One of my odder talents is the retention of random movie facts and trivia. While mildly entertaining at parties (and "Scene It" games), this skill never offered any real-world application. That is until Animation Mentor decided to add a "Geek Corner" section to their monthly newsletter...
For over 3 years I wrote a monthly Geek Fact usually involving a movie or game released that month. Since I was already searching and internalizing this information (and spouting it off to my coworkers) the newsletter team asked me to write them down and after 3 years I have quite a collection. But, as with all publications, the newsletter recently went through a redesign to be more efficient (and lets face it, 2006 design trends look so old in 2010) and this most recent redesign no longer had a place for a Geek Fact.
So in remembrance of the facts de geek, here is my 3+ year collection of delicious movie-related morsels. And remember, most of these were written the month a movie/DVD was released, so some of the facts may seem outdated ("In this months release of TMNT") or the records may no longer be correct (both Transformers and then Transformers 2 topped the same records).
In no particular order:
Did you know that to gather reference for Pixar's Ratatouille, producers and artists ate at famous Parisian restaurants and toured their kitchens? Chefs also visited the studio and cooked the entrees depicted in the movie (including the title dish); and pet rats were kept in the artist's area for inspiration!
Did you know that Dumbo is the only Disney animated film where the title character does not have spoken dialogue?
Did you know ILM's visual effects in Iron Man were so convincing as the real thing that the film's director, Jon Favreau, once gave ILM notes to improve their VFX in a scene only to be notified that the scene was all practical effects that he filmed on set?
In Pixar’s movie repertoire… Preceding “Cars” is a Brad Bird film (The Incredibles), an Andrew Stanton film (Finding Nemo), a Pete Docter film (Monsters Inc), and Toy Story 2. Following “Cars” is a Brad Bird film (Ratatouille), an Andrew Stanton film (Wall E), a Pete Docter film (Up), and Toy Story 3.
Did you know that while Horton Hears Who may be the first computer animated Dr Seuss story, it is the second Dr. Seuss movie to star Jim Carrey (How the Grinch stole Christmas), the second computer animated movie to star Steve Carell (Over the Hedge), and the second movie to star both Jim Carrey and Steve Carell (Bruce Almighty)!
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Epic everything
Sometimes artists create pieces of work that serve no purpose other than to mix some of the most epic characters/creatures/machines in the same painting. This week I've randomly come across three separate pieces done in this fashion so it that was message enough to convince me to make a post about them:
If this one doesn't make you feel patriotic, there is something wrong with you:
"George Washington defending a American flag from a Bengal Tiger on a sinking boat in the middle of a hurricane"
by SharpWriter
This logo is for a bowling event...
As far as I can tell, that is a silhouette of an angel on top of a unicorn with lightning for a horn surrounded by various weapons, a shark with an assault rifle, a manatee with nunchuks, and a t-rex with a hatchet. The website also includes a bald eagle, jets, and a stunt motorcycle.
If this one doesn't make you feel patriotic, there is something wrong with you:
"George Washington defending a American flag from a Bengal Tiger on a sinking boat in the middle of a hurricane"
by SharpWriter
This logo is for a bowling event...
As far as I can tell, that is a silhouette of an angel on top of a unicorn with lightning for a horn surrounded by various weapons, a shark with an assault rifle, a manatee with nunchuks, and a t-rex with a hatchet. The website also includes a bald eagle, jets, and a stunt motorcycle.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Musical Humor
Time for another edition of random funny, but this time with a musical theme!
The first two videos show an interesting way to use the website "Chat Roulette". CR randomly connects your webcam to a stranger for about 30 seconds before switching you to another stranger. Basically you get to talk to a random person you will never see again for 30 seconds. Sadly, the promise of anonymity allows people to act pretty immature on camera (seeing unmentionable body parts is not uncommon), but this guy decided to use the anonymity for good! Each time he was assigned a person he wrote a song about them to cheer them up (if he didn't break out laughing first):
This trend was so popular that the musican Ben Folds did the same thing at one of his concerts. There's nothing like expecting to chat with a lone person in their bedroom only to find out you are being broadcast to an entire stadium of music fans...
Not exactly funny, but cool: this person filmed himself twice so he could play a duet with himself playing famous TV themes. This is something right up my alley, gotta try it some day.
Similarly, the guy filmed himself 4 times lip syncing to a John Williams a capella tribute (not sure who actually performed the song):
In other news, this cat and break dancing do not mix:
The 80's were known for their catchy advertisement tunes. This is what happens when a company today buys the rights to an defunct tune (Big Red gum) and recreates it for their own product.
Finally, this video is the original music video to OK Go's This Too Shall Pass. It is performed by the Notre Dame marching band and when the video released the record label decided not to allow embedding of the video (meaning I can't show it hear on my website). OK Go, known for their viral videos, were so furious about this that they dropped the record label and created the new video I wrote about earlier this month. Click the link below for the band version, which is quite catchy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJKythlXAIY
And as a bonus, two non-music video that make me laugh (although I can cheat and say one has a guitar in it and the other is a bunch of videos set to [annoying] music).
The first two videos show an interesting way to use the website "Chat Roulette". CR randomly connects your webcam to a stranger for about 30 seconds before switching you to another stranger. Basically you get to talk to a random person you will never see again for 30 seconds. Sadly, the promise of anonymity allows people to act pretty immature on camera (seeing unmentionable body parts is not uncommon), but this guy decided to use the anonymity for good! Each time he was assigned a person he wrote a song about them to cheer them up (if he didn't break out laughing first):
This trend was so popular that the musican Ben Folds did the same thing at one of his concerts. There's nothing like expecting to chat with a lone person in their bedroom only to find out you are being broadcast to an entire stadium of music fans...
Not exactly funny, but cool: this person filmed himself twice so he could play a duet with himself playing famous TV themes. This is something right up my alley, gotta try it some day.
Similarly, the guy filmed himself 4 times lip syncing to a John Williams a capella tribute (not sure who actually performed the song):
In other news, this cat and break dancing do not mix:
The 80's were known for their catchy advertisement tunes. This is what happens when a company today buys the rights to an defunct tune (Big Red gum) and recreates it for their own product.
Finally, this video is the original music video to OK Go's This Too Shall Pass. It is performed by the Notre Dame marching band and when the video released the record label decided not to allow embedding of the video (meaning I can't show it hear on my website). OK Go, known for their viral videos, were so furious about this that they dropped the record label and created the new video I wrote about earlier this month. Click the link below for the band version, which is quite catchy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJKythlXAIY
And as a bonus, two non-music video that make me laugh (although I can cheat and say one has a guitar in it and the other is a bunch of videos set to [annoying] music).
Friday, February 12, 2010
Things I love this week
Copying a topic from a few friends for today's post. Here are the websites that interested me the most this week:
Live Shiba Inu puppy stream
http://www.ustream.tv/sfshiba
This entire week I loaded my iMac (which sits next to my PC monitor) with a live full screen feed of puppies. Whenever my PC frustrated me (which is often) I could look over to the puppy feed and feel calm. They're just so cute!
Set aside 10% of your work for retirement (not your income)
The Oceans are as deep as a plane flies
Muppets + Kansas + internet meme parody = AWESOME
The Leatherbound Classics series - if they didn't weigh so much (I've had to move too often and book boxes are back killers) I would buy them all
What English sounds like to non-speakers: The lyrics to this video are gibberish but designed to sound like English words and cadences. So when you struggle to understand what is said (it sounds very familiar) you will understand what English sounds like to everyone else.
Ain't this the truth:
Really wanted to include this video in my Space post, but the tone didn't quite fit:
Live Shiba Inu puppy stream
http://www.ustream.tv/sfshiba
This entire week I loaded my iMac (which sits next to my PC monitor) with a live full screen feed of puppies. Whenever my PC frustrated me (which is often) I could look over to the puppy feed and feel calm. They're just so cute!
Set aside 10% of your work for retirement (not your income)
The Oceans are as deep as a plane flies
Muppets + Kansas + internet meme parody = AWESOME
The Leatherbound Classics series - if they didn't weigh so much (I've had to move too often and book boxes are back killers) I would buy them all
What English sounds like to non-speakers: The lyrics to this video are gibberish but designed to sound like English words and cadences. So when you struggle to understand what is said (it sounds very familiar) you will understand what English sounds like to everyone else.
Ain't this the truth:
Really wanted to include this video in my Space post, but the tone didn't quite fit:
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Random Facts
Time for another "random" entry, this one involves odd facts!
I read a lot and enjoy books with interesting information. Since one book may contain many great facts, you may read this and say "he just took that from 'x' book!" to which I say "yes I did, glad you read it!". To everyone else who didn't know these facts, enjoy!
(also, time has a way of clarifying all info, so if I find out later that a fact is incorrect I will strike it from the list)
There is more actual lemon juice in Pledge Lemon Cleaner than in Country Time Lemonade
The weight of the "heads" side of the penny is slightly heavier than the "tails" side. The weight is small enough that the 50/50 chance of heads/tails is really 1001/999
Airplane exhaust temporarily lowers ground temperatures by reflecting sunlight. Ground temperatures increased during the 3 days after 9/11 when no planes flew.
You are more likely to die walking home while drunk than you are driving drunk. You are less likely kill someone else though.
Every President with a beard was a Republican
Bottled water costs more per gallon than gasoline
The origin of the work "testimony" comes from Ancient Rome where it was customary for a man to put their hand on their testicles while taking an oath
The shorthand "X-mas" was created by the Catholic Church to save on printing costs in the 15th century. the "X" is the Greek letter "Chi" which is used to spell "Christ"
The standard backseat seatbelt passes every Federal standard required for car seats for children 3 and over and does not affect safety percentages at all when compared car seats. The "50% safer" percentage touted on car seats is when car seat usage is compared to children wearing no belt at all.
I read a lot and enjoy books with interesting information. Since one book may contain many great facts, you may read this and say "he just took that from 'x' book!" to which I say "yes I did, glad you read it!". To everyone else who didn't know these facts, enjoy!
(also, time has a way of clarifying all info, so if I find out later that a fact is incorrect I will strike it from the list)
There is more actual lemon juice in Pledge Lemon Cleaner than in Country Time Lemonade
The weight of the "heads" side of the penny is slightly heavier than the "tails" side. The weight is small enough that the 50/50 chance of heads/tails is really 1001/999
Airplane exhaust temporarily lowers ground temperatures by reflecting sunlight. Ground temperatures increased during the 3 days after 9/11 when no planes flew.
You are more likely to die walking home while drunk than you are driving drunk. You are less likely kill someone else though.
Every President with a beard was a Republican
Bottled water costs more per gallon than gasoline
The origin of the work "testimony" comes from Ancient Rome where it was customary for a man to put their hand on their testicles while taking an oath
The shorthand "X-mas" was created by the Catholic Church to save on printing costs in the 15th century. the "X" is the Greek letter "Chi" which is used to spell "Christ"
The standard backseat seatbelt passes every Federal standard required for car seats for children 3 and over and does not affect safety percentages at all when compared car seats. The "50% safer" percentage touted on car seats is when car seat usage is compared to children wearing no belt at all.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Random Videos of Hilarity
Time for another collection of random, humorous videos!
I hate clowns (thanks to Stephen King's It and Spielberg's Poltergeist), and I'm sure these kids will grow up to be no different (if it was real):
Anyone who has played Tetris knows this is EXACTLY what happens. At least you now have someone to blame.
The punchline is true and heartwarming
I was a few years too old to get into the Power Rangers phenomenon, but I did watch the first episode when it premiered and remember thinking it was odd that the colors they assigned each teen were "coincidentally" related to their race. This spoof shows the creator's true colors (it is also funny that the "high end" TV effects of the 90's can now be so easily recreated by college students):
This one is cute, but not funny until you find out what the title of the video is:
"The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog", yay for Typing 101!
Also, not funny per se, but amazing. This is a video of a cat playing the piano. Someone then wrote an orchestral accompaniment and conducted an orchestra to play along with the video:
Finally, honesty in a childrens song:
I hate clowns (thanks to Stephen King's It and Spielberg's Poltergeist), and I'm sure these kids will grow up to be no different (if it was real):
Anyone who has played Tetris knows this is EXACTLY what happens. At least you now have someone to blame.
The punchline is true and heartwarming
I was a few years too old to get into the Power Rangers phenomenon, but I did watch the first episode when it premiered and remember thinking it was odd that the colors they assigned each teen were "coincidentally" related to their race. This spoof shows the creator's true colors (it is also funny that the "high end" TV effects of the 90's can now be so easily recreated by college students):
This one is cute, but not funny until you find out what the title of the video is:
"The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog", yay for Typing 101!
Also, not funny per se, but amazing. This is a video of a cat playing the piano. Someone then wrote an orchestral accompaniment and conducted an orchestra to play along with the video:
Finally, honesty in a childrens song:
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Foiled again by Google
Welcome to the land of niche geek.
I don't care about website hits (currently). Even in my first post I said :
Beyond the occasional mention in my Facebook status, I have refrained from announcing this blog publicly. Well, I recently checked my stats and was surprised at how many random international visitors I was getting. Most would visit a single page of the site and leave never to return (oh well). It wasn't until I ran a referring report (as in, what website sent them here) that I found out what was going on: Google indexes this blog completely (and all other blogs), and my tastes tend to fall in the niche of the niche. So while a small blog that posts about a popular topic like the Dallas Cowboys may never get a hit from Google due to the over saturation of resources, when I write a post on "1997 Japanese arcade plush chickens", or "stop motion cut-scenes from a cult mid-90's game", or "piano arrangements of Disney and Japanese video game themes" then Google will refer the people who search for those terms here since I am one of the few blogs that mentions them. Granted, that is not a lot of people (hence "niche") but it is enough to surprise me with extra hits each day when I am not even advertising this site's existence.
Oh well, guess you can't hide forever. In conclusion, I am reminded of this comic which explores the exploitation of this trend. Don't worry, I won't ever go that niche.
I don't care about website hits (currently). Even in my first post I said :
"And if outside people read this and are entertained, so be it. At this point in time my intentions are more selfish: I just want a place I can freely post... Plus, it is not like I have to advertise this website's existence. For now, it will be my little secret.
Beyond the occasional mention in my Facebook status, I have refrained from announcing this blog publicly. Well, I recently checked my stats and was surprised at how many random international visitors I was getting. Most would visit a single page of the site and leave never to return (oh well). It wasn't until I ran a referring report (as in, what website sent them here) that I found out what was going on: Google indexes this blog completely (and all other blogs), and my tastes tend to fall in the niche of the niche. So while a small blog that posts about a popular topic like the Dallas Cowboys may never get a hit from Google due to the over saturation of resources, when I write a post on "1997 Japanese arcade plush chickens", or "stop motion cut-scenes from a cult mid-90's game", or "piano arrangements of Disney and Japanese video game themes" then Google will refer the people who search for those terms here since I am one of the few blogs that mentions them. Granted, that is not a lot of people (hence "niche") but it is enough to surprise me with extra hits each day when I am not even advertising this site's existence.
Oh well, guess you can't hide forever. In conclusion, I am reminded of this comic which explores the exploitation of this trend. Don't worry, I won't ever go that niche.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Random Rants
Welcome to this edition of "random ___", where over time I collect random related items (funny videos, quotes, thoughts, etc) and post them when I have enough. This post's theme is "Quick Rants":
Why do speedometers have equal spacing when including speeds faster than I ever intend to go? I can't tell if I am going 60 in a 55 mph speed trap area because the difference between the numbers is less than a 1/8 inch, yet over 60% of the speedometer space is dedicated to speeds faster than 90 mph...
Just because someone wrote the book does not mean they have an interesting voice or the emotional range to read it for the audio recording.
Who the hell is Kayne West and why do people keep inviting him to public speaking events (and seat him close enough to take the microphone)?! In related note, the Mike Myers/Chris Tucker reactions during the telethon are wonderful "awkward moment" facial expressions reference.
Why do people distrust medical professionals so much that they believe ads claiming "single mom discovers new weight loss drug/teeth whitener/panacea/etc that doctors don't want you to know about!". Seriously, when it comes to your health why you would rather trust a single mom (who likely doesn't exist) over someone who went to school for 10+ years to study medicinal techniques developed and refined over hundreds of years?
If your car's flamboyant, cosmetic upgrades (wow, flashy spinning hubs and a car bottom one inch from the ground!) actually prevent you from driving the speed limit then maybe you shouldn't add them and/or drive your car. Especially if the upgrades cost more than the value of the car.
Facebook's new layout lists a reminder to "reconnect" with one of your random friends who hasn't been active recently. So far it has reminded me to reconnect with: a person currently in jail, a person who tragically died last year, and my dad. Thanks for the great suggestions Facebook!
24 hour news anchors: while it is technically true "some people" are "outraged" about an isolated incident that conveniently becomes an issue during a slow news week 6+ months later, it really doesn't count if "some people" are the opinion hosts (whose shows that just played before yours) trying to manufacture "outrage" to boost their ratings. Focus on reporting legit outrageous matters please, like getting rid of Kanye West...
Why does the nearest theater show the newest movies in only small Imax (LieMax) or in 3D? Both options add an extra $3-$5 to the ticket price and offer little-to-nothing to (most) movies. 9 months ago it was nearly impossible to see a movie for less than $11 here, now I can't even go to one for less than $14 unless I wait 2-3 weeks for a newer movie to kick it off the LieMax screen. I don't mind options, but don't let the luxury options prevent the standard option.
Good idea: purchasing flood insurance if you live in an area that is hit by hurricanes (even if it is every few years)
Bad idea: not buying flood insurance and blaming an insurance company for not covering your hurricane flood damage
I don't know which is worse: ads for loans/refinancing/school-financial-aid that include random videos of synchronized dancing aliens, women caught by surprise, cheerleaders falling, etc; or the fact that people actually get loans through those ads due to their selection of random, non-financial videos (why would banks continue to advertise that way if it didn't work?).
Why do speedometers have equal spacing when including speeds faster than I ever intend to go? I can't tell if I am going 60 in a 55 mph speed trap area because the difference between the numbers is less than a 1/8 inch, yet over 60% of the speedometer space is dedicated to speeds faster than 90 mph...
Just because someone wrote the book does not mean they have an interesting voice or the emotional range to read it for the audio recording.
Who the hell is Kayne West and why do people keep inviting him to public speaking events (and seat him close enough to take the microphone)?! In related note, the Mike Myers/Chris Tucker reactions during the telethon are wonderful "awkward moment" facial expressions reference.
Why do people distrust medical professionals so much that they believe ads claiming "single mom discovers new weight loss drug/teeth whitener/panacea/etc that doctors don't want you to know about!". Seriously, when it comes to your health why you would rather trust a single mom (who likely doesn't exist) over someone who went to school for 10+ years to study medicinal techniques developed and refined over hundreds of years?
If your car's flamboyant, cosmetic upgrades (wow, flashy spinning hubs and a car bottom one inch from the ground!) actually prevent you from driving the speed limit then maybe you shouldn't add them and/or drive your car. Especially if the upgrades cost more than the value of the car.
Facebook's new layout lists a reminder to "reconnect" with one of your random friends who hasn't been active recently. So far it has reminded me to reconnect with: a person currently in jail, a person who tragically died last year, and my dad. Thanks for the great suggestions Facebook!
24 hour news anchors: while it is technically true "some people" are "outraged" about an isolated incident that conveniently becomes an issue during a slow news week 6+ months later, it really doesn't count if "some people" are the opinion hosts (whose shows that just played before yours) trying to manufacture "outrage" to boost their ratings. Focus on reporting legit outrageous matters please, like getting rid of Kanye West...
Why does the nearest theater show the newest movies in only small Imax (LieMax) or in 3D? Both options add an extra $3-$5 to the ticket price and offer little-to-nothing to (most) movies. 9 months ago it was nearly impossible to see a movie for less than $11 here, now I can't even go to one for less than $14 unless I wait 2-3 weeks for a newer movie to kick it off the LieMax screen. I don't mind options, but don't let the luxury options prevent the standard option.
Good idea: purchasing flood insurance if you live in an area that is hit by hurricanes (even if it is every few years)
Bad idea: not buying flood insurance and blaming an insurance company for not covering your hurricane flood damage
I don't know which is worse: ads for loans/refinancing/school-financial-aid that include random videos of synchronized dancing aliens, women caught by surprise, cheerleaders falling, etc; or the fact that people actually get loans through those ads due to their selection of random, non-financial videos (why would banks continue to advertise that way if it didn't work?).
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Random Links of Hilarity
Welcome to the first edition of "Random...". Occasionally I will come across videos/news which is interesting/funny/informative but may not be worthy of a post by themselves. Thus I will collect them in one post and when the post is full enough it will go live for all to see. This edition's theme of Random Links is "funny videos":
AutoTune the news - "AutoTune" is the program pop/rap "singers" use to force their pitch in tune. This group takes actual political news footage and uses the news dialog to create music using AutoTune. T-Pain is a rapper who uses this technique yet still laughs at the farce it creates.
Dr. Horrible at the Emmys. If you haven't watched the original Dr. Horrible videos, find them here
NFL Players Mentor Troubled Detroit Lions
Buzz in space
Great illusion
Dog meets Crocodile
AutoTune the news - "AutoTune" is the program pop/rap "singers" use to force their pitch in tune. This group takes actual political news footage and uses the news dialog to create music using AutoTune. T-Pain is a rapper who uses this technique yet still laughs at the farce it creates.
Dr. Horrible at the Emmys. If you haven't watched the original Dr. Horrible videos, find them here
NFL Players Mentor Troubled Detroit Lions
Buzz in space
Great illusion
Dog meets Crocodile
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