I’ve written a post on this amazing software called Pepakura before. Basically it’s a software that allows you to print out blueprints from 3D source files. Using these blueprints you would be able to create paper models.

A gentleman called Mark Stewart would like to share this video that shows what some people have been doing with Pepakura.

If you want to know what the Simpsons think of the US elections, here’s your chance

Talk about crazy news!

A man in Japan has launched a campaign in Japan to legally allow comic book-loving humans to marry their favourite fictitious characters!

More than 1,000 people have signed Taichi Takashita’s on-line petition to establish a law permitting marriage to comic characters, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Takashita says he feels more at ease in the “two-dimensional world.”

He said: “I am no longer interested in three dimensions. I would even like to become a resident of the two-dimensional world.

“However, that seems impossible with present-day technology. Therefore, at the very least, would it be possible to legally authorise marriage with a two-dimensional character?”

Comic books known as “manga”, animated “anime” films and on-line virtual reality games have become increasingly popular in Japan, with fictitious characters frequently elevated to celebrity status.

Among the most high profile of manga fans is the current prime minister Taro Aso.

He recently complained he had not had time to read any comic books since taking office last month.

Takashita’s petition was launched only days after a woman was jailed in Japan after “killing” her virtual husband after he suddenly divorced her as part of a popular interactive internet game.

One person who supported the petition, wrote: “For a long time I have only been able to fall in love with two-dimensional people and currently I have someone I really love.

“Even if she is fictional, it is still loving someone. I would like to have legal approval for this system at any cost.”

Original Source - Metro

Drinking, shaking your money maker - and being Amsterdam, whatever else takes your fancy - with friends is the order of the day (and the night before). Wearing orange is more than preferable, it’s almost mandatory (the event is also known - justifiably - as the Amsterdam Orange Festival). If that ain’t enough the whole city becomes a huge, car boot sale for the day whilst street trading rules are relaxed. Sounds like fun huh!

It sounds like the perfect time and place to have fun and get inspiration if you are an animator!

Disclaimer : Neither Mediafreaks Pte Ltd nor myself are exhibiting this as a factual report, nor can we authenticate the accuracy of this report. So please read it for amusement purposes only!

]]> http://blog.media-freaks.com/the-bankers-stats-report/feed/ http://blog.media-freaks.com/the-village-pet-store-and-charcoal-grill/ http://blog.media-freaks.com/the-village-pet-store-and-charcoal-grill/#comments Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:12:03 +0000 Aldric Chang http://blog.media-freaks.com/?p=674

I’m not sure how you feel when you see the picture of poor, aged Tweety above, but it sure freaked me out!

Apparently it is part of the display of a show called The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill by prankster/graffiti artist Banksy.“I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing.” says the artist.

The entire show consists of several animatronics, including the aged Tweety shown above, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, fish sticks, a make-up applying rabbit and a horny monkey. They move in funny and unexpected ways that are quite a delight to watch. It’s also worth noting that the mechanics and the fabrication of the animatronics are top-notch Hollywood quality. Apparently a large team of modelmakers and techinicans was engaged to produce the animatronices.

It’s located at 89 7th Avenue (between West 4th and Bleeker) in Greenwich Village. If you can’t make it, videos of the animatronics can be seen on the show’s website.

What better way is there to explain the credit crunch situation to the laymen than an animation? So that’s exactly what ABC News came up with - the simplest explanation for the credit crunch and why the government has been debating a potential bailout in the form of a quirky 2D cartoon.

Treasury Secretary Paulson and both Presidential candidates say that without a bailout package, there will be a credit crunch where businesses won’t be able to meet payroll and consumers won’t be able to get loans for college and homes. Check out the animated explanation of the credit crunch below.

The animator is a guy called Odd Todd.

The sub prime meltdown has caused quite a financial mess as we know. Stocks are tumbling like dominoes and even banks are crashing down. Insurance giant American International Group (AIG) was one of those affected heavily by all these, and they were also one of the very lucky few enough to obtain a bailout fund of 85 billion USD to pull them out of financial murk.

And according to the tabloids and lawmakers, AIG executives celebrated the event by escaping to a pricey California beach resort just days after the insurance giant was rescued by an unprecedented 85-billion-dollar US government loan.

“Less than one week after the taxpayers rescued AIG, company executives could be found wining and dining at one of the most exclusive resorts in the nation,” Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The US Federal Reserve stepped in to save American International Group from imminent collapse on September 17, with a loan that gave the US government a stake of 79.9 percent in the insurance behemoth in exchange.

“Less than one week later, AIG held a week-long retreat for company executives at the exclusive St. Regis resort in Monarch Beach, California,” Waxman said.

Invoices showed that AIG paid the Pacific Ocean getaway resort more than 440,000 dollars, Waxman told the committee on its second day of hearings on the Wall Street economic crisis.

The charges included close to 200,000 dollars for rooms — which cost up to 1,000 dollars and more — and over 150,000 for meals and 23,000 in spa charges, he said.

“Well, average Americans are suffering economically. They’re losing their jobs, their homes and their health insurance,” Waxman said, “We’ll ask whether any of this makes sense.”

Without the government loan, analysts had argued that an AIG collapse, fueled by problems with complex derivatives known as credit default swaps, could trigger a wave of failures in the global financial system and deepen the credit crunch.

Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland said Americans were upset by the news.

“It is very upsetting, because the American people are giving and say for example gave AIG some 85 billion dollars — 85 billion dollars to bail them out,” Cummings told CNN.

“On the 22nd of September to the 30th, they spent almost 400,000-something at a resort having manicures and playing golf,” he added.

“That is the kind of thing that upset my constituents, many of whom are losing their houses and losing money in the 401(k)s (retirement savings plans),” he said.

“They are upset and rightfully so.”

If after reading the above you are still too shocked to find this believable, check out this post. As for me, I know that AIG is not going to see much business from me anytime soon.

The Piano House -This super cool piano-shaped building is located in Huainan city, China. Even the stairs are housed within a violin shaped structure built with glass.

Longaberger Basket Company HQ - This monument is the world’s largest basket, and it’s also the seven-story corporate headquarters of the Longaberger Basket Company in Newark, Ohio.

Dancing House - The Dancing House is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building in downtown Prague, Czech Republic. It was designed by Croatian-born Czech architect Vlado Milunic in co-operation with Canadian architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot (where the previous building had been destroyed during the Bombing of Prague in 1945). The building was designed in 1992 and completed in 1996.

Kansas City Library - Who said libraries have to be boring? The Kansas City Library has one seriously cool façade. Local residents were asked to nominate influential books that represent Kansas City and humungous versions of the winning nominations were then used as the exterior of the library.

The Blue Building - The borough of Delfshaven, Rotterdam , asked Schildersbedrijf N&F Hijnen to come up with a plan for a block of derelict buildings, which will eventually be demolished. The agreement with the neighbourhood is that the block will remain blue as long as there isn’t a new plan for the area. This was once one of the most unseen blocks of houses in Rotterdam, and by applying a later of only 2 micron of blue paint onto it, it became Rotterdam’s most photographed one.

The Astra House - The strange building is actually a brewery in Hamburg , Germany . The floors can move up or down on it’s skinny column core. As of now, the unique building has been destroyed. One of it’s more famous beer brands was recently bought by a big refreshment corporation. And that beer brand was called Astra.

The Crooked House - Polish architect of the Crooked House, Szotynscy Zaleski, was inspired by the fairytale illustrations of Jan Marcin Szancer and the drawings of the Swedish artist and Sopot resident Per Dahlberg. The most photographed building in Poland , the 4,000 square meter house is located in Rezydent shopping center in Sopot , Poland .

Samkee Building - The Sam Kee building is situated at 8 West Pender Street . It runs from the corner of Pender and Carral to the lane at the halfway point of the block. It is two storeys tall and 1..5 meters (six feet) deep. The story behind the building is as exotic as the structure with several intriguing twists and turns included in its telling. The City of Vancouver provided the original owner, Chang Toy, with a challenge when it expropriated all but two meters of his property as part of an expansion of Pender Street . No compensation was provided to its owner who was left with what most believed to be a useless property. In a creative turn of events fuelled by spite and some say a bet an architect was hired to design a building to fit the remaining property. The rest is history in more ways than one. This building was home to 13 businesses at one time. It was the only place in Chinatown for residents to enjoy hot baths. There is a tunnel beneath the building that was used as an escape route from raids on Opium dens situated on neighbouring Shanghai Alley… The building is also fronted by the only remaining glass sidewalk in Chinatown . As part of the ongoing history of this structure, issues still arise between the owners and the city with respect to encroachment and overhangs. In spite of each side having an element of right it seems to boil down to the proverbial ‘tit for tat’. It makes for an interesting study in civics..

It was announced today that YouTube has partnered in a global content deal with Discovery Communications. Nine YouTube Channels will feature an assortment of clips from Discovery network brands, including TLC, Planet Green, Science Channel and TURBO.

Josh Freeman, EVP of digital media at Discovery Communications, is pleased that YouTube’s “unmatched reach” will provide Discovery fans around the globe with another platform through which to engage with their favorite shows, plus new audiences will now be able to sample Discovery’s content online.

Jordan Hoffner, director of content partnerships for YouTube, adds that Discovery’s 100-plus networks will benefit from distribution through targeted YouTube Channels since it’s a strategic way to “leverage individual brands and drive television viewership.”

In addition, content will be tailored to global YouTube users when Discovery rolls out several targeted international Channels that contain localized and native language content for various regions. October will see the debut of Discovery’s first international YouTube Channel, Ink. Aimed at the hardcore tattoo enthusiast group, it will feature content from the UK, as well as clips from Discovery’s Ink franchise, and videos uploaded by users to show off their own tattoos.

The partnership also includes program promotion initiatives that will drive viewers to Discovery’s networks. The first example of the partnership’s joint programming promotion and development initiatives involves giving MythBusters’ fans the opportunity to contribute to a future episode about viral myths by posting videos of myths they’d like to see dispelled on the new Discovery Channel YouTube Channel.

Given what’s happening with the US economy these days, the Treasury Department has issued a new one dollar bill … …

Take a trip down nostalgic lane with this interesting clip I stumbled upon.

This is an old clip of Inside Edition about Nintendo’s big success with Super Mario in America with some cool footages of Mario’s very first game. Filmed in 1988, this video has it all.

The basic game concept talks of how Italian plumber Mario goes about saving Princess Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom from the evil Bowser, king of the Koopas. In two-player mode, Mario is aided in his quest by his brother, Luigi. In order to save Princess Peach, the Mario Bros. must conquer the eight worlds that comprise the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario (or Luigi) must make his way to the castle in each world and defeat one of the Bowser’s evil minions. In order to reach each castle Mario or Luigi must battle through three “sub-worlds” by either destroying or avoiding Bowser’s henchmen. If Mario or Luigi successfully fights his way through the castle and defeats the evil minion, a Mushroom Retainer (later called Toad), is freed. Inside the eighth castle, the Mario Bros. will find Princess Peach.

As of 2008, Super Mario Bros. is the best selling video game of all time (selling over 40 million copies to date). It was largely responsible for the initial success of the Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as ending the two year slump of video game sales in the United States after the video game crash of 1983. One of Shigeru Miyamoto’s most influential early successes, it has inspired countless imitators, two direct sequels, and many spinoffs, as well as an entire video game series. Mario went on to become Nintendo’s most well-known mascot. The theme music, by Koji Kondo, is recognized worldwide, even by those who have not played the game, and has been considered a representation for video game music in general.

Enjoy the video!

These are some very cute pictures of a house we found while researching designs for our cartoon animated series - Sedo Dog. We have no idea who lives in it and where it is from except that it is called Isabella’s Little Pink House.

It sure looks interesting but one wonders if you will develop a headache staying in it for an extended period of time with all the bright colors!

This is one of those wacky and senseless but effectively viral TV commercials that the Japanese are so good at, starring Parappa the Rapper in a McDonalds ad.

I cannot make much sense of it but it does seem weird enough to put up here, so here it is