Otherwise Known As Kevin Miller (XI)

Sects, Love & Rock 'n Roll -- The new Kindlings podcast is now up, hosted by yours truly

Author Joel Heng Hartse visits The Kindlings to share wit and wisdom from his book, Sects, Love, and Rock & Roll: My Life on Record, his memoirs and critiques of growing up in the Christian music subculture. I pinch-hit as host and lead the panel's discussion of music and its influence on our developing identities and outlooks.

Okay, so maybe my son likes Star Wars even more than I do...

Huw (age 9) decided to bake his first cake yesterday (in addition to Star Wars, he's also a Food Channel junkie). For those of you who don't know, this is the Clone Wars version of the Y-wing fighter. All I can say is, Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes be warned. There's a new sheriff in town...

I always knew crows were smart, but...

This one is a genius.

Yesterday, Heidi was driving out of the mall parking lot with the kids when she glanced in her rear view mirror and saw a crow swoop in behind the van. Lo and behold, he perched himself on the rear windshield wiper and settled in for a ride. To the amazement of Heidi and the kids (not to mention other people on the road), the crow hitched a ride all the way across town to Costco, a distance of nearly 3.5 miles. He finally took off to go join some other crows in the parking lot.

It's one of the strangest things I've ever heard of. But I suspect this isn't the first time this guy has done it, and it probably won't be the last.

 

Just to prove I don't think the evangelical world is completely bereft of originality...

If this is real--and if it's not a knock-off--it's incredible:

The gospel according to the Simpsons?

That's what we discussed during the latest edition of the Kindlings Muse Canada West podcast, which was recorded live at Belle's Pub in Surrey, BC last month. We had a great crowd and a great discussion. Stay tuned until the end to find out which Simpsons character I identify with most when all hope is lost.

Unfortunately, I have to miss this month's podcast due to a scheduling conflict, but I hope to be back in the saddle in May.

Zeph Miller makes his Youtube tutorial debut!

Over the past couple of months, my son Huw (9) has been making some tutorials on how to build Star Wars mini-ships out of Lego. This time, my other son Zeph (5) decided to get in on the action. And the result, if you'll humor me for a few minutes, is too cute for words. Enjoy.

You can ask reddit anything! (And you should!)

What do the following questions have in common?

• What is the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you?
• You're dying, what are your last words?
• Is it just me or is the new Star Trek "High school kids in space"?
• Can someone identify this lizard creature?
• How do you find someone whose name or personal details you don't know?

Answer: They were all asked on askreddit, which is fast becoming one of my favorite places on the web to hang out. Whether you need advice, encouragement, information, a laugh or you simply want to test the waters with a new idea, post your query on askreddit. You'll be amazed at the witty, insightful and often sincere replies you get.

In case you don't know, askreddit is a sub-community of reddit.com, a social bookmarking site where you can ask questions or post links to web content that you think is interesting, funny, important, controversial, etc. Other users can then up-vote, down-vote and/or comment on your post, which increases (or decreases) your reddit "karma" and affects how prominently your post appears on the page.

In addition to the general reddit category, there are all sorts of sub-reddits based around various interests, such as comic books, atheism, politics, science and so on. In fact, in a matter of minutes you can create a sub- reddit based around pretty much anything you like. For example, four days ago I created a screenwriting reddit, and we already have nearly 100 subscribers. If you're a screenwriter or you're interested in screenwriting, be sure to check it out.

In the meantime, mosey on over to askreddit and see the latest posts. Who knows? Maybe you're the only one who really knows why Canadians and Americans use letter-sized paper while the rest of the world uses A-4. Or maybe you'll finally discover the answer to whatever question has been burning in your heart, such as why people who are most passionate about a given issue also tend to be the least informed about that very issue. Be careful though, it's addictive. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

Do yourself a favor--a big favor--and watch this Star Wars tribute

Want to know what it was like writing on Expelled?

It was fun, but I suspect it wasn't nearly as much fun as writing for this show.
 

The Media! The Media!

This is a short film from a former screenwriting student of mine named Tim Gomez. It's one of his first efforts as a filmmaker, and I think it's great. Enjoy!