Where have you been, PeaceLove?

Thanks for asking! I've been busy with my life and this blog has been on the back burner. I have a bunch of posts in the works and I'll start putting them up here soon. First up in the next day or so will be a major appraisal of David Blaine. Ten years ago, Street Magic exploded on the magic scene and saved magic. Or so I will argue.

I've also been thinking a lot about the future, especially about the power of technology to ramp up our ability to save the world. Trouble is, every time something new and exciting comes up, by the time I'm ready to write about it something even newer and more exciting crops up! To paraphrase the Man on the Train from Waking Life, this is absolutely the most exciting time in the history of the world. So whatever you do, don't be bored.

I'm an optimist. People are getting smarter and smarter every year, every day...hourly. Young people today are working at a much higher level than ever before. They are more progressive, more tolerant, and more united and full of love for all of humanity than any previous generation in history. This isn't to say the world is perfect, only that the global connectivity spawned by the Internet and other technologies is vastly boosting human intelligence and creativity and greatly improving our chances in the long run.

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Meanwhile, I'm continually impressed by the explosion of great material unleashed by the Web. Here, via Screenhead, is Scottish animator Sharon Colman's Oscar-nominated short, Badgered. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it's cute and spare -- and it's nice that anyone with an extra six minutes can now see it.