The Herald: February 2007 Edition

[The Herald]

It's February, already. January flew by, *whooshing sound*. Anyways, this edition is about 1 1/2-2 days late. I'm sure all you understanding, kind souls can understand that I was sick for the past 5 days. To top it off, I had to take care of some other things at Studio Zero...yeah, blah.

Wheee. Well, apologies go to two Herald writers again this month, Pandora (again), and Kai. It's now 7:28AM, Friday morning, and I haven't slept all night. I've been working on the Herald. So what do you presume happened? Yep, that's right a mistake. I forgot to two articles on the cover image list. But, the two articles that aren't listed were, Rich vs. Poor: An Internal Debate by Pandora, and PHP Desktop Applications by Kai. So there are the links. They're in the edition, just not on the cover image.

The cover image this month was found by Oliver, thankfully. I was scrounging around and was about ready to go and torture someone into making a decent one because frankly, my graphic skills are not what they use to be. It's a stock image, with the added text of, "Happy Valentines".

*bangs head on desk* None of you, (save a few) know what it's like to do this month after month. This month has been hectic for me, and the Herald is directly at the end of the month, yet a month long project, basically. Tonight, I've about murdered Firefox (is that even possible? o.o), and then I about kicked myself for the near, but not as bad, same mistake I made last month. So, since I've been up for...*looks at clock and calculates*...22 1/2 hours, I'm off to bed to get some shut eye seeing as I'm still coughing constantly from my illness.

I'm done complaining. Enjoy the Herald, and if you find any mistakes anywhere, more than likely thus was due to me and my inability to think clearly tonight.

Go on dorks/dorklets, go and post saying, "Good job!" or "Nice edition!" in the comments thread, and frolic in the jammed packed Herald edition this month.

Kay, is going to sleep.

[The Herald]

Once again, SolidSnake Designs would like to wish the following a very happy birthday.

<Dishwasher Safe>	2nd
[Net]	10th

If you have a birthday the month of February, and it is not listed, then you're tough out of luck. You should have posted. Have a great month, everyone!




Avatar Set 8 by Chase is a really cute set of avatars that show various emotions. What is really good about this is that smilies are used to portray the emotions. We all use smilies to add what we are feeling to our posts, and now we can do that in avatars too.

Another great thing about this set is that they come in different colours; blue, orange and red which is great because it shows the strength of that emotion also. (blue for when you're confused, but not as much as when you use the red confusion avatar).

The actual layout is good too, the smilies are well made and blend well into the gradient background. The pixel text, while I feel it could have been moved down a few pixels is easy to read. I also like the border and the faint diagonal lines that run across the background.

Overall a well executed set of avatars that I think would work well on a blog.




Right, so it's that time of the month again. Wow, can't believe I just said that... Anyways, it's time for me to decide whose writing deserves to be featured this month. Meaning I spend four hours trying to decide logically, can't, and then throw a dart to choose.

This month was especially difficult, as a new flux of writers came aboard. Whee! Welcome, fresh meat new writers, who we will treat with respect and not subject to initiation!

Now that I'm done teasing the n00bs (can't believe I said that, either), I'm going to give LotM to a pseudo-n00b's piece. Yes, that's right, this month's LotM goes to carnival girl. by Firetemptress. Congrats, FT!

carnival girl.
by Firetemptress


she's going crazy -- kindasorta, anyway.
she thinks, maybe she's only losing it a little,
she thinks, maybe she's only losing it a lot.
she's going crazy in a mental-heart-ache-kinda-way.

her mind's displayed on the canvas,
various colors streaked across the surface;
red, purple, pink, black, brown, gray: all intermingling;
red, purple, pink, black, brown and gray all bleeding.
bleeding.

her heart's scattered across the gravel,
countless shards of glass strewn along the road.
the sun glares off the pieces of her heart,
glinting prismatic colors; the corners jagged and sharp,
and bleeding.

her life's put on show in the latest movie release;
a 'guaranteed hit,' advertised on commercials and previews.
she's the latest attraction; the latest movie star,
so everyone can watch her smile, laugh, cry,
and bleed.

she's the latest freak coming in with the carnival
--the carnival's in town, did you know?
people come and gather to see the broken girl.
and they all watch and marvel as she smiles and laughs and cries,
and bleeds from her heart and eyes.

she's going crazy -- kindasorta, anyway.
she thinks, maybe she's only losing it a little,
she thinks, maybe she's only losing it a lot.
she was broken down piece by piece,
and she thinks she's too broken to fix herself.


I love this poem. The kindasortas, the masterful altered repetition... It's all just magnificently done. My two favorite lines have to be:

"she thinks, maybe she's only losing it a little,
she thinks, maybe she's only losing it a lot."

They just... speak volumes. Excellent job, Firetemptress.

Judge's Note:

This month we had a wide variety of Avatars and Signature images for me to judge, and it was a marvelous endeavor to do so. It was difficult coming up with final verdicts, but I wholeheartedly believe the winners deserve their titles. So on with the show...!

- - - - - - - - - - -

Avatar of the Month

The competitors:



- nest!




- `seventyx7



- Deschizö



- Crazy


Winner:

All avatars were nice and eligible. The two with animation were the first to be eliminated, as they were not as genuinely created as I would have liked them to be. The verdict came down to nest! and Deschizö. Deschizö had a unique style, but it just was not as proffesional as I would have liked. It seemed too bevelled for my taste. Nest's image was simple, but it had a nice angle. I feel the border was a bit cliched, and maybe a small signature would add flavour.

And so the winner is: *drum roll* nest!

In the end it was the cute figures, and the brilliant angle that won me over. Congratulations nest!, and thank you to all other participants.

Signature of the Month

The competitors:



- Deschizö



- White.Night



- [Net™]



-Mukei



- kpSm tOink..! c",)



- Crazy

Winner:

Obviously more stacked than the AOTM section, the judging for Signatures was a lot tougher. All signatures were unique, but it eventually boiled down to two signatures: White.Night's and Crazy's. White.Night's had a very unique colour scheme, and the boxes were a nice touch. However, the colour, as nice as it may have been, was far too light and painful for the eyes. A deeper pink would have sufficed. Crazy had a very unique signature, which is generally part of the new proboards tag "Revolution" involving major smudging, and abstract composition. I felt a border was much needed, as the tag felt incomplete without it.

And so the winner is: *drum roll, yet again*

Crazy!

At the end it was the simple uniqueness of Crazy's signature that took my vote.


Again, congratulations to the winner, and thank you to all participants. If you lost today, do not mourn, for there are many months in SSD's future in which you can participate, and hopefully one day win.

"Band tees.

I make electronica look sexy."

"Oh, you did that? Thanks, man. Good job."
- Artos & pandora

"And the last thing the big drug companies wanted was to lose their share of the ever lucrative disease industry market, to more affordable medicine made from marijuana or other natural ingredients because, check this out, you can't own and make money off a patent for medicine in this country, unless the medicine has chemicals in it. If it's all natural ingredients, you can't patent it. Maybe that's why we don't have access to a cure for cancer or AIDS, or why the health food store I go to keeps getting harassed by federal authorities for selling herbal medicines."
- craig56

"EDIT: n00b, you stretched the board. "

"Yes, I'm submitting that as a quote. Why? Because, for anyone with a real resolution, it didn't stretch the board. >.<"

"The background is dynamic. The width of the centerpiece is fixed. You stretched the boards . My resolution is 1280 x 1024, just gives me more padding on the left and right, but the center is the same width on any resolution. It's fixed, the rest is dynamic.

Silly n00b ."
- Kay, Arty, & James

"I type with purpose, and I speak with such.

Every word- both online and off -is calculated."

"Is that why your Math is so terrible?"
- Artos & Mukei

"That neck piercing looks... creepy. "

"Dude. That's not my neck. "
- Kai & c130

"Lets be frank, if he had failed and they had both died, people would be talking about what an idiot he was.
The difference between heroism and stupidity is only success."
- bryanic

"Sak, religious folk invented the seven deadly sins, and they're all guilty of every single one of them."
- c130

"America, tough on porn, hard on kids - all night long. "
- bryanic

"No, 'cause Tom Brady is a bastard."

"I hope you choke under another three feet of snow.. ._."
- Artos & Ryan/Psionic

"At least one person has believed me so far.

You are going down.
Well.. maybe.

But trust me people, Sean is a little bitch. The absinthe thing was the funniest Sean's been ever. And Stuart drinks absinthe constantly."

"But the Baron hides it online better. We don't know him in real life. So we are voting based on what we see on SSD. The Baron comes across as well thought and level headed, etc. CM comes across as a little less...balanced."
- bryanic & pandora

"Thatcher is ugly.

Discussed."
- Artos

"Like he needs yet another chance to be egotistical. "

"Die in a fire, please and thanks. :3"
- Ryan/Psionic & Artos

"I haven't taken a bath in 4 years."
- Josh

"(wtf is paragraphs -__-')"
- wickednessie

"Our memo system's a little behind.
Just like your mother."
- urbancinderella

"I smell loser.

'Allo. "

"Yeaaaaah well I smell dorks.

A whole lotta them."

"you gotta stop smelling yourself. it's a bad habit. "
- Mitch, Firetemptress, & elpeef

"... but I'm open to Barbie Girl if only b/c I think it would be pretty hilarious to hear Artos playing "I'm a Barbie girl..."
- urbancinderella

"Did I mention the pure hate mixed with a garnish of malice topped with a dressing of unadulterated evil? Severed by Satan?

The original working title for Wonderwall was:
'The Demon screams in the night sky, Wilde beast answers.
War Has Come.'
I swear listening to it condemns your soul to hell"
- bryanic

"I wouldn't call slowly killing the person next to you, a particularly social habit."
- Internet/Web/UserX

"Somewhere, the English language is crying itself to sleep."
- Artos




With February 14 bringing Valentine’s Day, I thought it’d be a nice theme to use for the famous quotes of the month. For this month, quotes have been themed around love and friendship.

“Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke.”
- Lynda Barry

“The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Perhaps the feelings that we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows a person who he should be.”
- Anton Chekhov

“It isn’t kind to cultivate a friendship just so one will have an audience.”
- Lawana Blackwell

“Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love.”
- Charles M. Schulz

“There is always some madness in love. But there is always some reason in madness.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche

“Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.”
- Jane Austen

“There is no remedy for love but to love more.”
- Henry David Thoreau

“It’s a lot like nature. You only have as many animals as the ecosystem can support and you only have as many friends as you can tolerate the bitching of.”
- Randy K. Milholland

“Love is the big booming beat which covers up the noise of hate.”
- Margaret Cho

“There was the definite process by which one made people into friends, and it involved talking to them and listening to them for hours at a time.”
- Rebecca West

“Gravity. It keeps you rooted to the ground. In space, there’s not any gravity. You just kind of leave your feet and go floating around. Is that what being in love is like?”
- Josh Brand & John Falsey

   Based on a true story, Hilary Swank stars in this film as Erin Gruwell. A young, un-experienced, and naive teacher who steps into a school and teaching position that's definitely a challenge for the first timer. But Erin doesn't stop. Her class is full of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians that are mostly affiliated with gangs. One group of kids wants to kill the other. They each have a moving story behind them though, and Erin wants to reveal that story.

   Being told that you can't do something pushes you over the edge, and makes you accomplish it anyways. Exactly what Erin does. She was told by the Principal, and the Vice Principal that there was no way to get her students to connect, to open up. By using money out of her own pocket, Erin manages a field trip for all of her students. They get the chance to meet Holocaust survivors, to see what hatred against another ethnicity can do, the scars it can leave.

   At the end, these individuals pull together to become one group, a group that can set their minds to anything and achieve their goals. A group that can go outside of the classroom and make a difference. Erin achieved her goal of making a difference within the classroom. Their final project: The Diary of the Freedom Writers. A book of all their diaries put together, all their trials and mishaps that placed them on the road that Erin found each of them on.

   I cannot stress on how many high schools suffer these kind of antics. Students that don't connect, students that literally hate each other. This movie is the beginning of a difference that'll be made across the USA, and hopefully across the world. I more than recommend seeing it. If I could, I'd send everyone a copy of it.


Rating: 5/5

[The Herald]

Welcome to February, yet another month that has gone so quickly. The main aim of this article is to fill you with cement, informational cement that is. The past, present and future is all explained here.

Staff Changes


Last month I mentioned about new changes to the senior staff, soon after we welcomed former Administrator UrbanCinderella back into her old position, as Administrator working at the heart of the community.

Jonny also joined the ranks of the chimpanzees in blue, a new Global Moderator. Whilst still overseeing Photography, he now has the ability to moderate all forums but with the specific task of leading the Buddy Board.

Ryan, Whitney and existing Photoshop Moderator C130, shall join together in producing frequent interviews for you all to read. Watch this space.

Additionally this month we appointed a new moderator for SOTW (Sig of the Week), please give a warm welcome to Nest who will run this weekly contest. Please send in your ideas to him, however strange or normal they might be.

We say goodbye to Internet/Web/UserX from the coding department. Internet/Web/UserX has been with SSD a long time, for that I give my thanks for giving up his spare time to come along and help and guide other people.

Awards

Watch out for the winners of our annual Excellence Awards to be announced soon. Each winner will receive a special signature that they can print off and post through peoples’ doors.

The Future of Coding

With regret, this area has been on a downhill slope for quite sometime. In my opinion, it cannot exist in its current format and requires a lot of guidance. We are currently seeking some help for this area, someone to lead it into somewhere that our members and guests want to check into. This month I shall gather people’s thoughts and opinions and form a discussion about what people actually require.

That is all, enjoy this edition!

Oliver!

[The Herald]

   This month is Valentine's day. Marked as the day of "love" I though it'd be nice to have members submit shoutouts to anyone or in some cases...things that they wanted. Below you'll find the heartfelt shoutouts. I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's day.

When we first met, the world was standing still.
When you said you loved me, the world started spinning.
Arty, I loved you since the day I met you, and I'll keep loving you till the day I die. I won't let you go, and I'll wait forever, as long as it takes to hold you in my arms. An eternity?...no matter, I'll still wait. Wait at our secret place, where both are hearts and souls are free.

Artemis, I love you.
- Ethan


To my Alex. Thank you for putting up with all my crap <3 I love you with all my heart, there's no one that can replace you, not even close.
- Eternity


Kacie*, you are everything to me. You've been there for me ever since we first chatted back in 2004. You've allowed me to tell you things that very few others know, and I can trust you with all of this and that means so much to me. Recently, though, our friendship became something more, and I am truly glad it did. The way we have connected is amazing and I never thought I could feel this way. I love you Kay. I've told you this before, but I truly cannot find a word to describe how I feel. So, let's just leave it at I love you Kacie*.
- Joshua


Brittany! My one and only, my love, my amazing cutiness! I know that the distance between us is great, but our love between us will never falter. I love you more than anything in the world hunny! Love, hugs, kisses, and every other loving thing I could possibly do to you!

Kay! My good friend, loving, caring, and joyful! I don't think I can thank you enough for everything that you've done for me in my life. You're awesome, and I wish you the very, very best in life. Yes, with two verys. Lots of hugs for you!
- Nick/Weasel


Joshua, on this Valentine's day I just wanted to say thank you. What for? Numerous things. Being you, being here for me, caring about me, loving me unconditionally, supporting me in the things I do, etc. You mean the world to me, if I lost you I have no idea what I would do, quite honestly, I never want to find out. I need you. There's something I can promise you, and never break. I promise I will always love you, and it'll never falter.
- Kay


I would like to give a shout out to my Teddy. He's been there through the rough and scary nights. Whenever I fell sad I'd pull you out and it all goes away. I fight with my girlfriend non-stop about me keeping my teddy at the age of 18, but you you mean the world to me man! Love ya.
- Ink


   Thanks to all that participated and sent in a shoutout. I was actually expecting and wanting more, but that's alright. Again, I wish a happy Valentine's day to everyone.


*if anyone else ever calls me this, you'll get stomped on and flattened like a pressed flower, 'kay? 'kay.

[The Herald]

The review may be a little late but its definitely not one to miss.
I took a look at Tony Hawk's Project 8 for the Xbox 360 (also available on original X-Box, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, and PSP) When I hear that Tony and the Neversoft crew shoveled out another Tony Hawk game all that I could think of at the time was more of the same 'ol same 'ol, and in a nutshell that's true, but it's not without beauty.

Tony Hawk's Project 8 takes place in a small town called Beaver Valley. The focus of the game is that Tony has this new project in mind called Project 8 and he's calling all the local talent from Beaver Valley to come be a part of it. You are a small town no-name trying to become the top skater of Project 8. This latest title has you trying to impress other locals and pros that spread the word about you to Tony.

From the very start when you pick up the controller you can tell this title was meant to be played on the nex-gen consoles. The latest trend for the Tony Hawk titles it to have a seamless skate land, and what a beauty that world is. The graphics cause a few frame rate issues in certain areas and the seamless skate land means you must sit through the intro each time you start the game up so that it may load. All this is forgivable because of the content.

Tony Hawk's Project 8 has a different scoring system then in older titles. For instance you no longer choose between a amateur(am), professional(pro) and sick level. The game breaks each task/mission into these categories. This has a great effect on how the game later develops. If you preform most of your missions on the am level, the final mission, I guess you'd call it, is going to be less difficult than if you were to preform better in the missions.

Also added this time around is the “Nail the trick” feature. This allows you to at any point in time that you have ollied you can press down on both thumb stick to enter “Nail the trick mode”, which in essence allows you to control the left and right foot with the left and right thumb stick respectively. When you first try this mode it's a bit touchy and weird to maneuver. But after a few attempts you eventually create your own flip tricks on the spot.

You would think that after all that I have said I would be finished, that I merely told you what every other gaming forum/publication has told you time and time again. So far you would be correct, but I still haven't gotten into the X-Box Live features. Now I'm not positive, but I have heard that Playstation hasn't even included any form of on line capabilities. Thats where I feel the game truly shines and excels past its predecessors.

Tony Hawk's Project 8 doesn't try hard to break the boundaries of the past games, but when stacked up against other Tony Hawk titles this is definitely among the top three. If you're not a fan of the franchise this isn't going to change your mind. But if you're a hardcore Tony fan or just a casual gamer this title may be one of the best X-box titles you could have in your library.

[The Herald]

This month's feature will be focusing on the PC (although highly-rumored for the new-generation consoles) game Spore, a brand new IP brought to you by none other than Will Wright, creator of the Sims games we all know and love.

Click on each thumbnail for the full size screenshot.

Spore, much like its Sims cousins, allows you, the gamer, to create a universe as you see fit. The game starts off with you creating creatures that live in primordial conditions and as the game progresses, your new species will evolve with the planet they live on and will organize into herds, clans, cities, and entire populations. Likewise, as your creatures become vast in number, your options will increase and, of course, the challenges your creatures must overcome in order to survive become harder as well.

Spore allows gamers to create and mold the destiny of their creatures and planet as the game progresses by allowing you to recombine your creatures DNA and jump-start evolution, initiate wars, spread your influence to other planets, introduce life to previously uninhabitable locations, in addition to many other possibilities.

The development team behind the game has obviously spent a large amount of time trying to make the game as immersive as possible. Featuring more than five different modes, complete customization of nearly every object in your custom universe, and online play, it is obvious that the team has built upon the very techniques that helped skyrocket the Sims into the mammoth property that it is today.

Offering gamers the ability to build the universe as they see fit with their goals and aspirations in mind, Spore is sure to be an influential title in the simulation genre that will undoubtedly inspire and influence future products in this genre. Look out for Spore on PC in the second quarter of this year, with console versions, although not officially confirmed, but highly hinted at, being released possibly in the second half of the year or early 2008.

[The Herald]

   Janet Evanovich is a wonderful novelist. Metro Girl is a thrilling, high-octane misadventure with high stakes, a taste of danger, a pinch of hot nights, cold-blooded murder, and a dash of sunken treasure. A recipe that comes together as one hell of a great novel.

   Alexandra Barnaby, aka Barney, is a girl that most definitely knows her way around cars, and has had her fair share of men trouble. When she receives a nerve tapping phone call from her younger brother Bill in the middle of the night, she knows she has to figure out what's going on. With the phone calling ending in a piercing scream from an unknown woman, and the line falling dead, Barney hops on a plane to Miami, Florida fully expecting to have to bail her brother out of trouble, again.

   Teaming up with the fairly obnoxious NASCAR driver, Sam Hooker, they make their way through Miami nightclubs, Florida Keys, and even trips to Cuba. Ruffling some feathers along the way, Barney and Sam are teased with death more than once. When Barney finally realizes that Bill not only is in a world of trouble, but has put his life on the line, she does the same and goes above and beyond to save her brother's and her own life.

   I completely suggest that you read this novel to see what I'm getting at. Janet Evanovich proves herself as a decent writer, again, with this novel. Will Barney and Sam survive? What has Bill mixed himself up in this time? Follow the wild chases, the murders, and the clues in this novel to solve the mystery.

Rating: 5/5

[The Herald]

Suffer in life, redemption in heaven

Most people don’t know this, but baroque was a derogatory term. The French translation of the Portuguese word “borrocco” is “misshapen pearl”. To me, that means simple beauty being trampled by nooks and crannies and unnecessary detail. By the 1890’s the word Baroque was used to describe the art movement following the Renaissance. It’s time period ran from about 1600 to the mid-1700’s, and it was called The Golden Age.

Often religious in nature, the works of the Spanish Baroque are extreme, drenched in ornamentation, dramatic faces, unnatural poses, tons of implied movement and were often a tribute to the martyrs through the ages. Did you ever see a picture of the old style Catholic churches, the alter overwhelmed by statues, gold, and seemingly dripping with curlicues and stylized corners? THAT is Baroque.

Typical Spanish Baroque altar

It is almost tacky, but it did capture the suffering of the age. Religion was in upheaval. The pope was determined to reform the church. Poverty was abound. Artists poured their passion and fear into larger than life paintings.

Diego Velazquez is probably the best and most famous Baroque artist. He was eventually accepted into the King’s royal court as the official artist. Many artists such as Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo, Francisco de Zurbaran, and Juan Sanchez Cotan were commissioned by royalty and the Catholic Church to create the beautifully gaudy works that characterize the Spanish Baroque.

Saints having visions, being filled with arrows, suffering and looking heavenward, all of this is Baroque, but so is the ascetic hermit, Jesus depicted alone in his suffering, rather than surrounded by his prosecutors as well as his followers; skulls were often used as a reminder of our mortality.

My personal interpretation of the handful of Baroque pieces I’ve seen: I think the suffering in the art represents the suffering of the artist. They needed to make clear their vision of religious martyrs and the suffering this earth brings. The references to death are references to the peace and redemption they were to receive in the afterlife. The portraits were dignified. The depiction of saints and religious figures were tortured. They seemed to think that the more one suffered in life, the sweeter redemption in heaven would be.

The Apotheosis of St. Thomas Aquinas, by Francisco de Zurbaran

The paintings themselves captured the mood of the age, and the grandeur of redemption. Some of my description of the Spanish Baroque sounds unflattering indeed. That stems from how inappropriate I find the blatant wealth flaunted by the church in an age of profound poverty. That fact makes it difficult for me to celebrate the beauty of the art representing The Golden Age.


Source: Peter Tush, Director of Education
Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

[The Herald]

Calling all servants of Anthrocoatl! Our time has come! Some unkind (soon to be damned) souls have been spreading vicious lies about the literature board people! They say we're not the most cultured, most intelligent, and most fun people on SSD!

I vote we all run off and kill the blasphemers, namely Jonny.

Wait, hold up a second. We might need Jonny later. So.. I'll punish him myself in a little bit. But we still must address this grave concern, right?

Right.

So, we'll just have to prove them wrong. It's been decided by the powers that be (me) that February is going to be the month of the Lit board. Yup. Complete revitalization. The stickies are rewritten, there will be contests sporadically throughout the month, and a new advertising sig has been made (courtesy of our very own monkey man.)

So, your job as faithful servants of the patron god of grammar is to read the new stickies (there's information out the wazoo in there), participate in contests (Whee! Prizes!), and to use the sig. Capiche? Capiche.

Don't let down Anthrocoatl, liddle Hands. He will be displeased.

[The Herald]

This article is in reply to an editorial that has been posted by one of our own, spreading defamatory filth aimed at my good self. Now I wouldn’t like to expose this individual…(omfg it was Artemis)…however, this starry-eyed “person” needs to be thwarted before his slanderous spew gets out of hand.

He can’t comprehend the pure power the foe he faces has, and the reality that they shall not take this confrontation sitting down!

What is it I am going to perform to show these ruffians what we’re made of? The Awesomecoolmccoolcoolawesome board (sometimes referred to as the Photography board) shall also be given a fresh new face. In mid-February I shall be amend the stickies and hosting competitions. You never know, I may even design some signatures too. To summarize, I shall re-word my rivals finale: -

“So, your job as faithful servants of the patron god of grammar silver nitrate is to read the new stickies (there's information out the wazoo in there), participate in (next months) contest (whee! Prizes!), and to use the sig. Capiche? Capiche.”

This is war Ladies and Gentlemen. We shall prevail. Unless the infinitely better Lit board people get their act together and show us up. Like they always do. Because they're so much better. Yes, this is Jonny writing this. Really. I swear.

[The Herald]

Get out your detective kits, because a new section is being added to the Herald! The Mystery Person is soon to be integrated, and it will be fun and interactive for you. If you haven’t guessed already, you’re going to have to unearth facts to figure out just who was interviewed. Now, this could be one of three people. The first two will be your fellow SSDians, and the last one will be a famous person out of history, or perhaps another well-known figure. Either way, you will be given clues to help you figure out who it is.

Now, all guesses can be posted in a thread specifically geared towards this game, and each person is allowed one guess. Then, in the following article the mystery people will be revealed, and the points will be updated.

Points, you ask! Why yes, points. For each person you guess correctly, you’ll receive a point. And should you be chosen as a mystery person, you’re automatically given a point because it’s not fair for you to guess for yourself. Of course, you don’t want to tell anyone that you are the mystery person, because that’s just helping your competition. So make sure to keep it a secret.

Then, at the end of the year, the SSDian with the most points will be named the SSD Super Sleuth of the Year. Exciting, yes? Hopefully, you do think so.

So be prepared to snoop, SSD, for the Mystery Person is coming to a Herald near you!

[The Herald]

“When you’re poor, you grow up fast.” –Billie Holiday

Damn straight, Angel of Harlem. I’ve never known rich or well-off. I sure as hell never knew easy street. But wait a minute…I didn’t grow up too fast, either. That’s one avenue I could have taken, growing up poor. I should have been more capable, more jaded, and certainly more resourceful than I was. So how come I was such a mess, with my head in the clouds, and still kind of a mess…..with my head still in the clouds?

I have an answer. Are you ready? Money doesn’t define a person, neither does the lack thereof.

Let’s look at this from another angle. What if I had been born with money? Would I still be me? Would I have worked so hard to search my soul for meaning and a purpose? I probably would have made different friends, finished college by now, owned and wrecked quite a few fine cars. Maybe I would have been used for my money instead of my brain. I’m going to go out on a limb and say I probably would have been the same me, but in a different world, a world of country clubs and excess. I wouldn’t have fit, I just know it. Perhaps it would have taken me longer to find comfort in philosophy if I had been rich. Maybe I would have been fat instead of skinny.

This is all just pure conjecture, though. I don’t really know what a rich me would have been like. I merely have strong suspicions about myself, and I don’t think money can change the core of who I am.

Survival is the first priority a human observes. It just so happens that in today’s society survival is very much dependent upon money. Status often determines ones level of success. Money, it has been argued, determines status. I draw this conclusion. Money equals power and comfort, but only superficially. Life with or without money only goes so far to influence ones personality, and that influence is, indeed, superficial.

I have noticed that some people seem to allow money to be their definition. Their confidence is precarious. Money comes and goes. One moment of bad luck or bad judgment can wipe out a fortune. Grown men have leaped to their death over such loss. Poor people have blamed their problems on money, then won mass amounts in a lottery and discovered the misery that money can bring, e.g. lawsuits, false friends, and tax audits.

It all boils down to discovering the deeper meaning of life. I admit that I’ve cursed a few millionaires in my day, but I know the score. Money is a tool. It is the owner that makes money do evil or do good in this world.

[The Herald]

Man has wandered the Earth for millennium after millennium. Only in the last few decades has space travel been possible. Through hard work, turmoil, and tragedy, the international space programs run by numerous associations have managed to take the human race beyond Earthly boundaries. They have utilized the speed of light to trace back time to the Big Bang. Additionally, they have been able to diminish the title, “Earth’s twin sister,” so commonly associated with Venus (but more about this later), along with eradicate the position and title of a full fledged planet previously held by Pluto. Over the past decade, thanks to the NASA space program (herein referred to as the space program), man alongside science has demolished all myths of space travel existing within the human mind. Discontinuation of the program will not only expunge the human race's technological and astrological development, but it will also make way to myths and erroneous folktale which have, for so long, haunted the theoretical mind.

Time travel has often been frowned upon by people as being unachievable; few have deemed it plausible, as most have deemed it impossible. However, the NASA space program has managed to use the supposedly slow speed of light to their advantage, in tracing back to the Big Bang – 13.7 billion years antecedent. When certain objects in the universe relay light to planet Earth, it takes a long time, but the time period the light was approaching from remains the same. Thus, NASA Researches examined the light coming from the Andromeda Galaxy some 2.2 million light years away. The light from the galaxy had been traveling for an unparalleled amount of time, and thus it displayed the effects of the Big Bang. In 1986, the Goddard Space Flight Center built and launched a satellite probe, which upon entry into the cosmos, sent data back to the center confirming that the radiation in the area was blackbody radiation – an authentic remnant of the Big Bang. This revolution was like blight to critics. It dispelled any and all myths revolving around the creation of the Earth. The unfortunate result was that the probe, named COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer), gave results miniscule to what was desired. Thus, the scientists developed a new probe named the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP). Not only did it elaborate and confirm the results given by COBE, but it also helped sanction the age of the Earth. Due to this evidence, it is substantially hard to argue against the development of space travel. The necessities of space and time knowledge quenched by the space program are undeniable. The program is the catalyst for the space travel revolution, and should be treated as such.

Many critics of space development argue that space travel may have eliminated certain existing myths, but it has created many as well. A very prominent myth is the supposed relationship between Venus and the Earth. It has commonly been said that Venus is the twin sister to Earth, however, numerous space programs and probe missions have confirmed otherwise. In the 1930s, Venus’ status as a twin sister began fading. Spectroscopic results began showing no signs of oxygen on the planet. Furthermore, the imminent detection of carbon dioxide floating around the consolidated atmosphere made way to a theorem of a greenhouse effect – stating the temperature to be above the boiling point of water. Eventually, the Mariner 5 in 1967 confirmed the analysis that 95% of the atmosphere was carbon dioxide. It also stated that the clouds were heavily made up of sulfuric acids. Eventually in the central 80’s, different probes began mapping Venus. It was discovered that Venus was a relatively smooth planet – its highest peak, Maxwell Montes, was a mere 11 kilometers above surface. After all this research, scientists recognized that the research of Venus did not just debunk myths. Upon studying the sulfuric acidic clouds and the greenhouse effect they were causing, it was conspicuous that Earth could indeed turn into another Venus. Luckily, at its current state of being, Earth is as far away from being a twin sibling to Venus as literally possible. And it wouldn’t have been known, if it weren’t for the dedication of the space programs.

The space program, as complex and modern as it is, has overlooked numerous things in their exploration of space. The thing which makes them stand out is the fact that they revisit and change mistakes they made. One of the most contradictory overlookings in space exploration history is the planetary status withheld by Pluto. Up until around October of 2006, Pluto was always considered a planet. However, the recent General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Prague held a ballot for degrading Pluto from a planet to a dwarf planet. The majority voted in favor of the bill, declaring Pluto’s new status to the world. Despite a strong critical majority in parts of the world, the general consensus was that the bill was long overdue. Pluto has always been belittled as “different,” “not belonging,” and an “outcast” to the solar system. Prague was quick to jump to the point and answer the “call” for stripping Pluto of its title. If space development had ceased, Pluto would forever be considered as the little planet, instead of its rightful title as a dwarf planet.

Conclusively, shutting down the space program will not only be a dead-end to human development, but it will also prevent the correction of mistakes that we made, and myths told. Time travel was never even considered a plausible venture until space development was at its peak. Venus is no longer considered a twin sister to Planet Earth, nor Pluto considered a planet. If it weren’t for constant space exploration, these advancements of human knowledge would never have been made. Discontinuation of the space program is wrong, and should not be implemented.

[The Herald]

These are some really odd phobias that you probably didn’t know existed, and you just may laugh at. Well, unless of course you discover that you in fact have one of them. Then it might not be so humorous… for you. As for the rest of us, we’ll laugh.

• Ablutophobia is the fear of bathing.
  
• Acarophobia is the fear of itching.
  
• Anablepophobia is the fear of looking up.
  
• Androphobia is the fear of men.
  
• Anemophobia is the fear of wind.
  
• Anglophobia is the fear of England or English culture.
  
• Apeirophobia is the fear of infinity.
  
• Atelophobia is the fear of imperfection.
  
• Auroraphobia is the fear of the Northern Lights.
  
• Automysophobia is the fear of being dirty.
  
• Autophobia is the fear of references to oneself.
  
• Autophobia is the fear of yourself.
  
• Barophobia is the fear of gravity.
  
• Basiphobia is the fear of walking.
  
• Bibliophobia is the fear of books.
  
• Caligynephobia is the fear of beautiful women.
  
• Chaetophobia is the fear of hair.
  
• Chrometophobia is the fear of money.
  
• Clinophobia is the fear of going to bed.
  
• Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns.
  
• Cyberphobia is the fear of computers or working on computers.
  
• Decidophobia is the fear of making decisions.
  
• Defecaloesioephobia is the fear of painful bowel movements.
  
• Dystychiphobia is a fear of accidents.
  
• Ecophobia is the fear of home.
  
• Erotophobia is the fear of love/sex.
  
• Eurotophobia is the fear of female genitalia.
  
• Francophobia is the fear of France or French culture.
  
• Geniophobia is the fear of chins.
  
• Genuphobia is the fear of knees.
  
• Germanophobia is the fear of Germany or German culture.
  
• Geumaphobia is the fear of taste.
  
• Gnosiophobia is the fear of knowledge.
  
• Gymnophobia is the fear of being naked.
  
• Gynephobia is the fear of women.
  
• Hadephobia is the fear of hell.
  
• Hellenologophobia is the fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology.
  
• Ideophobia is the fear of ideas.
  
• Japanophobia is the fear of the Japanese.
  
• Judeophobia is the fear of Jewish people.
  
• Koinoniphobia is the fear of rooms.
  
• Koniophobia is the fear of dust.
  
• Lachanophobia is the fear of vegetables.
  
• Laliophobia is the fear of stuttering.
  
• Logophobia is the fear of words.
  
• Myxophobia is the fear of slimy things.
  
• Nomatophobia is the fear of names.
  
• Nosocomephobia is the fear of hospitals.
  
• Numerophobia is the fear of numbers.
  
• Nyctophobia is the fear of the night.
  
• Panophobia is the fear of everything.
  
• Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. (I dare you to try and pronounce that.)
  
• Phagophobia is the fear of swallowing or of eating or of being eaten.
  
• Phobophobia is the fear of fear.
  
• Pneumatophobia is a fear of air.
  
• Pteronophobia is the fear of being tickled with feathers.
  
• Rhabdophobia is the fear of being beaten with an object.
  
• Russophobia is the fear of Russians.
  
• Scatophobia is the fear of fecal matter.
  
• Selaphobia is the fear of light.
  
• Sinophobia is the fear of the Chinese.
  
• Staurophobia is the fear of crosses or the crucifix.
  
• Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive.
  
• Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of 13.
  
• Uranophobia is the fear of heaven.
  
• Wicaphobia is the fear of witches and witchcraft.
  
• Xenophobia is the fear of strangers or foreigners.
  
• Zemmiphobia is the fear of the great mole rat.
  
• Zoophobia is the fear of animals.
  

[The Herald]

This is a cerebral series. It is philosophical, and you won’t see any of the overly exaggerated cartoonish versions of the main characters that anime artists are so fond of creating. “Kino’s Journey” is a beautiful series, but only a mere 13 episodes.

Each episode explores a different hypothetical form of government. Kino visits many different countries, and is determined to observe but not change how each country is run. She never stays for more than three days. Her only constant companion is a motorcycle named Hermes, a sentient piece of machinery that requires a rider to maintain it. Their conversations are the true beauty of each episode. Though they disagree much, they do ask some well thought-out questions about each country they visit, and they do eventually reach a mutual conclusion.

Kino does not immediately reveal who she is. Her story is pieced together bit by bit. We learn that she is skilled with guns as well as knives. She will kill, but only when she absolutely must. Halfway through the series in a two part episode titled “Coliseum” we discover her skills are honed to perfection as she defeats foe after foe in an ancient Rome/wild west competition. She dissects every situation she encounters by telling all of her thoughts to Hermes, and Hermes does everything he can to keep her grounded.

While Kino is wise and brave, Hermes is a realist and very funny…kind of a ‘fraidy cat. He never lets her down. He watches over her. Both characters have pure hearts, and try as they might to not change the citizen’s way of life, they inevitably alter something vital in each land they enter.

Those prone to finding themselves locked in philosophical and political debates will enjoy “Kino’s Journey”. It is excellently animated, but the lessons she learns are the best part of the series. You will learn something from her.

5 out of 5 stars.

[The Herald]

It seems that we had a fairly quiet month here on SSD, for I’ve received no letters in my inbox asking for advice. I’m glad to know that those here on the forums are doing well. It means morale is high, and posting is good. Hopefully.

However, keep in mind that if you do need advice, you can write me. Keep it serious, and let me know if you want to be kept anonymous as well. My inbox is always open.

Have a good month fellow SSDians, and don’t be afraid to come to me if necessary!

[The Herald]

In 1926, African-American culture was celebrated during the second week in February. Among others, Dr. Carter G. Woodson of Harvard felt that the mainstream should accept Black History as a true part of America’s roots. Woodson wanted to spread understanding and integrate the sometimes-hushed African history with America’s more celebrated European past. Over the years, Black History Week became Black History Month. Dr. Woodson dedicated his life to making sure African-Americans would be accepted as an important part of the United States’ past, present and future.

Why February? No, not because “the Man” would only allow the shortest month to be dedicated to such knowledge. The second week in February holds the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, two very influential figures in black history. Lincoln abolished slavery. Douglass was a slave. He learned to read and write illegally, his works still well read today as a testament to the black man’s struggle in early America.

Frederick Douglass: An abolitionist and prominent figure in African-American History

Considering slavery of Africans in America began officially in 1619, and bloody revolts litter the dark history, the abolishment of slavery in 1865 was a grossly overdue historic moment. Unfortunately, the battle for African-Americans to be seen as equal men is still fought to this day. Chapters of the KKK still meet and violently enforce their delusions of white supremacy.

A very sad truth about slavery pinpoints Africans themselves guilty for the selling of their own people. Long after many countries made slavery illegal, the African continent seemed to be all too willing to trade their citizens for goods. Throughout history, Africans were not the only race enslaved, but kept the practice legal for much longer than other races. During the early decades of America, slave trading was legal, but only with Africans. White supremacy was not the goal. African slaves were merely the only avenue if slavery were to exist at all.

The northern colonies objected early, making laws against such a practice. The south needed convincing, and when Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox and ended the Civil War, the laws were rewritten to make the African-Americans equal men in the new land, and an uphill battle ensued for the Black Pioneers.

Black History Month is four weeks set aside to educate the masses. Knowledge eliminates ignorance. Ignorance would eventually allow history to repeat itself if given the opportunity. February gives everyone of every race a chance to understand our country’s entire story, not just the grade school versions we’ve carried with us since we were children.

Take time this month to appreciate the challenges set against a race with a controversial history and acknowledge their influences on America’s culture.

[The Herald]

Name: Nahiyan, known as AI.
Age: 15
Hobbies: Basketball, Computers, TV. Probably missed a lot of stuff.
Website(if any): www.nahiyan.com


There's no denying you're a good designer. You've won one or two SOTW's and you're at the top of the battle board. How did you jump into designing, and how long have you been at it?

It all started when I got into HTML. I started designing my own templates which lead to digital art. I got quite good with Photoshop and Dreamweaver. I stopped for quite some time. I basically forgot everything.
I got back into digital art last September when I opened up Photoshop again. Also, I started experimenting with Apophysis. It's been for 1.5 years

Any favored techniques? I've mainly seen you create sigs, but what about any other design type, (avatars, large pieces, wallpapers, etc.)?

I make signatures when I need to pass some time. I will occassionally make larger pieces but it all depends on my mood to be honest. I used to make avatars but have lost interest for some reason. The main thing about my art is all about how I feel.

So you use Photoshop, I presume? (since you did mention it. ) Any other programs that you still do use, or are thinking about using?

I frequently experiment with Apophysis. Fractals are my newest interest. I used Illustrator when I for got into digital art, but I haven't re-opened it.

Fair enough. Anyone in particular you look up to, or that inspired you when you first started?

To be honest, no. I just started by myself and took it from there.

What about now? Anyone's work that you particularly like?

Matt's works fascinates me. I also enjoy looking at Ethan and Reedy's work. There are a lot of other artists that I respect but these three are my favorites as of now.

Very talented artists indeed. So have you ever thought of taking it in as a career possibly?

No. It's just a hobby that I really enjoy. Career wise, I have other things in mind.

Any words of wisdom or advice for those looking into designing, or just starting?

Just keep practicing. There is no shortcut. I am not the best artist but I think these words apply to anyone who wants to do anything. Practice makes perfect.

Alright. Do you have three pieces you'd like to share with everyone?

1) Road To Nowhere...
2) Zaptrix
3) Blue Spread


Nice. Any last comments?

Thank you for the interview. That is all.

[The Herald]

Gloss. A technique that many interface artists use constantly. It makes work look shiny and attractive. However, many beginners have problems getting gloss how they'd like it to be. This guide will show you some different ways to add gloss to your work.

Style 1 - Black to White Gradient.



See? We have a typical color background. Next, we take out the rectangular marquee tool and highlight the region we want glossed. Then pull out your gradient tool. If you can't locate your gradient tool, then left click the paint bucket tool and will appear. Now, go to the gradient editor, which can be accessed by clicking the small gradient that can be found in the top left when the gradient tool is active, and select the default black to white gradient. Now, inside the marquee box, pull the tool from the top to bottom. Then, change the blending mode to screen and adjust the opacity to how you see fit. There you have it, simple gloss. You can try this on any image you have.



Style Two - Dodge and Burn

This is not a style many are familiar to, including me. The basis of it are the dodge tool and the burn tool. The dodge tool makes things lighter while the burn tool makes things darker.

I started out with the following image.



I added an inner shadow because I think it makes the effect more evident. Next, you should pull out your dodge tool. If you can't find it then look for the burn or sponge tool and right click that. Now that you have it out, change the range to highlights. After that you go to the top of the image, hold shift, and brush and forth until you reach the gloss amount desired.

I ended up with that.



There's plenty of other ways to pull of gloss as well. If that works for you, excellent. Just remember, you want it to look shiny. =]

[The Herald]

   This week I'm looking at various vector artists hidden amongst DeviantART. Some are ones you've never heard of, or laid eyes on their work. Then there may be a couple that you've heard of, and/or laid eyes on their pieces. Beginner, intermediate, advanced, it doesn't matter. All of them have talent, potential, and that's all that really matters.

   TravelGirl, a beginner, no doubt, but she's got a style that I like. This girl has good shaping and form, a bit repetitive, but that doesn't make her any less talented. I can see her rising with her vector pieces and I can see great pieces in her future, *hums*. Ha ha. Ignore that last part.

   Karandaw has some impressive vectors. He's got great potential and I'm hoping to seem more from him. I don't think he's as advanced, so to say, as other vector artists, but he's getting there. He's got some real talent. Keep an eye on him.

   ChinaRiquena has a lot of potential. She's labeled herself as a Painter, but her vector work is pretty good as well. The two pieces featured above are the two that captured my attention and seem basically flawless.

   FDLinda is very talented, quite obvious not a beginner, but that's alright. All her vector work is wonderful. I highly suggest taking a closer look around her gallery. I love how the vector of Mandy Moore is so realistic. I had to full-view just to make sure it was actually a vector piece.

   CD-Marcus is a talented man. He won a DailyDeviation for the image on the right, above. He uses great colors, and he did a wonderful job on the black and white one up on the left, above. Definitely not a beginner, but worth looking at.

   That's it for the vector edition. I hope that you at least enjoyed the artists' work. I, myself, did.