Movie Project Day 10: Pixar Short Films Collection - Volume 1

Of all the Pixar DVDs I own, I have not purchased Pixar Short Films Collection - Volume 1, nor implied that I would like to receive it as a gift. This could be partially due to the fact that since we own all the Pixar titles released to date and the short films are included on each of the titles, with the exception of The Adventures of André and Wally B. as it was produced under the Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Project, not Pixar.

However, it is quite interesting to see each of the films together, watching the technology improve with each subsequent film. This volume also contains four quick shorts featuring the lamps from Luxo Jr. which were aired on Sesame Street. I had never seen these segments before since I didn't watch Sesame Street in 1991 when they were produced. In addition to all this, the commentary from John Lasseter and the other directors for each of the short films (excluding Mike's New Car and Jack-Jack Attack) adds a wonderful bit of insight to the creativity, genius, and desperation that was the fuel to create these unique films. While Jack-Jack Attack had no commentary track, Mike's New Car was fresh and young. Moreso young.

For some reason which I have yet to find out, and may never discover, instead of the directors doing commentary for this short film, they had their children talk about it. The short itself is very silly and doesn't add any great character development to Monsters, Inc. stars, Mike and Sulley, and therefore, why should there be any serious talk overshadowing it? Perhaps it was a birthday present to their children, or even more likely, the children asked the directors, who then couldn't find a reason not to let them do it and figured, "Why not?" The result, a commentary track that my daughter absolutely loves.

That not to say Mike's New Car is her favourite of the Volume. Rini has watched the entire disc so many times, I am almost reconsidering purchasing a copy or putting it on a wish list. My wife doubly so. It's still a joy to watch these bits of animation, and since only four of the thirteen shorts contain any type of dialogue, Rini is fine with talking about the films as they are playing. Now, when she watches "Red's Dream", she says "Thank you!" every time he takes a bow. This was brought about by asking what the characters are feeling and how their actions represent that, but after some time it has evolved into making up lines for these silent characters.

While not everyone shares my feelings for Pixar, ie. PIXAR4LIFE, the title alone speaks of what this company has made, and what they have in store. Volume 1 marks the beginning of a collection that both children and adults will enjoy as much, and possibly more than, the movies that coincide with them.

iPressure

28 May 2010 marked an important day for Macintosh aficionados across
the globe with the release of the much praised, sometimes fabled,
iPad. Edmonton, Alberta also had the opening of a new Apple Store.
Tweets abounded from every sector of Edmonton as people clamoured to
get their hands on the precious commodity that had finally been
officially released outside the United States. Not to say that people
weren't tripping over themselves prior to this date. I know of one
person in my local church congregation that has had an iPad for close
to a month now, and I was able to try it out. From my experience,
would I say the iPad is a wonderful device? Yes. Magical? Not
really. Easy to use? Definitely. Would I take time off work to sit
in line to get one? No. Would I search the city to find one, after
completing my regular work day? No. Would I wait until there was
sufficient funds in my bank account before embarking on a search to
find an iPad? No, no, and again I say no.

I have no strong affinity to the Macintosh name - even in my choice of
fruit I would sooner pick Spartan or Pink Lady - and thus do not see a
need to join the masses who praise the works of the great Steve Jobs.
That is not to say that I dislike Mr. Jobs and everything he is
associated with, for if that were so, I would have to stop utilizing
the moderately coherent phrase 'PIXAR4LIFE' whenever I talk about
animated films.

And that is not to say that I was not ever tempted to purchase an
Apple product. Recall in January 2010, after we had received a $15
iTunes gift card as a Christmas gift, I was near ready to purchase an
iPod Touch. This same temptation surfaced when I broke my iPaq in
October 2009, such to the point that I posted the iTem on my christmas
wish list. Once my brilliant wife repaired iPaq, I amended my wish
list. As for the gift card, we used it to buy an album which iTunes
allowed me to burn to CD, and we also aquired a portable DVD player
for half the cost of a basic iPod Touch. This investment was quite
prudent as now we're able to watch movies after Rini has gone to bed,
and also provide some entertainment on long car trips, such as the one
we recent made to Taber.

But the iPad is still a wonderous little device, and once prices drop,
I could see devices similar to it become more the norm. Tablet
technology is not new, far from it. Ten years ago someone gave a very
similar speech to the one Jobs gave in late January 2010. Tablet
computers were to be the wave of the future, and soon they would
become commonplace. Up until 2009, tablet computers generally carried
a four digit price tag, and were fragile like aluminum foil coated in
glass. They might survive one drop, but unless these devices were
protected like the Panasonic toughbook, they were not generally used
for consumer use. Commercial and industrial applications abound, plus
they make for wonderful product placement props on CSI:NY.

At the end of the day, why would I want to throw my hat into the ring
with this new product? Because it's the new 'it' gadget? I would
have the oppurtunity to be at the forefront of technological history?
It's trendy and fashionable? Everyone else is doing it? These are
the questions I find myself surrounded with. Petty, insipid, and
otherwise pointless questions that do not garner the need to be
addressed at this time. True, iPaq's wifi card will only work on
802.11b, but for what I need right now, that's enough.

I would almost consider getting a chinese knockoff, such as the APAD
which my coworker purchased on eBay for a paltry $150. Running on
Android, it has a similar interface, but has the flexibility to allow
for additional peripherals. USB keyboard, mouse, and external hard
drive just to name a few are some of the differences from the iPad.

If I would be using the device for the same functions that I use iPaq,
it would have to be decent for writing, tweeting, email and internet
browsing primarily. Music and movies would be secondary.

But I will have to wait for the day when that want becomes a need.
There are other things that I can devote my attention to right now.
Like the fact I got to help my little girl ride a bike today!