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Do It Yourself Comics: Stripgenerator.com
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 9, 2006 in Comic Books
I just discovered a website that allows you to create your own comic strips online. What’s cool about the website is that it features some very hip looking illustrations, not your standard comic book clip art: Here’s a quickie one panel that I put together in just a few seconds:
Earthlike Planets Might Be Common
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 9, 2006 in Science
It looks like astronomers are starting to think that there may be more Earth like planets that are out there, of course this isn’t anything new as Carl Sagan was talking about this sort of thing over twenty years ago. But what is new is that we are starting to get a real glimpse at other solar systems, it’s too bad folks like Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov aren’t alive to see the revolution that is starting in astronomy: Study: Earthlike planets may be common “Earthlike planets covered with deep oceans that could harbor life may be found in as many as a third of solar systems discovered outside of our own, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. These solar systems feature gas giants known as “Hot Jupiters,” which orbit extremely close to their parent stars — even closer than Mercury to our sun, University of Colorado researcher Sean Raymond said. The close-orbiting gassy planets may help encourage the formations of smaller, rocky, Earthlike planets, they reported in the journal Science. “We now think there is a new class of ocean-covered, and possibly habitable, planets in solar systems unlike our own,” Raymond said in a statement. The team from Colorado, Penn State University and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Maryland ran computer simulations of various types of solar systems forming. The gas giants may help rocky planets form close to the suns, and may help pull in icy bodies that deliver water to the young planets, they found.” British Film Institute Expands Archive
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 9, 2006 in Cinema
The British Film Institute publishes one of my favorite series of mini-books on films. It looks like they are expanding their website: BFI expands online film archive “Short films by Stephen Frears, the late John Schlesinger and brothers Tony and Ridley Scott can now be downloaded from the British Film Institute’s website. The initiative allows users to watch rarely shown early works from some of Britain’s leading film-makers. Six features are also available, among them 1974’s Pressure – regarded as one of Britain’s first black feature films. There are 230,000 films and 675,000 TV programmes in the BFI archive. Download costs range from £5 to £12.50.” …sadly it seems downloading the films is off limits to Americans! But it’s still neat to see them taking steps in this direction, Star Trek Turns FortySomething
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 8, 2006 in Star Trek
Today Star Trek hits middle age and turns forty. I grew up watching the re-runs of the series, although I was a tad too young at the time for the first mega “Bring back Star Trek” conventions in the 70s. Back then the show had a cult following, but it wasn’t until after the success of movies like Star Wars that Hollywood came back to the series. The show was a cultural icon even in the 70s, but I think most people had no idea that there would be not one, but four more TV series that would be created in the years to come. Yet in my mind as much as I loved the shows and movies that followed, none quite came close to capturing the magic of the original series (although Wrath of Khan came close). There’s a sort of charming magic to that show which stands the test of time, although the series is very much a product of the 60’s (but like the Beach Boy’s Pet Sounds perhaps that’s why we love it so much). Related article: Star Trek at 40: September 8, 1966
Captain Kirk: Scared of Space
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 7, 2006 in Star Trek
This is pretty funny stuff, however Shatner isn’t the only sci fi guy with a fear of flying — when Issac Asimov was alive he was afraid to take airplane trips: “Star Trek legend William Shatner has been offered a real-life space flight — but he won’t go boldly. Shatner — who plays fearless Kirk — says he is terrified of taking up Sir Richard Branson’s offer of joining Virgin Galactic’s first passenger flight in 2008. The actor fears he will throw up in space or the craft will crash. Shatner, 75, said yesterday: “I’m interested in man’s march into the unknown but to vomit in space is not my idea of a good time.” …however the article notes that Alien’s Sigourney Weaver is signed up! Paul Frank vs. Paul Frank
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 7, 2006 in Comic Books
I found this sad story via Boing Boing, it seems there is a feud between designer Paul Frank and the company that bears his name. The designer is no longer part of the $40 million empire built on his cute animal drawings: The Artist Formerly Known as Paul Frank “Depending on whom you ask, late last year Frank either quit or was forced out of the company he co-founded with Oswald, the C.E.O., and Heuser, the president. To Frank’s defenders, it’s as if Walt Disney had been separated from his eponymous empire. That’s because Frank created his own Mickey Mouse in Julius, the widemouthed monkey that adorns a substantial portion of the products sold by the company.” …after reading this it would make me think twice before buying another Paul Frank Industries product.
Oh No: Marvel Babies!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 6, 2006 in Comic Books
Superheroes go super cute: Marvel powers up girls and babies merch “Playing to new parents who want to pass their love of comic book heroes on to their wee ones is Marvel Babies, a comprehensive licensed baby brand that will have a product for every infant and toddler need. Marvel has turned back the clock on superheroes including Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor and Rhino-Man, using a pastel palette to render them as roly-poly infants in diapers and sucking on pacifiers.”
Rumor: PlayStation Phone
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 6, 2006 in Videogames
Looking at the success of Nintendo’s DS this might be pretty cool, of course I’m still holding out for an iPod phone from Apple: Sony May Introduce PlayStation Phone “Although no official announcement has been made yet, it’s clear that Sony has plans to leverage its massive PlayStation brand equity among gamers looking at the phone market. The real question is whether the company intends to add phone functionality to the PSP, introduce an entirely separate PlayStation phone device from Sony Ericsson, or do something else entirely. According to an interview in Japan’s Nikkei BP with Sony Computer Entertainment corporate executive Izumi Kawanishi, Sony hinted that going forward the PSP may become more and more of a network device.” Fan Video: Transformers vs. South Park
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 5, 2006 in Animation
The First Legend of Zelda Commercial
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 4, 2006 in Videogames
This is the very first Legend of Zelda commercial in the United States for the NES (created in Japan in 1986). The commercial is pretty funny stuff, it features a vintage hip hop beat: The Supersonic Future
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 4, 2006 in Television
This is a 1975 commercial for Braniff Airways showing the future of supersonic air travel, keep in mind during that era everyone was pretty darn sure that the SST would replace those ugly looking 747 aircraft. It’s sort of ironic that the Concorde has gone the way of history and there are more 747 looking airplanes than ever before. And other sad footnote is that Braniff Airways wouldn’t last past 1982: A Bruce Lee Theme Park?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 3, 2006 in Cinema
There may be plans to build a Bruce Lee theme park in Hong Kong: Screaming rollercoaster will kick off Bruce Lee theme park “CHINESE government officials are planning a Bruce Lee theme park, complete with a rollercoaster that emits the martial arts actor’s signature grunts and screams on high-speed bends. According to local reports, the park will be patrolled by Bruce Lee “mannequin robots”, radio-controlled from within a giant statue of the late star. The £10m theme park will be built at Shunde, a picturesque town of canals and bamboo gardens northwest of Hong Kong, which Lee’s grandfather left in the late 19th century to start a new life in America. ” But there is still a chance that this may not happen yet: “However, all this may be brought to a halt by Shannon Lee, the actor’s only surviving child, who plans to visit Shunde for the first time later this year “to find out what else they are dreaming up over there”. The 37-year-old Californian entrepreneur has her own plans including a television series that will use computer graphics to re-create Lee. “The technology is nearly here to make it look as if he is back,” she said last week. She has authorised a Broadway musical as well and hopes to work with the Chinese government, which is also discussing with the BBC a documentary about Lee’s life and his death at 32, following an allergic reaction to a headache pill.” …I hope if they do a computer game they don’t do anything too cheesy!
Sam and Max are back!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 3, 2006 in Videogames
One of my favorite games of the CD-ROM era was Sam and Max put out by LucasArts. In an era of Doom shooters, Sam and Max was based on storytelling and characters. I also loved the fact that it used humor and has some very good writing and artwork as well. I was very happy to read that there is work being done on a new Sam and Max game, my only regret is that looking at the screen shots it seems like they are doing it in 3D, it would be nice to see if they went with a flat cartoon style: “You might have surmised from reading previous entries on this very blog that I am a fan of Sam and Max Hit The Road. It’s fair to say that the classic LucasArts adventure game was “one of the defining events of my mid-adolescence,” as I put it to one of Telltale Games’ marketing gurus as he drove me from the bus station to their office in San Rafael. Oh! Did I mention that I took the bus up to San Rafael to visit the offices of Telltale Games? And saw a real live demonstration of their upcoming Sam and Max title?”
Japanese Commercial Set In Super Mario World
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 2, 2006 in Videogames
This is a neat hybrid live-action/stop-motion animation featuring a Japanese girl dressed up in a Mario outfit, riding a claymation Yoshi through the Super Mario World landscape which is populated with bottles and cans of Kirin Lemon instead of the typical coins and pipes: Rumor: The Hobbit May Start Filming
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 2, 2006 in Cinema
A Lord of the Rings website is reporting that there may be a new film in the works for next year: THE HOBBIT in 2007?!
I Want My Terminator TV!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 1, 2006 in Cinema, Television
It looks like there’s going to be a TV series based on the Terminator movies, maybe Gov. Arnold will take a guest spot: ‘Terminator’ retools “The “Terminator” franchise is rising again, this time as a Fox TV series. Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar’s C2 Pictures, which produced the most recent “Terminator” feature, has pacted with Warner Bros. TV and scribe Josh Friedman (“War of the Worlds”) for the tentatively titled “The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Skein will focus on robo-warrior Sarah Connor and her savior son John Connor.”
Scottish Sci Fi: The Planet
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 1, 2006 in Cinema
At long last the digital film making revolution is allowing indy film makers to go after subject matter like space opera on a low budget! A digital film company based in Scotland has just released a new film called “The Planet”. What’s cool is that this film looks pretty neat, but was done on on small budget of £8000 (that $16,000 American with the exchange rate). The film which took two years to make follows a group of shipwrecked mercenaries and their struggle for survival on an alien world. And YES they have some cool looking space ships:
Babylon 5 Returns
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 1, 2006 in Television
It seems that there will be new episodes of Babylon 5 on the way: “As many of you may already know, a few days ago as I write this, I canceled all of my convention appearances through February of next year due to the press of work, both in terms of finishing up work on my script for Ron Howard, and in order to free up room to begin the process of writing, producing, and directing the first in what we hope will be a series of new Babylon 5 anthology episodes for DVD. The other result of this is that we are going to push back volume nine just far enough to make room for me to get these projects up and on the rails. It will not be much of a delay, it will be a September release, but the Babylon 5 scripts team and I wanted to make sure everyone knew about the delay, and that it is only a delay. The good thing is that the delay is caused primarily by the creation of new Babylon 5 episodes, to be produced with the original cast, which is a cause for celebration on every level imaginable. We hope to follow up this with another announcement with the September publication date for volume nine as quickly as possible, so stay tuned, for as they say in the television business…there is more to come.”
Return to the Moon
Posted by Michael Pinto on Sep 1, 2006 in Science
It’s great news to see that NASA might get back to the moon, not quite as cool as going to Mars but I’ll gladly settle to see some real manned space exploration in the next few years. I grew up on Long Island so i would have liked to see Northrop Grumman get the project, but maybe just maybe this is the start of a new day for NASA: Lockheed Martin to build future moonship “Lockheed Martin on Thursday won NASA’s multibillion-dollar nod to build the Orion crew exploration vehicle, a spaceship with a look and a mission that echoes the space agency’s giant leap to the moon in the 1960s. The announcement kicks off an effort to produce spacecraft that would replace NASA’s fleet of space shuttles, due for retirement in 2010. NASA’s timetable calls for the cone-shaped Orion ships to bring cargo or up to six crew members to the international space station by 2014, and carry up to four astronauts to the moon and back by 2020. For 13 months, two high-profile aerospace teams — one led by Lockheed Martin, the other led by Northrop Grumman and The Boeing Co. — have worked on paper proposals to fit NASA’s specifications. Now it’s up to Lockheed Martin to turn the concept into a reality.” Here’s some cool concept art of the project:
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