Reaching Millions with a Smile

Yahoo Article Reports: Last ‘Harry Potter’ Book Becomes 2 Films

“Thursday March 13 5:50 AM ET

Harry Potter was the center of seven novels, but he’ll star in eight films. The final book in the wildly successful series will be made into two films, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

Producers are expected to announce Thursday that J.K. Rowling‘s last “Potter” installment, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” will be split into two parts on the big screen. The first film is slated for release in November 2010, with part two following in May 2011.

“It was born out of purely creative reasons,” producer David Heyman told the Times. “Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book.”

The two final “Potter” films will be shot concurrently, much like the blockbuster trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s epic fantasy novel “The Lord of the Rings”

Another famous Tolkien tome, “The Hobbit” is also being split into two live-action movies set for back-to-back shooting to begin next year.

Filming on the sixth “Potter” flick, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” began in September.

“It’s been brilliant,” said star Daniel Radcliffe. “It’s also, I think, the funniest of the films so far.”

The “Potter” film franchise has pulled in $4.5 billion at the worldwide box office.”

I can’t wait!

More info here:  Yahoo Article  and also seen here  New York Daily New Article

~Mirada~

For me, I’d say it was back in high school when we had the option of a final project for our photography class. You could make a short video involving your family and/or friends and the moment we were given the assignment, my ideas started springing up like flowers! I’d never done something like this before. I really enjoyed watching movies and some TV shows but to check out a class camera and go film stuff??? AWESOME! Needless to say I was really excited and put a lot of time and effort into the project. I ended up making a comedic video involving home-made costumes and my younger brothers. I edited on-camera and even experimented with a little stop-motion animation and some lighting techniques. I was introduced to some of the basics of Video Production and really had a lot of fun! Yes, I scored well on the final grade too. I think I still have the VHS somewhere… I need to go dig it up because it would be fun to see my very first video project again. <3

What’s Your story??

~Mirada~

Good Update on the HD vs Blu-ray Situation from Yahoo.com Tech section:

Want a refund from Toshiba now that it’s pulled the plug on its own format? Good luck. Also: HD DVD prices plummet, Universal and Amazon go Blu-ray, and more.

Toshiba nixes refunds: So, HD DVD early adopters – think you deserve a refund now that Toshiba has killed the format? Think again. Valleywag reports that the company (and big-time HD DVD backer) won’t be accepting refund requests (although it will continue to support existing HD DVD players). Here’s the quote: “There is nothing wrong with the products so we aren’t accepting returns from customers … [Customers] understood that there were two competing formats and understood that one of them would probably prevail …” Good point, actually. In my case, I bought the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive knowing full well that I was taking a gamble. I lost. End of story.

Universal goes Blu-ray: Not a shock, but Universal went ahead and made it official: The studio (the only one to exclusively support HD DVD from the beginning) announced that it will start churning out Blu-ray versions of its new releases and catalog titles. No word on how long it will continue to press HD DVD discs. The move leaves Paramount and Dreamworks as the final HD DVD-only studios. Neither movie house has made any official announcements, but expect that to change shortly.

Onkyo drops HD DVD: Confirming pretty much a foregone conclusion, Engadget HD reports that Onkyo, one of the few manufacturers besides Toshiba to make HD DVD players, has followed suit and dropped the format.

LG stays with HD DVD: Or at least with dual-format Blu-ray/HD DVD decks, according to High-Def Digest. The manufacturer, which was the first to release a Blu-ray/HD DVD combo player, said that “at this present moment in time, it is necessary to provide a player which supports both formats and therefore create simplicity and convenience for the existing HD DVD consumer.” Very true, although it’s not clear whether LG will produce more combo players, or will simply continue to support its existing players (its latest, the BH200, arrived in stores late last year).

Amazon hearts Blu-ray: The giant online retailer just went the way of Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Netflix, announcing that it will now “more prominently promote Blu-ray hardware and software products on its Web site.” Amazon will continue to sell HD DVD products, however. Indeed, I’m waiting for a mega HD DVD fire sale in the wake of the 50 percent discount offer that began last week.

HD DVD prices plummet: Sharp-eyed readers at Engadget HD found Toshiba’s HD-A3 HD DVD player on sale at Circuit City for $99, including 7 free movies. Of course, it’s just the beginning of sharp price cuts across the board for HD DVD. Taking a quick look at eBay, I found HD DVD players going for well under $100, with the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on selling for about $50.

More info here: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/12764/blu-ray-trumps-hd-dvd-the-aftermath

Found and Posted by:

~Mirada~

A Yahoo Article on the recent Tornadoes. Hours of warning and still lives are lost… I think we’re doing better in the scientific area of prediction but need to work on personal preparation, action and reaction.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080207/ap_on_re_us/severe_weather

~Mirada~

” REYKJAVIK, Iceland – “Chess,” Bobby Fischer once said, “is life.” It was the chess master’s tragedy that the messy, tawdry details of his life often overshadowed the sublime genius of his game. Fischer, who has died at the age of 64, was a child prodigy, a teenage grandmaster and — before age 30 — a world champion who triumphed in a Cold War showdown with Soviet champion Boris Spassky.

But the last three decades of his life were spent in seclusion, broken periodically by erratic and often anti-Semitic comments and by an absurd legal battle with his homeland, the United States.

“He was the pride and sorrow of chess,” said Raymond Keene, a British grandmaster and chess correspondent for The Times of London. “It’s tragic that such a great man descended into madness and anti-Semitism.”

Fischer died Thursday of kidney failure in Reykjavik after a long illness, friend and spokesman Gardar Sverrisson said Friday.

“A giant of the chess world is gone,” said Fridrik Olafsson, an Icelandic grandmaster and former president of the World Chess Federation.

Noted French chess expert Olivier Tridon: “Bobby Fischer has died at age 64. Like the 64 squares of a chess board.” ”

The Full Yahoo News Article…

~Mirada~

“Chico, California, January 16, 2008 – Matt York, Publisher and CEO of Videomaker Magazine, took his concept One Media Player per Teacher, (www.ompt.org) to the impoverished and embattled Southern Sudan area to show educators how to instruct using digital video devices.

Following more than 20 years of civil war, Southern Sudan is home to some of the poorest and most illiterate people in that region of the world. Matt spoke with several of the citizens of this region who want to become teachers. Nicodemus, one of the “lost boys” of the Sudan now in his 20s, told harrowing stories of his life and of other children taken from their parents at age 7 by the military.

“You could make a movie, just on Nicodemus’ tragic life,” Matt says, adding that through it all, Nicodemus’ attitude wasn’t one of self-pity but to help others like him to have the chance to grow and learn in a better world.

One Media Player per Teacher
Inspired by the One Laptop per Child concept, One Media Player per Teacher [OMPT] hopes to connect people to knowledge that is crucial to their every day living as they try to regain their footing in the world by educating its population on many facets of needs from better agricultural production to sexually transmitted diseases and birth control awareness.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in cooperation with the Government of Southern Sudan, is in the process of launching new technology initiatives that will strengthen education programs through the Southern Sudan Interactive Radio Instruction (SSIRI) Project. SSIRI is administered by Education Development Center (EDC). The new resources—which include MP3 players, video production facilities, and computer centers—are being installed in schools, adult learning centers, and teacher training institutes. Matt served as a consultant to EDC.

“OMPT has a passion to encourage people, “ he says, “who are learning to produce and teach with audio and video. These teaching tools can actually be much more meaningful and effective in lesser developed countries.”

Using his knowledge base of video production and equipment, Matt York has researched the best equipment needed for their environments to help the teachers of this contentious region educate its citizens. Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) is an educational radio system that has been used around worldwide since the 1970s, helping people in impoverished areas of the world. One Media Player per Teacher [OMPT] places the media players in the teachers’ hands so that they can teach on their own schedule.

Matthew York
Matthew York founded Videomaker magazine in 1985, and is a widely respected authority on developments in the consumer electronics and television industry. York advocates the use of video-making tools throughout society, by encouraging people to become effective videographers.”

www.videomaker.com

~Mirada~

2008 Videomaker Events are up and lookin’ good!

Check out the newly redesigned site for the latest updates on the upcoming 2008 Videomaker Events all over the country!

www.events.videomaker.com

~Mirada~

/gasp

/cheer

/train

/dance

Wow, what an awesome commercial. Now I not only want to go out and buy a beautiful Red Toyota Tacoma Truck, but I also want to head over to Dragonmaw, Shadowmoon Valley or the end Boss in Ramparts to do some damage with my 70, Epic Fire Mage! Did anyone notice that I think they used the voice of “Leeroy” for the crazy wild one who mounts up on the Truck, gets eaten by the dragon and then bursts out of it’s stomach to victory?

Might I add that this little occurrence was very similar to the scene in the great movie, “Men In Black” where K, played by Tommy Lee Jones has his gun eaten by the “Bug”, then yells at the Bug to eat him and so the Bug does, head first and straight down. (Same formation as the Toyota truck and the Dragon.) Then a few minutes later, K fires the massive gun from inside and bursts out of the Bug. Some inspiration for the commercial here Blizz guys? I think so… anyways, great commercial! Which patch is the Truck Mount coming out in again? And will I have the option to make mine purple?

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=u15HmEMp2Qc[/youtube]

~Mirada~

Allow me to introduce you to Pandora.com – The Music Genome Project, my new Best Friend.

Pandora.com is “The Music Genome Project”. The project was started in 2000 and is “the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken”. You are able to create and customize your own radio “stations” based on a particular genre or sound that you like and specify. You simply enter an artist or song of your choice and not only will the site play that song, but will play similar and related musical material that you’ve never heard of and may instantly fall in love with!

It’s quite similar to buying a book from Amazon.com and then upon checkout, being presented with 5-10 choices that you might also like based on your purchase preference. The difference is that Pandora serves you with the only cost being your email address to activate a login. Also, you are able to say, “Yes I like this song” or “No I don’t like this song” and so the Project adjusts the musical selections that are presented to you when you press “Play” or … “Fast Forward”. You can actually “Fast Forward” through up to 6 songs per hour that you do not prefer. How nice is that?!

Did I mention that you can also “Pause” you radio stations? Yes, it’s true. You can listen to hours of commercial-free music AND “Pause” the online music stream while you go tell your friend or co-worker about the coolest online radio site. Then when you get back to your computer, you simply press play and your song and station picks up right where it left off without a glitch. Amazing!

From the site: www.pandora.com where the music magic happens, “The name Pandora means “all gifted” in Greek. In ancient Greek mythology, Pandora received many gifts from the Gods, including the gift of music, from Apollo. She was also, as we all know, very curious. Unlike those Gods of old, however, we celebrate that virtue and have made it our mission to reward the musically curious among us with a never-ending experience of music discovery.”

~Mirada~

Many of us can relate to these vids. I laugh every time I watch one. I love the fresh, comedic approach to every-day office normalities. Enjoy!

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=IDAtAqXcRlo[/youtube]
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=YBmQx8vl_5s[/youtube]

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=IICWFx7sKmw&feature=related[/youtube]

~Mirada~