Gaming History

Video games are the in thing. They not only account for billions of dollars in revenue each year but they have their own television shows, movies are based on them, and some even have the wife of an unmentioned state governor attempting to regulate them. But where did it all begin? Classic Gaming answers that question. It starts with Tennis for Two, created by Ralph Higinbotham (I am not making this up). To see the progression of video games over the last 40+ years, visit Classic Gaming.

Treating Subjects in Unexpected Ways

That's how File Ezine describes the images it publishes on the Internet. These are not your everyday family photos, or even news photos. These photos frequently take the commonplace and look at it from a different angle and a fresh perspective. A great place to get ideas or possibly find a market for your own unique photographic works.

International Film and TV Production Resources

A great source for Film & TV production resources, jobs, casting calls and more can be found at Mandy: International Film and TV Production Resources. I searched for auditions in Illinois and also for production jobs in Illinois. Most of the auditions were for independent films with little or no pay for work. But the Production jobs were different, a little less than half were for pay--but most had limited job life. A great source for Columbia students. Listings cover not only the U.S. but the entire world.

How They Do It

Pixar has an excellent site that uses the metaphor of a slide show to demonstrate how an animation feature goes from first concept to finished, marketable product. How We Do It takes a while to load if your using a dial up.

Super Heroes in the Movies, TV and Real Life?

Superheroes Lives provides info about live action (not animated) films based upon comic book superheroes. Of course DC Comics (Superman, Batman, etc.) and Marvel (Spiderman, X-men, etc.) are covered but also the independent comic groups that have given rise to characters like Spawn, Bulletproof Monk, Men in Black, The Crow, and more. There's even a section for original movie superheroes that didn't come from a comic like Robocop, Highlander, and The Avengers (Steed and Peel). There's also a listing for International heroes. I have to admit I was not familiar with most of these other than Power Rangers. And, if you can believe it, there's even a section for Real-Life Superheroes. That's right folks who run around in the tights & cape for real. These are perhaps some of the most interesting stories.

The Ultimate in Flight Simulation

There are flight simulators and then there is FlightGear. FlightGear is unique in that it is an open-source, multi-platform flight simulator. The user is invited to tweak the program and come up with new planes and scenarios. "Currently you can fly the 1903 Wright Flyer, strange flapping wing "ornithopters", a 747 and A320, various military jets, and several light singles. FlightGear has the ability to model those aircraft and just about everything in between." If you like to work with simulations and would like to take a crack at coding some new flight ideas, visit FlightGear.

Platon Gallery

Platon is a photographer well known in both advertising and photojournalistic circles. This site contains samples of his portraits, documentaries, advertising, and fashion work. He worked for the magazine George (the magazine published by John Kennedy, Jr.) for several years. A nice collection of his works.

Online Comics

The Webcomics Examiner is an ezine specializing in online comic books. For those who are interested in working in the comic book field this site has references to many of the online comics on the Internet. Currently they have The Best Comics of 2004 where they discuss and provide links to online comics from underground, action/adventure, manga, and mainstream comic work.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Looney Tunes

The Looney Tunes site deserves a visit from every animator wantabe. There are new cartoons, games, newsletter and links to actual Looney Tune cartoons. Looney Tunes is now a part of Warner Brothers and along with the traditional Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, you can also find Batman. Broadband is the name of the game if you want to download any of the cartoons.

Artist with a Scanner

Maggie Taylor has opted to use a scanner instead of camera to produce her art. She takes common, found objects, lays them on a flatbed scanner, manipulates them with the appropriate software and comes up with haunting work. An alternative form of photographic art.

British Accents on the Net

Say, "British accent" to the average American and we all have our own little stereotype of what that is. But we are thinking singular here. "British accent" is plural. There are many different and highly unique British accents. At the English Accents and Dialects section of the Collect Britain site, you can have access to recordings of accents from all over the United Kingdom. Quite a handy resource for the American actor looking to get a role in a play that requires a very particular sound.

FAFSA Online

To get through school today, you need financial help. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) site was designed to help in this way. "FAFSA opens the door to the federal student aid process. Every step you take will get you closer to achieving your educational goals. Find out what you can expect from beginning to end."

Making Advertising Better

The Ihaveanidea site is an advocacy site. It was created "...for creatives, by creatives." The folks behind this site are in the industry. They want to make it better than it is. They claim they aren't afraid to go against tradition if they think the cause is just. Advertising and marketing folks give it a quick scan.

Photos With a Different Point of View

Photographs taken from a kite. At Kite Aerial Photography the photographer attaches the camera to a kite and triggers the shutter via remote control. He provides a gallery of his photos, as well as information on equipment and rigging for anyone else that might be interested in this different style of photography.

Portfolio Development

It takes more than a standard resume to obtain employment in the design field. The job seeker needs a good portfolio--preferably electronic. Instructional Design Solutions, Portfolio Defined helps you with a portfolio preparation tutorial. Feel free to post any comments about this site that you think might be helpful to your fellow students.