Gender •
Male Location • Within the System Member Since • 2006-03-01 Real Name • Shane
Personal
Anime Fan Since • Tomorrow! Favorite Anime • 1: Evangelion, 2: Ghost In The Shell, 3: Ergo Proxy Goals • To Continue Improving Hobbies • Drawing, playing the guitar, breaking my computer Talents • Arts, musician, all round agitator
myOtaku.com: Pleiades Rising
Welcome to my site archives. 10 posts are listed per page.
A Post for All and Some
Long time no see -- or is it read? Whatever the case, I thought that I should update my post. It's time to throw the old one out, and let this one stagnate for a while!
I noticed the fan-manga hub, and that interests me. I might have to submit something to it. I have an idea, but I have to flesh it out with details and art. Hopefully something comes of it, but I don't expect to submit anything soon. If anyone is into cyber-anime, this should appeal to you! Hopefully my idea does not collapse under its own weight!
One more thing, what does the word "otaku" mean to you? I've been thinking about this for a while (mainly because of some articles on this site). I might make my next post a long post on this issue. I think it deserves the attention, but I'll see if I can pull this idea together in a manageable manner, suitable for a post. I want it to be like an informal discussion, rather than a dusty, dry analysis. We shall see, eh?
Sorry for not visiting as much, but I make a bee look like a loafing teamster on a hot July afternoon! (Translation: I'm busy -- very busy.) See ya next time.
Stuff
Ergo Proxy:
I've been waiting for the box-set to be released before I buy this. I didn't want to buy this one DVD at a time.
Logic:
Crazy stuff, man! It's somewhat difficult (understatement), but it's beyond interesting. Frege is my logic idol! Having a basic knowledge of it really helps when approaching other fields of study. Comments (4) |
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Friday, June 15, 2007
This is not a Title
What are you obsessed with lately? My obsession is with books. Actually, this is not a new obsession; in fact, it is a fairly constant obsession in my life. I like to read--simple as that!
I'm mentally juggling three books right now and I have three more lined up, waiting to be read. I'll admit that I'm slightly intimidated at the task of reading G.W.F Hegel's Reason in History. Max Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism gave me enough problems! A mix of lengthly sentence structures and new concepts (new to me, that is) is hard enough to decipher, but he also mixes in words and phrases in German, Latin, and Hebrew! Not to mention that the collection of footnotes at the back of the book is longer than the main essays themselves. I salute your academic Weltanschuuang, Weber!
Magazines are also in the reading mix. I enjoy astronomy as well, so I'm also reading the magazine Astronomy. One of the issues contains an interesting article on Dark Matter. I like the subtitle of one of the articles: "Astronomers can't answer a simple question that a child might ask: What is the universe made of?" Bartusiak, Marcia. "The New Dark Age of Astronomy", Astronomy Oct. 1996: 36-39.
Last, but not least, I'm reading articles that I've saved from the internet. I thought Edwin G. Boring's The Psychology of Controversy was both fascinating and amusing (an amusing article on psychology!? Believe it!) No one can diss like scholars can. Also, after I've finished reading various articles on sociological theories such as Dependency and World-System Theory, I feel like protesting--with a dash of rioting--against the capitalist supermen (who stand beyond economic good and evil!) at a G8 summit. Fortunately, my evening tea-time won't allow it.
That's all for now, so I hope to visit as much sites as I can. Remember, what are your current obsessions? See you all in a couple of days time (or weeks, months, years, aeons. With me, who knows? I'm like a comet and no one knows my orbit!)
STUFF
Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid
I was caught off guard by how "intense" this anime can be. I knew it had some decent mecha action, but I didn't expect the tone to be that mature. I'll have to admit that I like this series.
The Fountain
I like Darren Aronofsky's movies, and I haven't seen this one yet. I've read some highly mixed reviews about it ("thought provoking viewing" to "existentialist nonsense"), but I'll make up my mind when I watch it.
Television: The Critical View
This is one of the books that is waiting in line on my reading list. Critical essays on television? I'm sold! The essay writers drop more names than 90's gangsta rappers. Stuart Hall, Noam Chomsky, Marshall Mcluhan, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Roland Barthes--these are some examples. Also, when I was skimming through this book, I'm fairly sure that I saw a reference to Jean Baudrillard's work. (Perhaps I was merely fooled into "seeing" his name. Moreover, am I also guilty of the same charge of name-dropping?)
Marshmallows
I don't know why I seem to have so many varieties of them, but I do. Plain marshmallows? Check. Toasted coconut marshmallows? Check. Marshmallows shaped into words? Check. My toothbrush is going to be more busy than ususal.
Possible profile addition
I'd like to see something else added to our profiles. In addition to our favorite anime, hobbies, talents, and so on, I'd like to see "my influences". Visual artists could add their influences (I'd add Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and Mokona Apapa), and those who appreciate written works could add their influences as well. Noam Chomsky would have a place on my list, as well as Jean Piaget. The potential is endless. I chould even add film directors such as Terry Gilliam and David Fincher. Issac Assimov, take your place on the list. You too Stephen Hawking! Mr. Reznor, step to the front of the class, and bring Beethoven with you. Of course, my list would not be complete without Aikawa Nanase.
Within a system
In the words of Asuka from End of Eva
"I'm still alive."
I've been very busy lately, but I had time to update and turn my site back on. Hello to all!
I'm at a library right now, trying to find a book on logic. Why does logic have to be so hard? I'll figure that system out in due time.
I couldn't update any new pics, but I should get around to that sometime in the future. Maybe in a couple of days, weeks, or months. I can never tell when I'll return on a more consistent basis, but I thought I'd stop in and say hi. I must go now, so I'll see everyone in the undeterminate future. Sorry for not making this an interesting post, but I'm in a hurry!
STUFF
Max Weber "The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism" - Very good book! It led me to the following book.
CLEAN THE ASHES WHERE HE USED TO STAND
Okay, I finally have time to update this thing. The trip was not bad, and I managed to finish the pencil sketch for the contest. When I arrived home a couple of days ago, I spent two days painting the pic non-stop. I submitted it roughly 3 hours before the deadline! How's that for really pushing the envelope? I just wish I new when they judge the contest. I should also mention something that some of you might find slightly strange.
Right now my entry is sitting at 62%, and I have to admit that I am quite happy with that rating! It was even lower on the day it was accepted. It was 50%. Since this is entered in competition with other pieces of art, I can understand the low rating. I'm not too sure if anyone has a 100% rating. It also started off as a Death Note pic, turned into a Read Or Die pic while I was sitting in my tent. It then evolved into an original art which I was finally satisfied with. I should mention this too. I do not want anyone voting on my art just for the sake of increasing it's percentage. With this art, I am not interested in vote totals or high percentages. Thank you, and sorry if I sound kind of odd regarding this!
I'll leave you with a random situation I had when I was camping
I had no milk for my cereal when I woke up. However, I did have chocolate milk...and milk is milk right? So I poured myself a nice big bowl of sugar coated puffed wheat mixed with chocolate milk. That was the greatest bowl of cereal I have ever had!
STUFF
Read Or Die OVA-I just bought this DVD. How could I not love an anime starring a main character, Yomiko Readman, who love to read? She also has cool powers over paper. I'm hooked!
Holidays In The Sun
I'm going to vanish for roughly a week, or more. Why? I'm going camping! I finally made up my mind, and I've been deciding this for around a week now. I've got my clothes already packed, and now I just have to decide which CD's I'm going to take with me. I'm also going to take a notebook with me and do some writing, and finish the sketch for the contest. I should be back either next Thursday, or Friday.
There are going to be a whole bunch of other people there too, so that's gonna be interesting. And I do mean lots of people...tents as far as the eye can see. I really need this break, and it'll help clear my mind. I should be done the sketch when I get back, and I'll look forward to visiting all of you again. Oh yeah, my mascot Spacegirl is also going on vacation too, so that's why she'll be missing from my avatar. She needs a rest too! Thank you for the avatar AngelBest Dream.
I just hope it doesn't rain every day when I'm there.
BE ALL, END ALL
I now thought of what I might draw for the contest. I might draw something Death Note related because I can't seem to stop thinking of Death Note. I hope I can draw a decent sketch, and if it looks good, that's what I'm gonna draw! At least I thought of a concept, so that's pretty good for me. I noticed that there is aleady a whole bunch of contest art already up, so I better get moving.
Do any of you ever wonder what happened to things like common courtesy to fellow humans? I think too much, and it won't go away in my head. I'm quite thankful that all of you keep me sane (no matter how insane you think you may be!), so thanks. I think I will stop from commenting on most submissions for now.
Here is something ya can't understand.
I just have to type, cause it's all I can do for the moment. It's been a strange couple of days regarding some submissions on this site. How does one speak to another in a perfectly clear way without killing the idea? Maybe I just gotta stay away from commenting on submissions for now. I'll work on something else.
Like what? The fanart contest! Did any of you see it on the main page? I think I might enter it, and I have plenty of time to come up with something. The deadline is July 31, so hopefully I can find motivation between now and then. I hope that some of you also enter the dragon...uh...contest. That's all for now cause my mind has blown a fuse. I gotta go read to clear my head...
STUFF:
The Chemical Brothers-The Private Psychedelic Reel
No Need For A Title
I sure wish I could replace all the grass is the yard with cement. If it were up to me, I'd just pave the yard! I really don't like cutting grass, but I had to do it yesterday. It's so much fun pushing a heavy lawnmower in the hot sun, even if was the evening! One good thing is that after I'm done, nothing in the worlds tastes better than plain old water.
I actually wrote an essay on cutting the grass. Don't ask. I even drew a 48 page manga about cutting the grass! I drew it two years ago. I only have the rough sketches now because I threw away all of the drawings. The art was just plain bad! It started out with some kid cutting the grass, and then it ended with a massive fight with an invading alien force. It also had mecha in it. Needless to say, it was very very odd. I should draw it again just to see if I can do it better this time.
It's amazing how I can find inspiration from such a boring event. Does anyone ever find motivation to create something from boring things like this? Maybe it's the common eveyday stuff like this which really hold me together. Maybe I shouldn't pave the grass after all.
STUFF: (all music, and only music!)
Sex Pistols-Rock Around The Clock
Daft Punk-One More Time
Plastic Tree-National Kid
Dah Da Candy 13th-Like A Melody (Dancing Kmarl Mix)
5.6.7.8's-Bomb The Twist
Nailbomb-While You Sleep, I Destroy Your World
Guitar Wolf-Jet Generation
Orbital-I Wish I Had Duck Feet
Godflesh-Slavestate
Here's the worlds shortest video. It's loud, fast, and extreme to say the least. The video is only 3 seconds long, but this runs 7 seconds. Don't watch if you don't like angry music. Parental Discretion is advised.
The Aim Was Song
I've had something on my mind for a while now, but I've never expressed my views towards it.
I feel that now is the time, so please try and follow me. Ichi,ni,san...go!
I comment on fanart, as do many of you too. I also comment on articles, and have been doing so for a couple of months now. I've noticed some differences between comments on both types of submissions. The main difference is the ability to express one's comments with clarity. I catagorize myself as a fanartist, so anything having to do with visual arts submissions is my main priority. If I see artwork with potential, I comment on it. So far so good, except for one problem. Constructive criticism.
Constructive criticism is a tricky thing to do on fanart. I think many others may share this similar viewpoint with me. First I should say this about the term "constructive criticism". What this essentially means is it is an analysis for the sake of helping one advance in his/her own craft. Criticism does not have to be viewed in a negative light, but can be taken in a good way. Truly helpful criticism is a good thing, if one is willing to view it in as such. Now, having understood that, I move along to my thoughts towards commenting.
Fanart is something that can be appreciated right away. It is visual, and can connect with the viewer immediately. He/she knows right away if it contains worth, and warrents a comment or vote. However, what does one do with the artwork that is lacking something? The average response may go something like this: "You just simply leave a comment on the fanart explaining why something looks odd, or is misdrawn." That is true enough, but I find that it is not enough to merely point out what is wrong with a pic. Too many times I've seen comments on fanart which use this method of trying to be helpful: "The proportions are slightly off. The hand looks a little weird." The commentee is indeed trying to be helpful, but leaves no examples for further use. The creator is then left with a comment, but does not exactly know why "the hand looks weird". I admit that I tend to do this too. I will explain later my reason for doing it, but first I must cover the relation between fanart and article comments.
I enjoy artwork, but I also have an appreciation for articles too! I mainly have to thank some of my friends who are article writers. Kastom, being one of my longtime friends, is one of the reasons why I like articles more than I did before. Reading his then lead me to read other articles and so on. I'm even learning how to focus my comments on articles to be relevant! I dislike giving writers "hi-fives", because I find that it won't help them learn anything. But, I do NOT like leaving harsh critical comments on their work. Again, I've seen some harsh comments on articles which are some of the least helpful/encouraging comments ever. Exactly how helpful are comments like; "This article lacked feeling. I would have written it differently myself" or, "This subject was above your head. Try it again next time". (I've never seen these types of comments on fanart interestingly enough. "I would have drawn it this way!" or, "This was too hard for you to draw". It seems to be connected only to articles). But what the commentee doesn't want to realize is that he/she did not write the article! Instead of leaving a well worded critique, a short destructive paragraph is left instead. I tend to set up camp in the "long comment" park! Why do I do this? I don't do it because I want to dazzle other members with my own comment, but I want to writer to understand that I actually read the article. I paid attention, and here is how I interpreted the article. I want to leave something helpful to the writer, or at the very least, acknowledge the work that was put into the article. With articles, I have room to leave such comments if I feel capable of doing so. I am given this room because articles are in a written form, and lends itself very well to wordy comments. Fanart, on the other side of my arguement, is another matter altogether.
Sure, I can leave a very long explaination on why "the proportion is off", but what if the artist in question cannot take the words that I have presented, and establish a picture of it in his/her mind? Here is the problem that I find with fanart comments. Some need a visual aid to see exactly what is mis-drawn in his/her artwork. I can leave the longest, most detailed comment ever on a piece of art, but it will all be for naught if the artist cannot grasp the ideas, and cannot think in an abstract form to put the pieces together. To put it simply, if I left a comment on fanart like "The angle of the forearm should be parallel to the horizon to produce a more dynamic pose", it would require that the artist is capable of picturing this situation in his/her mind. What if the artist has a hard time picturing angles, and perspectives in his/her mind? What if they are not quite capable of such abstract thoughts? I find this problem easier to work around when leaving a comment on an article. Writing can be explained in the simplest terms, and can also be explained in the highly abstract. Writing does not necessarily need concrete objects, or visuals to get an idea across. That is the advantage of leaving comments on articles compared to fanart. Fanart needs visuals to a certain extent. That is the purpose of art class, and "how to draw" books.
I don't think my comments on fanart can ever be truly effective in it's purpose of trying to be helpful. I cannot provide visuals, which I do not need when I comment on articles. I envy articles in that way. Perhaps I'm just over-thinking the matter, but it always pops up in my mind from time to time when I view submissions from both crafts. I do not like the idea that I am able to be effective on some submissions, and fail on other submissions. That is why I can never effectively leave a good critical comment on fanart. Having said that, I don't think I will always be ineffective on my comments. There is always room to learn, and if that room is there...I'll take it.
Note: I can also apply this idea to fanfiction as well as articles.
INSPIRED BY SEVENTH SANCTUM
I had to take a little break for my computer for the past couple of days to sort some things out, so apologies to all whom I couldn't visit. Life has an annoying habit of intuding on my personal life.
Who else has a vivid imagination? I do, so when I found this site called Seventh Sanctum, I got very carried away with it! It's a site which can randomly generate names. Visit the link, and this post will make more sense. I visited it, and then ended up spending 45 minutes on the site generating random names of weapons,attacks,anime names, etc. I ended up making up an imaginary anime series with my time! It went like this...
The name of my anime is this: "Resurrection Interface". Not a bad name! Kind of like a cross between "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "Ghost In The Shell".
I also have cyberware! I don't know what it does, but it's called the "Cranializer". Sounds kind of impressive in a scary kind of way.
My weapon is called the "Actionhacker". It sounds dynamic to say the least.
I even have a martial arts move. It is called the "Clutch of the Fourteen Athletic Thieves". Long titles rule!
This is my anime power. I shout this out before I attack my enemies: "Holy Angelic Apocalypse Flash!!!" I added the '!!!' for extra effect. It sounds intimidating to say the least. Evil would hide under mountains to avoid this attack!
My mood is "Very Hateful". Really? I guess I'm an anti-hero. Even better!
Now this is my non serious questionable attack. This was my favorite! "Correcting Bacon Treatment". Really?!
I even gave my avatar image, Spacegirl, a magical girl name! Her name is "Brilliant Blaster Lady Spacegirl". Now that's a name!
Her anime power is the dreaded "Pulsar Super Reaction Assault" I imagine she'd say that before she wiped out an entire galaxy!
Her martial arts move is the fearsome "Chaos Pose of the 100 Compassionate Diviners".
Her weapon is the "Waveblaster", and her mood is "Courageous and Hostile". If we're a team, we sure are one angry team. All the better to battle with!
And lastly, her questionable attack is the "Blasphemous Complaint". That's an attack I'd love to see work with mine!
Thanks for reading all of this nonsense. It's the only thing I ever type, so get used to it!
The Aim Was Song