The Herald: November 2006 Edition

[The Herald]

Image used courtesy of SlimeLand.com

This month has been an uphill struggle for us editors, and writers. As you can plainly see, this edition isn't as lengthy as the rest. Due to sudden schedule changes, illnesses striking, and just plain out-of-time, this is the result.

I know it's not as "interesting" but that leads me to my next subject. The Great Writer Hunt. Hopefully with fresh new faces joining us here soon, we'll be able to spice up the Herald again. Also, if you have ideas for articles, keep in mind that you can PM either myself, or Artemis and we'll post in the monthly suggestions thread that's hidden from the rest of you.

Also, new feature. The Photograph of the month, Literature of the month, and Resource of the month will now be stickied at the top of each given board (Photography, Literature, Resources). This is just so that way winners get a bit more of a recognition, and that way they might even notice (if they don't read the Herald) that they won. Idea, courtesy of our own, Artemis.

Last thing. We say goodbye to two writers this month. Once again, Whitney. I would like to thank her on behalf of the entire Herald team, for the hard work and dedication she has put into the Herald while being on staff. We'll miss you! Secondly, ACoolie. Some may not of even noticed him on staff, but time has consumed him forcing my hand to strip him of his title, hopefully sometime in the future, he'll rejoin the team. Good luck to the both of you, and thank you!

Now, you better enjoy this edition, I worked well over 3am last night, and then today, on it. You better appreciate me. Toodles.

Now that Kay has made you all cry, the prettier of the two editors is going to abuse his ill-gotten powers for the purpose of... making you cry.

Artemis, the lazy slacker, here. Yeah, Kay worked all night and day on this while I played slime volleyball against a cut-out of her avatar.

I'm bushed.

But, in all seriousness, if you have any literary talent, please consider joining us here. Else the Herald will become like my wit: growing rapidly smaller and smaller.

This month was a struggle, for a variety of reasons. But, here's the fruits of our labor (side note: who wants to eat sweaty fruit?) so you'd best enjoy it, and write "good job writers" in the comment thread like you do every month, after skimming the article titles, and deciding we're not worth your time.

Toodles. (Heh... Such a cool word...)

[The Herald]

Welcome to November, the idea of this article is to give you some information on what has happened over the past month at SSD and what’s to come in the near future.

For most of us the weather is getting colder, except in France where it still looks like July. So less people are outside and more people on SSD, you miss out on proper socialising but at least you don’t get frostbite.

Staff Changes

Whitney – Due to technical issues with her modem, she has had to step down from her position in the Literature board. Thank you to Whitney for her work over the short time in her spot. Hopefully we should see her return to posting on the forums as usual.

Artemis – The most natural replacement for the Literature board, wish him luck guys. Literature is an area that we really want to develop.

James – Unfortunately he has been removed from his position as Head Coder, while not ending on good terms, James has been very loyal to SSD and worked hard here, so for that I thank him.

Write, Share, Discuss

Staying with the Literature board, we have decided to make it more than just a show off board. We would like to bring in more discussion to the area; you can discuss your favourite authors and brainstorm ideas together in one board. If you have any other ideas, please get in contact with Artemis. There will be a sticky explaining all of this.

Version 6

It is still in production, I would like it out as much as you would, but we have had to overcome a lot of set backs. When it’s due for release you will know about it. So you have my apologies for all the delays.


That’s all for this month, enjoy this edition of the Herald with muffins.

Oliver.

[The Herald]

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

Unleashed Madness	2nd
Ryan.psionic	17th
James/A._Leon	19th

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



In my opinion, in terms of art, receiving some sort of critique is important. It can help you to improve or simply know what another person thinks about your work. Over my time here at SSD I’ve seen a large chunk of members move from small signatures to large manipulations or vast landscapes. Over the past few months, Michael (aka Jongos) has been filling peoples’ threads full of his opinions and suggestions. Therefore, without further ado, I present Michael with this month’s award.




Saturday Evening by Assassinator

Another rushed entry for me this month, dreadfully sorry!

This month we have a very last minute winner from Ass' latest outing, a lovely skyscape. I love the crop more than anything, I think it frames the clouds and sky very well. I would like a slightly sharper silhouette...but it really isn't that important.

Well done Assassinator!




This time around, it was hard to choose a winner. Not because of an overwhelming amount of entries, but because I know nothing about art. Actually, a few more entries would've been nice. *glare*

We'll start with the avatar of the month. I chose something that struck me as cute, silly, and well made, all in one. That's right, this month's Avatar of the Month is:

Made By Ovi

Congrats, Ovi!

This month's sig of the month was a bit harder to choose, as only a few were entered, and none really caught my eye. Remember, I know nothing about art. So I went with my personal favorite, Miss Ellen's. A nice little image, with a girly theme. I liked it.

Made By Ellen

Congrats, Ellen.

Keep turning in those entries, guys and gals. We'll choose two more winners next month.



Simplicity by norton has a colour scheme not often seen in pre-made templates. The soft turquoise and faint greys in this skin have a calming influence on the viewer. While being a great template to look at, it lives up to it's name, with simple lines are curves and very little texture.

Everything in this template is well made and thought out. Nothing is over complicated, proving that you don't need to make everything "tech" in order to look good in the ProBoards world.

While the icons aren't particularly new to those who browse the pre-made section regularly, they still match the template well and do not detract from this wonderful creation.

If you're looking for something simple, elegant and different for your forum, then Simplicity is perfect for you.



Well, we've seen so much literature this month, period, and so much of it was good, that I had difficulty choosing just one to be the Literature of the Month piece. I finally decided on Brendan (kayatsu)'s Music-Nature. Read it first, and then I'll explain my choice.

Music-Nature
~Brendan

My fingers glide upon the keys,
passing off my emotions unto the strings,
handing them off once again onto a single;
strong vibration.

Happiness,
the sharpness of my staccatto-cliche to b,
waiting for the sounds to pour into my heart,
and once again unto the keys.

Sharply striken is the minor chord,
letting my own anger and sadness drift out once more,
slowly gliding through the air,
sliding in and out into the minds and hearts it reaches.

I sit in wait as the sound dies off into the walls,
to hold the tale for years to come,
to speak from the walls into a new generation,
to speak a tale of love, happiness, and grief.

Prelude in C,
prelude to love,
Beethoven,
Mozart,
Where were you going when you wrote these songs?
How did your creativity flow out in sure-shot bursts?

Chopin,
Adrien,
How did you write human natures natural beauty without seeing it?

Their fingers,
like mine,
glide across the keys,
only to reveal true human emotion,
and pass it unto the strings unto vibrations,
human nature is a single strike.

Still wondering why I chose it? A simple metre and rhyme follows his poem, doing what is so hard to do in poetry: enhancing, not binding it. While it is entertaining to see a clever rhyme or a cool metre, it's much more rewarding to see metre and rhyme enhance the poem, without detracting from its flow. Also, the lovely duality of nature and music appeals to the more cerebral side of society, the side that's likely to appreciate poetry. A good combination. A few typos, a few places that can be improved, and this poem is as good as I have seen.

Excellent job, kayatsu, and congratulations.



"Hugs will get you everywhere, yes, but hugging the Artos is baaaaad."

"I'm a bad girl who likes to do bad things, so I'm sure the bad that'll come of it is nothing that I can't handle."

"As long as that statement isn't all fluff, I'll be shear to watch."
- Artos and Kari


"Too many bad puns in my thread. Ewe guys should stop that."
- pandora


"*super saiyan 2*

*kamehameha*

*win*"

"Fool you! At level of the power Golden Saiyan was I forty-five! Sun! Heed call mine!

HYPER CANNON!


*seizure lights*"

"You broke my kamehameha.

*cries in corner*
- Lucifer and Artos


"Oh, and I took a message for you:

Axe69 called. He wants his schtick back."
- Artos


"I mistook the bath for the toilet a few weeks ago whilst insanely drunk, a dire mistake indeed."
- The Baron


"maybe because they're just s!@#$%d..!!!!!!!!"

"Shit i think we just ran out of punctuation"
- kpsm and Criminal Mastermind


"Looks like you are pissed on someone for cheating on you.
I agree with you though, it's a very terrible thing to do. If you are bored of the relationship, just go ahead and say so, don't let her find you banging your sexy classmate."

"But who better to bang than a sexy classmate?"

"Oliver."
- Ovi, Shadow, and Criminal Mastermind


"Awesome Idea David.


We're still on for Saturday, right? My house."

"I can't, I have an appointment with your mom."
- Virtuoso, and David [hp]


"Ovi: Treats me as if I don't exist! "

"You are so tiny that it's hard to notice your existence "
- Mitch and Ovi


"Weep like a baby."

"Well you got the size of a baby down pat. Start weeping. "
- Mitch and Kay


"Do the same thing we do every night.

Trying to take over the world."
- Kai



"Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties."
- Aesop

"I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it."
- Harry S Truman

"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves."
- Albert Einstein

"I sometimes think that the saving grace of America lies in the fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans are possessed of two great qualities- a sense of humor and a sense of proportion."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth."
- John F. Kennedy

"We do not write because we want to; we write because we have to."
- W. Somerset Maugham

"A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished; and it would have done somewhat more, if the government had not sometimes got in its way."
- Henry David Thoreau

"Democracy becomes a government of bullies tempered by editors."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live."
- Henry David Thoreau

"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book."
- Ronald Reagan

[The Herald]

Okay, we're going to do a short short review for a short short story. Ready? Go.

Am I Blue? is a short story about a kid who might be gay, but might not be. He gets a fairy godfather, the first ever fairy godfather... He wishes that everyone in the world who was queer would turn blue for twenty four hours.

Phew. There's a short short plot synapsis.

I think this is a very well written story, with a nice plot and good character development, which is something most short story authors struggle with. The only thing that could make this short short story better, in my honest opinion, would be to make it a short story, or even a story. It's far too short for my liking.

Phew.

Finally, because we love our dedicated Herald readers, we have managed to work out a deal with Bruce Coville, the author. He has agreed to let Artemis distribute his story via the internet to a closed audience. So check it out at www.blue.worldgoneblind.com. You'll have to log in as guest, with the password of 'amiblue', but it's worth it, believe me. From there, download "Am I Blue.doc" and enjoy! If the mood strikes you, visit www.brucecoville.com and give Mr. Coville a thank you!

[Note: the above should be read aloud at the fastest possible speed. ]

10/10

[The Herald]

I have a new favorite metal band: The half American/half Scandinavian thrash metal gurus, Dethklok. Their astounding popularity and the fact that the band itself is ranked as the world's twelfth largest economy suggests that they need no introduction, but I feel the need to pay humble tribute to the most tragically metal band in existence. They may morbidly hate their fans, yet that doesn't seem to stop us from worshiping them and doing their evil and murderous bidding.

Dethklok has five members, all talented to an extreme, though the lead guitarist suffers from musical dyslexia, and the lead vocalist must subject himself to weekly liver transplants or he vomits pools of blood. Each member has overcome some major, potentially fatal life experiences, only to unite as the most powerful metal act in existence. One must respect such strength as this band has evinced, to rise even above the law as a result of their raw metal energy. It's inspirational, really.

The American members include Nathan Explosion as lead vocalist, William Murderface on bass, and Pickle the Drummer. Toki Wartooth, rhythm guitar, and Skwisgaar Skwigelf on lead guitar are the Scandinavian portion of the band, and known as the two fastest guitarists alive, Skwigelf an ambidextrous marvel. All five talents combine, and the music made is a driving force of sheer hate.

In fact, hatred is the one word that most accurately describes Dethklok's engine fuel. Murderface seems to be the member most in tune with his inner hate. Though he spends a good deal of time in his own private torture chamber when he isn't with the band, he also channels his black hate with an unprecedented skill on the bass. Even his privates can out-spank any other bass player today.

Despite thier disastrous foray into comedy, the result of which was no less gory than their usual stage act, the fans stood by Dethklok, and we all eagerly await the arrival of their new album, release date unknown. Sadly, I've missed every fan day at Mordhaus, Dethklok's home, fan day being the one day us fans can wander the hallowed halls and experience the band member's daily lives. I won't miss it next year.

We can only hope that Dethklok will one day break up, because I have a feeling their reunion tour could possibly be their most ambitiously bloody experience EVER.

Suggested watching: Metalocalypse on Sundays at 11:45pm EST, Cartoon Network

[The Herald]

Two words that sound so simple: Be yourself. We've all heard it for a number of reasons. "How do I act on a first date?" "Just be yourself." Job interview? Be yourself. Public speaking? Be yourself. If the answer to calming our nerves is that simple, then why do those nerve wracking situations make us sweat and shake?

Sometimes it starts when a person needs to make a good first impression but doesn't have enough confidence in their honest self. If the false first impression is well received then there is a false personality to maintain. That never, ever works. Not for long, anyway. Just about every family sitcom has tackled this topic. The catastrophe on the screen isn't always too far off from the reality. The episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air when Carlton tries to imitate Will in order to get into Princeton comes to mind. If you've seen the episode, you know what I'm talking about. If you get busted being fake, the embarrassment is total. Lesson learned: Don't pretend to be someone you are not. You will regret it. You will be wasting valuable time.

People are also prone to trying to live up to other's expectations of us. We try to be like an older sibling who is praised on a daily basis, hoping the praise will then be aimed in our direction. If the older sister or brother is book smart or artistically inclined, everyone expects the younger sister or brother to be just as book smart or artistic. That kind of pressure pushes us in a direction that is not necessarily ours. Again, the result is a big fat waste of time, and a miserable life.

The first step to being yourself is to figure out just who that is. This requires spending some time inside your own mind. Keeping a daily journal helps a lot. In the face of peer pressure, your true self can waver. It take time to gain confidence in the real you, but the effort is worth it. Once you start on your own path, other's judgments start to seem less hurtful and almost pitiful at times. Learn from those you admire, don't blindly imitate them. Live to be someone you would respect, not a person who seeks unearned respect through a false persona.

How hard can it be to be yourself? Very hard when constantly pressured to be something you are not. Look at it this way: You can never be all things to all people. No one in Earth's history has ever been liked by every person on the planet. You have to live with you forever, so you should definitely strive to be someone you like. Other people liking and respecting you for being you will soon follow.

[The Herald]

So, first things first: name, age, location. And while you're at it, why don't you enlighten us as to why you decided to grace SSD with your presence.

Alright then. Lawrie Clapton and I'm 16, 17 come December 21st. And Edinburgh (Scotland) answers location.

I joined SSD primarily as a previous account bridge, But I ended up forgetting the name of it. The reason I made that one though was to respond on a religion thread that The Baron (Stuart) had linked me. I guess I came back again for a decent argument (debate).


Yes, that's the exact thing that interested me. You came here and your first post was in a debate. What impressed me further was that you displayed intelligence and respect right from the get-go. So, have you always been interested in debating?

In a word yes, but I guess it was my parents fault. Liberal pinko commies that they are.


I happen to know that you're friends or at least pretty good associates with Stuart (The Baron) and Sean (Criminal Mastermind). How did this friendship start? Were they the ones who persuaded you to join SSD in the first place?

I've been friends with them about 2 maybe 3 years now. Met them at a mutual friends party in a little woods next to a road up in Oxgangs. Sean was quite drunk, but I guess thats no surprise to most SSDers. Stuart had yet to develop a taste for Absinthe back then though.

Stuart persuaded me to join SSD just out of indignation against people I disagree with, i.e. lots of people. As I mentioned before it was an old debate and Sean was arguing for Bryanism and against Christianity I think. He asked me and Stuart to join in, so we did.


Bryanism? Could you shed some light on that? I've never heard of it before.

It was the little cult/religion thing that Sean, Paul, and Stuart made. Sean will probably kill me for even talking about it, but it was a bit of a joke for the purposes of having a daft cult. We ended up with only about 50 members and the site grinded to a halt. Its still up somewhere on Proboards though. It eventually just mutated into GeneralXCore, because the general board got the most posts on Bryanism.


Well that's quite the story, there. But, now I'm going to switch gears to talk about one of my favorite movies: The Evil Dead. I know you're an avid fan of the series. When and how were you exposed to this? Were you a Bruce Campbell/Sam Raimi fan before the "trilogy"?

Hmm, I saw Evil Dead really early because of Gary's stock of horror movies taped off TV. Pretty soon after that I saw the next one and then Evil Dead 3 followed sometime later. I'd never been a Sam Raimi/ Bruce Campbell fan before then because simply I was too young as well as having come to the trilogy pretty early.


I think it's about time I wrap up this interview. Pity it was so short. Anyway, is there any interesting facts you can tell us about yourself that we haven't already covered or possibly about Sean or Stuart?

Stuarts a raging violent cunt when drunk. Well not really but you think if he didn't collapse he'd go that way. His whole diction goes out the window and all that shit you get on online where he presents these great arguments is completely lost. Its funny as hell.


Haha, indeed. I'd like to thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. I'm sure there are many SSDer's just waiting to read this.

I'm just certain they are hanging on my every word. Ha ha.

[The Herald]

Myth: 1621 marks the first Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims continue the celebration every year thereafter.

Fact: It wasn't the beginning of the tradition, no way. They never even repeated the first feast. In their eyes, Thanksgiving was a religious holiday. Dancing, singing, playing games, activities that the Pilgrims and Wampanoag indians took part in during the 1621 harvest feast, wouldn't have been allowed on such a religious day. In the Pilgrim's minds, it would've been considered a secular celebration, not a "thanksgiving".

Myth: The fourth Thursday of November is to be when the original Thanksgiving feast took place.

Fact: September 21 and November 11 is when the original feast took place. Unlike how we celebrate Thanksgiving, it was three days long. Based around English harvest festivals, which traditionally occurred about the 29th of September. 1623 a day of fasting and prayer during a period of drought was changed to one of Thanksgiving because the rain came during the prayers. The custom prevailed in New England, gradually, of annually celebrating Thanksgiving after the harvest.

In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom, and by the middle of the 19th century many other states had done the same.

Myth: The pilgrims wore only black and white clothing. They had buckles on their hats, garments, and shoes.

Fact: The seventeenth century is when buckles finally came into fashion, and Sunday and formal occasions, are usually the only time that black and white was worn. Red, earthy green, brown, blue, violet, and gray, is what woman typically wore, while white, beige, black, earthy green, and brown, is what men would dress in.

Myth: There was furniture on the Mayflower that the Pilgrims brought aboard.

Fact: Chests and boxes were the only things brought aboard by the Pilgrims. Wooden furniture was later created once they settled at Plymouth.

Myth: The Mayflower was headed for Virginia, but due to a navigational mistake it ended up in Cape Cod Massachusetts.

Fact: Planning on originally settling in Virginia, they did indeed end up in Cape Cod. But treacherous seas prevented them from being able to travel any further down south.

All information courtesy of history.com



- Women engage in shoplifting 4 times more than men.

- A herd of Unicorns is referred to as a "blessing".

- Refrigerators are used by Eskimos to keep their food from freezing.

- The term "Formicophilia" is used to refer to a fetish for having small insects crawl on your genitals.

- One of Walt Disney's famous cartoon characters, Donald Duck, was banned from Finland for not wearing any pants.

- It's illegal to tie an alligator to a fire hydrant in Michigan, US.

- A survey revealed that 25% of women think that money makes a man more "sexy".

- The state of Florida is larger than England.

- Chinese people celebrate their birthdays every 10 years.

- Astronauts aren't allowed to eat beans before going into space; farting can damage their suits.

- In their lifetime, an average person eats 8 spiders while sleeping.

- Originally, the Yo-Yo was a weapon used in Philippine jungles.

- It isn't possible to sneeze with your eyes open.

- Bank of America was originally called Bank of Italy.

- Topless sales women are legal in tropical fish stores, in Liverpool.

- "Poli" in Latin, stands for "many" and "tics" are "bloodsucking creatures".

- The founder of Marlboro (a tobacco company) died of lung cancer.

- Hitler sported only one testicle.


Sources:
- FunnyFact.com
- Stunning-Stuff.com

[The Herald]

Title: Eureka Seven
Released in: 2005
Production: Bones
Total Episodes: 50

I am not much into Animes based on romantic plots, nor am I an admirer of Mecha Animes. But I couldn't help but smirk at the innocent love between Eureka and Renton, implemented throughout the Anime series, Eureka Seven. The series is swarming with emotion, suspense, romance and comedy.

The main protagonist of the story, Renton Thurston is a 14 year old boy who is the son of the late military hero, Adrock Thurston. In the early part of the story, he lives in the town of Bellforest where he goes to a local school and hones his skills as a mechanic along with his grandfather, Axel Thurston. But that is until he meets a mysterious girl named Eureka - when she crashes the Nirvash (A type of human-shaped flying vehicle. Known as a LFO in the series.) into his room - and falls in love with her. Later he was persuaded by Eureka to join the Gekko State as she believed that's what the Nirvash wanted. Eventually, he joined the Gekko State, led by his hero, Holland. Not a lot is known about Eureka at the early stages of the series, but I will leave the task to you. The only thing I will tell you now, is that the storyline of Eureka 7 is full of surprises.

The animation seemed to be downright magnificent to me, especially after watching awful Animes like "Whistle!". The level of human anatomy is remarkable and the details in the movements couldn't have been better. Overall, this is what I will call a state-of-the-art anime series.

The voice actors were "OK". Renton can be annoying to listen to sometimes (Not as much as Naruto though), but I can bet my life that it was done on purpose. The sound effects were pretty appealing, especially when you have your woofer/bass turned on high, as expected from a Mecha Anime series. As for the opening and ending musics, I wasn't really fond of any of them, except for this one.(Ignore the poor English pronunciation, no matter how hilarious they might be.)

Overall, I believe that Eureka Seven is a perfect pass-time for anyone who likes a tad bit of romance in their plates and a few mild laughs. Not to mention, sexy ladies too ^_^

[The Herald]

Remember, remember, the fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

How creepy is that? I've started an article a month since October's with that line... *shudder*

Anywho, we're gonna take a quick look at Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, as some call it.

What is Guy Fawkes Night?

Guy Fawkes Night is a celebration in remembrance of the gunpowder treason attempt.

What is the gunpowder treason?

The gunpowder treason was an attempt to blow up the British Houses of Parliament on November 5, 1605. A group of Catholic conspirators attempted to blow up the houses while the Protestant King James the first of England was inside. Most memorable among these conspirators was Guy Fawkes.

What makes this day so important?

This day gets much of its importance from contemporary usages of it. V for Vendetta is based heavily on Guy Fawkes Night. John Lennon used it as a subject in the song "Remember." In "The Wake", Shakespeare and Ben Jonson are credited with making the rhyme (see above)-- as a joke. However, the importance behind this event is seen in the struggle between Catholics and Protestants that had been raging for years in England.

How is Guy Fawkes Night celebrated?

Setting off fireworks is the traditional practice. Both Protestants and Catholics celebrate the night, though the Protestants generally leave off the bottom part of the rhyme.

That's Bonfire Night in a nutshell. Have fun, be safe, and SSD and the Herald are not responsible for any and all firework related injuries or charges.

[The Herald]

Depth is one of the most important factors that you should focus on when doing graphics. If applied properly it can add a realistic feeling to your work. There are many ways of adding depths to an object or a whole image. We will go through a few of them today.

--------------------------------------------------

Shadow

I won't even bother going into details about "how to add a shadow to an image", since there are many ways of doing so. In Photoshop you can create shadows using the Outer Glow, Drop Shadow and Inner Shadow options. Or you can just create the shadow layer yourself.

--------------------------------------------------

Bevel/Inner Glow

I never use the bevel option myself, so I won't give you advice on using it. I find it easier to get a soothing effect using the Inner Glow option. I usually use black for inner glow if I want the image to stick out and if the image is lighter than the color black itself. Here are the settings I used for the orb shown in the diagram.

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Gradients

Surely, you can always use the gradient tool for making a gradient, but I will give you a tip for those occasional incidents when you forget to use the tool and have to use the Blending Options to add a gradient to your layer. Don't just add a gradient and lower the opacity, it doesn't look nearly as good as the gradient tool. Try messing with the blending modes for a much more eye-soothing result.

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Pixeljob

The name that I've chosen might not be the best way to describe this method. Ever wondered how SSD would look like without all the pixel bumps/indents?

Say hello to my little friend.

So, how do we do it?

The Bump Line: Inner Shadow with these settings. (The angle and opacity can be changed to your likings)

Indent: Drop Shadow with these settings. (The angle and opacity can be changed to your likings)

[The Herald]

Name: Jeffrey E.
Age: 16
Hobbies: Basketball, browse around, chill and watch films
Website(if any): Unfortunately none, I wish I had a portfolio site.


So you're a designer, a pretty damn good one, you've won quite a few SOTW, claiming the title of Champion. How did you start designing? Also, how long have you been designing?

Thanks for calling me a good designer, I wouldn't call myself that, not trying to be humble or anything.

I started designing in 2003, I first downloaded a trial version of PaintShop Pro in that year. It was because I saw a lot of good graphic images in a site I used to go to and I wanted to make my own instead of always requesting. The first graphic image I ever did was trash, but I was proud of it, haha

After the trial ended I 'bought' Photoshop 7 on CD and from then on I kept practicing and I went to SSD quite often to get some suggestions here and there.

In total I've been designing for around 2 to 3 years now, though not consistently due to school work and other reasons.


Do you have a favored technique? What about type, (sigs, avatars, etc.)?

Anything I guess that I'm liking at the moment. Any style is fine except over brushed abstract signatures with 3D renders are generic and I don't like that. I always like fresh concepts, I find a lot of inspiration from urban, street, vector and minimalist styles. I haven't done SOTW for 2-3 weeks because I find that vectors are overused by me , haha.


What programs, did/do you use, altogether?

It used to be PaintShop Pro, then I moved on to Photoshop for 2 years until recently (couple of weeks ago) that I bought Photoshop CS2 + Illustrator CS 2. I use Fireworks MX sometimes at school because it's the only program they have.


Was there anyone that inspired you, or you looked up to?

The ACE, optimistik, ill_rated - Three talented artists that deserve alot of recognition. They made me want to do graphics again after a hiatus in 2004. None of you probably know them though! Another inspiration is definitely Reedy! I love his work


Have you ever contemplated on making a career out of your ability?

Yes, but that's only a last resort for me. If I become unemployed (which I don't think I will) I'll do graphics design and take a course on it in college. But recently I decided to not take a graphics course in the last year of my schooling (next year) because I think it doesn't help me, and I've done the course for 2 years running (grade A student)


Any words of wisdom for those beginning to design, or those that are looking for some advice?

Stick to what you're doing and don't give up, even if you think your work sucks. You'll eventually get better.

Find some inspiration, try the style you like, improve on it.

Get your way around programs so you can do whatever you want when you need to..That's about it. Oh, and do your homework first before graphics, haha.

Now, can I get 3 of your favorite pieces that you've created?

I actually can't choose because I don't think any of them are any good. So uh, I'll give the link to my recently created deviantART page. Click here to browse. Don't forget to drop a comment if you're generous

Any last comments?

Thanks for the interview, lol.

[The Herald]

1. Torn

Artist: sc3L
Created On: May 21, 2005

The color pink can work wonders indeed, this is just another variation of it. Enjoy the contrast between brightness and darkness in sc3L's Torn.

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2. gentle art of making enemies

Artist: zilla774
Created On: Jul 20, 2006

There are a few factors that I dislike about this one, but when you look at it as a whole, you can't help but reward it a +fav.

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3. twoforone

Artist: sp4t
Created On: Oct 9, 2005

As you can see by the submission date, it's a bit old. But it's one of those works that takes ages to be labeled as outdated. It can still be used as an inspiration.

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4. AL

Artist: xayo
Created On: Apr 30, 2006

I like the combination of warm and cool colors used in this piece. Best of all, the blank background doesn't really throw off the look of the image but gives it a cozy feeling instead.

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5. SHAPEHARMONY

Artist: NKeo
Created On: Jun 21, 2006

What made me choose this piece out of all of his amazing works was the overall complexity in it. The colors aren't bad, although it could be much more "juicy". Don't forget to check out his whole gallery, this baby has some good stuff in his pocket.

[The Herald]

The next few articles I am going to write are going to be exploring the dark side of tech, telling you the stuff about computers that you should know but shouldn’t know.

This month I am going to be talking about computer security, any of you with a little underground tech knowledge would remember Adrian Lamo. The notorious grey hat hacker from Boston, Massachusetts was dubbed the “Homeless Hacker” by the press for his constant movement around the US coast with all of his necessary possessions in a simple backpack with no formal abode.

Adrian used many simple techniques to break into the servers of many of the world’s foremost companies most notably Microsoft and The New York Times. The New York Times’ webmaster obviously had as much technical know how as my Grandmother and thus configured the server so poorly that Lamo simply did a port scan and entered the web server and added his name to the list of contributors to the paper. He then informed them of their vulnerability and continued in his travels asking for no payment at all as he did for all of his activities.

Ten months later Adrian’s parents were handed a warrant for his arrest, since he had no technical abode the FBI thought it was the best way to contact him. After a weekend of talking to his lawyer and the FBI, Lamo surrendered himself. Luckily he was spared jail, sentenced to six months probation and given two years supervised release, his supervisors were his parents.

The reason I am telling you all of this is that anyone of you could be the next Adrian Lamo. The insecurities of many of the world’s foremost business’ web servers are amazing; until Lamo publicly revealed these flaws, anyone could have simply done a port scan and gained access to an entire network of computers at lets say Microsoft. What damage could be caused if a malicious intruder was to enter into such an environment? Not only does Microsoft have the technology to monitor what its users are doing (as seen by WGA checks), if that was to be taken advantage of someone with programming knowledge would have been able to take over millions of computers, then we would all be in real trouble.

I will tell you what, however much people disrespect hackers – Adrian Lamo is one hacker we can be thankful for. Next month I will discuss how to protect your computer against such attacks. Until then, stay safe on the web my fellow geeks.