Course set-check-pick 2:00:00 [1] *** 5.0 km (24:00 / km) +100m 21:49 / km
shoes: Adidas Tri-Star Cleats ($35)
Actual time about 2:30:00. Planning courses for the Flying Pig Friday Middle.
A lot of progress for the weekend. I think I've got a good start and finish. White looks solid. I've started Blue about 3 times, and just thrown away the work each time. Designing middle courses isn't harder than long/classic, but there is less compromise. Each leg holds up a higher percentage of the course than it would over a longer course, so you can't have a lot of weak legs. I've decided if I'm going to keep the number of total controls in check, I'm going to have to design WYO first, and then go to Blue and Red, then finish Green and Brown with what is left. If the situation were different, I might just build up WYOBGRB, in that order. I might still do that, actually. I've got Yellow and Orange drafted. So I'm going to attempt Blue and Red next and see how that sets me up for Green and Brown. (I've got a plan.)
Avatar 3D (1): A real experience. The effects are just amazing. I can see why it didn't win more awards, though. The story just doesn't sell the conflicts between the characters to a level needed to win the big awards. But seriously, see it. I'm not convinced that the 3D is so much better. I'm considering seeing the normal version to compare. It seemed to me that the glasses dimmed the screen a lot, and the separation of the L-R images requires you to fight to see all the details in the frame. I like that normal movies intensify the image by putting more of the image in focus than you are able to take in in real life. To me, the flatness of the image in a movie is a desireable feature that intensifies the action. While I won't argue that 3D doesn't also intensify the action, it also takes away details that are in-frame but would require a different eye positioning to see---the little details are blurry---And when you are looking at those little details, the "main" action now resolves as two blurry images. I'm guessing that the fix for this is for the movie maker to be aware of the problem during certain high-speed scenes, and to reduce the separation to hold in "view" what they intend for you to see---that is, to selectively flatten the image momentarily to deliver the desired image.
I mentioned the dimming of the image, and that seems to take away a lot of the magic, too. I know I was disappointed when I put on the glasses after the previews and the image seemed *so* dim. Sure your eyes adjust when the lights go down, but it just seems wrong to give up that brightness.
If I had to vote right now, I'd vote that 3D is a gimmick. Or rather, "...Still a gimmick."