Steampunk Lightsaber

Found this on stellar blog Boing-Boing: it's a steampunk lightsaber. I actually agree with a couple of the comments below the post, in that it does look a little too techno to be truly steampunk. I'd think it would need a vaccuum tube or some gears or a tiny steam engine, or...something less advanced. But it does look super-cool, aesthetically. Check it out here, and see if you agree with me. ~Jenn

Fight Clip Club

More from the Advanced Stage Combat Class: Lightsabers. Look what a good video Jenn's phone takes! Video is Nate and Scott M. beginning choreography outside on the quad.

Black Belt Cloud

I just love word toys and language games. This new Word Cloud thing is delighting me no end. It's actually a good writer's tool as well, in that one can see which words one uses most often. This is the word cloud for my To Shin Do Black Belt essay and written exam, including the two addenda posted here on Daily Cross-Swords in the past. It's an unusual, interesting way to read.

~Jenn

Today's Cloud

Thanks Wordle, for addictive wordplay! This cloud is from this blog as of today.

Fight Clip Club

The trailer for the new Star Wars game. Mmmm, lightsaber fights.


Thanks to http://swtor.com/media/trailers/deceived-cinematic-trailer for this breathtaking trailer!

Cool Whips

This is a fun blog post from stellar blog Boing-Boing, about bullwhips. Specifically, the skill in using them and some of the best movie scenes involving them.

I remember way back when I was Geoffe Kent's SAFD teacher wing-man, and we did a lec-dem in an elementary school. Team Bonzuko does own a whip but I still can't crack it (maybe it's the giant flinching wince I do every time I try that's messing me up). Geoffe is a decent whip-cracker though, and he brought his along for this particular gig.

I was way on one end of the stage, and he was way on the other. Like, way far apart--way farther apart than the whip was long. He cracked it; I reacted as if it were a lash to the face. I thought there was no way it would look real--we were so far apart. Well, apparently it looked very real: the audience gasped and applauded when they saw my unmarked face. I needed to have more faith in stage perspective...

~Jenn

Thanks to bullwhip.net/appearances.html for image of whip, and www.aerospaceweb.org/.../history/q0217a.shtml for image of Indy.

Word Cloud

Have you seen these? Go here and enjoy the play with words. This is the cloud from Daily Cross-Swords.