The Herald: April 2006 Edition

[Kari]

This month has certainly been a busy one for us all at The Herald. At the beginning of April, we bid goodbye to one of our beloved editors, urbancinderella, who has shown dedication to this magazine above and beyond the call of duty. I don’t hesitate to say that, without her hard work and loyalty to this magazine, it would not be here now. She has done so much for us that I can’t express my gratitude to her in such a small space.

Thank you for everything you’ve done, Car, from the big things to the little things. The success that we’ve had is a testament to the hard work that is put in from everyone and you truly were the heart and soul of this magazine. Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Now, this month’s issue was released a little late and we’re sorry about the delay – hey, two days isn’t too bad, eh? – and next month’s issue will be out on time.

As I’m the person running The Herald now, I’ve decided to make it more community based. The team is now doing more than writing, they’re a part of the whole process. Brainstorming will be placed in the Herald board – make sure you drop by and put a suggestion for an article that you want to see in next month’s magazine in the Brainstorming thread! We’ll be sure to consider it and try to include it in the magazine.

And without further ado, I leave you to read the magazine.

[Kari]

Well, well, well... Here we are with the latest edition of Ollie’s News. Here I’m going to bring to you a little round up of information about forthcoming and past happenings on SSD. Sit back, relax and enjoy it while I [painlessly] guide you through.

As usual I’d like to welcome some new moderators; we have Happy as the new Show Off Moderator and ACoolie as the new PDC leader. I’d also like to welcome Pandora, a new writer for the Herald - I’m sure she will fit in nicely with the rest of the team, they’re a nice bunch of pigeons. (Ed: ... I’m so happy that you like to think of us as animals, Oliver.)

A few of you have been mentioning a Chat Room. Well, you’ll be pleased to know that I plan to bring back our old one that we had a while ago. You just need to bear with me while I install it and get it looking up to SSD V5 standard. Of course, I don’t think we will be in there every night, but it will be good for one off occasions.

March 23rd marked our third anniversary as a forum. Unfortunately I wasn’t here three years ago to witness it. However, Ash was and he has recently re-joined as a member. I’m sure many of you will have seen his long welcome topic.

For those of you who may be interested in our resources, I’d like you to turn your attention to www.solidsnakedesigns.com where you will find nearly 350 different items to download ranging from Templates, Buttons and even Photoshop Resources.

We have decided to alter a few boards: PDC now only has the one board and we now welcome traditional discussion in the former Digital Art board, carefully re-named Visual Arts. Additionally, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and Visual Arts are likely be re-gaining a category to promote that area a little bit more. Especially in Paint Shop Pro, where ShadowFX has been working hard on various PSP tutorials for you.

Unfortunately, I’m now going to end on a slightly miserable note. Recently there has been a bit of flaming and arguing going on. It stops here. I’m not interested in how long you’ve been here, what rank you hold or how many posts you have - it’s your behaviour, treat people with respect. Abuse that and you will be gone. Remember that someone can be negative towards something but not in an insulting or rude manner. With that said, go and grab a slice of carrot cake.

Enjoy our articles and send us food parcels. (Ed: Cheesecake is one of the most preferable.)


Oliver.

[Kari]

Recently during a discussion in my English class, we had a sheet of questions we were debating that were really thought-provoking. Naturally, they were those types of questions that touch upon sensitive topics or hit you in the sore spots of your mind – for example, whether profanity should be censored or not. Some argued that it is just as justified to be said as anything else as they are only words that society has deemed "bad to say" or "harmful to your ears”. This had me thinking. Is it really human nature to want to stereotype, judge, or insult another person or is it really an acquired evil, buried deep in our subconscious minds?

One could easily argue that it is human nature just as much as emotions are. It's what makes us human, you could say. But is it vital to our existence to insult those who we, on a personal, unjustified level, view as our inferiors? In my mind, I think it is absolutely unnecessary. Yes, people do get angry and tend to say and/or do things they might not mean to do, but there are other ways of dealing with your anger, and a few individuals throughout history have managed to live peacefully. There should be no reason why we, as humans, should need to judge people due to their sexual orientation, appearance, race, gender, mind-set, religions, beliefs, and supports. If we had not ridiculed people unjustly for the above reasons in the past, many of the struggles in our history might have been avoided. Yes, that is a broad generalization, but think about it. Many wars have started over petty disputes and beliefs that one group is superior to another. In that respect, it almost seems like it is necessary for us to survive, but at the same time, unnecessary.

Now, onto the bigger question. Supposing we picked up this social epidemic of sorts, where, when and because of who did we acquire this evil? There can be no exact answer to this question as for as long as the history of modern man has been recorded, there have always been struggles caused by judgements and stereotypes, no matter how big or small. Recent disputes have often led to mass genocide, war and destruction.

If we cannot find a way to destroy this evil, it could very well be our downfall as a society. If people in their own territories cannot get along, how can we expect international powers to live without this problem?

As a footnote, I would just like to state that these are solely my beliefs and I intend no harm or to cause any offence to people who believe otherwise.

In my opinion, it truly doesn’t matter how many posts somebody has, each person has an individual right to be treated fairly and with respect. Negativity isn’t needed on a forum – nor is a rank. All that these do is cause problems as one person brags that they are of a higher post count and therefore are entitled to more respect from other members than others in the forum. Post counts spawn competition. However, perceptions on this matter vary from person to person.

One perception:
However many posts you "have" equals how much respect and responsibility will be placed upon your shoulders. Usually, current active members, who know what it's like to be new, also respect you to a degree. It depends on how long you have stayed active at the forum and how well known you are around the forum/site. Because, more than likely, users who stay active and helpful to the community are more likely to be promoted to Moderator, or even Veteran Moderator status.

So this brings me to the point: Yes, Post counts do matter. Users do give you more respect if you have a higher post count. Yes, it does take effect in the long run, and makes the user with most posts feel good and wanted at that forum.

Post Count = Respect & Responsibility + Activeness & Helpfulness = Well Known User + A Fair, Mature User = Potential Staff Member.

You can mess around with those facts however you want, but it all makes sense in the end.

Another perception:
I don’t believe that post counts really matter. It’s a number – a number that means absolutely nothing when you put it alongside others. You can have X number of posts and the person beside you who’s just joined could have Y number of posts and X and Y could be equal. You don’t need to post a lot or have an abnormal active status to gain respect for members. If you’re positive, nice to other people and generally have a positive attitude, they generally will treat you the same way as you treat them.

A number is just a number. It’s the person behind it that really counts.

[Kari]

Member of the Month : ShadowFX

You know what I like? Initiative. Over the past few months this helpful member has been working away in the PSP board, with his positive attitude and willingness to help others, I feel that he deserves our Member Award. Too often do we forget that people do come here to receive a little help, so if you see someone that needs it, give it a go, you might actually feel good about it.

Congratulations!



Avatar of the Month...
Whit!

I love the simplicity of this avatar. The black border fits it nicely. The overall image has a smooth texture. Congrats!

Signature of the Month...
LPF!

Though I despise the color purple, I wasn't going to hold it against you. This sig is done perfectly. Like all of your others. Great back, lovely stock image. The whole darn thing. Keep up the great work. Congrats!



Signature

Pack by Newklear is, what most would call "Trend Whore" and those same people would probably view something in that category as terrible. However, this signature is anything but.

The contrast and pattern are beautiful, and the simple one pixel border finished the image nicely. There is so much to see in such a small image, with areas of interest all over the place. There are even some subtle patterns that you have to squint to see, but without them, the signature would look bland in places.

With some carefully placed text applied, this would make a great addition to your user profile, so download -- and play.



Don't be fooled by the name of the article this time, because the work I've chosen to honor April with is actually a piece of prose. Travel to the Stars

[/i] by Whitney is a piece that is well worth disagreeing with the headliner. An emotional short story depicting a little girl's greatest gift: her innocence, it immediately caught my attention as I was leafing through the boards. With a star-gazing daughter and a tender-hearted mother, how could this story not win over even the coldest of hearts and toughest of writing critics?



Loving by Craz

Surprise, surprise. I don’t actually have a lot to say about this photo – there’s just something about it that makes me like it. First of all I would like to point out that this one is definitely close to the top photos that I've seen posted around SSD and that’s mostly because of the fact that Craz actually got the cat to do what he wanted. In my experience that can be a total nightmare... or maybe he just has a cat that likes playing up to the camera.

And now for the stunner... I really can't see anything I don't like about this photo... okay, you have me, so I lie - it could be a tad sharper on both eyes but that’s much of a problem. It's truly a wonderful and detailed piece!

Well done, Craz!


"It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated."
– Alec Bourne

"Anger is a signal, and one worth listening to."
– Harriet Lerner

"If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance."
– George Bernard Shaw

"The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word."
– Mata Hari

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
– Albert Einstein

"Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beauty. There is a way out of every dark mist, over a rainbow trail."
– Navajo song

"I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical, but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them."
– Mark Haddon

"Love: the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired."
– Mark Twain

"What does not destroy me makes me strong."
– Fredrich Nietsche

"No sword bites so fiercely as an evil tongue."
– Sir Philip Sidney

"When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web… now even my cat has its own page."
– Bill Clinton

"I’m not sure I want popular opinion on my side- I’ve noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts."
– Bethania McKenstry



"My bike."

"At least you can reach the pedals on the bike. =P"
Mitch & Xephra

"Teehee, you didn't stop the hug =P"

"I let you embrace me so that I could stick a knife in your kidney."
Acoolie & Artos

"I'll race ya."

"I would, but I don't want to kick your butt in front of the Chinamen.

They might worry about how pathetic their leader looks getting schooled."
Artos & UC

"Whit's internet is fixed! Yay! Let's all have a party. ^-^

... actually, LPF isn't invited."

" "
Whit & LPF

"I have a set of rules for life that I hold sacred. Many of these rules state things like "thou shalt not lick that icy flagpole" and "thou shalt not stick thy hand down the garbage disposal."

One of the rules in the higher echelons is "thou shalt not **** with time."

Blasphemers against my faux-religious rules. I crusade!"
Artos

"Artos, have you ever considered that there isn't a dark, manipulative conspiracy behind everything that ever happens? I don't care if a v6 ever comes out, but I am merely stating my ideas on what I'd like it to be like if it did. That is nothing to be ashamed of, thank you very much."

"Never crossed my mind."
Morgoth & Artos

"I'm not a nerd"
Oliver

"Yeah, because my birthday is wrong. I don't need people thinking I'm two years older than I really am."
LPF




Good Will Hunting, as I have found, is a film you either love or hate. I have yet to find someone who is torn between loving or hating the film.

Released in 1997, Good Will Hunting was nominated for nine Academy Awards and features a, in my opinion, fantastic cast including Matt Damon (Will), Ben Affleck (Chuckie), Stellan Skarsgard (Jerry), Minnie Driver (Skylar), Robin Williams (Sean), and many more I don't feel like listing. More or less, it's another love story, but with a much deeper meaning.

We first start off seeing that Will has a major interest in reading and learning. These interests explain why he got a job as a janitor at MIT. Early in the movie, Will solves a very complex math theorem that all of the students could not solve. When nobody came through, a second, much harder theorem was put up. Will, again, solves it with ease. This time, however, Will was caught and proceeds to... tell the professor, Jerry, to “colorfully” have intercourse with himself.

After seeing that Will is a juvenile, Will ends up getting into a fight that gets him thrown in jail. Jerry helped get him out, but only under the conditions that he sees a therapist and stays out of trouble. With how headstrong Will is, he easily ploughs through most therapists with ease. Jerry turns to his long time friend Sean for help. Will still resists and pushes Sean away.

Will meets up with a girl named Skylar, and soon begins to date her. When Skylar wants Will to come with her to California, Will's defensiveness kicks in and he pushes her away like he has everyone else. Chuckie, Will's best friend gives Will some motivation to do more with this life. Sean sees what is happening, after finding some very disturbing information about Will's past, and finally cracks Will. Will can finally see what he truly wants, and goes for it.

Good Will Hunting has easily climbed to the top in my movie list. It's by far my favorite movie. I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a movie that toys with your mind. The only downfall, as some would see it, is its R rating for strong language and some sex-related dialogue. But in all honesty, the language is what makes this movie so powerful. It shows you just what we're dealing with. Without second thought, I give this movie a 5 out of 5.



Picture from Internet Movie Database[/center]

[Kari]

It seems to be said that something good will come out of something bad. Life is a spiral staircase: you can spend your life climbing up and up and then trip over and fall back down for a time before persevering and trying to reach the top. Not everything is crystal clear in this lifetime; sometimes you just need a little trip in your climb up the staircase in order to appreciate the journey that we travel every day.

---

“What! What the heck do you mean by ‘she is missing’?” Adam was close to hyperventilating, clutching his cell with a near death-grip. This was not the best time for a late April Fools prank. “If this is some sort of joke, Ranae, it’s not very funny!”

“Just that, Adam, she’s gone. She never came home after the YMCA last night. We found her leather jacket. They are airing her picture and description on TV as we speak.” Ranae nervously twisted her wedding ring around her finger. She was worried about what was happening to her daughter, her nerves near on breaking point.

There was dumbfounded silence on Adam’s end on the end of the line.

Ranae was close to a breakdown herself. “Come on, Adam, say something! This is your daughter here.”

Adam inhaled sharply before managing to crack out, “Oh my god! My little girl is gone!” There was another silence as he considered what to do. Finally he was decided. “I’m coming home now. Don’t even think about trying to talk me out of it. I will talk to my General Major and let him know what’s going on.”

Ranae heaved out a sigh of relief. Things would be a little easier around the home with him at home for a little while. She probably wouldn’t be half as jumpy as she was now. She smiled a little wryly. “I wouldn’t dare try to talk you out of it. Actually, that was why I was calling you in the first place.”

“Well, I will be on the next flight home and I’ll get back to you in a bit with the details. I love you.”

“I love you too, talk to you soon.” Ranae glanced down at her cell as she hit the ‘end’ button and smiled slightly. She wished her husband could be here sooner, but she would have to wait. Everything took time nowadays and waiting was just a part of it all. Her cell beeped low battery as she flipped it shut. As she was walking over to hook it up to the charger, Harmonee emerged from her room.

“So is he coming home?” she asked, eyebrows raised and a hostile expression on her face. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Of course, it’s not like he would put off his daughter when she’s been kidnapped.”

“Why not? He put off his daughter when she needed surgery,” Harmonee said snarkily with her eyes cast down.

Ranae rubbed her temples; she could feel a migraine forming. “Please don’t start, Harmonee. We really don’t need this right now. Besides, Hollee is usually the one against dad, not you.”

Harmonee rolled her eyes. “I’m no pampered princess, mum.”

Once again, Ranae’s cell phone rang. Figuring it was Adam calling back with the details of his flight, she didn’t bother to look at the caller ID. “Hey honey,” she whispered softly, so that Harmonee didn’t hear what was going on. “Things aren’t too great here. I could really use some good news right now.

She heard a soft chuckle in response. She frowned slightly as that was an unusual response from Adam. He wouldn’t do that. Usually he tried to console her. “Honey?” she asked again. “Are you there?”

“Hmm, honey? I like the sound of that. Oh, I don’t know if this is particularly good news.”

Shocked to find her hands trembling, Ranae looked at the caller ID. With disbelief crossing her face and Harmonee staring at her mother, Ranae read out what it said on the screen of her cell.

Hollee’s Cell.

Trembling with anger, she brought the phone to her ear again and shouted down it, “Who is this, and where the hell is my daughter? What have you and your sick perverted mind done to her?”

Ryan came running out of his room and joined Harmonee in staring at her mother. Ranae waved her hand at Harmonee to pick up her cell and mouthed at her to call the detective. Harmonee grabbed her cell and dialled Detective Sterks’ emergency number off the business card that he had given to her mom earlier in the day. When he picked up, she told him that Hollee’s phone was back on, and that the kidnapper was on the phone with her mom at that very moment.

Still on the phone with the kidnapper, Ranae started to sob.

The kidnapper started chuckling maniacally. “Oh, don’t worry your pretty little brunette head about it. I’m telling you now that she’s not dead, but I’m not promising that she isn’t hurt. Sorry I have to go. I’ll talk to you soon, real soon.”

Then Ranae heard a click. She absently took her phone from her ear and looked at the screen again. Her cell phone screen was blinking “Called Ended”. Ranae crumpled on the couch, sobbing.

She looked at her son and daughter – Harmonee was still on the phone with Detective Sterks.

“What are we going to do?” she whispered.

---

The next day dawned bright and early, but Ranae’s mood was far from the beauty of the morning. The atmosphere in the home was a polar opposite to what was happening outside. Everyone was sick with worry about Hollee and that they still had no new information about what was happening to her.

At nine o’clock in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Ranae bolted for it and yanked the door open. When she realised who was standing there, she catapulted herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, sobbing. “Adam, I’m so glad that you’re home. We’ve needed you here for the past two days.”

Adam smiled into his wife’s hair and whispered to her, “I got here as soon as I could when you told me about Hollee. Shh, calm down.” She had started to tremble again as shock had started to set in. “Has there been any news?” He stroked her hair as she nodded slowly.
“Yesterday we received a phone call from the kidnapper. He said she wasn’t dead, but he wasn’t promising that she was hurt. But he said he had to go and that he would talk to me soon.”

Adam smiled tightly. “So the news wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad either. Face it, at least we know we can still get to her.”

Harmonee was sitting on the couch with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was unkempt and looked like she’d spent the whole night awake. She recognised her father as he came into the lounge and launched herself at him, crying and laughing at the same time as she hugged him tightly. “Please don’t go away for a while, daddy, please. I’ve been having terrible nightmares.”

Adam’s arms tightened around his daughter. “Don’t worry, I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. You don’t have to worry about that.”

Harmonee looked up and smiled at her father. “Well, at least I know I can count on you to hold your promise. We’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you all too. Now let’s see if we can do something about finding Hollee.”

[Kari]

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.'"

When I was in grade school, I vaguely remember my school organizing a day to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The art teacher made a large banner with a simple but convincing painting of Dr. King, and the words "I have a dream..." accompanied the portrait. The banner served as a backdrop for the stage in our auditorium. Kids and parents alike attended the function. Most details of that day are a blur to me, but I remember one thing very clearly. Of all the students in that elementary school, the principal chose me, that's right, ME to read an excerpt from the Dr's famous speech. I probably weighed thirty pounds soaking wet, and my skin glowed white as white could be. I was an odd choice for the part of Dr. King. Comical, really, but then I read the speech. Even as a child, it moved me. I began to believe in the dream of equality. I got on stage and read the piece of the speech I was told to read with all the conviction my scrawny little stage nervous self could muster. My effort wasn't comical. I remember being taken seriously and my parents being proud. I had honored a great man, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a preacher of equality and non-violence.

Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. By 1948 he was an ordained minister, and continued his schooling at Cozer Theological Seminary. During his years at Cozer, he was inspired by Dr. AJ Muste and Dr. Morecai Johnson and their preachings on the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, and studied Gandhi relentlessly until he graduated in 1951, his career strongly influenced by Gandhi's peaceful teachings.

In 1955 King earned his PhD in Systematic Theology from Boston University. That same year, he involved himself in the protest started by Rosa Parks, who refused to sit in the back of the bus, or to recognize her "place". The Montgomery Improvement Association was created due to her protest, and King was elected president of the organization. This movement marks King's first important steps on the road to becoming a great civil rights leader.

In 1964 he was named Time Magazine's Man of the Year, and later that same year was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless civil rights efforts and changes he affected in America's government's views on equality.

On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee, and the nation mourned his passing. His tombstone reads, "Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last." So he is, along with scores of grateful African Americans who were given opportunities due to King's great efforts on their behalf, opportunities previously withheld.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Born January 15, 1929
Died April 4, 1968

For the entire speech, visit:
"I have a dream..."

[Kari]

I'm sure that every, if not most, member here is familiar with Daylight Saving Time (DST), or at least knows somebody who is. How many have wondered just how it came it be? I have, so I decided to take a look into it.

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to The Journal Of Paris about an interesting discovery he had stumbled upon. Benjamin had gone to bed sometime between 3 A.M. and 4 A.M., to be awoken by a strange noise at 6 A.M. When he woke up, he saw sunlight coming through his shutters. At first, he had thought this was merely light from some lamps that had been brought into his room. As he examined the situation closely, he realized the light was in fact coming in through the windows and not from the lamps. Benjamin had repeated the same process for the entire summer, to make sure it was not a one time event. Benjamin thought of a way to utilize this extra sunlight to help save on use of candles and improve overall productivity of the day.

Even though this concept was found back in 1784, it was never implemented in a country until 1916, when Germany and Austria decided to make it a national policy. Almost immediately afterward, thirteen other countries adopted the same policy. In 1918, America finally jumped on the bandwagon and had a similar policy, but not exact. It wasn't until 1966 that the United States finally had a uniform DST policy in place.

With Japan being the only major country to be excluded, nearly 70 countries throughout the world use DST in at least one part of the country.

For more information about Daylight Saving Time, statistics, and some incidents involving it, have a look at Web Exhibits.

[Kari]

While many holidays have an origin that can be pinpointed exactly, April Fools Day is a bit of a mystery in itself. While a few believe it to stem from the creation of a new calendar, others see it as simply a celebration of the turn of the seasons, and many more have attributed to a little bit of fun between Constantine and his court jesters.

Believe it or not, back in medieval times, April 1st might as well have been the New Year. With the vernal calendar, March 25th marched the new year and was celebrated with the Feast of Anunciation. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII decided to change all this. He ordered the Gregorian calendar made, which declared January 1st the new year. Many of the peasants refused to throw out the cute puppy calendars they had just bought from the Hallmark store and decided to continue celebrating the new year on April 1st instead. Those who had accepted the new calendar now began to mock the traditionalists by sending them on "fools errands" or trying to trick them into believing something false.

Others chose to believe the comparitively more boring approach: that April Fools day was merely a celebration for the new days of spring. The Romans had a festival named Hilaria on March 25th to rejoice in the resurrection of Attis. The Hindu calendar also allows for a day of hilarity in the Holi, while the Jewish calendar has Purim. I guess after you've spent the last months stuck indoors, pulling a few pranks on your annoying brother is just what the doctor called for.

The third explanation stems from Constantine's court. According to legend, a group of court jesters once told the Roman Emperor they could run the country better than him. Instead of getting their heads chopped off, however, Constantine allowed one of the jesters- Kugel- rule for a day. Kugel's first act was to pass an edict calling for absurdity that day. While many people believe this because it appeared in Associated Press, it is not true. The professor who came up with it has since admitted pulling a prank on the Associated Press.

Whatever you believe, one thing's for sure, though: April Fools is a tradition that will continue to be just as popular as it was when first created.

[Kari]

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve found that April Fools runs a riot in my house. Things are upturned, the salt and the sugar are swapped over (grr) and my siblings take great delight in watching me antagonise about the littlest things that are in disarray.

It’s not fun, I tell you.

Here I’ve compiled a list of a few of the original and the not-so-original pranks that seem to float around the place. I’ve, unfortunately, had at least one of these happen to me and it wasn’t a pretty sight. To preserve my dignity, I’m not going to mention which one for fear of being horribly teased.

Every time I come across this prank, I think of that song about ripping your pants. I’m pretty sure it comes from Spongebob Squarepants – yes, the little yellow sponge dude and his starfish mate are still in existence. So, onto the prank. If you’ve never heard of this one before, I don’t know where y’all have been.

The Ripped Cloth Prank

• When doing this trick, you need to have some substantial amount of money laying on the ground and there is a corner that you can hide around while having a prime view of what’s going on.
  
• Have a bit of cloth with you.
  
• As to-be-victim comes along and bends over to pick up the money, rip the cloth audibly. Victim will most likely think the worst if you time it right.

Note: may be childish, but amusing if works.

And for those of you who know someone that likes to have a round of Guinness every now and then...

The Egg in the Guinness Prank

• Crack an egg into their Guinness while they’re not looking or while they’re away from their drink.
  
• Laugh and point when they find a slimy lump at the bottom of their glass – not to mention, it’ll probably taste foul too.

Note: untested. Effects not known.

If you’re a book nut like me, this one will really annoy you... If someone in your household is a big fan of books and they’ve been reading a book for a long time and are nearly to the end, this one is a real doozy.

Where is the Ending?

• Clip the last couple of pages (or the last chapter if you’re ambitious) from the book and fix a piece of paper into the book that states where they can find the missing pages.
  
• Set it up like orienteering. A particular clue corresponds to a particular place and when you’ve found one page, you also find a clue to the location of the next page.
  
• Sit back and be amused as the book fanatic scrambles around for their missing pages to find out the ending to their beloved story.

Note: could risk your life at expense of being an annoyance. Right on.

While I don’t have many pranks here, if you hit up Google, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of ideas there to give you something to do.

Information sourced from www.discoverfun.com/pranks/friends.html

[Kari]

April Fools Day: the day where pranks of every sort are pulled- though some may be better than others. Some may have been on a close friend, while others may have been school-wide. A select few, however, made it to the top. These were the all-time pranks, making their way around the country or world, onto the internet, and into magazines and newspapers. Have a look at a few of those pranks.

Location: Sweden
When: 1962
What: During this year, there was only one TV channel in Sweden, which broadcasted only in black and white. Kjell Stensson, the station’s technical expert, announced on the news that, thanks to a newly developed technology, viewers could now quickly and easily display color reception on their existing sets. All that was needed was a nylon stocking to pull over their TV screen, and instant color would appear; Stensson then proceeded to demonstrate the process. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people (out of the population of seven million) were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.

Location: UK, England
When: 1976
What: Patrick Moore, a British astronomer, announced on BBC Radio 2 that a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that listeners could experience in their very own homes at 9:47 AM. The planet Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment that would counteract and lessen the Earth’s gravity. Moore told the listeners that if they jumped in the air at the exact moment this planetary alignment occurred, they would experience a strange floating sensation. BBC2 received hundreds of phone calls from listeners claiming to have felt the sensation at 9:47 AM. One woman even reported that she and her eleven friends had risen from their chairs and floated around the room.

Location: England
When: 1980
What: The BBC reported that Big Ben was going to be given a digital readout in order to keep up with the times. It received a huge response from listeners protesting the change. The BBC Japanese service also announced that the clock hands would be sold to the first four listeners to contact them. One Japanese seaman in the mid-Atlantic immediately radioed in a bid.

Location: USA, Illinois
When: 1984
What: The Eldorado Daily Journal announced a contest to see who could save the most daylight for daylight savings time. The rules were simple: beginning with the first day of daylight savings time, contestants would be required to save daylight. Whoever saved the most would win. Only pure daylight was allowed- no dawn or twilight light, though light from cloudy days would be allowed. Moonlight was strictly forbidden. Light could be stored in any container. The contest received a huge, nationwide response. The paper’s editor was interviewed by correspondents from CBS and NBC and was featured in papers throughout the country.

Location: Germany
When: 1993
What: A German radio station, Westdeutsche Rundfunk, announced that officials in Cologne had just passed an unusual new city regulation. Joggers passing through the park would be required to pace themselves to go no faster than 6 miles-per-hour. It was felt that any faster would unnecessarily disturb the squirrels who were in the middle of their mating season.

Location: Britain
When: 1995
What: The Glasgow Herald described the recent arrival of a new energy-saving miracle: heat-generating plants. They were imports from Venezuela, and were known by the scientific name Solar Complexus Americanus. Fed by nothing more than three pints of water a day, one plant alone generated as much heat as a 2kw electric fire. A few of these horticultural wonders placed around a house could entirely eliminate the need for a central-heating system. The plants could also create a constant supply of hot water by placing the plants in water. The Scandinavian botanist responsible for discovering these hot-air producers was none other than Professor Olaf Lipro (an anagram of April Fool).

Location: USA, Philadelphia/Nationwide
When: 1996
What: The Taco Bell Corporation announced in the New York Times that they had bought the Liberty Bell from the federal government and were renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called up the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell is housed to express their anger. A few hours later, Taco Bell revealed that it had all been a practical joke. The best line inspired by the affair came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. He responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold, though to a different corporation. It would then be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.

Location: USA, Alabama
When: 1998
What: The April 1998 issue of the New Mexicans for Science and Reason newsletter contained and article claiming that the Alabama state legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi from 3.14159 to the “Biblical value” of 3.0. The article made its way onto the internet, and then rapidly made its way around the world, being forwarded by people in their e-mail. When the Alabama legislature began receiving hundreds of calls from people protesting the legislation, it became apparent just how far the article had spread. Written by a physicist named Mark Boslough, the original article was intended as a parody of legislative attempts to circumscribe the teaching of evolution.

Location: Nationwide
When: 1999
What: The Wall of Sound music website proclaimed that Britney Spears was actually eleven years older than believed, making her 28 instead of 17. The revelation followed on the heels of a controversial cover for The Rolling Stones which had shown the young Spears in a seductive pose. The Wall of Sound’s report included many specific details. It was alleged that Spears was actually born Belinda Sue Spearson in West Baton Rouge on August 7, 1970, and that she attended Robert E. Lee High School. Former classmates were said to be willing to confirm Spears’ true age. The hoax prompted hundreds of people to call Spears’ record label inquiring about her age.

Location: Florida
When: 2000
What: The Independent reported that Florida researchers had developed a Viagra-like pill to treat sexually frustrated pets, including hamsters. Veterinarians were said to have greeted the news with derision, but the article pointed out that there are few things as sad as a pet suffering from feelings of sexual inadequacy, noting that “It’s not unknown for a guinea pig to sit in its cage thinking, ‘I haven’t had sex for months. Am I so unattractive?’” Owners were told to simply grind the pills up and sprinkle them on the pet’s food. Laying a bit of newspaper on the floor once the pills began to take effect was also advised. The pills were to be marketed under the brand name Feralmone.

Those are just a few of the top-dog pranks that have happened on April Fools Day. If you’d like to check out more, I suggest this website.

[Kari]

April is the most well liked month due to the fact that Spring Break is the first week. Well, I have searched high and low for the top three most popular Spring Break Hot Spots all around the world. If you continue reading you will find a picture and a description of the chosen three.

Starting with…

Daytona Beach, Florida

One of the most popular spots in the world for Spring Break goers. It’s also a cheap destination for students that don’t have the necessary funds for a big cruise around the world. But don’t fret; there are the amazing 23 miles of sandy beaches, pool deck parties, tons of bouncing clubs to choose from, and plenty of other students that are ready to party! If that doesn’t excite you, maybe you can suppress your thrill streak by boogie boarding, para-sailing, or even skydiving! You may even catch a free concert or two by some famous bands!

Then there’s…

Ibiza, Spain

It could be regarded as one of the party capitals of the world. Throughout the island are dozens of clubs and nightclubs. Club Amnesia features three cannons that shoot an endless stream of foam onto their dance floor! You may want to grab your water shoes! Club Privilege, which oddly holds a whopping 10,000 people, and also claims to be the world’s largest nightclub, features tightrope walkers, swimming pools, and for the older more mature guests, cage dancers and other things beyond mention. Just for you techno fans, don’t forget to check out Space, an after-hours club featuring techno on the dance floor, and blissful filled grooves on the terrace. Make sure you check out Ibiza’s beautiful beaches, which are dotted with bars and cafes so you can party day or night!

And last but not least…

Stow, Vermont

Well, if you’re a snow fan, this is the Spring Break location for you! Breaking through the adventures of majestic Mount Mansfield, where you will find the highest peak, and one of the world's most famous skiing and snowboarding mountains. From the summit of Mt. Mansfield you can see three states, two countries, and Lake Champlain, the sixth Great Lake. At night, live bands are over at the Matterhorn, or you can switch scenes and take yourself over to the Rusty Nail and give karaoke a whack! If you want even more of an adventure, try a dog sledding ride! A team of Alaskan Huskies will guide you through 10 miles of winding woodland. Like I said, if snow is your thing, head over to Stow, Vermont!

All information courtesy of Top Ten Spring Break Hot Spots

[Kari]

Well, I have been trying to broaden my articles to appeal to more than just the average coder, so here is one of my first non-coding articles. I hope you all enjoy it.

The band that we will be reviewing this month is an Australian rock band named "Wolfmother." Some of you might've heard of them, as I posted a thread about them in Chillout. Wolfmother has a website at wolfmother.com (Mild nudity). On the homepage is their most popular song, Mind's Eye. The band is comprised of Myles Heskett, Chris Ross, and Andrew Stockdale.

Currently, they are touring with their current album, and by the time this article is released, they will most likely be playing in San Francisco, then going onto Toronto, Boston, and for all of you UK peeps, London. For the most part, they are playing in bars, but they will be playing to some larger audiences.

Their debut album simply titled "Wolfmother" is a great album though. The album was released not very long ago and has yet to make it to many music stores and has gotten little acclaim. Some of their most popular tracks include Woman, Mind's Eye, and Dimension.


Wolfmother

Songs

Colossal	5:02
Woman	2:55
White Unicorn	5:01
Pyramid	4:28
Mind's Eye	4:53
Joker & The Thief	4:39
Dimension	4:25
Where Eagles Have Been	5:32
Apple Tree	3:28
Tales From The Forest Of The Gnomes	3:35
Witchcraft	3:25
Vagabond	3:47

Overall, I would rate the album 4.5 out of 5. The songs are quite lengthy, which is a good thing, they have a great rock feel to them, and I can listen to the album for hours and not get bored of it. My favorite tracks would have to be Joker & The Thief, Mind's Eye, and Woman.

[Kari]

Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
.
When most people think of the classic tale of Wizard of Oz, they immediately think of one protagonist. Dorothy. And if they asked you to name the villain of the Wizard of Oz, you would respond with "The Wicked Witch of the West".

Gregory Maguire's WICKED tells us a different story. He gives the witch a name: Elphaba. A name slyly crafted from the original writer of The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum's initials. If you pronounce the L and then make the sound F and B make, you get El-Fa-Ba! In his novel, he tells us the tale of Elphaba's life from her baby stage with an alcoholic mother and a minister for a father, to her death in an abandoned castle hidden in the northern mountain range.

We all know Glinda the Good Witch and The Wicked Witch of the West are arch-nemeses. But what caused this? We learn, in WICKED, that they were roommates at Shiz University. Elphaba, the misunderstood, green-skinned book-ish girl, is an automatic outcast in young adult life. Galinda, who later changes her name to Glinda, is the blonde, popular, and slightly ditzy favourite girl of the university. Elphaba forges her way through university with intelligence and a cunning mind for ideas. Glinda thrives on gossip and the latest fashion, striking down those less popular than her, and has an ego the size of Texas.

In my eyes, I see the two girls in totally different opinions than those I had after reading The Wizard of Oz. I see Glinda as the cheating, society-loved one who thrives on the weak to boost herself. I see Elphaba as a good-hearted but misunderstood society outcast who simply wanted to be great. However, when she takes on the challenge of de-throning a cynical wizard (who reminds me of Fidel Castro, among others), she's setting her sights too high.

I would tease you with a hint of the ending, but I hope that you all know what happens in the end. There were 2 main things that disappointed me in this book.

1. The first was the part that Dorothy played. When I picked up WICKED I expected that she would play quite a major role in the novel, even if she wasn't the goody-two shoes she is in The Wizard of Oz. Not so. Instead, she has a tiny part in the end, in the scene of Elphaba's death.

2. The second is the length. I know that there are many books out there longer than 403 pages, but the one thing I noticed about Wicked is how, even when the plot starts to get heated and exciting, Gregory Maguire doesn't speed up to keep the reader interested. He doesn't mind starting a lengthy essay-type conversation during a thriving part in the plot.

All in all, I say that it is worth the effort to pick up WICKED and read it. The picture that Maguire paints for us is so vivid and rich that by the end, every reader is secretly rooting for Elphaba to succeed.

1/2 Rating.

[Kari]

Ignoto – Yourcodenameis:milo

Yourcodenameis:milo are a post-hardcore punk rock band who hail from Newcastle, England. Ignoto is their debut full-length album. Their EP – All Roads To Fault is well worth checking out too, especially with a silhouette styled CD cover featuring cows and pregnant women carrying assault rifles. For this album, we will have to settle for a solitary man surrounded by light switches.

The album opens with “I Am Connecting Flight” which is a nice starter, it’s relatively fast paced and certainly gives you a small taste at what is to come. That said, it’s nothing particularly good. The better stuff comes with the next track which has the short, but sweet, title “17”. Bursting straight into action, it remains pretty much the same but it’s a catchy little song.

Rapt. Dept. is an interesting one. While it tends to be very repetitive, it has an almost distorted effect to it as if it was coming from a badly tuned radio station.

On the whole, I think this album isn’t the best piece of work, you have to dive in and pick and choose certain tracks rather listening to the whole thing, which happens to be disappointing.

All of the songs, except one, are around 3-5 minutes, 5.07 being the absolute maximum. Just as well as they can get rather repetitive. The final track isn’t really the best thing to go out on, it’s 11 minutes long - fair enough - but it doesn’t have 11 minutes of listening pleasure, plunged into 3 minutes of a typical wet Newcastle day then picked up with some out of tune piano playing. One of their catchier songs would have been a finer end to this.

Tracks to look out for:

• 17
  
• Empty Feat
  
• Rapt. Dept.
  
• The General

Despite my overall negativity, it depends what you like. I find this is good music to work to since it’s rather quick and catchy and its lyrics are irrelevant to me because it hasn’t made that big of a crater in my musical brain.

Well worth exploring for something a little different, perhaps whilst you knit your grandmother a scarf.

www.yourcodenameismilo.com/

[Kari]

As mentioned in last month's article, March has proved to be quite an interesting time for the gaming community. As we approach the final stretch of the current generation and shift towards the next one, you can expect the Big Three to start to really duke it out. In March, both Nintendo and Sony released a lot of important statements and information (mainly at the Game Developer's Conference) about their next generation consoles - easily making March the most influential month in gaming community so far this year. However, that isn't saying much as we only just ended the first quarter of the year which, typically, is slow, mainly due to the lack of strong releases after the holidays, plus this gap between generations to boot. Also, March 31^st marked the end of Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony's fiscal years. With the beginning of a new fiscal year and E3 fast approaching, things will start to get real interesting: the true battle of the Big Three will commence. Who will win? Only time will tell.

Now, onto the developments on the next-gen front; I'll start with Sony. As reported last month, the speculations of a Playstation 3 delay have become true, verified fact. Sony recently released a statement that their next-gen console will launch in Asia, Europe, and North America, at the same time, in early November. The idea looks marvellous on paper, but, if it works out, Sony will have accomplished quite a feat. In order to meet the demand, Sony plans to churn out a minimum of six million units by the end of March 2007, more than was produced for either the Playstation or Playstation 2 when they were first launched. While the idea is risky, it could make the PS3 golden. Microsoft has vowed to release Halo 3 at the same time as the launch of the Playstation 3, creating an unpredictable situation. With its greater numbers, the PS3 may be able to counter that threat and steal the spotlight this 2006 holiday season. Price, which has still remained a mystery, might ruin that upper hand, regardless of how many systems ship.

In March, Nintendo also open the floodgates of information on their next generation console, code named Revolution. At the Game Developer's Conference (GDC) in late March, developers were able to get a better look at the system, especially the controversial controller. Speaking of the controller, over one thousand developer kits have been sent out to developer houses for the companies to tinker with and get an idea of how they work. The kits work with pre-existing Gamecube software, which suggests a possibility that the controller itself might be back wards compatible with the Gamecube. While that is only a thought, it does provide for some interesting scenarios. Evidence of this theory is Nintendo's statement that the upcoming Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess will be compatible with the Revolution controller only supports this "theory" of sorts.

With only one month to go until E3, you can expect Sony and Nintendo to start pulling out the tricks up their sleeves. Also, it is incontestable that Microsoft will try to sway those undecided consumers towards the Xbox 360. April should prove to be quite interesting, possibly along the same lines of May, which will host the Electronics Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3.

[Kari]

Since the days of the cave dwellers, humans have heeded the urge for artistic expression, leaving their personal mark on the world. Cave drawings depicted man's triumph over beast, or perhaps they were trying to say, "This is how I see the world in which I live," attempting to make permanent their fleeting thoughts and memories.

Each culture has left their own recognizable stamp on the artistic time line. A few obvious and awe-inducing examples include ancient Egypt's Sphinx, Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel and David, and Van Gogh's Starry Night. Let's fast forward to the industrial age. The industrial revolution did more than launch toxic pollutants into our atmosphere. It launched a new take on visual art. Welders turned metal into avant garde. The WWII labor recruiting poster featuring "Rosie the Riveter" is a recognizable piece that has endured decades.






Through the years, artists full of angst, passion and unique vision found newer and more original ways to release their emotions for everyone to see. Picasso, though skilled in realism, told abstract stories with his cubist visions. Dali effectively wove his dreams with the real and made us wonder. Diligent hands have always rendered magnificence from raw materials.




Enter: The Digital Age. "Creating artwork with pixels, with ones and zeroes?! Surely, you jest. What skill, what talent lies in digital codes? It's a shortcut, and a joke." Years ago, I felt that way. And I wasn't the only one. Man, was I wrong, and happy to admit it. Back then, I just couldn't see how heartfelt passion or raw creativity could come from a keyboard and a mouse. Sadly, I'd allowed myself to be blinded by the views of snobby traditionalists.

Not all traditionalists are snobs, however, definitely not me, now that I've seen the light. If I refused to acknowledge the validity of digital art pieces, it would only be to thinly veil my own ignorance, my own lack of experience and skill. Simply put, when it comes to digital art, I suck. But I want to own, of course.

There is no honor in condemning an art form, especially if the sole reason is not understanding the details of the making. We live in the Digital Age, and art has always reflected the changes in the world. This is traditional girl saying, "Let there be Digital." Let this unique genre grow, improve, evolve and let no limits be set on the number of creative outlets for visual artists.

[Kari]

Name: Chase
Age: 15
Gender: Male

How long have you been designing?
Around 2-3 years.

Why did you start?
I got tired of requesting graphics over at SSD and G101.

Any inspirations?
Reedy, LPF, Crestfallen, Nexxia, and etc. I love Reedy's large art. I try to mimic it sometimes but I can not. LPF got me into making tags. I used to wish I could produce the tags he could. Recently too.. Crestfallen, he got me into web design, especially while working on G101. Nexxia, his large abstract work is leet. I tried a few times. Nowhere near as good as him though.

Do you have any other hobbies?
Basketball and flirting.

What advice would you give to an aspiring artist?
To keep at it. Try not to lose interest because it can happen at times. If you really like graphic designing then try and go far with it. How was that?

Haha, good. What do you consider your favorite or best piece as of yet?
I don't know. Let me check my dA. Maybe? www.deviantart.com/deviation/25395114/ . I love manipulation even though I suck.

Alright, finally, would you like to make any mentions or plugs? Final words?
1. I own LPF. That's all. Oh and I am going to my aunt's now. Bye.

Bye, thanks for taking the time out to answer my questions.

[Kari]

benf.deviantart.com/

Benf is an amazingly talented digital painter. His gallery is filled with bright and colourful image and they’re about as realistic as they come.



Not only can Biowrokz draw well, they are an extremely talented vector artist too. Always focusing on the details in their sketches, and building their own style in their vector pieces.



Christmassocks has a talent for digital painting and favours fantasy environments and subjects. Everything from futuristic space art to underwater sea creatures. Take a look.



Vector art with style, and what style! Bright and bold, with odd proportions and plenty of colour, cyberanubis may have a small gallery, but it's well worth looking at.



Surreal photomanipulation is what Jarsson excels at and the three images above are but a small sample of his amazing gallery. And not only that, he's very good at black and white photography.

[Kari]

LightTPD (pronounced "lighty"), one of the few alternatives to Apache, is one the most lightweight and powerful servers out there. First of all, LightTPD is much faster than Apache, beating it by many seconds on both the server processing time and client download speed. These numbers would become even higher if Apache was able to handle connections that large, failing on many of the tests that LightTPD handled gracefully.

Installation
Installing LightTPD was probably the hardest part of switching from Apache. The download itself was only 760 kilobytes compared to Apache at a whopping 6 megabytes. Basic installation was quite simple, the configure command needed no options for a basic installation while Apache took many more. All I compiled LightTPD with was mysql support. PHP installation was harder. Unlike Apache, LightTPD runs files like PHP under the FastCGI interface. This means that you have to configure php to not build Apache extensions and enable support for FastCGI. Oddly, I had to compile PHP multiple times before FastCGI was successfully added. To check if your PHP is running with FastCGI, call the command php -v and the output should say "cgi-cfgi." LightTPD only officially supported PHP4, but PHP5 works great.

Configuration
Configuring LightTPD was a little harder than I would've expected because a .conf file is not automatically generated. To get the .conf file, you have to find it in the download in /doc/lighttpd.conf. Configuring LightTPD is quite simple and offers various advantages over Apache. First of all, rewriting url's is done before the request is processed in the .conf file instead of .htaccess. LightTPD offers virtual host support (subdomains) and sockets.

Conclusion
If you run a web hosting company or just run a server from your computer, LightTPD is definitely the way to go. It defeats Apache in configuration, ease of use, speed, and much more. Tests even show that using LightTPD lowers your bandwidth usage. One can not argue about a lack of support because LightTPD works with almost all of your current extensions, and many more. One of my favorite features was that by default, your index page is a status page which allows you to track uptime, total requests, total bandwidth usage, and all of the users currently browsing your server. Overall, LightTPD can help you greatly in everything from CPU usage to speed and is something that anyone running a server should look into. If you are running a LightTPD server, you might even get extra customers because people looking for a top quality web host will view it as a major plus that you are running obscure but superior software.

[Kari]

Google Desktop is another new google product, free of course. Its primary function is to organize and archive all documents, images, videos, and other files on your computer so that you can search them on a whim. Its secondary function is to be a floating or static desktop bar. To me, this sidebar was my favourite part of this program.

Basically, the sidebar is an adjustable grey block that can be docked on the left or right side of your screen, or left floating. There are many, many plug ins that you can find on the Google Desktop Website [here] that can all be easily added into this sidebar. Some of my favourite plug ins are:
- ScratchPad, for taking notes
- my Local Weather which can be tailored to any postal code, zip code, or town/city
- a To do List, complete with optional check marks
- a Winamp Control panel with basic controls and a field displaying the current song/video
- A calendar with optional notes for each day
- a session control with standby, log off/shutdown, and restart.

The one main issue is privacy. What google does is allow the option to keep the Archive of your computer online for easier access and for remote access. This has incited outrage in many people and caused much controversy and anger in such groups as EFF, which strongly recommends turning off this feature to protect your safety.

However, with this option turned off, I think this is a great program that Google has produced. It’s definitely one I like to use a lot. Since downloading 2 weeks ago, I've kept it on the side of my screen constantly.