Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 109
March 28, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 3/28/12
Hope everyone is having a great week so far!
Beautiful Macro Photos of the Insides of Musical Instruments by Bjoern Ewers from PetaPixel. All of these are so neat!
Tower Bridge Dolphin Statue by Vulture Labs. The size of the original image is huge! But so much detail!
Sliced and Diced by WilsonAxpe. Love the colors and look of the thing.
Book Landscapes of Guy Laramee from PelFusion. Landscapes made from books. How do people come up with this stuff? Looks cool though.
Ah pooh! My vain attempt t catch a cool looking sun peeking from the building. Bah! Windows that don't open! Bah! (heh heh)
The sky was looking really weird one evening, like the clouds were spilling out the side of a plate.
Weird stuff that day.
Tried something new at Macaroni Grill called Chicken Milanese. Oh my! Between that and Bruschetta appetizer, hubby and I were in food heaven Saturday. Wish I'd had the presence of mind to take a pic BEFORE I ate. Doh!
Been a long time since I went to visit the Horses at Las Colinas. Still totally awesome after all these years.
Wow, looks like that's it for this week. Enjoy!
Beautiful Macro Photos of the Insides of Musical Instruments by Bjoern Ewers from PetaPixel. All of these are so neat!
Tower Bridge Dolphin Statue by Vulture Labs. The size of the original image is huge! But so much detail!
Sliced and Diced by WilsonAxpe. Love the colors and look of the thing.
Book Landscapes of Guy Laramee from PelFusion. Landscapes made from books. How do people come up with this stuff? Looks cool though.
Ah pooh! My vain attempt t catch a cool looking sun peeking from the building. Bah! Windows that don't open! Bah! (heh heh)
The sky was looking really weird one evening, like the clouds were spilling out the side of a plate.
Weird stuff that day.
Tried something new at Macaroni Grill called Chicken Milanese. Oh my! Between that and Bruschetta appetizer, hubby and I were in food heaven Saturday. Wish I'd had the presence of mind to take a pic BEFORE I ate. Doh!
Been a long time since I went to visit the Horses at Las Colinas. Still totally awesome after all these years.
Wow, looks like that's it for this week. Enjoy!
March 26, 2012
Mind Sieve 3/26/12
Greetings!
Petapixel put up two videos by PES where they use stop motion to turn random objects into food. Too cute!
Making a Tintype - How Civil War-Era Tintype Photographs Were Made shared by Petapixel. This was a long process. Dang!
115 Reasons Why We Love Buffy The Vampire Slayer by Joanna Robinson (Celebrating BTVS 15th Anniversary. Dang!)
The newest Simon's Cat. Hee hee!
Video Game Mashup - Chuck Norris vs Angry Birds. ROFL
Designing From Bones - The Map Of The Creator. Hah, what fun!
What's An Author-Agent Agreement? from Rachelle Gardner. Nice bit of info!
25 Things You Should Know About Creativity from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. Yes, creativity is more than about writing! There is even creativity in accounting! Booyah!
Interesting post from Jami Gold - Who Cares About Quality Writing Anymore? I do! I do! *holds hand up*
After last week's flood, this one seems a little on the lame side, but dang I'm pooped! lol. Been a hard week. Don't worry, I'll dig up for stuff for next time. :P
Petapixel put up two videos by PES where they use stop motion to turn random objects into food. Too cute!
Making a Tintype - How Civil War-Era Tintype Photographs Were Made shared by Petapixel. This was a long process. Dang!
115 Reasons Why We Love Buffy The Vampire Slayer by Joanna Robinson (Celebrating BTVS 15th Anniversary. Dang!)
The newest Simon's Cat. Hee hee!
Video Game Mashup - Chuck Norris vs Angry Birds. ROFL
Designing From Bones - The Map Of The Creator. Hah, what fun!
What's An Author-Agent Agreement? from Rachelle Gardner. Nice bit of info!
25 Things You Should Know About Creativity from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. Yes, creativity is more than about writing! There is even creativity in accounting! Booyah!
Interesting post from Jami Gold - Who Cares About Quality Writing Anymore? I do! I do! *holds hand up*
After last week's flood, this one seems a little on the lame side, but dang I'm pooped! lol. Been a hard week. Don't worry, I'll dig up for stuff for next time. :P
March 25, 2012
Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic and Minecraft 3/25/12
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
On the Imperial Side....Nar Shaddaa
Ah the Imperials really do have such cool intimidating stations.
Safety always seems to be a problem. They always have all these open energy beams. People could get ideas, don't you know.
I don't remember if I'd run across this when I was here as a Jedi. But I loved how much this resembles the set ups in the red light districts in medieval Japan. Window shopping was quite the business.
Yes, more lovely carpeting!
A truly intimidating manufacturing area. Had been sealed for a 1,000 years but was going the whole time keeping anyone attempting to come in out.
Yeah, some peeps didn't make it.
This machine supposedly does EVERYTHING! The secret hidden by a Sith
A yes, the corpses of men and machines who'd previously tried to gain egress. Look at those guns!
Carpet!
Do love that neon! Hee!
Vast! Vast!
He looks mean, doesn't he?
CARPET!
Dead nasty.
My robotic disguise. This was fun.
These lamps were just cool.
NPCs busy at work.
An Ithorian! How rare!
Had to go back to Dromund Kaas to report. Must say I never did quite tell her Darkness that the man I brought back was dead.
I'm a little worried about this guy. Oozing darkness while meditating cannot be a good thing.
I NEVER get tired of looking at my Imp Spy ship! NEVER! Oooo! (Really need to remember to take pics during space combat. Argh!)
As I'd guessed, my spy has now been sent to Tatooine. I finally for my speeder! Woot!
Now to the Republic side...still at Balmorra.
Nice droid weapon cannon. Back away slowly.
Republic scientist hard at work!
Minecraft! And back to the original graphics as there was a major update and the texture pack peeps aren't caught up.
This is my place! I'd spotted the location I wanted not long after the new world had been created, but hadn't been able to find it again.
Naturally gutted (meaning it was created this way by the system) I've now totally encased it in glass for my own nefarious purposes. Like sleeping! Hah!
View down to the nice small lake beside the property from the highest point of my new home.
Creepers and spiders saying howdy.
From the inside. Found some bricks with moss that are PERFECT for this. Replaced the stone here with that and it looks marvelous! Of course I forgot to take a picture. Sigh. Can't wait to see the look of it once the texture pack is updated! Squee!
[image error]
On the Imperial Side....Nar Shaddaa
Ah the Imperials really do have such cool intimidating stations.
Safety always seems to be a problem. They always have all these open energy beams. People could get ideas, don't you know.
I don't remember if I'd run across this when I was here as a Jedi. But I loved how much this resembles the set ups in the red light districts in medieval Japan. Window shopping was quite the business.
Yes, more lovely carpeting!
A truly intimidating manufacturing area. Had been sealed for a 1,000 years but was going the whole time keeping anyone attempting to come in out. 
Yeah, some peeps didn't make it.
This machine supposedly does EVERYTHING! The secret hidden by a Sith
A yes, the corpses of men and machines who'd previously tried to gain egress. Look at those guns! 
Carpet!
Do love that neon! Hee!
Vast! Vast!
He looks mean, doesn't he?
CARPET!
Dead nasty.
My robotic disguise. This was fun. 
These lamps were just cool. 
NPCs busy at work. 
An Ithorian! How rare!
Had to go back to Dromund Kaas to report. Must say I never did quite tell her Darkness that the man I brought back was dead.
I'm a little worried about this guy. Oozing darkness while meditating cannot be a good thing.
I NEVER get tired of looking at my Imp Spy ship! NEVER! Oooo! (Really need to remember to take pics during space combat. Argh!)
As I'd guessed, my spy has now been sent to Tatooine. I finally for my speeder! Woot! 
Now to the Republic side...still at Balmorra.
Nice droid weapon cannon. Back away slowly.
Republic scientist hard at work! Minecraft! And back to the original graphics as there was a major update and the texture pack peeps aren't caught up.
This is my place! I'd spotted the location I wanted not long after the new world had been created, but hadn't been able to find it again.
Naturally gutted (meaning it was created this way by the system) I've now totally encased it in glass for my own nefarious purposes. Like sleeping! Hah!
View down to the nice small lake beside the property from the highest point of my new home.
Creepers and spiders saying howdy.
From the inside. Found some bricks with moss that are PERFECT for this. Replaced the stone here with that and it looks marvelous! Of course I forgot to take a picture. Sigh. Can't wait to see the look of it once the texture pack is updated! Squee!
[image error]
March 23, 2012
Movie Review - The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Willow Shields, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, Isabelle Fuhrman, and many more.
Directed by: Gary Ross Screenplay by: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray Based on the Novel by: Suzanne Collins Original Music by: T-Bone Burnett and James Newton Howard
Premise: Volunteering to take her twelve year old sister's place when the latter is picked from the Tribute lottery for the Hunger Games, Katniss must train and gain every advantage she can before being placed in a competition where only one of the twenty four children made to compete will come out alive. (Rated PG-13)
REVIEW:
Before I begin, I will state that I have not read the young adult series of books this movie is based on so observations are purely on what was presented in the film.
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up - Despite a large number of the cast being teenagers, the casting director, Debra Zane, did a phenomenal job of finding actors and actresses that could go the distance despite their young years. Jennifer Lawrence was a great choice for the lead. Josh Hutcherson, which has never failed to please, was phenomenal. From the smallest parts to the largest, everyone was on their game adding their depth to the fascinating culture of the Hunger Games.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up - From force fields, DNA manipulated wasps, computer consoles, and more, the CGI was great! The added illusion to some pieces of clothing was fantastic. Vehicles and the Capital long view were also very nicely done.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up - It moved along well, with many subtle undercurrents that told stories in and of themselves. For the most part things fit and made sense. Only points that caused problems were: where did Peeta get paint, and if you could make Insta Demon Dogs, why isn't some of this tech not used in the Districts to save coal miners. (Post movie discussion did lead to the possibility that a) the TV peeps had a humongous budget to afford things the Districts couldn't b) that it would only work in that domed environment c) since it's a book adaptation some info might have been lost in translation or d) got thrown into the script to up the suspense without thinking too deeply - I'll leave it to you to decide which you believe.)
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up - I am not a fan of shaky cam, especially when it's used to make action look more than it is. That being said, it was used in small doses, so it never got out of hand, for which I am grateful. Otherwise they were well done and fluid, so looked natural.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up - From the squalor of District 11 to the riches of the Capitol, everything fit and looked authentic. Great atmosphere at every location.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up - The differences between the Districts and the Capitol were like night and day between clothing, makeup, and hair styles. The Capitol styles definitely screamed of decadence and leisure, as well as escapism and shallow veneers. The frontier town look for the poorer Districts was a nice touch, though it did seem to be pushed a little much with the emaciated looking people when the heroine looked incredibly healthy in comparison though her own life had been as harsh if not more than most after the loss of the main bread winner in her family. And with wild game (illegal as well) being scarcer every year... But aside from that, kudos! Wait till you see the shaped beard on Seneca Crane - dang! Some truly imaginative (if sometimes glaring) looks.
The makeup for the combat wounds and wasp swollen face were very well done. Wet and gory but not too much! Just enough for the 'ew' and 'flinching' factors to kick in.
Conclusion: Definitely worth seeing. Enough politics and subtle topics to enthrall the adults with plenty of action, competition, and budding teenage angst for the teenagers. While the deaths are not graphic, this might still make the film a little too intense for viewers under twelve.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
[image error]
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Willow Shields, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, Isabelle Fuhrman, and many more.
Directed by: Gary Ross Screenplay by: Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins, and Billy Ray Based on the Novel by: Suzanne Collins Original Music by: T-Bone Burnett and James Newton Howard
Premise: Volunteering to take her twelve year old sister's place when the latter is picked from the Tribute lottery for the Hunger Games, Katniss must train and gain every advantage she can before being placed in a competition where only one of the twenty four children made to compete will come out alive. (Rated PG-13)
REVIEW:
Before I begin, I will state that I have not read the young adult series of books this movie is based on so observations are purely on what was presented in the film.
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up - Despite a large number of the cast being teenagers, the casting director, Debra Zane, did a phenomenal job of finding actors and actresses that could go the distance despite their young years. Jennifer Lawrence was a great choice for the lead. Josh Hutcherson, which has never failed to please, was phenomenal. From the smallest parts to the largest, everyone was on their game adding their depth to the fascinating culture of the Hunger Games.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up - From force fields, DNA manipulated wasps, computer consoles, and more, the CGI was great! The added illusion to some pieces of clothing was fantastic. Vehicles and the Capital long view were also very nicely done.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up - It moved along well, with many subtle undercurrents that told stories in and of themselves. For the most part things fit and made sense. Only points that caused problems were: where did Peeta get paint, and if you could make Insta Demon Dogs, why isn't some of this tech not used in the Districts to save coal miners. (Post movie discussion did lead to the possibility that a) the TV peeps had a humongous budget to afford things the Districts couldn't b) that it would only work in that domed environment c) since it's a book adaptation some info might have been lost in translation or d) got thrown into the script to up the suspense without thinking too deeply - I'll leave it to you to decide which you believe.)
4) Stunts - Thumbs Up - I am not a fan of shaky cam, especially when it's used to make action look more than it is. That being said, it was used in small doses, so it never got out of hand, for which I am grateful. Otherwise they were well done and fluid, so looked natural.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up - From the squalor of District 11 to the riches of the Capitol, everything fit and looked authentic. Great atmosphere at every location.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up - The differences between the Districts and the Capitol were like night and day between clothing, makeup, and hair styles. The Capitol styles definitely screamed of decadence and leisure, as well as escapism and shallow veneers. The frontier town look for the poorer Districts was a nice touch, though it did seem to be pushed a little much with the emaciated looking people when the heroine looked incredibly healthy in comparison though her own life had been as harsh if not more than most after the loss of the main bread winner in her family. And with wild game (illegal as well) being scarcer every year... But aside from that, kudos! Wait till you see the shaped beard on Seneca Crane - dang! Some truly imaginative (if sometimes glaring) looks.
The makeup for the combat wounds and wasp swollen face were very well done. Wet and gory but not too much! Just enough for the 'ew' and 'flinching' factors to kick in.
Conclusion: Definitely worth seeing. Enough politics and subtle topics to enthrall the adults with plenty of action, competition, and budding teenage angst for the teenagers. While the deaths are not graphic, this might still make the film a little too intense for viewers under twelve.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
[image error]
March 21, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 3/21/12
Time to feed the eyes once again!
Mmmmm, grilled cheese on a crescent with tomato and pepercorn salad dressing on the side salad. Mmmm. Obzeet...mmmmm
They also always have a ton of fresh mouthwatering desserts. I can definitely vouch for the cheesecakes and the carrot cake. It's more a fight not to order dessert than anything else when we go there. lol.
Normally these don't come out, so I was ecstatic when this one did! You can see the sunbeams! Yay!
This was a weird sight. The covered parking lot to Stonebriar was empty in the middle of a Friday afternoon. Don't know why it was closed. Very eerie.
[image error]
Elephant Sunset from Heart On Earth.
Celebrities Through Patrick Hoelck Lenses at Alafoto.com. Some really interesting shots. Loved this one.
Camouflage Photography Can Can Make You Invisible - Camouflage Artists Liu Bolin and Desiree Palmen. So cool! Several new ones I'd not seen before. :)
Focus on Barbara O'Brien - From Animal Trainer To Photographer over at DPS.
NASA's photo of the day - Gumdrop Meets Spider.
Beautiful Dreamy Photography by Terra Kate from Pelfusion.
Living in My Head - Illusion by Pat Perry over at Scene 360
NASA - Hubble Views Grand Star-Forming Region
21 Creatively Captured Moon Reflections In Water from Light Stalking.
Incredible Sculptures From Bicycle Chains by Young-Deok Seo from Pelfusion. So cool!
Enjoy!
Mmmmm, grilled cheese on a crescent with tomato and pepercorn salad dressing on the side salad. Mmmm. Obzeet...mmmmm
They also always have a ton of fresh mouthwatering desserts. I can definitely vouch for the cheesecakes and the carrot cake. It's more a fight not to order dessert than anything else when we go there. lol. 
Normally these don't come out, so I was ecstatic when this one did! You can see the sunbeams! Yay!
This was a weird sight. The covered parking lot to Stonebriar was empty in the middle of a Friday afternoon. Don't know why it was closed. Very eerie.[image error]
Elephant Sunset from Heart On Earth.
Celebrities Through Patrick Hoelck Lenses at Alafoto.com. Some really interesting shots. Loved this one.
Camouflage Photography Can Can Make You Invisible - Camouflage Artists Liu Bolin and Desiree Palmen. So cool! Several new ones I'd not seen before. :)
Focus on Barbara O'Brien - From Animal Trainer To Photographer over at DPS.
NASA's photo of the day - Gumdrop Meets Spider.
Beautiful Dreamy Photography by Terra Kate from Pelfusion.
Living in My Head - Illusion by Pat Perry over at Scene 360
NASA - Hubble Views Grand Star-Forming Region
21 Creatively Captured Moon Reflections In Water from Light Stalking.
Incredible Sculptures From Bicycle Chains by Young-Deok Seo from Pelfusion. So cool!
Enjoy!
March 19, 2012
Mind Sieve 3/19/12
Happy Monday!
A lot of stuff to share this week. Almost a flood!
New MIB 3 Trailer. This is going to be a blast!!!
For those who like Steampunk, here's a tantalizing bit for The Nightmare Machine Convention in Jefferson, TX March 30-April 1. Have to admit it's a nice gimmick!
Star Wars The Old Republic - Times Squares Freeze Mob 12.20.11. This is just so COOL!!! Choose a side.
GI Joe 2 Trailer - please, please, please let them have fixed Snake Eyes costume!!!! No weird creepy mouth thing.
A Thousand Words Trailer - looks too darn cute! Hee!
85 Dancers From 22 Countries Stitched Into One Composite Music Video, article by Peta Pixel. Too Cute! And the song is catchy too.
Time-Lapse Growth of Las Vegas As Seen Through Space Photos from Peta Pixel and NASA.
Totally stumbled over this by accident - Brenda & Rob's Sci-fi, Eco Wedding With A Tardis! lol. Over at Offbeat Bride. Too cute!
Ice Age 4 Official Trailer! YES! Give me some Scrat!
Despicable Me 2 Trailer!!! And how much do you bet it'll be in 3D? Hee!
Designing From Bones - Zoo Arcane: Owl, Worm, and Elderhorn blog post by Gene Lempp. Not your everyday bestiary that's for sure! :P
Jeff Strand is nuts! So it figures the book trailer for his latest work would be too. And also has a catchy song! lol. A Bad Day For Voodoo!
The Cabin In The Woods trailer. I should have known with Joss Whedon involved it wouldn't be just a scary flick. Sweet!
The Muppets Feel The Hunger Spoof Trailer. Oh yeah, Hunger Games, in your face! lol.
Dark Shadows Trailer! Looks like it's meant to be a SPOOF remake, like so many others have been of late. In that vein, it looks awesome!
How To Make Linked-In Your Happy Place by Jenny Hansen. (Need a Clone, Need a Clone!)
Goodreads: 8 Things Writers Should Know by Rachelle Gardner. Hah! Already there! Nyah! (Not that I do all I should there. Waaaahhhh!)
Rachelle Gardner also talks about How Authors Can Effectively Use Goodreads. Their advertising module is pretty easy. I've used it before.
The Modern Author - A New Breed Of Writer For The Digital Age Of Publishing from Kristen Lamb. (I need CLONES!! Give me some CLONES!)
12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Every Time by Neil Patel at SEOmoz. Great Not To Do (and what to do) advice!
From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - 25 Things You Should Know About Creativity.
Shot Through The Heart: Your Story's Throughline by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. Always good stuff! And colorful! Hee!
Ack, past my time slot and my eyes are shot. Feel free to share anything awesome you've run across!
I'd like to thank my ever horrifyingly bigger Twitter stream for giving me all this fodder to share. I don't do so often enough.
A lot of stuff to share this week. Almost a flood!
New MIB 3 Trailer. This is going to be a blast!!!
For those who like Steampunk, here's a tantalizing bit for The Nightmare Machine Convention in Jefferson, TX March 30-April 1. Have to admit it's a nice gimmick!
Star Wars The Old Republic - Times Squares Freeze Mob 12.20.11. This is just so COOL!!! Choose a side.
GI Joe 2 Trailer - please, please, please let them have fixed Snake Eyes costume!!!! No weird creepy mouth thing.
A Thousand Words Trailer - looks too darn cute! Hee!
85 Dancers From 22 Countries Stitched Into One Composite Music Video, article by Peta Pixel. Too Cute! And the song is catchy too.
Time-Lapse Growth of Las Vegas As Seen Through Space Photos from Peta Pixel and NASA.
Totally stumbled over this by accident - Brenda & Rob's Sci-fi, Eco Wedding With A Tardis! lol. Over at Offbeat Bride. Too cute!
Ice Age 4 Official Trailer! YES! Give me some Scrat!
Despicable Me 2 Trailer!!! And how much do you bet it'll be in 3D? Hee!
Designing From Bones - Zoo Arcane: Owl, Worm, and Elderhorn blog post by Gene Lempp. Not your everyday bestiary that's for sure! :P
Jeff Strand is nuts! So it figures the book trailer for his latest work would be too. And also has a catchy song! lol. A Bad Day For Voodoo!
The Cabin In The Woods trailer. I should have known with Joss Whedon involved it wouldn't be just a scary flick. Sweet!
The Muppets Feel The Hunger Spoof Trailer. Oh yeah, Hunger Games, in your face! lol.
Dark Shadows Trailer! Looks like it's meant to be a SPOOF remake, like so many others have been of late. In that vein, it looks awesome!
How To Make Linked-In Your Happy Place by Jenny Hansen. (Need a Clone, Need a Clone!)
Goodreads: 8 Things Writers Should Know by Rachelle Gardner. Hah! Already there! Nyah! (Not that I do all I should there. Waaaahhhh!)
Rachelle Gardner also talks about How Authors Can Effectively Use Goodreads. Their advertising module is pretty easy. I've used it before.
The Modern Author - A New Breed Of Writer For The Digital Age Of Publishing from Kristen Lamb. (I need CLONES!! Give me some CLONES!)
12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Every Time by Neil Patel at SEOmoz. Great Not To Do (and what to do) advice!
From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - 25 Things You Should Know About Creativity.
Shot Through The Heart: Your Story's Throughline by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. Always good stuff! And colorful! Hee!
Ack, past my time slot and my eyes are shot. Feel free to share anything awesome you've run across!
I'd like to thank my ever horrifyingly bigger Twitter stream for giving me all this fodder to share. I don't do so often enough.
March 18, 2012
Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic and Minecraft 3/18/12
Let's see how much virtual trouble I got into this week. :P
Still on Balmorra on the Republic side at Bug Town.
The bugs main spawning spot. It was eerie, especially with the ooze coming down all the time.
That's the queen guarding her kiddies.
Back here, there's a datacron behind the dude below. We figured there must be a back way to get to it, but got distracted and forgot to look once we got outside before going off world. :(
This dude looked super duper nasty, so we left him alone.
My Imp spy on Nad Shaddaa. I found these posters rather interesting.
One of the less reputable areas. Still a ton of neon.
Camp site for a set of baddies inside. Loved the carpet!
Some weird scientific thingie. The floating doohikies looked like giant hemoglobin.
The Flame in all his alien glory.
Couldn't remember ever taking a pic of these plants when I was here before, so here you go. :P
I liked the overall feel of the set up here. They really came up with some truly interesting flooring.
Some NPCs looking way too serious.
Floating cantina.
Some more cool carpteting.
This central hub on the cantina floor just looked dangerous. Lightning bolts shooting all over the place. lol
Imperial advertising. I guess you can't get away from car sales no matter what side you're on. Hee!
Now for Minecraft
View while I was road building.
My wooden bridge across a lake. You can see one of the safe houses in the background. (I build those so peeps can have someplace safe to stop at when it's night time. Not safe out there at night! Eek!
Creeper bidding his time while I am snug inside the safe house.
With the new Misa texture pack the village golems look way cool!
Some nasty spiders waiting to assault me as I try to get somewhere safe in time.
Finally got the moon shot over the kid's castle. heh heh.
One of the skelly models for the texture pack. I really like the skeletal Robin Hood one. Hee! Oh and you can see my gravel road.
Sun rising from the top of the safe house. You can see the wooden bridge going off into the distance.
Kids came up with their version of Japanese Torii gates for their place.
Daughter did creation mode and built herself a Stargate. Got the effect inside from water. Nice!
Yes, torches are a must have to live in Minecraft.
Hubby's cathedral. He's slowly replacing the stone with brick. The floor is made of obsidian which is super cool in this texture pack.
Waiting for daylight to go out and do more roads. Wheee!
[image error]
Still on Balmorra on the Republic side at Bug Town.
The bugs main spawning spot. It was eerie, especially with the ooze coming down all the time.
That's the queen guarding her kiddies. 
Back here, there's a datacron behind the dude below. We figured there must be a back way to get to it, but got distracted and forgot to look once we got outside before going off world. :(
This dude looked super duper nasty, so we left him alone.
My Imp spy on Nad Shaddaa. I found these posters rather interesting. 
One of the less reputable areas. Still a ton of neon.
Camp site for a set of baddies inside. Loved the carpet!
Some weird scientific thingie. The floating doohikies looked like giant hemoglobin.
The Flame in all his alien glory.
Couldn't remember ever taking a pic of these plants when I was here before, so here you go. :P
I liked the overall feel of the set up here. They really came up with some truly interesting flooring.
Some NPCs looking way too serious.
Floating cantina.
Some more cool carpteting.
This central hub on the cantina floor just looked dangerous. Lightning bolts shooting all over the place. lol
Imperial advertising. I guess you can't get away from car sales no matter what side you're on. Hee!Now for Minecraft
View while I was road building.
My wooden bridge across a lake. You can see one of the safe houses in the background. (I build those so peeps can have someplace safe to stop at when it's night time. Not safe out there at night! Eek!
Creeper bidding his time while I am snug inside the safe house.
With the new Misa texture pack the village golems look way cool!
Some nasty spiders waiting to assault me as I try to get somewhere safe in time.
Finally got the moon shot over the kid's castle. heh heh.
One of the skelly models for the texture pack. I really like the skeletal Robin Hood one. Hee! Oh and you can see my gravel road.
Sun rising from the top of the safe house. You can see the wooden bridge going off into the distance. 
Kids came up with their version of Japanese Torii gates for their place.
Daughter did creation mode and built herself a Stargate. Got the effect inside from water. Nice!
Yes, torches are a must have to live in Minecraft.
Hubby's cathedral. He's slowly replacing the stone with brick. The floor is made of obsidian which is super cool in this texture pack.
Waiting for daylight to go out and do more roads. Wheee![image error]
March 16, 2012
Movie Review - Dr Seuss' The Lorax
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
Starring: Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Betty White, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate, Chris Renaud, and more.
Directed by: Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda Screenplay by: Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul Based on the book by: Dr. Seuss Original Music by: John Powell.
Premise: A young boy, in trying to impress his cute neighbor, goes out beyond the city's safety walls to find out how to get a real tree from a man who lives in the wastelands. (Rated PG)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up - Good job from everyone. Their skills were complimented nicely by the superb animation and gave added emotional depth. Kudos too for doing the musical numbers. Two little girls from the audience were singing the chorus of the last song during the credits, so they obviously pleased - too cute!
As tends to be the case in these types of films, it's the cute side characters that steal the show. The fish, birds, and bears were a hoot. What I found totally amusing was that the voices of the forest animals were all done by one of the directors - Chris Renaud. lol. (Perhaps Dan Povenmire and Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh, the creators and directors for Phineas and Ferb, have started a trend?)
2) Artwork/Animation - Thumbs Up - There's a super cute beginning before the actual film for Despicable Me 2 (yay!), so you can look forward to that. For the film itself, the animation was wonderful. Truly makes Dr Seuss' world come to life - especially the forest scenes with the fish and birds done in trademark Dr Seuss style.
Top quality work as we saw with their previous film Dispecable Me. Their renderings of texture were very well done. The Truffula trees really did look like their sprigs would feel softer than silk. (I'd like a few of those in my yard, please!)
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up - This is a younger kids film (though there are plenty of in-jokes and deeper subjects to keep adults and teenagers entertained as well) and it might hurt the popularity of it with that specific age group a little as this is a story inside a story and might prove a little confusing. However, with the added songs and animals as well as the convoluted set up of the city, kids of all ages should have plenty to see to keep them well entertained.
Some of the subjects covered are deep. When the first tree is cut and the Lorax appears to chastice Once-ler, I heard a little boy in the audience actually say to his Mom, "but it was only one tree." And I have to say rather than take a heavy handed push at that point of the film, the scriptwriters showed restraint and actually had the parties try to coexist after a few hiccups. (They even actually showed that even the 'green' side could take steps which carried things too far.) It's later when the baser natures and peer pressure come in that things go actually wrong. So definitely some deep mental fodder here.
Jabs are taken at all sorts of people, the most poignant, I think, being the ones at the general public - how we live for the sake of convenience and trends and can be swayed by the softest breeze. Like I said before, some deep stuff in here.
What I truly enjoyed about the story was how Ted's motivation as to why he was trying to find a tree changes over time. Unlike Once-ler, when he was tested, Ted's feelings move from selfish motivation to actually considering what might benefit others around him as well.
Conclusion: Nice film for the whole family. Should be fun for the younger kids, and for the older ones and the adults, there are deeper subjects to ponder on and in-jokes. (My husband would go gah-gah over one of Ted's family's plastic trees - the one with the Disco setting. lol)
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Sorry, no hubby rating this week.)
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Starring: Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Betty White, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate, Chris Renaud, and more.
Directed by: Chris Renaud and Kyle Balda Screenplay by: Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul Based on the book by: Dr. Seuss Original Music by: John Powell.
Premise: A young boy, in trying to impress his cute neighbor, goes out beyond the city's safety walls to find out how to get a real tree from a man who lives in the wastelands. (Rated PG)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up - Good job from everyone. Their skills were complimented nicely by the superb animation and gave added emotional depth. Kudos too for doing the musical numbers. Two little girls from the audience were singing the chorus of the last song during the credits, so they obviously pleased - too cute!
As tends to be the case in these types of films, it's the cute side characters that steal the show. The fish, birds, and bears were a hoot. What I found totally amusing was that the voices of the forest animals were all done by one of the directors - Chris Renaud. lol. (Perhaps Dan Povenmire and Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh, the creators and directors for Phineas and Ferb, have started a trend?)
2) Artwork/Animation - Thumbs Up - There's a super cute beginning before the actual film for Despicable Me 2 (yay!), so you can look forward to that. For the film itself, the animation was wonderful. Truly makes Dr Seuss' world come to life - especially the forest scenes with the fish and birds done in trademark Dr Seuss style.
Top quality work as we saw with their previous film Dispecable Me. Their renderings of texture were very well done. The Truffula trees really did look like their sprigs would feel softer than silk. (I'd like a few of those in my yard, please!)
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up - This is a younger kids film (though there are plenty of in-jokes and deeper subjects to keep adults and teenagers entertained as well) and it might hurt the popularity of it with that specific age group a little as this is a story inside a story and might prove a little confusing. However, with the added songs and animals as well as the convoluted set up of the city, kids of all ages should have plenty to see to keep them well entertained.
Some of the subjects covered are deep. When the first tree is cut and the Lorax appears to chastice Once-ler, I heard a little boy in the audience actually say to his Mom, "but it was only one tree." And I have to say rather than take a heavy handed push at that point of the film, the scriptwriters showed restraint and actually had the parties try to coexist after a few hiccups. (They even actually showed that even the 'green' side could take steps which carried things too far.) It's later when the baser natures and peer pressure come in that things go actually wrong. So definitely some deep mental fodder here.
Jabs are taken at all sorts of people, the most poignant, I think, being the ones at the general public - how we live for the sake of convenience and trends and can be swayed by the softest breeze. Like I said before, some deep stuff in here.
What I truly enjoyed about the story was how Ted's motivation as to why he was trying to find a tree changes over time. Unlike Once-ler, when he was tested, Ted's feelings move from selfish motivation to actually considering what might benefit others around him as well.
Conclusion: Nice film for the whole family. Should be fun for the younger kids, and for the older ones and the adults, there are deeper subjects to ponder on and in-jokes. (My husband would go gah-gah over one of Ted's family's plastic trees - the one with the Disco setting. lol)
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Sorry, no hubby rating this week.)
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March 14, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 3/14/12
Let's see what I've got to share this week.
Moon Games by Darren Rowse. This kind of thing is always such fun. :)
To The Light by Through The Glass. Almost seems like that light tunnel they say you see when dying. Heh
[image error] Hovering Swarms of Random Objects - photography from Thomas Jackson over at Peta Pixel. Bizarre yet cool idea, no?
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Beautiful Mosaics of Trees Photographed Across Time - photography by Noel Miles featured over at Peta Pixel. Funky project!
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Playing With Fire: A Burning Man Photo Shoot - photographer Benjamin Von Wong featured over at Peta Pixel. Okay, this one is just weird! lol. There's even a making of video.
Hand And Body Paint Advertising by Guido Daniele featured at Pelfusion. Some of these are just too cool!
From NASA - Across to Prometheus - Saturn's Rings and the Moon Prometheus. Too Cool!
From NASA - Jupiter From The Ground. Bloody good picture for one taken from the ground on Earth.
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Close-Up Photos of Wild Lions Captured With An Armored Beetle Cam over on Peta Pixel.
Enjoy!
Moon Games by Darren Rowse. This kind of thing is always such fun. :)
To The Light by Through The Glass. Almost seems like that light tunnel they say you see when dying. Heh
[image error] Hovering Swarms of Random Objects - photography from Thomas Jackson over at Peta Pixel. Bizarre yet cool idea, no?
[image error]
Beautiful Mosaics of Trees Photographed Across Time - photography by Noel Miles featured over at Peta Pixel. Funky project!
[image error]
Playing With Fire: A Burning Man Photo Shoot - photographer Benjamin Von Wong featured over at Peta Pixel. Okay, this one is just weird! lol. There's even a making of video.
Hand And Body Paint Advertising by Guido Daniele featured at Pelfusion. Some of these are just too cool!
From NASA - Across to Prometheus - Saturn's Rings and the Moon Prometheus. Too Cool!
From NASA - Jupiter From The Ground. Bloody good picture for one taken from the ground on Earth.
[image error]
Close-Up Photos of Wild Lions Captured With An Armored Beetle Cam over on Peta Pixel.
Enjoy!
March 12, 2012
Mind Sieve 3/12/12
Howdy!
Safe Exclusive 60 sec Trailer from Total Film. A heavy dose of action. Dang!
This one looks like it will be a ton of fun! The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore trailer.
Prometheus - Ted 2023 Video - fascinating! Tie's it to the Alien universe. With more info at EW.com
New trailer for the Avengers Assemble movie. SWEET!
First look at Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in The Lone Ranger from Total Films. An EMO Lone Ranger? Hee!
Museum Mondays from This Write Life - Hermitage Museum and Raphael. Some lovely stuff!
Beautiful Tilt-Shift Time-Lapse of The Biggest Carnival in the World from Peta Pixel. The video is awesome. Made even more so by the way everything looks like it's out of a Godzilla movie! Kept expecting him to show up. Then it was made even better when Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers show up! lol. Beautiful video!
Movie preview for Touchback with Kurt Russell. When it started I wasn't sure it was my cup of tea, but I think I'm hooked now. :)
Always Call Nathan Fillion When Voice Actors Break Down from io9. This is hilarious!
Medieval Monday - The Mancatcher from AJ Walker. Have always thought them a nasty but useful bit of people management tool. :P
Designing From Bones - Elements of Culture from Gene Lempp. Let's talk Cyprus!
Book Trailer for Naomi Novik's Crucible of Gold. Can't say you really learn squat about the book, but it's darn pretty! lol
All Alone In The Night - Time-lapse Footage of the Earth as seen from ISS. Absolutely gorgeous! Love the lighting in the clouds and seeing the edge of our atmosphere. The northern lights are amazing!
Pinterest - 13 Things Writers Should Know by Rachelle Gardner. Hah! Already have mine. Actually did something about it last week. :P You can find me here. Had some glitches and issues with duplicates, but have some boards up. Heh heh.
Authors, Here's A Superfab Fun Way To Connect with Readers - Pinterest post from DD Scott. Uhm no, I don't get the feeling she's excited about Pinterest at all! :P
6 Reason Authors Should Love (Facebook) Timeline from the Girls With Pens Blog.
How To Pin A Quote On Pinterest from Galleycat. Okay, this could be way nifty!
Understanding The Show Don't Tell Rule from Aliventures. Great post with awesome examples!
Love Writing? Love The Tools Of The Language from Roz Morris. Tell it, sister!
25 Things You Should Know About Word Choice from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig.
I think that will do it for this week. Enjoy!
Safe Exclusive 60 sec Trailer from Total Film. A heavy dose of action. Dang!
This one looks like it will be a ton of fun! The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore trailer.
Prometheus - Ted 2023 Video - fascinating! Tie's it to the Alien universe. With more info at EW.com
New trailer for the Avengers Assemble movie. SWEET!
First look at Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in The Lone Ranger from Total Films. An EMO Lone Ranger? Hee!
Museum Mondays from This Write Life - Hermitage Museum and Raphael. Some lovely stuff!
Beautiful Tilt-Shift Time-Lapse of The Biggest Carnival in the World from Peta Pixel. The video is awesome. Made even more so by the way everything looks like it's out of a Godzilla movie! Kept expecting him to show up. Then it was made even better when Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers show up! lol. Beautiful video!
Movie preview for Touchback with Kurt Russell. When it started I wasn't sure it was my cup of tea, but I think I'm hooked now. :)
Always Call Nathan Fillion When Voice Actors Break Down from io9. This is hilarious!
Medieval Monday - The Mancatcher from AJ Walker. Have always thought them a nasty but useful bit of people management tool. :P
Designing From Bones - Elements of Culture from Gene Lempp. Let's talk Cyprus!
Book Trailer for Naomi Novik's Crucible of Gold. Can't say you really learn squat about the book, but it's darn pretty! lol
All Alone In The Night - Time-lapse Footage of the Earth as seen from ISS. Absolutely gorgeous! Love the lighting in the clouds and seeing the edge of our atmosphere. The northern lights are amazing!
Pinterest - 13 Things Writers Should Know by Rachelle Gardner. Hah! Already have mine. Actually did something about it last week. :P You can find me here. Had some glitches and issues with duplicates, but have some boards up. Heh heh.
Authors, Here's A Superfab Fun Way To Connect with Readers - Pinterest post from DD Scott. Uhm no, I don't get the feeling she's excited about Pinterest at all! :P
6 Reason Authors Should Love (Facebook) Timeline from the Girls With Pens Blog.
How To Pin A Quote On Pinterest from Galleycat. Okay, this could be way nifty!
Understanding The Show Don't Tell Rule from Aliventures. Great post with awesome examples!
Love Writing? Love The Tools Of The Language from Roz Morris. Tell it, sister!
25 Things You Should Know About Word Choice from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig.
I think that will do it for this week. Enjoy!
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