Monday, November 25, 2013

Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary_Google Doodle Game [play, regenerations included]

http://www.google.com/doodles/doctor-whos-50th-anniversary

Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary




Nov 23, 2013




The Doctor Who doodle started life as a request from a huge fan at Google. It seemed daunting- 11 Doctor's, 50 years of adventures, countless enemies and time travel!

But we loved the idea of science fiction, technology and fun coming together, so we set about creating a multiple level game. 


The game was always a simple premise- those dastardly Daleks have stolen the Google letters and we need Doctor Who to retrieve them.

Artists don't make games, programmers do. I provided the designs and various pieces of animation but without the engineers the game would only exist in another dimension! I was fortunate to work alongside people that genuinely cared:

 

Engineering Gurus - Rui Lopes, Corrie Scalisi. Mark Ivey
Additional support - Doug Simpkinson, Jonathan Shneier
All things D of 3 - Leon Hong
Deity of rain, lava & lightning - Kevin Laughlin
Additional game ideas - Gregory Capuano
Sounds - The BBC, Tom Tabanao, Manuel Clement and Cody!
Creative consultant - Chris Dibona
User testing - Jennifer Zamora

 

We thank the BBC for trusting us and also helping us whenever needed. So what are you waiting for?! Jump in your TARDIS (Time and relative "doodle" in space) and become the fastest time lord in the universe!









Location: Global
Tags: Dalek, Cybermen, Cemetery, Tardis, Weeping Angel, Game, Doctor Who, London, Time Lord, Interactive

Thursday, November 21, 2013

New Way for Characters to Meet? Or new milieu for a haunting or crime, or a romance?

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/how_we_watch_tv/2013/11/viewing_parties_why_i_love_watching_shows_like_scandal_and_breaking_bad.html?wpisrc=burger_bar

Wanna Come Over and Watch TV?

The wonderful rise of the viewing party.

TV Watching Party: Brooklyn
Viewers gather for a screening of Bravo's Work of Art at Soda Bar in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
Photo courtesy Brooklyn Museum/Flickr via Creative Commons
Earlier this fall, when the Twitter-powered juggernaut Scandal premiered its third season, the show’s devoted fans had no shortage of venues for taking in the next chapter in the lives of Olivia Pope and her team of political fix-it “gladiators.” 

They could watch in the privacy of their own homes, of course, or they could take their fandom public: Bars across the country hosted viewing parties for the occasion. In Washington, D.C.—the backdrop for Scandal—one such event, as described by Damon Young on the blog Very Smart Brothas, took on gala-like proportions, featuring a red carpet, a doorman, and parting gifts (which, for its overwhelmingly female crowd that evening, included lotion and gift certificates for a massage).

Not every live-viewing event was quite as fancy as that one—but they were all part of a new tradition of communal viewing centered around TV series. Not long ago, the only reason to seek out a bar or restaurant with a TV was to catch “the game.” 

(Note this Times piece on the encroachment of television sets into New York City bars: though from just four years ago, it only considers televised sports to be the culprit.) 

When televised events other than sports did warrant communal viewing, they were usually once-a-year offerings, like the Academy Awards, or season finales of major shows like Lost.

Lately, however, bars have been encouraging weekly communal viewing of everything from Game of Thrones to Mad Men. The move has coincided with the rise in “prestige” television series, especially those, like Breaking Bad, which traffic in dramatic tension, surprise, and catharsis, all of which can be fun—or therapeutic—to share with others. 

And there are other benefits to such experiences: For a TV consumer of certain tastes, being cable-less (as more and more people are) isn’t necessarily a hindrance. In New York City, for example, even a relatively omnivorous TV-watcher can find watering holes where she can take in her favorite programs, from True Blood to The Walking Dead to Ru Paul’s Drag Race

And if you’re lucky, you might also get to indulge in some themed drink and food specials in the process.

There’s also the opportunity to rub shoulders with your fellow fans. I recently experienced my first communal viewing of a TV series episode in a public space—the show was Breaking Bad (specifically, the explosive “To’hajiilee” episode); the venue was a moderately-sized pub in Brooklyn. By the time the episode began, the bar was standing room only, with probably about 150 people packed in. 

Prior to arriving, I had been concerned that I would have to contend with a large group of distractible patrons who would in turn distract me with their chatter, or worse, those obnoxious viewers who throw in their two cents after every turning point. But the atmosphere was astonishingly quiet, save for the TVs blaring Walter White’s furiously unraveling saga. 

A couple of times during the course of the hour, some uninformed would-be patron would blunder into the bar looking to grab a mere drink, jabbering away to a friend all the while. But these interlopers were shushed and shamed by the Breaking Bad fans, exiting as quickly as they had come.


It was a highly enjoyable experience, one that felt unashamedly cult-ish and satisfying—collective cheers and audible gasps were shared during the incredible Mexican standoff that ended the episode. Overhearing other patrons banter during commercial breaks about their affinity for “Team Walt,” “Team Jesse,” or “Team Hank” was the superior, real-life version of reading an endless stream of live-tweets espousing the same characters. 

After that night, I knew exactly where I’d be checking out the series finale.

 Of course, I had to camp out at the bar three hours early to ensure that my friends and I got good seats for “Felina”—which is one reason hosting these parties must appeal to bar owners. 

(When I called ahead just to be sure they’d be airing the finale, the employee on the other end happily replied, “Yes we are. We’ve aired it every Sunday for the last couple of seasons! We’ll see you then!” He seemed just as excited about the finale as he was about all the business he’d be getting that evening.) 

But the wait was a small price to pay for sharing a piece of television history with a room full of true Jesse Pinkman fans.

Of course, communal viewing isn’t limited to public spaces.  

Scandal has inspired at least a couple of my friends to host weekly viewing parties at their own homes. The television industry itself has sought to further audience participation, no doubt to boost ratings during initial airings: ABC’s got the perfect themed recipes for your upcoming Scandal viewing; the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has tips for hosting parties year-round; AMC lays out how to “throw the swankiest Mad Men bash on your block!” 

Even Martha Stewart has advice on how to coordinate the perfect “fall viewing party.” (“Make sure your sofa is stocked with blankets and pillows.”) 

For those who don’t wish to be limited to the tastes of the masses (maybe you and your friends love watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia together), this is a happy alternative. It also fosters a more intimate experience while still remaining communal—you’re surrounded by friends or acquaintances, and audible reactions, even the occasional bon mot, are more welcome, and often encouraged. 

At a viewing party for the recent premiere of VH1’s TLC biopic at a friend’s apartment, homemade cocktails and hors d’oeuvres flowed, as did chuckles and quips.
 
In the past decade or so, TV watching has in some ways become a more solitary act: Thanks to the DVR, to Netflix, and to the proliferation of tablets and smartphones, we’re able to watch what we want, when we want, with little need to accommodate friends or family’s viewing habits. 

Maybe that’s why collective viewing holds appeal: It offers a chance to bring back some of the old camaraderie, and simultaneity, of the TV-watching experience.  We may be more disconnected from our own TV sets and cable boxes than ever before—but the desire to connect with others through our shared pop cultural affections remains. 

 There’s nothing quite like bonding with a complete stranger over your hatred for Breaking Bad’s Todd Alquist. 

And as fun as it is to watch Scandal on a second screen, even the snarkiest tweet is a poor substitute for the real, live, exasperated groans brought on by Olivia and Fitz’s toxic relationship.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 Meaning???

http://www.feelnumb.com/2011/02/26/janet-jacksons-rhythm-nation-1814-meaning/


Janet Jackson’s Album “Rhythm Nation” is actually called “Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814.”  As you can see on the album cover, Janet is wearing the number 1814 on her hat, pendant on her shirt and on her earring.  What is the meaning behind 1814???

Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 Album Title Meaning
The first meaning of “1814″ is that R (Rhythm) is the 18th letter in the alphabet and N (Nation) is the 14th.  Hence 1814.  The second meaning is pretty awesome as Janet explained,
“White writing Rhythm Nation, I was kidding around saying, “God you guys, I feel like this could be the national anthem for the 90′s…Just by a crazy chance we decided to look up when Francis Scott Key wrote the national anthem and it was September 14, 1814.”
Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 Francis Scott Key Janet Jackson 1814 Meaning
Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 was released on September 19, 1989, the same week but 175 years after Scott wrote “The Star Spangled Banner”.


rhythm nation 1814, rhythm, nation, 1814, janet jackson, means, meaning

Saturday, November 09, 2013

What does this do to your character writing? Mind blowing._Chinese Scientist Proves The First Inhabitants Of China Were Black! by vveasey

http://vveasey.hubpages.com/hub/Chinese-Scientist-Prove-The-First-Inhabitants-Of-China-Were-Black

Black Chinese

Out Of Africa

Copyright 2012 VVeasey Publishing
10/21/12

For many years Black historians and Afrocentrists have said that the first inhabitants of China were black Africans.

The Negroid races peopled at some time all the South of India, Indo-China and China. The South of Indo-China actually has now pure Negritos as the Semangs and mixed as the Malays and the Sakais." ( H. Imbert, "Les Negritos de la Chine").

“Even the sacred Manchu dynasty shows this Negro strain. The lower part of the face of the Emperor Pu-yi of Manchukuo, direct descendant of the Manchu rulers of China, is most distinctly Negroid. Chinese chroniclers report that a Negro Empire existed in the South of China at the dawn of that country's history. ( Professor Chang Hsing-Lang , "The importation of Negro Slaves to China under the Tang Dynasty A.D. 618-907)

“There is evidence of substantial populations of Blacks in early China. Archaeological studies have located a black substratum in the earliest periods of Chinese history, and reports of major kingdom ruled by Blacks are frequently in Chinese documents." (Kwang-Chih Chang, The Archaeology of Ancient China, (Yale University Press) and Irwin Graham, Africans Abroad (Columbia University Press).

But after hundreds of years of the worldwide spread of the doctrine of white superiority and the inferiority of black Africans and their descendants. This notion was poo, pooed by white scientists and others and even by some blacks.

But in 2005, a Chinese DNA specialist, Jin Li, leading a team of Chinese and other scientists, proved through DNA tests that indeed the first inhabitants of China were black Africans.

Li said he was trying to prove that the Chinese evolved from homo erectus independently of all other humans. He collected DNA samples from 165 different ethnic groups and over 12000 samples in China and Asia to test his theory.

Li said he was taught through China’s education system that there was something special about Chinese. And because he was Chinese, he was hoping to prove that the Chinese developed independently of all other humans.

But surprise, surprise, surprise, surprise!

Li’s team focused on a single genetic marker that appeared about 80,000 years ago in Africa. Anyone carrying that marker would have recent African ancestors and could not be descended from the more ancient Homo Erectus.

Li and his team found that early humans belonged to different species but modern humans descended from the East Africans species.

Li Hui, a scientist on Li’s team, said, that 100,000 years ago groups of humans started leaving Africa moving through South and Southeast Asia into China, and that 65 branches of the Chinese groups studied carry similar DNA mutations as the people of Southeast Asia.

Jin Li said “we did not see even one single individual that could be considered as a descendant of the homo erectus in China, rather, everybody was a descendant of our ancestors from Africa."

Li was asked how he as a Chinese felt about what he found.

He said “after I saw the evidence generated in my laboratory. I think we should all be happy with that. Because after all, modern humans from different parts of the world are not so different from each other and we are very close relatives.” (Amen Brother!)

Li’s team was composed of an international group of scientist from China, Russia, India, Brazil and other nations. This was a 5 year project to study the geographic and genealogical routes tracing the spread and settlements of ancient and modern humans.

Now I know there are still many people and probably some of you reading this hub who would be horrified, upset, disgusted, in disbelief etc, etc, if you found that you had any genetic connection to a black person.

And I can feel your pain, because at one time in American history, as a result of all of the negative racial propaganda published about blacks to justify slavery for 400 years.
Many black people didn't want to be black either.

Right up until the civil rights movement, the "I'm black and I'm proud" and the "Black Is Beautiful" movements.

Many black Americans were happy to tout that they were part Indian. part white or part any other ethnic group other than just being only black.

Many black men and women straighten their hair and used skin lighting creams to make themselves look more white than black.

This is understandable, because all of the movies stars and other esteemed images of Americans were white and mostly all of the images of black Americans were ugly, buffoonish and how shall we say it, aesthetically not pleasing.

But the DNA is the DNA and that shows that all modern human orginated in some part of the African continent.

Believe It Or Not

Or read em and weep

"If you get to the stage where you can persuade people on the evidence, that it's solid, that we are all African, that color is superficial, that stages of development of culture are all interactive, then I think we have a chance of a world that will respond better to global challenges." Richard Leaky, Paleoanthropologist

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The Original Inhabitants Of China Were Black. Watch This Video

Thomas Jefferson The Great Slave Trader Who Wrote All Men Are Created Equal!

Creating a Fictional Language — Posted by Edwin McRae



In Path of Exile, we have an island-based culture called the Karui.  They are founded on the pre-European Maori and Samoan [Polynesian] cultures of the Pacific although their technology level has been adjusted to put them on a par with the Vikings of the 9th Century AD.  



When conversing with other characters in the game, our Karui player-character, the Marauder, understands and speaks 'Eternal', our 'common tongue (English) in Wraeclast.

But when our Marauder is alone or when he is speaking to another Karui character like Maramoa Patua, a question presents itself.  Why aren't these characters speaking in their native tongue?

We've currently developed a few words in Karui...

Makanui means 'the way of the warrior'.
Korangi means ‘he who wins wars with false promises’.
makoru means shark.
waikoama means canoe.
Makanga means 'honoured warrior'.

...but dropping a few Karui words into otherwise English dialogue is a piece of cake when compared to the task of creating full conversations in Karui.  Look at the process they went through to create Dothraki in Game of Thrones!

Iain Glen is quite right when he says that a performance will sound 'crap' if you don't go through this process.  Without meaning, there's no true emotion.  An actor needs to understand what they are saying in order to produce a convincing performance.



So...to create Karui or not to create Karui...taka oma ngatua (that is the question).