June 18th, 2010 by Sydney

Here’s the final cut of my untitled video piece, which was featured in the show Fantasy IRL at the Helen Lindhurst Fine Arts Gallery last month.  Enjoy!

“In this piece, I explore the anxiety a person can feel as they come to realize that their fantasies can never be real. The literal breaking-down, peeling back, and deconstructing of the fantasy (in this case, the desire to be a cyborg) is done in a way that is physically painful and stressful, which mirrors the emotional pain and stress one endures as they come to realize their fantasies are unattainable.”

Check out a previous cut here.

January 21st, 2010 by Sydney

This is the second test shoot I’ve done for a video that I’m working on.  This piece is my way of dealing with a childhood fantasy, the desire to be/become a robot/cyborg, and the anxiety one feels as they come to realize that their fantasies can never be real.  In the video, I’m literally breaking-down/peeling away/deconstructing the fantasy in a way that’s physically painful/stressful to mirror the emotional pain and stress.

As you can see, the video cuts off.  Camera problems, lighting problems, and some other problems mean I have to do it again.  I guess that’s why they say the third time is a charm… They say that right? Please, God, tell me that’s what they say.  This shit hurts!

January 19th, 2010 by Senna

So friend of Fantasy IRL Alex Paxton from AXPX showed me an interesting spoof video the other day. As part of the Fantasy IRL project exhibition, I am making a video that will take on the format and model of an old-school turn based RPG. Although mine will not be as goofy, it’s worth watching for the epic, nearly ten-minute long boss battle. Ha. Enjoy.

December 10th, 2009 by Senna

Kate Bush is one of my favorite outlandish musicians.  Almost as much as Bjork. Wouldn’t it be awesome if she was actually an alien from a theatrical, campy planet? Maybe she’s from the same galaxy as Lady Gaga…FantasyIRL to form intergalactic alliance of aliens turned pop stars!

(directed by Chris Cunningham, who I very much enjoy)

September 3rd, 2009 by Amanda

Basically, the coolest thing ever.

Steampunk Home says:

I don’t know what it is, but media rooms and submarines seem to go together. Here’s one from New Zealand, sent by Paul and featured in stuff.co.nz.

In the rusting interior of the submarine, which appears to have beached on a deserted island, Eyre has all the creature comforts reclining chairs, a three-metre big-screen TV and a top-notch surround-sound system.

Customwood has been sprayed with concrete and painted to resemble rusting steel beams, while plastic sheets have been melted to give the impression of bent steel ripped apart when the submarine hit an island. Speakers emit sonar and ocean sounds throughout the 12-metre by 5.5m room.”

There’s also a video tour!

August 31st, 2009 by Amanda

This is pretty ridiculous and I feel requires little to no explanation.

Unfortunately, this hits very close to home with me. I was harassed quite a bit from people wanting to do naughty things to my Night Elf when I played World of Warcraft. Ah sweet memories…

Thanks Cosplay in America for this gem.

August 31st, 2009 by Amanda

There Will Be Brawl Episode 7: Pandora’s Box is now up and running, finally! There are only two episodes left, what will I do when it’s over?! There also might be a possible appearance at MAGFEST.

They say “TWBB have been contacted by and have been pondering the idea of presenting at the upcoming Music And Gaming Festival (http://magfest.org/) just outside of Washington D.C.

It’s four days of non stop video gaming and live video game cover bands, which is kinda up our alley, and wanted to see how much interest there would be from our viewers to see us in attendance!

If you could, hop on over and check out what MAGFEST is all about, and drop them a line if you would be interested in seeing us there!”

August 1st, 2009 by Amanda

Picture via The Awesomer.

Pink Tentacle says:

“The Saikyō Senritsu Meikyū (”Ultimate Horror Maze”) a 900-meter-long zombie-infested labyrinth at Japan’s Fuji-Q Highland amusement park — is billed as the world’s longest and scariest house of horror. They had temporarily shut down the facility because the zombie staff had lost their edge and were not frightening people enough. While the haunted house was closed, the undead employees were put through a rigorous training program designed to upgrade their zombie skills.

The horror house has since reopened and the camp-hardened zombies are reportedly as scary as ever.” Way to go guys!! One small step for zombies everywhere.

August 1st, 2009 by Sydney

I especially love the parts where they awkwardly blur out the nudity.

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien – Conan & Andy Do Manga

July 31st, 2009 by Amanda

We were fortunate enough to take some footage of Flynn’s arcade and Tron Light Cycle at Comic-Con this past weekend. Can I just say, I am so excited that Daft Punk is doing the soundtrack for Tron Legacy.

Here is the perimeter of the arcade:

Here is the Tron Light Cycle. I could have stared at it for hours:

And this one…I have no words:

July 29th, 2009 by Sydney

OH MY GAWD! ROBOTS EVERYWHERE!

Broomba:

These “brooms” travel around just as normal roombas do, changing direction when it bumps into objects.  Though they don’t clean much, they do play “spooky music” and emits “frightful cackling” sounds. Ooo! Spooky music and crackling sounds!  I’m there!

(via Gizmodo via Grandinroad)

iPhone Robot:

Robocna, a robot that uses an iPhone for its brain.”

“The body is a Kondo KHR-2HV humanoid kit, but its controlled by the iPhone, which connects via the dock connector at the neck. The screen shows the facial expression while also letting you control the robots weird, leek-based dance moves.”

(via Gizmodo)

Baseball Robots:

Researchers at the University of Tokyo show off their industrial robot technology by programing two robot arms to play baseball.  While the pitcher can release the ball with near-perfect timing, the batter has a near-perfect batting average.

(via Pink Tentacle)

Modular Snake Robots:

I don’t know if it’s the music or just the sheer coolness of snakes lifting up floor vents and slithering around like little stealthy spies but this one has got to be my favorite.  Sliterbots!

(via Posthuman Blues)

July 23rd, 2009 by Amanda

…wow has it really gotten that bad?

io9 says:

“Wondering just how bad the current financial situation is? Apparently so bad that it’ll take superhuman resources to fix it. And, more worryingly, the people who’re saying that are the self-styled financial experts. Translation: We’re all screwed.

Admittedly, that’s probably not the reaction that LendingTree, the online lending company, hoped that their new advertising campaign would provoke, but what else do you expect when your ads feature former Batman Adam West telling us that “a wave of financial tomfoolery has been unleashed upon us,” before calling those responsible “corporate mischief-makers”?

The new campaign – with tagline “You to the rescue” – hopes to tap into disquiet with financial experts by promoting the idea that LendingTree allows you to stay in charge of your money, but we’re not sure that telling us to dress up as superheroes is really the way to go about it.”

July 19th, 2009 by Amanda

io9 says:

“Josh Koury’s documentary “We Are Wizards” delves into the genre of Wizard Rock. As homespun as the fan culture it celebrates, it’s an endearing snapshot of the freaks and geeks who’ve made a place for themselves in the Potter fan-verse.

True fandom knows no bounds. The evolution of fan culture is not a trajectory that can be measured or predicted.”

Brothers Joe and Paul DeGeorge formed Harry and Potters in 2002. Other bands have formed since, such as Draco and the Malfoys, Whomping Willows, The Parselmouths, The Moaning Myrtles and many others. Many of whom wrock together and play at festivals such as Wrockstock.. Umm, we’re definitely going to Wrockstock this year.

“The world of Wrock is not just geeky, but also strives to be socially conscious. Joe and Paul know that their elementary school fan base looks up to them as idols, and they try to promote literacy in the true spirit of Rowling’s best-selling series.”

You can buy We Are Wizards here.

You can read the whole article here.

July 17th, 2009 by Senna

Los Angeles based designer Brian Lichtenberg’s latest fall line debuted on March 22, 2009 at the COLA fashion show in Downtown, Los Angeles.  Think yeti-faun-warrior princess meets a 22nd century nightclub.  Hard to imagine?  Well see for yourself!

I need a pair of those furry hoof-heels for my WoW dranei cosplay!  Also, check out this video of the runway show for more styles.  And visit Brian Lichtenberg’s website if you like his work.

July 16th, 2009 by Senna

This weekend, the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas will host its annual fighting video game tournament extravaganza, The Evolution Championship Series. 6 tournaments, 50,000 matches and big money for the players. Competitive players from across the globe make their way out to duke it out on screen. The games this year include: Street Fighter IV, Soul Calibur IV, Marvel Vs Capcom 2, Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and a special BlazBlue edition. This is the first time Super Smash Bros. Brawl is being hosted (with normal tournament rules and no items), so the smash community will be a strong presence this year. Good luck to all the entrees, and make sure to check out the live stream (which will be up when the tournament starts tomorrow).

Here’s the schedule for the tournament events.  Enjoy!

Also, check out this highlight from the Evo 2004 Street Fighter semi finals between Justing Wong (Ken) and Daigo Umehara (Chun-li).  Watch the incredible parry after parry at the end!