The Undead Zone - Why realistic graphics make humans look creepy. By Clive?Thompson

The Undead Zone - Why realistic graphics make humans look creepy. By Clive?Thompson

I've been thinking about this a bit lately. I think this effect is what destroyed Final Fantasy, the movie, though it did a fine job on it's on just on plot.

As you may have guessed, I'm not thinking of this on the robot level, but on the computer graphic side of it. Right now, computer animated films are taking the place of traditional cartoon films (and to be honest, almost all animated films for the last several years, even TV shows, have had computer help). But none of the ones that worked had close to human characters. Shrek 2 comes close, but even they put a cartoon twist on very human looking faces.

I would like to think this would be a permenate problem, but I don't think it is. Computer graphic history is full of impossible tasks, each one beaten down by creativity and tech. And the human 'twinkle' that tells us that there is a real human there will be, at some point, redused to a menu option in a 3D animation program.

I look on this as sad, but to be honest, both good and bad things will result in this. As I've been negative here, let me leave you with a postive concept...

Just think what a young Steven Spielberg could have done with the ability to fully control a totally real looking movie with human looking actors when he was 16, right next to his Play Station 10.

Dozer Guy's PR Flack

Did you guys here of the guy the fortified a dozer and started to take apart a small motion town? I sure did... it happened in Colorado.

I slant my site towards normal folks wanting an insight to the geek world. After all, my core readers are my family, and I'm a geek and they aren't (though Mom is getting there).

But this is a true bridge event. You all heard about it, and this guy is a mini-example of larger trends. Any event of certain interest size will generate conspiracy theories. It doesn't matter the political slant of the item, or the reality of it... it will generate such fans.

When you read this yahoo's take on this event... before you dismiss it totally, consider how well you would accept it if he were saying something you wanted to believe in...

OK.. off my soap box today... and honestly, this reminded me that I actually need to get some soap tomorrow...

Minibottle Showdown Is Brewing (washingtonpost.com)

Minibottle Showdown Is Brewing (washingtonpost.com)

I love weird local laws. And this one is a cool one!

South Carolina has a law (in it's constitution, no less!) a law that says that bars can only serve drinks from minibottles. And they must pour ALL of it. As the bottle has 1.7 ounces, it makes for some stiff drinks.

Aww... look at the cute little bottle! It's soooo cute!

DenverPost.com - BLOGHOUSE

DenverPost.com - BLOGHOUSE

I think I've talked about the Denver Post Bloghouse before. I've had an interesting email chat with the editor, a very nice fellow called Gil Asakawa.

I don't know when he did it, becuase I rarely look at it, but on the "Other Blogs" section, he listed my website.

OK... it's likely the ONLY such referance to my blog in existance, but I found it kind of cool anyway.