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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 05/19/2008 : 15:58:21
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Ok, the Indiana Jones & the Crystal Skull flick is on it's way to just about everywhere and the New-Age believers will be convorting around the Woo-Woo Pole like Tommy Toon on crank.
So, what about the Crystal Skulls? Well, apart from most of the important ones being made in 19th century Europe using existing dental tools, there's really not all that much beyond the various stories.
Here's one take on them:
"A crystal skull is a model of a human skull generally made out of quartz crystal, but not always, as in the case of Chinese jade skulls. Crystal skulls vary in size from a few inches to the size of a human head, or bigger. The age of a skull can be equated not so much to the year it was carved, or the place of origin, but to the age of the crystal from which it was created, some crystals being thousands of years old, while others are more contemporary. Crystal skulls are most often associated with ancient Mesoamerican cultures, especially the Maya which takes us to the Mayan Long Calendar and related prophecies.
Humanity has always been on an esoteric journey to solve the mysteries of its creation linked to people and objects that allegedly contain higher powers, or can enhance those of the quester. Technology and the Internet help move consciousness to that place, with great precession, as if it was all part of a cosmic plan. We can sense the truth, soon to be revealed, about who we are and why we are here.
The enigmatic crystal skulls have become another tool of divination to that end, crystals sometimes been thought of as having magical powers, as well as transmitters and receivers of energy.
If you are reading this file, your soul is searching, in these prophetic times, for answers to the great mysteries of life ... death ... and rebirth. "
And here's another:
="The crystal skulls are a number of human skull models fashioned from blocks of clear or milky quartz crystal rock, claimed to be pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts by their alleged finders. Contemporary mainstream scientific opinion is that the skulls are instead of 19th century European manufacture. None of the specimens made available for scientific study have been authenticated as pre-Columbian in origin.[1]
The skulls are often claimed to exhibit paranormal phenomena by some members of the New Age movement, and have often been portrayed as such in fiction, most notably in the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
And there you pretty much have it. The skulls have never been anything but an interesting curio (I'd like to have one) and have exactly the mystic powers of any other piece of rock: none. But I look forward to the claims of such; it is what makes life interesting for the skeptic.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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Edited by - filthy on 05/19/2008 20:42:51
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9691 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2008 : 17:43:53 [Permalink]
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| Is there anyone else but me who think that the crystal skull on the Indiana Jones poster resembles the Farscape character Scorpius? |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2008 : 18:08:54 [Permalink]
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The SciFi channel is already starting: http://www.scifi.com/crystalskulls/
I wonder, is there a single one which is a real meso-American artefact, or all they all bogus (I heard both stories). |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2008 : 20:41:33 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Simon
The SciFi channel is already starting: http://www.scifi.com/crystalskulls/
I wonder, is there a single one which is a real meso-American artefact, or all they all bogus (I heard both stories).
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Yeh, ain't it grand how it's kicking off? This summer will be vastly amusing on the skeptical front.
I've read a little on these things in the past and to the best of that, all are claimed as Meso-American and all came from Europe, with their original owners or their heirs starting the stories, mostly by bragging. Critical thought in H. sapiens being what it is, these yarns not only passed around & hung on, but recieved embellishments in the retelling. And thus it continues. 
It looks like kind of a natural, though. The pre-Columbian Indians of Mexico & Central America had almost a skull fetish as can be seen in their art and sculpture, but I don't know of anything larger than a point made from quartz.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26024 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2008 : 21:11:43 [Permalink]
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How quickly things get forgotten. It's only been 21 years since House II: The Second Story was released, with its own crystal skull, really bad puppetry and the unequaled John Ratzenberger as Bill, electrician and adventurer. Who else could have delivered "Looks like you've got some kind of alternate universe in there or something" in such a perfect "seen it everyday" sorta tone?
Edited to add that there is a video tribute to Bill Towner on YouTube. Just clips from the movie, and the crystal skull isn't in any of them. It pays to watch all the way to the end, it's only four minutes long. |
- Dave W. (Private Msg, EMail)
Evidently, I rock!
Why not question something for a change?
Visit Dave's Psoriasis Info, too. |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2008 : 12:15:32 [Permalink]
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Yeah, apparently the filmmakers didn't think that a human crystal skull could carry an entire picture, their's is an alien crystal skull:
Dr. Mabuse, personally the first thing I thought of when I saw that skull was Spiderman's nemesis Venom:
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
| Edited by - H. Humbert on 05/20/2008 14:26:34 |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2008 : 13:27:53 [Permalink]
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An alien crystal skull! Gracious, fancy that!
Eh, but what's life without a little fantasy -- or in this case, a good bit of fantasy? I wonder if the skull is quartz, or did they go whole hawg and make it a flawless diamond.
Hey, this space aliens we're talkin', here; they can do anything writers want 'em to do, including making humongous diamonds and cutting them with their teeth!
Betcha it out-grosses the Expelled fantsay's current total in it's first weekend.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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| Edited by - filthy on 05/20/2008 13:32:57 |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
 Posted - 05/20/2008 : 14:29:50 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
Betcha it out-grosses the Expelled fantsay's current total in it's first weekend. |
First weekend? First day.
Unfortunately for my SFN Psychic contest pick, early reviews say the magic is gone from the franchise. This movie will still do well on its history alone, so I don't foresee a bomb, but I no longer think it will be the hit of the summer.
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2008 : 16:22:04 [Permalink]
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I am a bit sad that they felt like adding SciFi to the franchise. Also, the best 2 movies of the series were about Biblical tradition and only had fantastic elements at the end of the movie...
Me think they should have sticked to that... Also, speaking of the silver screen, I went to see Iron-Man this week-end and highly recommend it! |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2008 : 16:34:51 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by H. Humbert
Originally posted by filthy
Betcha it out-grosses the Expelled fantsay's current total in it's first weekend. |
First weekend? First day.
Unfortunately for my SFN Psychic contest pick, early reviews say the magic is gone from the franchise. This movie will still do well on its history alone, so I don't foresee a bomb, but I no longer think it will be the hit of the summer.
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It'll surpass Expelled by the end of the first showing.
Also, I am reading mixed reviews, as there were with the return of Star Wars. I expect a blockbuster... |
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2008 : 19:03:13 [Permalink]
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I have an idea... for the knife fight, can we have Ben Stein instead of Nicolas Cage?
Indy can use his gun, of course. That's like, tradition, or something. |
Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
| Edited by - Simon on 05/20/2008 19:06:36 |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2008 : 03:35:06 [Permalink]
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Guess I'm going to have to put it on my "To Rent" list (I don't like people well enough to go to a theater). Alien skulls & knife fights -- that's entertainment!
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9691 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2008 : 06:57:33 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Simon
Me think they should have sticked to that... Also, speaking of the silver screen, I went to see Iron-Man this week-end and highly recommend it!
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I've never been that much into Avengers or Iron Man, so I don't know how true the movie is to the original story. Without the risk of being disappointed of any change, I went to see the movie last weekend and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the movie and thought it was great, even though its intended audience probably is half as old as I am.
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Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
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pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2008 : 07:22:54 [Permalink]
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A positive review (no spoilers).
[Edited to make a smaller link - Dave W.]
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by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
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| Edited by - pleco on 05/21/2008 07:23:16 |
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BigPapaSmurf
SFN Die Hard
3192 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2008 : 07:23:09 [Permalink]
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Yeah Downey Jr was really great I thought, Did you stay till the end of the credits?
SPOILERS
"Sam Jackson is in Stark's house and says I'm Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Did you think you're the only one? I'd like to talk to you about the Avenger project." (NF is black in the comics nowadays)
/SPOILERS |
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Simon
SFN Regular
USA
1992 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2008 : 07:43:46 [Permalink]
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I did!
But people which are no fan of the Marvel Universe might not get it.
As for the faithfulness of the adaptation, being a uber-nerd, I can answer... They were extremely faithful.
They replaced the Vietnam war by the Afghanistan, of course, and Stane was not that close from Stark in the comics but that's about it...
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Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
Carl Sagan - 1996 |
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Cystral Skulls......
