Que C'est Mignone!

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Grickle

I know it feels like I'm turning this into a video blog. But really … I can't help it. I keep finding really great videos. I promise: I'm thinking deep thoughts about the Palin affair, about gay marriage, about realpolitik — but when I come across something visual, my gut just aches to share it.

Behold, the genius of Grickle:

I Am Not Like Mr Wurfel

I'm not… I'm not… I'm not!



But something about this animated short struck a chord in me.

Warming Up on McCain / Palin

I've got plenty of serious commentary on the progress of the campaign — which I'll get to soon enough. But why bemoan, when you can just laugh your arse off:



And then there's this one, from CNN… I'm not sure which is more amusing: Ben Stein (a major Republican strategist — and a man with a delightful cameo in Ferris Buehler's Day Off) gobsmacked by the choice of Palin — or the CNN talking head stunned at Stein's candor!

Oh l'Amour!

I love animation… and I especially love the student work done at French powerhouse art school, Gobelins (the irony that a visual communications school has, perhaps, the ugliest site I've seen in some time is not lost on me). Check out this recent masterpiece… Oktapodi.

UPDATE: Here's a little "making of" video!

A Cycle of Violence

Over the years, I've had the… um… opportunity to interact with police in a variety of situations. Traffic violations, calls for support when kids were trespassing in our condo's pool, city functions, and just out on the beat. And while a few have sported "tough guy" attitudes (lamentable for any civil servant), they've all been professional. A few, even, have even been spectacular. So when I hear stories of police brutality I am immediately of two minds: "the story's being blown out of proportion" and "authority breeds unrighteous dominion".

But some times — on rare occasions — I'm of only one mind. Take a look at this footage:



Now read the follow-up story in the New York Post (not known for an even-handed approach). Here's more about the Pogan assault at the Smoking Gun. If you're not familiar with Critical Mass, they're an amazing grassroots cyclist empowerment organization. There's even a small Salt Lake City chapter.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger… Videos

So I'm online some 12 hours a workday, so you shouldn't be surprised that I see more than my fair share of videos… and it's always fun when you see a trend develop.

Let's first start with the song: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (iTunes), by Daft Punk.

I first heard the song last year I think, on a video put out by a French inventor:




But the real fun started, I believe, when a couple of girls decided to be living lyrics:




… and then a couple guys responded:




… of course the Simpsons picked it up:




… but I think these two killed it off, well-and-good:




Only to have these two kids breathed new life into it:




It's kind of gone full circle.

Kinda.

Mormons on "The Mormons"

So last night was a night that has been long-in-coming among a number of my Mormon friends… it was the premier of the two-part series by PBS entitled "The Mormons".

And I missed it.

Though, to my credit, I enjoyed what I was doing (watching a little league game) much more.

: )

But it was a big night, and I'm hoping to find a place and some friends to watch the second installment with. In the mean time, there are a few open threads on the subject in the Bloggernacle: one at Nine Moons, one at Times & Seasons, and one at Mormon Mentality. And not to be out shined, the Church has two (TWO!) press releases on the show: one, two.

( Look for my comments on the shows and on our reactions in those threads. )

UPDATE: Looks like I can watch "The Mormons" online! Thanks for the heads-up, Sustain'd!

Here's another press release from the Church on the show.

Los Angeles > London | Part III of Driving to London

I awoke early Saturday morning to shower and gather my things together. The concierge had hired a car for me, and it was to arrive at 6:30am. Too early for breakfast — too early for much of anything — but the drive was pleasant and fast. My driver and I chatted along the way, which made the trip all the more of both.

A quick check-in (I never have more luggage than a single carry-on), and I was boarding... and from there, I can't much remember what happened when — or on which leg of the journey. Of the trip East, I remember a delay in Chicago due to a storm in New York that kept me from making it to church in London. I also remember Felecia joining us in Chicago — an engaging, lively, and beautiful woman on her way (via a short holiday in London) to South Africa to complete a Fullbright Scholarship... and I remember spending two hours (TWO HOURS!) in customs upon arriving at Heathrow.

But the rest, well, I can't recall exactly.

Some time during my trip — Los Angeles to London, or the other way around — I saw Little Miss Sunshine, which was a delight that brought me to tears and to laughter a few times — and whose soundtrack I've since purchased and listened to many times. I saw The World's Fastest Indian, which was wonderful and which reminded me of home and friends who had been extras in it (part of it was shot in Utah). I saw Marie Antoinette... which would have been twice as good had it been just a little bit shorter. I saw pieces of Man of the Year, and agreed with the assessment of one reviewer who said it was Wag the Dog minus the insightful political commentary. And I saw Running with Scissors, which somehow held my full attention despite being filled with unlovable characters and suffering from a pace which could only be described as glacial. It did, however, sport a wonderful sound track — which I also purchased upon my return home.

And that's it: a fog of memories at 36,000 feet, interrupted by bags of peanuts, orange juice, and two perfectly horrendous in-flight "meals". The strange thing in all of this, is that I love to fly... and loved my flights… I just can't recall why.

Next Stop: The Flat!

"A New Sith", or "Revenge of the Hope"

I found this, and had to post it... fascinating little write-up. I've always loved the Star Wars world. Not so much for the movies — which at their best were only good — but for the mythology.

Reconsidering Star Wars Episode IV in Light of Episodes I thru III

From the site:

If we accept all the Star Wars films as the same canon, then a lot that happens in the original films has to be reinterpreted in the light of the prequels. As we now know, the rebel Alliance was founded by Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa. What can readily be deduced is that their first recruit, who soon became their top field agent, was R2-D2.


( Sorry about the broken link. Fixed. Thanks Devin! )

Heroes

I wish this were some well-honed piece on the people in my life that have made a difference — perhaps along the lines of my Hall of Famers post over at Nine Moons — but it isn't. It's a fanboy post about NBC's amazing new show, Heroes.

I don't have a television, so I first encountered Heroes via their iTunes site... and now I'm hooked.

NBC's Heroes site says:

As a total eclipse casts its shadow across the globe, a genetics professor in India is led by father's disappearance to uncover a secret theory — there are people with super powers living among us. A young dreamer tries to convince his politician brother that he can fly. A high school cheerleader learns that she is totally indestructible. A Las Vegas stripper, struggling to make ends meet to support her young son, discovers that her mirror image has a secret. A fugitive from justice continues to baffle authorities who twice have been unable to contain him. A gifted artist, whose drug addiction is destroying his life and relationship with his girlfriend, can paint the future. A down-on-his-luck Los Angeles beat cop can hear people's thoughts, which puts him on the trail of an elusive serial killer. In Japan, a young man develops a way to stop time through sheer will power. Their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world.

Yeah... pretty long-winded. Good thing the show has better writers.

Basically, this show is what happens ( to borrow a metaphor from M Night Shamalyan ) between the first and second panel of a debut superhero comic — it's what happens _after_ the discovery of powers, and _before_ being a hero.

What's more, is that NBC is finally starting to "get" the web, and has short, 6-page Heroes web comics available after each episode that explore some of the show's themes in greater detail — character backstories, titilating bits and pieces that you won't get anywhere else. Very nice... and if that's not enough, series creator Tim Kring has an amazing fansite of his own, 9th Wonders.

And the good news? The show is on hiatus until Jan 22 — so there's plenty of time to catch-up before new episodes start airing. Just download the Hereos episodes via iTunes or from the NBC site ( I think the NBC downloads have commercials )!

: )

Want the cliff's notes ( including spoilers )? Check-out the Heroes entry at Wikipedia.

The Snowman... and His Evil Twin

Have you seen The Snowman? The British, animated short featuring a boy and his snowman? It's one of my favorite holiday treats... but nothing that good stays un-tarnished. Marketers love a good hook, and the folks at Irn Bru ( a not-so-soft-drink from the UK ) found theirs.

See a grainy snippet from the original ( you really ought to buy the full short ):



And now, for your delectation, the advert from Irn Bru:

If You Needed a Reason to Vote...

Policy Alert: Broadcast Treaty

Found via Luc Latulippe:

An incredibly diverse coalition of high-powered public interest groups, industry associations, and corporations have signed an open letter to the US Patent and Trademark Office rejecting the “Broadcast Treaty,” a US-led UN initiative that could do untold harm to artists, tech and telecoms companies, scholars, and people with disabilities.

Under the Broadcast Treaty, fair use, Creative Commons and the public domain would be trumped by the “broadcast right,” which would be owned by the broadcaster of works. If you got a copy of a work over the air or over the Web that copyright would let you use (because it was in the public domain, because it was factual, or even because the creator had granted you permission), you’d still need to seek permission from the “caster,” who would get a 50-year monopoly over the re-use of copies of the works it transmitted. (my italics)

The proposal to extend this to the Web could put YouTube, Google Video, and innovative podcaster services out of business, by banning or restricting the way that these companies re-use each others’ materials. And if you’re a podcaster accustomed to lifting other podcasters’ material and pasting it into your podcasts, you’ll need permission from the company that hosts the podcasts, not just permission from the creator.

The Webcasting provision has been underwritten by Yahoo and Microsoft, whose advocates at the UN work tirelessly to keep the US on-track in pushing the rest of the world to taking it on board. The rest of the world doesn’t want Webcasting, but it keeps sneaking back into the treaty, over howls of protests from artists and major governments.
Now some of Yahoo and Microsoft’s competitors have woken up to the fact that they’re about to get their lunches eaten for them and have signed onto a letter asking the USPTO to quit handing their doom to a couple of companies.

The letter’s signatories are wonderful, ranging from AT&T and Verizon to Yale, to Dell and Intel, and library associations from the medical librarians to the law librarians and more. Also on the list are TiVo, EFF, Panasonic, H-P, the US musicians’ managers, and many others.

Home and personal networking. Under the current draft of the treaty, the broad scope of the proposed rights, combined with proposed additional rights regarding technological protection measures (TPMs) in connection with these rights, raises questions about whether “casters” would gain the ability to control signals in the home or personal network environment. Such control is without precedent and would interfere with the rollout of broadband and home and personal networking services and limit the development of innovative devices that provide home and personal networking functionality.

Accordingly, the treaty should include a provision excluding coverage of fixations, transmissions or retransmissions across a home or personal network. Further, we should note that many of our group believe that TPM provisions are inappropriate in connection with this treaty and should be excluded from the treaty entirely.

Link to PDF

_________________

I don't have a settled opinion on this... but it certainly needs more attention than it's getting.

Meme: Four Things

Sorry about two meme posts in a row... but a dear friend ( whose Batman Begins I'm holding for ransom ) just sent me this... so I couldn't resist:

A. Four jobs I have had in my life:

Baker's assistant
Bag-boy
Bill collector
Software interface designer

B. Four movies I would watch over and over.

Young Sherlock Holmes
Lord of the Rings Trilogy ( I II III )
A Man for All Seasons
Spirited Away

C. Four places I have lived

Spokane, WA
East LA, CA
Québec City, PQ
Provo, UT

( Check-out my "Places I've Lived" map at Platial )

D. Four TV shows I love to watch

Project Runway
Prison Break
Psych
Eureka ( I found this one on iTunes )

E. Four places I have been on vacation

Copenhagen, Denmark
Banff, Canada
Reykjavik, Iceland
San Francisco, USA

F. Four Websites I visit daily: ( I have 400 feeds in my newsreader... but you want just four... )

Metafilter
Times & Seasons
Ideas in Food
Utah Centralist

G. Four of my favorite foods:

Pho
Miso soup
Vanilla ice cream served in my famous spicy fruit reduction
Corn dogs

H. Four places I'd rather be right now:

Stockholm, Sweden
Boston, USA
Beijing, China
Isfahan, Iran

I. Four friends I think will respond:

Hehe... this is a trick question, right?

Flight Patterns

( A little lunch-time diversion. )

I've seen this linked twice in the last week — once by Metafilter maven, Matt Haughey, and another time by Processing guru Joshua Tarbell ( whose work at Complexification I adore ) — so I thought I'd share it with my dear readers before it became popular.

Flight Patterns is a coup in animation.

Amazing: The Lyrebird Song

From the Proceedings of the Athanasius Kircher Society:

This video apparently made the rounds on the internet several months ago, but it is so wonderful that we feel compelled to pass it along for those who might not have seen it yet. Earlier this year, to celebrate David Attenborough’s 80th birthday, the public was asked to vote on a favorite moment from his countless TV documentaries. This clip of the Australian lyrebird was voted the most popular. We won’t spoil it by trying to describe it.

It's a must-see video clip.

Can I Buy You a Coke?

Looks like the geniuses behind Coke's adverts have done it again.

Welcome to the Happiness Factory!



My favorite part? The snow people getting fargoed.

Heh.

YouTube Link.

You go... No you go... Okay.

So I don't know when I first encountered OK go — a British alternative pop quartet — but I do remember how: a home-made video they shot in one of their back yards. It was great. It was so great, in fact, that it inspired a slough of fanflix... from Vietnam (or maybe a Vietnamese cultural center...), to state-side Christian Youth Groups, and high school BMOCs.

And now they've done it again.



I fear what this may inspire.

: )

Lady in the Water

I headed to the theater Saturday evening, hoping to catch a flick... specifically hoping to catch Cars or Over the Hedge. Something light and airy to distract me from what has been a pretty off month. But as I rounded the corner into Gateway's food alley, the movie's marquee didn't look promising... Cars and Over the Hedge didn't appear to be showing. And the one movie I did want to see — M Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water — wasn't something I could see by myself. Too scary...

But marquees are sometimes wrong, so I took the escalator up to the theater, hoping for the best.

And who did I meet? My old roommate, Lafs, and Chocolate Kisses — a date from last year who is also a friend. They were on a group date and were waiting for the others to show. They were there to see Lady in the Water, and they asked if I'd like to join them. Um, yeah!

... thank Heaven for small miracles.

So Lafs introduced me to Chocolate Kisses... but we were already hugging. Small world.

Lafs' cousin and two other guys show up, and we head into the theater ( assigned seating ROCKS! )... and a few hours later, we left. My cohorts HATED the movie — which squares pretty well with what critics are saying about Lady in the Water — but I loved it. In fact, I even decided to post my review of it over at Metacritic. I don't think I can link to my review directly, so I'll just quote myself:

[A rating of 8/10]

Not MNS's best, but certainly a solid showing... and his larger budget is nicely reflected in better creature work. The difficulty is that this movie is a fairy tale — a bedtime story. And a self-aware one at that. Adults should take it, then, holes included. We don't talk of Little Red Riding Hood and complain that it would be impossible for the wolf to have two, whole people residing quietly in his stomach... we listen to the story for what it is: a bald moral tale dressed in the diaphanous robes of formulism. And that's okay.

I can't wait to see it again!

Anyway... there you go.

I loved it... but I loved The Game, too. So take my reviews with a grain of salt.

: )

Oh, and who knew: MNS penned a Lady in the Water book!