Recently, I finished reading Laura Hillenbrand's book Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. It follows Louis "Louie" Zamperini's life from childhood through the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games to World War II and his incarceration in a Japanese POW camp onto the end of his life in his nineties. Then I watched the movie based off the book that was directed and produced by Angelina Jolie which was a relatively faithful translation of the book, but frankly, a movie generally can't compare to a book in terms of content and information. This is one movie that would be really hard to make it more entertaining than the book. If it were just an action movie, you could just add more explosions or funnier lines, but since this was a based on a real life story, it is more complex than what you can put into a two hour film. It could have been a documentary to go into more aspects of Louie's life, but that wouldn't be enough Hollywood "glitz and glam."
I really like Hillenbrand's writing. It pulls you forward in the story with clear cut images. She does a lot of research which she incorporates well into the book. She did fifty-seven interviews with Louie himself before he died and with many others who knew the stories, including photos and documents that added to the interviews. She uses imagery, even in the titles of her chapters, that point to the core of each chapter.
The movie, although good, addressed the main parts of the book, but not in as much detail to do the book justice. They could have added at least thirty more minutes to cover the major parts at the end of his life. The movie didn't address the PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after the war or his religious renewal that helped him recover from the war. In the movie it makes it seem like he was still strong and "unbroken" but in the book Hillenbrand wrote about how he "broke" after the war explaining how he dealt with alcoholism due to PTSD, how he almost destroyed his marriage and lost his money. He went through a religious salvation by attending a Billy Graham revival encouraged by his wife who forced him to go. He was able to release his need for revenge toward the Bird that he had pent up all of those years, and go on with more purpose for his life. Sometimes the story isn't just about the triumph, but the story behind it that shows the work and the problems that people have to deal with.
Even though the movie is worth seeing, the book gives more to the reader to think about.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Friday, October 30, 2015
Vacation Spots You Should Check Out: St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri is a pretty awesome vacation spot, especially if you stay downtown in the old Union Station that has been converted into a mall/hotel/Amtrak station. The architecture was attractive and the rooms were plush. It included a swimming pool, paddle boats to pedal around the lagoon, driving small boats around a course, and there were a lot of restaurants like the Hard Rock Cafe and others. The mall area had several things to offer. They make fudge in front of your eyes and sing to you; we bought some which was delicious. If you are a Harry Potter fan, there is a Platform 9 and 3/4 mural on the wall that looks like you could walk through it. Definitely get a picture by it like our family did! There was also historical information and exhibits about trains in the station too.
Besides visiting the Busch Stadium to see the St. Louis Cardinals and other major attractions, there are several other places that are inexpensive, especially for kids 13 and younger. The St. Louis Gateway Arch is worth seeing for the interesting historical exhibits about westward expansion, and a trip up in the "egg" conveyor to the top. The Arch is 630 feet which is taller than the Washington Monument in D.C. Be creative in taking pictures of it--it is ridiculously photogenic! If you get a chance, eat at the Olde Spaghetti Factory near the Arch because of the incredible spaghetti and atmosphere of the old building.
Another great spot for kids is the City Museum which is a really weird place to go because the creator had a crazy imagination and just keeps building strange jungle gym areas to explore. He's added airplane cockpits and balls pits and other outside areas that are made from mainly reclaimed materials. You can climb and crawl for a really long time in places that adults can't go.
Also, the old World's Fair Exhibition Gardens includes a zoo, science center, and art museum (but don't try to go to the art museum on Monday since it is closed). The zoo has a little train and a wide variety of animals to watch. Our family likes science centers, but there were a lot of interesting things to do at this one. For example, you can check the speed of cars with a speed gun over the highway from a bridge connecting the two buildings. You can build a Catenary Arch, like the real one, and work several robotics things, build with Legos, and work with Nanotechnology.
There are also two areas near to St. Louis that are named for Ulysses S. Grant: Grant's Farm (a bit expensive) and the National Historic Park (free). Kids can get junior ranger badges and see lots of animals including the Clydesdale horses and lots of historical artifacts from the 1800's.
Though it isn't too far away to travel, it makes for a well-rounded and fun vacation place for a long weekend or more.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
How online video has changed education
We all use the internet as a reference nowadays. But a few years back, people started using sites like YouTube to spread knowledge/teach lessons that would normally take a college class or tech school or a mentor to learn. This has started a "Maker" or DIY revolution across America, if not the free/civilized world opening up more education to anyone with a computer--educating and entertaining.
The first time I used the Internet to try to figure our how to do something was in my engineering class my freshman year. We were trying to make a train that could move its pistons on a track using Autodesk Inventor to design and animate it. Our teacher, Mr. Labs, gave us a YouTube address for a video on how to it, rather than having him show us. So, after several play-throughs of the video, I was finally able to get the wheels and train moving along the track. Doing it this way, with some teacher guidance, but relying on your own understanding using the video, it makes more a hands on approach to learning instead of just having someone lecture to you, and you copy it. Because you have to analyze it, the learning is ingrained in your brain more.
Recently, I've been experimenting with Autodesk Maya and 3DS Max to add animation to video. Since my brother has been many movies with his iPod over the summer, we wanted to make better effects to add to the live action. Looking at videos on the Internet and tutorial pages for the programs, I am beginning to learn how to use them.
Other sites, such as Khan Academy are also providing education tools, free online video lessons and courses.
The first time I used the Internet to try to figure our how to do something was in my engineering class my freshman year. We were trying to make a train that could move its pistons on a track using Autodesk Inventor to design and animate it. Our teacher, Mr. Labs, gave us a YouTube address for a video on how to it, rather than having him show us. So, after several play-throughs of the video, I was finally able to get the wheels and train moving along the track. Doing it this way, with some teacher guidance, but relying on your own understanding using the video, it makes more a hands on approach to learning instead of just having someone lecture to you, and you copy it. Because you have to analyze it, the learning is ingrained in your brain more.
Recently, I've been experimenting with Autodesk Maya and 3DS Max to add animation to video. Since my brother has been many movies with his iPod over the summer, we wanted to make better effects to add to the live action. Looking at videos on the Internet and tutorial pages for the programs, I am beginning to learn how to use them.
Other sites, such as Khan Academy are also providing education tools, free online video lessons and courses.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Special effects
To create movies of the quality we now expect, special effects houses have to use every trick in the book, from classic green-screen technologies to the creation of full artificial intelligence systems. It's no wonder special effects groups, such as Industrial Light and Magic, are as important in Hollywood as any producer or director.
However, special effects houses can't always just go out to Best Buy or go on Amazon to get the software that makes Hollywood amazing. Generally, larger special effects names spend as much time coding as they do on the artistic side, writing custom code to fix specific problems and bringing new effects to life. Sometimes these "projects" become products in their own right, as happened with Pixar's RenderMan, the engine behind not only the company's own films such as the Toy Story trilogy, ,Ratatouille, A Bug’s Life, and WALL-E, but also most major Hollywood blockbusters, including Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn, 4 of the Terminator movies (T2: Judgement Day, T3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation, and Terminator Genysis), Star Trek VI, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, the Jurassic Park quadrilogy, Speed, The Lion King, The Jungle Book, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Twister, Independence Day, Titanic, Men in Black, Armageddon, the Star Wars prequels(The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith), The Matrix trilogy, Monsters Inc., the 7-movie Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, X-Men (X2, III: Last Stand, First Class, and Days of Future Past), I-Robot, The Incredibles, Transformers, Mission Impossible 3 and Ghost Protocol, Iron Man 1, 2, and 3, Star Trek (2009), Avatar (2009 film), Pacific Rim, Interstellar, Edge of Tomorrow, Inside Out, Tommorowland, Captain America: The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers, Ant-Man,and Avengers: Age of Ultron. (However, it didn't officially become RenderMan until after Toy Story.) This level of complexity makes it into more of an engineering project than a regular artistic one, but if not equally good, the artistic side fails. Pixar is a great demonstration of the two collaborating. When Toy Story came out, the primitive 3D graphics of the time didn't allow for the complex effects we're now used to seeing, so the company focused on the type of effects it could pull off--rigid-body figures, where "any weaknesses would simply contribute to the charm". As time progressed and technology improved, they introduced more realistic animation, mastered fur (Monsters Inc), and came up with the cartoon humans that made The Incredibles so much fun to watch. Every movie raised the stakes, but every movie became a hit.
The history of CGI in live-action films hasn't always been smooth. The earliest practical application of CGI was and still is thought to be the point-of-view sequences of Yul Brynner's robot gunslinger in Westworld, a 1973 futuristic western. But pre-1980s films didn't have much to work with, and even in the '80s, GUI computers were still new. In 1982 Tron was released, complete with real actors and the first fully computer-engineered 3D scenes. This legendary movie was the first truly CGI-heavy film, designed to play off the technology's weaknesses as well as its strengths. The producers encountered problems combining the real and computer worlds, making them relatively cohesive and seamless. After Tron, a variety of watershed films employed ever-more impressive CGI advancements, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade featuring the first all-composite scene to Terminator 2: Judgment Day's startling visuals of the T-1000. Terminator 2 marked the first use of natural human motion for a computer-created character. Its liquid metal effects, particularly in conjunction with the then-revolutionary morphing technology that would soon take over every film and commercial in sight, was a particular eye-opener, giving us a villain that combined the best technology from both 1991 and a post-apocalyptic 2029.
But it was Toy Story that really cemented CGI's place in the industry. While producing the film, Pixar grew from just 10 people to 150. This was a unheard-of number for a computer graphics project. 50 to 70 people were on the technical team, working under technical director Bill Reeves and animator John Lasseter. They were tasked with creating the program that would eventually become RenderMan.
Whether it's adding incredible characters and amazing scenery, removing human elements or simulating epic battles, CGI is now a staple component of modern movie making. As the regular tools of the trade are commercially available software packages, this only goes to show that the real skill of special effects lies in the artistic expression used rather than the sheer processing power and capablities of the technology.
P.S.
Applications available to the public vary in terms of price and capabilities. But you can get a non-commercial RenderMan for free on the RenderMan website.
http://www.techradar.com/us/news/world-of-tech/computing/how-special-effects-transformed-the-movies-590842
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effect
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Vacation spots you should check out: California
Over the last few years, my family has been to many places in America including the Badlands in South Dakota, California, and Washington, D.C. But this post I'll talk about Northern California and the states on the way there via our driving tour.
Driving West we went to North Platte, Nebraska which for train lovers is a highlight since it has one of the biggest train classification yard in the world. The Golden Spike Observation Tower is a four-story tower that you can watch trains for hours on end, like my dad.
After Nebraska, we head to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a quick stop where we again checked out trains. We saw the Big Boy, a gigantic steam locomotive from the 1940s. You could spend time looking through the shops in the down town near the train station, especially Western styled art, like the giant boots all around.
Then we traveled to Steamboat Springs, Colorado where we saw oil rigs and steep terrain along the way. Steamboat Springs is a ski resort in the winter, but in the summer the climate is mild with beautiful scenery and touristy shops. Fish Creek Falls provided a pleasant hike that even my little brother in a wheelchair could enjoy. Passing through Salt Lake City, Utah we saw the Olympic Park, the Great Salt Lake which stunk, and the Salt Flats where they test world records for land speeds.
Finally, we made it to California where we went to the McClellan Aerospace Museum on the base. The Star Trek exhibit was there, and we could sit in the Captain's chair on the Original series bridge. Also, we could see a Borg up close and walk through the halls of the Enterprise D from the Next Generation. Then we toured the rest of the facility which housed a whole lot of planes, some of which we could enter, including a MiG, F-14D Tomcat, and a Blue Angels jet F-16.
Near to the airbase is Sacramento where we went to Sutter's Fort, not Sutter's Mill where they first found gold, and we saw blacksmiths, gunsmiths, and olden times stuff. The blacksmith was making a long knife for a fundraiser. We then drove into San Francisco over a bridge and began our site-seeing. We saw the U.S.S. Pampinito at Fisherman's Wharf, a World War II submarine. Across the Bay we could see Alcatraz, but no one wanted to go there. We also went to the Ghiradelli Chocolate shop and watched the cable cars since the lines were too long to go on. Next we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge to get to the visitor's center. It was awesome to see in person.
Our conference was in Santa Clara so it was next to the Intel Museum which had a clean room, the first micro-processor chip, and lots of manufacturing information like how to make silicon wafers. It was free and worth seeing. After the conference we went to Sequoia National Park where we saw some of the largest and oldest trees in the world. Of special note were the Iowa tree, fallen trees, and General Grant tree. Our next stop was Legoland California in Carlsbad which is further South. There were a lot of really cool Lego structures, and some rides, but mostly for kids younger than 10. We stopped at the Pacific Ocean which was surprisingly chilly, and we climbed the sand dunes, but only got a little in the water.
Overall, California was a good place to go because we got to see a lot of famous landmarks and a wide variety of things on the way there.
Driving West we went to North Platte, Nebraska which for train lovers is a highlight since it has one of the biggest train classification yard in the world. The Golden Spike Observation Tower is a four-story tower that you can watch trains for hours on end, like my dad.
After Nebraska, we head to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a quick stop where we again checked out trains. We saw the Big Boy, a gigantic steam locomotive from the 1940s. You could spend time looking through the shops in the down town near the train station, especially Western styled art, like the giant boots all around.
Then we traveled to Steamboat Springs, Colorado where we saw oil rigs and steep terrain along the way. Steamboat Springs is a ski resort in the winter, but in the summer the climate is mild with beautiful scenery and touristy shops. Fish Creek Falls provided a pleasant hike that even my little brother in a wheelchair could enjoy. Passing through Salt Lake City, Utah we saw the Olympic Park, the Great Salt Lake which stunk, and the Salt Flats where they test world records for land speeds.
Finally, we made it to California where we went to the McClellan Aerospace Museum on the base. The Star Trek exhibit was there, and we could sit in the Captain's chair on the Original series bridge. Also, we could see a Borg up close and walk through the halls of the Enterprise D from the Next Generation. Then we toured the rest of the facility which housed a whole lot of planes, some of which we could enter, including a MiG, F-14D Tomcat, and a Blue Angels jet F-16.
Near to the airbase is Sacramento where we went to Sutter's Fort, not Sutter's Mill where they first found gold, and we saw blacksmiths, gunsmiths, and olden times stuff. The blacksmith was making a long knife for a fundraiser. We then drove into San Francisco over a bridge and began our site-seeing. We saw the U.S.S. Pampinito at Fisherman's Wharf, a World War II submarine. Across the Bay we could see Alcatraz, but no one wanted to go there. We also went to the Ghiradelli Chocolate shop and watched the cable cars since the lines were too long to go on. Next we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge to get to the visitor's center. It was awesome to see in person.
Our conference was in Santa Clara so it was next to the Intel Museum which had a clean room, the first micro-processor chip, and lots of manufacturing information like how to make silicon wafers. It was free and worth seeing. After the conference we went to Sequoia National Park where we saw some of the largest and oldest trees in the world. Of special note were the Iowa tree, fallen trees, and General Grant tree. Our next stop was Legoland California in Carlsbad which is further South. There were a lot of really cool Lego structures, and some rides, but mostly for kids younger than 10. We stopped at the Pacific Ocean which was surprisingly chilly, and we climbed the sand dunes, but only got a little in the water.
Overall, California was a good place to go because we got to see a lot of famous landmarks and a wide variety of things on the way there.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
All-State Preparation
All-State auditions are coming up, and many kids across Iowa have been practicing their hearts out for a spot in this prestigious event held on the ISU campus in Ames in November. Auditioning is a rigorous process requiring several hours of practice each day on your instrument. At Kennedy High School our directors devote numerous periods of the day to help us through practice sessions and clinics.
One opportunity our directors offer are clinics which includes meeting regularly with other professional or experienced musicians to help us hone our skills. For example, the visiting instructor has us play our music, and then gives us feedback on how to practice better and what parts to practice. For instance, we have to prepare a solo, two etudes, and have 12 scales memorized, including our chromatic scale for the audition. Our solo and etudes have to showcase our individual playing ability and musicality, and our scales reflect our technical prowess. Not every school gives their students these opportunities. At Kennedy we are lucky to have such dedicated staff and parents who support the program, and Cedar Rapids has many talented musician close by to give these clinics.
One opportunity our directors offer are clinics which includes meeting regularly with other professional or experienced musicians to help us hone our skills. For example, the visiting instructor has us play our music, and then gives us feedback on how to practice better and what parts to practice. For instance, we have to prepare a solo, two etudes, and have 12 scales memorized, including our chromatic scale for the audition. Our solo and etudes have to showcase our individual playing ability and musicality, and our scales reflect our technical prowess. Not every school gives their students these opportunities. At Kennedy we are lucky to have such dedicated staff and parents who support the program, and Cedar Rapids has many talented musician close by to give these clinics.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
A family recipe: Jensen Pancakes
Direct from my dad's side of the family comes a interesting pancake recipe. According to my dad, the recipe has been around for 60+ years. His grandfather used it to cook pancakes for my grandfather and great-aunt back in the 50s and 60s.
This recipe requires a 8 cup bowl, a spoon, half a cup of Bisquick mix, half a cup of buckwheat flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, a can of cream style corn, one egg, a microwaved quarter cup of coconut oil, and about a quarter cup of milk.
After measuring the amounts of ingredients, cracking the egg and microwaving the coconut oil, mix the Bisquick mix, buckwheat flour, baking powder, cream corn, egg, and coconut oil in the bowl until it looks relatively uniform, then add the quarter cup of milk. To cook, set the stove burner to 5 for the first pancake, 4 for the second pancake, and 3 for the remaining pancakes. Then, pour the mix into the center of a big or medium frying pan (if it's a pan that can stick, either spray with oil or get some melted coconut oil and oil it with that), then fill about a third to half of the pan, using a spoon to spread the mix out and make it circular. Finally, wait for bubbles to form then flip the pancake over. For a double batch, double the amount of ingredients, including the number of cans of cream corn, number of eggs, and amount of milk.
You will need to make these pancakes several times to learn the correct proportions for the batter so as to obtain the right consistency and to learn how much heat is needed for your stove and pan.
My aunt sent my dad the directions, she knows it much better than either of us so i tried not to change the original text much. The basis directions can be found on a boxed pancake mix (She used to use a Aunt Jemima whole wheat mix). Substitute buckwheat flour for half of the mix (usually it ends up a cup of each), add about a tablespoon of baking powder to make up for what would have been in the prepared mix, add an egg and oil (think I used 1/4 c of coconut oil), a can of cream style corn, and milk till it is the right consistency. I usually add some drained whole kernel corn, 1/2 to a whole can depending on how much crunch you like in the pancakes.
Put about two spoonfuls of batter in a greased pan. You may need to tilt the pan or gently use the back of the spoon to spread it out some but you don't want it too thin (or thick). Usually the first pancake doesn't turn out all that well. You can start the pan with higher heat to get it warmed up but once you start cooking, you want to turn down the heat to medium or just a little above.
The idea is to be patient to let the batter heat up slowly so the baking powder can generate bubbles and make little holes for the butter and syrup. If the pan is too hot, the bottom will get too done before the holes have formed and if it is too cool, the bubbles won't form well. You'll have to experiment to learn how. If you turn it over too soon, the top will still be to soft and you'll squash the holes shut. The interior of the cake will not cook completely either and the pancake will taste doughy. Think about baking a cake in a pan - that's what you're doing.
Of course, the corn will tend to settle out so you'll need to stir just before spooning out some more batter. Left over batter can be covered and put in frig. You may need to stir in a little more baking soda before using and maybe some more milk. Obviously if you get the batter too thin, you can just sprinkle in some more buckwheat. You could also cook up the left overs, put wax paper between pancakes and slip them into plastic bag and then into frig or freezer. They should microwave ok after you've put some butter and sorghum on them. I just generally fry them since I'm going to need to fry an egg too.
Of course, once you flip the pancake onto a plate (best if prewarmed but not necessary) so the hot side with the holes is up, buttering can begin and then an over-easy egg dropped on top so the yolk can run into the holes along with a little sorghum (or molasses) to be a true Jensen pancake. With the egg, there really doesn't have to be a lot of syrup. I know the kids are used to maple syrup but if you can get them to try one bite of pancake topped the right way, they may see the error of their previous eating.
So, please comment and if you make them, let me know how they turn out!:)
Big thanks to my dad, Brice, and Aunt Nancy!
This recipe requires a 8 cup bowl, a spoon, half a cup of Bisquick mix, half a cup of buckwheat flour, a tablespoon of baking powder, a can of cream style corn, one egg, a microwaved quarter cup of coconut oil, and about a quarter cup of milk.
After measuring the amounts of ingredients, cracking the egg and microwaving the coconut oil, mix the Bisquick mix, buckwheat flour, baking powder, cream corn, egg, and coconut oil in the bowl until it looks relatively uniform, then add the quarter cup of milk. To cook, set the stove burner to 5 for the first pancake, 4 for the second pancake, and 3 for the remaining pancakes. Then, pour the mix into the center of a big or medium frying pan (if it's a pan that can stick, either spray with oil or get some melted coconut oil and oil it with that), then fill about a third to half of the pan, using a spoon to spread the mix out and make it circular. Finally, wait for bubbles to form then flip the pancake over. For a double batch, double the amount of ingredients, including the number of cans of cream corn, number of eggs, and amount of milk.
You will need to make these pancakes several times to learn the correct proportions for the batter so as to obtain the right consistency and to learn how much heat is needed for your stove and pan.
My aunt sent my dad the directions, she knows it much better than either of us so i tried not to change the original text much. The basis directions can be found on a boxed pancake mix (She used to use a Aunt Jemima whole wheat mix). Substitute buckwheat flour for half of the mix (usually it ends up a cup of each), add about a tablespoon of baking powder to make up for what would have been in the prepared mix, add an egg and oil (think I used 1/4 c of coconut oil), a can of cream style corn, and milk till it is the right consistency. I usually add some drained whole kernel corn, 1/2 to a whole can depending on how much crunch you like in the pancakes.
Put about two spoonfuls of batter in a greased pan. You may need to tilt the pan or gently use the back of the spoon to spread it out some but you don't want it too thin (or thick). Usually the first pancake doesn't turn out all that well. You can start the pan with higher heat to get it warmed up but once you start cooking, you want to turn down the heat to medium or just a little above.
The idea is to be patient to let the batter heat up slowly so the baking powder can generate bubbles and make little holes for the butter and syrup. If the pan is too hot, the bottom will get too done before the holes have formed and if it is too cool, the bubbles won't form well. You'll have to experiment to learn how. If you turn it over too soon, the top will still be to soft and you'll squash the holes shut. The interior of the cake will not cook completely either and the pancake will taste doughy. Think about baking a cake in a pan - that's what you're doing.
Of course, the corn will tend to settle out so you'll need to stir just before spooning out some more batter. Left over batter can be covered and put in frig. You may need to stir in a little more baking soda before using and maybe some more milk. Obviously if you get the batter too thin, you can just sprinkle in some more buckwheat. You could also cook up the left overs, put wax paper between pancakes and slip them into plastic bag and then into frig or freezer. They should microwave ok after you've put some butter and sorghum on them. I just generally fry them since I'm going to need to fry an egg too.
Of course, once you flip the pancake onto a plate (best if prewarmed but not necessary) so the hot side with the holes is up, buttering can begin and then an over-easy egg dropped on top so the yolk can run into the holes along with a little sorghum (or molasses) to be a true Jensen pancake. With the egg, there really doesn't have to be a lot of syrup. I know the kids are used to maple syrup but if you can get them to try one bite of pancake topped the right way, they may see the error of their previous eating.
So, please comment and if you make them, let me know how they turn out!:)
Big thanks to my dad, Brice, and Aunt Nancy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)