Lrbever

submitted by ristole [link] [comment]

If you are like me, you have probably wanted some Maud Pie for a while now. Funko has largely gone dark after Toy Fair for upcoming releases, buit this prototype was apparently spotted somewhere at SDCC. Shes coming!

Fingers crossed they pair her up with... Coco Pommel or Starlight. Yeah, that would be fun.

Thanks to Victor for sending it!

submitted by Supernova141 [link] [226 comments]

Regular readers of this site are undoubtedly familiar with Chad by now. He’s the young atheist who has flummoxed a number of Christian debaters over the years.

Looks like he’s still at the top of his game when it comes to asking questions that trip up Creationists. In a recent debate between atheists Bernie Dehler and Marco Balogh and Christians Ron Kincaid and Dr. Bart Rask, Chad asked Rask what alternative he had in mind if he denied evolution:

Rask’s initial response, to nobody’s surprise, is “God”:

I know that evolution is definitely out because there’s no evidence for it… There are no human observations of anything increasing in complexity through random forces… So my conclusion is based on observations and empirical evidence. We know that it takes a hand or some kind of Designer to make things that are complex…

Besides the fact that he’s just plain wrong, it was the follow-up that caught my attention:

Chad: How do you think humans came to be, then?

Rask: Came to be? God just — POOF! — He made ‘em!

[Laughter from audience]

Chad: So you take “Poof, God made them” rather than some scientific proof?

Rask: It’s not scientific. It’s based on historical record…

“POOF! — He made ‘em!”

That’s the full extent of Creationist thinking on this one, isn’t it?

How did we get here? Magic!

Chad wasn’t buying it, and you can tell much of the audience wasn’t either.

I’ve never heard a Christian mispronounce “I surrender” like that, but I’ll take it.

The full debate, which took place in Oregon this past April, is available online.

(Portions of this article have been posted before)

Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata passed away over the weekend, and the internet has been awash in grief ever since. Most recently we knew the man as a high-level executive, the guy who held bananas and was sometimes a puppet in Nintendo's goofy promotional videos. But we should take this time to remember that Iwata wasn't merely a businessman, but an enthusiast and skilled programmer with a geniune love for games. His feats and accomplishments are many, and here are just a few of them. 

 

1. Iwata lived and breathed video games his whole life

...

Quite a few of you have been requesting this as we come up to the deadline tonight, so I'm going to go ahead and extend it a week (similar to last year's time frame) for the sake of all of you last minute vacationers! Right now we have a whopping 254 entries, so expect a massive compilation once all is said and done.

The new deadline for Ponies Around the World is now:


Now go get those pictures and ponies!

And if you have no idea what this is, head on over here for the details.

Hakuna Matata

The U.S. Post Office has issued a Flannery O'Connor stamp. It is part of the Literary Arts series.

Read more on writerswrite.com

Because if you can’t laugh at it, you-… well, damn.

Frozach Submitted

You know, I was thinking of something similar when this scene appeared. Monologue: bad for heroes and bad guys.

Comic time everyone! Click for full!

I don't even know.

Been stuck in a bit of an art-block the past fortnight, and as you know, the greatest remedy for an art-block is a break  inspiration from music  talking it out with others a comic about Applejack's bloody hat.
Used one of the many cutie marks from Boom and Gloom , as I think Applebloom should be some kinda alchemist... apple...potion... apothecary.... thing... yes.


I really don't know.
______________________________

MLP:FiM (C) Hasbro
Art by
Made using

Artist John Poppleton combines his love of painting and his knowledge of photography to create stunning landscapes that glow under black light. But the cynosure of his work isn’t the painting itself, it’s the unusual canvas he paints on – the human body!

Poppleton’s Bodyscapes feature mesmerizing scenes – right from summery African savannas to electric lighting storms – on the soft curves of the human form. The breathtaking images usually span out from the model’s back, branching out on to the arms, legs, neck, and even the head. He mostly uses female models, but some of his paintings are done on men as well.

Disney's 2012 animated video game-themed movie Wreck-It Ralph is getting a sequel.

That's according to the movie's lead voice actor John C. Reilly, who said in a new interview with Irish radio show RTE Arena that he has "signed on" for Wreck-It Ralph 2.

Hollywood news site The Wrap notes that Disney has not yet officially greenlit the movie, though director of the original, Rich Moore, has talked openly about ideas for a follow-up.

One of Moore's ideas, according to a December 2012 interview, is for Nintendo's Mario to feature in a sequel. The first movie featured appearances from Bowser, Dr. Robotnik, and Pac-Man, among others.

Wreck-It Ralph follows the titular Ralph--played by Reilly--a villain in a retro Donkey Kong-style arcade game. After decades of being the bad guy, Ralph decides he's fed up with being hated for doing his job and quits to embark on a journey to reveal his true qualities.

The movie was a big success. It made close to $50 million during its first weekend, outperforming Walt Disney Animation Studios' previous record-holder, Tangled. To date, the film has generated more than $470 million at the global box office against a $165 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo.

Wreck-It Ralph was generally well-received by critics and also featured the voicework of other actors such as Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer, and Mindy Kaling. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but ultimately lost out to Pixar's Brave.

What would you like to see from a Wreck-It Ralph sequel? Let us know in the comments below.

submitted by SlayerBVC [link] [6 comments]

Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo, passed away on Saturday due to ongoing health complications. He was 55 years old.

Nintendo announced that the widely respected chief executive died on July 11 "due to a bile duct growth." Two representative directors remain at the company: Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto.

Iwata was first appointed as the director of Nintendo in June 2000. He was promoted to the position of president and representative director of Nintendo in 2002, following the resignation of Hiroshi Yamauchi. He also assumed responsibilities as chief executive of Nintendo of America in 2013.

In related matters:

• Shigeru Miyamoto has issued a statement: “I am surprised at this sudden news and overcome with sadness.”
• Tributes have poured in from across the industry, with leaders at Sony, Microsoft, and the development community paying their respects.
• Nintendo of Europe President Satoru Shibata released a statement addressing the passing of his colleague. "It is difficult to put into words the sadness we feel at this time," he said. "He was a visionary in every sense of the word and we will miss him dearly. Just as Mr. Iwata challenged us to always push forward, we will ensure his legacy lives on through our ongoing work to always surprise and delight our fans."

In the wake of Iwata's shock death, Nintendo must begin a new search for its next chief executive. The corporation has told GameSpot that succession plans have "not been decided at this point."

But it adds that the two acting representative directors, Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto, have already taken on the task of managing the business, and as such is hoping for a smooth transition.

The company states: "Other than Mr. Iwata, we have two representative directors (Mr. Takeda and Mr. Miyamoto). Even by now, these representative directors have been together discussing and managing to operate the company, so we anticipate no issue in the near future."

Iwata was absent from E3 last year due to health issues, later revealed to be a bile duct growth which was removed via surgery. He resumed his regular work schedule in October last year, although there were concerns about his rapid weight loss following treatment. Iwata was not present at this year's E3, staying in Japan in order to focus on Nintendo's "other areas of business."

Prior to joining Nintendo, Iwata worked at HAL Laboratory as a programmer and designer. During his time there he worked on several games including the Kirby, Earthbound, and Balloon Fight series. He would go on to become president of HAL in 1993.

Iwata garnered the adoration of fans and the industry as a whole through his candid demeanor and willingness to embody the playful nature of Nintendo's games, even as CEO of the company. Last year he took a 50 percent pay cut to apologise for the company's disappointing financial results, following lower Wii U sales than was projected.

In addition to his regular Iwata Asks column, in which he would interview key members of various upcoming games, Iwata was also the face of the company's Nintendo Direct events. These streams, while primarily designed to make game announcements and provide updates on ongoing projects, became something more thanks to weird and wonderful skits, many of which Iwata would participate in.

"On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer."

Satoru Iwata, 1959-2015

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, 1959 - 2015 ⊟ 

Nintendo’s president and CEO Satoru Iwata passed away yesterday after a year-long battle with bile duct cancer. He was 55 years old.

Even before taking over the company in 2002, Iwata made a number of massive contributions to the gaming industry, working on series like Kirby, Mother/Earthbound, and Super Smash Bros. while serving as a programmer, producer, and eventually president at developer HAL Laboratory. 

At Nintendo, Iwata helped bring even more classic titles to market while also overseeing the launches of the DS, Wii, 3DS, and Wii U. He also served as a charming spokesperson for the company, hosting the Nintendo Direct streams to deliver gaming news to fans, conducting an engaging series of Iwata Asks developer interviews, and even appearing in games.

It’s unclear who will head the company going forward, but Nintendo noted today that longtime employees and current general managers Shigeru Miyamoto and Genyo Takeda are serving as representative directors.

We’ve all suffered an immeasurable loss with his passing. I’m heartbroken.

Snail Kiss

Here’s a third compilation of Neil deGrasse Tyson‘s best arguments and comebacks. (You can see previous videos here and here.)

(via Agatan Fnd)

This is a guest post by Martin Williams, an Agnostic writer from a small religious town.

…

It’s a simple premise. If you work for the government and accept government money to do your job, then you must follow the rules or go work somewhere else. Yet time and time again, conservatives have shown an inability to understand that concept.

So it’s no surprise to see them rally in support of Toledo (Ohio) Judge C. Allen McConnell (below), who declined to do his duty by refusing to officiate a wedding for a lesbian couple.

But the more surprising aspect of this story may be how McConnell became interested in law in the first place:

… in a twist to what some critics suggested was an intolerance to gays and lesbians that interfered with his duty, McConnell has said the nation’s civil rights struggle inspired him to rise from a coal miner’s son to a lawyer and judge who championed decent housing for all.

After initially declining to do his duty, the couple had to wait 45 minutes before another judge could make their marriage official.

McConnell issued a written statement proclaiming that anything but traditional marriage would go against his religious beliefs, though if the state Supreme Court said he had to do his job, he would abide by their decision. However, a spokesperson for the Court said that’s not what they do:

An Ohio Supreme Court spokesman said the court does not issue advisory opinions such as the one he requested. The Board of Professional Conduct, a group of lawyers, judges and citizens appointed by the Ohio Supreme Court, would review Judge McConnell’s question.

The whole controversy may be moot, however, because his own court changed the rules to accommodate his request:

… the municipal court’s judges decided to resolve the situation by modifying a rule for the so-called duties judge. From now on, the court’s presiding judge, or its designated acting one, will have responsibility for marriages rather than McConnell or one of the other six judges who had been rotating.

So someone else will take over these responsibilities because a judge who was supposed to do it was unable to fulfill his duties. You have to wonder if accommodations would have been made if McConnell was anything but Christian.

Even ignoring the fact that his duties are clear and he chose this job, there’s an irony that someone who was inspired by a civil rights struggle is now making it tougher for other citizens to obtain their own.

(Image via theGrio)

submitted by _ranm
[link] [4 comments]