October 31, 2007

Mac-O-Lanterns

mac-o-lanterns.jpg
Don't toss that old Mac to the curb -- paint that bitch orange, install a JPEG viewer, and ta-da, you've got yourself a sweet Mac-o-lantern -- or an old Mac painted orange that's capable of viewing very low-grade porn.
Courtesy of Geekologie

Celebrity Pumpkins




Shown above is a clever tribute to the classic Calvin & Hobbes snowmen, along with some other muppet and cartoon caharacters, many more available for viewing here:
Zombie Pumpkins, Extreme Pumpkin, PumpkinGlow and Pumpkingutter.
Courtesy of Popped Culture.

October 30, 2007

Jaws

The Original Trailer





The Legacy Continues





Bradley Cayford

Brad is the Master of the Animated Music Videos.
He's an awesome Concept Designer, Art Director,
and all around nice guy, and he finally has his own
blog up and running. Check it out here.

Some samples of his works:

Apollo's Pad
"I'm A Believer"



Spesh K
"Knockin' Em Down"

October 28, 2007

Mel Blanc on Latenight - 1981

Crash Of The Titans Intro - Directed by Jeff Agala

Holy Collectibles, Batman!

A near-mint copy of Detective Comics No. 27, a pre-Second World War comic featuring Batman's debut, was recently found in an attic and sold to a local collector in Ellwood City, Pa.

The comic is considered to be the second-most valuable available and can fetch up to US$500,000. The only comic considered more valuable is Action Comics No. 1, in which Superman makes his first appearance.

Collector Todd McDevitt said the Batman issue he bought is worth about $250,000, but he won't say exactly how much he paid or who sold it to him.

"It was a typical story of someone cleaning up junk in their attic and finding an old comic book and wondering if this was one of those ones that was worth a lot of money," McDevitt told the Beaver County Times.

McDevitt, owner of the Pittsburgh region's five New Dimension Comics stores, said he has been saving money since 1986 so that he could buy a valuable comic when it appeared.

When the seller walked in with the Batman issue, "my eyes almost popped out of my head," McDevitt said.

"I guess I should have been more reserved, but I'm not a very good poker player," he said.

Experts estimate there are between 20 and a few hundred copies of the Batman debut.

McDevitt's comic now sits safely in an airtight bag in a bank vault. On occasion, he takes it out to show friends and customers.

"I've been toying with the idea of reading it, but I haven't yet," he said. "I'm going to savour it."

Shuttle Launch from the Space Station

Perspective is a Myth

He'll Save Everyone Of Us

Stephen Lynch - Craig

Stephen Lynch - Superhero

October 24, 2007

Transylvania Television - Pilot Episode

The Art of Billy George

The Art of Samuel Michlap

The Art of Paul Lasaine

RAMBO!

Horton Poster


I'm kinda excited for this movie,
the designs and colors look very nice.

Japanese Lady Produces Unique Camouflage

camo-coke.jpg

Aya Tsukioka, a Japanese experimental fashion designer, has developed a line of completely wack camouflage for crime worried citizens. The designs include soda and vending machines, fire extinguisher bookbags for kids, and even a purse that resembles a manhole (so you can throw it in the road if you're being pursued and not get your stuff stolen, just run over).

coke-1.jpg

coke-2.jpg

fireboy-1.jpg

fireboy-2.jpg

fireboy-3.jpg

manhole-purse.jpg

Via Geekology

The Best of Borat



The 10 Biggest Mistakes Freelancers Make

Missing deadlines. I wrote more on this topic in this post, but basically, your ability to put out quality work and meet deadlines is what makes your reputation. And as a freelancer, your reputation is all you have. If you miss deadlines too often, you will soon see your clients going elsewhere. How to avoid: Make deadlines one of your top two priorities (along with putting out great work), overestimate how long it will take you, break the project into smaller steps, and be accountable every step of the way.

Charging too little. New freelancers, especially, undervalue themselves and charge less than they’re worth. That’s OK if you’re just breaking into the business, and don’t have any previous work or reputation to point to. But once you’ve got some stellar work under your belt, don’t be afraid to ask what you’re worth, otherwise you are selling yourself short. And you’ll be working too much just to pay the bills. (See this article for more.) How to avoid: It’s good to find out what the market avergage is, and charge a little more. This tells clients that you’re good. A good way to do the math is to figure out how much you want to make, and how many hours you realistically plan to work. Then charge based on those numbers.

Lack of preliminary research. This is research before making your pitch, not before completing the assignment. Often a freelancer will contact a potential client and make a pitch, without really understanding the client or his needs, and without knowing how this project will add value to the client. This approach will get you very little business. How to avoid: Research the client thoroughly before making contact. The Internet is a great way to do that, of course. Know what the client does, the client’s market, what the client’s goals are (in general), and figure out how you can help the client meet those goals. How will you add value? Direct your pitch at those issues.

Choosing the wrong clients. The client-freelancer relationship is an important one, and there are many issues that can make a client the wrong client, or the right client, for you. Those include the market they’re in, they’re working style, how difficult they are, how likely they are to pay your rate, how much work they require, their ability to pay on time without hassle, and more. If you choose the wrong client, you will make less money, be unhappy, and work more. How to avoid: Select clients carefully. Again, research them, talk to other freelancers who’ve worked for them. When contacting a client, think of it as a two-way interview — they are trying to decide if you’re right for them, but you should also be trying to decide if they are right for you. Do your first assignment or three on a trial basis, to see how things work out. Every now and then, evaluate your clients to see if they’re worth the trouble.

Getting too personal. It’s good to be friendly with a client, but keep it professional. You don’t want to be best friends. You shouldn’t be too formal, either, but if you become personal, two things could happen: 1) one of you could get hurt or angry at the other based on a business decision; or 2) the client might think you’re unprofessional. Either one is bad for business. How to avoid: Start any correspondence on a formal basis, and then get friendlier depending on how the client handles communication. Don’t be afraid to be friendly, but at the same time, don’t go beyond business, and don’t cross the line into unprofessionalism.

Letting off steam. If there is a problem with a client, some freelancers have a tendency to vent their frustration — at the client. For example, if an editor decides not to run my article, I might show my frustration and displeasure in a very angry way. This is bad. It will harm your professional reputation, both with this client and with future clients. And it will lead to decreased business over time, if you continue this mistake. How to avoid: If there is a problem with a client, and you are angry or frustrated, do not communicate right away. Let your steam off some other way, through talking to a friend, through exercise, through eating a carton of ice cream. But don’t do it at your client, or anyone else in your professional world. Bite your tongue. Then, when you’ve calmed down, communicate with your client in a non-emotional, professional manner — preferably in a positive way, but clearly, so that future problems can be avoided.

Not proposing a follow-up idea. Often a freelancer will complete an assignment, and then move on to an assignment with another client. Perhaps the freelancer hopes that the assignment that he completed was so amazing, the client will be knocking down his door the next day. Unfortunately, that often doesn’t happen. If you don’t provide the basis of future business, you might not see it. How to avoid: when you complete an assignment, propose a follow-up idea for future work. If you don’t hear back, follow up.

Not having multiple income streams. Relying on one or two clients is always a bad idea. If your main client drops you, or reduces his freelancer budget, or goes out of business, you’re out of luck. And now you can’t pay your bills. How to avoid: Always have multiple income streams. You might start with one freelance client (we all do in the beginning), but don’t rely on that as your primary source of income until you’ve added more clients. And if you can get other sources of income streams (a full- or part-time job, another business, your spouse’s income, advertising on a blog, selling a product, Amway), you should work hard to do so. It will make your income much more stable and reliable.

Allowing yourself to slack. Let’s face it: some days, we don’t feel like working. And that’s fine, if we plan for that flexibility, and make up for it on other days. But too many days of slacking, and soon you aren’t getting any income. And you’re missing deadlines. Not good. How to avoid: It’s fine to give yourself flexibility, so that you can work when you feel productive, but if you have deadlines to meet, don’t let yourself slack off. Push yourself to meet the deadline, and work in bursts to motivate yourself.

Failing to be yourself. Often we take work because we need the income, but it doesn’t align with who we are. And we feel awful about it, and slowly we begin to hate ourselves. Until we no longer want to do the work. How to avoid: Seek, from the beginning, to find work that aligns with your values, that allows you to be who you are. Being fake and dishonest, to others and to yourself, gets you nowhere. Be sincere in your interactions with others, and don’t be afraid to say no to stuff that doesn’t fit who you are. Always strive to find work you love.

October 19, 2007

Jupiter's Clouds from New Horizons


The New Horizons spacecraft took some stunning images of Jupiter earlier this year while on the way out to Pluto. Famous for its Great Red Spot, Jupiter is also known for its regular, equatorial cloud bands, visible through even modest sized telescopes. The image shown here was taken near Jupiter's terminator, and shows that the Jovian giant possibly has the widest diversity of cloud patterns in our Solar System. On the far left are clouds closest to Jupiter's south pole. Here turbulent whirlpools and swirls are seen in a dark region, dubbed a belt, that rings the planet. Even light colored regions, called zones, show tremendous structure, complete with complex wave patterns. The energy that drives these waves likely comes from below. New Horizons is the fastest space probe ever launched, and is zipping through the Solar System on track to reach Pluto in 2015.

October 18, 2007

How To Cope With Death

Tin Man Trailer

The Strange Tailing Side of Saturn's Iapetus


What has happened to Saturn's moon Iapetus? Vast sections of this strange world are dark as coal, while others are as bright as ice. The composition of the dark material is unknown, but infrared spectra indicate that it possibly contains some dark form of carbon. Iapetus also has an unusual equatorial ridge that makes it appear like a walnut. To help better understand this mysterious moon, NASA directed the robotic Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn to swoop within 2,000 kilometers just last month. Pictured above, from about 75,000 kilometers out, Cassini's trajectory allowed unprecedented imaging of the hemisphere of Iapetus that is always trailing. A huge impact crater seen in the south spans a tremendous 450 kilometers and appears superposed on an older crater of similar size. The dark material is seen increasingly coating the easternmost part of Iapetus, darkening craters and highlands alike. Close inspection indicates that the dark coating typically faces the moon's equator. Whether Iapetus' colors are the result of unusual episodes of internal volcanism or external splattering remains unknown. This and other images from Cassini's Iapetus flyby are being studied for even greater clues.

Credit:
Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA

Reactible - Crazy Interactive A.I. Digital Music Instrument









The Very Best of Conan - You Must Watch This!



October 13, 2007

New Wippets Episodes - Have a look!

Barff is the Littlest Hobo!


Don Pinsent draws a caricature of Barff!

October 10, 2007

A Slightly Newer Wall-E Trailer


October 08, 2007

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Dexter in The Dark


Dexter is based on the compelling novel "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay. Orphaned at the age of four and harboring a traumatic secret, Dexter Morgan (played by actor Michael C. Hall from "Six Feet Under") is adopted by a police officer who recognizes Dexter's homicidal tendencies and guides his son to channel his gruesome passion for human vivisection in a constructive way - by killing those heinous perpetrators that are above the law or who have slipped through the cracks of justice.

A respected member of the police force, a perfect gentleman and a man with a soft spot for children, it's hard not to like Dexter. Although his drive to kill is unflinching, he struggles to emulate normal emotions he doesn't feel, and to keep up his appearance as a caring, socially responsible human being.

I don't care if you download it, rent it, or buy it, you should give it a shot, cause if you like Silence of the Lambs, or Se7en, or even CSI, you'll love this.

Another one of Dani's great Digital Ink & Paint Tutorials



This is a small line and color job done on the computer. He first created his drawing using Adobe Illustrator, then copied it into Photoshop to put some basic paint onto it.

For more information about this process, see his previous posts here: http://danidraws.com/2006/12/13/video-notes-bake-sale-brush-tool/
http://danidraws.com/2007/01/08/creating-line-drawings-in-adobe-illustrator/

Download the video here: Digital Ink and Paint (Quicktime, 3:45, 12.41 MB)

DRAWN AND QUARTERED

The Quarter is a new collective of writers, directors, designers and animators launched by NY's Nola Pictures. Charlie Curran, EP/founder at Nola, says the focus is on "insightful execution, especially in non-traditional media. We try to tailor the message by catering to and entertaining the specific audiences that frequent these destinations."

Example: Spike TV viral campaign (spot 1, spot 2) to promote the cable network’s fight shows. The Quarter wrote, directed, animated and voiced the cartoons with Nola Pictures retaining all rights to the characters.

Thanks to Stashmedia

Art Dorks


The Art Dorks Collective returns, with lots of artists and artwork.

Rough Pose Test by Family Guy Director, Seth Kearsley

More Puppet Up!


This time a beauty pageant contestant finds her self in post-apocalyptic Australia with three aliens.

Learn How to Swear in Any Language

Whether it's 'culo', 'bun chut', or just plain 'schmuck', you'll know how to verbally abuse anyone in the world with this helpful guide to the art of international cursery. Click here to see.

Courtesy of Digg.

Funny Pictures Of The Day


Cow vs. Snake?

The serpent captured in this picture is an olive python, one of Australia's largest snakes. What the python appears to be hauling out of the water is not a cow but a wallaby — still a very large animal in comparison to the snake itself, but a type of prey that pythons have been known to ingest before.

Smack

The Unofficial Mac Tablet That We Really, Really Want to See Released


Apple’s industrial designers have just been showed up by Yann Le Coroller. The MacTab combines the MacBook ’s looks with a tablet PC’s function and portability. It’s held together by “magnets” and “notches” and a hinge on the back lets you use it in the vertical position.

Dude arrested for stealing a bridge

Russian police have detained a 45-year-old municipal worker for stealing a bridge.

The 5-meter span metal bridge disappeared from a river crossing, east of Moscow. Police said they tracked it down to the man, who had used his work truck to remove it and then chopped it up and sold it for scrap. In a statement, Ryazan region police called it "the bulkiest theft of the year." » Article here - Via Across The Board

Student suspended for ingenious prank at football game

Darby High School fans held up squares of construction paper, thinking they were spelling out: "Go Darby." But from across the field, fans of the opposing team read the actual message: "We suck." The kid who masterminded the prank has been suspended.

» Article here

» Watch the video or click play below.


Via Across The Board

Chicks

Cycling Madness!

Pure Awesome!

Woman called the 'black widow' eats 173 wings in 12 minutes.

Sonya Thomas proved it again Saturday, winning the wing-eating championship at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in, where else, Buffalo. The competitive eater wolfed down 173 wings in 12 minutes. That's a new record for the holiday gathering. Thomas also holds the old one.

And unlike most of her rivals, she's no beefy chowhound. The 40-year-old Virginian weighs just 105 pounds. But she's known in competition as "The Black Widow."

Among her other eating achievements: 250 tater tots in five minutes, 37 hot dogs in 12 minutes, 11 pounds of cheesecake in nine minutes, and she once scarfed down 44 lobsters in 12 minutes. » Article here - Via Across The Board

Marvel/DC

More Film News

JONNY QUEST'S NEXT ADVENTURE IN LIVE-ACTION.
Warner Bros. Pictures is set to bring Hanna-Barbera's action cartoon JONNY
QUEST to the silver screen as a live-action production, report the trades.
Dan Mazeau, who sold the spec script LAND OF LOST THINGS to Nickelodeon,
has been tapped to pen a screenplay. Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter will
produce.

The original animated series aired in primetime on ABC beginning in 1964.
The show follows Jonny Quest on globetrotting adventures with his scientist
father, Dr. Benton C. Quest, adopted Indian brother Hadji, pet bulldog
Bandit and "Race" Bannon, a government agent assigned to protect the
Quest's during their studies. The franchise spawned several revamped series
as well as comicbook titles.

Dan Lin and Matt Reilly are shepherding for Warners.

This isn't the first time a live-action QUEST project has been in the
works. In 1994, Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner worked with Tribeca
Prods. to adapt the series to the screen, but the project never took off.

VOLTRON TRANSFORMS INTO FEATURE AT FOX.
Riding the popularity of the box office's favorite giant robots in
TRANSFORMERS, 20th Century Fox-based New Regency is in final talks with the
Mark Gordon Co. to bring VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE to the big
screen as a live-action film, VARIETY reports. Gordon has been developing
the project and previously hired Justin Marks (HE-MAN) to pen the script.

Based on the '80s anime/manga/toy franchise, the feature will take place in
New York City and Mexico after an alien invasion has decimated Earth, and
will follow five survivors, who take possession of five lion-like robots,
which when combined form the giant robot Voltron.

Gordon will produce alongside Lawrence Inglee and Jordan Wynn. Mark Costa
and Ford Oelman are exec producing.

The project, which was been in development for three years, has been funded
thus far by Jim Young's Animus Films.

STARDUST DIRECTOR TAKES ON THOR.
Marvel Studios has tapped STARDUST helmer Matthew Vaughn to direct the
screen adaptation of THOR, reports VARIETY. Marvel hopes to beat out
loaming strikes by starting production this winter. I AM LEGEND scribe Mark
Protosevich penned the screenplay.

First hitting comicbooks in 1962, Thor is a god whose arrogance leads his
father Odin to transport his son into the body of disabled medical student
Donald Blake, who, until discovering his thunder hammer, does not realize
he is a god.

This isn't Vaughn's first go-around in the world of superheroes. He was
originally hired to direct X-MEN 3, but stepped down for personal reasons.

PATHE & BBC OPEN NEW LIVE-ACTION JUNGLE BOOK.
Pathe and the BBC have teamed on a new live-action adaptation of Rudyard
Kipling's classic THE JUNGLE BOOK, reports VARIETY. BBC documentary
filmmaker John Downer (PRIDE) will helm the $50 million production, which
will be based on a screenplay by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle. 102
DALMATIANS producer Michelle Fox will produce for Downer's shingle.

Pre-production on the massive project will begin in September. Real-world
animal footage will be shot at India's Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and will
be interspersed with trained-animal footage shot on both jungle and
bluescreen sets. As in his Emmy-nominated PRIDE, Downer will use CG to make
the animals appear to talk. It is estimated that it will take two years to
complete.

Pathe is the worldwide rights holder for the production and will distribute
the film in the U.K. and France.

The Wonderful Designs of Bryan Ballinger

Eyes Wide Shut

In 1947 Life Magazine asked some famous comic strip artists to to draw their famous characters while wearing a blindfold. Click the image to see the results, quite interesting:

MORE 3D FROM FUEL- WRIGLEY'S EXTRA

Have you noticed the high quality 3D work coming out of Sydney-based Fuel VFX these last few months? Here's a quick recap: Sony, Johnny Walker, Sony (again), and now this spot (first of two) for Wrigley's Extra with its adorable vinyl toy inspired food items. Nice work Fuel.

Director: Jonathan Baker
DOP: Nigel Bluck
Producer: Johnny Greally
Agency: DDB Sydney
VFX: Fuel
Audio: Nylon
Via Stashmedia

MEGUNICA TRAILER

The first official trailer for the Lorenzo Fonda, Blu, Mecurio Films street art documentary filmed in Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Argentina is now online. Watch the trailer for Megunica here. More about Megunica here.

Objectuve Ministries - Have a look at this

Beautiful Designs in this Cool 3D film

Laughing German Midget

October 07, 2007

This Year's Best from Gobelin!

Emile et les fabuleux petits monsieurs

Keep Walking

Chronos 1.0

Anima facta est

La Grande Arche