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Post by theinfamouspyro on Jun 30, 2005 1:22:47 GMT
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Post by theinfamouspyro on Jun 30, 2005 1:24:49 GMT
... Of the MonthMember of the MonthSubmitted by Patches and NickThis month, we (Patches and Nick) have chosen California as SSD's Member of the Month. The reason we chose California is because he has shown much dedication throughout the code boards. He fills many requests with good quality and in good time. His speedy replies and simple, well laid out coding is rapidly making him one of SolidSnake Designs' most well known coders. Well done, California.  Avatar of the Month / Signature of the MonthSubmitted by ArtosAvOTM: urbancinderella Doubt my judging methods if you wish, but I assure you that she did not receive this due to the fact that she is an admin. What I like about this avatar is that it is appealing to the eye, yet there is enough techy crap in it to please any trendwhore. Flower power.  SigOTMEquinox and Neko (tie) While one excellent signature is enough, it is truly something to create a myriad of them- and to do so for others. While I realize this is a fad, these sigs show hours of work and thought. From a arbitrary standpoint, these two sigs look modern and techy- all versions of these cards look amazing. I cannot stress enough how wonderful these are. Game on.  
Next month, I will be enacting something along the lines of the SOTW threads; more info when the time comes. Photograph of the MonthSubmitted by KariFlower by woodys is a wonderfully composed photograph that, while lacking a little in size, makes up in brightness, contrast and the harmony of the colours of the photo. When I first came across this photo, I loved it. The bright colours remind me that spring is set to come right after winter (yes, I’m suffering through the freezing cold of winter as of the moment) and it makes me anticipate the moment where I can finally stop having to wear gloves to school. Also, I love the fact that the focus is in the foreground of the shot and perfectly centred on the flower and that the background isn’t sharp. It draws the eye to the middle of the image, therefore the flower, where it should be. Nice composition, nice colours, and I love the way you’ve harnessed the flower here- it is front on and totally natural. Kudos on attaining Photograph of the Month, woodys, and keep shooting! Forum Quotes of the MonthSubmitted by Squall Leonhart
Unedited for authenticity!
Can you please get your hand off my backside?No.That's okay. I like it there.Jello and ShadowDepends what they're being rude about. If it's just them acting like idiots, I'll refuse to acknowledge their existence and they usually go try to clown about someone who'll actually tell them to f- off or laugh at them.
If they're being rude about something sensitive, then I usually give them a kick or two full-force in the shin. With my steel-capped boots.C130Can I hug you?Don't push your luck.FireTemptress and ArtosViruses are so over rated!
*computer blows up*KnightyNew Zealand beat us Lions. I don't want your babies anymore Kari.  PatchesBut, as it is, I stalk you all.
No, that isn't the damned wind.ArtosI would like to meet Squall so I could smash his head in with a hammer (insert evil laughter here)FireTemptressHey. I wear my girlfriend's pants..which are girl pants...so...I guess that qualifies as the same. ;DShadowI am going to slap the hell out of you when I get home.A._LeonYOU'RE NOT ONLINE CODE SUPPORT?
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oops.urban.cinderellaI don't even remember how to code anymore, so I have a real excuse now. ;DShadowI believe that you are underestimating the average proboards user. They aren't all idiots that just walk in and decide "Hey, I'll start a forum."When i first started using Pb, it took me a few days to memorize the UBBC and then i was proud, a month to learn HTML and i knew neither of these when i had a forum  Well you were one of the dumb ones Eric and ACoolieWill you still marry me if I'm the 40 year old man?urban.cinderellaIt's like herpies. One cheerleader gets it, soon half the college has it.A._LeonFamous Quotes of the MonthSubmitted by urbancinderellaNothing's impossible in life. For example, I never thought that I could shoot down a German plane. Last year I proved myself wrong.Grandpa Simpson What this country needs is institution, constitution and pros...perity.Winston ChurchillFor my birthday I got a humidifier and a de-humidifier... I put them in the same room and let them fight it out...Stephen WrightBuy land. They've stopped making it.Mark TwainWork is the curse of the drinking classes.Oscar WildeMy friend has a baby. I'm recording all the noises he makes so later I can ask him what he meant.Stephen WrightThe secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.Albert EinsteinWe can't all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.Will RogersI'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.Yogi BerraMan's mind, stretched by a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.Oliver Wendell HolmesI chased a girl for two years only to discover that her tastes were exactly like mine: We were both crazy about girls.Groucho MarxNever pick a fight with an ugly person, they've got nothing to lose.Robin WilliamsThe world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.Robert FrostWhy pay a dollar for a bookmark? Why not use the dollar for a bookmark?Steven SpielbergSkill is successfully walking a tightrope over Niagara Falls. Intelligence is not trying. Anonymous
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Post by theinfamouspyro on Jun 30, 2005 1:26:06 GMT
SolidSnakeDesigns General News
Submitted by Oliver
Once again it’s been a fairly busy month, though it hasn't been quite as hectic as the past few months.
We saw four new additions to our staff team.
Fire Temptress is the moderator of the “Ask the Expert” board. This board provides an informative and entertaining insight into SSD’s members and staff in the form of interviews. However, the board is not limited to those inside SSD. This may surprise some of you, but time has been taken to locate well-known and talented artists from outside of Proboards and SSD. In the coming months we shall work on finding some interviews with some talented coders too.
Two new mods are Nick and C130. They take over the Digital-Image-Duel boards together. This was an area of SSD which needed some improvement; so it has been split into three different boards to create a more organized feel.
We also welcome Eric who joins our new PDC area. PDC is a short for Program Development Coalition. That sounds really technical- so we called it PDC. It is so you wouldn’t get put off or have a seizure. The PDC creates PHP applications and scripts for your website.
A new board was also added. It is the Designers’ Lounge- a replacement for the rather dead Misc Programs. This was a necessary addition to the forums; since the coders have their own place, so it’s only fair the graphics designers do, too. In here you will find a wealth of topics varying from techniques, useful websites, and current projects. Those of you who require support with another program than Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop may also ask questions.
The heX games continues to progress, despite a lower than expected turnout in some areas. We shall see the results in the next few weeks when the designing category finishes. Prizes will also be dished out to various artists. This will feature in next month’s news. We are still looking for your input on ideas for coding challenges too; there is a thread in Coders Galore (or you may PM Oliver).
Finally, on the website: If you would like a blog, PM Oliver. Include some reasons why you want one. If you receive one, you must try to keep it up to date. I shall have a read of them before I write next month's article and the interesting ones shall be listed.
Outside of SSD, I’d like to briefly congratulate our former Administrators Alan, Ash, and Peter on being moderators of the new design area at Proboards Support.
Enjoy this month's articles.
~Oliver
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Post by theinfamouspyro on Jun 30, 2005 1:35:43 GMT
Movie ReviewSubmitted by PsionicThis month’s movie is full of action, excitement and drama. Let’s not forget about the lightsaber battles and Vader’s infamous breathing now. Although the transitions are junk, the music and special effects of Revenge of the Sith are just as good as in the other Star Wars movies. Yes, before you start calling me to tell me it is July and this movie came out in late May, I'd like to say that I am well aware of this. I chose this because by now all those who intend to see the movie have done so. Before this movie even came out, it had quite some standards to live up to. While Attack of the Clones was a nice improvement from the less than pleasing Episode I: The Phantom Menace, people were hoping Revenge of the Sith, or RotS for short, would be much better than its predecessors. To add on the pressure, people were crazed to make sure that every detail pertaining to how Vader came to be was shown. Now, I will give you fair warning guys, if you don’t want spoilers, I wouldn’t read the rest of the article. Ok, time to get to the movie. Sticking to its roots, RotS opens up in usual Star Wars manner with the scrolling dialogue with the classic Star Wars music. This was a nice touch, as we know Lucas could easily do better, but knows not to mess with the classic appeal. The movie opens with a battle in space where Anakin and Obi-Wan are on a mission to save Chancellor Palpatine who is being held captive by Count Dooku on General Grievous’ ship. A good opening scene since we get to see Anakin save Obi-Wan once again and R2D2 takes out some guards like nothing. The main commander of the enemy in the movie shifts gears often. In the beginning, Count Dooku is the main man, but within the first ten minutes, Anakin removes him from the picture. Enter General Grievous (who is part alien and part droid); he has collected the lightsabers of the Jedi he has killed. Anakin and Obi-Wan fail to take out Grievous and they end up plummeting onto a nearby planet. Later, Obi-Wan travels to the far edge of the galaxy and hunts down Grievous in a sequence, which is a favorite of many. The whole battle is ironic in a sense because Grievous has a thin layer of plating between his enemies and his heart. Fast forward once again, and Obi-Wan slices off each of his four arms like nothing, so Grievous went from four lightsabers to none. Obi-Wan deals the final blow by shooting Grievous in the heart with his own blaster pistol. With Grievous out of the picture too quickly, Chancellor Palpatine, or shall I say Darth Sidious, takes over. With the loss of Count Dooku, Sidious has planned to get a new apprentice- one “stronger and younger than Count Dooku.” From here on, we learn how Darth Sidious comes into true existence- that he is not just a hidden alter ego. We also learn why Anakin turns to the Dark Side in the first place. Anakin gets a vision in his dream of Padme dying in childbirth. Desperate to protect Padme, Palpatine tells Anakin that a previous Sith Master was able to save people from dying and Anakin desires this ability. Also contributing to Anakin’s change of heart is the fact that unlike the other Jedi, Anakin becomes selfish in many situations. During this time, the fates of all characters in the prequel become known. Mace Windu is thrown out of a window when Anakin interferes with his plans to arrest Palpatine. Also, in a sad sequence in the movie, the Clone Troopers turn on the Jedi by order of Sidious and shoot them down one by one. Yoda barely escapes a fight with Sidious while Anakin goes on a rampage and kills all the Jedi Younglings who are in training. As the movie approaches the climax, Padme and Obi-Wan travel to the planet Mustafar in an attempt to free Anakin from the clutches of the Dark Side. In an angry fit, Anakin uses Dark Force to choke Padme, who is saved by Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan and Anakin then begin a furious duel on the planet. In this emotional battle, Obi-Wan expresses his anguish about Anakin’s turn to the dark side and delivers what he believes to be the final blows to Darth Vader. After losing both legs and his left arm and burning, Anakin is believed to be dead, Obi-Wan leaves emotionally distressed. In the last minutes of the movie, Sidious saves Anakin and brings him to a medical center where his transformation into “Lord Vader.” Padme gives birth to Luke and Leia, but dies shortly afterwards since she has no desire to live any longer. Yoda goes into hiding, the twins are hidden from Vader and Sidious, and right after Vader draws his first breath, you get to see the Death Star in construction. With the end of the movie, Lucas employed the tone that Anakin’s generation failed to end the war and save the galaxy, but there is still hope with the births of his children, Luke and Leia. Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith receives a 4 out of 5. 
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Post by theinfamouspyro on Jun 30, 2005 1:39:54 GMT
Book ReviewSubmitted by FireTemptressHave you ever spent a week cramming in a book with over 500 pages, but decided that out of the week, you decided to cram it into the last two nights? But then on the first night, you got tired and set it down when you weren't even half way done, and then spent all day, since after school and before you went to bed, cramming in the mass pages you have not read? Well, if you were ever to do that, I would not suggest doing this with Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. Such a book takes time and patience in order to read, register and to comprehend. If you've read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, then you'll know what I'm talking about when I say that Midnight's Children is a crazy book and that it takes more than just two nights of cramming to actually read it and understand it. When I say it's crazy, I really mean it. The narrator takes you back in time to when his grandparents met, and babbles away their life before focusing on his own parents - who end up not even being his parents, before he even gets anywhere near to focusing on himself. Saleem Sinai, the narrator and main character of the story, was born on midnight, August 15, 1947, the exact moment India was declared independent from British rule. But you see, he wasn't the only one. A thousand other kids were, too. Because of this, they all apparently had a bond, and were "special," having "special" sorts of abilities. Saleem's special ability happened to be able to read people's minds and communicate with these other Midnight Children, as they became to be known as. It sounds good, yes? Summaries are quite deceiving. You're dragged into a tale of how Saleem's grandfather, Doctor Aadam Aziz, meets his grandmother, Naseem, by treating her with a drapery concealing her from view. He drags the readers into how his own parents, Ahmed Sinai and Amina Sinai meet - Amina being the daughter of Aadam and Naseem, but originally known as Mumtaz. And then big-nosed, snot-kid Saleem Sinai is born, but switched at birth, thus meaning he's not the real Saleem Sinai, but still with the characteristics of Aadam Aziz himself with the big nose and all. It is a tale of a man falling in love with the wrong women, having his snot sucked out of his nostrils and thus losing his ability to read minds forever - but every cloud has a silver lining. With one ability lost, he gained the ability to be able to smell things and emotions. He gets dragged into wars, he loses his memory only to regain it. It's a crazy book, and I would not recommend it. I despise it -- but that's simply because I crammed it in two nights for a book talk that I had for English. If you're up to a challenge, then I dare say go ahead and read Midnight's Children... but you've been warned. Midnight's Children receives a 2 out of 5.
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Post by theinfamouspyro on Jun 30, 2005 2:00:00 GMT
CD ReviewSubmitted by ArtosThis month, I review Mind.In.A.Box's Dreamweb. Two stellar CDs in two years. Dreamweb is the follow-up to last year's phenom, Lost Alone, and it continues to transform EBM. Like Lost Alone, Dreamweb blends all forms of electronica music into one experience; it just can't be classified. It blazes new territory in a places where other artists fear to tread. And this is what amazes- M.I.A.B does this with such beauty and elegance. Everything about this CD is magnificent. It's hard to explain how amazing this CD really is- it's just groundbreaking. Dreamweb combines the best of all forms of electronica (trance, rave, etc.) and presents it in each and every song. The transition from each style into another within each song is superb and just feels right. The beauty of this music is that it is so powerful that you can dance to any and every song, yet it is so mellow that you can fall asleep to it. The first song, "Tape Evidence," sets this mood, and all others follow suit. "Tape" is followed by the CD's first single, "Certainty," which is an excellent dance tune. "Lament for Lost Dreams" takes the speed down a notch, delivering a somber, enchanting sound. However, it is after "Lament" that the CD really picks up in pace- "Machine Run" begins with a surging guitar riff and continues with a mellow tone. The combination of these two sounds is incredible. "Loyalty" is standard EBM fare- a danceable, yet mellow track. However, it is the following track, "Sun and Storm" (the best on the album), that catches you by surprise. It is a thought-provoking, very danceable track with an amazing chorus and synth. The CD falls back into place with more mellow tunes that follow one after another. These songs - "Out of Time," "Dead End," "The Dream," and "Reflections" - are not bad songs at all, but they slow the CD down too much. In reality, they are forgettable. After these tracks comes "Between Worlds," a mesmerizing tune that has everything going for it. "Escape" finishes out the CD with a muffled bang. It is another mellow track and seems out of place next to "Between Worlds." If there is one negative thing that can be said about this CD, it is that there isn't much variety. It's all far too mellow; there isn't too much of a mix. This CD will usher in a new age of electronica- one that is not limited by its individual genres. Since the prerelease of the "Certainty" single earlier this year, other artists have been trying to emulate this sound, though none have achieved such. Dreamweb is a must for any electronica lover. It has everything one could want- and then some. It is also very approachable to those wary of this type of music; everyone who listens to it will be amazed. I cannot reccomend this CD highly enough, even in light of its mellow sound. This CD very well could be the Dark Side of the Moon of EBM- the single album that changes the way we look at the genre. Dreamweb receives a 4 out of 5.
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:31:10 GMT
Music Artist Review
Submitted by Artos
backandtotheleft
BATTL burst onto the EBM scene last summer with the excellent Obsolete. It pieced together the best parts of electronica with deep, thoughtful lyrics. Few electronica artists are able to leave such a positive impression with their first work.
Despite the fact that BATTL is still a young group and that they have hardly a year beneath them, they have the air of a veteran band. In true veteran fashion, the members of backandtotheleft are already working on their second album. Considering the insider buzz, it is sure to amaze.
They originally signed under Tom Shear's (of Assemblage 23) 23db label, but, due to Obsolete's success, they have since signed with Metropolis Records.
The re-release of Obsolete will take place in August- this time under the Metropolis Records label. The CD will feature a new track- a remix of their title song, "Obsolete." (The remix is done by none other than Assemblage 23.) This second chance for Obsolete will hopefully bring in new fans and more praise. BATTL deserves this- they have so much potential.
Nonetheless, the future looks bright for backandtotheleft.
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:31:42 GMT
Program Review
Submitted by Squall Leonhart
So the program review for this week will be Mozilla Thunderbird. It's Mozilla's attempt at an E-Mail Client (such as MS Outlook). I'll discuss some of its more prominent features and how it ranks against MS Outlook. Take note though that everything below is my opinion, while as unbiased as possible, it's not 100% so.
So first off, the very first thing you should notice when looking into Thunderbird is it's great small size. The download is only 5.8MB and the installation is only 19MB. This is one thing Mozilla does a great job on with all their programs, making it easy to download for anybody and small to install.
Some may come to be surprised when first running Thunderbird. Even though it's a very small program, it is just as feature-rich and user-friendly as you'd want out of an E-Mail Client. The first thing you'll see when starting Mozilla Thunderbird is a manager asking for you to setup an account. Thunderbird supports 3 types of accounts, E-Mail, RSS News & Blogs, and Newsgroup account. Looking at MS Outlook...it supports an amazing 1 form of account, E-Mail. While this is likely the primary reason you're using a client, Thunderbird at least allows you to expand its use and add in RSS Feeds, Newsgroups, etc. All things that are very great to have while in an E-Mail Client (Newsgroups especially).
Adding new accounts to Thunderbird is also a breeze. It's just a couple clicks away (Tools -> Account Settings -> Add Account). From the Account Settings page you see all the details about every account setup, the Local Folders, and your SMTP Server. When adding a new account you go through the familiar manager that you got with the first startup. However, on MS Outlook, adding a new account is easy but ugly. MS bunched everything into one page, making it bothersome to look around and find what you need to input and what you have already inputted. At least with Thunderbird it's set out into a series of pages, only asking for related information at a time.
The general interface for Thunderbird is also very sleek and easy on the eyes. Keeping folders in a very easy-to-navigate Tree Structure, it never takes more than a couple seconds to get the folder you want. One great thing which I was not expecting when using Thunderbird was its support for Extensions and Themes just like Firefox. So now you can customize the Client in a numerous amount of ways! I daresay, you can't customize Outlook much beyond folder layouts. Another feature Mozilla brought over from Firefox is the Customizable Toolbar. You can customize this to your heart's content, rearranging the buttons, taking buttons off, putting new ones on, adding separators, changing small icons to large ones, icons and text to just icons or just text. Looking around Outlook, I don't see this sort of power there. Its Toolbar Customization is quite pathetic, actually.
I love writing E-Mails in Thunderbird; it's just so well laid out. You click the Write button and a small and compact window pops up. Adding more recipients is amazingly easy, just type their E-Mail into one of the lines provided (more are added as you use up lines), make sure the drop down is set to "To:", and you're set. Decided you've got 50 recipients and want to add a Reply-To or a FollowUp-To line? Simple- just click one of the empty lines below your recipients, select "Reply-To" or "FollowUp-To" from the drop list, type in the needed information, and you're done. To do this on MS Outlook is extremely confusing. Adding multiple recipients requires you to open a new window with everything crammed together, very hard to read, and definitely not user-friendly. Then the amount of formatting and customizing that can be done with Thunderbird is great. It's very easy to add things such as Tables, URLs, Table of Contents, general HTML, HR Lines, paragraphs, lists, etc. However, this too is present in MS Outlook, will give MS that much. Which you prefer will definitely depend on person to person, as the differences in this category are subtle and not screaming MS or Mozilla.
The address book. Some of us nearly rest our lives on using this, as we so frequently E-Mail the same people. Well, Thunderbird does an AMAZING job making it easy to read, use, add to, modify, and generally work with. Add your own "Lists" to customize how your address book is organized. Add all the data you could ever need about a person. Modify it very easily. Using Mozilla's address book over MS Outlook is a definite plus. Outlook's is ugly, put simply. Tiny little buttons, a list block, and a couple input boxes. That's all there is to it.
Now onto the mail boxes (such as Inbox, Sent, Trash, etc.). At first look there isn't a huge difference between MS Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird. But give it a closer eye and the differences surface. One of the things I like best about Thunderbird is it's sort list. Sort by "Important", "Work", "Personal", "People I know", "Recent Mail", "Last 5 Days", and that's just a few of them. Then you can add your own Sorting, edit the pre-existing, and delete them. Move, Copy, Label, Mark, Print, Save, it's all done at the whim of a Right Click -> Point -> Click motion.
So I've probably gone on for far too long about this program now. I'll let you know though that I barely even scratched the surface of Thunderbird. It's truly a magnificent program and I'd prefer it over Outlook any day. Also, that might've come out a little more biased than I had thought of in the beginning. Ah well, you'll just have to trust me!
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:33:23 GMT
Game ReviewSubmitted by ArtosThis month, I'm reviewing Lumines , which has been hailed as the "modern Tetris ."I bought this game alongside my PSP. My cousin raved about it--- he said it was the "must-have" PSP title. I popped Lumines in my PSP as soon as I got home- and I haven't removed it since. Lumines is that damn good. At first glance, one will most likely get lost in the chaos of the multicolored blocks. It's hard to focus during your first few playthroughs- the game is a rave in itself. The graphics are colorful and crisp- even though all you really see are blocks. If you were to look beyond that, you see these amazing wallpaper backgrounds that react with the music and your moves. Everything here looks like it belongs in a PlayStation 2 game. The music in this game complements these astounding visuals. It's a collection of some of the best techno and EBM that I have ever heard. (The song "Lights" and the music of the level "Fly Into the Sky" stand out in particular.) The music is crystal clear- there is no distortion in it whatsoever. Also, to add to the "spiffy" factor: your moves create sounds that combine with the music. Every action has a sound- and it all sounds exceptional together. The gameplay is as addictive as it is challenging; it takes minutes to learn but ages to master. Again, a new player will be dazed and confused, but you begin to learn tactics and block combinations as your time with the game progresses. You learn much in the game's aptly-titled "Challenge" mode- and it is intense. The gameplay consists of placing blocks next to each other to create a combination of four adjacent squares that match. That foursome then disappears and all blocks above it fall down to cover the new hole. (Properly placed blocks can set off a massive combination that can clear the entire screen.) It doesn't sound like much to do, but it is harder than it looks. For example: oo xx <--- This is a block; it falls downwards. If the block were to fall onto... xx oo <--- ...this block, then this would occur.... oo xx xx <--- The x's would disappear. That would mean that... oo oo oo <--- this occurs. The o's would also disappear. (A combo!) But it isn't always this simple. The blocks come in different patterns (but always remain in their 4x4 shape), and it's hard to get them to form a matching 4x4. If you don't do some crafty placements, the screen fills up and you lose. However, even in defeat, Lumines rewards the player with new skins and music- which drives the desire to play more. Also, there are many more modes than just the Challenge mode. Each different mode (Time Attack, Puzzle, CPU Battle, and Vs.) each require different strategies to progress. (For example, in Puzzle Mode, you must arrange the blocks in a specific pattern in the time allowed. Considering the blocks disappear when they form a matching block, it becomes a challenge in itself.) However, if there is one tiny fault with this game, it's the controls. When things speed up (like they do in the later levels of Challenge Mode), it becomes harder to pivot the blocks. It may be more of a player error (and complaint), but it still hinders gameplay. Lumines isn't for everyone- those who aren't technophiles or drawn to puzzle games won't find much to convert them. However, both hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike will find something to enjoy. If you have a PSP, buy it. If you're wary about the PSP's price, wait for it to drop and then go in and snatch up Lumines. Lumines receives a 4 out of 5.
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:33:53 GMT
Gaming InsightSubmitted by PsionicA little over a month-and-a-half ago, the Electronics Entertainment Expo shut its doors for the last time in 2005. During that expo we got sneak peeks at the upcoming next-generation consoles along with new games for the upcoming fiscal year. Let's start with the next-gen consoles. It's easy to declare that the Sony Playstation 3 took the crown at this year's E3. Although it may look like a George Foreman Grill, there is no doubt that it had the best showing. Microsoft debuted the Xbox 360 earlier on a TV special broadcasted on MTV and left nothing hidden to be revealed at E3. Nintendo did show their new system, the Revolution, but kept quiet to prevent idea theft, like before with the Rumble Feature in the controllers. The information released that you will be able to download classic games from the past has turned attention to the Revolution, however. We'll just have to wait for Spaceworld '05 to find out more. There was some strong game detail at E3 as well. The upcoming Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess caught a lot of attention from both Nintendo fans and Sony/Microsoft fans alike. The game proves to be one of this years top-rated games, once it is released. With summer in full tilt, gaming is still going strong, but is pretty light for this year. Gamers can relish the upcoming Killer 7, Geist, Medal of Honor: European Assault, and Conker: Live and Reloaded, among many others.
Here are some quotes of what other SSD Members think about E3 and gaming in general: As for the Nintendo / Sony / Microsoft BS- does it really matter? For the love of GOD, shed your fanboy ways and embrace each for what they are: Nintendo for its gutsy moves and nostalgia, Sony for its technology, and Microsoft for its excellent 'Net interface. Prices (and food) be damned. Mark my words, I'll own all three.- ArtosWoah, that looks cool. It's simple, for like quick play, probably not for huge RPG's, but it looks great for the classics.
I'm not too happy about another Gameboy, Nintendo is just messing it up and eventually people will run out of Gameboy money. They're overdoing "Gameboy".- sugar.doggI hope it wasn't too bad of news. I am getting an Xbox 360 but having the PS3 drop in price = Xbox 360's price goes down. Just common sense. I don't have the money to throw out.- ienigma!I think that will get abused somehow...  I don't think its smart to allow downloads of games from the internet. Maybe demos, and extra content, but not games.- Equinox
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:34:45 GMT
Artos' Thoughts
Submitted by Artos
It's all just a damned land grab.
America is odd. They preach prosperity, yet they look only to the propserous. They leave behind those who cannot move fowards easily. America promises fairness, yet it often takes advantage of its own. America's forefathers only wished for the best, yet they have only created a system of havoc.
Within the Fifth Amendment [of the American Constitution], there is something called eminent domain. In essence, eminent domain is the [state and federal] government's right to acquire public or private property and use it for its own uses. For example, the government may acquire the rights to a house to turn it into a shopping mall.
After research, I can hardly find a fault with the process- it seems the best way to approach the matter. It all seems for the best; it seems legitimate. In fact, those whose property has been taken from them are entitled to "just compensation." This is nothing more than a monetary (though it can be something else) resolution.
But, as we all know, America's government has an uncanny ability to bend its own rules for its own achievement.
The problem between land owners and their respective governments today is this: only the poor have eminent domain imposed on them. Rarely, if ever, has the government moved in to take the property of an upper-class individual.
What. The. Hell.
Where does the government get off on taking everything that someone destitute owns? How does this power justify ruining someone's life? When will it end? How can we stop something that our nation was built upon?
I could understand if the government was taking the property to refurbish it and then offer it again at a slightly higher price, or, hell, even take it for military uses (though it would be infringing on the Constitution). What I cannot tolerate is the government essentially stealing the property.
From what I have seen, few who have had eminent domain imposed upon them know how it works; fewer can obtain a lawyer or legal aide who does.
Is this why the government takes from the poor? Because they cannot defend against it and the government can give whatever it sees as "just compensation?" (Hell, all these kitchen appliances are nice - mind you, that's one hell of an amount of whisks and such - but now I have no kitchen to place them in.) What is just? The government can give compensation that is lower than the value of the acquisition- and they often get away with it.
Sure, you can challenge the acquisition and compensation, but few (and I stress few) ever win. But, by then, it's too late; the government obtains rights before you go to court. Their primary tactic is to beat you down financially. They will make an offer far lower than the house is valued at, with hopes that the owner will go to court. Once there, they then strip the owner of his house rights, leaving him with only the right to the land. Considering that land is far cheaper than the home built on it, the government then can offer an even lower price- which still can be an unfair amount. By then, the owner has lost all heart and accepts.
Typical America. They've pushed so many other nations and peoples out of their land; it's only natural that they turn their greed to their citizens. Why stop a good thing, right?
The sad thing is this: private business owners are applying the same tactic- and they are succeeding. Where does it end?
Dispite what the government wants you to believe, these are not isolated incidents. Many states - Conneticut, New Jersey, and Colorado, just to name a few - are having a problem with this. Eminent domain is a real epidemic, and it is spreading.
Congratulations, America. You've screwed yourselves over again. When will you learn that it is the poor that need you? When will you learn that those are individuals whose lives you are ruining? Instead of being the champions of your people, you are their tormentors. You take, but you do not give. Why not do what you do best and go screw other people over; leave your citizens alone.
Hear that? Washington and Co. are rolling in their graves.
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:35:23 GMT
Helpful Graphic Hint No. 3
Submitted By: Virus
I once said something that I never thought was very quotable, but others seemed to like it. "Do what you know you can do, not what you wish you could do." It could probably upset many people, mainly those hardcore optimists who think that dreams are the only way to get anywhere and improve yourself. While this may be true, the hints I will be giving in this article follow closely with my quote.
I'm here to stress the importance of knowing not only your tools, but your capabilities and talents. It's imperative that you know what you're using. Alright, I suppose I should compare the two biggest editing programs around: Adobe Photoshop and Jasc Paint Shop Pro (PSP).
I often hear two main points that sway people from using one or the other. For Photoshop, I hear that it's intimidating and scary. For PSP, I hear that the interface is hard to figure out. I will just say that neither one is really hard, you just need to learn how to use these fine tools. Let's dig deeper into what I mean.
Photoshop
Photoshop can be intimidating when you first get it. But I contribute this to the price and reputation. It's really a simple program. All of your necessary tools are either on the pallet on the left, or below the layers on the bottom-right. Once you figure out what these tools do in their respective locations, you can basically figure out what results you can achieve. Personally, I don't like this. It often feels restrictive to me. But it's fast, easy results. There isn't much you can complain about on that.
Paint Shop Pro
Confusing interface? Not really. Old interface does a better job of explaining this one. While Photoshop has new icons and a more appealing design, PSP holds back with simpler icons and a look like it belongs with Windows 95/98. But it deserves no less credit. Hard to figure out and get results? I have never felt that it is harder to get results, but it does take more work. It's always been the belief of mine that if you can't get good results with PSP, you're just not trying. Many of the tools are readily available for you, but you do have to get down in there and work a tad bit harder than you do with Photoshop. Either way, I say that each has it's own highs and lows, and I believe a majority of the same results can be achieved from both.
I thought this was just something that needed to be said, and I urge everyone to not pass up either of these programs just because they may not strike you as perfect right away.
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:35:38 GMT
Styles of Art: TrendwhoreSubmitted by nickTrendwhore! Who doesn't love to make a trendwhore piece now and then? We all do. What we consider trendwhore started back with the signatures of Faintly There. He won many Signature of the Week contests with his style, and it caught on. Others started using the same style of text, the same style of background, and pretty soon all you saw was trendwhore. The trendwhore we see now consists of text using a one pixel border, a bevel, and a gradient overlay. Some types of text also use an inner and outer shadow. The backgrounds are sometimes just a cloud filter with some brushing and color additions, others are more complex using renders and brushing. As if right now, a new trendwhore is starting to take shape. That style consists of a sharply brushed background and plain text at different sizes. We owe this idea to Reedy. This style has quickly caught on around ProBoards, and we may start to see a shift in what trendwhore is.
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:36:39 GMT
Website Templates Part 2 : Making a Website Template
Submitted by Avtar
Right, now I'm not going to tell you how to make a template in Photoshop and then use the Save for Web feature (after slicing it and then putting it into your HTML Editor), because that's quite old now and everyone pretty much knows about it. If you don't, well, there are about a thousand tutorials out there that just talk about this feature of Photoshop.
What I'm going to write about is the creation of a proper website template. Remember that if you're a big hot-shot designer and disagree with my content, it's fine - I could be wrong, I could be right - but I'm here typing this because I've seen a handful of websites with different designs and I know what type of designs people generally like.
Now, let's get to the point.
Target: By target, I mean the age group of people you're aiming for. If you're making a website about Toonami and such cartoons, then you're basically just aiming at the teenagers and people younger than that. For such people, something flashy, something really bright and extravagant looks great; they'll love it. And when people rate your website and the design (and if they have any sense), they'll take a look at your theme as well. If you're basically wanting to aim at programmers, then a simple, fast loading, easy to read scheme is best, they'll love it and spend hours on your website. If what your website is about is a retirement blog service for women, then you're aiming at old ladies, who will like to look at flowers and birds and ponds on the template, not at abstract renders. Make sure you know what type of people you're targeting, as it makes a world of a difference.
Color Scheme: Another thing that is very important in a website template is colour scheme. A colour scheme can decide the fate of your website. Never use bright colours- colours that are really bright, like a lime green and yellow with a flash blue. It'll kill people's eyes and they're going to sue you. (Well, not really, but they'll just be really mad at you for having such a design for your website.) Nothing works better than a mix of shades of the same colour, or a mix between colours (between two and four) that don't really contrast too much with one another. You could also have a yellow and black design, as they look great, but, if you throw in a green, you've ruined your template. I always prefer mono-coloured websites that have a variation of shades of the same colour on them, they look nice and they're easy on the eye.
Text: This is the golden rule of text : your text must show. Avoid it as much as possible to have your content text on an image. It's very annoying when the colours of the text and the image mix and you can't make out what you're reading and you have to squint to see. Sure, it's fine if you're using grey scanlines on a black background and white text, then there won't be much of a problem, but if you throw in a penguin in the background, you're done for. If you want to throw in a penguin, make it a bit transparent and make it of a grey colour so that it does not mingle with the text. If you want it coloured, it should be very very light. Your text and your background colours must be the opposite. The more the difference between the text and the background, the clearer it is for people to read your articles and your content.
Design: This could be a little long and drawn out; bear with me.
1. Stocks: They're great to use. Imagine you're making a website on clocks and their working. Now if you have a render in the background of the head banner, with an abstract design on top with the text "Clocks" on it, not many people will be impressed with it. But if in the background of the banner you have a clock, the internal design of the working of a grandfather clock, the Big Ben, a man looking at his pocket watch, then people will be interested, they won't have to guess what you're website is about. Use stock images of clocks for this kind of website. It's not a sin or degrading to use a stock photograph in your website. Instead, it adds a lot to the website! So, if you're making a website about Graphic Cards, a photo of the Radeon 9800 nicely blended in the banner won't make much of a difference, but it'll make people sit up and notice.
2. Banners: This is of paramount importance. When a person opens up your website, the first thing that catches their eye is the banner. If it's not impressive, they might not take your website seriously at all and might browse through in uninterestedly. Make it nice, and make it good. Using a single colour in your banner is a big mistake, always use 2-3 colours if you can, as it makes it look alive. And remember, a square banner is OUT. It's gone, the fashion is dead of having a square banner, or a rectangular banner rather. Now, the in thing to do is, to have a little bit of the image, or a special part of the image, dropping down from the header. For example, an orb might protrude from the center of the banner to about 100 pixels below it. On the edge, a stock image of a cell phone might come down a notch. It makes it look well designed.
3. Columns: Distributing your website into columns is an intelligent thing to do. Always have two columns to your website at least, and if possible, add the third. (I quite like having the third column.) What happens with more columns is that it makes the page look a little filled up. In columns, you can display special images, special links, special affiliates or things you want people to read. You can, of course, also display your stats of the website in the columns, but do it only if it's impressive! Using more than three columns is not on, by the way, and always have the content column in the centre with the "Etc" columns on the sides. Common sense.
4. Footer: Your footer is the tail of your website; the banner gives a first impression and the footer gives the leaving impression. When someone is inspecting your website, they'll look at it from top to bottom and not bottom to top. Never make your footer too heavy on graphics. Something simple, something a little bit similar to the banner is good to have, and the height of the footer should not be more than 70 pixels at the heart, meaning that a little bit of it protruding up about 20-30 pixels is fine. And always enclose your copyright and template information text on the footer!
5. Menu Placement: Always place your menu in an area where it is visible, and, if possible, at more than one place. I've seen websites that place their menu in a table at the top of the content below the banner in a row, all horizontal to one other. This looks good if you're using images in the menu, not text. Text like that looks empty and horrendous. Remember, if you want a horizontal menu on top, always use images. Secondly, the top row in the first column on the left, should be the menu if you're placing text links. That's the ideal place for the navigation menu to be; it's basically the default, you don't want people hunting your website for the navigation links. Have horizontal text links at the bottom of your page (just above the footer). It's okay to have horizontal text links at the bottom of your page, but not at the top.
Well, that's all I can say about it for now; I can't really think of many other things to talk about. The usuals are, of course, common. Examples of such: the scrollbars should gel with the page design and should be of a similar color to the text on your page; don't keep your pages too long; if an article is big, divide it into sub-pages.
If you find this article useful, then to let me know; I could continue it in the next issue with some more detailed stuff.
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:37:13 GMT
Webmaster Reviews - Securing your investment!
Submitted by: Virus
Alright, this moves away from the traditional style of this article. Instead of comparing various services and brands, I'm going to talk about something a little more beneficial for everyone. This time, I'll discuss what to do in order to secure your files and content from that oh so lovely copyright infringement.
First, let's define what copyright is. This will give many of you a greater understanding of what you need to protect. I find the following definition to be beautiful in it's simplicity and quality of information. I cite this directly from Wikipedia.com:
"A copyright is a set of exclusive rights granted by government for a limited time to protect the particular form, way or manner in which an idea or information is expressed. Copyright may subsist in a wide range of creative or artistics forms or 'works', including literary works, movies, musical works, sound recordings, paintings, photographs, software, and industrial designs."
In the US, every original idea or newly created piece of work is now directly copyrighted the person (or entity, depending on contractual agreements) that created it. Worldwide, anything posted on the internet becomes the sole property of the person who posted it. But that's assuming that they were the ones that created it in the first place.
Even with these laws in place, it is still a good idea to always put a copyright symbol "©", followed by the date of copyright, in with your works. Also note: Anything placed on the internet is usually granted "public domain", meaning that anyone can use it. To avoid this, always include if anyone else is entitled to using whatever you have created.
On a final note, most of you probably will want exclusive rights, meaning no one else but you may use whatever you have done. For the coders/software developers out there, you may want to take the time to look up information on Creative Commons Licensing.
I hope you enjoyed this jolt from the normal flow of things. Happy copyrighting!
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:37:36 GMT
Helpful Coding Tip
Submitted by Infinite
Coding layout
In a previous edition, A_Leon covered the basics of properly spacing your codes when both creating them and posting them.
Spacing your codes properly gives off a professional aura, and it also tends to make coding longer codes easier since everything is spaced nicely and easy to find. Though spacing your coding is nice to do, making sure your code layout is correct is important and helps to improve your coding.
Checking for Specific Pages:
Making your codes page-specific using a simple if () statement helps to improve the loading time of web pages and codes. To make it so a code only executes on a certain page, check for the page using a simple if () statement:
if(location.href.match(/action=im/))
{
// Statements
}
That will make it so the code only executes on the private message page. This coding method is very useful in improving loading times because it only executes the coding on that page, rather than on multiple pages. For example, lets say you want to check for a table that has a width of 92% and a cellPadding of 4, you would do something like this:
var Table=document.getElementsByTagName("Table");
for(t=0;t<Table.length;t++)
{
if(Table[t].width=="92%" && Table[t].cellPadding=="4")
{
// Statements
}
}
On several pages of a Proboards forum there are many tables that contain those very same characteristics; to fix this you must get into more detail with your if () statement.
You may check for more characteristics of the table using the if () statement, or you may use the checking for specific pages method we talked about above. So let's say we want to check for the same table - but only on the private message page - we would do something like:
var Table=document.getElementsByTagName("Table");
for(t=0;t<Table.length;t++)
{
if(location.href.match(/action=im/))
{
if(Table[t].width=="92%" && Table[t].cellPadding=="4")
{
// Statements
}
}
}
By using an if () statement to check for that certain table on that certain page, it helps to load other pages far more quickly, because rather than the browser check for that table on every page, it will only check for it on the private message page.
Proper Placement of Loops:
In the above code we had this:
var Table=document.getElementsByTagName("Table");
for(t=0;t<Table.length;t++)
{
if(location.href.match(/action=im/))
{
if(Table[t].width=="92%" && Table[t].cellPadding=="4")
{
// Statements
}
}
}
which is a common mistake many coders, including myself until a short time ago, make. In the above code you may notice that the for() loop is placed outside the if () statement that checks for the page. When executing a for() loop, the browser checks the whole page using that loop, so rather than having it check every page, we can make it so it only runs the loop on that specific page by simply putting the loop inside the first if() statement like this:
var Table=document.getElementsByTagName("Table");
if(location.href.match(/action=im/))
{
for(t=0;t<Table.length;t++)
{
if(Table[t].width=="92%" && Table[t].cellPadding=="4")
{
// Statements
}
}
}
This is true anytime you are using multiple loops, the browser will execute the loop all the time, unless you use an if() statement to specifically tell it when to execute the loop. You may also use such things as break; to make it so a loop only executes once, rather than running through the page fifteen times, but that is for another tutorial.
So you see, being precise and careful in how you code helps to improve your coding and also improve the loading time of your codes by doing such simple things.
Thanks to Hechizero for teaching me this in the first
place.
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:38:23 GMT
Coders ReviewSubmitted by Squall LeonhartSo, the script being reviewed this week is Hechi's Menu Bar Modifier, which can be found here: - Click -I choose to review this script because it's something people have been talking about for ages now. It shows great use of the DOM, which Hechi has really been taking advantage of in all his scripts lately. Also just generally well-written, proper variable names, use of objects, and plenty of other factors as well. People should be pretty content with this script, it allows for the reordering of menu links, deleting or adding of new links, and choice of images or image links. Also, Hechi has included the ability to specify changed to specific skins only, which is a huge bonus as people have really been looking for scripts that allow this lately. Pros- Use of DOM - Proper Variable Names - Use of Switch Statement (instead of If Statements, which most PB Scripters would've used) Cons- Honestly, I can't find anything that stands out to me. So, all in all, this script is very well written and looks to be very well received by people as it's amazingly useful. Been looking for something that does this? Well, Hechi's script is perfect for you.
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Post by urbancinderella on Jul 1, 2005 4:38:38 GMT
Up and Coming ScriptsSubmitted by Squall LeonhartLooking around the boards today, I honestly do not see any scripts that are in planning, at least not for ProBoards. Shin's Project CrossFury has been completed and submitted. So I suppose I'll take a small turn this month and discuss something that's not quite a script, but an entire web applications. This being Graeme's forum. I'm honestly lost with the name now, as it has been changed so many times, but I'll assume it's being called "Forum Plus". This application is looking promising, with Graeme making it very well-known how it's going as he frequently posts about it. There is also a live demo of it going on, which can be found here: - Click -. Now, if all the customizing done on that live demo are indeed standard and nothing client side was added, then this forum system should be very well received (Remotely Hosted or not). The live demo looks to be coming along smoothly, with features being added quite frequently. Now, granted, it's layout isn't a lot different than ProBoards (in basics), but the layout is very well-done, so it's no wonder that Graeme decided to go with it. So, people should definitely look forward to this coming out, looks very promising. Hopefully Graeme sticks with it to the very end.
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I don't think its smart to allow downloads of games from the internet. Maybe demos, and extra content, but not games.