Fight a hobbit for an aisle seat? Get life jacket instructions from a beautiful female elf? Only on a plane to Middle Earth — or in an Air New Zealand safety video.
The company’s latest in a series of variations on the usual dull pre-flight safety instructions has lifted a page from J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic The Hobbit in the run-up to the world premiere of the film at the end of last month, a bid to attract visitors to the nation where much of the film was shot.
An Unexpected Briefing, a play on the movie’s title of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, features crew members explaining flight safety to passengers embarking on a pilgrimage to Middle Earth, Tolkien’s land of treasure, dragons and magic rings.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透
Director Sir Peter Jackson, who received Academy Awards for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, makes a cameo appearance in the four-minute video, playing a passenger among the Orcs, pointy-eared elves and furry-footed hobbits that otherwise pack the seats.
Die-hard Tolkien fans have flocked to the town of Matamata in the country’s North Island, which earlier this year began tours to the set of Hobbiton, the town from which the story’s hero, Bilbo Baggins, starts his journey.
Wellington, where Jackson and his Weta Workshop and studios are based, were also cranking up the publicity machine before it rolled out the red carpet at the end of last month.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透
(Liberty Times)
跟哈比人爭奪走道旁座位?由美麗的女精靈解說救生衣使用方式?這種事只會發生在飛往中土的飛機上,或者在紐西蘭航空的飛安宣導影片裡。
紐航曾數度讓這種通常枯燥乏味的起飛前安全說明影片面目一新,而最新的一段影片則取自作家托爾金名著《哈比人歷險記》中的段落,並且趕在上月底由這部小說所改編的電影全球首映前推出,企圖吸引遊客前往電影拍攝地點紐西蘭觀光。
這段名為《意外的簡報》的影片,不但片名仿效電影《哈比人:意外旅程》,片中的機組人員更向準備前往中土—也就是托爾金作品裡充滿寶藏、惡龍和魔戒之地—朝聖的乘客,說明飛航安全。
曾因電影《魔戒》三部曲獲奧斯卡獎的導演彼得‧傑克森,也在這段四分鐘的影片中客串一角,坐在擠滿了半獸人、尖耳朵精靈和毛毛腳哈比人的機艙裡。
托爾金的死忠書迷早已湧向紐國北島的馬塔馬塔市,當地於今年初開始推出哈比城場景的旅遊行程,哈比城則是故事主角畢爾波‧巴金斯展開探險旅程的出發地。
傑克森及其威塔工作室所在地威靈頓同樣也在上月底電影正式上片前,全力發起宣傳活動。
(自由時報/翻譯:俞智敏)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too