"Snow Facts" by Science ChannelScience Channel
Friday, November 29, 2013
Video: Christmas Lights World Record
An Australian family has set the Guinness World Record for having the most Christmas lights on their home. Friends and neighbours showed up to take a closer look at the 502,165 Christmas lights that illuminate the residential property of David Richards and his family in Canberra. It's not the first time that the Richards family strung up a record number of lights; they set a record in 2011 with 331,038 fairy lights, but were trumped in 2012 by a New York family.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Music Video: Song of Time
The entire time I'm watching this video, I'm thinking "what sort of violinist allows her instrument to get wet?!" Band nerd issues aside, this is a great video. Violinist Taylor Davis is a huge fan of the Zelda video game series, and to show her love, she even recorded Melodies of Hyrule: Music from ‘The Legend of Zelda’, an album where she plays 16 Zelda compositions. Purchase Melodies of Hyrule here!
Music Video: Magic the Gathering
I've had my fingers crossed for over a year, and finally, both Kickstarter and IndieGogo campaigns have been successful. Now, the movie is finally available on YouTube!
"For the first time, MTGTM is finally available online to see in anticipation of our new upcoming project: Pepper's Place. If you enjoy MTGTM please visit our indiegogo page and show your support. Hope you enjoy. Synopsis: Jake, a teenager who lives to play Magic the Gathering, heads to the local comic book shop one Saturday to try his hand at the latest tournament. There he finds a wide variety of characters including a Vampire the Masquerade enthusiast, a bumbling nerd down on his luck, and a pair of battling rappers, all there to take the top prize. Jake must gather his strength and use his training to win the day, although his true reward may not be what he expects. Be ready for puppets and singing."
Video: Mean Elves
"Mean Elves" by OnlyLeigh
A Hobbit/Mean Girls
animated Mash-up!
"On his most adventurous quest yet, Bilbo Baggins discovers the A-list clique of Middle Earth- The elves. "Mean Elves" "
Video: I Ship It
"I Ship It" — an Icona Pop parody by Not Literally Productions
Finally, an anthem all of Tumblr can get behind.
Short Film: Song Of The Knight
"Song Of The Knight" by Steven Ray of Ringling Computer Animation
Magic swords are great and all, but what happens when you get a singing sword that simply won't shut up? In this animated short, one knight decides he's had enough of his weapon; however, there came eventuallya time when the infuriating thing could be turned to his advantage.
Short Film: A Magnifying Mess
"SuperBot, a tiny toy robot, will learn that reality depends on the looking glass you are looking through."
Quick Pic: 8-Bit Teatime
Dina Belenko decided to recreate parts of a Mario level using sugar
cubes and the results are fantastic. I wouldn’t mind seeing some more
retro games remade in a similar manner.
Quick Pic: Every Death in SoIF
Every Death in A Song of Ice And Fire
Source: Bookstore Twitter feed WaterstonesDork
This is just what you need to remember your blessing on Thanksgiving: every character death in George R.R. Martin's
A Song of Ice And Fire series, marked with post-its. I don’t know who is crueler: Martin, or
whoever went through and counted them all up. It’s like a strange
rainbow of murder.
Papercraft: Woven Masks
Woven Masks by Kansas-based origami artist Joel Cooper
Original pieces available for purchase from Etsy.
Original pieces available for purchase from Etsy.
Joel Cooper creates awesomely intricate three-dimensional masks and geometric shapes, each using a single sheet of paper. In keeping with origami tradition, no cutting or glue is used to make these paper sculptures. Some of his pieces are hand-painted, dyed, or stained both before and after the complex folding process. As a final touch, each piece is treated with polyurethane, acrylic or shellac to make it sturdy enough to display.
Sweets: Metroid Cake Balls
Also don't miss Metroid Sugar Cookies.
"A couple of weeks ago, my gaming co-worker brought in some baked goods which he dubbed “cake balls.” They were half-inch balls of cake dipped in chocolate. The chocolate coating gave the bite-sized treat a light, crunchy shell. Delicious! I had those in mind when putting these Metroid goodies together."
Sweets: R2-D2 Cake
"My son wanted a star wars theme for his 5th birthday, so I thought R2D2 was the appropriate cake. It was defiinitley a labor of love. It took a very very long time to make it. But since it was for him, I wanted it to be extra special. I inserted a red LED light and a voice module so he also sounded like R2D2. First tier was vanilla, second banana and the bottom tier was chpc mud. He loved it, so it made it all worth while. :)"
Posters: Doctor Who 50th Anniversary
Doctor Who 50th Anniversary by Danny Miller
18” X 24” limited edition 4 color screen print.
Available for purchase from 20eyes Collective. US$25
Posters: Dr. Manhattan
"Dr. Manhattan" by Kevin Tong
24” X 36” screen print with glow in the dark inks, numbered edition of 325. Part of Mondo's
Black Friday items on sale Friday, November 29th 2013, between 10am
until 12pm CST. Follow their Twitter feed for the random on sale
announcement.
Illustration: Incredible Hulk Comic
"Hell-aciously busy with work, but I really wanted to draw this comic."
Link Round-Up: November 28, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone, and a Merry Black Friday, too!
Here's a fresh take on Norman Rockwell's "Freedom from Want."
Interview: Critic Paul Gravett, whose newest book Comics Art was just published in the United Kingdom, talks about the nature of the comics medium and its cultural significance.
Interview: Neil Gaiman joins OnPoint to discuss his dark, new series on the origins of “The Sandman," Overture.
Interview: Neil Gaiman On How To Write Comics
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Video: Blade Runner - Aquarelle
"This animation consists of 12 597 handmade aquarelle paintings, each painting is approximately 1,5*3cm in size. Together they form my 35 minute long paraphrase on the motion picture Blade Runner (1982) by Ridley Scott."
Music Video: Cello Wars
What if the final lightsaber battle between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader used cellos instead of lightsabers? It's a question no one has ever asked themselves... except The Piano Guys.
Why did they do this? Because of their "unending admiration of George Lucas, John Williams, and the most EPIC movies and film score ever created." Plus, Sharp Nelson's 6-year-old son thought it would be cool. After 70 days, more than 7,000 frames, 72 audio tracks, 24 hours of green screen filming, several broken bows and strings, and over 1,000 hours of editing and rendering, the results are glorious.
Music Video: Doctor Who Violin Cover
Violinist Steve Bingham plays Ron Grainer’s Doctor Who theme as arranged by Phil Toms with extra synthesizers and melodica by Scott Ampleford.
Lecture: Doctor Who Villains
In honor of Doctor Who’s 50th, physicist Martin Archer of Head Squeeze considers the real science behind the fictional villains of Doctor Who. I know that I, for one, have always been perplexed by the whole gold weakness of the Cybermen. It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
If you enjoy this, make sure to also check out the Head Squeeze look at the science of the Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver.
Short Film: Souvenir
"Souvenir" by Gabriel Covacich from The Cgbros
Apparatus G Studio created this sci-fi short film, Souvenir. The film was created by Gabriel Covacich and co-directed by Covacich and Mario Armon, who was also the writer. It's a very dark film reminiscent of Skyline, but the story and cinematography are admirable.
Crafts: Flying Ships
Blinking City did a nice human interest piece on an Italian man named Luigi Prina with a rather imaginative hobby - building models of flying ships by hand. Each one is built of ultrathin paper, balsa wood, and rubber bands. Prina, age 83, was an architect for over fifty years, but he began building model when he was still in grade school. The piece waxes nostalgic, and it's little wonder why. The pieces are like something out of a dream, and the man's studio look the way DaVinci's might if he lived in modern day Italy.
Crafts: Raccoon Mario Throw
Source: Imgur via Reddit
"I started this guy in August 2013, approximately 5 years after I saw someone else make a similar blanket and swore I'd make myself one. Finally finished in November 2013. :D It took about 24 balls of yarn, over 100 hours, a lot of my sleep, and a lot of goddamned television. But it is done! And I'm never making one ever again. Holy crap."
Sweets: Conjoined Cookies
Conjoined Gingerdead Men cookies by Annabel de Vetten of the Conjurer’s Kitchen
I don't know about you, but Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year, and I love finding every way possible to make it last through the entire season. Small touches like this conjoined gingerbread man are a fantastic way to work a little fright into the season of light.
Sweets: Turkey Cake
Candy Corn-stuffed Thanksgiving Turkey Cake by Beth Klosterboer of Hungry Happenings
The turkey is a layered, frosted yellow cake with wings and
drumsticks hand-molded using a paste made of frosting and mashed cake.
The impressively realistic stuffing is a combination of toasted cake
cubes and crumbled bits of frosting/cake paste dusted with cocoa powder.
And the veggie trimmings are made of fondant and modeling chocolate. Click here for the complete recipe and step-by-step instructions.
Sweets: Gingerbread TARDIS
Gingerbread TARDIS by Fortunekitty
[Previously: Gingerbread TARDIS]
I'm thinking back through all the Doctor Who Christmas specials, and I can't remember a single instance of the Doctor actually decking out the TARDIS. However, after seeing this awesome gingerbread concept model, I've decided that it totally needs to be a thing.
Sweets: Gingerbread AT-AT
Gingerbread AT-AT by Chef Aaron Lawrence of Catalano Restaurant
Created for Canada's National Gingerbread Showcase at Inn at Laurel Point
[Previously: Gingerbread AT-AT]
[Previously: Gingerbread AT-AT]
This awesome Gingerbread Rudolph the Red-Nosed AT-AT was created by Chef Aaron Lawrence of the Catalano Restaurant & Cicchetti Bar at the Magnolia Hotel & Spa in Victoria, BC. It was created for the 5th Annual Canada’s National Gingerbread Showcase, which started November 23rd.
Merchandise: Doctor Who Vinyl Figures
50th Anniversary Doctor Who Vinyl Figures by Matt "Lunartik" JOnes
Artist Proofs available for purchase from Lunartik. £20 - £4o
"As the designer of the new Doctor Who Vinyl Figures for Titan Merchandise range I have the pleasure to release 80 artist proof figures. Each has been signed & numbered, bagged for freshness ready to go to good homes!"
Street Art: Pixel Pancho Collaboration
Italian artist Pixel Pancho, best known for his signature robotic imagery, was recently invited by UnderDogs to create a number of murals and other interventions in Lisbon, Portugal. This awesome piece was created in collaboration with street artist Vhils (Alexandre Farto), who is known for his instantly recognizable “subtractive” style
of etching imagery into walls. The piece, created over the course of four days, is located near the Restaurante Jardim Do Marisco. I'm holding out hope that it lasts long enough for Google Earth to map it. Photographed by Underdogs and Miguel Vinagre.
Posters: Tolkien Films
The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings Movie Posters by Jon E. Allen
Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$32
Posters: Star Wars Litho Series
Star Wars Litho Series by Louis Solis
Limited edition prints available for purchase from Acme Archives. $40.00
Gaming Round-Up: November 27, 2013
Interview: Critical Path has a video interview with Matt Boch talking about crossover of gender politics and motion capture techniques. “We’re taking things we understand, and we’re saying lets put them out in media and perpetuate these understandings… We can imagine elves and orcs, but men and women still behave in a particular way”
"According to a new study by the Queensland University of Technology, playing video games improves children’s emotional, social, and psychological well-being..." and other things you probably already knew. More at GamePolitics.
Andy Robertson argues games are like poems, in the work they ask us to put in in order to extract meaning. Similarly, Nick Dinicola talks about Telltale’s The Wolf Among Us and how limited expressions can be more potent.
Link Round-Up: November 27, 2013
"Play Me Those Old Cartridge Blues" by Columbus, Ohio-based Jake Murray
Prints available for purchase from the artist's website. US$15
Interview: Ivan Reis on Drawing the Justice League
Interview: Ryan North is the creator of the popular webcomic Dinosaur Comics, which has run for over two thousand issues using the exact same art and panel layout for each strip. A Kickstarter he launched for his book To Be or Not To Be, a choose-your-own-adventure-style version of Hamlet, raised well over half a million dollars, making it the most successful publishing-related Kickstarter ever.
Interview: This interview on Boston’s WBUR with Tom Ashbrook features Neil Gaiman talking about what he knows best: comics and their place in the contemporary oeuvre. I once had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Gaiman for the Boston Phoenix when he came to town for a benefit reading for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and he said “Bless comics, they are a gutter literature. That is their power.”
Featurette: Creating Time Lord Art
Did “The Day Of The Doctor” leave you wondering how how it’s possible to make a 3D painting? Here’s how Doctor Who‘s genius visual effects team at Milk brought Gallifreyan art to life.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Link Round-Up: November 26, 2013
"Here's a look at my steampunk avengers...this design never was approved by marvel for tshirt production but it was sure fun to draw."
Infographic: The Middle Earth Travel Guide
Interview: Bill Willingham talks about writing the latest Fables spinoff Fairest in All the Land, a “fair play” murder mystery in which the reader has as much information as the sleuth — in this case, Cinderella.
Have you ever been to a thrift store (think Goodwill or Salvation Army) and noticed that they usually carry a small selection of landscape paintings? Artists Chris McMahon and Thryza Segal decided to inject a little fun into these discarded works and give them a second life by adding monsters to the scenic landscapes.
How Marvel’s New Universe holds up—or not—three decades later.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Music Video: Doctor Who – The Musical
Travis Slavin as Doctor Who and Elizabeth Oldak as his companion!
How Spider-Man gets a Broadway musical before Doctor Who, I'll never know, but here's what it might have looked like if Who did get his moment in the sun.
Video: The Doctor Games
It's a simple premise. All the Doctors, including new Doctor Peter Capaldi and the War Doctor, are brought together in an outdoor arena. Only one Doctor will be allowed to leave in the Tardis. Welcome to the "The Doctor Games."
"All 13 Doctors are forced into a battle royale by The Master and the Daleks in this R rated trailer spoof. WHO WILL WIN?"
Video: The Five Doctors Reboot
With the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who about to film, the "Classic" Doctors are keen to be involved. But do they manage it?
Sculpture: Upcylced Insects
Upcylced Insect Sculptures by French artist Edouard Martinet
On exhibit at Sladmore Contemporary in London, November 27- January 31, 2014.
Edouard Martinet is making a name for himself with these intricately detailed insect sculptures which he screws together from junk such as discarded car and typewriter parts. The results are stunning and vaguely steampunk. Why don't they make toys action figures this awesome?
Merchandise: 8-Bit Chopping Boards
8-Bit Chopping Boards
Available for purchase from Timber Arcadia. US$139.91
"These hand-made end-grain chopping boards are constructed with solid Rock Maple, Walnut and Myrtle timbers. The pixel character is created by patterning different natural wood pieces by colour. These boards will add a retro style to your kitchen for years to come."
Posters: Bigger on the Inside
Prints available at the Artist’s Shop and Society6. US$17.68
"“Peace for Lonely Monsters” is a collection of stories, musings, and simple daydreams from people who have come to love the Doctor in all his different forms and traits. I have found a few in my archives that I've saved from past times, and I unfortunately cannot find the people who originally wrote them. But for the remainder of the storybook, I’d like you to submit your personal story, thoughts, or daydreams with the Doctor. Leave your name, or an alias— and your age if you’re comfortable with it."