Tag: Culture On My Mind

Culture on My Mind – Disney+ Day 2021

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind
Disney+ Day 2021
November 15, 2020

You get a bonus edition of Culture on My Mind because I’m thinking Disney.

Disney+ Day marks the anniversary of the Mouse House’s streaming service, and the second anniversary was on November 12th. The event served as a teaser for new content and features as well as a premiere day for new titles.

New Arrivals

To celebrate the second anniversary of Disney+, several new titles were added to the service, including:

  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Home Sweet Home Alone
  • Marvel Assembled: The Making of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
  • Marvel Studios’ 2021 Disney Plus Special
  • Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
  • The Making of Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles
  • Entrelazados
  • Enchanted (2007)
  • Spin
  • The World According to Jeff Goldblum: Season Two
  • Fancy Nancy: Season Three
  • Olaf Presents (a series of animated shorts)
  • Ciao Alberto (a Luca short)
  • The Simpsons in Plusaversary

The list also included an assorted collection of Walt Disney Animation Studios shorts.

IMAX Enhanced Films

Select Marvel films have been upgraded on the service to include their IMAX presentations. A typical theater presentation is in either the 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 aspect ratio, which means that for every inch tall, a movie is either 1.85 inches or 2.35 inches wide. IMAX uses a 1.90:1 ratio, which offers up to 26 percent more screen space.

The films included in this lauch are:

  • Iron Man (2008)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
  • Captain America: Civil War (2016)
  • Doctor Strange (2016)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
  • Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
  • Black Panther (2018)
  • Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
  • Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
  • Captain Marvel (2019)
  • Avengers: Endgame (2019)
  • Black Widow (2021)
  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

The IMAX presentations on Disney+ do not include the IMAX Enhanced DTS sound, but there is a possibility of adding it down the road.

Star Wars Teases

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) – A teaser is available on Disney+.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Logo

Marvel Teases

  • X-Men ’97, a revival of the beloved 1997 Fox animated series (2023)

feaakozucaq6ztb

  • Moon Knight, based on the Marvel Comics series. For more information and a peek at the First Look footage, check out the New Rockstars video.
  • She Hulk, based on the 1980s Marvel Comics series created by Stan Lee and John Buscema. For more information and a peek at the First Look footage, check out the New Rockstars video.
  • Ms. Marvel, based on the Marvel Comics series. For more information and a peek at the First Look footage, check out the New Rockstars video.

FEALLttVcAMaGyK[1]

  • Spider-Man: Freshman Year (an animated series)
  • I Am Groot (an animated series)
  • Ironheart, an original series based on the Marvel Comics character.

fealye8uyaka48r

  • Agatha: House of Harkness, a spinoff from WandaVision

fealbojuuawxs5d

  • Marvel Zombies, an animated series based on the Marvel Comics series
  • Secret Invasion, an original series based on the Marvel Comics series and presuambly playing off all of the Skrulls that we keep seeing in the MCU. Once again with the breakdown, I present New Rockstars.

New Rockstars also recorded a discussion on all of the titles from the presentation today.

Pixar Teases

  • Cars on the Road (an original series based on the films, coming 2022)
  • Win or Lose (an animated series about baseball in Fall 2023)
  • Behind the scenes feature-length documentaries are also coming in 2022 for Turning Red and Lightyear.

Disney Teases

  • Zootopia+, a short form series based on Zootopia (coming in 2022)
  • Tiana, a new long-form musical series continuing 2009’s The Princess and the Frog (2022)
  • The Ice Age Advenures of Buck Wild (a spinoff of Ice Age, coming January 28, 2022)
  • Baymax! (an original series based on Big Hero Six, coming Summer 2022)
  • Cheaper By the Dozen (a movie presumably based off the 1950 and 2003 films, premiering in March 2022)
  • Disenchanted, the sequel to 2007’s Enchanted (Fall 2022)

disenchanted

  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid (which is getting yet another revision) (December 3, 2021)
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
  • The Beatles: Get Back (November 25, 2021)
  • Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (Spring 2022)

fd__jlmwyaibqjx

  • Better Nate Than Ever (Spring 2022)
  • Hocus Pocus 2 (Fall 2022)

  • Pinocchio (the next live action reimagining, coming Fall 2022 with Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis)
  • Limitless with Chris Hemsworth (from National Geographic, coming 2022)
  • Welcome to Earth (a National Geographic series with Will Smith, coming December 8, 2021)
  • America the Beautiful (from National Geographic, coming 2022)
  • Sneakerella (an original movie, coming February 18, 2021)
  • The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (February 2022)
  • High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: Season Three (2022)
  • The Spiderwick Chronicles (a new live-action series)
  • Willow, a series following the 1988 film (2022)

We’ll probably get more information at the Disney Investor’s Call, but it’s good to see what’s in the hopper for many of our favorite franchises and properties. Also remember what came from last year’s investor call. All of those things are still on the horizon, including more Marvel and Star Wars content.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

Culture on My Mind – Amok! Amok! Amok!

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind

Culture on My Mind
Amok! Amok! Amok!
November 12, 2021

It’s been 28 years and the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track is celebrating! 

In 1993, Walt Disney Pictures delivered a tale of a curious youngster who moves to Salem, Massachusetts. You know, home of the famous witch trials. He struggles to fit in with his peers and then awakens a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.

The film showcases the over-the-top performances of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters and was a fun and touching tale. It has a lasting legacy and, as of this year, has a sequel in development.

On November 4th, the panel of ToniAnn Marini, Denise Lhamon, Alison Richards, and Elizabeth Jones braved the spooky house to pet Binx, light the Black Flame Candle, and generally run amok on an odd anniversary of a beautifully bizarre experience. After all, Halloween may have already passed, but the Classics Track honors spooky season all year round.

 

These Classic Track Quarantine Panels will be held once every two weeks. If you want to play along at home, grab your internet-capable device of choice and navigate the webs to the YouTube channel and/or the group on Facebook. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch.

The future holds an inquisitive birthday tradition, a potluck dinner, and a feast of franchises. You can find this and more every other Thursday as the American Sci-Fi Classics Track explores the vast reaches of classic American science fiction.

The episode art each week is generously provided by the talented Sue Kisenwether. You can find her (among other places) on Women at Warp – A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

Culture on My Mind – The Spoopy Pages

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind

Culture on My Mind
The Spoopy Pages
November 5, 2021

Halloween may be over, but the fine folks at the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track have one more treat to offer. 

On October 21st, the erudite panel of Michael Williams, Toni Ann Marini, and Keith DeCandido joined Joe Crowe to read from their favorite scary movie novelizations. Michael Williams brought a selection from Cabin in the Woods, Toni Ann Marini chose the classic gem Plan 9 from Outer Space, and Keith selected from his own library with Resident Evil: Apocalypse.

Oh, and Joe Crowe? He picked Fangface: A Time Machine Trip on a Pirate Ship, a real novelization of a real episode of Fangface. That was a Scooby-Doo-esque Saturday morning cartoon show produced by Ruby-Spears Productions for ABC. I’m a bit surprised that they made novelizations from a Saturday morning cartoon, but there are also novelizations of James Bond Junior.

 

As I mentioned last go round, these Classic Track Quarantine Panels will be held once every two weeks. If you want to play along at home, grab your internet-capable device of choice and navigate the webs to the YouTube channel and/or the group on Facebook. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch.

The future holds a 28th anniversary special about a movie run amok, an inquisitive birthday tradition, a potluck dinner, and a feast of franchises. You can find this and more every other Thursday as the American Sci-Fi Classics Track explores the vast reaches of classic American science fiction.

The episode art each week is generously provided by the talented Sue Kisenwether. You can find her (among other places) on Women at Warp – A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

Culture on My Mind – Hobbes in Bloom County

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind

Culture on My Mind
Hobbes in Bloom County
June 25, 2021

Growing up, I loved reading the comics pages in my local newspaper, the Standard-Examiner. It’s the third largest newspaper in Utah, coming in behind The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News, and while the funnies fluctuated over the years, one of my staples was Calvin and Hobbes during its 1985 to 1995 syndicated run.

There was something magical about a boy and his imagination just having fun. 

So, you can only imagine that I was amused to see Berkeley Breathed pay tribute to Bill Watterson’s creation and legacy in Bloom County. Bloom County ran from 1980 to 1989 and examined cultural and political events through the viewpoint of a fanciful small Middle American town. The children think and speak like adults and the talking animals often act as satirical foils. To be honest, it was a bit above my level in the ’80s, but it became particularly poignant when it was revived by Breathed in 2015 on Facebook. 

That’s where this tribute to Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes, and the power of imagination was presented earlier this year. I hope it touches your soul like it did mine.

 

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

Culture on My Mind – They’re Baaaack!

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind

Culture on My Mind
They’re Baaaack!
October 15, 2021

The Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track is back! After the shenanigans of a live-action Dragon Con and a little time off to recover – the analgesic creams seem to have done the trick – Joe and Gary have brought the atomic batteries to power and the YouTube turbines back up to speed.

On October 7th, they were joined by Kevin Cafferty, the Cadavers (namely, Nicole and Ryan), Beth van Dusen, and Michael Bailey to talk about horror sequels. To celebrate the spookiest time of the year, these brave explorers plumbed the depths of the Horror Hall of Fame to honor all the horror properties that came back for a second, a third, or even a 13th life. Only sequels needed apply, for reboots and re-imaginings were not welcome in this livestream.

 

Going forward, these Classic Track Quarantine Panels will be held once per fortnight. (That’s once every two weeks, he said with a wink). If you want to play along at home, pick up your internet-capable device and dial up the YouTube channel and/or the group on Facebook. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch.

Join these fine folks on October 21st as they have more fun with Halloween, and keep every other Thursday open as the American Sci-Fi Classics Track explores the vast reaches of classic American science fiction.

The episode art each week is generously provided by the talented Sue Kisenwether. You can find her (among other places) on Women at Warp – A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

Culture on My Mind – Behind the Scenes of Nautilus

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind

Culture on My Mind
Behind the Scenes of Nautilus
October 8, 2021

This week, the educational side of YouTube is on my mind. Specifically, I’m looking at a slice of submarine history with the Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, Connecticut.

The Submarine Force Library and Museum is home to the USS Nautilus (former SSN 571), the first nuclear-powered submarine in the world which now serves as a National Historic Landmark to educate visitors about the United States submarine force. The museum sits downstream from Naval Submarine Base New London on the Thames River, which is where I served for part of my submarine career. In normal times, it receives approximately 250,000 visitors per year.

The museum has a tour route through the forward compartment of the Nautilus, offering an in-person look at life on a nuclear submarine, including where sailors would eat, sleep, and work. In early 2021, Commander Brad Boyd presented a series of videos that go beyond the normal tour route and offer a substantial amount of historic and experience-based information.

I went through sub school with Brad and we served together at two duty stations. I was very pleased to see the news in 2018 when Brad took over as the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of Historic Ship Nautilus, and this series was part of a larger effort to keep the museum in the public eye during the pandemic. It was a smart move during a tough time to run a public attraction.

Brad was recently relieved as OIC and sent on to his next duty station. I wish him and his family the best of luck. I know he’ll do well in the future.  

This series of eighteen videos represents a great way to learn about history and life in the Silent Service. 

Episode 1 – Nautilus Introduction and Overview

Episode 2 – Nautilus Torpedo Room

Episode 3 – Nautilus Wardroom

Episode 4 – Staterooms

Episode 5 – Operation Sunshine

Episode 6 – Attack Center

Episode 7 – Sonar, ESM, and Ship’s Office

Episode 8 – Control

Episode 9 – Radio & Interior Communications

Episode 10 – Crew’s Mess

Episode 11 – Storerooms and Battery

Episode 12 – Berthing and Chief’s Quarters

Episode 13 – Gallery and Storeroom

Episode 14 – Berthing

Episode 15 – Underneath the Superstructure

Episode 16 – Escape Trunk

Episode 17 – Sail

Episode 18 – Bridge

 

You can find the Submarine Force Museum on YouTube, Facebook, and their official site. If you’re ever in Groton, Connecticut, it’s also worth an in-person visit.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

Culture on My Mind – The Physics of Bowling Balls

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind

Culture on My Mind
The Physics of Bowling Balls
October 1, 2021

This week, I have Veritasium on my mind. I love to go bowling even though I’m not particularly good at it. Bowling is fun and (before the pandemic) gives me a great opportunity to chat with friends in the time between throws.

I have seen a lot of these ball movements over the years, but I didn’t have enough information to understand why the physics worked like they did.

Veritasium did the work.

Happy Friday. See you again soon.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

Culture on My Mind – Dragon Con Shenanigans 2021

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind

Culture on My Mind
Dragon Con Shenanigans 2021
September 2, 2021

The Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track recently spent some time telling the good tales about Dragon Con and teasing a bit of what’s to come this year.

I joined Sue Kisenwether, ToniAnn Marini, Denise Lhamon, Jeff Burns, Sherman Burris, Darin Bush, Chris Cummins, Kevin Eldridge, and John Hudgens to… well… geek out. 

 

If you want to keep up with the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track in the off-season, the best ways to do that are on the YouTube channel and the Facebook group. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. (Be sure to authorize StreamYard to work with Facebook if you play that way.)

If you want to join us for real life panels, we’ll be at Dragon Con 2021 over Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta, Georgia.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

Culture on My Mind – The Secret of the Ooze and Alan Rickman

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind

Culture on My Mind
The Secret of the Ooze and Alan Rickman
August 13, 2021

The Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Track recently talked about some heroes on the half shell and a legendary actor.

On August 5th, I grabbed a slice of pizza with Madison “Metricula” Roberts, Darin Bush, and Keith R. A. DeCandido to remember that time in 1991 when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles learned the secret of their origin and faced off against the Foot, mutants, and Vanilla Ice! 

On August 12th, it was time to honor a true legend. In his first film role, Alan Rickman stole the show as Hans Gruber. From there, he continued to be a standout performer as a sheriff, a potions master, an Australian rancher, and by Grabthar’s Hammer, a very put upon classically trained actor. Join Lacee Aderhold, Deanna Toxopeus, and Sarah Daisy Splitt as they talk about this master taken well before his time.

Once again, we’re all caught up. Fun times lay ahead, and if you want to play along at home, get thee hence to the YouTube channel and the group on Facebook. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch.

The month of August will hold a couple of panels before the series takes a hiatus for real life panels at Dragon Con 2021. Join us on the journey and, if you’re so inclined, come see all of us in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend.

The episode art each week is generously provided by the talented Sue Kisenwether. You can find her (among other places) on Women at Warp – A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.

Culture on My Mind – Smarter Every Day Dives Deep into Nuclear Submarines

Michael FalknerLeave a comment

Culture on My Mind

Culture on My Mind
Smarter Every Day Dives Deep into Nuclear Submarines
August 6, 2021

This week, the educational side of YouTube is on my mind. Specifically, I’m looking at Smarter Every Day.

The channel is run by Destin Sandlin, a mechanical and aerospace engineer from Alabama. His channel focuses on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics, and each video provides him and his audience a chance to learn something new about the world around them. Smarter Every Day is a must-watch subscription on my YouTube feed.

Destin started a series of videos in June of last year focused on nuclear submarines. He was invited to participate in ICEX 2020, a biennial Navy exercise that explores operational readiness in the Arctic. The video series was particularly intriguing since I was a nuclear submarine officer, and I was very excited to see how the engineering and lifestyle complexities would be seen and interpreted by civilian eyes.

I wasn’t disappointed.

This series of videos was quite well done and offers an easy to digest perspective on the submarine force. My wife watched the series with me and finally understood some what my former job entailed. I want to thank Destin for that and for taking the time to teach the world about the basics of the Silent Service.

There are nine episodes in the series, filmed during a brief underway on the USS Toledo and released over a year. If you enjoy them as much as I did, consider chipping in to continue his mission through Audible, KiwiCo, or any of Destin’s other sponsors.

The first episode was published in June of 2020 and focused on ICEX. Specifically, Destin covered the science of arctic ice and how that data feeds into the Navy’s mission. After that, he boarded the Toledo and submerged beneath the ice cap.

The second episode debuted in July of 2020 and continued the story with a basic overview of his adventure and submarines overall.

The third episode took us into a torpedo tube and explored how a submarine’s teeth work. One trivia item that my wife found interesting as we discussed the video was how visitors are able to autograph the tube with grease pencil. My signature was one of the tube doors of the USS Greeneville, though I’m absolutely sure it has since been washed away by pressurized seawater over the ensuing two decades. 

The fourth episode premiered in October and focused on two of the most dangerous casualties that a submarine can face: Fire and flooding. Since Destin is an engineer, he was also able to explore the principles behind how the sailors fight these casualties.

The fifth entry was about how submariners eat. Since submarines are designed to make their own water, air, and electricity, food is truly the limiting factor for how long a boat can stay on station. The methods and creativity involved in feeding over a hundred sailors are unique in the submarine force.

The sixth episode came at the end of 2020 and explored how submarines listen underwater. It was quite fun to see just how far the discussion could go before hitting classified information. This video will give you the basics of the sonar science and how one can see underwater without light and windows.

In February, Destin discussed how submarines make and maintain breathable environments while underway. The counterintuitive science of lighting a fire to produce oxygen was a fun topic to watch him explore.

In May, sanitation was the topic du jour. Toilets and showers seem simple enough, but they’re a bit different on the boat. Water conservation is vitally important and one wrong move could mean getting a face full of feces. Not the most dangerous thing you might do on a submarine, but…

The series came to a close on July 30th with the complex evolution of surfacing the ship under the polar ice cap. Surfacing a submarine is already a complex and dangerous evolution, but the added wrinkle of precision piloting is a whole new level. It’s not something that I ever did, but I still studied the basic principles at one point.

 

Once again, if you’re interested in STEM topics, Smarter Every Day is a great place to land for quality education and production values. Thanks to Destin for sharing his perspectives and experiences with the world.

You can find Smarter Every Day on YouTube.

cc-break

Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.

For more creativity with a critical eye, visit Creative Criticality.