As always, when I see something cool I bring it to you. This time it’s a very interesting video showing how (and why) a particular shot was accomplished for The Avengers.
Cool stuff indeed.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZsEwUuBjio?rel=0&w=500&h=281]
In a nutshell, I’m tired. Christmas has come and gone and it was a long, long day. And we don’t have any kids and didn’t have to fly anywhere.
I can’t imagine how my parents did it or, for that matter, how other parents do it today. it must be exhausting, especially if you have to travel a long way and keep some young ones entertained.
As for us, we had a very nice time with H’s parents, her brother and my Mom. Just the six of us in the comfortable environs of Ventura eating lots of food and opening a metric crapload of gifts.
We may have even had one or two drinks too. Good times all around.
Out of the many, many gifts, we all got some really nice stuff. I will probably even keep the vast majority of my gifts. . . Probably. Nah, they were all great. I’m keeping ’em.
That’s a pic of our tree. Pretty nice, huh? I think so.
Hope you all had a very good day. Now, to the nap chamber!
We are about to hit the road and head to H’s parents’ house to celebrate Christmas. Naturally, we’re taking a few gifts.
And yes, even though I didn’t ask for anything, one or two of these are for me. Have a great Christmas everyone.
Yes, it’s that time of year again. The holidays are upon us. Because I’m a certain type of person, I’m going to go ahead and wish you all a Merry Christmas.
I occasionally use the more PC “Happy Holidays,” (like in the title of this post) but I just don’t feel like it this time. So there we are. That said, if you choose to use it, feel free. I won’t hold it against you.
I hope you have a great couple of days, spend quality time with those you love and get everything you asked for from Santa. If you’re still on the fence about what to get me, or even trying to decide if you’re going to get me anything at all, I’ve already taken the liberty of spelling it all out for you.
I like to make things as simple as possible . . . for all of us.
When I was a kid, I used to watch an animated TV show called Star Blazers in the morning before going to school. It was a great show and I really enjoyed it. Well, it was great to me at the time anyway.
Later, I learned it was actually called Space Cruiser Yamato in Japan (the Star Blazers title attached to it in the States to capitalize on the popularity of Star Wars no doubt) and in the years since I first watched, it has become quite popular in Japan and spawned several animated movies and seasons of TV.
More recently, they made a live-action version of the series. I posted a trailer for it awhile back. It was released last year in Japan and has now found its way online.
It’s also available on DVD and Blu-ray, if you can find it. I managed to order a copy from Amazon. We’ll see if it actually arrives.
Until then, there’s always YouTube (or the eventual American remake supposedly being written by Chris McQuarrie).
Enjoy. I did.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iissssJnq4M?rel=0]
I’m a big fan of director Stanley Kubrick and, in particular, his movie The Shining. I’m also a big fan of designer/genius Saul Bass.
So, when these things intersect, as they do with Bass’s poster designs for Kubrick’s classic movie, I take notice. When I take notice, I feel obligated to bring it to your attention. You’re welcome.
If you happy to live in the LA area (or don’t mind a little drive), you can see these posters, and more, at the Kubrick exhibit at the LACMA. Or, you can take a look at the one above and quite a few more right here.
Impressive indeed.
It seems I can’t stop using the iPad now that I’ve realized its true potential as a writing tool. I’m using it for all sorts of writing now, but still primarily for scripts using the Final Draft Writer app.
However, it is also great for other types of writing. In fact, I’m using the WordPress app on the iPad to do this post right now. Fancy that.
After several days I’m pretty convinced the iPad could become my primary writing tool perminantly. Using it really feels good and allows for a more tactile approach to writing that I don’t experience as much when using a laptop or desktop with a traditional keyboard. Other people (with far more readership and insight) seem to feel the same way I do.
One thing, though, I do feel a little bad for my MacBook Air. It looks sorta lonely sitting there unused.
I’m sure it won’t sit idle forever. I’m sure I’ll get back to using it for something soon enough. Until then, it’s the iPad for me all the way.
This is a movie I’m looking forward to seeing. Let’s hope it lives up to the trailer. I think it will.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRBcwdLIWak?rel=0&w=500&h=281]
Even though I’ve had an iPad since day one, I haven’t really embraced it as a pure writing tool and it hasn’t completely replaced my laptop for that purpose as I hoped it would. I have used it for some writing, and various other tasks like watching videos or perusing Flipboard, but I still found myself turning to the laptop for any work for The Flickcast or for this site, especially when editing pictures or embedding video were involved.
However, I recently discovered that the iPad is particularly great for writing at least one thing: scripts. I discovered this fact when I finally got around to using the Final Draft Writer app for the iPad that I’ve had installed for some time but basically ignored in favor of its Mac OSX-based brother.
In short, the Final Draft Writer app is quite intuitive and works extremely well. And, much to my surprise, it’s very usable without an external keyboard. I just type on the screen. That’s a big plus when it means you only need to carry an iPad in your bag which, even compared to my 13″ MacBook Air, is still lighter and much more portable.
Plus, the Final Draft Writer app integrates with Dropbox so I can work on scripts and then save them to the Cloud for later editing on the MacBook Air, desktop or even the iPhone (if I’m really bored in line at the DMV or something). Sorry, no Google Drive integration yet, just Dropbox. And yes, to take advantage of this feature you do need an iPad with a data connection (I have the Verizon 4G LTE version) or, of course, available WiFi.
Still, the combination of the Final Draft Writer app, Dropbox integration, the retina display and long battery life of the iPad and no need for an external keyboard, makes this an excellent alternative to a laptop or desktop. In fact, I’m going to try using the iPad exclusively to work on my various scripts for the next couple weeks and see if I can leave the desktop and laptop behind.
I’ll keep you posted.
And before you ask, no, I’m not writing a script called “The Swans of Brooklyn.” That’s a demo script that comes with the software.
Take a look at this clip. He’s absolutely right. We should be happier because the world is pretty amazing. I know it’s hard to keep this in mind when things are looking down, but try. In the end, you’ll be happier for it.