[drewprops]

Wow. White Christmas in Atlanta!! Pretty neat.

...

[Foj]

It's stopped in my neck of the woods. A couple of nearby parking lots had some snow on them, but has since melted off.

[kieran]

We're supposed to get a nice accumulation here in Philly starting tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait. I love having snow.

On top of that, It's my birthday tomorrow. I love snow on my birthday.

[Xaqtly]

My GF got me Family Guy: It's A Trap, and Metroid: Other M. SCHWEET.

[turtle]

I got an iPad camera kit (among other things) and love it! Really, this thing is awesome! I was trying to figure out how I'd go about getting my images off of my Rebel XT that uses CF cards and with an adapter it works like a champ!

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by turtle I got an iPad camera kit (among other things) and love it! Really, this thing is awesome! I was trying to figure out how I'd go about getting my images off of my Rebel XT that uses CF cards and with an adapter it works like a champ!

How does it affect the photos? Are they full sized, or compressed somehow?

[FFL]

I got surprised with a brand-new iPhone 4 to replace my 3GS!

[turtle]

Originally Posted by Maciej How does it affect the photos? Are they full sized, or compressed somehow?

I'll have to compare it with a direct download from my computer and I'll do that here in a bit to let you know.

[709]

I got coal in my stocking.



I can now make a ton of torches, though!

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by turtle I'll have to compare it with a direct download from my computer and I'll do that here in a bit to let you know.

Thanks! It'll just be an interesting tidbit to know.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by FFL I got surprised with a brand-new iPhone 4 to replace my 3GS!

It's 105% awesome, isn't it?

Someone further upthread - Maciej, I believe? - said I'd have some cool "Empire Strikes Back" tidbits to share, having received that new "making of" book. I just finished a section (about 6-8 pages) where a mic was placed on director Irvin Kirshner the day they were filming the carbonite freezing scene. We all think Harrison Ford just "accidentally" ad-libbed "I know" to Leia, but the truth is far, far cooler. Ford and Kirshner have a really cool discussion and planning session, which is pretty much transcribed verbatim (because Kirshner was mic'ed and being trailed by a reporter that day). Also, Fisher and Billy Dee Williams are brought in, and the difference in that entire sequence (from the moment Vader says "put him in", until Han is dragged away and says his famous line) from the written script to how the director and actors re-worked it, on the spot, is awesome! They re-positioned cameras, tweaked the placement of actors, etc. Apparently Ford took this stuff quite seriously, and liked Kirshner and was present during these times to help enhance/loosen up some of Kasdan's dialog, as needed. And Carrie Fisher, bless her heart, seems to come off as bit of a neurotic crybaby, always thinking she's "left out", etc. and getting into verbal squabbles with Ford and Williams during this session (because she was consulted last on the script changes). She's a babe, but sounds like a real pill (but she does comment to Kirshner that the special effects department has given Ford some great lips, because he's a "great kisser". Kirshner is like "um...okay, alright..."). She's probably higher than a kite, knowing what we know now... Kirshner and Ford talk about why Leia and Chewie were present at that moment (to keep Han from "causing trouble" and trying to fight all the stormtroopers...if he knew his love and his best buddy were there, and subject to harm themselves, he'd be more likely to remain cool and not start a ruckus). Even the pacing of Boba Fett's interaction with Vader ("what if he dies? He's worth a lot to me...") was tweaked. That entire sequence seems to be the most labored-over part of the entire damn movie. So it's WAY more than just Solo's "I know". Every bit of dialogue ("what's going on, buddy?", Chewie freaking out and throwing stormtroopers, the actual kiss, how Han's hands/arms were bound, how many troopers were used to separate he and Leia, etc. was tweaked, re-worked and rehearsed, on the spot, and everyone flying by the seat of their pants and doing it completely different than how they'd expected/prepared. It's very cool. And that's just one tiny part of the book. Another awesome thread that runs throughout is the creation of both Yoda and Boba Fett. Henson was involved with Yoda and recommended Frank Oz (his "best Muppeteer"), and helped with prototypes. Some of the early sketches of Yoda are a riot (think "Travelocity travel gnome"), and, at one point, they put a mask on a little monkey and did some screen tests, thinking that would be a good way to show him moving). And Lucas wanted a "man with no name" type of character to add some "menace and tension", and there's a photo of a serape-wearing Fett next to a poster of a similarly-attired Clint Eastwood from one of those Leone films, showing the similar "lone bad-ass with a quick trigger finger" qualities. And there's a picture of Boba Fett walking alongside Darth Vader at a 1979 Christmas parade up in Marin County, which was the first time (not counting the cartoon) the character was seen...and nobody knew who the hell he was supposed to be! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves this movie. The drawings/sketches alone are worth the price. The dialog, on-set discussions, photos, Imperial Walker and tauntaun early prototypes, etc. are just icing on the cake.

[turtle]

Originally Posted by Maciej Thanks! It'll just be an interesting tidbit to know.

Looks like they are the same from file stats. The iPad imported one if imported through the reader into the iPad and then imported into iPhoto and then exported as Original to the desktop. The other is direct through Finder to the desktop. I'll put the links to the images here if someone it interested in further analysis, but the Finder metadata shows the same info. They both look the same to me too. I'll call them the same.
iPad, Direct

BTW, while it's hard to tell in those pictures, it's over 13" right now!!!

[Maciej]

Thanks guys!

Interesting post 'scates, all those behind the scenes looks are always interesting to me.

[Mugge]

A bit of a belated merry christmas from me to you guys.



We had a proper white christmas here in Denmark and some parts of the country still needs to be dug out. Not so bad here in Copenhagen, though, the municipality ran out of salt so it quite slippery. Personally, I'm just recovering from all the eating and drinking which I think my family is particularly guilty at. Christmas Eve plus two days with christmas lunches is a lot to take in.

[Moogs]

My folks got about 14" of lake effect snow Christmas night so the weekend had the real vibe to it. Went out yesterday and had some random snowball fights and tackles with my brother and nephew out on the public golf course. Was a good time. Today... possibility of flurries with occasional dry ice bombs in the woods are forecast. We'll see if the concussion will knock the snow off the trees.

[psmith2.0]

I mentioned earlier going up to my former in-laws north of Chattanooga. At one point it hit me just exactly where I come from (insert Jeff Foxworthy "you might be a..." schtick here) because one of the kids got his remote control helicopter stuck in a tree...

The solution to getting it down?

Rather than ropes, rocks, pinecones, ladders, etc. (or simply letting the damn thing sit up there until spring, and teach the little aviator a lesson about altitude control) the preferred method of "tree limb toy extraction" for the assembled yay-hoos was a beer in one hand, .22 rifle or shotgun in the other...trying to shoot the tree branch. After 9-10 rounds of fire, they finally succeeded. Talk about overkill, and using the wrong tool for the job (I was sure they'd just blast the little copter into a gazillion pieces).

It would've made an awesome photo...three guys, guns, beer and snow. Christmas in Dixie, indeed.



On the way home I told my friend (whose family it was) "it doesn't get much more redneck than that, huh?"

She agreed.

And, no...I wasn't out among them. I was inside, watching/laughing.

"Hold my beer, sumbitch, and watch this...". Factoring in the firearms used, the alcohol consumed, the iffy footing they had on the slope they were on and the old, thick-branched tree they were letting loose on, it had all the makings of a classic Darwin Award entry. I figured one of them would manage to shoot off the largest, heaviest branch and have it come right down on their heads. Thankfully it didn't take that route. It could've. But it didn't.

[zippy]

A belated, but very Merry Christmas to everyone.

As for me, I scored a Magic Trackpad (sweet) and an AppleTV (which is also very sweet.)

[thegeriatric]

Originally Posted by zippy A belated, but very Merry Christmas to everyone. As for me, I scored a Magic Trackpad (sweet) and an AppleTV (which is also very sweet.)

Welcome to the party.

[drewprops]

I got new supplies for my scrapbooking hobby. Thank God you all think I'm joking.



...

[zippy]

Originally Posted by drewprops I got new supplies for my scrapbooking hobby. Thank God you all think I'm joking. ...

Santa brought my daughter a Cricut - you would totally need one of those if you weren't joking.

[Robo]

Scrapbooking ftw. It's pretty much the faggiest thing I do, but OMG FONTS. Also: stickers! Everybody loves stickers.

Pop Quiz
Do you love stickers?
A) Yes
B) Yes

I wish Nintendo made a DS Printer, so you could print out stickers, like the old Game Boy Printer. That would be way better than just achievement points. Like, "fuck yes, I just caught an Articuno. Time to turn that shit into a sticker."

And then you get to pick out paper. Oh man. While it's crucially important to hoard a huge arsenal of paper, at the end of the day heavy, coarse papers are where it's at. I'm a wild scrapbooking cowboy. I like to ride rough.

But seriously, scrapbooking is boss and manly and all you peeps should do it. It's like all the fun parts of graphic design coupled with narcissism! And chicks dig it. Seriously, I get hit on every time I go to Michael's. This is why you should scrapbook:

INT., MICHAEL'S

STEPHANIE, WHISPERING HURRIEDLY: Natalie, that guy who scrapbooks is here!

NATALIE, QUICKLY UNBUTTONING TOP SHIRT BUTTONS: Oh my god, how do I look?

STEPHANIE: You look great. Oh my god, here he comes!

JACK enters, somewhat confused; NATALIE has clearly unbuttoned more buttons than intended.

JACK: Uh, do you have a hole punch that makes a little "2011"?

NATALIE AND STEPHANIE IN UNISON: Aisle 3!

JACK: Uh, okay...thanks.

JACK exits.

NATALIE: Oh my god!

STEPHANIE: Oh my god!

NATALIE, WISTFULLY: You may laugh, but his love of scrapbooking betrays a secret sensitivity under his rugged exterior that I find impossibly alluring. I want to invite him over for a night of scrapbooking and wild, passionate sex.

STEPHANIE: Well, give him your number, girlfriend! You may be young, gorgeous, and inexplicably wealthy for an assistant manager at a crafts supply store, but he's not going to wait for you forever!

SCENE

Oh, and Cricut cartridges are pretty much the crack of scrapbooking. You've been warned.

[Mugge]

ROFL!

Wonder why I've never seen any scrapbook themed porn? It sounds much more effective that pool cleaning.

[Dave]

Robo, your friends sound like really interesting women. I'd love to meet them and "scrapbook"... or whatever the kids are calling it these days.

[beardedmacuser]

A belated Happy Christmas everyone! x

[drewprops]

I surmise there needs to be a separate thread for scrapbooking...

Hey I received a couple of pairs of new Levi's jeans for Christmas and noticed how CHEAP the material feels compared to my older jeans. I read a news piece several years ago about how the company now sends all their best, traditional stuff made in USA to Asia while sending Asian-manufactured wares to the US. These new jeans feel like they're made of lint collected from the dryer.


...

[kieran]

Originally Posted by Robo Scrapbooking ftw. It's pretty much the faggiest thing I do, but OMG FONTS. Also: stickers! Everybody loves stickers. Pop Quiz Do you love stickers? A) Yes B) Yes I wish Nintendo made a DS Printer, so you could print out stickers, like the old Game Boy Printer. That would be way better than just achievement points. Like, "fuck yes, I just caught an Articuno. Time to turn that shit into a sticker." And then you get to pick out paper. Oh man. While it's crucially important to hoard a huge arsenal of paper, at the end of the day heavy, coarse papers are where it's at. I'm a wild scrapbooking cowboy. I like to ride rough. But seriously, scrapbooking is boss and manly and all you peeps should do it. It's like all the fun parts of graphic design coupled with narcissism! And chicks dig it. Seriously, I get hit on every time I go to Michael's. This is why you should scrapbook: INT., MICHAEL'S STEPHANIE, WHISPERING HURRIEDLY: Natalie, that guy who scrapbooks is here! NATALIE, QUICKLY UNBUTTONING TOP SHIRT BUTTONS: Oh my god, how do I look? STEPHANIE: You look great. Oh my god, here he comes! JACK enters, somewhat confused; NATALIE has clearly unbuttoned more buttons than intended. JACK: Uh, do you have a hole punch that makes a little "2011"? NATALIE AND STEPHANIE IN UNISON: Aisle 3! JACK: Uh, okay...thanks. JACK exits. NATALIE: Oh my god! STEPHANIE: Oh my god! NATALIE, WISTFULLY: You may laugh, but his love of scrapbooking betrays a secret sensitivity under his rugged exterior that I find impossibly alluring. I want to invite him over for a night of scrapbooking and wild, passionate sex. STEPHANIE: Well, give him your number, girlfriend! You may be young, gorgeous, and inexplicably wealthy for an assistant manager at a crafts supply store, but he's not going to wait for you forever! SCENE Oh, and Cricut cartridges are pretty much the crack of scrapbooking. You've been warned.

Wait...who's Jack?

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by kieran Wait...who's Jack?

That's Robo's name IRL.

[kieran]

Yeah< I know. I just thought he was keeping that a a semi-secret.

[Argento]

I get to celebrate Christmas on January first where my parents cozy house will be invaded by both sets of my grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Alci (and kids), Sister Alci, and kids, Mr. and Mrs. Naderfan and kid, my two parents, and my aunt and uncle on NEW YEARS DAY. Going to be a blast from the past and should be a fun time. We're starting early after noon so any late night hangover should dissipate by then.

I did get to open one gift and they're my new Vibram shoes. Running feels 100% better in those things.

[thegelding]

Happy almost New Year...

Oh and Robo, I feel gayer just reading that post....not that there is anything wrong with that

g

ps...for me 2010 is ending oh so beautifully...though I'm pretty lucky and every year seems to be pretty darn nice.

this year: youngest graduated college summa cum laude and highest GPA of her college, eldest daughter is pregnant with what is to be our first grandchild and my wife is just more amazing each year...beautiful, smart and way more together than I will ever be (my mental state is usually just a step below a coked to the gills Ring-tailed Lemur)...



After graduation from Walter Cronkite School of Journalism from ASU, went to the Arizona Biltmore....gah, wonderful...why haven't I been before? Why don't I have a room permanently on reserve??