THE TWELVE CLIPS OF CHRISTMAS: DAY 9: THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED CHRISTMAS

My ten year old is a diehard LOTR junkie, so like many other families we found ourselves going to see Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit during the holiday season. And why not? I mean, what could go together more naturally than Christmas and The Hobbit…

You know, for some reason I have this strange craving for a bubblegum precious…

Anyway, if you’ve now seen the film yourself and want to know what the rest of the Catholic blogosphere thought about it, here’s a round up of a few select reviews. I’ve purposely stayed away from the professional critics who didn’t care for The Hobbit as a film and instead linked to regular bloggers who enjoyed it for what it was. And I’ve done so for the singular reason that… me and my son liked the movie, all 169 bloated minutes of it. And for the most part, so did these folks, who not only appreciated The Hobbit, but found some Catholic goodies hidden in it as well…

CatholicSkywalker

On This Rock

Anamchara

Bettnett

Hell Burns

Fr. Dennis at the Movies

So who else out there has seen The Hobbit and what did you think? I’d love to hear some more takes on it.

Brownshirts

(re-posted from The Other Blog, hat-tip: POLYGON.)

This is how it begins...

I "get" that grief is a powerful emotion that can override common sense and reason, even in the best of us. I understand that, therefore, we are expected to be deferential and sympathetic to even the most awkward, outlandish or uncomfortable expressions of grief: "Oh, it's alright. They're just upset. Let them vent." I get that... but there's a limit to everything. So, I have ZERO problem saying that the folks in Southington, Connecticut who've more-or-less decided to hold a mass-burning of "violent" video games (music and movies, too) as some kind of reaction to the tragedy in nearby Newtown are, whateve their intent, essentially painting themselves as a pack of ignorant, knuckle-dragging, reactionary cretins; and that they deserve to be called-out and shamed for what is - regardless of scale, circumstance or intent - a crime against art, culture and an affront to civilized modernity.


Southington SOS, which purports to be a charitable organization comprised of local business and community leaders set up in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre (which, just to reiterate, took place in a different community in CT) are the force behind this gesture. They put out a press release announcing it, which includes contact information for a local YMCA chairman who is apparently a spokesman for the group (I've contacted him for some clarification, awaiting response.)

Said press-release claims that it isn't trying to suggest that games are "to blame" for the shooting and that it's more interested in getting parents and their kids to "have the conversation;" though it goes to claim that "ample evidence" exists for violent media contributing to aggression, "desensitization" and the usual malarkey... without, of course, providing a source of said "ample evidence" (spoiler: that's because there isn't any.) They'll be rewarding "donations" with $25 dollar giftcards, which seems a little rotten to me since I'm more than certain the victimized town they're supposedly supporting could probably use that money... That the "returned" offending materials will be destroyed and "likely" incinerated was revealed by the Southington School Superintendent, Joe Erardi.

Like I said, these are the sorts of things that happen when people's emotions - especially grief and the impotent rage that comes with it - override common sense, and it only gets worse when it grips a community and becomes a kind of mass-pathology (see: Salem, 1692-1693). Often, the only "cure" for such circumstances is for non (or, at least, less) irrational people to hold up the mirror and point out the absurdity and wrongness of what said community is doing - sunlight, as ever, is the ultimate disinfectant. Which is why I think it's proper to publicize this event and respond (civily!) to Southington SOS; if only to let them know how much damage they're doing, image-wise, to themselves and their purported cause by engaging in such vile and wrongheaded behavior.

Note: If and when the representative I mentioned responds to my call, I will post any details/clarifications he wishes to make at my earliest ability.

PODCAST 28: 2012 & Django Unchained

Forest and Cory reunite after a week of celebrating the winter holiday season. Forest points out how unbelievable, and now irrelevant, the film 2012 really is. Then Cory and Forest break down the new Tarantino, spaghetti western, Django Unchained. Don't let the "N word"

CONTINUE READING

THE TWELVE CLIPS OF CHRISTMAS: DAY 8: OEDIPUS WRECKS

In the mind of Woody Allen, nothing could possibly be worse than a Jewish mother looking down on us from on high…

Of course, we Catholics know better, don’t we? We don’t just appreciate having a Jewish mother looking over us, we depend on it. As the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium explains, “This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, and lasts until The eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this salvific duty, but by her constant intercession continued to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix.” And, of course, by the title we revere her by on this 8th day of Christmas, Mother of God.

You know, I think I’ll save the whole defense of the doctrines on Mary for some other time. Suffice to say, scripture tells us that every member of the Church, those on earth and those in heaven, can intercede through prayer for one another. So if you’ve got the opportunity to ask the Mother of God to pray for you, it would seem rather foolish not to take advantage of it. I mean, I know you’re all busy people, but it doesn’t take that long to say the occasional Hail Mary. Oy vey, would it really kill you to call your mother every once in awhile?

POLL: What Was You Favorite Movies Of 2012?

I can't list them all as it would dominate the front page far too much - and I know that will disappoint some of the respective creatives that read MarketSaw; so a preemptive "sorry" from me!

Take your time and check off your favorite 3D movies of 2012 and by the time 2 weeks rolls around I will have my Top 10 list done and we can discuss. Immediately after that we'll tackle the most anticipated 3D movies of 2013!

Have fun! And discuss below if you wish...

Big Picture: "Worst Movies of 2012"

Hey look, you get a new episode even though it's New Year's Day and I just became lucid around 5:00 PM!

The Escapist : The Big Picture : Worst Movies of 2012

World Wide Web 3D | Geolocation & Stereoscopic Space

Part II: Geolocation & Stereoscopic Space

Tim here, and I want to add to a series I'm going to deem World Wide Web 3D (WWW3D) from now on. This will be a multi-part post. However, please don't regard this posting series to be on a regular basis, but sporadically, as articles will come when they come. This article can be attributed in large part to the efforts of Adobe and their recent Web Updates. Adobe Edge brings web animation closer to After Effects, which does stereoscopic graphics as well as any other 3D software application. Where will the web go with this stereoscopic revolution regarding Google Maps?

Simply put: maps are geometric calculations based on the Earth, as measured via scientifically accurate measures from satellites. Google has a street view on major cities, but also very good 3D imaging. Mobile devices are now receiving those direct navigations more accurately, and thus with stereoscopic imaging on phones the major mapping corporations will be able to use all data to accurately portray certain information to people to make them more informed.

Imagine a situation... You and a friend are out in the world, someplace unfamiliar, and you decide to find food. Based on up to date information businesses can be found, and geolocation coordinates can be discovered. Most street view software used by Google images 360° all around a given point, and merges multiple photographs together to make a composite. Soon those multiple images will have simple stereo calculations providing stereo view through processor conversion. This of course requires algorithms written by a standards comity for various screen sizes...

Most WWW3D sites will require standard screen sizes, but at the same time if one could calculate the biggest screen size imaginable and go off percentages of that, then websites and stereo calculations can be easily derived. This comes to cooperation of web-enabled devices' manufacturers. I promise that's impossible in that competitive market. Thus, it will happen in due time: one year and six months. That's at least the time required for standards to be decided on and current autostereoscopic displays could be implemented on devices already out on market. Then the web's tool sets will have to be slightly refined to include stereo space more frequently, and some language may have to be written for commands and style settings.

Now this works perfectly with the major adoptive use for phones, but finding where you're trying to go, that's the big seller of mobile devices. That's why Google Maps was so important to iPhone users. Imagine when all mobile devices are feeding traffic patterns. I know most mobile phones can get an app now that uses to navigation features to give a speedometer. Major speeding violations could possibly be tracked via satellite, and cell carriers could be fined, forcing all passengers to reinforce slower driving. However, that's another concept for another time. The key is stereo integration. Those 3D maps will be able to help people navigate places better, and the future of 3D mapping will shock many.

Don't forget some thoughts on the future from our past interpretations. Automatically navigated vehicles are a major part of those future interpretations. It will be here because of the 3D mapping, which will accurately display more detailed information to the people at the controls. Even law enforcement will benefit because they could use newly gathered traffic data to designate specific speed limits at certain times to all the mobile users in a given area. That's some decent new regulations that are best for safety and avoiding speed traps easier because you're getting a constant reminder from a phone.

How easily will those stereoscopic devices be able to give back web pages that are in stereo? Especially when the software helps code the values in percentages for various screen sizes. This easily allows web designers to gear the stereo content for the maximum screen and each screen smaller than that to a certain percentage based on the standard display sizes. In its nature Adobe Edge does this for animations and other features to be supported on the various screens. Why can't stereo be as easily controlled?

Something that will become a staple of modern technology will be in New York City cabs, and other modern city taxi services, as eventually it is possible for them to have stereo HD touch-screens that run specific apps; such as globalization map oversight, internet connectivity, and naturally ads on both a local, federal, and international level. The experience will be different, but intelligent. Transactions will be able to controlled through it because all taxis will have little computer drives in them that are offloaded by a taxi company at the end of each shift. It's all going to be connected, and the stereo is for the passenger as much as the control is there for the companies, who will make revenue from the ads. Although there are no open plans for this yet, it's a natural evolutionary step to get giddy about. Sure will make taxi rides more bearable.

As a final thought to this topic: Apple led the way with their tablets. The first tablet company (Google's Android is looking solid to lead since MasterImage uses their software) to develop all this into a device that is stereo ready, and push the web aspects along with the app design structure, will reign huge amongst the others. It's an untapped market that will happen in the next year and six months. Adoption of standards, however? We'll see how standards come into practice, and in the next post I'll cover more specifically how future updates to Edge, based on where After Effects has reached, will allow stereographers to work more elegantly through a web environment.