Category Archives: Fun

BYUtv’s Extinct.

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[This started out as a comment on facebook that I then expanded into a post there.  I decided I could expand it a bit more and post it here as well].

BYUtv’s new sci-fi series (free on BYUtv’s app, no registration required) is, so far, pretty strong. It is not great (though it is fairly good). There is plenty to complain about if you want to go that route (the acting talent is uneven, the pacing is too slow at times, some shots linger a little too long, green screen backgrounds are a little too obvious, dialogue is occasionally on the nose), but given that this is a small, independent production with a limited budget from what is essentially a regional TV station, it exceeds expectations. Continue reading →

My Internet Puppet Show

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I hope you will excuse a bit of off-topic self promotion. One of my hobbies is puppetry. It has come up now and then over the years in the blogs and jokes about me and puppetry have sometimes been made in LDS blog circles.

So I just wanted to let everyone know that I’ve launched a web-based video series for kids featuring my puppets. It’s called Rusty & Ollie’s Fun, Facts, and Follies.

Check it out.  And please share it with your friends and family.

You can watch a brief introduction to the series here.

And here is the first episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vvFTb93yFM

 

Strange Mormon UFO Alien Stories

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Around the time of Halloween all kinds of spooky, strange, and paranormal stories are told to get the goosebumps rising. With that spirit in mind I present some unusual Mormon related UFO presumed connections. There won’t be many internet links because not all of them are friendly sources. Regardless, they are amusing to relate.

The most preposterous of stories starts with “Kolob” that so many non-Mormon (and some Mormon) jokes come from. Not sure what the whole thing is about, but making things up about the purely imaginary Interplanetary conspiracy theories doesn’t seem unethical. Somehow it starts with an ancient alien civilization from the planet Kolob in the constellation Cancer, sector 2813 seeking to take over the Universe. This includes the planet Earth where one of its powerful arms stretches out toward unsuspecting humans.

From here on out it doesn’t get any less outrageous. There is a reason for so many crash landing UFOs in the Western United States, not counting the vast eyewitness reports of strange lights and saucers. Its those darn Mormons of course. Evil intelligences from outer space have been in contact with them since Joseph Smith’s first vision. The United States government finds out and seeks to take advantage. Continue reading →

Some Mormon Ghost Tales

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When leaves start turning bright colors of amber and orange and occasionally the first snow falls, its that time of year again. At the end of October ghosts, ghouls, strange beings, and killers walk the streets. Kids laugh and candy is handed out as if grown on trees. You guessed it; Halloween has arrived.

I have to admit that Thanksgiving is a good day of rest and food while Christmas is exciting and special. Halloween on the other hand has its own pleasures. For once those who are imaginative and don’t see the world the same way as others can let loose. Dressing up and acting like a fool or other is just plain fun. With these thoughts having been expressed, I will be writing about two themes for this time of scares and spooks.

This first post is about ghosts and otherworldly frights. Mormonism is full of stories about angels leaving messages and spirits roaming the world. Despite or even because of that there aren’t too many ghost stories passed along in its history. Part of this could be the specific teachings related to the afterlife and those who hang around. There are only two reasons theologically recognized why a visitor from the other side of the veil of life is seen; to leave a message from the Lord or daemons tormenting mortals. There are plenty of stories about both.

One of the first Mormon stories in history is of an evil possession during the First Vision and an excorcism years later. Not many probably put the former in the catagory of ghost story, but it can fit into the genre. These are great starts for the subject of Mormon spooky tales. Continue reading →