"Art is Man’s nature. Nature is God’s art."
- James Bailey
Amazing Website!
This is one of the coolest websites on the internet today!
How to be a Retronaut features stunning photography and video from years past, even colour photography from the 1800s! Absolutely breath-taking stuff.
If you appreciate photography, film and history or even if you just like taking a trip back through time - this is the place to be!
http://www.howtobearetronaut.com
Here are a couple of my favourite examples:
A stunning colour silent film of 1920s London
http://www.howtobearetronaut.com/2010/02/stunning-colour-film-of-1920s-london/
High resolution colour photos of 1940s London
http://www.howtobearetronaut.com/2010/01/1940s-london-in-stunning-hi-res-colour/
Amazing historic WWII photos overlapped onto the same modern day locations.
http://www.howtobearetronaut.com/2010/03/the-ghosts-of-amsterdam/
“Hey, did you know that I’m always going back in time…?
I am the backwards traveller, ancient wool unraveller”
- “Backwards Traveller”, Paul McCartney
A Typical Day From Internet Addict’s Life - From makeuseof.com
Nihilist Chewing Gum - They don’t believe in flavour.
Can Video Games Ever Be Art?
Can Video Games Ever Be Art? If you ask famed movie critic Roger Ebert, the answer is a resounding no. Why not? Let’s take a moment to critique the critic’s latest blog.
Ebert argues “No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great poets, filmmakers, novelists and poets. To which I could have added painters, composers, and so on, but my point is clear.”
Link: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/04/video_games_can_never_be_art.html
While this statement maybe true, it does not support his original argument – and that it “video games will never be art”. Before we continue, perhaps we should define just what “art” is. Not an easy task by any means, but one we will try to accomplish.
"The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a by-product of making something that means something. You don’t go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit."
- Banksy
The 3rd Dimension? The future, or just a passing craze?
“OMG Avatar!” is a quote that could adequately sum up the hype surrounding James Cameron’s latest blockbuster from its’ release to Oscar night. I love Avatar, it was a captivating, magical thrill ride. It was the first 3D film that I wanted to see again, partly because my eyes didn’t hurt by the end of it. I was even reported that some people suffered from depression after returning to the real world from Pandora.
There has been an explosion of 3D movies recently, especially animated ones. It seems that almost every new animated feature is now in 3D. They even re-release older films in 3D (see Toy Story 1 & 2). On any given day you can walk into your local theatre and see a 3D movie.
Recently it was announced that manufacturers LG, Samsung, Sony & Philips will be marketing 3D capable televisions, and EPSN will soon be launching a 3D sports channel.
Is this really what we want? Is 3D the future of film and television viewing? Is the future now? I for one hope it’s just a passing craze.
"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
- Pablo Picasso
Own the Podium a HUGE Success!
Before the 2010 Winter Olympic Games were even over the Canadian Olympic Committee declared that the “Own the Podium” program would fall short. I think their view was far too narrow-minded. “Own the Podium” was a HUGE success!
Not only did Canada finish a strong 3rd in the medal standings, we went from the only host nation to never win a gold medal to the nation with the most gold medals at a single games in history!
Plus, technically the IOC considers the leader in gold medals to indeed be in first place. “You have done it, you have won!” declared IOC President Jacques Rogge. So Canada did own the podium, just not in the way we originally envisioned.
We came ever so close to the COC’s goal of 30 medals, only 4 short. That’s only a 10th of a second or a few points here and there. In fact Canada could have easily achieved 4 more gold medals in events like men’s short track, women’s long track pursuit, women’s curling and luge. Catching the Americans was probably out of the question, but the potential was there to catch Germany and blow the gold medal record away.
The pros and cons of the name “Own the Podium” can be debated, but I think it’s clear the program needs to be continued. I encourage all Canadians to write their Member of Parliament and voice their support for funding sport in Canada!
Jacques Rogge is full of crap.
Jacques Rogge, the esteemed president of the International Olympic Committee, is full of it. When I refer to “it” I of course mean crap, not to mention arrogance, snobbery, hypocrisy and chauvinism.
The man could not come off as a bigger stiff if he were dead. He sits in his ivory tower, looking down on the world through Eurocentric glasses as he criticizes the athletes who make the IOC and himself millions of dollars.
