kate

Official Voltron (aka GoLion) pillow! You can buy one here.

1st pictures of Disney short film “Feast” directed by Patrick Osborne (head animator on Paperman).

Over on the Brickset forums, Paperballpark has posted the very first details of the upcoming 2015 LEGO Creator Modular set. He said that the set will be a Detective Agency and that it will retail for £132.99. He also stated that the release date for this new set will January 1, 2015. For those who are somewhat skeptical about this, Paperballpark is an active member on the forums and he also claims that this rumor comes from a very reliable source, so odds are this is the real deal.

It has been rumored for a very long time that we might get a Detective Agency set and it appears to be the day has finally come. I am very interested in seeing how this set turns out to be. LEGO has the potential to pull of an amazing set with some very unique features and I hope they do so.

What are your thoughts about this? Let us know on the comments below!

The post LEGO Detective Agency Modular Set Coming In 2015 appeared first on Groove Bricks.

 I was pleased to see the variety returning to Otakon’s Artist Alley this year in terms of style, series displayed, and even the wares themselves. The up and coming items seem to be zipper pouches (which started showing up a couple of years ago but which now have exploded), lanyards, and, surprisingly, scarves. Despite these new crafts, I kept to my usual collections if only to stop myself from going into a frenzy of buying. How long I will hold out, especially with regards to lanyards, will remain to be seen.

As with the AnimeNEXT alley this year, there didn’t seem to be one or two titles that took over every booth. Certainly, Attack on Titan was quite popular, but with no new anime recently it seems to have kept it from overtaking everything else, at least in regard to what artists were making fan creations of. I was pleased to see a lot of the recent sports titles: Haikyu!!, Yowamushi Pedal, and Free! being represented, too.

It is a lot of fun for me to go to an artist alley with a new series to collect things from, for Otakon this year that was JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. There was no way I was passing up a Joseph Joestar button proclaiming “Holy Shit!” and the Joseph and Caesar postcard was from the same talented artist Doro. The Joseph and Caesar button is by Tayla. I loved the stylization in both of these, it is clear who the characters are but they still bright and fun on their own.

I had seen the work of Kaze-Hime at AnimeNEXT but foolishly didn’t pick anything up. I fixed that mistake at Otakon with her beautiful and almost haunting print of Utena, Sailor Moon, and Princess Tutu.

Why would I not buy a Spike postcard? I love the way the smoke trails behind him with the Bebop in the background. A wonderful piece by Boya Sun who also contributed to the CLAMP zine I picked up.

More Utena in the alley? Who would have guessed! This time it was in the form of a notebook by Jaclyn Grande. Complete with rose-colored pages bearing the rose seal. What a lovely find!

I was pleased to see a growing amount of artist books and fan-zines in the alley. My first purchases in the alley were in fact the Legend of Zelda II fanzine by Bridget Gibson and the anthology Cluster a CLAMP zine which I actually posted about previously. There were many more that I just couldn’t afford despite how much I liked them. I’d urge artists to have more books in the $5-10 range.

These adorable Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors) magnets are by resubee and are now stuck to my refrigerator. The magnets themselves aren’t very strong though so not sure if I’d buy this type of product again. But she had plenty of other wares!

As per usual the buttons flew into my hands and I was in no position to resist them. In every instance, I nearly walked away with more buttons!

It is so rare to see anything Detective Conan that I couldn’t pass up these buttons but I don’t know the artist’s name. I chatted with her but she didn’t have a business card.

The tiny bodies and big heads of Kaiami’s Spirited Away buttons made them an easy choice. Same goes for the Jean button by Masa Inoue.

As I mentioned, sports series were definitely had a big presence this year all over the convention, so I participated by picking up a chibi-Makoto from Free! button by Animus Rhythm. And I loved the expressions on the freshmen of Yowamushi Pedal button by Ilmenskie.

I overheard an Otakon staffer in the alley on Friday talking to artists about copyright. What he seemed to be looking out for was use of official logos and fonts. These rules are spelled out for artists when they register, and there was plenty of discussion on the forums about the policing of it this year, but I had never seen it in action as a non-artist. I’m unsure if anyone had to take down or stop selling anything in the alley because of these concerns.

Otakon’s Artist Alley is starting to become a coveted place for artists to get a table. And for me, it is my favorite place to spend the convention.

~ kate

More Otakon 2014 posts:

Otakon 2014: Tweets
Otakon 2014: Under the Dog
Otakon 2014: General Impressions
The Speakeasy #056: X, Otakon 2014
Otakon 2014: Photoshoots
Otakon 2014: Panels
Otakon 2014: Concerts
Otakon 2014: 15-minutes with Sunao Katabuchi
Otakon 2014: Guests

Filed under: Conventions, Events, Otakon Tagged: Otakon

[All photos by Robert Sietsema]

Breakfast is the new frontier for restaurants, and in the future more will be serving it — and not just in the morning. Why? Because a customer's expectations are lower for breakfast, the cost of the ingredients is cheaper, and restaurants that were once closed at that hour can exploit their expensive real estate more fully by being open in the morning. Until now, it was a meal few of us ate out. But that may be changing.

Eggs are the bedrock of any breakfast program, whether fried, cooked into omelets and souffles, or incorporated into batters and sauces. Egg Shop is a new café on the Lower East Side that obsesses on eggs. Like its spiritual Williamsburg predecessor, Egg, it extends the temporal boundaries of the ovum-based meal, not only to lunch, but throughout the day, into the evening, and all the way into the wee hours (open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays).

Located in a small storefront on Elizabeth just south of Kenmare, Egg Shop presents a sunny demeanor with an open-front façade, blond-wood furniture, seafoam-green trim, and mirrors. A shoulder-height window looking into the kitchen presents the spectacle of two cooks assembling breakfasts (the kitchen can run a little slow) as the clientele chats and relaxes. The place seats perhaps 30 and the menu divides into four sections, including egg sandwiches; open-bowl presentations; custom assemblages entailing a choice of cooking method, cheese, bread, and sauce; and sides.

Priced from $9 to $15, the breakfast sandwiches appear on a variety of rolls and toasts. My guest and I tried the Eggshop B.E.C. ($9), which included one egg, cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato jam (not like ketchup, but close), and pickled jalapenos on a small round roll. The thing was delicious, but messy, with the yolk spilling out onto the plate. It established several principles common to all the offerings at Egg Shop: cage-free organic eggs are the premium ingredient here, so you rarely get more than one; the dishes feature a multiplicity of ingredients; and the flavor schemes tend toward the wild rather than the mellow.

Assertively mayo-free, the egg salad sandwich ($10) comes on multi-grain toast with a thick slice of low-acid yellow tomato. It tastes good, but the scant quantity of egg filling makes the bread stand out more than it might have otherwise. Other breakfast sandwiches feature a broad-ranging international catalog of ingredients such as serrano ham, feta cheese, steak tenderloin, Argentine chimichurri sauce, caramelized onion aioli, greens, and gruyere. These same ingredients also figure in Egg Shop's most novel invention: the egg-bearing breakfast bowls dubbed "cruisers." At $8 apiece, they tend to be a bigger bargain than the sandwiches.

Take the one comically called "spandex" ($8). With a runny poached egg crowning the top, salad greens, avocado, ribbons of carrot, and miso-flavored quinoa jump around in its depths. Though it seems to scream "health food" — like the acai bowls at Dimes — it's really quite delicious anyway. Another bowl we tried mimicked eggs benedict with gluten-free English muffin croutons (they tasted more like brioche), crisped serrano ham in thin slivers, and a meyer lemon citronette that was about 1000 times lighter than the usual heavy hollandaise. (But, hey, where's my mimosa?) Ask for a spoon, because it's hard to plumb the depths of the bowls with the fork that you're given.

The list of sides is small, but figures prominently in the restaurant's profit-making plans. The other morning, a side of fried chicken was on nearly every table, atoning for the lightness and healthfulness of the other offerings. Priced at $7 (or $4 with the egg salad sandwich) the chicken is boneless and on the sweet side. I thought it was fine but my dining companion hated it. There's also a side of deep-fried hash browns ($2) that are great and a great deal, and a sweet-glazed, outsize biscuit ($4) that, on one occasion at least, was inedible due to excess baking powder.

I enjoyed my two breakfasts — one in the afternoon — at Egg Shop, and the place is a giant hit, judging by the crowds thronging the place in its first weeks. The only drawback, as far as it goes, is an excess of creativity: sometimes you just want a plain egg-and-bacon sandwich on a Kaiser roll. And you'll still have to go to the deli for that. 151 Elizabeth St, 646-666-0810
· All posts by Robert Sietsema [~ENY~]

On Sunday, the Washington Post published an exposé revealing that private companies are peddling surveillance systems to foreign governments that track the location of cellphone users in the United States and abroad. The report raised a basic question: How can this be happening when cellphone companies generally promise not to disclose their customers' location information without their consent? The main problem is that location information is available on a global network that can be accessed by thousands of companies. And in the wake of the Post story, US cellphone companies are refusing to discuss how this squares with their privacy policies, or say what they are doing to keep their customers' whereabouts confidential.

Here's what's going on: Carriers collect location information from cellphone towers and share it with each other through a global network called SS7. This allows a US carrier to find a customer even if she hops a plane to India. But according to the Post, surveillance systems makers have gained access to SS7 and are using it to grab location data, allowing these firms to pinpoint people within a few city blocks.

Continue Reading »

I thought this comic was the perfect companion piece to the video I shared last night.



See more: Cool Shirt, Bro

“If I print this email, will you scan it and email it for me?”

I don't get it? Is this video supposed to be satire? This happens to me every time I walk into a comic book store. I can always tell that the rotund man sitting behind the counter is secretly undressing me with his shifty eyes. It can be very unnerving. Still, the jokes on him. Because underneath those clothes I am completely naked.

I honestly have no idea what I was going for in that previous paragraph. Just watch the video.



See more: If Geek Girls Acted Like Geek Guys

I don't think it's possible for the staff of ComicsAlliance to get more excited for Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl's Gotham Academy than we already are, but if there's one thing that could do it, it's seeing the characters for the new book in a set of brand-new promo images drawn by Cloonan. Today, that's exactly what we've got, so prepare yourself, because they are fantastic.

Continue reading…

klotzblog:

I’m actually crying right now: dogs are beautiful and precious and loyal and happy and your dog loves you so much.  Such a good dog.  

yayponies:

brook:

sizvideos:

Watch it in video

Follow our Tumblr - Like us on Facebook

this is the happiest thing i’ve ever seen

the more gif sets of dogs playing in pools the better

“I am going to fax over some pictures that I took from the internet.”

still hangin in

“I don’t know… I worry people will read this and think someone who knows how to write wrote them.”

Client: My fiancé and I are unhappy with the engagement photos you sent us.

Me: What’s wrong with them?

Client: We’re wearing sweat pants in them!

Me: But that’s what you wore to the shoot. I asked you on the day if you wanted to change into something more appropriate and you said no.

Client: Well, I didn’t know you were going to leave them in the actual photos. You’re a professional photographer - you’re supposed to Photoshop better clothing onto us or whatever.

Me: That’s not really what I do, nor is it really how Photoshop works…

Client: Don’t lie to me! I’ve seen what Photoshop can do in magazines and stuff like that. It’s not my fault you don’t know how to do your job properly!

I am a (female) fashion designer. I create unique dresses, mostly for cocktail parties and weddings.

Me: So here is my quote for the cocktail gown that we discussed last week.

Client: Thanks… I understand the lines for fabric and other material, but what is the last line about?

Me: That’s for my design work and the time necessary to stitch and build the gown.

Client: I don’t understand. How does that account for that sum of money?

Me: Based on our initial conversation and preliminary design, I estimated X hours of work.

Client: You charge money for drawing designs?

Me: Yes.

Client: I don’t get it. Doesn’t your husband make enough money?

Comics!

Part 1 of a series on Soseki’s Kokoro.  Click through for more!

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As promised, Australian grilled cheese company Jafflechutes (Aussies call grilled cheese jaffles) will be dropping sandwiches to 30 to 40 New Yorkers next month. Brokelyn reports that the first drop point will be The Diamond bar in Greenpoint, where, on a still unknown date, the Jafflechutes team will throw grilled cheeses off the roof to customers waiting below. Here's how it works: the team posts a date and a menu on Twitter, diners place orders online, pay via Paypal, and wait for patiently at a designated time for their cheese to drop from the heavens and into their arms. While waiting on that announcment, check out a video of the delivery system in action.
· Jafflechutes [Official Site]
· Coming soon to The Diamond: Grilled cheese sandwiches thrown off the roof and into your mouth [Brokelyn]
· All Coverage of Jafflechutes [~ENY~]

Geno is quite a popular choice when it comes to character requests for the Super Smash Bros. series, and so there is plenty of fanart out there in support of his inclusion. While this makes my drawing a bit redundant (and the special moves are all pretty much what everyone else has for Geno’s attacks), I felt that the concept of Geno as a playable character could be taken an extra step beyond simply having his moves map 1:1 with his Super Mario RPG techniques.

In particular, I had this idea that Geno could utilize the “timing” system from Super Mario RPG where pressing or releasing a button at the right time makes the characters’ attacks stronger in some way. This is demonstrated not only in the depiction of Geno Beam and Geno Blast, but also in Geno’s smash attacks. As shown with Geno’s up-smash, the idea is that Geno’s smash attacks have an additional secondary component that Geno can chain into, similar to Kyo Kusanagai in the King of Fighters series or Fei Long in the Street Fighter series. Because it wouldn’t be terribly strategic to have the follow-up be automatically better every single time, the secondary part of every Smash Attack would have its own strengths and weaknesses (like leaving Geno vulnerable if the first part doesn’t connect properly, or not hitting at the desired angle at high percentages), so it would be an active choice at all times whether or not to use the timed attack system.

Other than that, Geno would have two other main features. The first would be his space control due to the fact that many of his attacks are ranged and come in at odd angles instead of straight-on (Geno Beam shoots diagonally upwards on the ground but diagonally downwards in the air, for example). The second would be that Geno’s normal moves emphasize the fact that his body is that of a doll, so it is extremely flexible, as demonstrated in that up-smash. This would give Geno a lot of unusual hitboxes on his attacks an, or allow him to slip past attacks by suddenly collapsing low to the ground, for example.

The majestic Spycrab: the most notable of the fauna from the world of Team Fortress 2. Now, We Love Fine has taken what started as an in-game-glitch-turned-meme and transformed it into a plush. The Spycrab plush features a design from contributor Threnodi, which evokes Shawnimals' style a bit. However, it is definitely TF2's Spy underneath, with that little cigarette sticking out of its mouth, along with some poseable claws.

Pre-order the little Spycrab of your choice at We Love Fine for US$20. You'll have to wait for November for yours to arrive, though, but you will get a Spycrab item for TF2 with your purchase.

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ca-tsuka:

Stills from “A Tribute to Satoshi Kon” french exhibition (online gallery).

Satoshi Kon passed away 4 years ago.

I love his films (and Paranoia Agent)

First picture of next Pixar animated film “Inside Out”.

From Aoi Honoo (Blue Blaze) japanese drama TV series based on manga by Kazuhiko Shimamoto and featuring Hideaki Anno student character (gif sources : 1 2 3).

Now that the chain has officially been rescued from bankruptcy, Crumbs' giant cupcakes will return to Columbus Square next month when the bakery's new owners start to re-open select shops. The owners, who include TV personality Marcus Lemonis, plan to revive only 28 out of the bakery's 49 locations in New York, LA, Chicago, and D.C. [NYP]
[Flickr]

[Instagram]

Eataly's Nutella Bar will soon no longer be the only Nutella-pushing venue in town. A Nutella-focused shop called Nutelleria is planning to open soon in Park Slope, reports Park Slope Stoop. The spot, which formerly held The Chocolate Room pop-up, will serve the chocolate hazelnut spread in even more ways than the Eataly shop, including on breakfast pizza, rolled into fruity "burritos," and on Nutella-bacon-banana waffle sandwiches.

Just to be clear, Nutelleria has no association with Eataly or the Nutella company for that matter. According to the website, it's a project by "Nutella enthusiasts that decided to share our love of Nutella with the rest of the world." Still, if the city's first Nutella bar taught us anything, it's be prepared to wait in line.
· Nutelleria Coming To 5th Avenue [Park Slope Stoop]

Bandai booth at CharaHobby 2014 boasted some of the most innovative Gundam models we've ever seen along with some must-have Collectors items. Check out the gallery below for all they had to offer!