tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35494450592917594412024-02-18T22:26:05.842-08:00Modernist BloghouseUpdates for Kevin, about Kevin, by KevinKevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-24370814835049893972013-06-25T22:14:00.001-07:002013-06-25T22:20:01.048-07:00My thoughts on "Man of Steel" (spoilers)So, I saw "Man of Steel" last week and I really liked it.<br />I know that it has been getting a ton of mixed reviews and a lot of people have problems or issues with it for many reasons. Those reasons are exactly what I liked about this film. <br />First, the visuals and design:<br />I really thought that the production design of Krypton and the space ships was wonderful. It was a very new take on the look of Krypton, while still incorporating a number of items and elements from the comic books. The "organic" feel to the architecture and the planet differed greatly from the crystal technology of the previous films and some of the newer comic books. The floating robots did follow the general design of robots from one of the comic lines and a couple of the animated series while at the same time becoming something new.<br />When hologram Jor-El was explaining the history of Krypton and of Kal-El's flight to Earth, I found the scrolling Art Deco/Art Nouveau bas-relief visuals to be stunning. The team who designed and implemented that sequence used imagery and details from so many sources that I feel I need to see it again to truly appreciate it. Just two small examples are : an image of a male and female Kryptonian holding up the planet like Jor-el and Lara in the old comic book Fortress of Solitude and the "crystal star" space ship from the 1978 film.<br />I also really liked the use of color desaturation and over saturation for various things, like the sepia wash for Krypton and the kind of exaggerated color for Clark's memories. I also felt that the more muted colors of his suit helped ground it as a uniform rather than a costume and brought it into the "real world".<br />There were also a number of smaller nods to "those that came before". One of which was when introducing Dr. Emil Hamilton, the actor playing the army guy sitting in front of the Doctor played Dr. Hamilton in the TV series "Smallville". <br />The story:<br />"Man of Steel" has also been getting a lot of criticism for being too violent and for changing what many feel are the core tenets and moral structure of the Superman character. I do understand these points of view and I agree with them to a point, but I also find fault with them.<br />First and foremost, this is a movie, specifically the first in what I can only assume is a trilogy.<br />Second, this is a mythological story, an origin story, and a standard hero's journey kind of thing. Clark/Kal-El/Superman is beginning this journey and discovering who he is and where his moral center is, but he has not yet found it. <br />Finally, he's dealing with a man who is essentially a religious zealot who will never change his views. <br />This movie, good, bad or indifferent, is a modern myth for our current times. And that is not a bad thing. Our legends, myths and gods need to change and adapt to current times and themes and I truly believe that this is what Snyder, Goyer and Nolan have done. And in a very good way. I am extremely interested to see where they take this character and his mythology in the next films. <br />Superman's moral center:<br />A very large number of people have been very vocal about the amount of violence, destruction and innocent deaths portrayed in this film. And they have been very insistent that Superman would do everything in his power to keep innocents from dying. And I do agree with the second statement, with the following caveat: Superman has to come to that personal moral code somehow. He wasn't just born with it, and one's parents, no matter how good and well meaning, can only instill those kind of values to a point. After that a person has to rely on his or her own experiences to create their own moral center. <br />It seems to me that in trying to protect his adopted home from those who can only be viewed as terrorists from his birth planet, (which really is the first time he is publicly out in the world as Superman) he IS very single minded. And many, many innocent people die as a result. Along with the fact that he breaks the one supreme code that is traditionally at the very core of his character in dealing with Zod, are the things that will ultimately bring him around to the moral center that truly is at the core of his very being. He might not have gotten there otherwise. <br />I think that judgement needs to be reserved until we see the rest of this story. <br />- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad<br /><br /><p class='blogpress_location'>Location:<a href='http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Cleland%20Ave,Los%20Angeles,United%20States%4034.110706%2C-118.219009&z=10'>Cleland Ave,Los Angeles,United States</a></p>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-20795592168356331042011-05-21T11:20:00.000-07:002011-05-21T11:20:28.929-07:00After "The Rapture"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClrjdqIYsviIGTyiKvRCdmY8bXIxc-fVnLWOC7U0ZccvB4DV1WxVPxEgLJgSo8hGvgFmURqVpRP0VE30xFarwdGRtpl0wwsK0aai-iP6W9vjZLdQ7MfV6AH6wBaT_rD_sN7hHIX_o3Jw/s1600/Trinity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClrjdqIYsviIGTyiKvRCdmY8bXIxc-fVnLWOC7U0ZccvB4DV1WxVPxEgLJgSo8hGvgFmURqVpRP0VE30xFarwdGRtpl0wwsK0aai-iP6W9vjZLdQ7MfV6AH6wBaT_rD_sN7hHIX_o3Jw/s400/Trinity.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Since "The Rapture" will allegedly be happening this evening, I have been thinking about the future of humanity and it's mythologies. Once all of the Jesus-y people disappear this evening the human race will most likely be looking for some new gods to believe in. Well, at least those of us who were raised all Jesus-y. I assume that the other 90% of the world will just keep plugging along with their gods and goddesses.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I like to imagine that it is 5000 years in the future and that these are giant colossi that are worshipped as gods. But then I realize that the worship of The New Trinity (The Superman, The Batman and The Wonder Woman [also known as: The Last Son, The Dark Knight and The Warrior Princess]) was quashed a thousand years before when Our Robot Alien Overlords arrived and now worship of The New Trinity has been outlawed and is essentially the new voodoo that is practiced only by an underground rebel group that is slowly working to overthrow Our Robot Alien Overlords so that the Human Race can once again dominate the galaxy!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Anyway, just my thoughts on this lovely sunny raptury day in SoCal!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Good luck everyone!</span></div>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-49532296687020008962010-11-24T17:22:00.000-08:002010-11-24T17:22:41.872-08:00Superman : Earth 1<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">So, I am probably late in getting this out, but I finally got around to reading Superman : Earth One, written by J. M. Straczynski (JMS) with art by Shane Davis.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I know that there has been a whole lot of buzz, both positive AND negative, about this book. I have to say that for me the whole experience of the book was a very positive one.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">JMS has always had a great insight into people who are at that point in their lives where they are faced with major decisions about themselves and where their lives are heading. This new retelling of how Clark Kent transitions into Superman is done really well. Clark is definitely a contemporary, twenty-something character who is trying to find his way in today’s world. He has finished junior college, has moved to the nearest big city and is trying to find a job, make sure his mother is taken care of AND figure out what his powers mean, both to himself and the world around him. It is during a battle with other aliens from his home solar system that he sees what Lois and Jimmy do to help him, a total stranger in mortal danger. It is these actions that really set him on his path to be Earth’s champion, or more accurately, Humanity’s champion. I think, though that the epilogue (set in the format of Clark Kent’s exclusive interview with Superman) is where JMS really defines the how and why of Superman and his relationship with our planet and our species.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I feel that the criticism of hardcore Superman fans is wholly unjustified. While the cover art does have a bit of an “emo” or “Twilight” feel to it, those similarities disappear once the book is opened. The styling and illustration of Clark Kent and his clothing and demeanor are all updated, but still maintain much of the classic Clark character. The uniform, the S-shield and its meaning are all explained very masterfully and really serve to more fully flesh out the character of Superman. The design and styling of the uniform really help to bring Superman, as an icon, fully into the 21<sup>st</sup> century.</span>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-83595292017468413902010-10-08T18:45:00.001-07:002010-10-08T18:45:21.186-07:00Halloween - To costume or not to costume<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am trying to decide what costume to wear for Halloween.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Seth and I and our neighbors across the street and next door are throing a joint Halloween party and we need to wear costumes this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm thinking we just wear tuxes and look spiffy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Not sure yet, I'll get back to y'all when we make a decision.</span>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-11328261532802624032010-10-07T09:01:00.001-07:002010-10-07T09:07:41.213-07:00SpidergoatsOkay. Type "Spidergoats" into Google and read the amazing scientific discoveries as well as the fucked up religious views about them. <br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<br />
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhoneKevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-73154675272996871292010-01-09T04:52:00.000-08:002010-01-09T04:57:00.301-08:00Jet Lag. A Long Week. Lots To Do.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, I am back in Singapore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's been a long week. I got in Monday afternoon and pretty much worked 12+ hour days for the first few days on Project #2. Unfortunately this meant that Project #1 sort of fell behind. So, from Thursday afternoon until this evening I have been playing catch up on Project #1. And it looks like I'll have to go to site tomorrow morning, Sunday, for a few things and then have to be back to the hotel by 3:00pm for an afternoon meeting about lighting. And this coming week is not looking any better.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And, most of all, I am really missing Seth. I just want to be home in my own bed, curled up next to him and our cat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I mean, I know that this is what I signed up for. Being on site for install means long hours, long days and long weeks and being away from family and friends (at least the friends that are not on this project with me!). I was just hoping to be over the jet lag before all that started. I guess I was wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And to top it off, I have not even gotten over to Bella Pizza for Antonio's wonderful Italian creations! An up side is that I am supposed to have dinner tomorrow evening with my friend Chuck Spina.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Alright, enough bitching for today! It's time for a few episodes of Dollhouse on iTunes and then bed so that I can start the whole thing all over again tomorrow!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Blog ya soon!</span>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-4506477087244666872010-01-07T19:21:00.001-08:002010-01-07T19:21:50.546-08:00Back in Singapore!Well, I am back in Singapore until he end of March.<br />I am going to try to be more consistent in my updates!<br />So, keep checking in.Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-76471185125202693812009-12-01T23:16:00.001-08:002009-12-01T23:16:31.149-08:00ComputingI am just waiting for my old slow computer to finsh printing a PDF of a 26 page drawing package from Autodesk Design Review 2010. <br />It is taking forever, so I am playing Bejeweled Blitz for Facebook on my iPhone. <br />Hopefully I will be able to work again soon. <br /><br /><br />-- Posted from my iPhone<br />Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-29916679066778219652009-11-28T18:24:00.001-08:002009-11-28T18:24:42.713-08:00TravelI am sitting at the lounge at LAX waiting to head back to Singapore for the next 3 weeks. While I am really enjoying the project and I really like the team I am working with, I am really over being away from Seth, the cat and my house and friends. <br />Hopefully the next 3 weeks will go by quickly. Then I get about 2 weeks home and then I will be back in Singapore for 3 months with no beaks. <br />Definitely glad to be working, but bummed to be away from home. <br /><br /><br />-- Posted from my iPhone<br />Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-36900005674783119142009-11-15T02:48:00.000-08:002009-11-15T02:51:55.606-08:00BitchingI want a new computer.<br />I want internet that works at a normal speed in Singapore.<br />I want to sleep in my own bed.<br />I want to cook on my own stove in my own house.<br />I want to NOT be living outof a hotel room!<br />I want iTunes not to hang up in the middle of my movie.<br />I want this damn project to be over!<br />I just want to keep bitching!Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-24486173508626901922009-11-04T01:51:00.001-08:002009-11-04T01:51:43.386-08:00Blahg Blahg BlahgBlog blog blogity blog<br /><br /><br />-- Posted from my iPhone<br />Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-3210422559521713152009-11-02T05:39:00.001-08:002009-11-02T05:40:51.415-08:00HomeAt dinner a colleague asked me the following question:<br />If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?<br />My answer was that I wanted to be at home sitting on the couch with Seth watching TV. <br />After talking for a minute and realizing that we have all been away from home for at least 3 months now the question wad rephrased to ask:<br />If you hadn't been away from home for so long where in the world you you want to be right now?<br />My answer to that was;<br />In Tuscany having dinner in a villa in a vineyard with Seth. <br />I really miss Seth right now. <br /><br /><br />-- Posted from my iPhone<br /><br />Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-76644975976670803102009-10-29T07:05:00.001-07:002009-10-29T07:08:02.577-07:00Zombies v MummiesJust goofing around the other day a bunch of my coworkers and I decided that a movie where zombies battle mummies would be cool as hell.<br /><br /><br />-- Posted from my iPhone<br /><br />Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-52135424511255163842009-10-26T05:43:00.001-07:002009-10-26T06:00:21.639-07:00Mythology IIFor me the whole religion/god thing is an all or nothing deal.<br />I mean either everyone's god(s) exist or no one's god(s) exist.<br />A few basic premises (from my point of view):<br />First: the gods did not create us in their images. We create the gods in OUR image. Well, most of them anyhow.<br />Second: Gods have a life span (as do religions - but that's another thing altogether for another time). Look back through time. Take the caveman (or cave woman) sitting in the dark painting images of animals on the walls. I think the gods that are worshiped are born as simple things: woolly mammoths, wolves, clouds that create storms. They then begin to mature into animal-human hybrids (more animal than human), then they further evolve into human-animal hybrids (more human than animal). The next step is that they become entirely human (in form) and/or super-human (in size and abilities). The next step may be where we are right now: many of the old gods have been rolled up into one (or three) [at least in the Judeo-Christian-Muslim pantheons].<br />Third: I believe that the next evolution of gods is science. Scientists talk of finding a "god particle" and of over-arching theories that describe the universe (or multiverse) and its (their) internal workings. What difference is there between that and primitive man huddling in a cave trying to explain the thunder and lightning of the storm outside. I truly believe that religion and science will become one in the search for the creator(s); that string theory and tachyons and particle physics and quantum theory are the new gospels of an ever evolving religion.<br />Nuff said for now, methinks.Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-40328277548763583872009-10-25T06:10:00.001-07:002009-10-25T06:18:14.202-07:00MythologyWhy is your god real and theirs isn't?<br /><br />If you were able to go back in time and ask an Egyptian from 5000 years ago, or a Roman living under Caesar Augustus or a Spartan if their gods and goddesses were real and actually influenced the world they would believe as strongly and argue just as hard as a current day Christian, Muslim or Hindu. We look back and name these older and extinct religions “Myths” and “Mythologies”. But, how do we know that they are not as valid (or as ridiculous) as any of the current religions on this planet? In another 1000 or 3000 years will that populace look back and consider the Christian faith or the Muslim beliefs to be mythologies and their various fables, stories and parables to be myths? Will the stories we tell now and the legends we currently hold become the new religions?Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-84048965920494069992009-10-24T22:28:00.000-07:002009-10-24T22:43:00.395-07:00Light vs. Dark<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54HsnrHq4U-Ia68QScmDQyr0gxBU4YPCqxjVtYMD-2ft1Mm4D-3a-o1YLTZ0xSRPTKp5o2xSkVFliaSieXuXs1BqbjVmUcW6y0P42ckfjCUebO33OFUyKBrLNvBd68lKxfKEJ4PQVWnI/s1600-h/lightvdark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54HsnrHq4U-Ia68QScmDQyr0gxBU4YPCqxjVtYMD-2ft1Mm4D-3a-o1YLTZ0xSRPTKp5o2xSkVFliaSieXuXs1BqbjVmUcW6y0P42ckfjCUebO33OFUyKBrLNvBd68lKxfKEJ4PQVWnI/s400/lightvdark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396408898075129426" /></a><br />In the U.S. we try to get darker. We bronze and tan and go to tanning salons and the beach and lay out. All in the name of getting that lovely golden brown glow to our skin. We have TV, radio and print ads all hawking things to make us darker.<br /><br />In Singapore it is exactly the opposite. There are all kinds of ads on TV, in the newspaper, on the subway and buses selling products to make your skin lighter and whiter.<br /><br />Just very interesting is all.Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-29942968124332267212009-10-24T03:30:00.000-07:002009-10-24T04:10:18.982-07:00Wine Country - New Zealand Style<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVc51AbXayc-l1nl9dJWMZB0pXMxcvXrOBHBAb3yMO8u6ETzqvQluBTJ-1m4Ta4ip7X72Daonw36bYwr7jHDsFe37EEBEyjG5Dmus0zQPrO-rRnyfiNSfE7rOLyCtvt_h7Mfxj_QXkvwI/s1600-h/SANY1674.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVc51AbXayc-l1nl9dJWMZB0pXMxcvXrOBHBAb3yMO8u6ETzqvQluBTJ-1m4Ta4ip7X72Daonw36bYwr7jHDsFe37EEBEyjG5Dmus0zQPrO-rRnyfiNSfE7rOLyCtvt_h7Mfxj_QXkvwI/s400/SANY1674.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396122225241302482" /></a><br />Seth and I spent the last few days of September and the first few days of October of 2009 in New Zealand visiting my in-laws - Meredith & Jerry and we had a great time.<br />We met up with them in Wellington where they are living for the year. We spent a couple of days hanging out in Wellington and then took a great 20 minute plane ride (in a small prop plane) over to Picton & Blenheim in the Marlsborough region of New Zealand wine country.<br />The best part of the plane trip over was that I got to sit in the co-pilot seat (so i guess I was God for about 20 minutes!) I have no idea how pilots actually take off and land as the "dashboard" must be 3 feet high with no possible way to actually see over it. It is a 3 foot tall by 6 foot long wall of dials, gauges & read out screens and it is cool as hell!<br />So we got into Picton early in the morning, rented a car and then headed into Blenheim to rent bikes to ride through wine country. We rented bikes at Wine Tours by Bike:<br />http://www.winetoursbybike.co.nz/<br /><br />We hit 3 wineries and one brewery.<br />By the time we got on the bikes and got out to our first winery it was time for lunch. We started our Marlsborough tour at Allan Scott Winery (http://www.allanscott.com/ )where we had lunch and a glass of wine. I had a great penne with lamb and their Sauvignon Blanc and we ordered the rapsberry "cheesecake" and the blood orange creme brulee. (Cheesecake is in air quotes for a reason, but I'll explain about that at a later date.) The setting was quite nice. We sat out in a covered courtyard on these nice old wood slat tables and after lunch went into the tasting room to try some of their other wines. We tries a couple of their whites, one of their reds and their Blanc de Blancs (their Methode Traditionelle sparkling wine). The 2 that really stood out for me were the Sauvignon Blanc and the Blanc de Blancs. We then left Allan Scott and biked over to the brewery Moa (http://www.moabeer.co.nz/ )where we were met by the cutest little puppy ever. We did a sampling in their small but very charming tasting room/bar. The 2 young ladies behind the bar that were serving us did an exceptional job of pouring and describing the beers. They even let us know where we could get it in the States!<br />Once done there we biked over to the winery that makes m very favorite Sauvignon Blanc - Cloudy Bay (http://www.cloudybay.co.nz/Mainpage ). I actually fell in love with another of their whites while at the vineyard - their Te Koko white. (and this is saying a lot as I am generally a red drinker).<br />At this point we thought we were in pretty good shape. We had been biking most of the day and were not too tired. We felt that we had enough energy for one more vineyard. Well as we stared making our way from Cloudy Bay to our next destination the wind began to pick up an we spent the time riding from Cloudy Bay to Villa Maria biking into a pretty strong wind. But we were well rewarded.<br />When we got to Villa Maria (http://www.villamaria.co.nz/ ). We got to Villa Maria and were pretty exhausted after fighting against a pretty strong headwind. We tried a couple of their whites, which I thought were pretty average, and then we tried their Pinot Noir and were richly rewarded. I was pleasantly surprised. I really think Villa Maria makes a pretty outstanding Pinot Noir and I would highly recommend it to anyone.<br />Once we finished at Villa Maria we returned out bikes and then headed back into Picton to via a scenic route that took us up into the hills of the sounds that surround Picton. We saw the most intense rainbow I have ever seen. It was a full rainbow and you could even see the most of the second rainbow above it. And the colors of the main rainbow were very intense, it was almost like a child''s drawing in terms of color intensity.<br />We then headed to check into the hotel, had a bit to eat at a charming Bistro in Picton. We all slept well that night and the next morning we caught a ferry back into Wellington. The ferry trip was a good 2-1/2 hours and took us through some of the most beautiful sounds in New Zealand.<br />Overall the trip to New Zealand wine country was amazing and I can't wait to do it again and see more of Marlsborough.<br />For pictures from our trip check out the photos I have online at Picassa:<br />http://picasaweb.google.com/KevinCardani/WineCountryInNewZealand#<br /><br />CheersKevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-13479089806859951242009-10-21T06:19:00.000-07:002009-10-24T04:20:16.046-07:00How Do You Create?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-hQWT5oUDWFI8rxKbczREWltkSzP_G9D3MfYTOVcG4wTwtlDNL_humHz-eJVt-mti80a0Y9u7ACbt5FY_bzYPVObIHESa9581l0WU5LNKvbX6cVLz6S6PWs8b7JPwwMeSi3Pxyegplk/s1600-h/Les+Envahisseurs+de+l%27espace.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-hQWT5oUDWFI8rxKbczREWltkSzP_G9D3MfYTOVcG4wTwtlDNL_humHz-eJVt-mti80a0Y9u7ACbt5FY_bzYPVObIHESa9581l0WU5LNKvbX6cVLz6S6PWs8b7JPwwMeSi3Pxyegplk/s400/Les+Envahisseurs+de+l%27espace.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396123430063514450" /></a><br />I have started thinking about how people in creative fields get their ideas from inside their heads and out into/onto their chosen medium(s).<br />This has led me to the following quetsions:<br />How do you create?<br />How does an idea start in your head?<br />How do you get that idea out of your head and into/onto your medium?<br />Where do your richest/strongest/most intense ideas come from?<br />How do your ideas germinate?<br />Is this line of questioning ruining your creative process?<br /> <br />People I would like to ask this question of:<br />Jimmy Pickering<br />Craig Hanna<br />Joss Whedon<br />Zane Jensch<br />Jeremy Railton<br />Dave Cobb<br />Sam Lundquist<br />David Wally<br />Tim Burton<br />Neil Gaiman<br />Gwen Ballantyne<br />Robbie Williams<br />Annie Lennox<br />Kevin Smith<br />J. Michael Strascynski<br />Steve Olson<br />Scott Zuber<br />Scott Sinclair<br />John Barone<br />Alex Ross<br />Bill T Jones<br />The Pilobolus guys<br />Chuck Lorre<br />Eric Parr<br />Dave McKeanKevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-85160714548241852152009-10-21T06:01:00.000-07:002009-10-21T06:08:40.629-07:00Man Shoveling Water<OBJECT id=BLOG_video-f90f7479b422e805 class=BLOG_video_class width=320 height=266 contentId="f90f7479b422e805"></OBJECT><br /><br />This video shows a guy shoveling water into a wheel barrow in order to move it to some other location on site.<br /><br />This way of working is pretty common here. You see people working on the latest high tech modern buildings, but working in a very old fashioned, simple straightforward way.<br /><br />I don't yet know what it all means, but it IS pretty interesting.<br /><br />That's all I got for now.<br /><br />Ciao.Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-29013421254835761592009-10-17T03:00:00.000-07:002009-10-17T03:14:59.193-07:00WETA Cave<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoIqpEEgVth4Iwd1TwK7FCvp3nCFjquzLDaouP0hj-rQ_Kz22j-xIpnaa7D1BnSDyx9meLXEYxpw7tv6JNsqo9LMenjz8U9pnwM9Tp30G4CZhZGvzCFrdKf8uUgBdC8suBlCkVKpyUv0/s1600-h/SANY1855.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoIqpEEgVth4Iwd1TwK7FCvp3nCFjquzLDaouP0hj-rQ_Kz22j-xIpnaa7D1BnSDyx9meLXEYxpw7tv6JNsqo9LMenjz8U9pnwM9Tp30G4CZhZGvzCFrdKf8uUgBdC8suBlCkVKpyUv0/s400/SANY1855.JPG" style="clear: both; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px;" /></a><br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img align="middle" alt="Posted by Picasa" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" style="-moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; background: 0% 50%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seth and I spent a week in New Zealand visiting my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Meredith & Jeremy Moreno.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">While we were there we got to go to the WETA Cave.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.wetanz.com/cave/">http://www.wetanz.com/cave/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">WETA is the place where Peter Jackson and company created the props, models, costumes & effects for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong and a number of other films & TV shows.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">WETA Cave is pretty cool, even though it really is mainly a gift shop that also has a 20 minute video on a large flat screen TV. The video talks about the history of WETA and the people there who create the effects and what not. The Cave is in what looks like a large house in a sort of combination warehouse park & suburb. There are a few other soundstages & warhouses that are industry related in the area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Unfortunately, but for obvious IP sensitive reasons, they really cannot do a full tour of the facilities. So, while it's got some pretty cool props, artwork, maquettes et cetera, it really is just a gift shop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Nonetheless we had a grea time. To see more images from our trip and our visit to the WETA Cave check out my pictures on picassa at:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/KevinCardani/WETACave">http://picasaweb.google.com/KevinCardani/WETACave</a>#</span><br />
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</div>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-4319110611208461092009-10-16T21:57:00.000-07:002009-10-25T01:32:59.520-07:00Racist Bastard<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwcMlEAV5mIh_phGn0ZjzBQ_9I_1eEnp4yBw8TzVXoeAJ9VCvcJVPfbH_WaTUwDyf5m1sOQzo2c5My-u_R1bi2qQ9vEANKU5v06EcG62WkcW7FuQ6Xsn2M-sNfQpwlOn8qB51SmK5HLU/s1600-h/interracial_hands.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwcMlEAV5mIh_phGn0ZjzBQ_9I_1eEnp4yBw8TzVXoeAJ9VCvcJVPfbH_WaTUwDyf5m1sOQzo2c5My-u_R1bi2qQ9vEANKU5v06EcG62WkcW7FuQ6Xsn2M-sNfQpwlOn8qB51SmK5HLU/s400/interracial_hands.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396452536399124162" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay. So I am in Sinagpore and really haven't been following the news back home (crazy busy art directing this project and all doesn't leave much time for news watching) but this whole interracial marrige fiasco is ridiculous.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">My only comment to this is:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">I don't care what excuse that bastard of a justice of the peace gave for his decision - he is a racist bastard and should be removed from that office.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">(And then run out of town and burned in effigy)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">Nuff said.</span>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-31556684312652086322009-09-27T07:09:00.000-07:002009-10-25T01:27:09.310-07:00One Night In Bangkok<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxQ_SuhgV_1s9XrA0eEBz0SrEmEmss-K_6zVWPEPObjZnhvpvw3V5ZMF0k91Sn8ozB5qXDmnTaO2EIYDZBtxxWsosLw1dCqw1_zGcskQ3-RHXWWxsjAi5_BgQULH8RjtTIdAcXjn3790/s1600-h/Man-A-Kin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxQ_SuhgV_1s9XrA0eEBz0SrEmEmss-K_6zVWPEPObjZnhvpvw3V5ZMF0k91Sn8ozB5qXDmnTaO2EIYDZBtxxWsosLw1dCqw1_zGcskQ3-RHXWWxsjAi5_BgQULH8RjtTIdAcXjn3790/s400/Man-A-Kin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396451269893180114" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was in Bangkok on Wednesday of this past week. Well, I flew in Tuesday evening, was a ATECH for a shop visit all day Wednesday and then I flew back to Singapore Wednesday evening.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">It was all pretty much the same as the other 6 or 8 times I have gone to Bangkok in the past couple of months. However, this time when P (the driver from the vendor) picked me up to drive me to the hotel we took a slightly different route as traffic was pretty bad. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">We left the airport and for the first 45 minutes or so the trip was the same as usual along the freeway. About 45 minutes into the 1 hour trip, the traffic got pretty thick, so P took an exit and we started to drive through the city on surface streets (and I will have to have a whole separate blog about the city of Bangkok itself).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">At one point we turned down a side street or alley and I noticed what, at first, looked like a couple of grandparents and another older couple (though younger than the "grandparents") sitting at a table on the side of the road next to an abandoned building. I also noticed a couple of young ladies in very short shorts and low cut tops. Then I noticed a few more standing next to some run down (or abandoned) cars. I then realized that the whole alley was a hooker alley.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">P, the driver, commented that they were all prostitutes. I said "Yes, I figured that. Are they all women or are some of them guys?"</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">He looked at me in the rear view mirror and asked "You are familiar with this?" in a sort of disbelieving tone. I explained that I had lived in New York City and that I now live in Los Angeles and that I had seen amny prostitutes and many transvestite or transsexual ones. He looked at me, again in the rear view mirror, and asked "You have prostitutes in America?" I explained that all of the major cities, and many smaller towns, had them. And that indeed most major cities and many small towns in every country in the world have them.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">At this point we had pulled up to a very long stop light and while we were waiting for it to change he turned around and asked me: "Do you have beggars too?" and cupped his hands in the sort of universal motion of begging for money or food. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">I explained that, yes we do indeed have beggars in America, and many of them in the larger cities.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">He made the comment "But you live in a civilized country?!?" as if asking a question and making a statement at the same time. He then shook his head and said, almost under his breath and sort of chuckling in dis-belief at the same time, "Beggars in America!". It was almost like the subtext of that thought or the continuation of it was "Hmmmmm, who knew?"</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">I think that I may have caused him to seriously re-think his ideas of our country or maybe even his world view.</span>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-20585179173153822142009-09-21T05:44:00.000-07:002009-10-24T04:36:22.859-07:00Not What I Expected<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOAQZq95TFTCLgjvsYBtMPj3DFspRgSu0LvVjJ7eoHFwMu28UZ8FraDeunGvL06KpKXqi2dlXI_rx6CxqPAtIcJgK2Y_7NyW03w5KBqdk8Hv-IT90vkHhQgTABPd2ACNJU89rytYYIMA/s1600-h/IMG_3346.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOAQZq95TFTCLgjvsYBtMPj3DFspRgSu0LvVjJ7eoHFwMu28UZ8FraDeunGvL06KpKXqi2dlXI_rx6CxqPAtIcJgK2Y_7NyW03w5KBqdk8Hv-IT90vkHhQgTABPd2ACNJU89rytYYIMA/s400/IMG_3346.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396128887010125122" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Singapore really is the land of the unexpected. No matter how familiar I think something will be, it always turns out to be "...not what I expected...". Whether it is a toy museum or a chicken sandwich or Japanese ramen or a black & tan or "Hawaiian Pizza", it always seems to be 3 degrees to the left of what I thought it would be.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">This seems to be the case with food, more than anything really, but it is also the case with other things. I've had cab drivers refuse tips, wait staff that stands behind you, patiently & politely but not about to leave, until you pay the bill and "American Breakfast" that is, again, 3 degrees left of what we'd really eat back in the States.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">It's all similar, but just different enough to make you really miss or crave some basic things from your life back home. It all ends up being more surreal due to the similarities, rather then the differences.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;">Anyway, just some thoughts for the evening.</span>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-57385045452810122732009-09-20T05:55:00.000-07:002009-09-21T01:40:36.115-07:00Toy Museum in Singapore<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdAWW0MG3rIAhfxAG6O-Q89U_c1rIdGnw1GcThB5zuYcwzV_hcC19xiKyyOlsb1OQ6ZqZOygoZDXf-6ScuvYFJPYAYTY4n4ziuB08jAz9Ppp9gh0O9J941LEjp1_hVNH_MJuwiarzfTg/s1600-h/SANY1010.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUzwCve5lJ79HZ3Pg3dsBs5i5Bz4Ubh9s8spDX3tBUMstZB7-L1kO7z_Rwg9SiqMYTKIzCw2ieOr0SYNBItlR6-nSJonhQoBJw4rZ16Sj1AcC1QqwwkuyXzIlUvyCFWIeGiNHS6qrUYc/s1600-h/SANY1010.JPG"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5f4qqWwQ1p4PvmShDjNgQGQLf7id4Dhf0zr3-mjxeLRzgZG7qdROfvgsPkzM9EB2Iv8q4JIUzNcfkkQWadzGZZFhcJDkcPpR9wlOmzx5oXWEI3rIzaCdPvfxUM9t8rRImm-GLxub_yA/s1600-h/SANY1019.JPG"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383828355120487330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5f4qqWwQ1p4PvmShDjNgQGQLf7id4Dhf0zr3-mjxeLRzgZG7qdROfvgsPkzM9EB2Iv8q4JIUzNcfkkQWadzGZZFhcJDkcPpR9wlOmzx5oXWEI3rIzaCdPvfxUM9t8rRImm-GLxub_yA/s400/SANY1019.JPG" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 300px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 400px;" /></span></a><span style="font-family: arial;"> Okay, so today I went with a number of co-workers to the Mint Toy Museum over by Raffles Hotel (the home of the Singapore Sling) in Singapore.<br />
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<div><span style="font-family: arial;">It's a very cool place. I have a number of friends who would be in heaven there (Zane & Dave Cobb to mention two).</span><br />
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<div><span style="font-family: arial;">The museum has some great, some wierd, some creepy and some down right racist toys from the past 80 years or so. </span><br />
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<div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The place is divided into 5 floors:</span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Ground floor: cafe, shop & ticket sales</span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2nd floor: Collectables (Beatles, Monkees, Matchbox)</span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">3rd floor: Childhood Favorites (Disney, Warner Bros., Etc)</span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">4th floor: Superheroes & Characters</span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">5th floor: Outer Space<br />
</span><br />
</div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We started at the top floor and worked our way down.<br />
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</div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The place is pretty small. It's maybe 20 feet wide by 60 feet deep, so, each floor is really just a stairwell, a sort of hallway with shelves along one side, and then it opens up a bit to another type of display area.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYXMEVFtzCK8hzm2_6bY05Uhl3Z35-VJlY8h3f1vqsDB3LRiNHiFqRrHCQsNSNVK_GMzAIj-0TZPwWapEiyQJpxZP6QAGWgDee6CUer6c9_y2o38K1CDEo-Oky3Tn8NNUDFThjp1mKZo/s1600-h/SANY1010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" iq="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYXMEVFtzCK8hzm2_6bY05Uhl3Z35-VJlY8h3f1vqsDB3LRiNHiFqRrHCQsNSNVK_GMzAIj-0TZPwWapEiyQJpxZP6QAGWgDee6CUer6c9_y2o38K1CDEo-Oky3Tn8NNUDFThjp1mKZo/s400/SANY1010.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">It wasn't until we were down on the 3rd floor that I realized what the architects had done (see the video below):<br />
</span><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyoMgURTcIgcZTVrl-pwdWTiPVCECrmlEVWQC3ZxQ-xnNOk1b0b1lv2dKEh9yWdSpVKwkkg2frKxSOAkSBdEA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><span style="font-family: arial;">Overall, the Mint Toy Museum was very interesting. I think that what was most</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> notable was the repetition of toys within the variety displayed there. I know that sounds odd, but the best example is the tin toys. There must have been a thousand tin toys on one level, maybe several hundred per case, and within that case of several hundred there were, say, 15 or 20 tin elephants that were all from different countries, with different paint jobs, yet all from the same mold and having the exact same form. really, really interesting stuff.</span><br />
</div></div><span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">I'll put together a Picassa album of this little adventure:</span><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/KevinCardani/MintToyMuseumSingapore"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://picasaweb.google.com/KevinCardani/MintToyMuseumSingapore</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">#</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoy.</span>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3549445059291759441.post-23239517207199452402009-09-19T07:52:00.001-07:002009-09-21T05:46:48.557-07:00Dinner with Chuck<span style="font-family: arial;">So, just got back from a great dinner with Chuck Spina at an Italian joint in Holland Village.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">Holland Village is a little foodie neighborhood in Singapore about a 15 minute cab ride from the hotel. It's probably fairly touristy, but in a different way than the Clarke Quay area here where the Gallery Hotel is located. There are some pretty cool looking little restaurants, bars and shops there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">See the video above for a typical sign and the sort of typical flavor of the area. It's really a pretty neat little place here in Singapore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;">I always enjoy having dinner with Chuck. He's a very interesting guy and works with some pretty fun people, so his stories about work and his job and his co-workers are fun to hear. And he is very excited that his wife and kids will be coming out to Singapore to visit for 2 weeks. They get here next weekend I believe. I'm sure they'll have a great time.</span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwPKtq2ZDVLJIFXEu_nwWf_3LaYl0WHwO4d-bEJ-ib55v-y3zv02owFYpRltqVRLQJ0iIBkVcRvjjtLCL2taA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<a href="http://www.browhaus.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.browhaus.com/</span></a>Kevin Cardanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17125051912081230724noreply@blogger.com0