The Leaning Tower of Pizza

Never a dull moment on Wednesday! It started off simply enough, having woken up late after staying up as late as I did (you all know that from the previous entry... whoops). Most of it has been spent doing a bit of spring cleaning, cooking, and hanging with my bestie, who everyone knows to be on the top of the tier list. (If you did not previously know this, check out your nearest tier list - Skye is most undoubtedly at the top, and if she's not, your tier list is old and needs to be updated to the August 29th, 2012 "SKYE IS TOP TIER" version.)

More importantly, Wednesdays are known around these parts as 'club day' - also known as the Super Smash Bros. Club at the University of Victoria (UVic), where various peeps come together to play all sorts of awesome games (and the club's namesake, of course). We've got tons of people who play Magic: The Gathering, some come together to play League of Legends exclusively; there are others who play obscure-looking fighting games on the PS3... Whatever floats your boat, it's probably being done here. Personally, when I'm not indulging in kicking everyone's butt at Brawl (unless it's against Rob... then it is my butt that is being kicked), I either partake in playing N64 games with some peeps, browse around/write on my laptop, or on the spare occasion when I bring it, I will play games on my DS Lite. My latest DS obsession is Okamiden, which may or may not have been directly influenced by Chuggaaconroy's recently started Let's Play of it.

Today, though, I engaged in the beautiful act of pizza delivery. As it is the final club meet of the semester, we like to mark the occasion with a celebration of some kind - this time, as the title implies, it's a pizza party! The name of the entry itself is a quote from the Little Caesar's employee who had the fun task of stacking our boxes on the counter. I had an internal giggle fit upon hearing it. I whipped out the camera for the sheer hilarity I saw before me:

Those boxes have nice hair - and eyebrows

Fifteen boxes of beautiful pizza, eleven pepperoni and four cheese. The whole gang is consuming them as I write this. Skye and I took our own bounty of the spoils:

Yummy!

... and proceeded to not finish them because she and I have small shrunken stomachs and we are incapable of consuming two entire boxes of pizza by ourselves. Oops.

Not to be outdone by our morals, though, the tempting offer of cookies proved too great and we consumed a few despite ourselves. I couldn't help it - Chewie was telling us to!

You can't resist this adorable face

There was also a friendly message on the board reminding us that Chewie indeed wanted us to eat his cookies:

That's me longing for the cookies on the left

So now I feel fat and to make things even better... when Skye and I choose to leave at a likely arbitrary time such as 2-3AM, we are going to walk down to Mac's Convenience Store and indulge in some Cherry Kool Aid slushies. Well, it's nearing the end of the summer so we might as well succumb to some indulgences before fall and winter sets in! As the kids are saying nowadays, YOLO, right? =P

Off to play some Okamiden now and maybe chat to some nerds (and get completely lost in what they're discussing, as per the norm); hope you're all enjoying your Wednesday evening/night! 

HTML Noob

It took me awhile, but I finally figured out how to get those pesky image buttons above in the alignment I wanted them to be in. The first image naturally hangs out on the left side, which I am completely kosher with, but the others all wanted to be in a second row all over the place! If it wasn't that, the link that directs you to the site would refuse to work, or my code would decide to rewrite itself after I pressed the save button! I was used to very basic HTML functions being written in for me (such as in forums) so to write everything myself took a bit of time.

I bet even the most novice of programmers are laughing at this right now. I am a bit of a noob, so I welcome all the humour and self-deprecation.

Oh, speaking of those image buttons, I crafted a quick one for my blog should anybody wish to include mine on theirs:

In order to make use of this fancy button, you're going to need to have added the HTML Editor gadget to your blog, and then you can use this code to get it to work:

<a target='_blank' title='She Who Wanderlusts' href=' http://ladyhood.blogspot.ca/'><img src='http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7779/shewhowanderlustsaffili.png' border='0'/></a><br>

Learning a new platform to make my blog aesthetically pleasing certainly has been fun so far! Who knew blogging could be so much fun? :)

Well, it is nearing 5am now and I believe it would be smart to head to bed... I have much to do on this Wednesday, and not that much time to get everything done!

Have a great night, all. Hope you're all doing well, wherever (and whenever) you are!

Renovations

After several months hiatus and not really knowing what to do with this blog after the spring semester was over (as this blog was created as part of a requirement with my FA 245: Arts and Technology I class), the time has come for a much needed reboot!

As a new phase of my life begins, I have decided that I will virtually document my adventures and experiences here on this blog, not only to let my friends and family know what I'm up to on occasion, but as a slightly personal journal of sorts that I can later look back on and marvel at what I may have been up to at any particular moment. Based on my enthusiasm and interest in reading my former entries for class, I can see this being a rewarding idea.

Entries will not ever be specifically themed, but more based on anything that seems important or is on my mind at the time of writing them. Undoubtedly there will be Red Rogues entries, as that is a predominant aspect of my life right now, but there will also be life snippets and other varied interests to share. We'll all find out what those things are when the time comes!

The last few hours have been spent learning how to customize this blogspot page. Backgrounds that are not a preset template require additional CSS code in order to work, and let's just say that I'm not entirely proficient in the language of programming (even for simple lines) and Blogger isn't exactly 100% newbie friendly with its layout. Oh well, got there eventually! It's not the most aesthetically pleasing I could have done (admittedly it's a bit rushed, as I wanted to get something up here without being too nit-picky on the quality), so there may be some changes in the near future in regards to color (what I have at the moment is... erm, unique haha) and certain aspects of the banner (Chibiterasu seems a bit too sharp, maybe that's just me).

Random exciting news moment: my buddy Skye is starting up her own blog! You can view it here at http://thefictitiousscribbler.blogspot.ca/. In the future, when I can figure out code a little better, I plan on adding an affiliate button to my page that will directly link to her blog. I really like the name 'The Fictitious Scribber' - very appropriate with what she plans to do with it, from what I've heard! Looking forward to reading some entries!

Not going to ramble too much with this entry, just wanted to oil the machine and get those gears moving, if you know what I mean.

For now, I'm going to leave you all with what I have been listening to for this past little while - I have always adored the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, and someone has seen fit to upload the entire trilogy's music on Youtube for our enjoyment! I've certainly been reminiscing about key scenes and at the same time the music causes my imagination to go wild. You really can't go wrong with the fantasy genre... especially not when it is accompanied with such an epic orchestra.

RIDERS OF ROHAN! LET'S RIDE!

Blog Reflection

In the semester before attending this course, I had very strict definitions and guidelines imprinted in my mind for how to evaluate what constitutes ‘art’ and ‘technology’ respectively. I never saw the two as relatable beyond being able to use one as a tool to create the other as a product. By default, I was a person that would focus on what differentiated the two subjects – one is (usually) devised and defined by its electrical components; the other is most commonly seen as a creative process that either highlights the power of imagination or as a means to address/challenge political and social issues – rather than noticing their shared similarities. This is how society conditions us to view them, as the two are always under separate categories in the educational spectrum. ‘Fine Arts’ and the ‘Sciences’ promote a limited view (or particular perspective) of the subjects they are attempting to define. If you associate more as being a creative mind, you are considered ‘artsy’. If your talent lies in logistics, you must be a nerd or an engineer.

This class, above all else, revealed to me my own personal biases and the rather ambiguous method I subconsciously use to judge what is considered ‘art’. I realized fairly early on that I was having a hard time wrapping my head around some of the artistic pursuits we covered in the lectures. Is networking art? It’s a fine example of technology, but is using the internet to open and close a door simultaneously (in response to another door’s movement) actually an art form? In the sense that it is creative, one could argue the artistic value in it, but my mindset saw it as simply another quirky way to use technology.

Having grown up as a digital native, the division between technologies and art were clear. Technology (which I have a natural affinity to) was any tool (electrical or otherwise) that served a specific purpose. Art was a creative outlet in which individuals could explore various mediums and share with the world either aspects of themselves or messages they wished the public to notice. Now that there has been a semester’s worth of ideas and discussions circulating through my brain, I find it harder to distinguish any notable difference between the two categories. How is building technology not creative? That alarm clock on my desk is an art form, not simply because of the function it performs but because its design was an intentional aesthetic decision by its manufacturers. Every form of art ever - whether it be the Red Rogues or those McDonald’s pony figurines currently displayed on my shelf - required technology to enable its existence. The two go hand in hand; one frankly cannot exist without the other, for their premises, at their core, are nearly the exact same thing. They are all creative inventions with their own unique purpose.

My technological portrait (this blog) was largely influenced by that mindset. At first, my indecisiveness led me to post about anything that might have been going on that particular day that seemed to have relevance. Reading back on those entries, they were very thoughtful and applicable with the course themes, even if I was not 100% certain that they were at the time. As I had predicted in the first few posts, my subjects were largely based on a specific threshold of ideas – all projects personally related to myself: Red Rogues and school projects, mainly, showcasing the work I had been doing for other classes that related to the arts and technology theme. As I discovered and mentioned above, I came to the realization that anything could really be spun to be a harmonization of the arts and technology, so mostly everything I did this semester was technically relevant to the project. Perhaps that is the main reason why this blog consists mostly of my own material, though to be honest when I find nifty projects created by others, I am not hardwired to think “Oh, this would be great for the blog!” The first time that epiphany struck me was with the Game of Thrones post… which is certainly a most recent and last minute endeavour after an entire semester of opportunity.

           

Overall, this course was an enjoyable experience and I definitely recommend keeping the technological portrait as part of the curriculum. It is a fun way of expressing yourself while relating to the course themes (the best way to learn is through application and experience, after all). My initial worry when I heard about the project was that I wouldn’t be updating it enough. I do think that 20 (perhaps one more after this entry, we will find out) is a decent number, considering the demands of the semester altogether.

Thanks for the great semester! It’s been a lot of fun!

Vanessa Hood

Game of Thrones Theme - Violin Cover

I absolutely love the Game of Thrones intro. The video is the most incredible effort I have ever seen for television series, and it's so well done! The theme song has a tendency of playing on loop in my brain for hours because it is just soooo good (and very catchy and memorable, too).

Here is the original, for those few that have not actually seen it yet:

The main reason why I have brought this topic up is that I recently came across an amazing violin cover of the theme song. I have always been a fan of the violin and have always wanted to learn how to play the instrument (the sounds it produces is gorgeous, after all), so any original/cover that is particularly well made gets automatic kudos for me. This guy here is a true professional at work:

As Game of Thrones has grown increasingly popular and into the mainstream, it is unsurprising that parodies galore are cropping up in unexpected places. One of my personal favourites has to be The Simpsons intro spoof, which has Springfield developing in a similar style to that of the fantasy world epic crafted by George R.R. Martin. Unfortunately I cannot embed the best quality video I have seen of this intro (all the Youtube uploads were taken down) but I can at least link you to the page here: http://io9.com/5890410/watch-the-simpsons-game-of-thrones-intro

Also, there is nothing better than popular culture mash-ups, and that's what you'll get with this fan-made Game of Thrones intro given the My Little Pony treatment:

This post feels like one of the first entries I've made in awhile that does not focus so much on what I personally create, but rather showcases my appreciation for what other members of society can do in creating an artistic masterpiece. I guess that is a good thing, since I shouldn't always be so self-absorbed.

Have a great night all! Hope you enjoyed a video-centric entry. :)

I Wish...

... that I was an artist. Or perhaps I should clarify, a visual artist, as I am fully aware that writing is considered an art form in its own right. I was never particularly amazing with my drawings when I was younger, and thanks to my being exceptionally self-conscious during my childhood, I lacked the motivation to improve. After all, the best way to hide mediocre artwork was to never create any in the first place.

That easily explains why my drawings look like they have been done by a third grader.

Why am I prefacing this post with slight self-deprecation towards my ability to draw? Simple. I am about to show examples, yay!

Around a month ago I mentioned that I had to pitch another game idea for my Game Strategy and Design class. I gave you all the scoop in advance with a pre-screening of the pitch 'Escape the Biebs!', and now I'm about to do it again. I have been working on the storyline images that will serve as an introduction to the game - why I am the artist for this, I cannot fathom - and considering the time constraints and balancing with other classes... they're not too bad. They could be better (for starters, I could get off my lazy butt and shade them if I had the time, to make them more glossy), but they'll serve their purpose in the limited time we have to put it together.

Here are a couple of examples, to show you what I mean:

 

Perhaps I'm not being too fair on myself by judging these. If I had a lot more time available, they'd be much higher quality than they are. I guess they're already 'high quality' compared to most of the other groups in the class, though, since most of them don't even have a developed storyline (or images to accompany them)! I still have a lot more to get through... hoping to maximize the weekend to the fullest for this project and the remainder for my other classes.

Nearly done the school year, all! Best of luck with your future endeavours!

Social Media: To What Connectivity Do I Indulge?

Last night's presentations were either exclusively about a social media platform (Facebook, Second Life, the history of social media as a whole) or on technologies as a way of interconnectivity to interact on these aforementioned platforms (through such means as a cell phone - though it went much further where they discussed the impact of cell phones on everyday life). It was interesting hearing my classmates' experiences and it inspired me to make a blog entry to comment on my own personal experience with social media.

My social media experience began with Myspace in 2004. I enjoyed being able to construct my own page (Myspace was a very customizable platform, probably being a major reason why it was so popular at the time) and had joined pretty much because my brother had and his interactions with other people intrigued me. He primarily used it as a source to find music and was on everyday listening to previews of upcoming albums and the like. As soon as I joined, I lost interest in it immediately. I did not want to disclose any information about myself (I was 13 at the time, so that was a good mindset to have in hindsight) and once the novelty of editing an internet page wore off I had no desire to continue running it.

It was a very abrupt and short-lived experience. :p

Fast-forward to March 2007. A friend that I had just been getting really well acquainted with that year (you might have heard of her... Skye Braham :D) asked me to join Facebook because she had just signed up and didn't have many friends on her list yet (she wanted to try out the system with someone; understandable). It was March break at the time so we dawdled around, drawing 'graffiti' on each other's walls (the option was removed a long time ago, but it was possible at one point to draw on a small template rather than just text the person). It was fun, but we didn't really care about it too much. Facebook did not see much activity from me between 2007 - 2009; didn't feel there was much point to, since I saw mostly everyone I was friends with in person everyday. Graduating high school changed that for me. It soon gained a purpose because suddenly everyone was going off in different directions and it became the only way to communicate with most of them. 2009 - 2010 still did not see me using Facebook too much, however, because most friendships had grown distant and I spent most of my free time hanging out with Skye. That time period is still one of my all-time favourites and I wouldn't trade it for the world. When I moved out to Victoria (I had lived in Nova Scotia for five years prior), it became more a necessity to keep in contact with my east coast buddies. I had still never owned a cell phone so the internet/email was the only way to talk to me.

Nowadays, from the later half of 2011 to present day, the experience and usage has again shifted. I was quite literally forced to get a cell phone by my parents in August 2011, who both reasoned that:
1) If there was any emergency, they could inform me immediately;
2) I'm growing up and should have one already because I'll need it for future jobs/whatever;
3) All of my friends have one so I could text them while I'm on the go, wouldn't that be convenient?

I never wanted a cell phone. I found it annoying that other people would disrupt my conversation with them just so that they could check it every time it vibrated (and then give more attention to that conversation rather than with the one they were currently having in person) and anyone who owns one generally grows a dependency to it and brings it everywhere with them (they cannot just remain disconnected). I didn't want to be like that, so I would always refuse (there was also the fact that I'd have to pay for it, which I did not want to do) the pressure in getting one. I still wish I didn't have it but it's been the only way to communicate with certain people because they don't have the time to get online. I mostly use it to occasionally text with Skye. No one ever calls me and I generally do not call anyone either because it would charge them long distance. I sometimes forget it in my room and do not particularly care if I'm parted with it. I do not use any of its functions except for texting; I do not go on the internet or listen to music or play games or any of the other bells and whistles I presume it does. I save that for when I am at home and on the computer. I do not need to be connected to that level everywhere I go.

My Facebook experience did not change too much from the inclusion of the phone - I still only message the same couple of people on Facebook and might post a monumental landmark in my life if anything significant happens. Recently, as Skye is a marketing student, she has been discovering and exploring the powers of social media as an advertising tool for Red Rogues. That has certainly got me inspired and interested, so the shift in personal usage is bound to change again when I have further progressed in writing the novel!

On a random note, I've never played Second Life but it seems like it would be fun to explore and view everyone's creative inputs there. I am a traditional 'gamer' and any MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) I lose interest in relatively quickly, but it would be a fun jaunt to fiddle around with it at some point.

Social media, is it a major part of my life? If Skype counts, the answer is a MAJOR yes, as Skye and I are constantly brainstorming and collaborating our ideas on there. If not, I do believe that I could easily disconnect myself from the Facebook juggernaut. It does not run my life, and it is not a necessity to my well being.