Monday, February 29, 2016

Wild's End Comic

Guilty pleasure time. Think of H.G. Welles "War of the Worlds" meets "Wind in the Willows".


Check it out!

Best Animated Feature 2016 - Inside Out

No surprises here.


(images copyright Pixar/Disney)


I may have to watch it again. If this was a film about depression, or childhood trauma, or just how a human being becomes lost when key moments in life do not come together in the right way, then all the eye candy in this film distracted me from those points.

The 1998 copyright extension, or the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act”

Dubbed the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act” , the 1998 copyright extension seems to be done at Disney's behest. Employees should chip in, because they're part of a big, happy family.



(photo copyright collegehumor.com)

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/02/disney-ceo-asks-employees-to-chip-in-to-pay-copyright-lobbyists/

Hard to think of Mickey in the public domain. But it might happen someday!

Best Animated Short 2016 - Bear Story

 Okay, it's not heavy journalism, but now I want to see this.
I guess that's what the Oscars are for, more exposure.


(images copyright of the authors)

Friday, February 19, 2016

Wander over Yonder - the Bot - A character dies!

Well, I didn't see this coming:

 Lord Dominator is not turning out to be such a likable villain. At first I thought she was so powerful that she was simply competing with the other supervillains just for fun. But now we see her ruthless side, and executes not just one, but two of her minions in a demonstration of sheer callousness.

First, "Bot" 42 ( a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference?) is sent to a fiery death after he turns in a poor survey report. It turns out that Lord Dominator needs a special element, "Volcanium X", to power her army. Dominator then calls on her favorite evil space probe, "Bot" 13. "Bot"13 inadvertently helps cause "Bot" 42's demise when his report shows 3 planets rich in "Volcanium X". In a fit of pique, Lord Dominator tosses poor "Bot" 42 out of her ship, and lets him burn up on entering a planet's atmosphere.

After making an example out of  "Bot" 42,  Lord Dominator demands that the rest of her 'bots to move it, and resume their search for more "Volcanium X" in a hurry. "Bot"13 seems eager to please, and heads off to keep his good record going.
Naturally, "Bot"13 crash lands after getting snagged on Wander's kite. Damaged, "Bot"13 is unable to attack Wander, and Wander, naturally, tries to help him. Unable to speak clearly, Wander mishears the robot's name, and calls "Bot"13 simply "Beep Boop".

After resisting Wander's initial attempts at being friends, "Bot"13 learns to appreciate Wander's kindness, and refuses to cooperate with Lord Dominator. After deleting his files containing the location of the mother load of "Volcanium X", (which happens to be the planet Wander and Sylvia are visiting), "Bot"13 shares the fate of "Bot"42.

Only this time, "Bot"13 takes a last look at photo of him and Wander as friends.
Wander managed to stir something in "Bot"13, and helped him outgrow his obedience to Lord Dominator. Before "Bot"13 vaporizes, his memories go back to the good times he had with Wander, and states: "I am Beep Boop".

At the same time, Wander and Sylvia begin to realize that "Bot"13 did not give their position away to Dominator, and are impressed at his bravery. They look up at the night sky and see a shooting star.
Unaware of "Bot"13's situation, Wander can only say, "Good luck Beep Boop".


Friday, February 12, 2016

Sunday, February 07, 2016

Commander Kitty is back!


One of my favorite webcomics is back online.
Hope it makes to the climax of this story...