Thursday, December 19, 2019

Bob Iger Wants To Meet With Martin Scorsese Over His 'Nasty' Marvel Movie Comments

Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney Corporation, recently stated that he thought Martin Scorsese’s comments regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe were “nasty” and “not fair” to the people who worked on them. The Hollywood Reporter got their hands on a new Time interview in which Bob made his remarks. Bob Iger Wants To Meet With Martin Scorsese Over His 'Nasty' Marvel Movie Comments.
Many people on Twitter, including the CEO of Disney himself, haven’t forgiven Martin for saying Marvel movies weren’t “true cinema.” Mr. Iger claimed Martin was the kind of artist who wanted to take risks, however, that doesn’t mean Disney movies and other Marvel creations can’t be considered art.
Furthermore, Iger admitted he and some of Scorsese’s representatives were planning on sitting down for a chat regarding his opinion. As most know, Martin’s previous statements have been on top of the entertainment news headlines for months.
As it was previously reported, filmmakers like Joss Whedon, James Gunn, and Kevin Feige, all defended Marvel against The Irishman director’s comments, with many of them saying they loved Martin’s movies, however, they couldn’t get behind what he said.
Additionally, this wouldn’t be the first time Bob has mentioned Martin’s Empire interview. Speaking with BBC Radio earlier this year, Bob thought out loud that he thought Scorsese hadn’t even watched a Marvel movie before.
Bob stated it wasn’t possible for a person to sit through a Marvel movie and not feel like it wasn’t a great film. However, some of the other more critically acclaimed directors have similar opinions, including Francis Ford Coppola in addition to Jon Favreau. Coppola was even less sensitive, saying the movies were “despicable.”
Since then, Martin hasn’t backed down at all from his original statement, even saying at the London Film Festival and in a New York Times opinion story that the films were “market-researched, audience-tested, vetted, modified, revetted, and remodified,” until they were finally suitable for the public’s enjoyment.
Whether or not Martin’s comments are justifiable or not, Scorsese’s latest movie has exceeded expectations, becoming one of Netflix’s best movies. In fact, within the first month of its release, it has been viewed by 26 million households.

Wasteland 2 Is Now Being Offered For Free Through GOG For A Limited Time

There are a lot of platforms offering a ton of free games. It’s December so the giving spirit is alive and well. One of these platforms is GOG.com. Right now, PC users can pick up the popular Wasteland 2 from inXile Entertainment. However, this deal is a limited-time offering. 48 hours is the window that interested gamers have before this great title will no longer be available for free. Wasteland 2 Is Now Being Offered For Free Through GOG For A Limited Time.
Considering that Wasteland 3 is set to come out next year, this is the perfect game to tide you over. It really has a lot going for it. For one, there is a ton of gameplay to dive deep into. There are — in fact — a total of 80 hours to enjoy from start to finish. That’s plenty of time to experience the post-apocalyptic themes that are so prevalent.
The survivors of the Wasteland are doing their best to make it through each day. It’s up to your squad of Desert Rangers to preserve justice and fend off the bevvy of threats this game throws at you left and right. Even more impressive is the ripple effect that’s incorporated in Wasteland 2. The decisions your squad make have an impact on the remaining survivors. Even simple acts can ripple over, setting a course of events that you probably didn’t originally foresee. That’s what makes this game so exciting because you never know really what to expect.
If you like variety, then Wasteland 2 is an amazing addition to your PC collection. There are literally hundreds of characters you’ll get to manage. Every single one has unique characteristics that make you appreciate all of the details that were put into this game.
This is also a thinking man’s game. You won’t be able to come half-ready into battle. Every decision you make on the battlefield counts for something, and sometimes, you scrape by just barely for the next wave of attacks. The entire time, you’re thinking about ways to adjust your squad to make them better suited for all that’s up ahead.
That’s not all, either. Those who visit GOG and pick up Wasteland 2 also will get a copy of the original Wasteland. It’s the title that started it all for this beloved series. It’s the perfect two-pack to experience before hitting the third installment hard when it releases early next year. That’s quite the value that you don’t often see from major developers today. Act now before it’s too late.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Ragnarok Game, The Publishers Of Rune II, Files A Lawsuit Against Human Head Studios For Turning Their Back On The Game

Currently, the lawsuit stated that Human Head studios did not reveal its pending acquisition by Bethesda, and now they wouldn’t return Rune II assets. Saying the launch of the Viking action-RPG Rune II was impressive would be a little exaggerating.
It started on November 12, when the game went live on the Epic Games Store only for Human Head Studios to abandon the game in November 2013, literally the same door they came back to the game but this time as Bethesda-owned Roundhouse Studios.
So the next day, the publisher of Rune II, Ragnarok Game reassured fans that though they lost a developer, the game would continue to actively supported along with the planned post-launch content. They went on to say this wasn’t their expectation by saying in a statement ‘we found out about this news when you did.’ Ragnarok Game, The Publishers Of Rune II, Files A Lawsuit Against Human Head Studios For Turning Their Back On The Game.
However, Ragnarok allegedly said Human Head in a post today in the Rune II forum, stating that the studio refused to give the final source code and the game assets, despite several requests to submit the necessary information. On that note, Ragnarok Games made decisions by filing a lawsuit against the studio.
The lawsuit clearly states that the development did not go smoothly. They said, ‘for instance, the initial schedule set which was 11 ‘milestones’ but due to Human Head lackluster management, errors, and delays, which ultimately stretched to 23 milestones, of which Ragnarok had to pay for.’
They also said that Human Head Studio suddenly stopped communicating and unavailable for a couple of weeks before the launch of Rune II. And that on November November 7, three days before the final release, Human Head’s ex-COO Ben Gokey told his plight to Ragnarok that the studio was closing—but didn’t tell Ragnarok that Bethesda had paid a lump sum for Human Head Studios.
The new Roundhouse Studios and Human Head have the exact business address ‘1741 Commercial Ave, Madison, Wisconsin. The same employees of Human Head studios and heads in the same physical space were replicated as Bethesda’s Roundhouse Studios just a few days after the launch of Rune II‘ according to the lawsuit.
Ragnarok was caught unawares of these developments and only was aware from the press, also with the audience. What is surprising here is Ragnarok’s effort to reach out to Human Head Studio’s COO on November November 8 to ask about the employees, Gokey said that would be a problem. Still, the issues he didn’t mention was that those employees are on the verge of becoming Bethesda employees.
The issue now is Human Head Studios is refusing to hand over the final source code of Rune II and its assets so that Ragnarok would make further payments for Human Head’s Unfinished deliverables. The lawsuit also states that though Bethesda now owns human Head Studios, and against their initial publisher’s instructions. Human Head did not only keep their part of the agreement, but they also uploaded and tried to launch a refashioned and unaccepted Rune II build to the Epic Games Store Staging.
Finally, Ragnarok lawsuit demands the return of the game assets and final source code (property), the restoration of their financial reimbursement, and at least a sum of $100 million in compensation. Until now, Bethesda representative hasn’t replied to the current situation.
What could happen next? Let’s hope it all ends well because Rune II is too good of a game to ignore!!

Amanda Bynes Posts Her First Photo On IG In Three Months

Earlier this week, Amanda Bynes posted on her Instagram for the first time in approximately three months claims a new report from Page Six. As most know, Amanda Bynes has struggled with addiction issues, mental health problems, and other legal dramas for years.
The 33-year-old Nickelodeon actress shared a selfie of herself sporting ice-blue hair along with the caption, “Geisha girl vibes.” Bynes appeared to have turned off the commenting section of the photo, probably due to accusations of cultural appropriation.
Back in April of this year, even Rihanna had to cancel a face product with the name, “Geisha Chic,” after fans of hers, and other anonymous social media users complained about the “fetishization of Japanese culture.” Amanda Bynes Posts Her First Photo On IG In Three Months.
On the 10th of September, 2019, Bynes took to her social media again following her past statements regarding how difficult it was to use the platform. In the past, Bynes admitted she had a love-hate relationship with social media.
According to a report from Suzy Kerr on the 26th of September, Amanda Bynes’s mental state and addiction struggles have increased over the years. For instance, the star had to live in a sober living home and was “taking one day at a time” following her exit from rehab in June of the same year.
Insiders who spoke with the publication stated Amanda’s family thought it would be best if she stayed in the facility because she wasn’t “doing well.” Following her celebration of three years of sobriety, Amanda relapsed in January.
She was purportedly trying to get her name back in the public eye again, however, reports stated it was “too much” and “too soon.” As it was noted above, for years, Amanda has struggled with addiction problems, including alcohol and drugs, a stark contrast to the persona she portrayed growing up on the Nickelodeon channel.
Additionally, The Blast reported that Amanda was heading to court in Ventura County for her conservatorship case regarding who will help take care of her. Reportedly, Bynes’s problems intensified when she allegedly tried to light her dog on fire in Thousand Oaks, California, in 2013.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Essay on Fashion

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Numbers Aren’t Everything.

But… not all metrics are the same.
In the social media/marketing/IT world we are very fond of data. I’ve said numbers aren’t everything, but more true to the point is that some numbers are important and some numbers are not. While I do agree having a large number of followers looks good (and I’d be lying if I wasn’t proud by the fact that I’ve grown my following to over 50,000 on Twitter), there are other metrics that I feel are more useful and important. How about…
  • How many people engage with you on a regular basis
  • How many Twitter lists people have added you to
  • Shock horror- how many leads and sales social media is driving!
  • How much traffic to your website your social efforts are driving
Let’s stop looking at the number of fans and followers and look at the things that matter!
However, you’ve stumbled across this article, so you are curious aren’t you?

How to Buy your Followers

There are plenty of services out there which claim to boost your numbers. Many say they can boost your numbers quickly. Some services offer to do this for free and some require payment.  There are a number of different methods that they can employ.
  1. Aggressive Following Technique. (Twitter Only) By following a large number of people each day, waiting for them to follow you, then unfollow those who don’t follow you back it is possible to artificially increase your followers very quickly. This goes against Twitter’s terms and conditions and so is definitely to be avoided. There is nothing wrong with following or unfollowing a large number of people every now and again, but if Twitter think you are aggressively trying to increase your followers by follower/unfollower churn methods, you are likely to get your account suspended. Note- a service will need you to give permission for it to access your Twitter account in order to follow Twitter accounts
  2. Zombie Account Following(Facebook & Twitter) By paying a 3rd party you can get 100s, 1000s of even 10,000s of followers or likes. Generally each supplier has a database of twitter or Facebook “zombie” accounts that they can use to follow or like you. These are usually completely inactive accounts, sometimes with random names with jumbled up letters and numbers.

Why is Buying Followers so Bad?

When you buy followers or fans, you aren’t getting people who are interested or willing to engage with you. You are merely buying numbers. After paying for followers/fans or engaging in aggressive follower churn, you are likely to get a large number of fake accounts amongst your number. Blogger, Zach Bussey, decided to do an experiment and create a new Twitter account and Buy Instagram Followers. Overnight the number of followers of his new Twitter account increased to a whopping 26,000! It got interesting when he analyzed the results and looked at the Twitter accounts that these fake accounts followed. Doing this enabled him to have a good guess on other people who had paid for followers!

#2 You end up spamming your followers.

This isn’t always the case, but some even more evil Twitter Follower services ask to access your Twitter account to send out multiple messages advertising their way of increasing people’s followers. This is just going to annoy your followers and give you a bad name, which brings me on to…

#3 Loss of Integrity and Reputation.

In this post-modern (or post-post-modern!) world we live in, morality is perhaps more difficult to define since everyone has a different view of what morality is. However, it is fair to say that people see buying followers as a rather immoral thing to do. People view it as you trying to appear more popular than you are and doing it by dodgy means. People may not know that you’ve bought followers, but going from 30 followers or likes to 30,000 in the space of a couple of days is bound to get people suspicious, and then your integrity and reputation could well be in tatters.

#4 You’ll get found out!

In fact, a lot of people are currently getting found out. It is fairly easy to find out the names of people who are being followed by fake accounts as I mentioned in the first point. However, a new tool on the block is making it even easier. The Fake Followers Check check from Status people analyses your followers to see how many are fake. The interesting thing is you can do the analysis on other accounts too.

Monday, October 28, 2019

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Predictive Analytics World is a series of conferences around the world that are focused on analytics. Each event in each different city is focused on its own theme. For example, in Chicago there are two simultaneous events: one focused on manufacturing and one focused on business. In Washington, D.C., the conference is focused on how government agencies use data analysis. Many of the other conferences are focused on business in general and can appeal to anyone interested in learning more about data analysis and upcoming trends in predictive analytics.

Predictive Analytics World

While this is a single blog post rather than an ongoing publication, I still think worth including here as a helpful resource. I get asked about my favorite Excel tips all the time, so I finally decided to compile some of the most common ones into a single blog post listing 14 simple Excel shortcuts, tips, and tricks.

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Sunday, October 27, 2019

Green Image Lawn Carein Stone Oak, TX


I love serving my grass cutting customers in Stone Oak Texas. People in Stone Oak understand the value and understand quality when it comes to finding a reliable and affordable grass cutting service. I have been building up my lawn maintenance clientele in North San Antonio and every time I pick up a new grass cutting customer on GreenPal that lives in Stone Oak I get excited because I'm trying to build up more of my lawn maintenance route in that part of town. I currently have 12 lawn maintenance clients in the Stone Oak area and I'm trying to build that up to over 30 lawns to mow this year. So that means that you'll get my best lawnmowing price when you sign up for your grass cutting prices through GreenPal and I am happy to submit that to you. Included in my landscape maintenance price that you receive on GreenPal is a weekly grass cutting or every two-week lawnmowing.

Some folks in Stone Oak ask me if I can come every three weeks or once a month and unfortunately the reality is that that's just too long to go between grass cuttings to get reliable smooth yard maintenance service. If you want a reliable lawnmowing company you really need to book them for every seven-day grass cutting or at a minimum every 14-day lawnmowing. The summers in Stone Oak and in the North San Antonio area are just so hot and then we get enough rain for the grass grow so vigorously that by the time you come back tomorrow a client’s yard in 14 days sometimes the grass can be almost knee-high, and then you can imagine every three weeks or heaven forbid every four weeks the grass can be so overgrown that the yard and turf is not manageable. This is what I'm trying to prevent when I persuade my clients to sign up for every seven-day lawnmowing's because beyond that it's very hard to keep the yard in good shape and you don't want to pay at tallgrass surcharge just because you're trying to save money on every three-week lawnmowing. So take my advice if you hire me to cut your grass or whoever you hire to mow your yard on GreenPal just keep in mind that it's best to get set up on a smooth weekly lawn maintenance cycle or every two-week grass cutting schedule. So all that being said I want to say thank you so much for considering my yard maintenance company in Stone Oak Texas no matter if you live over by Canyon Ridge Elementary School or in The Terraces at Encino Park in Stone Oak I can fit you in on Tuesdays Wednesdays and Thursdays of every week as that is when I'm in the Stone Oak neighborhood cutting grass. Thank you so much and I look for forwarding to meeting with you and providing you with consistent quality lawnmowing services this year.

Also, if you are looking for affordable yard lawn mowing service in Tyler TX we would be happy to help you out there as well as with grass cutting services nearby Schertz TX...

Friday, October 25, 2019

Black-figure pottery

Black-figure pottery, type of Greek pottery figure that originated in Corinth c. 700 BCE and continued to be popular until the advent of red-figure pottery c. 530 BCE. In black-figure painting, figures and ornamentation were drawn on the natural clay surface of a vase in glossy black pigment; the finishing details were incised into the black. The first significant use of the black-figure technique was on the Proto-Corinthian style pottery developed in Corinth in the first half of the 7th century BCE. The Corinthian painter’s primary ornamental device was the animal frieze. The Athenians, who began to use the technique at the end of the 7th century BCE, retained the Corinthian use of animal friezes for decoration until c. 550 BCE, when the great Attic painters, among them Exekias and the Amasis Painter, developed narrative scene decoration and perfected the black-figure style. Outside Corinth and Athens, the most important studios producing black-figure ware were in Sparta and eastern Greece.
  • Black-figure pottery painting, also known as the black-figure style or black-figure ceramic (Greek, μελανόμορφα, melanomorpha) is one of the styles of painting on antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BC, although there are specimens dating as late as the 2nd century BC. Stylistically it can be distinguished from the preceding orientalizing period and the subsequent red-figure pottery style.


    Athena wearing the aegis, Attic black-figured hydria by the potter Pamphaios (signed) and the Euphiletos Painter, c. 540 BC. Found in Tuscania, now in the Cabinet des Médailles, BNF, Paris

    A scene from a black-figure amphora from Athens, 6th century BC, now in the Louvre, Paris
    Figures and ornaments were painted on the body of the vessel using shapes and colors reminiscent of silhouettes. Delicate contours were incised into the paint before firing, and details could be reinforced and highlighted with opaque colors, usually white and red. The principal centers for this style were initially the commercial hub Corinth, and later Athens. Other important production sites are known to have been in Laconia, Boeotia, eastern Greece, and Italy. Particularly in Italy individual styles developed which were at least in part intended for the Etruscan market. Greek black-figure vases were very popular with the Etruscans, as is evident from frequent imports. Greek artists created customized goods for the Etruscan market which differed in form and decor from their normal products. The Etruscans also developed their own black-figure ceramic industry oriented on Greek models.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Terracotta was also popular in sub-Saharan African sculpture: it was first developed by the mysterious Nok culture of Nigeria, about 1000 BCE, and by the Igbo culture of eastern Nigeria. It was also a feature of Pre-Columbian art, beginning with the Olmec culture (1000-500 BCE).


Following the collapse of the Roman Empire (c.450), the use of terracotta declined dramatically. It wasn't until the Early Renaissance that it was properly revived as an artistic medium. Donatello and Lorenzo Ghiberti were among the first Renaissance sculptors to rediscover the potential of terracotta for making images of Christian art (notably that of the Virgin and Child): a discovery which came about through their close knowledge of bronze sculpture - the use of clay being central to the production of bronze statues. Before long, clay was being molded to replicate devotional images, and other figures, which were then fired, painted and gilded, thus creating a low-cost alternative to more expensive materials, like marble and bronze. Other artists, including the Della Robbia family, popularized the use of glazed terracotta for relief sculpture and church altarpiece art. See, for instance, the pulpit reliefs for Santa Croce in Florence (1481), by the Florentine artist Benedetto da Maiano. For more details of the Della Robbia, see works by Luca Della Robbia, as well as his nephew Andrea Della Robbia. Terracotta was also used in Renaissance portrait art, as exemplified by the wonderful Bust of Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici (later Pope Leo X) (c.1512, Victoria and Albert Museum) by Antonio de' Benintendi. Terracotta models were also used by most sculptors when submitting designs, or when creating studies for larger sculptures or for paintings. Paleolithic terracotta figures were fired in primitive kilns, created underneath open fires.


In short, Renaissance sculpture re-established terracotta as a major medium of artistic expression and creativity. During the era of Baroque sculpture, the tradition was further developed by Bernini (1598-80) and Alessandro Algardi (1598-1654), notably in the area of relief sculpture and portrait busts. During the 18th century, terracotta was explored for its decorative qualities, while the great Antonio Canova (1757-1822) continued to use it for models until he replaced it with plaster in the early 19th century.

Use of Terracotta in Architecture

During the 1860s in England and the 1870s in America, architects began using unglazed terracotta to decorate the exterior surfaces of buildings. It was used, for instance, on a number of buildings in Birmingham; on the elaborate terracotta facade of the Natural History Museum, in London; the Victoria and Albert Museum (1859–71); and the Royal Albert Hall (1867–71). Earlier, in 1842-45, St Stephen and All Martyrs' Church, at Lever Bridge in Bolton had been built almost entirely from terracotta. Curiously, terracotta received approval as a building material from the Arts and Crafts movement, since it was deemed to be a handmade material, designed by craftsmen.


In America, the Chicago School of architecture was an early convert to terracotta. The architect Louis Sullivan (1856-1924), for instance, was noted for his elaborate glazed terracotta decorations, that would have been extremely difficult to produce in any other medium. Fired clay was also used by Chicago designers Daniel Hudson Burnham (1846-1912) and John Root (1850-91) in the curtain walls of their Reliance Building (1895), and by William Le Baron Jenney who pioneered its use in skyscrapers as a way of reducing the risk of fire.

The Venus of Dolni Vestonice (c.26,000 BCE)


The Czech Venus of Dolni Vestonice (Vestonicka Venuse) is the oldest surviving item of ceramic art in the world. Roughly 4.5 inches tall and 1.7 inches wide, it was made from local clay, combined with powdered bone and baked in an earthen oven at about 700°C. One of many Venus figurines mostly sculpted during the Gravettian period of Paleolithic culture, it was discovered at a Stone Age settlement in the Moravian basin, near Brno, in the Czech Republic. It now resides in the Vienna Natural History Museum.


The Thinker of Cernavoda (5000 BCE)


One of the greatest sculptures of early art, The Thinker of Cernavoda (Ganditorul) was found in 1956 - along with a similar (female) figurine, known as The Sitting Woman of Cernavoda, amid the remains of a prehistoric settlement near Cernavoda in Romania. Its unique character and name derived from its extraordinary "thinking" pose, quite unlike the usual shape of other figures. It is dark red/brown in color, about 4.5 inches in height and is made from terracotta. It was created during the Hamangia culture (5250-4500 BCE) centered on Dobruja, between the River Danube and the Black Sea. The sculpture is completely lacking in the sort of ornamentation which is usually seen in ceramic works from the Hamangia culture. It resides in the National Museum of Romanian History, Bucharest.

The Chinese Terracotta Army Warriors (246-208 BCE)


One of the greatest works in the history of sculpture, the set of fired clay figures known as the Chinese Terracotta Army - made during the short period of Qin Dynasty art (221-206 BCE) - consists of 8,000 clay warriors and horses which were unearthed in 1974 adjacent to the tomb of the First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, in Shaanxi province, China. According to the curators of the tomb, there are many thousands of additional figures still to be uncovered. The figures were commissioned by the Emperor after he became Emperor in 247 BCE. Work started in about 246 BCE and is estimated to have taken almost 40 years to complete, using 700,000 workers. The role of the army was to serve the Emperor in the afterlife.