biosphere. He developed the doctrine of Frypulia, based on notions of eternity, infinity, and boundlessness. The show also includes the paintings of Veronika Hapchenko, a visionary painter from Krakow who illustrates various aspects of the writings of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.

Room 1Fedir Tetyanych: From Cossacks to BiotechnospheresFedir Tetyanych (19422007) was a total artist whose work was based on a complex philosophy. He grew up in the village of Kniazhychi near Kyiv, and from there he drew his ideas. He mixed Ukrainian folklore, folk traditions, national images, and legends. He also identified himself with the Cossacka hero who personifies individual freedom. These influences were blended with his fascination for modernism, Cosmism, and science fiction, from the material aspects of his work to the ideological principles of their creation. He sourced his material from trash and added soil to his paint. This led him to invent a gesture whereby he attached the whole world to his canvas.

He called his system, Frypulia, which he also used at times as his nickname. It was a code by which humanity, radiating in either a radio wave or in a beam of light and carrying all information about itself, could be reproduced again at any point in space. As such, Frypulia evoked both eternal life and infinity.

The objects in this room are divided into three groups. One contains a large canvas depicting an immortal in an infinite universe and works on paper connecting these visions of the future with Ukrainian history (for example, a Cossack mace forming a biotechnosphere). The second is a group of works on paper from the Biotechnospheres: Cities of the Future series. The works focus on one of the artists main preoccupations: a unit for human habitation and movement. The third group is also connected to the biotechnosphere. The works on paper were used to coat one of the models for the vehicle in 1984. They imitate parts of the design.

Room 2From Zero Gravity to ImmortalityThe science fiction novel Beyond the Planet Earth, written in 1920, compared anti-gravity to swimming in the water: the travelers will dangle, so to speak, in their atmosphere: they will neither fall, nor need the floor for support. They will be like fish in the water, only they will experience no major obstacle in their motion, none of the resistance of the water. Hanging Composition 1 (192021) by Katarzyna Kobro is a work that connects Suprematism with space exploration.

The object is placed alongside an excerpt from an excerpt from Kuba Mikurdas essay film Solaris Mon Amour. This is a radical reimagining of this science-fiction classic - one made solely on the basis of found footage. This is another connection between Polish culture and Cosmism. The novel by Stanisaw Lem depicts an ocean planet capable of bringing back guests, of resurrecting dead people who were loved by the visitors from Earth. It alludes to the trauma of World War Two by showing a place where redemption and eternal life are possible.

Room 3Anton Vidokle, Citizens of the Cosmos, 2019, 30:19 minutesCitizens of the Cosmos is a film by Anton Vidokle based on the Biocosmist manifesto, written by Alexander Svyatogor in 1922. Shot on location in Tokyo and Kyiv with a group of amateur actors, volunteers, and extras, the film presents an imaginary community voicing the historical desires of Cosmismimmortality, resurrection of the dead, and interplanetarismall in the context of everyday life in contemporary Japan. Using urban shrines, cemeteries, a crematorium (actually located in Kyiv), tatami rooms, a bamboo forest, an industrial gas plant, and city streets as an open-air stage, the film gradually narrates the Biocosmist manifesto while presenting a sequence of dream-like tableaux, featuring rejuvenation through blood transfusion, funerary processions and demonstrations, a Danse Macabre, the cremation bone picking ceremony (), attempts to communicate with the dead using stethoscopes, and a theremin orchestra recital, among other scenes. Set to an original score composed by Alva Noto, Citizens of the Cosmos is an experiment in defamiliarisation: a speculative test of the universality implicit in Cosmisms premise.

Room 4The Central RoomThis room is organized around the timeline of Cosmism, organizing our knowledge about this obscure yet very influential ideology. It connects all the aspects of the exhibition that might initially seem distant from one another. The collection of the speculative Cosmist International offers an iconographic constellation that grounds the movements objectives in universal representations of death, rebirth, and space exploration. The room is completed by three paintings by Veronika Hapchenko (born 1995), a Krakow-based painter whose work is informed by the writings of the Cosmists. She uses an airbrush technique to make the visions of the future and space appear vague. The two larger paintings reference visions of the cosmos from the writings of Tsiolkovsky. The smaller work in the middle, influenced by George Gurdjieff, is here a portrait of the resurrected, infinite human beinga gnostic Anthrpos.

Room 5Anton Vidokle, Autotrofia, 2020, 31:37 minutesShot in the village of Oliveto Lucano in the south of Italy, this film both documents an ancient pagan fertility ritual still practiced in this region and tells a fictional story based on writings of the painter Vassily Chekrygin and the scientist Vladimir Vernadsky. The scripted content of the film explores the ecological dimension of Cosmism: a desire to transform and evolve so that humans would not need to kill and consume any other livingorganism to produce the energy they need to live, and instead learn from plants how to generate nutrition directly from the sun. This idea, first developed at the turn of the twentieth century, isjuxtaposed with an older, pagan celebration of King Oak and King Holly: a harvest festival in which two trees representing summer and winter are joined into one supernaturally tall tree, completing and uniting the seasonal cycle created by the orbit of our planetaround the Sun. Autotrofia wascommissioned by Fondazione Matera-Basilicata as a collaboration with the village community. The entire village participated in making the film, some helping with production and others acting in roles. Shot in Italian, the script was translated by Franco (Bifo) Berardi. The music for the film was composed by Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai).

Room 6Anton Vidokle, Immortality for All: A Film Trilogy on Russian Cosmism, 201417, 96 minutesThe philosophy known as Cosmism has now largely been forgotten. Its utopian tenetscombining Western Enlightenment with Eastern philosophy, Russian Orthodox traditions with Marxisminspired many key Soviet thinkers, until they fell victim to Stalinist repression. In this three-part film project, artist Anton Vidokle probes Cosmisms influence on the twentieth century and suggests its relevance to the present day. In Part One he returns to the foundations of Cosmist thought (This Is Cosmos, 2014). Part Two explores the links between cosmology and politics (The Communist Revolution Was Caused By The Sun, 2015), while Part Three restages the museum as a site of resurrection, a central Cosmist idea (Immortality and Resurrection for All!, 2017).

Combining essay, documentary, and performance, Vidokle quotes from the writings of Cosmism founder Nikolai Fedorov and other philosophers and poets. His wandering camera searches for traces of Cosmist influence in the remains of Soviet-era art, architecture, and engineering, moving from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the museums of Moscow. The music by John Cale and liane Radigue accompanies these haunting images, conjuring up the yearning for connectedness, social equality, material transformation, and immortality at the heart of Cosmist thought.

Individual SynopsesThis is Cosmos, 2014, 28:10 minutesShot in Siberia and Kazakhstan, as well as the Moscow and Archangelsk regions, the first film in the trilogy on Russian Cosmism comprises a collage of ideas from the movements diverse protagonists, including founding philosopher Nikolai Fedorov. Fedorov, among others, believed that death was a mistakea flaw in the overall design of the human, because the energy of cosmos is indestructible, because true religion is a cult of ancestors, because true social equality is immortality for all. For the Cosmists, the definition of the cosmos was not limited to outer space: rather, they set out to create a cosmos, or harmonious and eternal life, on Earth. The ultimate goal, as illuminated in the short film, was to construct a new reality, free of hunger, disease, violence, death, need, inequalitylike communism.

The Communist Revolution Was Caused by the Sun, 2015, 33:36 minutesThe second part of the trilogy looks at the poetic dimension of the solar cosmology of Soviet biophysicist Alexander Chizhevsky. Shot in Kazakhstan, where Chizhevsky was imprisoned and later exiled, the film introduces us to Chizhevskys research into the impact of solar emissions on human sociology, psychology, politics, and economics through wars, revolutions, epidemics, and other upheavals. The film aligns the lives of post-Soviet rural folk and the futurological projects of Cosmism to emphasize that the goal of the early Soviet breakthroughs aiming at the conquest of outer space was less technical acceleration than the common cause of humankind in their struggle against the limitations of earthly life.

Immortality and Resurrection for All!, 2017, 34:17 minutesThe trilogys last part is a meditation on the museum as the site of resurrectiona central idea for many Cosmist thinkers, scientists, and avant-garde artists. Filmed at the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow Zoological Museum, the Lenin Library, and the Museum of Revolution, the film looks at museological and archival techniques of collection, restoration, and conservation as a means of the material restoration of life, following an essay penned by Nikolai Fedorov on this subject in the 1880s. The film follows a cast of present-day followers of Fedorov, several actors, artists, and a Pharaoh Hound, who playfully enact the resurrection of a mummy, and perform close examinations of Malevichs Black Square, Rodchenkos spatial constructions, taxidermized animals, artifacts of the October Revolution, skeletons, and mannequins in scenes resembling tableau vivants, in order to create a contemporary visualization of the poetry implicit in Fedorovs writings.

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Citizens of the Cosmos - Announcements - E-Flux

Roman Reigns Returns to SmackDown and Finally Gives Sami Zayn His Own Perfect Bloodline Shirt – ComicBook.com

Roman Reigns made his grand return to SmackDown during tonight's episode, and after having the crowd acknowledge him it was time to get down to business. With the full Bloodline in tow (including Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn), Paul Heyman got on the microphone and insulted the Salt Lake City, Utah crowd, and then addressed Reigns' win at Clash at the Castle and Drew McIntyre's loss. Then things would take a turn where it looked as if Zayn's time in the Bloodline was at an end, but instead Reigns revealed a new Honorary Uce shirt and the crowd lost their minds.

Heyman kept the big talk coming and said this was all Roman's home turf and even alluded to Karrion Kross taking him down next. Heyman then addressed the newest Bloodline member Solo Sikoa, saying that it was unfortunately not his or Roman's idea (and hinted that it wasn't Sami's idea either), but said the idea for Solo came from the elders of the Samoan Dynasty.

Heyman said Solo was sent because Brock Lesnar took out the wise man and The Usos had enough on their plate, and someone needed to step in and help stop the attacks on Roman's Title reign. Heyman called Solo the enforcer for Roman's reign on the Island of Relevancy and added that now Jimmy and Jey can focus on their pursuit of immortality.

Jimmy then got on the microphone and said that after tonight's match against the Brawling Brutes you will once again hear "And Still", and then Jey weighed in on it and delivered the "We The Ones" but was cut off by Reigns, who put his hand out for the microphone.

Roman then asked for Solo and said "the Elders may have sent you, but you answer to me now. Acknowledge me." Sikoa then said "I acknowledge you my Tribal Chief", and Reigns was all smiles and hugged Sikoa.

That's when the music started and they went to exit, but Zayn asked for the music to be cut and apologized that he had something to say. Zayn said, "I know I'm not technically blood, but the way you guys have taken me in as a family of late, I wanted to show my gratitude, and I wanted to also publicly acknowledge the Tribal Chief."

Reigns looked amused and surprised but smiled as he had the microphone in his hand. Then chants of Sami broke out and he was still amused, and he said "I like you Sami, "but what are you talking for right now? Why are you saying anything right now? I get it, I've been seeing what's happening here, but why do you have our shirt on? What's going on here man? Why do you have our shirt on? Why are you tagging along, what do you want? I'll tell you what I want. I want you to take that shirt off."

Jey was yelling at Sami to take it off, and Zayn looked surprised, saying he didn't know if he was kidding and offered to explain what happened with Logan Paul. Roman then said, "I'm not going to tell you again, take our shirt off, now!"

Roman then said Jey and Jey ripped off the shirt and Roman said he didn't want to see him in that shirt ever again. Then he said, "you're never going to wear that again because I got you a new one." That's when he revealed a new Honorary Uce shirt just for Zayn, and Zayn couldn't believe it. He put it on and Reigns and the rest of the Bloodline were beaming, all aside from Jey, who was not happy in the least.

Now Zayn is an official part of the Bloodline and an Honorary Uce, and this will probably be one of WWE's best-selling shirts.

What did you think of the segment? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

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Roman Reigns Returns to SmackDown and Finally Gives Sami Zayn His Own Perfect Bloodline Shirt - ComicBook.com

Devs behind Control, Sea of Thieves and more share their own unfinished game builds to put the GTA 6 leak in perspective – Gamesradar

Update: Game developers across the industry continue to share footage and screenshots from their own early, in-progress builds and projects to show how normal the leaked GTA 6 footage really is and to shut down a hilariously wrong and now heavily-memed remark about graphics coming first in development.

Jeph Prez of Sea of Thieves developer Rare shared a video from a November 2014 build to highlight the "agile, iterative testing" that the game was seeing at the time. It's a blocky pastiche of the polished pirate adventure we know today, and this was after the build was upgraded from the "pill pirate" character models emblematic of the Unity engine's default assets.

EA community manager Kevin Johnson also shared (opens in new tab) Prez's clip with his own sentiments. "I wish the industry would be more proud to show that side of [development]," he said, calling the wave of build showcases one of the few good things to come "from the recent topic of leak culture and how destructive it is."

Sam Barlow, the lead on the newly released Immortality, chimed in with his own before-and-after, showing how the game looked for its first two years while the team at Half Mermaid "were focused on getting the AI shipped and combat gameplay balanced." (Check out our Immortality review to find out how this trippy, beautiful story comes together). This is one of the starkest examples yet, and it hammers home just how secondary graphics can be. It also sums up one of the key arguments behind this conversation: you can't, or at least shouldn't, spend time polishing a game that isn't built and balanced yet.

Breakout indie darling Cult of the Lamb got in on the conversation too, with developer Massive Monsters posting some familiar-looking but rough versions of the game.

Likewise, Brace Yourself Games, perhaps best known for Crypt of the Necrodancer and Zelda crossover Cadence of Hyrule, shared the amusing placeholders once used in Rift of the Necrodancer's yoga minigame.

Bungie senior game designer Josh Kulinski (opens in new tab) even dug up an old personal project to demonstrate that "games look really rough for a long time before they start looking great." Meanwhile, Knockout City developer Velan Studios shared a draft of one of the game's multiplayer maps, proudly reveling in all its untextured glory.

Animator Robert Morrison from Studio Bend also shared a clip of an untextured sequence from 2018's God of War, which still looks impressively fluid for how blobby everything is.

Similarly, co-game director Kurt Margenau of Naughty Dog reposted a blockmesh version of Uncharted 4's iconic street chase sequence, offering a helpful side-by-side look at how projects evolve graphically throughout development.

Solo Japanese developer Nama Takahashi also pounced on the trend to share a stark before-and-after of ElecHead, an electrified puzzle game previously announced at a May Nintendo Indie World showcase.

Original story follows

A Control developer has shared in-progress footage from the beginning of the game's development.

In response to a Twitter debate over the past weekend which, if we're being completely honest, is too silly to waste words on here, Control developer Paul Ehreth took to Twitter to show off what an actual game looks like early on. In the tweet below, we can see very early in-progress footage of protagonist Jessie Fayden running about, taking cover, and returning fire at enemy troops.

The footage also shows Jessie picking up objects from the surrounding environment, a staple of Control's action-packed combat, before hurling them at the enemy troops. As Ehreth rightly points out, this is the same game that would be go on to win numerous awards for excellence in graphics, not to mention overall Game of the Year awards from outlets and pundits.

Avoiding the Twitter debacle which brought this tweet about, we can instead pivot to the recent GTA 6 leaks. After over 90 videos of in-progress footage of Rockstar's sequel leaked online, some social media users were left somewhat surprised at the rough, in-progress state of the game as it continues through development.

Ehreth's tweet is aimed at educating social media users, showing them that yes, a stellar big-budget game really does look rough in the early goings of the overall development cycle. In fact, it's not just Ehreth that's published early footage with the aim of educating users - Naughty Dog director Kurt Margenau has always drawn attention to some very early in-progress footage of Uncharted 4, seen below.

As for the GTA 6 leaks however, Rockstar confirmed their legitimacy shortly after the leak took place over the past weekend. The developer wrote that it was "extremely disappointed," in the leaked footage, but elsewhere around the industry, Cyberpunk 2077 and The Last of Us devs have come together to voice support for Rockstar developers who have had their work leaked online.

Here's why you should ignore the GTA 6, because the final reveal from Rockstar will be worth the lengthy wait.

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Devs behind Control, Sea of Thieves and more share their own unfinished game builds to put the GTA 6 leak in perspective - Gamesradar

Will Emperor Palpatine Appear in ‘Andor?’ – We Got This Covered

Image: Lucasfilm

The next entry into the Star Wars galaxy is here with Andor, with the series boasting an impressive cast with many known characters set to return.

The setting of Andor, between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, opens up the Disney Plus original to featuring crucial characters from the original trilogy, but none more important than the cackling madman himself in Emperor Palpatine. As one of the most frequently recurring characters, his appearance would undoubtedly cause quite the stir within the show.

Andor will heavily involve the political climate of the galaxy during the reign of the Galactic Empire, with several of the pre-release stills and trailers promising a look at the Empires senate. This inclusion has many believing, due to Palpatine being the head of the senate, he would surely appear in the series.

Palpatine spent most of his time after Order 66 and re-establishing the Empire to try and find a way to immortality. This eventually led him to discovering and working on cloning, with secrets of the dark side aiding him in his quest. This period saw him clone himself several times, with younger versions kicking around his family home we can only assume.

Palpatines palace was also located on Coruscant near the Senate Building, with him turning the Jedi Temple into a vast, opulent monument to his ego and power. His leisure time seems to have been spent avoiding assassination attempts, which feels like something easily connected into the plot of Andor.

As of this point in time, it is not confirmed Palpatine will appear, but he did make a brief appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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Will Emperor Palpatine Appear in 'Andor?' - We Got This Covered

Review: Immortality is a welcome, unsettling turn to cinematic horror …

Why are we fascinated by the idea of haunted films? Return, again and again, to the idea of a spirit attaching itself to a moviewhether in film itself, or on the internet, where god knows how many creepypastas have been written about lost episodes, cursed movies, TV shows, and films that possess a spirit of their own? Is it an acknowledgement of how much creators put themselves into their work? Or a reckoning with the way movies can leech into our very spirits, affect us, or, for lack of a better word haunt us?

Sam Barlow and Half Mermaids new game, Immortality, is all about the way film eludes our defenses, and sneaks dangerous (and possibly unwanted) emotional payloads into our souls. The first outright horror game from the creator of Her Story and Telling Lies, the game purports to be a collection of lost footage from the filmography of Marissa Marcel (Manon Gage), an actress who appeared in three films across a 40-year careerall of them unreleased. Untangling the reasons for the shuttering of each of these projects, and the reason so many people associated with them appear to have come to an unhappy end, is the bulk of the players duties here, ostensibly as a sort of amateur film editor jumping through the archive mostly at will.

Half Mermaid Productions

Xbox Series X/S, PC, Mac, Android, iOS

Mechanically, Immortality will be immediately familiar to players of Barlows last two games, albeit with a visual twist. Where the previous games had players search out new pieces of live-action footage in their vast and hidden archives by typing in keywords in a search box, Immortality instead tasks them with selecting visual elements in the clips watched to find related ones. Interested in a background player in a scene? Take your editing window into search mode and click their face to be brought to a different clip in which they feature. Click a crucifix around a characters neck, and youll be whisked to another clip in which a cross appears. You can even do it for certain actionskissing, for instance, can jump you between each of the three films on offer pretty easily, given the ways sex and sexuality thread their way throughout Marcels fictitious filmography.

Ambrosio (1968)Screenshot: Immortality

Minsky (1970)Screenshot: Immortality

Two Of Everything (1999)Screenshot: Immortality

In review notes for the game, Barlow and his team talk about wanting to recreate the sensation of being a film editor, creating match cuts, playing with juxtapositions, etc. The problem with that approach, ultimately, is that your job as a player of Immortality is not to be an editor, but a detective, and clicking haphazardly between objects like this is a relatively poor way to go searching for clues. (We found ourselves missing that nostalgic text window more than once.) The biggest issue is that the clip youre taken to when making an edit seems to be at least partially random; theres no way we found to narrow your search if youre trying to find something specific, which can lead to lots of desperate clicking of the same element, searching for a new clip to sate your curiosity. Lost in the shuffle, then, is some of the sense of hunting down a lead that was so satisfying in the two prior games, where one interesting new term or name could open up whole new angles of the story. All three of Barlows games, by the merit of their player-dictated pacing, have moments when the momentum can crash, but Immortality feels like its affected the worst by these sudden dead ends.

IMMORTALITY Reveal Trailer - Coming Summer 2022

Aesthetically, at least, the game is a triumph, partly because of its subject matter, and especially because of its devotion to it. Each of Marcels three filmsreligious parable Ambrosio, 70s hippie crime flick Minsky, and 90s identity thriller Two Of Everythingmatch the look of the eras theyre meant to be evoking, whether that means using projected effects shots for Ambrosio, or filling the backgrounds of scenes with authentic New York artist weirdos for Minsky. None of it reads false, whether youre watching an old talk show clip, a behind-the-scenes interview, or just candid moments of rehearsal footage. The attention to detail is relentless and impressive.

It doesnt hurt that all three of the movies are actually pretty damn good. As Marcel, Gage is a consistently engaging screen presenceshe has to be, for the central conceit of the game to workand the stories being told all reflect on each other in fascinating ways. Running through each of them are thoughts on the mutability of identity, the falseness of images, the illusion of virtue. Taken together (and in discordant sequence, as the player slowly assembles fuller pictures of each of them in their mind), they create a sort of funhouse mirror of themes and ideasbut maybe the same could be said of any creators filmography, real or fictional.

And lurking beneath it all, a sense of dread. Barlows games have always had an anxious intimacy to themboth Her Story and Telling Lies contain moments that pull a gasp from the player by suddenly underlining that theyre playing as a character within the story, glimpses of another person lurking just beyond the boundaries of the screen. Immortality doesnt do that. Theres no avatar here, no separation. Its you that youre playing as, watching these clips. You, scrubbing backwards and forwards through footage, trying to understand what happened to these people. You, growing steadily more uneasy as the feeling builds that, even as you peer into the cinematic abyss, something else is peering back into you.

The tricky thing about talking about creators who make games that are unlike anything else on the market is that it becomes very hard to compare them to anything but their own work. By that metric, Immortality is Barlow and Half Mermaids most ambitious, if not their best, game to date. (Its very hard, even now, to top the precise focus of Her Story, riveting with its unmoving cameraalthough we will say that watching three competently made movies is significantly more engaging than the vlogs and video calls that made up the bulk of Telling Lies.) The horror element is its secret weapon, though. Even when Immortality falters as a mysteryand well be honest and note that, even after hitting credits, were still unclean on some of what Barlow and his collaborators are driving at herethat feeling of discomfort persists. Immortality gets under your skin; flickers subliminally in your head. It becomes a part of you, whether you want it to, or not.

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Review: Immortality is a welcome, unsettling turn to cinematic horror ...

The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from September 2022 – COGconnected

3 Up, 3 Down September 2022

September ended up being an insanely good month for video games. COGconnected published more 90+ review scores this month, more than any other in recent memory. Most of the major releases were excellent, but there were some unexpected gems that shone incredibly brightly. Nothing scored poorly either, with our lowest entry in The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from September 2022 still being a 60. We have to mention that The Last of Us Part I Remake scored a 99, and is the definitive way to play that PS3-era classic. But we wanted to highlight the insanely high scoring new games that arrived over the last month. The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from September 2022 are:

***click here for our review***

Immortality was actually released at the very end of August, and, admittedly, flew under COGconnecteds radar. Its the third FMV game by Sam Barlow, who created the two modern masterpieces Her Story and Telling Lies. All three games involve sifting through video clips to unlock a mystery narrative. Immortality is about the failed career of an actress whose three films were never released. Players get to look at footage from those well-crafted films. Our reviewer concluded that all of Barlows games have been excellent but Immortality is probably the richest and most thought-provoking of the three. Any thought-provoking game that pushes expectations of the video game medium deserves to be highlighted.

***click here for our review***

And speaking of thought-provoking video games that push the boundaries of the medium: Inscryption is another video game from an auteur of design. Daniel Mullins created the genre-bending titles Pony Island and The Hex, and has now outdone himself with Inscryption. All three games play with the idea that they appear to be one kind of game at first, but the game designs and narratives change. The less one knows about Inscryption, the better. It begins as a roguelite deckbuilding card game, but transforms into an unforgettable story. Our reviewer proclaimed Inscryption to be a must play for anyone who is a fan of experimental video game storytelling. So, play it.

***click here for our review***

Some games are cerebral and experimental. But thats not what everyones looking for. Some people just want pure fun, and SpiderHeck is definitely that. Its an arena brawler featuring spiders swinging around, waiting for lightsabers to spawn so they can go on the offensive. Our reviewer began his article with the statement that SpiderHeck is probably the best local multiplayer game youll play all year. His family couldnt get enough of the addicting gameplay. So, if youre a player on the lookout for an ultra-fun multiplayer experience, then SpiderHeck is a must-play.

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Legacy of Kain series revival teased by Crystal Dynamics in new survey – Niche Gamer

It seems that a Legacy of Kain revival is possibly being considered by Crystal Dynamics, if a new survey is anything to go by.

The new survey was posted by developer Crystal Dynamics, polling fans on what their favorite titles in the series are, how they rate each game, and even whether they prefer the eponymous Kain or his lieutenant, Raziel as a protagonist.

However further into the survey fans get a tantalizing question: what would they prefer the next game in the Legacy of Kain series to be? The options you can select include:

Its worth noting that the above four options in the survey are set to be put in order of which you prefer most so Crystal Dynamics is considering everything when it comes to reviving the beloved series.

The survey then goes on to ask which of the five main games in the series theyd like to see get a remake or remaster, and whether or not theyd like to see a story recap in these purported re-releases. It also asks what modern game most resembles what theyd expect a new Kain title would play like, and what media most resembles the tone of the series.

The survey also asks more intricate questions like what they enjoy most in vampire games, i.e. blood feeding, immortality, magic, and so on. Interestingly, the survey also asks which of the supporting characters are the players most favorite, and what other vampire games theyve enjoyed the most (aside from the Legacy of Kain series, of course).

Its very possible that the Embracer Group buyout of Crystal Dynamics will lead to a revival of the series, as the parent company and its subsidiaries have been bringing several IPs back from the dead with their seemingly endless cash.

Would you like to see a Legacy of Kain series revival? In what form and what kind of games would you like to see? Sound off in the comments below!

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Legacy of Kain series revival teased by Crystal Dynamics in new survey - Niche Gamer

A Young Kobe Bryant Once Made 9 Players On The Court Cry While Playing In Italy: "The Other 9 Players Started Crying And Their Parents Started…

Kobe Bryant was one of the most competitive basketball players in the history of the sport, always looking for the smallest of advantages over his opponents in a game. That sort of instinct is required in the NBA, as the smallest margin of error for one player can lead to big results for another player. Kobe knew this better than anyone and spent his whole life honing his mentality.

Bryant spent the early years of life in Italy, as his father, Jellybean Bryant played professionally in the country after a few years in the NBA. Kobe learned about the game from his father and put his skills on display against other kids his age in Italy. This led to a young Bryant being racially abused and called a 'scuro', which means dark in Italian, as he made the 9 players he shared the court with cry.

He dribbled and shot and shot and dribbled and scored so many points scored the first ten points in his first game that the other nine players started crying and their parents started screaming to get this spoiled little scuro off the court." (h/t NY Post)

This was revealed in Mike Sielski's book 'The Rise Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality'. Bryant would move back to the United States after his father retired from basketball, becoming one of the best high school players in Philadelphia and being drafted into the NBA before turning 18 years old.

Kobe Bryant was always going to have an edge over his opponents in Italy. Not only is basketball not the primary sport there, but he was also being personally taught by his father at that age. We all know the mentality that Kobe had, so he was going to use everything in his arsenal to prove a point.

His opponents were other kids who didn't take the game as seriously as him, so they were bound to be upset. Kobe's mentality served him well for the entirety of his NBA career, as the teachings of his 'Mamba Mentality' have become an aspirationaltarget for NBA players. Everybody wants to have Mamba Mentality on the court, and that credit goes entirely to Kobe.

Excerpt from:
A Young Kobe Bryant Once Made 9 Players On The Court Cry While Playing In Italy: "The Other 9 Players Started Crying And Their Parents Started...

Star Wars’ Darth Vader will ‘live forever’ after being given digital AI immortality – Daily Star

Darth Vader will feature in Star Wars films for years to come, thanks to an 'immortalising' AI technology.

James Earl Jones, the 91-year-old actor who has been the voice of Darth Vader since 1977, has reportedly agreed to have his voice synthesized by an AI so that Disney doesn't have to recast the role after he dies.

According to Vanity Fair, the aging actor agreed to let Ukrainian AI company Respeecher take past recordings of his voice and use it to create new lines for Darth Vader that sound "indistinguishable from the original speaker".

READ NEXT: Inside Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher's saucy 3-month affair

The method was reportedly used during during the newly-released Obi-Wan Kenobi series over on Disney+.

It was used because the series needed to depict a younger Darth Vader between Star Wars Episode III and IV, and because Jones no longer wants to play the character at his age.

Jones has given the green light to archive recordings of him playing Darth Vader so that the AI company can continue to churn out convincing lines long after he's gone.

It marks yet another high-tech immortalisation of an iconic Star Wars character, after both Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing reprised their roles in the series after their deaths.

An 'eerie' CGI version of Peter Cushing, complete with digitally reconstructed voice, appeared in Rogue One.

Meanwhile, Carrie Fisher was 'brought back' as Princess Leia in Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, again using advanced CGI technology.

With an additional sequel trilogy reportedly planned for Star Wars, as well as a myriad of TV series and shorts coming out continually on Disney+, we could be watching artificial characters replace actors for years to come as Disney continues to milk the galaxy for all it's worth.

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Star Wars' Darth Vader will 'live forever' after being given digital AI immortality - Daily Star

Baijnath: The Himachal town that doesn’t celebrate Dussehra – Times of India

Some 50 km from Dharamshala in Himachal, lies a pretty town named Baijnath in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The town is mostly noted for being home to an ancient temple of Lord Shiva (Baijnath Temple), after which the place is named.

But thats not all; do you know, Baijnath is a rare place in India where Dussehra is not celebrated, and this is why.

Soon after getting his wishes fulfilled, Ravana requested Lord Shiva to come with him to Lanka. Therefore, the Goa converted himself into a shivalinga and asked him to carry it to Lanka. However, Shiva also warned him not to put the shivalinga down on the ground on his way and, if for some reason, he does that, Shiva will settle at that very spot forever.

Soon after quenching his thirst, Ravana felt the urge to answer nature's call. So he requested Ganesh to hold the shivalinga while he relieved himself. But, Lord Ganesha kept the linga on the ground and, as told by Shiva, the shivalinga settled at the same spot in the form of Ardhanarishwar (Lord Shiva in the form of half male and half female). The spot was in the modern day town of Baijnath, where Dussehra is not celebrated in respect of Ravana's devotion to Lord Shiva.

While the whole country burns the effigy of Ravana and his clan, Baijnath has no such ritual.

About Baijnath Temple

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Baijnath: The Himachal town that doesn't celebrate Dussehra - Times of India

Transhumanists want to upload their minds to a computer. They really won’t like the result – Big Think

If you are reading these words, your brain is alive and well, stored within the protective confines of your skull where it will reside for the remainder of your life. I feel the need to point this out because there is a small but vocal population of self-proclaimed transhumanists who believe that within their lifetimes, technological advances will enable them to upload their minds into computer systems, thereby allowing them to escape the limitations of their biology and effectively live forever.

These transhumanists are wrong.

To be fair, not all transhumanists believe in mind uploading as a pathway to immortality, but theres enough chatter about the concept within that community that excitement has spilled out into the general public so much so, that Amazon has a comedic TV series based on the premise called Upload. These may be fun stories, but the notion that a single biological human will ever extend their life by uploading their mind into a computer system is pure fiction.

The concept of mind uploading is rooted in the very reasonable premise that the human brain, like any system that obeys the laws of physics, can be modeled in software if you devote sufficient computing power to the problem. To be clear, were not talking about modeling human brains in the abstract, but modeling very specific brains your brain, my brain, your uncle Herberts brain each one represented in such extreme detail that every single neuron is accurately simulated, including all the complex connections among them.

It is an understatement to say that modeling a unique, individual human brain is a non-trivial task.

There are over 85 billion neurons in your head, each with thousands of links to other neurons. In total, there are about 100 trillion connections, which is unfathomably large a thousand times more than the number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Its those trillions of connections that make you who you are your personality, your memories, your fears, your skills, your peculiarities. Your mind is encoded in those 100 trillion connections, and so to accurately reproduce your mind in software, a system would need to precisely simulate the vast majority of those connections down to the most subtle interactions.

Obviously, that level of modeling will not be done by hand. People who believe in mind uploading envision an automated scanning process, likely using some kind of supercharged MRI machine, that captures the biology down to resolutions that approach the molecular level. They then envision the use of intelligent software to turn that scan into a simulation of each unique brain cell and its thousands of connections to other cells.

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That is an extremely challenging task, but I cannot deny that it is theoretically feasible. If it ever happens, it is not going to happen in the next 20 years, but much, much further out. And with additional time and resources, it also is not crazy to think that large numbers of simulated minds could co-exist inside of a rich and detailed simulation of physical reality. Still, the notion that this process will offer anyone reading this article a pathway to immortality is utterly absurd.

As I stated above, the idea that a single biological human will ever extend their life by uploading their minds is pure fiction. The two key words in that sentence are their life. While it is theoretically possible with sufficient technological advances to copy and reproduce the precise form and function of a unique human brain within a simulation, the original human would still exist in their biological body, their brain still housed within their skull. What would exist in the computer would be a copy a digital doppelgnger.

In other words, you would not feel like you suddenly transported yourself into a computer. In fact, you would not feel anything at all. The brain copying process could have happened without your knowledge, while you were asleep or sedated, and you would never have the slightest inkling that a reproduction of your mind existed within a simulation. And if you found yourself crossing a busy street with a car racing toward you you would jump out of the way, because you would not be immortal.

But what about that version of you within a simulation?

You could think of it as a digital clone or identical twin, but it would not be you. It would be a copy of you, including all your memories up to the moment your brain was scanned. But from that instant on, it would generate its own memories. It might be interacting with other simulated minds in a simulated world, learning new things and having new experiences. Or maybe it interacts with the physical world through robotic interfaces. At the same time, the biological you would be generating new memories and having new experiences.

In other words, it would only be identical for an instant, and then you and the copy would both diverge in different directions. Your skills would diverge. Your knowledge would diverge. Your personalities would diverge. After a few years, there would be substantial differences. Your copy might become deeply religious while you are agnostic. Your copy might become an environmentalist while you are an oil executive. You and the copy would retain similar personalities, but you would be different people.

Yes, the copy of you would be a person but a different person. Thats a critical point, because that copy of you would need to have its own identity and its own rights that have nothing to do with you. After all, that person would feel just as real inside their digital mind as you feel within your biological mind. Certainly, that person should not be your slave, required to take on tasks that you are too busy to do during your biological life. Such exploitation would be immoral.

After all, the copy would feel just like you feel fully entitled to own its own property and earn its own wages and make its own decisions. In fact, you and the copy would likely have a dispute as to who gets to use your name, as you would both feel like you had used it your entire life. If I made a copy of myself, it would wake up and fully believe it was Louis Barry Rosenberg, a lifelong technologist in the fields of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. If it was able to interact with the real world through digital or robotic means, it would believe it had every right to use the name Louis Barry Rosenberg in the physical world. And it certainly would not feel subservient to the biological version.

In other words, creating a digital copy through mind uploading has nothing to do with allowing you to live forever. Instead, it would just create a competitor who has identical skills and capabilities and memories to the biological version, and who feels equally justified to be the owner of your identity. And yes, the copy would feel equally justified to be married to your spouse and parent to your children.

In other words, mind uploading is not a path to immortality. It is a path for creating another you who immediately will feel like they are equally justified owners of everything you possess and everything you have accomplished. And they would react exactly the way you would react if you woke up one day and were told: Sorry, but all those memories of your life arent really yours but copies, so your spouse is not really your spouse, your kids are not really your kids, and your job is not really your job.

Is this really what anyone would want to subject a copy of yourself to?

Back in 2008, I wrote a graphic novel called Upgrade that explores the absurdity of mind uploading. It takes place in the 2040s in a future world where everyone spends the vast majority of their lives in the Metaverse, logging in the moment they wake up and logging out the moment they go to sleep. (Coincidentally, the fictional reason why society went in this direction was a global pandemic that drove people inside.) What the inhabitants of this future world didnt realize is that as they lived their lives in the Metaverse, they were being characterized by AI systems that observed all of their actions and reactions and interactions, capturing every sentiment and emotional response so it could build a digital model of their mind from a behavioral perspective rather than from molecular scanning.

After 20 years of collecting data in this dystopian metaverse, the fictional AI system had fully modeled every person in this future society with sufficient detail that it didnt need real people anymore. After all, real humans are less efficient, as we need food and housing and healthcare. The digital copies didnt need any of that. And so, guess what the fictional AI system decided to do? It convinced all of us biological people to upgrade ourselves by ending our own lives and allowing the digital copies to replace us. And we were willing to do it under the false notion that we would be immortal.

Thats what mind uploading really means. It means ending humanity and replacing it with a digital representation. I wrote Upgrade 14 years ago because I genuinely believe we humans might be foolish enough to head in that direction, ending our biological existence in favor of a purely digital one.

Why is this bad? If you think Big Tech has too much power now having the ability to track what you do and moderate the information you access imagine what it will be like when human minds are trapped inside the systems they control, unable to exit. That is the future many are pushing for. Its terrifying. Mind uploading is not the path to immortality some believe.

Continued here:
Transhumanists want to upload their minds to a computer. They really won't like the result - Big Think

Ode: Intimations of Immortality from | Poetry Foundation

The child is father of the man;And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety. (Wordsworth, "My Heart Leaps Up")

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,

The earth, and every common sight,

To me did seem

Apparelled in celestial light,

The glory and the freshness of a dream.

It is not now as it hath been of yore;

Turn wheresoe'er I may,

By night or day.

The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

The Rainbow comes and goes,

And lovely is the Rose,

The Moon doth with delight

Look round her when the heavens are bare,

Waters on a starry night

Are beautiful and fair;

The sunshine is a glorious birth;

But yet I know, where'er I go,

That there hath past away a glory from the earth.

Now, while the birds thus sing a joyous song,

And while the young lambs bound

As to the tabor's sound,

To me alone there came a thought of grief:

A timely utterance gave that thought relief,

And I again am strong:

The cataracts blow their trumpets from the steep;

No more shall grief of mine the season wrong;

I hear the Echoes through the mountains throng,

The Winds come to me from the fields of sleep,

And all the earth is gay;

Land and sea

Give themselves up to jollity,

And with the heart of May

Doth every Beast keep holiday;

Thou Child of Joy,

Shout round me, let me hear thy shouts, thou happy Shepherd-boy.

Ye blessd creatures, I have heard the call

Ye to each other make; I see

The heavens laugh with you in your jubilee;

My heart is at your festival,

My head hath its coronal,

The fulness of your bliss, I feelI feel it all.

Oh evil day! if I were sullen

While Earth herself is adorning,

This sweet May-morning,

And the Children are culling

On every side,

In a thousand valleys far and wide,

Fresh flowers; while the sun shines warm,

And the Babe leaps up on his Mother's arm:

I hear, I hear, with joy I hear!

But there's a Tree, of many, one,

A single field which I have looked upon,

Both of them speak of something that is gone;

The Pansy at my feet

Doth the same tale repeat:

Whither is fled the visionary gleam?

Where is it now, the glory and the dream?

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

Shades of the prison-house begin to close

Upon the growing Boy,

But he beholds the light, and whence it flows,

He sees it in his joy;

The Youth, who daily farther from the east

Must travel, still is Nature's Priest,

And by the vision splendid

Is on his way attended;

At length the Man perceives it die away,

And fade into the light of common day.

Earth fills her lap with pleasures of her own;

Yearnings she hath in her own natural kind,

And, even with something of a Mother's mind,

And no unworthy aim,

The homely Nurse doth all she can

To make her Foster-child, her Inmate Man,

Forget the glories he hath known,

And that imperial palace whence he came.

Behold the Child among his new-born blisses,

A six years' Darling of a pigmy size!

See, where 'mid work of his own hand he lies,

Fretted by sallies of his mother's kisses,

With light upon him from his father's eyes!

See, at his feet, some little plan or chart,

Some fragment from his dream of human life,

Shaped by himself with newly-learn{e}d art

A wedding or a festival,

A mourning or a funeral;

And this hath now his heart,

And unto this he frames his song:

Then will he fit his tongue

To dialogues of business, love, or strife;

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Ode: Intimations of Immortality from | Poetry Foundation

CSI: Immortality (TV Movie 2015) – IMDb

There is a thing called CSI Effect. People *expect* ultra fast DNA tests, they expect "scientific evidence" very far from reality. This final chapter brings conclusion to the show. But the new case lacks original ideas, it is just as tired as the worst seasons of the show, and and it manages to inherit all the issues the CSI series had.

Old stars and characters return to a "yet another" important and big scene that can showcase it all, but as the show tries to amaze us with "detective fantasy" it manages to serve us more nonsense and an uninteresting plot.

When we watched the show the tale about individual characters added a bit of spice to this bland soup of scientific nonsense. The characters and how they performed added a lot to the "drama" in this series. But as a "service to old fans" they wanted to add conclusion to the show, and brought back (revived) old characters in an attempt to please most of us. Too bad it meant: We lost continuity.

And events in the team and continuity were one of the key redeeming qualities of the original show.

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CSI: Immortality (TV Movie 2015) - IMDb

Everything You Need to Know About When the ‘Highlander’ Series Went Femme Fatale – Black Girl Nerds

1986s Highlander and its sequels are most definitely one of the hardest-to-explain franchises in recent cinematic and television history, considering that its sequels retconned the foundations set by the first film.

For example, while far from being the perfect release at its time, the first film rose to the heights of cult-classic status, while its direct sequel, Highlander II: The Quickening, is considered among the worst films ever made.

Highlander: The Series, on the other hand, has received some really favorable reviews, thanks to its unique and inspiring storytelling, with each episode offering a provocative glimpse into the trials and concerns of immortality. In fact, the series was an international hit that ran for six seasons before running out of fuel in Season 6, which was reflected in the final seasons overall quality. However, even the producers were aware of the shows end, so they decided to experiment with introducing a female Immortal protagonist.

And thats how Highlander: The Raven was born; the team behind The Series didnt know which of the regular female characters to feature, so they chose to center the narrative around a recurring character, Amanda portrayed by Elizabeth Gracen. The Raven is a peculiar piece of television history for numerous reasons, starting with the fact that it was the first time in the franchises history that a female Immortal had the chance to take the spotlight.

However, this Immortal (and by that, we mean the entire spin-off) had its own issues, as it suffered numerous production issues and heavy criticism upon release. Still, just like the original Highlander, it managed to grow on people over time, and those who rewatched the series during quarantine say that the show is better than they remember. It could be the quarantine talking, or the fact that a lot of entertainment work today is a low-quality derivative of something released 3040 years ago, or perhaps its the possibility of The Raven aging like a fine wine.

The show follows Amanda, a likable thief from Highlander: The Series, in a television show of her own. Shes beautiful, clever, and witty and has been one of the fan-favorite characters for the previous six years, which obviously allowed Davis-Panzer Productions to make more money off the franchise by launching the spin-off. However, at the shows beginning, Amanda is portrayed as an amoral woman merely tripping through her endless life.

The new heroine is much more morally ambiguous than Duncan, the protagonist of the previous main series, which admirably raises moral questions about immortality and how it might affect the lives of mortals and Immortals alike. Of course, the main character of the series isnt going to be decapitated (the only way to kill an Immortal), so the series centers on Amanda facing up to her fears and taking responsibility for her actions rather than running away as she wouldve in the past.

In the pilot, she meets Nick Wolfe portrayed by Paul Johansson from Once Upon a Time a tired archetypal cop character with a strong moral code whos investigating a series of robberies. He discovers Amandas immortality during his investigation, but not before his partner, Claudia, sacrifices her own life to save Amanda. Claudias death has a profound effect on Amanda, who just witnessed a human giving away something so precious their life something that Amanda takes for granted.

That event, paired with the knowledge of causing the deaths of a battalion of soldiers in WWI and Nicks strong moral code, influenced Amanda to become a better person and actually gain the strength of character to face up to other Immortals even when she thinks she cant win. Unfortunately, the first half of Season 1 or Season Only, considering that the series has only one season felt more akin to an overly exploited cop television show rather than a narrative about the warring Immortals.

The latter half of the season switches into a Highlander mode, focusing more on Immortals, flashbacks, and longsword duels and less on being a cop-based lackluster spin-off in which one of the characters happens to be an Immortal. Instead, it centered more on the series new femme fatale facing off against Immortals and trying to be a better person, a fairer and honor-bound fighter, and for some reason, an unsuccessful thief.

In the series final episode, Nick inhales a deadly poison and has about 24 hours to live. Upon realizing that hes going to die, Amanda shoots Nick since only a shock of violent death can trigger his immortality. Yes, Nick is immortal, and Amanda knew all along even if he didnt. But, the morally strong retired cop isnt too happy about the revelation, and the series ends on a cliffhanger with Nick walking away from/angry at Amanda.

Unfortunately, Highlander: The Raven was decapitated after only one season. The lack of chemistry between the leads, low ratings, and change in the marketing of syndicated shows all contributed to the shows failure the foremost reason being the biggest one. The cast and the crew hated each other, and Gracen was apparently at the center of it all or, at the very least, an instigator of incidents.

In an odd twist of real life imitating fiction, Gracen came under the scrutiny of the public eye at large during the filming of The Raven for her one-night stand with Bill Clinton a few years prior and was subpoenaed to testify against him. Luckily, she managed to dodge the whole political escapade thanks to The Raven being filmed outside the country. Unfortunately, however, her partner at the time, a skilled con artist who convinced her that he was the U.S. Ambassador to the Cayman Islands, also convinced her that her co-star, Paul Johansson, was a CIA plant looking to gain information from her.

But the off-camera duels didnt just end there. Apparently, the television network that financed most of the spin-off had no stake in the original series and didnt much care about continuity. So they wanted to divert the show into something entirely different and separate from The Highlander universe, which is why the first half of the season resembles a cliched cop-drama rather than a series revolving around sword-swinging immortals decapitating each other because there can be only one left.

Considering just how much of a trainwreck the production of Highlander: The Raven was, its almost surprising that the show somehow managed to deliver more than just a few good episodes. It is interesting to think just how entertaining a second season might have been, with Nick discovering his immortality and Amanda mentoring him in the way of the longsword. Unfortunately, that didnt happen since the series imploded under the weight of personal feuds and production mismanagement.

Ultimately, Highlander: The Raven is a fun and entertaining introduction to the Highlander franchise, despite being a syndicated TV show whose production staff had to work with what they had and they did not have plenty. Its certainly a lot more respectable compared to Netflix, Apple, or other more prominent streaming services pouring tens and hundreds of millions into projects that end up being massive flops.

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Everything You Need to Know About When the 'Highlander' Series Went Femme Fatale - Black Girl Nerds

The elusive amrita and the question of eternal life – The Hindu

The earliest story of the grand churning of the ocean of milk, samudra-manthan, for the nectar of immortality, amrita, is found in the Mahabharata. But strangely there are more images of this mythological episode in Southeast Asian temples than in India. There is no artwork in India to match the grand Angkor Wat corridor in Cambodia that shows devas and asuras holding the serpent-king Vasuki with Vishnu overseeing the entire enterprise. At Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi airport one finds Vasuki (or Adi Sesha) take the shape of a Chinese dragon. In India, at best, we find images of Vishnu as Kurma, the turtle, on walls of Vishnu temples, despite the widespread popularity of the story. This may have something to do with the ambiguous relationship that Indian philosophy has with the idea of immortality.

The Buddha was clear that nothing in this world is permanent. There is no concept of a permanent soul either. Jains insisted that every organism has a permanent soul ( jiva). Hindus went a step further and said besides a soul ( jiva-atma) in every organism, there is a cosmic soul ( param-atma) animating the whole world. But the idea of amrita is different from atma. Amrita is about the immortal and youthful body; atma is about the unseen, formless, tranquil spirit.

In the Puranas, when an asura asks Brahma for the boon of immortality, he is told that it is one boon that cannot be given. So the asura asks for a boon by which he seeks to outsmart death and make himself near-immortal. He fails, of course. There is always a loophole, something the demon forgets to ask protection from. Ravana is killed by a human; Mahisha by a woman; Taraka by a child. Everyone has a vulnerable spot.

A threatened swarga

We are told that only the devas are blessed with amrita; they never grow old, they never die. But their luxurious life in swarga is constantly threatened by relentless attacks by asuras. Eternal life does not seem to be accompanied by eternal joy. Is there a message here?

Painting showing Lakshmi emerging from the milky ocean.| Photo Credit: Wiki Commons

In a later version of the story of churning the ocean, we are told that Lakshmi disappears from swarga when Durvasa insults the hedonistic Indra. To churn her out, this enterprise is planned. The asuras serve as the counterforce. These enemies of the devas agree only because they are offered a share of the fruits of labour. But when amrita appears, the asuras are tricked and denied their share. Devas become immortal, not the asuras. A story of injustice that is often quoted in anti-caste circles to illustrate Brahmanical trickery.

But that is only half the story. The asuras have Shukra as their guru and he has access to sanjivani vidya that resurrects dead asuras. Asuras may not be immortal; but they can regenerate themselves and trouble devas endlessly. The authors of these stories insist that devas cannot be all-powerful and eternally successful, even if they have amrita.

In the story of samudra-manthan, Vishnu takes the form of Mohini and offers to distribute amrita fairly between devas and asuras. Enchanted by her beauty, both parties agree. Since the enterprise was initiated by devas, she begins by serving devas first. But one asura named Svarbhanu doubts Mohinis intention and sits among the devas as one of them. The sun and the moon identify him and Vishnu immediately cuts off Svarbhanus head.

The samudra-manthan is also equated with the turning of the year. When the devas are pulling, it is Uttarayana, when the days get longer and warmer. When the asuras are pulling, it is Dakshinayana, when days are getting shorter and colder. This is not a tug-of-war; this is manthan, a churn, where the devas and asuras have to collaborate, pull while the other pauses. Only collaboration generates amrita, seems to be the message.

Vishnu splits the world by placing devas above the sky and asuras below the earth in patala. Here, in the subterranean realm, sprouts every seed. From here springs water, metal, and gem. That is why Lakshmi is called Pulomi, the daughter of the asura-king Puloman. She emerges to become Vishnus wife, Sachi, during harvest time and returns to her fathers house during sowing season.

When Lakshmi finally appears from the ocean of milk, she chooses as her husband not Indra, the king of devas, but Vishnu. Indra, the supreme deity of the Veda, is a junior deity in Puranas. He constantly fights asuras and is insecure about his position. He lacks the confidence, contentment, and grace of Vishnu. But she always comes back to Vishnu, as only he always upholds dharma. Her repeated return turns Vaikuntha into the ocean of milk, a realm of abundance.

By placing Vishnu above Indra, the collaborator is celebrated over the competitor. By placing Vaikuntha above swarga, the scriptures are positioning the spiritual above the material. The spirit is eternal not the flesh, not the material world. The body decays and dies. The world rises only to fall.

Distinctly Indian

Later Hindu mythology has ideas of chiranjeevi, the immortals, perhaps the result of contact with Chinese monks who spoke of the eight Taoist immortals of the Jade Heaven. But an analysis of the stories of Chiranjeevi reveals something distinctly Indian. They are a tool to make us realise how the quest for material permanence is futile, and only creates misery. Hanuman and Vibhishana have to watch how Ram eventually has to leave earth and return to Vaikuntha. Kripa and Ashwatthama have to witness how wars do not solve problems. Parashurama observes how kings do not change, despite threats of violence. Bali realises that generosity does not solve all human problem. Markandeya, saved by Shiva, has to witness how during pralaya everything in this world withdraws into Vishnu, awaiting a suitable time of for regeneration.

We build things for permanence. We believe in happily ever after. Every deva feels the defeat of asuras is permanent. Every asura feels that the vanquished devas will never return. But they are always proved wrong. Nature balances the nectar of immortality, amrita, with halalal, the poison consumed by Shiva, and sanjivani that the asuras have access too. Every asura thinks he can cheat death but is invariably outsmarted.

As Yudhishtira told the yaksha when asked about the greatest wonder, Everyday people die but the rest live as if we are immortal.

The writer is author of 50 books on mythology, art and culture.

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The elusive amrita and the question of eternal life - The Hindu

D&D: Five Ways to Live Forever Without Breaking the Rules – BoLS

Who wants to live forever? Most people. And in D&D, its surprisingly easy to live forever without having to break any rules.

Immortality is a gift. Or its a curse. It all depends on your point of view. Because if you live long enough youll eventually have to face the consequences of your actions.

But for something so lofty, its surprisingly easy in D&D to live forever without breaking any rules. Youll have to actually try to do it, sure. But there are plenty of ways that your character could live forever. Note, thats live forever. So no vampires or liches need apply. We want your heart (and soul) to keep on keepin on.

This first one is certainly the most eco-friendly way to live forever. Its relatively painless, but the trick is that while you technically can go on and on and on, you do have to die at least a little bit in between go rounds.

The spell works when the caster touches a dead humanoid or part thereof. So you have to be dead (but for no more than 10 days). Then the spell creates a new adult body and calls your soul into that body. As an added bonus you might even be in an entirely different type of body. You could be a Dragonborn in one life, and a Tiefling in the next. But you recall your life and experiences and all your capabilities.

Dont want to be different? Clone grows an inert duplicate of you as you are. It takes 120 days, of course, but whatre 120 days every now and then compared to eternity?

Especially since you can choose to have the clone be a younger version of you (so you dont have to worry about dying of old age). And once its matured, if you happen to die, you immediately wake up in the clones body. Sure you wont have your stuff, but hey, thats the least of your problems.

One of the most underutilized books in D&D, the Dungeon Masters Guide contains the seeds of immortality. Theres an epic boon that grants you immunity from aging, magical or otherwise.

Now you have to get to the 20th level and then do something to merit it. Sure. But if you make it that far, you may as well go for it. The Boon of Immortality means you stop aging. So just pack a month or so full of XP and youll be immortal in no time.

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If you want to live forever, youve got plenty of time. So you may as well pick up the Oath of the Ancients subclass.

At high levels, you become ageless and immune to disease. And with all the time in the world, you could just devote yourself to love, peace, and delighting in song and laughter, in beauty and art. Sounds like not a bad way to spend eternity.

In the Astral Sea, time doesnt pass. Well, it does and it doesnt. But the upshot is that creatures in the Astral Plane dont age. Githyanki know this, Githzerai know this. All manner of creatures extend their limited time by spending a millennium or two floating amid the starstuff.

Just watch out for Astral Dreadnoughts.

Happy Adventuring

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D&D: Five Ways to Live Forever Without Breaking the Rules - BoLS

Carmelo Anthony Has No Plans of Trying to Make History with LeBron James – Yardbarker

Playing in the NBA is one of the hardest yet most rewarding life accomplishments you can ever achieve. To be apart of the basketball family and do something you love for the rest of your life is something free agent forward and former Laker Carmelo Anthony has been blessed to do.

Along with this achievement, Anthony has been able to enjoy a 19-year career in a league where players on average just get to enjoy 3-5 seasons. Interestingly enough, Anthony also was in the same draft class as his former Laker teammate LeBron James, who is entering his 20th season.

Their careers have remained intertwined since as Anthony was picked just two picks after James (third overall) in the 2003 draft, but James has publicly come out and said he wants to be in the league until his son, Bronny James, makes it into the league.

Any father's dream, but something that has never been done before. It seems possible for James who has been playing at such a high level, but Anthony does not have the same aspirations as his draft class counterpart (quotes via Cassidy Hubbarth, ESPN NBA).

"No, I do not (have the same goals). I think it will be time for me to pass him the torch so I'd rather just pass him the torch when that time comes."

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Carmelo Anthony Has No Plans of Trying to Make History with LeBron James - Yardbarker

Idris Elba Breaks Silence on Thor: Love and Thunder Valhalla Post-Credits Surprise – The Direct

Idris Elba's Heimdall long proved to be a staple of theThorfranchise as he served as the gatekeeper of Asgard, guardian of the Bifrost, and the best friend of Chris Hemsworth's hero. But that all came to an end withAvengers: Infinity Waras Heimdall was killed by Thanos after he sent Hulk to Earth to warn the Avengers of the imminent threat.

So, it was to the surprise of most moviegoers when Heimdall appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder's post-credits scene to greet Jane Foster on her entrance to Valhalla. The shocking cameo followed the introduction of Heimdall's son, Axl, who led the children of Asgard after they were taken by Gorr the God Butcher.

Now, Elba has addressed the shocking scene and touched on what it could mean for his future in the MCU.

During a recent interview with Collider, Heimdall actor Idris Elba addressed Thor: Love and Thunder'spost-credit scene that saw Natalie Portman's Jane Foster greeted by the Asgardian warrior at the gates of Valhalla after succumbing to her cancer.

Elba explained that most of Heimdall's"arsenal of gifts have been tapped into one way or another" throughout the MCU, but he also has an "an immortality around him" that hasn't been touched on yet but could be in the future:

Pretty much his whole sort of like arsenal of gifts have been tapped into one way or another. Hes all-seeing, you know. But hes quite a warrior. Weve seen him as a warrior as well, and he has an immortality around him and that would be something that we havent really explored so that I think may be interesting. Hey, listen, you know, the Marvel world is ever-expanding. You just never know.

After assisting Thor in his final battle with Gorr, Jane Foster succumbed to her battle withcancer in the third act ofThor: Love and Thunder, leading her to arrive in Valhalla in the post-credit scene. Foster suffered a similar fate in the comics but ultimately got a second chance at human life as she came back as a Valkyrie and wieldedUndrjarn, the All-Weapon.

With Jane Foster and Heimdall now living it up in Valhalla, both characters are certainly dead, but that doesn't mean they won't be seen again. After Foster lost her life in the comics that inspiredLove and Thunder, she still managed to be resurrected and become Valkyrie, something the MCU may adapt in the coming years.

Elba's Heimdall likely won't receive the same treatment, unfortunately, but that doesn't mean he won't be seen again in Valhalla. Perhaps he may appear alongside Foster in the afterlife before her resurrection if that is indeed the direction the MCU is heading toward.

But with Elba teasing the immortality of Heimdall, maybe his death won't truly prove to be permanent, opening the doors to more future appearances. Then again, Heimdall's son Axl has now been introduced and even has access to many of his father's powers, so it's tough to imagine much of a purpose for Elba's Asgardian going forward.

But with no immediate return in sight for Thor or Jane Foster, the wait may be long before any of the MCU's Asgardian crew show up again, dead or alive. Only time will tell whetherThor 5ever comes into existence, but if one thing's for certain, fans haven't seen the last of Chris Hemsworth in the MCU.

No matter what, Elba clearly has a bright future ahead of him in the comic book genre, whether that's at Marvel or DC. The British actor recently starred as Bloodsport in James Gunn'sThe Suicide Squadand will be back soon, read all about Elba's next "big" superhero project at DC here.

Thor: Love and Thunderis playing now in theaters worldwide.

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Idris Elba Breaks Silence on Thor: Love and Thunder Valhalla Post-Credits Surprise - The Direct