Tadeu

In 1989, June 23rd to be exact, the world was introduced to a Batman that was not Adam West. Tim Burton’s Batman paved the way for the wave of comic book movies that came after: Spider-Man, X-Men, The Avengers, The Dark Knight, and their many sequels. That was a long time ago, so there are probably a lot of things on this trivia list that you never knew, or may have forgotten. For example,

4. Robin Williams had his feelings hurt. Tim Burton and Warner Brothers had always wanted Jack Nicholson as their top choice, but when he hesitated to take the part they began seriously talking to Robin Williams about the Joker role. When Nicholson caught word of this he accepted the part and Williams was left by the curb. Williams was so offended that he refused to play the role of the Riddler in Batman Forever or even do a Warner Brothers production until the studio apologized.

9. Fanboys weren’t happy about Michael Keaton. Dark Knight fanboys hating on Ben Affleck is nothing new for the Batman movie franchise. Michael Keaton’s casting of the caped crusader wasn’t met with positivity at first either. Batman fans were worried that the actor would come off as too comical and Warner Brothers received nearly 50,000 letters from angry fans. The controversy was eventually picked up by national news outlets including the Wall Street Journal.

We know how that turned out, as the movie was a blockbuster and Keaton was cast in the sequel. You’ll learn a lot more in this trivia list at Gamma Squad, with plenty of video clips to enhance the experience.

explodingdog:

I love you too.

But is it free range? [x]

[khaleesivezhven]

The thing about reality is that it’s still there waiting for you the next morning.

Community fans ought to be used to this sort of thing by now. Hulu, one of the last remaining hopes for the canceled show, has reportedly ended its informal talks with Sony Pictures Television about a possible season six. The cult favorite has sidled its way out of tight spots before, somehow overcoming an indefinite mid-season hiatus, a previous cancellation, and the canning of creator and soul of the show, Dan Harmon. And although these precedents give fans some reason to continue hoping and tweeting their support, a doomsday clock is ticking down the days until June 30, when Community’s actors’ contracts come to an end. In these final hours, Hulu passing may be the death knell of all death knells—one that no amount of hopeful #sixseasonsandamovie tweets can overcome.

[teeroy]

Pantone

Coming soon Webcam Cover-Ups – pack of 10. Look, we’re not saying anyone’s watching you. We’re not saying that some secret organization has taken over your webcam and is recording you, right now, as you read this sentence.

And we’re definitely not saying the government’s watching you. We’re not saying that the FBI or the NSA took over your laptop’s camera and are making sure you’re not using your Onion Pi too much.

That would be crazy – like thinking that Stanley Kubrick faked the moon landing, or that there’s a a secretive elite called the New World Order that controls all nation-states, or that the last few US presidents have really been related to Reptilians
– an ancient race of aliens that control the entire planet, right?

But let’s just say, hypothetically, that it wasn’t crazy and that someone did want to take over your webcam and watch your every move. And let’s just say you didn’t want them to – because you were building an open source cell phone jammer, or an Arduino anarchy inciter, or you can only do one pull-up and just ate a whole bag of Bugles.

Then maybe spending a couple bucks on a set of ten, high gloss webcam blocking stickers wouldn’t seem so ridiculous. They’re pitch black, like an eye-hole-free balaclava for your computer’s built-in webcam, and have an inset, light black logo to rep your privacy concerns.

Again, we’re not saying anyone’s watching you. All we’re saying is that they might be – and isn’t that good enough?

Sign up now, these will be in stock in a few days!

~William Morris

In 2011, Dublin-based physics student David Whyte began a Tumblr called Bees & Bombs where he posted humorous images and quirky GIFs of his own creation, borrowing heavily from videos and pop culture icons. One day he decided to start playing with Processing, a popular open source programming language designed to help create images, animation, and various computer interactions. His background in mathematics and physics greatly enhanced his understanding of motion and geometry and it wasn’t long before he was churning out some of the most popular animations shared on Tumblr.

Whyte’s minimalistic use of shapes and color places an increased emphasis on motion, and leaves one somewhat dumbstruck at how he conceives of each image. In a somewhat rare move he happens to be quite open about his methods and frequently posts source code and tips to help other artists. See much more of his work on Bees & Bombs.

There are a lot of pretty interesting things done with posters and album covers these days. Many are minimalist, some are abstract. Most are pretty damn impressive.

And these posters, which take new films and create faux-classic movie posters for them, are no exception. Take a gander, and be glad that you weren’t tasked with this.

Enjoy more of Stults’ work here.

The post Kudos To Peter Stults For Reimagining Recent Films As Classic Film Posters appeared first on Screen Junkies.

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.

… and this little piggy went boing-boing roll-roll tumble-thud I-meant-to-do-that all the way over her big brother.

With regular vinyl tape, Glasgow-based artist Jim Lambie transforms any given space into a colorful, mesmerizing landscape that often create optical illusions. There is no beginning and no end, no contraction and no expansion- in turn, Lanbie says that his construction “somehow evaporates the hard edge off and pulls you towards more of a dreamscape.” Much like the iconic, giant works of the Abstract Expressionists, its composition is hypnotic, abysmal, and sometimes spiritual, but always bit disorienting at first.

The labor intensive intallations take up to several weeks to complete, but that is no excuse to stop making them. As a former musician, the artist draws on musical references as inspiration. Often time, the titles of his pieces refer to iconic bands or songs, including The Doors, Morrison Hotel (2005), and Careless Whisper (2009). The design of his installations  depend on the architecture of the space; each and every one of these are unique and transient installations that cannot be exactly reproduced anywhere else.

(via My Modern Met and Web Exhibits)

The post Jim Lambie’s Stunning Geometric Floor Installations Create With Tape appeared first on Beautiful/Decay Artist & Design.

[efrainmontes]

Based on data compiled from a combination of military records, Defense Department records, and drone manufacturers, Emily Chow, Alberto Cuadra and Craig Whitlock for the Washington Post provide a quick view into drone crashes.

More than 400 large U.S. military drones crashed in major accidents worldwide between Sept. 11, 2001, and December 2013. By reviewing military investigative reports and other records, The Washington Post was able to identify 194 drone crashes that fell into the most severe category: Class A accidents that destroyed the aircraft or caused (under current standards) at least $2 million in damage.

The top row represents where a drone crashed, the second row who owns it, and the third tells the type. Mouse over any of the tick marks, and you get details for the corresponding crash.

toke-the-smoke:

Date night.

In Stranger Than Fiction, Will Ferrell finds his life controlled by a narrator he hears in his head. In the short film The Gunfighter, an Old West gunslinger also finds himself pursued by a voice (belonging to Parks & Rec's Nick Offerman). The bigger problem? Everyone else can hear it, too.

Read more...

Host John Oliver skewered Dr. Oz for his dietary supplement recommendations on a recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Oliver also shared some scathing remarks on the dietary supplement lobbying and shameless pandering in general by doing a little shameless pandering of his own thanks to appearances by author George R.R. Martin and actor Steve Buscemi.

1984 was a great year for movies in general, but this weekend thirty years ago was especially noteworthy.

Read more...

gifak-net:

[ video ]

viciieuse:

Goliath beetle/Goliathus giganteus (x)

Green coffee prices have risen rapidly this year, affecting a number of retail brands. US consumers are going to feel it a lot more acutely once Starbucks raises its prices tomorrow. While price rises have already kicked in for other companies, it’s mostly been store products rather than the daily cup of coffee. Starbucks serves many thousands of people on a daily basis, so tomorrow will be the first time many are directly affected by the shortage.

The cafe price increase is relatively minor, about 10 to 15 cents for medium and large brewed coffees, and as much as 15 to 20 cents for lattes and mochas in some places, according to Bloomberg. Beans and ground coffee will go up by a more substantial 8% on average, or about a dollar on a bag of coffee. While the increase in Starbucks cafes starts tomorrow, prices of bagged coffee sold in other stores will rise July 21st.

So why the price hike? Starbucks said that “many different factors,” including labor and rental, determine its prices, but this is likely the inevitable result of a massive increase in the price of Arabica coffee, due mainly to a drought in Brazil. Starbucks at first wanted to wait things out, but prices have stayed so high for the past six months that it it’s had to pass some of the cost on to consumers.

Prices are still high, but have moderated at least a bit after other big exporters like Guatemala increased output:

Tap to expand image

There’s one piece of good news for consumers, given the fact that it’s finally full summer: Starbucks won’t be increasing the price of its cold frappuccinos.