ILM on CNET discussing the future of special effects in film and television. It's a 30 minute clip but I enjoyed it so...



Later!

mike

To Return Or Not To Return

Last week I ordered a couple of books through Amazon.ca and they both arrived today, albeit in a damaged box. There was a big gaping wound in the corner, probably from someone putting a heavier box on top of it and it just popped. As a rsult of this packaging malfunction, the corners of my book are a little beat up and I'm trying to decide whether or not to return the book and, hopefully, get a new un-crunched version, or if I should just suck it up and keep the book as is.

I'm sure most people would look at the 'damage' and just shrug it off, but I'm a little anal with my stuff and it was an expensive coffee table book, so my expectations are a little higher than if it was a $5 paperback. I'm dying to rip the plastic off and check it out but I need to make the call before I do that, which leads me to this post and my very public ruminating on the subject.

I may leave it 'til the morning to decide.

In the meantime, I think I'm gonna go watch some Fringe or Clone Wars or something. I may even play the new AvP demo I downloaded.

Take care!

mike

Absolutely Smitten by Jenn Grant

A few days ago I went to a local watering hole and saw the inimitable Jenn Grant perform. I could go on at length about how amazing the show was, and how personable and funny she was, and how she and her band came off the stage to perform an acoustic number which happened to land her inches away from myself and my friend, and how she was so great after the show to sign some CDs for us and chat, and how I got my picture taken with her, and how I caught her as she proceeded to fall off a chair she was standing on, but I won't. Mostly because, if you have been anywhere near me within the last 120 hours, you have probably already had to endure my endless nattering and praise about the show, and the artist, already.

I managed to record a few of the performances but the audio gets a little buzzy since it was recorded it with my iPhone. I'm sure to ears that didn't attend it would sound terrible, but I still like to revisit the few tracks I caught. A couple of them were newer, unreleased tracks, too, so that was kind of cool. Still unsure if I should post any of them to YouTube, as a result, but you never know.

My only regret of the night was when I erroneously thought I was recording the aforementioned acoustic performance but wasn't. A malfunction of the finger, perhaps, relegating the experience forever to my memory. I think the song was "Rainy Day", but I can't be sure. Truly one of the most sublime experiences I have ever had at a concert.

Here's a video of hers for the song "You'll Go Far" which she says is about going away and having to come back because you've run out of money.




Cheers!

mike