Friday, August 10, 2012
H+
Quick post: this new web series on YouTube, an experimental high budget digital only release by Warner Brothers, encapsulates the core theme of the Art and Tech course. Stay awhile and watch...
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Diablo 3 Profiles
FINALLY, this past Monday, Blizzard released the Diablo 3 character profiles, something they should have done when the game launched in May. You can find mine here. I like how they display time spent in the game as a percentage divided up between the classes you played, rather than actual hours played...
Monday, August 6, 2012
Sword Art Online
On the topic of MMO's and online games in general... there's an anime that started airing this summer season that has held my interest. Sword Art Online will be a 25 episode series, adapted from a light novel of the same name. The premise isn't that groundbreaking or new (as there have been other similar projects though I am unfamiliar with them), but it offers some interesting twists: 10,000 players of a new virtual reality MMO are trapped in the game when the creator reveals that the players can not log out until all 100 floors of the whole game are cleared. Also, death in the game means death in the real world.
The game takes much influence from MMO and RPG games, though much more from Japanese style ones (Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star I believe). Leveling, skills, items, guilds, and many other game elements would be familiar to most gamers.
There is already much controversy with the show's format, even though it's only 5 episodes in. Apparently, according to those that have read the light novels (translations here, but I'm sticking solely to the show), the series has been adapting mostly side stories first, with the actual main story taking a back seat. It definitely doesn't help that characters are seemingly skipping several floors between episodes. Blogger Guardian Enzo describes it best as "SAO has a funny sort of narrative style to it – the anime anyway – where it seems as if things keep happening whether we’re watching or not, and we just happen to check in on them from time to time". Still, I find the integration of game mechanics I can relate to and pretty animation worth the while of watching. I'm really interested in seeing what will become of the players once they reach the 100th floor and what the game's creator has to say about it...
The 5th episode (spectacularly blogged by Guardian Enzo) is probably the best to date since the first episode in a line of one off side stories. The narrative confronts the two main protagonists, Kirito and Asuna, and their budding relationship. As two of the top players in the whole game, they have been advancing on the front lines to progress through the floors. This episode presents some interesting elements regarding the game, and the human aspects behind them and any other game.
For one, Asuna devises a plan to lure out the boss to the village where it will attack the NPC's (non-player characters, essentially AI and NOT real players) while the players can then focus their attacks on it. Kirito disagrees that they shouldn't do so, even though the NPC's will respawn. Is Kirito getting too absorbed in the game, believing the NPC's to be real, or is there another reason? From what I hear, there may be another reason, but the anime adaptation has yet to touch upon this game mechanic.
Another point is Asuna's insistence that they work around the clock to clear the game as opposed to Kirito's relaxed demeanor about it. She argues that every minute spent in this virtual world is a minute gone in the real world. However, Kirito believes that since this world is so real anyways, they might as well enjoy the beautiful weather, the calm breezes, and the changing seasons. Funny enough, for this game, like in the real world, one has to "play hard and work hard".
Relaxation leads to the next element. With such a game and the shocking reveal of finite death, many players have resigned themselves to living in towns and forgoing the whole adventure, leveling, and clearing aspect. Still, many players band together to form guilds to clear what they can. But like guilds in actual games, drama can arise and the worst in a person can be brought out. The episode centers around some murders and disappearances over a rare and powerful item being found and a guild's indecisiveness over who would claim it. Guild members end up disappearing and dying, and the mystery is the focus of this episode arc. The mystery also brings up the possibility of the "fairness" of the game rules, and I think they'll hint at what the game creator will be up to in the end.
Last point I want to touch upon. Although not mentioned yet in the anime, the characters' real life constituents are all apparently being treated in hospitals like coma patients, as the VR helmets they wear can not be removed. By the 5th episode, 6 months have already passed in the real world. In that time frame, any popular game would already be hacked or exploited to oblivion. However, the game creator has stated that any tampering of the game and helmets would lead to instant death for ALL players. Save all the players or risk them all dying? Better leave it up to the players to clear the game then!
As always, below is a trailer of the anime, as well as the anime opening, which gives a good glimpse of what's to come.
The game takes much influence from MMO and RPG games, though much more from Japanese style ones (Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star I believe). Leveling, skills, items, guilds, and many other game elements would be familiar to most gamers.
There is already much controversy with the show's format, even though it's only 5 episodes in. Apparently, according to those that have read the light novels (translations here, but I'm sticking solely to the show), the series has been adapting mostly side stories first, with the actual main story taking a back seat. It definitely doesn't help that characters are seemingly skipping several floors between episodes. Blogger Guardian Enzo describes it best as "SAO has a funny sort of narrative style to it – the anime anyway – where it seems as if things keep happening whether we’re watching or not, and we just happen to check in on them from time to time". Still, I find the integration of game mechanics I can relate to and pretty animation worth the while of watching. I'm really interested in seeing what will become of the players once they reach the 100th floor and what the game's creator has to say about it...
Asuna and Kirito
The 5th episode (spectacularly blogged by Guardian Enzo) is probably the best to date since the first episode in a line of one off side stories. The narrative confronts the two main protagonists, Kirito and Asuna, and their budding relationship. As two of the top players in the whole game, they have been advancing on the front lines to progress through the floors. This episode presents some interesting elements regarding the game, and the human aspects behind them and any other game.
For one, Asuna devises a plan to lure out the boss to the village where it will attack the NPC's (non-player characters, essentially AI and NOT real players) while the players can then focus their attacks on it. Kirito disagrees that they shouldn't do so, even though the NPC's will respawn. Is Kirito getting too absorbed in the game, believing the NPC's to be real, or is there another reason? From what I hear, there may be another reason, but the anime adaptation has yet to touch upon this game mechanic.
Another point is Asuna's insistence that they work around the clock to clear the game as opposed to Kirito's relaxed demeanor about it. She argues that every minute spent in this virtual world is a minute gone in the real world. However, Kirito believes that since this world is so real anyways, they might as well enjoy the beautiful weather, the calm breezes, and the changing seasons. Funny enough, for this game, like in the real world, one has to "play hard and work hard".
Relaxation leads to the next element. With such a game and the shocking reveal of finite death, many players have resigned themselves to living in towns and forgoing the whole adventure, leveling, and clearing aspect. Still, many players band together to form guilds to clear what they can. But like guilds in actual games, drama can arise and the worst in a person can be brought out. The episode centers around some murders and disappearances over a rare and powerful item being found and a guild's indecisiveness over who would claim it. Guild members end up disappearing and dying, and the mystery is the focus of this episode arc. The mystery also brings up the possibility of the "fairness" of the game rules, and I think they'll hint at what the game creator will be up to in the end.
Last point I want to touch upon. Although not mentioned yet in the anime, the characters' real life constituents are all apparently being treated in hospitals like coma patients, as the VR helmets they wear can not be removed. By the 5th episode, 6 months have already passed in the real world. In that time frame, any popular game would already be hacked or exploited to oblivion. However, the game creator has stated that any tampering of the game and helmets would lead to instant death for ALL players. Save all the players or risk them all dying? Better leave it up to the players to clear the game then!
As always, below is a trailer of the anime, as well as the anime opening, which gives a good glimpse of what's to come.
There's obviously a lot more I can talk about, but I'll keep this post short for brevity. :)
Sword Art Online is freely and legally viewable on Crunchyroll.com.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Extra Credits
On the topic of video games, I want to highlight another web series I've been following. Extra Credits is an excellent and highly intelligent series that discusses various video game and video game industry ideas. I love their sense of humor, the narrator's sped up voice, the silly images, and their ability to totally absorb me into whatever they're talking about. Some of their videos deal with serious issues, such as piracy and game addiction. Others cross the thinning border between video games and other media, and contain essential material anyone working in media should know (such as the hero's journey concept in many narratives). Click the image below to visit their home page and watch their videos!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Oh snapz, it's THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
I saw The Amazing Spider-Man yesterday, and I feel like writing about it! This was actually going to be a The Dark Knight Rises post, but all my friends had seen it except for me. D:
Anyway, I like the Spider-Man franchise in general, knowing some of the backstory and general cast and villains, but I have never seen any of the three original movies. Maybe that's for the better, because I thought The Amazing Spider-Man was awesomely amazing.
In contrast to the previous films (according to reviews and criticism currently over the airwaves), Peter Parker is a shyer and less confident young man. I, for one, agree with this change. He's brilliantly intelligent, but isn't given any respect for it. And having lost his parents, he's pretty much alone other than for his uncle and aunt who always stay up waiting for him to come home late at night. Parker only has confidence while donning his spandex alter ego, Spider-Man. He cracks subtle jokes at villians no less, and isn't afraid to take that leap (no pun intended). However, talking to his initial love interest (true to the comics I might add), Gwen Stacy, makes him all stammery and hestitant. Very humanizing in my opinion. This humanizing trait is carried over when he's injured, hampering his mobility. He's not immortal, he's Spider-Man! Fortunately, his karma kicks in, and citizens help him out, giving him more creditabliltiy as the city's true vigilante.
I really don't have any qualms with the film. I saw it in 3-D too, which I would usually say is a waste of money and gimmicky. Not for this movie though. I love how gripping those scenes with Spider-Man zipping through the skyscrapers or fighting; I felt really tense in my seat. They even included some first-person scenes (his point of view), and I felt my slight acrophobia kicking in, but it was AWESOME. Wish they could have included more first-person shots, but this may have been unfavorable due to causing motion sickness in some people. The 3-D effects also seemed to help with the scenes with bokeh and depth of field.
All in all, this is a great reboot of a beloved franchise. Everyone should go and see it, and keep the original trilogy out of their minds while watching. And stay for the credits, as there's an extra scene... Can't wait for the sequel!
Anyway, I like the Spider-Man franchise in general, knowing some of the backstory and general cast and villains, but I have never seen any of the three original movies. Maybe that's for the better, because I thought The Amazing Spider-Man was awesomely amazing.
In contrast to the previous films (according to reviews and criticism currently over the airwaves), Peter Parker is a shyer and less confident young man. I, for one, agree with this change. He's brilliantly intelligent, but isn't given any respect for it. And having lost his parents, he's pretty much alone other than for his uncle and aunt who always stay up waiting for him to come home late at night. Parker only has confidence while donning his spandex alter ego, Spider-Man. He cracks subtle jokes at villians no less, and isn't afraid to take that leap (no pun intended). However, talking to his initial love interest (true to the comics I might add), Gwen Stacy, makes him all stammery and hestitant. Very humanizing in my opinion. This humanizing trait is carried over when he's injured, hampering his mobility. He's not immortal, he's Spider-Man! Fortunately, his karma kicks in, and citizens help him out, giving him more creditabliltiy as the city's true vigilante.
I really don't have any qualms with the film. I saw it in 3-D too, which I would usually say is a waste of money and gimmicky. Not for this movie though. I love how gripping those scenes with Spider-Man zipping through the skyscrapers or fighting; I felt really tense in my seat. They even included some first-person scenes (his point of view), and I felt my slight acrophobia kicking in, but it was AWESOME. Wish they could have included more first-person shots, but this may have been unfavorable due to causing motion sickness in some people. The 3-D effects also seemed to help with the scenes with bokeh and depth of field.
All in all, this is a great reboot of a beloved franchise. Everyone should go and see it, and keep the original trilogy out of their minds while watching. And stay for the credits, as there's an extra scene... Can't wait for the sequel!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Diablo 3
World of Warcraft certainly wasn't my last game addiction... I've been playing Diablo 3 a lot. With such perfect timing, the game was released on May 15th, barely a week after the summer semester started, and I've been playing way too much since. I am finally on a hiatus due to the inevitable last semester crunch time.
My "main" character, Sinpathy, a male Barbarian. 105 hours spent on him? Yikes.
Developed by Blizzard, the same people who also created WoW, Diablo 3 has players create characters to venture in the realm of Sanctuary, battling hordes of demons, and the Prime Evil, Diablo, itself. There's a whole metagame around this game: what items are best, overpowered skills, class quirks, and general hate or love of the game. See the appropriate sub-Reddit for much more...
The game was a load of fun for the first few weeks. However, once reaching the max level on one character, and reaching Inferno, the hardest difficulty, the game slows to a crawl. The game becomes a game of playing the Auction House and lottery. You have to buy better gear on the player driven auction house or continuously "farm" good items, by killing lots of monsters and hoping you strike gold with a near perfectly rolled item with awesome stats.
My secondary character, 忠忍者, which roughly translates to "loyal ninja". As you can see, I named some of my characters with Chinese and Korean characters. Because I'm cool like that. "Only" 65 hours on him so far, but he's my gold and item "farmer", due to his demon killing efficiency.
In that regards, the game is very broken. There are so many complaints about how Blizzard is running the game. Within weeks of release, people were able to create automated scripts and "bots" to watch the auction house and buy and resell items for higher profits. Bots have also been made to farm gold and items. Blizzard addresses this by banning these accounts, but they always return in droves, decreasing the value of gold and ruining the game economy. This description is a little exaggerated, but many players would agree.
Difficulty is another thing. Why do you make a game so difficult, your testers couldn't even get through it - and then DOUBLE the difficulty and release it to the public? Well, people have certainly beat it, and Blizzard has addressed some difficulty issues with patches, but the game can be a masochist's game for those who don't play enough to improve their characters and gear.
Nonetheless, I suppose I can't complain. This game was well worth the $60 (and I can still attempt to sell some items using the Real Money Auction House for some real money and earn it all back...). I do regret that it has wasted over 170 hours of my precious time over the last two months. Time that could have been spent working on my senior project and other class assignments. :(
Developed by Blizzard, the same people who also created WoW, Diablo 3 has players create characters to venture in the realm of Sanctuary, battling hordes of demons, and the Prime Evil, Diablo, itself. There's a whole metagame around this game: what items are best, overpowered skills, class quirks, and general hate or love of the game. See the appropriate sub-Reddit for much more...
The game was a load of fun for the first few weeks. However, once reaching the max level on one character, and reaching Inferno, the hardest difficulty, the game slows to a crawl. The game becomes a game of playing the Auction House and lottery. You have to buy better gear on the player driven auction house or continuously "farm" good items, by killing lots of monsters and hoping you strike gold with a near perfectly rolled item with awesome stats.
In that regards, the game is very broken. There are so many complaints about how Blizzard is running the game. Within weeks of release, people were able to create automated scripts and "bots" to watch the auction house and buy and resell items for higher profits. Bots have also been made to farm gold and items. Blizzard addresses this by banning these accounts, but they always return in droves, decreasing the value of gold and ruining the game economy. This description is a little exaggerated, but many players would agree.
Difficulty is another thing. Why do you make a game so difficult, your testers couldn't even get through it - and then DOUBLE the difficulty and release it to the public? Well, people have certainly beat it, and Blizzard has addressed some difficulty issues with patches, but the game can be a masochist's game for those who don't play enough to improve their characters and gear.
Well, at least the pre-rendered cutscenes are undoubtedly amazing. Granted, this trailer makes the game seem much better than it actually is.
The video above touches upon even more things people have been complaining about. The "customization" apparently praised by the trailer is more of a myth. For most players, it means copying builds that are guaranteed to be the "best" or most "useful", making most skills at this time, useless. PvP, a core part of many MMO games, still isn't even released yet, and it's been 2+ months since the game came out. And hilariously enough, during the "end game", there is no incentive with playing with others. It is much more efficient playing by yourself. And unless you have many friends that haven't yet given up on the game, you'll be stuck with undergeared idiots in public games.
Nonetheless, I suppose I can't complain. This game was well worth the $60 (and I can still attempt to sell some items using the Real Money Auction House for some real money and earn it all back...). I do regret that it has wasted over 170 hours of my precious time over the last two months. Time that could have been spent working on my senior project and other class assignments. :(
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Genki Sudo
They did the above routine in New York City too!
This one contains my favorite choreography. THOSE ARMS AND HANDS AT THE END.
They even put a video together soon after the Sendai tsunami and earthquake in March 2011 to give hope to those who lost so much.
Glad to see he's staying productive after retiring! I hope to see more of his works. And I really hope he performs (or films!) in America again!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
World of Warcraft
Despite my harsh criticisms of Second Life, I admit, there was a game I was addicted to a while back. However, I treated it all as a game, and a very engaging game at that, and not at all as a escape or replacement for real life. Click the "read more" or post title to continue reading and see screenshots!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Moyashimon
I recently marathoned the anime series, Moyashimon, in anticipation for its, sequel, Moyashimon Returns, which started airing in Japan on the 5th. The first Moyashimon is an 11 episode series based on the manga by Masayuki Ishikawa. The story is about a first year college student at the Tokyo University of Agriculture who has been able to see and communicate with microbes since he was a child. The microbes are presented in an almost absurdly cute fashion, something only Japan is remotely capable of. And they are adorable!
The series follows the protagonist, Sawaki Tadayasu, as he makes his way through freshmen year with friends and colleagues, and encounters bizarre situations involving fermentation, alcohol, microbes, and more. The series can be classified as comedy, but there is some edutainment within, as there are scenes and other segments where the viewer learns about how microbes interact with the world and us. Below is a special short included with the DVDs that explains the microbes living in our intenstines. Unfortunately, I could only find it with Spanish subtitles. :(
This isn't necessarily a kid's show either. There are themes which are slightly adult (including the emphasis on alcohol and characters getting drunk and what not). There's also a live action drama version, for those that prefer live action. And it's freely and legally available on YouTube thanks to FUNimation.
Overall, I find it hilarious that the Japanese could take such a mundane scientific subject and turn it into an artform and profitable franchise. If the science doesn't get to you, the cute representations of the microbes and their antics surely will!
The series follows the protagonist, Sawaki Tadayasu, as he makes his way through freshmen year with friends and colleagues, and encounters bizarre situations involving fermentation, alcohol, microbes, and more. The series can be classified as comedy, but there is some edutainment within, as there are scenes and other segments where the viewer learns about how microbes interact with the world and us. Below is a special short included with the DVDs that explains the microbes living in our intenstines. Unfortunately, I could only find it with Spanish subtitles. :(
This isn't necessarily a kid's show either. There are themes which are slightly adult (including the emphasis on alcohol and characters getting drunk and what not). There's also a live action drama version, for those that prefer live action. And it's freely and legally available on YouTube thanks to FUNimation.
Overall, I find it hilarious that the Japanese could take such a mundane scientific subject and turn it into an artform and profitable franchise. If the science doesn't get to you, the cute representations of the microbes and their antics surely will!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Jurassic Park
I loved dinosaurs when I was a kid. Still do, but the interest has definitely waned. Throughout the '90s, the Jurassic Park franchise was pretty popular, spawning 3 films total from 1993 to 2001. Seems like the fourth movie has been in "development hell", but maybe it'll see the light of day soon.
I think the concept of resurrecting dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures using preserved DNA is plausible. However, it would take generations in order to breed a "pure blood" dinosaur, because there would have to be a surrogate mother (unless better technology comes out that circumvents that). But obviously, the point of the films is the "what if" and the consequences. Again, danger of knowledge is present. Just because we have the power to bring back the dinosaurs, is it worth it? The films seemed to express a yes and no (although admittedly, it's been a while since I've seen the films, so I could be wrong). The weatlh of knowledge acquired from these prehistoric creatures, their lifestyles, and the methods to bring them back is a huge step in technological and biological advancement. But you better have huge fortified and electricified fences... or else, the Tyannosaurus and othe carnivores will just break out and enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet. I think the films also demonstrated that business and money (ie using the dinosaurs as attractions in the titular theme park, Jurassic Park) drove the characters and the theme park itself to tragedy and in some cases, extinction (excuse the pun). With great power comes great responsiblity, and if money comes into play, it could and usually will become a disaster...
OR, we could go searching for prehistoric creatures rumored to be alive today!
I think the concept of resurrecting dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures using preserved DNA is plausible. However, it would take generations in order to breed a "pure blood" dinosaur, because there would have to be a surrogate mother (unless better technology comes out that circumvents that). But obviously, the point of the films is the "what if" and the consequences. Again, danger of knowledge is present. Just because we have the power to bring back the dinosaurs, is it worth it? The films seemed to express a yes and no (although admittedly, it's been a while since I've seen the films, so I could be wrong). The weatlh of knowledge acquired from these prehistoric creatures, their lifestyles, and the methods to bring them back is a huge step in technological and biological advancement. But you better have huge fortified and electricified fences... or else, the Tyannosaurus and othe carnivores will just break out and enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet. I think the films also demonstrated that business and money (ie using the dinosaurs as attractions in the titular theme park, Jurassic Park) drove the characters and the theme park itself to tragedy and in some cases, extinction (excuse the pun). With great power comes great responsiblity, and if money comes into play, it could and usually will become a disaster...
OR, we could go searching for prehistoric creatures rumored to be alive today!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Higgs Boson
The media likes to hype up things. Amazing scientific findings notwithstanding. The "god" particle is a horrible term, as the Higgs Boson, if it truly exists, is just a part of the puzzle that proves how the standard model in physics is correct. It is NOT some particle that solely proves our existence or by itself, created us! With this discovery, scientists will come closer, no matter how little, to finding out the origins of the universe, and ultimately, how we came about.
Here's a great summary video of the discovery. That channel also has other great discussions and explanations of popular physics and math topics.
Here's a great summary video of the discovery. That channel also has other great discussions and explanations of popular physics and math topics.
Please, people, let's spread more facts, and less gossip! We have more than enough of that nowadays...
Friday, July 6, 2012
Oops
Seems like my posts might not be showing up on a timely basis. I think I've been saving and/or just previewing the posts without actually publishing them proper to the blog... I'll be extra cautious about this next time! :)
Monday, July 2, 2012
Scale of the Universe
Found this cool link not too long ago. Imagine: the universe is just so big. Planets with life, and intelligent life like in Mass Effect or Star Wars, are out there. Galaxies and star systems with infinite possibilities. And what exactly is the universe "contained" in? Is it just a tiny particle within another universe in a never ending Inception-like cycle?? Sadly, I don't think any of us will know within our lifetime.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Mass Effect: Organics vs Synthetics
The Mass Effect franchise started in November 2007 when the first game launched on the Xbox 360. The narrative is an epic space opera, with a somewhat realistic take on our own future (not a far, far away galaxy like in Star Wars, but rather our own Milky Way in the 2180s).
I love all of the 3 main games that have come out since. Mass Effect 3 recently came out in March (during spring break nonetheless!) and I spent 30+ hours over a few days, completing every quest and exploring as much of the galaxy as I could. I was happy with the game (one of my rare game purchases), but the ending was... not satisfying. For those who already played the game or do not intend on playing, read on, as there will be spoilers!
The reason for me bringing up ME3 now is that, earlier this week on June 26th, Bioware (the developers) released free DLC (downloadable content) for the game. "The Extended Cut" makes some changes to the ending of the game for the many that voiced their anger and frustration at the original ending. The new content mostly just expands and explains a few details, but overall, is "too little, too late" for most gamers, myself included. Still, I am ok with this. The story always did revolve around the struggle between organics and synthetics, and I feel the new endings (and the supposed "best" and "most canon" Synthesis ending) are for the best. This ending, seen below, delves into a lot of philosophical thought regarding this struggle (the "new" Refusal ending delves a little further). "When fire burns, is it at war? Is it in conflict? Or is it simply doing what it was created to do?" "The created will always rebel against the creators." The only way for peace and ultimate evolution of all life, organic and synthetic, is the synthesis of both, a harmonic combination.
I love all of the 3 main games that have come out since. Mass Effect 3 recently came out in March (during spring break nonetheless!) and I spent 30+ hours over a few days, completing every quest and exploring as much of the galaxy as I could. I was happy with the game (one of my rare game purchases), but the ending was... not satisfying. For those who already played the game or do not intend on playing, read on, as there will be spoilers!
The reason for me bringing up ME3 now is that, earlier this week on June 26th, Bioware (the developers) released free DLC (downloadable content) for the game. "The Extended Cut" makes some changes to the ending of the game for the many that voiced their anger and frustration at the original ending. The new content mostly just expands and explains a few details, but overall, is "too little, too late" for most gamers, myself included. Still, I am ok with this. The story always did revolve around the struggle between organics and synthetics, and I feel the new endings (and the supposed "best" and "most canon" Synthesis ending) are for the best. This ending, seen below, delves into a lot of philosophical thought regarding this struggle (the "new" Refusal ending delves a little further). "When fire burns, is it at war? Is it in conflict? Or is it simply doing what it was created to do?" "The created will always rebel against the creators." The only way for peace and ultimate evolution of all life, organic and synthetic, is the synthesis of both, a harmonic combination.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Second Life
Second Life is, in my opinion, a bad representation of a virtual/alternate reality world. Long story short, the graphics and controls are horrible, and the learning curve would probably turn away a lot of people. Nonetheless, I spent some time with it and made a PANDAMAN named Tyrael. Screenshots below.
A fantasy world Destination. PANDAMAN approved.
A beautiful island resort that unfortunately, doesn't belong to Tyrael. :(
Stanford University. Really? A little too unrecognizable...
Monday, June 18, 2012
THE MARMALADE
A friend shared this video on Facebook. The marriage of art and technology, and not to mention the editing in the video itself, is amazing. All those cool videos and commercials? This is how they do it. Wow.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Plastic Surgery...
We were talking about plastic surgery in a class or two, and it's certainly a debatable topic. Personally, I feel that if you want to use plastic surgery as a means to change yourself or for art, and not for injury related reasons, then you're probably insecure about something. No matter how brutally honest you might be, you are subconsciously insecure about your looks. Could be due to past trauma or experiences. Just my quick two cents.
On a related and rather interesting and funny note, I mentioned in class that Koreans have a supposed high rate of plastic surgery. A quote straight out of the article: "In a 2009 survey by the market research firm Trend Monitor, one of every five women in Seoul between the ages of 19 and 49 said they had undergone plastic surgery."
I mean, look at their stars and singers...
Not hatin' or judgin', but analyzin'!!
On a related and rather interesting and funny note, I mentioned in class that Koreans have a supposed high rate of plastic surgery. A quote straight out of the article: "In a 2009 survey by the market research firm Trend Monitor, one of every five women in Seoul between the ages of 19 and 49 said they had undergone plastic surgery."
I mean, look at their stars and singers...
The women are.. "too perfect".
(*They're Korean, but this song is their Japanese debut.)
And the men have some... "feminine" undertones...
Not hatin' or judgin', but analyzin'!!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Crash Course World History
All this talk about art and its historical backgrounds has made me want to review and refresh some topics... Here's a great weekly web series that touches upon various world history topics.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9
Their channel also has videos on biology/chemistry. Hilarious, yet somewhat effective (if not more), way to learn and review!
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9
Their channel also has videos on biology/chemistry. Hilarious, yet somewhat effective (if not more), way to learn and review!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Alternative History and Fate/Zero
All this talk about art and history has got me thinking. I've always had a decent interest in history, and world history specifically. I strongly believe that it's important to learn from our past so that we don't repeat it.
Alternative history has recently gained my interest. I define it as the "what if's" and "could have been's". Sometimes, history isn't all what it seems, especially since the victors of wars are the ones to write it. And nothing is preventing it from being rewritten... The conspiracy and pseudo-science filled Assassin's Creed franchise is one example. I'll expand on that lore in another post. For now, I want to look at the Japanese media franchise, Fate/Zero. It's actually the prequel to Fate/stay night, which was originally a Japanese visual novel, essentially a character driven narrative consisting of a video game and a dating simulation with some very suggestive/explicit themes. I never got into Fate/stay night or its subsequent anime adaptation, but the Fate/Zero anime adaptation really captivated me.
The plot: 7 "Masters" each summon a "Heroic Spirit" from the past in one of 7 classes (Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker). These "Servants" then battle it out in Fuyuki City for the coveted Holy Grail. This particular battle royale is the fourth Holy Grail War.
Although there are many aspects of magic and fantasy, the most interesting and relevant part of Fate/Zero are the Servants, as they are each based on a once living or mythological person. The main protagonist is Saber, who is actually King Arthur, King of Knights. Forced to ascend to the throne, she sacrificed her otherwise normal feminine life to save Britain. Another hero, Rider, is Alexander the Great, also known as Iskandar and the King of Conquerors. In both cases, as seen below, they defy what we know about these historic figures: King Arthur was actually female, and Alexander was not a short man as he is described to be. More historical comparisons can be found here.
Alternative history has recently gained my interest. I define it as the "what if's" and "could have been's". Sometimes, history isn't all what it seems, especially since the victors of wars are the ones to write it. And nothing is preventing it from being rewritten... The conspiracy and pseudo-science filled Assassin's Creed franchise is one example. I'll expand on that lore in another post. For now, I want to look at the Japanese media franchise, Fate/Zero. It's actually the prequel to Fate/stay night, which was originally a Japanese visual novel, essentially a character driven narrative consisting of a video game and a dating simulation with some very suggestive/explicit themes. I never got into Fate/stay night or its subsequent anime adaptation, but the Fate/Zero anime adaptation really captivated me.
The plot: 7 "Masters" each summon a "Heroic Spirit" from the past in one of 7 classes (Saber, Lancer, Archer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker). These "Servants" then battle it out in Fuyuki City for the coveted Holy Grail. This particular battle royale is the fourth Holy Grail War.
Although there are many aspects of magic and fantasy, the most interesting and relevant part of Fate/Zero are the Servants, as they are each based on a once living or mythological person. The main protagonist is Saber, who is actually King Arthur, King of Knights. Forced to ascend to the throne, she sacrificed her otherwise normal feminine life to save Britain. Another hero, Rider, is Alexander the Great, also known as Iskandar and the King of Conquerors. In both cases, as seen below, they defy what we know about these historic figures: King Arthur was actually female, and Alexander was not a short man as he is described to be. More historical comparisons can be found here.
Aside from using real historical backgrounds and mythologies, the series delves into much philosophical ideals, with themes including morality, being a king, insanity, and tragedy. The series is also beautiful, both visually and aural. I could wax on and on about how awesome the franchise and series is, but I will spare you, because videos are worth a million words. :)
Archer (Gilgamesh) versus Berserker (Lancelot), while the rest of the heroes watch in awe. Notice the insanely fluid animation and epic soundtrack. Watch it on the YouTube page for maximum awesomeness. Later, they fight in the air on friggin' jets. No lie, but YouTube has since removed those clips.
YouTube's pretty anal about removing copyrighted material, so here are links to the opening themes on Vimeo. They offer a great glimpse into what the series is about in 1.5 minutes each.
http://vimeo.com/39949297
Amazing ending theme depicting each of the heroes in historical context: http://vimeo.com/31497071
Amazing ending theme depicting each of the heroes in historical context: http://vimeo.com/31497071
The action scenes and deep character interactions in the anime kept me interested. I've since looked up each historical figure and learned a lot. It's legally streamed at Crunchyroll, and the series will end with episode 25 at the end of June. I'm glad this series was picked up for simulcast (simultaneous broadcasting in places other than Japan), because it deserves as much exposure as possible. I dare say this is better than that Game of Thrones that everyone talks about nowadays... Although I admit, I should watch that too.
Friday, June 1, 2012
The Dangers of Knowledge
After reading Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, it's obvious that knowing too much could, to put it bluntly, lead to really bad things. In my paper, I related this concept to Fullmetal Alchemist, a very popular long running franchise in print (manga, or comics, published since 2001) and animation (a 50+ episode series running from 2003-2004 with its remake of 60+ episodes in 2009-2010, each followed by feature length films in 2005 and 2011).
The narrative is essentially about two brothers, Ed and Al Elric, who learn alchemy. Their mother dies suddenly when they're very young. Having learned alchemy from the materials left behind from the father who left the family, the brothers attempt the forbidden act of resurrecting their mother. Disaster strikes, as the resurrection is impossible; you can't bring back the souls of the dead. The brothers are permanently scarred with Ed losing an arm and a leg, and Al losing his entire body and having his soul bound to a suit of armor. Despite all this, they embark on a journey to find the Philosopher's Stone to restore their bodies... and in pursuit of more knowledge, they find more suffering...
Below is an English dubbed trailer by Funimation (inferior to the original Japanese version, but the only Japanese ones I can find are from the official website and they don't have subtitles...):
The narrative is essentially about two brothers, Ed and Al Elric, who learn alchemy. Their mother dies suddenly when they're very young. Having learned alchemy from the materials left behind from the father who left the family, the brothers attempt the forbidden act of resurrecting their mother. Disaster strikes, as the resurrection is impossible; you can't bring back the souls of the dead. The brothers are permanently scarred with Ed losing an arm and a leg, and Al losing his entire body and having his soul bound to a suit of armor. Despite all this, they embark on a journey to find the Philosopher's Stone to restore their bodies... and in pursuit of more knowledge, they find more suffering...
Below is an English dubbed trailer by Funimation (inferior to the original Japanese version, but the only Japanese ones I can find are from the official website and they don't have subtitles...):
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
RE: "Guys and Dolls" Documentary
This is in response to the documentary, "Guys and Dolls", that we saw in class today. Indeed, the people in the documentary are not "normal". They seek genuine companionship in inanimate but lifelike dolls. Humans are social creatures, but sometimes, it doesn't always work out right. As stated by some of the men in the video, they had bad experiences with real women or other circumstances (mother's sudden death for instance) that prompted them to seek out alternative partner options.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Unlocking the DNA Potential
John Craig Venter (TED profile) and other brilliant scientists have, in the last decade, made amazing strides in the area of genetics. These scientists have been sequencing the human genome and discovering what genes cause certain traits in us, from physical traits like eye color to mental disorders and dispositions like OCD and addictive behavior.
Despite being within us, and is the building blocks for our existence, we are still learning more about our DNA. This reminds me of one science fiction (or is it?) theory that our DNA contains the memory of our ancestors. The Assassin's Creed video game and media franchise takes this idea to the next step. Using advanced technology under deep secretive conspiracy, we can explore the memories of our ancestors and see what they saw, hear what they heard, and experience what they had experienced in their lifetime.
But wait, all this in our own DNA? One simple explanation can be seen with migratory birds. How do they know to fly to the south when winter strikes the north? Their parents never taught them. And they've been doing this as long as they have existed. Therefore, the foresight, or even the memories of their predecessors, must be built into their DNA to tell them to migrate when the weather turns sour. Crazy? Definitely. Plausible? I think so. Will it happen within the next decade? Perhaps not, but further research would need to be conducted...
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Beauty and Perfection
Two concepts that aren't necessarily one and the same. Often in the media I consume, I find myself subconsciously critiquing works. I may find some works to be absolutely beautiful, and yet, they are far from perfect. The reverse is also true, when I think a piece is perfect (or as close as it can be), but not beautiful at all.
One example I want to use is the Japanese animated feature film, 5 Centimeters Per Second, directed by one of my favorite visual artists, Makoto Shinkai. There is a very poignant quality to the film, especially with its themes of lost love and physical distance between people. I want to focus on the art though. Shinkai is known for his stunning and photorealistic landscapes and scenes, but the character art itself is very simplistic, and arguably lacking in detail.
Despite the beauty and attention to detail for everyday objects and landscapes, the characters lack facial features in certain scenes. It may be done on purpose in some aspects, but overall, this combined with the story's lack of "closure" prevents it from being a true "perfect" masterpiece, although it still remains my top favorite Japanese animated film.
(I'll be talking more about this film as future topics relate to it!)
One example I want to use is the Japanese animated feature film, 5 Centimeters Per Second, directed by one of my favorite visual artists, Makoto Shinkai. There is a very poignant quality to the film, especially with its themes of lost love and physical distance between people. I want to focus on the art though. Shinkai is known for his stunning and photorealistic landscapes and scenes, but the character art itself is very simplistic, and arguably lacking in detail.
Despite the beauty and attention to detail for everyday objects and landscapes, the characters lack facial features in certain scenes. It may be done on purpose in some aspects, but overall, this combined with the story's lack of "closure" prevents it from being a true "perfect" masterpiece, although it still remains my top favorite Japanese animated film.
(I'll be talking more about this film as future topics relate to it!)
Friday, May 11, 2012
First Post!
This blog will feature posts about art, technology, and their use in contemporary culture. I am a big fan of video games and Japanese media, so I will attempt to relate these areas to in-class topics. I may also blog about some interesting things in my other courses and within my workplace as I strive to finish my last semester of my undergraduate career. I've never been one to frequently blog, so wish me luck!
-Kevin
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