WEEKEND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT #5: "The Art of Japan"

According to Wikipedia, Japanese art "covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting on silk and paper and more recently manga, cartoon, along with a myriad of other types of works of art. It also has a long history, ranging from the beginnings of human habitation in Japan, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to the present."


The Japanese culture is rich with this stuff, so I thought it only appropriate to have it be this week's Theme. Are you familiar with the picture below? You should be.

'The Great Wave' by Katsushika Hokusai

Hokusai is probably Japan's best known artist. Living from about 1760 to 1849, he left over 30,000 different works of art, which ranged from woodblock prints, picture books, silk paintings, and even travel illustrations. His favorite thing to paint? You guessed it: the water. Water in motion was the best, especially waves. The white of the foam breaking into claws at the top, and how the massive wave formed the perfect yin to the yang of empty space below, all to come crashing down and start over. That's the inspiration behind the most influential Japanese painting in the world.


Japan has more than just paintings, however. To completely fulfill your weekend's dose of cultural enrichment, we're going to talk about other forms of media as well.


Movie: Castle in the Sky
If there would be only one thing Japanese art is famous for, it would be the anime, and Hayao Miyazaki is king. QUICK TANGENT ON MIYAZAKI: He's the world's prominent anime artist and a critically acclaimed movie maker. My favorite Miyazaki movie? Castle in the Sky!!

5 Second plot synopsis: a boy and a girl named Pazu and Sheeta find each other and team up to find a lost city floating in the sky.


So why should you watch this movie? It has beautiful animation, and, not to mention, an epic plot, epic robots, epic sky battles, epic chases, the single most epic trumpet solo ever in a movie, an epic pirate mom, and -- oh yea -- an epic floating city in the sky!! Need I say more? GO WATCH IT. 


TV show: Pokémon


In case you have been loving under a rock for the past 15 years, Pokémon is a world wide phenomenon. 

What started as a simple bug-collecting hobby of a young boy in Japan in the '60's and '70's grew to be a multi-million dollar franchise. Mainly consisting of the Anime TV show and video games spanning five generations, Pokémon also includes several movie spin-offs, manga, trading cards, toys, and books. Yes, you should watch the show, but only a few episodes, if you can muster it. The TV show is primarily for kids, and the same darn thing happens over and over again. Ash is training to become the world's greatest Pokémon master, and struggles with that while Team Rocket tries to poké-nap his Pikachu, only to fail and "blast off again!".

Despite the claims of many people saying the Pokémon is a fad, it's lasted this long, and because its been a worldwide phenomenon, it's sure to stick around for a while longer. Just ask any kid with the current video games. What started as a mere 151 Pokémon to catch, the latest 5th generation has brought that total up to 649! Gotta catch-em all, right Ash??

Pokémon games at-a-glance. click picture for more info.

Book:
I have no idea! Do yourself the honors of Google-searching manga and origami books. :)


Music:
Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Japanese music either, but check out this techno video anyway:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAhYa9QvYi4 

Game:
It's got to be Pokémon, right? WRONG. This weeks video game is called Muramasa: The Demon Blade.

Why was this game chosen? What does it have to do with "The Art of Japan?" Everything. Most games these days rely on incredible graphics and insane realism. Well, this Wii-exclusive title has both of those things, yet non of those things. Why? because none of the graphics in this game are computer generated. They are all hand-painted in the classic Japanese style. Certainly a computer was used to put it all together and give the game life, but absolutely none of it was made with the assistance of technology.

So while this may be one of Wii's most beautiful game, it also is all about story, depicting classic Japanese tales and myths. 

Want more:

Watch a video review of the game HERE.

Watch some additional gameplay footage HERE.

Getting tired of listening to the same darn things over and over on your iPod? Or maybe you are bored of an entire music genre? Based on the current music industry trends, you may be. 

Enter Pomplamoose: a one-woman, one-man band boasting a plethora of intriguing musical talent. Found on YouTube, Twitter, and MySpace as “Pomplamoose”, this band is comprised of the lovely Natalie Dawn and groovy Jack Conte, who both reside in the San Francisco area. What makes their music so fresh and fun is the fact that it’s an entirely new genre of music, what they have dubbed as the “VideoSong”.

What makes this different from a music video? Dawn and Conte have established a few rules on what constitutes a VideoSong: What you see is what you hear (No lip-syncing for instruments or voice), and if you hear something, you will see what made the sound at some point in the video (no hidden sounds). And that is another thing that sets Dawn and Conte apart from other musicians; they create their music on their own without the assistance from any big music label, and every instrument or sound you hear is produced by the duo.

That means that every instrument they use from the guitar, the piano, the drums and the sounds from their voices or clapping, are all their own work and mixed for your listening and viewing pleasure. One of their videos even has an accordion!

Individually, they are brilliant. Natalie is very calm and folksy while Jack borrows some similarities from the likes of Radiohead and Incubus. They both have their own individual YouTube channels which stand out from the crowd , but the real party is them working together in the form of Pomplamoose, as any of their fans (myself included) will tell you. Their music is mostly from their own creative genius, but they also do mix-ups of other classics like “Nature Boy”, “All the Single Ladies,” and “Beat It”.

They have their own album on iTunes (music version only), but if you want to have some good fun on YouTube, then check out their channel and watch for yourself.  Their VideoSongs are free!

Check out their YouTube page HERE.

Evolution of YouTube

Companies always try to make things better, and in the case of YouTube, things are constantly changing, for the better.

One of the original video aesthetics, circa 2007.

Newer video aesthetics, circa 2008

Current design, November 2010

Using High ISO

Above: Flash looses detail and blinds the subject, in this case my dog, Buddy. Below: 10 seconds later, I used a much higher ISO, which in this case made the photo much brighter and added significantly more detail. Cool, huh?

If your camera has a feature called "High ISO" then you should use it. Because I said so. :) I don't know what it means, but honestly, it works like magic, so you don't really need to know what it stands for. 

ISO is essentially a way a camera takes a picture by keeping the lens open for longer than normal. More ISO = more light, which makes it ideal in low-light situations. It is particularly useful to use during dawn and dusk hours, where using a flash would not be optimal. 

Check out my examples below:

Using higher ISO isn't always optimal, but use it as much as possible for better looking photos!

WEEKEND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT #4: "Halloween Weekend"

Happy Halloween people!

This weekend's culture enrichment is obvious, is it not? In honor of the holiday and it's spooky traditions, that's what this update is all about!

Halloween shares its origins with Celtic festivities and an old Christian holiday 'All Saints Day.' The name comes from a Scottish variant of 'All-hallows-eve' which was the night before 'All-hallows-day' which was believed to be the time of year where the veil between our world and the spirit world was thinnest.

If you want more info on the origins of halloween, look it up.

As far as media is concerned, when it comes to halloween, you want to be so scared out of your pants that you can't pee anymore. Why? Because we love the adrenaline rush that comes with being scared and it's HALLOWEEN!

game:
dead space

movie:
exorcism (see ign's top scary movie list)

Book:
Inspired by the classic children's book 'The Jungle Book,' 'The Graveyard Book' is a perfect quick read for this weekend. Scary? No. This story is about a Kid who's parents get killed by a murderer and ends up being adopted by some ghosts in a graveyard. Awesome? Very much so!! Even though it's a child's fantasy novel, it is one of my favorites, and gives interesting perspective to growing up, the afterlife, super powers, and anything that crawls in the night, and not specifically in that order.

Read it. Go now.
NY Times review.

Song:
The Ghost Busters' theme song. Need I say more?

Music video:
Basically the most iconic music video of all time, sparking major world-wide intrigue and causing a generation of amazingness, this video is with out a single shadow of a doubt the best thing you will ever experience as far as pop-culture '80's songs go:

Michael Jackson's Thriller! Watch the video HERE.
More Info.

iLife and App Stores and Lions! (Oh My!)

Today, Apple showcased their "Back to the Mac" media summit from their own Cupertino, California headquarters.

First announced was their revenue for their fiscal year. Their Macintosh computers sold a cool 22 billion alone, which would place Apple as #110 in the fortune 500 companies. However, that was only 33% of their total revenue.

The Macintosh is now well over 20% of the share of the PC market in America. That means that one in five computers sold are Macs. The Mac is also #1 in Consumer Reports for the tenth consecutive year.

                           Apple's New Store in Shanghai.

WEEKEND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT #3: "2010 Adrenaline Rush"

This is the first enrichment that has a theme, and I plan to continue this trend for the future. Each theme will bring media to your attention based off of that theme.

So what does "2010 Adrenaline Rush" mean? Basically anything that will give you that rush released in this year. I wanted to make the first official cultural enrichment somewhat relatable to anyone who reads this, because we are all alive in 2010 (as of right now) and this will only expand the themes for future Cultural Enrichments.

DVD: Iron Man 2

Recently released on DVD was Iron Man 2, an incredibly fun and adrenaline-packed rush of entertainment. Released on May 8th of this year, I viewed the midnight launch with friends and loved it so much that I went to see it again a few hours later on the same day.

Why you should go watch it: In between a sweet car chase in monaco, tons of explosions, the creation of a new element, cool integration with the Avengers universe and the intense final battle, there is so much to watch there really is no reason not to.

Iron Man 2 is Rated PG-13.

Iron Man 2 Trailer

WEEKEND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT #2: Left 4 Dead 2 Review

Ok, so I know that this game has been out for like practically a year now, but some new DLC recently came out for it, and I was in the process of review that as well, so to get warmed up, here is my review of Left 4 Dead 2:

What is Left 4 Dead? A horrible infection spread throughout the country, killing many, and “zombifying” many more. The objective of the game is cooperative survival in a zombie apocalypse. You and three others try to make it from point A to point B and eventually escape doom without dying. One uncommon trait in the sequel is that Left 4 Dead 2 is entirely independent from the original, which was set in Anytown, USA following four surviving protagonists sometime after the first infection. Whereas most sequels are continuations of the story from the last game, Left 4 Dead 2 has new characters and a new, bigger story arc that takes place in the Deep South. In no way is it a re-hashed game - everything that could be improved has been, though the game’s formula hasn’t changed much. There are single and multi-player modes. 1 – 4 players can be on the main campaigns and 2 – 8 on competitive modes.

This games’ genre is unique: it’s an FPS/Horror, but differs from games like Resident Evil. Left 4 Dead plays like a set of horror movies. This concept may be new to those who haven’t played before. There is no set campaign – rather five separate campaigns or movies each broken up into five parts. The first four parts of the campaign play out as the survivors (protagonists) traverse throughout the level until they get to a checkpoint known as a “Safe House”. The last part of the campaign is the finale, where the survivors call in a rescue vehicle and hold out until it arrives. At the end of the game, the player’s scores and stats roll like movie credits. The length of each campaign will run anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours; depending on skill level, cooperation and difficulty. Left 4 Dead is simple to learn, but hard to master. You’ll do great as long as you stay together, kill every zombie in sight, and don’t die. 

Game play is fun and invigorating thanks to the “A.I. Director” which controls things like how many zombies spawn, where items spawn, the weather and geometry of the level. For example, if your team is doing particularly poor, the A.I. Director will kick in and make it easier for you to navigate to the safe house, but if you are doing very well, then the A.I. Director will make more zombies spawn, fewer items spawn and more obstacles in the way, making it more challenging to reach the safe house. Some paths you took to traverse the level may change the next time you play through. New guns, pick-up items, and melee weapons add to the strategy and achieve a more realistic gaming experience. Most items are a nice addition, such as the adrenaline shot and defibrillator, though some melee weapons are not practical. Have you ever had the desire to kill dozens of living dead with a guitar, frying pan, or night stick? It’s absolutely ridiculous, but absolutely possible in Left 4 Dead 2. 

What about the soundtrack? It’s very good. The score is yet another thing in the game that is controlled by the A.I. Director. During normal gameplay, an eerie, hair-raising tone is ambient in the background. The A.I. Director kicks in when certain events happen in-game. For example, you know when hordes of zombies are coming your way when the classic theme associated with the event starts creeping into the ambience. The most impressive feature of the A.I. Director is its ability to control the survivor’s dialogue. There are common and typical phrases such as “Taking a med kit.” and “Grabbin’ a pipe bomb!” but the system really is quite robust. You may hear the survivors say different things every time you play, because a long list of certain conditions have to be met for certain dialogue to occur. Tons of new sounds are in this game, and all of the music scored from the previous game also makes an appearance, each campaign boasting their own fun remixes. Music and random foley noises are always present, but never annoying.


Left 4 Dead 2: "The Parish" video montage

Left 4 Dead looks great. Left 4 Dead 2 is downright gorgeous. Like ODST and Modern Warfare 2, the developers have taken and refined their existing graphics engine to something more sophisticated. When first announced, the Left 4 Dead 2 trailer met criticism regarding some graphical changes from the original though it’s apparent that the game looks and feels better when you actually play it. Once it was played through, the graphical refinements make everything look more mature - both with more sophistication and more gore. The amount of blood and gore in the game is absurd. Zombies can now be dismembered and completely obliterated, spilled entrails and all, especially with weapons like the fire axe or katana. Another favorite improvement is the new physics engine. Fire looks like fire. Things blow up. The environment comes alive. 

Game play may be quick, but it’s fun. In most cases, thanks to the A.I. Director, each experience with the game, will be different from the last. One might argue “Yeah so what? All you do is shoot zombies!” That’s what it may seem at a glance, but in reality, it provides an incredibly deeper experience when played; especially with three of your friends. There are many improvements over the previous title. Levels are no longer nighttime only; daytime and changing weather levels have been added. The new story arc is well written. There are new characters, new items and weapons, and new locations to explore. One noticeable improvement from the original is when a pipe bomb is thrown. Before, the zombies’ bodies just disappeared with a little blood splatter. Now, they actually get blown into the air like rag dolls and the bodies usually land in chunks. Cool.

Left 4 Dead 2: "The Passing" montage


All-in-all, Left 4 Dead 2 makes the original zombie apocalypse look like a petty game for school girls, which is saying something. With new characters, a new setting, new story arc, new weapons and items, sharper graphics, more realistic physics engine, and the incredible new A.I. Director solidifies this game as a true sequel and makes Left 4 Dead 2 the best sequel to come out this year. If you were a fan of the last zombie apocalypse, then you’re gonna love Left 4 Dead 2. But because gameplay is so similar to the first, this game may not change your mind about the series if you didn’t care for it in the first place.

My Rating: 9.7 

WEEKEND CULTURAL ENRICHMENT #1

To kick off my new series called the "Weekend Cultural Enrichment," I wanted to start out with a BANG!! And I think this is definitely the best way to do it. I was recently introduced to this video last week when my professor showed it to us in an attempt of explaining a writing style known as the "Reverse Pyramid." A few decades ago (I think in the 70's?), a dead Pacific Gray Whale was beached along the Oregon Coast, and we needed to get rid of it. This was what they did. Keep in mind my theme of starting with a bang!

YouTube Video

Hopefully watching this video will enrich your cultural knowledge base. It did mine!

why do people blog? what do people blog?

I dunno, don't ask me! but I do have something to say about what's gonna be on my blog. I've got it all figured out---- I think.

I originally wanted to chat about the wonderful world of technology, but c'mon, EVERYBODY  does that! So what is something that I could do that maybe no one has done before?

Well, reaching into my creative genius, I found an idea that is gonna work out i hope quite well and successfully.

Here it is: first, something I did for my High school's newspaper called the "Media Forecast". what could that be? Really? you have to ask? Well too bad. I'm not gonna tell you. The second feature of my blog will be a little something called the "Weekend Cultural Enrichment."

what could these things be? just wait and see! i have it all planned out.

Thanks for reading and see ya later!

I guess i'm blogging right now.

Hello World.