Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 33

Picture Kaleidoscope 2/17/16

Morning!Have a BIG project at work, so this will be quick! Apologies! San Francisco Sunrise by Mike Zampelli at Earthshots.org  Look at those awesome colors! 
Underneath a Frozen Lake by Victor Liu at Earthshots.org More awesome colors!
Vermilion Lake in Winter by Carl Pan at Earthshots.org - dang! More awesome colors! Woot!
Okay, gotta go! Have a great one!

Virtual Tourist - Grim Fandango 2/14/16

Morning! And Happy Valentine's Day!
Grim Fandango Side view of Manny's building. Open window he's standing in front of is Don's office. You can see one of the skeletal pigeons on the ledge. :)
Back in the Secret Base! I finally figured out (cheated) how to make a copy of my teeth.
Secret tunnel out of the city!
Exit of the secret tunnel. The city is in the background. Nice mood shot! :)
My buddy's elemental heart. Which he ripped out himself. Have to say that was one weird sequence. lol.
Some of the denizens of the forest. Creepy little buggers!
Where the heart ended up after my buddy's impassioned soliloquy.  He's so crazy. lol.
Don and in the shadows - the true power behind what set all of this in motion. He is not pleased by current events. A tree marrow sucking plant. Took me a bit to get a clue about what to do here. (More cheating!) My buddy is going for an unexpected ride. Heh heh heh.
From plain 40's black car to super souped up ride! Sweet!  Demon Fire Beavers! And they eat bones. Eek!
Have an awesome Valentine's Day!

ConDFW 2/12-2/14/16 - Schedule!

Morning, all!

This weekend is ConDFW!


I'd meant to put up my schedule earlier, but life has been pure chaos lately. DOH!



Friday 
PROGRAMMING 2 (MADISON) Friday, 3pm: Google Maps is Your Urban Fantasy Guide Panelists: Gloria Oliver (M), Seanan McGuire, Paul Black, Sue Sinor, Bradley H. Sinor Looking for a good location, and can’t remember clearly where you grew up?  Trying to figure out how long it takes to drive from Houston to Dallas when you’re riding the Great Hunt?  It’s amazing what technology can show you these days, and learning a neighborhood can be a little safer if you browse from the computer (at least at the beginning).  Our writers talk about finding the perfect location for their urban fantasy stories.

Saturday 
READING (ADAMS) Saturday, 12pm: Gloria Oliver, T. M. Hunter


MAIN PROGRAMMING (JEFFERSON) Saturday, 4pm: Magic vs Technology II: Exploring Technology in Urban Fantasy Panelists: Gloria Oliver (M), Seanan McGuire, Carole Nelson Douglas, P.N. Elrod, C. Dean Andersson, Mary Gearhart‐Gray Last year we looked at the effect of technology on magic in Urban Fantasy.  This year we flip the sides and look at how magic effects technology.  A perfect example of this is in the Dresden Files, where magic can actively destroy modern technology by being used nearby.  Does modern technology replace magic?   Can it coexist?  How modern should tech be so it isn’t mistaken as magic itself?  Our authors explore this knotty problem with SCIENCE!


PROGRAMMING 3 (HAMILTON) Saturday, 5pm: Where do Heroes Go to Die? Panelists: Tracy S. Morris (M), Barbara Ann Wright, Patrice Sarath, Gloria Oliver, Michelle Muenzler Last year we heard that Arnold Schwarzenegger is doing Legend of Conan (eventually?  Maybe?  Now it looks like November 2016) as a direct sequel to the first Conan, where it ended with him being King, old and grizzled.  As a concept, the idea is neat, and is something that Howard dealt with in his original stories as well.  Just how do you write old heroes?  Our writers of sword and sorcery discuss these topics and more.

Sunday 
PROGRAMMING 2 (MADISON) Sunday, 1pm: Interstellar Archaeology: Part Two – The Debunking Panelists: Mel White (M), Chris Donahue, Gloria Oliver, Teresa Patterson, David Doub, Stina Leicht The second of two panels where we inflict discover startling artifacts of OBVIOUS alien origin.  Our experts tell us how wrong the previous esteemed panelists were!  Last year, Sunday’s panel thoroughly debunked Friday’s experts.  Help us, they can!  Confuse us, they will not.

Hope you come! I'll also have a table in the Dealers Room. :)

Picture Kaleidoscope 2/10/16

Morning!Running late... as usual!  :mrgreen: I love this kind of thing. They ball at the top changes colors! Taken at Wasabi and Wok. (Yummy food!) And nothing says Happy Chinese New Year like a cute bamboo set. :) Taken at Wasabi and Wok. Cool kit car I saw over the weekend! More pics of it at the album. Fluffy skies! Lots of pink that morning. :) Kind of a neat effect on this one, no? Unintended outcome but looks rather cool! But then, I'm biased. :P Sunset! Nature's contrast. She does paint beautiful pictures. :)I'll let you off the hook... for now! Bwahahahaha!Have an awesome day!

Mind Sieve 2/8/16

Happy Chinese New Year!  It's the Year of the Monkey!

Zootopia Trailer #4 - so looking forward to it! :)


Simon's Cat - Tough Love (A Valentine's Special)  - odd but cute?


The Secret Life of Pets Trailer #2 - looks fun fun fun~!

Gotta go! Have a wonderful week!

Virtual Tourist - Final Fantasy XIV 2/7/16

Morning!Complications and complications! I don't think the world can exist without them, do you? :P DOH!Final Fantasy XIVPlayer Housing in Ul'dahOutside the player housing zone. Different angle shot. You can see some of the Halloween decorations on the right. :)Isn't that a lovely pond? Nice!The facade of one of the homes.A Shrine to their sweetheart?What awesome detail. Look at all the engravings! Sweet!ThanalanTotally love the look of this rise. The weird purple ring is our current objective.Kikipu a merchant in need!View of Ul'dah from outside the city. Lovely!Copperbell MinesCopperbell Mines Dungeon intro! Convoluted place.Oh yeah!Hope you have an awesome day!

Movie Review - Hail, Caesar!

Hail, Caesar!



Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehnrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Veronica Osorio, Heather Goldenhersh, Clancy Brown, Alison Pill, Max Baker, Fisher Stevens, Patrick Fischler, Robert Picardo, Christopher Lambert, and more.

Directed by: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen Written by: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Cinematography by: Roger Deakins Music by: Carter Burwell

Premise: Eddie Mannix manages all that goes on at Capital Pictures. He makes sure things run smoothly. But when he has to juggle an unmarried pregnant starlet, a lucrative offer from Lockheed, threats from a gossip columnist and a journalist, plus the kidnapping of the main star of the biggest budget picture ever from the studio - Eddie may have finally reached his limit. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Josh Brolin is fun to watch on this film. He embodies the look and feel of the 40's - a troubled soul with a calling. George Clooney really shows his skills as we see him flip back and forth between semi-brainless Baird Whitlock, bad actor, victim, good actor - he ran the gambit on this film! lol.

Alden Enrenreich was too much fun as Hobie Doyle, especially when he's trying to act! lol. (Wait till you see his roping skills! Dang!) Top performances from everyone involved. It's obvious they had way too much fun making this film. Channing Tatum dances AND sings! It was awesome! That sailor musical number was fantastic! (They even added some cool tricks I'd not seen done before. Fab!)

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: Chunks of the film are done 'old school' style. Here and there they show pieces of the films being made at Capital Pictures. And they have the same look and feel they would have had if they'd been made in the 40's. Even some of the reality took on the feel of a 40's film. :)

They also brought out some old but very familiar sound effects. One of them they had to have done just to do it, because otherwise it would not have been heard at all! Think Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. You'll know when you hear it. :P

3) Plot/Story - Total Thumbs Up: It's going to be hard for me to quantify this film. In the true tradition of the 40's, the tale begins with a voice over and ends in one. And like several movies of the time, it ambles in a general direction but also has a lot of other pins tossed in the air, so you're never quite sure where everything is headed.

The film is a comedy but is also an encapsulation of the times as well as a giant homage machine. It has a TON of loosely veiled references to other films, studios, personalities, politics - there's a bit of that and more in there. And though I applaud them for doing it, I think it might also inadvertently hurt how the film does at the box office. I don't think anyone below the age of 40 will understand and get a lot of what is being presented and why so many bits are funny. I don't believe they'll have the knowledge needed to be able to put what they see in context. But I would be quite happy to be wrong about this! :)

The brothers touched on all sorts of things - the treatment of writers and other staff by the big studios, Howard Hughes (the mysterious backer of Capital Pictures perhaps?), the film Hell's Angels, the big musical's of the times, Roy Roger, Gene Kelly, religion, the scandal and gossip, communist accusations, the wrecking of careers (The Majestic is not only an awesome movie but it shares a ton of info on this controversial time in Hollywood, too!). A ton of scenes and locations of the films being made will seem familiar, poking at your memories.

Some neat duality was woven into the themes, which at times made certain moments truly ironic. Eddie struggles with the fact he lies to his wife about smoking and feels the need to confess and be absolved for this, but giving money to squash rumors, lying to keep from getting bad press, or keeping on the good side of the cops is just everyday life. The oppressed men who are part of "The Future" are raging at the system, but in the end, they willingly play the same role as before (even as they convince themselves they're free) - the working class toiling for those above them, and getting next to nothing for their efforts.

The film is also a view behind the curtain. The audience normally only sees the finished product, the dream as it was envisioned. But this film loves to set the audience to get caught in films being made then yanks the curtain open, forcibly pulling us from the fabrication back to their reality.

4) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: The cinematography was great. From the too close overdone filming to spanning vistas, it was all embroiled with new and old techniques. They even throw in cheesy stuff that for the times would have been top of the line tech. Nice!

5) Costuming/Makeup - Total Thumbs Up: The costuming and makeup department did a phenomenal job. Not only did they bring out the fashions for the time, but also made the actors and actresses look like top stars of the 40's and recreated costumes that would look close to those actually used in the films.

Conclusion: "Hail, Caesar!" is a fun film full of all things Hollywood in the early 40's, making it a time capsule of sorts. Top performances by everyone. Younger viewers may not enjoy it as much, though the musical bar scene and Hobie's horseriding and lasso handling are totally worth seeing.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

ChibiChains - The resurrection

Going to toot my daughter's horn today. Like, why not, right?  :-PAnyway, as some of you might already know, Drew creates chainmail jewelry and uses Chibi Chains for her brand name. She does some truly fabulous work, too!Well her old website just didn't seem to be robust enough for what she really needed - so now we've moved her to wordpress and found an awesome plugin from WP-EasyCart.So far she's only got the Bracelet's section complete - but it's worth showing off now!  8-) This is the top front of the store. Has a decent slider showing a few teaser pics. Pretty!
Here's the current bottom of the index page. There's probably a category or more to add to the list. Though currently only Bracelets has been finished. (Between the photo taking, setting up each weave, and descriptions and more - it takes a while to get it all together!)
This is how the category page looks. Showing a 3 column setup for all the items in a category. (Sorted by name - though shoppers and change that for their viewing pleasure. )   ;-) This is the Quickview of one of the bracelets. So you get a little more info.
This is the full detail page. Shows you all the lovely options you can pick from. Color 1 and Color 2, there's a spot to mention you'd like a 3rd color (Like the bracelet in the pic). The length and Ring Size (for the chainmail rings not your finger. Heh heh) and how many you want. Super nice! She wanted the store to be as big and wide as possible, so all the extra stuff is in the footers. You can search by name, weave, etc. Find Drew on social media. Sign up for her newsletter so you can always know what's new. And a login screen. I believe it is even linked to Facebook so you don't have to create YET another log in.  :twisted:Anyway, I wanted to share, I you have time, it'd be awesome if you'd stop on by. The store is functional (even if all that's out there is bracelets)! Chainmail makes for truly unique gifts!And Valentine's Day is fast approaching. *hint hint* :mrgreen:

Picture Kaleidoscope 2/3/16

Morning!
This week has seemed real hard for some reason. Huh.


Etna Power by Nunzio Santisi at Earthshots.org - WOW! Nature is amazing! Mr. Santisi has other landscapes, macro, and more at this site. Nice work!


Another unusual shot! Fighting and Yelling by David Hua at Earthshots.org He has lots of lovely animal photography at his site. 

Hidden Garden by Perri Schelat at Earthshots.org - Perfect scene for a romance or fantasy no? :) Lots of lovely landscapes at his site. Sweet!

I Waited for 117 Hours in -50°C Temperatures to Snap These Polar Bear Photos article and photography by Daisy Gilardini at PetaPixel. That's dedication! She's got a ton of bear pics and cold environ pics at her site as well. Brrrr. 


17 of Apple’s Favorite iPhone 6S Portrait Photos by Michael Zhang at Earthshots.org Photo by Jirasak Panpiansin, Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand

Have an awesome day!

Mind Sieve 2/1/16

Way too much happening, crashing, catch-uping, and more - so this will be a quick one this week!




Trolls Official Teaser Trailer #1 - looks funky! 


The Angry Birds Movie Official Theatrical Trailer - ROFL!


Eye in the Sky - looks good! (We will miss you Mr. Rankin) :(


That's it. Hope your week is less chaotic than mine! :)