Category Archives: Immortality

The Giannis Immortality 3, though carrying a lighter price tag, never wavers in terms of how it experiments and pushes the boundaries for the Greek Freaks signature line as a whole. A slew of new colorways for the shoe have emerged since the start of the year, and now a triple-white pair is joining the pack.

Stepping back a few months, it was almost only a matter of time before a pair like this arrived. While vibrant, bright colorways of the shoe are more easily associated with the Immortality 3, a Black/White pack in June tipped off more monochromatic looks. Along those same lines, a Triple Black Giannis Immortality 3 broke in the fall, hinting towards the same thing.

In this all-white look, the hardware of the shoe is more or less left to stand on its own without emphasis and detail derived from a flashy palette. The breathable mesh on the inside and under the Swoosh here take precedence, and possibly open up a lane in this conservative outfitting as more of a lifestyle, everyday shoe rather than the basketball performance it was drawn up for.

Expect the White on White Giannis Immortality 3 to begin a roll out in the next several weeks with a retail price of $90.

In other Swoosh news, they and a fashion house collaborator came out of left field with the Jacquemus Nike Swoosh Bag.

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Nike Giannis Immortality 3 "White On White" DZ7533-102 - Sneaker News

In the 2009 documentary Transcendent Man, the American inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil shares his thoughts on death. Although many philosophers and theologians accept mortality as an inevitable and indeed defining feature of human existence, Kurzweil refuses to accept this line of thinking. Death is a great tragedy, a profound loss, he declares in the film, haunted by the memory of losing his father at age 22. I dont accept it.

Kurzweil would have found an ally in the little-known 19th-century Russian philosopher Nikolai Fedorov, whose posthumously published text Philosophy of the Common Task made the at-the-time daring argument that death was little more than a design flaw one which advancements in science and technology could help to rectify. Fedorov also believed that this goal of rectification of achieving immortality would unite social groups whose mutual fear of death had historically pitted them in opposition to each other.

Our task, Fedorov wrote, is to make nature, the blind force of nature, into an instrument of universal resuscitation and to become a union of immortal beings.

Fedorovs writing never turned mainstream, but it did spawn a short-lived, visionary philosophical movement known as Cosmism. Materialized during the Industrial Revolution a time of unprecedented societal change the movement generally sought to redefine mankinds relationship with technology and progress, with the ultimate goal of regulating the forces of nature so that humanity could achieve unity and immortality. The movement offered a more spiritual alternative to both futurism and communism.

Although the latter annihilated Cosmism before it had a chance to mature, its maxims have acquired new relevancy in the age of Big Tech. The following interview with Boris Groys, a distinguished professor of Russian and Slavic studies at New York University and editor of the new book Russian Cosmism, reveals why.

To understand Russian Sosmism, we must first look at other movements and ideas that arose during the same period. More influential than Fedorovs Philosophy of the Common Task was interdisciplinary scientist Alexander Chizhevskys 1931 article The Earth in the Suns Embrace, which interpreted human history as revolving around the Sun. Starting from the questionable proposition that revolutionary movements require energy and that energy in its most basic form is derived from solar rays, Chizhevsky listed some historical developments that lined up with astronomical developments. He noted, for example, that progressive governments in the United Kingdom coincided with periods of high solar activity, while conservative ones tended to appear when solar activity decreased due to sunspots.

Chizhevskys article profoundly impacted Russian avant-garde artists like the painter Kazimir Malevich. Malevich helped stage a futuristic opera titled Victory Over the Sun, which heralded the Suns eventual extinction and the worlds descent into chaos. Rather than dreading this disorder, the avant-garde welcomed it. By the beginning of the twentieth century the embrace of chaos seemed imminent, as no one could be expected to believe any longer in the stability of divine or natural order, Groys explains in the new book.

The very idea of a stable order, be it religious or rationalist, appeared to lose its ontological guarantee to permanently replace, make obsolete, and ultimately destroy old things, old traditions, and familiar ways of life, thus undermining lingering faith in the traditional world order. Technological development, subjected to the logic of progress, presented itself as a force of chaos that would not tolerate any stable order. The future came to be seen as the enemy of both past and present. Precisely because of that view, the futurists celebrated the future, as it held the promise that everything that had been and still was would disappear.

This same sentiment can be found in the writing of the anarchist-futurist poet Alexander Svyatogor, who compared progress to the sudden eruption of a volcano: a violent outburst that destroys everything in its wake while fertilizing the soil to sustain new life. In his essay The Doctrine of the Fathers and Anarcho-Biocosmism, he rejects Fedorovs idea that science and technology are agents of restoration of recovering and preserving what has been lost. He argued instead that future generations would knead with their own hands, like sculptors knead clay, the spirit and matter of the world, so as to create an absolutely new cosmos. Crucially, he also relished in the fact that detractors referred to his intellectual group the Kreatory or Creatorium as a crematorium.

They are probably right to come to this conclusion, he wrote. Indeed, we need to burn quite a lot, if not everything.

Fedorov and Svyatogor represent two sides of Cosmism, which Groys writes never had a unified doctrine. Where adherents of the former viewed technology as a force that would destroy the old world and open the way for building the new from point zero, the former hoped technology would become a strong messianic force that could transmit knowledge from one generation to another.

Cosmists who believed in technology as a messianic force clashed not just with the Svyatogor camp, but also with the communists, whose guiding ideology of Marxism-Leninism was predicated on the dismantling of age-old social systems to establish a novel world order. Fedorovs philosophy was especially irreconcilable with the concept of the New Soviet Man, the Soviet governments campaign to physically and mentally rebuild its citizens into more obedient, self-sacrificing people. While some Cosmists embraced communism, they opposed the notion that a socialist utopia should be built on the backs of generations who would never get to experience its benefits commentary that put them at odds with Joseph Stalin and his purges.

Although interest in Russian Cosmism was quickly eradicated, the movement has acquired new life in the 21st century. In fact, it might be more relevant today than it was in the early 20th century. Fedorov and Svyatogors shared call for the colonization of outer space to protect humanity from earthly disaster, for example, is a direct parallel to Elon Musks promise to move people to Mars.

Thanks to climate change, Cosmisms ambivalent and generally hostile attitude towards the natural world should also sound familiar. Today it is fashionable to like nature, Groys told Big Think, but nature does not like us. It is a one-sided love. Cosmisms central idea is that we can survive only under artificial conditions, if we create an artificial world to protect us.

Fedorovs writing, meanwhile, serves as a reminder that we should not let scientific or technological progress come at anyones expense, but rather strive to uplift the world in its totality: past, present, and future. To be interested in the past is to be interested in ourselves, Groys said, because everything, including us, eventually becomes part of the past.

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Cosmism: The philosophical movement that predicted space travel - Big Think

Summary

The Lord Of The Rings set up tropes that would be used in fantasy storytelling for decades. J.R.R. Tolkien didn't invent Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins, or Dragons, but his conceptions of them would become common. A great example of this is Tolkien's Elves. In folklore, Elves were often tricksters, creatures of magic and madness who loved to bewitch mortals. Tolkien's Elves were quite different. While they were certainly magical beings, they weren't tricksters, but divine. The Elves were the first beings to awaken on Middle-earth and were known as the "favored Children of Ilvatar." The Elves were also immortal and lived through some of the darkest moments in Tolkien's entire saga.

Elvish immortality in The Lord Of The Rings universe is quite interesting because it's about more than just living forever. The fate of Elves is bound up with the fate of Middle-earth itself, and even the only death they can die - in combat - isn't actually the end for them. The Lord Of the Rings created modern fantasy, and the changes it made to the Elves are unique. Elvish immortality is something that is a bone of contention in Middle-earth between Elves and Men, but it's as much of a curse as it is a blessing.

The Valar are basically the gods of LOTR and they were the servants of Eru Ilvatar. Ilvatar showed the Valar the Music of the Ainur, a song that would become the universe and Middle-earth. During this music, the Valar and the Maiar, lesser divine spirits, saw the Children of Ilvatar, beings who would live in the world but would be different from the Valar and the Maiar. The Valar and the Maiar were given great power by Ilvatar and could exist outside Middle-earth. The Children were given different gifts and were to be the primary movers of the Music of the Ainur, the unfolding creation of Ilvatar, as time went on. The Valar and Maiar learned much about the Elves from the music, as they were akin to each other in many ways.

Middle-earth would exist for countless years before the Elves awakened. The Elves lived on their own for a time before being found by the Valar known as Orom, who would bring the three chief Elves - Elw, Ingw, and Finw - to Valinor to see the Valar. The Valar loved the three of them and invited the rest of the Elves to Valinor as well. The three kindreds of Elves - Teleri, Vanyar, and Noldor - would begin the journey to Valinor. Some Elves would stop their journey, choosing instead to stay in the lands they saw on the way.

To understand the way death works on Middle-earth, it's crucial to understand the fa and the hra. The fa is the soul, for lack of a better term, and the hra is the body. Elves and Men have both, but they are not equal. The Elves's fa is more powerful than that of a human, allowing them to perform greater feats of magic, and it is bound to Middle-earth. The Elves' hra is also different than Men's, as it's immune to aging and disease and is stronger in general. All Elves go to Valinor when they die and reside in the Hall of Mandos, the home of the Valar Nmo. Nmo was known as the Doomsman of the Valar, proclaiming the judgments of the Valar and helping to judge the dead.

When an Elf is killed, they wake up in the Hall of Mandos, surrounded by other Elves that were also killed. They are only fa at this point and have no body. This doesn't mean that they're ghosts, however, wandering through Valinor. They are consigned to the Halls of Mandos and cannot leave for a time. Eventually, Elvish fa are given a new body and allowed to live among their kindred in Valinor, enjoying all the fruits of the Blessed Realm.

Death for an Elf is a waiting game. They are immediately transported to the Halls of Mandos, spend an indeterminate amount of time - probably contingent on if they were "good" or "bad" in Nmo's estimation - and then are reincarnated into a body that is basically their old body. Once Men awakened, they would also learn of the fate of the Elves, which was quite different from their own.

Men in Middle-earth were weaker and dying of age, disease, and hardships. Wounds that could kill a Man often didn't kill Elves. When Men awoke, there was no Valar to guide them. It is believed that Melkor and his servants found Men first and put the fear of death into them. Men's deaths worked in a different way than Elves did as well. The Elves's fa was bound to Middle-earth, and they were meant to reside in it until the end of time. Men's fa left Middle-earth and it is not known what happened to them. The Elves and the Valar both believe that the fa of Men goes to be with Ilvatar directly, leaving behind Middle-earth.

Men are jealous of Elves for their immortality, but Elves are jealous of Men because they get to leave Middle-earth. This isn't possible for the Elves, although many believe that after the Dagor Dagorath, the last battle at the end of the world, the Elves will finally get to join Ilvatar. Elves eventually become weary of Middle-earth and desire to go beyond it, but never can. Many fear that the destruction of Middle-earth will be the end of them. Men think that Elves live forever, but for the Elves, their longer lifespan still leaves behind uncertainties over what comes next.

Dwarves basically get the same treatment as Elves, with a few key differences. Dwarves were created by Aul, the Valar of smithcraft, and given life by Ilvatar. Dwarves get to live longer than Men and are tougher physically, but they do die. They have their own wing of the Halls of Mandos, but unlike the Elves, they don't get reincarnated. They reside within the Halls until the Dagor Dagorath when they join the rest of the forces of the Valar in the last battle against Melkor. It is thought among the Dwarves that they will help Aul build a new world, but other than that, they have no idea what will eventually happen to them either.

The Elvish life cycle in LOTR is well-known to every Elf, but exceptions have been made several times. The first example of this is the tale of Beren and Luthien. Beren was a Man from the House of Barahir, one of the three houses of Men that were known as the Elf-Friends. Luthien was the daughter of Elu Thingol (formerly known as Elw, one of the first three chiefs) and Melian, making her half-Elf and half-Maiar. Beren and Luthien fell in love and Thingol told Beren that the only way he would allow a Man to wed his daughter was if he was brought Silmarill from Morgoth's crown.

Beren, Luthien, and Finrod Felagund, a king of the Noldor, went to steal one of the Silmarills, although Beren was mortally wounded during the hunt and would have left the circles of the world if it wasn't for Luthien. Elves can will themselves to die, departing their bodies for the Halls of Mandos, and Luthien did so. At the Halls, she sang a song of such sorrow to Nmo that the Valar retrieved Beren's fa before it could depart Middle-earth. Beren was sent back to his body and Luthien came back as well, but she was no longer immortal. Together, the two of them would eventually die of old age after having a child named Dior.

Dior was the first of the Half-Elven and the grandfather of Elros and Elrond. They were given a choice at the end of the First Age - they could have Elvish immortality or Mannish mortality. Elrond chose to be an Elf and Elros chose to be a Man. Tolkien never really explained if the Half-Elven were given this choice because of their divine blood or through a connection to the Silmarills but it seems like the only ones who got to make the choice were those of the First Age. For example, Aragorn and Arwen's child doesn't get the choice of the Half-Elven, despite being of the blood Elves, Men, and Maiar.

Glorfindel is a LOTR character who has only appeared in the books. Glorfindel stands among the most powerful Elves in Middle-earth. In Fellowship Of The Ring, Elrond sends Glorfindel instead of Arwen to find Aragorn and the Hobbits when the Nazgl are chasing them. The book establishes that Glorfindel is an Elf-lord of great power, one feared by the Ringwraiths. The text describes white light coming from Glorfindel when he first comes on the scene, and Frodo sees him as a glowing figure at the Ford of Bruinen. There's a good reason that Glorfindel had that much power, though, as he was a Noldor of the First Age, one who returned from the Halls of Mandos.

The Silmarillion sets up the Elven realms of Middle-earth like Gondolin, which is the last Elvish kingdom to hold out against Morgoth's forces. Glorfindel helped the survivors escape the city when they encountered a powerful Balrog. Glorfindel jumped out to battle the demon even though Elves usually lost against the Balrogs. However, Glorfindel was able to not only save the refugees of Gondolin from the Balrog but also kill it. He died in the attempt and went to the Halls of Mandos where he was eventually reincarnated. Glorfindel was sent back to Middle-earth in the year 1600 of the Second Age by Manw, and given the power of a Maiar.

Glorfindel is the only example of a reincarnated Elf going back to Middle-earth. However, in certain writings of Tolkien, there were two Glorfindels. One was the Balrog killer of the First Age and the other was named for him. Later on, Tolkien decided to change the story of Glorfindel, as outlined in The Last Writings, and Glorfindel of Gondolin and Glorfindel of Rivendell became the same.

Tolkien changed the way Elves were seen forever, taking them from the tricksters of folklore into noble, semi-divine beings. Their immortality was meant to be a part of this, but Tolkien didn't want it to be as easy as "Elves live forever." Instead, Tolkien linked Elves to Middle-earth, much like the Valar and Maiar who left Ilvatar.

Tolkien dealt with the sadness of Elvish immortality in the Akallabth. The King of Numenor asked a visitor from Tol Eressa, the Elvish island outside of Valinor that was part of the Blessed Realm, why the Numenoreans shouldn't be jealous of Elvish immortality. The answer was that immortality wasn't a reward for the Elves, it was just a part of their being. They were bound to Middle-earth and had to deal with the reality of never finding anything new; their lives were just an endless repetition with no hope of an ending. To the Elves, the death of Men was something special, as they got to leave Middle-earth and journey into the mysteries of the universe.

Looking at it from that perspective, Elvish immortality is as much a curse as anything else. The best an Elf can hope for is Valinor, but even then they will spend countless ages awaiting the final battle of the world and what comes beyond it. Elves' immortality is an illusion for mortals, as one day they will face the same uncertainty that Men do. Throughout Tolkien's Legendarium, there are multiple examples of it being more than just immortality, showing it for what it is - another tragedy, of endless separation with a mysterious endpoint.

The Lord of the Rings is a series of epic fantasy adventure films and television series based on J. R. R. Tolkien's novels. The films follow the adventures of humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits and more in Middle Earth.

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Is Immortality Really All Its Cracked Up to Be in The Lord of the Rings? - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Fans of Dragon Ball have long been fascinated by Future Trunks' dystopian timeline, where every hero except the blue-haired Saiyan was killed, including Goku and Vegeta. One bonus comic released for Dragon Ball Super showed exactly how the unfortunate chain of events came to be and, while most of the destruction happened at the hands of the androids, that terrible future hinges entirely on the actions of one minor villain: Pilaf.

In a brief bonus chapter, Dragon Ball Super pays a visit to Future Trunks' timeline, at a point when he was still a baby and the battle with Androids 17 and 18 raged on. Goku has already died of the heart virus, and Gohan and Bulma are desperately searching for the dragon balls to get some kind of help in the fight. They stumble across the first villains of the franchise, Pilaf, Mai, and Shu, who are summoning Shenron. Despite Shu's warning, Pilaf wishes to be younger, causing his entire group to be returned to babies. Shortly thereafter, Piccolo (who has fused with Kami) is killed in battle, and the dragon balls are rendered inert, ruining any hope of using them to deal with the androids or resurrect the fallen warriors.

By robbing Bulma and Gohan of a wish that was desperately needed, the stage was set for the eventual demise of the rest of the Z-Fighters, leaving only Bulma and Trunks to grow old into the future. Wishing Goku back wasn't an option, since he died a "natural" death, but there were a number of other possible options, from unlocking a warrior's latent potential (as Piccolo wishes for in the Super Hero arc) to disabling the androids in some way. They could've even wished for something like immortality for Piccolo to prevent the dragon balls from being deactivated. With the dragon balls, Gohan and Bulma would've had some options, but without them, the world's fate was effectively sealed.

This short chapter was mostly created to explain a few things, though. The Mai of Future Trunks' timeline is roughly the same age as the Saiyan, and now we know how: she was de-aged to a baby when Trunks was still a baby. This indeed fixes a weird pothole, as the two end up falling in love. Gohan also seems to have been the only survivor of the fight with the Androids because he left to go with Bulma, thus putting him in a position to train young Trunks into the warrior he will one day become. It also suggests that Zamasu had to pillage Goku's grave in order to acquire his body and become Goku Black, a rather disturbing thought to say the least.

Despite the purpose and style of this bonus chapter being quite lighthearted, Pilaf's wasted wish dramatically lowered the odds of the Androids being defeated, thus giving rise to the darkest timeline in the entire series. Pilaf has mostly gotten by through being a relatively minor nuisance, but on this occasion, his presence was a far bigger problem. It just goes to show that even the weakest villains can't be ignored, as in Future Trunks' dark timeline his foolish actions resulted in the death of almost every Dragon Ball hero.

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Dragon Ball's Weakest Villain Killed All The Strongest Heroes (In ... - Screen Rant

Professor Lawrence Doner is probably the most brilliant man I ever met. I was working in Washington D.C. in 1966 and a bunch of us had traveled out to NASAs Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, Maryland for several lectures.

We wanted to find out if it would be possible to capture Doners brain patterns on a computer. Our group was led by Martin Schramm, a mathematician from the Defense Department, whose assignment was to preserve Professor Doners brain patterns for posterity. Doner was dying from leukemia. Schramms challenge was, could a computer somehow become or impersonate a human being?

OK, my introduction here was make-believe. Todays column is about the message in Project Immortality, a television play by Loring Mandel broadcast on June 11, 1959, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90.

The plot is what I described in my first paragraphs. Then, seven years later in 1966, Mandels play was in production at Arena Stage, one of the nations preeminent regional professional theaters, where I was the publicity director.

The trip to the Goddard Space Center was real. Our entire theater company bused out to Goddard to familiarize ourselves with the world of computer programming capacity.

For me, Project Immortality remains an early expression of concern about the beginnings of artificial intelligence. The play explores the idea of coding a persons thinking into a computer and raises questions about identity and what can be programmed.

As artificial intelligence has grown more sophisticated and widespread, the voices warning against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence grow louder.

Geoffrey Hinton, the Godfather of AI, recently resigned from Google following the rapid rise of ChatGPT and other chatbots, so he could freely speak out about the risks of AI, he told the New York Times. Hinton, who helped lay the groundwork for todays generative AI, was an engineering fellow at Google for over a decade. According to the Times, a part of him regrets his lifes work after seeing the danger generative AI poses. He worries about misinformation; that the average person will not be able to know what is true anymore. He also fears that AIs ability to automate tasks will replace not just drudge work, but upend the entire job market.

Without regulation or transparency, companies risk losing control of a potent technology. I dont think they should scale this up more until they have understood whether they can control it, said Hinton.

I am reminded of Robert Oppenheimer, in charge of the Manhattan Project and known as the father of the atomic bomb, who watched the first atomic bomb explode on July 16, 1945. He later remarked that the explosion brought to his mind words from the Hindu scripture BhagavadGita: Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, one of the most advanced AI research companies, has acknowledged that the company is scared of the risks posed by its chatbot system, ChatGPT. Weve got to be careful here, he said in an interview with ABC News, mentioning the potential for AI to produce misinformation.

Thats yet another expert calling for AI development to hit the pause button. Then there is Stephen Hawkings chilling statement: The development of artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.

Like the subway, AI is a public good, given its capacity to complete tasks far more efficiently than human operators. Today, there are tons of applications and uses of artificial intelligence in various fields such as in marketing, health care, banking, finance, etc.

But both its benefits and dangers will affect everyone, even people who dont personally use AI. For example, misinformation and fake news already pose serious threats to democracies, but AI has the potential to exacerbate the problem by spreading fake news faster and more effectively than people can.

In his program notes at Arena Stage 57 years ago, Loring Mandel wrote, If we define Man as one who learns, we can point to computers which also learn and continuously improve their performance without human help. If we define Man as one who propagates his race in his own image, we can point to computerized machines which reproduce themselves endlessly, like the bewitched broom stick in The Sorcerers Apprentice. If we define Man from Machine in terms of ultimate control over his creation, we may be up the creek yet again.

His closing words for Project Immortality were Theres much less to fear from making machines into humans that from making humans into machines.

John Bos has been trying to come to grips with what has happened to America over the past eight decades by Connecting the Dots, published every other Saturday in the Recorder. He is also a contributing writer for Green Energy Times. Questions and comments may be sent to john01370@gmail.com.

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The Recorder - Connecting the Dots: Project Immortality - The Recorder

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes

When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"

That evocative lyric some claim it to be the greatest in popular music comes from Gordon Lightfoots epic retelling of a Lake Superior disaster, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which Lightfoot regarded as his greatest work.

Which is saying something. Lightfoot, who died on May 1 at age 84, was a prolific writer and performer, with at least 20 albums released in a career that made him a national icon in his native Canada.

Sundown, an invocation of jealousy and desire inspired by the woman who would go on to inject comedian John Belushi with his fatal overdose, topped the U.S. charts in 1974, a height Fitzgerald narrowly missed.

But Lightfoots 1976 saga of the giant freighters shipwreck barely a year earlier achieved something greater a level of immortality for the Edmund Fitzgeralds 29 crew members, all of whom perished in the sinking.

Lightfoots enduring song has preserved the Fitzgerald disaster from obscurity; it will always part of the legend of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee.

Which is no small part of the troubadour tradition telling the stories, preserving the legends, transmitting the history. It is music as journalism and history. Lightfoot took seriously the responsibility of telling the shipwreck story as accurately as artistically possible; at least twice he revised the lyrics for his live performances to be more factually correct.

Lightfoots song tells of ringing the church bells in Detroit 29 times to honor the lost men of the ship. On May 2, the Mariners Church rang the bells 30 times once for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald, with one more for for the songwriter who chronicled their passing. It was a fitting tribute to all.

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Opinion: Gordon Lightfoot | The immortality of a shipwreck - News Courier

The following contains spoilers for Joe Fixit #5, on sale now from Marvel Comics.

One of the most intriguing debates in the Marvel Universe has always been if the Hulk can be killed. Many of Bruce Banner's foes tried time and time again but to no avail. Even in his human form, it was hard for Bruce Banner to hurt himself, with the Jade Giant inside protecting his very essence.

The movies and cartoons have touched on this as well, painting the Green Goliath as truly indestructible. Interestingly, Joe Fixit #5 (by Peter David, Yldray nar, Dee Cunniffe and VC's Ariana Maher) is now dissecting this very topic. And surprisingly, it's a classic Spider-Man enemy who pulls it off (albeit temporarily).

RELATED: Hulk Vs. Juggernaut: Who Is the Stronger Marvel Powerhouse, Really?

In this Grey Hulk backstory from Joe's early years as a mob enforcer, he gets caught in the crossfire of a gangster civil war in Las Vegas. While Joe is simply trying to protect his casino, Kingpin sends goons after him as Spider-Man tries to keep the peace. Unfortunately, for Joe, Electro is one of Kingpin's thugs, and he has exactly what he needs to take him out.

By absorbing all the power from the Las Vegas Strip, he's able to stop Joe's heart. It leaves Spider-Man stunned, as he didn't think Joe could be felled like this. It's surprisingly quick and effective, but as the battle rolls on, Joe's healing factor kicks in. He's revived, and along with the Wall-Crawler, they take their enemies out. This might seem like a trivial moment, but it does speak to the nature of the Hulk and an important run that came years after this story.

RELATED: Hulk: Why the Jade Avenger's Latest Series Had to End Early

Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk dissected Hulk's powers on a more nuanced level, linking gamma to the mystical Green Door. In that run, Hulk couldn't die. It's why the Leader wanted to control Hulk, leading to the creation of the Titan Hulk. Joe was responsible for piloting Bruce's body during the daytime, admitting he knew more about death than he was letting on. The Grey Hulk is physically weaker than the others. This means he has to rely on his wits more, making him smarter and perhaps the most important Hulk.

Ultimately, Hulk's immortality it's still a tough code to crack, and one many villains also struggle to discern. That's why it's so ironic that Electro got the job done temporarily -- as it's a villain no one would ever expect to murder Joe. Still, with Bruce free of Titan Hulk (for now), should Joe return, there might be more secrets revealed from those early days. It might link to the many deaths over the years, and provide insight into if Hulk can someday pass on, without a puppet master or the Green Door still tethered to his soul.

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A Classic Spider-Man Villain Almost Killed the Hulk - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Ilkay Gundogans final act as a Manchester City player could be to lift the Champions League trophy in June. Only part of that scenario would delight Pep Guardiola. If the sight of his captain with the silverware that has eluded him throughout his time at City would realise a long-held ambition, the prospect of his imminent departure would not.

Barcelonas reputation as the natural home of passers owes something to Guardiola and his influence. It may yet prove Gundogans destination when his City contract expires in the summer; perhaps with the perfect goodbye in Istanbul to end a seven-year odyssey. He has a high-profile date with Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday. He could have others in Clasicos next season.

Guardiolas persuasive powers were apparent when the German became his first signing in England. The next couple of months could illustrate if they remain intact. Its not necessary today for him to perform really well and score two goals to know exactly how I enjoy all this time working with him and how Id like to work with him in the future, he said. Also the club is involved in that and knows my opinion.

Briefly, Guardiolas opinion on Saturday was critical. He was, Gundogan said, mad at both the midfielder and Erling Haaland after the striker gifted him a penalty to complete a hat-trick. The precision of a technician was apparent when Gundogan completed 170 passes, the most by any player in a Premier League match this season; it temporarily deserted him when he struck the post with his spot kick. And yet his manager cannot remain mad at him for long. Like Bernardo Silva, another Barcelona have often admired, he tends to make Guardiola gush.

He is so intelligent, Gundo, explained the Spaniard. So clever. So competitive. Under pressure he handles it without a problem. Hes one of the best players I ever trained in my career. The whole package. Hes top. Top class.

Guardiola was effusive in his praise of Gundogan (REUTERS)

The list of high-quality footballers Guardiola has managed is sufficiently illustrious and suitably well-known to make it meaningful. If some of his compliments can feel exaggerated, this probably isnt: the criteria are his and Gundogan is his type of footballer. It earns him the admiration of his teammates. He is such a calm, cool and collected player that it makes your job easier as well, said Rico Lewis. Manuel Akanji also highlighted Gundogans class as a passer. I think he is the best player I have ever played the possession game with, said the defender. I feel like he has eyes in the back of his head, really. it just looks so effortless. He does a turn and it looks so easy. He could do with it with his eyes closed.

Story continues

That footballing intelligence is part of his ability as a distributor. And yet the transformation in Gundogans City career he spent some of the first half of it as a conundrum, neither a natural defensive midfielder nor as obviously attacking as Kevin de Bruyne is partly because Guardiola has helped a passer become a scorer.

His last two braces tell different tales, each involving his reading of the game to identify the space. He struck twice in open play as the anchorman against Leeds on Saturday, taking advantage of their defensiveness to arrive in an area ahead of their midfield, but in shooting distance on the edge of the box. Two curled finishes were laser-guided.

A rather more famous double came on the final day of last season and won the title: this was the man with the enviable ability on the ball reinvented as the off-the-ball runner, with Lampard-like bursts into the box and a calmness in front of goal that reflects his character. That reinvention explains why he has 34 goals in his last three seasons, after only 22 in the previous four.

Gundogan has added goals to his game under Guardiola (AP)

He scored the goals that decided the Premier League in 2022; a burst of goals proved catalytic in securing the title a year earlier. But Guardiola arrowed in on the 2018-19 run-in, when he assumed a different role. I remember the second Premier League here, that Fernandinho was injured for a long time and he [Gundogan] played as a holding midfielder in games like Burnley, long balls, second balls and he played [wow]. I had the feeling that without him we wouldnt be able to win the Premier League, he said.

He assumed those duties again on Saturday. If it was another vote of no confidence in Kalvin Phillips, Gundogan is a purists player; the Guardiola and Barcelona school of thought can fetishise the No 6, to savour the thought of 170 passes more than two goals.

A love of his talent has brought Champions League missteps in the past, whether fielding him as a right winger at Anfield in 2018 or a holding player in the 2021 final. He will be central in the Bernabeu on Tuesday, playing as a No 8 again. He may go on to become a treble-winning captain. It would give him an immortality at the Etihad, but City arent sure if the immortals time is nearly up.

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Ilkay Gundogan has evolved and can now reach Manchester City immortality - Yahoo News

Keanu Reeves Is Immortal? Heres Why Fans Believe In This Absurd Conspiracy Theory ( Photo Credit Instagram )

Hollywood is more or less like an enigma that has several layers and plot twists. There are several conspiracy theories that revolve around some of the biggest stars of the industry. Ironically, they are aware of it, and most of the time, they do not deny it! A major theory that has been doing rounds for ages now is that Keanu Reeves is immortal. Theres an entire website dedicated to the speculation, and its not just to do with how gracefully the stat is ageing. So, how did this conspiracy theory begin? For further details, scroll on!

There is a website called Keanuisimmortal, run by Davide. During his conversation with Vulture in 2020, he shared why so many people believed in the conspiracy theory of John Wick star Keanu Reeves being immortal. For starters, back in almost 2010, Reddit shared a thread where it was mentioned that the actor looked pretty similar to the French actor Paul Mounet, who died in 1922, but apparently, his body was never found. As per Davide, In 2010, someone edited his Wikipedia page so that it read, He currently acts under the pseudonym of Keanu Reeves. The source of his eternal youth is not known.

Another interesting theory suggests that Charlemagne or Charles the Great (747AD 814 AD), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, has an uncanny resemblance to Keanu Reeves. Also, just like Mounet, Charlemagnes death was also quite suspicious. As per Davide, He crowned his son just before dying (just like he knew he was going to die) and secondly, his burial was rushed during cold weather, this is a clear hint that they needed to bury a body to not raise any suspicion.

To make things more complicated and interesting, Keanu once appeared on the Jimmy Fallon talk show and said that he was aware of the theory and the website. But, he neither denied nor accepted the claims.

Ironically, Keanus movie choices include Bill & Ted, Bram Strokers Dracula, and Matrix, which are based on cosmic powers, time travel and high-intensity science fiction. Also, the actor has always sounded wiser than his age, which makes the conspiracy theory believers assume that he is actually more than his current biological age.

Let us know what you think of the theory and for more such news, stay tuned to Koimoi.

Must Read: Quentin Tarantino Decided To Never Give A Single Penny To His Mother After A Childhood Insult & Said She Was B*tching At Me

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Keanu Reeves Wont Ever Die! A Conspiracy Theory Of His Immortality By Fans Brings Up An Uncanny Resemblance To A Centuries-Old King, His Graceful...

Synopsis

6 mins read, Last Updated: May 13, 2023, 12:39 AM IST

As the stock market rises and falls, as wars and riots do not yield the desired results, as foreign ties sweeten and sour, the word "amrit" is being used a lot in political circles. It reveals the human inability to accept the truism of impermanence. It is not just an Indian idea, or a Hindu idea - it is a global idea. Chinese mythology speaks of the 'peaches of immortality' that exist in the garden of Jade Heaven, and the eight immortals, who

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Amrit and the terror of impermanence - The Economic Times