Thunder

Earlier this week, via Twitter and an official press release, we got our first look at the new Thundercats. I'm not personally 100% sold on the new look, but I'm not disappointed either. 

I've caught a few of the classic episodes on Teletoon Retro recently and they don't hold up as much as I'd have liked them to. GI Joe seems to have a certain campy appeal to it, and Transformers a little less so... but the Thundercats episodes I've seen were kinda weak. To be fair, however, I think they were all really early episodes, so perhaps it got better as it went along; I remember being much happier with the post- Season 1 plotlines involving the 'new' Cats (Bengali, etc.) who were found to have also escaped from Thundera (e.g., the made-for-tv movie/mini-series). Actually, looking at the wikipedia episode guide, I think it may have been the number of five-part plot arcs that made it better; racing home from school every day for a week to see what would happen next.

Whatever the case, and my previous, childhood series -bias aside, I'll be keeping an eye out for this new show. I don't imagine that I'll have the same attachment to it as I did some twenty years ago, but it might be fun to watch for a bit. What do you think of the new look? Were you a fan of the original series? The comics?

» Found at: Thundercats Lair forums

Animated

 

I don't even really know what to say about this.  I don't remember where I found it, but I thought it was funny at the time.  Since then, I've gone back a few times to look and laugh at it (which I always seem to do).

For whatever reason, James van der Beek (yes, Dawson from Dawson's Creek) has started a tumblr site wherein he's posting animated gifs of himself doing various emotions and whatnot.  It's funny (and a tiny bit crude, at times)... but mostly it's just funny.  You'll also notice that he's working with Funny or Die which has produced some pretty funny things in the past (and which is, thankfully, blocked at work so I can get some stuff done).

So, the next time you want to know how to properly express that "oh, that was a good one!" feeling or the perfect way to give that "nostalgic" looking- into- the- distance face, this is the place to be.

» Found at: James Van Der Memes

Dive

I haven't even finished reading this, and I'm sure that I'm way behind the curve on even knowing that this excellent resource, Dive into HTML5, was out there, but from what I have read so far, it's quite awesome.  Written in easy-to-understand language, with an incredible "history" of the evolution of (x)html to start – do not skip this part! – this free resource is the perfect starting point for those interested in HTML5, covering everything from the canvas element, video and embeds, geolocation, new form controls, etc., etc.

Once you have finished reading through this resource, A List Apart is a great place to find more information... or, more specifically, A Book Apart. This series of "brief books for people who make websites" looks fantastic.  They have released two books so far, with two more already on the way.  I've previously read (and still own) books Dan Cederholm (and ALA's founder, Jeffrey Zeldman) which are excellent, so I imagine the quality of these references will be nothing less than that.

So, although the holidays are over, these are some excellent references that are either free or very affordably priced for anyone who had a resolution set around working on the web. If you're going to do it, you might as well do it right (and with the right tools around to help you out).

» Found at: Dive into HTML5

Somewhere

Jason Kottke beat me to it (indirectly), but the annual IMP (Internet Movie Poster) Awards are almost here; nominations will be announced next week. Along with this annual mini-event, a few "best movie posters of 2010" lists have appeared as well. Both First Showing.net (which I read a few times a week) and Mubi (a site I'd never heard of previous to Jason's post) have published their lists now and, while different, showcase some nice eye-candy.

The poster I've selected above may not be my favourite of the year -- I don't imagine I have one; I don't follow movie posters all that closely, but as you can see from this site, they do seem to catch my eye often enough! -- but the retro, lomo -feel of Sofia Coppola's Somewhere poster is really impressive I think. I don't know what else to say about it really, but I love the balance, the general feel of the image, the way the building is poking over the trees, the font treatment... it's just really caught my eye (and I don't know the first thing about the film!).

Regarding top-10 lists (a follow-up):
I realize that posting about a new set of top-10 lists within a week of my previous linkage to an editorial about how top-10 lists are silly seems bizarre, but like Matthew's comment to my previous post says, how else can we weed through the incredible amount of data (numerical, graphical, audible, etc.) that is out there in today's world without having someone point us in "the right direction"? Now, your "right direction" and my "right direction" may be two totally different directions, but if I know that I like a lot of things that you do, then why wouldn't I want to know what else you like? And, if I don't have time to explore everything else that you like, why wouldn't I want to know what you like best?  And second best?  And go from there? 

For anyone who has ever (seriously) made a top-10 list of their own, about something they're passionate about, you know that it takes far more time and effort and consideration that one might think looking only at the end result. Yes, in the end you have a list of ten items, preceeded by the numbers one-to-ten written out, but you've likely considered tens if not hundreds of items (and all the nuances of those items) before settling on this final list. Same goes for making a quality mix-tape/cd; in the end you have ~20 tracks grouped together, but you've likely pulled those songs from a collection of hundreds, if not thousands, of potential songs.

Should everything be distilled down into a top-10 list? Obviously not. But do they have their place? Certainly I think they do... and I'm both a supporter and an author of such things.

» Found at:  IMP Awards for 2010

Ten

I'm a sucker for top-10 lists; I even compile my own "best albums" list at the end of each year based on other top-10 lists. That said, Seattle Weekly columnist, John Roderick has put together a good reminder about top-10 lists that is worth a read ... especially for any other like-minded top-10 fans like myself.  It is, of course, presented as a top-10 list, so let me present you with an example to whet your appetite before you click the link below:

3. If you are too busy to discover new albums for yourself, the last thing you need is a list of more albums to buy. You should take a hot bath instead. I hear this from people all the time: They love top-10 lists because it helps them discover new music, as if discovering new music was some epic, heroic quest. I wonder--did they listen thoroughly to every record they bought last year? Did they listen to them all the way through, even? The people making records are still spending months and years on them, while the people buying them are munching through them like corn chips. Slow down.

This is something I've been saying since the dawn of the iTMS: music is becoming so disposable these days and this makes me sad. I love the album... a proper, well-ordered collection of songs, I mean; not just a collection of radio-friendly singles. I love the journey it can take you on.

Yes, I'm guilty of number four on his list, and as I mentioned above, also guilty of number five, but I still agree with what he says here. Good points and it looks like he's got a number of other good articles that I'll have to go back and enjoy as well.

Happy New Year!

» Found at: Seattle Weekly's Reverb Residency column