TIME TRAVEL DEVICE MARCH MADNESS BEGINS!!!!!!!! Above is the...

TIME TRAVEL DEVICE MARCH MADNESS BEGINS!!!!!!!! Above is the bracket, here is our debate over it — who should win in the first round?!?

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I don’t normally do selfies. But I also don’t...

I don’t normally do selfies. But I also don’t normally get talked into getting “a fringe” by a very glamorous Vidal Sassoon Academy instructor.

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"Experienced screenwriter to pen screenplay about man’s best friend, those of the canine..."

Experienced screenwriter to pen screenplay about man’s best friend, those of the canine persuasion. Must possess a “biting” sense of humor and capable of seeing and portraying how the typical pooch becomes an integral member of his family, experiencing every facet of family life from his unique perspective.

The motivation for this project was another “dog movie” that has already been produced and inspired a lot of interest. This iteration, however, will represent the “ultimate” dog movie, the dog movie that defines dog movies for years to come.

A screenplay of the previous project is available to draw some inspiration; however you will dig much deeper, the variety of pooches portrayed on screen will be much greater. Let your imagination run wild. Entertain me, make me laugh!

…And then she backed away slowly from the Craigslist writing gigs section, never to be seen there again. 4 days agoShare / Like Tweet 5 notesComments rebeccalando likes this tarysande likes this henryskrimshander said: oh christ… blog comments powered by

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CC Studios: Eff This Video - Disney's Planes Trailer

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cc-studios:

If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s that we all love feel-good videos. Well, almost all of us. Welcome to Eff This Video, the column where Liz Shannon Miller explains to you why your favorite videos are some bullshit.

Okay, look, I already have no fucking patience for the…

GUYS THIS TRAILER MAKES ME SO MAD. Seriously, FUCK IT.

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'Ender's Game': How Author Orson Scott Card's Anti-Gay Views Could Affect Its Success

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mattpatches:

Enlisted one of my writers to explore a major issue for the film adaptation of Ender’s Game that is plaguing me as a fan of the book. Orson Scott Card is a homophobe (with a heck of a lot of other shocking opinions). Am I being a responsible person if I go to see it and essentially put money in Card’s pocket? Check it out and tell me: what are you going to do?

My inner nerd is super-torn on this one, to the point where I hope the movie ends up being flat-out terrible so that the decision is made for me and I catch it on HBO a year after its release.

Yeah, the movie being bad would be really, really convenient. If someone could get on top of that, I’d appreciate it.

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Now Here's Something You Don't Hear Every Day: Tumblr Expects to Be Profitable This Year

Liz Shannon Miller is a writer, watcher of web video and pop culture enthusiast. Based in Los Angeles, she wrote for G4's Attack of the Show and currently contributes to the tech blog GigaOM, co-hosts the podcast Timey Wimey TV, co-edits the video curation site Here's Some Awesome, and tells her friend Frank about stuff at Liz Tells Frank. She also, from time to time, writes plays. This is her personal Tumblr; expect exclamation points and caps lock.

"yep, she’s got? rockin’ cleave, but also a brain, obviously." -YouTube commenter

Email Liz, if you like. (But please read this if it's about your web series.)

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Why Rio Tinto chief Tom Albanese is mining's latest casualty

Poetically, it would be his inability to master a river that finally meant Tom Albanese could no longer keep the top job at Rio Tinto - 'red river’ in Spanish.

The world’s second biggest mining company paid $4bn (£2.5bn) for Riversdale’s coal assets back in 2011, but on Thursday had to admit the seriousness of its difficulties setting up infrastructure to make the Mozambique project a goer.

The country’s government has refused to let it transport coal down the Zambezi river, meaning the company has instead had to transport its product by more expensive rail.

That was not all. Rio had been too optimistic about the amount of coking coal – used in the production of steel – that it could realistically get out of the ground. That is seen at the company as a “judgement call” that went wrong, rather than a failure of its processes.

Nonetheless, the headaches meant Rio had to knock $3bn off its valuation of the project, costing Mr Albanese the job of chief executive after seven years in the role, as well as prompting the exit of strategy chief Doug Ritchie.

The Mozambique embarrassment was the last straw for Jan du Plessis, Rio’s chairman, already keeping a very close eye on his chief executive’s performance as the company continued to reel from its disastrous purchase of aluminium group Alcan for $38bn in 2007.

That meant the miner bought the assets at the top of the market, just before the credit crunch saw commodity prices plummet. As the aluminium market continues to struggle with overcapacity, Rio on Thursday announced a further $10-$11bn of write-downs at that arm.

That was just the balance sheet pain. Since the deal left Rio serving a debt pile greater than its market capitalisation, Mr Albanese ended up proposing a strategic alliance with its 9pc shareholder and customer Chinalco, a Chinese state-owned company. Management wanted to double Chinalco’s stake in Rio Tinto in exchange for an $11bn cash injection.

But Rio’s existing shareholders were furious as the plan ignored their pre-emption rights. Rio eventually walked away from that deal to announce a rights issue instead, as well as an iron-ore joint venture with rival BHP Billiton in Western Australia - which regulators ultimately blocked.

Meanwhile, the collapse of the Chinalco deal upset China, the world’s biggest commodities consumer. The dispute accelerated when members of Rio Tinto’s price negotiating team were arrested and imprisoned for allegedly taking bribes in annual price-setting talks.

Nonetheless, bridges were rebuilt by Mr Albanese and Chinalco, leading to a joint venture to develop an iron ore mine in Guinea.

Most would acknowledge that Rio has gone from strength to strength since the gloomy days of 2008, when some were questioning whether the company would even survive. For that, Mr Albanese can take much of the credit, as well as the “accountability” he yesterday admitted over the deals gone wrong.

And, while the issues have been unique to Rio Tinto, the wider context is not: this is a testing time for the world’s mining companies. With the peak of the commodity price boom, which saw miners scrambling to boost production, now past us, any shortcomings in the acquisitions and expansion plans born out of those days are becoming increasingly clear.

That has signalled a shake-up at the top of the tree, with Cynthia Carroll, over at rival FTSE 100 giant Anglo American, resigning in October as its flagship iron ore project, Minas Rio in Brazil over ran by billions of pounds. Meanwhile at BHP Billiton, the sector leader, management are working on an orderly exit for Marius Kloppers, who forfeited his bonus last year after BHP took a $2.8bn charge on the value of its shale assets.

Nor does the market expect the situation at Rio Tinto to remain stable. While well respected, at 63 its new chief executive Sam Walsh - coming from the iron ore division - appears a shorter-term leader whose job is to “steady the ship”, noted Credit Suisse analysts.

Still, despite the drama, it could be much worse for the company. Investors had long been valuing Rio’s assets at less than book values, so were primed for major write-downs.

Indeed, analysts have been busy flagging the potential of Rio’s iron ore assets - driving two thirds of its revenues - as China’s demand for the steel-making ingredient continues to grow.

As attention-grabbing as the changes at the top are, it is the assets that will decide Rio’s future success.

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