Showing posts with label animation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animation. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Android ViewFlipper Animation example
Android ViewFlipper Animation example
Its never a good sign when you can listen to your 2Ge+her boy band parody CD and find its lyrics only marginally distinguishable from its real-life counterparts. Popular music is generally more about entertainment than quality control, but sometimes a song slips onto the charts without passing even the most basic standards of industry. Even the most lenient of genres has got to have its limits.
Apparently these limits arent particularly stringent, or else none of these songs would ever have been written, produced, recorded, and issued a heavily promoted wide release. Its somewhat troubling to think that dozens of people worked tirelessly for the release of these songs, directing questionable music videos and lobbying for increased radio play. For some reason or other, the natural music selection never phased out these ridiculous songs and they went on to become not only very famous but also highly lucrative. If only I could come up with a good song about a certain style of undergarment or a particular spoke on the color wheel, Id be set for life. If only Id thought of it first.
LFO Summer Girls
Luckily, this song was released a time when many guys did indeed seek out girls who favored Abercrombie and Fitch, so it was all in all pretty good timing. This song deserves some type of award for most non-sequitors dropped in the shortest period of time, if only such an award existed. "Summer Girls" utilized every cheap rhyming trick in the book, even writing some new ones on its own with some completely irrelevant but meter-consistent lines.
LFO gave us gems like, "There was a good man named Paul Revere/I feel much better baby when youre near" and "Fell deep in love, but now we aint speakin/Michael J. Fox was Alex P. Keaton." It didnt make sense, but if youre good-looking in a classically generic boy band sort of way, youve pretty much got it made. If Rich had ever come up to me in real life and ventured, "Hey, my name is Rich. You look like a girl from Abercrombie and Fitch" I probably wouldve just gone along with it.
Sir Mix-a-Lot: Baby Got Back
The fact that this song was standard fare at junior high dances and bar mitzvah parties is pretty troubling in itself. We all thought it pretty cool to sing along, shouting out, "My anaconda DONT WANT NONE unless you GOT BUNS HON! You can do side bends or sit-ups! But please dont lose that butt." I can only imagine what the adults chaperoning along the periphery mustve thought. I never really considered the lyrics all that ponderously. I actually sort of preferred the Bill Nye parody version ("Bills Got Boat" but Sure-Floats-A-Lot), so I think that brands me too nerdy to have been negatively influenced from exposure to this song.
5ive: Baby When The Lights Go Out
Lets lay it all out here: if your group spells its name with a numeric 5, our expectations for the quality of your music will be at best underwhelming. Its just not a great first impression, and certainly not an indicator of substantial musical credentials. My favorite part about this video has got to be that it takes place in a bowling alley. If thats not a seductive setting, I dont know what is. I was sold from their first spoken line, "Yeah, I like that/You know what I mean/Youre lookin kinda fly tonight/Whats up, check it!" Pure poetry.
Aqua: Barbie Girl
We always thought it sort of scandalous that in the song, Barbie sang coyly, "Kiss me here, touch me there, hanky-panky." That was only after we looked up "hanky panky" in the dictionary. True story.
This song almost defies commentary, its just that ridiculous. Its catchy in a generic bubble gum pop way, but the lyrics are completely and utterly ridiculous. Lets just blame it on the fact that English probably wasnt Aquas first language and move on.
Sisqo: The Thong Song
Did anyone else find the phrase "dumps like a truck" to be just slightly problematic? Were already singing about that general bodily geographic region, so it seems dangerous territory to venture phrases that could possibly be referring to defecation. Im just saying, its possibly a poor word choice. "Dumps like a truck"? Really, Sisqo?
This song was huge, and for a brief moment in time Sisqo was the hottest rapper on the charts. The entire song revolves around the examination and study of thong panties. In case you forgot what he was talking about halfway through, he conveniently repeats the words ad infinitum: "That thong thong thong thong thong." Oh, right. That.
No Authority: Can I Get Your Number (A Girl Like You)
I was almost positive this song was a figment of my youthful imagination until recently I heard it playing Muzak style in a restaurant. Im not totally sure how this was chosen as one of the carefully preselected and focus group-tested songs in circulation for background music. My best guess is that all the focus group participants had a pretty strong sense of humor.
This one is beyond ridiculous. "Can I get your number baby? Hit me with the seven digits!" Or, my personal favorite, "Ive seen blondes, and brunettes, and some really hot redheads, but Ive never seen a girl like you (seen a girl like you)". It always leaves me wondering just what color hair this chick had if she didnt fall into the above categories. Id say purple, but you just cant be sure about these kinds of things.
Vanilla Ice: Ice Ice Baby
Youve got to give the guy some credit where credit is due. He does, as he claims, flow like a harpoon daily and nightly. Be careful, though, you might end up killing your brain like a poisonous mushroom. Its all good: if theres a problem, YO! hell solve it. Im feeling better already. Even about that potentially hazardous poisonous mushroom situation. Thanks, Vanilla!
Backstreet Boys: Everybody
Some songs go just a smidgen over the top with the audience participation segments, and "Everybody" is no exception. Large stretches of it exist solely for the purpose of our offering our assent via a hearty "Yeaaahh--eahhhh". What were agreeing to is more or less unimportant. Is he original? Sure! Is he the only one? Why not? Is he sexxxxxuuuual? You get the idea.
Baha Men: Who Let The Dogs Out
You know its a tough question when we have to punctuate it with a staccato repetition of our leading question room. Its not good enough to simply ask "Who let the dogs out?" No, instead, weve got to back it up with a heartfelt "Who? Who? Who?" It also helps if you divide all of the words into indistinguishable syllables. Case in point "Get-back-you-flea-in-fest-ed-mon-grel." Genius.
Eiffel65: Blue (Da Ba Dee)
I like a song with a narrative as much as the next person, but there is such a thing as taking it too far. The "Listen up" lead-in is a solid attention getter, but they lose us somewhere between describing his little blue house and his blue Corvette. This song lacked meaning to such a point that we had to ascribe meaning to its erroneous "da-ba-di-da-ba-dis", insisting our pals in Eifel65 were really saying something like, "If I was green, I would die" or "I believe I am pie."
Right Said Fred: Im Too Sexy
Im all for trashy Europop, but even I have my limits of tolerance. Im too sexy for my cat? Thats just stepping over the line. I just cant take him seriously anymore when hes doing his little turn on the catwalk.
Britney Spears:Email My Heart
Sure, she was young and it wasnt released as a single, but some offenses are just inexcusable. There are some rules here, people. For future reference, heres a major one: if youre gonna record a soulful slow ballad, dont entitle it "Email My Heart." Really, thats all I ask.
Even with all of their glaring flaws, these artists must have done something right. Were still talking about them fifteen years down the road, so you cant deny their cultural impact. Even if their mark on society was writing a song exulting the derriere. We cant all be great lyricists. If this has taught us nothing else but sometimes, sometimes, we just want a song about butts.
Available link for download
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Android animation while switching activities
Android animation while switching activities
Listening to folk and reading blurbs on the Internet, it occurs to me that a lot of folk have difficulty distinguishing between socialism and being a social democrat, such as Bernie Sanders. As we learned from Sesame Street, “one thing is not like the other” similarities perhaps but not the same.
Some definitions from Wikipedia:
Socialism is a political ideology and movement which has proposed a set of social and economic measures, policies and systems characterised by social ownership and democratic control of the means of production.
Social democracy is a political ideology that supports economic and social interventions to promote social justice within the framework of a capitalist economy, and a policy regime involving welfare state provisions, collective bargaining arrangements, regulation of the economy in the general interest, measures for income redistribution, and a commitment to representative democracy.[1][2][3] [italics [mine]
There you have it; in socialism the government owns the means of productions – companies, in a social democracies companies are privately owned but government works to ensure that there is an economic justice applied to the income derived from these companies through various ways. Perhaps it is best just to compare Russia to the Scandinavian countries. Russia is a socialist country that only recently has seen fit to use a bit of capitalism. The Scandinavian countries are social democracies that have successfully provided a high standard of living for all their citizens through social justice means.
In a recent Des Moines Register a poll showed that 43% of Iowans consider themselves to be socialists. Say What? Socialists? But they really aren’t socialists; they are social democrats like the Scandinavians and other European cousins. They want the wealth redistributed more equitably than it is now in our country.
Now, where are our presidential candidates in all of this? Bernie Sanders is easy. He clearly states he is a social democrat, and from the above definition we can now understand what that means. He is not a socialist, despite what name-calling takes place by his opponents.
Hillary Clinton calls herself a progressive democrat. Is that just another word for a Liberal? David Sirota explains the difference between the this way; he says, “there is a fundamental difference when it come to core economic issues. It seems to me that traditional ’liberals’ in our current parlance are those who focus on using taxpayer money to help better society. A ‘progressive’ are those who focus on using government power to make large institutions play by a set of rules.” Hmm, sounds a lot like a social democrat doesn’t it.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t real differences between Hillary and Bernie, there are. Bernie want a single payer medical system (socialized medicine), Hillary doesn’t; she wants to keep those insurance companies private.
What we have in this country and have had for a long time is a mixed economy. We combine capitalism, socialism, and social democratic ideas. We want free enterprise but we also want socialized medicine for retired folk and those of ill health. We want life insurance companies but we also want social security programs maintained. Most Republicans want that, so, in that sense they are social democrats.
There are a lot of folk today who profess that they really want to go back to frontier days and have as little government as possible. I find that a bit romantic and also naïve. The country has just changed too much over the years to go back to a pioneer type government. We are a big country and we need a big government to take care of the needs of citizens. Strangely I find that Republican administrations have grown the size of government and Democratic ones reduced it. Look at the numbers of recent administrations. But I wander off.
What I am interested in here is understanding what we mean when we throw terms around. Understanding the terms we understand who we are better and what our political concerns are. I suspect that most folk in the country want the social justice that a social democrat like Bernie Sanders promotes, but they may not support the name. So, if you ask them if they are a social democrat they will say, ‘no way.’ But if you lay out the programs a social democrat advocates such as minimum wages, higher taxes for the wealthy (progressive taxes), health care for all citizens, equal educational opportunities for all citizens and the like, they are for those things.
As for me, I’m a Communal Populist.
Available link for download
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Android View Animation example
Android View Animation example
Sometimes we forget that it takes years of careful publicist-managed grooming to create a respectable public persona for an actor. Strange as it may seem now, many celebrities who we respect and admire for their legitimate talent were once groveling for B-movie parts. Hey, everyones got to start somewhere. The bottom seems like as good a first step as any.
Admittedly, not all of the actors on this list are Oscar contenders, but no matter their current position on the fame totem pole, theyve certainly come a long way since these early parts. The sheer number of actors who got their start slumming in campy horror flicks are too many to list in a single post, so I present to you a small entertaining slice of now-famous actors early horror roles. Extra credit has been awarded for worst titles, least necessary sequels, best punny tagline, and cheesiest poster art*.
Jennifer Aniston: Leprechaun
Its a tale as old as time: someone steals an ornery leprechauns gold coins, they lock him up, the new homeowners release him, and he wreaks havoc by going on a homicidal spree. Same old story. Well, it should be, at least, considering they made 5 follow-up sequels. The most recent (2003) is Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood. I cant believe I missed it.
Jennifer Aniston plays the new homeowner terrorized by the deviant little green guy. Lucky for her, she got her big break with Friends later that year. Without the Rachel role, who knows? She could have been starring in Leprechaun: Back 3 tha Hood.
Leonardo DiCaprio: Critters 3
In case you missed the first two installments, let me fill you in. There are these critters, see. And...thats it. The whole thing. A franchise is born.Critters 3 is the first clip in this montage. DiCaprios adorable. Almost as cute as the critters.
This is DiCaprios first film, a breakthrough role in which he deftly maneuvers the role of the evil landlords stepson. Spooky, right? This stepdad landlord is so evil that he gets comeuppance in the manner of being locked by DiCaprio in the basement with the critters. And you thought your family was dysfunctional.
Eva Mendes: Children of the Corn V: Field of Terror
Ill bet you never realized this film warranted so many sequels, but apparently these Children of the Corn have a lot of stories to tell. Eva Mendes had a major-ish role in this installment, playing a teenager who surrenders to the cult. She cant quite measure up to Alexis Arquette in the lead male role, but she has her moments.
Mariska Hargitay: Ghoulies
Really? Ghoulies? That a movie? You know its a top shelf kind of film when the cover has a low-budget monster popping out of a toilet. And the tagline "Theyll get you in the end." Get it? Unfortunately. Really, that was the best they could do.
This. Is. Hilarious. If youre a Hargitay fan, I implore you to watch this. You wont be sorry.
Mariska Hargitay may have won us over as tough-on-sex-crimes officer Olivia Benson on Law and Order SVU, but back in 1985 she was accepting roles like "Donna in Ghoulies." Youd think having Jayne Mansfield for a mom would give you an in. You would be wrong.
Jim Carrey: Once Bitten
Arent vampires hilarious? That was the central thesis of this 1985 vampire horror comedy starring Jim Carrey in his first major role. The plot is almost too ridiculous to warrant an in-depth study, but suffice it to say it was pretty terrible. At least it was a comedy: thats its primary redeeming feature.
George Clooney: Return of the Killer Tomatoes and Return to Horror High
Clooneys lucky that hes got his good looks to fall back on: not all actors can achieve such monumental fame after starring in such humiliating horror sequels. I dont want to confuse you with too many clever plot details, so suffice it to say both movies involved an unnecessary revisiting of the first films respectively ridiculous storylines. Things return.
Brad Pitt: Cutting Class
Get it? Cutting? These movie people are just too punny for words. This was Pitts first major screen role, with his role as hunky high school basketball Dwight Ingalls establishing him as an up-and-comin hearthrob. Dwight Ingalls in possibly the most prototypical late 80s/early 90s movie character name: cheesy yet unlikely. I wonder if they have a mechanism where you can insert a normal-sounding name and then a corny 80s name like "Dash Harrington" or "Kassandra Kellogg" pops out.
Hilary Swank: Sometimes They Come Back Again
Hows that for a sequel title? Sometimes They Come Back... Again. Someone on the writing team could use a refresher course on redundancy. Didnt they already come back? Is it really necessary to add that "again?" Especially when youve already got the "sometimes" in there to imply it happens periodically. It just highlights the fact that this movie is totally unnecessary. Well done.
Whatever my qualms with the title, it does have one redeeming quality: a future Oscar winner. Hilary Swank plays the main characters teenage daughter. Id offer some more useful details, but to be honest I couldnt even make it through the synopsis. Its just that bad.
Katherine Heigl: Bug Buster and Bride of Chucky
I was going to put the Bug Buster trailer right...here but it was so disgusting I thought it better to spare you. YouTube it at your own risk. If you are terrified of bugs like me, it may be traumatizing. Dont say I didnt warn you.
Another two-for-one deal here for former B-movie stardom. Heigl may have caught our attention with her young role in 1994s My Fatehr the Hero opposite Gerard Depardieu, but it was a good 10 years before she caught her big break with Greys Anatomy**. During this time she did a few stints on the horror circuit, most memorably as sassy teenager Jade Bride of Chucky, the fourth film in the Childs Play series. By this time they werent even trying anymore; the series was teetering on the edge of self-referential parody.That same year (1998) Heigl also appeared in Bug Buster, a film about massive mutant underwater cockroaches. Take a second, its exactly as stupid as it sounds. To the films credit, Scotty and Sulu from Star Trek are in it. Other than that, its pretty much a bust...er. Bug Buster. Right.
Somewhere along the way these stars caught their lucky break, but not before paying their dues with some pretty embarrassing horror flick gigs. It may not be their best work, but itll be a part of their acting canon for life. Or at least they will stick around to forever haunt them in their readily fan-accessible IMDB pages. Spooky.
*The term "art" here has been used loosely
**To be fair, I also liked her on Roswell
Available link for download
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