Well, it's hard to say "better" since you can't compare it to a version of the same movie in which Spielberg _didn't_ do that, but I agree that the hidden antagonist is a big part of the appeal of that movie. Same with ALIEN. However, it's almost always necessary to show the bad-guy at some point. I merely contend that good CGI will (or will someday soon) get you closer to believeability than the best physical effect.
I'm not wrong about The Thing though, am I? I'm not asking him to look like the new Thing or the old Thing, just not like a guy in a suit. If I see one more three-fingered character who obviously has two fingers in the middle finger of the glove, it really will be clobberin' time. At least The Thing is _supposed_ to have thick fingers.
I love Aliens, don't get me wrong, but most of what made the fight scenes acceptable was clever camera work and the _implication_ of scariness. I'm all for using your audience's imagination against itself and showing less instead of more, but it's a little sad when I know the film-makers HAVE to do that, because their creatures won't pass muster close up and in full daylight. "Queen Alien!" you say? Even a forgiving viewer can see flaws in her movement, good though she is.
Granted, I haven't actually seen Fantastic Four yet, but The Thing appears to be one glaring example of when it's better to suck it up and use CGI instead of a costume. Yes, I know, CGI has just been getting more and more out of control, but the answer to this is not to go back to the "good old days" of Terminator, or even Aliens and Predator. The gaps in the effects in those movies are horribly glaring at times, when a mouth is clearly pulled open by wires, or when a tail sways bonelessly, or when a face is clearly a model.
Let's allow old "physical" effects pass on, and focus more effort on making the CGI better and using it with moderation.
I heard that a great deal of helium is captured - in the concrete walls of reactor buildings, where its presence weakens the structural integrity of the concrete.
For future reference, you might want to consider your own grammar before correcting that of others. I don't see why. It might be ironic that I made mistakes when pointing out his, but pointing out the errors are still a good thing.
I probably should be more polite about it though, especially when I'm at risk of falling for someone's joke.
Anyway, the compass on my Garmin eTrex C seems to work fine whether or not I have a satellite lock. It can use the GPS data for the compass heading, but only does so when I'm moving above a certain speed.
However, the Magellen Explorist 200 (or whatever number the blue one is) that I bought, lost compass functionality less than a month after I got it. I returned it and bought the Garmin eTrex C for twice the price. It's upgradeable, and links with a computer via USB, unlike the Explorist (and unlike the B&W version of the eTrex, which uses a serial connection for some reason).
I think one of the Preview list still only uses the four free ones, since I was able to get on it and I don't have the four non-free ones. But maybe I got on before the change.
The playlists for Halo 2 have been updated to incorporate the four free downloadable maps. A new playlist that uses the four other maps currently for sale on Live and in stores has been established.
And don't for get the Jupiter-Sun LaGrange points, also known as the Trojan points for the asteroids (named for heroes of the Trojan war) that reside there. They're a fair distance from the sun, but at least there's a lot of handy building material.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, it's hard to say "better" since you can't compare it to a version of the same movie in which Spielberg _didn't_ do that, but I agree that the hidden antagonist is a big part of the appeal of that movie. Same with ALIEN. However, it's almost always necessary to show the bad-guy at some point. I merely contend that good CGI will (or will someday soon) get you closer to believeability than the best physical effect.
I'm not wrong about The Thing though, am I? I'm not asking him to look like the new Thing or the old Thing, just not like a guy in a suit. If I see one more three-fingered character who obviously has two fingers in the middle finger of the glove, it really will be clobberin' time. At least The Thing is _supposed_ to have thick fingers.
I love Aliens, don't get me wrong, but most of what made the fight scenes acceptable was clever camera work and the _implication_ of scariness. I'm all for using your audience's imagination against itself and showing less instead of more, but it's a little sad when I know the film-makers HAVE to do that, because their creatures won't pass muster close up and in full daylight. "Queen Alien!" you say? Even a forgiving viewer can see flaws in her movement, good though she is.
Granted, I haven't actually seen Fantastic Four yet, but The Thing appears to be one glaring example of when it's better to suck it up and use CGI instead of a costume. Yes, I know, CGI has just been getting more and more out of control, but the answer to this is not to go back to the "good old days" of Terminator, or even Aliens and Predator. The gaps in the effects in those movies are horribly glaring at times, when a mouth is clearly pulled open by wires, or when a tail sways bonelessly, or when a face is clearly a model.
Let's allow old "physical" effects pass on, and focus more effort on making the CGI better and using it with moderation.
I heard that a great deal of helium is captured - in the concrete walls of reactor buildings, where its presence weakens the structural integrity of the concrete.
For future reference, you might want to consider your own grammar before correcting that of others. I don't see why. It might be ironic that I made mistakes when pointing out his, but pointing out the errors are still a good thing.
I probably should be more polite about it though, especially when I'm at risk of falling for someone's joke.
Indeed. Thank you for catching that.
IHBT. I can admit it.
If it has than it's thanks to lax grammatical policing by people such as yourself who are happy to misuse "affect" and misspell "lose."
Oh, well, at least it's a handy tip off to people who want to seem smart, but don't actually think too much about the words they're using.
This begs the question
No, it doesn't.
You know, X-men? A Marvel franchise?
You're on! Get me some of the stuff, and I'll try it.
Standard bet of $1, right?
Azeroth, Metrion, Zinthos.
'Struth!
Nah, a hex grid is better. Movement and spell areas are more realistic that way.
t ?SK=175
For reference see: http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscrip
I thought you people lived at a school.
Your sigline is funny on so many levels.
You're right. I should have suggested that he bring a backup. What was I thinking?
How did you find this out? Did you ask slashdot? That's clearly the only reliable way to get good information about GPS.
Well, I did tell him to bring a back-up.
Anyway, the compass on my Garmin eTrex C seems to work fine whether or not I have a satellite lock. It can use the GPS data for the compass heading, but only does so when I'm moving above a certain speed.
In Soviet Russia, satellite locks on to YOU!
However, the Magellen Explorist 200 (or whatever number the blue one is) that I bought, lost compass functionality less than a month after I got it. I returned it and bought the Garmin eTrex C for twice the price. It's upgradeable, and links with a computer via USB, unlike the Explorist (and unlike the B&W version of the eTrex, which uses a serial connection for some reason).
Even fairly basic GPS receivers come with built in compasses. Never hurts to have a back up though.
Ah Slashdot, where there are two kinds of movies: "brilliant" (aka "anime") and "shitty."
I think one of the Preview list still only uses the four free ones, since I was able to get on it and I don't have the four non-free ones. But maybe I got on before the change.
The playlists for Halo 2 have been updated to incorporate the four free downloadable maps. A new playlist that uses the four other maps currently for sale on Live and in stores has been established.
And don't for get the Jupiter-Sun LaGrange points, also known as the Trojan points for the asteroids (named for heroes of the Trojan war) that reside there. They're a fair distance from the sun, but at least there's a lot of handy building material.