nihil obstat

blog neglect

2012-01-14T23:57:00.001-07:00

Blog neglect. It's a terrible thing.

At work today I was looking through old yearbooks again and this time I found a couple from Rice University from the early 50's. I was surprised to see some promotional artwork from Walt Kelly's comic strip Pogo. I looked around the internets and wasn't able to figure out this connection to Rice. It may have been during the Pogo for President campaign. Even though Pogo was before my time as Sunday morning Comics reader, I've enjoyed Kelly's cartoon art style. He worked at Disney before going into comics, and his art definitely shows that style. I still think his influence is seen all over daily comics today.

Volume 1 of the Complete Pogo Daily and Sunday Comic Strips was released in December. I would love to get my grubby drawing hands on that.

another yearbook quote

2011-11-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

I found this today while looking through some images. From a middle school yearbook from 1977 someone wrote:

I hope you get hit by a car and get spread over a 50ft area of pavement and they have to scrape up your guts with a putty knife. Let's have a good year!
Your friend
Rex

P.S. Should I?

Should he what? That's what I want to know. Who knows what he was talking about...

Another yearbook from around the same time, and it belonged to a girl. All of the messages written inside started with the phrase "I don't know you very well." Which kinda made me feel sad for her. Why did she get all these semi strangers to sign her book?

This makes me wonder, since most of these books are on loan, how did these people lose their yearbooks? Did they donate them to a library or archive? Why would you give up a yearbook? Interesting.

year books

2011-11-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

At work we are finishing up a big year book project. We scan and photograph yearbooks for genealogical purposes. Big project. Lots of yearbooks dating back over a hundred years. After we import all those images we have to QA each book.

While I was looking through some of the images, it becomes obvious that many of these books once belonged to someone. I can read the short messages people write to their friends. Most of it is the same stuff that you see written down all the time: "Thanks for being a friend. Have a good summer. etc. etc." I've found some long and heartfelt letters between people in serious relationships. One yearbook around 1942 said something like "Strange how this war is tearing our world apart. Victory is in sight, and after everything is over we'll have to get back together again." Serious stuff. If I have time, I try and track down the photo of the owner of the book... Kinda makes all those little notes fit into some sort of context.

I've even found old photos tucked into some of the books. For example: I was taking photos of a very old yearbook from around 1917-1918 and I found a tiny photo of a man dressed in a military uniform. I couldn't tell if that person was one of students from the yearbook, but I assumed it was. On the back was scribbled in fountain pen "Give this to Eleanor". Maybe the book belonged to Eleanor. Who knows.

These brief messages in time are all that are left of some of these people. I'm sure many of them are long dead and forgotten. Who knows what else I'll find?

code talker

2011-11-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

My son almost talks. Not really though. It's more of an energetic babble. He's only about 16 months old, so I don't know when he'll start forming sentences like "I need more money dad." or "can I borrow the keys to the car?".

I keep wondering when will be a good time to introduce him to movies, music, and video games. I don't know how "involved" a parent I should be when forcing awesome stuff down his throat. I liked some of the stuff my dad likes, but I ended up figuring it all out on my own. Who knows. I guess we'll see in time.

Crazy stuff.

2011-10-29T11:25:00.001-06:00

I didn't think that I'd usually fall into the crowd that buys into special editions of things... even if they're the same thing they already have. For example: all those different color, or special edition game consoles that come out every so often. Did anyone get the Pokemon Edition N64? What about the new Battlefield 3 Xbox 360? Do I really need a red Wii? Things like that make me laugh at the morons that fall into that trap. They're just making money off of you! Your hard earned money!

Then I saw this:

Its the special edition wii classic controller that was bundled with copies of Monster Hunter G. Only available in Japan, this little blue controller is kinda hard to come by by itself, unless you buy the bundle. Ugh. I want it. I don't know why, but I want it.

Lame!

Here's the box for the upcoming Monster Hunter Tri G with included Circle Stick, for the 3DS. I've heard that the new Circle Stick thing is really light, almost in a cheap way, but it make holding the 3DS kinda nice. It adds right and left triggers buttons, and contours the hand in more of a console controller fashion. It takes a AA battery to operate.

Monster Hunter Tri G is an updated and expanded version of Tri, and it looks pretty awesome.

Still haven't heard any news on Monster Hunter 4 which is also for the 3DS. Crossing my fingers that they get localized for North American release.

chiptune

2011-10-16T21:44:00.002-06:00

Anamanaguchi - Airbrushed (RAC Mix)

I like this remix because it integrates non electronic instruments with chiptune. Anamanaguchi is known for their punk rock style Nintendo music, but I think that this remix shows how it doesn't have to be repetitive mindless techno all the time. This track also slows everything down. Anamanaguchi's stuff is often too fast paced, and you just feel tired after a while... if more musicians would just slow the tempo down it would make for an easier listening experience.

I think the Gameboy sound is getting old. I like it, but artists need to explore different sound chips. The popularity of chiptunes have increased a ton in the past 5 or so years, I'm wondering what new directions the genre will take. Try a Sega Master System or an Amiga or Commodore 64. Even the NES sounds awesome, but I don't think enough people use it for their chiptune work. Maybe the hardware is just getting too hard to find these days. Maybe the circuit bending crowd will have to take over hardware manipulation in the future.

tiny lands

2011-09-26T18:14:00.001-06:00

I've been drawing some things lately... some things for my wife's school stuff and other things just doodling around on the computer. I've got a tiny Wacom tablet that I've been using, and I like to experiment in photoshop. If I'm on the computer and something comes to me I usually try and sketch it down.

I've been making tiny lands for a while now. I've almost hit 50 posts, and that's something that surprises me. I've never really been able to keep a project going that long. I guess the small nature of tiny lands is what makes it so appealing to me. I can think of a landscape and draw it out quickly. And I've got a small book of all the landscapes I've made over the past two years... so its nice to look back and see how I've improved over time. I think I want to make a book when I feel like I have enough that are print worthy. That sounds like a nice thing to do.

But now I'm torn. Because the entire vibe of tiny lands was to physically draw on sticky notes, and somehow the act of drawing on actual paper is what made it what it was. I've become more involved drawing on the computer for other things... it seemed only natural to try a tiny lands out digitally. My first effort is pictured above, and it looks great. Do I take tiny lands in a digital direction? Should I stop actually drawing them? I don't know. Just a thought.

another blog

2011-08-21T07:27:00.000-06:00

Can you have too many blogs? Not if you want to compartmentalize everything you do. I started another blog to document all the crap it takes to finish old video games. I'm taking a page from the Japanese show " Game Center CX" where this guy forces himself to play old games. I don't do that, but I like the way they keep track of all his statistics every time he plays. Things like "86th attempt" flash in the upper corner of the screen... or after a cut scene the announcer says that he's been playing the same level for the last four hours.

That got me thinking. How many times do I die before I win? How long does it take? How many game overs? I've started tracking that information as I try to conquer old video games. I can't wait to see the data. I'm sure it will explain how bad I actually am at video games...

ebooks or whatever

2011-08-03T21:09:00.000-06:00

Borders is going out of business. Lots of folks laud this as the continued downward spiral of printed media in general... Newspapers are doomed and books will soon follow with the amount of electronic devices, phones, tablets and whatever else that can hold thousands of books. Bookstores are losing customers as more and more people either download their reading material or find other ways to circumvent the system. But do people actually read anymore?

I've been reading stuff on my iPad since I got it, but for some reason I've never really been able to read a complete novel on it. Up until a few days ago I wasn't exactly sure why. There are tons of apps that let you read crap on Apple devices. I've even looked at my mom's kindle and thought that it was pretty awesome too. What's kept me back?

I think reading off a screen messes with my eyes... There are modes to decrease the brightness, nightmodes, and such... but it still doesn't get rid of the fact that I'm starting at a screen. Just doesn't feel right for some reason. That's probably where the Kindle wins over an iPad I guess. But if there are pictures or illustrations, the iPad is the ultimate device.

Do I miss the page "feel" of a real book? Not really. When you turn the pages while reading a book you do eventually have more pages on one side as you hold it. It's kind of a visual indicator of how far you are and how many more pages are left by gauging the thickness of the remainder. On a screen all you see is a fraction like "125/258". So even after reading for a while I don't have the same indication of what's left that I get from holding a physical book in my hand.

Even with all those problems the best thing about reading stuff on a tablet or whatever is that you have the option to store tons of books on it. I have more books than I'll ever read, and with the available amount of electronic books increasing everyday, that will never change. So I guess I'm set for an awkward night out or while stuck on a bus, train, or plane. Who knows. I like being able to have entire series of books without worrying about a missing volume that I can't find somewhere. I like reading books series all at once, once all of them are out. It's just easier that way.

All that being said, I finally finished a novel "cover to cover" (I guess) on my iPad. It was ok.

Could electronic devices make books more interactive and a better reading experience? Yes.

Has it happened yet? Nope. I'm still waiting.

self portraits

2011-07-15T23:41:00.000-06:00

I found some drawings I made not too long ago. They are self portraits while I worked away at my old job.

They all generally reflect an attitude of boredom and frustration I felt at the time.

This last picture defines the many different moods one can feel during the day. There's a range of emotions felt based on the how things change from minute to minute. I suppose its just electricity and chemicals mixing around in the brain.

running

2011-07-05T12:00:00.000-06:00

I ran another 5k yesterday. It was the biggest 5k I've ever ran, with thousands of people running and thousands of people passing me by. It was hot and I wasn't sure how I would do because I haven't been able to "train" for it. Who trains for a 5k? With all the stuff that I've been doing around here, I haven't been able to get out and run like I wanted to.

So I ran. I started off ok, and then started to taper off around mile 2. the first mile was great, but after that I run out of steam. It happens every time. I feel like I can keep going, but I just start to slow down. Everyone started to pass me. I'm just not a good runner.

I did cut off a minute from my PR though, which doesn't sound like much but considering how bad my PR actually is, but I think it was pretty good. There was a hill towards the finish and that slowed me down. If the course was a little flatter, I think that I would have taken more time off.

It looks like I end up cutting between thirty seconds to a minute every time I run a 5k. If I keep up at that pace and keep working at it, it will just take me fifteen more 5ks to run competitively. Is it mathematical? I don't know. And I need to run faster. About twice as fast as I do right now.

We'll see how I do next year.

Summer Time

2011-06-10T00:04:00.000-06:00

small list of stuff I want to do this summer:

1. Go camping somewhere. Build a fire. Cook something and eat it. Come back home smelling like camp fire smoke.

2. Metal detect stuff. I want to find treasure... one quarter at a time. There are some specific places I plan to visit.

3. Go around town and take pictures of stuff. I've got a camera... why not? I've got a list of things I want to shoot. It might be cool.

4. Read some books.... and actually finish them. Working on Terry Brooks' Sword of Shannara series. A Revolutionary war book. Archaeology textbook. A Roman history book. A Lewis and Clark journal.... and the list goes on.

5. More tiny lands. I like where this is going. If only I were a little more consistent to my posting schedule.

6. Get a job. I'm applying. I'm just waiting for someone to actually call me back. I'm available. really.

7. Celebrate my 5th anniversary. I don't know what we're going to do, but I think it will be awesome.

8. Build something (To be determined).

9. Run more 5ks. Beat my PR.

10. Make music. For reals.

more of the same

2011-05-11T19:10:00.000-06:00

I'm working on some tiny lands right now. I'm getting more ambitious with it... because I'm kinda bored drawing the same things over and over.

I'm probably half way done cleaning off my desk so I can start a small music project that I've been twittering about over there. The biggest obstacle to any music project has always been a messy desk and video games. With a few final things out of the way, I should be able to hook up some syths, my gameboy, bass, and iPad into my mixer and see what happens. If anyone reads this blog wants to hear some older stuff I made years ago you can tab over to whitehairboy.tumblr.com and there are a few of my latest (ahem) tunes there.

Other than that... I went to DI and picked up a nice putter. Kevin is putting together a Master's Tournament at the local mini golf place. Winner gets a GREEN JACKET. I've set up my indoor course in preparation.

Hey

2011-05-03T10:22:00.001-06:00

Having my blog marked private meant that it was even private from me... Blah blah blah.

So it isn't anymore. But I can't guarantee that i'll blog as often as I used to.

I've been working on tiny lands, and given the simple nature of sticky note art, I've been able to keep up a steady Monday, Wednesday, Friday posting schedule. We'll see how it goes.

Fixing stuff around the house. Going to put in flooring and refinish my kitchen cupboards. Can't wait.

Working on an awesome podcast this week. Go to desertbears.com for our latest 'casts.

birfday

2011-03-23T22:05:00.005-06:00

I had a great birthday. Natalie surprised me by taking the day off of work and we went to the zoo. It was awesome. I got a chance to take some pictures of some funny animals. Some of them turned out pretty awesome.

I think we were lucky that many of the animals were active, or being fed when we were there. Sometimes you go to the zoo and all you see is a tail sticking out from a rock, and a sign explaining what the animal should look like in its natural habitat. I feel bad that the zoo is so small for some of these animals. They need room to run!

My birthday was awesome. Camden had lots of fun looking at the animals. Natalie and I went out to eat and had a great day. I love my family.

quick note.

2011-03-16T20:37:00.002-06:00

Working on a blog here.

I set my ipod to shuffle, and I'm surprised to hear the results. I'll usually listen to random stuff until I hear something that I like. This time it was Yes. Progressive rock. Freaking awesome.

Been drawing some doodles that I probably will never scan in, but they look very Hanna Barbera-esque. I like the cartoony way that those old characters from the 1960's looked.

Now in all seriousness:

I wrote this blog entry on Feb. 04 but I didn't have the guts to post it.

"I feel like I should be writing music... but my guitar is in a million pieces. I have great ideas, but I can never seem to find enough time to act on them.

Its really hard to explain how weird I feel sometimes. I have a hard time focusing. It feels like I'm being torn in many directions and I can't dedicate enough time to one thing at a time. Or when I do find a way to focus on something, it becomes my focus for days. When I start something I rarely finish. I have four or five books on my desk that I've started or plan to start and I can't do it. I just can't do it.

I lose track of time too. I can be watching tv or trying to fix something in my office and before I know it three or four hours have flown by without anything to show for it. I feel like I'm losing to the clock. Days are going by too fast and time itself is something that I can't seem to hold on to. And for some reason, last year it seemed like it was getting worse.

I wonder how long it will take me to put my guitar back together?"

Tomorrow I'm going to see someone about (what I suspect to be) ADD. I've looked at the symptoms and I've been in denial... saying "This is how I've always been" or "I don't want them to change me." or whatever. I've struggled with really weird things all of my life, and while some may blame laziness, or fears, or other things... I think something else might be going on here. I feel like I need help, and my wife has urged me to do this. I honestly haven't really thought about it, I kinda want to just show up so I don't over-think this.

crap

2011-03-01T05:12:00.002-07:00

I can't sleep because I keep thinking about all those job interviews I screwed up because I was nervous or just too excited to be there. I tend to say awesomely stupid things in interviews and then hear back a few days later that I "wasn't selected" or "we went with another candidate" or something to that effect. I don't know what my deal is, and I have only myself to blame really.

I missed a job that would have probably fixed everything a while back... and it still bugs me. Things would really be different now, but I guess I'll never know.

I'm finally getting over my sickness. Geez, it's been like two weeks of feeling like a zombie.

Now I'm just waiting.

watch

2011-02-25T14:23:00.002-07:00

The Vernal Equinox.

whoa

2011-02-24T14:28:00.002-07:00

I've been sick.

I was let go.

Now I'm at home.

Go to tinylands.blogspot.com to see landscapes that I drew when I had a job.

I'll be posting some small drawings there.

Post-its.

blog

2011-01-21T09:57:00.005-07:00

Bloggering from work. I don't even care if big brother is watching.

I'm tired.

The suits at work showed up this morning. They're the kind of guys that get paid way too much for what they do, and they spend the rest of their time chainsmoking or getting their butts kissed. Big deal you collect cars. I collect magic cards and NES games. I can't wait for all of this lame business at work to end, I'm really stressed out about whether or not I'll even have this stupid job anymore. I'm still waiting to hear back from everyone else I applied to.

It gets discouraging when I bomb interviews. I feel awesome and confident, but thinking back I wonder what the crap I was saying back there. I remember physically biting my tongue to keep myself from rambling. If there was a rewind/erase button I would have pushed it by now.

So I'm starting to lie on job applications. See if that will increase the odds a little. I've been told that it is the only way to get around some of the automated gatekeeper programs that filter out crap applications. Problem is with the sheer volume of applications I send, that I forget what jobs I've applied for, if they ever get back to me. Still kinda sucks when I get those automated rejection letters. No, what really sucks is "Although you were not selected for this particular position, we encourage you to continue checking back and to apply for other jobs for which you qualify. Best wishes for your success." What the heck kind of #$%*@ is that?

I've been stripping the paint off of my electric guitar. I'm going to paint it orange. The chemical process has made the old paint a sticky toxic mess, like gross melted marshmallow sludge. While I had my doubts, the stuff actually worked, but I've got a huge mess to clean up. Ugh. I have to reconnect all the wires later... which means I'll probably screw it up. oh well. I haven't soldered anything in a while, so I'm probably a little rusty. It isn't rocket science.

I'm repainting my guitar so I can start another attempt at the RPM challenge. February is the month to make and record an album, much like November was for novel writing (I didn't finish my book, but I managed to write a lot). I've had some ideas for music for a long time... but besides a few demos and small recordings, I haven't really done much for about... geez... three or four years now? crap. Stay tuned.

I'm still tired.

Head over to desertbears.com if you want to listen to our podcast about stuff. We talk about weird crap. I think it is kinda funny.

Stuff

2011-01-13T23:10:00.002-07:00

I've been too lazy to blogger.

Having fun with nat and camden.

Working on a podcast with garit and mark.

Going to paint my guitar orange.

Looking for a new job.

Going to apply to grad school.

Too much nintendo is a bad thing. Need a break.

Hope to have fun over this long weekend. Should be awesome.

Tired.... So sleepy....

famicom cartridge art

2010-12-19T20:47:00.006-07:00

Every year a video game store in Japan creates a gallery of famicom cartridge game art. I always found that the art on the box or package of games was usually a stylistic interpretation of what the game actually was... Some were realistic, and others were wildly exaggerated.

These cartridges would make some pretty cool games:

More cartridge art can be found at famicase.com

there's treasure everywhere

2010-11-24T09:09:00.004-07:00

On a routine stop at the local thrifty store, I ususally find something awesome.

At the electronics section(ha. I have to stop there. I sometimes laugh even considering some of that crap electronic), I saw the usual pile of Nintendo Gamecubes and like twelve Playstations, and a N64.

Sidenote: I pretty much abandoned Nintendo and jumped on the Playstation bandwagon in the late 90's. The games were better in my opinion. I never really played N64, but they had some nice enough games. If I could, I would probably get one, just for the cartridge nostalgia. All the abandoned Gamecubes are a result of everyone getting a Wii, which also plays Gamecube games.

But then I saw something incredibly rare: three NES's sitting there. After some scrutiny I picked the one that looked the least beat up, found some power cords and TV connectors and took it home.

So the NES needs some TLC. I cleaned it up, and powered it on. The red light blinked so that's a good sign. A lot of old consoles have faded or yellowing plastics from UV exposure. The NES I picked up has some UV fading on the front and left side of the unit, which is pretty awesome considering how old it probably is. Who ever owned it probably just left it on the shelf. My SNES looks terrible, almost like it was baked in the sun. It has something to do with the cheap plastics that were used in Japan, and after 10 years or so, most of them deteriorate. The 72 pin connector inside the unit is probably dirty and corroded like most Nintendos. I'm going to have to open it up and replace it with a better one, or try and clean the contacts on the games I have. An old NES is a temperamental beast, but I think I can resuscitate this one.

Now I just need some controllers and games. That shouldn't be too hard. I've looked for my old NES at my parent's house, but it was probably lost when we moved to UT. All the cords and connectors were probably lost too. I did manage to find four cartridges though, and with some cleaning, I can probably get them playing soon.

post 555

2010-11-18T15:39:00.004-07:00

My brother has been running. He even attempted his first Ultramarathon last month, completing 30 miles before he had to DNF. He finished the half marathon that Halloween and even got a medal. I do not run. I prefer to walk/jog to the pantry to eat Oreo cookies like they're going out of style. I hate running, and I don't think that I'll be finishing an ultarmarathon anytime soon. I've got other plans.

This weekend is the El Tour de Tucson bike race. The 109 mile race circles the perimeter of my old hometown. It actually passes by close to where I used to live. My dad rode the El Tour a long long time ago on a crappy mountain bike, and I think there's an embarrassing photo of him from the early 90's somewhere. My goal is to be ready for next year's race, and I think I can do it. I just need to keep riding.

I'd like to try the Utah Lake Century before I go down to Tucson next year. I guess my real goal is to try and finish a century next year. That'll show my stupid running family.

the ride there (again)

2010-11-06T13:36:00.005-06:00

I had a hard time riding into work this morning. I don't know if it was breakfast or if I just didn't get enough sleep. I made it into work ok, but felt really tired. Here's a song that I had in my head this morning, and the video works because it got me pumped up for my ride.

Remember Nada Surf? They had a hit or two in the late 90's and then fading away like everything else. This song "Whose Authority" came out a couple of years ago and features Michael Moronna of Pete of Pete fame riding his bike throughout NYC as a bike messenger. Enjoy.

(edit: on the ride back I saw two girls smoking pot and walking a goat. It was crazy. I found out that my rear wheel was rubbing on my frame or brake pad... That's why I had a hard time this morning. I was flying on the way home. Whoa.)

the ride there

2010-10-30T10:44:00.002-06:00

Rode my bike 10 miles into work this morning. It was the first time in a long time (I might get rained on the return trip). There's always a sense of urgency on the way to work... like I'm not going to make it on time. I pulled into work almost 20 minutes early.

Some things that I saw on the ride:

A pirate skull and bones eyepatch.
A stuffed bunny
A phillips screw driver
Multiple dead animals
and a girl who got pulled over by the Lehi PD.

I put my iPod on shuffle:

Transmutation - MDFMK
Hang on - Dr. Dog
Spoonman - Soundgarden
I Can't - Radiohead
Inside - Moby
Pet Toy Designer - Bud Light Real Men of Genius Radio Commercial (I have over a hundred of these)
Change Clothes - Jay Z + Danger Mouse
Over Now - Alice in Chains
Burned - Better Than Ezra
Minarets - Dave Matthews + Tim Reynolds
Alone, Together - The Strokes
Uncle Johnny - The Killers
Rental Car - Beck
Quake Theme - NIN
Obscured - Smashing Pumpkins
Daylight - Coldplay
Right Start (unfinished outake) - Talking Heads

I need to clean up my my ipod. I usually hit shuffle to see what comes up. I hope the ride back has a good mix.

night

2010-10-26T19:45:00.003-06:00

Here's a quick pixel doodle I finished a while back. Some of the most interesting things I notice while playing old Nintendo games are the textures that someone painstakingly programed to make buildings, floors, walls, and bricks. It isn't as easy as it looks.

I like the cold weather.

That's it.

blah

2010-10-08T20:03:00.003-06:00

I don't know what to blog about.

I'm tired.

Famicom? what?!

2010-08-27T17:53:00.006-06:00

Today. I had another awesome day with my son, but I felt like we had to brave the rain and get out of the house. Beware the wall of text that follows...

I went to the local thrifty store today. I went and checked the usual spots: records, gadgets, bikes, misc stuff, books, etc. I ended up with two awesome blue ties, an Elton John album, and a very old, near mint copy of Nintendo Power. It is the May/June 1989 issue with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the front cover. When I came home and flipped through the issue, it brought back some great memories about the NES which I'll talk about later... But yeah- the magazine previews the first TMNT game, Mega Man II, and other things. I found it funny that people would actually write the magazine for tips on games like The Legend of Zelda, Metal Gear, and other classic video games. An eight page strategy guide for Ninja Gaiden totally made me smile.

I also forgot how awesome some of the artwork was. The magazine extensively used the talents of Katsuya Terada and others to bring some... life to these 8-bit games. His creative concept art for The Legend of Zelda is some of the best:

This was kinda brought on by my recent re-interest in chiptune music.

I'd like to get my grubby hands on an original NES, as I believe that my old Nintendo was probably thrown away a long long time ago. I'd also like to get a Commodore 64 (and I almost did... but chickened out at the last moment). All these old consoles and computers are put to good use by new music software that take advantage of the sound chips found within. blah blah blah. Here's a song from BitShifter:

In my research I found out that the Japanese Famicom had extra sound channels that were utilized in many games, but it was not used in the North American version of the NES. The Famicom Disc System had an extra sound chip. Did you ever look on the bottom of your Nintendo and wonder why there was a unused adapter on the bottom? Yep. That was it. Never used.

Disappointed? Yes I was after I found some sound examples that showed that some of my favorite games had inferior sound quality and music when compared to the Famicom versions. The solution? Get a Famicom of course. ha.

Here are a few examples:

Here's the Japanese version of Metroid.

Here's the American NES version. You'll notice a difference.

One more example. A mix of both versions:

Castlevania 3 is one of the best examples of the sound quality differences between Famicom and NES. After watching footage of other games, it just makes me sad. Sound effects, and the sonic components of the games are no where to be heard. I would definitely go back and play the Japanese versions of these games just to see the differences. I just need a plane ticket to Tokyo where all this stuff sells for a few hundred yen.

ha

2010-08-18T21:36:00.003-06:00

Well I'm not sick anymore. That totally sucked by the way. I hate being sick.

Now I'm just hoping that someone calls me back for a job interview. Hopefully.

sick

2010-08-05T00:31:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I've been sick the past couple days. It started with a stupid sore throat and then I had a fever that made me delirious (It seriously did, ask Nat. I was saying the weirdest stuff and laughing uncontrollably. Like the time I was on painkillers). So I've had a boring time. Lucky for me Shark Week has been going nonstop on the Discovery Channel. I've had nightmares about sharks before, but it doesn't stop me from staring down the gapping maw of razor sharp teeth.

I've been looking for new jobs. I've been looking for over a year now, and it is difficult to find a archive/historical preservation gig right now. No one is hiring and my resume just gets lost in the shuffle (who the crap has 7 years experience in anything? Seriously!). I went to a resume clinic and found out that I was probably doing it all wrong. How was I supposed to know? I haven't had a serious job interview in like six months and before that I can't even remember. So I'm taking it from a different angle now. I think I can try again and figure something out before the end of the month because I can't go back to my old job. It just won't work. There's too many crazy people there.

Still drawing. Should post some more stuff in the future. I should have studied art history, or been a graphic designer. I have too many interests and a short attention span, so college didn't work so well for me. In the end I know I'll have to go to graduate school, and I've got to do better on the GRE. The last time I took that test I pretty much fluffed it...

Rambling aren't I? I wish I could stop coughing.

So yeah. Stuff is going on. The year is winding down. My son is awesome, and he's growing up so fast. We got a package in the mail today. It was from one of Nat's relatives and they got us a Bumbo. It's a hard foam seat that forces your kid to sit upright. It looks like a torture chair, but at the same time looks incredibly comfortable. I wish they made them in adult sizes.

more blogs

2010-07-28T23:26:00.002-06:00

I've cleaned off half of my desk. The rest of my office is still disorganized, but that's ok. I can probably get some work done finally. This summer has been flying by so quickly, it is hard to catch a second or two to check some things off the list.

I found an old hardcover sketchbook that I've had (and been too afraid to use) for many many years. I'm going to start sketching away and make sure to include it in my usual bag of tricks. Things I'm interested in drawing: architecture, landscapes, and people. It will be ugly, but I'll probably scan in some results later on my Angry Peasants blog. I plan on updating it more frequently. I'm still working on ideas for the webcomic. Everything up to this point has been kind of experimental.

the long blog

2010-07-25T20:45:00.004-06:00

My brother and I attempted to climb Flat Top Mountain again last Thursday. Our last attempt ended in failure after I had read the map incorrectly and took a wrong turn, which placed us on the wrong side of a ridge. With more determination this time, we left early and made our way to the trail head. The rutted mining road required some 4x4 expertise. After navigating the rocky road, we hit the trail, but like the previous hike, we ran into some problems.

right off the bat we found ourselves mixed up in a maze of elk and cattle paths that criss crossed all over the mountainside, creating a maze of waist high bushes. Each turn seemed to point in the right direction, even though we were probably close enough to the trail. After twenty minutes of bushwhacking and trail hunting, we gained some elevation and found the real path. I yelled at my brother because it seemed like we were just hiking parallel to it for some time.

Finding the real path helped us cover some good distance pretty quickly, despite the tough incline and sudden increase in elevation. Coming around the first ridge, we could look back at our tiny car, and see the peak we climbed a few days earlier. The sun was rising fast and the heat and bugs were starting to get to us. After a rest, we continued forward and the trail soon took us through a thicket of aspen trees and tall bushes. By the time we had emerged from the trees, we had lost some elevation and the trail again. We were at the mercy of deer trails and the maze. Using the map we knew where we should push ahead, but the scraggy bushes just clawed at us making the climb twice as difficult. By this time the sun was in full force destroying our will to go forward. Looking up at the side of the ridge, I saw an outcropping of rocks and we used that as a bearing to wade through the brush.

From that outcropping we could look down and see the telltale signs of a solid path, even though it was overgrown. Taking that trail we had to make a steep ascent to the saddle. By this time, I think we were probably at the halfway point. We found a small campsite with shade and some logs to sit on so we rested. Looking up we could see the main ridge and the summit of Flat Top. Summit fever overtook our senses and we pushed ahead. Again we lost the real trail, though I was later glad that we did.

We found a worn deer trail through the forest we had to cross in order to climb up the ridge. For the most part, we were in the shade and only had to climb a few fallen logs here and there. My feet had started to hurt, but I ignored it. After coming through the forest, we faced another scratchy climb through thick brush to reach the ridge. Once we did, we could see for miles and miles. The view from that ridge was worth all the cuts and scrapes. We looked down into utah county and could see most of Tooele county. I could see my house from there! ha.

After coming so close, we both decided that it would be too hard to keep going. We were honestly a few hundred feet from the summit. Being extremely tired, and not fond of scrambling over sharp rocks, we backed off the mountain cautiously. The combination of the steep hike, physical exertion, and lack of a real trail really made things hard for us. On the hike back down we managed to stick to the main trail even though it was overgrown most of the time. Coming off the ridge was tricky, steep, and put us against the edge of a very steep cliff. I'm glad we didn't climb up that way. Even though we were able to climb down quickly, just being physically exhausted slowed down our descent. We reached the campsite again, and agreed that we could make it back to the car by 4:30 and out of the canyon by 5 p.m.

The remainder of the hike was really steep. My knees began to buckle, and as time went on the sun beat down on us. I had enough water for the trip down, but the lack of food kept me from keeping my energy up. After trudging along the trail, it became clear that I had the initial signs of heat exhaustion. I was overheating, my stomach started cramping up, and I thought I was going to fall asleep walking. It was a death march back to the car.

Hard hike for sure. Not something I'd try again soon. Given the lack of use, I'm sure the trail will fade away in a few years to the overgrowth. I underestimated the elevation and time it would take to go there and back, but oh well. I'm scratched up and sunburned. Yay for adventure.

I've posted a new picture to Angry Peasants. I'm planning to post some more pictures soon. Just need to get around to it.

2010-07-17T12:35:00.002-06:00

Haven't bloggered in a long time. Been busy, let's be honest here.

My son was born on june 30th. He came early, but there were no complications. He's growing up fast and makes us laugh all day long. My dog seems to think he is either a human baby or a toy that can move. She'll figure it out someday. I'm a happy dad, and can't wait to pass down all my secret geek knowledge to him one day. So now I'm at home taking care of my family this summer. I wouldn't say that I'm bored because before I know it, the day is already over. Crazy. I've taken this time from work to look for other jobs and to get things done around the house that I haven't been able to get to.

Yesterday my brother Ryan and I went on a hike that kinda failed. I misread the map and took a wrong turn, and we ended up forging a path up a mountain, which sucked. I got all scratched up and then we found out that we were completely in the wrong place. So much for that. We did find the entrance to an old mine, and a teetering cabin. I got to test out my four wheel drive on a crazy mining road. Looks like we'll have to go back and try again.

Other than that.... I guess I'm here.

Foods

2010-06-13T20:01:00.002-06:00

I've been cooking more because nat and I have taken part in the local farmers market thing. I pull up to the local school and get like 25lbs of produce for like $15. Really good deal. Nat makes salsas and i cook potatoes and sauté vegetables. Pretty sweet. Lots of fruit to munch on during the week. I don't know what to do with the coconuts I got though. Kinda weird.

Nat came up with a super ice cream combo. She combines rocky road, cookies and cream and strawberry ice cream to make this uber Neapolitan blend that is pretty awesome. Yep. For sure.

Yay

2010-06-06T10:03:00.003-06:00

A bunch of my friends got together to go camping over the weekend as a celebration for mr. Dan getting married next month. We went down to Scranton, an old mining ghost town up a canyon in the middle of no where. We had lots of fun exploring, burning stuff, shooting guns, and just shooting the breeze. I was bummed out that all the mine entrances were destroyed or covered. Its getting hard to find a dangerous mine these days. I almost stepped on a rattlesnake. We had lots of fun. I of course got sunburned and felt sick once I got home. I wish I could get out and camp more often. It was awesome to see the stars and just sit by the fire.

5 minutes later

2010-05-27T22:28:00.003-06:00

Very quick and sloppy idea. It looked exactly like this in my mind. I get really impatient when I draw- so it comes out kinda sketchy.

d&d

2010-05-22T17:44:00.009-06:00

Redspring village, your next home away from home.

I drew this map for our d&d game night. Below is an action shot of the party about to kill off some monster badness. I made the pixel art for the monster tiles and mark was a rolo.

We all had a really good time, laughing and getting into the groove of 4th edition d&d. This was the first time many of us had ever played d&d, and after a quick introduction we dove headfirst.

foursquare

2010-04-18T22:09:00.005-06:00

This comic from PVP online pretty much sum up my addiction to Foursquare, the location based game for your cellphone. I will go anywhere now... just for the sake of checking in and earning more badges. Nat says Foursquare is used by people to track and kill you. We'll see. Right now I'm the mayor of seven different places... and I plan on keeping it that way.

desert bears!

2010-04-07T18:49:00.000-06:00

Watch out!

shout out

2010-04-02T11:59:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to give a shout out to the Mormon crazies that threatened to disrupt and incite violence at a Fireside because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was invited to speak about his conversion story. Guess he wasn't Republican enough. I don't know what to say.

I was going to write a long essay about what's wrong with the conservative/mormon universe and this situation, but I'm not going to. If you want to know what I really think about all of this, you can email/tweet me.

On another note: The iPad cometh. Art thou tempted? Anyone buying one?

Let's wait until ver. 2.0.

And I need a root canal. ugh.. I've been putting it off too long.

less talk more rock

2010-03-25T09:31:00.005-06:00

Sword & Sorcery EP: A video game project by the awesome pixel artist Superbrothers is coming soon!

Read his ideas on video games: http://boingboing.net/features/morerock.html

I just have to say that I am excited to see something like this: a true attempt at video game storytelling without all the stats, clutter, and talk to mess it up. Can't wait!

.

2010-03-10T22:26:00.002-07:00

More Angry Peasants today. Still working on some new music. I'll send some stuff out later this month probably. It is a slow process.

Some things I'm interested in right now:

Pepperbox Revolvers from the 1850's.
Leatherworking- Specifically gun holsters from the Civil War period up till 1900.
Bookbinding. I really wish I had more experience in that department.
Progressive Rock from the 1960's and 70's. YES.
Genealogy: Mid 1800's immigration and Queens, New York City.

you're a ... cartoonist?

2010-03-03T21:25:00.004-07:00

Took me awhile, but I finally scanned in a new Angry Peasants.

long weekend?

2010-02-26T14:09:00.005-07:00

Working on that RPM Challenge. I forgot how much work was involved in song writing (which is probably why I've put it off for the better part of 5 years). I've been working on songs that are new, songs that are kinda old (2 or 3 years), and one that is probably from 2005. I decided that I need to just clear them all out. So I've been finishing lyrics, and figuring out chords for most of them. I know I was supposed to start with brand new material for this thing, but I figured since I was going to have to redo everything anyway that it would count for the challenge.

I have a feeling I'm not going to get this done in time. Well... I hope so. I have to get it mailed off on the first. With all the work that has to be done, it looks like this will be a recording marathon on Saturday or Sunday. Long weekend.

When I get everything recorded, I will post songs here and on my RPM profile for listening enjoyment.

New Angry Peasants beginning in March! It will probably be a once a week thing for now. Wednesdays?

so

2010-02-10T14:29:00.007-07:00

Working on stuff.

February seems to be a busy month. I'm trying to tie off some loose ends and revamp some of the other projects I've been working on forever. I've elected to participate in the RPM Challenge. Which is cool because I've been working on some new music ideas for a couple of months now. Everything is hooked up and ready to go, I just need to finish it on time. Since there's a real deadline involved here I probably have a good chance. I like the idea behind this, which is similar to the Album-A-Day project (a very challenging idea in itself). Working with what I have already... I've got one song in the works and ideas for 3 or 4 more. Working between two computers, I should have this in the bag.

I'd like to give a shoutout to Mark for allowing my music to be part of his awesome short film Lincoln. Look for it as part of the x96 film festival and throughout the internets. I give Mark credit for pretending to like all the short 30 second clips I've given him (I should put out a whol album of 20-30 second clips of music). Can't wait to see new episodes of Nottblock in the future.

I've finished drawing new Angry Peasants. I just need to ink, scan, and color them. I haven't been able to do that because my resources are being focused on music projects. I've come to terms with how hard it is to be a syndicated cartoonist. It seems like a relentless struggle to keep up with the pace. Even posting cartoons three times a week seems like a hard goal to reach. Once I get these last few drawings finished, I'll start posting them. Not sure how frequent it will be though. I have like 30 ideas backlogged, and it's just a matter of time and execution.

I been asked to run sound for the Lehi Arts Council production of Singin' in the Rain. I haven't heard anything from them in a few weeks, so I'll assume that once serious rehearsals start in March that I'll jump on board.

I'm tired all of a sudden.

more to come!

2010-01-27T21:43:00.001-07:00

After a brief hiatus: More Angry Peasants... Soon!

music overload

2010-01-21T10:01:00.004-07:00

I'm out of touch with music.

I've been this way for a long time now.

And here's my best guess as to why: most of my iPod is based around 90's alternative bands, and I refused to listen to the radio between 1999 until about 2006. Now there's a flood of Indie bands with strange names... and music that seems completely foreign to me. The musical guests on late night talk shows are either so different from what I usually listen to or just something I would never buy or download in the first place. So strange. Everything from commercials or soundtracks of artists and bands have seemed so... unknown. I refused to go to local concerts because all the bands were trying to copy Death barf for Cutie.

I'll be honest- I think I like most of my 90's alternative because many of those bands based their sound from 70's rock: early metal bands, progressive rock, etc. I love 70's rock. But I can't really figure out where all these recent indie bands get their sound from. Folk music?! Is it 80's alternative (because I never really liked that stuff that much)? Some of these groups seem like they've brought back the art punk/new wave/alternative idea of music that rebelled against the sound of the 70's. Who knows. Or is it an original art form that can't be defined? Some of these bands have been floating under the mainstream radar for so long that they have many many albums to listen to.

When I think about it, sometimes the indie scene is just another "my-obscure-taste-in-bands-is-better-than-yours" type of thing. So what? It can be said that the mainstream umbrella term of "alternative rock" that conquered mainstream radio in the 90's allowed this lo-fi, independent underground music to thrive until it too became popular a few years ago.

So I decided to look at the lineup for the Coachella festival this year, and every band that I didn't recognize, I decided to download one of their albums. I'm probably going to hate it, but it will save me the price of tickets to see the actual show. About 80% of the entire lineup was completely new to me. In a future post I'll review my findings. I might make a graph or create a musical degree of separation chart.

To the select few that read my blog:

What music/bands are you listening to right now?

wuh?

2010-01-07T14:05:00.002-07:00

Geez... what a long day.

I think it's just this time of year again. From January until whenever the snow melts is the crappiest time of the year. I guess it's the cloudy days mixed with the cold. I just want to stay indoors and sleep until April or May. Why can't humans hibernate? wuh?

Nothing really to report. Looking for a better job (almost seriously this time), though I doubt the internet abyss will help me in that endeavour. Updating my resume. My blackberry is set to stun. There's something out there with my name all over it.

Listening to new music. Going to start Angry Peasants soon. I'd like to make some music soon too.. but I'll probably never get around to it.

yep

2010-01-02T11:19:00.002-07:00

I've been busy since christmas trying to beat the new super mario bros wii.

Let's see... what have I done?

I repainted my electric guitar blue. It is now a cloudy guitar. I'm not sure how long that will last.

Haven't really drawn any funny pictures lately. The process is time consuming. meh. I guess I'm just tired.

Watched a lot of movies.

Ate lots of candy

Guitar Hero 5.

Things I got for xmas:
Books.
A new headlamp
Chia pet
Awesome pots and pans
CAAAAANDY
And some other things.

2009-12-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

just tired

2009-12-11T13:56:00.004-07:00

I've been busy.

I still haven't started my christmas shopping (and my wife knows it). Pretty much every night for the past week I've been running lights for that christmas play- which is cool. Once the show is over, I get home... and I'm just tired.

We started a puzzle on our coffee table.

Listened to old records.

Cleaned up the kitchen and watered the plants.

I want my own floating island.

cold

2009-12-09T08:45:00.002-07:00

Cold morning. My car does not like the cold, and has a hard time shifting gears until every thing warms up. I'm not that excited for winter, I'll be honest. I hate scraping ice and frost off my windows, and my hands freeze to the steering wheel.

On top of that, the furnace at my office doesn't work. Right now the thermostat says it's 63 degrees in here. No matter how much I crank it up, the temperature stays the same. We have a furnace problem. So my hands are cold the entire day. Nothing makes me more miserable than having cold hands and feet.

dreams

2009-12-06T09:14:00.003-07:00

3 weird dreams last night:

My first one was me walking through Home Depot. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just browsing the plumbing supplies... light fixtures and tools... and then I left. It felt like I was in there for like 40 minutes just walking around Home Depot.

Then I dreamed I was Spiderman. I was swinging from building to building, shooting webs and stuff, probably fighting the Hulk or something. When I tried to explain my incredible powers to my sister, she didn't believe me. So I walked to my red car and drove away.

My last dream was quick, like I was being rushed into a building, being told I was late and I had to hurry. I ran into a room and pulled back a curtain and I was thrust in front of an old microphone and a guitar was thrown over my shoulder. The music started and the words that came out of my mouth was "I Saw Her Standing There" by the Beatles.

Weird.

records

2009-11-30T20:49:00.004-07:00

Listening to vinyl.

Next up: Kansas - Leftoverture.

old comics

2009-11-24T08:54:00.008-07:00

This is from The Academia Waltz, a comic by Berkeley Breathed from 1978-79. He later went on to draw other syndicated comic strips like Bloom County, Outland, and Opus. Even from these early strips, Breathed shows his interesting sense of humor.

Much of the material borrows from current events and the political interests of the 1980's.

late blog

2009-11-23T22:41:00.002-07:00

Another one of those days. What's left of my soul was steadily crushed to a pulp during my shift in the salt mines. I spent most of my day trying to fix a mistake that I technically never made. Oh the humanity.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. While my employer implodes on itself, I can take heart because I finished school. I did it. For reals. Look out universe, I'm going to get out of here!!

On the way home I stopped at the grocery store and picked up some cheesy bagels and cream cheese.

Nat cooked me dinner.

I've decided to give Genealogy a shot. The past couple of nights have been spent searching and double checking leads on lost dead ancestors. I'm familiar with the routine: I did stuff like this all the time for presentations and papers in college (Remember the Northern Cheyenne census? That was awesome.) I've just never really cared who begat whom to get to me. One of my professors warned me that once you start looking at your genealogy, you get hooked really fast... "It's like crack." he said.

It turns out that my mom doesn't know much before her great-great-grandfather, a guy who came over from England and was a florist in Queens during the late 1800's. So I'm taking a different approach, starting over from scratch basically. I want to see how much information I can come up with on my own, just to see what I can find. I think there are clues out there just waiting to be discovered.

sunday doodles

2009-11-15T21:02:00.002-07:00

Here's a couple of drawings while I was sitting around at church. I now have a small pile of tiny landscapes... mobs of townsfolk... people... and other things. The guy holding the flag is my favorite.

Which reminds me, I have an idea for a real art thing. Not a internet web thing, but a real, hold it in your hands kind of art thing. I'm not going to divulge any information until I can figure it out, but rest assured, it is something that I've been working on for a long time.

I cooked some eggs, bacon, and potatoes for dinner tonight. Remember that pie I baked? It surprisingly turned out ok. It was not your typical apple sugary cinnamon mess. It was a combination and mixture of complex flavor from the apples themselves. Was I proud? Probably. I think I'm going to eat a piece right now.

I think I want a record player now. I didn't before, but now I do. To listen to old music, and to appreciate the dead art form of album covers.

dreaming about imperium

2009-11-10T23:59:00.006-07:00

Another sketch from the other day. Just me doodling on the computer, no trees were harmed in the making of this picture. Just a few ones and zeros.

I've decided that I want to bake something tomorrow... mostly because I have the time, and I want to eat pie. So I'm going to make an apple pie. I found a few recipes, and I'm going to give it a shot. It's been like... four years since I've made a pie? Pies have a way of striking fear inside the inner depths of my soul. There's so much at stake, and so many places were things can go terribly terribly wrong. Usually the final product is edible, regardless how it looks. My problem was that I never really mastered the subtle technique of the flaky crust. It would be too dry, too wet, be too cold, fall apart... There are really 2000 ways to destroy a perfectly good pie.

So I'm excited.

Went to the They Might Be Giants show the other night. Awesome. They played their album Flood in it's entirety, so it was fun. I haven't been to a concert in a long time so I'm glad that I picked a good one to go to. I saw TMBG a few years ago, and they didn't disappoint this time either. Awesome.

New AP.

can't sleep

2009-11-09T23:45:00.003-07:00

2009-11-04T07:35:00.004-07:00

Man I'm tired.

edit: I listened to the album "Fragile" by Yes like 5 times yesterday. Thank you Venture Brothers.

2009-11-02T08:28:00.002-07:00

friday

2009-10-30T16:02:00.004-06:00

I defended my thesis this morning.

Afterward I went out and finally picked up a Halloween costume. I've been to the costume place like four or five times... and every time I couldn't make up my mind. I was sooo close to picking up that Captain America costume, but decided to save some money and come up with something else. So I bought some stuff and... I will be a racial stereotype.

New AP. I'm still trying to figure out the Wacom graphic tablet I got the other day. I thought that I would save some time with it, but it turns out that I just want to do every thing in greater detail. Anyway... Today's strip was the one I was working on when I spilled my bottle of ink. Finally finished!!

music binge

2009-10-28T10:49:00.003-06:00

I was sick yesterday.

So I spent most of the day doing things you do when you are sick: sleep. watch tv. catch up on some recorded shows. A few video games... Then I got bored around 12 o'clock.

I cleaned up my iPod of a ton of music that I never really listened to, and some movies and stuff that were just taking up space. Lately I've been looking through the internets for new music and bands that I've ignored. Here are just a few of the new records I've been listening to the past week.

Animal Collective: "Merriweather Post Pravilion"
I keep hearing about this band. And when I found out that they were elctronic-ish... I decided to give their latest album a listen. I think it's hard to describe their sound. The album itself is kind of a dreamy thing.. with guitars and electronics and stuff going all around. I listened to most of it while I was sick... so that might influence what I think about it. Who listens to music like this? I'd like to see them play live.

Danger Mouse + Sparklehorse: "Dark Night of the Soul"
I really like this. You can only get it off the internet. There's guest vocalists on every track, which makes it sound fresh every time I listen to it. Guests include the Flaming Lips, that one guy from the Shins, Frank Black, that guy from the Strokes, Iggy Pop, and others. I'm not sure what DM and Sparklehorse were trying to do with this record- I have not been able to find much on the limited edition book by David Lynch that was printed with it. The book provides a visual for the songs on the record. With how popular Danger Mouse is these days... I think he'll be in cahoots with every musician for years to come. Good find.

David Byrne + Brian Eno: "Everything that Happens Will Happen Today"
I liked the Talking Heads, and I think some of the art/music stuff that David Byrne has done since then has been pretty cool. Brian Eno has had his filthy little hands in producing everyone's albums for the last almost 40 years. Another Byrne and Eno teamup seemed like a good thing: it had electronic stuff, and weird lyrics, interesting song structures... I need to listen to this one some more, but I like what I hear. I'm not sure who I would recommend this to though.

Innerpartysystem: "Innerpartysystem"
I finally got around to getting this album. I liked their song "Don't Stop", and figured I could use a dose of hard-electronic-almost-industrial-glitchy-music. I was really surprised to find that it sounded more like Depeche Mode than anything else. Some of the song's loops and sounds show a strong influence from 90's synthpop and dance music. I think it works, for me anyway. I wonder how they translate to a live show. I'm going to have to check out some of their remixes as well.

Moby: "Wait for Me"
I fell asleep to this. That isn't a bad thing, the whole album is full of synphonics strings, and ambient moods, with cool samples and all the other typical Moby stuff that he packs into a record. It just made me really sleepy after a few tracks... I tried to keep my eyes open... but I couldn't... I'm certain one or more of his songs will be on a commercial or in a movie preview soon. I'm not sure how long the appeal will last, because Moby songs get annoying after hearing them infinity times everywhere.

guh.

2009-10-26T14:32:00.005-06:00

Went to Cedar City over the weekend. Hung out with my bro and sis. Ate from the candy trough. Drove back. Kinda wish I had gone to school at SUU. I would have liked a normal university experience.

Don't know what's going around, but people are getting sick. Wash your freaking hands dangit. I feel less than 100%, but that's probably because I haven't slept well the past few days.

Wasn't really able to draw over the weekend. I usually get most of the drawing and inking done by now... but since I went to cedar, and was playing Guitar Hero until late... I didn't have time.

On the bright side: I ordered a Wacom graphic tablet to help speed up the drawing process. I've never really tried one before, but I've always wanted one. I'd like to draw more digitally anyway. We'll see how it goes.

weekends?

2009-10-18T22:59:00.004-06:00

I spent most of the weekend inking some new comics for this coming week. And while my skill as an artist continues on it's steady decline, I've decided that I enjoy inking my drawings with the crow tip pen. Until I dumped half the bottle of ink on my carpet... Yeeeoouch. Nat was none too pleased, but the panels I was working on came out pretty good (after I had cleaned up the carpet a few times). The only way to get better is to just continue forward.

I check on the daily updates of many webcomics and syndicated comics everyday. If there was one thing that I remember from my childhood, was grabbing the newspaper before anyone else and turning right to the comics page.

More Angry Peasants MWF.

in good hands

2009-10-14T07:45:00.000-06:00

New AP.

two saints converse while a demon waits patiently to torment them both.

2009-10-13T22:29:00.001-06:00

sheeps!

2009-10-12T18:20:00.003-06:00

New Angry Peasants is up. I need to get a graphic tablet. Seriously. If anyone would like to donate one to me, that would be awesome. New peasants every MWF?

Today I taught Nat's class about Columbus Day. Of course I had to begin my presentation with the Vikings, Vinland and Leif Eriksson, and how they discovered America waaaaay before Columbus. I got some blank stares at first, but when I showed them the evidence they were cool with it. The Viking Sagas provide a very interesting and unique picture to how vikings and Native Americans interacted. It's a topic that I would like to study some more.

2009-10-09T23:16:00.002-06:00

a page from the magic notebook.

AP

2009-10-09T08:18:00.004-06:00

More angry peasants today. Still trying to figure out formatting with a learn-as-you-go approach to this. I'm still working out the bugs. More to come on Monday.

sunday demons

2009-10-08T20:48:00.002-06:00

sketch

2009-10-07T18:59:00.001-06:00

serfs

2009-10-06T22:44:00.003-06:00

click on angry peasants to the left.

I'm going to try and make this a regular thing.

Looking forward to my next art project: tiny landscapes.

freak

2009-09-29T22:24:00.004-06:00

Still can't find my @*%&$ cord for my scanner. I want to scan in some of my sketches. Still looking... My office is a disaster area. Can't find anything... ugh.

In the middle of this disaster is a pile of unfinished ideas and projects that I never have time to get to. I'm reading three? books right now, and each time I pick one of them up it takes a few pages before my brain remembers all the details. My road bike has become a tie rack in the meantime, because I just don't feel like replacing the headset right now. I need to reconnect all the cables to my mobile music workstation, which was unplugged while looking for the cord, and from when I moved my amp around. I just need to do it. Art blog in the works.

I've been drawing what seems to be caricatures of orthodox saints. They have cool beards, and serious expressions.

same

2009-09-19T07:45:00.003-06:00

Haven't been motivated to blog.

I'm working on an art blog- if I could find the cord that connects my scanner to my computer. If I find it, I'll probably post something. Fixed my computer by the way.

Working on other things.

The situation remains the same.

hum

2009-07-21T23:17:00.003-06:00

poor neglected blog.

I'm going to try and bike more often to work. I've been able to ride at least a couple times each week, but it can be a challenge. I've got too many things to do after work which makes it hard to schedule in a longer ride if I have to be somewhere. That sucks.

The old bikes I've salvaged are falling apart too. Things are coming loose and falling apart, or are dirty and inefficient. It requires constant maintenance. I've switched back to my mountain bike, which runs like a champ, but the brakes need some adjustment. I think the only real solution would be to get a modern road bike. I think I'm just sick of having to fix things over and over.

I'm tired. I'm getting sick of these 11 hour days. I need more time to work on my "projects".

Nat and I just got back from a super anniversary weekend. It was awesome.

hrmph

2009-06-29T19:36:00.002-06:00

Watching Star Trek: TNG. So futuristic... and yet, so 1990's.

2009-06-07T13:04:00.001-06:00

slimes

2009-06-06T16:45:00.000-06:00

bushes

2009-06-06T16:41:00.000-06:00

blue

2009-06-05T20:22:00.003-06:00

nb

2009-06-05T20:08:00.000-06:00

hover science jector horse

2009-06-05T20:04:00.001-06:00

20 years

2009-06-04T21:57:00.002-06:00

rhg vs. whb

2009-06-03T21:16:00.001-06:00

paint

2009-06-03T20:15:00.000-06:00

Fun with MS Paint.

whb

2009-05-27T07:45:00.003-06:00

whb

2009-05-27T07:43:00.000-06:00

WHB!

2009-05-25T08:36:00.003-06:00

crossfire

2009-05-14T13:10:00.002-06:00

Here's a game I haven't played in a long long time. Crossfire was made by Sierra-Online in 1981. Probably the first video game I ever played (on an IBM PCjr). A simple game where you have to just kill guys over and over, trying to get points without running out of ammo. Games like this never end, you just play until you run out of lives... There's probably 256 levels, but I've never been able to find out. I found a remake called Gridfire for windows. My highscore is 19500-ish... I was alot better at this when I was 7 years old.

The Grail

2009-05-08T11:20:00.001-06:00

I'm on an epic quest. To find a square tie!

I know they exist!

paint

2009-05-06T19:03:00.004-06:00

I've finished two painting in the spirit of Piet Mondrian. I admire his use of lines and geometric shapes to convey emotion. His later work focused on lines and the way they intersected the canvas, and while I'm no art expert, I'd like to think that that relationship can be emulated.

My two paintings ignore the lines alltogether, and focus on the shapes themselves, seperated by space. I used the same bold primary colors, though now that I think about it, I could have used any color. So I painted a couple of pictures because I have some leftover canvas lying around, and Nat bought me some paints.

Hopefully it turns out ok.

This painting was recently sold at Sotheby's for $9.2 million.

chair

2009-04-28T16:34:00.000-06:00

I wish I had this chair.

gah

2009-04-27T10:27:00.000-06:00

I'm getting sick of rain and bad weather weekends.

Back off!! shrink gun!

2009-04-24T10:37:00.006-06:00

If I wasn't killed in a terrible shark attack feeding frenzy, I would rather be shrunk down and killed by a domesticated animal. Have you ever watched a cat play with a mouse? Yeah... I want to be flung in the air and crushed in gaping jaws of death. Hopefully the G-forces would knock my mini self unconscious, so I would be unable to feel the teeth crunching up my small bones.

Macie is getting pretty shaggy. She's getting a haircut on Saturday. I guess if I was shrunk down miniature size she would probably maul me to death. And then barf me out because I taste bad.

There's a Marvel superhero that reminds me of this situation: Ant-Man. One of the founding members of the Avengers, Ant-man was able to shrink to small size while retaining his strength. He developed a helmet that would allow him to communicate with ants. Probably one of the most unappreciated superheroes in the Marvel Universe, I guess because his powers were... weird. I guess if you needed a superhero on the micro level... that would work. I wonder if he had a fight with any domesicated animals?

nottblock

2009-04-20T10:56:00.001-06:00

NOTTBLOCK episode 3 is out!!

youtube.com/nottblock

watch and enjoy!!

Colorado there and back

2009-04-19T21:01:00.001-06:00

I went out to Colorado on Friday night. My dad was running a 50 mile race in Fruita, and I just wanted to get out of town for a while. My brother and I brought our bikes and crammed them into my dad's car. After a sickening ride up Spanish Fork Canyon, we were on our way to the middle of nowhere: eastern utah/colorado. Lots of road and empty space. We got there and spent the night at a hotel.

Early the next day we dropped my dad off for the 6:30 start. Runners are freaking gross. I don't think I can ever be a long distance runner. No thanks.

We went back to the hotel and slept. My brother and I murdered a continental breakfast and went back the the race. My dad had finished his first 25 miles loop by 11:00 ish and we cheered/hassled him as he forced nasty race food into his system and then ran off for the second loop.

So after that we got out our bikes and rode around. There were tons of trails and roads around the race route so we just went all over the place. We then went down to one of the far aid stations to meet my dad on the last stage of the race. He eventually showed up but by that time we were tired. On the ride back my illiterate brother's tire went flat so he ended up walking the last 3 miles back to the car. I rode ahead to get a pump but when I came back he over inflated his tire... and it popped. Looking down the road, we saw my dad running up to finish the last mile of the race. Hilarious.

Here's a shot of my dad after finishing. He was out of it. We were all tired and burnt out. My brother and I rode close to 20 miles. I was sunburned and tired. After my dad cleaned up we started to drive back.

It was a quick trip. We had some fun, and it was good to get out of town for a little while.

awesome

2009-04-15T14:18:00.001-06:00

Beto's

2009-04-15T12:59:00.001-06:00

Imagine a hot and tasty burrito on a cold day like this... That would be awesome.