ADAM SCHOALES

Had heard about this but didn’t give it much thought until I saw this video explaining what exactly it is.

I have to say, I am completely blown away. If this had been around when I was a kid… I would never leave my room. 

I cannot count the number of terrible mini movies I made in 3D Movie Maker as a kid. Now with a tool this polished I could make professional looking films as easily as playing the games they’re based in. And that is what we call a revolution.

This is going to create a whole new generation of filmmakers and storytellers. And I cannot wait to see the results!

Today an email always requires further action. Marksing something as read is just the beginning. 

Unfortunately none of the modern email clients give you a simple tool that helps you stay organized and keeps your tasks in one place - So I dook a whack at it.

Very intrigued!

Only a few more hours to go!!

“All the inmates were talking about killing him,” Wayne Medley, 24, said as he left the facility. “Everyone was looking for an opportunity. It’s all they could talk about.”

You know you’re among the lowest of low when the prisoners doing time don’t think you deserve to live.

Some really great photos from a seasoned projectionist showing us the difference between a fresh projector bulb and a worn out, overused one.

If you want to keep the software and services around that you enjoy, do what you can to make their businesses successful enough that it’s more attractive to keep running them than to be hired by a big tech company.

This applies to anything you love; be it music, film, art, or apps. If you love something you need to be willing to give something in return for it. Otherwise, the things you love will vanish.

PS. go buy Instapaper. It’s the best.

Been waiting for this for ages! Now I have even more incentive to buy movies from iTunes, and I can free up space on my Mac.

Best part? All your “Digital Copies” you get from your Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Packs are included.

The other best part? I can watch Dark Knight whenever I want!

 I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theater is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. 

That part made me tear up a little bit…

Including (but not limited to) Outstanding Miniseries, Best Lead Actor in a Mini Series, Best Supporting Actor in a Mini Series, Oustanding Directing For a Miniseries, and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries.

Each and every one of the totally deserved. I hope it takes ‘em all.

I’m not sure there is an easy link between movies and gun violence. I think the link is between the violence and the publicity. Those like James Holmes, who feel the need to arm themselves, may also feel a deep, inchoate insecurity and a need for validation. Whenever a tragedy like this takes place, it is assigned catchphrases and theme music, and the same fragmentary TV footage of the shooter is cycled again and again. Somewhere in the night, among those watching, will be another angry, aggrieved loner who is uncoiling toward action. The cinematic prototype is Travis Bickle of “Taxi Driver.” I don’t know if James Holmes cared deeply about Batman. I suspect he cared deeply about seeing himself on the news.

Which is exactly why the media circus that has already begun is the exact opposite of what should be happening. 

That James Holmes is insane, few may doubt. Our gun laws are also insane, but many refuse to make the connection. The United States is one of few developed nations that accepts the notion of firearms in public hands. In theory, the citizenry needs to defend itself. Not a single person at the Aurora, Colo., theater shot back, but the theory will still be defended.

(via Daring Fireball)

The premiere episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s new web-series.

Good Lord, Larry is just like his tv character.

I know everyone thinks Stanley Kubrick is a master, and that he was perfect and infalible, and everything he did was the way he wanted it…

…but I’m sorry. 85% of these I’m chocking up to continuity errors, 10% I’m chocking up to overthinking on the part of the author, and 5% to Stanley’s brilliance. The supposed “2001” reference is really pushing it!

I think Fincher put it best when he said, “You know, I just thought it looked cool”. Sometimes that’s all the director was trying to do.

It looks like those old MacBooks modded to be a tablet that cost a fortune…

Still pretty cool to see the early iPad.

“The question of 3-D is a very straightforward one,” Nolan said in a recent interview. “I never meet anybody who actually likes the format, and it’s always a source of great concern to me when you’re charging a higher price for something that nobody seems to really say they have any great love for.

Bingo, bango. 

This is why he is the greatest working director in Hollywood.

The 30th anniversary of Thriller is this year, and despite the fact that it’s being completely ignored in honour of Bad 25 I personally think there’s no better time to finish up the 5.1 mix of the greatest pop-record of the 80s.

I would buy Thriller again if it meant I got to hear it in surround. It’s infinitely more desirable than God-awful remixes by artists that will cease to be relavant in 5 years time (like, say, Fergie).

Head over to the site and plug in your start and end destinations. Roadtrip Mixtape will then create a playlist of local artists from the areas you’ll pass through according to the Google Maps directions. Driving through Los Angeles? Get ready for some Skrillex or Tenacious D. Passing by Toronto? Drake or Metric may grace your speakers. Not hitting the road any time soon? Click any city on the map to see and play the most popular artists from that area.

A fantastic idea, unless of course you’re travelling from Toronto to Grand Bend. In which case you’re going to be really disappointed by the song selection…

I had been meaning to post this article for a while, and really was mulling over what I wanted to say about it.

There were a lot of things about DanCap that I had problems with, mostly related to trucking in touring productions instead of mounting long-lasting original Canadian casts (Jersey Boys not withstanding).

But they also were an important part of theatre in a post-SARS Toronto (which I didn’t realize had such a huge impact on the theatre business), and much like the whole Apple/Google situation, competition is always good for consumers.

For all of DanCap’s flaws, Mirvish’s monopoly has always been, and continues to be, far more worrying.

The article is full of interesting facts and behind the scenes tales, including the worrying point that the market is over-saturated for the number of people actually attending live theatre (despite the fact that it feels like there’s never anything worth going to see). However the article closes with the best point about the whole situation:

One insider, who had dealings with both Mirvish and Dan, says while they have profoundly different styles and personalities, the tragedy is Toronto audiences could have benefited from peaceful co-existence.

“David is extremely intelligent and extraordinarily gentle,” says the source. “He has a genuine love for the theatre. He wants these stories to resonate and have meaning… . Yes, Aubrey can be brash and abrasive. But he also cares deeply about the city and gets things done. Imagine what might’ve been had they joined forces.”

One cannot help but think how things could have been completely turned around had these two entrepreneurs set their differences aside and joined forces… Who knows? Maybe my friends would all be working right now?

If only Livent was still around.

The website you’re looking at looks exactly like the last version of the website we released. 4 years ago. In Flash.

But this website is decidedly not Flash. It’s responsive and adapts to your screen, crunching itself down to display the exact same content for mobile phones, and works beautifully on a tablet without compromises. The videos play natively in your browser/device, if at all possible. The fonts look identical. The portfolios are beautiful and fluid, just like before.

So, why even bother?

Because we still love the simplicity of our website, and we wanted to see how much of the look and feel we could retain as we move away from Flash, as we have been doing with all of our client work. We wanted to use our own website as a case study for new technologies like HTML5, CSS3 and jQuery, and see how many compromises need to be made in a direct comparison between a Flash site and a non-Flash site.

The answer? None.

The fine folks over at Compass360 have completely rebuilt their website 100% Flash-less. And it doesn’t look any different than it did yesterday when it still employed Flash.

Which just goes to show how far web standards have come in the last few years. And how behind my knowledge of this stuff is.

It was announced today that Academy Award nominated filmmaker Spike Lee, in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson and Legacy/Epic Records, is in the final stages of post production of a Michael Jackson documentary focusing on Michael’s landmark BAD album and worldwide tour. The project marks the first ever in-depth, behind the scenes film project to chronicle a Michael Jackson album, and is being filmed amid the 25th anniversary celebration of the iconic album, record-breaking world tour and groundbreaking short films that changed music history. The documentary features over 40 interviews conducted personally by Spike Lee with Michael’s confidants, choreographers, musicians and other collaborators who collectively unveil the real story of this “coming of age” project through their vivid recollections of what it was like to work day in and day out and live this project with Michael. BAD’s lasting influence is captured through interviews with top talent including Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Cee Lo Green and Sheryl Crow, who was a back-up singer on the BAD tour.

Really exciting to see Sony and the Estate really stepping it up for Bad 25. 

Of course, it pains me to see that Thriller 30 is going completely overlooked, especially since it’s the more groundbreaking (and better) album of the two.

Also, would be nice to get an actual new album instead of another effing re-issue. But, it is Sony we’re talking about.