As I mentioned, there's some news coming out of Oshkosh that I'm pretty excited about. The Rocket Racing League is going to demo at AirVenture on Tuesday.
The Rocket Racing League is an all-new, very high-tech sport with all sort of individuals involved, from Richard Branson to Burt Rutan to Cousin Jim, who happens to own Bridenstine Rocket Racing, one of the teams in the RRL.
I highly recommend jumping over to the Rocket Racing League website to get a feel for how crazy this sport is going to be, in a very George Lucas sort of way. Pilots will essentially be strapped into a rocket powered craft, and will fly a 3D course in the sky.
Here's a video on YouTube:
Cool.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
round-up
Got some Sun
Yesterday we took Lucy, Mel and Cassidy to the spillover yesterday. I need to take them during the week when there are fewer dogs. Its nice to see them play with other dogs, but I think they're more tired from excitement than from the actual activity of swimming, chasing balls around in the water, etc...
I love the Barton Springs pool, but the spill over is really fun, too. Its a bit like taking the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. You get the pizza and can watch the floor show, and just hope the kids don't hurt themselves in the ball crawl.
Oshkosh is Next Week
It's been a long, long time since I've been to an airshow. But were I a man of limitless wealth (I can't say "and limitless time" because, honestly...), I would like to go to Oshkosh. It's an enormous air show in Wisconsin. I believe the biggest in the US. Sort of like ComicCon for plane geeks (such as The Admiral).
Anyway, its also in the hottest part of the Texas summer, so walking around Wisconsin and getting some sun and checking out both classic and cutting edge aircraft sounds like a pretty decent few days to me.
Plus, I think in a day or two I may be able to make an observation about AirVenture.
Two Movies
Last night I ended up watching two movies. "Be Kind, Rewind" and "Murderball".
We think our DVD player has blown up on us, which is problematic. So we strayed up to the Pay-Per-View realm.
I didn't know "Be Kind, Rewind" was a Michael Gondry film. It turned out not to be the yuckfest I was expecting, and was, in fact, better than I'd expected. Funny and sweet, and a genuine love for movies and film making. There was probably a deeper message about the creative process I missed, but, anyway... wortha view.
"Murderball" is a doc on the US Paralympic Rugby team. I had meant to see this movie for what seems like years, and I'm glad I finally quit watching "Tori & Dean" long enough to finally make time to watch it through. Great, compelling subject matter, with great personalities.
If you have any preconceived notions about Paralympians, check them at the door before watching. The titular sport is rougher than anything I've played.
The only problem with the movie is that I really wanted to know a bit more about more of the people in the movie, but there just wasn't time. Also, I wouldn't mind an update on the team. But I guess that's what the internet is for.
Shark Week is On
Discovery Channel's annual tribute to our fishy friends has started. I, myself, watched two hours of Shark-themed Mythbusters this evening. Not a single explosion, and I learned something about night diving, sharks and flashlights that makes me never, ever, ever want to us e a flashlight anywhere near the water.
ComicCon Last Thought (I Promise)
Well, Comic Con drew to a close with a whole lot of bluster about Dark Knight and Watchmen (a lot of hype for a trailer, I think). Despite 125,000 comic geeks sequestered in San Diego, Batman still managed to pull in a record setting total of $300 million. Yowza.
I confess to being a little disappointed that there was no announcement of additional DCU related movies. It seems like it would have been a good time to learn we're getting a Flash movie, etc... Or Bryan Singer is done dinking around with Tom Cruise's Nazi movie, and that we're getting that second Superman flick. Didn't happen.
There were some picture of some neat upcoming toys and whatnot (don't worry, Jamie, I won't buy all of them. Or even most of them.). And, of course, the DCU MMO game that I'm very excited about. But there was a surprising lack of information about the upcoming year for actual comics. But I think that's actually okay.
I never understood the push in the last four years or so for Marvel and DC to try to outline all of their moves for the next 6 - 12 months during the summer convention season. But in a way, it also sort of points to the possibility that DC is still recovering from the Countdown debacle, and unsure of the final shake out from Final Crisis. Add in that they're probably struggling not to give away the conclusions to "Batman R.I.P." and "Final Crisis", and perhaps the less said, the better.
Yesterday we took Lucy, Mel and Cassidy to the spillover yesterday. I need to take them during the week when there are fewer dogs. Its nice to see them play with other dogs, but I think they're more tired from excitement than from the actual activity of swimming, chasing balls around in the water, etc...
I love the Barton Springs pool, but the spill over is really fun, too. Its a bit like taking the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. You get the pizza and can watch the floor show, and just hope the kids don't hurt themselves in the ball crawl.
Oshkosh is Next Week
It's been a long, long time since I've been to an airshow. But were I a man of limitless wealth (I can't say "and limitless time" because, honestly...), I would like to go to Oshkosh. It's an enormous air show in Wisconsin. I believe the biggest in the US. Sort of like ComicCon for plane geeks (such as The Admiral).
Anyway, its also in the hottest part of the Texas summer, so walking around Wisconsin and getting some sun and checking out both classic and cutting edge aircraft sounds like a pretty decent few days to me.
Plus, I think in a day or two I may be able to make an observation about AirVenture.
Two Movies
Last night I ended up watching two movies. "Be Kind, Rewind" and "Murderball".
We think our DVD player has blown up on us, which is problematic. So we strayed up to the Pay-Per-View realm.
I didn't know "Be Kind, Rewind" was a Michael Gondry film. It turned out not to be the yuckfest I was expecting, and was, in fact, better than I'd expected. Funny and sweet, and a genuine love for movies and film making. There was probably a deeper message about the creative process I missed, but, anyway... wortha view.
"Murderball" is a doc on the US Paralympic Rugby team. I had meant to see this movie for what seems like years, and I'm glad I finally quit watching "Tori & Dean" long enough to finally make time to watch it through. Great, compelling subject matter, with great personalities.
If you have any preconceived notions about Paralympians, check them at the door before watching. The titular sport is rougher than anything I've played.
The only problem with the movie is that I really wanted to know a bit more about more of the people in the movie, but there just wasn't time. Also, I wouldn't mind an update on the team. But I guess that's what the internet is for.
Shark Week is On
Discovery Channel's annual tribute to our fishy friends has started. I, myself, watched two hours of Shark-themed Mythbusters this evening. Not a single explosion, and I learned something about night diving, sharks and flashlights that makes me never, ever, ever want to us e a flashlight anywhere near the water.
ComicCon Last Thought (I Promise)
Well, Comic Con drew to a close with a whole lot of bluster about Dark Knight and Watchmen (a lot of hype for a trailer, I think). Despite 125,000 comic geeks sequestered in San Diego, Batman still managed to pull in a record setting total of $300 million. Yowza.
I confess to being a little disappointed that there was no announcement of additional DCU related movies. It seems like it would have been a good time to learn we're getting a Flash movie, etc... Or Bryan Singer is done dinking around with Tom Cruise's Nazi movie, and that we're getting that second Superman flick. Didn't happen.
There were some picture of some neat upcoming toys and whatnot (don't worry, Jamie, I won't buy all of them. Or even most of them.). And, of course, the DCU MMO game that I'm very excited about. But there was a surprising lack of information about the upcoming year for actual comics. But I think that's actually okay.
I never understood the push in the last four years or so for Marvel and DC to try to outline all of their moves for the next 6 - 12 months during the summer convention season. But in a way, it also sort of points to the possibility that DC is still recovering from the Countdown debacle, and unsure of the final shake out from Final Crisis. Add in that they're probably struggling not to give away the conclusions to "Batman R.I.P." and "Final Crisis", and perhaps the less said, the better.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Happy Birthday Nicole and Judy
Two very special Leaguers have their birthdays this weekend. Happy, happy birthday to both Nicole and Judy (Jamie's mom).
The only cake we felt was appropriate for a Nicole birthday
And here's a picture of the Helen Corbitt cake Jamie made for Judy
The only cake we felt was appropriate for a Nicole birthday
And here's a picture of the Helen Corbitt cake Jamie made for Judy
Friday, July 25, 2008
Bully, the little stuffed bull, is at ComicCon. He's doing a phenomenal job covering the Con from the floor.
Here's the first post, and here's the second.
Here's the first post, and here's the second.
Batman: Brave and the Bold Trailer
Oh my Awesome.
New kid-friendly Batman cartoon coming this fall. Batman: Brave and the Bold
And did you see the guest stars? Plastic Man? Green Arrow? BLUE BEETLE!!!?
I know there will be many more guests, as I've heard Aquaman will be on the show. I think the idea is the same as the 70's-era "Brave and the Bold" comics. Batman + guest star, rotating almost every week.
I am quite psyched for the kids (and me). This looks like so much fun, and the design work on this clip is really spectacular.
New kid-friendly Batman cartoon coming this fall. Batman: Brave and the Bold
And did you see the guest stars? Plastic Man? Green Arrow? BLUE BEETLE!!!?
I know there will be many more guests, as I've heard Aquaman will be on the show. I think the idea is the same as the 70's-era "Brave and the Bold" comics. Batman + guest star, rotating almost every week.
I am quite psyched for the kids (and me). This looks like so much fun, and the design work on this clip is really spectacular.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Coffee with JenIn
Facebook is funny. Not only have I recently got back in touch with Mere, but I'm also now back in touch with a former KOHSer, JenIn. I haven't seen much of Jen since her Freshman year at UT (she's a year behind me), but as I understand it, she's got all kinds of book learnin' under her belt these days and is still in Austin.
Anyhoo, I'm grabbing coffee with her tomorrow, if anyone wants me to pass along a message.
ComicCon is On
Comic Con International has started in San Diego, and once again, I am not there.
That's okay, though, because you can usually get all the Con news I'd care about within 8 hours or so on the interwebs.
There was some good information on what us Superman comic fans can expect.
And Johns and Van Sciver on Flash. (That Flash image alone gives me hope)
Johns and Morrison are saving the DC line of comics, in spite of itself. Apparently the reception for Trinity (Busiek) and Final Crisis (Morrison) is pretty mediocre, according to reporting on the DC Nation Panel. Honestly, I've loved my Final Crisis reading, so I'm not sure what the deal is there. Trinity... may not be my cup of tea. Which is weird, because I do like Busiek's stuff, and it stars Bats, Superman and Wonder Woman.
I'm also increasingly excited about the reporting and images for DCU Online. Holy smokes, does this look like fun. (And, Hey Sony Online Entertainment! I'm available!)
They also had this to say about character design:
Rad.
Hello, Dolly!
It rained like crazy here today. And by crazy, I mean in brief, violent spurts on and off throughout the afternoon and evening. We need the rain. That's good. Unfortunately I think it messed up the travel today for Jamie (coming back from San Marcos), KareBear (coming back from New Braunfels), and The Admiral (flying back in from Brazil). I think Jamie was stuck on a 2 mile stretch of road for about an hour and a half today. Apparently a bus drove into a semi and spilled oil all over I-35.
But its also been so @#$%ing hot and dry here this summer, we needed every drop of the deluge. Austin gets its water from the Edwards Aquifer, which sits under the town. If it doesn't rain in Austin, we don't have water. When I lived in Phoenix, the city was living under a sort of mass denial in regards to their water sources and would become agitated if you pointed out: (a) we're using more water here than is probably smart in the desert, and (b) we're sort of wasteful with the water here in Phoenix, what with things like that cannon fountain in Fountain Hills, and the blue-dyed ponds in all the posher neighborhoods (seriously, gross).
Anyone whose lived in Central Texas for a while is pretty aware of the water issue. Sometimes you let your lawn die, because you'd rather take showers and have drinking water. And we tend to get our dander up when developers try to pave over the recharge zones or run-off areas. It isn't some crazy environmental issue, so don't get your political dander up. This is pretty straightforward stuff. If we want to have drinking water, we have to be careful with our natural spaces and consumption. And we have to be a little happy when the rain comes down.
Facebook is funny. Not only have I recently got back in touch with Mere, but I'm also now back in touch with a former KOHSer, JenIn. I haven't seen much of Jen since her Freshman year at UT (she's a year behind me), but as I understand it, she's got all kinds of book learnin' under her belt these days and is still in Austin.
Anyhoo, I'm grabbing coffee with her tomorrow, if anyone wants me to pass along a message.
ComicCon is On
Comic Con International has started in San Diego, and once again, I am not there.
That's okay, though, because you can usually get all the Con news I'd care about within 8 hours or so on the interwebs.
There was some good information on what us Superman comic fans can expect.
And Johns and Van Sciver on Flash. (That Flash image alone gives me hope)
Johns and Morrison are saving the DC line of comics, in spite of itself. Apparently the reception for Trinity (Busiek) and Final Crisis (Morrison) is pretty mediocre, according to reporting on the DC Nation Panel. Honestly, I've loved my Final Crisis reading, so I'm not sure what the deal is there. Trinity... may not be my cup of tea. Which is weird, because I do like Busiek's stuff, and it stars Bats, Superman and Wonder Woman.
I'm also increasingly excited about the reporting and images for DCU Online. Holy smokes, does this look like fun. (And, Hey Sony Online Entertainment! I'm available!)
They also had this to say about character design:
When asked about the creation of customizable characters, Chris Cao explained that there would be two different ways to generate an avatar for the game: a “free form method” that is completely customizable and an “inspired method” that allows for theme based concepts to be employed which allow a player to be “like Batman if they want to be.”
Rad.
Hello, Dolly!
It rained like crazy here today. And by crazy, I mean in brief, violent spurts on and off throughout the afternoon and evening. We need the rain. That's good. Unfortunately I think it messed up the travel today for Jamie (coming back from San Marcos), KareBear (coming back from New Braunfels), and The Admiral (flying back in from Brazil). I think Jamie was stuck on a 2 mile stretch of road for about an hour and a half today. Apparently a bus drove into a semi and spilled oil all over I-35.
But its also been so @#$%ing hot and dry here this summer, we needed every drop of the deluge. Austin gets its water from the Edwards Aquifer, which sits under the town. If it doesn't rain in Austin, we don't have water. When I lived in Phoenix, the city was living under a sort of mass denial in regards to their water sources and would become agitated if you pointed out: (a) we're using more water here than is probably smart in the desert, and (b) we're sort of wasteful with the water here in Phoenix, what with things like that cannon fountain in Fountain Hills, and the blue-dyed ponds in all the posher neighborhoods (seriously, gross).
Anyone whose lived in Central Texas for a while is pretty aware of the water issue. Sometimes you let your lawn die, because you'd rather take showers and have drinking water. And we tend to get our dander up when developers try to pave over the recharge zones or run-off areas. It isn't some crazy environmental issue, so don't get your political dander up. This is pretty straightforward stuff. If we want to have drinking water, we have to be careful with our natural spaces and consumption. And we have to be a little happy when the rain comes down.
Smash Comics!
A little while ago I did a post over at Comic Fodder on how today's comics might relate to kids.
One of the things that I mentioned was that I thought was that kids might not have spinner racks at drug stores, but they do have internet connections. A little while after I posted the column, I was contacted by the team at SmashComic.com. They're doing an all ages comic, and, seriously, this looks like a lot of fun. Maybe in the spirit of "HeroBear and the Kid", with a pretty sharp injection of Calvin & Hobbes' "Stupendous Man".
There's not a ton of content up yet, but from what I see, I absolutely love the art style. It's a great mix of cartooning and superhero-style artistry. And the design for our title character is perfect.
So, parents, kids, Leaguers... Check it out! I think this is really cool not just from a storytelling perspective, but from a distribution model.
One of the things that I mentioned was that I thought was that kids might not have spinner racks at drug stores, but they do have internet connections. A little while after I posted the column, I was contacted by the team at SmashComic.com. They're doing an all ages comic, and, seriously, this looks like a lot of fun. Maybe in the spirit of "HeroBear and the Kid", with a pretty sharp injection of Calvin & Hobbes' "Stupendous Man".
There's not a ton of content up yet, but from what I see, I absolutely love the art style. It's a great mix of cartooning and superhero-style artistry. And the design for our title character is perfect.
So, parents, kids, Leaguers... Check it out! I think this is really cool not just from a storytelling perspective, but from a distribution model.
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