Flooby Nooby

April 04, 2011

De-3D Cinema Glasses - an awesome ThinkGeek April Fools joke

Who wants a pair of De-3D Cinema Glasses:
* Eliminates 3D effect for more pleasurable movie viewing
* Converts standard 3D movies in to relaxing 2D
* Eliminates headaches and nausea associated with 3D movies
* Works with current 3D movies in theaters using RealD 3D technology
* View 3D movies comfortably with your 3D loving friends

Hiroyasu Inshida's “Rain Town”

Marvel at the beautiful compositions and backgrounds from Hiroyasu Inshida's latest work.

How to make a Canadian Cartoon

Everything here is so true... it boggles the imagination that any animation gets created in this country at all.

Handspring Puppet Company: The genius puppetry behind War Horse

"Puppets always have to try to be alive," says Adrian Kohler of the Handspring Puppet Company, a gloriously ambitious troupe of human and wooden actors. Beginning with the tale of a hyena's subtle paw, puppeteers Kohler and Basil Jones build to the story of their latest astonishment - Watch the wonderfully life-like Joey, the War Horse, who trots and gallops very convincingly onto the TED stage.

Voice Actor - Kenneth Mars

Talented and versatile comic actor Kenneth Mars passed away two months ago at the age of 75. He was most famous for his roles in Mel Brooks comedies, like The Producers and Young Frankenstein.

Throughout the eighties and nineties, he did a lot of cartoon voice work, most notably on Darkwing Duck, where he gave life to the villain Tuskernini. Additionally, he voiced The Little Mermaid‘s King Triton and many other characters you might recognize (see the list below).

Voice Credits:

13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, The (1985, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Adventures in Odyssey (1987, Radio Series)	Captain Quinn
	Fred Holstein
	Sir William
Adventures of Don Coyote and Sancho Panda, The (1990, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Adventures of Raggedy Ann and Andy, The (1988, Animated Series)	The Camel with Wrinkled Knees
All-New Scooby and Scrappy-Doo Show, The (1983, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Batman: The Animated Series (1992, Animated Series)	M2
	Richard
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Biskitts, The (1983, Animated Series)	Fetch
	King Max
	Snarl
Bruno the Kid (1996, Animated Series)	Professor Von Trapp
Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1990, Animated Series)	Moisha Lowkowitz
Challenge of the GoBots (1984, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley, The (1988, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Cow and Chicken (1997, Animated Series)	Candy Store Geek
Darkwing Duck (1991, Animated Series)	Tuskerninni
Droopy, Master Detective (1993, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Duckman (1994, Animated Series)	(voice)
Dukes, The (1983, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Fantastic Max (1988, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Fievel's American Tails (1992, Animated Series)	Sweet William
Flintstone Kids, The (1986, Animated Series)	Armored Car Robbers
	Museum Robber
	Narrator
Flintstones Comedy Show, The (1980, Animated Series)	Lou Granite
	Narrator
Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, The (1980, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Foofur (1986, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Freakazoid! (1995, Animated Series)	Dr. Gunther Hunterhanker
Freelancer (2003, Video Game)	(additional voices)
Garfield and Friends (1988, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Jetsons, The (1962, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Jungle Cubs (1996, Animated Series)	Water Buffalo
Kingdom Hearts (2002, Video Game)	King Triton
Kingdom Hearts II (2005, Video Game)	King Triton
Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, The (1994, Animated Film (Direct-to-Video))	Grandpa
Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving, The (1995, Animated Film (Direct-to-Video))	Grandpa
Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists, The (1996, Animated Film)	Grandpa
Land Before Time IX: Journey to the Big Water, The (2002, Animated Film (Direct-to-Video))	Grandpa
Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island, The (1997, Animated Film (Direct-to-Video))	Grandpa
Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock, The (1998, Animated Film (Direct-to-Video))	Grandpa
Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire, The (2000, Animated Film (Direct-to-Video))	Grandpa
Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze, The (2001, Animated Film)	Grandpa
Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, The (2003, Animated Film (Direct-to-Video))	Grandpa
Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses, The (2005, Animated Film (Direct-To-DVD))	Grandpa Longneck
Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers, The (2006, Animated Film (Direct-To-DVD))	Grandpa Longneck
Land Before Time, The (2007, Animated Series)	Grandpa Longneck
Laverne & Shirley in the Army (1981, Animated Series)	Sgt. Turnbuckle
Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, The (2000, Animated Film (Direct-to-Video))	King Triton
Little Mermaid, The (1989, Animated Film)	King Triton
Little Mermaid, The (1992, Animated Series)	Dr. Vile
	King Triton
Little Rascals, The (1982, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Magic, Music and Mayhem (2007, Attraction (Fireworks Show))	King Triton
Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone (1990, Animated Series)	Greystone Giant
Mighty Max (1993, Animated Series)	Professor Eggbert Zygote
My Little Pony and Friends (1986, Animated Series)	Mr. Potato Head
New Kids on the Block (1990, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Pink Panther, The (1993, Animated Series)	Commissioner
Pup Named Scooby-Doo, A (1988, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, The (1996, Animated Series)	Faust
	Police Captain
Richie Rich (1980, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Saturday Supercade (1983, Animated Series)	Quickclaw
Shirt Tales, The (1982, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Smurfs, The (1981, Animated Series)	King Bullrush
	Yves
Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (2002, Video Game)	(additional voices)
Super Friends (1980, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
TaleSpin (1990, Animated Series)	Heimlich Menudo
	Professor Buzz
Teen Wolf (1986, Animated Series)	Mayor Marconi
Thumbelina (1994, Animated Film)	King Colbert
Tiny Toon Adventures (1990, Animated Series)	Flavio
Tom and Jerry Kids (1990, Animated Series)	(additional voices)
Top Cat and the Beverly Hills Cats (1987, Animated Special)	Director
	Dogcatcher
Uncle Croc's Block (1975, Live Action/Animated Series)	Coldlips
	Colonel Flake
	General Upheaval
	Sideburns
We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993, Animated Film)	Professor Screweyes

Voice Actor - Earl Hammond

Earl Hammond was best remembered for providing the voices of Mumm-Ra, Jaga, and other characters on the 1980s animated TV series ThunderCats, and for being the voice of villain Mon*Star on the 1980s animated TV series Silverhawks. He was also the voice of the Transformers villain Megatron in a series of children's read-along books.

He started his television career in the early 1950s, his first major role being as a regular, Sergeant Lane, on the Dumont police drama Inside Detective. At the same time, he was also the first of three actors to portray the title character in the short-lived ABC TV science-fiction adventure series Buck Rogers, which ran from April 15, 1950 to January 30, 1951. In the mid 1950's, he had a major role in the daily/noontime CBS television soap opera Valiant Lady, as Hal Soames, the married love interest of the widowed title character. Earl passed away May 1st, 2002, at the age of 79.

Credit List

Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, The (1986, Animated Series)	Captain Kidd
	Commander Joseph Walsh
	King Spartos
	Lazarus Slade
	Wildfire Cody
Buster and Chauncey's Silent Night (1998, Animated Film)	(additional voices)
Comic Strip, The (1987, Animated Series)	Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
	Walro
Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, The (1985, Stop-Motion Animated Special)	Santa Claus
Light Years (1988, Animated Film)	Blaminhor
Peter Absolute on the Erie Canal (2000, Audio Book Serial)	Hank
Seeing Ear Theatre (1997, Internet Radio Series)	Count de Lunel
	The Governor
Silverhawks (1986, Animated Series)	Commander Stargazer
	Mon-star
Star Blazers (1979, Anime Series)	(additional voices)
Thundercats (1985, Animated Series)	Amuck
	Jaga
	Mumm-Ra
	Tugg-Mugg
	Vultureman
World of Hans Christian Andersen, The (1971, Anime Film)	Ducks
	Theatre Manager

April 01, 2011

Vadim Bazhanov's "Fresh Eggs"

I had the pleasure of watching this film at an Industry Day in Sheridan a few years ago, check it out.

See his sketch blog.

10 Early Works Every SciFi Fan Should Read

Personally, I've only read the last 3 books on this list (when I was a teenager) and they blew my mind, none the less this list seems well thought out. I've always been a huge H.G. Wells fan, in my opinion, they have (unfortunately) bastardized his work through Hollywood films. But the original novels were decades ahead of their time!

Original Article Source: OnlineClasses.org

Science-fiction as a cohesive "umbrella" genre encompassing a broad spectrum of subject matter only emerged within the past couple of centuries. But literature aficionados and students alike know that the rich, highly imaginative classic and contemporary works root themselves in much earlier narratives. Connoisseurs of the speculative who are pining to learn as much as they can about the ancient history of such stories would do well to sample some of the following. All of them contain (if not outright created) the components many science-fiction fans think of as familiar, comfortable these days. They’re all an excellent start to historical inquiries, though by no means the only reads to explore!

Ramayana (5th to 4th Century BCE) attributed to Valmiki: One of Hinduism’s most beloved epic poems — not to mention an incredibly influential religious text — contains a wealth of proto-science-fiction goodness. The most notable example comes with the wondrous flying contraptions known as Vimana. Found in ancient Sanskrit works beyond the Ramayana, they fueled the imaginations of ancient astronaut conspiracy theorists with their depictions of gods in resplendent chariots. These vehicles took their riders into the ocean’s most treacherous depths and the furthest reaches of the cosmos, both of which later became science fiction staples. Along with, of course, the technology opening up such realms to a curious humanity.
True History (2nd Century) by Lucien: Some scholars consider this Greek-Syrian text the first known work of science fiction, rather than a narrative with certain now-familiar tropes. Lucien intended True History to serve as a satire of historical documents touting the veracity of mythological and fantastic events. Among these humorous journeys include extraterrestrial visitors, interplanetary battles and space travel. Hercules and Dionysus, for example, traveled to the moon and found themselves amongst a war for the Morning Star. The author infuses fantasy components into the narrative as well, anticipating at least two genres along with perpetuating satire and parody traditions.
Urashima Taro (8th Century) by Unknown: Time travel has become one of the archetypical science-fiction narratives, and this traditional Japanese tale solidified its place in the literary field. When a humble fisherman by the name of Urashima Taro rescues a small, helpless turtle, the Dragon God Ryujin rewards him with a 3-day visit to his resplendent palace. But when the man returns to his own world, he discovers he has flung unwittingly flung himself 300 years into the future. Many interpretations of this story exist, of course, with the earliest recorded manuscript dating back to the 8th Century.
One Thousand and One Nights (9th Century) by Various: Not every short story from One Thousand and One Nights contains science fiction elements, though some undeniably do. Pulling from Indian, Persian, Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Islamic lore, its adventuresome content with plenty of comfortable, familiar fantasy and sci-fi narrative devices continue to delight today’s audiences. One of the most notable stories, "Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman," involves a man granted the ability to breathe underwater, where he encounters a utopian, collectivist society of merfolk. Some of the other narratives involve automatons, cosmic travels, mummies, brass traveling machines and plenty more beloved flights of fantasy and science fiction.
Taketori Monogatari (10th Century) by Unknown: Sometimes known as "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," "The Tale of the Bamboo-Hewer" and "Princess Kaguya," this Japanese folktale may not be an explicit work of science-fiction. But it still offers up some tropes very familiar to fans of the genre all the same. Princess Kaguya enters the world within a stalk of glowing bamboo, informing a childless farm couple that she comes from the Capital of the Moon. They adopt her, and the young girl’s beauty causes problems for her earthly family — not to mention the crippling homesickness.
The Book of Fadil ibn Natiq (1268-1277) by Ibn al-Nafis: Also referred to as Theologus Autodidactus in Latin, Ibn al-Nafis’ seminal work is considered one of the first explicitly religious novels ever written. Kamil, the story’s protagonist, bursts into existence through abiogenesis at the beginning. A relatively realistic fusion of adventure and bildungsroman follows, but the narrative’s conclusion features a devastating apocalypse straight out of science-fiction. Throughout the entire book, the author expresses his philosophies of natural history and science, theology, sociology, psychology and plenty other academic and intellectual subjects.
Utopia (1516) by Thomas More: Without Utopia, the literary world wouldn’t have utopian settings. And without utopian settings, there would be no dystopian counterparts. Playing off humanity’s collective ideals and paranoias, these sci-fi subgenres depict the extreme ends of human cooperation or despair — if not both at the same time! Unsurprisingly, Sir Thomas More’s highly influential, philosophical novel looks into the highest echelons of human productivity and collectiveness. In the eponymous land, citizens live in harmony and equality with each other, with no tiffs over religion or societal role or who pays for healthcare (here, it is the state). While they possess a military, it is for self-defense rather than conquest. Some of the ideas presented therein are tied to the time period, such as women forced to confess sins to their husbands on a monthly basis, but others are considered very progressive and liberal even today.
Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley: This essential work combines horror, fantasy and — of course — science-fiction for one of literature’s most compelling and terrifying existential inquiries. While Frankenstein has found itself bowdlerized and bastardized over the centuries, the original featured a well-spoken, intelligent monster capable of rational thought and action. In many ways, the true demon of the story was Dr. Frankenstein himself, who abused the brains and technologies at his disposal to create an ethically questionable, bizarre organic being.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1869) by Jules Verne: Even today, the Nautilus is one of the most memorable vessels in literature — and not just in the science-fiction genre. Iconic Captain Nemo travels the seven seas attacking military vessels, and the American ship Abraham Lincoln pursues it. Until his masquerade is finally shattered, the general public accepts the accidents as a narwhal’s doing. Author Jules Verne anticipated the military application of submarines, basing the Nautilus on his inquiries into the then-nascent technology.
The Time Machine (1895) by H.G. Wells: Like Jules Verne and Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells lay a sturdy foundation for contemporary science-fiction authors. As with Verne, most of his scientific romances could’ve easily made this list, but The Time Machine left what is quite possibly the most visible legacy. Even those who never picked up the book may still know the tragic tale of a time traveler and his adventures amongst the Eloi and Morlocks, even if it’s just because of the massive impact it left on the later steampunk movement.