From 1946, here is the ten-minute long "The Story of Menstruation", produced by Walt Disney ("through the courtesy of Kotex Products")...
And this year, it's gonna be even bigger!
The 3rd Annual Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam kicks off this afternoon at 4 p.m. in Maggie Valley, North Carolina (about 40 minutes west of Asheville). At least fifteen bands will be performing country, bluegrass, a bit of everything in between. There will be tons of food and drink ("...but will there be moonshine?!"), merchandise for sale, loads more.
Unfortunately I will not be able to attend this year's festivities because of something else that I have to attend to this weekend. But I was at last year's Popcorn Sutton Acoustic Jam and had a rollickin' great time! It's only two dollars for admission. I can not recommend enough attending this event if you can at all make it to Maggie Valley this weekend! Here's the event's official Facebook page. Click on over for more information.
And if you go, please tell Miss Pam that Chris Knight says "Hey!" :-)
That's darn nearly every model of Dalek since the show first began in 1963! If you look toward the left there's even the Special Weapons Dalek, first (and until now last) shown in the 1988 story Remembrance of the Daleks back when Sylvester McCoy was the Doctor.
You can click on that image for a much larger version, bringing every detail of the Eleventh Doctor's grim, bloody visage into stark clarity. To say nothing of Amy Pond unconscious in his arms.
And as awesome as that pic is, well... here's the trailer which hit the Intertubes yesterday:
The first episode of the new season, said to be "Asylum of the Daleks", doesn't have a transmission date yet but widespread word is that it'll premier later this month on BBC One and BBC America.
Ooh-boy...
From computer scientists at Harvard University comes some new software that will let you print highly-detailed and fully-ARTICULATED action figures! And it's pretty insane how the software does it too: it takes an animated 3-D character and automatically figures out where all the movable joints will be, and figures-in how to manufacture those joints in a real-world model. In other words you could take a picture of Shrek and turn him into a fully poseable toy. Or print your own Star Wars: Clone Wars action figures. Which no doubt Lucasfilm's licensing department would have something to say about that (and you thought Games Workshop's lawyers were bad...). But all the same, the Harvard thinkin' dudes are planning to make their software available commercially. Eventually. Click on the link above for some groovy pics and video of the process in action.
Yes, it really works too.
Apart from the chamber (which remains solid metal), this .22-caliber pistol is entirely printed plastic. It fires 200 rounds with no apparent wear or damage to the weapon. It was manufactured with an older 3-D printer and about $30 of resin, but its gunsmith - who goes by the Internet nom de plume "HaveBlue" - reckons that it could be made for as little as ten bucks.
So in the very near future, it may not be that big of a hassle to go out and buy a guy at all. Just download the 3-D model from a website like The Pirate Bay or Demonoid and in a few hours time you'll have a fully-functional firearm to defend your home and loved ones with. And with the cost of 3-D printers dropping to the point where one can be sitting in your living room...
I can already envision some politicians are going to hear about this and decide "something must be done about it, think of the childrun...!"
When 3-D printers are outlawed, only outlaws will have 3-D printers :-P
Unfortunately in the past few decades Erector Set has faded because of plastic building toys, electronic gizmos and the like. It sadly looked as if there might be the first generation since Erector's invention by A.C. Gilbert a hundred years ago that had never heard of the toy.
Until this week.
Look! Officially licensed Gears of War Erector Sets!
Coming to Toys R Us later this month, Erector is releasing four sets based on the insanely popular video game series. Each set also includes action figures of Marcus, Dom, Anya, Locust Drones and other characters from the franchise.
My heart is already lusting horribly for that King Raven model. Maybe if I'm really good this year my girlfriend Kristen will put it in my Christmas stocking (hint-hint :-)
Mash here for more details and tons more pics of the Gears of War Erector Sets. And I'm digging that Armadillo model, too.
First, having its world premiere this week is Once Upon A Time In My Thoughts, presented by good friend Doug Smith! It's brand-spankin' new but already shows heaps of promise. For its initial set of posts Doug is focusing on movies he likes that many others hate, and conversely movies he hates but that other people think are classic! I agree with him: The Godfather, Part III and Gods and Generals are much better than a lot of folks give them credit for... but I can't figure out how anyone can not like It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World! I mean, just Jerry Lewis' very fleeting cameo alone qualifies that film as comedy gold. But anyhoo, I like Doug's style and no doubt others will too!
And then there is this delightful blog that I only discovered late Wednesday night but has already won me over with its writer's beautiful gift of writing, encouragement and inspiration: Life Lessons in Hope, Faith, & Love. I can't put it any better than this: Vanessa Tachenko's site is very much the kind that I would like my own to be but have sadly missed the mark. Vanessa is someone who has embraced the grace of God with abandon and is letting His love be reflected in everything that she commits to writing. If you want to know what I mean, her thoughts on the Chick-fil-A situation is by far the finest essay that I have come across anywhere about that particular connontroversy. A good blog is one that you visit and when you finish reading it, you feel like you're a little better for the the time spent on it. Well, Vanessa's site is time is time well spent indeed...
So if y'all are fed-up with the seeming dearth of posts on The Knight Shift lately (there have been good reasons for that, honest!) then I think you'll be more than satiated with what Doug and Vanessa have to offer :-)
Because today I just don't feel like I want to eat chicken.
It has nothing to do at all with the recent statements by the company's president, Dan Cathy, regarding his beliefs on homosexuality and "gay marriage". It was a statement of his personal opinion and he's entitled to have them. Personally, I'm inclined to agree with him, but that's not the point of this post.
So today has been declared "Let's Go To Chick-fil-A And Buy Their Food And Show We Support Traditional Families For God And Country Day Hurrah For Us!" or something. It's in response to the boycott that some "gay rights" groups (I never understood the concept of "gay rights" either: what rights exactly do some homosexuals believe they're being deprived of? I've never seen a "Straights Only" lunch counter in all my years of living in the South of all places...) have called of the restaurant chain.
So of course, hundreds of thousands and perhaps even a million or so self-described conservatives are descending upon Chick-fil-A locations across the fruited plain to rally their support behind Cathy, anti-homosexuality, and whatever else that "conservative leadership" (whatever the hell that means) has decided.
But I'm not going to Chick-fil-A today. And I've been called conservative (and "closet conservative", whatever the hell that means too) a heap of times.
I just don't feel like eating chicken today.
I mean, I've had chicken two of the past three days. Why would I want to go anywhere today to eat more chicken... is that "eat mor chikin"?
Now, is that supposed to be at all indicative of where I stand on this particular issue?
I'm not hungry for chicken today. Any of my conservative friends and colleagues got a problem with that?
And if we have arrived at a place where we feel that we must be a component of collectivized thought in order to "matter", to have any sense of worth in this world, then we've a much bigger problem we should be addressing than one company president's personal beliefs.
But while we're on the subject of Batman, here's the just-released trailer for DC Animated's The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1, due out on Blu-ray and DVD on September 25th. And it looks to be a spot-on perfect adaptation of the revered graphic novel by Frank Miller!
This is the first time I'm hearing Peter Weller as Bruce Wayne/Batman since his casting was announced. Part of me is always going to be hearing Clint Eastwood's voice (especially during the book's later scenes when Batman is on horseback) but Weller's is just fine.
Batman shooting at young people: makes ya glad that Warner Bros. learned something from that fiasco with Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, huh?
Anyhoo, it's a few months old but new to me: Variety has an in-depth article about Steve Jablonsky and his career, including how he got started in film and television composing. I'll heartily recommend it not just for fellow Jablonsky fans but also for anyone budding composers who want to take a stab at working in the industry.
Big tip o' the hat to good friend Mike Casteel for the great find!
Now I understand why the Diablo series has captivated millions of players. I also sought out and played - also for the very first time - the original Diablo from 1996 before going headlong into the sequel. I had a Hell (horrible pun intended) of a great time with each!
Unfortunately, unless producer Blizzard Games effects some drastic changes, it looks like it'll be around 2024, if at all, before I even consider purchasing Diablo III.
So what's happened from the very first moments of Diablo III getting released? Multitudes of players unable to play at all because the Diablo III servers are overloaded or down completely (the now-notorious "Error 37" message). Worse, many players are reporting that they have lost money... as in actual currency from their bank accounts... because of glitches, servers gone awry and just plain bad judgment on the part of Blizzard.
It all comes down to the Real Money Auction House (RMAH) that Diablo III incorporates. One of the bigger appeals of Diablo II was the looting: killing monsters for a wide variety of weaponry, armor and clothing, etc. You began Diablo II with one of several basic characters and during the course of the game you can "trick them out" and make it a persona all your own. And pretty early on, there began to be a for-profit trade going on through eBay and other venues for in-game items.
So Blizzard decided that it wanted a piece of the action when it set out to make Diablo III. And that seems to be the only reason why this game was produced at all, based on the complaints (many have been left on the game's page at Amazon.com). Blizzard set up the Real Money Auction House allegedly to counter in-game scamming and the like. It works like this: if you find a rare item, you can sell it on the RMAH. Other players can bid on it or buy it outright with a credit card or PayPal account or somesuch tied in to your Diablo III profile. The other player gets hard-to-find items, you get real-world profit... and Blizzard makes 15% profit from the item's sale. Different items drop at various frequencies, and the drop rate can be adjusted by Blizzard. I suppose it could be said that Diablo III is the most glorified Internet sweepstakes game around, but I digress...
The RMAH has caused unprecedented grief from a video game: One player lost $200 because of a snafu involving his traveling abroad. Several players using Linux systems were banned apparently because of their chosen operating system, leaving them high and dry and minus $60 they paid for the game at retail. There have been many players who have filed complaints on Blizzard's official message boards, only to find themselves banned and censored.
Blizzard had the opportunity to practically print money with Diablo III. And they wasted it all on what must be the worst case of corporate bungling of a video game in decades.
Look, I want to play Diablo III eventually. But I don't want to be online all the time nor do I see why a single-player game would require it. I don't want to have to worry about whether a remote server is up before I want to play. I don't want a video game to stop working entirely because it misconstrues some system quirk as "cheating". And I have far more important things to do with my time than to run around a nonexistent landscape trying to buy or sell objects which aren't real with my hard-earned money.
And it looks like I'm not the only one who feels that way either: Diablo III has seen a massive drop in the number of active players since its release just two months ago.
So let's sum up: Diablo III is a game that many would play except for the always-online requirement, or that many have already played and given up out of frustration and boredom. Blizzard is raking in serious coin from game sales and the Real Money Auction House right now... but having admitted that there is little to do after the game ends and without compelling new content, that will likely be considerably short-term profit. Meanwhile the word has already gotten out: Diablo III may not be worth the hassle for potential new players to invest time and money in... which will be needed by Blizzard to sustain the game over the long haul.
I think there are some very reasonable - and quite simple - measures that Blizzard should take to correct their mistakes with Diablo III and make it the game many have come to expect:
1. Remove the always-online requirement. That will draw in the more casual players who don't necessarily have time or desire to do multiplayer Diablo. But don't yank out always-online completely, because...
2. Give players the choice to "opt out" of the Real Money Auction House. I don't want to buy loot with real money. Neither do a lot of other people. Nobody should be forced to suffer technological penalties because of a feature they neither want or will ever use. If Blizzard wants to offer the Real Money Auction House, then fine. And they should keep the in-game infrastructure in place that allows for and regulates it. But don't let players who aren't interested in the RMAH be bogged-down to the point that they won't want to buy the game to begin with.
3. Charge a small monthly fee for the right to buy and trade on the RMAH instead of the 15% cut. Many players are wondering if Blizzard is "rigging" things behind the scenes to favor the dropping of sought-after items that command high prices on the RMAH. I can see how that would be something to consider. Enough so that many would be leery enough of the RMAH to avoid the game entirely. Instead, Blizzard should use microtransactions for the privilege of buying and selling through the RMAH. I can't see how Blizzard could lose out. If anything the company stands to profit far more than it can per the current Diablo III arrangement.
There are a few other things that I could suggest, such as tagging items looted in single-player Diablo III as unavailable for trade on the RMAH for those who've opted-out of it (but perfectly allowable between friends in multiplayer), using mandatory patching as opposed to always-online to fix exploits whenever they are discovered before engaging in multiplayer, etc. But those are relatively minor details.
I think that Diablo III could be a great game still. Some trusted associates have told me that when it works... emphasis on "when"... that Diablo III is a gorgeous thing to behold. I would like to experience that for myself someday. So would thousands, perhaps millions of other video game players.
It's not too late for Blizzard to do the right thing, assume some responsibility, look us straight in the eye and tell us "Hey, we screwed up. But we're listening to you and taking your complaints to heart and we're doing our best to make things right." 'Twould be a refreshing thing to see from a major company in this day and age... and it really would be to the benefit of everyone involved.
But then director Peter Jackson announced thusly on his Facebook page a few hours ago:
It is only at the end of a shoot that you finally get the chance to sit down and have a look at the film you have made. Recently Fran, Phil and I did just this when we watched for the first time an early cut of the first movie - and a large chunk of the second. We were really pleased with the way the story was coming together, in particular, the strength of the characters and the cast who have brought them to life. All of which gave rise to a simple question: do we take this chance to tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as the filmmakers, and as fans, was an unreserved ‘yes.'Okay, I'll trust Jackson on this. If nothing else this gives me an extra midnight premiere to take my girlfriend Kristen to! She's already agreed to go with me to the one for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in December.We know how much of the story of Bilbo Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take this chance. The richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, allows us to tell the full story of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the part he played in the sometimes dangerous, but at all times exciting, history of Middle-earth.
So, without further ado and on behalf of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films, and the entire cast and crew of “The Hobbit” films, I’d like to announce that two films will become three.
It has been an unexpected journey indeed, and in the words of Professor Tolkien himself, "a tale that grew in the telling."
Cheers,
Peter J
And who knows. Maybe eventually Jackson will give us an adaptation of The Silmarillion. Then we'll have J.R.R. Tolkien's entire legendarium sitting on my Blu-Ray shelf!! :-)
If movies are to blame for violence, how come we don't see comedy breaking out in the streets?
The Walking Dead begins its third season on AMC in three more months.
As much as I would sincerely like to help some of you in this regard, I honestly do not have any privileged information about where anyone might be able to purchase a moonshine still. Neither do I happen to have in my possession any recipes for the manufacture of moonshine.
However if anyone reading this does have that information and wishes to volunteer it for publication, I would be more than happy to do so on this site.
Thanks.
