They are for the big

Star Wars Episode III – Backstroke of the West

I present to you screen captures from Star Wars Episode III – Backstroke of the West by way of winterson.com blog. There’s not much I can add to this, except for a whole bunch of loud belly-achin’ laughs. “The front is a lemon avenue flying straightly”? Comedy gold. We need the original actors to redub the movie reading off this subtitle.

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Scott's Najuriden

ArtRage, A Terrific Painting Program

I was randomly browsing when I suddenly found this fantastic piece of digital art on the net. It led me to a digital painting program from Ambient Design Ltd. called ArtRage. It can simulate realistic brush stokes on canvas or paper, as if you were really working with oil or acrylics. And it even gives you tiny congealed globs of paint if you move the brush in a certain angle. The colours will mix realistically when different paints overlap. Today, I tried my hand at it, using my trusty mouse in lieu of a graphics tablet, and here are the first two attempts at freehand painting, with no visual references. I’m really having fun with this and will have to practise more to refine my technique which currently sucks… the best I can with a mouse.  

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Where No Fan Has Gone Before

Billy West Interview

Billy West? Who, you ask? Just a voice in one of the best animated TV series ever, Futurama. He wasn’t just Philip J. Fry. He was also the voices of Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, and even Richard Nixon. Now based on the diverse characters he brought to life with his voice in the list there, I would opine that Billy West is one of the best voice actors in the business. Earlier this week he was interviewed by The Onion, which cast some light on how Fox Network saw Futurama (which ultimately killed the show) and how movie producers treat voice actors, which is shameful. Especially the part about the Space Jam premiere party at Grauman’s Chinese Theater at the end of the article. Here is an excerpt of the interview: The Onion: At what point did you realize Futurama wasn’t going to make it? Billy […]

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How many boners?

Batman: Laughing at the Joker’s Boner

Taking a break from Sila’s wedding, let us now read on the subject of comics. Specifically, DC’s Batman’s comics. It’s nothing to do with the Warner Animation’s excellent animated series, nor will we be talking about Christian Bale in the upcoming Batman Begins… Instead, let’s take a look back at the time when Batman and most probably the entire Gotham City laughed at Joker’s boner. Yes, you heard me. The Joker’s boner! (By way of the Accordion Guy.)

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Hishgraphics H

Neil Gaiman’s Nebula Awards Speech

The creator of Lord Morpheus aka Dream aka Oneiros aka Orpheus’ Father aka the Thirdborn of the Endless was at the Nebula Awards in Chicago, Illinois last week and he gave a pretty awesome speech which like all of his written works (novel, novella or comic book) is an enjoyable read. If you like books and reading in general, I urge you to read Neil Gaiman’s journal, where he writes of the happenings around him (including the time his daughter hijacked his journal) and answers letters from his fans in a witty and fun manner. If you’re wondering here are the results for the Nebula Awards, which also includes Fran Walsh, Philipa Boyens and Peter Jackson for the Best Script Awards for Lord of the Rings – The Return of the King. Here is an excerpt from his speech: Gene Wolfe pointed out to me, five years ago, when I […]

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Liesson

Homemade Computer Generated Landscapes, You Ask?

You’ve seen it in the movies and television. Camera swooping down on artificially-made terrain. The terrain resides in the mind of the computer, and so does the camera. If you ask, can I do this on my home computer? Can I generate an artificial landscape and have it look near-photorealistic? Can I make green fields and snowcapped mountains and beaches and islands and desolate rocky coastline? The answer to that is yes, with Terragen. And it’s freeware! Just download, install and you can start to build landscapes like this nifty sunset snowscape I made: It’ll take some getting use to. But when you can figure it out, the results are spectacular. Try it out.

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Nooooo

Tales from the Duck Side

Remember the time when you were a little child and whenever you need to cross the road, an adult would have to lead you? Did you think you were safe? I have here undeniable proof that it can well be dangerous to be led across the road by an adult.

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