The Tao Colorist

Sunday Morning Fun(nies)

• Fresh Impressions of Brandmarks (from a 5 Year Old) - A five-year-old is shown a bunch of Logos and says the first thing that comes to her mind. Fun. Funny. The three Cheetahs thing should make those brands think again. (YouTube.com)

• Logo In The Sky - The very cool flightpath of a test flight for the Boeing 787. (FlightAware.com via @craigtozzi)

• Social Media Explained Through Donuts - Most excellent. (@FilmGeek)

• [Video] Marshmallow Launch at White House Science Fair - Proving that someone at WH.gov needs a lesson in color matching two cameras. (YouTube.com)

• [Video] The Simpsons Theme Song: Acapella - No, YouTube wasn't created for cat videos. It was created for THIS. (YouTube.com)

• [Video] Lego Captain America - The other reason YouTube was created. Also - this is more like the Evil Lego Captain America. Not Safe For Kids. (YouTube.com via @FilmmakerIQ)

• The Best Movie Posters of 2011 (Mubi.com)

• Composite Sketches of Literary Characters - Developed using police composite sketch software. (Kottke.org)

• 2011International Science & Engineering Visual Challenge - A collection of the most stunning images from a world you've never seen. (Guardian.co.uk via @the99percent)

Weekend Warriors

• [Review] Acoustic Research Home Theater Remote Control - It's got all the features of high-end Harmony remotes... without the sticker shock pricing. It's being discontinued - get 'em online while you can. (reviews.cnet.com)

• AppleTV for $1,499: Would you buy it? Best Buy sent out a survey gauging demand for a 42-inch HDTV from Apple. According to CNet the survey itself seems rather ill-informed. If you've got some time and want to engage in mindless speculation, click through. (news.cnet.com)

• Perfectly Cooked Steak: Sear It Frozen, Then Cook It - Very counter-intuitive cooking technique. (LifeHacker.com)

• Your Not-So-Secret iPhone Address Book - Any iPhone app can upload your phone book. At any time. As often as they want. With or without your permission. Nice show, Apple. (Kottke.org)

• Where's the Social Networking on Star Trek? With all their free time you never see the characters on Star Trek playing World of Warcraft with 30 other off-duty officers. Does the Holodeck count?(Kottke.org)

Gear Heads

• BlackMagic Intensity Extreme vs Intensity Shuttle - This post takes a stab at describing the difference between the two. I think I'm still confused. Even after going to BlackMagic's website to figure it out. (NotesOnVideo.com)

• [Video] Airport Utility 6 for Mac OS Lion - A new Utility has been released for Airport wireless stations. This video walks you through the new simplified interface. Some nice bits on how to roll-back the Firmware and running dual band networks. (TidBits.com)

• [Reviews] 6G SSD in MacBookPro (blog.macsales.com)

• [Review] 'Prey': Recover Lost or Stolen Electronics - The software stays dormant until you report your device as Lost. (Suntimes.com)

• Cargo - Alexis Van Hurkman was the Lead Colorist on this film and I stepped in to execute the looks he set with the director, Yan Vinzenberg. Alexis recently discovered they've posted a new trailer. I just discovered the New York Times and Hollywood Reporters reviews from last year's New York City premiere. I join with Alexis in offering up a well deserved (if belated) kudos to the entire production team. (VanHurkman.com)

• Bringing Back the DVD - While we're on the subject of projects I've graded... Here's a great blog post by Filmmaker Sridhar M. Reddy on the value of DVD Extras, what makes for a great commentary track and why he won't be releasing a BluRay of his recent horror film, Lilith. (LilithFilm.tumblr.com)

• Color Correction: The Final Balancing Act - AND... while we're on the subject of Lilith... here's what Sridhar posted after completing color grading. It's interesting to see our craft from the point of view of a thoughtful director. Note: I would have put this up in the Craft section - but this item has been previously published in the Newsletter. (LilithFilm.tumblr.com)

Your Career

• 20 Common Grammar Mistakes That Everyone Makes - And how to avoid them. Sort of. Reading half these explanations makes these rules as clear as they were when I learned them in my teens. Which is to say... not clear at all. Proving clarity is just as important as grammar. (Litreactor.com)

• Freedom - Software that locks away your internet access for up to 8 hours. Windows and Mac. Watch your productivity skyrocket! (MacFreedom.com)

• Seeing Beyond the Numbers - The difference between gross revenues and profits. And why it's important for small business owners to understand the difference. (DuctTapeMarketing.com)

• A Brief History of the To-Do List and the Secret of Its Success (BrainPickings.org via @the99percent)

Super Spots

• NBC Super Bowl Streaming: Roaring Success - 2.1 million viewers online. That's in addition to the record-breaking 111 million TV viewers. (ReelSEO.com)

• NBC Super Bowl Streaming: Miserable Failure - If you measure success by how many people were actually able to watch the NBC stream simultaneously... well, NBC ain't sharing *those* numbers. This article details how miserably tough it was to watch the NBC stream. (blog.streamingmedia.com)

• 2012 Ad Bowl: More of the Same - A pretty good review of the biggest Super Bowl ads. I especially agree that the Chrysler 'Halftime' ad was depressing, I enjoyed the Chevy 'Apocolypse' ad and the Audi 'Vampire Party' was my favorite genre-bender. Oh - and since when is a smartphone stylus the 'new new'? Lame-o. The only problem with this roundup? No links to the ads. (KenSegall.com)

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