It’s Officially The Future…The Flying Car Has Arrived

 

After years of being the staple of science fiction movies and cartoons, the flying car is finally here.  The team at Terrafugia Transition have designed a car that changes into a plane in 30 seconds.  It runs on regular unleaded gas, and can be yours for a mere $194,000.

 

Marvel Celebrates Wolverine’s 35th Anniversary With Variant Covers And Fine Art

Marvel Comics has dedicated the month leading up to the “Wolverine” movie’s May 1 release (which is also Wolverine’s 35th anniversary) to “the best there is at what he does” with two major events.

First up is a new series titled “Wolverine: Weapon X” (shipping April 8^th) by the creative team of writer Jason Aaron and artist Ron Garney, featuring variant covers by some of the biggest talents in the industry. And speaking of art, Marvel will unveil their line of “fine art” covers throughout the month as part of “Wolverine Art Appreciation Month.”

Throughout April, several Marvel titles will feature variant covers spotlighting Wolverine in ways never seen before — inspired by some of the most renowned names in the world of fine art. In other words, Marvel’s roster of A-list artists will reinterpret Wolverine in styles reminiscent of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and other notables.

“This is a huge year for Wolverine as he proves why he’s arguably one of the most popular characters in the world,” explained Joe Quesada, Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief. “He’s not just popular with fans but also with artists, as evidenced by how many of today’s top comic artists jockey for a chance to draw him. This got us thinking: what if Wolverine had been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years? What great, classic artists would want a crack at drawing a Wolverine cover?”

Edward Gorey

Salvador Dali

Rene Magritte

Pablo Picasso

Inspired by C.M. Coolidge’s “Dogs Playing Poker”

Vincent van Gogh

Andy Warhol

See additional covers HERE

The $1,400 Swiss Army Knife

This is the largest Swiss Army knife in the world, holder of the Guinness World Record for “The Most Multifunctional Penknife,” with 87 precision-engineered tools spanning 112 functions. Made by Wenger, crafters of genuine Swiss Army knives since 1893, it uses stainless steel for all parts and is hand-assembled by just two cutlery specialists in Switzerland, ensuring that every knife meets exacting standards. It has seven blades, three types of pliers, three golf tools (club face cleaner, shoe spike wrench, and divot repair tool), 25 flat- and Phillips-head screwdrivers and bits, saws, wrenches, and more. It also has a bicycle chain rivet setter, signal whistle, 12/20-gauge shotgun choke tube tool, combination fish scaler, hook disgorger, and line guide tool, cigar-cutting scissors, laser pointer, tire-tread gauge, toothpick, tweezers, and key ring. 3 1/4″ L x 8 3/4″ W. (2 3/4 lbs.)

 

Milky Way’s New Conveyor Belt Advertising

How Much Can You Bench?

Here’s another entry for our public-shaming file: this bus-stop ad for a health club in the Netherlands. It has a scale in the seat and displays the sitter’s weight for all to see. We’re sure Fitness First is expecting a huge spike in membership from this, but the effect is ruined the moment two or more people share the seat.

 

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs Trailer

Columbia Pictures has released the trailer for their new 3-D animated-comedy family film “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” featuring the voices of  Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Bruce Campbell, Andy Samberg, and Mr. T.

The film is set to be released on September 18, 2009.

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” will be the most delicious event since macaroni met cheese. Inspired by the beloved children’s book, the film focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain.

 

Alexis Grace Voted Off American Idol

In a shocking results show tonight, Alexis Grace was voted off American Idol. Simon Cowell said. “ We were thinking about saving you, it all comes down to this performance.” After some discussion the judges decided not to save her, “It was good, but it wasn’t good enough,” Simon tells her”. The program returns next week Wednesday not Tuesday (President Obama is holding a press conference that night). Next week’s theme for the top ten will be… Motown. 

Superheroes Rise In Tough Times

America faces an economic calamity. Trouble brews in faraway lands.

Sound familiar?

More than 70 years ago, the very first superheroes debuted in the dire times of the Great Depression and the early years of World War II. Their names became legend — Superman, Batman (or, as he was then known, the Bat-Man), Wonder Woman, Captain America — and they’re still with us today.

A new exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles celebrates these icons from the Golden Age of Comic Books. Through a collection of rare original artwork and comics, the exhibit explores how a group of mostly Jewish artists created the costumed heroes who came to symbolize the hopes of a beleaguered nation.

“In the 1930s, the American Dream had become a nightmare, and I think comic books and superheroes in particular provided an escapist form of entertainment that allowed the American public to go into a fantasy world where all the ills of the world were righted by these larger-than-life heroes,” says Erin Clancy, a curator at the Skirball. Guest curator Jerry Robinson not only organized the exhibit, he’s a part of it. The comic book pioneer created Batman’s arch-enemy, The Joker, and named the caped crusader’s sidekick Robin. (Success has many fathers, of course: Bob Kane, credited with creating Batman, has long disputed elements of Robinson’s creation stories.)

“We were just emerging from the Depression,” Robinson recalls. “Superman started in 1938. Batman started in 1939. So, we were just recovering.”

Robinson says the villains changed with the times. “The first villains in the comic books were hijackers, embezzlers, bank robbers. It was the era of Pretty Boy Floyd and so forth. Once the war came along, we felt a need for more patriotic heroes to fight Hitler.

“In fact,” he adds, “Hitler banned American comics, at least Superman and superheroes. He said they were Jewish. Little did he know that the creators were actually Jewish. … Hitler banned American comics, except one: Mickey Mouse, which was his favorite.”

One of the highlights of the collection is Robinson’s original sketch for The Joker. “My first thought was that a villain who had a sense of humor would be different and memorable,” he says. “So, I’m thinking of a name for a villain that has a sense of humor. I thought of ‘The Joker’ as a name, and as soon as I thought that, I associate it with the playing card, as my family had a tradition of champion playing; my brother was a contract champion bridge player. There were always cards around the house.

“So I searched, and luckily it had the typical image of the joker, which came out of a tradition in Europe. This was an important element. Throughout history, we had court jesters, clowns, and so this was an iconic image that was also very useful.”

In our own times, the public is turning to costumed heroes again in record numbers. Movies based on comic books are box office leaders; comic books themselves remain a strong and growing industry.

“I think the comic book superhero came out of a context in which the political, social and economic realties were a little tough,” Clancy says, “and we can certainly relate to those realities now in our own day. I think the resurgence of popularity of superheroes can be attributed to that.”

Last year, audiences made “The Dark Knight” the second-highest grossing film of all time. The late Heath Ledger, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance as The Joker in that film, spoke with Robinson before he died.

“I was flattered to hear from him that he based the whole concept of The Joker’s persona and rationale on our first concept of The Joker,” Robinson says.

With the box office success of “The Dark Knight” and “Iron Man” — plus comic book-inspired films like “The First Avenger: Captain America,” “The Avengers” and “Thor” in development — it looks like superheroes will continue to inspire.

“I think heroes are back,” Robinson says. “I think you can almost chart it. The times are not so good — we’re looking for heroes.” (Reprinted from CNN)

Clerkdogs

Clerkdogs is a movie recommendation site. They invented an entirely new engine powered by humans – not algorithms. It’s a lot like interacting with a great clerk in a top quality-video store.

The database is made up of literally hundreds of thousands of individual recommendations from dozens of former video store clerks who understand why customers like movies, have analyzed all the characteristics of movies to create a database that is much richer and deeper than the collaborative filtering engines.

 

LOST Season Finale To Air On May 13th

ABC has opted not to send Lost’s season-ender on a suicide mission against the American Idol finale on May 20.

Lost will close its next-to-last season a week earlier with a two-hour episode on May 13. The first hour probably will still have to buck an Idol results show but at least it won’t be going up against the May 20 crowning of the new Idol, one of the highest rated entertainment programs of the season.

Accessory Developers Gain Options With iPhone 3.0 SDK

Among the announcements made by Apple today at the iPhone OS 3.0 preview event was newly-touted accessory compatibility for the updated OS. Using new APIs made available in the iPhone OS 3.0 SDK, accessory makers will be able to write custom applications that communicate directly with their hardware via the 30-pin Dock Connector or wirelessly over Bluetooth. While Apple used both an on-screen speaker equalizer and an open-station finder for an FM transmitter as examples of this technology in use, it is possible for this new ability to open the door for third-party gaming accessories, however, Apple did not cite either this or support for keyboards as currently announced features of iPhone OS 3.0.

Apple has also added support for stereo Bluetooth using the A2DP protocol; this feature will work on the iPhone 3G for certain, but not on the original iPhone; it is likely to work on the iPod touch 2G as well, but not on the original iPod touch.

Consumer Features in iPhone OS 3.0

In previewing the upcoming release of iPhone OS 3.0, now scheduled for public availability in Summer 2009, Apple has unveiled the following new features users of the iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch can expect to see added.

Cut, Copy + Paste. A much-requested feature, users will be able to cut, copy, and paste text in virtually any text-based iPhone application—from Apple or third-parties. Double-tapping on text automatically selects it, with grab points on either end and a cut/copy/paste bubble above. When sliding a grab point, a new magnifying glass appears. Long holds in Safari automatically select large blocks of text; it will also copy HTML. Users can undo the last cut, copy, or paste by shaking the device; a select, select all, and paste dialog is also available. The same process will work in third-party apps as long as they use Apple’s new API.

Share Multiple Photos. Users will be able to select multiple pictures in the Photo app to insert into multi-picture emails.

Voice Memos. Apple has created its own application that will quickly and easily record audio messages using either the device’s integrated microphone (iPhone) or an external microphone (iPhone, iPod touch 2G). Editing will also be possible inside this app; it will apparently become a part of the OS 3.0 list of included apps.

MMS. Support for Multimedia Messaging transforms the current SMS application into a new app called Messages. Users will be able to transfer contact information, Google Map location information, certain audio files, and images using MMS.

Spotlight Search. Search features have been added to a number of the “key” apps, including iPod, Contacts, Calendar, and Mail, enabling you to search within the apps or within a new Spotlight global application to find people, e-mails, appointments, and media files. Spotlight is accessible by swiping from the first iPhone OS home screen over to the left, and now appears as a miniature magnifying glass icon off to the left of the dots on the bottom of the screen.

Widescreen Keyboard. Previously found in Safari, this keyboard is now being added to a number of “key” iPhone apps, including Mail, Messaging, and Notes, enabling users to more easily type on the iPhone’s screen. Apple is not yet adding support for external keyboards to the device.

Other Apps. Stocks now includes more detailed stock performance information, including widescreen charts and stock headlines. Notes can now synchronize with your computer. Calendar gains support for additional calendar-sync standards, including CalDAV and .ICS. 

Developer Features in iPhone OS 3.0

In addition to announcing a number of new consumer features and developer features like accessory compatibility and in-app purchases, Apple today revealed a number of other new technologies that will be available to developers in iPhone OS 3.0.

Push Notifications: Apple will finally offer third-party developers a way to send small notifications to users about incoming messages and new content without the need to leave programs running in the background. As described last year, the developers’ servers will stay in contact with an Apple-run notification server, which will push the messages directly to the user when necessary. This feature is expected to consume roughly 20% additional battery life when turned on.

Peer to Peer: Peer to Peer is a new device connectivity feature that uses Apple’s Bonjour technology to let applications automatically discover one another and communicate over a Bluetooth connection. No pairing will be necessary, and although Apple pointed out the feature’s usefulness for close-quarters wireless gaming, Peer to Peer will also be available for traditional applications.

Google Maps and Turn-by-Turn Navigation: Third-party developers will, in iPhone OS 3.0, be able to add Google Maps directly into their applications using a new Maps API, instead of having to provide their own implementation. Additionally, developers will be able to use the OS’ Core Location features to provide turn-by-turn directions, but will need to supply their own maps when using turn-by-turn functionality due to licensing agreements.

iPod Library Access, Proximity Sensor, and More: Mentioned in a large graphic alongside other common APIs were new calls for iPod library access, letting third-party applications play music directly from the device’s library and potentially opening the door to an iPhone-based DJ application, and for the Proximity Sensor, which Google notably accessed via an unpublished API in its Google Search application. In addition, developers will gain APIs for accessing the battery, a standard audio recorder, and a pre-configured shake implementation.

 

Where the Wild Things Are Movie Poster

Microsoft On Technology in 2019

Crayola Color Explosion 3D

Crayola Color Explosion lets you create swirls of surprising colors with one clear marker! Color Explosion 3-D provides an optical twist-images that leap from the page in cool 3-D effects! You can reveal eye-popping scenes and designs or create your own colorful 3-D surprises!

 

Dora Is Growing Up And Moms Don’t Like It

Say hello to Tween Dora The Explorer. The move to age Dora has turned into a public relations nightmare for Nickelodeon and Mattel–with thousands parents protesting that they’re just not ready for their little girls to see Dora all grown up.

 

In an animated image released by Mattel/Nickelodeon, the tween version of the Nickelodeon character Dora the Explorer was revealed, and company officials say the uproar over Dora’s makeover is just one big misunderstanding. In a press statement, Mattel and Nick insists preschooler Dora isn’t going anywhere. They are simply introducing a new line called Dora’s Explorer Girls, aimed at girls 5-8 and scheduled to hit stores this Fall.

“I think there was just a misconception in terms of where we were going with this,” Gina Sirard, VP of Marketing at Mattel, says. “Pretty much the moms who are petitioning aging Dora up certainly don’t understand. … I think they’re going to be pleasantly happy once this is available in October, and once they understand this certainly isn’t what they are conjuring up.”

“The reason for creating this new Dora line is to offer an alternative to moms who want their daughters to stay little girls, a little longer,” the statement concludes. The Tween Dora doll comes with a USB port and is compatible with online story lines.

My Life With Cables By Christoph Niemann

Christoph Niemann’s illustrations have appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine and American Illustration. His work has won numerous awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club and American Illustration. He is the author of two children’s books, “The Pet Dragon,” which teaches Chinese characters to young readers, and “The Police Cloud.” After 11 years in New York, he moved to Berlin with his wife, Lisa, and their sons, Arthur, Gustav and Fritz. His Web site is christophniemann.com.  HERE he illustrates the woes of cables.

 

Away We Go Trailer

Here is the trailer for “Away We Go” starring John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Catherine O’Hara, Jim Gaffigan, Cheryl Hines and Allison Janney.  The film is directed by Sam Mendes with a screenplay by Dave Eggers and his wife Vendela Vida . The premise is about a couple who is expecting their first child and travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family.  Expect it in theaters on June 11, 2009.

 

Fandango Launches App For iPhone

Online movie ticketing service Fandango has launched its new application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The new app allows users to read synopses and watch trailers for both currently showing and upcoming releases, find nearby theaters using the Location feature, add theaters to a Favorites list, and order up to 10 tickets at a time from 16,000 different theaters, securely storing credit card information for faster purchasing. Fandango is available now as a free download from the App Store.

Where Are The Best Sandwiches In America?

A few weeks ago, Slashfood wrote about their top 10 favorite sandwiches in America and then asked readers to share their picks. They received more than 50 responses, from shrimp po’boys in New Orleans to cheesesteaks in Philadelphia to Vietnamese bahn mi in Portland to something called the “Sloppy Irishman” in Ohio. Slashfood has compiled the picks into the list found HERE.

 

The Pacific Northwest was represented by Pambazo at Autentica in Portland, OR, Midnight Cuban at Paseo in Seattle, WA, Tuna Niçoise at the Bread Peddler in Olympia, WA, Saigon Bacon Banh Mi at Best Baguette in Portland, OR, BLB at Meat Cheese Bread in Portland, OR, Reuben Sliders at Kenny and Zuke’s in Portland, OR and Grilled Vegetable at Village Baker in Bend, OR.

 

Neil Gaiman On The Colbert Report

Happy St. Patricks Day From The Fire Wire

Generate your Leprechaun name HERE

Sopranos Creator David Chase Reveals “Dreams” for HBO

After turning New Jersey mobsters into pop-culture icons with “The Sopranos,” David Chase is going cross-country to Los Angeles with a miniseries for HBO about the history of the Hollywood film industry. The miniseries, “A Ribbon of Dreams” — whose title comes from Orson Welles’ observation that “a film is a ribbon of dreams” — will begin in 1913 and follow two men, one a college-educated mechanical engineer, the other a cowboy with a violent past, who form an unlikely producing partnership. The duo will start off as employees of D.W. Griffith and then cross career paths with such Hollywood greats as John Ford, John Wayne, Raoul Walsh, Bette Davis and Billy Wilder. Through the eyes of the two main characters — as well as their offspring — “Dreams” will chronicle the growth of the film industry from the age of rough-hewn silent Westerns, to the golden era of talkies and the studio system, to the auteur movement, to television, and finally to the present day. The miniseries reunites Chase with “Sopranos” executive producer Brad Grey, now chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures. Grey, along with Chase, will executive produce the project, which will be a co-production between HBO, Paramount Pictures and Chase Films. In addition to writing and executive producing, Chase will direct the first episodes of the mini.

 

Grand Ole Opry Week On American Idol

It’s Grand Ole Opry Week on American Idol and while the theme might benefit singers like Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver, and maybe even Matt Giraud.  How about something more contemporary like the songs of U2, John Mayer, Eric Clapton or even let the American Idols pick from the current Billboard top 50?