|
I Don’t Know: There’s Something Fishy about this R2-D2 Unit…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2008 in Star Wars
“We’ll be sent to the spice mines of Kessel or smashed into who-knows-what!” This R2-D2 until looks like the “who-knows-what” part of that description: There’s No Hiding from a Hello Kitty Wake Up Call
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
There’s just no excuse not to take Hello Kitty on the road with you! This new Hello Kitty Alarm Clock is purrfect for those who like to travel — when you flip it open you use the mirror to see just how tired you look too. And best of all this alarm clock features “three different Hello kitty chimes to wake you up in style”, although I’m not sure I’d call that a feature… Found via akihabaranews.com. Solar Sails: From Science Fiction to Reality in 20 Years
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2008 in Science
I just spotted the following news item ecogeek.org which seemed very oddly familiar to me: Watching the Watchmen
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2008 in Comic Books
DC Comics has just published a nice coffee table book entitled Watching the Watchmen: The Definitive Companion to the Ultimate Graphic Novel Games: The Magazine You Play!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 10, 2008 in Videogames
Hint: If you’re at a party in the year 1980 and people are passing around an issues of Games Magazine — run! By the way it’s interesting to note that this magazine was first published by Playboy in 1977 until 1990. Later it was resuscitated by another publisher and is still in business today. Sing Along with Shimura and Mini Moni
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 9, 2008 in Japanese TV
What I love about comedian Ken Shimura (志村けん) is that you don’t have to understand Japanese for him to make you laugh. This little song was sung with the J-pop group Mini Moni (ミニモニ), a subgroup of Morning Musume (モーニング娘). My Japanese is rather lacking by he song has something to do with “eye-application gymnastics” according to my Google translation of the headline. A Re-useable Ramen Cup: Now That’s Using Your Noodle
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 8, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
Nothing goes together better than ramen and fanboys! There are two things that are great about this re-useable noodle cup which is made out of ceramic: First it’s good for the environment (although perhaps not as good for your diet) but it also allows a budget conscience fanboy to buy ramen in bulk and pinch pennies even further which can be spent on better things like comic books. Turok, Son of Stone: If Sara Palin Wrote a Comic Book…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 8, 2008 in Comic Books
I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself with that headline! But the sight of cowboys and indians hanging out with dinosaurs (well minus the cowboys) brought Sarah Palin’s creationism to my mind right away. However that shouldn’t take dissuade you from checking out Turok: Son of Stone whuch will be coming out in February 2009 from Dark Horse. Spielberg to Remake Oldboy
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 7, 2008 in Cinema, Comic Books
Oldboy (올드보이) was a popular 2003 revenge film from Korea which was based on a Japanese manga by the same (オールド・ボーイ) written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya which ran from 1996 until 1998. Now normally I’m 100% against Hollywood remakes, but in this case I’ll make an exception. I think if Spielberg tackles Oldboy that it might popularize and open the door for more Asian cinema to come to the United States. And if he can get a popular actor like Will Smith involved that would be a real cherry on top: Spielberg, Smith in talks for ‘Oldboy’ “Steven Spielberg and Will Smith are in early discussions to collaborate on a remake of Chan Wook-park’s “Oldboy.” DreamWorks is in the process of securing the remake rights, and the new pic will be distributed by Universal. In the 2003 Korean original, a man gets kidnapped and held in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. Suddenly, he’s released and given money, a cell phone and clothes and is set on a path to discover who destroyed his life so he can take revenge.” Here’s a trailer from the Korean film: South Park Obamamania
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 7, 2008 in Animation
Yes we can! I have to say that I’m blown away by just how fast South Park works current events into their show — even if everything is done with computers it still takes quite a bit of production work to put a show together. This Toast Has Turned to the Dark Side
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 7, 2008 in Star Wars
For eons now we’ve all seen the classic Hello Kitty Toaster “If there’s something every Sith Lord knows how to do it’s make a balanced breakfast. While the Jedi have to live off of Jawa juice and fried nerfsteak, the Dark Lord of the Sith prefers to have a reminder of his fiery Mustafar defeat at his breakfast table. Every morning he burns that moment into a slice of bread with the Darth Vader Toaster. This black, ominous kitchen appliance easily leaves the mark of Vader’s helmet in every yummy piece of toast. Slather some Bantha butter on top, or make two pieces for an extra-Sithy BLT. Force power not required to operate toaster.” Will You Take Me to the Mickey Mouse Magic Kingdom?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 7, 2008 in Hobbies and Collections
From 1977 this is a commercial for the Mickey Mouse Magic Kingdom which featured a set of modified Weebles made to look like popular Disney characters. Looking at this ad the monorail looks quite cool, although as I child I detested the egg shaped toys a great deal. In fact the advertising taunt of “Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down” so irritated me as a child that I had to know the answer as to what kept the damn things from falling over. So after much experimentation my ultimate solution was to put one in a vice grip — and thus in the process almost destroying the vice grip. But after a long struggle I got to see the inner workings of the Weebles which were remarkable simple (there was a lead ball at the bottom of the inside of the sturdy plastic shell). Although looking back at it I had no idea that this Hasbro toy (which was rolled out in 1971) would be going strong decades later despite my scientific research on how to destroy the buggers. Monsters vs. Aliens vs. King Kong vs. Godzilla and Godzuki
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 6, 2008 in Animation
Before I start trashing this trailer for Monsters vs. Aliens there are two things that I’ll admit to upfront (but if you’re a fanboy how could you blame me?): 1. Dreamworks has always been second banana to Pixar, and I’m not talking Coke vs. Pepsi but more like Coke vs. C&C Cola. In other words: If you thought that Shrek was good you don’t know what you;re talking about (unless by good you mean box office of course). 2. At this point in time if you’re going to do a CGI film you better damn well be ready to blow me out of the water because I’ve seen it all before — or — at least have a unique look for the film that I haven’t seen before. Now I’m glad I got that out of the way! On paper the concept for this film sounds good, but alas the devil is in the details and from what I see here Dreamworks is determined to ummmm — well that’s a good question? Quark: The Good, the Bad and the Ficus
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 6, 2008 in Television
The cult classic TV show Quark is now available on DVD which is great news for fans of the talented Buck Henry who was co-creator of the original Get Smart show along with Mel Brooks. The 70s were a good time for both science fiction and sitcoms — and Quark put the two together in a very clever way. Now to be fair Woody Allen tackled the genre with the film Sleeper, but Quark was more of a parody of existing shows and movies from Star Trek to Star Wars which made the show a fanboy favorite years before Spaceballs: The Quantum of Solace Fashion Statement: You’ve Got to Get This Look!
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 5, 2008 in Cinema
Come November 14th I’ve got to so see this flick! I’m already in love with the poster art — it’s like James Bond is thinking “Yeah it’s perfectly normal to have some explosive residue on my designer tux while strolling down the desert with my fashion model friend with a handgun on hand to deal with any arch villains whom we might just run across in the hood”. Not only that but James Bond can even wear a hanky in his jacket pocket and make it look good… The Nekomimi-y Goodness of Moon Phase on Hulu
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 5, 2008 in Animation
FUNImation is starting to embrace online video by adding more shows to Hulu, including Moon Phase which will appeal to fanboys who appreciate animated catgirls (nekomimi 猫耳). Found via animealmanac. The Mickey Mouse Glove Flash Drive Honors the Golden Age of Cel Painting
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 5, 2008 in Animation, Hobbies and Collections
This is the first look at the Mickey Mouse Glove USB Flash Drive, although right now there’s no info on pricing and availability. The gloves in the Mickey Mouse cartoons were in fact a silent tribute to the cel painters who had the painful task of coloring each inked frame of acetate. Having done this sort of work back in my art school days I can tell you that it’s a painfully slow task which is very easy to muck up, so it’s very gratifying to see this very modern tribute to the golden age of hand painted cel animation. Found via geekalerts. Star Trek Radiation Shields to Become Reality
Radiation shields on! One of the real limiting factors with space exploration is human biology itself. A good example of this are cosmic rays which are quite scary when you study them, and so far we’ve come up with some pretty crude protection methods. So it’s great to see some research being done to imitate the protection that we get here on Earth with the magnetosphere: Magnetic shield for spacefarers “Future astronauts could benefit from a magnetic “umbrella” that deflects harmful space radiation around their crew capsule, scientists say. The super-fast charged particles that stream away from the Sun pose a significant threat to any long-duration mission, such as to the Moon or Mars. But the research team says a spaceship equipped with a magnetic field generator could protect its occupants. Lab tests are reported in the journal Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion. The approach mimics the protective field that envelops the Earth, known as the magnetosphere.” By the way it should be noted that deflector shields pre-date Star Trek and have been employed in science fiction stories since the 1920s, although the show did popularize the concept with the general public. The President of Steel
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 4, 2008 in Comic Books
It’s January of 1969 and Superman’s day job is President of the United States of America! This issue of Action Comics #371 not only featured Superman but co-stared Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Washington, Harry Truman, John Adams, Teddy Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson and oh yes Lois Lane. This all star cast combined with a cover illustration by Neal Adams would make for a pretty interesting read if you’re stuck waiting on line to vote today. Test Drive a Sgt. Frog Episode
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 4, 2008 in Animation
FUNImation is starting to get this digital media thing! On YouTube they’ve posted a test episode of Sgt. Frog (ケロロ軍曹 Keroro Gunsō). I like what FUNImation is doing on two levels: First they’ve done a nice job with the voice overs, Keroro is a real challenge to translate as it’s about the humor. Secondly they’ve embraced online video — but instead of reinventing the wheel they’re using YouTube which everyone is already watching. I hope FUNImation keeps this up… Yes You Can Vote from Outer Space
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 4, 2008 in Science
Thanks to a bill passed by Texas legislators In 1997 astronauts have the right to vote. This year onboard the International Space Station Commander Mike Fincke and Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff cast their vote via a secure electronic ballot. To celebrate this occasion the crew recorded this video urging their fellow earth bound citizens to get out and vote (which I more than concur with). John Barry: Originator the Spy Soundtrack
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 3, 2008 in Cinema, Television
My favorite John Barry theme is from the 1960 film Beat Girl, but with the current James Bond buzz I’m happy to see John Barry get some long overdue recognition for his talent. John Barry invented the spy movie score “Very few composers can be said to have created a new style of film music,” says David Arnold. “John Barry single-handedly created the spy genre.” Arnold, who recently completed scoring “Quantum of Solace” (his fifth James Bond score), has a long way to go to catch up to Barry’s record of 11 complete 007 scores (not counting his arrangement of the original “James Bond Theme” for “Dr. No”). Secret Smuggling Compartments Included! But Snooping Stormtroopers Sold Separately…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 3, 2008 in Star Wars
As a child recall a cheaply made Millennium Falcon toy that was cute, but I would have traded that clunker for this ship in a second. Now granted you’ll blow about $230, but this Millennium Falcon includes everything from secret smuggling compartments to an illuminated dejarik table with holo monsters: The Most Awesomest Falcon Ever “Really, this toy has it all. Loads of movie accurate sounds and lights (the engine start up will even randomly “fail” just like the real ship!), multiple firing projectiles, removable panels for in-ship play, a never-before-made/seen dockable mini-fighter, and bantha-buttloads more. You can recreate virtually every movie scene inside it too, as it’s so roomy. So, gather up your Star Wars figures and clear off your bed – it’s time to play with the big toys! May the force be with you.” Lou Dorfsman: Designer of the Golden Age of CBS
Posted by Michael Pinto on Nov 2, 2008 in Design
About a week ago I was very saddened to hear about the passing away of Lou Dorfsman. While Lou didn’t design the famous CBS eye (that was William Golden) from the 60s until the 80s he put the tiffany in the tiffany network. The CBS of today is but a shadow of what it was during that era, but back then it was one of three corporations that dominated American media and Lou gave them their signature look. In my last year of art school my father purchased a copy of the book Dorfsman & CBS for me which showcased the entire career of Lou Dorfsman and it inspires me to this day. The first thing that you’ll notice is that most of what Lou does is in fact print design, and while he did do his share of animated titles and set designs it’s the medium at which he excelled. What I love about his work is that it’s not just about pretty pictures, but about using words and typography in clever ways to communicate his message. The other thing to keep in mind that as a creative director Lou was a manager, so what you’re seeing here is the word of many other talented people including typographers, photographers, illustrators and even printers.
The first time I viewed this ad was in a course on the history of graphic design, and I was blown away! It’s a newspaper ad from 1962 showcasing the CBS News coverage of the John Glenn space flight. What makes it brilliant is that Dorfsman has taken the graphic convention of the american flag and by turning it 90 degrees and adding a rocket made it represent the hopes and aspirations of the space program. Simply put this is conceptual graphic design at its best. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 2025 Fanboy.com All rights reserved. Theme by Laptop Geek.
, so you knew it was only a matter of time until some other clever marketing dept. would swipe the idea. But what I find funny is that the Kitty toaster creates an emblem by leaving the Kitty face untoasted while the Darth Vader embraces the dark side of the toast by burning an insignia of Lord Vader into the middle of your breakfast:
