French poutine
So, the new Doctor was revealed as Jodie Whittaker. =:D I'm absolutely delighted to see the Doctor finally come back as female - not the first time we've seen such a regeneration, of course, especially in the case of Missy/The Master. So, this means Bill won't, as I'd sort of vaguely hoped, be assuming the role (in both senses) - we know we'll see her in the special, though. Would she opt for reincarnation already? (Though, with all of time to play with, I suppose that's a fairly meaningless concept =:) I've had great fun with the past series, where Capaldi really found his stride, and I'm now absolutely stoked for Christmas and 2018. =:D (Of course, the Daily Mail crowd wasn't happy, with some reactions including "Nobody wants a TARDIS full of bras", and "Time travel is for men and men only". The former, thankfully, gave rise to the fantastic response of "I started singing "A Tardis Full Of Bras" to the tune of "Yellow Submarine" and now can't do anythinWE ALL LIVE IN A TARDIS FULL OF BRAS" =:D
The BBC's just released a trailer for the Christmas special, and in notes from SDCC, they mention that the special will feature Bill Potts, but with a caveat. =:P
And in that spirit, "Hey Missy!". =:D (Made in 2014, so doesn't include her later development)
I was delighted to see the constantly inspiring Egypt Urnash amidst the roster for what looks like a fantastically diverse range of artists and stories in the all-trans comic anthology "We're Still Here". Happily, they crashed through their original goal within a couple days, with the extra money mostly going toward raising the page rate for all the contributors. (They'd originally aimed for $17k, and as of July 27, had breezed past $45k =:) And as a very special bonus.. here's a teaser from her contribution, "Dracula Party". ^_^
At long last: the trailer for "Search and Destroy", the Strontium Dog fan film from the same folk as Judge Minty. (Nerd note: whilst he's best remembered from the pages of 2000AD, he actually began in Starlord, along with Ro-Busters, which eventually morphed into ABC Warriors, also picking up Nemesis along the way) Eep! I hadn't realised it'd been out for a while - they hadn't linked to it from their site, curiously; nor, indeed, had I noticed them announce that the full twenty minute short is now out. =:D
How about Space Odyssey, a game of galactic exploration and colonisation, grounded in science, helmed by Neil deGrasse Tyson on the scientific side, and Len Wein heading up the writers, with contributors including the likes of Neil Gaiman and George R R Martin? You can back it here, until 11am Pacific/7pm UK today, July 29. =:D
As you set off to explore, the Space Odyssey science team will guide you by providing the science and information to help you complete your strategic missions.
* All-Star Science Advisers - The expertise of Dr. Tyson and his team coalesce and manifest into the gaming world you will experience. Join Dr. Tyson and the StarTalk All Stars: Amy Mainzer, Astronomer; Charles Liu, Astrophysicist; Janna Levin, Theoretical Cosmologist; and Mike Massino, Former NASA astronaut.
* Accurate Gameplay - Immersed in biology, chemistry, geo-science, and engineering you will build and explore planetary systems, using principles such as magnetism and electricity to drive the game mechanics.
* In-Game Futurism - Concepts of Nanotechnology, Optogenetics, Singularity, Magnetic Transportation, Dark Matter, Compressed Time, Hydrogen Power, Solar Sails, Ramjet Fusion and more will be present throughout game-play.
Bear in mind there's no CG involved in WoodSwimmer, a brief 1m40s short - just stop-motion photography of various pieces of wood, being planed away one layer at a time. It's beautiful.
Here's some phenomenal wildlife photography: beneath the ice of Antarctica, thanks to some extraordinary preparation and fortitude by the writer ad photographer of the article, Laurent Ballesta. When you're having to liaise with drysuit makers to identify weak spots of current suits, and spend two years trying to prepare for the conditions involved - and some seven months afterwards regaining full nerve functions afterwards - you know there's some outstanding dedication involved. Which indeed paid off, with views that simply nobody else alive had ever seen before, especially as they descended, including an ice anemone; how it drills its way into the ice, or indeed, survives, is essentially unknown.
There's a new single out from Scissor Sisters and MNDR! SWERLK. It's been released as a fundraiser for the Contigo Fund, helping the LGBTQ community. You can enjoy the YouTube video for free, but they'll happily accept any donation in exchange for a 320kpbs MP3. And for a much less sensible video, how about AronChupa & Little Sis Nora - Llama In My Living Room?
Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow recently arrived on iOS and Android - and the trailer is a hoot. =:D The game itself - well, you'll probably want to temper your expectations, as it's essentially derived from the American Dad game engine, so there's liable to be plenty of IAP frustration. That said, IAPs can generally be ignored.
There's some gorgeous photography in Vogue's American Women: Pride special. It's not about fashion or design, simply real people, sometimes in love.
Here's the Plan is a new Chilean short about a cat and dog baker couple who drift apart over time. It does look well worth catching, if you have a good film festival nearby.
A nicely done fan music video: Grum "Cybernetic", set to footage from a rather interesting looking Soviet sci-fi animation.
Quite interesting to see: "What’s the Deal with “Furries?”, courtesy of Psychology Today. ^_^
If you know of Dr Bronner, this might be interesting: they're contributing toward MDMA research for PTSD.
Here's the opening titles for Big Hero 6: The Series, coming soon. ^_^ (So, when will we hear of the continuation of tales from Zootopia.. ?)
Here's a rather nifty bit of SU cosplay, Mystery Girl and Pearl - and they're supposedly an RL couple too. ^_^ And a minor piece of trivia I noticed whilst watching Love Like You in Malay: Nicki Minaj provided the voice for Sugilite, Garnet and Amethyst's fusion when a disused communications complex needed destroying. Speaking of which, I'm in the process of gradually rewatching it all, and noticed Renaldo's closing lines, where he speaks of the diamonds wanting to control us all and drill out the Earth from the inside. Who knew? =:) I'm guessing that was a crafty easter egg planted by Rebecca Sugar. (And has it ever been established just who the temple statuary depicts? Seems like a fusion, possibly even a triple fusion, going by the faces and arms)
Frustratingly, Cartoon Network remains mum on the question just when Steven Universe will resume airing - but, cam footage from SDCC's SU panel has indeed emerged, with the season 5 trailer, and a hilarious Lars of the Stars excerpt, riffing on Captain Harlock and Star Trek. =:D (I should note that this deep into the storyline, it probably won't make much sense if you're not at least somewhat familiar with SU =:) And, though they chose to mostly use the studio version of the track, Cartoon Network came up with a live video to accompany one of my favorite numbers from the show, Estelle's "Stronger Than You". It was shot at this year's SDCC, and features a swathe of the show's many fans. It's an absolute delight. ^_^
And if SU's your bag, you might enjoy trying Space Boy as a strip that might appeal. It's a slice of life tale, with sci-fi overtones, such as pervasive AR and relatively routine deep space travel, but the artwork has a distinctly 1950s/1960s flavor, appealingly flat-colored from a constrained palette, plus highlights. It tells the story of Amy, who spent the first six years of her life on a mining colony, before an accident caused the family to be returned to Earth - in cryosleep. When they arrive, she has a new life, and so many new experiences, but also has to come to terms with her best friends now being thirty years older than her. The crux of the story, however, is Oliver, whose origins are only now (at episode 117!) being hinted at, beyond the opening panels of the strip.
Hm! Latest animation to get the live action treatment? Cowboy Bebop! Whilst a lot of animation feels best left thus, perhaps a live action CB would indeed work well. Of course, a lot will depend on the casting. And there could - but it's still in early stages - be new Animaniacs!
Rather amusing. ^_^ The artist moved from NYC to San Francisco a year ago, and illustrated the differences at the time, and now. A few I'd take issue with, notably the level of San Francisco's pizza - she's evidently not been going to the right places. =:)
If you're in the US, you've doubtless been worried by the extraordinary level of competition in the cellular telephony market, and how low everyone's plan prices are. *cough* No longer! It appears T-Mobile and Sprint may be merging.
/u/snake_gobbler sketched me as a cheerleader! ^_^ And for something rather different, /u/Amkho_ very kindly offered quick musical offerings, inspired by people's descriptions of their characters.. and this is what they came up with. =:D
Latest signs of Apple edging into original TV programming: hiring Sony Pictures Television's co-presidents, who "helped produce shows like AMC's Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Netflix's The Crown, Amazon's Sneaky Pete, and more".
As far as UK politics goes, I was absolutely delighted with the election's outcome. ^_^ I can thus at least thank the Walking Dead^W^WPrime Minister for giving the country a solidly united Labour Party, with the constant attempts to undermine Corbyn's leadership now conclusively laid to rest. Quite how long the DUP alliance will hold remains to be seen, not to mention May's tenuous tenure. Perhaps needless to say, I was up all night, checking various sites and feeds, with BBC One's coverage usually in a background window. Much good beer and cider was enjoyed that night. ^_^
Interesting. A bill to end Daylight Saving Time in California passed the Assembly. It still has a substantial path ahead, however: "The bill now heads to the California Senate. If passed, the bill would repeal California's 67-year-old Daylight Saving Time Act. Then, lawmakers would have to decide whether to keep California on standard time or daylight saving time year-round, with the approval of the federal government. If the plan is approved by the federal government, it would then become a statewide ballot initiative in the next general election."
That was a fun WWDC keynote! Easily one of the juiciest in a while. ^_^ I definitely like the tracker blocker coming to Safari (and already present in Safari Technology Preview). The Wingnut Games AR demo was pretty cool. Surprising jut how much is packed into HomePod - much more than just a speaker and WiFi module tacked together. Loving the iOS 11 additions, especially for iPad. Mercifully, Aperture appears to be surviving the migration to High Sierra; I really don't want to move away from it any sooner than I have to, unless someone comes out with something alng those lines, with similar attention to UX (so, no, not Lightroom) - and lo, word came down that Affinity has an Aperture/Lightroom-like DAM under development. =:D iMac Pro, hoo! Not a concept I'd've thought would be viable, but evidently so. APFS finally consumes HFS+! Amazon relents and debuts on Apple TV. Monument Valley 2! (But, not for me just yet - I've too much of a backlog to justify any additional purchases) I want to see what the new standard keyboard looks like - that's been a crazily long time coming, and could be such a boon. (Yes, there are keyboard extensions, but they've usually not been well thought through) And yes, if anyone wants to send me an iPad Pro 2 with Pencil, I'll be a very happy bunny. =:) Of course, it's (not) entirely coincidental that the first macOS release following pot legalisation in California happens to be High Sierra. ^_^
Here's Rav Bunneh with a lil' sketch, "Porsupah Hates Pics!" - which is, I'll admit, pretty accurate: I'm much more one for being behind the camera. That said.. I'm gradually feeling as if that may be changing. We'll see. ^_^
As with iOS, macOS will also be dropping support for 32-bit applications at some point, with the deprecation siren sounded during WWDC 2017. Here's an explanation of the "why", along with how to easily find out which of your applications might be affected, especially if the developer's uninterested or now gone. I doubt 32-bit support will go away with 2018's release, but quite possibly 2019's.
The new iOS 11 keyboard (iPad only) is definitely a marked improvement, even if it doesn't give immediate access to HTML's angle brackets - but just about every other "useful" non-alpha character is there. It does, as expected, kill 32-bit support - the apps remain visible, but attempting to launch them just brings up a "needs to be updated" dialogue. A pity, as that does mean the end of the road for some older titles; that said, I was very pleased to see Secret Exit push an update for Zen Bound 2, bringing it alive on iOS 11. ^_^ iGammon's dead too, but the developer replied promptly a few weeks back, saying he intended to issue an update over the summer. Scrabble I finally permitted to update, after years of remaining with an old version - I'm not fond of the new look, but there are some niceties, like wildcard tiles' character selection being from a complete A-Z list, rather than back/forward through the alphabet.
The previous High Sierra beta, DP3/PB2, seemed significantly improved over DP1 and DP2, being much more stable (previously, I'd been enjoying a kernel panic every other day or so), and also not firing up debug-related daemons constantly, chowing down on processor. I'd still be cautious about installing it on anything important, but I'd say it's now viable as a daily driver. If you feel like signing up for the wild ride, here's the beta portal. I've had to revert to Sierra for now, through a specific VMware Fusion issue, apparently resulting in Fusion not being made aware of USB device connection events - something I'm sure VMware and/or Apple will address in the coming months, but I needed compatibility now. Hey ho. ^_^
On the iPad front, if you're wanting to conduct serious video editing, it appears LumaFusion may be your answer.
Hmm. Checking the premium pricing for WeatherPro shows it's $1.99 for 3 months, or $8.99 for 12 months. Am I.. missing something? Either way, I signed up for the former, as it's about the best weather app I've found (and I've tried several), on the basis of completeness of information available (I'm after forecast data, satellite imagery, and rainfall radar) primarily, alongside a good UI. The forecasts are about as reliable as they come for this neck of the woods, being in the battling ground for multiple major systems - but between the forecast, radar, and high res visible satellite animated sequences, I can usually tell whether or not it'll be worth going rabbiteering or hiking, and whether a coat will be a good idea.
I finally yielded and accepted the iPad's battery was, if not toast, at least badly singed, with its life down to two hours or so, and picked up a cheap USB external battery, which indeed worked very nicely. Thankfully, I was recently able to take advantage of Apple's battery replacement program, wherein they swap out your device for a new device of the same model, if the battery is bad enough, meaning I now not only have a perfectly fresh, full capacity battery once more, but perfect bezel glass as well - gone is the little shatter mark in one corner. (Thankfully, not extending over any of the display itself) The external will probably remain useful for the iPhone, until I (maybe) have that seen to similarly, and possibly for work as well, as it ought to be able to power the dev board, which normally requires a separate 5V power supply. That said, I might well want a high capacity model for any kind of prolonged work out and about.
And speaking of wonky equipment, it looks like the time has come for the Nikkor 300mm f/4D AF-S to be attended to, having failed on July 12's outing, and remains in manual focus only mode. *sigh* It's an expensive job, I know, looking at forum messages on the topic - around 2/3-3/4 of the cost of another used copy. But, with it repaired, I'd know I've got a completely new motor in place, and Nikon tends to replace other parts that experience wear at the same time, like the mount contacts. So, there's no rabbiteering in my future for a month or so. *sigh*
I'd really like to share a photo kishenehn took recently, which struck him as one of his absolute favorites, and I'd have to concur - there's just something quite special. ^_^
Pony. ^_^
Hard to Say Anything almost slipped into this season's trope of repeating a situation multiple times, but - the situations were amusingly over-the-top, and, that only formed about the central third, rather than the whole episode. True, the ending wasn't a huge surprise, but it was rather adorable nonetheless. ^_^
Honest Apple started off with a somewhat wonky premise, though with good intent. AJ's recovery of the situation was very nicely handled, rather touchingly. Though I'm certainly with her on the subject of apples - easily my favorite fruit, though I can take or leave "mild" varieties like Golden Delicious - I'm a Granny Smith bunny through and through. =:9 And we need more of "mediaeval nobility" Big Mac.
A Royal Problem - ahh, it's good to see S7 perking up again. ^_^ I know the comics aren't considered canon, but nonetheless, there's surely inspiration drawn from one of them, wherein just that reversal takes place. It's the MLP I've loved! Great comic timing, and nudging forward with character development, with Celestia especially having been utterly unflappable for so long. Easily the best episode so far, by a country mile. (Oddly, it's from the same writing duo as the opening two episodes, which I felt got the season off to a very weak start)
Not Asking for Trouble - a contender for the best episode of S7. ^_^ True, the theme didn't take too long to emerge, but overall, it had very good comic timing and low repetition. An auspicious debut for a writer new to the show!
Discordant Harmony - a good one. ^_^ The lead-up, with Discord's shop encounters, proved nicely amusing, and whilst it was heavily telegraphed where the tidying up would lead, it was still fun to see him so.. normal. The gem of the episode, though, lay in Fluttershy's rescue. ^_^
The Perfect Pear - oh, gods. This was absolutely phenomenally good! Top-notch writing, and some exceptional voicework from the actor playing Grand Pear (and at three age ranges, too!). I was crying toward the end - the relationship they portrayed was just beautiful. This is a contender for the best episode of MLP:FiM.
And speaking of which, here's a rather well done PMV: Sia "Chandelier", here starring Rainbow Dash.
At the risk of appearing dreadfully shallow, here's another depiction of me, and one I'm especially fond of, courtesy of /u/SpicyChaiKitten, who showed me off in such a gorgeous gown; I'm absolutely delighted. ^_^
Doctor Who!
Empress of Mars. Hmm.. I'm overall rather neutral, TBH. There's a lot I enjoyed about it, but, ultimately, it seemed such a superficial episode, as if they had to check off the Ice Warriors from a check list. We get Bill asked for her counsel, only to be completely ignored, and thereby, playing no meaningful part whatsoever. There's the backstory to the apparently needlessly Victorian troops' commander, there only to provide the ending. I did still enjoy it, but.. it did feel rather lightweight, especially from someone like Mark Gatiss. And I'm going to have to file the Empress away as a possible future cosplay project. ^_^ BTW, a fun note: the ending appearance of Alpha Centauri - that's no random name, nor actor. I was reminded that Alpha Centauri previously appeared in Three's "Curse of Peladon" and its sequel, "Monster of Peladon", and still played by Ysanne Churchman. =:D
The Eaters of Light - a good one, not for the sci-fi elements, so much as the character interplay, both between Missie and the Doctor, and Bill and the legionnaire, discussing sexuality. I'm impressed the team found it within themselves to address the topic quite so frankly, and amusingly. ^_^
World Enough and Time - oh, wow. O.o;; Okay, I'll give them a ride on time dilation, though they at least tried to work that in, with some degree of reason. But what does this mean for Bill? Dammit. (I'll refrain from saying more, to avoid spoilers)
The Doctor Falls - impressive. Quite horrible, the way we opened with it seeming as if Bill was somehow back to normal, only for reality to seep in, plunging her back into a living nightmare. And then the interplay between Missy, the Doctor, and the Master.. hell of an episode. If I had to pick nits, it'd be that the Cybermen armada seemed remarkably ineffectual; but, from a narrative perspective, they weren't the crux of the story - that role belonged to the central characters alone this time.
BTW, if anyone's been following Reddit's recent announcement that they intended to remove subreddits' CSS and replace the customisation system with a new tool: that's been rescinded. ^_^ The new system will still be rolled out, but CSS will remain an option in addition to that.
Here's a rather eloquent retrospective on Ratatouille.
Yay! I got to see Colossal the other week - and it's well worth seeing. I shan't say more beyond what's revealed in the trailer, but it does live up to its promise. Once the initial reveal is complete, the direction it takes was somewhat surprising. About the only quibble I had, really, was wondering what the need was for a translation at one point, when simply English would've been widely understood - but that was a relatively minor point. I can easily recommend this. ^_^ Also Raising Arizona, which was so very evidently Coen Brothers - and I have a sort of fondness for Nick Cage. Though I'd still say their best so far remains either The Big Lebowski or O Brother Where Art Thou; probably the latter, simply as TBL tickled me more.
Last Saturday's feature turned out to be Moonrise Kingdom, which I'd wanted to see for a while now, but had never quite managed to. It's very much a Wes Anderson production - very calculated camerawork, keeping the dolly operators busy, and all with as dry a sense of humor as is rarely found in American comedy these days, with such a sense of quiet desperation simmering beneath a superficial idyll, yet, with hope. Recommended.
Yay2! The trailer for the new MLP flick is finally here, and it's actually looking very promising, to the point I'd suggest it to people who aren't necessarily MLP fans, but might enjoy some good animation. The quality is quite noticeably improved with a cinematic budget, but it's the writing that'll (hopefully!) carry it.
Oh, and here's a quickie demo @tomasgarcia threw together with Unity and Apple's ARKit, new to iOS 11. AR definitely has the potential to be lots of fun. ^_^ Me, I'd love to be able to have folks visit me in their SL av form, until such time as I can visit them IRL in my SL form. =:D
I had a brainfart, and instead of typing "cd sl*", for some reason, entered "sl sl*" instead. *nix being what it is, it kindly informed me that I didn't have "sl" installed. What was sl anyway? A quick search revealed the answer. Hm. =:)
As a friend says, "Well, that was easy!" I went looking for instructions on how to get TLS set up on my site, and wound up at Let's Encrypt's guide for Apache on FreeBSD, which did look reasonably approachable, but still a bit of a chore. In another of my provider's FAQs, however, they suggested looking in the forum, and lo, a stickied topic thereon. Turns out they've streamlined the process to be one script invocation, and that's it. =:D So, it's now good for https access. ^_^
And finally, Adobe's announced the end of the Flash Player at the end of 2020, and with it, the deprecation of Flash itself, encouraging creators to migrate elsewhere. "But as open standards like HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly have matured over the past several years, most now provide many of the capabilities and functionalities that plugins pioneered and have become a viable alternative for content on the web."
The BBC's just released a trailer for the Christmas special, and in notes from SDCC, they mention that the special will feature Bill Potts, but with a caveat. =:P
And in that spirit, "Hey Missy!". =:D (Made in 2014, so doesn't include her later development)
I was delighted to see the constantly inspiring Egypt Urnash amidst the roster for what looks like a fantastically diverse range of artists and stories in the all-trans comic anthology "We're Still Here". Happily, they crashed through their original goal within a couple days, with the extra money mostly going toward raising the page rate for all the contributors. (They'd originally aimed for $17k, and as of July 27, had breezed past $45k =:) And as a very special bonus.. here's a teaser from her contribution, "Dracula Party". ^_^
At long last: the trailer for "Search and Destroy", the Strontium Dog fan film from the same folk as Judge Minty. (Nerd note: whilst he's best remembered from the pages of 2000AD, he actually began in Starlord, along with Ro-Busters, which eventually morphed into ABC Warriors, also picking up Nemesis along the way) Eep! I hadn't realised it'd been out for a while - they hadn't linked to it from their site, curiously; nor, indeed, had I noticed them announce that the full twenty minute short is now out. =:D
How about Space Odyssey, a game of galactic exploration and colonisation, grounded in science, helmed by Neil deGrasse Tyson on the scientific side, and Len Wein heading up the writers, with contributors including the likes of Neil Gaiman and George R R Martin? You can back it here, until 11am Pacific/7pm UK today, July 29. =:D
As you set off to explore, the Space Odyssey science team will guide you by providing the science and information to help you complete your strategic missions.
* All-Star Science Advisers - The expertise of Dr. Tyson and his team coalesce and manifest into the gaming world you will experience. Join Dr. Tyson and the StarTalk All Stars: Amy Mainzer, Astronomer; Charles Liu, Astrophysicist; Janna Levin, Theoretical Cosmologist; and Mike Massino, Former NASA astronaut.
* Accurate Gameplay - Immersed in biology, chemistry, geo-science, and engineering you will build and explore planetary systems, using principles such as magnetism and electricity to drive the game mechanics.
* In-Game Futurism - Concepts of Nanotechnology, Optogenetics, Singularity, Magnetic Transportation, Dark Matter, Compressed Time, Hydrogen Power, Solar Sails, Ramjet Fusion and more will be present throughout game-play.
Bear in mind there's no CG involved in WoodSwimmer, a brief 1m40s short - just stop-motion photography of various pieces of wood, being planed away one layer at a time. It's beautiful.
Here's some phenomenal wildlife photography: beneath the ice of Antarctica, thanks to some extraordinary preparation and fortitude by the writer ad photographer of the article, Laurent Ballesta. When you're having to liaise with drysuit makers to identify weak spots of current suits, and spend two years trying to prepare for the conditions involved - and some seven months afterwards regaining full nerve functions afterwards - you know there's some outstanding dedication involved. Which indeed paid off, with views that simply nobody else alive had ever seen before, especially as they descended, including an ice anemone; how it drills its way into the ice, or indeed, survives, is essentially unknown.
There's a new single out from Scissor Sisters and MNDR! SWERLK. It's been released as a fundraiser for the Contigo Fund, helping the LGBTQ community. You can enjoy the YouTube video for free, but they'll happily accept any donation in exchange for a 320kpbs MP3. And for a much less sensible video, how about AronChupa & Little Sis Nora - Llama In My Living Room?
Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow recently arrived on iOS and Android - and the trailer is a hoot. =:D The game itself - well, you'll probably want to temper your expectations, as it's essentially derived from the American Dad game engine, so there's liable to be plenty of IAP frustration. That said, IAPs can generally be ignored.
There's some gorgeous photography in Vogue's American Women: Pride special. It's not about fashion or design, simply real people, sometimes in love.
Here's the Plan is a new Chilean short about a cat and dog baker couple who drift apart over time. It does look well worth catching, if you have a good film festival nearby.
A nicely done fan music video: Grum "Cybernetic", set to footage from a rather interesting looking Soviet sci-fi animation.
Quite interesting to see: "What’s the Deal with “Furries?”, courtesy of Psychology Today. ^_^
If you know of Dr Bronner, this might be interesting: they're contributing toward MDMA research for PTSD.
Here's the opening titles for Big Hero 6: The Series, coming soon. ^_^ (So, when will we hear of the continuation of tales from Zootopia.. ?)
Here's a rather nifty bit of SU cosplay, Mystery Girl and Pearl - and they're supposedly an RL couple too. ^_^ And a minor piece of trivia I noticed whilst watching Love Like You in Malay: Nicki Minaj provided the voice for Sugilite, Garnet and Amethyst's fusion when a disused communications complex needed destroying. Speaking of which, I'm in the process of gradually rewatching it all, and noticed Renaldo's closing lines, where he speaks of the diamonds wanting to control us all and drill out the Earth from the inside. Who knew? =:) I'm guessing that was a crafty easter egg planted by Rebecca Sugar. (And has it ever been established just who the temple statuary depicts? Seems like a fusion, possibly even a triple fusion, going by the faces and arms)
Frustratingly, Cartoon Network remains mum on the question just when Steven Universe will resume airing - but, cam footage from SDCC's SU panel has indeed emerged, with the season 5 trailer, and a hilarious Lars of the Stars excerpt, riffing on Captain Harlock and Star Trek. =:D (I should note that this deep into the storyline, it probably won't make much sense if you're not at least somewhat familiar with SU =:) And, though they chose to mostly use the studio version of the track, Cartoon Network came up with a live video to accompany one of my favorite numbers from the show, Estelle's "Stronger Than You". It was shot at this year's SDCC, and features a swathe of the show's many fans. It's an absolute delight. ^_^
And if SU's your bag, you might enjoy trying Space Boy as a strip that might appeal. It's a slice of life tale, with sci-fi overtones, such as pervasive AR and relatively routine deep space travel, but the artwork has a distinctly 1950s/1960s flavor, appealingly flat-colored from a constrained palette, plus highlights. It tells the story of Amy, who spent the first six years of her life on a mining colony, before an accident caused the family to be returned to Earth - in cryosleep. When they arrive, she has a new life, and so many new experiences, but also has to come to terms with her best friends now being thirty years older than her. The crux of the story, however, is Oliver, whose origins are only now (at episode 117!) being hinted at, beyond the opening panels of the strip.
Hm! Latest animation to get the live action treatment? Cowboy Bebop! Whilst a lot of animation feels best left thus, perhaps a live action CB would indeed work well. Of course, a lot will depend on the casting. And there could - but it's still in early stages - be new Animaniacs!
Rather amusing. ^_^ The artist moved from NYC to San Francisco a year ago, and illustrated the differences at the time, and now. A few I'd take issue with, notably the level of San Francisco's pizza - she's evidently not been going to the right places. =:)
If you're in the US, you've doubtless been worried by the extraordinary level of competition in the cellular telephony market, and how low everyone's plan prices are. *cough* No longer! It appears T-Mobile and Sprint may be merging.
/u/snake_gobbler sketched me as a cheerleader! ^_^ And for something rather different, /u/Amkho_ very kindly offered quick musical offerings, inspired by people's descriptions of their characters.. and this is what they came up with. =:D
Latest signs of Apple edging into original TV programming: hiring Sony Pictures Television's co-presidents, who "helped produce shows like AMC's Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Netflix's The Crown, Amazon's Sneaky Pete, and more".
As far as UK politics goes, I was absolutely delighted with the election's outcome. ^_^ I can thus at least thank the Walking Dead^W^WPrime Minister for giving the country a solidly united Labour Party, with the constant attempts to undermine Corbyn's leadership now conclusively laid to rest. Quite how long the DUP alliance will hold remains to be seen, not to mention May's tenuous tenure. Perhaps needless to say, I was up all night, checking various sites and feeds, with BBC One's coverage usually in a background window. Much good beer and cider was enjoyed that night. ^_^
Interesting. A bill to end Daylight Saving Time in California passed the Assembly. It still has a substantial path ahead, however: "The bill now heads to the California Senate. If passed, the bill would repeal California's 67-year-old Daylight Saving Time Act. Then, lawmakers would have to decide whether to keep California on standard time or daylight saving time year-round, with the approval of the federal government. If the plan is approved by the federal government, it would then become a statewide ballot initiative in the next general election."
That was a fun WWDC keynote! Easily one of the juiciest in a while. ^_^ I definitely like the tracker blocker coming to Safari (and already present in Safari Technology Preview). The Wingnut Games AR demo was pretty cool. Surprising jut how much is packed into HomePod - much more than just a speaker and WiFi module tacked together. Loving the iOS 11 additions, especially for iPad. Mercifully, Aperture appears to be surviving the migration to High Sierra; I really don't want to move away from it any sooner than I have to, unless someone comes out with something alng those lines, with similar attention to UX (so, no, not Lightroom) - and lo, word came down that Affinity has an Aperture/Lightroom-like DAM under development. =:D iMac Pro, hoo! Not a concept I'd've thought would be viable, but evidently so. APFS finally consumes HFS+! Amazon relents and debuts on Apple TV. Monument Valley 2! (But, not for me just yet - I've too much of a backlog to justify any additional purchases) I want to see what the new standard keyboard looks like - that's been a crazily long time coming, and could be such a boon. (Yes, there are keyboard extensions, but they've usually not been well thought through) And yes, if anyone wants to send me an iPad Pro 2 with Pencil, I'll be a very happy bunny. =:) Of course, it's (not) entirely coincidental that the first macOS release following pot legalisation in California happens to be High Sierra. ^_^
Here's Rav Bunneh with a lil' sketch, "Porsupah Hates Pics!" - which is, I'll admit, pretty accurate: I'm much more one for being behind the camera. That said.. I'm gradually feeling as if that may be changing. We'll see. ^_^
As with iOS, macOS will also be dropping support for 32-bit applications at some point, with the deprecation siren sounded during WWDC 2017. Here's an explanation of the "why", along with how to easily find out which of your applications might be affected, especially if the developer's uninterested or now gone. I doubt 32-bit support will go away with 2018's release, but quite possibly 2019's.
The new iOS 11 keyboard (iPad only) is definitely a marked improvement, even if it doesn't give immediate access to HTML's angle brackets - but just about every other "useful" non-alpha character is there. It does, as expected, kill 32-bit support - the apps remain visible, but attempting to launch them just brings up a "needs to be updated" dialogue. A pity, as that does mean the end of the road for some older titles; that said, I was very pleased to see Secret Exit push an update for Zen Bound 2, bringing it alive on iOS 11. ^_^ iGammon's dead too, but the developer replied promptly a few weeks back, saying he intended to issue an update over the summer. Scrabble I finally permitted to update, after years of remaining with an old version - I'm not fond of the new look, but there are some niceties, like wildcard tiles' character selection being from a complete A-Z list, rather than back/forward through the alphabet.
The previous High Sierra beta, DP3/PB2, seemed significantly improved over DP1 and DP2, being much more stable (previously, I'd been enjoying a kernel panic every other day or so), and also not firing up debug-related daemons constantly, chowing down on processor. I'd still be cautious about installing it on anything important, but I'd say it's now viable as a daily driver. If you feel like signing up for the wild ride, here's the beta portal. I've had to revert to Sierra for now, through a specific VMware Fusion issue, apparently resulting in Fusion not being made aware of USB device connection events - something I'm sure VMware and/or Apple will address in the coming months, but I needed compatibility now. Hey ho. ^_^
On the iPad front, if you're wanting to conduct serious video editing, it appears LumaFusion may be your answer.
Hmm. Checking the premium pricing for WeatherPro shows it's $1.99 for 3 months, or $8.99 for 12 months. Am I.. missing something? Either way, I signed up for the former, as it's about the best weather app I've found (and I've tried several), on the basis of completeness of information available (I'm after forecast data, satellite imagery, and rainfall radar) primarily, alongside a good UI. The forecasts are about as reliable as they come for this neck of the woods, being in the battling ground for multiple major systems - but between the forecast, radar, and high res visible satellite animated sequences, I can usually tell whether or not it'll be worth going rabbiteering or hiking, and whether a coat will be a good idea.
I finally yielded and accepted the iPad's battery was, if not toast, at least badly singed, with its life down to two hours or so, and picked up a cheap USB external battery, which indeed worked very nicely. Thankfully, I was recently able to take advantage of Apple's battery replacement program, wherein they swap out your device for a new device of the same model, if the battery is bad enough, meaning I now not only have a perfectly fresh, full capacity battery once more, but perfect bezel glass as well - gone is the little shatter mark in one corner. (Thankfully, not extending over any of the display itself) The external will probably remain useful for the iPhone, until I (maybe) have that seen to similarly, and possibly for work as well, as it ought to be able to power the dev board, which normally requires a separate 5V power supply. That said, I might well want a high capacity model for any kind of prolonged work out and about.
And speaking of wonky equipment, it looks like the time has come for the Nikkor 300mm f/4D AF-S to be attended to, having failed on July 12's outing, and remains in manual focus only mode. *sigh* It's an expensive job, I know, looking at forum messages on the topic - around 2/3-3/4 of the cost of another used copy. But, with it repaired, I'd know I've got a completely new motor in place, and Nikon tends to replace other parts that experience wear at the same time, like the mount contacts. So, there's no rabbiteering in my future for a month or so. *sigh*
I'd really like to share a photo kishenehn took recently, which struck him as one of his absolute favorites, and I'd have to concur - there's just something quite special. ^_^
Pony. ^_^
Hard to Say Anything almost slipped into this season's trope of repeating a situation multiple times, but - the situations were amusingly over-the-top, and, that only formed about the central third, rather than the whole episode. True, the ending wasn't a huge surprise, but it was rather adorable nonetheless. ^_^
Honest Apple started off with a somewhat wonky premise, though with good intent. AJ's recovery of the situation was very nicely handled, rather touchingly. Though I'm certainly with her on the subject of apples - easily my favorite fruit, though I can take or leave "mild" varieties like Golden Delicious - I'm a Granny Smith bunny through and through. =:9 And we need more of "mediaeval nobility" Big Mac.
A Royal Problem - ahh, it's good to see S7 perking up again. ^_^ I know the comics aren't considered canon, but nonetheless, there's surely inspiration drawn from one of them, wherein just that reversal takes place. It's the MLP I've loved! Great comic timing, and nudging forward with character development, with Celestia especially having been utterly unflappable for so long. Easily the best episode so far, by a country mile. (Oddly, it's from the same writing duo as the opening two episodes, which I felt got the season off to a very weak start)
Not Asking for Trouble - a contender for the best episode of S7. ^_^ True, the theme didn't take too long to emerge, but overall, it had very good comic timing and low repetition. An auspicious debut for a writer new to the show!
Discordant Harmony - a good one. ^_^ The lead-up, with Discord's shop encounters, proved nicely amusing, and whilst it was heavily telegraphed where the tidying up would lead, it was still fun to see him so.. normal. The gem of the episode, though, lay in Fluttershy's rescue. ^_^
The Perfect Pear - oh, gods. This was absolutely phenomenally good! Top-notch writing, and some exceptional voicework from the actor playing Grand Pear (and at three age ranges, too!). I was crying toward the end - the relationship they portrayed was just beautiful. This is a contender for the best episode of MLP:FiM.
And speaking of which, here's a rather well done PMV: Sia "Chandelier", here starring Rainbow Dash.
At the risk of appearing dreadfully shallow, here's another depiction of me, and one I'm especially fond of, courtesy of /u/SpicyChaiKitten, who showed me off in such a gorgeous gown; I'm absolutely delighted. ^_^
Doctor Who!
Empress of Mars. Hmm.. I'm overall rather neutral, TBH. There's a lot I enjoyed about it, but, ultimately, it seemed such a superficial episode, as if they had to check off the Ice Warriors from a check list. We get Bill asked for her counsel, only to be completely ignored, and thereby, playing no meaningful part whatsoever. There's the backstory to the apparently needlessly Victorian troops' commander, there only to provide the ending. I did still enjoy it, but.. it did feel rather lightweight, especially from someone like Mark Gatiss. And I'm going to have to file the Empress away as a possible future cosplay project. ^_^ BTW, a fun note: the ending appearance of Alpha Centauri - that's no random name, nor actor. I was reminded that Alpha Centauri previously appeared in Three's "Curse of Peladon" and its sequel, "Monster of Peladon", and still played by Ysanne Churchman. =:D
The Eaters of Light - a good one, not for the sci-fi elements, so much as the character interplay, both between Missie and the Doctor, and Bill and the legionnaire, discussing sexuality. I'm impressed the team found it within themselves to address the topic quite so frankly, and amusingly. ^_^
World Enough and Time - oh, wow. O.o;; Okay, I'll give them a ride on time dilation, though they at least tried to work that in, with some degree of reason. But what does this mean for Bill? Dammit. (I'll refrain from saying more, to avoid spoilers)
The Doctor Falls - impressive. Quite horrible, the way we opened with it seeming as if Bill was somehow back to normal, only for reality to seep in, plunging her back into a living nightmare. And then the interplay between Missy, the Doctor, and the Master.. hell of an episode. If I had to pick nits, it'd be that the Cybermen armada seemed remarkably ineffectual; but, from a narrative perspective, they weren't the crux of the story - that role belonged to the central characters alone this time.
BTW, if anyone's been following Reddit's recent announcement that they intended to remove subreddits' CSS and replace the customisation system with a new tool: that's been rescinded. ^_^ The new system will still be rolled out, but CSS will remain an option in addition to that.
Here's a rather eloquent retrospective on Ratatouille.
Yay! I got to see Colossal the other week - and it's well worth seeing. I shan't say more beyond what's revealed in the trailer, but it does live up to its promise. Once the initial reveal is complete, the direction it takes was somewhat surprising. About the only quibble I had, really, was wondering what the need was for a translation at one point, when simply English would've been widely understood - but that was a relatively minor point. I can easily recommend this. ^_^ Also Raising Arizona, which was so very evidently Coen Brothers - and I have a sort of fondness for Nick Cage. Though I'd still say their best so far remains either The Big Lebowski or O Brother Where Art Thou; probably the latter, simply as TBL tickled me more.
Last Saturday's feature turned out to be Moonrise Kingdom, which I'd wanted to see for a while now, but had never quite managed to. It's very much a Wes Anderson production - very calculated camerawork, keeping the dolly operators busy, and all with as dry a sense of humor as is rarely found in American comedy these days, with such a sense of quiet desperation simmering beneath a superficial idyll, yet, with hope. Recommended.
Yay2! The trailer for the new MLP flick is finally here, and it's actually looking very promising, to the point I'd suggest it to people who aren't necessarily MLP fans, but might enjoy some good animation. The quality is quite noticeably improved with a cinematic budget, but it's the writing that'll (hopefully!) carry it.
Oh, and here's a quickie demo @tomasgarcia threw together with Unity and Apple's ARKit, new to iOS 11. AR definitely has the potential to be lots of fun. ^_^ Me, I'd love to be able to have folks visit me in their SL av form, until such time as I can visit them IRL in my SL form. =:D
I had a brainfart, and instead of typing "cd sl*", for some reason, entered "sl sl*" instead. *nix being what it is, it kindly informed me that I didn't have "sl" installed. What was sl anyway? A quick search revealed the answer. Hm. =:)
As a friend says, "Well, that was easy!" I went looking for instructions on how to get TLS set up on my site, and wound up at Let's Encrypt's guide for Apache on FreeBSD, which did look reasonably approachable, but still a bit of a chore. In another of my provider's FAQs, however, they suggested looking in the forum, and lo, a stickied topic thereon. Turns out they've streamlined the process to be one script invocation, and that's it. =:D So, it's now good for https access. ^_^
And finally, Adobe's announced the end of the Flash Player at the end of 2020, and with it, the deprecation of Flash itself, encouraging creators to migrate elsewhere. "But as open standards like HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly have matured over the past several years, most now provide many of the capabilities and functionalities that plugins pioneered and have become a viable alternative for content on the web."