Aren't you sick of seeing really cool things in movies that you know we have the technology to make, yet they aren't available to the public or even a product at all? Well, I am, but this time such a dissapointment is not one you will have to get used to. Yes, the totally sweet and kickass computer that Tony Stark uses in Iron Man 2 is actually a real computer! Sony has made such a computer and you can even see some video of it in action!
In the movie, "The Day The Earth Stood Still" you will again see this sweet technology being shown off, but that is a Microsoft product. But since Microsoft loves to make vaporware a part of their global marketing scheme, it is highly doubtful we will see anything from them in the marketplace anytime soon. The killing of the Courier, was a major upset in the geekdom. True, there are many of us who despise Microsoft for their Gestapo-esque rampage to buy-out and destroy all their competition and their incessent whining to Congress to make Windows the be all-end all of operating systems to rule the world, the Courier was indeed the best thing to come from the MS braintrust - ever. I, myself would have gladly purchased one over the iPad in a heartbeat!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Star Wars does it old school
Star Wars was the movie that changed the world, from the way people looked at movies, to how movies were made, especially when it came to special effects. Even at 6 years old, when I saw Star Wars, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the magic behind the scenes that made everything on the screen so believeable. It was like watching a documentary it was so real. Below are some of the tricks they used to make those wonderful effects, but they are so cheap and homegrown that it's hard to believe it's how they actually did it - but that's all part of the miracle of George Lucas and ILM.
To pull off the trench run into the Death Star, effects artists sculpted a miniature Death Star surface out of urethane foam and cardboard and shot it using a high-speed camera mounted on the bed of a moving pickup truck.
The Ultimate Job!
Pixar is no doubt the best movie and animation studio in the world and in the history of film making. Since their first feature film release of Toy Story in 1997, Pixar has racked up 24 Academy Awards for just nine films and grossing at least $550 million per film internationally - that's an achievement very few, if any, can boast. Check out this great, but somewhat lacking article from Wired, about the making of Toy Story 3.
When I got my Associates degree in 3D animation, Pixar was where I wanted to work, but unfortunately I chose a different path and have regretted it ever since. But I'm still young and full of talent and ideas, so I will once again pursue the dream of working for Pixar and continue my education getting a Bachelors in 3D this time and making the most kickass demo reel possible.What animator wouldn't want to work at a place like this?!
Friday, May 21, 2010
My Entry to Win The Ultimate AT-AT
This is a true story: Being an Army-Brat, it was by pure luck, chance and destiny, that I was in the States with my parents on leave - when I heard the wildest, most fantastic sounds to ever grace my ears - coming from inside a family friend's house. I ran inside to find out what those incredibly unique "space" sounds were and there it was on the TV, the trailer for the new Star Wars film - Episode 4. I was hypnotized by the action, the creatures, the ships, the droids, Darth Vader! Before the trailer was even over, I was screaming at the top of my lungs that "..we had to go see this movie!"
That was May 1977 - I was 6 years old and by June, we were back in Germany, just in time for the Sears Christmas Catalog to come in the mail. Of course, they were scant on the toys for that year, but I got everything that was offered for Christmas 1977. And just as religiously as Christmas was celebrated, every year following, I got every Star Wars toy available until 1985. That was the year our family was split in two from a divorce and left me with a mom and her single income and no more Star Wars toys.
I held onto my all my toys through the years, packed in boxes, and they came with me no matter where I went. Some were lost through thievery when our storage unit was ransacked while in Germany one last time, but the majority I kept, closely guarded. When I got married, the toys came with. When I had kids, the toys stayed - but never to be played with by infant hands. Even when we barely had money to eat, the toys stayed, knowing they could bring a nice chunk of change for a fine kingly feast or even pay the rent for a few months.
But, it wasn't until my wife, of 9 years by now, started to pressure me to get rid of "that junk" - the Dark Side reared it's ugly head. I protested, of course and she pushed, of course. I protested more, she pushed more, for months. I soon had my own battle for the Star Wars galaxy in my own house and it wasn't looking good for us Rebels. The Dark Side of my wife came down hard and fast and before I knew it - an entire Original Kenner Star Wars Collection (1977-1985) was gone! Yes, she sold it one day while I was at work - to a rather unscrupulous character/collector, who knew he had hit the galactic motherload that was about to net him a fortune that Jabba The Hutt would have salivated over.
When I got home after work that day - I was clueless, even when I wasn't greeted with the usual, "..when are you going to get rid of that Star Wars sh*t?" but a calm, "How was your day?" It slowly began to dawn on me, something was up. It didn't take long for her to tell me what she did for a whopping total of $75.00! A collection that, today, would have been worth an easy $20,000 or more - was lost forever for $75.00 and because, "..we needed the money...", she said.
I divorced her soon after. Literally and seriously.
To this day, I still cry over that horrid moment I was betrayed by the Dark Side of the woman who was supposed to love and cherish. I have since tried collecting those missing pieces and haev even begun collecting different Star Wars collectibles, simply because I cannot afford to replace everything that dissapeared from my life that day.
To own this magical machine would not only bring back some of the best years of my life - playing with my original AT-AT on Christmas morning in 1980 - it would be an important win in my struggle to regain what I lost and most certainly a prized item to never be lost to the forces of the Dark Side or anyone else again.
"Do or do not, there is no try"
Read More http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/05/celebrate-empire-strikes-backs-birthday-win-a-killer-at-at/#ixzz0oadnk2Jb
That was May 1977 - I was 6 years old and by June, we were back in Germany, just in time for the Sears Christmas Catalog to come in the mail. Of course, they were scant on the toys for that year, but I got everything that was offered for Christmas 1977. And just as religiously as Christmas was celebrated, every year following, I got every Star Wars toy available until 1985. That was the year our family was split in two from a divorce and left me with a mom and her single income and no more Star Wars toys.
I held onto my all my toys through the years, packed in boxes, and they came with me no matter where I went. Some were lost through thievery when our storage unit was ransacked while in Germany one last time, but the majority I kept, closely guarded. When I got married, the toys came with. When I had kids, the toys stayed - but never to be played with by infant hands. Even when we barely had money to eat, the toys stayed, knowing they could bring a nice chunk of change for a fine kingly feast or even pay the rent for a few months.
But, it wasn't until my wife, of 9 years by now, started to pressure me to get rid of "that junk" - the Dark Side reared it's ugly head. I protested, of course and she pushed, of course. I protested more, she pushed more, for months. I soon had my own battle for the Star Wars galaxy in my own house and it wasn't looking good for us Rebels. The Dark Side of my wife came down hard and fast and before I knew it - an entire Original Kenner Star Wars Collection (1977-1985) was gone! Yes, she sold it one day while I was at work - to a rather unscrupulous character/collector, who knew he had hit the galactic motherload that was about to net him a fortune that Jabba The Hutt would have salivated over.
When I got home after work that day - I was clueless, even when I wasn't greeted with the usual, "..when are you going to get rid of that Star Wars sh*t?" but a calm, "How was your day?" It slowly began to dawn on me, something was up. It didn't take long for her to tell me what she did for a whopping total of $75.00! A collection that, today, would have been worth an easy $20,000 or more - was lost forever for $75.00 and because, "..we needed the money...", she said.
I divorced her soon after. Literally and seriously.
To this day, I still cry over that horrid moment I was betrayed by the Dark Side of the woman who was supposed to love and cherish. I have since tried collecting those missing pieces and haev even begun collecting different Star Wars collectibles, simply because I cannot afford to replace everything that dissapeared from my life that day.
To own this magical machine would not only bring back some of the best years of my life - playing with my original AT-AT on Christmas morning in 1980 - it would be an important win in my struggle to regain what I lost and most certainly a prized item to never be lost to the forces of the Dark Side or anyone else again.
"Do or do not, there is no try"
Read More http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/05/celebrate-empire-strikes-backs-birthday-win-a-killer-at-at/#ixzz0oadnk2Jb
Friday on the Rocks!
Cool Star Wars item(s) of the day - Funny T-Shirts - Solo on the Rocks! LOL
Man this was a week that I wanted to be over all too fast. Monday I was sick, Tuesday wasn't much better, but went to work anyway and sat in a training class that was rather boring but necessary. Wednesday was another meeting with a developer and that was just downright humourous, if not inane. Developer's - sheesh - far too many of them just think they are the Universe's gift to the computing world - sure they make stuff happen - designer's make it look pretty and can make stuff happen too. So it really makes me mad when a developer thinks he is some kind of designer as well and takes on the tasks of a designer - all the while, doing a pisspoor job at it - but they get all pissy when a designer, develops and does a great job at it! I think I just answered my own question. Better check the ego at the door, fellas - if designers didn't do as much development as we do - you're job would be just that much harder! Think about it. If a designer gives you a design, that hasn't been coded yet - who has to do the code? YOU! That's who. I learned a long time ago, it was better to code my designs to make sure they work before giving them to the developer - that way he doesn't have to do as much coding or any at all!
Obviously, not all developer's are proma donna's - this guy sure was. First he tells me that CSS and DHTML can't be used due to the restrictions of the CMS - we're talking about simple rollouts, popups and ALT tags, guy! But he's already got rollouts in place! HUH?! Then not 10 minutes later, he tells another developer - on his team - that he can use CSS and DHTML to achieve the results they wanted! Do what?! Did I not just ask that?! I hope his sock sandwich tasted good. Blah!
The beauty part came when he said if he has his way, he would develop a Flash application to do everything that was needed in a single shell. I gladly and quickly pointed out that I had already made one and that was why I was in the meeting in the first place - of course, I was immediately shot down - of course! May the Earth shatter if someone else came up with it first!
Ugh, Developer's!
Yesterday was pretty uneventful, just stuffed envelopes and worked on a shell design and goofed around alot. Today will probably be much of the same. But getting to work was all too eventful, what is with these people that drive 30 miles an hour down a clear freeway and then look at you like you've lost your mind because you want get around them so you can go the speed limit?! Fucking cow! It's called a gas pedal people - you'll find it on the right, next to the brake, but that doesn't mean you use the brake with the gas pedal! Idiots!
Man this was a week that I wanted to be over all too fast. Monday I was sick, Tuesday wasn't much better, but went to work anyway and sat in a training class that was rather boring but necessary. Wednesday was another meeting with a developer and that was just downright humourous, if not inane. Developer's - sheesh - far too many of them just think they are the Universe's gift to the computing world - sure they make stuff happen - designer's make it look pretty and can make stuff happen too. So it really makes me mad when a developer thinks he is some kind of designer as well and takes on the tasks of a designer - all the while, doing a pisspoor job at it - but they get all pissy when a designer, develops and does a great job at it! I think I just answered my own question. Better check the ego at the door, fellas - if designers didn't do as much development as we do - you're job would be just that much harder! Think about it. If a designer gives you a design, that hasn't been coded yet - who has to do the code? YOU! That's who. I learned a long time ago, it was better to code my designs to make sure they work before giving them to the developer - that way he doesn't have to do as much coding or any at all!
Obviously, not all developer's are proma donna's - this guy sure was. First he tells me that CSS and DHTML can't be used due to the restrictions of the CMS - we're talking about simple rollouts, popups and ALT tags, guy! But he's already got rollouts in place! HUH?! Then not 10 minutes later, he tells another developer - on his team - that he can use CSS and DHTML to achieve the results they wanted! Do what?! Did I not just ask that?! I hope his sock sandwich tasted good. Blah!
The beauty part came when he said if he has his way, he would develop a Flash application to do everything that was needed in a single shell. I gladly and quickly pointed out that I had already made one and that was why I was in the meeting in the first place - of course, I was immediately shot down - of course! May the Earth shatter if someone else came up with it first!
Ugh, Developer's!
Yesterday was pretty uneventful, just stuffed envelopes and worked on a shell design and goofed around alot. Today will probably be much of the same. But getting to work was all too eventful, what is with these people that drive 30 miles an hour down a clear freeway and then look at you like you've lost your mind because you want get around them so you can go the speed limit?! Fucking cow! It's called a gas pedal people - you'll find it on the right, next to the brake, but that doesn't mean you use the brake with the gas pedal! Idiots!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
jeans on thursday!
yes, today we get to wear jeans to work! this special privelage came to those who were willing to help with the preparation for the tradeshow in New Orleans - too bad they weren't letting us go to N'awlins too.
On the tech side; I thought i lost my bluetooth earpiece, i couldn't find it for over a week, well, i found it and let's just say - it's the cleanest earpiece around. yup - i found it in the dryer when i took out my jeans this morning :( but the red light came on when i stuck it on the charger, so maybe it still works :)
There must have been something in the coffee this morning - there was a wreck on 35 and george bush! needless to say, i didn't get to work before 8 :(
On the tech side; I thought i lost my bluetooth earpiece, i couldn't find it for over a week, well, i found it and let's just say - it's the cleanest earpiece around. yup - i found it in the dryer when i took out my jeans this morning :( but the red light came on when i stuck it on the charger, so maybe it still works :)
There must have been something in the coffee this morning - there was a wreck on 35 and george bush! needless to say, i didn't get to work before 8 :(
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