Viewing Category: This rocks!
Today is Moon Day! Or more specifically, it's the 36th Anniversary of Man's Landing On The Moon! From the NASA site:
On July 20, 1969, [Neil Armstrong] set foot on the moon. People around the world watched and listened as Neil slowly climbed down the ladder of the lunar lander. Then, he stepped on the moon's surface where he could look up and see Earth far above him. There he said these well-known words, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
Astronauts rock!
The good people at BoingBoing suggest that today is a great day for a moon day party. Go googlemap the moon, then watch your worn out VHS copies of The Cape over Tang and Moon Pies! Hug an astronaut, or dream of being one. Grill a big steak, stick an American Flag in it and call it done! Booyah!
Have a Dream. Pursue it. Document the whole process on a beautiful web site. Such is the burden of Brian Taylor, a traditionally-trained illustrator for the advertising industry who decided one day to make his own 3D animated short film. He's one guy in Scotland, making a short film all by himself on his Mac, using (of all things) Infini-D, a somewhat modest 3D package that is no longer supported.
His images are hauntingly beautiful studies in texture and lighting, reminiscent of the sort of thing you'd expect from a Tim Burton movie, but more refined. The rustboy website documents the process from concept to storyboard to animation tests. A labor of love, shared with us all, that's educational to boot. Absolutely yummy.
Be sure to check out all the movies and the concept art sections, using the navigation at the bottom of the screen.
Sis sent me a link to The Lambretta Twist, an Italian scooter manufacturer advertisement from the 60s. It's absolutely awesome. For some reason reminds me a bit of the the Speed Racer opening and closing themes...it might be the music (especially the horns), and some of the camera angles. It's just so darn happy. Tonally it's sort of like those Old Navy ads in terms of bizarreness.
We think scooters are cool; of course it was Sis who first made me aware of this through Chynna Clugston-Major's graphic novel Scooter Girl. There's also apparently some kind of scooter cafe in Providence that we have to check out.
Scooters are awesome! Too bad I look like a bear riding a unicycle when I sit on one.
Originally via rocketboom, which featured a mash-up of the Lambretta Twist.
UPDATE: I read on PocketPig that this ad was performed by Italian vocal group I Cetra. Neat!
Before there was Networked Quake, there was the Arcade. One of the finest examples of arcade gaming is Capcom's Street Fighter II series; the depth of play, good balance, and great character animation made this game THE ARENA OF CHOICE in the early 1990s. Inhuman dexterity with the 6-button joystick controls and razor-sharp timing were the prequisites of the game, in addition to being able to memorize dozens of individual moves for any of 8 characters that you might play. To throw down, you would approach the machine, plunk your quarter down on the deck to signify you wanted to challenge, and then it was on! The Street Fighter machine was the social hub for my generation of gamers. I remember it fondly.
In recent years, I've been interested in dancing and rhythm, having worked my way virtually through games like Parappa the Rappa, Bust a Groove, and even a bit of Dance Dance Revolution. And in real life, any self-consciousness one might feel on the dance floor is trumped by the pleasure of being in the company of beautiful women. So it's not a surprise that this video of a Korean Salsa competition has struck a chord. The participants are dressed up as two characters from Street Fighter II, Chun-Li and Ryu. And the crowd totally loves it. Everyone knows this game in Asia.
The routine itself is structured as two rounds, with Ryu winning the first and Chun-Li winning the second. You can hear the sound effects and see moves right from the game! Yeah, it's kind of silly, but in execution and energy it's just awesome. Makes me want twirl a few girls around the stage myself...a far more interesting game to be playing! :-)
Just a quick celebratory "awesome!" for the guys at The IconFactory, who are providing the "exclusive icon" for the new Spielberg flick War of the Worlds. Way to go guys! Is "IconFactory: The Movie" next? You can see their logo on the "Partner" page...nicest looking logo there, I must say.
On a side note, why is it that so many people I know have ended up in North Carolina? The other hot spot is San Francisco.
