Did you know that Stanley Kubrick’s last film Eyes Wide Shut was the movie version of a German story called Traumnovelle (Rhapsody: A Dream Novel, or also known simply as Dream Story) by Arthur Schnitzler? The book was even made into a movie in 1969 and is free on Youtube. Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut is a near identical re-creation with some updated scenes but same themes.
If you want to read the original book, it’s available for free.
A great little video about observation
This didn’t happen this year, nor hasn’t happened in many years, but always good info for new/visiting priests:
The original Tron movie came out in 1982 – and was a huge reason I became a computer programmer and got into real-time graphics (thanks Sid Mead). Before the Tron: Legacy movie came out in 2010, Monolith game studio came out with the game Tron 2.0. I still have my big box version of this game, and right now it’s only $2.09 and the Steam version appears to work on Steamdeck just fine.
I remember many good hours with this game. It was a really good spiritual successor to the original movie, had a great soundtrack, and even had some interesting early graphics effects like real-time glow.
Links:
Karolina Żebrowska knows a ton about historical clothes. Sadly, she has to put up with largely ignorant modern period showmakers who make incorrect accusations about sexism of women’s fashions from the past. Here she re-enacts what happens when writers/self-styled designers try to bully experts like Karolina by (as one person put it) ‘basically wanting to produce a slightly altered fanfic they wrote when they were 13.’
Definitely check out her other videos on how modern sensibilities, including many modern gender commentators, actually get what was going on in the past completely wrong. But can you blame them? After all, almost none of those gender and similar degrees actually study the actual history, design, or the societies they are denouncing. They just study the criticisms of them.
Covid has changed things. Even in 2023, international travel still muted and people have been doing more domestic travel. That means open US attractions are somewhat overrun. There’s been a lot of bad press that Disney theme parks are terribly overcrowded, dropping the annual pass and switching to a much maligned Genie Pass system (dropping a functional but much mutated Fastpass) and have gigantic wait times (with averages for some rides over 130 minutes).
All of this has caused lawsuits and the ousting of previous Disney president Bob Chapek who is largely seen as badly handling most of these problems. It appears that the new/returning Disney president Bob Iger is restoring annual passes and seen as righting the struggling Disney ship.
Now what about avoiding those 2 hour wait lines? Filming is still allowed in the parks and Youtube channels like Attractions 360, DocumentDisney, WDW and others have created amazing 4k ride videos of just about every ride at every single Disney park – in the world. Many even have multiple copies that include seasonal theming. So now only can visit and ride your favorite ride whenever you want – and each of the other versions in other countries. Though some of those other countries have modified the rides in interesting cultural ways.
Here’s a good example. The Haunted Mansion (a personal favorite) is in 4 different locations: California Disneyland, Florida Disneyworld, Tokyo Disneyland, and Paris Disneyland. I prefer these because there is no commentary or cheesy music. You hear everything including everyone is saying – which is just about the same experience as being there.
Not that one? How about the one in Florida.
Not that? How about the Tokyo Disney Haunted Mansion.
Oh, not that one? Then How about the Paris Haunted Mansion?
I love to travel, but during Covid that was not really a thing. Even if you did travel, it was a very muted experience as most places you would visit were closed, severely restricted, and (my personal real goals) of interacting with local culture/food/people severely curtailed. Even in 2023 many cities are nothing like what they were pre-Covid, and I suspect that travel and tourism is going to look very different as we come back out of Covid.
Even with that, like many, I turned online. I have been amazed how many YouTube channels have 4k and higher video quality visits to just about anywhere in the world: Disneyland in Tokyo, Palace of Versailles, Assisi, St Petersburg Russia, inside the Great Pyramids, Chongquing cave shopping, etc. If you can imagine a place, someone has almost certainly done a very high quality 4k video walkthrough of it – or ride through of it.
Recently I started watching the various Sound and Light shows of the various Egyptian locations. I was inspired by a scene in the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me which features the famous show at the Great Pyramids.
Philae, Temple of Osiris:
Karnak Sound and Light Show:
Great Pyramids:
Cup Noodles has entered the breakfast market. The ramen noodles in sauce — as opposed to broth — are covered in “classic breakfast flavors including fluffy pancakes, sweet maple syrup, and hearty sausage and eggs to create a delicious and satisfying meal.”
The Scoppio del Carro (“Explosion of the Cart”) is a folk tradition of Florence, Italy.
On the morning of Easter Sunday, the 30-foot-tall antique cart (in use for over 500 years), moves from the Porta al Prato to the Piazza del Duomo. It is hauled by a team of white oxen festooned with garlands of the first flowers and herbs of spring. The cart is escorted by 150 soldiers, musicians, and people in 15th century dress.
Meanwhile, a fire is struck using the historic flints from Jerusalem at Chiesa dei Santi Apostoli. It is then carried in procession to the cathedral square by members of the Pazzi family, clerics, and city officials.
The cart is loaded with fireworks while a wire, stretching to the high altar inside the cathedral, is fitted with a mechanical dove (the “colombina”). Shortly thereafter, at the singing of the Gloria in excelsis Deo during Easter Mass, the cardinal of Florence lights a fuse in the colombina with the Easter fire. It then speeds through the church to ignite the cart outside. It ignites the cart, then speeds back inside the church. During all of these stages, the bells of Giotto’s campanile ring out.
The complex fireworks show from the cart lasts about 20 minutes. A successful display from the “Explosion of the Cart” is supposed to guarantee a good harvest, stable civic life, and good business.
“Inspiration is for amateurs – the rest of us just show up and get to work.” – Painter and printmaker Chuck Close
In this GDC talk, Raph Koster explains what science tells us about creativity – what it is, and what it isn’t. Contrary to popular belief, creative work is not best arrived at by connecting with some ethereal muse, being a tortured, moody arteeest type, nor just sitting around waiting for inspiration. Creativity is also not just adding a very simple mechanic to something that already exists or re-skinning something in a new way.
Instead, the data tells us that creativity is something that can be developed, is a fairly straightforward process, and you can cause to happen when desired. I agree with him, and would also say even further: working in your field every day has connected me with some of my most interesting creative ideas – ideas that have payed me well and won awards. It was boring, everyday work that showed me what people were interested in, and then my curiosity lead me to new connections.
Favorite points from his talk: