Favorite Mistakes in Computer Animation 1

As everyone who has done computer animation knows, some of our favorite images are not intentional.  In fact, they were so not intentional that they are actually mistakes.

Even worse, you have to be very careful not to show mistakes to a client, because they might like it, and then you might really be in trouble because you might now know how to get that look again or to control it.  One of the worst things that can happen is for a client to like a mistake but want 10% more of whatever it is that you did not intend to do.

Here is a recent mistake that I like a lot.  Its an early attempt at volume rendering of a protein molecule, with an effort to visualize the nucleus (protons, neutrons) and the electron clouds of the atoms.  Clearly something has gone very wrong... You can see what looks like circles off on the perimeter: those are the individual electron clouds where there are few enough that you can make out individual clouds.

Obviously, in the center, things get out of hand.

I think it looks like a good early effort at a galactic explosion of some sort.

Secrecy & Special Forces in Africa

Nick Turse has written an interesting article about America's work in Africa to build up transportation infrastructure, and he complains vigorously about the secrecy which with it is done.

See his article at
http://www.guernicamag.com/daily/nick-turse-obamas-scramble-for-africa/

Although I do not agree with most of his concerns which I think are straightforward paranoia, I do think he has a point about the secrecy, but maybe this is something he has not thought through.

If the various Special Forces missions in Africa and the related infrastructure was debated openly in America, I bet most Americans would be against it.  We saw what happened when we tried to help feed Somalia and keep them from killing each other.  Americans were not only killed, but they were mutilated and dragged through the streets.  Ok, its their country and they did not want us there.  I understand that.  So my point is, why are we spending money to help them now ?   I think that there are a lot of people in America who could use some foreign aid and infrastructure support, there is no need to go to Africa to spend that money.

So yes, in this case, lets end the secrecy and have a debate.   I don't think the result will be what Nick Turse actually had in mind, though.

Nancie M at Her Farewell Party

The esteemed and always lovely Nancie M at her "Farewell from Los Angeles" party.

 Many people do not notice that there is a young girl in the image. Only a few notice the illusion that comes from juxtaposition of elements, does the young girl have flowers in her hair, or not ?

 Yes, it is intentionally out of focus, and has not been modified in any way beyond a selective cropping of the negative.

Portrait of Nicki K at the VES Awards

There are several issues that are demonstrated with this picture of my friend, Nicki K, at the VES awards many years ago.

The first issue is that I am attempting to capture some sense of the subject's personality or psychology in these images.  Towards that end, such matters as focus or bright illumination are not terribly relevant.

The second issue is the overwhelming question of what is the proper place of photo-modification, sometimes called "photoshopping" and sometimes known as "wire removal", and sometimes by other terms in visual effects.

I think that there is a value in capturing these images in camera, e,g. with the qualities of such things as f-stop, exposure times, the decisive moment (e.g. when you take the picture) and so forth.  This image has not been modified in any form from its scan from the negative, not even for color correction.

It has been reduced in resolution to make it easier to view on the web.

In other words, the blur is naturally part of the picture.

The Explanation in Cinema: First Example

We will present a new theory of cinema, the theory of "The Explanation".

We first present several examples of this radical new approach and then explain the theory behind the technique in a future post.

Consider the following excerpt from Ed Wood Jr's masterpiece, Bride of the Monster. Notice that this scene advances the plot, helps develop the characters, and builds dramatic tension without the use of visual effects, gratuitous computer graphics, explosions, or even the use of giant robots fighting each other. How does the writer/director do it ?

In this scene, Professor Strowski has searched a jungle to find the missing and exiled Dr. Varnoff, and having found him, has a conversation.

                               STROWSKI

            OUR GOVERNMENT WANTS YOU TO RETURN... TO 
            CONTINUE YOUR EXPERIMENTS THERE. WHERE YOU 
            CAN HAVE EVERYTHING AT YOUR DISPOSAL.

                               VARNOFF

            MY DEAR PROFESSOR STROWSKI, TWENTY YEARS AGO I
            WAS BANNED FROM MY HOMELAND. I WAS CLASSED AS A 
            MADMAN -- A CHARLATAN -- OUTLAWED IN THE WORLD OF 
            SCIENCE WHICH PREVIOUSLY HONORED ME AS A GENIUS!

            NOW HERE IN THIS FORSAKEN JUNGLE HELL, I HAVE PROVEN 
            THAT I AM ALL RIGHT.

                               STROWSKI

            YES, THE AUTHORITIES HAVE LEARNED HOW CORRECT YOUR 
            FINDINGS WERE. SO I AM HERE -- SENT TO BRING YOU HOME.

                              VARNOFF

            HOME. I HAVE NO HOME. HUNTED...DESPISED... LIVING 
            LIKE AN ANIMAL -- THE JUNGLE IS MY HOME! BUT I WILL 
            SHOW THE WORLD THAT I CAN BE ITS MASTER. I SHALL 
            PERFECT MY OWN RACE OF PEOPLE -- A RACE OF ATOMIC 
            SUPERMEN THAT WILL CONQUER THE WORLD!

OSS/WW2 Manual for Simple Sabotage

This manual is from the CIA - predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services and is a manual for simple sabotage that is hard to detect, such as one might find in an office environment.

https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2012-featured-story-archive/CleanedUOSSSimpleSabotage_sm.pdf

Archaeology of the Cold War: The Berlin Tunnel 1952-1956

Beginning our series on the Archaeology of the Cold War, we have here one of the favorites of the genre: the CIA Berlin Tunnel operation.

The CIA has a history department, as you might expect.  From time to time, this department issues reports of past operations, particularly of operations that were somehow exposed and which is long in the past.  It would be naive to believe that they tell us everything, and it would be naive to expect that they are going to give us all points of view on the topic (e.g. we can expect that they will emphasize the positive and successful aspects).  My experience suggests that even in the area of positive results, that the allocation of credit and acknowledgement of contribution is a story that is rarely completely told.

But for those of us on the outside, the information in a CIA history report can be fascinating, and also in this case, humorous.   Here is a very short synopsis of what the report discusses.

Berlin is a divided city, and the American and Soviet sectors are adjacent.   The US becomes aware of a Soviet military cable going from the major airport to a Soviet military headquarters and within 1500 feet of the American Zone.  The CIA figures out a way to dig a very long tunnel without giving away any indication that the tunnel is being built, tap the cable without the Soviet's figuring it out (in cooperation with the UK who had done something similar in Vienna) and retrieving reams of information for almost a year until it gets discovered.  Then something even more amusing happens, the Soviets tell the world about it which unexpectedly increases our prestige in Europe, most of whom did not believe we were capable of anything so clever.

Here is one of the funny bits in the report.   It was a major problem to figure out how to dig the tunnel in secret, because, among other things, of the problem of getting the dirt out.  You could not have a bunch of dump trucks filled with excavated dirt, for example, leaving a site so close to the Soviet Zone without people noticing.   So the solution they found was to dig a big hole in public, and then put the dirt in it (its all explained in the report).  Just the press when the Soviets go public is amusing.

After you read this report, we have other CIA reports selected for your amusement.

CIA Introduction
https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/the-berlin-tunnel-exposed.html

CIA Report (100 + pages)
http://www.fas.org/irp/cia/product/tunnel-200702.pdf

First Observations about Blogging

I am enjoying the process of writing this blog, although I have barely begun to scratch the surface of the topics that have been selected for this venue/blog/channel.

The user-interface to blogpost.com gets a solid B+ and that is rare praise from me.

My first impressions are that writing a blog can be incredibly time consuming, and reminds me of preparing to give a series of lectures for the first time.  It forces you to organize your thoughts, but it is definitely work to do so.  So far, all posts seem to require at least two complete rewrites before they are presentable.

Now we begin the more interesting and challenging topics which will take at least a few years to properly explore.   As always we plan to be passive-aggressive in our approach.   It is unclear who, if anyone, will read this, but that is ok.

Archaeology of the Cold War: Soviet Trophy Brigades

This is the only report I am aware of that describes the work of the USSR Trophy Brigades after WW2.   These brigades removed works of art and transferred them to the Soviet Union where they mostly remain.  Personally, I think the Russians have quite a good claim to them:  if you haven't read what happened in WW2 on the eastern front, do not be quick to judge the Russians.  They have quite a story to tell.

Here is the article that opened up the discussion of the location of these missing items.

http://www.artnews.com/2007/11/01/top-ten-artnews-stories-tracking-the-trophy-brigade/

Spies in the Post-Cold War Order

The past isnt over, it isnt even past yet. Here are two good articles on some recent events in spying, Russian 'illegals' and sleepers.

The first in Foreign Policy:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/07/13/dark_soldiers_of_the_new_order?page=0,0

The second in a personal blog by a former official in the British diplomatic corps.

http://charlescrawford.biz/blog/more-on-russian-illegals-and-sleepers