Lunar Boulevard

Here's a quick fact about those big, white things called space suits that make space exploration possible. Did you know that a typical space suit costs about $11 million? While about 70% of those costs go toward the backpack and control module it's still a hefty chunk of cash.  And all this time I thought my clothes were overpriced....

Did you know our very own sun has an 8.2 billion-year-old twin? According to NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory there exists a star called HIP 102152 that rests about 250 light-years away. Now those of us who look at The Bible and focus on how God created the heavens and the earth may have some qualms with this twin supposedly being billions of years old (it still doesn't make sense how they can claim to prove that) but the fact remains that another star similar to our sun does exist in the constellation Capricornus.  No orbiting planets have yet been found but the light and makeup of this star bears some resemblance to our own sun. The wonders of God's creation never cease to keep amazing us.

You want to know something? Sometimes I really enjoy being wrong, at least when God is concerned. I love thinking a situation is hopeless and then watching the Lord turn it around into a massive victory. I take comfort in thinking one thing and then having God reveal to me that I have it all backwards.  It's just a thought but one worth remembering: if you want to be happy to be wrong, look to God. He has a way of making weakness and worry vanish and replacing them with faith and promise. Sometimes it's good to be wrong.

After four years we come to Franz Ferdinand's fourth record, one which we've seen promoted and advertised tirelessly on a variety of sites and in many publications. It's been nearly a decade since their self-titled debut broke onto the scene and "Take Me Out" dominated the airwaves. Like many bands who had a successful first album and hit single, they've been living under the weight of having to replicate that success and live up to big, and at times unfair, expectations. Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action feels very predictable and despite the solid songwriting it feels derivative of what they've done before. There are plenty of enjoyable tracks. First single "Love Illumination" is quite fun and feels like a throwback to their previous work, as does "Right Action" and "Evil Eye". "Bullet" is an appropriate title for a song driven by a chugging rhythm and earnest energy. "The Universe Expanded...

Okay, so we've talked about God and how He created the heavens and the earth, as well as human beings. It says we were created in His own image and that man was placed here to rule over creation and manage it. That's pretty incredible when you really think about it: God knew in advance that we would fall short and yet He created us anyway, even coming up with a way for us to be reconciled with him through Jesus. However, before we can get to the good news of Jesus we have to deal with our failure to live up to the standard God has set and what our sin has done to us. After all, faith has no purpose if we don't believe there's anything inherently wrong with us. It's from here that looking objectively at our world reveals what we all know to be true: it's a messed up place. So how did we get here? For that we have to begin with Genesis and the creation of man. As most of you probably know we can trace the origin of sin back to the Garden of Eden where A...

At one point or another you've probably heard about the Asteroid Belt, which is situated between Mars and Jupiter. Aside from that it's not often talked about and it's easy to assume that it's just a long stretch of asteroids, which is partly true. However, there's more to it than just a cluster of floating rocks. This belt can be hard to see because it's composed of many small elements, everything from small rocks to ice chunks. There are also larger rocks and asteroids, some of which measure as much as 100 miles across. It's quite big but then again a giant universe requires a big belt, doesn't it?

After the monstrous success of The Joshua Tree U2 embarked on a massive tour, including many stops in the United States. In the process they continued to discover American roots music and this excitement was captured in the film Rattle and Hum , as well on the album. It is perhaps one of the most misunderstood collections in history and the backlash that the critics piled on this project left the band at a crossroads. We all know that the brilliant and game-changing Achtung Baby was the result but it's easy to overlook Rattle and Hum or to write it off completely. To do so is a major mistake. This record is so unique because it finds a balance between new studio cuts and live songs. While the record would probably have been better received as a strict studio album or live record, I love the interplay between these extremes. New songs like "Love Rescue Me", "Heartland", "Desire", "Angel of Harlem", and "All I Want Is You" a...

Did you know Bloc Party was releasing an EP? Neither did I but this pleasant surprise greeted me this morning and I immediately sought it out. The band is going on indefinite hiatus, leaving us once again to wonder if the band is calling it quits or just taking a really long vacation. They're a hard group to read and hopefully this is just to tide fans over until they regroup and work on their next project together. If this is indeed a farewell letter then it's a solid one, if all too brief. What's truly fascinating about this release is how each track seems to recall the band's previous work. The opener "Ratchet" feels like it was culled from the Intimacy sessions, complete with Kele Okereke's quick vocal delivery and various noises cutting in and out of the track. It's an energetic start and one that improves with repeated listens. "Obscene" is a slower and more pensive exercise that sounds more like an outtake from last year'...

Let's take a look at Saturn for a moment. We're all familiar with the planet's beautiful rings but that wasn't always the case. In fact, existence of the rings was not even known until 1610 when they were first seen by Galileo. We've come a long way, haven't we?

If there's any figure more misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misrepresented throughout history then God has to be number one, with Jesus fitting into that category as well (more on Him in a later column). Whether you believe in Him or not, God is always a hot topic and a subject that's vital to understand if you want to look at the foundation of Christianity. I want to take this space to start there and look at a few truths about who God is and why we must accept His existence before we can do anything else. The very first verse of the Bible gives us a superlative picture of who God is: In the beginning  God created  the heavens  and the earth.--Genesis 1:1 Immediately we're told that God created everything around us. He has existed since before the world began and is responsible for creating everything in it, as the rest of the chapter goes on to explain. We see that God is all-powerful and creative. He's responsible for creating the universe, human...

So far 2013 has proved to a generous and prolific year for music, with stellar releases from some of my favorite artists and several more big albums set to be released before the end of the year. As of writing this column (August 14, 2013) The National's Trouble Will Find Me  is currently my favorite LP of the year. My initial review of the album was quite positive and that rating still holds true. The album is a swell of big tunes, some impressive sonic production, and of course Matt Berninger's depressed and tortured lyrics about dying relationships, death, uncertainty, drunken nights with a hint of jealousy and self-loathing. It's certainly not the pick-me-up record of the year. Then again, The National has always been about something more than giving you what you want to hear. These are stories and characters that are often difficult and troubled, yet relatable and touching in their own twisted way. That being said, what better way to begin a new series than ...

Think your local five-star hotel is fancy? Just wait until you see this one. Orbital Technologies, a Russian space exploration firm, is planning to build their own space hotel, which is scheduled to be finished by 2016. The company CEO stated that it will obit 350 kilometers above the earth and will will serve as a commercial space station, complete with windows, telescopes, and cameras to allow travelers to revel in their adventure. That's not too shabby---if you don't mind the two day traveling time and can afford the cost. Space travel is still massively expensive and complicated, meaning only the wealthiest of earth's patrons even have a shot at going on these expeditions. Not to be outdone, U.S.-based company Virgin Galactic is planning to launch it's own passenger program, dubbed "SpaceShip Two". It will function as a sub-orbital trip with a reasonable ticket price of $200,000. Sure, it's steep but at least it makes regular airline fee...

Over the next few weeks I want to take a look at what exactly it means to be a Christian and what our faith is built on. It's distressing to see a modern church that seems to not be aware of its own identity and what our faith is really all about.  That's not to say that every Christian is this way or that every church has lost its way. It would be foolish to make a blanket statement like that. However, it's imperative that we understand why we believe what we believe and how, without sound doctrine and biblical truth, our faith begins to falter. Among the topics I want to discuss are: * Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross * God: the Alpha and the Omega * The Bible itself and why we must take it seriously * Salvation through Jesus and what it means to be saved, as well as our willingness to either accept or reject Christ's free offer of love and forgiveness There are more but those are some of the basics. Obviously I'm no scholar but you do...

Here's a quick but interesting fact about Venus that you may or may not know. The planet is sometimes referred to as the "morning star" because of its brightness. Next time you see something extra shiny in the night sky you might be seeing this gassy wonder.

A few days ago I saw a post discussing John Eldredge's book Wild at Heart , which has apparently become quite the phenomenon in the Christian community for discussing masculinity and how God has wired men to be. I confess to never having read the book but when asked about it I sarcastically replied, "Everything I need to know about being a man I learned from Raiders of the Lost Ark ." What I didn't realize until later is that my lifelong love of all things Indiana Jones actually does serve a purpose outside of escapist entertainment. There are a surprising number of things we can learn from these films; there's no substitute for the Bible but God has a unique way of teaching us in way we never would have guessed, even if it's in a film. Here are a few I've picked up along the way: 1. Real Men Are Humble In The Presence Of God One only needs to look at the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark to figure this one out. The film works with a great subte...

Embryonic is an album I've struggled with since its initial release back in 2009. It's certainly not a bad record by any means and I love the adventurous, raucous nature of many of these tunes. However, that same sense of exploration also weighs the album down with some filler and half-finished ideas that sound more like b-side material than fully realized songs. Has it improved after nearly four years? Well...not really. Let's start with what the Lips get right, which is quite a bit. Songs like "Convinced of the Hex", "See the Leaves", "Silver Trembling Hands", and "Watching the Planets" are sublime and wonderful, a terrific culmination of rock, funk, jazz, and electronic ambiance. They manage to squeeze some melodies into these tunes while keeping them in a more obtuse state. If you're looking for a record that requires multiple listens and a lot of digestion then you know full well that The Flaming Lips can deliver on t...

Editors are a difficult band to place, mostly because they've changed so much over the past few years. Their first two albums were stellar but then they took a major detour with 2009's In This Light and on This Evening , a decent but ultimately uneven collection that found the band trying to experiment without much solid footing. I waited intently for their next release, curious about whether they could recapture the brilliance of their early work while experimenting in more subtle ways. That brings us to The Weight of Your Love , which has moments of excellence but ultimately lacks the energy and passion it needs to be a true contender. The first time I heard the lead single "A Ton of Love" I got excited. Its blend of R.E.M.'s energy and Bruce Springsteen's passion gave me great hope that this record would be the band's return to form. While this track is certainly worth checking out it the same can't be said for many of the others. "The W...