Edshugeo The GodMoor

Here, followed by comments that illustrate why it doesn't matter what they are called. Still, was fun to consider for a li'l bit.

Labels: Art, blogs, comics, possibilities for creative expression

I can too.
Maybe.

From Newsarama;

Announced at last month's San Diego Comic-Con, the babes-in-space concept has been called by Cho, a "rip-roaring space adventure of an all female crew explorers. Think Star Trek and Quantum Leap with a healthy dose of Wally Wood space girls." Sounds like something you'd like to read? How about would like to draw? You just might be able to. The series interior artist will be choosen through an official Image Comics Talent Search. The official rules and all you need (a six-page script and character designs) to submit an entry are below, courtesy of the publisher.

50 GIRLS 50 Talent Search RULES + NOTES

RULES

*To enter, you must illustrate six pages of sequentials based off the script by Doug Murray and Frank Cho.

*Artwork should be standard comic art size—11x17 inches. We want to
see pencils and inks.

*This Talent Search is open to everyone. No purchase is necessary.

*No snail mail. All submissions must be posted in its own thread on the 50Girls50 Message Board on www.imagecomics.com/messageboard

*The sole decisions of the judges (Frank Cho and Doug Murray) are final. You may think we’re stupid, but it’s our call.

*Winning artist is expected to start work on the 50-GIRLS-50 comic immediately. Deadlines are important, and failure to produce work on schedule will be grounds for replacement.

*Winning artist will also be expected to do promotional work on the new comic—after all, it never hurts to push your own product!

*All artwork produced for this Talent Search falls under the 50-GIRLS-50 copyright. This is a work for hire situation--you own the original art—but you cannot publish it without our permission—that would be a bad thing!

*Everything else falls under the rules, regulations, and laws of the United States of America—and IMAGE comics.

*Deadline: Friday, October 2nd by 12:00 PM EST

*Finalists will be chosen at Baltimore Comic-Con (October 10-11, 2009).

*Decision on which of the finalists will do the book will be made within 21 days of Baltimore Comic-Con—no later than Halloween (a trick and a treat!)

NOTES

*We want to judge your ability to draw every aspect of this comic. That means girls, spaceships, bug-eyed monsters, and anything else we can throw in. You have to be able to do all of it—not some, not most—all.

*It is important that you be able to do continuity—the telling of a story in panel form. The six trial pages are designed to show that you can do that.

Designs and script here...

Despite the task being beyond my meager talents, this is too cool not to try. Especially to render these ideas visually and to see (afterwards) how they've been interpreted by others. I'm assuming that the site that the work is being submitted to will display all(??)...

One minor thought; If they were serious about hiring somebody who could meet a deadline (apparently a problem in contemporary U.S. comicbooks), the deadline for six pages should'a probably been much shorter than a month. That said, I probably won't get it done that soon.


I've got a bunch of unused 2 ply bristol pads. My Rapidographs are probably dried up, but I got plenty o' pencils and a couple of erasers around here somewhere.

Sept. 12th, 2009 - I'm backing off'a this. Maybe. I knew it'd be difficult, but it is more-so than I imagined. Just conceptualizing the first page into thumbnails is kicking my ass.

Nov. 3rd, 2009 - A winner! I haven't yet seen what the other entrants were like, but this work is quite good. I like it. I like it.

Labels: Art, comics, fun, non music projects, possibilities for creative expression

I've had a PSP since about the end of 2005. The multimedia device has been an indispensable companion on my lunch breaks, long walks, commutes, and various situations involving waiting. Music, Wu-xia TV episodes, eBooks, Youtube videos (to show to unconnected friends/associates), music-making, and of course games. Some of these activities required hacking the thing. Other than that, I've had not too much to complain about.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was never a huge fan of the UMD format. Back when even 1 GB memory sticks were expensive, the disc format made some sense as there were games that came close to or exceeded the 1 GB mark. Dual layer discs could hold 1.8 GBs. So, it was fine for a while, for games. I never bought movies in the format. As I've stated a number of times, watching a feature film on a handheld just isn't my preference for a variety of reasons. UMD movies were never gonna happen for me. That they started out priced like DVDs ensured they never happened for a lot of people.

There were some rumours that Sony is about ready to unveil the PSP 2. Perhaps, the PSP Go! Aside from the slim models that followed the original and were only slight modifications, this one may offer a reason to upgrade. That it may ditch the UMD drive completely, is something that excites me as well as the notion that the media for it will be completely downloadable, and that it'll have a bit more internal memory (8-16 GB flash). The PSP-1000 (phat) constantly ran out of memory when web browsing.

Game downloads could cut down on piracy as I think (and I could be wrong) that downloadable games from the Playstation Store are more secure than UMD versions. For example, when I saw copies of Echochrome online (a while back), they were all European versions which I think were released on UMD instead of the PSN download that got released in the U.S.
Though not opposed to piracy, entirely, I bought the game, having enjoyed the demo immensely. Also, the ten dollar price was just right.

Playing games on the memory stick saves some battery life as well as physical space. Multiple games can be stored on the card rather than having to carry multiple discs. I mostly use an 8 GB.

The long desired 2nd analog stick will not be part of the upgrade. Too bad.

Some are worried about the lack of backwards compatibility that'll come with a UMD-less PSP. I'm not sure I care that much.

If a new PSP is to debut this year, then it'll probably be announced at next month's gaming event, E3. Looking forward to what other features may be included, and what will eventually be left to hackers and such. Also, whether or not Microsoft announces their entry into the gaming/multimedia portable market.* More competition is good.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Or maybe I should just get this.



Nah.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I came close to replacing my PSP at the end of last year, when the audio output jack got all statiky and eventually failed altogether. I opted to get it fixed at TechRestore instead of getting a new one. It cost about 70 or 80 bucks, but they did a great job and sent it back pretty quickly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like many, I had some trouble playing games purchased through the Playstation store/network, which was related to the custom firmware I'm using (5.00 M33-6, currently). Though it took me a while to get around to it, a fix was found easily enough;

"You have to disable the GAME plugins In the recovery menu go to Advanced - Advanced configuration, and Game plugins and disable it. Simple" - oxxMUDxxo

That done, I was able to get the Echochrome expansion and Everyday Shooter, which I play way more of on my PSP than on the PS3 (hardly ever). I have Everyday shooter on both.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The Zune-X? I doubt it, but we'll see.

Labels: Anticipay-yay-shun..., downloads, moments of incoherency, possibilities for creative expression, PSP, video games, youtube and other video

Ubuntu Studio 9.04 is out.

Haven't tried it, yet.

Later.

Labels: bittorrent, computers, downloads, good deal, Linux, music making, possibilities for creative expression

Song I've worked on and off (mostly off) since May 2008, using the program Energy XT2 in Windows XP. It's probably about done, though I will likely tweak it just a li'l bit, before I'm satisfied.

Plug-ins used; GTG DPC 3 (drums), SoHaSonata (synth), Classic compressor, Classic phaser, Classic EQ, classic flanger, Bionic Delay, as well as the program's own Synthesizer and FX DelayReverb.

A Demo was made back in 2006:



Lyrics:

I don't think you realize
just how proud I am
Just how impressed I've been
You've got the drive within
you're so long overdue
and you've long paid your dues
no one here gets an apology

sorry won't cut it
It's not in the budget
they want regrets
but they can forget it
you're doin' it your way
your way is the highway
blazin' on down the only road that gets you home

and that's why
I continue
to believe in you

and
you
should
too

takin' it underground
like you're fighting Manchus
showin' off your skills
as though you're good at kung-fu
The Five Deadly Venoms
couldn't get through your defences
forget the seven sins
your top priority is

You but not for you alone
for your strength will set the tone
and lift the hearts
of all of those around you
even those who put you down
and would see your failure crown
the doubts they've always bowed down to

and that's why
I continue
to believe in you

and
you
should
too

you rock well
and nobody does it better

(c) 2006-2009 George Isaacs


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.

Labels: downloads, lyrics, music, music making, my music, possibilities for creative expression, PsychoVoyager

By Yao Minji at Shanghai Daily

SO what else is new? Young people don't read books, certainly not the classics, not even classic martial arts. It's gotta be real simple, weird and online, writes Yao Minji.

Roger Zhou was shocked to find only two classic martial arts novels in Shanghai Book City on Fuzhou Road, the biggest bookstore in Shanghai. In the martial arts section, however, Zhou did see a large number of fantasy martial arts novels with video game-type jackets, and pen names like "Eagle in the Dust" and "Addicted to Your Pale Cheek."

Still, the section attracted many readers, mostly in their teens. Sci-fi fantasy martial arts are an emerging genre.

A shop assistant confirms that Zhou didn't miss any classics - there were only two new martial arts novels by Malaysian-born writer Wen Rui'an - and nothing by legendary Jin Yong (Louis Cha) or Gu Long (Hsuing Yao-hua), traditionally the best-known and best-selling writers.

Zhou's frustrating search for classic martial arts in print - and the emergence of online sci-fi fantasy martial arts - is a story in itself about the dying love of reading good books for pleasure. It's also about the onslaught of online novel publishing as millions of young people grind out primitive pulp fiction in hopes of making it big.

It's not true that young people don't read printed books - but they have to be utilitarian, improve their complexion or help them pass exams. Who wants to read old Lao She anyway? All you need to know for the exam is that he wrote "Rickshaw Boy" and "Teahouse." As for the classics, just watch the movie or buy a cheat sheet.

Now, on with Zhou's search for martial arts that he loved in high school.

Zhou, a 30-year-old student, is studying in a US graduate school and returned to Shanghai for winter break. As he browsed through his high school pictures, he suddenly wanted to read martial arts again. After all, China is the land of classics.

"When I was in high school and college, martial arts novels were so popular that many students hid books so they could read them in class," Zhou recalls.

"Back then, every bookstore had shelves of martial arts novels. Jin Yong and Gu Long would each take a shelf and people were crowded about and reading in the store," he says.

Although mostly written in the 1960s-70s, those martial arts novels remained popular and contained fascinating details about history, custom and manners. At the time parents and teachers considered them pulp fiction and a bad influence because of they contained violence and because they were so addictive.

Each of Cha's novels has been adapted into movies and TV dramas. The dramas still come out, faced-paced and action-packed, but the books and words are missing.

Astonished and dissatisfied, Zhou visited three more large bookstores. The bookstore on Nanjing Road E. (now branch of Shanghai Book City) used to be the biggest in the city before the book city was built, and it occupied four floors of a building. Now, the building has been turned into a shopping mall and the bookstore has been relegated to only one outlet on the corner of the third floor.

Although it's a Chinese bookstore, the entrance is filled with popular English novels like "Harry Potter" or English-language books about Chinese culture and tradition. A shop assistant who declines to be identified says the books are displayed this way to attract passing expats because "it's more likely that foreigners will buy books."

Popular nonfiction

As in most other bookstores, popular nonfiction about health and skin care, exam and finance books are most prominently displayed.

The shelves labeled "Youth/Campus Novels" and "Fantasy/Martial Arts" - many with lurid, tantalizing covers - represent the two biggest sections.

Continues here...

Labels: China, possibilities for creative expression, readin' an' writin', society, wu-xia

I don't have an iPhone, yet (ever?), but this new initiative from iVerse sounds interesting;

“We have developed an extremely simple iPhone Application that allows us to display comics that have been specifically formatted for the iPhone/iPod Touch.” said iVerse Media owner Michael Murphey. “What we’re doing is creating new comics, and adapting existing comics into a format that makes reading comic books an enjoyable and easy experience on these devices. There’s no “zooming” or “pinching” required. All you have to do is flick your finger.” Comics adapted using the iVerse Media software will be available in the iTunes App Store for as little as $.99. Some titles will be released free of charge. “Creators and Studios will be able to set the final prices on their titles, but we’re expecting most standard length titles to be around $.99, and we’re encouraging creators to give away the first issues of their titles to allow new readers who may not be familiar with comics, but are iPhone/iPod Touch owners, to give comics on the devices a try.” “With Digital Comics on the iPhone/iPod Touch we have access to a world wide audience, no printing costs or print run minimums, and it doesn’t take 3 months to get the title from in the catalog to on sale in a store. Each title will be featured as its own application in the App Store, and will be backed up onto the readers desktop or notebook computer each time they sync their device.”

99 cents for a normal length comicbook doesn't sound like a bad deal. Of course I wouldn't mind even lower prices. I guess we'll see how well the majors take to this idea, or if some talented indies take advantage of this opportunity.

iVerse Media is currently discussing comic adaptions and new creations from a variety of industry professionals and studios, and as of today (Aug. 25th 2008), is accepting submissions from new creators. Details on submission requirements can be found at: http://www.iversecomics.com/submissions/ Established creators and Studios wishing to contact iVerse about adapting existing comics, or creating new titles can do so at: http://www.iversecomics.com/contact-us/

Labels: comics, downloads, good deal, possibilities for creative expression

Some dude who wished stand up at his own wake got his request fulfilled. I hope this starts a trend.

Full story at the NY Post.

Labels: Awesome, death, fun, odd, possibilities for creative expression

Motion Comics are probably trademarked by Warners/DC, but I could see this being a generic term for the style of animation which uses comic book panels as their basis.

The Marvel cartoons of the sixties is a famous example of this;



Last week or so, I mentioned The Watchmen free video which was offered (for a limited time) as a free download. I like the idea of using this style of animation as a web and portable friendly way to present comic book stories. Since then I've also read about and watched something called Invincible,

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also animated from the original comic book, and seen trailers/previews for The Black Panther, which will be airing on BET

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and Batman: Mad Love which is available on XBox Live.

My main issue remains price. Seven 2 to 4 minute episodes of Mad Love on XBox live for over a dollar each makes the iTunes price of 2 bucks per 24/45 minute episode (of regular TV content) seem almost reasonable. But if they can be successful at those prices, more power to 'em. Not with my money, though.

Black Panther will air on a cable channel, the much hated (by black folk) BET. I don't think I want to see too much of this stuff on TV. If successful enough, it could hurt whatever's left of real animation that isn't imported from Japan.

That this stuff can be done cheaply is appealing, and perhaps we'll see more independent cartoonists animating their work in this way (good animation is hard, Flash - not so much), getting somebody they know with a decent speaking voice to narrate, generate a following on YouTube and then offering downloads where-ever at a sane price.

Pie in the sky, but the potential is there.

Labels: comics, downloads, possibilities for creative expression, XBox 360, youtube and other video

Kinda, sorta animated.

iTunes is offering free downloads (for a limited time, I think) of Watchmen #1, the original story and artwork animated from the panels (like those sixties Marvel cartoons, but better) with music and a voiceover guy. I only watched a few minutes of it, but I thought it was well done and a great way to present comics on the web. I'd like to see more.
I had no problem with a single narrator rather than having every character voiced individually. I think it works artistically, and makes sense economically.
Unfortunately, like all iTunes videos (that I'm aware of), this only plays on iPods and computers. Not PSPs.
Though once these "motion comics" become available for sale, we go back to the problem of portable TV and video episodes being priced at $1.99 a piece. I still refuse to accept that, even as Playstation.com is starting to make content available for the PSP and PS3.
Buuuuuuut, maybe this is different. It's not like The Daily Show which one can watch practically for free on cable, or serialized shows which are cheaper as DVD sets (and are converted to MP4s easily enough). I might be tempted to try some exclusive content, but not for an extended run. I also won't be paying for more episodes of The Watchmen as I've read the series already and know how it ends (aside from being too expensive). I do look forward to the Movie, which looks great so far (trailer and website link below...)

Plus:
Alan Moore loves The Wire, not so crazy about 300.
Watchmen movie website
and the trailer:

Labels: Anticipay-yay-shun..., comics, downloads, movies, possibilities for creative expression, youtube and other video

Tip o' de hat: James Hudnall

Labels: media, possibilities for creative expression, society, solutions?, technology, Truth, youtube and other video

Rock Band is the newest music rhythm game from the creators of Guitar Hero. I ignored Guitar Hero because I already play guitar (sorta). I feel guilty enough that I spend more time playing videogames than I do playing music. That would be compounded if I wasted time playing fake guitar when I could be playing real guitar.

Rock Band offers a little something different. In addition to the fake guitar and some kind of microphone (!!?), a USB Drum peripheral: four pads on a stand and a foot pedal for the bass drum. When I heard about that I immediately thought back to a program made earlier this year (or maybe it was last) that turned the Wii controllers into drum triggers on a PC.
Beyond the game itself are some interesting possibilities. I don't think it would train me to be a real drummer, exactly, but there's some music making potential here.

I was wrong to assume that one could choose which version of the package they wanted, but apparently you can't. The plastic drum set plus game would be a decent buy at eighty bucks, but the game only comes with instruments if you get the all in one special edition with game, guitar, mic, and drums. That's about $170.00. The drums do not come with the game. It's $80.00 and the game is $60.00. Not such a good buy anymore and the peripherals won't be available separately until late January/early February.

Next week's release is the game sans instruments, and the special ed, with everything. I guess I'll have to wait. It'll give me more time to think about this.

Currently I'm playing Half Life 2 from the Orange Box (Portal was great) on the 360 and Grand Theft Auto 3 on the PS2.

January 24th, 2008 - The Rock Band Drums will be made available on February 12th, and maybe I'll be able to find the game at forty bucks or less. Some work has been done in getting the 360 set to work on a Windows PC, so I'm looking forward to playing. Also looking forward to learning how to play. That might help.


Rock Band Drums On Windows


A Drum Machine For Your Rock Band Drums


and a YouTube video...





February 24th, 2008 - Speaking of YouTube, that's probably not a bad place to start with drum lessons, like say, learning how to even hold drum sticks. Some info I can definitely use. I picked up the set the other day, but didn't get the game yet. Also ordered a Pedal Metal reinforcement for the bass pedal, which is reportedly very fragile. Can be found on Amazon for about twenty bucks (also on eBay). I should have it in a few days. I installed the driver and the program (via the drum machine link above) and I can now play the drum set on my PC.

Labels: music making, possibilities for creative expression, PS2, video games, XBox 360, youtube

I'd almost forgotten about this. I thought I might do it this year, but I have other stuff on my agenda right now. It's a fun idea. You sorta freestyle 50,000 words in about thirty days and see where it leads.
I tried this a coupl'a years ago (in blog form), but didn't get far. Returning to it is on my to-do list, but that won't be happenin' anytime soon. If I change my mind and participate in this year's NaNoWriMo, it'll probably be something different.
Sign ups began today.

Labels: possibilities for creative expression

Swiped from the home page:

PSP Rhythm 6.0 is Released!
PSP Rhythm is the homebrew drum machine for the Sony Playstation Portable.
Inspired by classic drum machines such as the Linndrum and Roland TR-series, PSP Rhythm has been created to use a similar simple, yet effective sequencer.

PSP Rhythm uses a parameter feature that enable you to change the pitch, volume, balance, start, end times, cutoff and resonance per step to create moving, changing melodies and effects. This control over your sounds will give you much more creative freedom.

The on board Bass Line synthesizer in PSP Rhythm is similar to the classic Roland TB-303. TB-303 style features such as Accent and Slide are available. The real time control of the Cutoff and Resonance give you that authentic "Acid" sound that made the TB-303 Bass Line Synthesizer so famous.

Included effects are: Distortion, Slicer, Delay, Time Stretch, High/Low Pass Filter and Monophonic Sample Mode.

But wait! There's more;
PSP Rhythm 6.0 Song Contest!!!

The top 3 song entries will win a 1gb SanDisk Pro Duo memory stick.

Contest Rules:

1. Your song must be created with PSP Rhythm 6.0.
2. You can submit as many songs as you like but can only win one prize.
3. You must include your samples and bank file.

Bonus Points:

1. Using Effects
2. Using the Bass Line Synthesizer
3. Using Extended Mode

Submit your song to rconlives@yahoo.com before August 31st.

In our effort to give back to the PSP homebrew community we are using all the donations received for our project to sponsor this contest.

Good Luck!!!


I should also mention that it's free, though donations are accepted. I gave a li'l bit. It's a great program that makes the PSP that much more worthwhile to own. Too bad Sony has to be a dick on the issue of homebrew.

More details, downloads, and lessons here.

Labels: Awesome, downloads, fun, good deal, music making, possibilities for creative expression, PSP, PSP Rhythm

The newest version of this great drum machine for the PSP has been released.

From their homesite;

"With the release of version 4.0 a Bass Line synthesizer similar to a Roland TB-303 has been added to make this the most versatile homebrew drum machine for the PSP. TB-303 style features such as Accent and Slide are available, along with the real-time control of the Cutoff and Resonance you can get that authentic "Acid" sound that made the TB-303 Bass Line Synthesizer so famous.

"Version 5.0 adds Real Time Audio Effects. Included effects are: Distortion, Slicer, Filter, Delay and Monophonic Sample Mode. Effects assist in creating new and unique sounds. They assist you in getting the most out of your samples and the bass line synthesizer. With effects, Rhythm goes beyond a typical drum machine and is now a well rounded production suite."

Haven't tried it, yet, but I already know I'm gonna love it. Download it from the above link.


By the way, if you want to keep playing great programs like this on your PSP, DON'T UPGRADE YOUR FIRMWARE!!!! EVER!!! 2.7 has been realeased in Japan, and reportedly knocks out homebrew capability.

I made the mistake of upgrading to 2.6, enabling features, I've yet to make use of. I can still play homebrew on it, but it's a hassle having to wait for GTA: LIberty City Stories to load before I can do anything. Firmware 2.0 is optimal in my opinion, as it allows GTA to play as well as loading homebrew from the memory stick instead of the UMD. More info here. Many will find 1.5 better as it allows for pirated ISOs (not my thing, but if I could, I probably would) and there's a prog that will load 2.X firmware games on 1.5 PSPs.

Labels: Awesome, fun, music making, possibilities for creative expression, PSP, PSP Rhythm

Man, this guy is good. Dokaka is an a cappella-ist somewhat in the vein of Bobby McFerrin (but more of a metalhead) and that guy from the Police Academy flicks who did the special FX with his voice. I'd heard a little of his stuff in a preview for We Love Katamari, from a Playstation Underground magazine/disc, a little while back. Didn't blow me away, but I thought it was interesting. I did want to get the game, though.
The other day, I caught a small article about him in the latest issue of Wired, which I subscribe to (only ten bucks), and thought I'd check out his website. I downloaded a bunch of music, listened to some of it and was like "Holy shit!!!, This guy's fucking great!!! And he is, too. And there's a lot of music at his site. I haven't finished listening, yet.
I think every song of the week in April is gonna be a multi-track a cappella production. Obviously, they won't match the blinding brilliance that is Dokaka, but it does offer me a different way of approaching music for a little bit.

February 23rd, 2008 - there is no longer the huge collection of music that was on his site before, though, there are a couple of songs for purchase. More samples and video can be found on his MySpace.

Also playing in my PSP...

My Only Alibi (four song demo) - A guy I know at work is the lead guitarist for this band. I'm not a huge fan of emo (I think that's what this is), but all of these songs are rock solid. From the songwriting to arrangements and the musicianship. It's a little annoying to know someone about half my age who's this good, even if it's not unusual to find better musicians than myself.

Wendy And Lisa - Lolly Lolly and Are You My Baby from their 1989 CD, Fruit At The Bottom. I need to cut out the album intro from the beginning of Lolly, but otherwise I've always dug these two songs. Are You My Baby is sorta Camille/Prince in voice and production, though maby not much so, lyrically. My first two CDs were this and Living Colour's Vivid (both purchased simultaneously).

Still playing; GTA: Liberty City Stories, Donkey Kong Country, Metal Slug 2, K.E.T.M. and playing with PSPRhythm. Sony's apparently working on a PSOne emulator for the PSP so they can sell Playstation 1 games that work right off the memory stick. That sounds great, but if it comes at the cost of playing the games and programs I just mentioned (except GTA, which is safe), then I won't be participating in the inevitable firmware upgrade. The lure of being able to play Jumping Flash again, though...

Watching Romance Of The Three Kingdoms (up to "episode" 9 of 58, now).

Reading The Smiling Proud Wanderer (still on chapter one, I think), by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). Translated by Lanny Lin.

Labels: Awesome, fun, music, possibilities for creative expression, PS2, video games, wu-xia

I finally got homebrew running on my PSP (2.6 firmware), thanks to this article. Once that was done, I had to look for stuff to play with.

Among my favorites, so far...

KETM - Kill Everything That Moves: To me it's a pretty version of Space Invaders/Asteroids/Galaga, etc., but actually a port of some other game I've never heard of. Lot's of fun, though.

Art Of Fighting 3 - this requires a Neo Geo emulator called NeoCDPSP to run. There are a number of game ROMs available. I've only tried this one (which I like a lot) and Sengoku 2, which is okay, so far. I also have a GBA emulator, but it's slow and apparently soundless.

PSPRhythm - this one has me giddier than a schoolgirl. Here's a quote from it's creators:

Inspired by classic drum machines such as the Linndrum and Roland TR-series, PSP Rhythm has been created to use the simple, yet effective 16 step style drum sequencer. PSP Rhythm incorporates the use of audio sample playback instead of drum synthesis. PSP Rhythm has been directly influenced by one of our favorite modern drum machines, the Elektron MachineDrum. The most significant is our use of "parameter locks" (as used by the MachineDrum). Parameter locks enable you to change the pitch, volume, balance, start and end time per step to create moving, changing melodies and effects. This control over your sounds will give you much more creative freedom and allow you to not only use drums, but to use instruments in your music.

I've barely gotten started with this, and there's still much for me to figure out, but so far it sounds great. There's a great deal of potential here. My portable video game system/movie player/mp3 player/e-book/e-comicbook is now also a pocket song writing tool.

It also means that when Sony releases the next firmware update, I'll have to pass.

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Other stuff on my PSP...

Andy Richter Controls The Universe - why the FUCK isn't this on DVD, yet? I'd downloaded a bunch of these a couple of years ago. I saw a few, but stored the rest. I watched the first ep from the second season, yesterday. Brilliant!

Romance Of the Three Kingdoms - The kung fu isn't all that great and the male bonding a bit over dramatic, I still find this entertaining so far (I've only watched 3/4 of the first episode).

A few bizarre Golden Age Comicbooks that are apparently in the public domain. A few of these characters have appeared in Alan Moore's Terra Obscura. I may lift a few myself.

Super Spy - I've read the first two and I have the third. There are four more up as of this writing. Got some catching up to do, and I still haven't finished MPD Psycho.

Various mp3s from Hello Gina - standouts are
The Man Machine by Kraftwerk. Do I remember this song, or the song that sampled it in the early to mid eighties?
Catch My Disease by Ben Lee - there are some songs that cause these feel good secretions that I can sometimes feel happening in my brain. Adore and She Loves Me 4 Me by Prince, and Europa And The Pirate Twins by Thomas Dolby are among those. So is this. I love it.
Unite by Tiger Tunes - They can make you dance.

various mp3s from wherever, including:
Battle Without Honor Or Humanity by Tomoyasu Hotei - the fight song from Kill Bill.
Slave by Nadir - I still love this song.
American Woman by Lenny Kravitz - don't look at me like that.
Take Me To The River by The Talking Heads

Prince stuff like Black Sweat, S.S.T./Brand New Orleans, Beautiful Loved and Blessed as well as his recent performances on SNL and the Brit Awards.

and some of my own recent demos and projects as well as the originals to songs I covered by Cry For Life and Sinister Dexter.

Labels: comics, Crystal Walters, dead links, dorama, downloads, fun, music, music making, possibilities for creative expression, Prince, PSP, PSP Rhythm, video games

I have a vague concept, still evolving in my head, for a sci-fi story that takes the form of a series of retro-ish (40s-70s), and perhaps contemporary Black comics stories. I was aware of Negro Romance type comics (though I've still not read any) and was wondering what else was out there. I came across this great article (via google) about a man named Orrin C. Evans. Check it out.

"This has been... a Black History Moment."

Labels: comics, Heroes, non music projects, possibilities for creative expression

Why PSP comics? Because I'd rather read than play games, watch video, or listen to music when I'm on the bowl.

Do comics translate well to the PSP? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. There are some formatting issues, like the more panels per page the smaller the pictures. And small text can be difficult to read. This may give Manga an advantage, but I probably haven't read enough of any one style of comics to say for sure. I suspect that the skill of an artist as storyteller ultimately decides whether comics work in any format. Still, in general, the ideal is when a work is geared to it's intended format. The PSP is still young, so people are just beginning to take advantage of it's screen resolution, and no doubt, more portable widescreen devices are on their way.

I have some comicbook ideas on the backburner, one of which I've resolved to begin this year. It's likely that I'll utilise the PSP format which largely consists of single panels (though, not exclusively). Should a print version ever be necessary, it would be easier to arrange those into a multi-panel page arrangement than it would to create a traditional comicbook page and convert it to (an acceptable) PSP version.

So, what's out there? A crapload of stuff. Manga scanslations (unauthorized). Scans of traditional comics on usenet (unauthorized). Web comics of all sorts. And comics specifically for or adapted to the PSP.

What have you read, and how are they?

Barbarossa and the Lost Corsairs 1A and 1B - (dead links) Moslem pirate action on the high seas in the 1500's with a feminist on board. Obviously drawn for the printed page, the artwork is a little uneven. It's never bad. It just seems like the characters aren't always drawn by the same person. Barbarossa's features are nearly photo-realistic one moment and cartoonish the next. Not in the same way it happens in manga, occasionally.
The story isn't bad either, but I hate the dialog: "Let us make this a battle for the bards to sing of, Hakim! Even if your silent lips ne'er join the song!" There's a better way tell us that Hakim doesn't speak; Don't have him speak.
Also the tough female who goes out of her way to demonstrate that she's as tough as the rest of the guys is an annoying Hollywood cliche that I thought we'd gotten rid of when Americans got hip to Asian film and anime. Oh, well.
So, not too bad, but I won't be getting any more of these. The title hasn't been updated in more than half a year, so perhaps this and the following two titles from PSPCMX.com, were just meant to entice readers to buy the hard copy.

Legacy 1A and 1B - (dead links) Nicely drawn (except for the cover) pseudo-anime fantasy. I get the good versus evil bit, but otherwise, I don't really know what it's about, and I'm not interested in finding out. Drawn for the printed page.

Lions, Tigers and Bears 1A and 1B - (dead links) the title and the modern-Disney-esque artwork tells me that it's a kids story. I might normally pass on something like this, mostly because of the art, which is actually great, but screams out Disney-wanna-be. The Image logo on the cover doesn't help either, but I read it anyway. This is actually quite good and I wouldn't mind reading more of it. Also drawn for the printed page, but a good read. Even on the PSP.

NYC 2123: Dayender 1-4 - The cream of the crop of PSP comics. This is the way to do it! The story flows just like Rakim. Smooth. The art, excellent. Not to say everybody should draw like this artist. Just that this team has shown what can be done on this format (specifically for the PSP), while at the same time, are telling a compelling story that I'm eager to follow.

Querty and Nothing Left To Lose 1-3 (4&5 also available) - (dead links) Not crazy about either of these "indie" comics. Qwerty seems incomplete. I only read the first three chapters of Nothing Left To Lose, so I can't say if the download version of this story is self contained or not. Both were drawn for print.

MPD Psycho - I'm nearing the end of volume 7 of this great manga series about a grand conspiracy involving serial killer types and a fictional 1960s counter culture figure. There are ten available. Whether that completes the series or not, I don't know, yet. Drawn for print, but with a few exceptions, hardly suffers for it.

Not yet read...

Super Spy - formatted for the PSP and supposedly published on a weekly basis. There are four self-contained stories up, as of this writing (more now).

Zipper - not yet published, some rough sketches can be found on their blog. These will be PSP formatted.(?)

Freesia - manga scanslation. A possibly Libertarian fantasy, that takes place in a Japan where retaliatory killings are legal.

Marvel Comics - Marvel offers a handful of digital comics (more now), but it doesn't appear that they're meant to be portable. Fuck 'em. Don't need 'em. People do scan mainstream comics, however, and they can be found in a number of ways. Dunno if they're worth it, though. I buy the trades of whatever I find interesting.

Tons of online comics... - Lots of stuff out there to check out. If I find anything that's good and translates well to the PSP, I'll post it here.

Labels: broken promises, comics, downloads, good deal, japanese, possibilities for creative expression, PSP

Machinima (the term I prefer) usually refers to movies made using game engines like Halo or The Sims to create stories by manipulating characters and environments and sometimes adding external elements like sound and editing techniques. I first came across a few of these when I found out about the Internet Archive site, which hosts various multimedia registered under the Creative Commons copyright (including my music).

Red Vs. Blue is a popular Machinima based on Halo. I thought it was cute, but didn't see the potential the genre had for democratizing film-making (or perhaps more accurately, animated puppetry) the way Acid had for music.

Not until I saw this piece here about French racism. It isn't very good (though some seem to love it), the animation's clunky and reviews on the program used to make it site a number of limitations.

Still watching it and a few others make me want to get in on this. The program I just mentioned is called The Movies, and it's a Sims or Tycoon like game set in Hollywood, where you get to make movies with a star, director, etc. Apparently one can skip the game nonsense (there might be a cheat code needed) and just get on with making your movie, by casting and altering your actors, choosing sets and if I'm not mistaken, a number of animations. the game then allows you to export your film to wmv and post it on their website. Cool.

What's not to like? There's a limited variation of sets, actors, and animations (the things your actors can do). Also while you keep the copyrights to your stories, the visuals are created by Lionhead studios, you just edit them, so that limits your commercial rights to the finished product. That's fair, but I believe that as the genre grows and technology develops we'll see parallels to music programs that use commercial free samples (often you pay for the samples, but are free to use them in commercial productions).

Right now the only other program specifically for creating machinima (that I know of) is Machinimation. I can't find a direct link to it right now, but the book, The Art Of Machinima does contain a demo. The program is available somewhere on that site for less than 60 bucks (I think), but you have to email them for licensing rates (if you wanna sell your movie or even show it in some instances). The Movies may be the best bet for the beginner, though there are how to's on sites like machinima.com if you wanna do it old school and use Quake, World Of Warcraft or whatever to make your own (they say anybody with a computer can do it). Here's a link to a machinima created with a $30,000 grant from Volvo and how he did it.

I haven't tried either of the mentioned programs, though I gave The Movies as a Christmas present (not sure how that'll go over) and I may get it for myself in the new year, but hopefully we'll see other choices pop up. I'd like to see a Japanese company come up with a kick ass anime version. Machinima porn can't be far off (assuming it doesn't already exist). I'm excited at the possibilities for creative expression.

Labels: independent film-making, possibilities for creative expression, video games