I've been playing with the idea of making a movie entirely with my Gameboy Camera. You know, that bulky old thing. It was a pretty novel idea at the time... no one else had tried anything like that on a handheld system. However, the idea proved a bit lofty for that era in gaming... the Gameboy printer produced seriously shitty renderings of the actual photos you took. It was funny to use the Gameboy as a camera at the time, but now that I've stopped laughing, I think it would be cool to actually turn this into art.
The images the Gameboy produces are heavily pixelated, and strangely haunting... not entirely recognizable, but somehow familiar. However, it only holds up to 30 frames at a time. That would be about a second of footage... unless I slow down the frame rate. I guess that would add to the creepy ambiance a little, but I hate having to deal with technological barriers. Still, it's an interesting thought... so I whipped out the Gameboy printer, and I'm going to try to produce some images. Hopefully I'll have those up on deviantART soon.
Status regarding my band: we still need a drummer (with a kit that s/he's willing to pack up for gigs) and a keyboard player, preferably with some synth experience as well. I've already got my good buddy Lucas signed on as the bassist, and Eric and I will play sax... I'm hoping Eric will consider playing baritone, I think two alto's might be too much. Our plan is to make a sort of jazz-fusion video game cover band, remixing old favorites. We already decided on a name. We are Action52. And hopefully we'll get this show on the road before long.
Doodle Jr. is still alive and well... but today he's been a little sick. He isn't as lively as usual, and he's been floating in one place a lot. I've read online that this could be a symptom of ammonia poisoning, a result of too much fish waste in the water, but that's impossible since I just recently cleaned out his tank. Maybe he's just having a rough night, fish are allowed to have rough nights, too.
My night was actually really lovely! I was originally supposed to tag along on a double-date with Shana/Kyle and the dreaded Michelle/Larry, but Shana's new friend from school, Kevin, was making a guest appearance. After much begging on Shana's part, I agreed to come with and meet Kevin, despite the potentially unbalanced suck-to-fun ratio (in suck's favor, of course). Upon my arrival, I was introduced to Kevin, and my was he a tall glass of cherry Coke!
All kidding aside, Kevin was marvelous: funny, intelligent, charismatic, a bit nervous, but that was understandable. To be honest, I was shocked that he could keep up with my usual brand of ridiculousness, and respect him a lot for that... as well as his shocking ability to turn a suck>fun situation into a fun>suck scenario.
Sometimes, I feel like I'm having the most fun when I'm meeting new people. It isn't that old friends aren't great, but getting to know someone that I previously wasn't aware of is downright fascinating... and as I get to know them, I get to experience bits of life from their perspective. I believe that the more people you talk to, I mean really communicate with, the more you begin to understand the world around you.
Bleaugh. I'm just not very funny tonight, either. Whenever I sit down to write this blog, I end up spouting all this philosophical nonsense or boring you with the details of my day. God damn, do I have nothing of interest to talk about? I guess I really don't. Oh right, and I apologize for not posting... at all... this week. Wow. I'm bad. I don't even have an excuse, I was just lazy.
Well, maybe I have one interesting thing to say: I've ordered my Sony Professional HVR-A1U, and it's on its way. I can't wait to get my hands on that puppy! No more fucking Gameboy Camera for me after that, I'll tell ya! But I'm also looking at investing in a JAG 35mm adapter, as well. That would provide me with a greater depth of field, not to mention more of a filmy look... which I think is really nice.
Anyway, that's all I've got going on right now. I kind of wish I had a girlfriend, but then I remember how much I hate other people, and how no one understands me, and I feel so much better. Who says being antisocial has to be a bad thing? :)
Oh! I almost forgot! I'm going to stop with the viewer participation shit. It just felt awkward asking you guys to respond... and I have a sneaking suspicion Connor doesn't read the blog anymore. So maybe it would be more accurate to just speak directly to Shana when I make a post. Whatever happened to the important English people reading my blog? And why isn't anyone clicking the goddamn advertisements? Aagh!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Strange Dream... and Spackle Day
You all remember Wall-Washing Day, right? Well, today was the follow up. At times, when trying to yank that darned paper from the wall, little chunks of drywall would come out. Now, your otherwise smooth wall is covered in tiny craters. You can't paint that. So, you pull out a bucket of spackle, and get to work filling in your little mistakes. Once the spackle is dry, you take a rough sponge or a wet cloth and make sure that the spackle is nice and smooth up against the wall. This will probably ruin more than a couple of your spackled spots, so once the walls are dry again, it's time for more spackle. Continue this cycle until you have nice smooth walls. This should take several hours. Oh goody! And when you're all done, it's time to primer the wall! It's like warming up for actually painting the goddamn thing!
That's what took up the better part of my day today. However, last night's bizarre romp through dreamland is what I really want to discuss. Normally, I have pretty crazy dreams, but this really affected me. It started off with my friends and I going to the Museum of Science and Industry. Apparently there's some kind of exhibit there that everyone is really excited about, and we want to check it out. The line is huge for the exhibit, and it's easy to see why: the exhibit is a sort of zombie apocalypse simulator, where you sit down for a short introductory movie, then are given laser tag equipment and sent into a haunted house area where you have to "shoot" fake zombies. This seemed like it was going to be one of the most fucking awesome dreams I've ever had! I was all excited to get in... but while I'm waiting in line, I find a key on the ground. It's solid black, and longer and skinnier than an average key. I didn't think much of it at the time, just put it in my pocket. Anyway, we got to the front of the line, and we watched the little movie (I was kinda scared at this point, so I covered my eyes... in a dream... because the movie that my brain had designed was too scary for me). Afterwards, we got our gear on and started tagging. It was pretty much zombie killing fun... until I got separated from the group. Things got real quiet real fast, so I started calling out. I guess no one heard me, and I started to wonder how big the exhibit was. Just then, I fell through the floor.
It was some kind of trap door I guess, and it led into what appeared to be a basement area. As I recovered from the fall, I realized I wasn't alone in the room. Across from me was a girl, about my age, blond hair, fairly attractive. She wasn't a zombie... but there was something wrong about her. She started attacking me as if she were one of the living corpses, trying to bite me and thrashing around. But she was intelligent; she tried kicking, and I had to try and restrain her. Likewise, she tried to strangle me with her legs. We were stuck in a kind of pretzel on the floor, a stalemate for the time being. At this point, I tried to communicate with her. I don't remember what I said, or what she said, but the point is that she could talk. She did say something about spilling my blood, I remember that pretty clearly. In terms of strength, we were fairly matched, but when it came to speed I was hopelessly outclassed. I could either try and fend her off until someone found me down here, but that didn't seem practical. Since she was clearly out of her mind, there would be no talking my way out of this. I was going to have to kill her.
I didn't think I'd be quick enough to break her neck or strangle her, she would only use that as an opportunity to strike at me. My mind racing, I suddenly remembered the key in my back pocket. It dawned on me that I would have to use the key to kill her. The thought revolted me, but it was my only hope for survival. Drawing my improvised weapon, I began shaking uncontrollably. I had no idea where to start. She laughed at me, and started mocking me. "What, you can't kill a girl?" I was still trembling. I raised the key and started slashing at her throat, but it was too blunt. I was going to have to stab her in the heart if I wanted to live through this. So, lifting the key one last time, I prepared myself for the blow. It was going to have to be fast and hard, to break through her sternum; the key wasn't sharp, but it was pointy, and with enough force I could certainly end her life. So I plunged it into her chest, and she screamed. I threw her down and sprinted to the door. It yielded to my touch, and, running up a flight of stairs, I made my way to freedom.
The rest of the dream is still pretty weird: when I get to the surface, everyone is waiting for me. Following me up the stairs, it turns out the girl not only survived the wound, but she's now perfectly alright... whatever spell that had bound her to the chamber had broken when I shoved the key into her heart. So that was pretty cool, I guess. At least my good ol' brain wrapped the whole thing up in the end.
Still, I was really terrified for a little while about the whole experience of having to kill someone. I'd thought about it before, but I could never have anticipated the terror and revulsion of the ordeal. Even faced with someone I had no connection with, who was trying to murder me, it took me such a long time before I was ready to actually execute that kind of decision. In the dream, the entire fight with the girl took about a half hour. Not because I couldn't figure out what to do, but because I didn't want to kill her.
Anyway, that was one of the most disturbing dreams I've ever had, and I figured I might as well share it with you guys. Sorry about not being funny today... and if you thought that was funny, you're really, really fucked up.
So, instead, of ME being funny, how about YOU tell us about your funniest dream? Shana was a good sport about the last audience participation post, but I'd like to see Connor pitch in this time, too.
That's what took up the better part of my day today. However, last night's bizarre romp through dreamland is what I really want to discuss. Normally, I have pretty crazy dreams, but this really affected me. It started off with my friends and I going to the Museum of Science and Industry. Apparently there's some kind of exhibit there that everyone is really excited about, and we want to check it out. The line is huge for the exhibit, and it's easy to see why: the exhibit is a sort of zombie apocalypse simulator, where you sit down for a short introductory movie, then are given laser tag equipment and sent into a haunted house area where you have to "shoot" fake zombies. This seemed like it was going to be one of the most fucking awesome dreams I've ever had! I was all excited to get in... but while I'm waiting in line, I find a key on the ground. It's solid black, and longer and skinnier than an average key. I didn't think much of it at the time, just put it in my pocket. Anyway, we got to the front of the line, and we watched the little movie (I was kinda scared at this point, so I covered my eyes... in a dream... because the movie that my brain had designed was too scary for me). Afterwards, we got our gear on and started tagging. It was pretty much zombie killing fun... until I got separated from the group. Things got real quiet real fast, so I started calling out. I guess no one heard me, and I started to wonder how big the exhibit was. Just then, I fell through the floor.
It was some kind of trap door I guess, and it led into what appeared to be a basement area. As I recovered from the fall, I realized I wasn't alone in the room. Across from me was a girl, about my age, blond hair, fairly attractive. She wasn't a zombie... but there was something wrong about her. She started attacking me as if she were one of the living corpses, trying to bite me and thrashing around. But she was intelligent; she tried kicking, and I had to try and restrain her. Likewise, she tried to strangle me with her legs. We were stuck in a kind of pretzel on the floor, a stalemate for the time being. At this point, I tried to communicate with her. I don't remember what I said, or what she said, but the point is that she could talk. She did say something about spilling my blood, I remember that pretty clearly. In terms of strength, we were fairly matched, but when it came to speed I was hopelessly outclassed. I could either try and fend her off until someone found me down here, but that didn't seem practical. Since she was clearly out of her mind, there would be no talking my way out of this. I was going to have to kill her.
I didn't think I'd be quick enough to break her neck or strangle her, she would only use that as an opportunity to strike at me. My mind racing, I suddenly remembered the key in my back pocket. It dawned on me that I would have to use the key to kill her. The thought revolted me, but it was my only hope for survival. Drawing my improvised weapon, I began shaking uncontrollably. I had no idea where to start. She laughed at me, and started mocking me. "What, you can't kill a girl?" I was still trembling. I raised the key and started slashing at her throat, but it was too blunt. I was going to have to stab her in the heart if I wanted to live through this. So, lifting the key one last time, I prepared myself for the blow. It was going to have to be fast and hard, to break through her sternum; the key wasn't sharp, but it was pointy, and with enough force I could certainly end her life. So I plunged it into her chest, and she screamed. I threw her down and sprinted to the door. It yielded to my touch, and, running up a flight of stairs, I made my way to freedom.
The rest of the dream is still pretty weird: when I get to the surface, everyone is waiting for me. Following me up the stairs, it turns out the girl not only survived the wound, but she's now perfectly alright... whatever spell that had bound her to the chamber had broken when I shoved the key into her heart. So that was pretty cool, I guess. At least my good ol' brain wrapped the whole thing up in the end.
Still, I was really terrified for a little while about the whole experience of having to kill someone. I'd thought about it before, but I could never have anticipated the terror and revulsion of the ordeal. Even faced with someone I had no connection with, who was trying to murder me, it took me such a long time before I was ready to actually execute that kind of decision. In the dream, the entire fight with the girl took about a half hour. Not because I couldn't figure out what to do, but because I didn't want to kill her.
Anyway, that was one of the most disturbing dreams I've ever had, and I figured I might as well share it with you guys. Sorry about not being funny today... and if you thought that was funny, you're really, really fucked up.
So, instead, of ME being funny, how about YOU tell us about your funniest dream? Shana was a good sport about the last audience participation post, but I'd like to see Connor pitch in this time, too.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Wall-Washing Day
If you've never experienced the pure ecstasy that is attempting to scrub dried glue off of a wall, I implore you to tear the wallpaper from your family room walls, heat up some old dish clothes and wash like you've never washed before. You don't even need soap, just scrub, rinse, heat the water back up, and repeat. Over and over again. Until you give up, because not only are you exhausted and covered in paste, but the glue is still all over the walls. All you've done is considerably moisten the family room and spread sticky ooze all over the fucking place.
Just take one guess what I've been doing since I woke up. Yeah. Unpleasant.
So I'm getting an external hard drive for Christmas... one whole terabyte of excitement and holiday cheer! I'm also looking at cameras... I'm thinking about going the digital SLR route. Lately, companies like Canon and Nikon have been producing digital cameras capable of recording 30 FPS 1080i HD footage. That's pretty fucking amazing for such a small, affordable machine. I just don't know what to get... so more research is going to be necessary before I can make an educated decision. I actually had the good fortune of screening a film made with a Canon Rebel a few months ago in my digital cinema class, and the picture quality blew me away... and made my film look like a soup can filled with donkey piss in comparison, but hey, whatever.
Oh crap! I just realized I never recorded this in my blog... Doodle died. Yeah, it was awhile ago, and since then I got a new fish: Doodle Jr. Cause of death? While I was away at Youmacon, I left Doodle in my room and gave my suite mate Wally the key. Wally took fabulous care of him, fed him every other day like I asked, and was an all around great guy about it. However, my sadistic RA's decided that the dorm was far too cold. They turned the heat up to a sweltering 80 degrees. The optimum temperature for goldfish is about 55-60 degrees, and the extreme shift in temperature killed the poor little guy. Wally, realizing this, quickly wrote me a note explaining what happened (because I got home around midnight) and bought me the new goldfish. He also left me Doodle's body to flush for myself, which I think was a really thoughtful gesture of him. Wally's really awesome!
Alright, I don't have anything else to talk about today... but I wanted to bring something up with you, viewer(s). Have you noticed the ads below each post and in the side bar? Maybe try clicking those. I mean, don't click them just because, but if you see one that strikes your fancy, just go ahead and check it out. I like money, and clicking the ads is like giving me money... actually, it's more like you giving me Google's money. Long story short: if you want Google to give me money for doing nothing, click the ads! :)
Just take one guess what I've been doing since I woke up. Yeah. Unpleasant.
So I'm getting an external hard drive for Christmas... one whole terabyte of excitement and holiday cheer! I'm also looking at cameras... I'm thinking about going the digital SLR route. Lately, companies like Canon and Nikon have been producing digital cameras capable of recording 30 FPS 1080i HD footage. That's pretty fucking amazing for such a small, affordable machine. I just don't know what to get... so more research is going to be necessary before I can make an educated decision. I actually had the good fortune of screening a film made with a Canon Rebel a few months ago in my digital cinema class, and the picture quality blew me away... and made my film look like a soup can filled with donkey piss in comparison, but hey, whatever.
Oh crap! I just realized I never recorded this in my blog... Doodle died. Yeah, it was awhile ago, and since then I got a new fish: Doodle Jr. Cause of death? While I was away at Youmacon, I left Doodle in my room and gave my suite mate Wally the key. Wally took fabulous care of him, fed him every other day like I asked, and was an all around great guy about it. However, my sadistic RA's decided that the dorm was far too cold. They turned the heat up to a sweltering 80 degrees. The optimum temperature for goldfish is about 55-60 degrees, and the extreme shift in temperature killed the poor little guy. Wally, realizing this, quickly wrote me a note explaining what happened (because I got home around midnight) and bought me the new goldfish. He also left me Doodle's body to flush for myself, which I think was a really thoughtful gesture of him. Wally's really awesome!
Alright, I don't have anything else to talk about today... but I wanted to bring something up with you, viewer(s). Have you noticed the ads below each post and in the side bar? Maybe try clicking those. I mean, don't click them just because, but if you see one that strikes your fancy, just go ahead and check it out. I like money, and clicking the ads is like giving me money... actually, it's more like you giving me Google's money. Long story short: if you want Google to give me money for doing nothing, click the ads! :)
Friday, December 4, 2009
Phone Support Warranty? Really?
Hey guys, sorry I'm late.
Seriously, I apologize for my absence for the past couple days (weeks?), I've been having some serious computer issues, and I've been Internet-less for longer than I was comfortable with.
It all started shortly after I finished my latest YouTube video, actually: the computer shut off, and any attempts to resuscitate it ended in nothing but failure. My roommate Austen and I spent hours trying to figure out what was wrong with my poor Macbook, but you can't just open up the hood and see what the problem is. We eventually concluded that it wasn't a battery issue, and that Macs are very, very difficult to fix.
So, I decided to call up the fine people at Apple. Surely they would know what to do... right? Well, the woman I reached on the other end asked for all my information, punched it all into her computer, and informed me that my phone support warranty had expired. Phone support warranty? What the fuck? She wouldn't even tell me what was wrong with my computer, she just told me that I had to make an appointment at the local Apple store. The local Apple store happened to be 30 minutes away by train. I made my appointment and left.
Having arrived at the Apple store, the place was packed with unhappy customers. Apparently NO ONE knows what to do if their Mac breaks. Anyway, I approached the desk, where they took my name an kindly informed me that my clock is 10 minutes slow. I pointed out that their clocks are 10 minutes fast, and that they could at least take a look at the damn thing, at which point I was promptly escorted from the premises. Swell.
So we took it to one of Austen's fine female friends, Kat, a tech support person at the school of computing and digital media. After a quick once over and an in-depth description of why the computer is fucked up, she deduced that it's probably a monitor issue. Although she's mostly a Windows expert, she explained that many laptops are wired in such a way that the keyboard and the monitor are wired on the same circuit, and that the problems I had described with my machine were indicative with a wiring problem. This was very, very good news, because it meant that the issue probably had nothing to do with my processor and hard drive, so the repairs would be fairly simple and, more importantly, all my files would be a-okay. Probably.
Well, I wanted to get a second opinion at Best Buy and try to get someone to repair the damn thing, so we stopped by the Geek Squad booth. There was no line, and the Geek Squad employees were actually very helpful. They explained that it may very well be the wiring, but that they weren't authorized to open up the silly little box because Apple says so. They offered to send it in for repairs, which would take up to 2 weeks, but I decided that I would rather hold onto it until I got back home (I was still away at school at this point, and in two days I was headed back home).
Fast forward past two of the most awful, stressful days/nights of my entire life, and I'm at a different Apple store. Still crowded, still late for my appointment, but these guys knew me, so I at least received an audience. After a short wait, an employee came out, I explained what the problem was, and he said it was most likely an issue with the logic board. So they got my info, sent it to the shop, and less than a week later, ol' lappy was back, good as new!
So that's why I haven't posted anything in awhile. Again, for everyone who actually read this and cares about whether I write something or not, I apologize, and I'll try to get back to a more regular schedule.
Also, regarding vlog entries: blah. I'm not inspired, so whatever... for now. Likewise, I'm thinking about introducing the last couple of characters to Vertigo, as well as a surprise addition to the cast, before I completely screw up the plot by tossing them all into a mine shaft in Greenland. Connor, I think you know what I'm talking about, and believe me, I'm totally doing it... maybe.
Ok, I'm done now. Oh, and happy Friday! If you did anything fun this Friday, tell me about it in the comment! (Oh my god, audience participation! That's new!)
Seriously, I apologize for my absence for the past couple days (weeks?), I've been having some serious computer issues, and I've been Internet-less for longer than I was comfortable with.
It all started shortly after I finished my latest YouTube video, actually: the computer shut off, and any attempts to resuscitate it ended in nothing but failure. My roommate Austen and I spent hours trying to figure out what was wrong with my poor Macbook, but you can't just open up the hood and see what the problem is. We eventually concluded that it wasn't a battery issue, and that Macs are very, very difficult to fix.
So, I decided to call up the fine people at Apple. Surely they would know what to do... right? Well, the woman I reached on the other end asked for all my information, punched it all into her computer, and informed me that my phone support warranty had expired. Phone support warranty? What the fuck? She wouldn't even tell me what was wrong with my computer, she just told me that I had to make an appointment at the local Apple store. The local Apple store happened to be 30 minutes away by train. I made my appointment and left.
Having arrived at the Apple store, the place was packed with unhappy customers. Apparently NO ONE knows what to do if their Mac breaks. Anyway, I approached the desk, where they took my name an kindly informed me that my clock is 10 minutes slow. I pointed out that their clocks are 10 minutes fast, and that they could at least take a look at the damn thing, at which point I was promptly escorted from the premises. Swell.
So we took it to one of Austen's fine female friends, Kat, a tech support person at the school of computing and digital media. After a quick once over and an in-depth description of why the computer is fucked up, she deduced that it's probably a monitor issue. Although she's mostly a Windows expert, she explained that many laptops are wired in such a way that the keyboard and the monitor are wired on the same circuit, and that the problems I had described with my machine were indicative with a wiring problem. This was very, very good news, because it meant that the issue probably had nothing to do with my processor and hard drive, so the repairs would be fairly simple and, more importantly, all my files would be a-okay. Probably.
Well, I wanted to get a second opinion at Best Buy and try to get someone to repair the damn thing, so we stopped by the Geek Squad booth. There was no line, and the Geek Squad employees were actually very helpful. They explained that it may very well be the wiring, but that they weren't authorized to open up the silly little box because Apple says so. They offered to send it in for repairs, which would take up to 2 weeks, but I decided that I would rather hold onto it until I got back home (I was still away at school at this point, and in two days I was headed back home).
Fast forward past two of the most awful, stressful days/nights of my entire life, and I'm at a different Apple store. Still crowded, still late for my appointment, but these guys knew me, so I at least received an audience. After a short wait, an employee came out, I explained what the problem was, and he said it was most likely an issue with the logic board. So they got my info, sent it to the shop, and less than a week later, ol' lappy was back, good as new!
So that's why I haven't posted anything in awhile. Again, for everyone who actually read this and cares about whether I write something or not, I apologize, and I'll try to get back to a more regular schedule.
Also, regarding vlog entries: blah. I'm not inspired, so whatever... for now. Likewise, I'm thinking about introducing the last couple of characters to Vertigo, as well as a surprise addition to the cast, before I completely screw up the plot by tossing them all into a mine shaft in Greenland. Connor, I think you know what I'm talking about, and believe me, I'm totally doing it... maybe.
Ok, I'm done now. Oh, and happy Friday! If you did anything fun this Friday, tell me about it in the comment! (Oh my god, audience participation! That's new!)
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