The Haute AziFüg artistry around us knows no bounds! Last week, we brought you Stop-motion animation using post-its. This week: Stop-motion through Wall Paintings. I have to repeat myself again, “I don’t know much about stop motion, but it sure looks like it took a lot of time and energy to complete this project.” MUTO. This is Haute!

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Are you a World of Warcraft fan as much as I am? Then I know you’re gonna dig this! The OC Register reports: that starting NOW, and running all the way until October 4, 2009 the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna, CA will be home to an Art Exhibit showcasing art inspired World of Warcraft.

Art rendered in the game-verse is magnificent to look at. Not to mention extensive. So seeing an entire exhibit dedicated to the professional, fan and media art that has gained inspiration from WoW is truly a site to see.

If you every find yourself heading to Southern California, stopping by the Laguna Art Museum to view some very inspirational artwork should be on your list of places to visit. Especially if your headed for Blizzcon, ya?

[img from OC Register]

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E3 comes upon every Summer and there is no better place to find out the newest, latest and most baddest video games coming out on this side of the planet! It’s an exciting time and I usually drool over all the news. But I am not here to sing praises about the fantastic-isms of E3. You can always go here, here, or here for that. Or better yet, head on over to the Official E3 website for the latest. What I’m more concerned with is finding out why E3 is NOT open to the public. After all, its about the consumers – right? Right???

Why We Need One

What else can I say besides, “Have you seen our economy?!?” If you haven’t been living under a rock, then news of a slumping Interactive Entertainment Industry is not new news to you. The video game industry has to take new measures to ensure the continued success of its market. How do you do that? By going public. But not in the IPO sense of going public. All I’m asking for is to give us the opportunity to purchase a ticket to attend the event. That’s all.

However, and as most people know, E3 is a “Not for public event.” Not having an E3 for the general public (can I just call it “E4,” the 4th ‘E’ for ‘Everybody’) is almost as cruel as NOT allowing sports fans to attend LIVE sporting events. Or, ordering food and not being able to eat it. It’s just wrong!

Why It’ll Work

It’s been done before. Where? Japan. Each year during summer, Tokyo houses one of the LARGEST Video Game Conventions/Conferences in the World – the Tokyo Game Show. The dynamics of the convention are the same, namely – the place for companies to flex new muscle. New developments. New ideas. New networking. New video games. All for the masses.

There is one big difference, however. The public gets to attend! Now, I know what you must be thinking, ” Its going to a HUGE risk. We are going to lose money! Like at E for All!” Well, one BIG problem with E for All was that the event was COMPLETELY separate from E3. What’s up with that? Combine the two to form Voltron for Chrissakes! It will be most ultimate. Trust. And don’t be so worried about it costing too much. We made you guys big, didn’t we? You gotta take risks, right? Besides, I can only assume that the ticket sales alone would cover for any expenses incurred during the additional days. More importanly, you’ll be investing in us. Your Consumers. Build up your Consumer Base, damnit! You see where I’m going with this?

Where Do We Go From Here?

Take a note from the Japanese and embrace the idea of consumers attending your event – after your conference. Whether the idea works or not, it should at least be given a chance. It would be EXTREMELY fun for the Consumer. Inspirational for the Developers. And of course, big MONEY for everyone else involved. The winner – the Video Game market.

Note: Some other great events where the public gets a chance to check out the latest – Comic-Con San Diego, Blizzcon, North America International Auto Show, just to name a few. Come on E3 people! Let’s make this happen! You might even see your E3 Store sell out before the end of the event!

But enough about what I want. What do the rest of you think? I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts on this.

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It probably comes as no surprise to you guys that I am a HUGE World of Warcraft fan(atic). So when news got out that Blizzard released an official WoW Armory application for the iPhone, a resounding /woot! burst out. Butw hat’s so great about the App? Only everything! Some of the major features include:

One would normally be able to do the aforementioned through the WoW Armory website, but honestly, who has the time to do that? Mobile is the way to go. Blizzard has taken notice, and the mobile WoW Armory solution makes me an ecstatic iPhone owner. /w00t!

More screenshots and download links after the portal jump.

[Download the WoW Armory App][via WoW]

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How did VietsToday.com begin?

It began with my experiences of joining a Vietnamese forum back in 2001 (and eventually becoming an administrator of it). The birth of VietsToday.com occurred in 2004, but plans to fully develop it was set aside until it was the right time. Towards the end of 2007, the site I had enjoyed and participated with for so long permanently went offline. It was an unexpected loss, but it was also the perfect opportunity for me to “do it my way,” as Frank Sinatra would say.

At that time, all other mainstream Vietnamese websites that I have come across all had one thing in common: they were at the mercy of their advertisers.

It is my ambition to create the best independent website for today’s Vietnamese generation, instead of a social mill for corporate interests. VietsToday.com is intended to be a home for friendly, open-minded individuals from all over the globe. Nine months had passed until finally, on 08/08/08, we finally decided to go live and anyone with an internet access was able to register.

Promoting unity, understanding, tolerance, friendship, and self-awareness, we intend to generate a strong social network base, and continue to be a major contributing force in modern society. We are today’s students, musicians, lawyers, comedians, activists, doctors, teachers, politicians, artists, soldiers, actors, entrepreneurs, engineers, athletes, scientists, film makers, programmers, and so much more.

What should I expect from VietsToday.com?

You should expect a community and staff who cares. Many of our members care about the site, care about their culture, or care about making a difference in the world. When you have a large group of people who care that much, others who enter the site looking to troll or be disrespectful will quickly find themselves without support.

Do you have a personal favorite of any of your Topic discussions?

I like to talk about just about anything, but it turns out that the majority of my thoughts fall under “Politics” in our forums. One must have balance, so you’ll find me talking about lighter subjects like movies, video games, poker, food, and… things you shouldn’t be repeating to your parents at the dinner table!

Why no sponsors?

First off, I hate annoying advertisements just as much as the next person. Flashing banner ads really annoy the freakin’ shit (can I say “freakin’?”) out of me! I firmly believe that a community-based website should be focused primarily on its members, but when corporate sponsors are introduced, that focus gets shifted away. Currently, we are doing fine being privately funded and supported by generous members on the site.

Has the website changed your life in any way?

I sleep much less, that’s for sure. The up side is that I’ve gotten to know a lot of wonderful people from all over the world. To create this virtual “playground” for people from all over the world is amazing, and what truly satisfies me is hearing how much others appreciate and enjoy the site.

I’m not Vietnamese. Is VietsToday.com only for Vietnamese?

We already have members who aren’t Vietnamese, but happen to have Vietnamese friends who are also on the site. There are also members who are simply interested in our culture and community. We’re not exclusive at all.

Where do you see VietsToday.com in a few years?

What you see now is only the beginning. Over time, we hope to become bigger and better. Although our members are predominantly American, we already have people logging in from Vietnam, Australia, Canada, and London. Right now, VietsToday is spreading strictly by word of mouth. With a larger audience and more support, the possibilities are endless. For sure, we will still be around! *knock on cyber-wood*

What’s next for VietsToday.com?

Just recently, we’ve added a feature where our own members can submit Secret Confessions that are 100% anonymous. It’s one of our more heavily visited sections of the site, and if you were to read what some of our members have confessed, you would understand why! =X What’s next on our agenda is classified at the moment, but all I can say is that it will be involving more members on our site.

Two parts: 1) Who is your fave Vietnamese Actor? 2) Vietnamese Actress?

It’s hard to pick a favorite, because all of my support and respect go out to those trying so hard to get their foot through the door in the movie industry. There are so many names, but off the top of my head, Dustin Nguyen is one of them. Growing up in America, I remember he was the first Vietnamese name I recognized on TV (21 Jump Street). Just to see his name in the credits inspired many Viets to follow in his footsteps. Next would be, “Jonathan” Ke Huy Quan, who is most famous for his role as “Short Round” in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Others include Kieu Chinh (Joy Luck Club), Trần Anh Hùng (Director of the award-winning The Scent of Green Papaya), and half-Vietnamese Maggie Q (Mission Impossible III, Live Free or Die Hard) just to name a few. Last but not least, Tia Tanaka. I’ve only seen her in a couple of movies, but all I can say is that her performances will leave you cumming coming back for more!

Well, thank you for speaking with us today. Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers?

I like to sleep with socks on.

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[via Kearny Street Workshop: APAture]

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Question: What do you do if you are filthy, stinkin’ rich; but don’t want to waste your time communicating to “regular” people that frolick around social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace? The answer: Affluence.org.

Membership is free, but only if you meet the minimum “salaried” requirements:

Membership to Affluence.org is completely free but requires a demonstrable minimum household net worth of $3 million US; or a minimum annual household income of $300,000; or successful invitation of 5 other people that qualify for membership. Apply today for free.

Damn. My household networth is ONLY $2.9 million US. And I only make $298,00 annually. Wonder if they’ll make an exception. Oh well…

But seriously??? What is this? The gated community of Social Networking sites? Do I have to peek over the wall just to see who’s inside? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Affluence.org has gained such a following. I mean, where else do the wealthy go to for online pleasure? Pr0n sites? No, thats a thing of the past. And I guess Facebook, Myspace, and similar social networking sites won’t work either. Why? They don’t police its members as well as they should. Or, those “clubs” just aren’t exclusive enough. Nor do you get the opportunity to brush shoulders with like-minded/wealty people. Therefore, Affluence.org is a good fit for the rich. But again, seriously??? I guess you gotta get in where ya’ fit in, right?

[via tcpalm]

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By Jaybee: Gold! Always believe in your soul. You’ve got the power to know, you’re indestructible. Always believe in, because you are Gold!

How’s that for a Monday morning wake-up? The reason we’ve gone all Spandau Ballet on you is because now is the perfect time to get your hands on, and wrists in, a blingin’ gold watch. No longer just for the overpaid footballers, the snazzy, and rather festive in our opinion, gold watch needs to be your next timepiece purchase.

But there is a very fine line between cool and crass so our advice is to either take it down the modern route with an upfront digital display or go a little retro with a Fifties style dial. The key is not to go too far with the gold on the dial style and make sure the face is angular (square if preferable) if you’re more of a digital guy. Whichever you go for, you can’t go wrong with a gold watch during the Christmas party season and beyond.

Love a bit of gold wristwear? Prefer to keep it classic? Were you humming ‘Gold’ throughout this post? Put all your precious thoughts below…

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Bang-yao Liu’s senior project at Savannah College of Art and Design is not only friggin’ awesome, it motivates and inspires. Stop motion animation requires A LOT of work. So when you decide to use post-its as your primary animation tool, you gotta be pretty ambitious to take on that challenge. Fortunately, Bang-yao Liu was up to it, and created some really HauteArt.

I don’t know much about stop motion, but it sure looks like it took a lot of time and energy to complete DEADLINE. Kudos to you, Bang-yao Liu. Phenomenal.

[DEADLINE post-it stop motion]

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Video Games. Interactive Entertainment. No matter what you call it, its all fun and games until somebody gets hurt. Well maybe not Literally, but in the Virtual World it can happen. From the blip bloops of yesteryear to the lifelike computer graphics of today, video games are changing at an amazing rate. There is just too much information for us to digest! If you’re like me, looking up every new console configuration, video game release, developer news, etc… takes a long time, gets tiring, and is just not worth it. Without the brute-force approach, how do we keep up?

Blogsites are proving to be one of the most valuable tools that I use to stay current in video games. Providing information that is informative, vast – and most importanly, current. I formulated a list of what I consider to be the best of the best – the cream of the crop of video game blogs. Basing my decisions of blogs that are informative, entertaining, and those that provide the latest news in interactive entertainment. Naturally, there may be some bias towards video games that I like personally, but the blogs listed provide a good all-around look of whats happening now in Video Games.

>>> Kotaku

>>> Joystiq

>>> World of Warcraft Blog

>>> Wired Blog

>>> Game Politics

>>> Destructoid

>>> Playstation Blog

>>> That Video Game Blog

>>> Game Set Watch

>>> Video Games Blogger

If you have additional suggestions, or if we have missed any blogsites, let us know in the comments.

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