December 2011
1 post
February 2011
3 posts
“After handling these all day—well, you don’t want to know what I dream...”
– For New Year, Chinese Shell Out Big for Tribes’ Geoducks - WSJ.com
January 2011
2 posts
“It’s like arriving at a major construction project with nothing but a...”
– Lower Costs and Better Care for Neediest Patients : The New Yorker
December 2010
1 post
“This is like voting Goliath into the Biblical Hall of Fame and keeping out...”
– Put Marvin Miller in The Baseball Hall of Fame
Understanding the Level 3-Comcast Spat (FAQ) →
If you were under the impression that Comcast is in the wrong, you really need to read this.
(via Timothy B. Lee)
November 2010
12 posts
“Well, it’s not really the right word, but freedom is kind of a hobby with...”
– “Flashback: Penn Jillette Calls Cops on Groping TSA Agent” (via Jack Shedd)
Gold and the Periodic Table of the Elements →
An interesting Planet Money piece exploring the various reasons why humans have used gold as money instead of other elements.
The 'Israelification' of Airports: High Security,... →
“Even today with the heightened security in North America, they will check your items to death. But they will never look at you, at how you behave. They will never look into your eyes … and that’s how you figure out the bad guys from the good guys.”
It’s clear that the Israelis have an impressive track record on maintaining airport security without sacrificing...
2 tags
Boston Tea Party: Protectionist Sabotage →
The Boston Tea Party was organized to protest trade liberalization, not excessive taxation. Interesting that ignorance is behind the modern movement’s decision to co-opt its legacy.
2 tags
Hakuna Matata as Heard Around the World
This clip shows that Disney really doesn’t mess around when it comes to dubbing character voices for foreign markets:
October 2010
1 post
Andy Warhol on America and Coca-Cola
I came across an interesting passage today, from The Philosophy of Andy Warhol by Andy Warhol:
What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A...
June 2010
2 posts
iPad in The Incredibles?
While re-watching The Incredibles this evening with my family, I couldn’t help but fixate on the communication device Mirage sends to Robert Parr (Mr. Incredible) so she can make initial contact to offer him a job disabling the Omnidroid. It’s shocking just how much the device resembles an Apple iPad:
Despite the resemblance, I think it’s probably safe to assume that the...
A Letter to the Producers of Dinosaur Train
To whom it may concern,
I enjoy watching Dinosaur Train every morning with my son. At first, I found the premise of the show to be thoroughly preposterous. Over time, however, I came to recognize the brilliance of your fine program. So much so, that I’ve decided to pursue a new career in childrens’ television programming. I’ve written a number of Dinosaur Train story...
April 2010
2 posts
Why I won't buy an iPad (and think you shouldn't,... →
Cory Doctorow on the iPad:
For a company whose CEO professes a hatred of DRM, Apple sure has made DRM its alpha and omega. Having gotten into business with the two industries that most believe that you shouldn’t be able to modify your hardware, load your own software on it, write software for it, override instructions given to it by the mothership (the entertainment industry and the phone...
February 2010
0 posts
Animation Watched on January 31, 2010
Victory Through Air Power (1943, directed by Perce Pearce, James Algar, Clyde Geronimi, Jack Kinney, and H.C. Potter)
“Four Methods of Flush Riveting” (1942, directed by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation)
“Reason and Emotion” (1943, directed by Bill Roberts)
“Seven Wise Dwarfs” (1941, directed by Ford L. Beebe)
“The Thrifty Pig” (1941,...
November 2009
1 post
That's Despicable
When turned upside-down, the Dodge Viper emblem looks a lot like Daffy Duck:
October 2009
1 post
‘The Crewcuts Were Cover Artists’
Don McLean on the incorrect use of the term “cover”:
Back in the days of black radio stations and white radio stations (i.e. segregation), if a black act had a hot record the white kids would find out and want to hear it on “their” radio station. This would prompt the record company to bring a white act into the recording studio and cut an exact, but white, version of the song to give...
August 2009
6 posts
Animation Watched on August 11, 2009
“Big Top Bunny” (1951, directed by Robert McKimson)
“My Bunny Lies Over the Sea” (1948, directed by Chuck Jones)
“Wabbit Twouble” (1941, directed by Bob Clampett)
“The Prince and the Pauper” (1990, directed by George Scribner)
“The Truth About Mother Goose” (1957, directed by Wolfgang Reitherman and Bill Justice)
The...
Animation Watched on August 8, 2009
Peter Pan (1953, directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske)
This full-length animated feature is available on DVD.
Cockfighting with José Carioca
I find it more than a little bit strange that Disney will go to extreme lengths to remove depictions of cigarette smoking from the “Pecos Bill” segment in the Region 1 DVD release of Melody Time, yet choose to leave this bizarre COCKFIGHTING dance sequence intact as part of the “Baía” segment on The Three Caballeros DVD.
To be clear, I’m not saying they should have...
Animation Watched on August 4, 2009
The Three Caballeros (1944, directed by Norman Ferguson) This film is available on DVD, bundled along with Saludos Amigos.
Like Yosemite Sam Without Hair...
On the occasions in which Yosemite Sam would fall victim to either electrocution or an explosion, he would usually lose his trademark facial hair for the remainder of the gag. I recently mentioned this to a friend and I had wanted to show him a picture, but I couldn’t find one anywhere online. I finally got around to taking some stills, which you can see below.
I find that a hairless...
Animation Watched on August 2, 2009
“Big House Bunny” (1950, directed by Friz Freleng)
“Rabbit’s Kin” (1952, directed by Robert McKimson)
These shorts are included on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.
July 2009
33 posts
Animation Watched on July 30, 2009
“Bully for Bugs” (1953, directed by Chuck Jones)
“What’s Up Doc?” (1950, directed by Robert McKimson)
These shorts are included on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.
Animation Watched on July 29, 2009
“The Wise Little Hen” (1934, directed by Wilfred Jackson)
“The Golden Touch” (1935, directed by Walt Disney)
“Ben and Me” (1953, directed by Hamilton Luske)
These shorts are all included on Walt Disney’s Timeless Tales: Volume 3.
Animation Watched on July 28, 2009
“Baseball Bugs” (1946, directed by Friz Freleng)
“Long-Haired Hare” (1949, directed by Chuck Jones)
“High Diving Hare” (1949, directed by Friz Freleng)
“Rabbit Seasoning” (1952, directed by Chuck Jones)
These shorts are included on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.
Don Bluth's Cyber Garage Project
Don Bluth is currently in the process of producing a three-minute short using classical animation techniques as a collaborative educational exercise to help give the students of his online animation school some actual hands-on experience. I’ve been keeping an eye on the school’s forums to follow the progress of the students working on the project and it’s been fascinating to...
Animation Watched on July 27, 2009
“The Country Cousin” (1936, directed by Wilfred Jackson)
“Ferdinand the Bull” (1938, directed by Dick Rickard)
“The Ugly Duckling” (1939, directed by Jack Cutting)
These shorts are included on Walt Disney’s Timeless Tales: Volume 2.
Animation Watched on July 26, 2009
Superman: Doomsday (2007, directed by Bruce Timm, Lauren Montgomery, and Brandon Vietti)
This full-length animated feature is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
It's Like Garfield, Only It's Actually Funny
Simon’s Cat is a brilliant series of animated shorts produced in Flash by Simon Tofield and distributed on YouTube. The newest short, titled “Fly Guy” was released today.
I particularly like the rhythm and pacing of Tofield’s shorts. The cat, it should be said, has perfect comedic timing.
Animation Watched on July 24, 2009
“Three Little Pigs” (1933, directed by Burton Gillett)
“The Pied Piper” (1933, directed by Wilfred Jackson)
“The Grasshopper and the Ants” (1934, directed by Wilfred Jackson)
“Tortoise and the Hare” (1935, directed by Wilfred Jackson)
These shorts are all included on Walt Disney’s Timeless Tales: Volume 1.
Animation Watched on July 23, 2009
“Rabbit of Seville” (1950, directed by Chuck Jones)
This short is included on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.
Animation Watched on July 22, 2009
“The Legend of Johnny Appleseed” from Melody Time (1948, directed by Wilfred Jackson)
“Pecos Bill” from Melody Time (1948, directed by Clyde Geronimi)
These shorts are best viewed on the Region 2 PAL format DVD release of Melody Time, as significant cuts were made to the American release of “Pecos Bill” to eliminate all depictions of cigarette smoking.
The Taxonomy of Cartoon Automobiles
It recently occurred to me that anthropomorphized cartoon automobiles can be separated into two distinct groups. The first group consists mostly of convertible or open-top vehicles with eyes formed by the headlamps:
Benny the Cab from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Speed Buggy
A second distinct group consists of characters with enclosed passenger compartments and eyes that magically appear as part...
Animation Watched on July 21, 2009
“Duck Amuck” (1953, directed by Chuck Jones)
“Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century” (1953, directed by Chuck Jones)
These shorts are included on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.
Animation Watched on July 20, 2009
“The Story of Anyburg, USA” (1957, directed by Clyde Geronomi)
“Paul Bunyan” (1958, directed by Les Clark)
“A Symposium on Popular Songs” (1962, directed by Bill Justice)
These shorts are available on the second disc of Walt Disney Tresures: Disney Rarities, Celebrated Shorts: 1920s–1960s.
Animation Watched on July 19, 2009
“Sunday Go to Meetin’ Time” (1936, directed by Friz Freleng)
“Uncle Tom’s Bungalow” (1937, directed by Tex Avery)
“The Isle of Pingo Pongo” (1938, directed by Tex Avery)
These shorts are constituents of the Censored Eleven. As such, they are not officially available in any licensed anthologies, although they can be found easily on YouTube.
Animation Watched on July 18, 2009
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988, directed by Robert Zemekis)
This film is available on Netflix Watch Instantly, as well as on a Vista series DVD.
Animation Watched on July 17, 2009
“Ballot Box Bunny” (1950, directed by Friz Freleng)
“Water, Water Every Hare” (1950, directed by Chuck Jones)
These shorts are all included on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1.
'And Now,' Cried John Lasseter, 'Let the Wild...
John Lasseter’s 1983 animation test for Disney’s unrealized adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are has hit YouTube.