THE HOBBIT IS COMING OUT NEXT MONTH! I'M SO EXCITED! Okay, now that I've got that out of the way, I have to say I'm kind of put out that I won't be seeing it in its full HFR ("high frame rate") glory. (I checked the Hobbit Theater Cheat Sheet on TheOneRing.net and unfortunately the theater nearest me is in Concord. I might have to cry.) The Hobbit will be released in six formats: HFR Imax 3-D, HFR 3-D, Imax 3-D, Imax 2-D, regular 3-D and 2-D. Some lucky geeks will be in heaven, boldly going where no moviegoer has gone before on December 14, because some theaters will be screening a new Dolby 64-channel sound system as well. Shot in HFR, which is forty-eight frames per second and twice the average rate, the movie is said to be a "jarring" viewing experience for first-time viewers and is considered the newest entertainment technology upgrade after Blu-ray and 3-D. "It reminds me of Blu-ray, in that it takes away that warm feeling of film," one viewer is quoted as saying in a Wired article. Maybe I shouldn't be jealous...
Just kidding. The first time I saw something (Star Trek: The Original Series) in Blu-ray, I was really disconcerted to be able to see every makeup-covered pore on Spock's face. Then I got over the new viewing format, to the point that I take for granted my ability to see a movie in such detail and criticize the Blu-ray format of titles like Megamind for which I didn't think Blu-ray did much good. In short, moviegoers are shallow twits who take new formats for granted to the point that another upgrade like HFR isn't so much a "wow" as a "It can get better and I'll want to pay more for it? I'll be the judge of that". Granted, there may be some quirks to shooting in HFR that have yet to be ironed out and will be a part of The Hobbit's legacy forever, but if given the option I'd scoop up an HFR ticket faster than a scalper at a Hannah Montana concert of years ago.
Source: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012/11/the-hobbit-format/
Saturday, November 10, 2012
China in Space
The next Chinese manned space mission is due to launch in June 2013, a follow-up to the Shenzhou 9 mission that launched in the summer of 2012. China is only the third country to have sent people to space, having done so in 2003, so many years after the US and the USSR competed in the space race. China's first woman astronaut, Liu Yang, took part in the 2012 mission. China has plans to build its own space station by 2020 and may decide to send astronauts to the moon. It is considered unlikely that the Chinese will be joining the International Space Station in the foreseeable due to the political tensions between China and the US.
I always find stories of Chinese advances and ambitions to be kind of amusing. After people in the US have accomplished something, a similar group in China seems to have the attitude that "they've done it, now we will too!" Chinese aspirations to the prestige and standard of living seen in Western countries are coming into reality, which is a great thing but also conjures the image of a child imitating their parents rather than finding their own independence. The Chinese space program, like the Chinese market for American beer and KFC, is expanding. I would rather hear about investment strategies that do not mimic those of the US, such as Chinese investment in Africa, because if we're merely being copied then innovation isn't really taking place.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20280860
I always find stories of Chinese advances and ambitions to be kind of amusing. After people in the US have accomplished something, a similar group in China seems to have the attitude that "they've done it, now we will too!" Chinese aspirations to the prestige and standard of living seen in Western countries are coming into reality, which is a great thing but also conjures the image of a child imitating their parents rather than finding their own independence. The Chinese space program, like the Chinese market for American beer and KFC, is expanding. I would rather hear about investment strategies that do not mimic those of the US, such as Chinese investment in Africa, because if we're merely being copied then innovation isn't really taking place.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20280860
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