Weekend Round Up #19

My apologies for missing last week. I had family up and by the time I got home the last thing I could think of doing was writing... (that sounds horrible, right? I was just really tired...)

So, let's dive into the geeky world I live in.

First up - exciting dinosaur news. The world's largest dinosaur has been found in Patagonia. According to estimates it would have stood twenty metres tall and forty metres long. I was so excited to hear about this and it even made our nightly news. Plus, when I told my students they were just as interested as I was.

MUSEO EGIDIO FERUGLIO / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Source

Next we have the first teaser for series 8 of the amazing Doctor Who.

I mean, it's not showing us much but I can't wait for August. And the iconic music is enough to get me all excited. The countdown is definitely on. 

And, although this might not be 'geeky' per se, it's freaking amazing. 

I appreciate a good dance crew and The Company, as they are known, are just amazing. I can't believe they only got second place. They have amazing body control and the music they chose was perfect. 

Then there was this little video:

The University of Delaware recreated the iconic Friends opening. It's pretty awesome even if Friends has been re-run a billion times... I guess I will always have a soft spot for this show the same way I have a soft spot for The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. They are so iconic to my childhood. 

Then we have tumblr user Ask the Derpvengers  amusing cartoon of how Fury wakes the Avengers. It's dreadfully cute. 

Bonus: I bet you thought I hadn't seen it or had forgotten about the fact that JJ Abrams released this little snippet. 

Well I didn't...and it's awesome. Practical effects rather than CGI wins my heart anyway. 

Weekend Round Up #17 The May the Fourth Be With You Edition

May the Fourth be with you, Padawans. Today, in honour of one of my favourite series ever, this round up is dedicated to Star Wars.

First up, news that hit the stands (are there still news stands?) revolved around the first photo of the 'official' cast. Watch the folks from IGN talk about the casting...



Read more here . It's a piece from the New Zealand Herald.

So - my first thought was 'yay - original cast members are back'. My second thought was - where are the other female characters? And this relates directly with my next point...

Apparently, the extended universe is no longer canon...Read Me
This can be seen as a good or bad thing. When I first read this I was shocked because I wanted Mara Jade to show up in the new film but, after reading some carefully considered thoughts about it I'm okay with it. Creativity knows no bound so I am happy to see where Abrams takes us...(but please, for the love of the force, have some strong female characters...please)

(Image Source)

Now, for all you nerds and geeks who like to have some nerd fashion on hand you have to check out Her Universe for all things awesome. I have purchased some Battlestar Galactica stuff from the stall at SDCC a couple of years ago. (I'm still a little sad that I can't make it this year...) But the creator of the store, Ashley Eckstein, has geek credit. She voices Ahsoka in the Clone Wars series among other things. 

Seriously, these are just some of the awesome things that you can find there. Go...scurry along and spend up. I'll be here waiting...

This isn't new but it's freaking awesome:

This is stuck in my head...yes. 

And, to finish up, some amazing Star Wars Cosplay...just cause...

This is one of the few reasons why I'd want to have kids... Aw...

It could be a trap...

All of the cosplay images have come from Fuck Yeah Star Wars Cosplay ... check it out... :)

Happy May the Fourth all...

Weekend Roundup #16

So, it's after seven on a Sunday night and I'm watching Cloverfield (feel free to judge...) and I realised that I hadn't done a blog today. In fact, I planned to blog earlier this week since I'm on school break but forgot. Let's dive right in though...

First up this trailer for a horror film that I kind of want to see...



It reminds me a lot of The Descent which I really enjoyed. (Not the sequel which was terrible.) I don't have high hopes because it's a horror film and I have been struggling to find a horror film that is truly a good scare rather than gore and jump scares.


Next we have an image of Barbara Gordon aka Oracle in the new Batman: Arkham Knight.

I have always liked her character arc and it will be nice to see her play (fingers crossed) a more prominent role in the game. Check out some more pic at SuperHeroHype

Third we have some amazing photo art of Stormtrooper toys...

Check out more at the DeviantArt page zahirbatin

Then for a little Bioshock Infinite goodness

(Source PJ)
Check out the above link for other funny images...well, some are just stupid but yeah...

And, finally, for the cuteness factor only...Watch this man find out he is going to become a Grandfather...(I may or may not have shed a couple of tears...)



Sorry this is a short one...I am going to aim to do a mid week post as well so I will be updating twice a week...fingers crossed

Peace and pancakes
Jaime

Weekend Round Up #9

The cons of being a teaching include many little things. In my case, germs. I love my students but they have given me a lovely cold that had my head spinning for the last three days. And not in the fun head spinning way. More along the lines of the Exorcist pea green soup kinda way.

And, with that introduction I'm diving into the list. Be warned, I was a little delusional when I was watching some of these...

First up is something I saw a long time ago but stumbled across it again recently.

This beautiful film is a thesis by Kristen Kempler. The story is beautiful and you could argue that it puts Disney to shame. Everything about this little film makes me smile.

Next is two pieces combined into one story in my mind.

We have news that Sam Raimi might be directing The Last of Us film and Naughty Dog released a Behind the Scene Documentary about the game.

The documentary is actually very interesting and I have had the music from the game stuck in my head for a long time. It was neat to see the composer and how he managed to make some of the music for the game. If you haven't played it seriously get out there and enjoy it.

And in more gaming news the Batman Arkham Knight trailer dropped the other day. I'm excited...

I loved the first two and tolerated Origins but this looks awesome.

Then there was this. There is a trailer but I just wanted to briefly mention it because nine years...nine years... (Image from NerdApproved.com)

And, finally, although I don't have children of my own this is what I'd definitely want if or when I do.

In fact, this entire website is amazing. I love stumbling onto new sites that enhance my love of all things geeky. Check it out EPBOT

This is all for today. I'm going to hit the juice and try and flush out the last of this grossness. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Jaime.

Weekend Roundup 6

Things that I liked this week vary. It's been a strange week, let me tell you that much.

1. First up is this guy who took a Polaroid of himself everyday from 1979 until his died. It's a beautiful piece and a wonderful idea.

Mental Floss article
Here's the actual website. http://photooftheday.hughcrawford.com

It's a little bit heartbreaking but well worth a look, especially for nostalgia's sake.

2. Next it's an indie game that I found called Fish Listening to Radio. It's a simple game where you just have to move a fish around and make it eat the worms of the hooks as they are going down and avoid hooks going up. The graphics are simple and hand drawn but it's a lot of fun. Go, play, have fun. You're welcome.

3. Next it's a video from one of my favourite YouTube channels CDZA. They always create these great and educational music videos such as 'the history of whistling' or 'misheard lyrics'. Anyway, they are brilliant and talented and, for Valentine's Day, they created two videos. I'll link you to the first one but you must go and subscribe to their channel to see all the awesomeness.

4. Then there is this cover by Christina Bianco. It's Let It Go from Disney's Frozen.  She does impressions - check out her divas.

I love anyone who can do impressions and can sing really well. I admit that I am a little bit jealous.

5. And then there is this artist who has stitched a Star Wars 'Bayeux' tapestry. Seriously, I'd love this to be in my house...unfortunately, I don't have the space nor the money for such extravagence.

Read more and see more at themarysue.com Click me!

Hope some of these bring a smile to your face this weekend, or what's left of it.

Peace and pancakes,
Jaime

P.S. I'm going to do a proper blog post hopefully before next weekend. :)

On why epic fantasy is epic...

I love my epic fantasies...um...I feel like I need to rephrase that but I'm too damn lazy. Anywho - I love the Belgariad, Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time* and, just recently, someone told me to hurry up and read A Game of Thrones. This seemed to coincide with HBO in the States bringing out a television version of said book - coincidence? Meh who knows.

So, after scouring our local bookstores and library and not finding any trace I threw my hands up in the air and had a mild temper tantrum right there on the floor. It was rather attractive if you like women beating their fists on the ground and utterly idle threats about the children's children and curses and...well I think you get the point.

Well, needless to say, I ordered the book online for a hell of a lot cheaper than buying it in NZ. (Nearly 2/3 cheaper...I'm just saying.) And now I am slowly devouring it as one must devour books. Devour is my word of the day - slightly more appropriate than genitalia I feel. (And all those of you with dirty minds would you kindly remove said minds from the gutter...thank you.)

Anyway, I am thoroughly enjoying the book. More than I thought I would since I've been trying to limit the amount of epic fantasy books I read just because once I get into a series the world seems to disappear and I suddenly find myself running with wolves, learning how to sword fight and drinking tavern ale while singing bawdy songs about the pirate's mistress and such stuff. (Apparently I'm either Alanna from The Song of the Lioness or any number of tomboy females learning to wield a sword.)

All of this lead me to think on why I enjoy the epic fantasy. I mean, not to be nasty, but they all have the same plot, basically - there is normally a young boy/girl who slowly learns more about their past while becoming a great fighter/dancer/whatever. Also, there tends to be a wise mentor/wizard/Jedi knight who will sacrifice themselves for the hero and so on. But, regardless of this, I still love them. Maybe a little too much because, let's face it, there aren't too many chivalrous knights left in any kingdom I'm aware of - and maybe far too many lecherous ... well I'll leave that unsaid on the premise that I am a lady...when I need to be...

For me, it's the adventure, the story, the romance and the magic of it all. It is escapism in its best. My mother reads Mills and Boons** for the same reason that I read about knights, dragons, wizards and more. When I am reading these books I am part of the story. I am right there as Garion, Wolf, Polgara and Durnik flee the farm. I'm there when Bastion calls out his mother's name in the hopes of saving Fantasia. I'm there when Bran finds himself hearing and seeing something he shouldn't. And, through all of this, I'm not a silent witness. I will yell at the characters, telling them what to do (though they never seem to listen to me...).

Basically, what I am saying is that epic fantasy is epic because it encompasses me, giving flight to my imagination and so much more. It is my form of escapism. Plus, who doesn't like a little sword fight now and then...right?


*Though I have kind of stalled on the sixth book...I swear it seems like sometimes nothing happens and then I get a shiny new book and I'm all magpie like in that I get attracted by any little bit of shine...
**It is a sad fact in my life. I have been slowly weaning her off them but it is a hard process.

May the 4th Be With You...Or why I love Star Wars.

I am a child of the 80s and being such I was raised on a steady diet of Star Wars, Dr Who and re-runs of M*A*S*H and various other things in between. On one hand this could explain a lot about me or anyone born around the same time if you want to look at it that way.

What this means is that I grew up with Star Wars - if I was born in 1977 it would make things even better but, unfortunately for me but not so much my parents as that was the year that they tied the proverbial knot. But that's another story for another time. This post is all about why I love Star Wars.

As a child I was in and out of hospitals on a semi frequent basis so this meant a lot of time lying in bed with nothing to do aside from watching Han Solo fly through asteroid fields, slash open a tauntaun and pretty much own the screen. It also meant that one of my earlier crushes happened to focus around a sandy haired kid who dreamed about escaping and ended up kissing his sister...that part didn't really make sense to me until I was older. I am always in awe of that scene where Luke and Leia swing from one platform to the other in their escape attempt. Then there is the scene in the garbage disposal which creeped me out when I was younger.

My heroine was Princess Leia, who could be feminine and kick arse even while wearing the least amount of clothing possible...but she still killed Jabba while wearing that bikini that still resonates among young geeks even now. I grew my hair long because of her and would often attempt the bagel hair look but I failed miserably since I had no ability to style my own hair without it looking like I'd been attacked by Tuskan Raiders...actually I still have that problem.

But Star Wars was more than just entertainment for me. It was something to keep my mind off the operations or the illnesses that frequented me as a child. It showed me that anyone can be a hero even ewoks, those fluffy little bastards. I was young enough that they appealed to me, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Regardless of the ewoks there was so much going on that would keep me entertained for days. Even now I will often drop quotes in where I can.

It may have presented good and evil as black and white to begin with but there are so many layers to the original trilogy, and yes, I am only talking about the original trilogy because, although I enjoy the new trilogy the old one is better by a million times. There are nuances that I can see better as a pretend adult* and then there are all the allusions to films, mythology and literature.

What makes it even better is it is still referenced today...May 4th aside, all you need to do is look at shows such as The Big Bang Theory (which I happen to be watching right now), Family Guy and so many more.

Even after all these years I can still watch Star Wars (any of the original trilogy) and feel that flash of excitement as those words crawl across the screen. My heart still swells with the music and my entire being becomes excited with the desperation of the characters...I love Star Wars and I always will.

I leave you with a quote from our favourite little philosopher, Master Yoda:

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes. Even between the land and the ship."

Oh and a question of the day - is there a movie that changed your life? Let me know.

*I don't feel like an adult so pretend adult it is.