Riverfire F111 flyby

August 30th, 2008

Still under broadband speed cap. It sucks.

Here is a shoot of the flyby taken from my iPhone:

Popularity: 8% [?]

Categories: Stuff | Tags: Brisbane, flyby, iphone, Riverfire | 5 Comments

Own improvement

August 28th, 2008

That was supposed to sound a little like home improvement but you know, about yourself.

There are two things that I’m setting myself goals for, both of which will lead to further goals, well the fulfilment of further goals anyway.

Increasing my reading speed - I’m currently reading the first book in the Saga of Seven Suns which is kind of like a fantasy novel series but science fiction. They are long books, really interesting but long and I have six more to get through after I finish this first one. Thing is it feels like I’m taking forever to read it and that presents problems. One problem is that I get distracted really easily and move on, there are a long list of started but not finished books in my library. The second problem is that I want to read a hell of a lot more and I really want to finish this series (up till the latest book at least). I don’t have enough time to dedicate whole days to this goal.

My current reading speed is around 270 words per minute (wpm). The book that I just picked up from the library claims that I can increase it to about 1000 wpm if I follow its program. Normally I don’t go in for this type of stuff but obviously it works for some people, why not me. My current comprehension levels are around 80% too which I’m not too unhappy with as my comprehension has always been pretty good (for the things I actually set my mind to).

So I’ve done some of the exercises and have already increased or stretched myself to around 314 wpm but my comprehension went way down (probably because the TV is on in the background and I found it hard to concentrate). I’m determined to at least finish the book and see if I can at least get to 600 wpm (although I’ll aim for 1000). I’ll keep you up with that progress.
Drawing perspective - the second thing I’ve decided to work through thanks to a book I found in the library today is a book on drawing proper perspective. It’s a fundamental that often differentiates good artists. I’ve done some perspective stuff in the past and have been lucky in the past. I’ve never really ever dedicated myself to practising it in the past so once again I’m going to work my way through the book and try and imprint it in my head.

I’ll probably post that progress over at the posterous blog.

Anyone else working on any fixer-upper projects on themselves?

Popularity: 7% [?]

Categories: Stuff about me | Tags: comprehension levels, drawing perspective, novel series, reading speed, saga of seven suns, Science Fiction | 26 Comments

I dunno, you can say what you want about Tom Cruise but truth be told I can still enjoy Top Gun. When they were first attempting to sell surround sound systems, DVD players and big screen TVs all they would do is pop in the newly released with no special features and probably a cardboard cover Top Gun DVD into the player and you could see the men being drawn over to that corner.

Hey, I admit I was one of those guys who saw in the corner of my eye a fighter jet do a barrel roll, realise that they were showing Top Gun and abandon my wife to the blank VHS tape aisle.

So now they’re saying that they are in talks to drum up a Top Gun 2 with Cruise as one of the instructors. Done right this could be most triumphant and very welcomed, done poorly and it could be Starship Troopers 3: I want to like it but it makes it too damn hard to.

I’m willing to forget the kookiness of Cruise for a decent Top Gun sequel, they have to bring back Iceman though and at least it’s not a remake, I am so sick of remakes!!!

Popularity: 7% [?]

Categories: Movies | Tags: big screen tvs, fighter jet, sequel, starship troopers, tom cruise, top gun, vhs tape | 12 Comments

Simpsons Live Action Style

August 27th, 2008

I have no idea why this was done and what it is for, I imagine some British advertising for The Simpsons. No matter what it is very clever:

Popularity: 6% [?]

Categories: Stuff, Top five | Tags: simpsons, The Simpsons | 10 Comments

Now You Can Have Made Up Embarrassing Photos From High School!

August 26th, 2008

Someone over at Posterous (yes I will stop going on about that site one of these days) posted a picture of a real life poster advertising the website Year Book Yourself.

The run down of the site is that you upload a photo and then the site (along with a little help from yourself) can show you what you would have looked like if you had graduated in a bunch of different years.

It is actually as bad as it sounds.

Enjoy:

$That\'s a nice turtle neck$

You can go back a little further and make yourself look like Corey Feldman:

And my absolute favourite because it reminds me of Henry Swanson from Big Trouble in Little China:

Oh and by the way I posted a new drawing at Posterous

Popularity: 7% [?]

Categories: Stuff | Tags: Big Trouble in Little China, corey feldman, embarrassing photos, Posterous, year book | 13 Comments

QYDJ: The soundtrack

August 26th, 2008

This is one of those posts that you think up the title and the general concept and then realise that you have no idea how to actually flesh out your clever idea.

The was if I were to choose music from and inspired by the blog Quit Your Day Job what would I want on that soundtrack? Since of course I see this site as a natural extension of myself then the soundtrack would have to be a soundtrack of me.

Knowing this I also decided to make this a volume one. There are just too many songs in my life for just one 12 track CD! And thus in the future there may be more instalments.

All my songs are old!?!

I like contemporary music, I really do, but then I liked plenty of music only to regret it later on, so when I tasked myself with narrowing the songs down I looked at the bigger picture, not simply what is moving me right now.

The song listings are as much of a mix up as this site , as I am. I like all kinds of music, which is probably why I’m drawn more to compilations/soundtracks than artist albums.

So why not gather the tracks far and wide and stick them on your MP3 player and step inside my head for a little bit (just remember to pick up after yourself).

Paranoid Android - Radiohead (1997)
Kiss - Tom Jones with the Art of Noise (1988)
Everybody Knows - Leonard Cohen (1988)
You Could Be Mine - Guns N’ Roses (1991)
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison (1988)
Oh Yeah - Yello (1986)
The Ship Song - Nick Cave and the Badseeds (1990)
The Cosmic Shame - Tenacious D (1997)
All You Need Is Love - The Beatles (1967)
Iron Man - Black Sabbath (1971)
Intergalactic - The Beastie Boys (1998)
Spider-Man cartoon theme - Bob Harris (1967)

So this isn’t a meme but feel free to do it on your own site and be sure to link back!

Popularity: 9% [?]

Categories: Music, QYDJ | Tags: Black Sabbath, Bob Harris, Guns N' Roses, leonard cohen, Music, nick cave and the badseeds, Poison, Quit Your Day Job, QYDJ, radiohead, Soundtrack, Tenacious D, The Beastie Boys, The Beatles, tom jones, Yello | 17 Comments

Could I borrow one of your DVDs?

August 25th, 2008

Ummm well no actually.

I’m weird about it, I don’t even really like my DVDs in other people’s DVD players.

Anyone else feel funny about lending their DVDs, CDs etc out?

Popularity: 5% [?]

Categories: DVD | Tags: CD, DVD, dvd movies | 26 Comments

I promised no red in this picture

August 25th, 2008

Tracey noticed that all of the pictures I’d been drawing have all been predominately red. She was right of course except for Abe and Johann but the red in Hellboy and Deadpool more than made up for them.

So then I decided I wanted to draw a character with a bit of colour, also I wanted to try out the new paper:

Ok now I promise the next post won’t be a drawing, I can’t promise anything for the one following though :).

Popularity: 6% [?]

Categories: Art | Tags: Aquaman, drawing, illustration, ink, new paper | 6 Comments

Twittering first episode of Charlie Jade

August 24th, 2008

Well with the news that SGA is abandoning me at the end of the season I figured I might branch out into some other scifi series that I’m aware of.

First one was Charlie Jade that whilst I know only goes 20 episodes has just been released here in Australia on DVD.

I decided after visiting cousin Larry to check out the first episode and also thought why not clog up twitter with my random thoughts throughout… everyone at Twitter was very appreciative I’m sure. Here is the transcript for the non-twitterers to enjoy also:

about to settle in and watch Charlie Jade - I kind of hope that it isn’t very good because I’ll have to track down the rest of the series
damn vexcorp corporation hiding parallel universes from us
I love whatever place they filmed the opening sequences
They just got a watermelon, from an alternate universe I suspect… cool, imagine the impact on your local fruit market
I’ve got to say that the production quality is quite good, bit of an explanation of the universe we’re in - some south african accents too
hey! the ghost train from GB2 just showed up
I like the soundtrack over the opening credits.
Mmmmmm bit of a Blade Runner’ish feel to it.
$32.50 for a bloody coffee?!?! Starbucks has gone nuts in the Charlie Jade universe.
No one wants to go to Brock Harbour…
Dude works for himself rather than working for the man - sweet. He is however being stared at by a ladybeetle with a camera in its back..?
Damn, nice big gun, plus he has different jackets for each occasion, hope he got a bulk discount from Myer
Righto he just found a cupboard full of severed arms, and then the cupboard fell on him and a one armed man ran off - connected??
Charlie has an attractive girlfriend and shares in Microsoft.. I mean Vexcorp… I’m betting everything is going to go to shit for him
Someone left a girl on Charlie’s front door step, kittens are easier to feed and find new homes for
Apparently in the Charlie Jade universe the police don’t deal with date rape cases they palm them off to PI’s like Charlie
Ah hah the girl is from our universe and has crossed over into theirs somehow
Break for chocolate ice cream - in case I’ve confused everyone I’m twittering my first viewing of Charlie Jade..
also breaking because my cforms2 update didn’t work properly and now I’m fixing it
oh wow Charlie and his girlfriend are really really happy and have sushi - I’m giving it ten minutes or so
somehow they are sending water through the dimensional portal without pipes and stuff?
the gammaverse is concerned about the environment - they have a pretty beach and don’t want it wreaked
Charlie’s girlfriend doesn’t want to go on holidays? Weird.
The girl who was on his doorstep has shown up dead and the police are giving him a guilt trip - also the cop has a funny name
I’m not really sure why the police didn’t help the girl in the first place - all very mysterious no ID chip in her…
@kristarella no it never auto updates for me either - what’s Wufoo?
OK now Charlie is tracking down the pretty boy son of Vexcorp boss - this is going to end in tears
Weird scene in the gammaverse (?) where the environmentally concerned couple hold some container over the top of their brand new car..?
Charlie is now in some weird fluorescent lit bar where beer is expensive and warm and I think he’s going to get into a fight
and we have another jacket!!!
OK just to clarify Charlie lives in Alphaverse
Apparently in Alphaverse you can park your car in the middle of the road while chasing helicoptors
helicopters
oooooooohhh enviro couple in g-uni are terrorists/patriots
Now I’ve got three alternate universes converging
Ok kid stop poking the dude with a stick - Charlie has woken up in the desert after the eco couple blew up the place
Well ok he hasn’t woken up - he’s getting poked with a stick
yup ok I could watch more of this show - 19 episodes to track down

Some of that makes more sense if you happen to be watching the first episode too. Random parts however will never make sense so don’t even bother. I’m assuming I should lose about five followers out of this.

Check out the teaser to get idea of the show I’m talking about:

Popularity: 8% [?]

Categories: Television | Tags: alternate universe, Charlie Jade, parallel universes, random thoughts, sci fi, Science Fiction, Television, television science fiction, twitter | 6 Comments

Those are weapons in those crates

August 23rd, 2008

I took away some of the impressions I got of the Deadpool character and rushed out another marker drawing, I’m much happier with this over the first one (which was in itself just stretching out to test the feel of the character anyway).

The paper I’m using still isn’t that crash hot but I want to use it all up.