Archives
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
February 2004
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
November 2007
February 2008
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
February 2004
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
November 2007
February 2008
Planet Dave! Tuesday, January 31, 2006
This Spartan Life
Some of my readers may be familiar with the concept of networked video games. Add to that the ability to record video footage from the viewpoints of different people, add a script, and you have a show. (Like Red vs. Blue.) This Spartan Life is a talk show that's filmed exclusively on an online server for Halo 2. The cool thing about that is that their interviewees aren't limited by geography. In the first episode, Bob Stein talks about using that type of technology to call up his daughter in London and go for a walk. I've been doing that type of thing with World of Warcraft. I've got several friends that have moved away that I see regularly online. The really amusing thing about This Spartan Life is trying to have a interview in a setting as violent as a live Halo 2 server.
Monday, January 30, 2006
More on Kite Aerial Photography
I'm pretty sure I've posted about aerial photography from kites before, but here's another site. Check out the galleries.
On the subject of Intelligent Design...
I think this article give it the proper respect. They've got such great writing on that site.
Warcraft Art
One of the many reasons I love Warcraft is the wonderful artwork. I can't actually find anything on the site saying that these guys actually work for Blizzard, but their galleries are filled with what looks like Warcraft concept art. And hey, if you find yourself in the Barrens just North West of the Wailing Caverns entrance, be sure to pay your respects at the Shrine of the Fallen Warrior.
A Gamers' Manifesto
There are lots of good video games out there. There's also a lot of crappy ones. The really annoying thing is that most of the crappy ones are crappy for the same reasons. There are lessons to be learned here.
Top 10 Techs We Miss
Saw this over at CNet. It's a list of great technology that doesn't seem to exist any more.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Lightsaber Fight for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
For anyone who I haven't told, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra did a Star Wars pops concert last weekend, and they wanted a lightsaber fight for Duel of the Fates. I got to be a Jedi in front of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. It was really, really cool.
Videos
We weren't allowed to film anything with the orchestra on stage (stupid union rules) but I've got a couple clips of a rehearsal. I'd like to offer a disclaimer, all three of us were pretty exhausted by the time we got to do any filming. And I think it shows.
Updated Videos!!!
My friend Brad took all three videos and re-worked them. Brad, you're insane and we all love you for it. They are all a bit lower resolution (320x186), but they are all now about 26 megs, and if you have iTunes or Quicktime 7, you should be able to play them. Brad says they look great on his video iPod.
Right click the links and save them locally, please.
This one is my favorite angle: dso1.m4v.mp4
This is a close-up: dso2.m4v.mp4
And this one is sort of in between the other two: dso3.m4v.mp4
Here are the higher rez, but otherwise problem riddled other videos.
StarWars@DSO3.avi
StarWars@DSO1.mov
StarWars@DSO2.mov
Pictures
My dad got a couple shots in the lobby after the show. Here's one where I'm demonstrating the most difficult part of this whole gig. Acting in character by getting that smile off my face. My cheeks were sore for days after this gig!
Here's one with all three of us, showing off the sabers.
Russ has some screen grabs from some of the video on his LiveJournal.
As I get more pictures, I'll post them here.
Answers to questions we've received
About the choreography, Russ figures the three of us spent about 80 hours over the last two months writing and practicing this fight. Written out, the choreography is three times the length of our longest stock fight. And yes, it's exhausting. But with a 140 member orchestra/choir belting out your sound track, and the kinds of reactions we were getting from that 2000 member crowd... yeah, you don't feel exhaustion or pain during something like that.
About the sabers, no, they aren't the props that were used in the movies, and we added no FX to the videos. That's what they looked like on stage. Pretty cool, huh!?! They're Master Replica sabers. And for the record, they're not actually designed to take the punishment we subject them to. Our practice sabers are falling apart.
About the costumes, Kat made her sith costume. Russ and I borrowed most of ours from Carrie, our contact with the 501st and Rebel Legion. Everyone in both those groups does incredible things with their costumes. You've really got to see them to believe them. They're the ones that were originally contacted by the DSO about having a costumed presence at the concert. When asked about a lightsaber fight, Carrie thought of Kat who she knew through Fan Force. And the rest is history.
Random Anecdotes
The DSO was really good to us. They went out of their way to treat us like pros. The dressing rooms were better than most hotel rooms I've stayed in. Yes, I said rooms. We actually got two. Check it out, Guest Artist! Down the hall was the narrator and the conductor.
Russ and I ignited our sabers in the back and walked up the aisle. It was awesome to watch everyone in front of me watching Russ in the other aisle until I pass them, leaving murmuring and the occasional gasp in my wake.
During the concert, there's a narrator that stands up and tells the story between musical numbers. During the music, he sits down facing the audience. He's got, literally, the best seat in the house for the fight. After the dress rehearsal (the first time anyone outside of Ring got to see the fight in its final form) we were told that for the whole number, the narrator's eye were like saucers, his jaw was in his lap, and he kept gasping.
Duel of the Fates is the only number they had to run twice during the dress rehearsal. Apparently, quite a few members of the choir were watching us instead of the conductor during the first run.
In the first performance, between the first and second blocks of fighting, we heard someone in one of the front rows say, "This is so cool!" That kind of set the tone for the whole gig.
In one of the shows when Russ ignited his saber, he heard someone near him chuckle. Then when he started forward, he heard the guy say, "I think they're really going to fight!"
At one point in the lobby (not sure if it was at intermission or after the show) someone said to Russ, "When you three came up on stage, it felt like we were in the movie."
The number we fought to was Duel of the Fates, and it was fifth or sixth in the show. For the first two performances, we had the distinction of being the first thing that got applause.
Sunday before the show, the narrator talked to us about the fight. He said that he feels like he should be in character up there, and he tries to convey "passing interest" during our fight. He said half way through Saturday's fight, he gave that up "because it was just too cool!"
Before the last performance, I was talking to some of the ushers in the upper balcony. I asked them if they'd seen the fight and one of them responded, "No, this is our first day. But I hear it's the highlight of the show." (No pressure.) She found me after the show and told me that she agreed with the hype, it was, in fact, the highlight of the show.
After the show last night, Kat got to put "The Ring of Steel" on the wall back-stage as proof we had been there.
Afterthoughts
At the restaurant after the last show, Russ made the comment that we had the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and a 60 member choir... for our back up band.
Halfway to the restaurant after the last performance, on I-96, the Vader saber ignites in my back seat, all by itself. I'm not saying that means anything...
On the way home, I stopped to get some groceries. I almost signed the VISA slip "David Melcher, Jedi" the way I'd been signing autographs.
It's been almost a week since the last show, and I'm still kinda depressed that it's over.
Thanks
I know I'm not alone in wanting to thank the DSO for the incredible performance opportunity. You guys went out of your way to make us feel welcome. I want to thank Carrie, and all of the 501st and Rebel Legion for getting us the gig in the first place, for loaning us the incredible costumes, and for going out of their way to make us feel like part of the group. I definitely want to do more gigs with you guys. Russ and Kat, thank you both for letting me take part in this, despite my rather incredible lack of availability for rehearsals. I can't imagine I'd ever forget this whole experience.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Messenger's Departure
Jamie sent me this. When the Messenger spacecraft left for Mercury in August, it recorded some snapshots of Earth. When put together, the result is a cool movie of Earth receding into the distance.
These Kittens Hate America
I got this from Wil in August. He writes, "The right wing response to the Casey Sheehan story. Framed in a way we can all understand...." and included this link and this link. There seems to be a political message in there somewhere, but I can't get past the cuteness!
Balancing Point
This project consists of making piles of rocks, knocking them over, and playing it back in reverse. And it's actually really cool. If I ever get around to that Star Wars fan film, that's how I'm doing the force-pull.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Recursive Role-Playing
Ok, I think most of my readers are familiar with World of Warcraft. It's an online role-playing game. Games like this have their roots in table-top role-playing games. It's the same type of game, only the events are decided by a game master and lots of dice rolling rather than a computer. Now, playing a table-top RPG from within an online RPG that of course evolved from table-top RPGs...
Whoa, I need to sit down.
1000 Words
I saw on the J-Walk Blog that Worth1000.com has an image of the day, and a list of the best galleries. I love that site.
Worst Opening Line
From BoingBoing, "For more than two decades, San Jose State University has held a contest honoring "bad opening sentences to imaginary novels." This year's winner of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is Dan McKay, 43, from Fargo, North Dakota."
The winning opening line: "As he stared at her ample bosom, he daydreamed of the dual Stromberg carburetors in his vintage Triumph Spitfire, highly functional yet pleasingly formed, perched prominently on top of the intake manifold, aching for experienced hands, the small knurled caps of the oil dampeners begging to be inspected and adjusted as described in chapter seven of the shop manual."
Scot and Russ, I'd like to draw your attention to the runner up by Mitsy Rae. "When Detective Riggs was called to investigate the theft of a trainload of Native American fish broth concentrate bound for market, he solved the case almost immediately, being that the trail of clues led straight to the trainmaster, who had both the locomotive and the Hopi tuna tea."
Monday, January 16, 2006
Michael Palin's travel books online for free
From BoingBoing,"Former Python Michael Palin has made a name for himself lately as a brilliant travel-writer and the host of a series of excellent travel documentaries. He has put the full text of all of his amazing travel-books online for free. They're spread out across multiple html pages, unfortunately, so they're not suited to downloading for reading on your phone on the Tube in the morning, but man is this ever a step in the right direction."
Great. As though I didn't have enough books that I couldn't find time to read.
Around the World in 80 Days
Pole to Pole
Full Circle
Hemingway Adventure
Sahara with Michael Palin
Himalaya
RC Star Wars Flyers!
I kid you not! Check it out! They've got a Millenium Falcon, an X-Wing, and a Snow Speeder, to name a few.
Snails beat ADSL?
If you've ever complained that your ADSL connection is slower than a pack of snails, you may have been more right than you intended to be. No snail mail jokes, please. (Saw this over at J-Walk.)
Utah Teens Invent Better Air Conditioner
From /., "Two recent Utah high school graduates won the first-ever Ricoh Sustainable Development Award for inventing a better car air conditioner based on the Peltier effect. The peltier chips used in the device are more energy-efficient, last between 20 and 30 years, are solid-state, and don't harm the environment with ozone-depleting freon like today's car air conditioners."
Tuesday, January 03, 2006