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Q: Locus of the vertex of a variable parabola A fixed parabola $y^2 = 4 ax$ touches a variable parabola. Find the equation to the locus of the vertex of the variable parabola. Assume that the two parabolas are equal and the axis of the variable parabola remains parallel to the x-axis.
My approach, let the other parabola be $(y-k)^2 = -4 a(x-h)$, whose vertex is $(h,k)$. By hit and trial I tried to substitute the point$(\frac{h}{2},\frac{k}{2})$ and got the locus as $y^2 = 8 ax$ which is the answer but I am trying to get the answer through derivation
Other approach is
The common tangent is $y=mx+\frac{a}{m}$ & $(y-k)=m(x-h)-\frac{a}{m}$
Equating the constant term $\frac{a}{m}=k-mh-\frac{a}{m}$ which is $\frac{2a}{m}=k-mh$, from this step I am confused.

A: In fact, this issue can be considered under a geometrical point of view.

Let us observe the vertices of the thin parabolas.
Let ($P$) be the red parabola. Let ($P'$) one of the tangent parabolas
Let $C$ be its contact (=tangency) point with ($P$) and $V$ its vertex ; $V$ is thus the image of the vertex $O$ of the red parabola by a central symmetry with center $C$ ; this is equivalent to say that $V$ is the image of $C$ by the homothety (=enlargement) with center $O$ and enlargment factor 2. As the point of contact may be any point of parabola ($P$), the locus of the vertices of parabolas $(P')$ is the image of (red) parabola ($P$) by this homothety.
How can we obtain its equation ? Let us first transform the cartesian equation of $(P)$ into the following parametric representation :
$$\begin{cases}x&=&t^2\\ y&=&2 \sqrt{a} \ t\end{cases},\tag{1}$$
(check it by extracting $t$ from the second equation and plugging its expression into the first equation).
The effect of the homothety is to magnify the coordinates by a factor $2$, giving :
$$\begin{cases}X&=&\color{red}2 \times t^2\\ Y&=&\color{red}2 \times 2 \sqrt{a} \ t\end{cases}.\tag{2}$$
It remains to convert back equation (2) into a cartesian equation ; to this end, we have to eliminate $t$. We extract $t$ from the second equation : $t=\frac{Y}{4\sqrt{a}}$ and plug this expression into the first equation, giving $X=2 \times \left(\frac{Y}{4\sqrt{a}}\right)^2$ i.e.
$$Y^2=8a X$$
which is the looked for cartesian equation of the locus (green parabola on the figure).
But, as remarked by @Greyes, if the tangent parabolas $(P')$ have the same orientation as parabola ($P$), we get a completely different answer : see figure below.

In this case, the locus is the (green) parabola symmetrical of parabola ($P$) with respect to vertical axis.

A: What you need is that the system formed by the parabolas $y^2=4ax$ and $(y-k)^2=-4a(x-h)$ had only one solution (at the point of tangency). If you solve for $x$ in the first and substitute in the second, you get a quadratic equation for $y$
$$
2y^2-2yk+k^2-4ah=0
$$
For this quadratic equation to have a unique solution you need its discriminant to be zero, That gives
$$
4k^2-8(k^2-4ah)=0
$$
which, after solving, gives the desired relation between $k$ and $h$
$$
k^2=8ah.
$$


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text:
Schulzendorf is een gemeente in de Duitse deelstaat Brandenburg, en maakt deel uit van Landkreis Dahme-Spreewald.
Schulzendorf telt  inwoners.

Gemeente in Brandenburg

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Movie review: Red Sparrow
Welcome to March – the new 'it' month for high-profile movie releases. And it opens with Red Sparrow!
IMDb summary: Ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited to 'Sparrow School,' a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. Her first mission, targeting a C.I.A. agent, threatens to unravel the security of both nations.
Red Sparrow was written by Justin Haythe (who wrote two previous Gore Verbinski's films The Lone Rangerand A Cure For Wellness), based on the book of the same name by Jason Matthews. I found the writing to be quite uneven and I'm going to unpack my ideas more broadly by discussing the narrative and the themes. The film had two parts, each about an hour long. The first hour acted as an extensive set-up and developed the main character quite a lot. The viewers got to follow her life as an everyday citizen (though she was never just an everyday person – she was always special, first as a ballerina and later as a sparrow), then to witness the inciting incident and its consequences: the extensive training to be a tool of the state (more on that in the second part on themes). The set-up was quite long but it did work: the main character's capacity for the horrific actions that she was going to commit as a sparrow was always present in the set-up.
In the second hour of the film (+20minutes), Red Sparrow's actual plot unraveled, and sadly, it was quite uneven. The writers really tried crafting a complex and layered story, full of characters with constantly shifting allegiances. And while that sounds all good – actually it is quite fascinating – the mysterious and the secretive nature of the plot was not always realized compellingly. Also, looking back to the plot – not all the dots necessarily connect and make sense. Still, I have to applaud the ending of the story. For a while, it seemed like the movie was headings towards a typical romantic conclusion but then it broke away from all of that and delivered and strong finale with some great double-crosses and twists. Though, the reveal of the mole was a bit heavy-handed and surprising it a bad way a.k.a.it came out of nowhere.
Thematically, I'd like to touch upon two major things: the usage of sex in the film as well as the Russia vs. US standoff. Before going to see the film, I got the impression that the main weapon of the sparrow will be psychological manipulation but I feel like the ads and trailers lied to me. Red Sparrow, in my mind, was missing its promised psychological manipulation and was all about the pure physical manipulation a.k.a. manipulation through sex. And while physical and psychological manipulations are certainly connected, I really wish that the movie would have looked at that actual connection or the psychological side quite a lot more. Also, the usage of sex by a specifically female heroine of the film raised even more questions about the position of female sexuality on film. While it can certainly be seen/used as a strong creative choice, it has also been reduced to a cheap trick quite a few times. Also, there is but a fine line between female sexuality as a form of empowerment or a tool of exploitation. To my mind, Red Sparrow was leaning more towards the second option, as the female sparrows were taught and made to use sex as a weapon by a patriarchal system rather than having chosen it as a weapon out of their own agency.
On the US v Russia front, the picture was certainly successful at establishing the askew nationalistic ideas that were/are so prevalent in Russia and portraying the brainwashing politics accurately. Still, it had an overall message of American heroism as the better/ the winning option. The weird US/Russia antagonism also made the movie's temporal setting feel rather vague: it could have been set during the Cold War, the early aftermath of it in the late 90s/early 2000s or even just last year.
Francis Lawrence (the director of the 3 last The Hunger Games films, including my two favorites – Catching Fire and Mockingjay 1) directed Red Sparrow and did an okay job. I highly appreciated the style of the picture: the raw and indie feeling of it as well as the cold and cool tone. However, the slowness of the pace and the length of the movie really minimized the enjoyment of the film. Moreover, the plot (the substance) wasn't good enough to make up for the lacking pace. The graphic violence and graphic nudity were both present in Red Sparrow and I don't really know whether they served the plot or were they just there for shock value. During the scenes of violence, Red Sparrow did feel like a more contemporary version of its predecessor Atomic Blonde, while the scenes of creepy nudity were more plentiful than in the whole Fifty Shades franchise.
Jennifer Lawrence (reunited with F. Lawrence after THG) played the lead of the film and did a good job but she wasn't great or irreplaceable. Her Russian accent was fine, though, at times, she did sound like she was speaking with a clogged noise (as if she had a cold). Her decision to play this role is probably more interesting than the performance itself. The actress has vocally expressed how uncomfortable she was with the skin tight costume of Mystique in the X-Men movies and yet she was somehow fine with complete nudity in this film? Was this an act of bravery and growth as a performer or a desperate attempt to reclaim some fame? Her fan circle has been decreasing: The Hunger Gamesfinished a with whimper rather than a bang, she annoyed a lot of Marvel/X-Men fans because of her lack of enthusiasm about that series, her various comments on talk shows have also been reacted to quite badly online, and even her last two more serious awards films failed to connect with the audiences or the critics (Joyat least got her another Oscar nomination, while mother! turned out to be a complete disaster).
Some big-name talent was also involved with this film on the supporting front. Joel Edgerton (Bright, Midnight Special, Loving, Black Mass) and Matthias Schoenaerts (Far From The Madding Crowd, The Danish Girl) had two best-developed and most interesting male roles in the film. Jeremy Irons (BvS, High-Rise) and Game of Thrones' Ciaran Hinds (Justice League) also both appeared but in much smaller, cameo-sized roles. Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Assasin's Creed) played the matriarch of the school of the sparrows and it was quite unexpected seeing her in a film with a, supposedly, strong female lead after her sort of anti-women comments a few awards seasons ago (that ran along the lines of 'women in the West don't have anything to complain about').
In short, Red Sparrow was a mediocre thriller that betrayed its message and overstayed its welcome.
Trailer: Red Sparrow trailer
March 8, 2018 March 8, 2018 Lou Tagged 45 years, a cure for wellness, acting, action film, adaptation, alfred, assasin's creed, atomic blonde, bad movies, batman v superman, batman v superman dawn of justice, black mass, book, book to movie, bright, bvs, catching fire, charlotte rampling, ciaran hinds, cinema, cinema review, cinematography, cold war, directing, drama, far from the madding crowd, fifty shades freed, fifty shades of grey, film, film festival, film review, film reviews, filming, films, francis lawrence, game of thrones, gore verbinski, history, jennifer lawrence, jeremy irons, joel edgerton, joy, justice league, justin haythe, katniss, literature, loving, marvel, matthias schoenaerts, midnight special, mockingjay, mother, motion capture, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, mystique, red sparrow, review, reviewing, sexuality, silver linings playbook, style over subtsance, the danish girl, the hunger games, the lone ranger, thriller, writing, x men, xmen	3 Comments
Movie review: Justice League
Welcome to the review of the most polarizing movie of the year. Is anyone even surprised that the said divisive film is just another entry into the DCEU? This is Justice League.
IMDb summary: Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.
Before moving on to the actual review, I wanted to give you my brief thoughts about the DCEU in general. When Man of Steel came out in 2013, I barely paid any attention to it because I wasn't into comic book movies much (had watched some Marvel ones and enjoyed them but was still oblivious to the bigger universe). However, 3 years later (in 2016), I had already become a huge fan of MCU, had familiarized myself with the DC character on TV and had started to read comics regularly. Needless to say, I was looking forward to Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad. Both films left me sort of baffled. While I wasn't a fan of the dark/grim atmosphere, I could understand it as a creative choice. What I couldn't forgive was the messy and unfocused storytelling. Then Wonder Woman came along and was a breath of fresh air (with a meh third act). Now, Justice League is coming together for the first time on the big screen and I have mixed feelings even before I see it. I care about these characters, because I have been dazzled by them in the comics (I read way more of DC than I do Marvel), have caught up with them every week on TV (The Flash) or in animated films (DC animation used to be so good before it started going sideways with The Killing Joke debacle and Batman and Harley weirdness) and even though the movies themselves were flawed, I have enjoyed seeing these versions of Batman and Wonder Woman (somebody please fix Superman, though). I go into the screening hoping for the best while also worrying about the worst.
SPOILER ALERT
Justice League's screenplay was written by Chris Terrio (the writer of Argoand BvS, while Zack Snyder helped out with the story. Joss Whedon (Avengers 1 and 2) also received a screenplay credit but it's not really clear whether he got the credit because he actually changed some of the narrative of the film or just because he couldn't get a co-directing credit together with Snyder. Anyways, I thought that the movie's writing was a mixed bag.
Let's start with the set-up. I highly enjoyed a lot of its elements but didn't necessarily think that they all jelled well. The film's set-up had two main goals: to introduce the new characters and the establish the team and to develop a villain for the story. The introductions of the new characters – Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg – were brief but effective. Still, if these characters had solo movies prior to this film, I believe I'd have had a stronger connection to them. Since I already knew this universe's version of Wonder Woman and Batman (BvS was basically his solo film), they were my favorites of the group.
The dynamics within the team were really neat. I liked the different pairings, the contrast between the rookies and the seniors, and the humor within the group. That last thing felt like an obvious influence of Joss Whedon. What I could have done without was all the sexual nods between Diana and all other members. I wouldn't have minded a few of them, but the constant stream was not welcomed by me.
Speaking of the villain, Steppenwolf served his purpose but wasn't amazing. What boggled me was the fact that the DCEU is or was supposed to be this realistic and sophisticated reimagining of the DC characters. And yet, all their villains have been super comic book-y and in no way fitting for the tonne of the franchise. The fact that the main villain had a disposable army, like in all the other comic book films, didn't bode well for the picture either. Having said that, the army of parademons at least had a trait to make them more interesting – they were feeding on fear – and they also served a bigger purpose in the final act (a.k.a. took down Steppenwolf when he experienced fear).
Justice League also had a plethora of references to the future DCEU projects and I immensely enjoyed spotting them. The more into comics I get, the more Easter Eggs I recognize. I also love to research the references I didn't spot. Honestly, a huge part of watching these films is reading/watching the coverage of them after the actual screening. Speaking about the future of the DCEU, Justice League had an ending that felt like an answer to the critique of the grimness of the franchise. The sense of hope for the future was established. Now, let's just pray that the box office numbers allow the DCEU to deliver on their promise of course correction (the opening weekend's numbers have not been great).
Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch) helmed the movie during the principal photography, while Joss Whedon directed the reshoots and was responsible for the final edit. The film that premiered in cinemas around the world was an amalgamation of the talents of both these filmmakers. Snyder's input was evident in the actions scenes, while Whedon's influence shined in the aforementioned humor of the feature.
Speaking of the action, the team had 3 big action scenes (the individual characters had some smaller action scenes in addition to the 3 team ones). The action sequence underneath the Gotham harbor was neat and a great first showcasing of the team's powers together (I loved how the seniors Wonder Woman and Batman were doing the majority of the fighting, while the rookies Flash and Cyborg were more about helping the civilians). The Superman v League fight wasn't bad either. The final action scene was entertaining but I wish it was more epic and more massive in scope. Well, at least they have some space to grow in the following pictures. They also have a lot of space for the improvement of the CGI: it should have been way more photorealistic. Overall, my favorite action scene did not even involve the Justice League themselves. It was the sequence on Themyscira that I found the most inventive and the most enjoyable.
The movie's runtime has been cut short. What was supposed to be a 2.5 hours film, ended up being less than 2 hours. The set-up felt like it was missing some scenes and that's why it might have felt choppy. However, the fact that the picture was shorter than expected, made it feel really quick and more fast-paced than it actually was/might have been. Nobody can say that it dragged.
Justice League had a mid-credits scene consisting of the race between The Flash and Superman – an iconic moment from the comics that was replicated only recently on DCTV with Supergirl and The Flash. The post-credits scene was a hint for the future alliance of the villains and also introduced the viewers to Deathstroke (who just appeared on DCTV/Arrow last/this week).
The DCEU casting choices have been their best choices concerning the series. Let's go over the main players as well as their supporting characters.
Ben Affleck (The Accountant, Gone Girl) was great as Bruce Wayne / Batman. I really enjoyed his speech about his lack of humanity. Jeremy Irons (High-Rise, Assasin's Creed) was neat as Alfred Pennyworth, while J. K. Simmons (The Snowman, Renegades, Patriot's Day, La La Land) had a couple of scenes as James Gordon. I really want that Batman solo film to materialize and see more of these actors in the iconic roles.
Henry Cavill (The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Sand Castle) appeared as Clark Kent / Superman, while Amy Adams (Arrival, Nocturnal Animals) reprised her role of Lois Lane (the big guns). Cavill's infamous mustache was very noticeable and his face looked really wonky in half of the shots. Subsequently, a lot of Superman's scenes were distracting. However, he didn't have much of them in the film. He is the character that has appeared in the biggest numbers of movies in the franchise, so we have already been exposed to him a lot. What I did like about Cavill's performance in Justice League particularly was the fact that he was allowed to be positive and happy to be alive (in contrast to moping and feeling sorry for oneself).
Gal Gadot came back as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman and was as perfect as ever. I really want to see her in more movies, outside this or Fast&Furiousfranchises. Connie Nielsen briefly appeared as Hippolyta. I loved that moment with the signal fire for Diana.
Ezra Miller (Fantastic Beasts) as Barry Allen / Flash was the standout of the new characters and that was mostly due to Miller's comedic talents. His enthusiasm was infectious and his reaction faces just hilarious. His love interest Iris West was set to be played by Kiersey Clemons (Flatliners) but was cut from the final film. We did get an intro to Barry's father Henry Allen played by Billy Crudup (Alien: Covenant), though. That The Flash solo movie might actually be really good and could compete with the TV show.
Jason Momoa played Arthur Curry / Aquasman. I loved Momoa in the role but wish he was given something more to do with it. I'm hopeful about his solo movie, though. Amber Heard (Magic Mike XXL, The Danish Girl), who was introduced as Mera, will also re-appear in it.
Ray Fisher starred as Victor Stone / Cyborg and was probably the character most integral to the plot of the film. I didn't know much about Fisher prior to this movie but was really impressed by his performance. He brought heart and soul to Cyborg – qualities which only a good dramatic actor can portray well.
Ciarán Hinds (GOT's King Beyond the Wall) did the motion capture of and provided the voice for Steppenwolf. He was good enough in the role but I do wish that the design of the character would have been more interesting.
In short, Justice League was the second best film in the DCEU (and while it's not much, it's something). It had some great character moments (both action and humor ones) but was still plagued by the wider problems of the whole series. Nevertheless, the future is hopeful.
Trailer: Justice League trailer
November 20, 2017 November 22, 2017 Lou Tagged action, action film, action movie, actor, alfred pennyworth, alien, alien covenant, amber heard, amy adams, aquaman, argo, arrival, arrow, arrowverse, arthur curry, assasin's creed, avengers, avengers 2, avengers age of ultron, barry allen, bat, batman, batman and harley quinn, batman the killing joke, batman v superman, batman v superman dawn of justice, ben affleck, billy cudrup, bruce wayne, bvs, central city, cgi, chris terrio, ciaran hinds, cinema, cinema review, clark kent, comic, comic book, comic book movie, comic book movies, comic books, comic con, comics, commissioner gordon, connie nielsen, credence, cyborg, darkseid, dawn of justice, dc, dc animation, dc comics, dc eu, dc extended universe, dceu, dctv, diana prince, directing, end credits, ezra miller, fantastic beasts, fantastic beasts and where to find them, fast and furious, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, flash, flatliners, gal gadot, game of thrones, gone girl, gotham, grant gustin, graphic novel, graphic novels, graphics, henry allen, henry cavill, high rise, hippolyta, humour, james gordon, jason momoa, jeremy irons, jk simmons, joss whendon, justice league, kiersey clemons, king beyond the wall, la la land, loislane, magic mike, magic mike xxl, mainstream, man of steel, mance ryder, marvel, mcu, mera, metropolis, mid credits, motion capture, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, new gods, nocturnal animals, parademons, patriot's day, poster, ray fisher, renegades, review, sand castle, speedforce, star labs, steppenwolf, sucker punch, suicide squad, supergirl, superman, the accountant, the danish girl, the flash, the killing joke, the man from uncle, the snowman, trailer, victor stone, watchemn, whiplash, wonder woman, writer, zack snyder	6 Comments
Movie review: Assasin's Creed
Notoriously, the video game movies have always been pretty bad. Everybody hoped that this cycle would be broken with this summer's Warcraft but the majority of people and the critics hated it (I and the Chinese audiences actually liked it a lot). Now, all hopes have been directed towards Assasin's Creed but it has also been getting some pretty nasty reviews. Similarly to Warcraft, I knew nothing of the mythology of the game before going to see the film. I vaguely remember reading Assasin's Creed comic, which I got during the free comic book day, but that's about it when it comes to my knowledge on the subject.
Nevertheless, I was still looking forward to the movie because of its cast and because its blend of the future and the past interested and intrigued me. I used to think that history and modernity were two incompatible concepts, however, I just binged Westworld over Christmas and absolutely loved it, so I thought that maybe Assasin's Creed could further extend my love for this new concept of fusion. Sadly, while I did like the acting and the atmospheric setting of the film (two things that I was looking forward to), other components of the movie left me pretty disappointed.
IMDb summary: When Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, he discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society.
The film's script was written by Michael Lesslie (Macbeth), Adam Cooper and Bill Collage (Exodus, Allegiant, 2015's Transporter). Their track record has not been great and their quality of work really showed in Assasin's Creed. Let's mention the things that I liked before going into the negatives. So, I quite liked the mythological ideas of the film – the fact that blood is our main relation to the past and to our ancestry. However, I didn't think that these ideas were conveyed clearly or interestingly in the film: all the expositional dialogue felt clunky, hard to understand, and, frankly, quite boring. The movie's commentary on the modern world was clearly wrong too: freedom and free-will are now more important than ever rather than being easily surrendered.
The writing for the characters wasn't great either. They didn't receive enough development and the choices that were made for and by the characters were super weird. Cotillard's character had such an unclear story, her decisions opposed one other from scene to scene. In fact, her whole plotline seemed quite stupid. The cliche artifact didn't help the story much either. The motivation for the actions of the other assassins was not clear too. Lastly, the ending was unsatisfying – they were hoping for a sequel, which they are not going to get. Why would they not worry about a sequel and make a good stand-alone film for once?
Macbeth's director Justin Kurzel helmed Assasin's Creed and left me kinda baffled. I expected more from a Palme d'Or nominated director. To begin with, the whole jumping around from the past to the present while in the Animus was unnecessary and uneven. In addition, I felt that the majority of the movie's scenes were cut short. The confused, all-but-the-kitchen-sink camera work, which included everything from the long tracking shots to the first person's POVs, wasn't great either. The shaky cam was also not pleasant – the filmmakers should just stop with the shaky action – it has already stopped working for the Bourne series and it originated this technique. Nevertheless, let's end on a positive note: even though they were unbelieavble, the parkours and the roof jumps did look cool and were entertaining.
The cast did a pretty good job with the awful material that they have been given. Michael Fassbender (X-Men, Steve Jobs) was great in the lead but his producing input on the movie did not help it. Marion Cotillard (Allied), Jeremy Irons (BvS), Brendan Gleeson (In The Heart of The Sea), and Charlotte Rampling (45 years) were okay too, although I was quite surprised to see Rampling getting work in a big blockbuster after her last year's comments on the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Ariane Labed (The Lobster) played probably the most interesting character with a lot of potential that wasn't tapped into.
Briefly: Assasin's Creed wasted a great premise on a cliche story. Throw in some faulty directing and good acting into the mix and you have another forgettable video game movie. I only recommend it to super fans of the game or Fassbender.
Trailer: Assasin's Creed trailer
December 30, 2016 December 30, 2016 Lou Tagged 45 years, acting, action movie, adam cooper, allegiant, allied, apocalypse, ariane labed, assasin's creed, asssins creed, bad movies, batman v superman, bill collage, brendan gleeson, bvs, charlotte rampling, cinema, cinema review, cinematography, directing, exodus, film, film review, film reviews, filming, films, game, hitman agent 47, in the heart of the sea, jeremy irons, justin kurzel, macbeth, magneto, marion cotillard, michael fassbender, mortal combat, motion capture, motion picture, motion picture review, motion pictures, movie, movie film, movie preview, movie review, movie reviews, movies, premise, steve jobs, the lobster, transporter, video, video game, video game film, video game movie, warcraft, writing, x men, xmen	10 Comments
Movie PREVIEW: Captain America: Civil War a.k.a. Civil War comic book review
I have done a few preview posts while waiting for the release of the big movies like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now, I would like to discuss my expectations and predictions for the new Marvel movie – Avengers 2.5 also known by its actual name Captain America: Civil War.
In preparation for the film, I have rewatched both of the Captain America's films and enjoyed them even more than the first time. If you would like to read my review of the previous two films, you can click here – that post is one of my early ones and the reviewing style is completely different from the way I review films now, so don't be too harsh.
In addition, not only did I rewatch the previous movies in the series, but I have also actually read the graphic novel by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven (the main series of the 7 issues) that this movie is at least partially adapting. Civil War graphic novel is one of the first serious superhero graphic novels that I've ever read. As a child, I would read comic books about magic that were aimed at very young audiences. Nowadays, the majority of graphic works that I used pick up would be quite biographical, like Maus and Persepolis. However, Civil War really made me want to get into comics more. I have always felt kinda overwhelmed with the lore of the comic book universes and didn't really know where to start. But, through Civil War, I discovered that there is a bunch of limited series style graphic novels that are easily accessible to new readers. You don't have to hunt down different issues, but can enjoy the whole story all at one, in a book format! Because of this, I have recently purchased the Greatest Batman Stories compilation novel and I'm also actively looking for the Watchmen graphic novel in my town's 2nd hand shops. So, let's talk what the film might and will change when transferring the Civil War story from the page to the civil screen. SPOILERS for the comic book and possible SPOILERS for the movie.
To begin with, from the trailers and previous MCU films, we know that the incident that will divide the superheroes won't be an unsuccessful TV show and will have nothing to do with New Warriors. Instead, The Avengers will disagree over the Winter Soldier question, thus, making it a personal matter to Cap. In addition, the aftermath of Sokovia and other accidents, that The Avengers were involved in, like Battle of New York will only deepen and widen the rift .
In addition, the film will probably cut a lot of characters that were involved in the original story. For one, Marvel Studios does not have the rights to X-Men and Fantastic Four characters – it is a miracle that they got Spider-Man. Moreover, MCU has a lot of characters already, without adding a bunch of new ones ( that's why I called the film – Avengers 2.5 – it is more of a team up movie rather than a solo standalone feature). So, if Cap 3 introduced a big group of characters all at once, the majority of them would lack the necessary development and would overcrowd the film. In the comics, it is a different story – all of the characters, that were involved in the Civil War story, have about 50 years of history behind them – they are known to the avid comic book readers, while the movie has to cater the needs of the mainstream audiences, who do not know anything about these characters.
Having said that, while the film won't add a bunch of new characters, we will be introduced to a few of them. Black Panther and the new Spider-Man (with the best suit ever – the CGI eyes are amazing) will make their debut. I do not really think that they will reveal Spider-Man's identity like they did in a comic book Civil War, since Spidey is so new in the MCU. I feel like they will save this big reveal for a solo Spider-Man film, maybe even the last film of the new trilogy. On the other hand, Black Panther's comic book storyline probably won't be changed that much, but the movie might add something more to it.
In the comic book, X-Men characters were sorta neutral, so the lack of them in the film won't be a huge loss. On the other hand, Fantastic Four's characters played a big role in the events, so I wonder who will replace them in the movie's version. Doctor Strange was also neutral in the comics and since he technically is still Stephen Strange – the surgeon in the MCU (he will get his powers in his own film), we will probably only get a post-credits scene with him. Other characters, like Thor's Cyborg Clone will either be cut or substituted. There is only a small chance that any Thor lookalikes will appear in the film, as Chris Hemsworth is not listed on IMDb. Nevertheless, that plotline might be included in the film by replacing Thor's Clone with Vision. The characters or team like Goliath, Mrs. Sharpe, The Thunderbolts (Marvel's Suicide Squad), Young Avengers and Namor will probably also be cut. I also don't think that TV characters, like Daredevil and The Punisher, will appear.
I wonder whether the film will keep the idea that Nick Fury is on Captain America's side, while the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. is supporting Iron Man. Either way, Civil War film will definitely mark the end of The Avengers as we know them now.
I am mostly sure that, in the movie the same way as in the comic book, both teams will have members, who will question their choice and will change sides. We will probably get 'mole inside the team' plotline as well.
The negative zone prison and the fifty state project will probably be too comic-book-y and too grand ideas for the film, so the actual Prison 42 will most likely be different – more realistic maybe? In general, the film's Civil War will probably be a much smaller scale event.
I am also interested to see whether the film will keep the ending of the comic book. Will Tony become the S.H.I.E.L.D director? Will Cap surrender? What will be Winter Soldier's role? I also heard the rumors that they might include the death of Captain America storyline at the end of Civil War – really don't want that to happen. It would also make Civil War very similar to BvS, and I don't think that's a good idea.
So, in conclusion, I have a lot of questions and possible speculations about the film and that's all part of the fun with these comic book movies. I loved the graphic novel Civil War and can't wait to read more – now I feel stupid for waiting so long to star reading the comic books.
Civil War film will be directed by the Russo brothers. Since half of their filmography consists of past and future Marvel movies (they will direct Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and 2), I don't really have anything more to say about their previous work. I will briefly touch upon actors' previous work in the actual review of the film, although I will probably be repeating myself a lot since I have said almost everything I wanted to say about them in my past Marvel movie reviews: Avengers Age of Ultron, Ant-Man and Guardian of the Galaxy. If you want to read my either comic book movie posts, both Marvel and DC, you can find them here: Marvel Phase 3, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Deadpool and BvS.
I am planning to see the film on April 29th, in the morning, and I will definitely be rocking my Marvel Comics T-Shirt. Will you be cosplaying for the premiere and what are your predictions for the film? Let's discuss this in the comments!
April 17, 2016 April 19, 2016 Lou Tagged age of ultron, agent carter, agents of shield, avengers, avengers 2.5, avengers age of ultron, black panhter, cap, captain amerIca, captain america civil war, captain america the first avenger, captain america the winter soldier, chris evans, chris hemsworth'thor, civil war, comic book, comic book review, comic books, comics, daredevil, dc, disney, doctor strange, fantastic four, film, goliath, graphic novel, graphic novel review, graphic novels, hulk, infinity war, iron man, jeremy irons, jeremy renner, mark millar, marvel, marvel cinematic universe, marvel movies, marvel review, marvel studios, maus, mcu, movie, movie preview, movie review, mrs.sharpe, namor, new warriors, paul bettany, persepolis, prison 42, revenge, robert downey jr., scarlet johansson, shield, spider man, spidey, spoilers, steve mcniven, steve rogers, suicide squad, the negative zone, the puniser, the punisher, the thunderbolts, thor, vision, watchmen, winter soldier, x men, xmen, young avengers	3 Comments
Movie review: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Hey Hey Hey!
The wait is finally over! We now have a movie that shows the two greatest superheroes fighting one another. Without further ado, let's dig-in into Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
IMDb summary: Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It's up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.
Before we start: I have done a preview post for this film, in which I discussed my hopes for the movie and gave you my thoughts on the casting choices, Snyder's previous work and DCCU in general. I won't be repeating those things in here, so I highly suggest that you check out that other post first!
Since I'm posting my review on Saturday and the movie has been out for a couple of days, I will be talking about SPOILERS!
Before BvS was released, a lot of news sites reported that the majority of the presale tickets were bought by men. Saturday, 9am screening that I went to (definitely the earliest screening I've ever been to) was also predominately male. I think there was only around 30 people watching the film with me, and only 4 of them were female (me included). The audience was also very adult-centric – there were only 3 or 4 kids in the cinema.
I don't really know what to make out of this. I refuse to believe that women don't like comic book movies. Moreover, I cannot believe that children are not interested in a film like this one.
Also, before the movie, they showed The Lego Batman teaser – it was very appropriate and extremely funny (definitely a lot funnier than the film that followed).
Story: Writing, Tone, and Plotlines
BvS's script was written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer. Terrio is best known for writing the screenplay for 2012's Argo, while Goyer has written all the Blade movies, all of Nolan's Batman films and Man of Steel. With such an accomplished duo, it's quite strange to see that Batman v Superman did not turn out that great, when it comes to story. Let's go over all the different story and plot points (the good, the average and the bad) one by one:
+ To begin with, BvS was a more Batman-centric movie and that's perfectly understandable – they needed to establish him as a character. The opening of the film nicely dealt with Bruce's backstory – the death of his parents and his obsession/fear of bats.
– The film had a lot of dream sequences and it was extremely hard to understand, which scenes were set in reality and which ones – only in the minds of the characters (I still don't know who was the person in Bruce's dream that told Batman that Lois Lane is the key – I read that it was probably the Flash, travelling back in time. The other dream sequence (Nightmare one) was also an Easter Egg for Darkside (maybe)). Anyway, the decision to blend the reality and the dreams together might have been a creative choice, however, it made the narrative unclear and hard to understand/follow.
– The film was more than 2 hours long but all the characters lacked development – I wanted to spend more time with all of them and wasn't satisfied with a few scenes that I've got.
– However, there were characters that we spent way too much time with and the pay-off, concerning these characters, was not that great. Those senate hearings and Lex Luthor's and Senator Finch's scenes seemed to last forever and didn't really accomplish much.
– Basically, the movie had way too many plotlines and was jumping around way too much. In short, there was at least 5 great movies inside this 1 (average) film. The first two parts of the picture also lacked action and the whole set-up for the final act was generally a bit boring, although it had a few exciting moments.
+ The mother-son relationship was really important in this film and it was actually nice to see this particular family relationship explored on screen. Movies usually tend to focus on father-son or father-daughter relationships. I also enjoyed the clever idea to use both Clark Kent's mother's and Bruce Wayne's mother's name – Martha – as a linguistic plot-device that not only united them but helped to show their humanity.
-/+ While I enjoyed seeing Batman and Superman united in battle, I think that they became 'friends' too quickly. It would have been more believable to see them calling each other 'partners' or something like that.
– Speaking about the believability – BvS (like all others DCCU films) really want to be grounded in reality, that's why they are so dark and gritty. However, I do believe that real life also has lighter moments. Reality doesn't automatically mean darkness and depression. Sophisticated and serious superhero films can be at least slightly funny as well (I'm not saying they all have to be comedies like Deadpool). I wish that we would have gotten at least a few more lively/amusing-ish moments to balance out the darkness – the only scenes that had a lighter tone were the romantic ones and I had a lot of problems with them separately.
+ Also, while the first two acts of the film were somewhat realistic and very dark, the final act of the film left the reality behind. And you know what? THAT WAS THE BEST PART OF THE FILM. The more over-the-top and comic book-y it became, the better the film was. That last act improved my opinion on the whole film and definitely increased the rating.
+/- More on the final act: Doomsday's birth and evolution were cool scenes to look at, but felt a bit rushed. Also, the portrayal of the government forces was very one-sided aka negative.
– The lighter aka romantic scenes involved Clark Kent and Lois Lane. While the scenes were cute to look at, they did feel out of place. Also, Lois Lane was such a damsel in distress – she was incapable of doing anything by herself and that annoyed me quite a lot.
+/- The ending of the film was quite a brave choice on the filmmakers part. However, since the audiences are quite familiar with the ideas of resurrection not only in comic book films but in movies in general, it was quite hard to feel really emotional about the death of Superman. As soon as he died on screen, my mind started racing on how he will be brought back to life. And even before we got that slight teaser (just before the film cut to black), we all knew that he is coming back. So, basically, it was really hard to think that Superman's death will stick and that it will have any real consequences.
+ I enjoyed the fact that the characters' alter-egos were as important as their superhero identities. This idea was nicely portrayed in the double funeral of Clark Kent.
+ BvS also gave us more than a few very on-the-nose teasers for all the other Justice League members as well as the Justice League itself. We saw: the Flash, stopping the store from being robbed, Aquaman, attacking or threatening someone, and Cyborg, just in the process of creation.
– Lastly, I might be nitpicking, but it seemed that this time they destroyed more stuff aka two cities – both Gotham and Metropolis. The damage that Man of Steel has done now seems minuscule.
Visuals: Directing, Action, and the Costumes
Zack Snyder did a very nice job directing the action scenes. I only wish that we would not have needed to wait for the said action scenes for more than 1.5h. The picture's color scheme was also very Snyder–y – dark and shadowy (unnecessarily grim, like the story). The action scenes that we got in the 3rd act of the film were definitely enjoyable,so let's discuss them a bit more:
The titular fight between Batman and Superman was really cool: the Batman's protective costume was nice, while the usage of the Krypton – a clever solution. I also loved how Superman just slightly pushed Batman with one hand and Bruce went flying. The only thing that I didn't like about that fight is the fact that Lois Lane just had to appear out of nowhere in the end.
The DC's trio vs. Doomsday was also an exciting battle. This one was very comic-book-y, thus, very unbelievable, thus – the best part of the film. I loved Superman and Doomsday, flying in space, I loved Batman, trying to come up with a solution (because he knew that he can't fist-fight the devil), and Wonder Woman, just charging into battle.
Costumes and Props
The characters' costumes are of course very iconic and there is really no point in talking about them in detail, since, they have been revealed long before the movie was released. However, I do want to mention a few things about them:
I loved Batman's eyes in all of his costumes. I loved how bold his real eyes looked in his normal costume and how threatening were the light-up eyes in his armor.
Superman's cape game was strong. He looked amazing while flying or just floating in the air.
Lastly, Wonder Woman's light-up lasso was super cool – it looked amazing on screen.
The film's soundtrack was created by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL. Junkie XL has previously worked on music for Man of Steel and a bunch of other films (Mad Max: Fury Road, Black Mass, Point Break and Deadpool). Zimmer needs no introduction – he is the king of movie soundtracks in Hollywood (Gladiator, Pearl Harbor, The Last Samurai, Nolan's Batman films, Pirates of the Carribean franchise, Inception, Interstellar, 12 Years a Slave, Man of Steel and a plethora of other movies have been scored by him).
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman. Affleck was really good in both the action scenes and the dramatic ones. He probably is the most accomplished actor of this cast, so it is no surprise that his performance was the best one. 2003's Daredevil should just be wiped out of his resume. We will see Affleck in a cameo role in Suicide Squad, but if you want to watch a non-comic book movie, starring Affleck, I highly suggest both Argo and Gone Girl.
Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman. I did enjoy Cavill's performance but his facial expressions were a bit one-note. He was amazing in the action sequences, though. Last year, we saw Cavill in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Currently, he is working on a war drama Sand Castle.
Amy Adams as Lois Lane. Adams was good in the role and it's not really her fault that the character of Lois was written in the way it was. Basically, I felt that her character was out of place during the majority of the film. I would have liked to see more of her actual journalist side, maybe in scenes opposite Laurence Fishburne's Perry White – the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet. As an actress, Adams has had quite a long and rewarding career. I especially liked her newer films – American Hustle and Big Eyes.
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth. My favorite lines of dialogue were spoken by Irons. I really liked his portrayal of Alfred as more of a partner, less like a servant. Also, I recently saw Irons in High-Rise and I also want to watch his other 2016 film – Race.
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman was my favorite character in the film. Gadot was amazing in the role. She shined in the action sequences and I only wish that she would have had more lines because, for the majority of the film, she just reacted to the events that were happening around her. I can't wait for her own stand-alone film, coming out next year!
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor (?) – I forgot to talk about Eisenberg being cast as Lex Luthor in the preview but that was because I deliberately wanted to forget this development. From what I saw in the trailer, Eisenberg did not play the true Lex Luthor – at least not the one that I grew up watching in the cartoons. There was also this rumor floating online that Eisenberg was playing Luthor Jr. but that just seemed like a cheap explanation. Also, Eisenberg's Lex Luthor Jr. haircut reminded me way too much of the look that his American Ultra character had and it's safe to say – I did not enjoy that stupid stoner action comedy. Now, having watched the film, I still have mixed feelings about Eisenberg in this role. I enjoyed the fact that he played very modern, young and hip entrepreneur. However, at the same time, my mind was screaming: 'This is not Lex Luthor, neither Jr. nor Sr.'. His voice was also a bit squeaky throughout the film, so that did not make him seem as a threatening and serious villain. Nevertheless, I liked both his look and the way he acted at the end of the film, in the cell (he has finally lost that stupid hairstyle). So, maybe BvS was just an origin story for the true Lex Luthor? We will probably find that out in the Justice League films.
Lastly, the movie didn't have a post-credits or end-credits scene, so there is really no point in waiting through more than 5 minutes of credits.
In the end, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a good film that could have been so much better. It unnecessarily wanted to be real and grim. The first two acts were messy and had too many plotlines, while the third act embraced the comic bookiness of the characters and made the ending of the movie – the best part of it. The acting was really good, Gal Gadot's and Ben Affleck's performances were the best. I went into this movie really wanting to like it and, to be truthful, was kinda let down. I am excited to see the standalone films of the characters, but I don't think that they should rush with the Justice League movies, like they are doing right now. Maybe WB will prove me wrong next year.
Trailer: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer
March 26, 2016 April 28, 2016 Lou Tagged amy adams, aquaman, batman begins, batman review, batman v superman, batman v superman dawn of justice, batman v superman review, ben affleck, bruce wayne, bvs, bvs review, clark kent, cyborg, diana prince, end credits, film, film review, film reviews, films, gal gadot, gal gadot'batman, gotham, hans zimmer, henry cavill, high rise, jeremy irons, jesse eisenberg, jessie eisenberg, junkie xl, lego batman, lois lane, man of steel, methropolis, motion picture, movie, movie review, movie reviews, movies, nolan, post credits, race, story, supergirl, superman review, the dark knight, the flash, the man from uncle, wonder woman, zack snyder	54 Comments
Movie review: High-Rise
I really wasn't sure whether I would go to the cinema this weekend. However, I decided that I need some fresh air – I have been binging on Daredevil Season 2 since it dropped on Friday – and went out to see the new British film High-Rise. It's a dystopian movie (my favorite genre!) starring Tom Hiddleston (one of my favorite actors!). Let's go!
IMDb summary: Life for the residents of a tower block begins to run out of control.
This movie wasn't on my radar. I would have missed it if they wouldn't have showed its trailer before the screening of Allegiant last week. High-Rise actually premiered last year at various film festivals, including Toronto International Film Festival. It will be released in the US (in limited release) in May and on video-on-demand. Since it's a British film, it was released in the UK a bit earlier – this weekend.
I am a huge fan of contemporary British films and I have told you this many times before. If you want to read more of my reviews of UK films, I invite you to look through posts on Legend, Far From The Madding Crowd, Suffragette, and Testament of Youth.
When I saw this film's trailer, I thought that its main idea resembled that of Snowpiercer. After having watched High-Rise, I still think that the core theme and the premise are both similar to those of Snowpiercer. However, that's where all the similarities end: while Snowpiercer was a dystopian and sci-fi action movie, High-Rise is a dystopian art film – I would even classify it as belonging or at least partially resembling the genre of experimental/avant-garde films. To be frank, when watching these types of motion pictures, I question my mental abilities: do these films just not make any sense or am I just too stupid to understand them?.
The film's screenplay was written by Amy Jump based on a book by J.G. Ballard. I haven't read the book and I am not familiar with Jump's previous work. Speaking about the story of the film, I wouldn't say that I liked it (in the normal sense of the word), but I definitely found it interesting and I do applaud the writing.
The film's main story was told in a flashback, so this was definitely not your typical narrative movie. The movie's plot was also very fragmented and this fragmentation was carried out into editing (more on the montage style later).
The film revolved around a community of people living in the 40-story building, with the richest and the most privileged ones living at the top, and the poorest families at the bottom. The main character of the film, played by Tom Hiddleston, resided on the 24 or 25 floor – in the middle of the two groups.
This movie explored the themes such as human savagery (showed people 'embracing' their animalistic nature) and social hierarchy. It also touched upon humanity's dependence on technology and power – it basically critiqued our consumerism. I thought about the building's community as a metaphor for our society, but I also read online that it might be a metaphor for not just any society, but for the digital age/Internet society and I can definitely see why some people, who saw this film, think that way.
Ballard wrote his book in the 1970s and also set the action of the book in the same decade. The Internet did not exist back then, so if Ballard predicted all of this, he is not far from genius.
The movie was brutal in its humor and also raised a lot of questions. For one, what was up with that kid? Was he just another metaphor of how the future generations are the ones responsible for the survival of our society? Human society?
Directing and Editing
The film was directed by Ben Wheatley. I do admire his work on High-Rise but I don't think that I will be intentionally seeking more movies of his. He and the screenwriter of the film – Amy Jump – were also responsible for the editing of the film. High-Rise was edited in a very old-school kind of way, using montage to connect contrasting images into one synthesis, from which distinct meaning may arise. We spent a week (at least) on this topic in my film course, reading essays and watching films by Kuleshov and Eisenstein – the godfathers of montage editing.
Wheatley and Jump used a lot of intercuts of extreme close-ups in their montages and also paired up the visuals with the classical music. They also used ABBA's S.O.S.'s in an interesting way at least twice. They also used the trick of the montage inside the montage with that kaleidoscopic sequence. All of the film's montages were puzzling and even confusing but that was kinda their point (I think). Wheatley and Jump were trying to make the viewers think: 'what the hell am I watching?'. And if we all question the things that we see, maybe we won't end up like those people in the building.
A few last things on the visuals of the film: since the film was set in the 70s, the costumes, and the setting were at least partially of that period. The lift scenes with the mirrors and multiple copies of the actors were cool too. Also, the movie had a lot of sexual scenes and some disturbing imagery involving a human head right at the beginning of the film. Actually, there was plenty of disturbing scenes throughout the film as well.
These unsettling visuals and the critique of our society reminded me a bit of a different avant-garde film that I watched in the film class – Jean-Luc Godard's Week-end from 1963. However, Godard used a lot of long takes in that film, while High-Rise was basically a feature-length music video (meaning that it was assembled from short clips into a coherent motion picture in the editing room). I also don't think that Wheatley could ever be equal to Godard in not only his films' quality but in how much he did for cinema in general.
The film had a huge cast of accomplished actors, who all played very unlikeable and even despicable characters – all of the inhabitant of the building were rotten people to some extent. I actually think that all sane people should feel disgusted by the characters of this film and, if they do, maybe it's a positive sign. It shows that we still have hope as a society.
The film's cast consisted of Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss, James Purefoy, Keeley Hawes, Peter Ferdinando, Reece Shearsmith, Sienna Guillory, Dan Renton Skinner, Augustus Prew and Stacy Martin. All of them did a magnificent job and acted over-the-top just enough to still seem like somewhat believable/real characters/people.
I am probably the most familiar with the previous work of Hiddleston, Evans and Irons. Hiddleston was, of course, the main reason that I was interested in the film in the first place. If you would like to watch Hiddleston in a different small scale, more artsy film (basically, the complete opposite of the Avengers), I highly suggest you check out Only Lovers Left Alive or if you want something more classic – Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris is a great choice. Crimson Peak is also not bad visually (stunning, actually), even if the story is kinda mediocre. I'm really interested to see what will Hiddleston bring to Kong: Skull Island opposite Brie Larson, coming out next year.
I will talk about Jeremy Irons more in my next review of Batman v. Superman – he is playing Alfred in that film. Evans popped up on my radar with The Hobbit films and later on with Dracula Untold. He was also in the last few Fast and Furious films and will also be in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast.
All in all, High-Rise was full of confusing and disturbing images mixed with thought-provoking and question-raising ideas. It is not an easy film to watch, but worth the time and the money.
Rate: ?/5 (I am not sure how to rate this kind of film, so I will leave it for you to decide on your own)
Trailer: High-Rise trailer
March 19, 2016 March 19, 2016 Lou Tagged avant garde, avengers, batman v superman, brie larson, crimson peak, dracula untold, experimental film, fast and furious, film, films, french new wave, godard, high rise, high-rise review, independant film, jeremy irons, kong, luke evans, midnight in paris, motion picture, movie review, movie reviews, movies, only lovers left alive, review, the hobbit, tom hiddelston, weekend	10 Comments

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


If you do not understand why we call ourselves the Department of Communication Studies and not Communications, you will after reading the following paragraphs. The term "communication" reflects our department's focus and approach to communication—which simply means the process by which humans use symbols, verbal and nonverbal, to create meaning and form relationships with other humans within a variety of contexts, cultures, and mediated environments. This definition of Communication is the essence of what we teach, research, and do in our department through Performance Studies, Rhetorical Studies, and Communication Science.
NOTE: The paragraphs above were slightly modified from the Department of Communication Studies at Cornell University and it provides an accurate and adequate answer to why we use Communication and NOT Communications.
Please refer to Faculty Office Hours & Faculty Advisors' Schedule located in the main office to set up an appointment.


text:
/**
* @file RobotPose.h
*
* Definition of class RobotPose which represents the position and direction of the robot on the field
* @author Heinrich Mellmann
*/

#ifndef RobotPose_h
#define RobotPose_h

#include "Tools/Math/Pose2D.h"
#include "Tools/DataStructures/Printable.h"
#include "Tools/DataStructures/Serializer.h"

#include "Tools/Debug/DebugDrawings.h"
namespace naoth
{
class RobotPose: public Pose2D, public naoth::Printable
{
public:
  RobotPose() : isValid(false) {}

  RobotPose (const Pose2D& other) : isValid(false)
  {
    Pose2D::operator=(other);
  }

  virtual ~RobotPose(){}

  const RobotPose& operator=(const RobotPose& other)
  {
    Pose2D::operator=(other);
    this->isValid = other.isValid;
    return *this;
  }

  // NOTE: only the pose is modified the all the other members are left untouched
  const RobotPose& operator=(const Pose2D& other)
  {
    Pose2D::operator=(other);
    return *this;
  }

  // indicates whether the pose is valid :)
  bool isValid;

  // estimated principal axes of the position belief (not for angle)
  // can be used as a measure for how 'precise' the position estimation is
  Vector2d principleAxisMajor;
  Vector2d principleAxisMinor;

  virtual void print(std::ostream& stream) const;
  void draw(DrawingCanvas2D& canvas, bool drawDeviation=false) const;

};

template<>
class Serializer<RobotPose>
{
public:
  static void serialize(const RobotPose& representation, std::ostream& stream);
  static void deserialize(std::istream& stream, RobotPose& representation);
};
}
#endif// RobotPose_h

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Apple has passed the landmark of one million iPad sales in South Korea, where its tablet device is a considerable distance ahead of rival Samsung's efforts on its home turf.
The statistic, which is reported by the Korea Herald, makes Apple the country's top tablet vendor, with sales of the original iPad and iPad 2 estimated to account for 70-80 percent of the nation's market. Perhaps Samsung needs to work on its advertising in the country, the latest of which is inspired by Apple but seemingly not working on Korean gadget buyers.
Tablets are a growing sector in Korea's technology space, where smartphones are still becoming established among mainstream consumers. However, Apple is said to have seen an encouraging 700,000 iPad devices sold last year, since introducing the iPad in April, and momentum has increased in the new year as it has gone on to hit seven figures.
Local press sources, cited by the Korea Herald, suggest that there may in fact be more iPads active in Korea. The official figure accounts for devices sold in the country alone, however the actual number could be "far more" due to early adopters who bought devices from overseas channels before it launched in the country.
Further details reveal that the WiFi-only versions of the iPad are the most popular, accounting for two-thirds of all sales, suggesting that, for now at least, most Koreans avoid running the device on carriers' data networks.
The gulf in sales will frustrate Samsung, which has always taken pride in performing well in homeland. Indeed, the company is so sensitive to the Korean market that it reneged on plans to fight the launch of the iPhone 4S there.
Tablets have been a key part of the international legal disputes between Apple and Samsung with Germany the most recent battlefield. A German court last week dismissed Apple's attempts to push for a sales ban on the modified Galaxy Tab 10.1N, which itself was introduced to avoid a sales ban following a successful legal challenge from Apple.
Recent developments follow Samsung's unsuccessful attempt to overturn a ban on the original Galaxy Tab, which it was looking to sell again in Germany. Apple was the first to up the ante in the European country this year, as it filed new lawsuits against 10 smartphones and 5 tablets in Germany in January.
Both companies are set to introduce new tablets to increase the competition in the space in 2012. Samsung is rumoured to be announcing an 11.6-inch device, which will become the world's largest tablet, at some point this year, while Apple is strongly tipped to launch the iPad 3 next month.


analog + 16 digital inputs. All models feature spectrum analyzers, function generators, arbitrary waveform generators and serial bus analyzers, and the MSO models also function as logic analyzers.
The PicoScope 2000A models all deliver unbeatable value for money, with excellent waveform visualization and measurement to 25 MHz for a range of analog and digital electronic and embedded system applications. They are ideal for education, hobby and field service use.
The PicoScope 2000B models have the added benefits of deep memory (up to 128 MS), higher bandwidth (up to 100 MHz) and faster waveform update rates, giving you the performance you need to carry out advanced analysis of your waveform, including serial decoding and plotting frequency against time.
All PicoScope 2000 Series oscilloscopes have a built-in function generator and arbitrary waveform generator (AWG). The function generator can produce sine, square, triangle and DC level waveforms, and many more besides, while the AWG allows you to import waveforms from data files or create and modify them using the built-in graphical AWG editor.
As well as level, offset and frequency controls, advanced options allow you to sweep over a range of frequencies. Combined with the advanced spectrum mode, with options including peak hold, averaging and linear/log axes, this creates a powerful tool for testing amplifier and filter responses.
Advanced display modes allow you to see old and new data superimposed, with new data in a brighter color or shade. This makes it easy to see glitches and dropouts and to estimate their relative frequency. Choose between analog persistence, digital color and fast display modes or create your own custom rules.
The PicoScope 2000 Series' use of hardware acceleration means that, in Fast Persistence mode, waveform update rates of up to 80 000 waveforms per second can be achieved (model-dependent), overlaying them all with color-coding or intensity-grading to show which areas are stable and which are intermittent. Faults that previously took minutes to find now appear within seconds.
The supplied drivers and software development kit (SDK) allow you to both write your own software and interface to popular third-party software packages such as National Instruments LabVIEW and MathWorks MATLAB.
The drivers support data streaming, a mode that captures gap-free continuous data over the USB port directly to the PC's RAM or hard disk at rates of up to 1 MS/s (A models) or 9.6 MS/s (B models), so you are not limited by the size of the scope's buffer memory. Sampling rates in streaming mode are subject to PC specifications and application loading.
Beta drivers are also available for use with Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black, and similar ARM-powered platforms. These drivers enable you to control your PicoScope using these small, single-board Linux computers.
The PicoScope 2000 Series oscilloscopes include serial decoding capability as standard. Display the decoded data in the format of your choice: as a graph, in a table, or both at once.
• Graph format shows the decoded data beneath the waveform on a common time axis, with error frames marked in red. You can zoom in on these frames to investigate noise or distortion. The data packets are broken down into their component fields, making it easier than ever to locate and identify problems signals, and each packet field is assigned a different color: in the CAN bus example below, the address is colored orange, the DLC green and the data content indigo. Color coding is available in PicoScope 6.12 or later, available for download from www.picotech.com.
• Table format shows a list of the decoded frames, including the data and all flags and identifiers. You can set up filtering conditions to display only the frames you are interested in, search for frames with specified properties, or define a start pattern to signal when the program should list the data.
It is also possible to link decoded numeric data to user-defined text strings, for ease of reading.
With the PicoScope 2000 Series, you can decode up to 15 serial protocols, including 1-Wire, CAN, I2C, I2S, LIN, SENT, SPI and UART/RS- 232, depending on the bandwidth and sampling rate of the oscilloscope model. Please see the specification table for the full list.
PicoScope also includes options to import and export the decoded data using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
The PicoScope 2000 Series MSO models bring extra power to the serial decoding features. You can decode serial data on all analog and digital inputs simultaneously, giving you up to 18 channels of data with any combination of serial protocols. For example, you can decode multiple SPI, I2C, CAN bus, LIN bus and FlexRay signals all at the same time!
Ever spotted a glitch on a waveform, but by the time you've stopped the scope it's gone? With PicoScope you no longer need to worry about missing glitches or other transient events. PicoScope can store the last ten thousand waveforms in its circular waveform buffer.
The buffer navigator provides an efficient way of navigating and searching through waveforms, effectively letting you turn back time. Tools such as mask limit testing can also be used to scan through each waveform in the buffer looking for mask violations.
PicoScope allows you to draw a mask around any signal with user-defined tolerances. This has been designed specifically for production and debugging environments, enabling you to compare signals. Simply capture a known good signal, draw a mask around it, and then attach the system under test. PicoScope will capture any intermittent glitches and can show a failure count and other statistics in the Measurements window.


The Newtown-Sandy Hook Community Foundation (The Foundation) today announced the release of $4 million to be disbursed by an interim advancement committee to 40 families most severely impacted by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The 40 families are those of the 26 victims, the families of 12 surviving children from classrooms directly involved in the shooting, and the families of 2 people injured in the tragedy. The interim advancement committee will also consider disbursements to address immediate needs of first responders and teachers/school personnel in its funding decisions.
The Foundation is a nonprofit group designed to oversee the distribution of the more than $11 million that the Sandy Hook School Support Fund has received to date. The Sandy Hook School Support Fund (the Fund) is a charitable fund established jointly by United Way of Western Connecticut and Newtown Savings Bank to support the Newtown community following the Sandy Hook School tragedy. In the first week of March 2013, United Way of Western CT transferred all funds currently raised by the Sandy Hook School Support Fund to the Foundation. All subsequent donations also will be transferred to the Foundation on a monthly basis; ensuring that 100% of the money contributed to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund will be transferred to the Foundation. The Foundation also announced a schedule of its planned activities and meetings, including the appointment of a volunteer executive director and a series of meetings to solicit input and feedback from families, first responders, teachers and others impacted by the tragedy of December 14, 2012.
"This initial release of funds and our schedule of activities in the next two weeks reflects the board's intention and efforts to balance a thoughtful, transparent process with the appropriate sense of urgency to meet the needs of the community", said Anne Ragusa, a member of the Foundation's Board of Directors. "To date we have held 3 meetings with another 6 scheduled with victims' families, survivor families, injured teachers, first responders, teachers and school personnel over the next 2 weeks", added Ragusa.
One goal of the meetings with affected stakeholder groups is to get their input on how to best represent their views in the work of the Foundation's distribution committees. The members of the interim advancement committee will be named based on the feedback received at these meetings.
"The reality of the approach that we have adopted is that having a dialogue with those impacted in the community requires time particularly when so many are in the midst of responding to trauma. The board will move as quickly as possible to bring relief to the families while also ensuring decisions are made thoughtfully for the future", said Dr. Charles Herrick, a member of the Foundation' Board of Directors.
This first advancement of funds does not preclude families or others from receiving other monies in future disbursements. It allows the Foundation to look at their needs and additional community needs over the next several weeks with public input.
The next meeting of the Board of Directors is Friday, April 12th and an announcement of an interim executive director is anticipated to be made on Monday April 15th. For further information email info@nshcf.org.


text:
Q: Laravel scope method check in other table? I have 3 models, Customer, Service and ServiceElement
My scope in model Customer:
public function scopeServicesExternal($query, $customer_id, $service_id){
        return $query->where('customer_id', $customer_id)->where('service_id', $service_id);
}

This scope gives me all results for a service, this is ok. but it is possible to extend it to get only elements which field agent is not empty in model ServiceElement?

A: If the server has a relationship defined to the service element, then you can do:
->whereHas('serviceElement', function($query) {
    return $query->where('field_agent', '!=', '');
});

Which will return only models that have a record for serviceElement and where the field_agent column is not empty.
Replace serviceElement with however you defined the relationship in your model file.

A: You will not need pass customer_id and service_id as argument if you use Eloquent relationships.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


BBC Radio 4 , broadcast this programme last week and initially it was not available on the Listen Again facility : so I didn't mention it…but now I've discovered there are indeed two days left for you to listen. Damnation.
Gothick novel The Castle of Otranto, written anonymously in 1764 and the first of the Gothick novels, setting the tone for the whole genre.
It inspired both Mrs Radcliffe and Matthew Lewis,who wrote The Monk. The passion aroused by these novels and the fashion for them them so fascinated Jane Austen that she lampooned the genre and its followers in Northanger Abbey.
and many other places including colleges in Cambridge .
Today's post has nothing to do with Sandition, although Laurel's really fascinating Group Read of Jane Austen's fragment continues at Austenprose.
But it does concern a seaside resort of which Jane Austen was fond, Lyme Regis, and the Lyme Regis Philpot Musem's attempt to publish a manuscript "epic" poem about the town written in 1819. Mary Godwin ,the museum's curator, has very kindly supplied me with some images and quotes from the poem so that I can share news of their project with you here.
The Lyme Regis Philpot Museum has had in its collection since 1978, a manuscript which was given to the museum by the artist, Laurence Whistler.
Called The Lymiad, or Letters from Lyme to a friend in Bath by a Unknown Gentlewoman, the manuscript consists of a series of eight letters all written in verse, about the town of Lyme and it inhabitants as they were in 1819.
the surrounding scenery and bad weather; and, finally, departure from the resort. All of which would have been familiar to Jane Austen who visited the town in September 1804.
The writer John Fowles who in 1978 had just started his ten-year stewardship of the Museum as its Honorary Curator, was very intrigued by the new addition to the collection. After reading it he was so impressed with The Lymiad that he regarded it as among the Museum's most precious possessions.
Each letter in turn looks at at the streets and lodgings; the sea and beach; the civil war siege and Monmouth; the assembly rooms; the mayor and worthies; scenery and bad weather; and finally departure from the resort by the narrator.
Inform me he's a F.G.S.
During the 1980s John Fowles made a transcript of the poem, prepared a general introduction and made some explanatory notes on local references within it.
In 1997 the manuscript, which was on display in the Museum, came to the attention of Dr. John Constable, then Professor of English Literature in Kyoto University. During consultations with John Fowles over the next few years, Professor Constable studied the transcript and wrote a substantial introduction to it.
Who next shall be our worthy Mayor.
Sadly, John Fowles died in 2005 before any publication of the poem could be undertaken. But now the Lyme Museum has decided to ask for subscribers so that a first and fully annotated edition can be published.
The Museum has already secured some grants towards the cost of producing the book from charitable foundations and other donors, but in order to complete the task of publishing this manuscript they now need to attract 100 subscribers, who will pledge £20 per volume, and whose names will be recorded in the publication itself.
Once sufficient numbers of subscribers have been received the publication project will be able to be got underway.
If you go here you will find a form that can be copied, filled in and sent to the present curator of the Lyme museum, Mary Godwin (and she will even accept subscriptions made by copying and pasting the form in an email: I know because that how I subscribed) .
The Lyme Regis Museum's publication of The Lymiad will rather fittingly and touchingly be dedicated to John Fowles's memory.
Do note that the new edition will not be a facsimile of the original manuscript. Instead, it is being cleverly designed to appear as it might have done in had it been published in 1819 .It will have stitched pages and marbled card covers .
I understand that the edition will contain an essay by John Fowles on Lyme in the early 1800s which he revised in 2003, a general introduction and textual notes by John Constable, a transcription of the text complete with editorial notes by John Fowles, John Constable and Jo Draper and that it will be illustrated with pictures from the Museum's wonderful collection, which have also been selected by Jo Draper.
I have already subscribed because I am absolutely fascinated by the thought of reading an insider's view of the place Jane Austen visited and liked so much that she ensured that pivotal scenes from Persuasion occurred there . And also because I adore this museum, and try visit it every time I visit Lyme.
I do hope that some of you may be sufficiently interested to subscribe to this fascinating pubication project too.