If it isn't one thing it's a *BEEP*ing other!

I'm getting sick of being a "real" person, and I haven't even made it a year.

So for a huge amount of this year I was waging a bureaucratic war to get paid, which I finally won.

I thought life was finally going to let up on me for a while. There haven't been any major issues, apart from Lady R getting sick a lot lately, and I've been getting tons of work...

Of course this is me we're talking about. As any of my friends will tell you, the universe will not let me do anything the *BEEP*ing easy way! Not ever.

Walking into the Salmond lobby this evening, I saw a sign that could very well spell the doom of my new success. They're cutting my Internet AND phone line next week.

Now the Internet I could maybe manage without for a month, but the timing is unbelievably bad. Especially given Traumador's big event next week (the same day as the cut funny enough!).

No, the part about this that has me furious beyond words is the phone line. This is where I get all my work from! If I lose my phone I lose my job, period. Due to the costs of mobile phone calls here in NZ, they won't call me on my cell (one of the many problems with a privatised school system, another example being the pay system!).

As for getting a "regular" job, Lady R has been looking for a job for almost a month, and with the current economic crisis going on, there are no jobs.

Now I'm writing this as of 10 minutes post reading the sign, and haven't been able to talk to the guy in charge of the communication systems. So they can't give me any answers till tomorrow. However if they can't make an exception for me, I'm royally f**ked, and yet again through no fault of my own!

Yeah growing up and being a "real" person is "awesome"!

F**K!

Help out Laelaps

Brian over at Laelaps is in the running for a pretty huge blogging scholarship (which he could obviously use), but he needs our help!

Click here and vote for Brian Switek if you support blogging, science, and especially palaeotology.

It's good to know my University knows who I am!

In my efforts to get the pay owed to me (oh I did finally get paid some of my money), I need to prove the extent of my education and qualifications.

Which means transcripts and similar fun things (like notarized copies of degrees and diplomas). In my effort to get a transcript from the University of Calgary it was very reassuring when my account came up as this. There's only one small mistake, but it is a key one. Can you see it?

Now I don't have many nice things to say about UoC. Their more of a machine, trying to process as many students with as little effort as they can, than an educational institution. I'd like to say this is a new low for them, but sadly its more the norm. Like that time I was forced to cancelling graduating due to the setup of their website. That's another story though.

At least I have yet a new nickname based on someone's misspelling of my name. Though Kristin's were much funnier for "some" reason.

Bruce Timm's Batman Gotham Knight

Among my favourite TV shows of all time, and definitely on the short of best comic adaptations in my book is Bruce Timm's DC animated series (Batman, Batman Beyond, Superman, and Justice League). Of course sadly after the fourth season of Justice League this line of shows came to an end, and Bruce Timm moved on to make direct to DVD animated movies for DC.


I'd been meaning to check these out earlier, but due to their very delayed release in New Zealand it hasn't been till this month I started to track them down. Finding Superman Doomsday in the bargin bin, and than Batman Gotham Knight at the rental shop I've suddenly got more than I can effective watch in my busy schedule.


Since it had to go back Gotham Knight got the first viewing, and I have to say if its the norm than I'm regretting the $8 on Superman (hopefully that's not the case, but that'll have to wait till another day).


So the very brief review is of course I'm very very glad I rented this, and didn't buy it.


In a style similar to the Animatrix a bunch of independent animation teams did some shorts on Batman which were than combined to make a movie. To call it a movie is frankly a stretch, and this product is in essence is 6 shorts that barely tie together.


If there is one thing this "movie" has its style. So much of it you feel it being shoved down your throat the whole time the DVD is playing.


Sadly they over crammed it so much with style they forgot to put in anything else. There are some impressive drawings of Gotham, Batman, other characters from the comics that appear on screen for huge chunks of time, but forget this supposed to be an animated show. Rather in some of these sketches (the second in particular) feel more like a slide show of the artist's sketch book.

The majority of this style derives from anime, and sadly in most cases from the type of anime I don't enjoy. Story, dialogue, and action take a back seat to establishing a setting or a mood as characters just sit there blankly starring into space, at each other, or where ever and shots of locations of things go on for tens of seconds.


Making for some really dull view frankly. This shot being a key example. The only difference between this still shot and the movie is that, after the crook holding the hostage threats to kill her, the fire moves and we get to watch that for about 10 seconds.

Making it especially boring is that to establish the effect of Batman, most of the creators feel that Batman should appear as little as possible. Sort of like the shark in Jaws. So instead we spend 90% of sketches with kids, COPs, or Bruce Wayne flash backs.

The opening short was certainly the worse. Which I thought was stupid. Opening on the weakest just seems silly to me.

In a classic cliche a bunch of street kids sit around telling their tales of run ins with the Dark Knight. Only these are truly from a kids point of view which portray Batman as everything from a giant bat, a robot, and a living shadow (ALL terribly drawn I'll add!) with Batman showing up for 5 seconds in the end of the short. In the actual Bruce Timm there is a brilliant episode with this concept only the kid's tales are all adaptations of different eras of Batman meaning you get lots of Batman rather than none...

From here on the sketches tried to feel interconnected, and be in the Batman Begins universe. Note I did say try to. The sketches that were good were those that really tried to stick to this format.

However due to the 6 different styles it jarred you out of this illusion quickly. If not for Kevin Conroy being the constant voice of Bruce Wayne and Batman there were some sketches I wouldn't have caught on to who was supposed to be Bruce Wayne (though one of them once you catch it was a GREAT anime-ized Christian Bale)

So out of the 6 shorts, 2 were amazing/awesome, 2 were meh, 1 was just too boring to be anything above meh, and the first was just awful.

The success of the 2 good shorts was the fact they had some story to them. Overall these shorts had no build of any sort other than again mood/style. Most of them just putter storytelling wise with some dialogue about a gang war, and nothing more than that until suddenly for no reason gangsters show up and shot at things till Batman shows up to beat them up.

Sketch 3 really broke this mould with a great little story of Luscious Fox designing a belt gizmo that deflects bullets for Batman. The problem with it is that it works too well rather than not at all a repelled bullet critically injuries one of the gunmen leading Batman to realize with such a device its not just his life he is putting on the line.

Sketch 6 works due to the great adaptation of the villain Deadshot to the Batman Begins universe. I'll take my quick moment to state I've been saying we'll see Deadshot in Batman 3 since immediately after viewing Dark Knight. Forget those stupid Penguin and Riddler rumours, how would they work in the ubber real Nolan movies? Deadshot does, and I really think we'll see him.

Sadly short 4's attempt at adapting Killer Croc was just lame. Between him being a big thug who sharpened his teeth and wearing a crocodile skin and his in the end being a lackey of Scarecrow's this short's story was all over the place. If it had more than 10 minutes it might have been a mediocre story, but crammed in like it was it was just all over the place and lacked any suspense.
So to sum up. Gotham Knight had style to spare, but not much else. The 3rd and 6th shorts are definitely worth a watching if you get your hands on the DVD, but overall its not worth more than a $1-3 rental that alone buying.

Excercise

Well me and Lady R have finally taken up physical activity as we've been threatening to do for 2 years...

Based on this cool animated GIF I found I bet you can guess what that is...

So yeah now that Lady R's been out on the court she's hooked. We've been to the gym 5 nights of the week for an hour playing. Sadly (but a little fortunately) we've had to take a break this weekend due to our muscles getting a little worn out.

At the same time I expect by tomorrow we'll once again be out there playing badminton again.

Good TV?!? Oh wait its old and cancelled...

Ever since the debacles that were Firefly (cancelled way too early) and Battlestar Galactica (jumped a shark being held in the air by a giant squid that was sitting on an aircraft carrier that itself was on fire... because fire is exciting like Battlestar was supposed to be) I don't watch TV anymore.

The funny part is TV doesn't even try to put up a fight. Its latest entries have been equally stupid as Battlestar or dumber. Lost the show where they make it up as they go, all the while claiming their so much smarter than the audience because they ARE making it up. Or Heroes the show which couldn't tell a story if not for time travel plot devices (I'd argue plot creating in fact... no time travel= no plot) to save its life. Sure I haven't actually watched more than a couple episodes of either, but I caught the trend and than had it confirmed by reviews I've read.

So it is nice to find a rare gem amongst this garbage. Mind you this show went the Firefly route. Cancelled. Fortunately 3 seasons afterward.


That show is Veronica Mars. Man is it good! Granted I just finished the first season, which by all accounts is the best. So it might go a little down hill from here. Still the first season was worth it alone.

The premise is in a very rich people town in California a software billionaire's daughter was murdered a year before the show. The murdered kid's best friend was Veronica, who herself is the daughter of the local sheriff. Veronica's dad is convinced that the billionaire was the killer, despite a worker at the software company confessing to the crime. Due to the billionaire being a local hero Veronica's dad is forced from being the Sheriff, and so he sets up in town as a PI with Veronica as his assistant. So throughout the show Veronica continues her own investigation into her best friends murder of course finding her father was right just not in a way either of them realize. All the while to make money Veronica takes on side cases from her fellow high school students and teachers.

I love it because it is a "real life" Buffy type show (in fact this is one of Joss Wheadon's favorite shows, and he makes an appearance in either season 2 or 3!), and it is written on that level. All the characters are believable and compelling. Even the bad ones.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect is how all the main high school students have regularly turning up parents and home lives. In Buffy the other characters home lives were alluded too, but rarely shown. In Veronica we get to see why every kid is the way they are through their home life.

Also the "real life" Batman aspect appeals to me. A big part of Veronica's high school life is seeing the bullies and asses have justice and revenge served on them. Yet at the same time she is just a teen, and makes plenty of big mistakes along the way.

Topping it off her father is played by Enrico Colantoni who is among my favourite actors.

So I guess TV still has a few diamonds in the rough. Now if only these guys would do a Sci-Fi show. Maybe it won't get cancelled till its second season too!

Hero-Clix I MUST own!

So for those of you out there who don't know I DO have one real addiction problem. Games.

Now in recent years I've managed to bring this problem mostly in check. Back in my late teens and early 20's collectible card games were one of my big socializing past times. However as I learned when a card game goes belly up (as they all eventually do... it's only a matter of time for you Magic players!) all you have left is a bunch of worthless coloured pieces of cardboard. So it was easy enough not to allow myself into that trap after most of my major games went under in the early 2000's (Star Trek, Star Wars, and Babylon 5).

I was clean for a good 2-3 years until a new game was launched to PERFECTLY coincide with my new comic obsession, and that game was Heroclix. What made this "dangerous" was that unlike a card game (of which many had been made around comic characters) this game left you with little superhero figurines, and if there is something I can't resist is toys!

Heroclix has been around for 5 years now, and as a result they've finally made nearly every comic character I could want or ever hope for. In fact the last few sets have been easy to avoid, minus 2-4 figs out of a set of 50+, due to the lack of characters I want...

Till the latest set which has ONE character I thought I'd never see ever. That is till about 3 weeks ago when Mike sent me an email with this attached...



They're making a freaking Batman Beyond fig!!!

Even better he is a common figure so though I still have to buy him, he'll only be a buck!

Trying to make the world a more interesting place

Glendon over at The Flying Trilobite has a great post about what inspires his art. Which got me thinking about my own "art". What makes me think or and do this stuff...

For starters Glendon is a MUCH better artist than me. Not only does the quality of his work prove this, but also the fact he has a much better rational for why he creates. I just wanted this stated before you head over there and look at his and than laugh at my stuff. I'm aware of the difference in ability believe me!

Unlike Glendon I do not have a central premise (in his case using modern science as an inspiration for artistic expression) for why I do what I do. Heck I don't usually even think about the emotions or symbolism of what I do. So why do I do it? Isn't that the point of art, to connect to others humanity through emotional stimulation through communal recognition of patterns and symbols?

Does this then mean I'm not making art. Am I rather simply creating stuff to fulfill some sort of useful function. Like how a trade or crafts person create things for use by people to help them live their lives. Or yet still does this mean I am truly crazy and bizarre, and that I make stuff for no reason at all?

I think the answer has elements of all three possibilities. One of the key issues I have, that Glendon does not, is that I am not particularly talented with any medium as of yet. Meaning that I have an immediate barrier to trying to communicate what I have inside to the outside world.

The only medium that I can conjure anything remotely descent with is 3D computer graphics. I started tinkering with these back in high school ages ago, when the dream was to do movie special effects. Sadly it wasn't to be, but I stuck with the 3D stuff as a hobby all this time.

The big break my talents got (if they could be called talents back then) came when Prehistoric Insanity started up, and we started making the summer movies. Here I had something more than ideal fidgeting to apply the program too. Which of course had been the purpose for my tinkering, and frankly the $1500 camcorder I bought a couple years before this (that hadn't gotten much use).


This logo made in 2003 for Prehistoric Insanity was the first time I made something for actual use with my 3D program. Not that the logo was for anything other than a flashy beginning to an otherwise crappy sketch video (to check out the only worthwhile clips click here), but my efforts to get something sort of looking like Finding Nemo (a movie that still hurts my 3D mind to watch) caused a drastic improvement in my abilities and product on Ray Dream (my program of the time).

Thinking back on this experience it gives me insight into my own artistic muse. That is simply to make stuff that looks "better" than the last thing I did.

Not the best thing to admit, but one of my key reasons for making stuff is simply to practise!

Lame I hear you saying, especially compared to Glendon's personal profound philosophy and methodology, and frankly I kind of agree. Yet it has gotten results!

Sadly I've lost a lot of my older work with the move to New Zealand, and the switch of computers it brought. Here I present to you a fragmented history of my practise muse driving me to render a better virtual Dinosaur.


Though there was a earlier version of this T-Rex, you get a pretty good idea of what my first Dinosaur looked like from this clip of the UNOFFICIAL Training Video.

With this as my starting point you can see my practise muse at work as I kept coming back to the Tyrannosaur throughout the years.


A huge step in my 3D Dinosaurs came in 2004 during my second year as an science interpreter at the Tyrrell. Without the need for staff training, I was given projects to keep me occupied for the slow first two months of the summer season.

With the education department starting to contemplate the transfer to digital media, they were very interested when they learned I could "do 3D stuff" with the computer. We decided a good use of my time in the office was installing Raydream on a terminal and me creating this little fossilization animation. Which I understand they still use to this day.

You'll note this is a totally BRAND NEW built from scratch T-Rex from my first, which I built on the museum's computer.

In 2006 a big change in how I made 3D stuff came in the form of Raydream becoming a new program called Carrara. I reluctantly swapped over, and to be honest despite that initial steep learning curve, it was one of the best decisions I've made.

This was one of the early products. A slick yet again new build Tyrannosaur (actually this was meant to be an Albertosaur, but that'd be splitting hairs).

Than in 2007 came the break through of where I might claim some skill at CG. Larry the Tyrannosaur. He was both a rebuild of parts of my Carrara T-Rex (he has a whole head for example), but also my first dabbling in photoshopped textures. Something I'd never done before.

With the lessons learned from this models use, and my much improved photoshop skills it was time for a new version.

So here is the current product of my practise muse. A pretty big improvement from my early days I'd say. Still it's no Jurassic Park either.

I thought another good example of this practise motivator for my art would be my efforts with virtual Trilobites. If even just for Glendon's sake ;p

So do I actually make art? I'm not sure. I definitely don't have formal training in it beyond high school. During this time my teachers would yell at me for drawing nothing but Dinosaurs and Spaceships. Which really hasn't changed. So were my teachers right? Am I not doing art.

Quite probably not. At least outside of the context I intend for them... Oh you weren't expecting a twist?

You see I have a practical function for my 3D much like the aforementioned trade or crafts person. Remember I wanted to be a special effect guy when I grew up, and though I didn't manage this in reality, I still pretend at it in my spare time.

As one of my favourite past times both at work and off time is conveying to the world just how boring I think it really is, Dinosaurs and Spaceships suddenly fill a key artistic role.

They symbolize to me the wonder and awe I used to hold for life and everything contained in our universe. Sadly I find myself typically surrounded by a world that wants things to be dull and small. Now Dinos and Rockets are almost sad reminders of how dull real life can be. So another of key my inspirations is trying to use these sci-fi sorts of things to remind me life had or has potential (see the dual temporal nature of my symbols) to be as awesome as I know it should be.

In my head things like this should be all the more common place!

Another thing that really drives my creative process, and is definitely a muse is the music I listen too. This will probably get a post or two of its own later, but for those of you out there who didn't know I listen to pretty much nothing more than soundtracks.

The reason soundtracks? Being that I have a very narrative/story driven imagination this music fulfills what I need... Though it has been argued as this is all I have ever listened to that is why my brain works this way, but its a chicken and the egg sort of thing for me.

Often it is nice to make the things that I think of when listening to some key pieces of music. This submarine was almost solely inspired by James Newton Howard's Lady in the Water score. Peter Bond jumped on it the next day, and we nearly made a movie about it, but it started solely as something coming from my headphones.

I have recently been trying to use my new "skills" for a legit "art" purpose. This is a sample page of the children's book me and my buddy Scott made last year. Still waiting to see if we can sell it successful.

Also I see something to bringing prehistoric animals back from deep time through this. I think this Anomalocaris could actually make the cut against any other out there. Granted just from this angle and in this lighting mind you.

My imaginary friend has also become a real inspiration. Which takes elements of my present and former life and makes them more exciting and fun. My current favourite has been the turning the Tyrrell's statue Albertosaur "Lillian" into Traumador's current crush.

So despite my lack of a single inspiration or a coherent post, here's looking to the future, and the almost art I'll be churning out! (This last picture being the spaceship from my most recent movie project Delta Patrol. Check out its production here).

Comics Again

Probably the closest I've had to an addiction problem (which wasn't CLOSE to a problem at all) was my 4 year stint as a full time comic geek. I gave up my "geek cigarettes" in time for the move to New Zealand, and apart from 4 issues of Warren Ellis Ultimate Human and 1 issue (of 3) of the horrible Serenity sequel series Better Days, I haven't bought any since.

On this latest trip to Canada (this past August) one my big to do things was to clear as much of my stuff out of the parents' place as possible. As my comic collection took up a LOT of room it sadly hit the cutting block.

Naturally I was not pleased at the prospect or the inevitable outcome. Fortunately I found a great two prong approach to make this sacrifice a little less painful. It turns out my comic collection (and I'm sure most other people's) can be broken down into two categories:

Comics of experimentation or short term interest or those that are keepers. Turns out about a quarter of my comics were those that I thought I'd try out and pick up anywhere between 1 to 6 issues. Than there were series I bought at the time due to moderate interest, but now I could care less for. All these books, nearly 1/2 of what I was holding on to, went to a used book shop and fetched me a mighty $25. So if you're holding onto all your comics as your retirement fund maybe time for a different plan.

As for the books I really enjoyed and still re-read I didn't wish to get rid of them so heavy handily. The night before I was going to lug the last half of my comics to the used book store I was fortunate enough to have a coffee with a friend who hearing I had the first 60 issues of Ultimate X-Men insisted she'd take them. I made the terms be she take ALL my keeper comics. This was better solution for me. It meant my collection would be definitely enjoyed more, won't sit on a self collecting dust in the used book store, or worst of all just be thrown out.

At the same time this left me comic-less (minus my trade paper backs). Till my friend Mike hooked me up with digital backups. Now I point out here that if I were to have digital copies of books I didn't owe this would be piracy, but 90% of the stuff on my removable harddrive are issues I legitimately bought. The remaining 10% are those issues of things I couldn't track down (mostly old back issues).

So I have comics again! For the first time in nearly two years! I'm loving it frankly. Even if on the computer their a little more tricky to read.

Figured I'd run you through a few of my favourite titles.

Warren Ellis' Planetary the series that started me reading comics. The funny thing was back than I didn't get the referencing to other comics that this series was based on. It was just a compelling conspiracy story. The other funny part is this series has been running for nearly a decade with a whooping 25 issues... The last issue of the whole series has supposed to be coming out my whole time in New Zealand. Meaning the instant I move back to Canada the last issue will finally come out! Hopefully I move back than...

Frank Millar's The Ultimates (avoid Jeph Loeb's current run like the plague!) the title that got me buying comics in the first place. The first 6 issues of both series are among the most realistic and believable superheroes in comic history. Hard to believe their based on the regular main stream Marvel Avengers, one of my least favourite groups of comic characters ever.

The Birds of Prey, specifically the Gail Simone run but I really like Chuck Dixon's as well, was the ongoing book I looked forward too more than any other. Well written female characters are rare in comics so this book was a treat, and to be written by a good female writer made it all the better! I also loved that the main hero of the book is superhero of information who doesn't actually fight bad guys in person.

One of the biggest surprises when I really delved in comics. Sean Mckeever's Sentinel. On paper it sounds like a rehash of the Iron Giant. A geeky kid finds a broken Sentinel (X-Men killing robot) fixes it to fill in the void of his life. I ignored it till Mike insisted I pick it up.

Holy crow! It was one of the most character driven books I've read. The Sentinel turns out to be "fun" substitute for a gun in a kid friendly but yet dark examination of school shootings. Of course the main character doesn't go that route, and after the first 6 issues the book delves into all sorts of other teenage issues. Trust me its is worth picking up the two nice little complete Marvel published digests of this series!

Since I'm on the topic of comics I can't suggest stuff without a cross-over. Typically these involve a central cross over book with tie ins in the other normal books. My pick for best cross over doesn't have the tie ins (both fortunately and sadly). The Ultimate Galactus Trilogy by Warren Ellis. Made up of 3 "different" series that all lead into each other as the Ultimate world learns of the most dangerous threat to the planet it'll ever face!

Though the first story Nightmare is quite forgettable (other than the last few pages which set up the main point of the series) Secret and Extinction are amazing. Not only for the pacing and delivery of the story, but the direct tie-in and referencing of established Ultimate continuity (especially Ultimate FF). Something modern Ultimate books don't do anymore.

Since all the comics I'm suggesting are of the new millennium I figured I toss in a retro comic. Classic Suicide Squad by John Ostrander is more fun than you can shake a Manhunter at. The premise being that with the huge cost of containing super villains in prison the US government decides to get some worth out of the investment, and starts bribing or forcing these captured super people into the most dangerous of missions for the state. The book lives up to its name. Lots of team members die, and thus its a real diverse book as the line up changes arch to arch. Yet at the same time the regulars who manage to survive (even just for a few storylines) became some of DC's best villains in the pages of this book.

So it's good to have comics again. I do sort of miss not getting new ones, but most of my favourite aforementioned books are either gone or headed up by different writers (in the case of The Ultimates, Jeph Loeb has managed to turn my favourite book into an outright joke!) so I'm safe from getting back into the habit anytime soon.

The Ball

Yeah well its nearly two months since this event happened, but I thought I'd throw up the pics from it finally.

So at the end of July the hall held its annual Ball. For those of you who don't remember last year's was where me and Rhonwyn first met. So this occasion had a bit of significance. Even if it didn't coincide with our one year anniversary at all (last year's was in May as opposed to this year's in late July).

One of the few pictures of me in my rented suit (on my camera anyways). It was an India style suit, and I have to say when I get around to buying a new suit it'll be one like this. I very much liked it.

The lovely ladies Rhonwyn, Clare, and Amber.

Of course the loveliest of all was of course this little lady... though I should go and photoshop out the red eye. Just too much on the go these days.