The Herald: October 2006 Edition

[The Herald]

First order of business, we say goodbye to our beloved Kari this month, and Artemis and I would like to thank her as choosing us as her successors. I'd like to thank her personally for giving me the chance that I've wanted for almost a year now. Kari, you've improved my grammar skills above and beyond what anyone will ever know, and I thank you. Also, for being a great friend. We'll miss you on the Herald team.

This month we also say goodbye to Ukuzami, though I'm sure half of you didn't even know he was on the team. He's resigned for lack of time.

Last, but not least, I've spent hours on this. Bare with Artemis and I if things are looking any different. But please, don't be too harsh. It's been a rough month because of the transition, but we achieved it, so now enjoy the issue.

OK, Artemis here. I too would like to wish a fond farewell to Kari, and give her my best wishes. Getting the Herald out this month was a pain, but Kay's a workaholic, and a moderate perfectionist, so my life wasn't too hard. ^-^ No, really, that liddle lady worked her patookie off to get this thing out on time, and really deserves a kudos. Or five. As for the Herald: nit-pick, and I'll whip you. So unless you're slightly.. um... "different" (read: most of SSD's male population) you'd best not nit-pick. No, in all seriousness, we did the best we could. We're not Kari (how could we be? o.0) but we did what we could.

Now that I'm done rambling at you, go read the Herald, or just skim it randomly and go type "good job writers" in the comment thread like you do every other month.

[The Herald]

As they say, time flies
Welcome to October. I honestly can’t believe how quickly this month has gone. The overall purpose of this little article is just to keep you informed with everything that has been happening and will be happening soon.

Version 6
I’m guessing a lot of you must be pretty eager to know what we are actually doing with this. Well it is still under construction, just working on the coding. The main thing holding us back is our free time; we’re all very busy at the moment. It’ll be ready as soon as possible. I want it as much as you.

Fresh Smiley Faces
Lets start with one very important person who is leaving us shortly, Kari. This lady has led the Herald and helped in the overall running of the forum and website. As I have said to others before, “thank you” doesn’t extend far enough. So when she does leave, make sure you give her a big virtual hug.

Your edition of The Herald has some new editors. With the departure of Kari, she has selected two very suitable and reliable editors. A big welcome to Kay, and Artemis (formerly Mastermind)!

Congrats to Josh who is now a global moderator, meaning he has powers in all boards. His main responsibilities will be Chillout and Battles. However, if you have an issue on the forums or you have seen something that needs moderator attention, don’t hesitate to drop him a PM. I wish him well in his blue-ness.

For more than 2 years now, I have ran SOTW. I feel once again it is time to let it go and move it on to someone new. If I’m to be honest, I haven’t enjoyed running that area for ages; it is a big weight off my shoulders. Therefore it made sense to give it to someone who has given me advice with picking winners and throwing in the odd theme idea. Hello to Ethan.

Coding

David[hp] will now head up the entire coding section, which we aim to re-develop a little. Now, this is a huge task, especially in its current state, so I shall be giving him some help with it. Each week we are working through each board and implementing ways to improve them.


Enjoy this issue!
Oliver

[The Herald]

SolidSnake Designs would like to wish the following a very happy birthday this month!

Mukei - 4th
Tªo ®en - 6th
Razr - 7th
Kari - 16th
elpeef - 25th
K a i - 26th

If you had an October birthday, and it's not listed, then next time, please make your way to the Herald board, and post informing us of your birthday.




This is always a challenge for me, selecting one person out of so many members. So I have to build a kind of criteria when various people pop into my head. So, what can you find in a Member of the Month? Perhaps someone who is supportive of our community, hardworking or active? One lady fits into those categories perfectly; this month’s chosen member is Kay! Her recent work with the Herald has certainly paid off.

Next month, I will not be doing this, the responsibility is getting passed off to someone else, so bare with me for my last time around, as I attempt this one last time. I also yet again, thank Oliver for helping with the choosing, and the thoughts/comments. But I do hope for more entries next month to be chosen from!

Avatar of the Month: Virtuoso!

An odd image indeed, I myself have no idea what it is. But it's nice and simple, it stands out and catches your eye. So, congrats Virt.

and

Signature of the Month: elpeef!

Yet again, Mr. elpeef has done it. The colors are easy on the eyes, and a great use of them. As well as image and text placement. Also, a simple, yet good border. Congrats, yet again, Mr. elpeef.

Abstract Set 77 by Stinky666 may not be a set of the largest signatures, but that doesn't mean they're bad. They're well made, and designed signatures with a great range of colors, and they certainly look good on their own without any modification - perfect for those who like a sig with no text.

The texture and pattern involved really is quite intriguing, reminding me of some sort of organic machine, yet the signatures aren't too overpowering having said that.

As a complete signature or with your own modifications, this set of banners would make a great addition to your profile.




"026.) Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers, "This is MY personal space!""

"That's how myspace.com started."
- Dude & Assassinator

"I'll get around to it. I'm tired. And my ass hurts."

"Sorry about that Luke, I'll be easier next time.

Anyway, welcome back."
- Luke & Ryan.gimli

"This (hot) chick was on Monster, you see. I could of had my way with her, but noo, my parents were around. So this 15 year-old emo kid made out with her. Damn, should of been me. =( "

"I have a feeling your parents had little to do with you missing out on that. "
- Luke & Lucifer

"I'm not buying one, genius. I won it. "

"Well, I'm a retard then. "
- Mukei & Josh

"...

If I poke you in the eye, and you poke me back in my eye, and I poke you back in your eye, and you poke me back in my eye, aren't we both blind now?"
- Artemis

"I'd get rid of it, but I'm just being a smart ass "

"Leave that to the professionals (Artos and I) son. You might get hurt."
- [derfinatrix] & James

"The Final Fantasy Series. Need I say more?"

"Yes, the series blew."

"I'll pretend I didn't see that. I'll also do a really bad job of pretending by posting in reference to the quote I'm pretending to have not read."
- Darien, James, & Lucifer

"Yeah, but you're a girl.

"

"And some could say the same about you."
- elpeef & Kay




"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
- Plato

"Everybody pities the weak; jealousy you have to earn."
- Arnold Schwarzenegger

"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."
- unknown

"He who has a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

"I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter."
- Sir Winston Churchill

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."
- George Washington Carver

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
- Walt Disney

"There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life."
- Frank Zappa

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
- Henry Ford

"When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong."
- Buckminster Fuller

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking."
- Goethe

"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."
- Thomas Jefferson

"The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves."
- Steven Covey




Child's Play by Gadgetguy606

Alright, well I'm not really cut out to do this article, but it needed to get done. So I browsed the Photography board and took in Jonny's comments on the photos at hand. Child's Play, the only thing that Jonny could find wrong is that the photo needed to be sharpened. In my own opinion, being a aspiring photographer, and a lover of photography, I'll have to agree.

This photo just stands out, and it's unique, not something you'd capture everyday. Great job Gadgetguy606!




It was a tough decision doing lit of the month this month. I was going through the board, debating through all the awesome poems, stories, and essays I saw, when I finally came across a fourth category: songs. Thinking on it, I decided to give Josh's "Buried Alive" the literature of the month award for October. A song I still can't get the rhythm or tone for in my head, but with interesting lyrics nonetheless. As I said two months ago: just vague enough to make us wonder, but just clear enough to give us something to work off of.

The first line, especially, hits me as awesome. "Follow me to the end of the Earth." Brilliant... brilliantly simple. I almost want to suggest that it be changed to "ends of the Earth", but it works well the way it is, and if it's not broken...

Well, I've rambled enough. On to the song. Good job, Josh, and congratulations. You're our Literature of the Month: October winner.

"Buried Alive" written by Josh.

Follow me to the end of the Earth
Just so that you can see
Just what I've done to be where I am today

You can sit there laughing and joking
But in the end you won't be so happy
Knowing that you're the one who killed me

But what if it all stops
What if I just bleed
I'll take the time to stop this truth from happening



And I'm being buried alive
Just for you, Just so you
It should never have been like this
But now I see it must
You can try to find another way
But by the time you do, I'll already be gone



Now you've seen the way I live
You've seen the way I act
So now you must realize
That I am the only reason

Feelings are amidst
Temptations run amok
I am just living my life
But it all seems for naught

You will see me at the finish line
No matter what you do
But I can see already
That it's not the place to go



And I'm being buried alive
Just for you, Just so you
It should never have been like this
But now I see it must
You can try to find another way
But by the time you do, I'll already be gone




But in the end I know you'll do it
I know it all too well
I always see you pushing everybody all around
I see you pushing the red button down

[Whisper]
Boom and the lights go out
You feel the ground vibrate
You realize what you've done
And you know it's all too late.

[Guitar solo begins]
[scream]
BOOM!

[Guitar Solo end]
[Normal Voice]



And I'm being buried alive
Just for you, Just so you
It should never have been like this
But now I see it must
You can try to find another way
But by the time you do, I'll already be gone




Not only did you kill me
You also killed yourself
You even killed your family
And everything they knew

How could I let this happen
How could I let it slip
I'm not going to let this go
There just has to be some way



And I'm being buried alive
Just for you, Just so you
It should never have been like this
But now I see it must
You can try to find another way
But by the time you do, I'll already be gone



I think I've found the way
To put an end to all of this
Hide Away the problem
Is something that I must

I now see that I'm the one
I see it all too well
I see I'm the one
Pushing you to the wall

I didn't know it was me
I never even thought it
But now I think I've realized
That it was me all along

Everything I do
Everything I say
Is tearing you apart
Right in front of me

By hiding away, I think I might
Just put an end to this
Just put an end to those thoughts
[Crescendo]
And saved all... of... us!



And I'm being buried alive
Just for you, Just so you
It should never have been like this
But now I see it must
You can try to find another way
But by the time you do, I'll already be gone

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

Warning: spoilers follow. So, a couple of months ago, I was talking to an obscure graphic community member who told me about his favorite movie: V for Vendetta. He was telling me how great it was, and I kinda thought it sounded a bit trend-whorish. Well, I checked it on Videos on Demand, and I think I was a bit judgemental. The basic plot: In a near-future Britain, a terrorist, named only as the letter V, provides a testament to Guy Fawkes, an Englishman who attempted to blow up Parliament on the fifth of November in the sixteen hundreds. There's a plus right there: rebellion. Everyone loves rebellion. ^-^ V plans to blow up the houses of Parliament, and to kill the members of the dictatorial British government. A lot of what makes this movie good is the good quotes. "People should not be afraid of their government, governments should be afraid of their people.", "What they did to me was monstrous" "Then they created a monster.", and other good quotes providing philosophical thoughts are provided in this movie. A lit geek's dream. ^-^.

However, I still can't ascertain what makes me worship this movie so. The special effects are minimal, not a large focus, which surprises me, as the Wizowski brothers (the makers of the Matrix Trilogy) made this movie, as well. There is a large emphasis on story and plotline, which is good. The plot is hinted at, and never really told, straight out, so you kind of have to guess on it. Which is a relief, a breath of fresh air, after all the plots of movies being shoved down your throat for the last... milennia? Longer? The style of filmography faintly reminds me of an opera, which is a major plus in my books. V reminds me of the Phantom of the Opera, though, regrettably, I have not had the good fortune to ever attend the Phantom, so I only know base facts about it.

Also, Hugo Weaving does an outstanding job bringing off the character of V, a character that, arguably, has no face, but many emotions. For those of you with theatrical talent, you know how hard it is to convey emotion without the use of your face. Mr. Weaving brought this off brilliantly, and I have some kudos for him here...

To even further drive home this movie into my attention, I can connect with it on many levels. I have long since identified with the persecuted side of society, which set me up brilliantly for the characters and stories portrayed in the tapestry of this film.

In short, this film is a brilliant cinematic of revolutionary, modern, and classical ideologies, with some social commentary thrown in on the side. I give this movie four and a half stars, and recommend it heartily to any and all movie-goers.

[The Herald]

Stephen Robert Irwin was born in Victoria in February 1962. His father, Bob, was a keen enthusiast of reptiles, and moved the family to Queensland in 1970 to start a small reptile park.

Living at the zoo, Steve took it upon himself to feed the many animals it contained. It became a daily routine for him. When he was six years old, he received the present he always wanted: a 12 foot long scrub python.

Bob taught Steve everything he knew about reptiles, even teaching him how to jump in and catch crocodiles at night in the rivers of North Queensland. When Steve learned this, he was only nine years old! Each and every crocodile that was in the zoo was either caught by their hands or bred there.

As Steve grew older, he followed the path his father had first followed. Steve volunteered much of his time to the Queensland Government's East Coast Crocodile Management program, which found him living on his own in many of the mosquito infested creeks and rivers in North Queensland. Here, he caught crocodiles.

Throughout his life, Steve accomplished many things. He was, by far, one of the best authorities on crocodiles. He also started a loving family. He had a wife, Terri and children, Bindi Sue Irwin and Robert Clarence "Bob" Irwin.

However, at the age of 44, his life was taken from him. When snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, at Batt Reef, Steve was struck in the chest by a stingray, ending his own personal legacy. He is greatly missed by his family, friends, and many fans throughout the world.

[The Herald]

I want to talk about the reality of revolution. I have questions about it and no answers. It's not as if they teach a class at the local University, "How to Launch a Revolution", with a clear syllabus, a learned professor at the front of the classroom, and wealthy alumni donating large sums of money to further research on the subject. Who leads the actions that change the world so drastically when the need is dire? Who follows? Is bloodshed a necessary evil, or just an unfortunate result of a forceful overthrow of a government? When is a revolution worth dying for?

When is a revolution necessary?

When I think "revolution", I see the romantic vision of a battlefield. A definite line is drawn between sides, good and evil, and the good guys fight for survival with the super strength granted when the goal is protecting everyone and everything sacred. A dramatically windblown actor with a nice butt barely concealed by a kilt shouts "FREEDOM!" Gritty, honest men die heroically. The leader with the nice butt dies a martyr. The good guys still win. The end.

Hardly.

The fact is I don't think the average person in this day and age could even recognize the need for a radical upheaval. Even if the signs were recognized, fewer people would know what to do. Vote their conscience? Peaceably assemble? Write their local congressman a stern letter? That might, perhaps, possibly work if our largest problem was a road with crater sized potholes.

But what if basic human rights are being violated? What if the sick aren't being treated and the poor are dying in droves due to a neglectful government? How would the common man respond? Would he quietly lie down while his brothers suffer? Or could he perhaps organize the masses, choose leaders and make a stand? Would a revolution in this century be fought with words? Bullets? Bombs? Legislative decisions?

One observation I've made: The kind of people who have the desire and strength of character to launch a revolution are very strong willed individuals. That brand of nonconformist is considered a rebel. Rebels clash. How could such a group unite and agree to reach one common goal? Another observation I've made: When rebels simmer down, hard won wisdom can emerge, along with an even temper and patience, so cooperation just might be possible.

So here I am with yet another heavy list of questions regarding a weight-of-the-world topic. I think my research on the subject has just begun. I want to know what made Che Guevara tick, and who William Wallace really was. I want to be able to make an educated guess as to whether or not the last real revolutionary war has been fought, or if there is one just beyond the horizon. I want to know if I would have the strength to risk my very life for basic rights that are in danger of being stomped into oblivion.

I hope I never need to know, but the reality of revolution is possible. History has shown that the road to momentous change is paved with the bodies of the strong and defiant who were once filled with life and unyielding hope. The survivors set grave markers as a reminder of the sacrifice and move forward on their behalf, certain they will never become like the oppressors they fought and defeated.

Suggested watching:
V for Vendetta, a film based on the DC comic starring Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman

[The Herald]

Parental strategies and procedures have always remained prone to criticism and comments. Most say that no parenting strategy is wrong, whilst many argue otherwise. Corporal Punishment is perhaps the most debated of all parental practices. By definition, Corporal Punishment is the usage of physical force, in the position of disciplinary punishment. In the international debate, disciplinary remains the key word, separating both sides.

In my opinion, Corporal Punishment is just, at least up to a certain extent. I feel that Physical Force is acceptable, provided it isn’t used for revenge, and/or an expression of rage. In the Indian Sub-Continent, and in many other nations, the usage of Corporal Punishment is much a common practice as ‘grounding’ a child in North America. Critics argue that in India the fine majority of children are far more notorious than the typical North American youth, due to being in a very poverty-infested community, with no moral but to fend for themselves, and only themselves.

I argue, by saying it has been proven that though a fine majority of Indian children grow up to be beggars, cobblers, etc., there is also a very distinct number of children who eventually leave their country, and become some of the richest and most well known citizens in North America, and other 1st world countries/continents. The reason for this ironic conclusion is the fact that the children who have received physical punishment, have focused entirely on their studies, due to being punished had they done otherwise. Many people find that hard to contemplate. But when you walk into the average secondary school and/or university in North America, you can see that of the students excelling, a high percentage are of 3rd world background.

A Time magazine journalist once wrote, “North America needs something, with all these Chinese and Indian brainiacs running around,” in an issue dedicated to the dropping Academic level of North America’s ‘Generation X.’ Let us consider that quote for a second, as we drone back to a few facts. North America does not lack resources. Every classroom has stacks and stacks of unused books, pencils, and other equipment. Such an extent of resources is nonexistent in any classroom in places like China, India, etc.

Most people in 3rd world countries have to create their own books, by recycling papers, and slapping them together with used drywall tape. Obviously, North America’s abundance of resources dispels all myths of dropping standards being linked to the lack of supplies. So what is the main reason for North America’s seemingly horrible academic level? Is it the fact that most students nowadays have voracious eating habits? Or is it that the media is chewing away at the dying buds of academic acceptance? No.

The real reason for ignorance in youth is the fact that the lack of discipline in the average household is eminent. Most children do whatever they feel they wish to do, with little or no fear for parental consequences. Perhaps they will be grounded, given a time out, or at best given a yelling. But will that suffice in the taming of the youth’s wild and unknowing mind? Not at all. Suppose you were to look into a scene, involving two parents, who have recently gained wind of their child enduring common detentions.

The typical North American punishment would result in the child being grounded for a month. If that were in India, the child would have been beaten, till the skin on his/her body went pale. That may be quite extreme, but if that were toned down a bit in the North American situation, the child would understand that, had he/she done the crime another time, they would endure the same beating, if not worse. Unless the child is numb to all punishment, they will comply with the parents’ orders of obedience.

Another reason that Corporal Punishment is looked down upon by so many, is because many feel that the Children completely dislike it. Perhaps that is true, but many children do not enjoy school, and just about none enjoy doing chores. They are still told to do it. Though this comparison may not be very sufficient, it is still valid. The main reason for Physical Punishment is so that children understand there will be punishment if they continue their bad behavior. I’m sure a simple smack in the hindquarters to a young child, or a slap to a teen wouldn’t hurt them to such an extent that they'll rebel, and demand justice. And for many cases, a simple threatening gesture can easily suffice in the position of an actual hit.

It is unfair to consider children in 3rd world countries any different from children in 1st world countries. The only reason children and parents alike in 1st world countries find Corporal Punishment to be a bad thing, is the reason that they are so used to a high standard of living, and protection, so they feel if they do maintain or endure physical contact, the giver will be penalized. In fact, it is evident in many places that children who grew up in a very disciplinary community, grow up to be sufficiently intelligent, and understand that the punishment they have been given was for their own good.

Conclusively, I feel that Corporal Punishment is allowable, and should be considered thus officially. The only time where it should be redeemed illegal, is when it has been taken to such a stage that the parent is doing it out of sheer rage, and thus turns into a physical bout, rather than a disciplinary method.

[The Herald]

Here in the United States, Halloween is commonly known as the one holiday that children, teenagers, and humans of all ages can get away with stuffing their faces with candy, and not have to worry about cavities until the following day.

How much of this popular United States holiday do you really know? As any other holiday, or even folk tale, or fairy tale, the meaning behind Halloween has been passed down from generation to generation, acquiring the alterations of those telling the story to their descendants. This article, I hope, will provide you with a little behind the scenes look into Halloween.

Other names Halloween is known by; Hallow E'en as they call it in Ireland , means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the 'All Hallows', also called 'All Hallowmas', or 'All Saints', or 'All Souls' Day, observed on November 1. 'Hallow' meant 'sanctify'. Lutherans, Episcopalians, and Roman Catholics use to observe 'All Hallows' day as the time to honor all the Saints in Heaven, known or unknown.

With all solemnity as one of the most significant observances of the Church year is what they used to consider it . Catholics were obliged to attend Mass. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, which was intended to give rest and peace to the departed. To honor the dead, participants made sacrifices, made oblations to them, and even offered up prayers for them. The festival was always celebrated on February the 21st, the end of the Roman year.

In the 7th century, observed on May 13, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. Later on, Gregory III changed the date to November 1st. The Greek Orthodox Church observes it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Even with the strong connection with the Roman Church, the American version of the Halloween Day celebration's origin is due to the ancient (pre-Christian) Druidic fire festival called "Samhain", celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Samhain is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" oddly enough rhyming with word cow.

Ireland and Scotland also had their own names for the candy-feast. In Ireland the festival was known as 'Samhein', or 'La Samon', the Feast of the Sun. In Scotland, the celebration was known as 'Hallowe'en'. In Welsh it's Nos Galen-gaeof.

[The Herald]

With Halloween sneaking up on us at the very end of this month, I've decided to provide you with the Top 5 Costumes. Below you'll find the type of costume, a view of them, and a few words tossed your way.

Star Wars Costumes

Are the number one top costumes around this year, you'll find them amongst adults of both male and female, along with children of all ages.


Pirate Costumes

Following close behind are Pirate costumes. Now there's no doubt in my mind that the release of Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Mans Chest this summer had something to do with that.


Tinkerbell Costumes

More favoring the female gender here. Unless you're the type of male that enjoys prancing around in a little green dress and pretending to be a miniature fairy. Then again, knowing the SSD male population...

Fairy Costumes

Also favoring towards females, but as you can plainly see, a male could also dress up as a fairy. There are numerous types of fairies out there, don't just settle by assuming the provided images are the only ones.

Wonder Woman/Superman Costumes

I can bet that the release of Superman Returns also had some role in the increase of usage of these costumes this Halloween. Be on a lookout this Halloween for your well-known super heroes!


Enjoy yourselves this Halloween season, and make sure you bundle up, it's bound to be cold outside! Share the candy you bring home as well, unless it's poisoned, then you may keep it all to yourself. Cheers!

[The Herald]

Black cats can claw. Ladders can fall. Shards of mirror are sharp. So there's a solid reason why all of those things could be considered unlucky. Well, okay, not solid, but they're reasonable, comparatively speaking. But Friday the thirteenth, one of the biggest superstitions of today... How could a day possibly be unlucky? To examine this mystery, I dove into Wikipedia and Google. The answers were, if not enlightening, at least interesting, as the number and day do, I admit, have some pretty cosmic coincidences.

My original answer was that Friday the Thirteenth was unlucky for, get this, biblical reasons. Seems counter-intuitive, right? Well, apparently, there were thirteen people at the Last Supper of Jesus, who was crucified on Good Friday. But, with a bit of digging, I figured out that the truth ran much deeper. In fact, Friday the Thirteenth wasn't considered especially unlucky until the 18th century. Odd. Wouldn't one assume that the more advanced civilization gets, the less superstitions are created and/or held? Therefore, what's that tell you, my attentive readers, about our "civilization"? [/social commentary]

The first recorded use of Friday the Thirteenth as 'unlucky' for all you Brits out there was in the late eighteenth century, where it was considered ill luck to have thirteen at a table, with the superstition stating that the first to rise would be the first to die. This, contrary to popular belief, does not arrive from the Loki myth. There's a belief that Loki crashed a party of twelve gods in the house of Aegir, and trick Hod, the blind god of darkness, into throwing a branch of mistletoes at Balder, the god of joy and happiness. Balder, who is obviously a very poor kisser, died immediately, and the world was plunged into darkness and mourning. This is false. Not the myth itself (okay, I have my doubts about that, too) but the belief that there is where the number thirteen got its unlucky status. The original Norse text, the Lokasenna, names seventeen gods by name, and while Loki did crash the party, it was unrelated to the death of Balder.

On yet another cheerful note, on Friday the Thirteenth, 1307, Philip IV of France arrested, tortured, and killed many Knights Templar, attempting to seize their considerable wealth for the French treasury.

Well, it also appears that the first Passover was on a Friday the Thirteenth, technically. The slaughtering of the firstborns of Egypt occured on the 14th of Nisan in the evening. But the Jewish calendar counts days from sunset to sunset, so, according to the reckoning of the time period, it was really Friday the Thirteenth.

As enlightening as this all is, I'm going to have to leave off here. We're running out of room, and my hands are getting cramps. Just remember: superstitions are only as unlucky as you make them.

[The Herald]

Crank

By Ellen Hopkins

"My Luck Ran Out

'Cause after I
finished pigging out, I
really wanted
a cigarette.
Nicotine's a
strange addiction I
didn't even realize I
was hooked until I
couldn't have one. No
one at my house
smoked, at least not
so you'd notice. Not
my mom. Smoking
causes wrinkles. Not
Scott, who had
a family history
of emphysema. Not
Leigh, who said
they made
your hair smell
like an ash
tray (only true
if you don't
smoke). Surely not
Jake, the
ministud athlete. Nope
I
was most definitely
out of luck.
For the moment
anyway."

A snippet directly from the book itself. I will first and foremost state that this book is a whopping 537 pages long, but, the text is very spaced out, and easy to read. Also, if you're easily offended, don't continue to read.

16-year-old Kristina Snow is a gifted high school junior, quiet, never in trouble, and all-around perfect daughter. Court ordered to visit her absentee father. Kristina loses herself. And she's replaced by Bree.

Bree swiftly walks into the world of drugs. First trying pot with her new found love, Adam, whom she meets when staying with her father, who himself is drug addict. Adam introduces her to Crank. Her method; snorting. What she figured to be a wild, ecstatic ride, turns into a struggle. For her soul, and her life.

When returning home, she ditches her old friends, her good grades, and the respect for her parents. Sneaking out constantly, telling her mother "Fuck you.", even dating two guys at once. Crank still being her source of keeping Bree in the place of Kristina, and Bree making all decisions against Kristina's better judgment.

Losing her virginity to a rape scenario, Brendan, one of the two guys, was out of her life. She stepped up to the plate, and decided that Scott was her main focus. One of her new friends at school introduced her into a new method of crank, smoking. Then her 17th birthday rolls around. Getting over her fear of being with anyone else, and even trying ecstasy for the first time, drinking alcohol, and lighting up a cigarette, she left her party at Scott's house feeling pretty high.

The rush of getting put in jail for 2 days didn't slow her down. Wasn't until she learned that she was pregnant, with her rapist's baby. The worst part, now she had to confide in her mother. This whole time, her mother refused to believe her daughter had slipped into the drug world. Finding herself trying to straighten up her life, Kristina attempts to emerge once again, but Bree sometimes would win out, getting Kristina to meet the monster a few times despite the life growing inside her.

This book will leave you wanting to strangle the narrator, Kristina at times. You'll find yourself not wanting to put the book down, it'll sneak back into your hands. I highly recommend this book to any reader.


Rating:

[The Herald]

On September 12th, Apple released the latest version of it's largely popular media player/store/iPod management system. At the "Showtime" event, Steve Jobs (CEO Apple) touted this update as the single largest update in program history. Well, he wasn't lying. There are loads of new features available and some that should have been in the program way back in version 3 when I started using it.

The first thing I noticed after installing this huge update was the logo. It is no longer that unmistakable green color. No, it was blue. This had me worried at first, wondering what exactly they had done to the program to cause a logo change. So I click the icon and the store comes up.



Redesign
Apple has pretty much redesigned the entire program. The navigation is still the same, but is now in a nested, outline styled layout. You now have sections for Music, Movies, TV Shows, Audiobooks, Podcasts, Radio, and iPod Games, if you choose to buy some. Everything else is the same except for the new section "Downloads". In this window, anything you have bought from iTunes that is in the process of downloading will be shown. You are given a percentage bar, a choice to cancel, and the ability to see how much is downloaded and the ETA of the download. A very nice feature.

Outside of the navigation, the familiar light blue is non-existent. You now see a toned down mid-tone blue that sets a more mellow tone for the program. None of the buttons are Mac-like anymore and, instead, follow the gray gradient style of the rest of the program, which fits very well. Most of the icons were tweaked, but they remained pretty much the same.

The Library has two new features to it, both dealing with the view of the library. The normal text-view is the default view, but there are two new views.
You can click the middle button and all your albums will be separated with their album cover being displayed to the left. I really like this new view, really spices things up.

The third option brings an old Mac application called "Cover Flow" to iTunes by default. In this, you don't have a long list of songs anymore. You use nothing but the albums to go through your music. It is a cool feature, but very buggy and not very practical at the moment.

Cover Flow also downloads artwork for all your albums by itself, no 3^rd party software needed. It can be slow if you have a very large library, but it is worth it in the end, especially for iPod users.

The iPod Manager

The iPod is now fully integrated into the iTunes software. Just click on your iPod to see. It doesn't take you to a grayed out screen full of your content anymore. Now, you are taken to a screen that shows you all the details and options you need.

The main screen is self explanatory. It shows you how much space is taken up/left on your iPod and shows what is occupying that space. It also allows you to Update/Restore the iPod firmware from right inside iTunes. There is no need for a 100MB install for you to update anymore. Yay!

You click on the other tabs and you are able to adjust all the options of the iPod, from Video playback to Podcasts to Contacts. It is all very easy now.

Showtime
I had been reading for months that a Movie Store was set for release and I knew that this was going to be in here, so it wasn't overly surprising when I saw the banner for movies on the front page. I went in there to see what kind of prices these things were going for and it totally shocked me. $9.99 for library titles. $12.99 for a movie one week after it's release and for pre ordering. Newer movies older than a week are just $15.99. Comparing it to Amazons service, you are saving a few bucks a movie.

Then I noticed the let down. Apple had only managed to get Disney (Which Jobs is the leading share holder of) and its offspring companies to license its movies out. Sure, this means I can download great movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, The Rock and Remember the Titans, but I wanted to be able to download things like The Lord of the Rings or V for Vendetta.

Even with that major let-down, this update still is really good. The ability to download movies means a bright future for movie downloading. Look at the first week for Apple. 125,000 Movie downloads making more than $1 Million in extra profit.

Only two other things changed in the iTunes store besides the movies: the resolution of the videos and iPod Games.

Videos are no longer offered at the old 320x240 low res, but now all TV shows, music videos, and movies are offered in 640x480, three times the previous size. Sure, not HD quality, but still a lot better when watching them on a TV.

On the gaming side of things, real games are now offered for the iPod. Not crappy Solitaire or Parachute, but actual arcade classics. For $5.99 each, you can get games ranging from Pac-Man to Tetris, with much more coming with the hacking of the source of these games.

Other Little Tidbits

iTunes now offers some very interesting new features. The two I enjoy the most are gapless playback and the library backup options. iTunes now allows you to backup you entire library onto CD or DVD with a few clicks. No need to make playlist after playlist to do it anymore. As for gapless playback, it speaks for itself. iTunes searches for albums that should be played without a gap in between songs, and then deletes the gap. You can manually do it, but iTunes seems to do it very well.

You can also use multiple libraries and choose which one you want at startup, but I haven't gotten around to trying that out yet. Another thing is you can now transfer any purchased music from your iPod back to iTunes, a feature I wish I had a year ago.

The Good. The Bag. The Ugly.

iTunes 7 is bug ridden. While playback has improved with less Quicktime involvement, it is only better for a select few. Many people cannot get anything to play at all. Many hear a scratching noise in the background during playback. I've experienced both problems, but they went away with time.

This version eats up system resources. I am unable to use more than 1 other program at the same time as iTunes. Notepad is incredibly slow right now and Notepad is a really small program.

There have been errors in downloading and very slow download times were experienced until Apple updated their servers to sync more properly this week. It took me 3 hours to download 400MB of a video last weekend and another 20 minutes to download the final 312MB today. I'm glad they got this fixed up.

Readers rejoice! There is expected to be a huge fix coming up. Almost all bugs and errors are supposed to be fixed by the end of the month with the release of 7.0.1. They have also fixed the memory problems, but iTunes will still be a hog during big downloads though.

Exit

All in all, this update is a huge step for iTunes. It now feels more mature and more Media oriented, whereas the older version felt more store-inclined. The bugs are many and I have no memory left, but with the release of 7.0.1 on the horizon, all is well. I absolutely loved the iPod integration and the new additions to the Store. Not to mention the ability to back up my music and transfer bought music to my PC from my iPod. Video playback has improved by leaps and bounds and the whole layout is more friendly and easier to navigate.

If you are a media-nut as I am, I highly suggest downloading iTunes from iTunes.com. It is a must-have.


Statistics and bug reports taken from Engadget. Screenshots taken by Psionic. Any and all complaints about the music library should be directed at him. Click on images to see larger view.

[The Herald]

For this month’s M.A.R. (Music Artist Review), we’re going to take a trip back to the 90's(yes, that was a Travis song). I understand that this isn’t too useful in terms of current in-the-know knowledge of the musical lay of the land, but when pondering upon what artist to write about it struck me that Oasis was the perfect choice. I know quite a bit about the band. I own all 6 of their full albums and they released an album just over a year back, which in musical terms isn’t too long. I mean, we still learn about composers that lived hundreds of years and here I am justifying why I should write about Oasis. So, here it goes.

The Manchester based English band, Oasis is comprised -at the fore-front- of the Gallagher brothers. Noel and Liam are the only original members in the band. The other members aren’t actually confirmed members of the band. One of these unconfirmed members is Zak Starky, the son of The Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr. It's ironic then that The Beatles are one of Noel and Liam’s main influences.

Oasis first broke onto the British music scene in 1994. Definitely Maybe, has been heralded the single greatest debut album of all time by the lead music magazine NME. It went Platinum 7 times, that means 7 million copies world wide. 1 million of the copies went to America rather surprisingly. This was happening at a time when other bands like Blur and The Verve were bursting onto the scene. A name hadn’t been decided on for this type of music, but it was called by many names, like jangle pop, shoegazing, New Wave, and indie. The final named was decided after ‘(What’s the story)Morning Glory?’ was released. Oasis started the very genre that they ended up –along side many other bands- creating, BritPop.

I think what I’m trying to get at here is that Oasis are an extremely pioneering band, and to be pioneering you have to be a good, solid, original band with music that is just plain –in search of a better word- fantastic. And that’s what Oasis is. They have tight, powerful guitar riffs. But they’re tight in a different way. They’re quite loose in a sense, but everything happens, at exactly the right time, and exactly how it should. No mistakes, nothing. And they’re flexible in styles. They can go for an all out snarl, or they can go for a soaring ballad…type… thing, whilst sticking to their style. Unlike many bands, they don't just talk about girls and love. Whilst they do a bit of that(and they do that very well) they have some great more ‘off-topic’ songs. Noel is a great song writer and the lyrics at times can be just perfect.

I wish I could expand on what I’m saying about Oasis but they’re very hard to explain. They’re one of those bands you have to go and listen to. They have massive variety, even through all their albums. There’s a bit of Oasis for everyone, you can always find something for the right moment, for the right person. I once cried to an Oasis song(it was an emotional time ok?) and Oasis has helped picked me up, just like now with my massive ear/headache they’ve motivated me to write this article for you guys.

So, I recommend you go out, get some Oasis and listen. You may be surprised.

[The Herald]

Oh, yes. Pandora's about to dust off her cherished box of cassette tapes and share her love for old school, sometimes campy, goth & punk, a world in which Siouxie Sioux was a Banshee goddess, Danzig was a Misfit, and GWAR were the beloved Scumdogs of the Universe. *Pandora takes a moment to wipe away a nostalgic teardrop* Technically, these bands were in their prime even before my time, but my older brother kept me in the goth loop, filling my childhood with hysterically dark lyrics from men bravely wearing black lipstick. Song titles like "Riboflavin Flavored, Non-carbonated, Poly-unsaturated Blood" are forever in my brain, even if the band who recorded it, 45 Grave, is gone and forgotten.

The late 70's and 80's were a veritable breeding ground for musicians emulating the undead. There were no Hot Topics around to grossly overcharge for goth gear. To imitate the punk & goth music icons, most raided thrift stores for costume inspiration, dying old wedding dresses blood red or black, and eyeliner was the make-up that wore the title "jack-of-all-trades", used to paint both eyes and lips in sickly shades of death. Ahhh, what a beautiful era.

The following three bands are the most fun I can recommend from that time period...for parties, for freaking out uptight parents and for general listening pleasure.


The Cramps


With band member names like Lux Interior and Poison Ivy, it is fairly obvious the musicians in The Cramps don't take themselves too seriously. With song titles like "Elvis F***ing Christ" and "Bikini Girls with Machine Guns" how could any self respecting goth with a sense of humor not buy each and every album these ghouls have to offer?

Lucky for me, I caught this crew live on their "Big Beat from Badsville" tour in 1997. Lucky for everybody, this band is still alive and kicking to this day, releasing album after worthwhile album. Their live act almost ten years ago was more than memorable. During "Monkey With Your Tail" singer Lux climbed straight to the ceiling of the club, bent his mic stand in half and gave it away to some liberty spiked punk kid in the audience. Poison Ivy wailed on her guitar clad in a leopard print bikini, and dancing of all kinds from slam to swing had everyone grooving to the rockabilly goth gods (and goddess) on stage.

Classic album carrying Pandora's undying approval: Bad Music for Bad People


The Misfits


The Misfits are the very definition of goth/punk. Faces painted as skulls, mohawks twisted and hanging between their eyes, proper love ballads such as "She" and "Angelf*ck". Any girl who owns a pair of cobweb panty hose should swoon. Hell, their box set even comes in a coffin shaped package.

Uncompromising, undead, underground lords.

Classic album that is necessary for any non-poser's collection: Legacy of Brutality


GWAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Oh, sweet comic book come to life, GWAR done stole this poor country girl's punk-loving heart years ago. There is no parallel. This extraterrestrial band survived the Ice Age only to find that their plans to dominate Earth were all but impossible. So they formed a punk band instead. Their live show is notorious, a strange beasty eating audience members whole and costumes a cross between Mad Max and Lothar of the Hill People. Respect must be given. Puny humans could never possibly understand the minds of Balsac, Oderous Urungus, Sylmenstra Hymen and Techno Destructo to name but a few.

Classic album as near to perfection as any punk album gets: Scumdogs of the Universe


Don't forget to check out The Damned, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxie and the Banshees, The Cure, Switchblade Symphony, GBH, etc. Be warned...some of the bands mentioned in this paragraph are way too serious to share at parties. They should be played only after you dye your hair black, fill your room with candles, adorn your walls with posters of Brandon Lee from "The Crow" and you've begun to cry for no reason.

[The Herald]

So, Ethan, what was it that originally brought you to SolidSnake Designs?

Um, I started round 2003, I had no artistic idols at the time, I was just inspired by the capabilities of Photoshop.

Alright. Interesting. So, what types of styles do you tend to pursue the most? Which do you enjoy doing?

Space painting, there's an utmost tranquility in painting a nebulae/planet and such.


I see. So what programs do you enjoy using the most? Which do you find easier to use, and which do you find give the best results?


Photoshop first and foremost, I've enjoyed the versatility of Photoshop for a long time, it's taught me alot about the digital art realm.
3ds max, C4d and terragen are my secondary programs, Photoshop, for me, tends to give the best results on a day to day basis, it can help me manipulate my renders and such.
To an extent, Corel Painter is my drawing board. It's second to Photoshop on the digital painting medium.

Ah, okay. Now, let's stave off the interface area, and go on to the more community based portion of it. Who do you look up to in the digital art world? Is there anyone whose art you look at and say "Wow, I want to do that someday" ?

Well, first off...I will not say Alyn Hunter or Greg Martin, it's such a cliche...
I don't have any particular idols, but Dylan Cole is my role-model in the art realm of today. Although my art is not in that direction, he inspires me. Other idols? Um Salvador Dali, his innovation is awe-inspiring.
Picasso !, ooh gosh...who doesn't like him ?

Ah, I see. So You have a very wide range of people who you idolize. I know of many people, including myself, who idolize you. How do you feel, to be looked up upon by other aspiring artists?

Well, this is probably the first I've heard of this... people look up [to] me? Gosh....okay back on topic. Well, it's a good feeling to be something people want to match up against or aspire to.
It's sometimes difficult for an artist to notice people like that. I tend to remain humble .

Aw. Well that's nice. Do you have anything to say to them, if they were reading this interview?

Be yourself, and continue to prosper in your talents, if you don't have any....prosper anyways.

That made me chuckle, the latter bit anyways. So, now let's dwell into the artistic, personal areas. Where do you commonly find inspiration? Do you find it easily, or does it take time?


Well, my boyfriend, he's my inspiration on so many levels. But otherwise, stuff on the television, or in magazines and even books, those often give me ideas

I see. Well, that just about wraps up this extremely short interview. Are there any last few things you wish to say to other aspiring artists out there?

Short interview ?...I feel bombarded...y'all should see the 'in brackets talk', telling me to make things longer, honestly. Anyhow, to the aspiring artists out there : Be creative, Be Innovative and style yourself with a fashion all your own.

Shh, they don't need to know that. Anyways, thanks for this Interview Ethan.

Cookies and milk, Virt. it was a pleasure.

Three example of Ethan's work:
Click on the image to see the full-size.

[The Herald]

And so onto part two. Last month we looked at font choice, this week it’s legibility of text to the onlooker. Illegible text may arise due the fact that the text is the wrong colour, or that there is too vast a colour change behind the text, which leaves some of the text illegible.

So, let's start with the basics. I suggest only using two ‘colours’ for your text. Black and white. The reason for this is because they’re the most neutral colours, in fact, they’re not even classed as colours. When placing your text, find a large expanse of either quite bright or quite dark space, preferably somewhere close to the border. Then, chose the opposite colour for your text. If the space is bright, then choose black, if it’s dark, then choose white. I’m sort of stating the obvious here, but you get the point.

The problem comes when you have no large spaces to put your text. Your image is simply too busy and varied for this. In this case I suggest you get a box and colour it a dark/light shade(the choice of dark or light is the same as the text in the previous paragraph) of the dominant colour in the piece. Don’t make the box too big, just big enough to accommodate your text. This can have quite a stylish and professional effect if you do it right.

The one thing I recommend you actually do is to make a nice solid border around the image(normally black), and write your text on there. If you were going to make a border anyway, then it makes use of it, as borders can look quite empty at times. Text is the perfect remedy to that. Obviously, if you are making a signature, then you will have to go with earlier solutions, due to the fact that larger borders look quite silly on small signatures.

Down to the actual legibility of the font. Some fonts can be quite nice as decorative additions to the piece, but aren’t actually readable. You need to go for a balance, that’s kind of the secret to typography. Text which adds to the piece but text you can still read. I would suggest asking someone else after you have finished the typography if they can read it, without you telling them what it says. If they can then that’s fine, go ahead and use that typography. If they can’t without assistance then you obviously need to rethink.

Typography is all about experimentation, I think that’s what I am trying to get at through these articles. I apologise for this one being so short, as I couldn’t help but realise I was pointing out the obvious. Next month, I will talk about using typography as the main feature in your art. Until then, experiment.

[The Herald]

Even if it wasn’t intended, it seems like I was leaning towards Fan art a lot this month. Could be a coincidence OR could just be my mood.

“n.JOY pwleeze”

---

Lemmiwinx



Talking about fan art, I think this guy is pretty good. Even if some of the backgrounds weren’t done by him, his knack for adding details to the characters caught my eye. Especially the lightning and the clever poses. Hands down for Lemmiwinx.

---

Risachantag



I wasn’t very impressed by majority of his deviations. Some of them showed a hint of rushi-ness. But this guy can be quite “fatal” when he wants to. Check out his detailed works.

---

ColdFlame1987



Some “awesomatic” digital paintings and airbrushing here. This is a must-see for Sci-Fi Freaks since most of the gallery is filled with it.

---

Soul-Sama



Holy, don’t you just love the details of the backgrounds here? Besides the attractive characters, I think the backgrounds plays a major role in making this gallery worthy of a visit.

---

-coey-



Last but not least, creativity seems to linger around this guy’s gallery. My favourite ones are the two I featured (Above). PM me with your favourite ones. Actually, don’t.

[The Herald]

Hello my fellow Nerds, last month you read my article regarding Windows Vista and why it was taking so long to be released. This month, I am following on with that theme, but instead why you shouldn't use Windows Vista when it is released.

Last Sunday I decided it was time to try out the latest release candidate of Windows Vista. The installation took four hours on my laptop (which far exceeds the minimum specifications for Windows Vista Ultimate).

After the final installation reboot (Vista reboots at various times during installation) I was pleasantly surprised to find that several of my drivers had not been installed. However Windows Vista is supposed to have all my drivers installed, as promised by Microsoft.

Because of this, Vista did not take advantage of my ThinkPad T40's hardware, and thus, Vista was unbearably slow. When I finally managed to download XP Drivers onto my PC and then transfer them over to my laptop via a USB stick, most of them didn't work. But Microsoft promised that XP Drivers would work with Vista, although not at the full capability.

My wireless card drivers wouldn't work, I couldn't use my (neighbor's) wireless router, and my ASDL modem drivers wouldn't work either. Anyway, enough about drivers.

On to Vista's apparent next generation user interface. It's sluggish on a 64 megabyte graphics card, but apparently, according to Microsoft, this is a good enough graphics card for the Vista basic theme.

Vista basic isn't very attractive. For the price of a graphics card to run Aero Glass you could buy a brand new computer. So why is it that the set standards are so high? The boot time for Vista is also incredibly slow, a couple of minutes at the very least. However, once you get onto the desktop, it speeds up for a moment... only to slug down moments later.

I have only touched onto a few parts of why I am (starting) to despise Windows Vista, I would continue but I don't want to drag on. My final words to you are simple, don't upgrade until you are forced to - you won't regret it.

[The Herald]

JavaScript is a web programming language with numerous functions, and possibilities. Most of these functions require you to do numerous tasks to activate it. At first, it may seem fine and dandy. However, when you begin doing large pillars of code, constantly calling up these assisting functions can be a very tedious task.

How do we shorten this task? We use Functions to make life much easier.

Let us begin by showing a small block of code, which in essence, does very little.


Code:<script type=”text/javascript”>
<!--
var _Td1 = document.getElementById(‘blah’);
var _Td2 = document.getElementById(‘blah1’);
var _Td3 = document.getElementById(‘blah2’);
var _Td4 = document.getElementById(‘blah3’);
var _Td5 = document.getElementById(‘blah4’);
var _Td6 = document.getElementById(‘blah5’);

//-->
</script>





That is quite a massive code. It can get quite redundant to constantly do that, over and over again. So, why not shorten it up?

Why don’t we first find the longest part of the script lines, which take the most time to type up? Obviously, it is the document.getElementById portion. So, why don’t we create a function, that is called off by a shorter name, yet returns the id normally?

Here’s how we would go about doing this.


Code:function Get(id){
return document.getElementById(id);
}





Simple isn’t it? For those of you who are partially confused, fear not, for I have been yelled at to be precise and explanatory.

So, we begin with starting up a function. We have named the function “Get” and have given it the parameters of “id.” Now, what do we do with this confusing mishmash function, keenly named after my cat? Well, we make it return the function which we have sought out to achieve, that being, grabbing the id. So, we use the return function. Basically, when called, it will return whatever you set after calling it. Confusing? Don’t worry.

Notice how you have the line “document.getElementById(id);” right after it. That tells the browser that once the function “Get” is called out, it must grab whatever is placed within the first parameters, “id” in this example.

Easy? Yay.

So, in essence, your script should look like the following:


Code:<script type=”text/javascript”>
<!--
function Get(id){
return document.getElementById(id);
}
var _Td1 = Get(‘blah’);
var _Td2 = Get(‘blah1’);
var _Td3 = Get(‘blah2’);
var _Td4 = Get(‘blah3’);
var _Td5 = Get(‘blah4’);
var _Td6 = Get(‘blah5’);
//-->
</script>





Give yourself a pat on the shoulders. You have successfully stripped the code down to much less than it was earlier. It may look short, but in the long run, and with longer codes, you will thank god for this hint.