Tag: Saved for Later

via kottke.org
Visual effects breakdown for The Force Awakens

Alert: Spoilers ahoy. There was a lot of talk about practical effects in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but make no mistake, digital dominates — there are over 2,100 CG shots in the film out of 2,500 total. However, a new VFX show reel released just ahead of the Oscar nominations shows how cannily the producers married the real and the fake. JJ Abrams and the ILM effects team grokked that viewers clearly know when they’re being fed CG, so the team uses practical sets, props, stunts and explosions wherever possible. Digital effects are then added to dress up the shots and add the necessary scale.

An example of that is when Finn arrives at a crashed Tie fighter in the desert. When he first encounters the flaming ship, it’s a practical set-piece with minor digital enhancements. Then, when it disappears into the desert sand, the craft is replaced by a matching digital version, with Finn composited into the foreground via a green screen (but still on location in the desert). Since actor John Boyega is able to work with a physical prop, the scene feels real and gritty.

That said, there are a lot of all-digital shots in the film. The model ships used in the first trilogy have their charm, but the space battles in Force Awakens are mostly CG. Still, it’s very good CG, with some of the strongest modeling, reflection, lighting and shader work I’ve ever seen. The VFX team, led by ILM supervisor Roger Guyett, also added generous smoke, vapor trails, motion blur, depth-of-field and camera shake to to make the shots less video game-like. The overall effect is a master class in how to keep a film emotionally grounded when it’s swimming in VFX. Check out the reel in the video below, but again, there are so many spoilers that you may want to avoid it until you’ve seen the movie.

via Engadget
See how VFX transforms ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

One of the great things about the days of the doorstop salesperson is that you could slam the door in their face if you weren’t in a buying mood. It’s not a hint that Microsoft was willing to take, constantly harassing Windows 7 and 8 users to make the upgrade to Windows 10. Thankfully, the firm has made it known that it is possible to disable the notifications once and for all, as long as you’re prepared to get your hands dirty. If so, then you can use this tutorial to amend the registry, blocking any access to the upgrade path. At the same time, Microsoft is relaxing the rules as to who can upgrade their system to Windows 10, enabling small businesses and similarly small organizations to get in on the action.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: TechNet, Microsoft Support

via Engadget
You can stop Microsoft bugging you about Windows 10 upgrades

Star Wars has long been a franchise that prides itself on its visual effects and The Force Awakens is no different. Director J.J Abrams expertly blended practical and digital effects to make a Star Wars film worthy of that legacy. And now you can really see his handiwork.

The official Oscars YouTube uploaded the above video, which shows several effects shots in the movie side by side with their original elements. More than anything, the video shows how the film basically used every tool in the toolbox: CGI, green screen, practical effects, and so much more.

Thanks to io9 reader Storymark for the heads up!

[Oscars]

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Contact the author at germain@io9.com.

via Gizmodo
VFX Reel Shows Just How They Created Some of The Force Awakens’ Most Brilliant Shots

So many factors go into the decision of renting versus buying a home. One of the most important ones: how much time you’re going to spend in a place. This interactive map from Smart Asset shows you where the best places to buy or rent, depending on when you plan on moving to a different place.

The company compared the average costs of renting or buying a home in each county. It assumes: A $100,000 household income per year, 4.5% mortgage rate, $2,000 in closing costs, and 20% down payment. (Home maintenance and other expenses that are higher for homeowners aren’t included, however.) The tool uses the break-even point for buying (when the cost of renting is higher than the total cost of buying). Counties with the lowest break-even point are the best places to buy.

This might be useful if, say, you know you’re going to be in an area only for a certain period of time—through grad school, for example, or relocating temporarily for a job. It’s also interesting to see that at 9.5 years, buying is better across the country, but renting is better on the West coast up until then.

Check out the map and calculator at the link below.

Rent vs. Buy | Smart Asset

via Lifehacker
The Best Places to Buy a Home, Based on How Long You’ll Live There

WATER PASS provides a simple yet clever solution to an age old problem— it is a filter for your sink that allows water to drain quickly even with food waste in the center well.

View the full project here
via Core77
Reader Submitted: WATER PASS

 Enterprise startups have a new venture fund to pitch. Leaders Fund, a new, North American venture firm, is taking the wraps off its debut, $100 million fund, and the capital is earmarked exclusively for software companies selling to businesses. Given the cofounders, its focus is no wonder. David Stein previous cofounded the social performance platform company Rypple (Salesforce.com… Read More

via TechCrunch
Enterprise Founders Take Note: A New $100 Million Fund Just For You

Whether you’re coming up with a side business or trying to figure out what kind of website to launch, chances are, you have ideas bouncing around your head all the time. To organize and work through your brainstorm, break it up into a three-step process.

If you have a mess of ideas in your head, it can be challenging to get it all organized. In the above video, KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky says coming up with a solid idea takes three basic steps, or phases. There’s the creative phase, the skeptic phase, and the evangelical phase.

http://ift.tt/1L7aeUi…

In the creative phase, you simply take your ideas and run with them. As Lubetzky puts it:

You don’t want to have filters. You just want to think outside the box. The more that you push yourself to think outside the box, the better….Bring out all of that creativity, and come up with crazy thing, and among those crazy things, there might be that genius thing that has potential.

Once you have an idea you like, bring it into the skeptic phase, where you critically analyze every detail of the idea and its potential challenges. If an idea makes it through that phase, you enter “evangelical mode” where you thoroughly believe in the potential of your idea.

This is a very basic overview, but it stresses the importance of keeping each of these phases separate so you can focus on all of the brainstorming that goes into solidifying an idea and making it great. Check out the full video for more detail.

How to Come Up With a Creative Idea in 3 Simple Steps | Entrepreneur (YouTube)

via Lifehacker
Solidify a Creative Idea by Brainstorming in Three Phases

VLC, one of the popular media players, has just arrived on the new Apple TV. The app is a full port of VLC player “combined with platform specific features.” Like the iOS version, VLC for Apple TV 4 supports virtually all file formats under the sun. It integrates with a plethora of devices and services on your local […]
via Apple TV Hacks
VLC now available for Apple TV 4

Ohio needs to brainstorm ideas and become more innovative. That’s the finding from Bloomberg’s new ranking of the most-innovative states.
The Buckeye State ranked 29th among the 50 states.
Here’s how Ohio ranked in each category Bloomberg measured:
R&D intensity: 27th Productivity: 26th High-tech density: 38th STEM concentration: 21st Science and engineering degree holders: 36th Patent activity: 16th
Massachusetts was deemed the most-innovative state, while Mississippi was the least-innovative.
Click…

via Columbus Business News – Local Columbus News | Business First of Columbus
Ohio below average in Bloomberg’s innovate states ranking