Browse through these cool links for a little bit of fun and a little bit of motivation to keep the creative juices flowing all week long.
Featured Link:
Animated Letters Project-Pioneered by a zealous amateur animator, Willie Downs, this blog is a source of inspiration to us all. Like so many college students, Willie found himself dissatisfied with his projected career path, and set out to discover his true passions. He was magnetically drawn to animation, but before throwing away an expensive college education, Willie sought out advice from the professionals. He wrote to animation legends at Pixar and DreamWorks Studios, and, amazingly, received responses back. Willie posted these letters on his blog as motivation for other aspiring animators who feel stuck in a rut or get frustrated. Shortly after, a cool website, Lettersofnote.com, showcased the letters from the animation greats, which turned on a light bulb for Willie.
The original two letters have become the basis of his current project: to collect words of inspiration from animators at all the major studios in the country to be complied into an inspirational book. His goal is to share any story about the journey of becoming an animator, no matter how big or how small, how difficult or how luckily the break came about: any story that others can learn from and be stimulated by. Willie aims to have enough letters by next summer to begin assembling the book. He asks that the letters be in the authors own penmanship to maintain the personalized vibe. Once the book hits the market, he plans donate a large portion of the profits to an aspiring animator whose animation career dreams are hindered financially. Willie has a great heart and ambitious but courageous dreams, so if you have any stories to share visit his personal blog or comment on the Animated Letters project blog!
More for the Aspiring Animators
Paramount Launching New Animated Division-On July 6th Paramount Productions announced they are creating an in-house animation division that will produce one animated feature per year starting in 2014. Many speculate that the first production will be a sequel to Paramount's recent release, Rango, which is currently the best reviewed animated film of the year.
Gaming
10 Clever Indie Games Ready to Shine at PAX- Check out the top ten indie games that will be featured in a high profile booth from August 26th-28th in Seattle at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX Prime). Some of the games include: Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony, Antichamber, and Splatters.
In the mood to game right now?- Brought to you by We Create Stuff, Interlock is a puzzle disassembling game with 20 levels that challenges you to explore the internal structure of intricately constructed figures in order to deconstruct the puzzle piece by piece.
Mobile App Updates
Facebook for Every Phone App Launches for 2,500 Mobile Devices- If you have yet to hop on or be forced on the smartphone bandwagon, but still want to get your Facebook fix anywhere, there is good news! Facebook has partnered with 20 carriers in different parts of the world to create an app to allow any java-enabled phone access to Facebook. The app includes Facebook news feed, inbox and photos modules, uploading photos and finding new friends from address book contacts. Download it from Facebook!
New Android Market Offers Movie Rentals & Book Sales- In the next few weeks Google will be launching a new Android Market for devices with Android 2.2 and higher. The market will offer a free video app and an app to purchase books. Both of theses features can be accessed directly from your phone or tablet. Another great addition to the Android Market is both books and video rentals can be linked to your Google account and accessible from any device you own!
Great Gadget
Watertight, Rugged USB can Weather the high seas- Made for the adventurous types, the Corsair Flash Survivor Drive USB is waterproof down to depths of 650 feet, can withstand temperatures from -13F to 167F, and, on top of all that, it can back up an entire 16GB iPad! Though it's more common to back up to a remote server, it's always a great idea to have a physical copy of data that is darn close to indestructible.
