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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 5:31:52 GMT
Welcome, fellow SSD-ians, to the June '06 edition of the Herald. Ollie told me to talk about cheese, seems a bit irrelevant to me, so I think I'll just use the normal context. It's been a quick paced month for us this time, due to our temporary loss of our lordess editor, Kari. Yes, that's right! We've finally got rid of her, shame it's only for a couple of months (I'm kidding; she knows I love her really). So good luck in your future pursuits Kari, look forward to getting you back! So, due to our lack of an Editor we have had to find some replacements. The replacements come in the forms of a Pandora and a Whitney, two very hard working girls who deserve a big pat on the back for all of the effort they have squeezed into this edition. I really can’t thank you two enough. Of course, I can’t forget the rest of the team, who have also put in a great effort! So, thank you for reading and enjoy the June issue!
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 5:33:35 GMT
June is here once again, and the summer begins for many of us. The effect of that on the forum activity is unknown. It has gone either way before. Let's hope it ends up on the positive side of things. Otherwise, a number of cats will be executed. Staff ChangesOversized cartoon penguins were on the menu last month, as we said goodbye to Acoolie, the PDC leader. With that we have decided to close the whole PDC project. PDC stands for Program Development Coalition. I think it sounds like something made up by the UN Security Council. It ran for over a year, allowing some of our most talented programmers to develop useful web applications, however, it was very difficult to organize amongst very busy programmers. The source code can be found in our Open Source board. Version SixI mentioned summer at the start, and summer gives us plenty of time to get this polished off, so keep your eyes peeled over the summer months. This is a complete overhaul of the design that we have at the moment. We hope you enjoy it. DebatesThis little idea came from Multitask – Mod Josh. On a regular basis we will be holding debates in Chillout. They will cover a wide range of topics. The main aim of course is to actually debate, but also to really think about what you’re posting. The first topic is a classic: Abortion. Target Areas
One can’t lie and say that every area of SSD is perfect. Throughout this month I’d like to address several areas that I feel are falling behind some of the other boards. They are as follows: All coding boards, Literature and Buddies. I will be asking for your input on some of these, so look out for the topics. Thanks for reading, enjoy this month’s edition. Oliver.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 5:42:50 GMT
This happens less often than I would like it to, but it is a rare occasion when a newcomer to the forums is able to integrate themselves well within the heart of the community. It is a member who has gone the extra mile to help out in all things Literature, which also includes The Herald. On top of that has presented posts in a sensible and mature fashion. I’d like to award Pandora with June Member of the Month. Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, SSDers! Happy birthday to you! If you have a birthday in June and aren’t listed here, I apologize. However, that means you need to post in my thread the next time around telling me the date. Green Square Smilies by Chase is one interesting set of smilies. At over 300 downloads already, these smilies are by no means unpopular, and it is easy to see why. Their base is not the typical round style but instead a round edged square which makes them quirky yet very useable. Even their faces are a different style from the usual. They are a nice bright green, providing a great contrast for dark templates, but they would go well with a light template too. They have a subtle and unobtrusive highlight making them appear slightly rounded. There are fourteen different smilies in the download, from grins to growls, kisses to tears, every emoticon you could need. So download them today! June Avatar of the MonthI've always admired this avatar. It is one of the few that has remained constant, so even though LPF changes his names on a daily basis, or so it seems, at least this avatar keeps me up to speed. Good imagery, nice effect and coloring. Nice work, (checks to see what his name is today...) . adam! June Signature of the MonthQuoth the Lizard "665"; for he was the neighbour of the Beast. Sometimes I really like simple. This one is simple and funny. Somehow, I just couldn't post this signature without the words she posted with her submission. This made me giggle quite a bit. That little devil is too cute to be scary. I love this signature! Congratulations, c130! Gold Plated by FirequallOkay then, admittedly I’ve done it again. I chose a photo that was actually from late April rather than May…but I just feel that these do need to be featured somewhere! I love the crispness of the shot, it works so well, just a lovely feel to it. The angles and the focus work in perfect harmony. I adore this photo. Well done, Firequall!From the tips of your fingers To the end of your nose My love as it lingers Watching it grow Like the flower I knew Flexing your petals bright Singing soft and withering tunes Into the sentimental night“ Sentimental Night”, written by Ady. How many things could a person possibly imagine with this piece? Perhaps a small fairy girl, perhaps the obvious flower, perhaps a person, perhaps something completely out of the blue– whatever it is, it’s bound to fit perfectly. Ady has managed to tie innocence and sweetness into this short bundle, both of which I absolutely love in poetry. A lot of people may not like the shortness, but I think it works wonderfully here. The length doesn’t make the poem too overly powerful, yet it’s also far from weak. As Sirius Wolfsbane said, “It’s very sentimental in value.” Though, why would I try to play off the title? Congratulations, Ady! “M&M's Because my dad makes them for a living. So Skittle lovers, go die in a fire. kthnxbai” - Remix“Officially owning Oliver.” “A custom SSD tag, 50$ SSD designed website, 150$ Getting Oliver to take his shirt off, a quarter Officialy pwning Oliver, priceless For things money can’t buy, there’s Criminal Mastermind.” - Criminal Mastermind & Chantry“I love it when people from other countries view Americans as stuck-up, arrogant snobs. We're all not Paris Hilton or Donald Trump. Many Americans (myself included) would do any form of work. However, we expect a living wage, and companies know that. We're not fools. Of course, you Britons- you chaps who wear monocles, powdered wigs, frilly shirts, and smile with your yellowed, crooked teeth -know everything about other nations and other cultures. Understand?” - [ a r t o s ]"The 'person' is in the most literal sense, just a microscopic chunk of meat." - The Baron“Yeah, whatever. I hope whomever plotted this chokes on a peanut and falls into a meat grinder.” - James"Damn Artos' quote-i-ness!" - Jonny“James, just you playing it is enough to hack it. Really, all you have to do is look at it, and it becomes hacked. That’s how awesome your skills are.” - Ryan.gmli“Congrats on the win Shaodow Shadow Shadowgamers. Ass: spell his name right =P
Josh: If you want to spell it right, spell it right. =P” - Josh & Assassinator“And all of her sheep friends.” “By 'friends,' do you mean family? ” - Max & LPF (referring to Kari)“Well, Samson, you could always summon the power of your hair and its Five Colors of Doom.” - Pandora (referring to Artos)“I didn’t get it, but it made me laugh like a giddy lunatic preceding. ” - Virtuoso
See how short this article was? That’s because you guys need to submit more quotes! You can find the " SSD Collection" thread in The Herald board! “ Think of what would happen to us in America if there were no humorists; life would be one long Congressional Record.” – Tom Masson“ Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?” – Henry Ward Beecher“ There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.” – Pablo Picasso“ With age come the inner, the higher life. Who would be forever young, to dwell always in externals?” – Elizabeth Cady Stanton“ Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” – Henry Ford“ One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe“ Every man is wise when attacked by a mad dog; fewer when pursued by a mad woman; only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion.” – Robertson Davies“ Never pretend to a love which you do not actually feel, for love is not ours to command.” – Alan Watts“ Never be haughty to be humble; never be humble to be haughty.” – Jefferson Davis“ The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and new only know them when they are gone.” – George Eliot“ If suffer we must, let’s suffer on the heights.” – Victor Hugo“ There are people whom one loves immediately and forever. Even to know they are alive in the world with one is quite enough.” – Nancy Spain(Editors' Disclaimer: If you have yet to see X-Men 3: The Last Stand, we suggest you don't read this article. However, if you don't mind a few spoilers, then read away.)Noon, Thursday the 25 th of May 2006, as I casually strolled into the local cinema, I was amazed to see that there were only five people – including me – that had come to see what was at the time possibly the last X-Men film ever to be made, especially since it had only just been released. And so I strolled up the steps into the back row. When I say strolled, I really mean hobbled due to the pain that is still harboring around my right knee. On my way to my seat, I passed two very attractive young ladies of whom I gave a wink, as well as two guys on either side who, once I noticed them, forced me to casually run up the stairs; obviously, I had just met their boyfriends. Next to pass me was the local film store clerk with a physical appearance that is very similar to that of Chris Griffin from Family Guy, who sat down two seats away from me as the film began. I was heavily surprised by the sheer difference that this movie has compared to the two Bryan Singer (of whom left the project to make Superman Returns after Brett Ratner left the production after problems with the rest of the time, ironically Ratner directs this film) made. Whilst Singer’s movies had a relatively upbeat tone, Ratner keeps this but adds more dark and comic elements to the movie as well as making full use of technology which Singer never fully did. The plot of the movie is that a cure of mutancy has been found (although we find that it is only temporary) and that Jean Grey, or Phoenix as she is now known, returns as the worlds most powerful mutant, subsequently killing Cyclops – her former lover – and Professor X, her mentor and, as she has stated previously, surrogate father. However, not is all as it seems (I stuck behind for after the credits). Magneto and his brotherhood set upon destroying the cure, which includes killing the humans protecting it. Thus, it is a job for the now six people known as the X-Men to save the world. This causes Magneto to lose his powers for a short amount of time. Rogue also loses her powers; however that was voluntary, as we know, and will return in due time and a new group of mutants appearing. Life is changing faster than the mutants of the X-Men world can imagine what happens to all those so cured mutants. However, I suppose we shall have to wait and find out.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 5:51:12 GMT
And so our journey continues... ... just kidding.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 5:52:45 GMT
Is the life of a murderer, a rapist or even a terrorist worth as much as the life of the average law abiding citizen? When a seventeen year old boy lifts an illegal firearm against a member of his gang’s opposition, fires and kills, is he worthy of leniency? What if a three year old child is caught in the cross fire of his bullet, and the child of three is killed? Does the gang member, still a minor at seventeen, deserve a harsher sentence than if he had killed someone with a police record? Should a survivor of a suicide attempt be looked upon with disdain for the near taking of a life? Should a successful suicide be condemned as a selfish act, no more than a waste? In a war, are any casualties acceptable? Is it all in the name of the greater good? Should abortion or the death penalty even be options? Even if I attempted to answer each of the above questions with any kind of validity or common sense, only many more questions will then spring into their place, picking apart the details of my oh-so-carefully thought out answers. I prefer to focus on the core of these issues, one binding question: What is a life worth? I once learned in chemistry class that the sum of our physical components, when broken down to the base materials, equal a pile of carbon and other odds and ends of the periodic table valuing a little less than $15. I think most people would agree that this is not a very good assessment of the value of a human life. But why is that answer not enough? For many reasons, actually. The value of money fluctuates. That is the most rational, emotion-free explanation. People of religion claim we have a soul, even most people without religion would agree that humans have a soul at the center of their existence. The soul may not even be dependent upon the physical body for survival. Most schools of philosophy cannot deny the connections between all people, nor can they deny the delicate balance of life accommodating life. Humans have will, emotions, deductive and inductive reasoning, instinct, compassion, a capacity for a concept called ‘evil’, and humans are equipped with the ability to influence and even change the course of another human’s life path. Humans also have the ability to end the life of another. This is a basic wrong doing, accepted as wrong by a vast majority of this planet’s inhabitants. But is the life taken only a vessel, leaving the soul to…do what souls do after the body dies? Or is the spark extinguished forever? In my opinion, each and every life is worth something beyond what we can comprehend. As fallible creatures, humans cannot see the end result of a life taken. Sure, we can take pictures of corpses, perform autopsies on murder or cancer victims and determine what stopped the lifeblood from pumping through the body; a bullet, liver failure, brain aneurism, etc., but what of the soul or essence that drove the vessel to perform everyday tasks? What about the ethereal something that made momentous decisions about life and love? I don’t believe that human beings are qualified to make decisions that end human lives. Inventions like the atom bomb, though possible, should never have been made into reality. Over 100, 000 people dying from such an invention is something that cannot be undone. When a decision is made to kill, and the plan executed, more than just the victim dies. An indefinable piece of the murderer’s soul dies with the victim. Performing a murder changes a person, alters the core of who they are, at least, that’s how it seems to me. I guess since I’ve never killed anyone, I can only speculate. However, being a part of a society that supports war, the death penalty, and abortion I can’t help but feel contempt toward the powers that be for making such decisions on our behalf. I also feel powerless to stop the warlords. I vote. I breathe the free air in a country that is despised for its warmongering, and I vote. Somehow, that doesn’t feel like enough. What is a life worth? Its worth is immeasurable, and so should be protected at all costs. Sentencing a murderer to the death penalty is murder in itself. Aborting an unwanted child is murder. Suicide is murder. The list goes on. Some would argue that a fetus is not yet a true life until a certain point in the pregnancy. On whose authority was that decided? Even the dregs of a society, hate crime perpetrators, rapists and child molesters can reform. Even their wretched lives are worth far beyond the price of keeping them imprisoned and alive, even if we don’t understand completely why that is so. To me, the attitudes of “kill or be killed’ and “shoot first; ask questions later” are evident when it comes to abortion and the death penalty, and many other fatal scenarios. Maybe we humans shouldn’t toy with concepts we don’t understand. The bottom line is that if we don’t understand what defines the worth of a life, we shouldn’t be making decisions that end lives. Suggested watching: “The Life of David Gale”, a film starring Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet “Trigun”, an animated series based on a comic created by Yasuhiro Nightow "The Boondock Saints", a film starring Willem Defoe, Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus
Suggested listening: "Back in Town", a comedy album by George Carlin
Suggested reading: “Hiroshima in America: A Half Century of Denial”, a book by Robert Jay Lifton and Greg Mitchell
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 5:53:54 GMT
Sarah, a ten-year-old fifth grader from Pelham, New York, is smart and highly motivated, but still gets frazzled by the size of her homework workload. “It’s crazy how I worry,” she says. “I keep thinking, ‘How am I ever going to get through all this stuff?’” Due to her workload, Sarah has even cried herself to sleep a few times (Cool). Teachers are giving too much homework when it begins putting too much stress on the child and family, disrupts social life, and steals time from other activities. Too much homework causes elevated stress levels for both the child and family and interferes with social life. Teachers assigning too much homework affect the students’ lives, whether the teacher knows it or not. Having hours upon hours of homework each night increases stress levels tremendously for students. “Distress over homework has been cited as one of the reasons for a recent spate of suicides among schoolchildren, some of whom have been as young as nine,” as stated by the Harare Herald (Kralovec 4). Homework may cause students to stay up late into the night, interfering with their sleep schedule. Nearly one fourth of parents confess they’ve occasionally finished their children’s assignments due to their child being too tired (Cool). With the combination of increased stress levels and lack of sleep, a child’s grades can actually lower, as opposed to helping them learn more. The recent proliferation of standardized tests – and many school districts’ insistence on raising scores – raises the tension even higher (Cool). Along with affecting the student, homework can also affect the family as a whole. When a child comes home with hours of homework each night, free time to spend with family is practically stolen away. Some families are not in a position to support their children’s daily homework-load research, either financially or in terms of the time they can give (Andrew). More than one third of parents polled in a survey said homework is an ongoing source of stress in their home, fueling arguments and even screaming matches (Cool). Parents become stressed over their child when they notice them staying up late into the night, all for the sake of finishing an assignment. They may scold their child for staying up so late, which also puts more stress on the child. When the report card shows up in the mail with lower-than-average grades, the parents may become frustrated. Homework becomes the issue over which parents and children battle. Parents cajole, bribe, negotiate, and, when all else fails, yell in an effort to get the homework done (Andrew). In turn, the child will, once again, become even more stressed due to wanting to please or live up to their parents standards. This could also cause the child to feel like giving up due to not being able to cope and live up to their parents standards. Homework will be most helpful when the assignments are meaningful and age-appropriate, and when they are returned with constructive comments from the teacher. Researchers say children’s stress levels are skyrocketing all over the country. According to a study by Harold Stevenson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, one third of the 8,000 high school students’ surveyed reported feeling tense every day (Cool). Professor Howard Riggs, an associate professor at McGill University’s Department of Educational Services, recommended 10 minutes of homework per night multiplied by the grade level: 10 minutes in grade 1, 20 minutes in grade 2, and so on (Andrew). “Americans want their children to get good grades. They also want them to be athletic, popular, and successful at a variety of extracurricular activities. Children say they’re being pulled in a lot of directions at once and don’t know what’s important. They think they have to be good at everything,” says University of Michigan’s Stevenson (Cool). A study released in September 2000 by another University of Michigan compared children’s weekly schedules in 1981 and 1997. They found that time spent on homework has more than doubled for six- to eight-year-olds (Cool). “Work before play” is a constant theme in the American culture. Most households view homework as the work of the child (Kralovec 56). Children may feel like giving up when homework loads become unbearable, may lose interest in academic material, experience physical and emotional fatigue, lose time for extracurricular activities, and become overwhelmed by the pressure to perform well. Homework loads are thought of as ways parents can use to have their children succeed (Kralovec 5). However, grades are lowered substantially when children start practicing poor homework habits due to stress (Anesko). There are many school board homework policies that include guidelines for homework amounts. All school boards should be encouraged to include such guidelines in their homework policies, as information could be useful to parents, students, and teachers. Having an average amount of homework set helps the parents know what teachers are expecting from their students and gives parents a reference point if they become concerned (Andrew). The life of children and their families can be greatly affected due to too much homework. Perhaps some teachers should reconsider the amount of homework they’re giving their students, and evaluate just how much they could be affecting the lives of both their students and the students’ families. Works CitedAndrew, Cynthia. Homework. <http://www.chi.nearnorth.edu.on.ca/css/ Parentindex/Parent%20Info/homework.htm> Anesko, Dr. Kathleen M., and Dr. Levine Fredric. Winning the Homework War. New York: Arco, 1987. Cool, Lisa. "The Overwhelmed Child." Good Housekeeping Aug. 2001: 79-81. Kralovec, Etta, and John Buell. The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning. Massachusetts: Beacon Press, 2000.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 5:55:01 GMT
"There is a place that shouldn't exist. But does. And there are creatures that shouldn't exist. But do. Welcome to a land where all of your dreams and nightmares are very real – and often deadly. Welcome to Everworld." If I were to start off by saying that the series called Everworld by K.A. Applegate consisted of 12 books, I’m betting that most of you would become immediately disinterested. However, let yourself look aside how large the series is, and focus on the actual content of the book for a few moments. Book List- 1. Search for Senna
- 2. Land of Loss
- 3. Enter the Enchanted
- 4. Realm of the Reaper
- 5. Discover the Destroyer
- 6. Fear the Fantastic
- 7. Gateway to the Gods
- 8. Brave the Betrayal
- 9. Inside the Illusion
- 10. Understand the Unknown
- 11. Mystify the Magician
- 12. Entertain the End
I’ll be honest, I’ve currently only read the first two books. However, the mystery and mythology entwined in the books is fantastic. I often find myself trying to imagine the stress and excitement that the kids in the books are going through. From what I've read so far, I definitely plan to continue reading. The mystery is prolonged throughout the books with new twists and turns after each page. Each book is also from a different character's perspective, which makes it all the more interesting. K.A. Applegate takes our comfortable reality and twists into something unimaginable. It all starts with Senna, a not-so-ordinary girlfriend and friend among the group. Senna, David, Christopher, Jalil, and April are all pulled into the place where vikings, trolls, blue gods, oversized wolves, Aztecs, Coo-Hatch, and many other fantasy characters reside. David, Christopher, April, and Jalil travel together through ancient cities, forests, over oceans, and through many other places. They face many trials throughout their mysterious voyage all for the sake of Senna. Senna: the girl who was swallowed up by the earth, the witch girl, the girlfriend, the cause, the mystery, the unknown... their mission. However, as a drawback, reading these can get tiring at times because of the prolonged mystery. A few times I've thought, "Goodness, isn't it over already?" The twists and turns are continually being thrown at you, but you get used to it over time. Overall, I'd rate the series 4/5. Pictures from Scholastic.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 5:57:35 GMT
Ah, Les Claypool: Unparalleled, insanely talented, often labeled a virtuoso and deservedly so. Seldom are the upright bass and electric bass guitar manipulated with such creativity, unique funk-flavor, and organized chaos. And only Claypool’s oddly hypnotic voice can properly portray his own lyrics. Leslie “Les” Edward Claypool was born September 29, 1963 in California, USA. Les is a bass player, singer, songwriter and producer. By the age of 14 he started learning the bass. His style is influenced admittedly by Geddy Lee of Rush as well as many seemingly unrelated playing styles such as metal, slap, flamenco, and he’s even skillful with the upright, occasionally utilizing a bow for a darker sound. A musician’s worth is not always dependent on his skill and his skill alone. I’ve always held an extra reservoir of respect for the musicians who can retain their individuality in the face of fame and while pumping out project after project with a multitude of other extremely talented players. I find it interesting that in 1986 after the death of Metallica’s bass player Cliff Burton, Claypool actually auditioned for the spot. The band cited he was too “funky”, but James Hetfield has joked that he was just too good, and obviously he didn’t make the line-up. A couple years later, Primus was born, and it wouldn’t be long before musicians everywhere would hail his playing style as being among the best. Les is best known for his work with Primus, which has an unreal list of original releases during their eleven year run: Suck On This Frizzle Fry Sailing the Seas of Cheese Pork Soda Tales from the Punchbowl Brown Album Rhinoplasty Antipop …not to mention their singles, soundtrack work and cover songs. Each of the above albums named is an incredible piece of work. For my own reasons, Frizzle Fry and Tales from the Punchbowl are the two I play the most. Besides Claypool, the other members of Primus weren’t constant, but Larry LaLonde is the most notable guitar player for the group. Tim “Herb” Alexander and Brian “Brain” Montia worked with Primus as well, both excellent drummers with creative ideas of their own to give. 2000 marks the year Primus officially disbanded, but Claypool kept busy. Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade was founded, which released two live albums, one a cover of Pink Floyd’s Animals in its entirety, and a studio album of originals titled “Purple Onion”. Later, he joined Phish’s Trey Anastasio and The Police’s Stewart Copeland to create Oysterhead, a one album recording project titled “The Grand Pecking Order” being the result. Though neither the Flying Frog Brigade nor Oysterhead ever reached the level of recognition gained by Primus, his credibility as a musician and songwriter only increased. Another collaboration worth mention is Claypool’s work with Buckethead, bizarre guitar genius. Together with drummer “Brain” and keyboardist Bernie Worrell they formed Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains, whose live shows were completely improvisational and beyond left of center. One album was released by Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains entitled “The Big Eyeball in the Sky”. Claypool also joined Buckethead on the guitarist’s rock album “Monsters and Robots”, a great listen in my opinion. In 2003-2004, Primus reunited for a DVD retrospective and a tour, Tim Alexander and Larry LaLonde filling out the line-up. His Bucket of Bernie Brains toured in 2004 as well, and it appears Les Claypool never lost steam throughout his lengthy career. Presently, May 30th, 2006 marked his newest release, a studio solo album called “Of Whales and Woe”. He will once again be touring the USA in June and July of this year. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to hear even a bit of the new album and cannot properly review it here due to the fact that its release was still to come as I wrote this article. Rest assured I will snag a copy as soon as possible and tell you all about it. Or you could do yourself a favor and pick up a copy on your own. I’ve never been disappointed by this man, and I have faith that the new release is yet another triumph for Les Claypool. Also look for the upcoming release of Claypool’s first book, “South of the Pumphouse”, said to be a work of fiction along the lines of Hunter S. Thompson’s style of story telling. "Electric Apricot" is a jam band spoof film yet to be released, but the trailer looks hilarious. And believe it or not, he is currently working on yet another full length Primus album which will be completed by summer 2006. Sources: Wikipedia and www.lesclaypool.com Photo of Les Claypool from www.icemagazine.com Photo of "Of Whales and Woe" Album cover from www.lesclaypool.com
"Lungs locked. Lips locked." I had the great fortune to catch The Dresden Dolls live about a year and a half ago. Having never heard of them, I was a bit skeptical about sitting through their act before the main group hit the stage, but having an open mind as well, I chose a table front and slightly off center to get a good view of this band I’d never heard. This was a show like no other. Amanda Palmer, vocalist/pianist, banged away on a rather decent sized keyboard with passion and skill. Her lyrics were sometimes shocking, but mostly fun and interesting. I almost forgot that a spotlight was shining directly on her, uh, generously exposed panties. Her voice has a husky quality, and a strength and character too honest to be contrived. Brian Viglione is a drum virtuoso. He pounds the beats furiously with the precision of a Swiss watch. And that’s the band, quite enough to blow my mind. I immediately purchased their debut disk that evening, and though the production quality is just a smidgen below par, it is a force to be acknowledged. They were, after all, not a major band. Sometime during the last five months, the duo released a major label CD through Roadrunner Records titled “Yes, Virginia…” They toured with NIN and their career is thankfully picking up speed. “Yes, Virginia…” did not disappoint me. The same skill and talent went into this sophomore effort, and I’m prone to sing hooks from a few of the songs for days on end. The major label production is well done. This is a solid album. Songs that I find to be the most interesting are “Backstabber” which is a wicked verbal knife between some anonymous person’s ribs. The opening track, “Sex Changes” is a strange take on the subject of switching genders. “Sing” closes the album. It is a skillfully written and performed song. Both members are incredible musicians. Their combined vision is a genuinely original sound and sight. Their doll make up and costumes are on the gothic side of things. Their sound is…their own. Sometimes fun, sometimes powerful, the lyrics always hitting the mark. I suppose you’ll have to hear them for yourself to get the gist of their style. I recommend both albums with high enthusiasm.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:02:58 GMT
This month I will be reviewing a spectacular game named Age of Empires III. This is quite a fantastic game which requires a lot of skill and getting used to. This game is a lot like the classic Command and Conquer series and also Empire Earth, though this one definitely is higher on my list then the others. Though this game was released late October, I still think this game is worthy of mention. This game is an expansion on the first two Age of Empire games. It is based on following your civilization into the “New World”, as it has been just recently discovered by the Europeans. You can follow various civilizations such as the Turks, Dutch, Germans, and much more. The gameplay in this game is fantastic. This game does take a little getting used to, but once you can get past the Training Level, you are then on your own. This game has an astounding single player mode and an even better multiplayer. It allows you to build up your civilizations, and help them grow and prosper into functional societies. It allows you to wage war on your enemies, and get hidden advancements throughout the game. This game can be used to its full potential by gaining skill, and developing your own personal style which enhances the gameplay just that much more. One downside in the gameplay is the limits. I found that some of the limitations to this game are quite extreme. There are a few minor problems in the game that can give the user some unfair advantages towards the computer, which I won’t go into detail about. The multiplayer in this game is worthy of mention. This game is a prime example of an excellent choice for LAN parties. My brothers and I have had countless LAN parties with this game as it allows you to build up a civilization and explore your newly founded world. In multiplayer you can choose various maps such as Texas, Florida, Mexico, and even the Caribbean Islands. One downside to the multiplayer LAN option is the lag. This game lags quite easily when getting into heated battles with lots of computers. This game graphically is sub-par. This games graphics are well done, but they could have been improved. The colours are excellent, and the graphics are realistic and fairly believable. Along with the graphics are some excellent audio features. The soundtrack for this game is quite good. It really puts you in the mood of the game. A few downsides of the graphics are the size of the features. They are quite small and hard to see even with the zoom in full. This is my personal opinion on the graphics. Overall this game is quite great and can hold your attention for quite some time. I was quite impressed by the gameplay and the amount of possibilities this game holds for you. This game, though on the downside, has some sub-par graphics, and a fairly well done multiplayer option. This game is very well done though, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Overall, Age of Empires III earns a 4/5. E3 2006 was arguably one of the best in the history of the show. The big three next generation consoles are available as working models; next generation games are capable of being played. One can easily feel a sense of the current generation of gaming rapidly fading away and being succeeded by the new one of everything coming together, and even more obvious, the calm before the storm. This holiday season is going to be all out war. If these next generation consoles do not succeed, they will die out. This time it's do or die. Many gamers and analysts alike agree that this battle could be won by Nintendo. After the Big N's E3 conference, many have been convinced that the golden age of the veteran gaming country could be making a comeback. E3 showed us many things to look forward to this year and next. We saw new games being worked upon, new consoles moving towards completion, and new ways gaming can be, and in Nintendo's opinion, need to be innovated. The controller for the Nintendo Wii, no longer Revolution, is the main innovative feature Nintendo has to offer us. However, that is not the only selling point they will present: Nintendo intends to woo consumers with the prospect that the game play is what matters and not to be fooled by beautiful graphics, horsepower, or the overall capabilities of a system. Nintendo will also allow the games from earlier consoles to be available for download, even including second and third party software. Third party game producers from the NES, SNES, and N64 era are quickly jumping aboard and making their games available on Nintendo's download service, called the Virtual Console. Let's check the score now: two innovative features for Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, zero. Yes, Microsoft and Sony deserve due credit as well (how much for Sony, I will let you decide, however). Microsoft was expected to be, well, nothing at E3 this year. However, kudos to Microsoft for coming in strong and blowing everyone's drab expectations away. Games such as Mass Effect, Too Human, and BioShock stunned gamers all around. The three seem to have perfected the balance between stunning graphics and amazing game play. It's safe to assume that those two will be hits when they release. However, we cannot forget about Microsoft's pride and joy: Halo 3. Saving the best for last at their conference, Microsoft and Bungie Studios proudly displayed their efforts with an in-game trailer being rendered in real time using the system's CPU and GPU, which they emphasized makes the game better. The trailer depicted a barren wasteland, which is Earth after the Covenant takeover. Later, the viewer sees Cortana, and eventually Master Chief himself. Fast forward to Chief looking over a cliff at a battle below and a brigade of Banshees flies overhead – mouthwatering? Yes. Does it convince me to buy the game? Not really. Interestingly enough, Microsoft has decided to side itself unofficially with Nintendo by supporting the Wii, while condemning the PS3 saying you get their product and a Wii for the same price of one PS3. Ouch. Sony put their best foot forward and ran with it at E3. Sony's conferences were mainly about PS3, which they hope will dominate the market. Sony showed clips and had demos available for some games, but overall made a weak showing. Not to mention angering many Nintendo fanboys after they "stole" the ideas used in the "Wiimote." However, what many people weren't expecting was the revelation of the phenomenal cost of the PS3: $499 for a package similar to the Core Version of the Xbox 360 and a $599 version with more features, memory, and power. Later, it was confirmed that the cheaper of the two will lack many important features such as WiFi compatibility and a rumored lack of Blu-ray support which is what Sony has bet their success on, oddly enough. This is leaving gamers with just one real choice: the $599 model. Now that E3 is over, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo (as much is at does not want to compete) are on the brink of war. The fourth quarter of this year will see the release the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii, right in time for the holiday shopping season. Sony and Microsoft intend to dominate the market with HD graphics and powerful consoles while Nintendo intends to convince consumers that games are all about the game play, not the graphics, and that anybody should be able to pick up a game and have fun. Alliances have been drawn and enemies scoffed at. However, of the three main competitors, many industry analysts have concluded that Sony is betting the success of the entire company on a multi-billion dollar gamble, none other than the PS3 and the elusive Blu-ray (should the Blu-ray hardware fail, the PS3 is done for). Since 2002, Sony has had an overall revenue of 67.94 billion dollars, but with only a small 1.65% profit margin, which is troubling to any corporation, whether it be Sony or Nintendo. As stated by IGN.com Author, Gerry Block, "The coming year will be critical for Sony. The PlayStation 3 will be facing the heaviest challenge yet for dominance of the $25 billion videogame industry from Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii. Microsoft is already proclaiming a solid head-start with six-million consoles shipped, and the double threat of the low-cost but innovative Wii may succeed in bringing Nintendo's 'disruption' strategy to success. On top of it all, Sony has embroiled itself in the next-generation DVD format war, challenging its many HD-DVD supporting consumer electronics competitors with the Blu-ray format.1" So, if all does not go as planned for Sony, boy will it be a rough fiscal year. In the end, it will come down to us, the consumers, and what system we favor above all. Graphics, game-play, power - they mean nothing to the true consumer now. All rests on the consumers' choice. Footnotes: 1 "Sony's Huge Playstation 3 Bet," Gerry Block Copyright; 1996-2006, IGN Entertainment, Inc.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:04:54 GMT
I’m rushing to write this as my own father is standing at the door waiting for me to get ready so he can drop me off somewhere – yes, I’m going to do that thing that no father likes to do... clothes shopping. So he’s looking at me in that kinda impatient way that fathers sometimes do when they don’t understand why on earth their kids would be doing something like what they’re doing at the present second. It’s a rare occurrence when my dad decides to take an interest in how I’m going to spend my money (but my mum’s always on my case about it (grr)) and I’ve told him I’m going to buy clothes... including going into the likes of Supre, Dotti and other such shops. “Emma! You’re not a teenager anymore!” he exclaims. “...dad... I’m seventeen. Surely that warrants that sort of clothing. I have five months left before I’m legally considered an adult.” My tone is that of one gently exposing one to the truth, like what you’d tell your little kid that Santa Claus isn’t real – “but really?! Do I still get presents?” “Oh...” It’s probably something that he’ll never understand, but Father’s Day is about appreciating your dad for the things that they do for you and the fact that they were one of the two people that brought you into this world. As much as my own father can puzzle me about some issues, I wouldn’t trade him for anything as he’s half of what makes me, well, me. You can take the fish out of the water, but the fish can’t survive without the water. It’s times like these that make me glad that I have a family that both gives me my space and will never judge me for anything else that’s not based on who I am as a person. My dad, in particular, has seen so much in his lifetime of 44 years that I can’t help but wonder what life holds in the future, both for him and for me. If I could, I’d give him the world and so much more for what he’s done for me. I appreciate him so much that I don’t have words for it – even if there are differences between us. Love for dad. So, this Father’s Day, appreciate your dad. You wouldn’t be here on this earth without him.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:06:16 GMT
Well, I’m sure we all love summer, as it is in my opinion one of the most gorgeous few months of the year. For me, it’s a great time to spend time with friends after a gruelling seven months of school. It’s a time to relax, enjoy the sun and spend time socializing with friends, and yes, maybe catch up on some computer time. After being asked to do this article, I had absolutely no idea what summer solstice was. It might have been that I've only gone through the grade eight sciences, or it might have been the fact that quite frankly I’m just not that interested. I have actually learned quite a bit, and I would like to share with you what summer is really all about and what actually happens. Well, let us just go through the facts on summer. During the few summer months of the year there is a date and time, which this year happens to be June 20th, that the earth tilts just so slightly which causes it to have the most exposure to the sun. I’m sure you can already figure out that this causes the earth to heat up and also cause the wonderful few months of heat, relaxation, and fun. Now, bear with me. This is going to get tough, (well, for me at least). We all know that the earth is constantly orbiting the sun. Starting at the usual date between June 20th and June 22nd, there is a time when the earth tilts, causing the sun to appear at a 23.45 degree angle. Well, this happens for all of us except in Eastern Asia, and Australia, and NZ where it happens, if I’m correct, in the November and December months –weirdos-. The previous paragraph is how summer happens, when we can all bask in the sun and enjoy socializing. I hope you can all enjoy your wonderful summer; it’s going to be a great one for me. Thanks for reading! Summer vacation for school kids can be better than Christmas morning. That last day of school for the year is chaos, students laughing and screaming, running wild, breaking rules. “What are the teachers gonna do, suspend me? I’m outta here!!!” …and then freedom. Three awesome months of hanging out with friends, lazy afternoons, parties in the middle of the week. Bliss! Universities, school boards and parents, however, are studying the effects of the current education schedule. They want to change the system, and make school a year round requirement, spreading smaller holidays and vacations throughout the year. Parents have trouble affording daycare for the younger kids during summer months. School boards need better results grade-wise or funds will be cut. I wonder what it would have been like growing up without those seemingly endless summer vacations. Maybe I wouldn’t have cared if that was all I knew, but as it stands, I can’t even imagine my school years without them. They were such care free days before I was old enough to hold a job. It was an hour walk along the railroad tracks to the next town, where most of my friends lived, and I walked it a million times to go see them. Time was on my side when it was summer. I had hours, days, weeks, MONTHS to kill, and almost no obligations to fill except for my chores around the house. Those chores, though I grumbled endlessly about them, were actually nothing compared to cramming for exams and completing homework assignment after homework assignment. We were free, wild and indestructible, me and my friends. Every year it was a race to create better and more insane stories to tell than the year before. The new school year’s first day, though dreaded, was always such an interesting day. This one shot up about a foot and lost fifty pounds. That one shaved her head and pierced her eyebrow. New students were potential friends. That first day can be a clean slate for everybody. No, I can’t stand behind the idea of a year round school schedule. It isn’t right. It’s almost blasphemous. Almost every member on SSD is a student. Start thinking about a world without summer vacation. Kind of makes you anxious, maybe even a bit sick to your stomach, doesn’t it?
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:07:54 GMT
I can’t believe America has to be told to make efforts to enjoy the great outdoors in the month of June, but here we go, it is officially the 3rd Annual Great Outdoors Month. This country is loaded with natural beauty just waiting to be appreciated in all its undiluted perfection. Canyonlands National ParkUtah, U.S.A.Canyonlands N. P. is a place I need to go. I’ve not been too far into the American west. My brother emailed me a group of photos he took during his visit to Canyonlands last year, and just the mere photographs alone have inspired me to one day see those rock formations with my own eyes. For 10,000 years it has been visited by people. Ancient homes of the natives still remain to be viewed, homes built directly into the rocks. The rocks themselves are a main attraction for the park. Natural structures exist that would leave even the most hard hearted individual awestruck. As barren and rocky as the land has the potential to be in that area, a rich source of “living soil” provides a fertile environment for desert plants, and therefore humans as well. Activities range from sight seeing, star gazing and hiking, to four wheeling and mountain climbing. A trip to Canyonlands National Park would surely show a genuine appreciation for the great outdoors. It’s like an immense jungle gym for lovers of natural beauty. More than that, a camping trip in this park is a chance to see how vast and great the splendid charm of America really is. FallingwaterPennsylvania, U.S.A.Fallingwater, where the great outdoors meets the luxurious indoors, is a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. Wright was a genius architect who often used nature’s own patterns in his designs. Fallingwater is a unique example. Built in the 1930’s for the Kaufmann family, owners of the hugely successful department store, the house is meant to add to the beauty of the land. It was never meant to blend perfectly, but to exist in harmony with the forest. The keystone of the property’s allure is the gorgeous waterfall. This waterfall actually runs through the home. A staircase leading down from the livingroom to the stream stops just short of the clean water, allowing anyone living in the house to sit and let their bare feet dangle in the water. Being only a tourist attraction currently, lots of areas like this staircase are closed to the public. It’s kind of a shame that no one lives there anymore. The Kaufmann’s would throw huge parties centered around a massive fireplace that was built directly into the rocks. I can’t even imagine the feeling of freedom the guests must have had, playing in a pool kept crystal clean by a steady stream from the fall itself. Large terraces allowed for an easy transition from inside to the free air outside. Windows throughout the home are from floor to ceiling to give as much sunlight to each and every room as possible. Paths wind all about the property, so tourists can see the surrounding forest. It is easy to see why the Kaufmann’s purchased the land. The only thing I don’t understand is the fact that it was only a weekend home, during the summer. If I lived there I could never live anywhere else. It is equipped with the means to stay closed and heated during cold weather, so it was possible to stay year round. Fallingwater is an appropriate place to visit during the Great Outdoors Month since it is an excellent example of humans living in grace and harmony with nature. Virginia BeachVirginia, U.S.A.So maybe you aren’t the hiking type. Sometimes, it is quite ok to appreciate the great outdoors by parking your lazy buns on a beach towel and basking in the sun, although Virginia Beach offers many activities as well as a comfy beach for sun bathing. I want to rent a jet ski or go scuba diving if I get a chance to go there this summer. I would love to spend worlds of time with Big Blue, observing ocean life face to face, but I have nothing against a lazy stroll along the beach. I suggest this particular beach for the month of June. Virginia state is just far enough north to avoid the most uncomfortable of humidity, while still retaining warm summer weather. Since I’m not a morning person, waking up for the sunrise over the water could be a challenge, but I seem to remember prying my eyes open and witnessing an excellent sunrise when I visited Virginia beach years and years ago. I definitely remember me and my friend Kelly splashing in the ocean at 2am, fish jumping clear of the water all about us. That is a unique way to experience the outdoors, though maybe not the safest. There’s just nothing like the moon reflecting on the water and having the beach practically to your self. Whatever you do this June, make sure you give some proper respect to nature at large. The mall will still be there in July. Canyonlands National Park photos by Paul Stoeckle Fallingwater photo from Fallingwater home site by Thomas A. Heinz Virginia Beach photo "Morning Has Broken" by Justin Hankins
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:09:51 GMT
On June 27th, 1969, the Gay and Lesbian civil rights movement arose. It began in a bar in New York City named the Stonewall Inn. Police and Beverage Control Board agents were notorious for rather violently enforcing minor Board violations, but predominantly in gay establishments. On that particular night, patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back, finally pushed too far by the misuse of power. That night is known as the Stonewall Rebellion. Marches and protests marked the anniversary of the rebellion in the years to follow. Each year, June would see the rise of more elaborate celebrations than the previous year, all in honor of the Stonewall Rebellion, and the basic civil rights that any human should be able to enjoy, sexual orientation aside. Gay and Lesbian Pride month is not only for gay pride, but to honor diversity and fair treatment to all. I’m still surprised by the lack of tolerance toward lesbian and gay lifestyles. Some people even feel uncomfortable saying the word “gay” out loud. Others loudly oppose gay rights, claiming it is not Christian to be gay; it is an affront to God, in fact. It is argued that sexual preference is a choice, not innate. I’ve openly questioned some of my gay friends, and each has claimed they had no choice in the matter. After hearing some stories about the aftermath of “coming out”, and how they weren’t always received with enthusiasm by their families when the truth was told, I’m convinced their homosexual tendencies were there from the start, just latent until puberty. Not to mention the constant ridicule and bigoted violence they endure. Who would choose such a path against their nature? Tolerance is key. Imagine a woman in a marriage for 28 years, two teenage kids, a house, the whole “normal” bit. The husband suddenly declares, after 28 years, that he is gay, has always been gay and is leaving his family behind to be true to what he has recently come to terms with. He led a “normal” life because he thought it was “un-Christian” to be gay. He buried his true nature and lived a lie for almost three decades. How crushed do you think the wife felt, how shocked and empty? Had the lifestyle been accepted and tolerated by the general public thirty years ago, he probably would never have married her, and the wife may have lived a more fulfilling life with a man who truly loved her. Love is a mystery, difficult to find in its true form. If two individuals find mutual love and respect they should be able to revel in that love without feeling uncomfortable, and without fear for their own safety. Source for Stonewall Rebellion information: www.nwhp.org
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:11:26 GMT
It's that time of the year again, when the two best teams in the NBA play against each other in a best of 7 games to become the Champions. The best team of the east goes against the best team of the west, but first the 16 teams on both sides have to fight it out to get to the finals: Eight teams in the West and eight teams in the East. With the Detroit Pistons starting the playoffs with the best season record, they are one of the most favored teams in the playoffs. Four of their starters made the All Star team and their center won the defensive player of the year award. So it's no surprise that they made it to the conference finals. Playing against the Detroit Pistons are the Miami Heat, with the second best season in the east. They depend mostly on their two big stars, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade. Those two were the key players in game 3 against the Pistons, with both scoring above 20 points. The Miami Heat took a 2-1 lead in the series. In the west, the Dallas Mavericks had to play against last year's Champions and were barely able to take the series in game 7 in overtime. Dallas never had it easy in the semi-conference finals against the Spurs. They were up 3-1 in the series but the Spurs were able to tie it back at 3-3. In the last game they were able to beat last year's champions, and now they are going against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns also didn't have it easy during playoffs. They've had two game 7's against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers (Ha, LA must hate the Suns now). And now they're going against the team who beat last year's Champions. With one of their best players being out all year, it doesn't look good for the Suns. But they were still able to win a game at Dallas, and the series is tied at 1-1. So two of these 4 teams will go to the finals on June 6 th or June 8 th. Don't miss it.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:12:48 GMT
I really have no idea how I came across Jeremy’s work at deviantART. However, I do know that upon seeing it, I was absolutely amazed. My step-dad has converted me into a semi-superhero-villain-admirer, which is why I admire Jeremy’s work so much. Whether it be digital or traditional artwork, Mr. Sorrell knows his stuff. His main focus is on superheroes and villains. He's worked for a division of Marvel, as well as worked on toys and action figures. I was lucky enough to have the honor of interviewing him. I'd like to thank him for giving me the opportunity. Hopefully it wasn't too bland and boring, and hopefully you lot will enjoy it. Name: Jeremy Sorrell Age: 24 Website: jrs2345.deviantart.com Who or what got you into your type of art?I began drawing at a very early age and my parents knew I had a talent, so they always encouraged me. I also was encouraged a lot by my elementary school art teacher. I attended a 2-year commercial art program while in high school which helped me develop a good portfolio for college. Then I attended the Columbus College of Art & Design (2000-2004) and graduated with a BFA in Industrial Design. My experience in college definitely helped me to gain a solid handle on the fundamentals and also helped me find out what I was really passionate about. How long have you been involved with your art?Obviously since I was a little kid (2 or 3?), but professionally a little over 2 years. Do you prefer drawing traditionally or digitally?Traditionally by far, but I have been incorporating some digital techniques into my work. Do you make a living out of your art, or is it a side hobby?It started out as a hobby but I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be a professional artist. After college, I worked for Toy Biz (a division of Marvel comics) for about a year and half as a freelance conceptual designer. I worked on toys and action figures such as Classic Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Iron Man, Ghost Rider (the movie), the Fantastic Four movie, and the FF animated series. I'm currently freelancing as a conceptual designer for Express Fashion where I help create numerous visuals for their creative and marketing departments. Most of the work is for their retail store environments. I haven’t found that “dream job” situation yet, but I know there is something out there for me. I can't help but ask this one: did you enjoy hero/villain comic strips and/or cartoons as a kid?Oh yeah! I only had a few comics growing up but I can still remember drawing from them as a kid, you know... trying to copy the work the best I could. I'd say I didn't truly start collecting comics until my junior year of college (late bloomer I guess). I definitely loved cartoons as a kid too. I grew up in a great era for cartoons (80's) and I absolutely loved He-Man. I think my mom told me that I would swing my He-Man sword and imitate him in our living room while wearing my He-Man underwear (quite a site, huh?). I also enjoyed Transformers and Voltron, but I think I liked the toys even more than the cartoons, which includes He-Man toys as well. I have to mention that I really liked Batman: The Animated Series as well and still watch episodes on DVD today. That is a great show! Have you ever considered going completely digital (using digital programs - Paintshop Pro, Photoshop, etc) with your art?No. I have done fully digital work though, but I could never drop the traditional methods… especially if the Terminator films came true. What is it you primarily use when coloring and inking pictures?My "bread and butter," so to speak, are the following: India ink, white ink, various brushes, crow quill pens, HB lead holder, kneaded erasers, and Bristol paper. I also use watercolor or acrylic paint for color work. I prefer to paint on illustration board, canvas, or a hard board with acrylics. Those are the basics for me, but I also have a ton of other media I can use and I’m always looking to explore other methods. This may not happen to you, but I've found that scanning images tends to make them lose color, composition, and overall quality. How do you get your pictures from paper to the computer without this happening?The only problem I ever incur is when scanning pieces larger than my scanner. There is some distortion when I piece it together, but nothing too drastic. As far as color goes, my scanner reproduces the original work pretty well. I have an Epson Perfection 2400 Photo scanner. When drawing digitally, do you use some sort of tablet, or a mouse?Heck yeah. I could never use a mouse. Anything I do digitally I use my Wacom Intuos3 12x12 tablet and Photoshop 7. Do you have any tutorials that might help those who are just beginning?I’d just say have fun and enjoy what you are doing. Too many times I can get down on myself and discouraged with my work, when I should just try to have fun with it. Also, do what you like and follow your passion. Do you have any tips for those who are just beginning their art career?Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find work right away. It took me about 6 months out of college to get work. Also, a lot of the business is about “who you know” so try to make some friends in high places, if you know what I mean. I always here the practice, practice, practice advice, but I always say practice efficiently instead. If you really want to improve, try to learn something new every time you practice or work on your weaknesses. If I practiced only how I knew how to draw, then my art wouldn’t improve that much. I encourage you all to check out Jeremy Sorrell's work at deviantART. He's truly an amazing artist and deserves much recognition. In case you need a little eye-candy to get your sparks going for Jeremy, here are a few samples of his artwork.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:15:53 GMT
I know that the title for this article is 5 Top Artists, but I'm not looking to show artists that you most likely all know. There may be some artists whom you're bound to have seen the works of, but I can't help but mention some of them! Hopefully I haven't chosen artists who are too well-known, but if I have, then I apologize. Maybe I'll get it right the next time around, eh?
Our own UrbanCinderella introduced me to Ashwings on a day where I had been down. I don’t think I ever thanked her for doing so, but I’m so glad that she did. This girl’s work amuses me to no end and is absolutely wonderful. It seems as though she’s always coming up with new ideas or new ways to present them. Her most recent comic, and perhaps her most well-known work at the moment, is called The Zombie Hunters. There is a separate site set up for these pages, located at thezombiehunters.com. It's true that dsantat hasn't submitted something new in quite a while, but I refuse to remove him from my watch list. Dan Santat is an illustrator whose work amazes me no matter how many times I look it over. There are so many different styles residing in his gallery, each one of them unique and filled with talent. Gregory Euclide has recently taken his work off of deviantART, but you can now find his work at gregoryeuclide.com. Gregory's work sends out an abstract, yet down-to-earth feel. His work feels completely realistic, yet utterly unrealistic at the same time. Honestly, I'm not quite sure how to describe his art! Just as the other artists, it amazes me. When I have my own house, I would absolutely love to have his art put up around it. I sometimes find myself simply sitting and staring at it, wondering where he finds his inspiration and admiring how gorgeous it is. The pieces I'm showing you here are a few of his works from 2006. You can find work from 2005 at his website. mariarti's gallery has been in my bookmarks for quite a while. According to her deviantART page, she is a web designer. So much of her work is serene and calm, making it beautiful to look at. Seeing such calming work makes me wonder what sort of a person she really is, and where her inspiration comes from. Is it all spur of the moment? Is it all set up? I honestly don't think I'll ever know, but that's how art is: however mysterious you make it out to be, yet gorgeous nevertheless. D-StruktIV, Fernando Tabanera, produces eye-popping surreal work. However, I should warn you that some of his work is a little exposing, and you shouldn't view it if you're against artwork such as that. His work doesn't involve crude shots of nude people, but definitely twists an amazing art into it. Along with his deviantART account, his personal website is located at d-struktiv.net.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:20:24 GMT
This is perhaps the world’s most relaxing art form. Maybe it’s a craft. Semantics aside, making walking sticks and staffs is one of the best ways to slow life to a tolerable crawl, shedding stress like a curl of shaved wood. I’ve been making both decorative and useful walking sticks for about five years now. Though there are books on the subject, and tools sold for the purpose, I really haven’t followed any kind of a tutorial. It started when I found myself walking through one of my favorite bit of woods for the eight millionth time, and I spotted a branch of nearly perfect height and heft just lying on the ground. (That part is important, I will never hack a branch straight from the living tree.) There was no sign of rotting or weakness on the branch. I’m not positive, but I believe it fell from a birch tree. All I know is it was mine, and no one else’s. Once home, I found a little knife that was suitable for the task of whittling the bark. What I found was a curved two and a half inch blade. Being right handed, I would pull the blade from bottom to top, which means towards me. That’s the wrong way. Don’t do it that way, though I still do this the “wrong” way to this day. I never did buy a proper knife, though woodworking craft stores sell just the thing. After a few CD’s and hours, time depending on the size of the limb, the wood should be stripped of bark. I like to leave the knots sometimes. They add character. This would be a good moment to stand and let blood circulate through your extremities once more. While you’re at it, sweep the porch, because you are probably knee deep in wood shavings. Next comes sanding. I hold a piece of sandpaper about the size of my palm and work away the roughest edges. Sometimes a little surgery is required, and a hack saw can be utilized to make the top and bottom smooth, not jagged. Walk a bit with the bald stick. Is it comfortable to hold? Is it balanced? Ok, cool. What I personally do next is very simple. I’ve seen many more ornate walking sticks with faces and pictures carved in relief right in the surface. I’m not going to pretend I’m that skilled. I first stain the wood. Sometimes I let the natural color stand without staining. Next I coat the stick with a polyurethane coating of sealer. When the piece is dry, I generally like to add some color using acrylic paints. My favorite design is a vine of leaves winding from top to bottom. I place it on top of the sealer coating, because to me the wear and tear on the painting is a way to assure yourself that the stick is being used quite often, and the fading is really a badge of honor. Sometimes I’ll add accessories such as a handmade pouch, feathers or even imbed unique stones in a niche on the surface. I’ve made very few of these, maybe half a dozen, but I enjoyed the process each time. It is an excellent way to spend a few summer days each year. Below are some links to walking stick websites, evidence that some have truly mastered this craft and its subtleties. www.randymacintyre.com www.borispalatnik.com www.kywalkingstick.com www.canescanada.com
2 Old Men walking stick photo from randymacintyre.com
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:23:19 GMT
Our coder featured in the Coder Highlight this month is one of the most respected coders and staff on Proboards, Suddenlaunch, Conforums AND Hyperboards. Martyn Dale has agreed to an interview despite his busy schedule between Proboards and school work. It's about time someone interviewed one of the proboards admins, so here it is. Name: Martyn Dale Age: 20 Sex: Male Website: www.martyndale.co.ukYou moderate and admin many different forum systems, including Proboards. How did you get yourself into such a position?I was a member of a regular suddenlaunch forum, and the admin started abusing his position, changing members email addresses to his own and getting copies of members passwords. I noticed him doing this (to myself as well) and I took action... in fact that action was to "remove" him from his admin position. This was fought by SL support, obviously. They restored his power, I took it back again. I pretty much became SL's most wanted. I signed up to support and explained my case, explained how I did what I did, and I carried up the ranks across all 4 services from there faster than I would ever have expected. How exactly I got to the higher positions within PB etc are probably slightly different stories. lol Hah, don't get me wrong, I did earn my position, just to start with, things were very bad in terms of my rep. lol It was several months after the incident before I even got made mod at SL, let alone everything else. I made software for them during that time, even got a lawsuit thread from clinger (1st time I had contact with him) but that was when he didn't know I was helping SL, so once that was cleared up it was fine, but it's quite funny how things came around. Could you explain to our readers what the job of a Proboards admin is?The question isn't perhaps as obvious as you may think. The title of "Proboards admin" is given to "paid" staff, roles are actually quite different My role is managing the operation of proboards. I keep the server loads balanced, moving forums based on the load level statistics we get (custom system we have), keep on top of any problems with servers (I have a system in place, so as soon as a server goes down, one of the other servers will send me an SMS. That's why downtime of a server is so short. Unfortunately, it means I get woken up at stupid hours.) I then need to track the cause and rectify if possible, i.e., make firewall changes in the event of it being a DOS, for example. I setup new servers, change/improve the setup of things on our administrative side. I also make small upgrades to the source (e.g., the warning feature.) However, it's all during university time. Once term finishes in....19 days, I believe, my job will then include mass fixing of bugs, a large change in how mail is handled, a security upgrade on all servers (not needed because we have had a problem, but in the days of faster internet, computers and better password crackers you need to stay ahead in security, only upgrading after a problem isn't what you want. Reputations of good security are easily damaged, so keep that rep.) On weekends I also handle support, as Craig gets weekends off. I think thats a pretty good summary of things. Where and What are you studying? And will that interfere with your proboards job in the future?I'm studying computer science at essex university. It really doesn't interfere with PB in any way, in fact, the lecturers know me and let me leave lectures in the event that a server goes down. (I know since I get the SMS notification) So like that implies, its the other way around, proboards interferes with my university work, but I guess thats just life. We can't perfectly balance everything, especially when one thing (proboards) has erratic time requirements. What got you interested in coding, and how did you start off?I'm not really sure how I got into it... I got visual studio 6 back when I was 12... so it's a pretty long term thing. I think it's that it comes totally natural to me. You can give me a scenario of any size, and I could just roll a fully normalized database design off my tongue. You could say you want it to be optimized for speed, so I could roll off a design which isn't normalized, but will perform the quickest, and I mean without any thought. Same with code, you can give me a scenario, and I can put it into code. It's happened several times in class, people spend hours trying to combine certain elements to achieve a task, I'll come along and say "Why not just do it this way?" They then proceed to hate me (jokingly of course) but it just shows how I can do it without thought, unlike most. I think my mind is just wired a way which makes me very good at coding, and modeling real life descriptions into code. Things like art, however, I couldn't be any worse. So you win some, you lose some is how I see it. What are your plans for the future?Pass uni, possibly do a masters, will have to make the decision about that this summer though. I either want to get a specialized job in computer security, or be a lead developer in a large (interesting) software project. Many projects these days are just same old, and are boring to work on. I'd quite like to work on something which is totally new, and that while working I could also enjoy the working on it. But the future is in the future, so who knows what may fall in my direction. My job here wasn't exactly planned, for example, it just came together at the right time.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:25:15 GMT
Compatibility between codes on ProBoards has always been a problem. Coders only think about making their own codes work but they never test their codes with other codes that might be used a lot. This problem occurs mostly in profile-editable codes and/or admin-editable codes. In this article we'll see how this problem occurs and how to fix it. When creating a profile-editable code the coder adds a new row with an input text or something else the users can edit. Then, when the user submits the form or clicks the "modify profile" button, the code runs a function that will add the value of their input text/select to one of the profile fields. The personal text field is favored by coders. The method most users use to call their function when the form is being submitted or when a button is being clicked is what causes the problem for the incompatibility between these codes. Here's a small example: document.modifyForm.onsubmit = function(){ //code here }When the "modifyForm" form is submitted, the function is fired, but this way only one function can be given to the event (submit). If you add more functions to the event with this method, then only the last given function to the event will work. To explain it in a different way, if you add a couple of profile-editable codes that use this method to save their information, then only the last code in your footers will work. So we have to use a method where we can add multiple functions to one event. For that we have the "addEventListener" method. The addEventListener method looks like this: node.addEventListener(event,function,capture);"node" being the object you want to add event listener too. "event" is the event name you want to call the function on (submit, click, mouseover). "function" is the function you want to call on the event. "capture" is to specify in what event flow phase to fire the function (true or false). Read more about event flow at www.quirksmode.org/js/events_order.html. Our previous example would look like this using the addEventListener method: document.modifyForm.addEventListener('submit',function(){ //code here },false);After solving one problem, we have another one to deal with: Internet Explorer, being Internet Explorer, doesn't like "addEventListener" and created another method. It's almost the same as "addEventListener" There are 2 differences: 1. You have to add 'on' before every event name (onsubmit, onclick, onmouseover) 2. You can't specify the event phase to call the function. It's also not DOM standard (what a surprise for IE) and doesn't work on text nodes. Oh, before I forget, the method is "attachEvent". The same example as before but now for IE: document.modifyForm.attachEvent('onsubmit',function(){ //codehere });So how do we make a code using these methods and still keep everyone happy (making it cross-browser)? Simple. if( document.modifyForm.addEventListener ) document.modifyForm.addEventListener('submit',function(){ //codehere },false); else if(document.modifyForm.attachEvent) document.modifyForm.attachEvent('onsubmit',function(){ //codehere });That's all there is to it. Sure it's a little longer then just the simple ".onsubmit=", but now you'll be sure your code works with other codes. Here's a code that uses the addEventListener and attachEvent methods. Click. Learn from it.
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Post by The Herald on May 29, 2006 6:25:58 GMT
It seems like everyone has an iPod these days. All one needs to do is look in a public place and nine times out of ten, you're likely to spot an iPod one way or another. iTunes and iPod work wonderfully together except for one little thing: you can only transfer music from your iTunes library to your iPod, but not the other way around. Program Name: Senuti Program Creator: Fading Red Program Download: Click HereScreenshots: (1) (2)Platform: Mac OS X 10.3+ (No Windows Support) - check below for alternatives for Windows users
At one point or another, everyone is likely to have to deal with this problem. Perhaps you might have just gotten your computer back after repairs. Maybe you had to completely erase all your files. No matter the predicament, the problem is now solved with the help of a little third party program called Senuti. That's iTunes spelled backwards for those who didn't pickup the subtlety. OverviewSenuti is a free program that works oppositely of iTunes, with great file destination control. Senuti offers many features and functions that iTunes does, so it is easy to pick up the program and go. Simply hook your iPod up to your computer and Senuti will automatically scan your iPod. Once all the songs have been acknowledged by Senuti, simply press the easily noticed "Copy" button in the top right corner. Senuti will then quickly transfer the songs from your iPod to your Mac into organized sub-folders in your music folder. Then you can simply import the songs into iTunes through the program's import feature (iTunes, not Senuti). Senuti preserves your playlists, lyrics, artwork, and playcount, so nothing will be lost in the transfer process. Senuti also allows you to edit, organize, and create new playlists just like iTunes does. Essentially, Senuti has all the functions of iTunes, save the Music Store. SpeedSenuti was surprisingly fast when I first tried it out. It was able to import about 100 songs of average length in about two minutes topping out 347 within six or seven minutes. The program runs smoothly without a big impact on system resources as well, so it is unlikely you will encounter lag when using Senuti. ReliabilityAs of date, I have encountered no problems with Senuti. The program is fast, safe, and efficient. No damage is done to your iPod or your music files in the transfer process. CompatibilitySenuti works with all iPod models and generations, and is up to date with the current version of iTunes - 6.0.4 (3). Don't Own a Mac?While Senuti is an application exclusively made for Macs, there are alternatives. One alternative that comes close to Senuti (I have tried it, as well), is YamiPod. YamiPod works on Windows, Linux, and Mac systems, is compatible with all generations of iPods, and has recently been released in version 0.99.2 of their software. So there you have it, an overall review of Senuti. I would recommend this program for anyone on a Mac looking into this category of software.
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