did you get everything you want for christmas?

there might be a reason you didn't get what you want. or perhaps there is another explanation.

winter solstice lunar eclipse

yesterday was the solstice. there was also a lunar eclipse. it is a rare event--the last eclipse on the solstice was in 1545. you ain't likely to see one ever again. and last night, in minnesota, you didn't see it. dang.

here is what it woulda looked like, had it not been snowing *again*:

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse from William Castleman on Vimeo.

Your Highness

No embedding because its a red band trailer.

Your Highness.

Black Death

g

Would make a good companion piece with The Navigator.

Unique Forms of Continuity in Space

Umberto Boccioni


Spectacular.

sumthin' 'bout thumbs - This Guy

'Found him via Tumblr. 'Recommend you follow and enjoy.

http://tanneralmon.com/

The '70's retro film stuff is somewhere between "reaching its prime" and "getting old" but this guy is still good.

a favorite

and a video

HER NAME IS SHARON from Tanner Almon on Vimeo.

autocomplete atlas of the united states

here is a map of the united states, filled in with google autocomplete.

psst...buddy can you spare $300 for a light sabre?

wicked lasers has a new product, the S3 Arctic. it is a 455 nm, 1 watt laser.

yeah, so what you say? 1 watt? what's the big deal?

your typical red HeNe cat toy laser is 5 milliwatts. this one is 1000 milliwatts.

here is what 1000 milliwatts will do:

as a pointer, it will melt the projector screen during your power point presentations. it will burn your carpet when you play with your cat. it will burn your cat. it will pop ballons at 10 meters. it will pop your eyeballs at 149 meters. (well, not really. it will only blind you with a 0.25 sec exposure at less than 149 meters.)

and they sell these on the internet. to anyone. for $300.

Minecraft Soundtracked By Deadmau5

The song is called, "Get in the Cart, Pig."

Metal Map

I thought I'd share this

http://mapofmetal.com/#/home

*now* maybe you'll go buy a Kinect

New Adventures in Puppetry

This trailer for Show Your Face! is for performances in Chicago, but the Betontanc/Umka.lv troupe will be at the Walker in January.

For Wolf

The Triumph of Intellect and Romance over Brute Force and Cynicism

Perhaps the greatest crime of American television is that this never went to air.

it's all lego geek to me

PAC MAN CE Deus eX?

(pictured is my favorite new maze)

How does one make a classic like Pac Man better? If it is 1981 you play copycat and make him a her and make the pink ghost run away even without the aid of a power pellet*. If it is 2007 you update the look and the sound and the speed and you cut the board in half*. (note that I did not include Jr., the cartoon or the 3D)

2007 was a great year for gamers. I remember wondering where the gaming industry could take us after such a year. 2010 continues to show us where with Pac Man CE DX.

So how do you make a 30 year old game that you made better three years ago better better? It turns out that the answer is quite simple: You add bombs*.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait. What? Did you say bombs?"
"Yes, bombs."
"But, but Pac Man has a stick and a 1P and a 2P button. How do you use these bombs and where do they come from anyway?"
"I don't know where they come from but now there is a bomb button too, for the bombs."
"Bombs and buttons from nowhere? This is sacrilege!"
"No, this is sacrelicious."

The Wiki would have you believe that such a device, plot or otherwise, used to get our hero out of a tight spot is a sub-par choice in story telling. That might be true but in terms of game and play the bomb addition is an optimal experience*.


*among other things

ducks in the wind

I close my eyes
only for a moment and the ducks are gone
as they seem
to pass before my eyes like tiny yellow leaves

ducks in the wind
all they are is ducks in the wind

same swan song
just a ball of down blowing endlessly
all we do
chuckle at the birds and think: glad its not me!

ducks in the wind
all they are is ducks in the wind

must stand up
nothing rolls forever but the tumbleweed
they roll on by
and all the ducklings think: mom wait for me!

ducks in the wind
all they are is ducks in the wind
ducks in the wind
all they are is ducks in the wind

Andy Movies

A few months ago Gus posted a trailer for "The Way Back" and tagged it as an 'Andy Movie'

He was right.

It will also probably come as no surprise that I am looking forward to the remake of True Grit. (I am also crossing my fingers)

However, these other movies are on my short list of upcoming films to check out, and most of them probably wouldn't make Gus's version of an Andy List.


The Illusionist



I could watch that style of animation all day. The soundtrack draws me in. The storyline attracts my whimsical side.


Get Low



Apparently it has had very limited release already. Most likely this is one will show up for a week at the uptown and then be gone and I'll end up seeing it online. I am a big Robert Duvall fan. I like the character's answer of 'I am.'


Four Lions



The trailer makes me smile.


The Debt



Okay, this one may not be all that big of a shocker to see on an Andy List. I think highly of Helen Mirren as an actress. (Although I sometimes question her rolls. I guess sometimes she just has to pay the bills. At least I HOPE that is why she was in Teaching Mrs Tingle and National Treasure 2)


Restless



Restless again appeals to my whimsical side. I like the ghost.


The Tempest



I always enjoy when we see Shakespeare's work on the big screen....with the real duologue. I also will repeat my like of Helen Mirren.