ef Design FX - World War Z: Building a Better Zombie Effects Exclusive By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 05:34:30 +0000 WIRED's exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of "World War Z" reveals how the visual effects artists at MPC used massive crowd simulations and hand animation to create the devastating swarming of Jerusalem by a zombie horde. Full Article
ef Codefellas - How To Hack a Website By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Nicole finally gets a chance to hack into a personal email, only to find herself in the bowels of Agent Topple's locked messages from the 90s. As imagined, this is unfortunate. Full Article
ef Angry Nerd - Zynga's Shameful Digital to Board Game Switch By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Like we weren’t going to notice, Zynga? Turning Words With Friends into a board game does not make it not-Scrabble. Same goes for Hungry Hungry Herd. Angry Nerd takes a stand against the shameless genre crossing of digital games back to board games. Full Article
ef Codefellas - The Antisocial Network By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:30:00 +0000 After an urgent alert from the PRISM program followed by a shocking revelation from Nicole, Agent Topple doesn't not panic. Full Article
ef Design FX - Pacific Rim: Designing Destruction Effects Exclusive By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 10:30:00 +0000 WIRED breaks down an exclusive clip from "Pacific Rim" with John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer from Industrial Light & Magic, exploring how design decisions affect the success of a blockbuster visual effects shot. Full Article
ef Codefellas - Spy vs. Spy By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 10:30:00 +0000 After recently discovering Winters is actually his supervisor, Agent Topple mobilizes the full power of the National Security State to neutralize this inconvenient threat on his own security. All while catching up on his “stories,” also known to many as the illegal surveillance of private citizens in the comfort of their own home. This is surprisingly stimulating. Full Article
ef Angry Nerd - Chris Baker Defends His Disapproval of Zynga Board Games By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Chris Baker got Angry and Nerdy about Zynga making board games out of online games out of board games. Commenters commented. Baker defends his purchase of said games. And gets Angry. Full Article
ef Codefellas - Blackmail at 4:20 By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Nicole strikes back with a hefty dose of new-school espionage, but Topple is not to be outdone. Hint: you can't topple Topple 'cuz Topple don't stopple! Full Article
ef Codefellas - 25 Reasons the NSA Should Hire Buzzfeed Staffers By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 10:30:00 +0000 After Nicole debunks Henry's Buzzfeed logic, he must chose between destroying all electronic music or preserving Downton Abbey. Full Article
ef Codefellas - How to Kill Your Boss By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Topple settles into his new role as a cyber-spy, but hold on to your tequila sunrise: a hangover from his swinging '70s past leaves him odd-man-out at the counter-intelligence key party ... until his target conveniently "disappears." Full Article
ef Design FX - Elysium: Futuristic Effects Exclusive By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 10:30:00 +0000 WIRED has an exclusive look at the visual effects of Director Neill Blomkamp's dark futuristic thriller, Elysium. Find out how the artists at "Image Engine" brought the patrolling packs of armed robots to life and turned the real world nirvana of Malibu into the orbiting playground of the space bound elite. Full Article
ef Codefellas - How to Hack a Telegram By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Hot on the trail of a devastating computer virus, Topple and Winters burn the midnight oil. Are the North Koreans sending encrypted telegrams or has Kim Jong-un taken up beat poetry? Full Article
ef Codefellas - How to Cheat to Win By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Nicole accuses Topple of treason and Topple plays the class card. But do average Americans really want to live in world where elites are held to the same standards? We think not. Full Article
ef Design FX - Game of Thrones: Dragon Effects Exclusive By www.wired.com Published On :: Sat, 07 Sep 2013 07:00:00 +0000 Daenerys Targaryen's dragons on HBO's Games of Thrones are fan favorites, and WIRED has an incredible, exclusive look at how they were brought to life with feature film quality by the visual effects artists at Pixmondo. Virtual wind tunnels, water simulations and real world references all played a part in constructing their realistic behaviors. Full Article
ef Codefellas - Shout to All My Lost Spies By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 11 Sep 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Topple’s bravado is put to the test when his old-school spy game gets the green light. Winters busts out her best pep talk, but can Topple get back to his fighting weight? The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of one man—and his mustache. Full Article
ef Codefellas - The Cougar Lies with Spanish Moss By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Agent Topple's mustache does its dirty work, and Nicole brokers a deal for peace. But why is the NSA collecting millions of Instagram brunch photos? And if your waffles have nothing to hide, what are they so worried about? Full Article
ef WIRED Live - Slash Talks Movie Music and Scoring the Horror Film Nothing Left to Fear By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 10:30:00 +0000 Velvet Revolver and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist, Slash, sits down to talk about scoring Anthony Leonardi III’s new horror flick, Nothing Left to Fear. Full Article
ef Design FX - Ender's Game: Creating a Zero-G Battle Room Effects Exclusive By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 05:00:00 +0000 A signature sequence in Gavin Hood’s newest film Ender’s Game is the zero-G battle room, a place where the titular character played by Asa Butterfield trains in space. Hoping to create a sense of weightlessness, the filmmakers shot actors in a mix of harnesses and on wires against a greenscreen set. Full Article
ef Angry Nerd - The Implausibility of Thor's Physics-Defying Hammer, Mjölnir By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 11:30:00 +0000 Thor’s hammer Mjölnir is undoubtedly one of the most badass superhero weapons around. But its physics-defying and trajectory-changing travel powers are too much for Angry Nerd to handle. A majestic hammer...come on! Full Article
ef Angry Nerd - The Unraveling of Secret Societies in Pop Cultural References By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 11:30:00 +0000 Long gone are the days when secret societies were, in fact, secret. Now, hacks use underground organizations as shorthand for evil in their pop culture products and Angry Nerd demands an end to it. Is a mention of the Templars in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Jay Z rapping about the Illuminati worth taking away from the power of the actual conspiracy theories? Full Article
ef Design FX - Thor The Dark World: Previsualization Effects Exclusive By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 02:11:09 +0000 To create the world of Asgard in Thor: The Dark World, filmmaker Alan Taylor enlisted the help of digital effects company The Third Floor. Using a process called previsualization, The Third Floor created fully rendered low-res CG sets and characters, allowing the director to see, plan out, and experiment with scenes before shooting them. Full Article
ef Angry Nerd - Giving Thanks for TV Shows That End Before Their Time By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 15:14:02 +0000 It’s the time of the year for counting blessings and giving thanks. And the Angry Nerd is most thankful for the cancellation of Futurama—because it let the show go out on a high note (and avoid a slow decline, like so many other one-time favorites). Full Article
ef Happy Holidays from Codefellas By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 10 Dec 2013 11:30:00 +0000 Agent Topple attempts to get some holiday spirit. Full Article
ef Design FX - Walking With Dinosaurs: Muscle Simulation and Feathered Effects Exclusive By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Find out how animation company Animal Logic used complex feather and muscle simulation systems to depict the prehistoric animals in Walking With Dinosaurs. Full Article
ef WIRED Live - Milk Refrigeration Systems for India's Off-Grid Communities By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:30:00 +0000 As the largest producer and consumer of milk in the world, India faces a serious problem when it comes to off-grid dairy farmers. In this World Economic Forum discussion, Promethean Power Systems co-founder Sam White describes his approach to ensuring that milk is properly refrigerated and not spoiled by bacteria. Full Article
ef Design FX - RoboCop: Breaking Down the Special Effects of the RoboCop Suit By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 07 Mar 2014 11:30:00 +0000 For the latest reboot of sci-fi classic RoboCop, filmmakers opted for a mix of visual effects to achieve a realistic look. Fxguide’s Mike Seymour dives into the combination of creating a special effects suit for star Joel Kinnaman to wear, and the post CGI work that helped bring the half-man/half-robot to life. Full Article
ef Design FX - Maleficent: Re-creating Fully Digital Characters By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 04:00:00 +0000 Angelina Jolie stars in Disney’s new Maleficent, featuring a forest world of detailed visual effects. Mike Seymour delves into how facial movement experts Digital Domain, worked to re-create realistic, fully digital counterparts to the story’s three fairies. Full Article
ef RetroGrade - Before the i-Everything, There Was Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak & the Apple lle By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 10:30:00 +0000 Remember when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were the new kids on the block? In the early ’80s they debuted the Apple IIe, blowing away the competition. RetroGrade takes a look at the “modern” technology that helped set the industry benchmark for personal computing. Full Article
ef RetroGrade - Before Snapchat People Took Videos on This JVC Camcorder By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 10:30:00 +0000 The color is striking, but beauty is more than skin-deep with the JVC GR-C7U camcorder. You can record picture and sound in one unit and watch your masterpiece immediately on instant-playback. Watch out, John Hughes—there’s a new era of filmmakers on the horizon. Full Article
ef Design FX - Hercules: Creating Mythical Creatures with Advanced Special Effects By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 17:30:00 +0000 In Brett Ratner's new big-budget flick Hercules, the title star portrayed by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson battles mythical creatures, including a three-headed dog, giant boars and lions, and multi-headed serpents. Mike Seymour shows how the visual effects experts at Double Negative created the complicated, yet lifelike beasts. Full Article
ef RetroGrade - When Was the Last Time You Left a Message on an Answering Machine? By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 11:30:00 +0000 “Please leave a message after the ….” It’s a phrase we all know, but in 1971 the PhoneMate 400 took voicemail to the next level. Find out why the hi-tech machine changed the answering machine game. Full Article
ef Jeff 1000 - Summer Glau on Having a Robot Best Friend By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:30:00 +0000 There’s definitely benefits to having friends, but can you have a friend with benefits with one of the parties isn’t actually human? Summer Glau opens up about her close relationship with a 10-foot tall robot. Full Article
ef Jeff 1000 - Giant Robots Have Feelings, Too By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:30:00 +0000 During a shoot Jeff can't seem to get his lines quite right. It’s two simple words, but with so many different ways to convey the emotion behind them Jeff and co-star Summer Glau are left pondering the philosophical meaning behind “human alert!" Full Article
ef Jeff 1000 - Pug vs. Giant Robot By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:30:00 +0000 She’s one of Jeff’s best friends, so when Summer Glau recounts her near-death experience, Jeff is all ears—at least, as much as a robot can be. But when Jeff’s beloved pug Baby Princess continues to interrupt the story, Summer refuses to come second to the tiny dog. Full Article
ef Jeff 1000 - 9 Questions with David Arquette (Just Don’t Ask About Robots) By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Things take a turn during a "Jeff 1000” shoot when David Arquette takes time to do a behind-the-scenes interview. Everything starts off smoothly, but the second David is asked about his robot co-star Jeff, all hell breaks loose with David comparing Jeff to a second-rate WALL-E. Full Article
ef Jeff 1000 - Meet Jeff: 10' Tall Robot & Hollywood Actor By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:30:00 +0000 Summer Glau has to attend her ex-boyfriend’s art gallery opening and who better to accompany her than a ten-foot tall robot? Jeff agrees to go and is tasked with one job, but things go haywire when he meets the ex—David Arquette. Full Article
ef Jeff 1000 - Behind the Scenes of Summer Glau’s New Robot Series By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:30:00 +0000 “Alphas” co-creator Michael Karnow is behind the new series "Jeff 1000,” which stars Summer Glau and David Arquette. Go behind the scenes and see what it’s really like to work with a robot-turned actor. Full Article
ef Design FX - Agent Carter: Creating Movie-Quality Effects on a Weekly TV Schedule By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 18 Feb 2015 11:30:00 +0000 In the new series “Agent Carter” Marvel expands its universe to the small screen with help from Industrial Light & Magic. Creating high-quality visual effects was nothing new for the the award-winning team, but working against grueling weekly delivery dates proved to be a monstrous challenge. Mike Seymour finds out how they did it. Full Article
ef Angry Nerd - Can Will Forte’s “The Last Man on Earth" Defy the Sci-fi TV Curse? By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 03 Mar 2015 11:30:00 +0000 The new Will Forte TV show “The Last Man on Earth” is sort of a funny version of “I Am Legend,” without the vampire zombies. But science fiction comedy has a grim history on American television, as even fans of “Alf,” “Mork & Mindy,” or “3rd Rock from the Sun” would have to admit. Angry Nerd hopes Forte’s approach escapes the curse. Full Article
ef Huggable Robot Befriends Girl in Hospital By www.wired.com Published On :: Mon, 30 Mar 2015 10:30:00 +0000 Meet Huggable Robot—an app-controlled stuffed animal designed by the MIT Media Lab. Created to help young patients who are fighting cancer, Huggable is operated by an expert Child Life Specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital. See the interactive bear in action, and find out how it’s helping to relieve children’s anxiety while engaging with them on an emotional level. Full Article
ef Hands On With Star Wars: Battlefront By www.wired.com Published On :: Sat, 11 Jul 2015 18:30:00 +0000 WIRED senior editor Peter Rubin tests his skills in the new Star Wars: Battlefront game which was featured at Nerd HQ at San Diego Comic Con 2015. Full Article
ef Predicting Hurricanes in High Definition By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 27 Aug 2015 17:00:00 +0000 In the decade since Hurricane Katrina, tools for tracking and modeling powerful storms have grown in sophistication and detail. Full Article
ef Think Like a Tree - How Coral Reefs and Carbon Dioxide Can Change the Future By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 08 Sep 2015 13:00:00 +0000 Most people think of carbon dioxide as a poison, but in nature it’s a building block. Find out how we can imitate coral reef by using CO2 as a raw material for the creation of concrete. Full Article
ef Meet the Star Wars Fans Who Lined Up Two Weeks Before the Premiere By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Dec 2015 11:00:00 +0000 We caught up with fans who lined up for tickets nearly two weeks before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. From keeping your job to keeping your marriage, the cosplay-dressing superfans break down the rules to waiting in line. Full Article
ef Design FX - Inside the Incredible Visual Effects of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens" By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 21 Jan 2016 11:00:00 +0000 Mike Seymour goes behind the visual effects that earned “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” an Oscar nod. See how Industrial Light & Magic crafted complex action sequences, detailed environments, and realistic characters with the help of advanced motion-capture technology and performances from actors like Lupita Nyong’o. Full Article
ef The On-the-Job Film-Schooling of Jeff Nichols By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 03 Mar 2016 12:00:00 +0000 For each of his films, Jeff Nichols gives himself a set of directorial challenges that he wants to master. He's learning the skills that he'll need to someday make a gazillion-dollar blockbuster. Full Article
ef Design FX - The Special Effects Behind Zero Matter in "Agent Carter" By www.wired.com Published On :: Tue, 08 Mar 2016 11:00:00 +0000 We go behind the scenes to show you how visual effects company Double Negative created the dark energy Zero Matter in ABC's "Agent Carter." Full Article
ef Award-Winning Chef Takes on NASA Space Food By www.wired.com Published On :: Wed, 16 Mar 2016 10:00:00 +0000 We brought a renowned Houston chef to NASA's Food Lab so he could try and provide a fine dining experience using only space food. Full Article
ef WIRED by Design - Writer and Director Jeff Nichols on Finding a Point of View By www.wired.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Mar 2016 18:00:00 +0000 Jeff Nichols at WIRED by Design, 2014. In partnership with Skywalker Sound, Marin County, CA. To learn more visit: live.wired.com Full Article
ef Jeff Nichols: The Evolution of a Film Career By www.wired.com Published On :: Fri, 18 Mar 2016 10:00:00 +0000 Writer and director Jeff Nichols takes us through his three previous films and his upcoming film Midnight Special. Full Article