Crushable |
- I’d LIKE to Go to San Diego Comic-Con, But…
- 10 Celebrities Who Fell For Teenagers
- Sunday Cute: Kitten Has a Box
- Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren’t: The Cabinet
- Snap This: A 6-Year-Old’s Letter to Dumbledore
- Amy Winehouse: A Musical Retrospective
- Video Gallery: 9 Awesome Stop-Motion Animation Films You Probably Haven’t Seen (But Should)
| I’d LIKE to Go to San Diego Comic-Con, But… Posted: 24 Jul 2011 10:20 AM PDT
Cons TERRIFY ME. Need a little background info? Glad to oblige. I come from a big nerd family– Star Trek: The Next Generation was a family event in our house– so naturally, when I was a kid, my dad used to take my brother and I to Star Trek conventions on a regular basis. My brother went more often than I did; I was probably no older than three when these excursions started, which my parents deemed too young to go. So for a while, I watched my brother and my dad venture off into the great unknown, knowing that when they came home, they’d have a) stories and b) swag. The cons were one of the ways that some of the more specialized toys found their way into our home. My brother had boatloads of Trek action figures, but those were easily obtained from our local Toys ‘R’ Us. Here, I mean the really spectacular toys: Working phasers, tribbles that squeaked when you squeezed them, disappearing-reappearing transporter mugs, and so on. I was thrilled when I was finally old enough, at the ripe old age of roughly five, for my dad to take me with them. Unfortunately, the experience ended up being a little less momentous than I’d hoped. Here’s what I remember from my first Star Trek convention:
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| 10 Celebrities Who Fell For Teenagers Posted: 24 Jul 2011 08:45 AM PDT
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| Posted: 24 Jul 2011 07:15 AM PDT Cats are such remarkable creatures. Give them an object, and they’ll be occupied with it for HOURS. Actually, most humans I know are like this too, so maybe it’s not that remarkable. However, it IS much cuter to watch a kitten try to figure out what to do with a box than it is to watch a human do the same, so here. Have a kitten with a box that’s not Maru. Happy Sunday! [Via Buzzfeed] Related posts: Post from: Crushable  |
| Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren’t: The Cabinet Posted: 24 Jul 2011 07:10 AM PDT
It is unremarkable in appearance. Discovered in an abandoned industrial complex in the UK, it is 2 meters in height and constructed from slightly rusted steel. It measures 1.2 meters wide by 1.2 meters deep, and it has only one door which must be kept closed and locked at all times. The door opens inward; the lock, affixed to the outside of the door, consists of a slide-bolt, a hasp, and a padlock. The key to this padlock must be kept under guard at the adjacent security station by three personnel with Level 3 security clearance. The cabinet’s exterior features some corrosion and scratching, indicating its age. There are no other distinctive or identifying marks. However, upon being unlocked and opened, THE CABINET reveals itself to be more than it appears. If the cabinet is entered, the person will encounter a hallway constructed of the same rusted steel as the cabinet itself. The hallway stretches on for miles, leading to a labyrinth composed of other rusted steel passages lit occasionally by light bulbs fastened to the wall in wire cages. The bulbs are an unreliable source of illumination, as they are often broken or burnt out. The labyrinth is impossible to measure; each time the door is opened, it opens into an entirely different section of the maze. Attempts to retrieve persons contained within the maze in the event of the closing and reopening of the door have been unsuccessful. However, as long as the door remains open and the person entering the maze can remember or otherwise track their way back, the maze can be entered and exited safely. GPS devices do not work within the maze, and remote-controlled devices sent into it cease to function after traveling 20 meters. Several expeditions have been sent into the cabinet in an attempt to map its interior. The standard equipment for each expedition is as follows:
Summary of select expeditions: EXPEDITION 1 Subject is equipped with standard expedition package. Camera is activated and subject enters the cabinet. The door is held open by a 3kg weight placed inside the doorway, with technicians on hand to remove the weight and close the door if required. Camera shows a short metal hallway extending for approximately 5 meters before turning a corner. Control directs subject through maze uneventfully for approximately 47 meters, marking the walls with the luminous chalk to document the path that has been traveled. After 47 meters, Control notes that video quality has begun to degrade; monitors now show interference. Control does not inform subject of degradation of video. After traveling a further 16 meters, subject asks Control if they heard anything. Control responds in the negative. Subject replies that he can hear someone banging on the wall and shouting, though he also remarks that the noise appears to be coming from a significant distance away. Subject tells Control that the person sounds “fucking scared.” Control boosts audio gain and discerns noises comparable to those described by subject. Subject reluctant follows Control’s order to travel towards the sound. After 14 meters, video interference increases and signs of audio interference are detected. The floor now appears to slope downward; after 27 meters, the floor levels out, a which point subject stops, crouches, and swears. Control asks why subject has stopped. Subject does not respond, though intensified breathing indicates psychological distress. Control asks again why subject has stopped. Subject replies that he heard a scream, after which the banging and shouting stopped. Control instructs subject to move forward; subject becomes severely agitated and requests to be allowed to leave. Control again instructs subject to move forward. Subject argues for several minutes, then obeys. Subject turns right at a T-junction and follows the tunnel until the dead-ends after 6 meters. Control instructs subject to return to T-junction and follow the left fork. Subject complies. Left fork tunnel dead-ends after 4 meters. Control then recalls subject. Subject retraces path, following the luminous chalk markers; at a junction, subject stops and again asks Control if they heard a noise. Control confirms, but requests that subject describe the noise. Subject describes noise as wind. Subject’s camera then catches a drift of what appear to be dead leaves blowing from an unexplored tunnel. Subject notes that wind smells stale. Control instructs subject to collect several leaves, then to proceed down the new tunnel to locate their source. Subject reluctantly complies. As subject approaches tunnel entrance, a loud roar is heard, similar to a bear or other large animal. Subject panics and runs towards exit, ignoring Control’s instructions to investigate the sound. Subject exits cabinet, the expedition is aborted, and the door is closed and bolted. Distance traveled: 114 meters. Related posts: Post from: Crushable Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren’t: The Cabinet  |
| Snap This: A 6-Year-Old’s Letter to Dumbledore Posted: 21 Jul 2011 06:49 PM PDT
Spoilers ahead if you haven’t read Deathly Hallows or seen the movie, so click through to see the whole letter. It’s adorable. Awwww. [Via Buzzfeed] Related posts: Post from: Crushable Snap This: A 6-Year-Old’s Letter to Dumbledore  |
| Amy Winehouse: A Musical Retrospective Posted: 23 Jul 2011 12:01 PM PDT
Amy Jade Winehouse was born in Southgate, a neighborhood in North London, to parents Mitchell, a taxi driver, and Janis a pharmacist. Her father was constantly singing Sinatra around the house, a habit that young Amy picked up. Her family was also responsible for instilling in her a love of jazz, which would later influence her own music. She showed promise as an actress; at the age of nine, her grandmother suggested that she enroll in the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School for proper training. Winehouse stayed there for four years before moving on to the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School; however, she was expelled from Sylvia Young, ostensibly for her lack of focus and attention (though some suspect her newly-pierced nose also had something to do with it). At 13, she got her own guitar; she began writing her own songs a few years later. In 2002, she lucked out: Her boyfriend of the time, soul singer Tyler James, sent a demo tape of Winehouse’s music to an A&R person, after which Winehouse signed to Simon Fuller’s 19 Management. Her debut album, the heavily jazz-influenced Frank, took the music world on by storm, achieving platinum sales, BRIT Award nominations for British Female Solo Artist and British Urban Act, and the Ivor Novello songwriting award for Best Contemporary Song. That song was “Stronger Than Me:” And Winehouse was off and running. It’s almost certainly her 2006 album, Back to Black, that became the defining Amy Winehouse album. In May of that year, demo tracks of “You Know I’m No Good” and “Rehab” hit the airwaves on Mark Ronson’s radio show on East Village Radio, giving listeners a first taste of what would become two of her best-known songs. The album was released on the 30th of October, 2006 in the UK and quickly shot to the top of the charts– indeed, it was the best-selling album of 2007 in the UK. “You Know I’m No Good” would go on to become the theme song of the television show Secret Diaries of a Call Girl and would be covered by bands such as the Arctic Monkeys. And “Rehab?” The irony and tragedy there escapes no one. Many recall this as the first Amy Winehouse song they heard, a number among which I count myself. It earned accolades as the Best Song of 2007, though at the time, no one realized that the sentiment behind it wasn’t as much of a joke as we all initially thought. She had battled substance abuse problems for a number of years and went through a period of heavy drug use in 2005. In 2007, despite her success with Back to Black, she ended up cancelling a number of shows in the UK and Europe due to what was publicized as exhaustion. It’s possible that the death of her grandmother– the same grandmother who enrolled her in drama school, and who has apparently one of the few stabilizing forces in her life– was the catalyst for what would become a life of excess and addiction. During this time, Winehouse was hospitalized for an overdose, and her turbulent relationship and marriage with Blake Fielder-Civil became daily tabloid fodder. Related posts: Post from: Crushable Amy Winehouse: A Musical Retrospective  |
| Video Gallery: 9 Awesome Stop-Motion Animation Films You Probably Haven’t Seen (But Should) Posted: 23 Jul 2011 11:50 AM PDT
1) The Pirates! Band of Misfits 2) Alice 3) Shaun the Sheep Related posts: Post from: Crushable Video Gallery: 9 Awesome Stop-Motion Animation Films You Probably Haven’t Seen (But Should)  |
Hey, guys. It’s Lucia, your friendly neighborhood nerd. Can we talk about fan conventions for a moment? Awesome. Because guess what? San Diego Comic-Con, commonly known as SDCC, is happening this weekend, and as usual I’m bemoaning the fact that I live on the other side of the country. SDCC is the pinnacle of geekdom, a spectacular four-day extravaganza that celebrates comics, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, and all things nerd. This is the magical place where sneak peeks at hotly anticipated new movies happen, where intelligent discussions about the ethical and moral issues faced by superheroes past and present occur, and where fans get to mingle with their favorite actors, writers, artists, and filmmakers. Every year at this time, I bitch about the fact that I’m not there. Here’s the thing: You all know the sorts of things I write about. You know I’m a giant nerd. When I was living in London, I took a day trip out to Cardiff, Wales just to see a temporary exhibit of Doctor Who props and costumes at a random mall. When Return of the King came out, I totally would have done Trilogy Tuesday if I hadn’t been taking a Latin exam while it was happening. I’ve been to many midnight screenings of high-profile geek movies. But you know what?
Dough Hutchison and his 16-year-old bride Courtney Stodden continue to swamp the news with their somewhat questionable 
Creepy Things That Seem Real But Aren't is a series that explores modern urban legends, bringing you a new tale each week.
Did you ever write letters to your favorite characters when you were a kid? Back during the days when I couldn’t differentiate between real-life people and fictional people, I know I certainly did. My letters definitely weren’t this cute, though. Behold the most charming letter you’ll ever read: A 6-year-old’s message to Harry Potter’s illustrious Albus Dumbledore. Just wait six years, kid. Your owl will come.
In the wake of the news of Amy Winehouse’s 
You’ve seen Nightmare Before Christmas. You’ve probably seen Corpse Bride and James and the Giant Peach. If you’re a Wes Anderson fan, you’ve most likely seen The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Neil Gaiman fan? You’ve seen Coraline. And of course you’ve seen Wallace and Gromit. They’re all terrific films, and they’re all enchanting examples of stop-motion animation. I’m a big fan of stop-motion; it’s a nice change of pace from all the CG animation that’s become the norm in the film industry these days. But you know what? There’s LOADS of stop-motion animation out there, and there’s a good chance you haven’t seen most of it. Oh, and a lot of it is available on Netflix, so it’s pretty easy to get a hold of. So why not do yourself a favor and introduce yourself to something new? You’ll thank yourself for it. I promise.| You are subscribed to email updates from Crushable To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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