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Thanks John Walkenbach

Watching the films of some of our most revered filmmakers, it’s often difficult to point out exactly why their work is so much better than others. It’s when they discuss their work, how they did it and views on other films that we truly see where their genius comes from.

Joss Whedon did a long interview with Entertainment Weekly this week and lots of the opinions expressed there have been highlighted. The possibility of killing characters in Avengers: Age of Ultron and his problem with The Empire Strikes Back are two examples. Now a new quote has been called out where the director of The Avengers points at one specific scene in Steven Spielberg‘s 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as a perfect example of what’s wrong with not only cinema today, but culture in general.

Here’s the quote from Entertainment Weekly (via the Huffington Post):

A movie has to be complete within itself; it can’t just build off the first one or play variations. You know that thing in Temple of Doom where they revisit the shooting trick? … That’s what you don’t want. And I feel that’s what all of culture is becoming — it’s becoming that moment.

If you need a refresher, in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones kills an Arab swordsman by smugly shooting him, an iconic moment improvised because Harrison Ford was sick that day, and one which became a comic highlight of the film. In Temple of Doom (a sequel by release, but prequel on the timeline) Jones has escaped the temple and two similar-looking swordsman confront him. He slyly reaches for his gun as a reference to his action in the previous film (which hasn’t happened yet in the diegetic space) but it’s not there. He fumbles around, smiles at the camera — at us — as a brief music cue from the previous film is played. Then he fights them another way. I couldn’t find the video, but here’s a screen cap.

Whedon’s claim is this scene is a great example of self-reference for the sake of self-reference ruining culture. While I do think culture copying itself for no reason, over and over again (as seen in pop music, fashion, sequels, reality TV, etc.) is the antithesis of creativity, I’m not so sure this moment is the one to point at as “the problem.” First of all, it’s a funny scene. Second of all, this kind of playful winking is part of the entire Indiana Jones saga. There’s the Ark on the wall in Last Crusade, Club Obi-Wan in Temple of Doom, Henry Jones’ photo in Crystal Skull and much more. (The fact that it doesn’t make sense in the story timeline is a different issue all together.)

The bigger issue Whedon is getting at here is that Spielberg relied on what had already happened for a cheap joke. Magnify that onto a larger scale and you have Saw VII, The Amazing Spider-Man reboot, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and One Direction. Things that are simply copying creative endeavors that have proven to be successful. Whedon’s issue is very few people create something new these days. And, even scarier, no one seems to care. They simply consume the same crap over and over again. This sentiment is a valid one.

But to blame poor old Indy? That seems a bit harsh.

Do you put stock into Whedon’s claim? Is this scene worthy of such scrutiny, or is it just one, small example of a problem that’s growing exponentially bigger with each passing day?

• Superhero Bits: Batman vs. Superman, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Arrow, Iron Man, Agent Carter
• Superhero Bits: Ben Affleck, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Stan Lee, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Guardians of the Galaxy
• Watch: Wasp Appears in Animatics for Bigger and Different Final ‘The Avengers’ Battle
• Joss Whedon Explains His Major Problem With ‘The Empire Strikes Back’
• Elizabeth Olsen in Talks for Scarlet Witch in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ [Updated]
• Joss Whedon Says Ultron Will Be More Grounded in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’

This looks yummy!

This is Red Lobster’s Cheese Biscuit recipe done in a loaf pan.

3 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons of butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with oil. In a bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients. Carefully stir in cheese cubes until covered in flour mixture, this will help prevent your cheese sinking to the bottom of your loaf of bread.

In a different bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Fold the wet mixture into the flour and cheese mixture, stir until just combined, do not over stir. Spread the mixture into the loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and then remove from pan. Allow to cool for one hour before slicing and serving.

Thanks Andrea

According to documents read by Der Spiegel, the NSA was able to bypass the United Nations’ videoconferencing system in summer 2012 and decrypted 446 internal communications in three weeks for a total of 458. Der Spiegel quoted the documents (translated from German) as saying that the hack had, "a dramatic improvement of the data from video teleconferencing and the ability to decrypt this traffic."

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via

Some days--heck, weeks--you just give up. It's time to veg out and do nothing, not even move. But what would happen if the entire human population did that at the same time? Reza Farazmand describes the end of the world.

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It's only reasonable to assume that men or women with near unbounded power to spy on the public would eventually use that power to peek at people they are sexually interested in. Well, now you don't have to assume it, because the NSA is admitting it.

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In the most recent bit of Russian bizarreness, a 550-ton military hovercraft carrying sophisticated weaponry casually pulled up onto a crowded, seemingly public beach. Because, apparently, Russia wants to become Europe's own personal prison planet.

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If the nerds of the world ever come together to elect a president for all geek-kind, this kid should definitely run

The epic — yes, epic, there is no other word — speech you see above comes from Georgia Tech's annual welcome event for entering students. Our hero here is a Tech sophomore, mechanical engineering major and general boss named Nicholas Selby. Watch the two-minute video above as he starts off slow then brings things home with enough passion and intensity to make William Wallace proud

The video has, not surprisingly, become an online sensation, with more than 300,000 views since hitting YouTube on Monday. So, in sum, if you want to put it all on the line and deliver a speech so rousing that it makes you an Internet hero, you can do that! NICHOLAS SELBY IS DOING THAT! Read more...

Did you know that the very first gaming console to make use of a CD-ROM was released in 1987? Do you know what it was called? What’s the best selling gaming console in history? Which was the first gaming console to feature full-colour output, sound and cartridge-based games? Look for the answers in this detailed and interesting infograph on the evolution of gaming consoles! How many of these gaming consoles have you owned? Click to enlarge. via OnlineGameDesignSchools.org

Read the full article: The Evolution of Gaming Consoles (1969 – 2013)

Ever wonder what bears do when we’re not looking? These bears were caught on camera in Kananaskis Country. These images were taken during May and June 2013. Wildlife cameras are part of a research project throughout Kananaskis County.

via

LAS VEGAS — To monitor and surveil suspected criminals, the Federal Bureau of Investigation hacks into their computers and smartphones, installing malware and so-called spyware on those devices. For these operations, the FBI uses the services of contracting companies; information that has come to light mainly due to research performed on LinkedIn.

The feds are increasingly using these tactics, which are typically employed by cybercriminals, to access a target's communication when they don't have another lawful way of doing it, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. It's the FBI's answer to what they call "going dark" — when certain communications can't be easily wiretapped Read more...

How Much Does It Cost to Be Batman in Real Life?

Brooklyn-based graphic designer Emil Lendof (layout) and New York City-based illustrator Bob Al-Greene (artwork) created a series of infographics for Mashable that show the price differences between being a superhero in the past and present. You can view all 5 superheroes at Mashable (Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Hulk and Wolverine).

How Much Does It Cost to Be The Hulk in Real Life?

How Much Does It Cost to Be Superman in Real Life?

images via Mashable

via Highsnobiety

Control Edward Snowden in a game in which you will keep running and running through Moscow's airport corridors on a non-stop getaway from evil CIA agents. If you have an Android phone, try this game now. Then delete it five minutes later.

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Time Warner Cable and CBS have been negotiating over a retrans deal for quite some time, and after several extensions talks broke down tonight. TWC's static replacement page for the networks even suggests Aereo as a replacement, an interesting endorsement considering the online service's legal entanglements. According to a statement from Time Warner Cable, this means it's dropping CBS in regions including New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles. Nationally, Time Warner Cable subscribers will do without Showtime, The Movie Channel, Flix and Smithsonian Channel. As CBS' website helpfully points out, if it goes one this means subscribers will also miss college and pro football, MLB, PGA Tour and US Open events, shows like Under the Dome, CSI and more. Of course, Time Warner Cable's site points to options like the CBS.com website. We'll see who holds out, and for how long -- check after the break for a list of affected channels and areas.

Update: According to Time Warner Cable, at the request of CBS it has stopped removing the channels, so if you've been seeing a replacement screen your programs may be back very soon. Both sides indicate negotiations are ongoing, we'll let you know if there are any updates.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: KeepCBS.com, TWCConversations, CNBC (Twitter)

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Eric Buss rides around on his bubble wrap bike. Can't you imagine that the noise woke up every child in the neighborhood, who all ran outside and excitedly began to stomp the rest of the bubbles. -via Daily of the Day

A 21-year-old man turned himself in to Virginia police after receiving a pop-up message that led him to believe authorities had warrants on file for his child pornography use.

Jay Matthew Riley, 21, of Woodbridge, Va., was charged, per Prince William County Police Department, with three counts of possession of child pornography, one count of using a communication device to solicit certain offenses involving children and one count of indecent liberties with a minor.

The message Riley received claimed to be an "FBI warning," which informed him that child pornography had been identified on his computer, and instructed him to either pay a fine or face prosecution. As it turns out, the message was fake; it was a virus reportedly known as Reveton ransomware, which is designed to bag money from victims after they click on compromised websites. Read more...

There's multifaceted, and then there's X-Arcade's Solo Joystick. Following up on the outfit's aptly-titled Dual Joystick, the Solo here is a 12-pound beast that's built to withstand just about anything. And, indeed, function just about anywhere. Up for pre-order now, the gamepad is set to ship to gamers everywhere on December 1st, bringing with it 11-inches of arcade-style glory. It'll function with PC, Mac and Linux rigs right out of the box for $99.99, while optional adapters enable support for nine different gaming consoles (PlayStation 1 / 2 / 3, Wii, Dreamcast, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Wii U). Oh, and since you're wondering, they company claims that it's "hard at work on new adapters for the upcoming Xbox One and PS4," and it's throwing in a fully licensed version of Maximus Arcade Software for anyone who places an order before September 1st.

Filed under: Gaming

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Via: HotHardware

Source: X-Gaming