When Max Weber formalized his definition of state, he was asking to stir up trouble. Luckily, he wasn’t around long enough to bear the heat from peace-touting, anti-war idealists of the sixties. For a polity to be considered a state, Weber postulated, it must hold a legitimate monopoly on violence. In other words, the state must retain exclusive control over violence and its … [Read more...] about Brain Fodder: Why I Chose a Gun
Archives for November 2012
Learning 3d: Animatic
This blog tracks the making of an animated short using Autodesk Maya's 3d software. * The Thumbnails have been assembled into video form. It was helpful to start seeing how the timing will work out, and if the shots will match across cuts. Here's the video... "The Trees" Animatic from Nicolas Kendall-Bar on Vimeo. Creating an Animatic was not as easy as I … [Read more...] about Learning 3d: Animatic
New Slang: Are You in with 1920s Crowd?
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of 1920s is the speakeasy bars and social rebellions. We are not wrong, for that drinking culture culminated in a myriad of slang words related to bars and alcohol. To “dip the bill” or “nibble one” was to “take a drink.” “Giggle juice,” or “giggle water,” or even “tiger milk” was liquor, and the bars that sold them were called … [Read more...] about New Slang: Are You in with 1920s Crowd?
The Most Interesting Immigrant in the World
The Great Recession and the subsequent structural changes in the United States economy have resulted in severe disadvantages for the unskilled worker in American society. Latino immigrants make up a disproportionately large subset of the unskilled labor force for a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic reasons unique to their ethnic group. Faced with clear social disadvantages, … [Read more...] about The Most Interesting Immigrant in the World
Modern Classics: Once Upon a Time
Fairy tales have more substance to them than Disney would have you believe; despite the common perception of fairy tales as cute little stories that always end with a "happily ever after," in reality, fairy tales are a bit more complex. One such way this complexity is evident is in the way that fairy tales have evolved and transformed over time, being shaped by issues such as … [Read more...] about Modern Classics: Once Upon a Time