How NASA kept the ISS flying while Harvey hit Mission Control

Loren Grush for The Verge:

In the days before Harvey hit Texas, flight controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center outside of Houston had a decision to make: should they evacuate or ride out the storm at the agency’s Mission Control Center? The dilemma wasn’t just about the safety of the flight controllers. These personnel are tasked with flying the International Space Station — a round-the-clock job that can’t be done just anywhere. If there’s a gap in ground communication, it could put the astronauts in danger.

Cots, hiking backpacks, and twelve hour shifts, just to keep the International Space Station functioning normally as the waters flooded Houston.

Houston offers a grim vision of Los Angeles after catastrophic earthquake

Rong-Gong Lin II for the Los Angeles Times:

For years, scientists have drawn up terrifying scenarios of widespread destruction and chaos that would come to Southern California when a catastrophic earthquake hits.

Their efforts to warn the public may get an unlikely boost from the unprecedented disaster unfolding in Houston, where Tropical Storm Harvey dumped trillions of gallons of rain across Texas and brought America’s fourth-largest city to its knees.

While epic flooding is different from a powerful temblor, both natural disasters fundamentally alter daily life for months or years.

In recent years, officials have drawn up detailed scenarios of what would happen if a huge quake struck this region, part of a larger campaign to better prepare.

While we don't have a formal plan — and we probably should — what to do when disaster strikes is a topic that comes up regularly in the apartment. Sure, sometimes it's the jokey "what's your plan for the zombie apocalyspe,” but in all honesty, the lesson of Houston (and Katrina) is that we should all be a little better prepared. I know I'm not, and that should change.

Apple Wants to Sell 4K Movies for $20 in iTunes, While Film Studios Want $25 to $30

Remember how the MSRP for a new Blu-ray used to be around $35.00? I'm sure the studios look at Apple's suggested $19.99 pricing and balk because that's the same price as a new release Blu-ray on Amazon. As far as their concerned, they should get more. But the average person won't know or care that the movie is in 4K. All they'll see is the $29.99 price tag, and nope on out of there.

MoviePass 2: Racists Ruined My Original Title

Just wanted to share a few things that were cut from yesterday's post, mainly because they didn't fit in or were irrelevant to the topic at hand. Also, a bit of follow up.

First, even though it's a few months out, my friends and I have already started discussing our plans to see The Last Jedi. For large groups like us, I've found that it's easiest to have one person collect the money and buy the tickets. But, MoviePass is only good for one person, and can only be used day of. If you're going to want to use your MoviePass and see The Last Jedi opening weekend, I hope you like the front row. For large releases—like a Star Wars—I can see MoviePass arguing that the average subscriber will still go out and buy tickets in advance. For Star Wars in particular, I know I would. But the more I thought about it, the less certain I am that this will stick. Outside maybe Marvel, I don't think any franchise other than Star Wars demands that you get your tickets in advance if you are hoping to catch a screening the opening weekend. And even then, when I worked at a theater, I'd say most Marvel films had decent seats available for walk-ins starting Sunday afternoon or evening. I've heard one suggestion that MoviePass could block the opening weekends of certain releases in order to help drive sales to later in a film's box office run, but deciding which films get blocked could be another big can o' worms.

Secondly, a small note on the box offices of 2000 and 2015. As I had noted yesterday, in 2015, the top 10 averaged 33% of their total gross in their opening weekend, but in 2000 the top ten only grossed 21.4% of their total take on opening weekend. However, there was one notable outlier in 2000: X-Men. It grossed 34% of it's total on opening weekend. I doubt anyone realized it at the time, but it definitely was a hint at the future of the box office.

Finally, a note on the concessions stand. One argument you will hear—and I even had someone bring it up to me last night—is that movie theaters make most of their money through concessions sales, so anything that drives attendance must be a good thing. Eh, it's not so simple. While concessions are incredibly profitable—like super, mega profit margins profitable—tickets are a volume business. Yes, theaters only see a smaller percentage of the ticket sales, but it adds up quickly. I don't remember any specifics—and if I did I probably couldn't share them—but I'd say it's a safe, educated guess that at the theater I worked at, 30% of the net profit came from ticket sales. Again, this is based on my own experience at one theater, so your mileage may vary. But, if I was an exhibitor, something that threatened a significant percentage of my profits—like, say, a subscription service that undervalues my tickets and is of questionable profitability—it is something I'd be very leery of. So, what I said about attendance, also applies to concessions. A 1-2% increase in concessions sales coming directly from MoviePass subscribers won't be enough to allay those concerns. So, unless MoviePass subscribers buy concessions in significantly greater numbers than the average theater goer, the concessions stand is ultimately a moot point. MoviePass still needs to provide a dramatic change.

The Story of One Man's Quest to Save Old RPGs (And Let You Play Them)

Raf Cordero for Geek & Sundry:

The Alexandria RPG Library is the brainchild of David Carnahan. He was inspired to create the library after bringing some of his own titles to an event. 'We have classic console and arcade setups,' he said when I reached out, 'so why not RPGs?' With that idea, David donated his own collection supplemented with a couple thousand dollars of additional titles 'to fill some holes' as he put it. The inaugural grand opening of the library occurred at the Emerald City Comic Con to a warm reception.

The stories Carnahan shares about players and the growing collection of classic and out of print RPGs are fantastic.

Let's All Go to the Movies

MoviePass, the nifty little subscription service everyone's abuzz about, recently slashed the price of its service. It used to be as high as $45 a month, but now you can get it for the low, low price of $9.95 a month. So, for what it costs you to stream Netflix in HD, once a day you can go to the theater and see a 2D, non-IMAX screening of the latest film. And for those of us in major metropolitan areas, it's a steal. Here in Los Angeles, $9.95 is only a few dollars more than a matinee ticket at the cheap theater closest to my apartment.

Now, the battle to put butts in seats is one that the theaters have been fighting and losing since the 1940s, so anything that could possibly bring more people in is a good thing, right?

Right?

If that were the case, why would this be the headline in the Los Angeles Times the same day that MoviePass announced their new pricing: See unlimited movies for $10 a month? Not so fast, says AMC Theatres

AMC Theatres has publicly declared their intent to find a way to block MoviePass at their theaters. And as Polygon reported, AMC Theatres stopped participating in a MoviePass pilot program that allowed subscribers to see 3D and IMAX films. All this despite The Hollywood Reporter headlines such as  "Moviegoing Slows to a Standstill Amid Historic August Slump" and "Summer Box Office Suffers Historic Decline in U.S."

To understand why the exhibitors aren't on board with MoviePass, we need to examine the realities of movie theater attendance. As much as the industry and the press would like you to think that attendance is in free fall, if you were to dig through the data and chart the annual ticket sales from 1980-2016, you'd get this:
 

North American Ticket Sales 1980-2016

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Data from the National Association of Theater Owners

As the handy little trend line indicates, ticket sales in North America are currently trending downward, but are roughly in-between the high point and the low point of the 35-year period. So, while theater chains are experimenting with adding restaurants and alcohol to compete with Netflix and your big screen TV, they aren't desperate enough to need an outsider to help spur overall sales. At least not yet.

But the real concern the exhibitors have about MoviePass becomes readily apparent when you read this report about the 2016 Box Office by the Motion Picture Association of America:

"Frequent moviegoers – individuals who go to the cinema once a month or more – continue to drive the movie industry, accounting for 48 percent of all tickets sold in the United States and Canada."

The moviegoer that MoviePass is best for is the frequent moviegoer. This is the concern of the exhibitors. It's not that MoviePass undercuts their ticket prices; it's that MoviePass appeals most to their best customers—the very ones keeping the industry alive. MoviePass is quick to point out that they pay the theater full price for each ticket, but the exhibitors are right to feel antsy. How do you think those customers might feel if MoviePass fails and they have to pay full price for tickets again?

In order to assuage these fears, MoviePass has to prove that it will be profitable all on its own. Someone, somewhere, is going to pay for those movie tickets, and it won't be the theaters or the studios. Our first hint at MoviePass's plan for profitability comes from Bloomberg:

Ted Farnsworth, chief executive officer at Helios and Matheson [the majority stakeholder in MoviePass], said the goal is to amass a large base of customers and collect data on viewing behaviors. That information could then be used to eventually target advertisements or other marketing materials to subscribers. “It’s no different than Facebook or Google,” Farnsworth said. “The more we understand our fans, the more we can target them.”

So, you might subscribe to MoviePass, but ultimately, you will be the product. While they won't directly subsidize the ticket prices, studios, theaters, and advertisers would love to get even more information about the viewing habits of their customers. MoviePass would be another tool in their arsenal.

Secondly, there's the whole gym membership metaphor. Get tons of people to sign up, and hope that the vast majority don't use it. There is obviously some demand for the service. As Deadline noted, "In the two day period after the movie ticket subscription service announced a drop in price to $9.95 a month, it raised its sub level to more than 150,000..." But this is no guarantee of success. America has a built-in annual 'buy a gym membership' holiday, theaters don't.

But, MoviePass is also banking that infrequent moviegoers will outnumber the frequent. In this CNET interview, Mitch Lowe, CEO of MoviePass, stated that their "primary subscriber is someone who, today, is only going to between 3 and 6 movies a year, and now they'll go to between 6 and 9 instead."

If Lowe turns out to be correct, and the average subscriber only goes—at most—nine times a year, MoviePass does have a chance of turning a profit. In 2016, the average price of a movie ticket in the United States was $8.65. If the subscriber sees nine movies, the total cost of tickets would be $77.85. The annual subscription will cost $119.88, leaving $42.03 for MoviePass. But, this is all based on their hopes—we won't know for sure until we watch this experiment play out. If Lowe ends up being wrong, and the average subscriber is more akin to the frequent moviegoer and attends closer to 12 films a year, MoviePass's profits could vanish in a poof of ticket stubs.

But let's say, for argument's sake, that MoviePass ends up being right. The average person ends up seeing nine films, and it's up from their normal three-to-six. It's that audience that MoviePass hopes can deliver the biggest impact. From the CNET interview:

"We think there's a group of customers out there who've stopped going to the movies as often as they used to -- particularly between the ages of 18 and 39 -- who'd love to go to the movies more often, but have two problems. One is the risk of seeing a bad movie, and the second is they already belong to Netflix and Amazon and they can just wait and see it later. Usually people talk themselves out of going. 'I've gotta get there. It might not be a great movie. It's going to be 10 bucks. If I'm already paying for Netflix, I'll just wait until it comes out.'
We think that's hurting the movie business. By giving people the insurance... if you see a bad movie you can just walk out and trash it to your friends the next day, and not feel bad that you wasted 10 bucks. That way, it can actually be fun to see a bad movie. Or see a movie you didn't think you'd like and fall in love with it. We think we can expand people's interest in film, make it more enjoyable and result in more people going to the movies more often."

This is where MoviePass has an opportunity. As much as the chart above shows that tickets sales aren't in some catastrophic collapse, theaters do have an attendance problem. It isn't getting people to come to the theater, it's what people are choosing to see, and when they choose to see it.

2015 North American Box Office Gross

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Data from BoxOfficeMojo

In 2015, the North American box office grossed $11 Billion. The top ten films of the year made up almost 40% of that total. If you include the next ten films, all told the top twenty films would make up 51.72% of the box office gross for the year. According to BoxOfficeMojo, there were 705 films released in 2015.

But, for the theaters, the news gets even worse. In 2015, the top ten films, on average, grossed roughly 33% of their total domestic take during their opening weekend. Compare that with 2000, where the opening weekend for top ten films averaged only 21.4% of their total gross. Film rent—what the theaters give the studios for "rental of the film print"—is the most expensive for the opening weekend of a film. So not only is the box office more and more dependent on blockbuster releases, as the audience has become more inclined to catch a big release opening weekend, the theaters have started to earn less revenue overall.

To get theaters on board, not only does MoviePass need to help increase attendance, they need to increase attendance for the other 675 films and they need to help drive attendance later in a film's box office run. If the average subscriber is primarily using their pass to see the same top-20 films on or near opening weekend, the biggest problem the theaters face won't be addressed and the theaters have no incentive to play ball. And If I were an exhibitor, I'd want to see a dramatic change. A 1-2% increase in traffic isn't going to be enough. But all that will be for naught if MoviePass isn't profitable. 

This doesn't mean that the exhibition industry isn't prime for some disruption, just that MoviePass needs to prove that it's the way to do it.

YouTube has a new look and, for the first time, a new logo

If you are like me, and are interested in graphic design, this artcle by Ben Popper for The Verge is well worth the read.

The hottest new board games from Gen Con 2017

If you were wanting to learn all about the hot, new games coming out of Gen Con, Aaron Zimmerman at Ars Technica has you covered.

A Game of Thrones Video Game Could Be in Development From RPG Masters Bethesda

Michael Nordine for Indiewire:

If a Target listing that may or may not have been an accident is to be believed, a new “Game of Thrones” video game could be on the way. That it’s listed as “Bethesda: Game of Thrones” will only makes the news more exciting for fans, as Bethesda is the studio responsible for such acclaimed role-playing games as “Skyrim” and “Fallout.”

Evidently someone on a forum was doing some snooping on the Target website and found this listing. Oops.

LAN

Once, when my best friend from high school came to visit me here in LA, we immediately reverted to our younger selves. We spent the majority of the weekend playing Halo and ate a diet that was 90% pizza and soda. We had a blast.

I remember when the idea of services like Xbox Live were considered phenomenal. "I can play with my friends on my own TV at home." The idea of not being forced to play a game on split screen was seen as a godsend, especially when your friend has a habit of screen-looking so he could kill you more effectively. But now, as much as I enjoy some online games, I found that I missed the days of LAN Parties where everyone was together in a room playing. I think that desire is one of the reasons we're undergoing a renaissance in tabletop games. It's also the reason that my gaming group regularly plays together in the same room, even for something like Heroes of the Storm or Star Wars: The Old Republic. There's something about playing together in the same room that makes it special. It's that feeling that's the inspiration behind LAN Party over Team Blue Post. It's not just videos of gameplay—what makes it special is that we're in a room playing together.

Star Citizen shows off in game Faceware tech

They are calling this FOIP, or Face Over Internet Protocol. In short, they use your webcam to perform facial motion capture, and then apply that to the face of the in game avatar. While this is cool as a tech demo, I don't think I'd want this in a game.

From Allegra Frank's article for Polygon:

We watched a conversation happen between two players as they crossed paths on a gigantic spaceship, each avatar flapping their lips emotionlessly at each other. They were perfectly synchronized and matching the words players were speaking, to Faceware’s credit. But we couldn’t help but stare slightly aghast at what was happening.

Basically, it looks too fucking weird for Primetime.

EDIT: They showed "FOIP" off during their Gamescom presentation. At times, the live demo in an uncontrolled environment looked a little clunky, and it is probably more akin to what the end user will experience. As my roommate put it: "It's cool, but looks weird. But it's not as bad as when they try to put your face on the character." High praise.

Yet, as much as it may look weird, I'd like to highlight two things that definitely stand out. Mixing the player voice in with the game so it fades in and out and pans left and right as the character moves is a nice touch. The head tracking, enabling the player to "look around", is something that would definitely useful in a combat situation.

Star Citizen is either going to be mind-blowingly awesome, or tedious. Assuming it gets released.

Apple Is Planning a 4K Upgrade for Its TV Box

Mark Gurman and Anousha Sakoui for Bloomberg:

Apple is planning to unveil a renewed focus on the living room with an upgraded Apple TV set-top box that can stream 4K video and highlight live television content such as news and sports, according to people familiar with the matter.

For the average person, 4k is overrated. Not only is there a lack of content, given how most people situate their living rooms, they'll be sitting too far away to truly take advantage of 4K.

The new box will also be able to play content optimized for TVs capable of playing High Dynamic Range (HDR) video, which produces more accurate colors and a brighter picture.

HDR is definitely the future of display technology. From TVs, to phones, to computer monitors, it'll soon be considered standard. 

Two Views of Fantasy Warfare

From the Tumblr CreativeRogues:

The D&D game is clearly rooted in the medieval warfare tradition. Soldiers wear chain-mail or plate armor, and they wield weapons such as swords and bows.  Knights gallop across the battlefield on horses, and catapults bombard castle walls. 

Yet, the presence of fantastic creatures and magic supports a more modern kind of warfare, in which flying creatures provide air support, soldiers use camouflage or magic to hide themselves from enemies, and spells that affect a large area can devastate clusters of troops. 

Very interesting read on how to apply modern and medieval warfare tactics to your game of Dungeons and Dragons.

Little Kids in R-Rated Movies Can't Be Good for Business

This article by Virginia Postrel for Forbes was getting a lot of attention over at r/movies last night. The comments were filled with stories about young children ruining the movie going experience for those around them. In the article, Postrel recounts her experience seeing Atomic Blonde:

“Is that a man?” a tiny voice asked as the camera homed in on [Charlize] Theron’s bruised and battered back rising from a bathtub filled with ice cubes.

...this little boy was simply confused. Theron got out of the tub -- clearly not a man -- and poured a glass of vodka. “Is that water?” he asked.

...the mere presence of children too young to understand a movie disturbs other audience members. After some shushing, the little boy quieted down. But like watching a sex scene with your parents, knowing he was there was distracting.

Having been the patron of a theater disrupted by an underage child, and as a former theater employee, I too would be frustrated if two asshats brought their children to see a movie inappropriate for their age. Postrel contends that theaters should remove the children's pricing option for R-rated films, going as far to suggest that theaters charge more for a child's ticket than they would for an adult ticket. Ultimately, she argues, this could help solve the problem of the disruptive child.

The theater I 'briefly' worked at did charge adult admission for underage attendees of R-rated films. It didn't stop the problem.

For every parent with a young child turned off by the pricing, there would be one who didn't care and would buy the ticket anyway. On top of that, we can't forget the parents who would attempt to forget the "accompanied by a parent or guardian" rule, and drop their kids off to see Deadpool while pretending the theater was an air conditioned babysitting substitute. And, more often than it ever should have happened, a parent would throw a hissy-fit in our lobby when we wouldn't let their children in unaccompanied. Or after we had kicked the children out of the theater — after we had watched the very same parent sneak out after the movie started.

The problem isn't children, it's the audience in general. Theaters need movies that bring in a large audience to make money, but a large audience filled with children, movie-talkers, and cell phone users is helping drive away the very people theaters hope to attract. For a large multiplex like an AMC or Regal, it's a no-win scenario.

How to Make a Blockbuster Movie Trailer

This video by Auralnauts is too fucking perfect.

Game of Thrones Director Alan Taylor Breaks Down Timeline in “Beyond the Wall”

Alan Taylor in his interview with Variety:

“I think there was some effort to fudge the timeline a little bit by not declaring exactly how long we were there. I think that worked for some people, for other people it didn’t.”

If you ever venture over to r/ASOIAF, you'll find that the biggest complaint this season (for every episode) is the fact that characters seem to teleport. 'Oh a journey that took a few episodes in season one? Five minutes to send a raven, another five for the dragon to fly there.'

As much as I'm enjoying this season, AV Club's headline says it best: Game Of Thrones director admits the show’s timeline is “straining plausibility”.

"Star Wars: Legion" stole the show at this year’s Gen Con

Charlie Hall for Polygon:

One of the highlights of the game is how quickly it moves. Take the infantry teams, for example. Each is divided into units of five. Measurements are only needed to move the leader, and subsequent units can be placed nearby at will so long as they’re within a minimum range. No rulers are required, and all measurements are taken with out-of-the-box components.

And:

The game’s systems also pull from Star Wars lore as much as possible. Speeder Bikes are high-speed units and great for flanking, but when activated they must take a movement action. If they cannot complete their move and hit a piece of terrain, they have a good chance of blowing up on the spot.

This game just sounds fun. Can't wait until I can get my hands on it. But you should check out the full Polygon article, the photos are gorgeous.

Donald Trump looked at the eclipse without glasses

Kelly Swanson for Vox:

President Donald Trump ignored the advice of scientists and public health officials around the country — not to mention his own daughter — and looked at the sun without special protective glasses during Monday’s solar eclipse.

Too bad the Secret Service can't protect Trump from himself. Or the sun...

Star Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi Film in the Works

Yes, I know I'm a day late.

Per the article written by Borys Kit for Hollywood Reporter:

Stephen Daldry is Star Wars newest hope.

The Oscar-nominated director behind Billy Elliot and The Hours is in early talks to helm a Star Wars stand-alone movie centering on Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

So the long desired Obi-Wan Kenobi film is finally moving forward. Maybe. A key thing buried in the article:

Sources stress, however, that since there is no script, no actor is attached.

If this was news about a director and indicated that Ewan McGregor was involved, I'd think this was a controlled leak by Disney. Since we only have the news about the director, I think Mr. Kit just happened to land the a major scoop about Lucasfilm's future Star Wars plans.

The fan base has been clamoring for a stand alone Obi-Wan Kenobi film starring Ewan McGregor since the announcment of the anthology films. McGregor himself has expressed interest in returning to the role. The optimistic appraisal is that Lucasfilm is getting their storytelling ducks in a row before they approach McGregor, if they haven't already. I also doubt that they have a major interest in recasting Obi-Wan Kenobi. Rogue One had Genevieve O'Reilly and Jimmy Smits reprise their respective prequel trilogy roles of Mon Mothma and Bail Organa, it wouldn't make sense to have an older Ben Kenobi plaid by anyone other than McGregor (or, god forbid, a CGI Alec Guinness).

The other option, and all credit to fellow Team Blue Post member Chris Okamura for this idea: What if we're getting a movie with a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi focusing on him and Qui-Gon Jinn? That might be why there's no actor attached. 

But all this is pure speculation until we get an official announcment from Disney and Lucasfilm.

Fantasy Flight Games Announces "Star Wars: Legion"

Per their press release:

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce Star Wars: Legion, a new miniatures game of infantry battles that invites you to join iconic heroes and villains, lead your troopers into battle, and battle for the fate of the Star Wars galaxy.

I loved what little miniature gaming I did in high school. Between this and "*Star Wars*: Armada", I'll be set for a long time. The only thing I didn't about miniatures was when they needed painting.

With Star Wars: Legion, you can build and paint a unique army of miniatures.

Dammit.