X-Radiation

Disney just released this trailer for Disney’s A Christmas Carol on Youtube. Check it out:

[youtube]VZ3lr3urgDU[/youtube]

…And there was much sadness.

I downloaded and installed the 3.01 firmware with no issues. Rebooted the PS3. I loaded Beatles Rockband and played for about ten minutes before it froze up again. After rebooting, I could not get the game to start.

Further testing on 3.01 reveals that:
1) DVD movies play back OK
2) PS2 games (on DVD) play fine.
3) Downloaded content seems to work OK
4) PS3 does not recognize bluRay discs as a valid format.

Since most of what I do with the PS3 involves bluRay in one way or another, my system continues to be “borked”.

I tried to load both ps3 games on bluRay as well as two seperate bluRay videos I have. None were recognized by the PS3.

I cannot play any bluRay content.

Total bummer.

I got my copy of The Beatles Rockband on Nein! Nein! Nein! looking forward to a Saturday afternoon of enjoyable entertainment and great music. The game insisted that I upgrade my PS3 firmware to the new 3.00 release. OK, no problem. I’ve done this before. Everything seems OK.

Game starts up and I plug in the drum controller. CRASH! Power Cycle. Reboot.

(more…)

My proposal for a crowd animation course at SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 in December in Yokohama, Japan has been approved! I’m really looking forward to organizing this course and attending the conference. We’ve got some stellar talent presenting at this course representing work from Pixar, ImageMovers Digtial, Digital Frontier, Massive Software and OLM Digital. More info to come!

My friend Callum pointed me to this article that was posted last year about my visit to South East Asia.

Yesterday afternoon G. Scott Owen and myself gave presentations to the students and faculty at Shanghai Normal University. The talk was attended by a group of students as well as various Deans and Chairs of the univeristy such as Wan Qinghua and Lu Jianfei. We were inducted into the 2009 International Scholars Forum and presented with chops containing the Chinses characters for our names. Afterwards we went out with the faculty of the univerisy and publishers of Fantasy Art Magazine, Mr. Wang Wei and Ms. Ying Zhang  for a wonderful dinner. Mr. Wang is an amazing artist in his own right and helps run an animation seminar for Chinese youth called the Asian Youth Animation and Comics Contest or AYACC.

Rambo Game at Cartoon and Game Expo

Am I the only one who is amused watching Chinese video game players in Shanghai play a Rambo video game where the object is to kill Communists?

Dead Men Tell No Tales

This amusement attraction on display at the Cartoon and Game expo lets the player take out what appears to be an animatronic Somali pirate with a rocket launcher on a moving boat. Extra points for a head shot!

What's up Doc?

My parents always said they wanted me to be a Doctor. It took a while, but I think they finally got their wish. Mr. Wang Wei is in the forground while G. Scott Owen, Dani Weinstein and some of our hosts at Shanghai Normal University receed into the background.

Click on the picture for a hi-rez panorama

This afternoon I spoke at a forum on the future of animation in China with Scott Owen. I met a lot of interesting folks including the bureau chief of the Agence France-Presse Asia Pacific Shangai division D’Arcy Doran, originally from Toronto. After the forum we went to the Bund for a few Tsing Tao draft beers and I took a few moments to shoot this panorama of the waterfront. The file is big, so be prepped for a download.