Michael Cavna's got the story of who actually won what award here -'Bizarro' creator Dan Piraro named Cartoonist of the Year at Reuben Awards
By Michael Cavna
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 31, 2010; C04
Monday, May 31, 2010
June 1: Superheroes special report on ABC's 2020
There's a little bit at the following link, including "Watch the full story on "SuperHumans!" a special edition of "20/20" Tuesday, June 1 at 10 p.m. ET"
Superhero Obsession: Why We Love Fantasy
From Jesus to Hercules to Superman and Iron Man, All Cultures Have Own Mythic Heroes
By JON MEYERSOHN
May 31, 2010
Superhero Obsession: Why We Love Fantasy
From Jesus to Hercules to Superman and Iron Man, All Cultures Have Own Mythic Heroes
By JON MEYERSOHN
May 31, 2010
Coming soon: Videos from Google I/O 2010 sessions
If you missed any sessions at Google I/O, we’re happy to let you know that beginning tomorrow (Tuesday June 1), videos and slides from all I/O sessions will start going live on code.google.com/io and the GoogleDevelopers YouTube channel.We’ll be releasing videos by session track per the schedule below. We don’t have specific times to announce, but note that they’ll go live during PDT business hours:
- Tues June 1: App Engine, GWT
- Wed June 2: Enterprise, Android
- Thurs June 3: Google Chrome, Social Web
- Fri June 4: Tech Talks, Fireside Chats
- Mon June 7: Geo, Google APIs, Google Wave
Posted by Christine Tsai, Google I/O Team
República Argentina
Fa unes setmanes, uns amics de la Falla República Argentina em van convidar a menjar, junt amb altres coneguts, una cassoleta d’arròs al forn. Allò em va recordar una efemèride: el mes que ara acaba, s’ha complit el 200 aniversari de la Independència de la República Argentina. Volia haver escrit abans unes línies sobre el tema, però diverses ocupacions m’ho havien impedit. En 1810, el poble de Buenos Aires inicià la Revolució de Maig, que derrocà i expulsà el virrei espanyol, elegint al seu lloc una junta de govern integrada majoritàriament per criolls. La revolta donà origen a una llarga guerra d’independència, de les Províncies Unides del Riu de la Plata contra l’Espanya colonial. No fou aquella, però, una guerra d’indígenes contra europeus. En realitat, es revoltaren descendents d’espanyols —els criolls— contra espanyols. De fet, el personatge més important d’aquella contesa, José Francisco San Martín, nascut el 25 de febrer de 1778 a Yapeyú (una antiga missió jesuítica situada a les vores del riu Uruguai, a la Governació de les Missions Guaranís del Virregnat del Riu de la Plata, a l’actual província de Corrientes), era fill d’espanyols. Son pare, Juan de San Martín, tinent governador del departament, era oriünd de la vila castellana de Cervatos de la Cueza, pertanyent a l’actual província de Palència. La mare, Gregoria Matorras, també havia nascut a terres castellanes de Palència, concretament a Paredes de Nava. L’espanyolitat de San Martín fou, però, silenciada pel rei Ferran VII i els seus col·laboradors immediats, els quals, a més d’abominar la traïció del militar, no pogueren pair les seues idees liberals i la seua filiació maçònica.
Quan San Martín tenia quasi sis anys, embarcà amb la família rumb a Cadis. Estudià al Reial Seminari de Nobles de Madrid i en una escola de Màlaga. Als onze anys, començà la seua carrera militar com a cadet del Regiment de Múrcia, mentre esclatava la revolució francesa. Lluità al nord d’Àfrica, fou ascendit a subtinent per les seues accions als Pirineus contra els francesos, participà a les batalles navals contra la flota anglesa a la Mediterrània. En 1795, assolí el grau d’ajudant; en 1804, el de capità. Participà en diferents accions: a la Guerra de les Taronges, contra Portugal; a Gibraltar i Cadis, contra els britànics... En esclatar la Guerra del Francès, San Martín fou ascendit per la Junta Central de Govern. Serví més d’un any a bord de la fragata de guerra Dorotea. Es distingí per les seues accions contra els francesos; la seua actuació més destacada tingué lloc a la batalla de Bailén, com a ajudant del marqués de Coupigny. En premi, San Martín rebé el grau de tinent coronel. Continuà lluitant contra els francesos al Rosselló, Portugal i Anglaterra. A la Batalla de La Albuera, combaté a les ordes del general William Carr Beresford. Durant aqueixes campanyes va conèixer lord Macduff, un noble escocès que l’introduí a les lògies secretes que conspiraven per tal d’aconseguir la independència d’Amèrica del Sud. Féu contacte per primera vegada amb cercles de liberals i revolucionaris que simpatitzaven amb la lluita per la independència.
En aquells moments, els inicis del segle XIX, les lògies maçòniques liberals, o adogmàtiques, seguidores del Gran Orient de França, eren autèntics vivers en què germinaven les noves idees liberals oposades a l’antic règim. Hi regia el principi de llibertat absoluta de consciència. Admetien entre els seus membres tant creients com ateus. Els maçons liberals reconeixien el caràcter regular de la iniciació femenina. Propiciaven el debat d’idees i la participació; les lògies podien debatre lliurement fins i tot sobre assumptes relacionats amb la religió o la política. Quina cosa empentà San Martín a abandonar el país dels seus pares? La intolerància! En arribar a la Península, un cop acabada la Guerra del Francès, un dels monarques més funestos de la Història d’Espanya, Ferran VII, abolí la Constitució de Cadis, reimplantà l’absolutisme i la Inquisició, i inicià la caça dels liberals i dels maçons, amb la col·laboració de l'Església. El "Felló" encunyà un famós programa d’acció política: palo a la burra negra, palo a la burra blanca. Durant el seu regnat, foren afusellats el general Torrijos i els seus companys liberals (entre els militars, hi havia molts maçons). Al museu de l’Almodí, es conserva un retrat del monarca, pintat per Vicente López. En aquest quadre, que presidia el saló de plens de l’Ajuntament xativí, es pot comprovar la cara sinistra i tòtil del monarca. Alguna cosa degué olorar-se San Martín, que renuncià a la seua carrera militar en Espanya i sol·licità el passaport per a viatjar a Londres. Allà es trobà amb diversos compatriotes americans que, segons els historiadors, formaven part de la Gran Reunió Americana, societat de possible filiació maçònica fundada per Francisco de Miranda, el qual ja lluitava junt amb Simón Bolívar per la independència de Veneçuela. Supose que no us molestarà que haja recordat aquestes coses en El Penjoll. Per cert, Alietes, visca la Falla República Argentina i visca la llibertat!
Prince Of Persia: Le sabbie del tempo (Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time, 2010)di Mike Newell
Le cose interessanti di Prince Of Persia dovevano essere due: il tentativo di dare vita ad una nuova serie d'avventura dopo il successo inaspettato di I Pirati Dei Caraibi e il rapporto con il videogioco originale a livello di messa in scena. Mi aspettavo molto dal primo elemento e molto poco dal secondo ma a sorpresa è stato il contrario.
Come film d'avventura infatti Prince Of Persia è una grande delusione. Mike Newell fa un buco nell'acqua non solo a livello pratico ma anche a livello teorico. Il montaggio è il peggiore mai visto, a lavorarci sono in tre (di cui uno il montatore di fiducia di Gilliam e un altro quello di Spielberg) eppure il film è un tripudio di stacchi errati, personaggi in posizioni diverse, scene d'azione incomprensibili, accostamenti forzati e transizioni tra sequenze che sembrano lo showreel di film diversi. Prince Of Persia, a fronte di una trama banale come si conviene, è dunque anche raccontato malissimo.
E non va di certo meglio se si considera l'idea di cinema avventuroso che è sottesa! Girato per larga parte in interni con una luce pessima che mette in risalto in ogni momento come tutto sia finto e basato su continui aiuti in computer grafica per le sequenze d'azione, il film suona fasullo ad ogni momento e dimentica che l'essenza del genere avventuroso è la prestazione, ovvero il movimento reale di corpi reali in ambienti reali (o verosimilmente tali), il fatto che quelle azioni vengano (in larga parte) realizzate sul serio e che lo scenario sia ampiamente credibile. Creare esotismo con un'illuminazione da teatro di posa è impensabile. Vedere alla voce Il Vento e Il Leone.
Non a caso l'unico momento in cui il tutto sembra decollare è quando i protagonisti affrontano il deserto il quale, vero o falso che sia, è altamente plausibile, vasto e, da solo, foriero di promesse avventurose. Finalmente.
Più interessante invece il legame con il mondo videoludico. Sebbene non ci sia quasi nulla dei videogiochi della saga omonima (tranne alcuni dettagli verso la fine), la produzione ha optato per la scelta vincente di ricalcare moltissime idee di regia e soluzioni visive dei videogiochi moderni, in particolare Assassin's Creed, dal quale senza vergogna il film riprende i movimenti del protagonista e alcune immagini vincenti (clamoroso il cappuccio per mischiarsi alla folla).
Il videogioco ha un modo tutto particolare di guardare alla realtà che rappresenta, lontano dall'animazione e parallelo al cinema dal vero. Che i film comincino ad incorporare quelle idee tentando di renderle adatte al medium è una tendenza che dà vita ad una ricchezza espositiva che colpisce anche in un film povero come Prince Of Persia.
Come film d'avventura infatti Prince Of Persia è una grande delusione. Mike Newell fa un buco nell'acqua non solo a livello pratico ma anche a livello teorico. Il montaggio è il peggiore mai visto, a lavorarci sono in tre (di cui uno il montatore di fiducia di Gilliam e un altro quello di Spielberg) eppure il film è un tripudio di stacchi errati, personaggi in posizioni diverse, scene d'azione incomprensibili, accostamenti forzati e transizioni tra sequenze che sembrano lo showreel di film diversi. Prince Of Persia, a fronte di una trama banale come si conviene, è dunque anche raccontato malissimo.
E non va di certo meglio se si considera l'idea di cinema avventuroso che è sottesa! Girato per larga parte in interni con una luce pessima che mette in risalto in ogni momento come tutto sia finto e basato su continui aiuti in computer grafica per le sequenze d'azione, il film suona fasullo ad ogni momento e dimentica che l'essenza del genere avventuroso è la prestazione, ovvero il movimento reale di corpi reali in ambienti reali (o verosimilmente tali), il fatto che quelle azioni vengano (in larga parte) realizzate sul serio e che lo scenario sia ampiamente credibile. Creare esotismo con un'illuminazione da teatro di posa è impensabile. Vedere alla voce Il Vento e Il Leone.
Non a caso l'unico momento in cui il tutto sembra decollare è quando i protagonisti affrontano il deserto il quale, vero o falso che sia, è altamente plausibile, vasto e, da solo, foriero di promesse avventurose. Finalmente.
Più interessante invece il legame con il mondo videoludico. Sebbene non ci sia quasi nulla dei videogiochi della saga omonima (tranne alcuni dettagli verso la fine), la produzione ha optato per la scelta vincente di ricalcare moltissime idee di regia e soluzioni visive dei videogiochi moderni, in particolare Assassin's Creed, dal quale senza vergogna il film riprende i movimenti del protagonista e alcune immagini vincenti (clamoroso il cappuccio per mischiarsi alla folla).
Il videogioco ha un modo tutto particolare di guardare alla realtà che rappresenta, lontano dall'animazione e parallelo al cinema dal vero. Che i film comincino ad incorporare quelle idee tentando di renderle adatte al medium è una tendenza che dà vita ad una ricchezza espositiva che colpisce anche in un film povero come Prince Of Persia.
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Sunday, May 30, 2010
Dan Piraro, not Richard Thompson, wins Rueben
Hogan's Alley sent out an email last night saying that Dan Piraro has won the National Cartoonist Society's Rueben Award. Piraro's been nominated multiple times, but hadn't won until this year.
Which probably means Richard will have to rent the tux and go win it next year, since the same is true for him now.
Which probably means Richard will have to rent the tux and go win it next year, since the same is true for him now.
Trickster review in Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Graphic artists illustrate American Indian tales in 'Trickster'
By Jim Higgins
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel May 29, 2010
The City Paper will have more Trickster cartoonist interviews this week too.
By Jim Higgins
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel May 29, 2010
The City Paper will have more Trickster cartoonist interviews this week too.
Últim dia de veda a les muralles del castell de Xàtiva
Hui diumenge pel matí s’ha vist a botiflers i maulets pegant-se tirs per la muralla de Llevant del castell de Xàtiva. Sorgeixen moltes preguntes: I això per a què? Serà necessari? Xe, què no tenien res millor que fer? Per què s’estava filmant? Qui feia de botifler i qui de maulet? És veritat la hipòtesi que els dos exèrcits estaven dirigits per la mateixa persona? Què té a vore El Penjoll en tot açò? I si té alguna cosa a vore: Quin va ser el paper d’El Penjoll fa tres cents anys a la crema de Xàtiva?
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The New York comics Times
Couple of things I saw while reading the paper this morning -
Itzkoff, Dave. 2010.
Flintstones Cereal Maker Rocked by Lawsuit From Hulk Hogan.
New York Times' Arts Beat blog (May 28); New York Times (May 29): C2.
On Marmaduke -
Barnes, Brooks. 2010.
Producer Is a Friend to Comic Animals.
New York Times (May 29): C1, 8.
But their weekly graphic novel sales list is still online only -
Graphic Books
May 27, 2010
Itzkoff, Dave. 2010.
Flintstones Cereal Maker Rocked by Lawsuit From Hulk Hogan.
New York Times' Arts Beat blog (May 28); New York Times (May 29): C2.
On Marmaduke -
Barnes, Brooks. 2010.
Producer Is a Friend to Comic Animals.
New York Times (May 29): C1, 8.
But their weekly graphic novel sales list is still online only -
Graphic Books
May 27, 2010
Comics on the Rack, Quick Picks for Comics Due Thursday (NOT Wednesday) 06-03-10
COMICS ON THE RACK
Quick Picks for Comics Due Thursday (NOT Wednesday) 06-03-10
By John Judy
ADVENTURE COMICS #12 by Paul Levitz and Kevin Sharpe. The legendary LEGION scribe takes Superboy back to the future for an untold tale of the LSH. And check out the classic costumes on the cover!
AVENGERS PRIME #1 of 5 by Brian Michael Bendis and Alan Davis. Let's hope Bendis trims the dialogue enough to leave room for all the great art! Recommended!
BLACKSAD, VOL. 1 HC by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido. Collecting the first three stories of John Blacksad, cat detective! These stories took top critical honors in Europe and are so good they almost won awards over here in 'Murika! Highly recommended.
BRIGHTEST DAY #3 by Geoff Johns and His Band of Renown. So for some folks coming back from the dead ain't all peaches and cream…
CAPTAIN AMERICA/BLACK PANTHER: FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS #3 by Reginald Hudlin and Denys Cowan. Cap and the Panther start smacking down Nazis side-by-side!
ELECTRIC ANT #3 of 5 by David Mack and Pascal Alixe. The twists keep coming in this awesome adaptation of Philip K. Dick's sci-fi/noir brain-bender! Recommended.
FREAKANGELS, VOL. 4 SC by Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield. Collecting the latest adventures of twelve strange children in a form you can hold in your hands and kill bugs with. Recommended.
A GOD SOMEWHERE GN by John Arcudi, Peter Snejbjerg and Bjarne Hansen. Veteran super-scribe Arcudi gives his take on "What if someone really got super-powers?" Gotta look.
HAWKEYE AND MOCKINGBIRD #1 by Jim McCann and David Lopez. For the serious fan of the avenging archer and his not really dead wife. In this one they're taking on the Phantom Rider and Crossfire because… ya gotta start slow?
HERCULES: TWILIGHT OF A GOD #1 of 4 written and drawn by Bob Layton. A Layton HERCULES is always worth a read. Fun stuff.
IRREDEEMABLE #14 by Mark Waid and Diego Barreto. Modeus has the Plutonian dancing on a string, doing stuff that's even more twisted and evil than he'd normally be doing anyway. Recommended but not for kids.
IZOMBIE #2 by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred. If Nancy Drew ate brains to stay alive she'd be iZombie! More female empowering than "Sex and the City 2" and only half as revolting! Recommended for older teens and up!
JONAH HEX: NO WAY BACK HC by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Tony DeZuniga. An in-depth adventure with the legendary bounty hunter just in time for him to get Brolin-ized for the big screen! Exciting!
JSA ALL-STARS #7 by Matthew Sturges and Freddie Williams II. A farewell to Damage, the Black Lantern who didn't return to life. There is also a back-up story of which we shall no longer speak…
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #39 by Bill Willingham and Jesus Merino.
It's hard to go wrong with the JSA fighting Nazis. Sure, Roy Thomas managed it a few times but it wasn't easy… Glorious traditional stuff.
MOUSE GUARD: LEGENDS OF THE GUARD #1 of 4 by Various Creators. A series of tales told competitively among mice. Gaiman-esque!
MOVING PICTURES GN by Kathryn and Stuart Immonen. A struggle between a museum curator and an SS officer over art treasures and other stuff. No capes.
RED HOOD: LOST DAYS #1 of 6 by Judd Winick and Pablo Raimondi. Filling in some background on Jason Todd, the second Robin, mostly hipping us to how he became such a murderous rat.
SERENITY: FLOAT OUT ONE-SHOT by Patton Oswalt and Patric Reynolds. Three tales of the late, lamented Hoban "Wash" Washburne from the Joss Whedon series "Firefly." Written by the brilliant actor/comedian Patton Oswalt, so yeah, you need this.
THE STAND: HARDCASES #1 of 5 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Mike Perkins. The heroes were getting tiresome. How about we focus on the bad guys and crazies left behind after the most entertaining apocalypse Stephen King ever wrote? Recommended.
STEPHEN KING'S N #4 of 4 by Marc Guggenheim and Alex Maleev. The final issue as the madness contagion threatens to spread through "a journalist with millions of readers!" I always knew Perez Hilton would be the death of us all….
SUPERMAN/BATMAN ANNUAL #4 by Paul Levitz and Renato Guedes. A trippy jaunt into the future world of "Batman Beyond" where the new Batman gets called to duty in Metropolis. What could go wrong?
TORCH #8 of 8 by Mike Carey, Alex Ross and Patrick Berkenkotter. Yet another final issue in which we learn whether the original Human Torch lives or dies. Again.
X-MEN FOREVER GIANT-SIZE #1 by Chris Claremont and Mike Grell. This one's of interest to Fans of a Certain Age because it's a big fight between the Xs and the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. The IG were a blatant rip-off, I mean "homage", to the Legion of Super-Heroes over at DC and one of the major artists on LEGION was Mike Grell. Finally, just to be thorough, the late Dave Cockrum, co-creator of the ALL-NEW X-MEN, was also a major part of the LEGION redesign in the seventies. It's a huge Nerd Milestone is what I'm saying. Gotta look.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Weingarten's co-author on Clowes
Gina Barreca, who has collaborated with Gene Weingarten on his column in the Washington Post Magazine, looks at the recent Dan Clowes cover for the New Yorker - Is There a Doctorate in the House? Chronicle of Higher Education blog May 21, 2010.
PR: Sun, June 6 Capicons Comic Book & Pop Culture Con
Capicons Comic Book & Pop Culture Con
http://capicons.com
Our Biggest Show Yet!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
10 am - 3 pm
Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Dept.
2148 Gallows Rd. Dunn Loring, VA
Admission: $2! FREE for children under 10
$1 of each paid admission will be donated to The Hero Initiative
Special Guest:
Michael J. Hayde author of FLIGHTS OF FANTASY: The Unauthorized but True Story of Radio & TV's "Adventures of Superman" www.michaeljhayde.com
Also Featuring:
Cover Artist and Inker
Tim Dzon (Marvel Comics Presents, Avengers West Coast, Hawkeye, GI Joe, etc.)
http://tim-dzon.deviantart.com/
Artist/Publisher
Andre Campbell, Heritage Comics HSQ
http://heritagehsq.tripod.com/v2/index.html
Artist/Publisher Dan Nokes, 21st Century Sandshark Studios
http://21sandshark.com/
Chameleon Creations' Writer/Publisher Radi Lewis (The Children of the Phoenix)
http://www.thechildrenofthephoenix.com/
- Model Maker Extraordinaire Dave Wilson,
- Cartoonist Ali Gee
Free Parking! Fabulous door prize drawings!
The show is open to the public from 10 am - 3 pm. 40+ Tables. Buy, sell and trade...Gold, Silver, Bronze Age comics; Indie & Modern comics, Publishers & Creators, TV & Movie Collectibles. Non-sport cards; Videos and DVDs; Horror/Sci-Fi; figures, toys; Star Wars and Star Trek memorabilia; original artwork, posters, T-shirts/clothing and various other comic related items.
=============================================================
Directions to DLVFRD:
=============================================================
Take I-495 (DC/Capital Beltway) to Exit 47A (Rt. 7 West). Go 1/2 Mile, Left on Gallows Rd. 1 mile to 2148 Gallows Rd
Metro: Take Orange Line to Dunn Loring Metro Station--We're 1.35 miles from the Metro stop and on both the Fairfax Connector and Metro Bus lines. Visit www.wmata.com to plan your trip to our show.
=============================================================
Capicons is on Facebook!
=============================================================
Become a fan on Facebook, and keep on top of show updates.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Merrifield-VA/Capicons-Comic-Book-Pop-Culture-Con/221236176794?ref=ts
=============================================================
Capicons 2010 Dates
Sun. June 6
Sun, Aug. 1
Sun. Oct. 3
Sun. Dec. 5
=============================================================
To book a table, be added to our mailing list, request flyers, or for more info about our show, email info@capicons.com.
http://capicons.com
Our Biggest Show Yet!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
10 am - 3 pm
Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Dept.
2148 Gallows Rd. Dunn Loring, VA
Admission: $2! FREE for children under 10
$1 of each paid admission will be donated to The Hero Initiative
Special Guest:
Michael J. Hayde author of FLIGHTS OF FANTASY: The Unauthorized but True Story of Radio & TV's "Adventures of Superman" www.michaeljhayde.com
Also Featuring:
Cover Artist and Inker
Tim Dzon (Marvel Comics Presents, Avengers West Coast, Hawkeye, GI Joe, etc.)
http://tim-dzon.deviantart.com/
Artist/Publisher
Andre Campbell, Heritage Comics HSQ
http://heritagehsq.tripod.com/v2/index.html
Artist/Publisher Dan Nokes, 21st Century Sandshark Studios
http://21sandshark.com/
Chameleon Creations' Writer/Publisher Radi Lewis (The Children of the Phoenix)
http://www.thechildrenofthephoenix.com/
- Model Maker Extraordinaire Dave Wilson,
- Cartoonist Ali Gee
Free Parking! Fabulous door prize drawings!
The show is open to the public from 10 am - 3 pm. 40+ Tables. Buy, sell and trade...Gold, Silver, Bronze Age comics; Indie & Modern comics, Publishers & Creators, TV & Movie Collectibles. Non-sport cards; Videos and DVDs; Horror/Sci-Fi; figures, toys; Star Wars and Star Trek memorabilia; original artwork, posters, T-shirts/clothing and various other comic related items.
=============================================================
Directions to DLVFRD:
=============================================================
Take I-495 (DC/Capital Beltway) to Exit 47A (Rt. 7 West). Go 1/2 Mile, Left on Gallows Rd. 1 mile to 2148 Gallows Rd
Metro: Take Orange Line to Dunn Loring Metro Station--We're 1.35 miles from the Metro stop and on both the Fairfax Connector and Metro Bus lines. Visit www.wmata.com to plan your trip to our show.
=============================================================
Capicons is on Facebook!
=============================================================
Become a fan on Facebook, and keep on top of show updates.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Merrifield-VA/Capicons-Comic-Book-Pop-Culture-Con/221236176794?ref=ts
=============================================================
Capicons 2010 Dates
Sun. June 6
Sun, Aug. 1
Sun. Oct. 3
Sun. Dec. 5
=============================================================
To book a table, be added to our mailing list, request flyers, or for more info about our show, email info@capicons.com.
Code for My Tracks is now yours
A year ago, we released My Tracks, an Android app that lets you track activities like hikes, bike rides and trail runs using your mobile device. Now we’re announcing the release of the My Tracks source code into the wild.
What this means to users: My Tracks will become even better. The collective intelligence of the development community will create a more powerful, more intuitive, more useful, and more robust My Tracks. In addition, complementary apps will be written (For details on third party app development, see the wiki documentation). Applications for fitness activities, geocaching—heck, even dog tracking—are not hard to imagine.
Open-sourcing My Tracks also means that bug tracking is now public. Go to the "Issues" section of the My Tracks Code site to see what is being actively developed and to file your own feature requests/bugs.
What this means to developers: You can now contribute code directly to My Tracks to improve it, fix a bug, or add a feature. We don't promise that all changes will become part of the My Tracks codebase, but cleanly coded, useful contributions have a darn good chance. If you’re feeling adventurous (and slightly masochistic), file and fix bugs for unreleased--and probably buggy--versions of My Tracks, to improve overall quality and stability. Note that for all contributions, we have a code review process—see the wiki for more information.
How non-coders can contribute: Translate My Tracks! If you'd like to translate My Tracks to your language, or fix a translation that is incorrect, please let us know at mytracks-dev@googlegroups.com and we'll explain how to do it. We'll soon post documents explaining the process, on the My Tracks wiki.
All development-related discussions will occur on the mytracks-dev@googlegroups.com list (but please don't post coding-related questions there).
This is an exciting new track for My Tracks. Jump in!
PR: Stan Lee, Others Among Wash Post's Judges for Cartoonist Contest UPDATED
Here's some PR from the Post on their cartoon contest. One might also note that the area's crack cartoonist, Richard Thompson, whose career has been tightly intertwined with the Post, and who is up for a Rueben Award this weekend, is also a judge. One might.:
Today The Washington Post announced the final list of celebrity judges who will critique the work of the finalists of America's Next Great Cartoonist Contest.
Stan Lee, Stephen Pastis, Jerry Scott and Garry Trudeau are among the judges. For the complete list, visit Comic Riffs:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2010/05/final_judges_list_washington_p.html
For more on the contest which looks to help a budding cartoonist launch their career, go here: http://views.washingtonpost.com/cartoonist/
Submissions are due June 4!
I just went to the Post website and see that there's a bunch of other judges they didn't list in the PR too - Lalo "La Cucaracha" Alcaraz, Darrin "Candorville" Bell, Mike "Penny Arcade" Krahulik, Hilary "Rhymes with Orange" Price, Tom "that darn" Toles, Gene "theoretical Barney & Clyde" Weingarten and Signe "Family Tree" & Pulitzer-winner Wilkinson.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Heroes Con, Or Stuck Inside of Charlotte with the Cul de Sac Blues Again
Richard and I will be motoring down to Heroes Con next Thursday - I think this is pretty much a go since the schedule posted today says:
June 5 Saturday
3.00 PM
IN CONVERSATION | Richard Thompson
Room 206
Reuben Award -nominated Richard Thompson is widely hailed as one of the most talented cartoonists working today. From his strip Cul de Sac to his Richard's Poor Almanac humor strip to his illustrations for the New Yorker, the Washington Post, and more, he's a fascinating creator. Tom Spurgeon sits down to talk with Richard in this informal conversation.
Presumably I'll be the table monkey and miss it again.
Shannon "G.I. Joe" Gallant is also going down from DC. My buddy Craig Fischer's doing his thing again too.
June 5 Saturday
3.00 PM
IN CONVERSATION | Richard Thompson
Room 206
Reuben Award -nominated Richard Thompson is widely hailed as one of the most talented cartoonists working today. From his strip Cul de Sac to his Richard's Poor Almanac humor strip to his illustrations for the New Yorker, the Washington Post, and more, he's a fascinating creator. Tom Spurgeon sits down to talk with Richard in this informal conversation.
Presumably I'll be the table monkey and miss it again.
Shannon "G.I. Joe" Gallant is also going down from DC. My buddy Craig Fischer's doing his thing again too.
Truitt on GI Joe, again
G.I. Joe fan Max Brooks gets deep with 'Hearts & Minds' By Brian Truitt, USA TODAY May 20 2010
Ann Telnaes photo from visiting Pixar
Ralph Eggleston, Ann, Bob Scott at Pixar
After our brief mention of Bob Scott yesterday, Ann Telnaes wrote in and sent this picture, noting "Ralph Eggleston and Bob Scott were classmates of mine at CalArts. I was in SF a couple of months ago and stopped by for a tour."
Styled Maps and wrapping up I/O in style
Last week at Googe I/O, we made several announcements about updates to our tools for geo developers. I wanted to give you a closer look at one of those updates -- Styled Maps for the Google Maps API v3. You now have more control over how to style the base map within Google Maps API implementations. Styled Maps gives you the ability to change and customize various features of the base map, like changing the color of the water or removing roads altogether. This new styling feature gives you full control to display and customize the parts of the map that lets your data on the map shine. Take a look at this Styled Map Wizard and make the map your own!
If you want to watch this announcement or any of our other sessions, stay tuned to the Google I/O Geo session pages where we’ll soon be posting full video from each talk, including complete presentation materials. We’ve also put together a photo album to recap some of the highlights from our time at I/O:
A big thank you to these 16 companies who met with developers to share their experience in implementing Google Maps and Earth APIs in interesting ways!
La Santa Mare Església, pringada amb la rajola
Davant la negativa del patronat de CajaSur a signar un acord d’integració amb Unicaja, la caixa cordovesa ha estat intervinguda pel Banc d’Espanya. El rebuig a la integració ha estat aprovat per onze vots a favor, vuit en contra i una abstenció. Han recolzat la decisió els sis canonges que seien al consell de l’entitat, quatre representants dels impositors i el representant d’una associació sindical de tall corporatiu, Aspromonte. La decisió del Consell d’Administració de CajaSur de rebutjar el projecte de fusió amb la caixa d’estalvis malaguenya, Unicaja, i de sol·licitar les ajudes del FROB és incomprensible per a molts observadors imparcials; l’acord amb Unicaja semblava "fet" hores abans. És natural que s’estranyen. Els designis de Déu són inescrutables!
CajaSur es va crear l’any 1995, per la fusió de la Caixa Provincial i el Mont de Pietat, una entitat centenària propietat de l’Església al front de la qual estava des de 1977 el sacerdot Miguel Castillejo, que assumí la presidència de la caixa naixent. En complir 75 anys, en 2005, el capellà marxà, obligat pels estatuts, després d’una llarga batalla amb el govern andalús. Diverses anècdotes donen idea del poder que arribà a acumular. Pel març de 2003, el llavors bisbe de Còrdova, Francisco Javier Martínez, enemistat amb Castillejo —el prelat havia denunciat un any abans l’escandalosa pensió vitalícia del rector: 2,9 milions— fou apartat de la diòcesi i “ascendit” a arquebisbe de Granada. Diferents revelacions periodístiques descobriren les maneres arbitràries i els embolics de Castillejo (alguns vocals del patronat cobraven dietes per anar a missa). La pau, però, tornà a l’església cordovesa amb el nou bisbe. Castillejo ordí una enorme xarxa clientelar. Atacar CajaSur era com atacar Còrdova. Així s’expliquen els malabarismes dels partits recolzant la posició en contra de la fusió. (El PP, que tractà amb puny de ferro l’assumpte de Caja Castilla La Mancha, ha fet els ulls grossos a la fragilitat financera de CajaSur.)
Castillejo embarcà la caixa cordovesa en aliances financeres equivocades. El cas més cridaner fou el recolzament que prestà a Rafael Gómez, “Sandokan”, el constructor i joier cordovès imputat a l’operació Malaya, a qui CajaSur finançà aventures immobiliàries a través d’una societat conjunta. La caixa vivia una situació límit; no complia el coeficient de solvència (relació entre recursos propis i la suma d’actius, posicions i comptes subjectes a risc), el nivell mínim legal del qual és del 8%. El Banc d’Espanya havia llançat un ultimàtum: si no regularitzava els seus números abans de final de mes, complint amb l’esmentat coeficient, anava a ser intervinguda. La situació, des que fa un any havien començat les negociacions amb Unicaja, era pràcticament de fallida; havia perdut 710 milions d’euros —596 en 2009 i 114 durant el primer trimestre d’enguany— i podia haver arribat a perdre’n 800 més en 2011. Amb una taxa de morositat del 8,47%, els gestors feren el passat dijous 14 de maig un últim intent per millorar la capitalització mitjançant l’emissió d’accions preferents a subscriure per diverses institucions lligades a l’Església Catòlica (la COPE entre elles), projecte que finalment no prosperà per l’oposició majoritària de la Conferència Episcopal, la Comissió Econòmica de la qual tractà a fons la qüestió.
Castillejo embarcà la caixa cordovesa en aliances financeres equivocades. El cas més cridaner fou el recolzament que prestà a Rafael Gómez, “Sandokan”, el constructor i joier cordovès imputat a l’operació Malaya, a qui CajaSur finançà aventures immobiliàries a través d’una societat conjunta. La caixa vivia una situació límit; no complia el coeficient de solvència (relació entre recursos propis i la suma d’actius, posicions i comptes subjectes a risc), el nivell mínim legal del qual és del 8%. El Banc d’Espanya havia llançat un ultimàtum: si no regularitzava els seus números abans de final de mes, complint amb l’esmentat coeficient, anava a ser intervinguda. La situació, des que fa un any havien començat les negociacions amb Unicaja, era pràcticament de fallida; havia perdut 710 milions d’euros —596 en 2009 i 114 durant el primer trimestre d’enguany— i podia haver arribat a perdre’n 800 més en 2011. Amb una taxa de morositat del 8,47%, els gestors feren el passat dijous 14 de maig un últim intent per millorar la capitalització mitjançant l’emissió d’accions preferents a subscriure per diverses institucions lligades a l’Església Catòlica (la COPE entre elles), projecte que finalment no prosperà per l’oposició majoritària de la Conferència Episcopal, la Comissió Econòmica de la qual tractà a fons la qüestió.
Els successors de Castillejo no han aconseguit d’ahuixar els fantasmes del passat. En la pràctica, portaven quatre anys intervinguts pel Banc d’Espanya, que els vigilava des de 2005, any en què sortí Francisco Jurado, acusat d’irregularitats per la pròpia caixa. Des de llavors, han passat per la direcció general cinc responsables. «O s’esglaiaven a l’arribar o no estaven disposats a obeir cegament. I al carrer!», resumeix una font sindical. Les males dades de l’endidat cordovesa provenen del deteriorament de la rajola; els números rojos obeeixen a la necessitat de fer fortes provisions per a cobrir els riscs, seguint les recomanacions del regulador. Un conseller de la Junta d’Andalusia, Luis Pizarro, fica el dit a la nafra: «Tots sabíem l’aposta que havien fet els dirigents de CajaSur pel sector immobiliari, aposta que els ha portat, com altres caixes, a resultats negatius». El bisbe Asenjo, actual administrador episcopal de la diòcesi cordovesa, sabia que l’única sortida per a CajaSur era la fusió. Ara bé, aquesta sortida implicava canvis en el règim jurídic de l’entitat, cosa que equivalia a perdre la caixa per als fins de l’Església a través de la seua obra social. «Abans de perdre la caixa, la venc», va dir. Això sense comptar que, segons sembla, no volia veure-la en mans dels rojos del PSOE.
Al final, ha acabat perdent-la a mans del Banc d’Espanya, que ve a ser igual. Els canvis seran, però, totals. El monsenyor s’ha estalviat, això sí, haver d’acomiadar 700 treballadors. Cal dir que el sindicalisme groc també ha estat una peça clau en la deriva de CajaSur cap a la bancarrota. Aspromonte és l’associació sindical professional majoritària a l’entitat. «La seua creació vingué impulsada per un motiu principal, que continua sent la nostra característica diferenciadora: la independència», informa la seua web, que parla d’independència dels partits i dels sindicats de classe, però no diu res de la seua dependència del bisbat de Còrdova. Sobre el paper, Aspromonte és el sindicat (associació professional sindical, segons la seua pròpia definició) de treballadors més important de CajaSur; representa el 70% de la plantilla, de quasi 3.200 persones. Ara bé, per la manera de fer sindicalisme, mai no ha pogut evitar l’ombra groga que l’acompanya des que va nàixer, en 1977. «És un grupet sorgit per a servir els interessos del rector Miguel Castillejo, però ara ha fet allò que li han dit els seus successors», critiquen fonts de CC OO, que representa el 20% dels empleats. En definitiva, amb la intervenció del Banc d’Espanya, els deutes de CajaSur, provocats per l’Església Catòlica, hauran de pagar-los els contribuents. Amén!
Al final, ha acabat perdent-la a mans del Banc d’Espanya, que ve a ser igual. Els canvis seran, però, totals. El monsenyor s’ha estalviat, això sí, haver d’acomiadar 700 treballadors. Cal dir que el sindicalisme groc també ha estat una peça clau en la deriva de CajaSur cap a la bancarrota. Aspromonte és l’associació sindical professional majoritària a l’entitat. «La seua creació vingué impulsada per un motiu principal, que continua sent la nostra característica diferenciadora: la independència», informa la seua web, que parla d’independència dels partits i dels sindicats de classe, però no diu res de la seua dependència del bisbat de Còrdova. Sobre el paper, Aspromonte és el sindicat (associació professional sindical, segons la seua pròpia definició) de treballadors més important de CajaSur; representa el 70% de la plantilla, de quasi 3.200 persones. Ara bé, per la manera de fer sindicalisme, mai no ha pogut evitar l’ombra groga que l’acompanya des que va nàixer, en 1977. «És un grupet sorgit per a servir els interessos del rector Miguel Castillejo, però ara ha fet allò que li han dit els seus successors», critiquen fonts de CC OO, que representa el 20% dels empleats. En definitiva, amb la intervenció del Banc d’Espanya, els deutes de CajaSur, provocats per l’Església Catòlica, hauran de pagar-los els contribuents. Amén!
Another Trickster interview is online at City Paper
Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Trickster Writer Joseph Stands With Many
Posted by Mike Rhode on May. 27, 2010 at 04:19 pm
Chrome Extensions for Web Development
The Chrome Developer Tools are great for debugging HTML, JavaScript and CSS in Chrome. If you're writing a webpage or even a web app for the Chrome Web Store, you can inspect elements in the DOM, debug live JavaScript, and edit CSS styles directly in the current page. Extensions can make Google Chrome an even better web development environment by providing additional features that you can easily access in your browser. To help developers like you, we created a page that features extensions for web development. We hope you’ll find them useful in creating applications and sites for the web.
For example, Speed Tracer is an extension to help you identify and fix performance issues in your web applications. With Speed Tracer, you can get a better idea of where time is being spent in your application and troubleshoot problems in JavaScript parsing and execution, CSS style, and more.
Another useful extension is the Resolution Test that changes the size of the browser window, so web developers can preview websites in different screen resolutions. It also includes a list of commonly used resolutions, as well as a custom option to input your own resolution.
With the Web Developer extension, you can access additional developer tools such as validation options, page resizing and a CSS elements viewer; all from an additional button in the toolbar.
Another extension you should check out is the Chrome Editor that allows you to easily code within your browser, so you don’t have to flip between your browser and code editor. You can also save a code reference locally to your computer for later use.
These are just a few of the extensions you can find in our extensions for web development page. You can also look for more in the extensions gallery.
By Koh Kim, Google Chrome Team
For example, Speed Tracer is an extension to help you identify and fix performance issues in your web applications. With Speed Tracer, you can get a better idea of where time is being spent in your application and troubleshoot problems in JavaScript parsing and execution, CSS style, and more.
Another useful extension is the Resolution Test that changes the size of the browser window, so web developers can preview websites in different screen resolutions. It also includes a list of commonly used resolutions, as well as a custom option to input your own resolution.
With the Web Developer extension, you can access additional developer tools such as validation options, page resizing and a CSS elements viewer; all from an additional button in the toolbar.
Another extension you should check out is the Chrome Editor that allows you to easily code within your browser, so you don’t have to flip between your browser and code editor. You can also save a code reference locally to your computer for later use.
These are just a few of the extensions you can find in our extensions for web development page. You can also look for more in the extensions gallery.
By Koh Kim, Google Chrome Team
Pixar animator Bob Scott likes Telnaes and Cul de Sac
Nickel, Scott.
A Nickel's Worth blog May 25, 2010
Read the interview, but here's the two quotes relevant to ComicsDC:
Of the more recent strips my favorites are DIAMOND LIL, CUL DE SAC, KISKALOO, CITIZEN DOG and MONTY.
And Ann Telnaes does a great job with the animated versions of her political cartoons.
Google Tv - Paradiso o inferno del webvideo?
L'annuncio della Google TV arriva come momentaneo apice di una tendenza da tempo prevista, anticipata e quindi concausata dai produttori di contenuti. Il fatto che parte dell'industria televisiva e cinematografica e parte dell'industria che si impegna a produrre per la rete vadano nella stessa direzione, mescolando fondi, produzioni e professionalità, disegna un percorso di ibridazione che, con l'arrivo dei televisori connessi e "attivi" sulla rete come quelli che promette il progetto Google/Sony/Logitech, si compie pienamente.
La Google TV non è il primo esempio di progetto su questa scia (tanto hanno fatto altre società senza raggiungere davvero il consenso del pubblico) ma probabilmente si tratta del più importante per eco, risonanza ed apertura alle idee degli sviluppatori (che sono sempre le più devastanti in termini di impatto). Gli altri che avevano tentato di portare internet nel televisore hanno parzialmente fallito proprio là dove Google (o in caso di suo fallimento il prossimo grande player che si misurerà in questo campo) può avere il suo punto di forza: nei contenuti.
La Google TV non è il primo esempio di progetto su questa scia (tanto hanno fatto altre società senza raggiungere davvero il consenso del pubblico) ma probabilmente si tratta del più importante per eco, risonanza ed apertura alle idee degli sviluppatori (che sono sempre le più devastanti in termini di impatto). Gli altri che avevano tentato di portare internet nel televisore hanno parzialmente fallito proprio là dove Google (o in caso di suo fallimento il prossimo grande player che si misurerà in questo campo) può avere il suo punto di forza: nei contenuti.
maria sharapova legs pictures
maria sharapova legs
maria sharapova legs
maria sharapova legs
maria sharapova legs
maria sharapova legs
Grues a Otos
Si El Penjoll és una revista sobre l'art de la paraula, ací va una cita per a este dissabte dia 29, a Ca les Senyoretes, a Otos.
Tres pardals han unit les seues forces per fer una vetlada poèticomusical. Es tracta de Toni Espí, Elies Barberà i Toni de l'Hostal.
Per la informació que hem pogut considerar, Toni Espí anirà espí-golant alguns dels aspectes principals de l'últim llibre de Barberà, Allà on les grues nien, una oda càustica a l'estil de vida metropolità -segons diu Barberà, qui estarà nugat a la cadira i amb la boca embenada. Li serà desembenada només per llegir els versos que vagen a joc amb el que diu Espí. El de l'Hostal, que s'ho mirarà tot com qui veu ploure, s'arrancarà a tocar i a cantar temes que faran de luxós contrapunt a les paraules del de Bèlgida i els versos del de Xàtiva.
Tot això serà després del soparot que la casa de Joan Olivares i Sumpció pararà a taula. (A l'enllaç de Ca les Senyoretes teniu els horaris i el menú.)
Serà inoblidable!
Ací va un poema dels que no seran recitats:
VIANANT
dins la bambolla-cúpula, ell:
formiga, punt,
molècula, àtom,
part,
res,
quark,
u.
Tres pardals han unit les seues forces per fer una vetlada poèticomusical. Es tracta de Toni Espí, Elies Barberà i Toni de l'Hostal.
Per la informació que hem pogut considerar, Toni Espí anirà espí-golant alguns dels aspectes principals de l'últim llibre de Barberà, Allà on les grues nien, una oda càustica a l'estil de vida metropolità -segons diu Barberà, qui estarà nugat a la cadira i amb la boca embenada. Li serà desembenada només per llegir els versos que vagen a joc amb el que diu Espí. El de l'Hostal, que s'ho mirarà tot com qui veu ploure, s'arrancarà a tocar i a cantar temes que faran de luxós contrapunt a les paraules del de Bèlgida i els versos del de Xàtiva.
Tot això serà després del soparot que la casa de Joan Olivares i Sumpció pararà a taula. (A l'enllaç de Ca les Senyoretes teniu els horaris i el menú.)
Serà inoblidable!
Ací va un poema dels que no seran recitats:
VIANANT
dins la bambolla-cúpula, ell:
formiga, punt,
molècula, àtom,
part,
res,
quark,
u.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Bill Day's RFK Journalism award
Bill Day, winner of the 2010 RFK Journalism award for editorial cartooning.
Bill Day, winner of the 2010 RFK Journalism award for editorial cartooning, with 2010 Herblock award winner Matt Wuerker.
Bill Day, winner of the 2010 RFK Journalism award for editorial cartooning, with 2010 judges Sara Duke and Mike Rhode.
Barbarella, Cul de Sac - nothing in common
Caroline Small muses about Barbarella here.
Richard Thompson explains the gag in today's Cul de Sac here and noodles about the cover of the next (2nd) Treasury edition here.
Richard Thompson explains the gag in today's Cul de Sac here and noodles about the cover of the next (2nd) Treasury edition here.
Post cartoonist contest adds Stan Lee as judge
The Post's America's Next Great Cartoonist contest run by Michael Cavna added Stan Lee as a judge. This may be Our Man Thompson's chance to pitch his Spider-Man / Cul de Sac cross-over idea! Ernesto and Dr. Octopus!
Marvel posters at National Library of Medicine
Here's the links to the images and the catalogue information:
http://ihm.nlm.nih.gov/images/A26073 - Storm
http://ihm.nlm.nih.gov/images/A26074 - Iron Man
http://ihm.nlm.nih.gov/images/A26072 - Firestar and Iceman
Congratulations to Aadith Moorthy, the 2010 National Geographic Bee Champion
[Cross-posted with the Official Google Blog]
Aadith Moorthy tackled these and other questions to win this year’s National Geographic Bee held today in Washington, D.C. While he missed his first question of the day, he didn’t let that get get in his way. His win is the culmination of many months of preparation and local competitions that began last fall at schools across the country.
Aadith is a 13-year-old 8th grader from Palm Harbor, Florida and attends the Palm Land Middle School. When not studying geography, he is a South Indian classical (Carnatic) music concert singer. At the beginning of the final round, he gave the audience a taste of his talent when Alex Trebek, the host of the Bee, asked him to sing on the spot.
We’re proud that Google is this year’s sponsor of the National Geographic Bee. This contest exemplifies the importance of being geographically literate and showcases just how well these students understand the world around them. This skill-set will be a vital asset as they continue their education and careers. As you can tell from the questions above, it’s not just a matter of memorizing state and country capitals!
I had the great opportunity to speak at both the preliminary and championship rounds of the Bee and was impressed by the dedication of the teachers who made special efforts to train their school finalists and the depth of knowledge of the students. This is contest with important implications for their future lives and careers.
We’re excited to follow all of the 54 finalists to see where in the world they land.
Answers: Botswana, Argentina, Malmö, Cap-Haïtien
Tswana is a Bantu language spoken by the largest ethnic group in what landlocked country?
The production of yerbe maté, a tea made from an evergreen plant, is important to the economy of Misiones. This province is located in which country that borders Paraguay?
The Øresund Bridge, opened in 2000, connects Copenhagen, Denmark with what Swedish city?
The largest city in northern Haiti was renamed following Haiti’s independence from France. What is the present-day name of this city?
Aadith is a 13-year-old 8th grader from Palm Harbor, Florida and attends the Palm Land Middle School. When not studying geography, he is a South Indian classical (Carnatic) music concert singer. At the beginning of the final round, he gave the audience a taste of his talent when Alex Trebek, the host of the Bee, asked him to sing on the spot.
We’re proud that Google is this year’s sponsor of the National Geographic Bee. This contest exemplifies the importance of being geographically literate and showcases just how well these students understand the world around them. This skill-set will be a vital asset as they continue their education and careers. As you can tell from the questions above, it’s not just a matter of memorizing state and country capitals!
I had the great opportunity to speak at both the preliminary and championship rounds of the Bee and was impressed by the dedication of the teachers who made special efforts to train their school finalists and the depth of knowledge of the students. This is contest with important implications for their future lives and careers.
We’re excited to follow all of the 54 finalists to see where in the world they land.
Answers: Botswana, Argentina, Malmö, Cap-Haïtien
RFK Journalism award given to Bill Day tonight
Editorial cartoonist Bill Day will receive the RFK Journalism Award for cartooning tonight at George Washington University. I'll be in the audience and should have photos tomorrow.
Weldon on Wednesday Comics
'Wednesday Comics,' Collected: 'Trippy, Experimental,' Still Freaking Huge, by Glen Weldon, May 26, 2010
Experience the 9/11 Memorial in Google Earth
The 9/11 Memorial organization, a non-profit group responsible for care-taking the 9/11 museum and memorial park, first contacted Google in 2008 to explore ideas on how our technology might be used to enhance the experience for people visiting the museum (currently under construction) and on its website. Several ideas were proposed, including the use of Street View, which the group added to their Make History website in 2009.
We met at Google’s New York City office and learned about the many creative exhibit ideas that were planned for the museum, as well as the design concepts behind the 9/11 memorial park. I found it very fascinating. I couldn’t help but wonder: how can this be shared with the world? How can we enable everyone, anywhere to learn more about events of that day, and experience what proposes to be an unforgettable museum and park?
The 9/11 Memorial designers presented artist renderings and physical models of the proposed construction, both of which were impressive, but the audience for each is limited to the small population of the public who can see them in-person. The meeting could have concluded with a list of proposals for the 9/11 organization to pursue, however we left feeling as though Google could and should do more. The events of that day are etched in all of our memories, and we felt obligated to identify an appropriate way to honor the families of the victims and support the organization whose charter it was to preserve our collective memories.
Our proposal of course was Google Earth. The products’ popularity and reach would make it an ideal platform for people to visit and explore the 9/11 site - virtually. Virtual tourism is one of the most common uses of the Google Earth, and, it’s been used to represent both historical and future buildings in the past, so we thought it would be fitting to create a 3D model of the 9/11 memorial so that people anywhere could envision what the memorial will look like when it’s completed next year.
We requested design drawings, artist renderings, and any other visual materials that could be used to construct a 3D model, and went to work. Mason Thrall, one of our most experienced 3D modelers was the first to volunteer to develop a model of the park. The 9/11 Memorial group incorporated the Google Earth plugin into their website, and developed KML placemarks that help orient visitors to the site. Take a 3D tour of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum within the context of the surrounding landscape of lower Manhattan.
The 9/11 memorial is scheduled to open next year, however you can experience today via Google Earth on their website.
Una Canzone Per Te (2010)di Herbert Simone Paragnani
POSTATO SU 
Una delle cose più interessanti del cinema commerciale italiano di questi ultimi anni è il genere adolescenziale. Foraggiato da un pubblico molto ben disposto, vasto e affamato di film e sentimenti alla buona, il genere ha conosciuto una crescita produttiva e una moltiplicazione in "orizzontale" (cioè attraverso generi diversi e contaminazioni varie) negli ultimi anni. Di commedia in commedia, di variazione in variazione il genere adolescenziale è diventato un metagenere che tutto contamina e da tutto viene contaminato.
Una canzone per te inserisce la tipica trama di un gruppo di ragazzi vicini all'esame di maturità che deve giostrarsi tra storie sentimentali, scopate e rapporti burrascosi con i genitori all'interno del musicarello e del cinema fantastico.
La variazione sul tema portata da Herbert Simone Paragnani porta quindi Una canzone per te ad avvicinarsi al cinema giovanile degli anni '80 americano (pur non avendo quella brillantezza e quella profondità di scrittura).
I personaggi che cercano di portare a termine qualcosa, un obiettivo extrasentimentale (vincere il concorso per nuovi talenti indetto da Mtv) e che nel fare questo devono scontrarsi con diversi ostacoli (questi si sentimentali), è una formula non nuova ma vincente, almeno rispetto alla solita produzione giovanlistica nostrana.
In più il film si avvale della presenza (la prima in una produzione per il cinema) di Guglielmo Scilla, in arte Willwoosh, la più grande websensation italiana.
Nella prima parte poi il film ha un ritmo invidiabile. Quando si tiene sui binari del fantastico imitando Ricomincio da capo nella diversa variazione di una medesima giornata, trova un davvero un felice incontro tra i topoi del genere e una scrittura leggera accompagnata da un montaggio sapido.
Peccato che poi nella seconda parte il fantastico sia dimenticato a favore del musicale (non eccezionale viste le band italiane coinvolte) e a favore della più classica dinamica di lento incontro + conversione all'amore per la vera anima gemella. Il cambio di registro spiazza perchè il fantastico è quasi dimenticato e soprattutto uccide l'ottimo ritmo che il film sembrava aver preso.
Interessante che in una storia per nulla disturbante (come poteva essere quella del poco riuscito Albakiara) faccia capolino il personaggio di una ragazza alternativa, vagamente emo, come vera protagonista positiva a scapito della solita precisetta Michela Quattrociocche (che in giro in motorino con casco rosa per le strade di Roma Nord è perfetta quanto John Wayne con cappello a tesa larga che cavalca nella Monument Valley).
Peccato solo che tutte le velleità di conversione alla musica alta del protagonista, che comincia citando e facendo ascoltare gruppi storici del rock, si spengano poi in un finale sui toni più promozionale dell'Mtv odierna (che commissiona) e vicini agli Zero Assoluto.
Il regista ha già vinto il premio "Maccio Capatonda" per il nome.
Una canzone per te inserisce la tipica trama di un gruppo di ragazzi vicini all'esame di maturità che deve giostrarsi tra storie sentimentali, scopate e rapporti burrascosi con i genitori all'interno del musicarello e del cinema fantastico.
La variazione sul tema portata da Herbert Simone Paragnani porta quindi Una canzone per te ad avvicinarsi al cinema giovanile degli anni '80 americano (pur non avendo quella brillantezza e quella profondità di scrittura).
I personaggi che cercano di portare a termine qualcosa, un obiettivo extrasentimentale (vincere il concorso per nuovi talenti indetto da Mtv) e che nel fare questo devono scontrarsi con diversi ostacoli (questi si sentimentali), è una formula non nuova ma vincente, almeno rispetto alla solita produzione giovanlistica nostrana.
In più il film si avvale della presenza (la prima in una produzione per il cinema) di Guglielmo Scilla, in arte Willwoosh, la più grande websensation italiana.
Nella prima parte poi il film ha un ritmo invidiabile. Quando si tiene sui binari del fantastico imitando Ricomincio da capo nella diversa variazione di una medesima giornata, trova un davvero un felice incontro tra i topoi del genere e una scrittura leggera accompagnata da un montaggio sapido.
Peccato che poi nella seconda parte il fantastico sia dimenticato a favore del musicale (non eccezionale viste le band italiane coinvolte) e a favore della più classica dinamica di lento incontro + conversione all'amore per la vera anima gemella. Il cambio di registro spiazza perchè il fantastico è quasi dimenticato e soprattutto uccide l'ottimo ritmo che il film sembrava aver preso.
Interessante che in una storia per nulla disturbante (come poteva essere quella del poco riuscito Albakiara) faccia capolino il personaggio di una ragazza alternativa, vagamente emo, come vera protagonista positiva a scapito della solita precisetta Michela Quattrociocche (che in giro in motorino con casco rosa per le strade di Roma Nord è perfetta quanto John Wayne con cappello a tesa larga che cavalca nella Monument Valley).
Peccato solo che tutte le velleità di conversione alla musica alta del protagonista, che comincia citando e facendo ascoltare gruppi storici del rock, si spengano poi in un finale sui toni più promozionale dell'Mtv odierna (che commissiona) e vicini agli Zero Assoluto.
Il regista ha già vinto il premio "Maccio Capatonda" per il nome.
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