World of Technology

Hi guys! Good Morning!
Today I'd like you to do a small research work. Let's do it step by step...
1. Select an invention (preferably a technological gadget);
2. Find out the name of the inventor(s) and some info about the person or people; refer the year and place / country;
3. Explain what the invention does;
4. Find out about some curiosities regarding the invention you have chosen.
5. Include a picture.
Good work!

Alice in Wonderland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMkNrX60mA

"Alice in Wonderland" or "The Wonders of Technology"?

Tim Burton's new adventure in cinema is expected with a geat deal of curiosity. And just like Cameron's "Avatar", Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" relies on amazing special effects to (re)create a children's story.

Take a look at the film's official trailler...

Avatar (Official HD trailler)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdxXPV9GNQ

AVATAR

In our previous class you had the chance to post a comment on the fascination of humans about mythical creatures. This fascination has been taken to the extreme in the film industry. Imaginary and eccentric characters are stars in many Hollywood films. The recently released film Avatar is a good example.
A paraplegic ex-marine war veteran is sent to establish a human settlement on the distant planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside the planet's indigenous Na'vi race in this ambitious digital 3-D sci-fi epic from Academy Award-winning Titanic director James Cameron. The film, which marks Cameron's first dramatic feature since 1997's Titanic, will be shot on digital 3-D cameras and will offer a groundbreaking mix of live-action dramatic performances and computer-generated effects. Australian actor Sam Worthington stars as the reluctant human settler, Jake Sully, with actress Zoe Saldana signing on to portray the local woman who enters into a romantic affair with the hero. The revolutionary motion-capture system created for the film allows the facial expressions of actors to be captured as a virtual camera system enables them to see what their computer-generated counterparts will be seeing in the film.
Can you explain why these kind of movies have so many fans? What makes them so special or appealing to movie-goers? Are you personally a fan of science-fiction movies? Explain by giving examples.

Mythical Creatures

Like some of you, I have always been fascinated by stories of mythical and fantastic creatures like werewolves, witches or vampires. Some of them are bright and beautiful, others dark and terrifying but, no matter how bizarre these creatures are, or how unreal the stories seem, there are some people who truly believe in the existence of mythological creatures. There are some people who even claim to be werewolves or witches, or to have supernatural powers. Of all the mystic creatures the most fascinating are and have been Vampires. The first reference to vampires in a published book goes back to 1897 in a novel entitled Dracula.

And just look at what is happening now… They are among us -- in book stores, on movie screens, TV sets and billboards, in graphic novels and video games all across the world! While each had singular popularity, vampires' fictional presence has never been greater than it is today. Stephanie Meyer is the current queen of vamp-lit with a reported 70 million copies of the Twilight series sold, followed by the super-hit Twilight movie.

For further info about the author check out Stephanie Meyer's official website in http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html

But what is it with all this fascination about Vampires? What do you think?

She sings with her heart...

To lift your mood!

Winter...

I don't mind the cold but... I miss the sun.