Me, again

Child Abusive Judge

2011-11-03T21:14:00.002+08:00

Poor child. This YouTube upload seems to resonate with abused/disabled children who have no recourse but be technophiles (period) and met with too much harshness from old school mentality. Too much!

The only hope for these children is to pursue their God-given talents. This way, peace reigns.

Top Ten Things I like about Gaga

2011-03-31T13:32:00.018+08:00

Watch this vid as the Musicians@Google (pays tribute) & Presents: Google Goes Gaga

Given this Internet Age and millions who follow her through this medium many younger ones would consider the only one they're familiar with, I thought of writing a dissertation on Lady Gaga in essence to validate her___ but I thought it would be best to assume the manner of simply enumerating the Top Ten things I like about her, knowing that most of you reading this would be 'attention-deficited' by now.

So here it is, the Top Ten Things I like about Lady Gaga:

1. Her unconventional wisdom.

2. Her fierce l*o*v*e for the underdog. (zzzo gayz)

3. Her sense of humour. (Yep! She's got it!)

4. Her sense of artistic creativity and freedom. (Who wears shoes like that?)

5. Her appreciation for Life. (I don't think she's the suicidal type!)

6. Her mother's love. (She has a lovely looking mother!)

7. Her fearless approach to life balanced with a clearly "thinking mind".

8. Her political incorrectness. (not at all Conservatory of Music, are we?)

9. Her "beat" which is to say her pop music. (I don't know of anybody who literally *can't* sing any of her tunes!)

10. Her "sit-down" presence. (She really is a good interview. I know I know, You can thank me later.)

I guess it's safe to say now: you should Google her some more!

"I'm coming!"

A Poem for Andre before Dying

2011-02-02T10:27:00.001+08:00

ANDRE
Nov. 14, 1997-Feb. 2, 2011

A kiss goodnight for my dying dalmatian dog Andre who dies...
And a poem to keep his memories alive.
May you truly go to your place in the sun.
If I never really gave you proper dog training,
and kept you wild at heart and spirit
In death I am indebted to your childlike behavior
and total loyalty
and so you will remain forever in my heart.

For the best-looking dog
in the whole neighborhood,
...those round brown eyes
and a coat of well-distributed spots of black on white
and my best guard against the stupid stray cats
not to mention the stupider turkey who used
to be in your place,
May you rest with memories of a happy adoptee.

I love you Andre! Goodnight.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(I hope the writer doesn't mind)
FEBRUARY TOMATOES

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Until winter relaxes her long thin fingers

When will we taste again our favorite fruit?

Come, wrap your hunger around you.

Arm yourself with emptiness.

Magnify the quiet echos of sunlight that are left in your veins.

Push away the noise of your life - shhhhhh!

Uncover the seed that you planted - remember?

See it, still there, waiting softly, like a wish.

Shots in the desert;

Young girl, blackbirds, ten thousand fish,

Lifeless, they voice the same prayer,

Venerable emissaries, they tell us;

All is beautiful here - open your door and hold it wide;

Nothing, noone should be left outside tonight.

This Candlemas night, join me.

Hour eleven, the theater will open.

Eleven cents is the cost of entry;

A penny and a dime.

The theatre closes at one.

Revisit the old playground where we learned to die together`

Eleven years ago.

My New To Do as Excerpted!

2011-01-14T07:15:00.003+08:00

50 Lessons Life Taught Me
By Regina Brett

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.   It is the most-requested column I've ever written. When my odometer rolled over to 50, I updated the list.

Here it is:

1)   Life isn't fair, but it's still good.  
2) When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3) Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.  
4) Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.  
5) Pay off your credit cards every month.
6) You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.  
7) Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8) It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.  
9) Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.  
10) When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11) Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.  
12) It's OK to let your children see you cry.  
13) Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14) If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.  
15) Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.  
16) Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17) You can get through anything if you stay put in today.  
18) A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write. 
19) t's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.  
20) When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21) Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.  
22) Overprepare, then go with the flow.  
23) Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.  
24) The most important sex organ is the brain.
25) No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26) Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"  
27) Always choose life.  
28) Forgive everyone everything.  
29) What other people think of you is none of your business.  
30) Time heals almost everything. Give time time.  

31) However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 
32) Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33) Believe in miracles.
34) God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35) Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.  
36) Growing old beats the alternative - dying young. 
37) Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable. 
38) Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39) Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.  
40) If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.  
41) Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.  
42) Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.  
43) All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.  
44) Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.  
45) The best is yet to come.

46) No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.  
47) Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.  
48) If you don't ask, you don't get.
49) Yield.  
50) Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift...
-----------------------------------------------------
Regina Brett is the author of God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours. Her book is an inspirational collection of essays and stories about the lessons life taught her along the detours of life.    She was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist twice, in 2009 and 2008 for columns she wrote for The Plain Dealer, Ohio’s largest newspaper. Learn more at www.reginabrett.com

I'm so Sonic!

2011-01-14T05:21:00.002+08:00

If deep down, we know we're all superheroes anyway, which one do you most relate to?

Click for animation!

Leonardo Da Vinci (Part 1 of 18)

2010-12-13T10:32:00.000+08:00

If I can draw in correct anatomical proportion, a man, a woman, a child, even an animal...without fear or hesitation, and quickly, confident as if the wind itself moves my spirit and hand; then I am successfully celebrating my purpose for Christmas...for every waking hour It is for me.

Merry Christmas for all the days to come from here, where I sit and where I ponder, wherever it takes me. I celebrate with Leonardo.

Disney Epic Mickey

2010-10-26T20:52:00.016+08:00

Once upon a wasteland, Mickey sets foot with no more than paint, a nunchuk brush, and some thinner to save himself and his long-forgotten Disney friends from the evil Blot he inadvertently creates.
This game title premise alone is cinematically enthralling enough for the purchase kill!
Question now is To buy & Not to Die. But How? That costs about $100.00 alone! [of Real Money!]

------------------------------------------------

BONUS Feature (try to see the "hidden mickey"):

What Mickey Mouse Money means in the Philippine vernacular

More on Mickey Mouse Money here! And here! ~0)

------------------------------------------------
Poor Filipino worker!
Not wanting to end this blog-exposé on a sad note however,
maybe tomorrow, I shall buy real house paint, 2 brushes and thinner
...for much-needed home improvement (even Mickey knows!)
------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------

This Just In !!! (for Today, November 25, 2010)
Epic Mickey - Guardian Review
4 out of 5 Stars
Nintendo Wii; £39.99; U; Disney Interactive

Way to go, Mickey!

------------------------------------------------

Evening Primrose TV Musical

2010-10-25T16:36:00.001+08:00

Evening Primrose - 'If You Can Find Me, I'm Here" | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

TED Talks: Benoit Mandlebrot, Father of Fractal Geometry

2010-10-18T19:36:00.000+08:00

For the curious cat in us all!

How I Tackle The News, A Possible Guide on How You Would Too (given you were me!)

2010-10-16T01:35:00.021+08:00

(An Essay in Two Parts)

“Talk about empathy…”
---Me, Ado (recently)

If your world is defined by the News,
Carefully articulated by BBC World even...and you know it's true

British Broadcasting Corporation

Then you know life is beset with bad news and you're actually there ready to face it

intrepidly, if only by sitting on your couch and tuning in.

If there's one constant thing in life and you are increasingly made aware of it; it's natural disasters, banking or money problems, political factions,
government dissatisfactions, and massive human fails!
In one word or two: Bad News! Everywhere. Anytime !
(Courtesy of BBC and other news outfits/presses)

In this technologically advancing global village we live in

(for we simply couldn't stop the industrial wheel from moving forward any more

than we'd like to go back to the "reassuring times” of the Middle Ages perhaps
or if you would prefer, the time of Jesus Christ himself;

Where air pollution and television realities were unheard of),

We just couldn't get away from facing the News, which by default, is Bad and

sometimes given to us in plain and simple English.

You may be holding a shiny new iPad in your hands while leisurely sipping sweet hot espresso in your immaculately white
living room divan (or your favorite Chesterfield/Starbucks Cafe place);

but you're still looking at Sudanese people suffer in Genocidal Proportions
or some Featured Atrocity taking place in a Third World country somewhere...

and more than simply being stunned, you find yourself completely helpless
by the terrible news and simply shun away from it all !

Truly a proposition unheard of even in the time of Jimmy Carter just several years back
…when things or events were relatively less intense!
(You can correct me on this…but this is my own personal reality.)

Face it, People of the World!

This is the modern, Present Times;

New Reality or even World Order !

All at once perilous and exciting if you think about it!

We're all breathing the same Air, even if Mountain may be more

exhilarating than City to some noticeable degree and benefit !

But with the way things have been speeding up lately,

It might not be long before one catches up with the other...

technologies and world Winds i.e.!

So C'mon people and Blog Readers from All over! Unite with Me on this one!

Now a word on different Views or how different people would “look” at things:

If you were a regularly-employed working class Pessimist and didn't believe

Too much of anything and in anything except maybe the delight of

seeing your cat play funny tricks or poses for you as you reach home,

but considered most of the world as crap going down The Hole anyway,

then you've somehow accepted that 95% of the earth (percentage a variable

number leaning closer to the value of absolutely 100% Sure with a

plus or minus 5% margin for error) is truly wasteland

comprised of "wasted" and wasteful people (in a figurative way, of course!)

It would be a good idea therefore to embrace the general darkness of

your surroundings and be wily enough to see in the dark.

In other words, cope despite! Or as things are with you, cope with spite !

Now if you are an Optimist bent on seeing the light of day no matter what (calamity)

is out there; you still have to accept the fact that there could be no light where

there is no darkness and the good contrast usually occurs with a just a little amount

of luminosity or brilliance standing out in literally a sea engulfed in darkness.

(For e.g. Imagine lighting a candle instead of cursing your Electric Co.

in times of brownouts or visualizing Disney's "I'll be your candle in the water..."

theme song and please use the better of your imaginations!)

Thinking beyond the obvious or "actual scene" and thinking Inspirational thoughts

is what usually sets the true Optimist apart from and above the rest,

...and don't they just love this!

Being one and being so self-assured, you would look at life with

such sophisticated discernment, the whole world would seem
almost white to the point of being white-washed!

I'm straying from the point I know and sometimes it just feels good for me to do so, but the fact remains that even with things so nice, neat and perfect...

perfectly clear and white i.e.; 5% of your so-called "everything"

would still be comprised of black or darkness, blotchiness and mess,

ugliness and sadness…not that there’s anything wrong with that! Heavens no!

The point is you’ve somehow managed to keep things in good perspective.

The basic point however, of distinguishing one “popular approach” from the other, is that things All boil down to a matter of distribution and allocation;

the Pessimist being more aware of life's looming eventualities that hang over him

like droopy wet laundry under overcast skies, getting ready for it and
coping and going through life albeit dismally;

and the Optimist focusing largely on light or white, beauty and brilliance if only

not to lose his personal Poise or Gracefulness, a very conscious, active; deliberate

choice on matters at hand ! Life is a combination of light and dark and there's just NO

getting around this, except by accepting it and taking a stand and sticking to it !

& this is what defines you.

Hang on as I babble at his point!

Now that we're on the subject of popular "views" and "viewpoints",
one not necessarily being better than the other but still open
to a fair mental quarrel, the word Pragmatic just pops up, doesn't it?!!

Pragmatists would define themselves as neither belonging to an

opposing "extreme" by nature of choosing not to be pigeonholed to
one popular Polarity or mental set (not that I’m hinting at any
psychological disorder or clinical condition...and if so, what if I am?)

or simply wanting to be a centrist, considering himself fair and balanced

all the way and perfectly Practical !

Pragmatists would allocate 50% to light and 50% to darkness, no matter how boring

the consequences may be or it's obvious predictable consistency because this is precisely

what they're after: maintaining an even keel to control life’s turbulent incursions!

Nothing adamant, colorful or intense...to the point of being looked upon
as absurd by your polar counterpart! Just keeping your cool !

A Mondrian

Re-imagine Mondrian shapes if you may, in alternating black and white and
uneven sequences or Even Gray Boxes arranged and looking like a chess board.

It's by all means a valid stance and truly appealing especially
to the self-proclaimed and openly gregarious amongst us!

__________________

Now that I've laid down the premise of how one looks at the news, or even how

I would tackle the dailies if you will, let me go on...

... & Share with you my personal "take" on a relatively run-of-the-mill news story on 33 Chilean miners trapped in an old,
run-down mine...or one would think so.

It's a run-of-the-mill story because it's a common occurrence

to be trapped inside a mine, for God's sake!

How many times have you heard on no mishaps ever happening

inside or surrounding deeply-dug holes??!!

Presumably, there will be more mishaps than “happy endings”

with stories concerning mines!
It’s part of the nature of working so deep and underground!

But this has captured my imagination as well as curiosity,
as I'm sure others' as well, due in large part because
of keeping up and sticking with

the News and getting updated on What's Happening right now!

This is just a line break and its obligatory link

Part Deux: Or why I am so intrigued by the Story

On Miners and Mining.
On Working and Wanting.
. . . M O R E !

(A Reflection on The Recent Successful Chilean Mining Salvage Operation

that captured the imagination of a worldwide audience!

As seen all across BBC and the Globe!

~~~ As told by Me Me Me

But which you can do as Well Well ~Well !!!)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We are all Miners

Trapped in the chambers of our own Existence;

Trapped in the deep intricate caverns of our own Making;

Waiting and Wanting to be Lifted out of our own Laborious, at times

sSSuffocatingly dark dungeons that we dug up Ourselves...

Making it Home for a few months at a time...

Not knowing when the true light of day has come or if it has indeed set,
Not being anymore aware of what a Daisy's touch can do to calloused fingers

or even a heart so badly beaten...by endless work!

For having toiled this earth in search of treasures literally untold not by the bulk

but through trickles; we trudge along not entirely willing but resigned,

and hope for the best...like maybe not being consumed long before you can consume...

not being exhumed before excavation...you know the drill, so to speak...

(...to be continued tomorrow)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
...although tomorrow never comes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
("not in these here mines, they don't")
[insert graphic here: :^}]

Nov 8, 2010 is Snow White's Birthday

From Capcom Unity

2010-10-12T02:45:00.005+08:00

I was just missing this Cody character from SSF4
and a few more delectable accessories/memorabilia from Amazon.com,
not that I regret my rather belated Street Fighter IV PS3-BD purchase
(w/c I recently discovered was so 2009)!

Behold! A treasure trove of all things Street Fighter which I'm so wishing I owned
[not really but I can only relish on the notion] !

Thursday's Man has far to go...

2010-10-01T00:11:00.003+08:00


Marvel at Thor's Heavenly Body...Of Work!

My fascination with Gods and Mythology continues...

and actually began yesterday. Oops!

The Family Flintstone. Ah! The Boodylicious Days.

2010-09-30T23:14:00.001+08:00


Flintstone 50th Anniversary Google Doodle (only for Sept. 30, 2010)

If for no reason than"liked", I am posting this blurb.

Read The Guardian Write-up here

Long Live Democracy!

2010-09-28T21:32:00.000+08:00

I Am President of the United States! (in case you're not listening still)

I Own Manhattan!

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda Clinton

The Stewart/Colbert Rally March your Calendars Oct 30, 2010 Wash, D. C.

Katherine Hepburn as you've never seen her before Google!

Colbert Report's March to Keep Fear Alive

2010-09-28T21:19:00.001+08:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

March to Keep Fear Alive Announcement

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

2010 Election

Fox News

Daily Show's Rally to Restore Sanity

2010-09-28T21:17:00.003+08:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Rally to Restore Sanity

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Announcing CLASH OF THE GEEKS

2010-09-20T21:20:00.001+08:00

Announcing CLASH OF THE GEEKS, to Benefit the Lupus Alliance of America
If for no Lupus reasons Y'arr, the Poster mateys will sure to please!

Voltes V - Horie Mmitsuko Live 2000

2010-09-03T20:55:00.000+08:00

One of the easiest ways to learn Japanese, sing your favorite Japanese theme song for starters. Let's Volt In! One of the Seventies' first and best anime offerings, that caused the ire of President Marcos himself

On Tablets

2010-08-26T12:55:00.002+08:00

Wrought Iron Cat

If there's one thing I noticed about me lately, I've been wanting devices similar to an Apple iPad, the latest digital craze, like the new Android 2.2 tablet from Samsung coming out in September, etc...any tablet for that matter. I've been wanting, but I really am not properly funded, nor do I really need one right away.

To appreciate what I already have in my possession (since 2003 I believe), I have revived and revisited my VIEWSONIC Tablet PC and naturally drew something on it, something I've wanted to do for a long time. Last night, after installing and uninstalling an anti-virus software (because I noticed it was becoming a resource hog for a by-now-old-machine), I fired up my best pirated drawing software ALIAS on it and drew this wrought iron cat plant holder until the batteries ran out. This was the length of time this particular illustration took to make. I know it needs more work but I posted it just the same to see how it would look published. So here it is and hopefully, more to come...

TED Talks: Jamie Oliver

2010-08-26T08:12:00.001+08:00

Early this year, Jamie Oliver was awarded the TED Prize for his unrelenting passion to teach people to eat good, healthy, quality food...so we live longer lives (period). His Prize wish is to teach every child about food...teach them young so they don't succumb to early heart attacks, modern world's current prostration (exclamation point)...that starts with baneful obesity!!!

The importance of having a healthy fit body is closely linked with one's state of mental well-being...which when applied to many, ultimately translates to how we affect world outcomes. Hope for the future begins with you. Don't look further than your dining table, or if you're increasingly "on-the-go", what you're going to eat for later.

I don't know how to get this point across myself any more than people like Jamie Oliver have dedicated their lives to doing. But for now, let's all give Jamie a listen. He does you.

Doughnut burger, fried butter, new foods at state fairs

2010-08-13T06:15:00.001+08:00

Note: This video is not available to be shown in this country...for good reason perhaps. It sounds and looks preposterous!

My Comment: What about pickle RELISH???!!?

Bob Ross: Painting Snow-covered Mountains

2010-08-08T08:58:00.001+08:00

So Relaxing, I want to Embed it right now! Gooz Nyet!

FIGHT!!!!

2010-07-18T02:10:00.000+08:00

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/Street-Fighter-IV-Playstation-3/dp/B0012N5MIO?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;tag=meagai-20&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;link_code=btl&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;camp=213689&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;creative=392969"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Street Fighter IV&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=meagai-20&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;l=btl&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;camp=213689&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;creative=392969&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;o=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a=B0012N5MIO" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" border="0" height="1"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>
F-I-G-H-T ! ! !

Shakira - Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) (The Official 2010 FIFA ...

2010-07-04T07:41:00.000+08:00

We are all Africa!

And if you can pass by Wynn's Hotel...

2010-07-02T13:05:00.000+08:00

Here is Magician Shimshi as featured by Ellen on her popular noontime show...

From Chairman Meow's Pussycat Lounge!

2010-07-01T01:57:00.002+08:00

This is just an Ode to Joy! There's probably mee-owre! Join Chairman's Meow's facebook page nee-ow for cat-nappy past times! It was created and being maintained by a cool HS schoolmate.

Portraits of Celebrity Weirdness

2010-06-30T04:50:00.002+08:00

Now here's my style of drawing, or painting...whatever.

Featured here:

1) No one wants to play Sega with Harrison Ford;
2) Mr. Noodle with David Schwimmer;
3) Anguish (of Michael Landon)
4) Uncanny Valley with Nic Cage hugging a Macaque monkey and;
5) Lazy Sunday Afternoon just hanging around Christopher Walken fiddling around in his garage.

These are featured artworks done in traditional Oil by Brandon Bird (Newsweek's featured Artist of the...Week?) but more than the style of painting, it's how the stars were depicted in a certain light or light-heartedness...and perhaps this is how I would depict them too.

If only I could :-}

In the meantime, I just made Walken my current Wallpaper.

And Speaking of Monsters

2010-06-29T10:54:00.001+08:00

Here are The Repuglicans: 61 monster paintings by Pete Von Sholly with YouTube Slideshow Preview.

The folks caricaturized in Repuglicans don't deserve to be depicted as famished ghouls, white-eyed vampires, drooling werewolfs, and rotting zombies. What I mean is, they aren't worthy of the fantastic 1960s monster-trading-card treatment bestowed upon them by veteran storyboarder Pete Von Sholly. In the same way that Mad magazine only parodied good TV shows and movies, this kind of honor should be reserved for good people.

In any case, it's still a treat to pore over the hilariously doctored images of Roger Ailes, Glenn Beck, Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and 55 other power-hungry fear-mongers.

As Steve Tatham (who wrote the commentary to the book) writes in his introduction:

There are 55 million Republicans in the United States. Most of them are decent, honorable people. The Republican limited government, state's rights, traditional American values, pro-business political philosophy is a reasonable and worthwhile set of beliefs. Real Republicans and real Democrats share a common goal: they want the United States to be a better place for all its people. The Republican party has its fair share of towering intellects and inspiring heroes. None of them are described in the pages that follow.

Buy Repuglicans on Amazon.com

Courtesy Boing Boing

To Celebrate South Africa World Cup 2010...or World Hunger Day

2010-06-29T10:39:00.000+08:00

EATEN!

2010-06-28T19:35:00.001+08:00

Film of the Week for The World SF Blog. A Film by Israeli Director Elad Rath feat Sci-Fi Writer Nir Yaniv as the Monster! Grrrrrreatt!

The Reason I Can't Sleep At Nights...

2010-06-22T03:00:00.004+08:00

It says it always wants to "hang around" meh! No wonder I'm sick to my stomach half of the time!

Nice one!

2010-06-12T05:53:00.000+08:00

Contra/Tetris animated awesomeness by Tvigle! ---Agent M

via thedailywhat:
Animated Short of the Day: Russian marketing firm and world-renowned video game masher-uppers Tvigle are back once again with an ad for whatever which features the unholy union of Contra and Tetris.
Tvigle are similarly world-renowned for taking their stuff off YouTube, so watch it while it’s up. And by watch it, I mean watch it.

More Wishful Thinking

2010-06-05T06:54:00.000+08:00

iPad Accessory B.C. (Before Carry-Out!)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

2010-06-05T06:45:00.000+08:00

Part of my Curiosity Wish list. Muy expensivo on the Kindle: Kindle Price: $8.47 & includes international wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet

Soon to HIT your Screens! Maybe I'll just hold out for that one.

Time to heed my Daily Feng Shui Tip

2010-06-05T02:29:00.000+08:00

Hi Adorina! Here is your Daily Feng Shui Tip for Wednesday, May 19

Someone needs to tell my teenager and his friends that today is 'No Dirty Dishes Day' so that we can all co-exist like happy little clams under the same roof. In fact, according to Feng Shui, the kitchen should be kept spic and span since it's so heavily associated with health, happiness and abundance. The secret side of Feng Shui maintains that the flow of energy through your kitchen actually affects the negative or positive life force energy that comes from the food you eat. According to this Chinese energy theory, the amount and the quality of the Chi that's stored in your food rates more highly on the 'health' scale than the nutritional value and makeup! That's not to say that this energy theory ignores the value of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, it just places the energetic qualities of your food above all else. That means that we need to take a good look at the appliances that traditionally cook that food, and most specifically at the oven. This one piece is considered the most important factor in the whole kitchen, as it's also where the cook both physically and energetically creates the meals and menus. This is also where Oriental cultures associated healthy food with money. They believe that the space where the stove sits is the home's 'energy generator,' the place where the cook meets the food that meets the fire that creates the sustenance for strength, stamina, health and nourishment for the breadwinner. Unless you're my son, you're getting the picture. Keep the stove immaculately clean. Fire up each burner at least once a day. And, if so inclined, affix a small mirror atop the backwash to 'double' your abundance, making sure that it stays very clean as well. You'll sure to be kept fat and happy if you do all or any of these 'cures.' Proverbially, of course!

Education vs. Creativity

2010-06-04T19:25:00.000+08:00

An Email from Cousin Carla

2010-05-31T10:27:00.002+08:00

WORLD'S EASIEST QUIZ!

(Passing requires only 3 correct answers out of 10!)

1) How long did the Hundred Years' War last ?

2) Which country makes Panama hats ?

3) From which animal do we get cat gut ?

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution ?

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of ?

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal ?

7) What was King George VI's first name ?

8) What color is a purple finch ?

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from ?

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane ?

Remember, you need only 3 correct answers to pass.

Check your answers below.

ANSWERS

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last ?
116 years

2) Which country makes Panama hats ?
Ecuador

3) From which animal do we get cat gut ?
Sheep and Horses

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution ?
November

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of ?
Squirrel fur

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal ?
Dogs

7) What was King George VI's first name ?
Albert

8) What color is a purple finch ?
Crimson

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from ?
New Zealand

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane ?
Orange (of course!)

What do you mean, you failed?!!

Me, too...!!!

(And if you try to tell me you passed, you lie!)

Nike Write the Future AD feat 2010 Football

2010-05-25T00:01:00.002+08:00

*Sigh* Roger Federer playing Ping-Pong. LOL

IPod Timeline

2010-05-16T22:16:00.001+08:00

[Source: Online MBA for Mashable.com]

Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, Oct. 1, 1975

2010-04-18T04:19:00.000+08:00

Still the Greatest Fight of All-Time. Ali is the Greatest.

An Interesting Look at Nintendo

2010-04-09T04:47:00.000+08:00

Via: Online MBA

Trololo Cat

2010-03-31T05:28:00.001+08:00

See more Move in Sports Champions dev diary

2010-03-13T07:34:00.001+08:00

See more Move in Sports Champions dev diary

by JC Fletcher { 23 hours ago }

PlayStation Blog posted a developer diary featuring Zindagi Games, developer of the PlayStation Move minigame showcase Sports Champions. The devs demonstrate the abilities of the Move controller, showing lots of game footage and demonstrations of controller motions.

They also describe their excitement about Move and its new opportunities for control -- going so far as to compare it to the feeling of playing a 3D game for the first time. If you were developing one of the flagship games for the thing, you'd be excited too!

PlayStation Move requires 1-2 MB of system memory

2010-03-13T07:22:00.000+08:00

PlayStation Move requires 1-2 MB of system memory

by Andrew Yoon { 21 hours ago }

Sony's GDC panel "Introducing the PlayStation Motion Controller was exactly that: An introduction to the newly named Move peripheral. David Coombes, Kirk Bender and Anton Mikhailov showcased a number of impressive tech demos, many of which demonstrated the Move's incredible precision and low latency. One of the most impressive demos showcased full body tracking using an on-screen body puppet, not unlike one of Project Natal's tech demos.

Body tracking is made possible by combining the Move and PS3's head tracking capability. According to the presentation, the PS3 can also detect faces, going so far as to identify individuals through face contour and feature detection. The software will be able to recognize gender, age, smiles and when eyes open and close.

Coombes explained that all the calculations necessary to handle image processing are done by the Cell CPU, which apparently excels at the doing floating point calculations. The raw data can be processed incredibly quickly by the PS3, taking "under a frame" to translate to a game experience. And while Mikhailov didn't reveal how much of the CPU's overall power the Move controller requires, he did reveal that the memory demands are truly "insignificant" -- 1-2 MB of system memory.

PlayStation Move's Sports Champions

2010-03-12T08:15:00.002+08:00

Hands-on: PlayStation Move's Sports Champions

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Mar 10th 2010 at 11:45PM }

Click for the gallery of Champions

You might think it derisive to call Sports Champions (working title) the Wii Sports of PlayStation Move, but it's really intended as a compliment. Although the collection of sports-themed games are relatively simple, they adequately highlight the Move's motion-sensing capabilities and, most importantly, how they're distinguished from those offered by the Wii (something that another Move game, The Shoot, did not do). Like Wii Sports, Sports Champions seems good at selling you on the hardware's abilities -- and what they might mean in more elaborate games.

The Gladiator Duel sub-game is a simple affair of blocking and attacking (your character moves towards the opponent automatically), but the Move will take into account the height of your swings and the positioning of your shield (generated by a second Move controller). It'll also sense distance -- if you don't hold your weapon arm back, it'll swing into your own shield to deleterious effect. Aside from swinging and blocking, you can also move both arms upwards to activate a jumping attack, or shuffle the controllers to the side in order to roll out of the way from an incoming strike. Basic stuff, but natural enough to not come across as a tacked-on gesture.

Table Tennis was more promising, and easily bested the Wii's equivalent. Your paddle's angle and area of exposure is almost instantly determined by how you're holding the controller. The Move's weight, coupled with the game's quick response and predictable physics, made every swing feel ... just right. It'll be a shame if a table tennis game turns out to be one of the best launch games for Move, but at least it'll stand out as one of the best of its ilk. That's a win, right?

========================
The best news is the only news for me. Ping-pong with this ping-pong look-alike controller is the best game for Sports Champions, the game title I am quietly anticipating. I just hope this one doesn't come out solely as a starter kit (that costs $100).

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - RGM

2010-03-04T16:28:00.000+08:00

When I see an Elephant Paint

2010-02-22T01:53:00.000+08:00

The Real Picasso

2010-02-18T22:47:00.001+08:00

Picasso: The Bull in Winter Pt. 1

Ep.1 Waking Up in the Universe...Growing Up in the Universe___Richard Dawkins

2010-02-18T20:17:00.003+08:00

Almost a one-hour video clip on Life, and the subject of Science. Free Education on the Web...nothing beats! To make oneself a copy, download this free YouTube Downloader Application for better quality picture: http://youtubedownload.altervista.org Thanks to my slow connection, I just had to do this and watch it in its entirety...including hopefully, Episodes 2-5 of Growing Up in the Universe.

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass

2010-02-18T19:27:00.000+08:00

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.

Official video for OK Go's "This Too Shall Pass" off of the New Album "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky". The video was filmed live and features the Notre Dame marching band. Directed by Brian L. Perkins and OK Go.

Buy the album here: http://bit.ly/okgootbcots

And download an mp3 of the live audio from this video for FREE at our website: http://www.okgo.net

Intelligent YouTube Channels

2010-02-18T17:01:00.002+08:00

Intelligent YouTube Channels

March 13th, 2008

Below, we have gathered together some of the most intelligent video collections on YouTube. A great place to find culturally enriching video…

General

@GoogleTalks
- Google has lots of famous visitors speaking at its headquarters, and they’re all recorded and neatly presented here.
Al Jazeera English
- The Middle Eastern news service, which has generated its share of controversy, now airs broadcasts in English and presents them here.
American Museum of Natural History
- Includes the excellent “Known Universe” video.
Amnesty International
- The leading human rights organization brings you various videos outlining human rights concerns across the globe, and the work they’re doing to improve conditions.
Artists Space
- Artists Space supports contemporary artists working in the visual arts, video and electronic media, performance, architecture and design, and it promotes artistic experimentation and dialog in contemporary culture.
Aspen Institute
- An international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue.
Bad Astronomy
- Bad Astronomy is devoted to debunking myths and misconceptions about astronomy, and also to slap down without apology bad thinking in all its forms.
BBC
- A series of videos promoting programs coming out of Britain’s main media outlet. Unfortunately many of these videos are short and not entirely substantive. A missed opportunity.
BBC Worldwide
- Ditto.
Big Think
- This collection brings you videos featuring some of today’s leading thinkers, movers and shakers.
BoingBoingTV
- These videos are brought to you by the makers of the very popular BoingBoing blog.
British Film Institute National Archive
- The BFI (British Film Institute) promotes understanding and appreciation of Britain’s rich film and television heritage and culture. And it claims to have the “world’s largest and most diverse film and TV archive.”
Brooklyn Museum
- A fairly rich lineup of videos exploring the collections at Brooklyn’s main art museum.
Canal Educatif
- CED is a philanthropic producer of free high-quality educational videos in the domains of arts, economics and science.
Charlie Rose
- PBS interviewer Charlie Rose presents segments of his nightly interviews.
Cinetic
- Cinetic brings audiences the latest, greatest and classic festival favorites from around the globe. From award-winners by veteran filmmakers to up-and-coming talent telling new stories, Cinetic prides itself on being at the forefront of quality indie film in the digital space.
Citizen Tube
- YouTube’s own channel presents videos dealing with the American political process and the 2008 election.
Computer History Museum
- A good number of videos that delve into computers, networking, and semiconductors.
Council on Foreign Relations
- A resource designed to provide insight into the complex international issues challenging policymakers and citizens alike.
CSPAN
- Videos that keep a close eye on the inner-workings of the American political process.
FORA.tv
- Delivers video presentations from the world’s great writers, leaders, activists and thinkers.
Guardian Unlimited TV
- The Guardian brings you videos that make the television world its focus.
Gizmodo
- A video collection from one of the most popular technology web sites.
Google Tech Talks
- The name kind of says it all.
Harvard University Press
- HUP, a major publisher of non-fiction, scholarly, and general interest books, brings you videos with new authors.
HBO
- Provides outtakes from new HBO productions. The videos are all short and largely promotional. Give us some beef, sirs.
KQED on Demand- San Francisco
- Media provided by the public broadcasting company in the San Francisco Bay Area. I drink at this well daily.
MoMA
- Videos highlighting the art collection, public programs, and temporary exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Monty Python Channel
- Their videos have been circulating around YouTube for a while. Now, the comedians have their own channel. A good place to have a laugh.
National Geographic
- The collection is rich, but the videos are short. Another instance where the provider could use the medium to offer more substance/depth.
New Scientist.
- Videos and vodcasts covering science, technology, space, the environment and a whole lot more. An international team of expert journalists brings you the latest innovations and ideas in science and technology, from the wonderful to the worrying to the weird.
NOVA
- Short video outtakes from PBS’s popular science program.
Oscar’s Channel
- The official channel of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the only place to relive favorite Oscar® moments and see exclusive interviews with the talented film professionals who comprise the Academy membership. Includes some good vintage clips.
Philip Scott Johnson
- Some great videos that put art in motion.
PBS
- Promotes new PBS programming with painfully short videos.
PoliticsTV
- Political videos with a progressive bent.
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
- The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting’s mission is to promote in-depth coverage of international affairs, focusing on topics that have been under-reported, mis-reported – or not reported at all.
ReelNASA
- Videos show the latest happenings at NASA and new developments in space exploration.
Reuters Video
- The latest video from Reuters.
Richard Dawkins
- The channel features talks by Richard Dawkins, the Oxford evolutionary biologist, as well as others influenced by his thought.
ScienCentral
- ScienCentral, Inc. produces science and technology content for television, video, and the web. From broadcast news features to educational products, they cover the medical, environmental, and technological issues that affect daily life.
Slate
- Video from Slate Magazine
Steve Spangler Science Show
- Catch the videos produced by a teacher nationally known for making science fun.
Sundance
- Provides video clips from original series and films airing on the Sundance Channel.
The Alcove
- A program that features interviews with various influential thinkers.
The American Museum of Natural History
- This channel provides a rare glimpse into the Museum’s exhibitions, scientific research, public programs and educational endeavors. Videos presented by the Museum highlight its global mission to advance scientific discovery and increase understanding of nature and human cultures.
The Commonwealth Club (San Francisco)
- Videos coming out of the nation’s oldest and largest public affairs forum, presenting topics ranging across politics, culture, and society.
The Commoncraft Show
- The Common Craft Show is a series of short explanatory videos by Lee and Sachi LeFever. The goal is to fight complexity with simple tools and plain language.
The Davos Question
- Every year, global leaders attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to discuss how to better the world. Here you get to see what they have to say.
The Kahn Academy
- This channel features over 800 videos that will teach students the ins and outs of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, statistics, finance, physics, economics and more. The clips have been recorded by Salman Khan.
The Library of Congress
- Timeless treasures and contemporary presentations from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Features recordings dating from the earliest Edison films to the present.
The New York Times
- All the news that’s fit to stream.
The New Yorker
- The official video channel of The New Yorker magazine.
The Nobel Prize
- Brings you fascinating insights into the minds of current and past Nobel Laureates.
The Onion News Network
- A good dose of funny videos from The Onion. Good for when you need some comic relief.
The Real News
- The Real News Network is a global online video news network that listens to and is dependent solely on its audience. No ads. No government subsidies. No corporate sponsorship.
The Research Channel
- Based out of the University of Washington, the ResearchChannel brings together content from leading research and academic institutions.
The World Bank
- Videos coming out of the institution whose goal is to rid the world of poverty..
The YouTube Screening Room
- Provided by YouTube itself, this collection presents high quality, independent films to web users and promises to roll out four new films every two weeks.
Thirteen WNET (PBS New Your)
- Features content from New York City’s flagship public television station.
YouTube Movies
- YouTube now hosts a series of complete studio movies on its site. Above, I’ve linked you directly to the documentary/biography section. But feel free to peruse the larger collection. You’ll find some good films there.
TED Talks
- Generally engaging videos coming out of the annual TED conference. Features important thinkers from different walks of life.
Travel Channel TV
- The Travel Channel brings you around the world on YouTube.
Vanity Fair Magazine
- Videos from the magazine launched in 1913.
WNYC Radio
- Videos provided by WNYC, New York Public Radio, the largest public radio station in the US.
World Economic Forum
- The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
Yad Vashem
- Containing the world’s largest repository of information on the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is a leader in Holocaust education, commemoration, research and documentation.
92nd Street Y
- Pretty much anyone and everyone on the cultural radar passes through the 92nd Y in NYC.

Universities

Spotlighted Collections

YouTube EDU
- YouTube got a lot more intelligent when it launched YouTube EDU, a section of the site that centralizes all of its educational/academic content. This is the best place to start if you’re looking for lectures and courses.
University of California – Berkeley
- Arguably the most substantive YouTube collection out there. Features a large number of free courses, plus numerous lectures given by important figures.
Cambridge University
- 800 years and now going digital.
Harvard University
- Harvard was late to the Web 2.0 party, but they finally have their channel up on YouTube, and it contains some worthwhile content, including Michael Sandel’s famous course on Justice.
Indian Institute of Technology/Indian Institute of Science
- Presented by the leading technology institutes in India, this collection features more than 50 free courses. Obviously has a strong technology/engineering bent.
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
- Makes available many of the videos produced as part of MIT’s leading OpenCourseWare initiative.
Stanford University
- Newly launched, the collection already features a couple hundred videos, including several free courses.
UChannel (Princeton)
- Spearheaded by Princeton, this collection aggregates quality videos coming from a consortium of major universities.

Other University Collections

Auburn University
- Hard to separate the intellectual substance from videos that have a more promotional & internal bent. But some of the former is there to be found.
Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School
- The videos hosted here look at how the digital world and the law intersect.
Carnegie Mellon
- Among other things, this collection features the highly popular video: Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.
Columbia University
- One of NYC’s finest.
Duke University
- Individual videos explore the research coming out of one of America’s leading universities.
Duke’s Fuqua School of Business
- Similar to Duke’s main collection, but focused on business.
Emory University
- One of the finest universities in the South of the US.
EGS (The European Graduate School)
- This European collection features important, contemporary theorists, philosophers, and filmmakers.
Harvard’s Bok Center
- A small collection focused on pedagogy.
Old Dominion
- A little bit of a hodgepodge but there’s some interesting items in the mix.
Ohio State
- So far not an overwhelming use of the medium.
Oxford University – Saïd Business School
- Rather internally focused. Not much in the way of educational content per se. But let’s keep our fingers crossed that it eventually offers more.
Purdue University
- Again something of a hodgepodge. Wheat and chaff.
Princeton University
- Ever heard of it?
Sonoma State
- A more intellectually robust collection that features a fair amount of notable lectures.
The Open University
- The Open University (OU) is the United Kingdom’s only university dedicated to distance learning. Some of the more educational videos can befound here.
Tulane University
- You can access some of the speeches by esteemed guest speakers here.
University of Arizona
- You can sort through a good number of talks here.
UCLA
- Along with Berkeley, this is the other flagship public university in California.
University of California TV
- UCTV pulls together videos from the campuses, national laboratories, and affiliated institutions of the University of California.
University of Chicago Press
- Though still modest in size, the collection features some interesting items.
University of Nottingham – The Periodic Table of Videos
- A nice university-sponsored project, this collection features a video about each element on the periodic table. A handy thing for chemistry students.
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
- The collection is substantive on the whole. You will need to sift through the videos to find ones of interest.
University of Pennsylvania
UCSF Memory & Aging Channel
- UCSF, one of the leading medical schools in the US, features videos that will “educate patients, caregivers and health professionals about the various forms of neurodegenerative diseases.” The diseases covered here include Alzheimer’s, Frontotemporal dementia and Creutzfelt-Jakob
USC (University of Southern California)
- Get lectures here, and arts content here.
Vanderbilt University
- An eclectic mix.
Yale University

On this page, you’ll find some of the highest quality open courses out there.

Related posts:

by Dan Colman |

Intelligent Video: The Top Cultural & Educational Video Sites

2010-02-18T16:51:00.002+08:00

Intelligent Video: The Top Cultural & Educational Video Sites

in Most Popular, Video - Arts & Culture | June 5th, 2009

Looking for great cultural and educational video? Then you’ve come to the right place. Below, we have compiled a list of 46 sites that feature intelligent videos. This list was produced with the help of our faithful readers, and it will grow over time. If you find it useful, please share it as widely as you can. And if we’re missing good sites, please list them in the comments below.

ABC Documentaries: This site pulls together some of the best documentaries aired on ABC television in Australia.

Academic Earth: Some call this “the Hulu for education.” The idea is to take academic videos from top-notch universities and let users watch them with a very user-friendly interface. Though a young site, many users are giving it high marks.

Arkive.org: The site gathers together “the very best films and photographs of the world’s species into one centralised digital library, to create a unique audio-visual record of life on Earth.” A great site for naturalists and nature lovers.

Australian Screen Archive: The Australian National Film and Sound Archive provides free and worldwide access to over 1,000 film and television titles – a treasury of down-under video 100 years in the making.

Babelgum: Babelgum’s goal is to act as an international ‘glue’, bringing a huge range of professional and semi-professional content to a global audience – like a modern-day Tower of Babel. They’re also making an effort to get their content to smartphones. They have an iPhone app now, and apps for other phones on the horizon.

BestOnlineDocumentaries: As one reader describes it, “This site is a bit out of date and some of the links are broken, but it’s still a great compilation of online documentaries.” For more documentaries, you should also see Snagfilms mentioned below.

BigIdeas: This show, which comes out of Canada, ”offers a variety of thought-provoking topics which range across politics, culture, economics, art history, science…. The program has introduced Ontario viewers to the impressive brainpower of people like Niall Ferguson on American empire, Daniel Libeskind on architecture, Robert Fisk on the Middle East, George Steiner on the demise of literacy, Camille Paglia on aesthetic education, Tariq Ramadan on being a Western Muslim, Noam Chomsky on U.S. politics, Leon Kass on dying, Janice Stein on accountability and governance.” See the full list of videos here.

BigThink: “Offers high quality video interviews and insight from the world’s most influential experts in business, entertainment, education, religion and media.” BigThink was founded partly with the help of Larry Summers, formerly the president of Harvard, now Obama’s right hand economic man.

Bloggingheads.TV: We had several readers highly recommend bloggingheads.tv. Here is how bloggingheads has been described elsewhere: “a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers.”

Channel N: Get brain & behavior videos with Sandra Kiume. Part of PsychCentral.

CultureCatch: CultureCatch.com has over 160 half-hour interviews with today’s seminal artists in film, theater, music and literature. Here you’ll find in-depth interviews with smart culture individuals dissecting art, comedy, fashion, film, music, politics, television, theater, even cooking.

Edge.org Video: Edge.org is run by John Brockman, literary agent to some of the most important science writers in the US and beyond. You’ll find videos featuring these thinkers on the Edge’s web site.

Europa Film Treasures: Thanks to Europa Film Treasures, you can spend hours looking back through an archive of European film. Theses films range from “comedy to science fiction, from westerns to animation, from erotic to ethnological movies.” Highly recommended by our readers.

Explore.org: A non-profit that showcases the good works of non-profits internationally. Lots of great educational topics from Tiananmen Square to Jerusalem to Orcas. The site itself hosts tons of film and photographs.

Folkstreams: A collection of short films and mini-documentaries on American roots culture, including music, folkart and traditional customs.

Fora.TV: A large site that gathers video from live events, lectures, and debates taking place at the world’s top universities, think tanks and conferences.

Forum Network: PBS and NPR have jointly launched the Forum Network where you will find free lectures online. I expect this to be a rich resource as time goes by.

Free Documentaries Online: The name says it all.

Global Oneness Project: Global Oneness produces documentary films and interviews that are exploring our modern day struggles within the ecological, economical, and social systems and how these battles aren’t isolated but part of a interdependent whole. Features over 200 short films and interviews.

Hulu’s News & Information Channel: Within this channel, you’ll find some intelligent programs. It includes documentaries and biographies, science programs, news, and more. In the past, we pulled together a list of high-quality feature films available on Hulu. Catch it here. And know that Hulu unfortunately limits this programming to a US audience — a policy that really needs to change.

Intelligent Life on YouTube: Yours truly created a handy list of the intelligent video collections available on YouTube. Have a look and also see the list of our favorite individual YouTube videos.

Internet Archive – Feature Films: This archive of feature films contains some important classics from the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 50s. We’ve featured ten good ones in a previous post.

Learner.org: Annenberg Media presents an impressive video collection that will appeal to lifelong learners and teachers. It includes a lot of high quality programming on American history, world literature and music, science and much more. Thanks Julie for the tip.

LinkTV: “Global and national news, uncompromising documentaries, diverse cultural programs, connecting you to the world.”

Living Room Candidate: Television ads have changed our political system, and this site maintains more than 300 commercials from every presidential election since 1952.

Long Now Seminars: Stewart Brand’s Long Now Foundation presents monthly talks that provide a counterpoint to today’s “faster/cheaper” mind set and promote “slower/better” thinking. Theses talks given by prominent thinkers are hosted by FORA.TV.

MeaningofLife.TV: Sponsored by Slate, this site brings you “cosmic thinkers” on camera. Here, you’ll find talks by Karen Armstrong, Freeman Dyson, Stephen Pinker and others.

MITWorld: MIT World “hosts lots of inspiring talks by some of the most innovative thinkers and doers in town.” – Tony

Moving Image Collections: A window to the world’s moving images.

NFB.ca: NFB.ca is a web site where you can watch films produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Offers access to 100s of documentaries, animated films and trailers. You can also access this collection via a free iPhone app.

One World TV: A unique public platform for filmmakers, video journalists, NGOs and just about anyone with an interest in video and a concern for a better world.

Open Book TV: Open Book focuses on the writers and other storytellers living and working in a different spot on the planet each week.

PBS Video: Everyone knows that PBS regularly produces intelligent video. You can watch a good number of their original programs here.

PeoplesArchive: “Dedicated to collecting for posterity the stories of the great thinkers, creators, and achievers of our time.”

Pop!Tech Pop!Casts Videos: Kind of like TED, Pop!Tech features “a community of remarkable people, and an ongoing conversation about science, technology and the future of ideas.” Scroll down to the find their videos.

Psychlectures.com: Reader says: “Although this website doesn’t host video, it brings together all sorts of media (including courses) on the topic of psychology, neuroscience, and psychiatry, for those interested.”

Research Channel: Based out of the University of Washington, the ResearchChannel brings together content from leading research and academic institutions (see member list here), and distributes it to consumers mostly through satellite and cable, but also via the web. iTunesU is a fairly new distribution channel. And even newer is YouTube. (See their channel here.) Get more info on The Research Channel here.

ScholarSpot: A new web site that promises a “free university.” Site is live in beta. Stay tuned for more.

Science Network: As the title suggests, lots of good science here. You can start with this popular program, Beyond Belief, which we previously mentioned on this blog.

SnagFilms: SnagFilms “finds the world’s most compelling documentaries, whether from established heavyweights or first-time filmmakers, and makes them available to a wide audience.” You can watch full-length documentary films for free. Currently includes over 550 films. And, as one reader notes, “The best part … is you can give back to the charitable foundations behind each one of the documentaries.”

Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive: This online catalog “provides access to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive. The Archive serves as a comprehensive informational and archival resource worldwide for moving image materials pertaining to the Holocaust and related aspects of World War II. ”

TED Talks: Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world. The talks largely come from the big annual TED conference. And, hands down, this site is the most frequently recommended by our readers. You can find a handy spreadsheet listing every TED video here.

UbuWeb: “A completely independent resource dedicated to all strains of the avant-garde, ethnopoetics, and outsider arts.”

UChannel: Spearheaded by Princeton University, this video service presents talks on international/political affairs from academic institutions all over the world.

UCTV: Launched in January 2000, University of California Television (UCTV) is a non-commercial channel featuring 24/7 programming from throughout the University of California, the nation’s premier research university made up of ten campuses, three national labs and affiliated institutions.

UWTV: UWTV is an award-winning television channel brought to you by the University of Washington. Offers original, non-commercial educational programming — 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A unique educational resource, UWTV provides its audience with direct access to world-renowned scientists and researchers whose insights and discoveries are changing our world.

VideoActive: Video Active presents a vast collection of television programmes and stills from audiovisual archives across Europe. It also provides articles and comparative analysis on European TV history.

VideoLectures.Net: Based in Eastern Europe, this site provides free access to high quality video lectures presented by distinguished scholars from many fields of science.

WGBH Video Lectures: “The WGBH video collections brings together talks from the world’s leading scientists, educators, policymakers, artists, and authors. Some pieces come from PBS, NPR, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and The Lowell Institute.”

YouTube hosts a number of intelligent properties worth giving your time to. Some key properties are:

YouTube Edu: Finally, YouTube gave us an easy way to separate the wheat from the chaff. Now you can easily watch videos from hundreds of universities worldwide. Includes a large number of free courses. More info here.
YouTube Screening Room: The Screening Room presents high quality, independent films to YouTube users and promises to roll out four new films every two weeks. More info here.
@Google Talks: Some of the world’s leading thinkers and political players make a point of speaking at Google. You can catch them all here.
Intelligent Video Collections: Over time we have created a long list of the smarter video collections available on YouTube. It now features close to 100 video channels. Have a look and let us know what we’re missing.

Related posts:

by Dan Colman

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater Animated

2010-02-18T11:21:00.001+08:00

Fallingwater from Cristóbal Vila on Vimeo.

Next best thing to owning a place...I guess. ---Ado

Feb. 18, 2010

British Library to offer free ebook downloads

2010-02-07T19:48:00.003+08:00

pic: Jane Austen

MORE than 65,000 19th-century works of fiction from the British Library’s collection are to be made available for free downloads by the public from this spring.

Owners of the Amazon Kindle, an ebook reader device, will be able to view well known works by writers such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Thomas Hardy, as well as works by thousands of less famous authors.

The library’s ebook publishing project, funded by Microsoft, the computer giant, is the latest move in the mounting online battle over the future of books.

While some other services, such as Google Books, offer out-of-copyright works to be downloaded for free, users of the British Library service will be able to read from pages in the original books in the library’s collection.

Most downloadable books on the Kindle are by contemporary authors because they are the most profitable for publishers. Many companies have not yet decided what to charge for older, out-of-copyright books.

While the British Library books — which will include Dickens’s Bleak House, Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge — will be available free online, the public will also be able to order printed copies from Amazon.

Like the onscreen versions, the paperbacks, costing £15-£20, will look like the frequently rare 19th-century editions in the library’s collection — including their typeface and illustrations. Originals of works by Austen and Dickens typically cost at least £250.

“Freeing historic books from the shelves has the potential to revolutionise access to the world’s greatest library resources,” said Lynne Brindley, the library’s chief executive.

Microsoft and the British Library, which by law purchases at least one copy of every book published in the UK, have been scanning the books over the past three years. The library concentrated the first stage of digitisation on the 19th century because the books are out of copyright and so can be offered free. Copyright runs out 70 years after an author’s death.

The library, which receives an annual government grant of £100m, declined to disclose the sum paid by Microsoft, beyond saying it was “a very generous amount”.

Books to be made available will include Victorian classics such as A Strange Story by Edward Bulwer-Lytton and The Story of a Modern Woman by Ella Hepworth Dixon.

Many of the downmarket books known as “penny dreadfuls” will also be made available to the public, including Black Bess by Edward Viles and The Dark Woman by J M Rymer.

Altogether, 35%-40% of the library’s 19th-century printed books — now all digitised — are inaccessible in other public libraries and are difficult to find in second-hand or internet bookshops.

The library hopes to extend the digitisation scheme by scanning books out of copyright dating from the early 20th century. As yet, however, neither Microsoft nor the institution itself have set money aside for the project.

For Lynne Brindley’s article about the digitisation of the British Library’s books, go to timesonline.co.uk/books

Waiting for My Kindle

2010-02-02T04:35:00.012+08:00

Placing the Order:
February 2, 2010

Late last week, Apple launches the iPad, an E-Book reader with Plus capabilities costing $499 or roughly 25,000 PHP. Not really having that much money to spare for another computer gadget, I was simply curious about it thinking it was Apple's answer to Bill Gates' Tablet PC [launched several years ago]...but it is actually a cross between a Netbook and a Smartphone, or as others would call it a bigger, cooler iPod with all available Apps being run on it too. I already own a Viewsonic Tablet PC if all I ever wanted to do with a tablet computer was draw digital art and perhaps post some of them on the web, and maybe even sell some on-line. However, the thought of rekindling my interest for reading sounded too good to pass up...considering I've passed it up for most of my adolescent, and now adult life. And at this point, all I find is time on my hands...and I'm enjoying reading the daily local newspaper more and more, perhaps for the first time in my life. Of course, I find that newsprint ink makes me sneeze every time I start reaching out for the paper.

So I visit Amazon and discover that the whole Kindle Product was already available in the Philippines and worldwide...for both the cool E-Book Reader [hardware] and almost 400,000 books in its massive library collection [software]. Initially, I noted that most bestsellers cost $11.99, a slight increase from the American price tag of $9.99. It has been explained that the extra fee was for Wireless 3G coverage (by Whispernet) so I can download mostly American-published books all across the Philippine Seas. The whole concept of the electronic book reader by Amazon never fails to amaze me, with a whole library of books neatly packaged in one lightweight [and I hear, very well-made] device and the availability of hundreds more at your easy [wireless] disposal...because it simply is amazing.

But just a day after placing an order on Amazon for Kindle 2, I read some discouraging news.

================================
MACMILLAN E-BOOKS
The Amazon Kindle Team says:
Initial post: Jan 31,2010
================================

Dear Customers:

Macmillan, one of the "big six" publishers, has clearly communicated to us that,
regardless of our viewpoint, they are committed to switching to an agency model and charging $12.99 to $14.99 for e-book versions of bestsellers and most hardcover releases.

We have expressed our strong disagreement and the seriousness of our disagreement by temporarily ceasing the sale of all Macmillan titles. We want you to know that ultimately, however, we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan's terms because Macmillan has a monopoly over their own titles, and we will want to offer them to you even at prices we believe are needlessly high for e-books. Amazon customers will at that point decide for themselves whether they believe it's reasonable to pay $14.99 for a bestselling e-book. We don't believe that all of the major publishers will take the same route as Macmillan. And we know for sure that many independent presses and self-published authors will see this as an opportunity to provide attractively priced e-books as an alternative.

Kindle is a business for Amazon, and it is also a mission. We never expected it to be easy!

Thank you for being a customer.

===============================
On: Kindle Community Discussion
How it may affect International e-readers
February 1, 2010
===============================

Adorina L Reyes says:

Speaking on behalf of Philippine Kindle Owners/Readers: Oh no. I just placed an order for the Kindle 2 yesterday. My very expensive Kindle [$314.00 with Duties and S&H, approx. 15,000PHP] doesn't even reach the Philippine shores or my hands and today, I am faced with this news. Surely it's not a pleasant one considering I am always on a tight budget...and most of your so-called Freebies cost $2.00. Awww.

To Amazon: please reconsider increasing the price tags for us lowly Filipinos who are English-literate but have a very low GDP. Honestly, I'm a home-based artist who just wanted to start reading again (simple as that but if you think about it, truly profound)...and your current average price of $11.99 for most books sound like a challenge to me already. Adding more sounds a lot more intimidating.

All because I thought the introduction of the Apple iPad last week gave me the option to choose you as my ideal E-reader. Shucks!
-------------------------------------------------------------
I wrote my comment half as a real concern and half as a knee-jerk reaction to this situation I find myself in. As mentioned, my excitement for the product and for the whole idea of reading again has been established, but the price tag increase in many featured bestsellers dampens it a little. Having written these, maybe I should start thinking of the first e-book bestseller I should purchase right off the bat...and think about it well. Any suggestions?

-------------------------------------------------------------
The Arrival:
February 4, 2010 Thursday
Sanville, QC

Four days after placing an order, I received my Kindle 2 through the mail. I was tired coming home from a long day of museum-visiting and window shopping but still very excited with the news that my Kindle came in one day early. Upon opening the very new looking package (meaning it showed no visible signs of normal wear and tear), I was immediately able to use it without doing the 1-2 step initial charging instructions that it came in with [upon powering the device on]. The first part of the very cool opening was being greeted by the Welcome Adorina note signed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos himself dated at the exact same date I received it. Reading it felt quite oh-so personal. It really was scheduled to arrive one day earlier than announced.

But since daddy also invited the family to eat dinner out, I had no choice but to do the obligatory 3-hour charging. No problem. I immediately skimmed through previously downloaded free e-books upon reaching home the second time this day, Aesop’s Fables being one of them and I enjoyed it.

I must say the Kindle is very cool. The e-ink I have only read about until now was similar to the Etch-A Sketch plaything after all. It blinks when the Next Page button is pressed or any input button for that matter, and it was a slight “mis-feature” but other than that, if all you ever wanted to do was read for longer periods on a computer then the Kindle 2 is by all means a very nifty device. Clear, crisp text. Very sturdy body. Easy on the eyes. Simple navigation.

Now, all I have to do is READ, Read, read and actually finish reading a book.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Images of E-Books/subscriptions I'd like to share that I am currently reading: including a screenshot of TIME's latest issue:

My Other Avatar

2010-01-29T05:15:00.005+08:00

If you haven't gotten over James Cameron's titanic success Avatar yet, here's another Avatar I'd like to watch in IMAX 3D or maybe just 2D. Avatar, The Last Airbender (aka the Legend of Aang) from Nickelodeon.

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Only the Avatar was the master of all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless Fire Nation from conquering the world.

Suddenly, the world has gotten a lot more Spiritual.

Philippine Art Boom in Singapore

2010-01-21T02:42:00.009+08:00

Indepth Arts News:

"Thrice Upon A Time : A Century of Story in the Art of the Philippines"
2009-11-14 until 2010-03-14
Singapore Art Museum
Singapore, SG Singapore

From November 13, 2009 until March 14, 2010 at the Singapore Art Museum, Thrice Upon A Time invites viewers on a journey filled with the stories and art of the Philippines, an adventure spanning over a hundred years. The Philippines has a rich tradition of storytelling, with stories from her pre-colonial past to present-day tales, and this exhibition presents the epic story of the country and her people through visual art. The role of the artist-as-storyteller is highlighted within this exhibition and ideas about representation, authenticity, identity and history of the nation and its people are explored.

Playing with the classic line that begins those familiar stories, "Once upon a time", the show suggests that the best stories are told over and over again. The exhibition presents works from the Philippine grand masters to some of her most exciting contemporary artists, including Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Botong Francisco, Ben Cabrera, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Charlie Co and Geraldine Javier. Audiences will also have the exceptional opportunity to see two of the Philippines' most iconic and legendary masterworks, from Juan Luna and Félix Resurrección Hidalgo, and a rarely seen painting by the Philippines' national hero, Jose Rizal.

Note: This particular Art Exhibit showcasing 70 rarely seen works and arguably one of the largest and most historically rich exhibitions of Philippine Art ever assembled outside of the country, will only run until January 31, 2010. I really wish I could go and visit, but the house-painter in me prohibits...me from doing so. It's a good thing the Ateneo Art Gallery where the Neo-Realist Masterworks Exhibit is lent from is much closer (literally) to home.

IMAGES

Jose Tence Ruiz,
Paraisado Sorbetero (Orange), 2004
Mixed Media Installation
Singapore Art Museum Collection

Juan Luna's Spain and the Philippines (1886)

For Art's Sake! Featured Artworks

THE JULIE/JULIA PROJECT

2010-01-09T04:45:00.000+08:00

Friday, August 13, 2004

I don’t know what to say.

Julia Child was ninety-one years old when she died, late yesterday, in
her sleep. It’s the death that all of us want, after a life so full it
would seem she was one of history’s true lucky souls, if only luck had
had anything to do with it. She enriched the lives of thousands – my
life she quite literally turned around. She died well-loved, and I
hope she died well-fed. There is no tragedy here. It’s a day for
remembrance, and celebration.

So why am I so fucking sad?

I heard this morning. I was working on my book – I’m always working
on my book, only “freaking out over” would probably be a better term –
when the emails started pouring in. Condolences from my relatives, and
my friends, and my blog-friends, comforting me as if I was suffering
the loss of a family member. I never met Julia Child. I have no
particular reason to think she’d even have liked me if I had. I have
no claim over the woman at all, unless it’s the claim those who have
nearly drowned have over the person who pulled them out of the ocean.
And yet I do feel this loss personally, as a great six-foot-two hole in
my world.

Julia Child began learning to cook when she was thirty-seven years
old. She started because she wanted to feed her husband Paul. She
started because though she’d fallen in love with great food late, when
she did she’d fallen hard. She started because she was in Paris. She
started because she didn’t know what else to do.

Who knows how it happens, how you come upon your essential gift? For
this was hers. Not the cooking itself so much – lots of people cook
better than Julia. Not even the recipes – others can write recipes.
What was Julia’s true gift, then? She certainly had enormous energy,
and that was a sort of gift, if a genetic one – perhaps the one thing
about her you can pin down on the luck of the draw. She was a great
teacher, certainly – funny, and generous, and enthusiastic, with so
much overbrimming confidence that she had nothing to do with the
surplus but start doling it out to others. But she also had a great
gift for learning. Perhaps that was the talent she discovered in
herself at the age of 37, at the Cordon Bleu School in Paris – the
thirst to keep finding out, the openness to experience that makes life
worth living.

She was no bending reed, of course. She had no use for silly,
fear-driven food fads; she could be set in her ways, even mulish, and
when she wanted to she could be withering. That’s fine. That’s good
even. We don’t need saints. Who changes their life under the
influence of a saint? Okay – don’t answer that. But the point is –
Julia was so impressive, so instructive, so exhilarating, because she
was a woman, not a goddess. Julia didn’t create armies of drones,
mindlessly equating her name with taste and muttering “It’s a Good
Thing” under their minty breath. Instead she created feisty, buttery,
adventurous cooks, always diving in to the next possible disaster,
because goddammit, if Julia did it, so could we.

This morning, I was writing about lobster murder. As anyone who’s
here will remember, Julia’s instructions for Homard a l’Americaine were
particularly troubling. Now, bisecting a living lobster is not an easy
thing to do – not for the cook, and certainly not for the lobster. I
still feel a little bad about it, and this morning I was writing
something maybe a little resentful about how I had visited this torture
on a crustacean on Julia’s directive.

She told me I could do it, so I did, and it was hard. I don’t ever,
ever want to do it again – not for her, not for anybody. But it was
important that I do it once. Killing that lobster made me face up to a
lot of stuff that bothers me – stuff about responsibility, and hard
decisions, and carving (bad word, maybe) a place in the world I can be
comfortable in. I would not have done it without Julia to tell me –
“Go ahead – What could happen?”

There’s so much I would not have done. Because it would not have been
there for me to do. Without you here, I would be a different person –
a smaller, a sadder, a more frightened person.

So thank you Julia. Thank you.

I don’t believe in this kind of thing, and I sort of get the feeling
you don’t either, but I’m going to make an exception in your case. I’m
going to choose to believe that tonight, you’re eating sole meunieré,
with Paul, and you’re lifting a glass to toast whatever comes next.

Bon Appetit.

1:19:03 PM

No laughing

2010-01-09T04:07:00.002+08:00

Just because you've seen one (funny pic), there's no need to laugh...thinking that there isn't any more. More funnyjunk.

2009 Best Movie

2010-01-05T07:29:00.005+08:00

Twentieth Century Fox's 3D gamble pays off with billion dollar blockbuster

by Andrew Clark, New York
guardian.co.uk, Monday 4 January 2010 23.01 GMT

They are 10ft tall, blue-skinned and inhabit the distant moon Pandora some 145 years into the future. But the Na'vi, a species of extraterrestrial eco-friendly hunters in the smash hit movie Avatar, have already made cinema history by raking in $1bn (£620m) at cinema box offices in just three weekends. Read more from The Guardian...

Looking at this picture alone gives me reason enough to watch it again. Woot!

All 2009 Movie Mash-Up

2010-01-05T05:56:00.002+08:00

Good Editing. Nice picture resolution for all. Now I'm wondering how come I didn't see them this good? Of course I only saw 6% of the featured films...but still.

Pax et Bono

2010-01-04T13:38:00.007+08:00

Ten for the Next Ten by Bono

From one of the most celebrated/beloved rock stars of our time, a forward-looking New York Times article on his Top Ten List for the new decade.

Zero-ing in on Top Ten Children's Books

2010-01-04T09:39:00.003+08:00

Top 10 Children's Books of 2009 from TIME.

Only skimmed parts of Top Ten Everything 2009 from TIME (linked from previous blog). Today, I'm zero-ing in on Children's Books. It's a good way to brush up on my rather lackluster reading skills.

Epic Disney Marvel Mash-up

2010-01-02T00:15:00.007+08:00

First of all, let me say this: Me? I'm just a big fan of Comics and Comic (book) Art.

A look back: In August 31, 2009, it was announced that Disney wants to acquire Marvel Comics for a whopping $4B. This is how one (or two) artists celebrates the Epic Acquisition.

It's implication: Can you imagine what Toy Story 4 would look like? There would be a bunch of X-Men thrown into the plot or backyard, as it were...and the plot would definitely thicken.

Today, January 1, 2010: The Straits Times announces Disney acquires Marvel for $4.3B.

There's nothing to add beyond this line. Just another breaking news.

The Top 10 Everything of 2009 --- TIME

2009-12-31T09:42:00.002+08:00

FULL LIST for Top Ten Albums, Animal Stories, Apologies, Art Exhibitions, Breakups, Buzzwords, Books, Gadgets, Late Night Jokes, Movies, Movie Performances, Species, News Stories, Pariahs, Picures, Plays, Quotes, Scandals, Sports Moments, Ads, Slogans, TV Episodes, Video Games, Viral Videos, etc...

Keeping it Clean

2009-12-31T02:44:00.000+08:00

Created by Oatmeal

And the winner Is...

2009-12-23T08:39:00.002+08:00

For a roster of past, present, future, and supposed to have won [film] winners, here they are...

A Christmas Geeking!

2009-12-23T07:46:00.005+08:00

Other Noteworthy 3D Animated Films of 2009

2009-12-23T04:22:00.008+08:00

If you're into animation [department], these are the two top Annie Awards nominees for 2009 with Coraline leading with 10 and Up with 9.

Although I didn't see UP in 3D and only saw Coraline on DivX, it's worth mentioning that I enjoyed them both and will see them again with higher resolution next time.

I'm no critic, simply an avid viewer. I loved them both and putting these film [posters] together form a word, and that's C UP. To finish, I liked CUP! Right now, I'd like a cup of coffee. Goodnight.

James Cameron Tells Peter Jackson He Would Rather Use CG Instead of Building Titanic’s Set Today Read more: James Cameron Tells Peter Jackson He Woul

2009-12-23T03:27:00.003+08:00

Good discussion going on here! I wish I had something to add but I simply adored the film. Fantastic!

--------------------------
Pictured is Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, the Warrior Princess.

So here's more with a link to 21 High Resolution Photos from James Cameron's Avatar

First audiences rave about Cameron's 3D epic 'Avatar'

2009-12-12T20:21:00.002+08:00

CNN Article

By Mairi Mackay, CNN

December 11, 2009 11:54 a.m. EST

London, England (CNN) -- James Cameron's feverishly-awaited sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" has enjoyed its world premiere to strong reviews.

Hyped as the most technically-ambitious and expensive film ever made, "Avatar," had a lot to live up to.

But, as the credits rolled following the 3D epic's world premiere in London Thursday, it looked like the "Titanic" director's decade-long gamble had paid off.

There were whoops and cheers as portions of the audience gave Cameron and cast members, including Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington, a standing ovation.

Later, outside, among the excited crowd, much of the talk was about the amazing spectacle Cameron had created on the fictional planet of Pandora, which has been invaded by military forces from Earth.

"It was an absolute marvel and I am left in awe after seeing it," audience member James Howard, 23, said of the magical jungle planet that lights up with phosphorescence at night.

The planet's 10-foot-tall, blue-skinned indigenous species, the Na'vi also went down well with the audience.

Back in August, when Cameron treated fans around the world to a 15-minute taster dubbed "Avatar Day," there were questions about how appealing the creatures would be.

But Kent Renwick, 39, said: "The [Na'vi] female character had a really expressive face. She was really beautiful and that's why I think it worked.

Others commended the advanced 3D: Lucy Biswicke, 34, said she had no feelings of motion sickness from wearing the specs. "It's all about the quality of the 3D for me. I'd never seen a 3D film before and this is amazing."

Fox, the studio behind "Avatar," recently told CNN that "Avatar" is the most expensive film the studio has ever produced, although it declined to confirm a figure. Industry watchers have put the figure at around $300 million.

Part of the multi-million dollar budget was spent on developing new cameras, with the feature marketed as a huge leap forward in filmmaking.

Video: Aliens in 3D

Cameron, who is famous for pushing the boundaries of film, couldn't have hoped for a better reception for the the epic he first conceived 14 years ago.

Hype around "Avatar" has been further stoked by the "Terminator" and "Aliens" director's 12-year directing hiatus. His last film, the 1997 epic "Titanic," won 11 Oscars and took $1.8 billion worldwide at the box office -- a record that remains to be broken.

Parallels with Cameron's earlier work were apparent in more than just the huge ambition of "Avatar."

The strong female characters are back (in the shape of Sigourney Weaver as an acid-tongued cigarette-smoking xeno-biologist), as is his gritty, industrial vision of humanity in the future.

"It's like 'Titanic' meets 'Terminator' or 'Aliens,'" joked makeup artist Bill Corso, 42.

But some audience members took issue with the storyline. Andrew James, 27, said: "The plot is by the numbers, very much what I expected. You know, you've got the courageous army guy, you've got the native women, they're all very much caricatures. But, I couldn't help buying into it."

"There were parts that you couldn't help but chuckle at," Howard said of some of the dialogue which he found cheesy. "I know I'm going to talk about it and think I don't like it as much later on, but right now I thought it was absolutely amazing."

"The thing is, he's trying to cram a really complicated storyline into a blockbuster format so he has to rely on some cliches," said Lisa Armstrong, 35, from Nottingham.

It's not only Fox who will be closely monitoring such feedback: "Avatar's" boundary-pushing use of 3D technology is regarded as a game-changer for the film industry as a whole.

Positive reviews from critics in newspapers like The Guardian in London and trade press like Variety and Screen International have started to appear.

But the real test will come next week when the movie goes on public release worldwide.

Fast manifestation

2009-12-06T08:19:00.000+08:00

How People are LEGO: Fast manifestation on Tridroid

My friend DJ Chuang, blogger and consultant, once called me a human Intel processor. I think it was a reference to the speed at which I would bounce around different ideas. I prefer to think of myself as a Tigger, as in the World of Pooh. Playful, creative, upbeat, and courageous, the Tigger is always listening, observing, and moving. What I've come to accept is that I'm something of a Fast Manifestor.

Lately, the social media Tweetups I've attended are a-buzz with questions about the viability of Twitter, whether it's a fad, and what its purpose is. After a similar conversation with college Tweeter @arianna at Solstice Cafe in the U-district (Seattle), I blurted out this thought: "Oh my God, people are LEGO."

Wait a minute. What do fast manifestation, LEGO, and Twitter (or Tridroid for the Android phone) have in common? Did you just get lost in these seemingly unrelated thoughts? In my Tigger brain, these subjects are intertwined through our desire for relationship. The idea that we might find relationship in 140 characters, let alone LEGO, is mind-boggling.

I don't know how gurus, spiritual leaders, or scientists define the phenomenon of fast manifestation (if you want to know, you could Google it, "The Secret"), but here's what I think it is: it is your personal passion about something or someone upon which you focus on (message) repeatedly, either consciously or unconsciously, so that whatever you are messaging comes to fruition. To the new observer, it looks like a fast manifestor (person) has some kind of luck or magic juju, and that others have bad luck or bad karma in comparison. But fast manifestation is neutral: it is neither right nor wrong, good nor bad, and often has no moral tone attached. Therefore, in some ways, we are all fast manifestors, only some of us are more in-tune with how to manifest what they want more than what they don't want. They have a certain amount of control over the outcomes of what seem to be random events.

PS3 is firmware upgradeable to 3D

2009-12-04T20:33:00.000+08:00

News

PS3 is firmware upgradeable to 3D

20 November 2009 15:20 by Andre "DVDBack23" Yoskowitz | 14 comments

During their presentation to investors and shareholders, Sony marked 3D gaming as one of the five keys to the future of the PlayStation 3 and noted that all "PS3 units will be firmware upgradeable to 3D."

Sony added the bold statement that they hope to "lead to the 3D market," and will begin to offer 3D tools to third-party developers in the near future.

Besides the PS3, Sony is looking to incorporate the technology into Bravia HDTVs and the Blu-ray format in general.

The other four keys were motion control, Blu-ray, PSN, and PSP-integration.

Royal Navy giving out PSPs to engineers for training purposes

2009-12-04T20:26:00.000+08:00

Royal Navy giving out PSPs to engineers for training purposes

27 November 2009 14:03 by Andre "DVDBack23" Yoskowitz | 1 comment

The Royal Navy's Weapons Engineering School has purchased 230 PSP handhelds which they will load with training programs for officers, reports The Times.

The console is seen as equally effective as textbooks and more portable. Overall, the Navy has cut training costs down to GBP 200 per hour.

The first officers to receive the training PSPs are" marine warfare engineering technicians, who are responsible for radar, sonar, VHF radio and communications systems."

"You have a voiceover as well as a presentation to explain it, instead of having to sit there and read it from a book and fix it in your own mind," adds leading engineering technician Chris Colpus. "As soon as people know they are going on a course, they are going to want to get their hands on these as quickly as possible so you can get a heads-up on the maths."

The Royal Navy considered also physically removing the UMD drive but opted not to, letting the officers play games during downtime.

"I thought if we don't disable it, it'll be better looked after,"says Lieutenant-Commander Mark 'Beasty' Williams. "They are also engineering technicians and would probably be able to fix it themselves."

2009-11-03T12:37:00.000+08:00

Alice in Wonderland - Extended Trailer

Star Wars on Today

2009-10-31T10:52:00.001+08:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

An here's more of Today's Halloween Costume Treats

Hallow Hallow Halloween

2009-10-28T22:37:00.005+08:00

My blog template only shows the time of blogging, not the date. So this week is Halloween week (nobody's really in school), and I've added four blogs in succession just for tonight. May I greet everybody Happy Halloween today until Sunday. Although it's not my favorite holiday, I think we're all set for it!

Please be updated too of my new and revamped website at Wix. It's AdVentures: A Journey for your Bookmarks/Favorites. So, pardon me Hallmark, but there will only be exciting additional artwork if you care enough to download the very best. Thanks and Bon Appetit downloading! ---so fart the artist!

Manny Pacquiao Funny Photos

2009-10-28T19:31:00.003+08:00

And while I'm at it...here's some SI pics from The Philippines' Man of the Hour. I've never seen anything quite like it! Don't say I didn't warn you.

Bohemian Rhapsody

2009-10-28T19:01:00.001+08:00

WTF and What the Hell!!!

Apple Philippines

2009-10-28T18:54:00.004+08:00

P11,490 for the 8Gb iPod. Still can't afford it right away.

I just like the peso price tag. It means they're here.

New PSP Go Review

2009-10-23T09:43:00.000+08:00

Friendly Humpback Whales

2009-10-23T08:46:00.001+08:00

Vibram FiveFingers to replace Nikes? I Don't Know.

2009-10-23T08:30:00.002+08:00

50 Random Questions. Nice thing to kill time by.

2009-10-19T08:18:00.002+08:00

50 Random Questions

1. Where were you 3 hours ago?

In bed or probably eating breakfast. Tricky!

2. Who are you in love with?

Myself and my family.

3. Have you ever eaten a crayon?

Can't remeber but it's not such a bad idea considering Van Gogh ate oil paint from tubes. And look how he stacked up.

4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

Yeah, my windows. I deliberately colored (painted) them pink!

5. When is the last time you went to the mall?

Oh, probably 2-3 days ago. Why do you ask?

6. Are you wearing socks right now?

Not yet. In a couple of minutes perhaps.

7. Do you have a car worth over $2,000?

Wouldn't know. We have the Peso as currency over here.

8. When was the last time you drove out of town?

Do not know. 1991? Never?!!?

9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?

No.

10. Are you hot?

By hot, is it good or bad?

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?

Iced Tea

12. What are you wearing right now?

Looney Tunes T-Shirt and black slacks.

13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it?

Neither. We let it get wet in the rain ;-)

14. Last food that you ate?

Hotdog, eggs

15. Where were you last week at this time?

Still here, in the bedroom.

16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?

Nope.

17. When is the last time you ran?

I don't run.

18. What's the last sporting event you watched?

Something on Eurosport or Solar.

19. What is your favorite animal?

a dog.

20. Your dream vacation?

Beach or Mountains.

21. Last person's house you were in?

My friend's? I don't remember.

22. Worst injury you've ever had?

Too bad to disclose.

23. Have you been in love?

Yaybe.

24. Do you miss anyone right now?

Macoy.

25. Last play you saw?

Phantom of the Opera or Miss Saigon.

26. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?

My sense of humour.

27. What are your plans for tonight?

Eating then sleeping.

28. Who is the last person you sent a MySpace message or comment?

Never did.

29. Next trip you are going to take?

Out of here.

30. Ever go to camp?

31. Were you an honor roll student in school?

Perhaps.

32. What do you want to know about the future?

My financial status.

33. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?

Nope. I've ran out of Anais Anais.

34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor's visit?

Maybe. Who cares?

35. Where is your best friend?

In Jordan

36. How is your best friend?

Married with 2 lovely girls.

37. Do you have a tan?

Nope. I'm naturally brown.

38. What are you listening to right now?

National Treasure

39. Do you collect anything?

Stamps, Gadgets.

40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know?

pass.

41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over?

Early this year.

42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?

Of course!

43. What does your last text message say?

I don't know. Probably time to go.

44. Do you like hot sauce?

Sometimes.

45. Last time you took a shower?

20 minutes ago.

46. Do you need to do laundry?

No. We have some laundry woman.

47. What is your heritage?

Malay, Chinese, Spanish. I'm sure.

48. Are you someone's best friend?

Yes.

49. Are you rich?

In what sense?

50. What were you doing at 12AM last night?

Sleeping.

http://www.the-top-tens.com/

Surveys and Quizzes for MySpace

The Official Posterous Posterous - This is where we post about new features on posterous. You can get a blog just like this by emailing post@posterous.com.

2009-10-14T06:55:00.001+08:00

via blog.posterous.com

Testing the "share the" link

Posted via web from Adorina's posterous

chuck

2009-10-14T02:12:00.001+08:00

chuck

Shared via AddThis

Jackson vs. Bean

2009-10-14T01:56:00.001+08:00

Jackson vs Bean
by PatrickBoivin

Robots with Emotion = WOW

2009-10-14T01:19:00.000+08:00

Sesame Street: Norah Jones Sings Don't Know Y

2009-08-27T22:06:00.002+08:00

Excellent Music. Perhaps I'm ready to sleep.

Sesame Street: Andrea Bocelli's Lullabye

2009-08-27T22:03:00.002+08:00

Makes me laugh.

Songs to listen to when you can't sleep

2009-08-26T00:37:00.003+08:00

Fair WARNING: The sounds are actually meant for an incurable insomniac.

My alternative advise: Just don't let the bed bugs bite!

Alternative Indie Rock

2009-08-25T21:32:00.001+08:00

Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts Improve Productivity

2009-08-23T11:22:00.001+08:00

Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts Improve Productivity

One of the biggest arguments I've heard against using Gmail is that desktop clients like Thunderbird and Outlook offer better keyboard shortcut support. To this I say NONSENSE! Gmail includes great keyboard shortcut functionality, you just have to turn it on. You will also have a small learning curve because the Gmail keyboard shortcuts are different than those found in Outlook and Thunderbird. The great thing is, if you turn Gmail shortcuts on once, they work from any computer.
The 5 Gmail Shortcuts I use most frequently are:
c - creates a new email message. Use Shift+c to open the new message in its own window.
/ - puts the cursor in the search box. Email search is probably something I do more than any other email fuction.
u - takes back to your inbox view from any message.
j - moves down the message list taking you to the next older message than the one you are currently on.
x - checks the box next to a message. Used in combination with j you can quickly move through a list of messages and check them for archiving, labeling or any other action.

The Holy Gospel of Christopher Cringle

2009-08-16T22:19:00.001+08:00

One last word

2009-08-15T23:08:00.002+08:00

Before I sign off, I just have this to add:

As much as I would like to (appease my sister and) go back to my psychiatrist, if I had the choice, I'd really like to move on with my life and not get stuck for another millenia indulging in psycho-babble. I'm helping the doctor more than I'm helping myself at this point.

A prayer:
May God give me the decency of having a "say", a "choice" in what I'm in this world for. I hate to waste (my talk time) out on some psychiatrist (who will only meddle with my thoughts). Maybe I can do it for a couple of weeks but that's the limit for sure.
Signed, Adorina

Overcoming low grade Depression

2009-08-15T23:03:00.001+08:00

Overcoming low grade Depression: "As depression is a state of mind, being with positive people and things can help you overcome negativity and misery. Keep company with people who are positive and easy to be with. Avoid people who like to criticize or complain."

In all 20 years of psychotherapy, this is the Best Advise I've heard of yet!

Objective: Objectivity!

2009-08-15T22:14:00.006+08:00

Been to the Doctor (psychiatrist) today, as advised by my doctor sister...before looking for another one to hear my newfound physical complaints.

Exclamation 1: I've never talked to him since 2006!

Exclamation 2: And it was only yesterday when I had a civilized conversation with my sister.

Addtn'l Bit of Record Trivia: Plus I'm 45 and I've never been to a doctor for the longest time (for general check-up anyway).

Record Trivia #2: I've taken up Medical Transcription when I was not under his mutilation er...monitoring. Don't tell me having a sense of dry humor is all that bad.

Points to ponder:

Basically, he says I'm more in focus...more than he had ever seen me before. That would mean anytime during the whole length of time I've been seeing him since the early '90s.
I haven't been taking my medicines since 2005 or 2006, and apparently I've done well without them (...and something he overlooked completely...him!)
He didn't prescribe any...for fear that I might not want to see him again.
I have low-grade depression and recommend I read up on Calabrese.
He gave me a prescription to have my T3 T4 and TSH taken, as requested.
I'm not fat!

Here's what we know about Joseph Calabrese, MD. An article about bipolar II.

Here's what I've read on Low-Grade Depression. I'd rather focus on getting well than on a condition I'm most likely to overcome anyway. Full Stop.

Note: If I were to write (based on my knowledge in transcribing) my own SOAP, here's how it would read...but I guess people aren't ready to hear the truth. Or I'm not ready to write a full disclosure, not that my medical records are all up to me.

TIME Cartoon of the Week

2009-08-15T21:24:00.002+08:00

Don't know why I'm posting this really but I can see the commotion from way over here. Am curious myself.

Archie chooses Veronica over Betty

2009-08-15T21:06:00.002+08:00

Archie Andrews, the perpetual teenage star of Archie Comics is finally proposing to long-time flame Veronica Lodge in favor of next-door blond beauty Betty. Coming out September 1, I wish already had a copy *smile*.

Pangya Golf

2009-08-13T02:05:00.001+08:00

Started playing with Pangya on the PSP late this afternoon. Great escape to Fantasy Island. Already finished the first tournament feat Scout!

Me, again

Child Abusive Judge

Top Ten Things I like about Gaga

A Poem for Andre before Dying

My New To Do as Excerpted!

I'm so Sonic!

Leonardo Da Vinci (Part 1 of 18)

Disney Epic Mickey

Epic Mickey - Guardian Review

4 out of 5 Stars

Nintendo Wii; £39.99; U; Disney Interactive

Evening Primrose TV Musical

TED Talks: Benoit Mandlebrot, Father of Fractal Geometry

How I Tackle The News, A Possible Guide on How You Would Too (given you were me!)

From Capcom Unity

Thursday's Man has far to go...

The Family Flintstone. Ah! The Boodylicious Days.

Long Live Democracy!

Colbert Report's March to Keep Fear Alive

Daily Show's Rally to Restore Sanity

Announcing CLASH OF THE GEEKS

Voltes V - Horie Mmitsuko Live 2000

On Tablets

TED Talks: Jamie Oliver

Doughnut burger, fried butter, new foods at state fairs

Bob Ross: Painting Snow-covered Mountains

FIGHT!!!!

Shakira - Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) (The Official 2010 FIFA ...

And if you can pass by Wynn's Hotel...

From Chairman Meow's Pussycat Lounge!

Portraits of Celebrity Weirdness

And Speaking of Monsters

To Celebrate South Africa World Cup 2010...or World Hunger Day

EATEN!

The Reason I Can't Sleep At Nights...

Nice one!

More Wishful Thinking

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Time to heed my Daily Feng Shui Tip

Education vs. Creativity

An Email from Cousin Carla

Nike Write the Future AD feat 2010 Football

IPod Timeline

Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, Oct. 1, 1975

An Interesting Look at Nintendo

Trololo Cat

See more Move in Sports Champions dev diary

See more Move in Sports Champions dev diary

PlayStation Move requires 1-2 MB of system memory

PlayStation Move requires 1-2 MB of system memory

PlayStation Move's Sports Champions

Hands-on: PlayStation Move's Sports Champions

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - RGM

When I see an Elephant Paint

The Real Picasso

Ep.1 Waking Up in the Universe...Growing Up in the Universe___Richard Dawkins

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass

Intelligent YouTube Channels

Intelligent YouTube Channels

March 13th, 2008

Intelligent Video: The Top Cultural & Educational Video Sites

Intelligent Video: The Top Cultural & Educational Video Sites

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater Animated

British Library to offer free ebook downloads

Related Links

Waiting for My Kindle

My Other Avatar

Philippine Art Boom in Singapore

THE JULIE/JULIA PROJECT

No laughing

2009 Best Movie

All 2009 Movie Mash-Up

Pax et Bono

Zero-ing in on Top Ten Children's Books

Epic Disney Marvel Mash-up

The Top 10 Everything of 2009 --- TIME

Keeping it Clean

And the winner Is...

A Christmas Geeking!

Other Noteworthy 3D Animated Films of 2009