Tuesday, January 30, 2007

You Make It With That, But I Don't Know Where You Get It!

On top of my convention woes, I now have a web annoyance of the highest caliber. I want to make my own sakuramochi, I can find recipe after recipe online, but not one single store sells the salt cured sakura leaves. I spent two and a half hours trying to find those things online, becuae my local Asian market doesn't have them, and I have no faintest idea where another Asian market is remotely near me. If anyone knows where I can get the sakural leaves, I'd really appreciate knowing. I can't belive that of all the recipes for sakuramochi, not one singe one has a useful ad banner, or link to "this is where you can get the supplies to make it" kind of things. That's annoying. Comments: death alchemist03 I've never been to a con either, that's why I'm going to try to figure out how to get one going in WV somewhere. You have to start out training your mind to focus on one thing at a time, the easiest is the breathing exercise. You have to have the time to do it, and you have to be in an area where you won't be disturbed AT ALL the first time you do it, and a timer doesn't hurt either. Basically, you're going to sit in a comfortable postition, close your eyes, take a slow deep breath in through the nose, hold it a second, then let it outm thorugh the mouth in a slow steady release. In your mind, you'll count "one" You'll repeat the slow inhale thorugh the nose, hold and exhale through the mouth, counting each exhale up to four, then you'll start the count over at one. Do that for fifteen minutes (that's why the timer). Oh, here's the kicker, whatever your mind tries to get you to do, or think about while you're doing this exercise, don't. The idea is to focus only on your breaths, using the count. Do that for a couple days, well, make it a week, try to be consistent, you know, the same time each day, then we'll go from there into visualization, which isn't as easy as it sounds. sikaurai I thought of that too, but I didn't want to push my luck given what he's got to deal with right now. I may try that when this AnimeFF thing dies down. NekoMimi16 The venue is one of the things I do need to worry about, that would either be someplace in Charleston, Huntington, or Morgantown in terms of having something big, and being accessable to people who aren't locals (those are big towns, they show up on the maps). I'm not sure that's the first thing though, but it is one of the important ones. KanuckGrrl That's my problem, I have no firsthand experience with conventions at all either. I know it's going to take a lot of work, but maybe if I send the right e-mail to the right person, things will happen. I saw the piece, it's in my favorites now, very well done. Angel Slayer: If it's got you smiling, then it's doing its job. As for mondays, I think there's a Mamas and Papas song about mondays, it's a good song if I recall. Course there was that one in the 80's too which had a cool sound to it. Outlaw Melfina: Most of that can be answered just by reading this. Long story short, the people running that con earlier this month with the whole Breast Cancer Awareness thing attached to it turned out to be, how to put this politely, asinine jerks. Read that post, it'll give you better picture than I can, because it's a direct source. Breakfast Squid Knowing people, that's not exactly the strong point of a recluse who's been unemployed for six years. I suppose I can rise to the ocassion if need be. There are universities in All of the towns I mentioned in a previous comment response, universities with international students. I don't think a con in WV would fail for lack of interest, especially if it's marketed correctly. Getting the resources together, well, that would require obtaining sponsors, but I'm getting ahead of myself again. beyblader The university student angle is looking more and more like the ideal target. There's a lot I need to do before that ind of legwork though, maybe I should consult someone who has put together a convention, any help I can get at this point will be a plus in my book. There's that community thing again. I'm not a very social creature, but I do have my moments when I have to be outgoing, I can be. Since I don't know anyone first hand, I'm stuck in a rut till something gives. Hop-Frog It certainly is a big endeavor, and I've got all those thing in the back of my mind, the thing is, there's a right place to start with this thing. I have to look some things up, and ask some questions on the local legal level to make that determination, I want to do this thing 100% legit. Not sure what you can do either, but there's not much anyone can do till I start the ball rolling. Animé Dreams!

Points of Contact

Comments (6) | Permalink

Monday, January 29, 2007

Rant Alert: I was browsing through the Anime and Gaming convention schedule for February, and I noticed that along with the usual mix of big cities getting their cons, Alaska is hostig a con this month. That's right the state with a smaller population that Rhode Island gets a con while West Virginia once again is out of the picture. That's the last straw for me, so I got to asking myself what all it would entail to organize an anime convention. Where does a person start? What is the first thing someone organizing an anime convention has to do? There's a lot of details to consider in putting together a good, sucessful convention, but where does it all begin? I'll be starting to research those questions to find the answers, and hopefully put them to some use. I'm beyond exhausted with seeing con after con in places that aren't practical for me to attend, so I figure if I can't go to the cons, I should try to bring one to me. Comments: Yensid: Yeah, I think it's safe to say that everything is in order with that. Honestly, I'm not surprised. That said, this is something every single member of MyOtaku, and TheOtaku needs to take notice of what's going on with, because the repercussions could be far reaching. This thing trumps the issues Adam had with his old web host (late 2003 early 2004 I think) easily. The threat of legal action is always a serious matter, so I'll be keeping my eyes and ears on this thing. It affects every one of us who use the site, we need to stay on top of it, and we need to be ready to back Adam up in whatever ways we can should it come down to that. I saw your comment on the piece, thanks. KanuckGrrl I saw the comment, thank you. Really? That's another piece of information I missed. Every little bit is adding up, and it's coming to the conclusion that some people are (how to put this nicely?) well, jerks. Back when they put their little organization together, they probably had good intentions, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and it seems they lost sight of the true purpose of their own organization, if the true purpose was ever a pure one, but I'm not the one to make such speculations. That's really sad more than anything else. It's an unwritten law, artists can't like their own work. If you like it, that's the important thing, because it means I've done what I set out to do. Knowing that is enough for me. I do think the rest will do me some good in terms of flushing my creative energy flow. Once that gets going again really good, I'll be all right. death alchemist03 Thanks. Well, I never actually do physical damage to my art if I don't like it, I know I can go bak to it when I'm better. In this case the original was on 18"x24" paper, so I just wrestled with lining it up in the scanner to get the bast focus of the area I wanted without all the extra stuff (it wouldn't have fit all the way in the scanner, if I wanted to do the whole thing I would have had to take a picture of it). My earring isn't the yin/yang symbol for no reason. It's a matter of meditation, relaxation, and getting in touch with the universe so to speak, even if only for a brief moment. Being aware of the energies that flow around you and through you is a good first step, you can't balance what you don't know is there or what you cant' feel is there. I had to start meditating to actually figure that one out, but that's me. I can start you off with some basic meditation stuff and work you to a more advanced technique from there if you're interested. sikaurai I had that feeling too, but that little voice in my head kept trying to talk over it. Oh well, it's something every member her needs to watch closely, to be at the ready for anything. Yeah, that favorites thing sort of popped up the other night. The links weren't in the portfolio at first, but that's where they are, so finding a person's favorites isn't hard at all. It's a feature that I'm sure will see a lot of use, I know I'll get a lot out of it. No, the down time is just to get things going again, like starting a stick shift by coasting it downhill. I'll only take as long as I need, then I'll be rigth back to it again. sanzolover13 Yeah, the project is done, and I need the rest, that's for sure. Thanks. beyblader Right, I keep forgetting that annoys people outside the theatre class I was in. In a nutshell I was saying what you see of a person, how they present themselves, isn't always an honest representation. Look beneath the mask and you'll get a whole other picture of the face you thought you knew. Yes, my dragons do need work (that's why I cut the dragon's body out of that picture, it was terrible). When I'm off my break and after I get the other stuff I need to done, I'll devote some more time to dragons. As for Inuyasha, I notice the imperfections because I can see the original piece, and the eye still isn't right (I've not been able to do his eyes since I started drawing him), and there are some other things, but he does seem to be the favorite part of the picture, so I must have done better with him this time than my previous attempts at it. Animé Dreams!

Points of Contact

Comments (8) | Permalink

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Pass the Mustard, My Shoe's on Fire!

The Guardian - Lineart Hosted By theOtaku.com. The much anticipated, and probably underwhelming, piece I've gone on about getting done for the longest time now. In a nutshell, I hated over half of it, so I scrapped what I didn't like and posted what I did. I wish I could have done better, maybe I need to take a complete break from everythign I'm doing and rest up for a bit, just to try to balance my energies a little and be able to tackle the projects I have. I think I'll do that. I don't really have any majorly outstanding projects, so I'll take a week off of any art whatsoever, and see what I can bring to the table when I go after those other overdue projects. A fresh look may be what I need, it can't hurt. I promised information about the con as it became available, well, Here's an interesting little bit of new info on that. The pieces are finally starting to come together. Comments: MillenniumChaos I've done that with both writing and drawing, I have a lot of story fragments sitting on my hard drive or on paper, fragments that arent' going anywhere. I think that's my issue, is making myself sit down and do them. Like the novel I'm working on, I made myself write a little in that every week. I still have polishing to do, and maybe one more scene to add, but I'm on a break from that for now. Kiki-tink It's always fun to create. KanuckGrrl If the picture turns out better for your having been lazy about it, then it's worth the wait. Me, I just have a wandering mind, I'll start one thing, get distracted by something else, and work on it, then move on to something else and stuff gets left in the lurch. I don't like doing that, because I have all these stagnant projects that I'm going to have to get done so I can really open up my creativity. I'm not the best at keeping goals either, but all we can do is try. I did get the piece as done as I can get it, I hope it ballparked what you were wanting of me, if not, I'll try again after the break I mentioned up there with the pic. I keep odd hours like that too, only because that's when the good anime is on! Oh well, we can't all be 9-5ers, and who would want to be? I'm unemployed, six years plus now, and I'm not in school either, but I kept odd hours even back when I was in school, so that's just me. I wouldn't go as far as to say we're crazy, a little off base maybe, but not crazy. Yensid: I certainly need the luck, thanks. Mamma Vash: For me it's the curse of easy amusement, I don't deliberately put things off, I just get distracted by other stuff. Yeah, the Avatar is new, it's a rip from a Yahoo! one I made. I figured it was time to put a human face to this dragon's ill temperment of late. death alchemist03 That makes sense to me, I'm doing that way more than I should. Thanks for the compliment on my art too, I do try, a little. KyuubiKhaos Well, there it is. Probably not my best work, but it's up there. sanzolover13 Very wise words indeed. I think with a littl patience, and some time management, I'll get everything done efficiently. In fact, I know I will. beyblader "Away and mock the time with fairest show; False face must hide what the false heart doth know." -Macbeth Act I Scene VII sikaurai I think I'm making the right choice to put down the pencil for a week, just to let myself decompress. Then I'll take a fresh look at the projects I have left and see what I can get out of them. I can certainly appreciate the manuscript reference there, I've got one that's not quite finished yet myself. Animé Dreams!

Points of Contact

Comments (5) | Permalink

Saturday, January 27, 2007

MSTG Error! That Parameter is Undefined!

Hm, I don't think I mentioned the artwork I'm working on for a while, that's still in limbo, I'll get it done soon I hope. I keep committing myself to more projects when I still have stuff left to do. I'm really going to hve to sit down and make myself finish these other projects. If I don't, they'll never get done. I guess I'll get stareted on that soon, I really want to be ahead for once. On a similar note, I've put certain things behind me now, and no more public discussion of them will come from me. Comments: Yensid: Déjà vu, someone's used that wording on me before, I think. I covered my stance on the matter Here. That's all the mileage I can get out of the matter, I'm through with it. Shireishou That's a long story that's not even worth retelling at this point. There's not much you can do about your power being out, so that's all right. Ouch, that's a long loading time. You know, that may actually be a good idea, to take some time off. You do want to make sure whomever you switch to is not similar, or worse than the current ISP you're using. A little research will answer that, and hopefully things will get better for you in terms of net connection. Best of luck to you on your project, and final exam. I have a feeling you'll do well. death alchemist03 Given that I've only seen one issue of it, I cant' really say much yet, but so far I'm impressed. That's all right, I've been off my game lately with the way I post, even I don't understand half the stuff I wrote. beyblader I just ran the figures though a currency converter, yeah, that is expensive up there. The only way around unecessay edits would be to import a copy from Japan every week (from what I understand, it's weekly over there). It's an unfortunate annoyance, but there's not really mcuh that can be done about it. The whole Lik-Sang thing is kind of weird, I don't really understand it to it's fullest. Using that as an argument to not be able to include Canada in a contest when there's no piracy concerns involved just sounds like an excuse to me. I would have thought that myself if I hadn't heard from NekoMimi16 on the con. She was actually there, and did see the gallery and voted. I know she was at the con, because some of the details she's provided where Adam or Panda haven't are consistent with Adam's posts following the con (the ones where he was in a foul mood particularly). Read her comment to Thisblog entry of mine, and see her signature in my guestbook to get an idea. Here is her post on the con itself as well. We're past the point of no return here, nothing anyone says or does can change what's already happened, so, why isn't anyone in charge giving us the details, or directing us to the people who do have them? This is where I'm concerned for the fate of future TheO sponsored and/or hosted contests. People will hesitiate to enter, wondering if they can expect a fair and equal chance, or if we'll have a repeat of conspiracy and misinformation like the Tour for the Cure contest. Don't be surprised to see someone actually say words to that effect in the comments to the next TheO sponsored and/or hosted contest, but I won't be the one to say them first. I think to address the rest, I'll have to move the conversation to PM. I've villanized myself over this whole thing enough already, and that's completely the opposite of what I was trying to do by sharing my opinion on the matter. alphonse13: I'm still debating subscribing to it or not myself, there are some interesting things in there. I need to read through it again to decide Kiki-tink I can't help you there. Outlaw Melfina: It's only starting to creep into my area, my local stores don't carry it (well, Borders might, but I don't like that overpriced publishing mega-mart), so I picked it up when my sister wanted to go out of town for something. If I hadn't gotten the money from that focus groop earlier in the week, I wouldn't have bought it myself. sikaurai I think I missed a beat, a cornfield? This issue is my first, I haven't decided if I want to subscribe yet or not, it would be good investment in terms of my fandom, but I'm still not sure. I think the best way to put it is the line from Mary Poppins "Before I do, I would like to make one thing perfectly clear. . .I never explain anything." If it gets to the point where I have to explain myself when I put a picture up, or raise a question about the legitimacy of something in which my art is involved, then it's time I stop creating all together because I've lost my way. There's still a lot that's not answered, but as soon as that's taken care of, well, I'll be letting you know what's what. I'm just doing what I can to get the information out there that some people don't seem to want us to know. Hop-Frog I'm still undecided, but I don't want to rush into the decision. Animé Dreams!

Points of Contact

Comments (9) | Permalink

Friday, January 26, 2007

Man And His White Whale

I picked up a copy of Shonen Jump the other night, the first issue I've ever read. so far I'm impressed with it, but I haven't decided if I'll subscribe to it or not. I think I'll thumb through it again, and I'll know after that for sure. I'm really terrible at doing reviews and all, so I'll just say I liked what I saw and have to leave it at that. Otherwise, not too exciting a day for me, I was asleep through most of it. Comments: dramaqueenisback Just the untamed delusions of a wandering soul on the Desert Wastlands of my mind. Yensid: Yeah, and there was one in PA too I think. I didn't really pay much attention to where they were, I just noticed the dates more than anything else. I can't and won't speak for anyone but myself on this point. but I don't think it'll be so much "sour grapes" as it'll be suspicious hesitation. I'm not bitter that I lost this one, I'd just be a little reluctant to just throw myself into any (art or otherwise) TheO hosted contest not knowing if I can expect clear, honest information regarding the process when it's all over. Over time, though, that'll fade and this little snafu will be forgotten. Out of all the theatre competitions I've ever participated in, of all the contests I've ever entered for anything at all, not once has anyone ever come that close to questioning my intent (in layman's terms, that would be calling me a sore loser). For obvious reasons, it's better that I just direct your attention to my PR Statement and not go any further here. death alchemist03 That's quite all right, you don't have to make sense for me all the time. Kiki-tink I wasn't at the con, so all can go on is what people who were there tell me, and so far, NekoMimi16 is the only one who was there that's talking about it. The other things do not negate providing accurate information in a timely manner regarding the questions that people have been asking about the contest. Once those are answered, a lot of people will move on seamlessly. scorchbird12: That's quite all right, I'm not sure I do anymore either. I'm still learning, but thanks for saying so. If I get up there again, I'll have to read the menu more thoroughly to see if the japanese Steakhouse has ramen. I hear the authentic Japanese stuff is rally good too, so I'd be absolutely willing to try it if it's available. I saw some lights in Wal-Mart the other night that indicated they put off daylight type glows. If bright is not your thing, go with a 40 or 60 Watt equivalent fluorescent (that's going to be something like 12 - 20 Watts I think), the one I've got is like equivalent to 75 or 100 Watts and man is it bright. I can certainly use the luck. I can't help with finding American bands' lyrics online, but a wealth of anime/J-pop lyrics are online over at animelyrics.com. American stuff is most likely going to be on fansites somewhere. Co-op probably would be fun for me, I do have a strong sense of loyalty to people I establish connections with. Blood is thicker than water so they say, so that's no surprise. beyblader The prize is not, and never was, of any consequence to me. Honestly, I think this one's restriction was AnimeFF's doing, in fact, I know it was. AnimeFF posted this in the comment thread to the original contest announcment: "Sorry to Canadian's and other fine inhabitants of the world ^^. The wii's we wouldn't of had an issue with, but Sony would of Lik-Sang'd us before we event got postage paid if we tried it with the ps3. So that's the sad issue." I don't understand the argument anyway, Canada and the US are in the same DVD region, and we both use the NTSC TV format, right? I'll have to investigate that a little further. Other than that, I won't attempt to speculate on Adam's reasoning for restricting other contests. I've fueled and fanned enough flames already this week, I don't need to start a firestorm. I'll be old millennium Switzerland on that one and stay neutral. That's just the thing, no one knows what's going on! So far I've gotten definitive information from one person who was at the con, only one. Adam mentioned in his blog not long ago that he was waiting for some things about the con to transpire before he or Panda would post an official report on it. What's any of that got to do with the price of tea in China? The con's over. Panda supposedly took a whole bunch of pictures, why can't she at least post the pictures? What do they have to do with whatever nonsense about the con hasn't transpired yet? I don't know why they're keeping secrets from us, but they are. As for my lack of trust, well, some of the questions people are asking are on an ethics level, and, well, I may be a big, shortempered, fire-breathing dragon, but my momma didn't raise no fool. When someone avoids answering questions with ethical repercussions, that makes me more than a little suspicious. PR Statement: Section 1 - The Contest: Introduction: First off, I apologize for not being as clear as I could have been with matters lately. It is due to the number of misunderstandings and questions I generated as the reuslt of my less than perfect communications that has prompted this statement. Below, I should clear up any misunderstandings I have created about AnimeFF, the Tour for the Cure con in Vegas, and the Breast Cancer Awareness art contest. Statement: None of this is about the contest judging, that never was an issue with me. I knew how it was going to be handled back when the contest was announced in December. In that announcement, Adam stated: "On site, attendees will vote on their favorite works. There will be EIGHT winners, based on votes." The art was voted on by attendees of the con, as evidenced in statements to that effect by NekoMimi16, who attended the con, and Adam's indication in this article: "Each person had one vote." Judging was handled acceptably, so there are no lingering questions regarding it in my mind. Next, before anyone assumes I missed this very important detail, I'll point out that I was fully aware of the potential exclusion of works from the gallery in Vegas with Adam's statement: "After December 20th, we will select all or a portion of the submissions and prepare them for exhibition at AnimeFF." in the previously cited article. In the comments to this follow-up article, Adam indicates that AnimeFF made the choices of which artworks of the roughly 300 (281 at my last count) were featured in the gallery, stating: "The convention organizers chose the entries that made it, we had no input." This is where the information gets clouded. Every artist who entered the contest, particularly those, like myself, who could not be there to see it in person, has the right to know if our own works were even featured in the live gallery. We also have the right to know what criteria were used to determine which artworks were selected for the live gallery, more so those who's works were not selected. Adam doesn't know the criteria, he said himself he had no input in choosing the featured works, but he certainly knows who the convention organizers were. Adam should ask the convention organizers to draft up a statement outlining the criteria they used which he can then post on TheO so that the majority of the questions surrounding the contest are answered. Section 2 - My Art and Why I Create: Introduction: My integrity as an artist has been publically questioned, so I'm responding in a public manner as well. Statement: I do not justify myself to anyone for any reason. I could sit here and explain the reasoning behind why I create, but I will not do that. I have my reasons for creating, and they're good enough for me, I don't need anyone else's opinion on them, or approval. I never lose sight of why I create, no matter what project I undertake, no matter what the project's purpose is to accomplish. I always know where I want my art, and creative process to go, and what I want to do with it. It is my passion, and I carry it with me always. That is all I will say about my art and why I create, no more. Animé Dreams!

Points of Contact

Comments (9) | Permalink

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Thinking Too Much?

With all the attention that's been directed at the Tour for the Cure con in Vegas, and the Awareness art contest, and all the questions that still remain unanswered, no one has ventured near the obvious, no one has even brought up one little detail about the whole thing, and I got to thinking about it last night, and this is what I asked myself. How is what happened with this art contest going to affect Adam's future contest attempts on TheO? I for one would be far less willing to participate in a contest sponsored by, or hosted by TheO in the future. It's a matter of lost trust with me. It'll take a while for that trust to be rebuilt too, I'll have to see that information won't be withheld inappropriately first. Just some stray thoughts from a rambling mind. Comments: NekoMimi16 YES! Finally someone who was actually there! I was beginning to think Adam had you all hold up in a hotel on the strip or something since not a lot of info was coming out about what happened there. I read your post on it, and I think you've answered some of the questions that a lot of us who didn't go were asking, paritcularly in relation to Adam's rather unpleasant mood regarding the whole thing. I'll just direct everyone who wants to know something about the con over to that post so they can get it in context. Thank you for being open and honest about the con. I said it once already, but I'll say it again, name it and I'll try to draw it for you, it's the least I can do for you providing the information to solve some of the issues surrounding the con. As for my artwork, mine was the only dragon in the whole thing that I'm aware of, so if this looks even remotely familier to you in the context of the gallery at the con, then it was featured there, and that would satisfy another one of my curiosities. LGA775 She did a great job, all the winners did excellent work. I'm just completey weird about stats like that, I like to know those things. So far Adam hasn't given me any indication of what the actual count for my art was. He may decide it's not important enough to answer at all, but I hope he does tell me, even if it got nothing at all. KanuckGrrl Most people tell me they don't read the main TheO page that often, so I figured I'd let you know ti was there. Since Adam posted the e-mail link for the winners to contact him there, I also assumed he wasn't e-mailing you all individually. Most people don't really expect to win something like that, but you did excellent work. There were a lot of good pieces of art, as for why some of the pieces didn't make the top eight, well those are the lingering questions about how the art was chosen by AnimeFF to be featured there. And those questions may never be answered to their fullest, if at all. I happened to check out the AnimeFF website and saw their little blurb had changed yesterday, indicating the lack of local advertising. I also noted in my searching for information there were at least two other cons, one in Sacramento CA, and one in PA somewhere in the same date range (Jan 13-15) which may have also contributed to the lower than normal turnout if people were at other cons. There are still many details that haven't been revealed yet, still some unanswered questions. Adam's posted this, this, and this about the con (presumably, it's not clear in all of those posts he was talking about the con), in his blog, I linked in response to Neko's comment to her post about it, and here's the official AnimeFF site with it's little blurb on it, but so far, there's not a whole lot of info coming out about it, and well, that's still very suspicious. Blood donation and plasma donation are two different things. Apparently blood plasma can be handled differently, in that you can donate more than once a week (theoritically), and it's not as incompatible as whole blood (you can put it in people with different blood types from what I understand). If I know what you're talking about in terms of other donations, we don't have that kind of facility around here for it to be an option. Well, I wouldn't call it a kid's thing in my area, more adults deliver papers than anyone else. I have yet to see a kid delivering papers where I am. See, I delivered newspapers about ten years ago, and I wouldn't wish doing that on my enemies, that how horrible it is. Paper carriers are independant contractors, which means they're not delivering the papers for the newpaper as employees, they're buying the papers wholesale, and reselling them to the customers for the listed price. The net profit per paper was only 0.065¢ (six and a half cents). On daily papers, we bought them for 0.185¢ (eighteen and a half cents) and resold them for the 0.25¢ (twenty five cents) that was printed on them. Sunday morning papers were a little different, but I can't remember those figures. I did more daily stuff anyway, I had an afternoon route for most of my career delivering papers. We had to buy the rubber bands for the papers, and the plastic sleeves to keep papers dry. Add to that customers who don't really want to pay for their paper, and the customers who have to have it delivered a certain way, and get nasty when it's not, and the newspaper office being so dense they cite you with a missed paper notice when they stopped the paper the day before, not to mention they don't give you the proper 10-99 forms when it comes time to pay taxes either, and it makes for one heck of an adventure whether you're getting up at 2:00AM to have papers delivered by 6:00AM, or pushing to get papers delivered by 5:00PM after getting off from school. It's a worthwhile suggestion, but it's not worth the stress to get involved with that again. Yensid: I have to agree the art that got the top spots was all deserving of it. And naturally, I look out for my friends here, so of course I had to post that. I hope they enjoy the prizes too. Shireishou It is good art. I did a little bit of research, and it turns out PayPal doesn't require a bank account or credit card to set up an account with them. However, they do have some issues regarding their legitimacy as financial institution. There's a lot of stuff they do that makes me hesitant to get involved with them right now. I can't afford the risk with them right now, all I can say is, they're not as clean cut as the people who swear by them would try to have consumers believe. I kind of figured there was something like that holding you to them. My only other suggestion would be to try a proxy, that may get you around the limitations of the ISP. I can't promise it would, but I don't really know how they work. That might be a good idea if it works. I'm not exactly sure how you'd do it, but it can't hurt to try it. I see, oh well, you didn't doo too bad with it, and it's always a learning experience when doing audio work. Yeah, it's a good mic, I've had it for at least eight years and it still works great. I don't really know why men are drawn to electronics and audio stuff but we are. The difference between a true audiophile and a wannabe is volume. A true audiophile knows louder does not equal better in terms of sound quality. Those guys that drive around rattling windows with their 200 Watt car stereos, they're just turning their insides to Jell-O and damaging their ears. I can get a broader acoustic dynamic, and crisper sound from my 80 Watt system, and I'm not running several hundred dollar Bose speakers either. IT does seem to be a good program, so I'll certainly look into getting it as soon as I am able to do so. sikaurai She certainly deserved it. Yeah, that first place piece was stunning. It blew me away the first time I saw it, and every time I look at it I notice new details I didn't see before, It deserved the top spot, that's for sure. Well, I'll have to take my chances and go in for that physical, that's about all I can do. the worst they can tell me is I'm not healthy enough to donate and it'll be just like any other job interview I've ever done. I'll say [Censored] them and try to come up with another way to produce income. I'm used to being rejected so it wouldn't be anything new to me. But, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Kiki-tink It was all right, for what it was. the check at the end of the day was the best part. It's not a guarantee, even for me, so I'd just have to take a change and see if I am physically capable of doing it. I'mn not sure what the physical requiements are for donating plasma are, so after I look into it a little more, I'll know where I stand on being able to do it. beyblader I was thrilled to see that someone I knew placed high on the list. That first place piece was phenomenal. Mamma Vash: The focus group was all right. It's a start in terms of income anyway. I can't invest, I don't have enough money for that, and I don't bet on uncertainties, I have to know I'm getting a returen before I put my money into something. The lottery is a nice diversion once in a while, but it's nothing to bank on with my lack of luck in the money department. I saw the pickle, that was cute, and funny. If anyone ever needs a crazy idea when they're in a slump, point them my way, I'll be glad to concot something insane for them. Hop-Frog The art is good, all of the top eight are. It's not rude, it's honest, and I like that. I'm the same way, I don't like people to feel sorry for me. Good luck trying, but I did sign a confidentiality agreement so I can't tell you anything. Animé Dreams!

Points of Contact

Comments (6) | Permalink

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

MS Title Generator Error! That Title Parameter is Restricted!

Together Again by KanuckGrrl Hosted By theOtaku.com. Congratulations to KanuckGrrl, third place winner in the Breast Cancer Awareness art contest sponsored by AnimeFF. To see the full list of winners, click the link. I didn't really feel up to linking all eight pieces of art, but they are all good. Go check them all out and congratulate the artists on a job well done, they certainly deserve it. Now, before anyone offers me sympathy for my own work not making it, let me be honest with you. I would be lying to say I'm not at all disappointed, but truthfully, I didn't really expect my work to even come close to the top eight. I would be interested to know just how many votes my art did get though, so I might try to get that info out of Adam later. I only hope he's more willing to part with that than he has been about the con itself. Speaking of which, there doesn't seem to be any new con information available right now. I will try to make whatever I learn available to you all here. I did find out that local advertising (in Vegas) wasn't done for the con, contributing to the low turnout. That's what's up on the official AnimeFF page as of today anyway. I promised some details on that one time moneymaker thing, well, I can tell you that it was an all day focus group thing, and that's it. You have to love those confidentiality agreements they make you sign. Wish I could tell you more about it specifically, but I can't. It did earn me a reasonable amount too, and was fun for what it was. One of the people I met there talked about other ways she has of earning money, including plasma "donation". I'll have to investigate that one more thoroughly when I have the time. I need to start thinking of some way to produce a steady income for myself. Comments: Yensid: I did ask you to send some of the white stuff my way not long ago, so thanks for doing that for me. It' practically all melted now, but it was nice to see. As I stated earlier, apparently, no one checked to see that the con got local media coverage, so no one locally knew it was even there. Other factors aren't known to me yet, but that one came right from the AnimeFF website itself. Lucky you, I don't even get cons near enough to think about going to them. sanzolover13 It certainly is a wonderful sight to behold. I love the snow, it reminds me of the Raymond Briggs picture book The Snowman (actually the animated short that was made from it too), and a Robert Frost poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening which I can recite from heart, and in a semi-New York dialect too! Outlaw Melfina: I'm no stranger to the evils of ice. I love the snow, it has a calming purity to it that just hooks me, and it someone seems to stretch me out of time when observing it. Most often when it is snowing, all other sound seems to stop, next time it snows, see if you notice that too. Angel Slayer: Actually that was the first time it's really snowed in WV where I am for several years. We've gotten a couple dustings, but I don't count those because the snow disappears in an hour. Valentine's Day, or St. Valentines Day epending on where you're from, isn't one of my favorite holidays either. I'm a lone dragon right now, and all that togetherness and true love, and romantic crap turns my stomach. when I find the right dragoness I'm sureI'll feel differently, but till then the holiday is a stessful bore for me. Aside from my getting behind in my art yet again, not much is up with me. whtdragon o_O; Snow Yoshies? Well I suppose that's on par with my snow alien heads. We don't get a lot here either, this was the first multi-incher in a long time in my area. Kiki-tink Since I'm not really sure what project you're talking about, I can't really respond with anything of substance. If you're referring to the money making deal, well, a one time thing is hardly a project because there's no guarantee of repeating. Shireishou I'm serioulsy beginning to wonder about your ISP, I really am. My guess is it's not easy to switch to another one either is it? Are there any others even available? I guess you'll have to put up with the lag, and site blocks, or try using a proxy site and see if that works around the restrictions. There are sites that let you browse the internet through them so that your ISP can't track where you've been online, or know where you're going either, it just looks like you've been on that one site. I don't have any names to recommend, but some archives from TechTV (now G4) might yield some information, if those archives are there anymore. Saving up for something necessary, or important to you is a good thing, it makes getting it all the better. I don't know what the format of the new Art of Otaku Sessions is going to be, so I'd wait till that comes out, maybe that version will be more practical for you to buy than the e-book first version. I don't think you could download it, it would take, well most of the day with your connection speed, it's a 40 MB file. I was hoping Adam would look into some options for making the CD available internationally (currently it was only available to US customers), I did offer him a suggestion relating to that, but time will tell I guess. I'll have to agree with that. If you have the make and model number of the MP3 player, I might be able to find an online instruction manual for you, not all manufacturers do that, so it's not guaranteed, but it's worth a look. I have seen that kind of thing before, so I kind of know what you're talking about. Always use a good external mic if you can(not all recording devices have and external mic jack), they generally give you better sound than a built in mic. I have a $10.00 Magnavox mic that I use for most of my audio recording, and it works great every time I've used it. A simple dynamic mic is all you need for basic to intermediate stuff. You don't want to get the kind that has a small preamp in the line, those just cost more and you have to keep putting batteries in the preamp, and they don't sound any better. The key word to look for on the package is dynamic, trust me on that, I know my audio equipment, it's a hobby of mine. Nah, that could open a really nasty can of worms with US customs, and I'd rather not attract unwanted attention to myself, or you by doing that. I'll give the demo a try and if I like the program, I'll save up to buy it, or just buy the Debut version if I see it in a store somewhere. Hop-Frog Lucky to get a wonderful sight for a change, yes. Lucky by having to shovel off the walks, well, actually I like doing that, so yeah, I guess I am. Well, given the paper I signed, I'll concur and leave it at that. Animé Dreams!

Points of Contact

Comments (10) | Permalink

Monday, January 22, 2007

MSTG: Obligatory Snow Statement - Rule 23

It actually snowed yesterday. A rare sight for WV these days, but a beautiful one none the less. Pictures from around my neighborhood, of things, streets covered in snow. They look wonderful. Those photos don't do the snow justice, that's for sure. It looks to be about 2 maybe 3 inches out there, but I'm not complaining. Now all that cold is worth having because of scenese like these. It's a nice winter wonderland, till the snow melts again anyway. Today I'll be doing something with the possibility of earning a little money, it's not really a job per se, it's a one time thing, but I hope it opens the door to other similar ventures in the future. I can't say too much about what it is I'll be doing until after it's done, but I will update with that info in my next blog post. Comments: Kiki-tink I hope someone who was there says something, there was a lot of publicity going into the thing, and nothing seems to have come out of the adventure. This mouse has had issues for a while, and one of the shorts in the wire finally decided to give. The mouse tried to open everything on my desktop before I finally unplugged the thing, I had at least 20 windows open. It's back to the lazy trackball mouse for now, hopefully we can pick up a new optical one at Big Lots or something. Yensid: The people at AnimeFF did the determinations of which artworks were featured in their live gallery, and since not many people from MyO actually went to the con, nothing is known about how that went, or what it looked like. The entries that came in after the 21 of December should have been DQ'ed on the spot for not making the deadline (I see the count has gone down since I last checked, so a couple pieces were removed, but there still are 3 with dates after 12/21/06), and people who enterened more than once should have only had one artwork featured to allow more space for other artists' works to be exhibited. those are the ideal conditions under which something like that should have been orchestrated. How Anime FF actually did it is anyones guess till one of the people who attended the con tells us how it was done. Adam did say: "Due to the small turnout and space limitations, we weren't able to feature all 300 entries. The convention organizers chose the entries that made it, we had no input." in his response to some comments Here, read the comments on that article, and you'll see it in context. I hope we know the winners soon, and I hope we get an indicator of who's artwork was featured. Outlaw Melfina: Yeah one of those. It's been on it's way out for a while, so it was a matter of when, not if. I just didn't expect the thing to go that crazy on me. alphonse13: I think Verizon was playing with something and didn't have the decency to tell it's customers they were going to be doing it. It's worked fine ever since then without problems. He does a good job avoiding it, which tells me something serious is bugging him. People always avoid serious issues that way. I hope for his own sake he lets it out. death alchemist03 It's strange because it's worked fine ever since it came back on. I don't know what the problem was, but it seems to have fixed itself. It's one of my favorites too, in terms of the work I've done. So do I. So do I. scorchbird12: I'm not that good yet, but I'm getting there. My sister had the Hibachi chicken, wich is like a teriyaki chicken and she let me take a taste, and it was good. She doesn't like rice so she got it with yakisoba, fried noodles, and she told me the noodles were good. I have to be careful with it, but the light is great for doing artwork under, things always look better in natural light, since I'm up at night, this thing will be a help in that area. It certainly is, but I hope I can manage to pull enough together to get it out there on my own. Going with a normal publisher is fine and all, but I'm a little leary of trusting one to handle my first novel very well. There's nothing wrong with looking up the lyrics to a song to get a deeper understanding of it. I do that all the time myself. I know what your saying. If a song doesn't move me, generally I don't like it, regardless of where it's from, or who sings it. It's a security thing for me, I don't feel out of place listening to Japanese music the way I do listening to a lot of American stuff these days. It's worth it, that's for sure. I've never played a co-op game, don't have the equipment to handle it. I would probably like that kind of thing, I don't really know. It depends on just how domineering the others on the team get. Too many cooks spoil the stew so to speak. sikaurai You two aren't the only ones who noticed that. I said before the entries after 12/2/06 should have been DQ'ed on the spot for that alone. It wouldn't be fair to the people who got their entries in on time to be pushed out of space for entries that came in late. I get distracted by things all the time too. He's put some work into the AoO Sessions (The ReImagined AoO project) lately, and it seems his mood is subsiding, but I'm still not 100% sure he's out of the woods yet. I'll keep my eyes on his posts and we'll just have to see what becomes of things. light shadow Yes, Adam (the one linked on my friends list) is the founder of TheOtaku.com and MyOtaku.com. His blog is the one to watch for sneaked in little tidbits of what's up and coming for the sites. I certainly hope he gets through whatever's bothering him too. If you're asking about the writing project I talk about often. It's not quite ready for publishing just yet. I have a few loose ends to tie up, then some polish work to do, and funding resources to locate first. When it's ready, this will be the first place I mention it's availability, and ways of going about getting it for those who are interested. KanuckGrrl That post was scary. I'd never seen him make a post like that where the subtext actually reads in as serious a tone as what was written. I hope he sorts out whatever's bothering him too. Start with your disc defragmenter, run that, if the speed doesn't pick up, do a virus scan. If you need Anti-Virus software, I recommend AVG Free Edition. I still have to get used to the ball mouse again, it's so slow compared to the optic ones. If your' mouse is just acting more sluggish than usual, pop the ball out and clean the rollers with some rubbing alcohol. It does improve the tracking speed of ball mouses. Hop-Frog We'll know soon enough. Shireishou That's a possibility I never thought of, I suppose it could be work related, his post was vague enough to go either way. I guess we'll know the truth soon enough. Art of Otaku is a great resource, but right now Adam's temporarily stopped accepting orders for it, probably till he gets the new version, Art of Otaku Sessions, off the ground. I'll keep my eye on that and let you know when things change. It seems like a lot, but my sister assures me it was a reasonable price. She's eaten there before, it was my first time, so I can't vouch for that. I did see the one clip you got up on your site, I'm glad to know you're able to upload some things like that again. Audio work is as much experimental as it is creative, so you'll have to work with the recorder you're using and try to get the most out of it. If you record onto the recorder then upload the files to your computer, check the compression on the recorder. If it's set up to make the recording time longer, then it's overcompressing the files which will distort the sound. Set it up for higher quality recording, which shortens the record time, but gives you better sound. Other than that, I'm afraid my knowledge of recording applies only to analog recording. I can tell you to find a recorder with a mic jack on it, so you can get a reasonably priced mic and plug it into the recorder. A good external mic is always better than the built in mic on any recorder. The "Big Business" software companies bring piracy on themselves by either not making their software available in certain markets, or by charging way too much for it when they do release it there. I can't say that I condone piracy, but if it's the only way within your means to get something, what can you do? I'm a big supporter of freeware, programs that people make and give away for nothing, but you can't always find good freeware to do what you want to get done (I'm still looking for a good text to speech program that's independant of the Microsoft Speech API, and a good voice recognition program also indepndant of the MS SAPI), so you do what you have to in order to get the job done. I probably should download the demo of Manga Studio, just to try it out, maybe I'll do that later. Mamma Vash: I keep up with Adam's blog to know what's going on, and up and coming with the site, though not everything he writes about pans out. It's an interesting look at the site through the eyes of the person who put it together. Anime FF was two times zones away from me, so I couldn't go. I would have liked to be able to see the art exhibit though. The internet crash had to be Verizon since it's not had any difficulties after it came back on mid way through the day it was out. The time it went down kind of tells me it was them doing something. The mouse just decided to be difficult and die on me while I was trying to navigate MyO, not pretty since it managed to pop 20 some windows open before I pulled it out the back of the computer. Not fun to navigate and close programs with the keyboard I tell you. I try not to think of the little monster as a creature because that would only make me hotter at it for not being good. Breakfast Squid Yeah, I guess Verizon was playing with something somewhere, it hasn't caused problems since then. Yeah, I hate to get rid of something that still works, so I never actually gave up the original mouse. It's sluggish compared to an Optic one, but I'll take what I can get as long as it works. No, I didn't get to the con, that's why I'm going stir crazy over that whole art exhibition. No one who was there has posted any info, and pictures of the exhibit were promised and haven't been delivered yet either. Those of us who didn't go will probably never really know the true extent of what went on. He seems to be getting over whatever was bugging him, either that or he's avoiding it, which wouldn't be a good thing. I'm sure we'll know soon enough. Animé Dreams!

Points of Contact

Comments (6) | Permalink

Friday, January 19, 2007

Odd Upload Time, Too Sleepy Earlier

Couple bits of bad luck to talk about today. The other morning my internet connection wnet down and it was out for most of the morning. Obviously it's back on now or I'd be really mad. My optical mouse also finally died, and it tried to open everything on my desktop before it went. Good thing I kept the computer's original mouse. Those things really need to be built better. A Dragon's Traits Hosted By theOtaku.com. I'm sure some of you remember my mentioning AnimeFF, the con that was last weekend, the one featuring the Breast Cancer Awareness artwork. Well, I'm a little worried about Adam(the site's founder), since he got back from that con he hasn't been himself. His latest posts seem to be filled with much more stress than usual, and he's avoided mentioning the con in any detail as well. I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure it had to be something pretty big to rattle him. I hope someone posts what happened soon, because I'd like to know why he's not himself. Comments: KanuckGrrl I know, it's so hard to get them looking just right sometimes. I'm taking my time with it so it comes out as good as I can get it. The delay won't really affect my wirting too much, I have 99% of it done, I just need to wrap the end a little tighter so the readers know that's the end of the story. Currently it kind of just hangs, like there's more to come. I was never as expressive in school with my leterary works, I kept things close to the vest. I have had my sister tell me I wrote well, along with others on various message boards where I've role played. I did do one really good story for the sixth grade, and believe it or not in looking back it was a Star Trek Fanfic. I can't find that story, I think the teacher kept it. I don't consider that gloating. Gloating is making someone else feel inferior to your skill in some obvious, demeaning way. To me it is anyway. I will try, and if I take my time with them, I will get them done in due time. scorchbird12: I haven't set a specific deadline for publishing yet, I do want to have the polish done by later this year. I think publishing is going to have to wait till I can investigate some writing grants first. Sushi isn't a dish for everyone, I just like weird things. Yeah, the lamp is a normal floor lamp, but the bulb is a specially designed fluorescent bulb. The light it puts out is similar in wavelengths to that of natural sunlight, which is good for people with certain types of depression anyway. You might try just looking around a