I am basically a man of many interests, and that includes computer animation software. I started off with such things as Lightwave and 3DS Max before moving on to Blender, and its many possibilities. In all 3D CG software is now more accessible than ever before. With tools that are free, you can make your own Toy Story, on your own, and without much difficulty.

Now I am wondering, is there anyone out there who has similar interests in Computer Animation? And if so, which of the various tools do you like to use for your animation needs? Whether it be Maya, or Houdini, feel free to vote for your favourite tools, and see, in the end, which one is the most popular, or well used.

Well, I believe that getting things for free is a good example towards establishing a fanbase for your front end. I mean, I was able to get GTA V and Civilization VI for nothing through Epic's store. And that's on top of the assorted free games I find from time to time on the Humble Bundle. So at least I'm covered quite well.

Here's a good game. Think of a game, yet put only the creator of that game, whether it be a company or person, and add the name of another different game.

The next post has to put in the the answer to the previous question, and add another game title with it, and so on and so forth.

I'll start...

Shigeru Miyamoto. Dune II.

Enjoy!

I know that filming a cinema screen would account to piracy, but taking selfies? It's just an image of yourself. It's become a new tradition in the cultural zeitgeist. But then again this is Russia. They try to be kill-joys even after the fall of Communism. How the mighty have fallen.

Which version of Hellboy was it that provoked the lawsuit? The 2004 version, or the 2019 reboot? Because the image featured in the above article is for the superior 2004 film. The 2019 version is a mere shadow of it's predecessor's greatness.

And why would they go ahead for suing for lost profits? The film was already a disaster. Why even try?

That's the bootleggers for you. They try to make a quick buck for their efforts, and who benefits from all this, the viewers who are disillusioned by the rise of big business. Even in America, history tends to repeat itself. It happened when liquor was declared illegal, and it's happening again with the greedy and the corrupt.

It's obvious Scoob has found a new life amid the pirates. The film may not have been as good as its source material, but nonetheless, it found some means of purgatory, through online means, legit, and otherwise.

This is good for open knowledge. Given the fact that people cannot access physical libraries due to current world events, having free and easy access to books in a digital library, ought to ensure that knowledge will prevail. And given the wealth of information at the Internet Archive, it's a win-win for all involved.

That's Vietnam for you. They might have their problems, but even if one pirate goes down, they still continue on with another, and another. It's part of the common stability of a foreign country, especially around the Asias.

So in the end, despite one IPTV service going belly up, there is hope after all, as other IPTV services rise out of its ashes like phoenixes. At least there is a happy ending, or a silver lining to this closure.

Most of those domains that they are planning to block are essentially from Asian countries, so why should I be surprised? They use piracy as their bread and butter, to try and make a name for themselves. But once again, it's not going to stop them, or any newcomers from taking their place. It's a cottage industry there.

Well, of course piracy can help boost a film's profits. If they liked it on a computer screen, that would probably coax them into seeing it in a legit cinema screen. The sooner the film studios discover an exploit towards this fact, they could end up getting more out of their viewers.

That's big business for you. They see any threat to their bottom dollar, and then take them down before they have a chance to provide something. This is exactly why we can't have nice things.

It's good that KODI, in the end, continues on. Sure it's use for online piracy is waning, but at least it will ensure that the media player will continue for years to come. It's legitimacy that will ensure its future, as not to be mired by pirate plug ins. And especially so, given I use it for offline viewing of video files and what not, from my own personal collection.

It's a never-ending struggle. You can try to stop the pirates, but it's like a mythical hydra. You cut off one head, another two takes their place. I know that Covid has really made piracy a common fact, but given that the studios are already having problems, and the theatres are closed for the duration, do you think that the people are going to be restricted further? It's just common sense.

Um, combining a business management sim, with a film noir, may be a recipe for disaster, but then again, the indie market is known for odd tastes and mixtures. I mean, the coffee should be as black as those monochrome visions that we expect in a noir.

It's a case of style over substance here. The Xbox Series X is powerful, but it's essentially a giant brick-like monolith. The PS5 on the other hand has both power and elegant good looks. That plus the value of the Playstation Brand will ensure that it will be a great success.

That's Christopher Nolan for you. He uses analogue technology to produce cinematic spectacles. And given his track record of creating pure cinema without the safety net of digital tools, I'm sure that he'll one day win an Oscar for something. He might be the next David Lean for all we know!

That's the resourceful Canadians for you. They make an easy compromise when dealing with world events. At least it's still being held, and that's something to be thankful for. And as for the Geo-block, I don't know whether it will be secure. Remember a thing called a VPN?

Well, I'll see it when I believe it. I, myself am a major fan of the original Tron, but I thought that Tron: Legacy was a bit of a disappointment when I saw it at the cinema. I thought it was going to be a grand extravaganza, but it was too restrained and slow. And that's despite the original film being used with limitations of technology at the time.

Hello! I have an interest in making my own animated films. And at first I thought that 3DS Max would provide the solution, with its Character Studio plugin providing excellent walk cycle animation. But then as I looked further, I discovered Blender. At first I thought it was a simple and inferior tool. But in recent times, it has grown on me, and it provides superior modelling and animation tools. I'm still learning, but I'm starting to get the knack of this software. And best of all, it's free!

So I wonder if any of you in this site have had any experience with this software. Is it better than the commercial products? I await your response.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Clune

If you've seen the movie, then you'll get a similar story to it in the book. But there are differences, such as reenactments of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and WarGames. Nonetheless, it is a good book to read.

It will be a sad day for wrestling when Rey Mysterio retires or dies. But then again, this is WWE we're talking about. Anything can happen!

Does anyone remember the ROMO robot? It was a short lived device that was financed using Kickstarter, I believe, and it used an old smart device as a brain for a motorized undercarriage. I first discovered it when I was at a local antique and curio shop, and they were only charging $19 for it in box. It did not have the recharge cable, but once I got an old iPhone, I was able to get it working. Thank goodness for the source code being open-source!

So I wonder if any of you out there had any experience with this device. It's worth the price of getting for a social robot of sorts. And given there's still a fan base out there for it, it is still worth it all. So feel free to speak about this. I await your reply.