We’ve mentioned that sharpening your knives with a whetstone (or water stone) is the best way to keep them sharp and safe, but this video will walk you through picking the right stones, learning the right angles, and getting the perfect edge—all in one sitting.
The video, from our friends at KnifePlanet—who also taught us the “sharpie trick” to sharpening knives—put this video (and the associated walkthrough linked below) together to help address the common questions for whetstone beginners. The whole thing covers topics like which stones you should start with, what “grit” means in the context of a whetstone, where to get good stones (spoiler: Amazon has a great selection of the #400 grit, #1000 grit, and #5000 grit stones you’ll want, complete with their holders), and more.
Your first big lesson here is to not be afraid of damaging your knife with a whetstone—if you use any measure of care with one, you’ll be fine. The video also walks you through creating the “burr,” or the overlaid edge on one side that comes from sharpening the other. It’s important to make, because it means you’ve removed the fatigued metal on one side of the knife, and a good indicator that you’re applying the right amount of pressure at the right angle. Then you’ll be ready to flip it over and do the same with the other side of your knife.
The video is a bit long, close to 20 minutes, but you won’t find a better, more complete guide to the topic that covers as much detail without skimping on the specifics. Peter Nowlan (who you’ll remember from the last video) even touches on whether you should just use one whetstone, or use several with progressively higher grit for a sharper edge—but that’s an advanced technique for folks who are comfortable with one, so press play and see how far along your knife sharpening skills are.
Arizona criminal defense attorney Marc J. Victor recently put on an excellent Trieste on the primary legal implications of using a handgun in a defensive situation. The article, published at LewRockwell.com is a long, but detailed and logical look at major criteria any firearms owner should know when it comes to the real use of […]
Whether or not you see George Lucas’ tinkering with the original Star Wars trilogy as harmless meddling or the greatest sin committed in cinematic history, it’s a shame that fans don’t even have the choice to purchase HD versions of the original theatrical cuts. But now, at least, a restored version of the first Star Wars is available online.
This isn’t a “despecialized edition” like many other fan attempts to revert Lucas’ changes. Somehow, a group of fans dubbing themselves Team Negative One found an original 35mm film print of the first Star Wars movie,and have spent years cleaning it up, scanning each frame of film and digitally restoring it to make the cleanest version of the original movie as possible. You can check out a video comparing the state of the original film reel and the final, cleaned version below:
Team Negative One’s restoration is meant to be more faithful than the only publicly released HD version of the theatrical cuts made available as DVD bonuses in a 2006 release of the original trilogy (which themselves were taken from the Laserdisc release of the movies and suffered from detail loss in the transfer process). It’s by no means a perfect restoration, with some graininess and color differences, and you won’t get the sharp image of the Blu-ray releases, changes and all, but it’s the closest there’s ever been to a true restoration of the original Star Wars.
Due to the highly dubious legality of releasing the restoration, Negative One has remained relatively quiet about putting the restored film online; it began seeding its way through the internet about a month ago, but it’s only just started receiving wider attention as more and more fans discover it. Obviously because of this, we can’t directly link to where to download the restoration, but should you desire to see it, it’s not exactly difficult to find if you go looking.
You can check out the link below to see more comparisons between the restoration and the original print, as well as the 2011 Blu-ray release of the film.
It’s going to be a good year for Marvel’s Black Panther. Not only is he getting an extremely promising new comic book series, in a few months he’s making his Marvel cinematic universe debut in Captain America: Civil War. If you’re not familiar with the superhero, king and Avenger, here’s your primer.
1) He was the first black superhero in mainstream comics.
Although there were black heroes before him—back when Marvel was still Timely Comics in the ’50s, it published stories about “Waku, Prince of the Bantu” in Jungle Tales—Black Panther is widely credited as the first black superhero to debut in mainstream comics. Although he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 in April 1966, T’Challa wouldn’t actually star in his own comic book until 1973, when he headlined Jungle Action, another jungle-themed anthology that stretched back into Marvel’s history when it was Atlas Comics (the company went through multiple name changes in the ’40s and ’50s).
2) He actually predates the Black Panther party.
When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were creating T’Challa, he almost had a radically different design, featuring no mask and a much more colorful costume. (As you can see, Lee also says he was going to be called Coal Tiger, although it plausible at least as likely that this is a joke on Lee’s part). The two eventually re-worked the design, and then six months after he debuted, Huey Newton formed the radical nationalist political organization called Black Panther Party later in 1966, known for its armed patrols to protest police brutality against African Americans.
People have long since assumed that Lee and Kirby were inspired by the Black Panther Party when creating Black Panther, but it was simply a coincidence—although the BPP’s rise though did briefly become a point of contention for Marvel. In 1972, as the Panthers reached the apex of their influence, T’Challa returned in Fantastic Four #119, calling himself Black Leopard as he pondered a return to the US, where his former name now had “political connotations.” The name change and acknowledgment of the Black Panther Party was never mentioned again.
3) He’s royalty.
T’Challa’s life is dominated by legacy. Not only is the Black Panther role a hereditary title passed down throughout his family (although rigorous mental and physical tests have to be passed before one can assume it), he’s also from the ruling family of the Panther Tribe, who govern the independent African nation of Wakanda. T’Challa earned both the right to rule and the Black Panther persona (as well as the powers that come with it, gained from eating a mysterious plant poisonous to many non-Wakandans) from his father, T’Chaka.
4) He rules over the most advanced country in the world.
As T’Challa is the Chief of the Panther tribe, you might have imagined that makes Wakanda some remote, tribal country. Nope. On Marvel’s Earth, Wakanda is one of the most important countries on the planet, a leader in scientific and technological advances. The country is one of a handful of places where vibranium (the near-indestructible metal that Captain America’s shield is made of) can befound, and the country’s isolationist nature has ensured Wakanda is decades ahead of the likes of the US when it comes to a technological standpoint.
5) He is essentially Marvel’s answer to Batman.
Black Panther and Bruce Wayne share a lot more in common than a fondness for pointy ears on their cowls. T’Challa is pretty much Bruce Wayne, except that the Black Panther also has a few superpowers. One of the smartest people in the world—he’s on a level with super geniuses like Tony Stark and Reed Richards— T’Challa is also incredibly skilled in armed and unarmed combat. He’s also at the peak of human strength and agility, on par with Captain America. This means…
6) Like Batman, he can beat down opponents who are much more powerful.
Black Panther always has a plan. He’s renowned as a master tactician, and between his supersmarts and his fighting skill, it means as a hero he can punch above his weight more often that not. He’s single-handedly defeated villains like Doctor Doom, and yes, he’s even gone up against teams of his fellow heroes and handed their super-butts to them easily. Like I said, his first ever appearance was to beat up the Fantastic Four, pretty much for shits and giggles.
7) The Civil War movie isn’t the first time someone’s tried to bring him out of comics.
Chadwick Boseman might be the first person to actually bring Black Panther to the big screen, but it’s not only not the first time an actor has brought the character to life. Djimon Hounsou voiced T’Challa in a 2010 animated series that ran on BET, and you can see the opening titles above. Additionally, Civil War isn’t even the first time someone’s tried to make a Black Panther movie. In fact, it’s happened twice before!
Wesley Snipes was linked to a potential Black Panther movie from Columbia pictures in the early ’90s, but plans fell through .Later, after Snipes went on to portray Marvel’s vampire hunter Blade, the project was again considered. We almost got a Snipes-starring Black Panther movie in 2004, instead of Blade Trinity.
8) One time, he took Daredevil’s job in Hell’s Kitchen to do some soul-searching.
This should tell you a lot about T’Challa’s character: when Matt Murdock was busy getting over the comically depressing event of being possessed by an actual demon after the Shadowland comic arc, T’Challa offered to step in as Hell’s Kitchen’s erstwhile defender while Daredevil was out of action.
T’Challa himself was going through a rough patch where he found himself spiritually broken after a battle with Doctor Doom. Adopting the persona of diner manager Mr. Okonowo, he set up shop in Hell’s Kitchen and spent his nights getting back to his roots as Black Panther… while savagely beating up bad guys. That’s Black Panther’s idea of a spiritual retreat, basically.
9) He’s been on a ton of superhero teams, but isn’t much of a team player.
Black Panther joined the Avengers in his second-ever appearance, and since then he’s not just remained one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but joined the likes of the Ultimates, the morally-grey Illuminati, and even briefly lead the Fantastic Four into battle.
But despite his reputation as a stalwart team member, Black Panther’s highest priority is to himself and the people of Wakanda. This isolated nature is maybe best captured in Chris Priest’s seminal run on the character, which began with an arc that saw Black Panther nonchalantly reveal that he only joined the Avengers so he could spy on them and see if they were a threat to his people. None of them had the heart to call him out on it though.
10) He totally kicked the KKK’s kollective asses.
Hot off the success of Don McGregor Panther’s Rage, one of Marvel’s first experimentations with self-contained story arcs, the very next story saw T’Challa travel to Georgia with his then-girlfriend, where he ended up fighting a white supremacist organization that wore conical hoods and were technically not the Klu Klux Klan but look at them and their pointy white hats. McGregor could only refer to them as “The Clan” in the actual comic, and it was incredibly controversial at the time, but yes, Marvel’s first black superhero beat up the KKK.
11) He and Storm were once the ultimate Marvel power couple.
T’Challa and Ororo Munroe are two of the most prominent black characters in Marvel’s roster, and their 2006 marriage was such a huge deal, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers took a break from fighting each other in the comic Civil War event to celebrate it.
Fans loved the characters together, but the marriage wouldn’t last. In a controversial move, their relationship was annulled in 2012 when Black Panther banned all mutants from Wakanda following an attack by a brainwashed Namor the Sub-Mariner. Many assumed the couple’s split was because there were plans underway to bring T’Challa to the Marvel’s cinematic universe, where he couldn’t bring his wife—Storm being part of Foz’s X-Men movie rights.
12) He’s currently helping solve the biggest problems to the Marvel Universe.
In the current “All-New, All-Different” update of Marvel’s comics, Black Panther stands as a member of the cosmic superteam the Ultimates alongside Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, America Chavez, and Blue Marvel. The team works together to safeguard the Earth from cosmic threats, capable of doing so thanks to support from advanced Wakandan technology.
Their first story saw them manage to turn Galactus into a life-giving cosmic force rather than a planet-devourer, so they’re pretty dang good at what they do. Black Panther is a big part of that.
13) Spider-Man may have screwed with his Civil War role.
Although Civil War marks Black Panther’s movie debut, the recent addition of Spider-Man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe might mean there’s a little less of him in the movie. When Civil War was first announced, Black Panther was touted as a hero who would be a neutral, a never-before-seen hero without links to Steve Rogers or Tony Stark that would be able to offer a fresh perspective on the conflict between the two former friends. This neutral party is pretty much the role Spider-Man filled in the original Civil War comic.
But when Sony made the deal to allow Marvel access to the webslinger, the Civil War scripted was altered to accommodate him—and it’s likely that Spidey is returning to his role as “hero trapped in the middle.” As such, it’s almost certain that Black Panther’s place in the story has been diminished, and he’s less integral to the movie’s plot. Hopefully that’s not the case, though, because it’s a long wait until Black Panther drops in 2018.
14) You really should be excited for his new comic.
If you were looking for a Black Panther comic to read up on before Civil War came out, there isn’t one at the moment—but there will be soon. It’s coming from a ridiculously exciting creative team, artist Brian Stelfreeze and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, this April.
Coates, best known for his work across dozens of publications as America’s foremost commentator on African-American culture in the modern day, will open the series with an arc that delves into T’Challa’s rule over Wakanda as the country comes under attack from superpowered terrorists. Given Coates’ background (this is his first writing gig for a comic), it’s hard not to look forward to what he can do with the legacy of a character like Black Panther. Just in time for you to pick up an issue or two before you go see Civil War!
The story of Deadpool’s surprising success can be directly traced back to the CG demo reel Tim Miller and Blur Studios produced to sell Fox on Deadpool. But it turns out Miller and Blur also did something similar for Marvel Studios—and it helped the first Iron Man movie get made in the first place.
Remember, when Marvel was considering kicking off its movie slate with Iron Man back in 2006, Iron Man was at best a B-list comic book character. Only some comic fans liked him, and the general public had little to no idea who Iron Man was, compared to big names like Spider-Man or the X-Men.
So Marvel tasked Miller and Blur Studios to develop a series of Iron Man shorts targeted to kids, designed to help explain who the character was and raise awareness. According to Marvel’s Chief Creative Office Joe Quesada, the shorts had three objectives:
1- Clearly demonstrate that there was a man inside the armor.
2- Show off his wide range of cool powers.
3- Position him clearly as a hero on the same level as Spidey and Hulk by having those characters show how cool they perceive him to be and valued him as a peer.
These shorts been floating around the internet in various states of quality for a while, but in the wake of Deadpool’s success, Quesada took to Tumblr to reshare them with the world. You can see all three below!
Obviously, Miller’s shorts were successes, giving Marvel the necessary confidence to keep working on Iron Man. And we all know how well that went! Marvel even planned to do a similar test for Thor ahead of his cinematic debut, but according to Quesada Marvel ended up canning them as they couldn’t get them broadcast on TV. Still, it’s cool to see that Miller and the amazing CG artists at Blur had their hands in turning two unlikely superheroes into major movie franchises.
Real Racing 3 has finnaly arrived on the new Apple TV. The native tvOS app comes with all the best features Real Racing is known from, including split-screen Party Play mode, diverse control options and cross-device Cloud Saves. Are you ready for the biggest NASCAR race of the year? Real Racing 3 brings the action, thrills and […]
via Apple TV Hacks Real Racing 3 finally available on Apple TV
All sorts of theories surrounded Kylo Ren early on, with our own Remy Carreiro having his own say in the matter. Now we (at least who’ve seen the movie or the spoilers) know who he is, and either you love him or hate him. However you may feel, this is a must-read: “Why Kylo Ren […]
via ForeverGeek These Star Wars GIFs Show That Kylo Ren and Han Solo Are Just Like Us
Most of the best artists and productive people you know have one thing in common: For them, “I’ll get to it later,” wasn’t acceptable. If you want to create, do it with a sense of urgency.
As business blog Entrepreneur points out, a sense of urgency does wonders for the creative process. Any working artist can tell you how much more motivated they get when there’s a deadline. However, it’s how you act when there isn’t a deadline that can mean the difference between success and lost projects:
Creators don’t wait to be asked to create something. They create because there’s nothing else to do but create. Creators don’t care if what they create doesn’t turn out beautifully. The true pleasure is in the process — even the frustrating aspects. Creators can’t keep it in. Their need to create literally spills out of them. Creation is URGENT.
If you’re waiting to start a project, stop waiting and do it. Tomorrow is too late. Even if you have no deadline, even if no one cares whether you do it or not, hell even if you don’t think you’re ready to start, don’t wait. Figure out what the first step you can reasonably take is today and start doing it. Then don’t stop until it’s done.
Real estate photography might seem straightforward, but the reality is it’s just as challenging as any other genre. After all, it’s about what you should keep in the image and what you should take out. How far is too far though? That’s what a few would-be home buyers are asking in regards to the photo […]