Pixar’s first foray into science fiction is a dazzling combination of charm, style, and pathos. Seven hundred years in the future, WALL-E is the last sanitation robot on an ecologically devastated and depopulated Earth. WALL-E spends its days clearing away the heaping trash piles that cover the grimy landscape, methodically stacking cubes of garbage that have been processed in WALL-E’s internal compactor. He (it’s difficult not to anthropomorphize the little guy) also collects various objects that catch his eye as he tidies up the abandoned city. WALL-E’s predictable daily routine is disrupted when he stumbles upon a sleek-looking robotic visitor from the stars.

For an animated film marketed to children, WALL-E takes a number of stylistic chances. The first fifteen minutes contain absolutely no dialogue. It blends some live-action shots with the animation. And while the movie is by no means didactic, it offers plenty of commentary on consumerism for those who care to look for it. The visuals are simply a treat, especially a beautifully choreographed ballet in space involving WALL-E, his romantic interest, and a fire extinguisher. Sublime.

Happy Independence Day, everyone. I wonder what the Founding Fathers would make of their political experiment after 232 years. The notion that a man of color has better-than-even odds of becoming president would probably give them a good jolt. But I like to think that, on the whole, they’d be pleased to know that the country they founded still endures.

I’ve never bought the “city on a hill” metaphor for America. That kind of exceptionalist thinking glosses over our many flaws and shortcomings as a civil society. On the road to creating a more perfect union, we have lost our way plenty of times. But this country has also given me opportunities that I would have probably not enjoyed in many other parts of the world. I’m an American citizen and that means something to me, corny as it sounds.

On an unrelated note, I woke up at 8 this morning. On my day off. And this is becoming a trend. It’s either because of the summer light coming into my bedroom or because I’m getting old.

Some grad students at MIT have developed a videogame that allows people with and without visual impairments to play together. The game is played with the Wii remote control and the players are cast as deejays competing against each other to get people on the dancefloor.

There aren’t many games available to those with visual impairments, much less multiplayer games, so this is a step in the right direction. Hopefully, such a game will eventually be available on the commercial market.

The Olympics are approaching and, once those are complete, the Paralympics will follow. The NY Times reports that Iraq, unable to field much of an Olympic team because of the ongoing violence in the country, will send a sizeable delegation to the Paralympics. Many of the Iraqi Paralympians became disabled in the same epidemic of violence that has shattered the country’s Olympic hopes. One wheelchair fencing coach notes that Iraqi Paralympic team is better than its Olympic team.

The article notes that most of these athletes were street beggars before joining the team, underscoring the fact that Iraq continues to present an overwhelmingly hostile environment for its citizens with disabilities. And once the Paralympics are over, there’s a good chance that many of them will be forced to return to that life.

I was just scanning Ominivoracious, Amazon’s books blog, when I noticed that one of the entries contained an interview with Mike Phillips. Some of you might remember my previous entry about Mike and his appearance on This American Life. In the Amazon interview, Mike talks about his wish that more books would be released in accessible electronic formats. He also discusses his tastes in books. We seem to share a fondness for the darker side of the fiction spectrum and in particular for George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice fantasy series (that next volume can’t come out soon enough). He also heaps praise on Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. I feel like I’m one of a handful of people in the country who didn’t care for that book.