The Herald: September 2005 Edition

Well, everyone, it’s that time again--- the time where Ollie tries to fill a page of MS Word with some news. Although, it’s not just any kind of news. It’s my news--- and don’t you forget it, young soldiers.

Again, this month has seen a lot of changes to SSD. If you’re wondering why we make so many changes each month, it is to keep you, the members, with something new to experience. (If you’d feel kind enough to donate some money to us one day... I suppose we’re allowed to dream; haven’t made a rule about that one yet.)

Firstly, I’d like to welcome the new editor to the Herald--- he will be working with Kari, UC and Artos. It’s always good to have an extra pair of hands around the place. He's also an Australian.

This month we have been working on getting SSD linked up to some top affiliates. It’s not as easy as you think. We aim to add a couple more to the list. Not only will they bring in other people from outside Proboards, but these sites help you out, too.

We have also lost a member of staff. Squall, who has played a large part in SSD over the last year or so, is no longer an administrator. He's remained as part of the Herald Staff, and will continue to act as a member of the community.

On the subject of former administrators, Alan has kindly set up a new chat room on DeviantART for you all; it’s much easier to use and access than the previous one. We have a central chat time of 9PM GMT. See the forum announcements for details. That means you may have to move your mouse to another topic, I know, but you need the exercise. It won’t hurt you.

Peter also very kindly created a new code for the Duel Board; if you win a battle you will get 10 points. There is also a leader board with the top 10 members, which updates weekly. Isn’t that nice? It was amazingly fun to test; it made my afternoon.

Last month I mentioned about the Year Book. Each team member has been working hard on preparing the content for it. The Art project has been released to the community so you can take your own role in the yearbook. We also have biographies and personal messages being released soon afterwards. So yes, we get to see you draw something in Paint and poke into your private life.

The observant amongst you may have noticed that we have re-ordered the boards. Oh my, what confusion and mess this has caused. We like surprises at SSD, simple as that. People tend to think we’ve been cracked or something when we go into maintenance. Amusing. We have made full use of the sub-boards feature to try to slim down our appearance and have also added some new boards, which I will explain about.

Fun Zone: think of this as your place to make less serious topics and games for others. People are even making camels made from straws; you should do too!

Resource Clans: Many wanted original clans back, but from our past experiences, it wasn’t a success. C130, Nick and Eternity have kindly agreed to organize it themselves; you will find them making lots of useful templates and other resources for our website. This provides the artists with some important practice and the others get to have a helping hand with the website.

I do have a couple of quick rants and raves for you though. That means you sit up and pay attention to every word I say.

The next version of SSD: People have been asking about it and saying we should change skins. However, like a lot of things on SSD, they tend to come as surprises, so if we were working on it...we wouldn’t tell you. And if we weren’t working on it...we still wouldn't tell you.

Secondly, people have been asking about members getting promoted. There is a promotion or two on the way. However, it won’t be just yet, so you can stop asking about that too.

Thirdly, I’m not sure how many of you look on the website but there are regular news updates there, so when you see something new, head over there immediately instead of asking questions on the forums. Set it as your home page and I may reward you with a free bag of potato chips that are six months past their use by date. Yum.

I have staved off your hunger with those potato chips and quenched your thirst with knowledge...this is the end of the news. Good night, and enjoy this month's edition of The Herald.

~ Oliver

I'm sure you've all heard about Oliver's (our lovely administrator) obsession with monkeys. We all know him, we all love him (some more than others), but do you really know how this green-lettered man spends his day? I think not. So I've decided to lead you all down the path of enlightenment...

7:30 AM - Wake Up
It may be hard to believe, but this monkeyboy actually gets out of bed quite early and heads off to school. Don't let his normal appearance fool you; he's still a monkeyboy at heart.

After nudging Maggiepoo* awake, he climbs out of bed and the two begin their usual grooming habits which include picking the fleas off of each other and eating them. I will not specify which does what job. Grabbing an extra bit of nourishment and tossing on some suitable human clothes, the monkeyboy is off and ready for his day at school by 8:15.

8:35 PM - Arrives at School
After a fifteen minute bus ride which may or may not include this lovable monkeyboy trying to groom some pretty girl (and consequently getting slapped), Ollie is all ready for a day of learning! He hikes up his skirt uniform and heads straight for a nationally funded chance to groom even more pretty girls.

His first stop is French. Having learned early that this was the "language of love", he entered eagerly into the course, always looking for more excuses to groom pretty girls. The joy of speaking in a way that resembles a combination of spitting and public drunkenness kept him interested, and he is proud to assure everyone he can now order a croissant from the snottiest French waiter in town.

Next the primate trots off to his Computing class. There, he sits down at a computer and... computes. His opposable thumbs really help his wpm, and he's easily one of the top in the class.

And lastly, the monkeyboy has Business. While I am personally convinced this is to better understand the tall skyscrapers he may one day be scaling...he has assured me this is only an attempt to prepare himself to take over the world. Whichever it may be, the monkeyboy gets through his class, packs up his books, and after a last few minutes of desperate pretty girl-grooming, leaves for home.

3:25 PM - Returns Home
Brushing off all traces of his grooming, he returns home to his loving Maggiepoo and assures her of his innocently-spent day. He gives her a quick hug and heads for SSD to take care of his adminly duties. I'm sure we all know exactly what goes on there. I won't repeat them for legal reasons.

6-7PM - Dinner Time
Hungry from his tough day, Oliver now joins his family for his nightly meal. Having recently protested the use of a cage and peanuts, he now seats himself comfortably in a chair and swallows down plate-fulls of pizza (banana prices having skyrocketed recently). Giving a quick thank-you belch, he soon returns to his porn job on SSD.

12-1 AM - Bedtime
Oliver then finishes up his evening with some music, television, or quick visits with friends. To keep his monkeyboy habits a secret, he makes sure to include this attempt at normal behavior part of his daily schedule.

Tired from his day, the monkeyboy soon prepares himself for bed, showering and going through a lengthy grooming with Maggiepoo. He then curls up in bed with his lovely female counterpart beside him, snoring his way into the next full day.

*Maggiepoo also known as Maureen.

Slamming her door shut and turning the lock, Carrie Johnson made her way up to the brick building that she had been instructed to meet in with her fellow jurors. Ascending the brick stairs that led to the front entrance, she reached out and flung open the double doors. After a bit of a hassle with the security guard, Carrie took the elevator up to the fifth floor.

Upon entering the room marked "Case #59, Jury Room", she turned her head at an angle to catch a better glimpse of the guy with his head resting on the table, as well as ten others who were sitting at the other end of the table staring at him.

"Don't move!" one of the women said in a quivering voice. "If you don't move, it might not become a real issue."

"How the hell can you say that?" spat another woman - her name tag read Lizzie.

Looking a bit confused, Carrie exclaimed, "What is wrong with you two? My gosh he's just sleeping!" Moving to the other side of the guy - that was when she saw what had been making the people in the room uneasy. Thick, red blood was oozing down the side of the guy’s temple and dripping in a puddle onto the carpet. Gasping with shock, Carrie's knees almost buckled under her. "Why is everyone just sitting there doing nothing? We need to call the cops!"

"No! If you do that then we will all end up dead," sputtered another guy. She leaned over to read his name - Sean.

"And how the hell do you figure that? Unless you had something to do with this."

Narrowing his eyes, Sean threw a piece of paper her way.

Fingering it before actually looking at it, she quickly scanned the contents of the paper. On it read the following:

Like the look of blood? You better get used to it. I will contact you all through random communication. If you call the cops or let this slip to anyone outside of this room, you will all be dead sooner than you think.

- The Killer

Shaking, Carrie dropped the paper. Then something on the back caught her eye:



Eyes darting around the room, Carrie became very silent. The others in the room were just as quiet.

Lizzie stood and started pacing up and down the room.

"This is stupid. I'm going to the bathroom." Sean rolled his eyes as he moved from his seat to the door that connected the room that they were in to the bathroom. The door swung shut behind him.

Without any warning at all, the lights in the room flickered and then went out. Moving quickly, the killer took action knowing that he or she only had a limited time before the lights turned back on. Grabbing Carrie by the arm as she let out a high-pitched scream, he covered her mouth. The killer grabbed a mug, smashing it into pieces over her head, then took a knife out once she was quiet, and slit her throat. She dropped to the floor dead.

The others looked around, wondering why the lights were out and who screamed. Sean came out of the bathroom. "Why are the lights out? Here let me find the switch." Those were his last words, as the killer took the same knife he used on Carrie, shoved it into the upper left hand area on his chest, killing him almost instantly. Wiping the blood carefully onto Sean's trousers, the killer then stuck it in a safe hiding place within the shirt folds. The killer threw a piece of paper on top of Carrie's body. Taking back his or her original spot before the lights went out, as soon as he/she sat down, the lights hummed and flickered back to life.

Lizzie was the first to speak, "Isn't this a county building? It shouldn't be having troubles with lighting," she complained.

One guy that had on a name tag that read John, pushed back his chair and her a cracking sound. Cautiously looking behind him, he saw that he had indeed backed his chair up against Carrie's body, managing to crack one of her ribs from the sudden force. John’s face drained of color as he saw the pool of blood circling Carrie's head. He leapt from the floor and onto the table in shock. As others eyed him curiously, not being able to see Carrie's body yet, another woman named Mary, accidentally stepped on the hand of Sean. She let out a scream and then fainted. Everyone was in a state of total shock. Another juror named Andrew spotted the piece of paper that laid on top of Carrie. He bent over to retrieve it. Scanning the paper quickly, his eyes started to dart around curiously.

"Is anyone in this room a bicycle mechanic?" Stumbling forward, a scruffy looking guy named Ryan came forward.

"Yes I am. Why does that concern you?" Andrew gladly handed over the paper.

It read:



At the bottom was a drawing of a guy bent over a bicycle, fixing it.

Ryan looked around at the others surrounding him. Silently he folded the paper and set it on the table.

"So where do we go from here?" asked Corey as she helped Mary to her feet. Kristen and Cassie then helped her into a chair.

As soon as Mary sat down, the lights flickered off once again. Kristen started to hyperventilate and backed herself up into what felt like a corner. Moving quickly and quietly the killer made his way past Kristen, and over to Cassie. Sneaking up from behind her, he covered Cassie's mouth with his hand, and dragged her into the bathroom away from the others, hoping that they wouldn't hear anything. Cassie started thrashing her arms, and legs trying to get away from his grasp. Managing to get the knife out from his shirt, he cut her on both arms, from wrist to elbow. Howling in pain she collapsed to the tile floor.

The killer got right up in Cassie's face, "Don't fret precious, it'll be over in no time." Sneering, he stood back up. Trying to scoot herself towards the door, Cassie passed out from so much loss of blood. Raising the knife to his shoulder level, he brought it down, not one, not two, but three times. And finally the third incision to the chest did its job; she died instantly from it. Rinsing the knife off in the sink, he then quickly took out his cell phone and sent a text message to Lizzie. He then exited the bathroom, and took the position he was in when the lights went out.

Almost instantly they turned back on, and Lizzie's cell phone started beeping. It startled her at first, but she then realized that it was her cell phone. Slipping it out of her pocket, she flipped it open, read it, and her eyes started to bulge out.

"Lizzie? What is it?" asked Kristen.

"What does it say?" Corey asked, curiously eyeing her.

"It's a text message from the killer," that got the attention of everyone. They looked on eagerly, wanting her to read it. So Lizzie began to read it:

Jethro Tull - This Was

Written in the summer of 1967, Jethro Tull's breakthrough album is a stunning blues/rock fusion with a searing blend of styles backed up by Mick Abrahams' incendiary blues guitar lines.

Recorded at a cost of only 1,200 Pounds Sterling, the album took off to become a runaway hit, partly due to the more bluesy feel and Eric Clapton-esque guitar rather than the progressive-rock style they were later known for.

The highlight of this album is, without doubt, the brilliant Cat's Squirrel. Recorded in one take, it was the result of a live jam between the members of the band and features some stunning blues lines that inspired the likes of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.

This is a stunning album and is a must-listen for any fan of rock music.

Few games feel like games anymore. In this era, games are praised for their realism. They are not so much games as they are simulations--- they lack the essence that they once had.

It is a gift to find such a game that truly feels like a game. Dynasty Warriors 5 throws reality to the wind in exchange for epic million-to-one man battles. It’s easy to pick up, difficult to master, and addictive as hell.

Set in [Romance of the Three Kingdoms-era] China, the game is as much a History Channel show as it is an acrobatics extravaganza. This game is a hack-and-slasher, pure and simple.

DW5’s graphics aren’t entirely perfect (some FMVs look sub-par), but they do the job. The colors are rich, the models very lifelike, and the special attack effects mesmerize. However, there is a massive amount of pop-up--- even at close ranges. Also, the enemy character models are constantly reused; this offers little variety to who you are chopping up.

The sound package is a mixed bag. The guitar rock operas that play while you let loose mass chaos are amazing. The sound effects are excellent. The ambience is just stunning. However--- the voice acting is simply horrendous. Granted, some actors are excellent (Zhao Yu, Sun Jian, and Cao Pi stand out), but most are just godawful. Upon closer inspection, most of the voice actors are familiar names from many beloved anime. You wouldn’t know it from listening to the VO here. It’s just…bad.

The gameplay resonates “fun.” Its genius is in its simplicity. You just mow down enemy battalions with your oversized (and exaggerated) weapon…while looking totally cool doing it. The attacks can be mixed to suit the current fight--- certain button combinations execute certain attacks. Some are meant to slice-and-dice through one tough enemy, some are meant to give you breathing room amidst the sea of foes, and some are just overpowering.

The game is addicting in the sense that it revolves around upping your character’s stats and weapon to its fullest potential. The method in doing so is simple, yet well executed: you kill “boss enemies” and collect items. It sounds boring, but it isn’t. The bosses are supremely strong, even on the lower levels--- they’re so strong that you’ll have to replay some of the first few levels to become strong enough to even fight them. It becomes addicting because there is always that “drive” to excel and overcome. It also comes from the desire to be anal-retentive and collect every last item possible. These items do many things--- they vary from boosting your attack or health, adding a special attack attribute, or allowing a tiger to fight by your side. To make matters worse, there are scores of playable characters--- every has a specific story.

The story itself revolves around the disintegration of the Han Dynasty and the turmoil that ensues. Three great kingdoms--- the Wei, the Wu, and the Shu ---are vying for power; each character has a part to play in the story. Despite the aforementioned questionable VO, the stories are wholly engaging; it’s always exciting to see how the characters co-exist.

If anything bad is to be said about this game (VO notwithstanding), it’s that the Officer and Bodyguard editor has been axed. This limits player choices to those characters that the game offers.

Despite its faults, this game is absolutely excellent. It is a must-have title; you won’t regret purchasing it.

Dynasty Warriors 5 receives a five out of five.

We see it every day. We see people suffering; we are told of how and why. We are warned that this could be our fate; we must either preempt or prevent. Our saviors are our destroyers. We cannot stand for ourselves.

Slowly, they draw us in; we are never released. Like a moth to a candle, we are drawn to the horrors of society. We become entranced at the chaos; we begin to loathe it. Our anger eventually turns into fear; we begin to fear everything, even at a subconscious level. They, the media, have succeeded.

The media tries to create a story that plays off fear. They do so in order to reap the rewards--- money and fame. It is easier to keep a human in fear than in any other emotional state; humans fear so many things. By capitalizing on these emotions, the media lures their consumers in and keep them there. They offer a small sanctuary--- a place where the consumer can learn about the evils of society without having to actually be there. The media arouses the curiosity of the consumer, frightens them with “reality,” and offers solace by offering scapegoats. The consumer, in turn, abides by what the media has to say and continues to fear said scapegoats.

The media uses cases that could potentially be bad or harmful and then creates a sense of danger on an apocalyptic scale. To do so, they use statistics provided to them (even if they are faulty). It is what they do with these statistics that often creates these fears--- the media uses them in a way that is beneficial to the story itself. They use it in a way to make the story have more importance than it really does. In the end, this information only creates cause for fear--- and that is what the media wants. Fear is control; control is power.

My argument is this: the evils of society do not need to be feared. The only thing to fear is the prophet of doom itself--- the media. The media is important to society, but it is misleading and prompts panic. It is our window into the world; they show what should not be shown. While it is true that these things happen, they do in such a small frequency that it hardly warrants attention. There is no need for paranoia over something that rarely ever occurs.

The reality is that there is no cause for alarm. These things happen, but that is a part of life. There will always be some horrible thing out there; we cannot allow it to control our lives. We cannot be told what to fear. We cannot let someone hold us in fear. We cannot allow someone to dictate our lives. We cannot be afraid to go outside and experience life. We cannot be afraid of our very existence. To do so is to succumb and give in; there is no hope for a society that is afraid of itself.

Script Name: Sub-board Head/Base images
Script Author: A._Leon
Script Location: - Click Me -

I've chosen to review this script because from what I've seen around different support and request boards, this one will be welcomed by plenty. There are scripts to add head and base images to your regular boards, so why not for the sub-boards? Well, Jim (A._Leon) has solved this. And, one huge benefit to picking this script for the review is it uses the DOM...and I'm a huge fan there.

This script shows great practicality of the DOM, which I've noticed Mr. Alien has been using a lot lately (hmm...Peter's influence?). The syntax is clean, the variable names aren't random and useless, it's easy to read through and through.

Pros

Cons

I actually couldn't think of what to put as a Con, so I simply mentioned the brackets. They're fine how they are, I just didn't want to put "Nothing", I did last time. Anyways, over all, people will be pleased with this script. Nicely done Jim.

Ah, the great two questions of being a webmaster:

"Do I want to run a message board?"

And....

"If I do, what message board should I go with?"

It's not always easy, and the choice goes way beyond just a simple "yes" or "no" decision. You see, there are some key things you ought to look out for when you're thinking of whether you want/need a message board for your website. What are these key things? Well, I'll bring a couple things up in this article, and hopefully by the end of it you'll be able to make a wise decision on both of those questions.

1. Type of Website

2. Size of Website (Visitors)

3. Really Needed?

[/b] needed? Suppose you have your own systems set up to take in support questions, feedback, and maybe some overall involvement. At that point I'd say you don't need a message board, on-site support and involvement is generally quicker and even easier than a message board. But, on the other hand, suppose your forms of support only include Email and IMing (through AIM, MSN, etc.). Then a message board would be very useful, and recommended really. Glance over how well your members get support, how quickly they're answered, and what mediums you offer the support on. If those are limited, then you're likely in some need of a message board.[/ul]

Okay, so, you've read through those three sections, and you've decided you want a message board. Well, now you're in a whole different realm of questions.

"What message board to go with?"

And...

"Should I host it myself?".

I'll go over both these things in two separate sections now.

Hosting It Yourself...Or Not

[/i] run a message board on your own server or not depends greatly on you and your site.

You

Your Site

Paying?

[/ul]

Which To Use...

[/b]

[/b]

[/url]
YaBB SE (Free, Unsupported)
Invision Power Board (Paid)
vBulletin (Paid, Recommended)[/ul]

Perl-Based

[/url][/ul][/ul]

Remotely Hosted

[/url]
SuddenLaunch
HyperBoards
Ezboard[/ul]
[/ul]

Finding the Center

Have you ever wondered how to find the exact center of a document or layer in Photoshop? Well, if you have yet to figure this out, maybe I can help.

To find the center of your document or layer, choose Select > All, and then push Ctrl + T. You should now be in the Free Transform mode; you should now see a crosshair directly in the center of your document. Hit the Escape key to exit out of the Free Transform mode, or right click and choose Deselect.

Another way of doing it is by selecting the Move tool. At the top click in the box that says Show Bounding Box. You should now see a crosshair in the middle of your layer.

I hope this was helpful.