Saturday, January 31, 2015

Some interesting trivia about John Boorman's movie Excalibur

Cinetropolis:
Boorman and collaborator Rospo Pallenberg’s script and pre-production work on Excalibur benefits from it being his fallback project after he was asked to (unsuccesfully) adapt The Lord Of The Rings for United Artists ten years earlier,
...
Merlin, portrayed by Nicol Williamson, and Helen Mirren’s Morgana are very interesting characters. Neither actor wanted to work with the other, because, according to Boorman, each stated they wanted to sleep with the other on the set of Macbeth, and were rebuffed.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Los Angeles:
City officials have installed walking flags at two unmarked crosswalks in Glendale as part of a new pedestrian-safety initiative designed to give drivers better visibility of people crossing the street.

On both sides of the street at the unmarked crosswalks at the intersections of East Colorado and Jackson streets and Kimlin and East Chevy Chase drives, a handful of orange flags were hanging in receptacles made out of salvaged pipes attached to street poles.

Adjacent signage directed pedestrians to pick up a flag, wave it while crossing the street and drop it in an identical holder on the other side of the street.

"How big is Mitt Romney’s California house? Here, compare it to yours."

WaPo:
We realized, though, that we don't really know how big 11,000 square feet actually is. In order to get approval to build the home (it was an upgrade from a smaller version), Romney's architect had to submit plans to the state, in part because it abuts the coast. Thanks to those plans, we can see exactly what the joint looks like -- and, more excitingly, just how big it is.

Don't believe us? Here. Enter the size of your residence in the tool below, and it will show you just how your home stacks up to Romney's. That's the actual floor plan of his place, by the way.
"A competitor with a Dalek on his head takes part in the annual UK Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido on January 24 in London."

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Hershey is trying to figure out ways to trick shoppers using self-checkout into buying junkfood

Consumerist:
“It’s very important to understand what shoppers are doing with that dwell time,” he told the attendees at this executive briefing. “As they get to pay points, how much is a good amount of dwell time [going] to encourage impulse purchase, but not have a detrimental effect on the shopping trip as a whole?” What is the optimal amount of time to have people standing around staring at merchandise so that they pick up things and buy them, while not ruining their shopping experience?
...

Hershey is working with a retail technology company to develop a machine that can automatically dispense items (we’re guessing candy) to shoppers using a self-checkout machine.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

New Li'l Gotham Mini Figures



TNI:
Kotobukiya presents a new set of mini figures based on Li'l Gotham from DC Comics! Less than 5 cm (2 inches) tall, these mini figures are great for creating a Batman display in a small space! Li'l Gotham figures come in randomly selected two-packs. With 6 different color variations for each character you can mix, match, and trade to collect the whole set of 7!

Available June 2015.

Watch with tiny 3D Marcus Aurelius bust



Aventicum:
Christophe Claret’s passion for history has inspired him to create Aventicum, a tribute to the capital of ancient Roman Helvetia and to highlight the extraordinary
work of the Avenches Roman Museum. In the center of its dial, Aventicum reveals a miniature gold bust of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. The micro-engraved effigy is particularly three-dimensional thanks to an ingenious optical effect.

The Tiny Grand Budapest Hotel



Clinic 212:
Here’s what happens when you finally see a new long awaited and wonderful in all terms film from your favorite director. In spring! CLINIC 212 creative agency is known for loving animals of all kinds, so we kind of HAD to do this. Just a couple of long nights in the office and voila - brand new handmade three-room boutique hotel for birds also known as The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Deadspin is trying to figure out Bill Belichick's horcruxes

Guesses so far:
The one ball from the AFC Championship game that wasn't deflated
His first hoodie
The Helmet Catch ball
His old Browns playbook
Adam Vinatieri

Monday, January 26, 2015

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy poster

The crashed drone was being operated by a government employee

NY Times:
The small drone that crashed into a tree on the South Lawn of the White House early Monday morning was operated by a government employee . . . he was flying the drone for recreational use at about 3 a.m.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Man passes through a London park and notices everyone is staring at him

A Redditor:
So I literally just walked through the garden at the south east corner of Hyde Park - something bloody weird is going down. Having cut across from the north of W. Carriage Drive all was well; saw a few people walking about nothing l noteworthy.

Then having crossed the large path by the lake I come into this garden (towards green park) and some guy walks up and just stares at me, my first though was it was some drunk homeless guy and no big deal. Stare back for a second then walk past him on my way, that when things seriously got creepy. The park was filled, and I mean filled with people doing exactly the same thing. They weren't all dressed like your usual creeps either, guys wearing suits, big black coats these guys (they were all guys) could have been mistaken for a Whitehall staff picnic...all of them stopping and staring at me as I walked through.

I'll confess my pulse increased quite dramatically as they all looked at me, blank expressions, some followed me for a bit others were right at the opposite end standing still or slowly walking about. 
Anyway I stayed on the same path, didn't look back and nothing happend. Two of them tried to speak to me but I had my headphones in and didn't hear

Is some group holding an event there I missed the memo on?! Seriously that's simultaneously the most confusing and creepy thing I have ever seen.
Can you guess what was going on?

Deckard's wife



You can actually see her for a moment when Deckard is chasing Zhora through the streets. She looks at him disapprovingly at 1:12:





Via these sites.

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Friday, January 23, 2015

Jane Foster Thor Heroclix miniature



From the July 2015 Nick Fury Heroclix set. Also, the "Spider-Man Symbiotes Monthly Organized Play Kit" in May will include an Agent Venom:



*Buy Heroclix at Amazon.

$50 water tasting at a Los Angeles restaurant



Learn the "fundamentals of water" by "Discovering five dramatically different waters" for $50 per person at Patina.

Bloody training for the Air Force's Honor Guard



USAF:
Honor Guard Training
Airman 1st Class Jacob Wilson rests with his M1 Garand with a fixed bayonet during U.S. Air Force Honor Guard drill team training Jan. 13, 2015, at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Md. While practicing drill movements, trainees risk getting cut with the 11-inch bayonet. Wilson is a U.S. Air Force honor guardsman. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Nesha Humes)
And speaking of photos, check out the Atlantic's photos of the week, especially the mechanical horse.

Movie posters at Sundance



Posters for White God and It Follows from this collection of Sundance posters.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Mortal Kombat modded to give Goro the ladies' fatalities





Eight minutes of extreme gore and some pole dancing.

Does this mean we'll be able to buy engine noises the way we buy ringtones?

WaPo:
The engine growl in some of America’s best-selling cars and trucks is actually a finely tuned bit of lip-syncing, boosted through special pipes or digitally faked altogether. And it’s driving car enthusiasts insane.

Fake engine noise has become one of the auto industry’s dirty little secrets, with automakers from BMW to Volkswagen turning to a sound-boosting bag of tricks. Without them, today’s more fuel-efficient engines would sound far quieter and, automakers worry, seemingly less powerful, potentially pushing buyers away.

"How Many Quarterbacks Have to Pass Up a Spot for Johnny Manziel to Make the Pro Bowl?"

Grantland does the math.

Richard Scarry's Busy Town updated for the internet age



Welcome to Business Town.

Wonder Woman statue based on the DC Nation short




Based on the Robert Valley short, sculpted by Jonathan Matthews.  Available for preorder.








Ant-covered shrimp at Noma Japan

Japan Times:
The magic kicks in from the very first course, jumbo shrimp served atop a platter of ice. They are superb, premium sashimi quality and so fresh they’re still dancing their final quivers. But it is the seasoning — “flavors of the Nagano forest” the menu calls it — that defines this dish. A dozen tiny wild black ants are carefully arranged on the shrimp, their little pinpricks of sharp acidity acting as a perfect accent for the sweet, pink flesh.
Via.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson paid "some guys" $7500 to doctor footballs to his liking before the super bowl.

Marvel's Venom got a new armored look



Courtesy of Gun Valerio Schiti:
the artist revealed that writer Brian Bendis used the Venom model from the video game Disney Infinity as a jumping off point.

Jae Lee-style Justice League figures



From the DC Designer Action Figure Series based on Jae Lee's illustrations.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Ian Fleming "hated" Alan Turing

According to the screenwriter of The Imitation Game:
"Fleming's job was to come up with preposterous spy stories, that weren't real, but would be believable to the Germans," he said, referring to the spycraft necessitated by Turing and team's breaking of the German codes.

"Turing thought that Fleming's plots were just ridiculous . . . . He kept rejecting Fleming's plans, and so Fleming got really irritated with him."
WaPo:
Tyndale House, a major Christian publisher, has announced that it will stop selling “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven,” by Alex Malarkey and his father, Kevin Malarkey.

The best-selling book, first published in 2010, purports to describe what Alex experienced while he lay in a coma after a car accident when he was 6 years old.

...

Earlier this week, Alex recanted his testimony about the afterlife. In an open letter to Christian bookstores posted on the Pulpit and Pen Web site, Alex states flatly: “I did not die. I did not go to Heaven.”

Effigy #4 cover



By W. Scott Forbes.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Lego sculpture



By Riccardo Zangelmi.

Sadness



Funko toys based on the various characters from Pixar's Inside Out are available for preorder.

Destiny or Star Wars?



From a gallery of Star Wars concept art by Gustavo Mendonca.

Photographs from the Rosetta probe are subject to a six month embargo

BBC:
Nearly all of the images seen to date have come from the probe's navigation cameras. The products of its science cameras, on the other hand, which are far superior, have been given only a very limited release because of the proprietary period.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Raiders of the Lost Ark myths explored on Mythbusters



Another fun episode--Indy could have totally used his whip to swing across the gorge, and would have easily outrun the darts.

Ex Machina tee



Not on sale yet, but Last Exit to Nowhere is giving one away:
We're offering you the chance to WIN this exclusive and official Ex Machina T-shirt approved by writer/director Alex Garland.

To enter, simply give this post a 'LIKE' and tell us:
If you could ask an A.I. one question, what would it be?

The most interesting answer in our opinion wins. We'll announce the winner tomorrow morning (Monday 19th January)

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Unforgettable throwback uniforms



Reserve your name at the .RIP domain before some squatter seizes it...

Not sure if a joke or not:
A respectful domain name for remembering loved ones

The .RIP domain name is intended for remembering and paying respects to the deceased. It can also be useful to certain businesses and professions, such as funeral homes, mortuaries, and grief counselors.

It’s common to create “in memoriam” pages on Facebook. With the .RIP domain name, you can register an easy-to-remember web address, and then forward it to a Facebook page, making it much easier to share with friends and family.

Crematoriums, casket and headstone makers, churches, and cemeteries are among the businesses and organizations that can benefit from a .RIP domain name.

Celebrities and public figures may find it worthwhile to register their names as .RIP domain names to protect their identities and avoid hoaxes.

Friday, January 16, 2015

William Gibson: "The most Neuromancer thing I've yet seen"









80's-style posters for today's more ironic fan.
Haunted train tracks.

Cosplaying as the new Star Wars ball droid in a Disney 5k

Vox boasts about the traffic it got from reposting old articles

Vox:
In a five-day period, we ran 88 of these stories, and collectively they brought in over 500,000 readers. That was great to see. The articles generated a lot of positive feedback, and some pieces that writers really put a lot of work into but that didn't attract much readership the first time around became hits.

What was interesting — though not completely unexpected — was that no one even seemed to notice that we were flooding the site with previously published content.

...

we're going to make the December experiment a routine part of the site.

The Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good...in Lego



What is this? A center for Ants!?

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Looks like Nike deleted that sweat pants Tweet.

WWE Immortals

It's free at iTunes. If you think the best part of fighting games is the pleasure of unlocking new characters, then this is the game for you:



Speaking of wrestling, the latest elite figures are impressive. Check out Vader and Animal, which you can find at Amazon: