Test

Droid App Test.

Welp, I got an app for Blogger on my Android phone. Just testing it out. I may test later to see if pictures work. Wish me luck.

Geek Times

Right! I was meant to update a few weeks ago but I have been ill and had to work and, you know, life and shiz.

Anyway, a few weeks ago was the British International Comics show or BICS. Suffice it to say but I didn't go as I have just got married and cash is a bit tight. So I can't blog about going or how cool it was or tell you about any cool panels I didn't see. However, The awesome Geek Syndicate have pretty much got it covered, so I would highly recommend any of their pod casts for all things BICS related or in fact any thing cool and Geek.

The other reason I didn't go to BICS was that I was doing something else at least as geeky. I went to Geek Fest which is an AWESOME lan party. It is in a secret location somewhere in London, were only the most 7eet gamers gather a few times a year to be gladiators in the most herculean battles ever seen in the Multiverse.

OK, OK so its a bunch of mostly guys who get together to play computer games, But it is so much FUN!

Here' a Picture of the 'battle field'

Here's a slightly more dynamic picture with the awesome Mags in the foreground

We also had curry provided by Leigh (not a girl) and (I think) John. Thanks guys.

The view of the computer I was using, from which I got my arse handed to me all day conquered all who came before me, while playing MW2.

A great day and worth missing BICS for. A great bunch of guys to put a cap in the ass of get slapped like a bi-atch by spend the day playing computer games with.

New comics

Some people may already know that I have a few... obsessions. One of longest of which is comics. Pretty much as soon as I could hold one, I have been seen reading a comic. I love, Love, LOVE them. And for my birthday I was blessed with a few of them.

First off, My Love and her family got me the whole Scott Pilgrim series. Scott Pilgrim has been something I have been avoiding since about 2007-ish. Not because it was bad, but because I simply could not afford to be slavishly addicted to another series of books. I have too many to catch up on. Picking up a copy four years ago, I quickly had to put it down again, shaking my head at how I was almost hooked first time and vowing to come back to it at another time.

I saw the film with My Love and proceeded to have the top of my head blown off with the sheer awesomeness of Edgar Wright's vision. Mr Wright is just such a cool director.

Anyway, My Love says in the run up to my birthday I am not allowed to buy myself anything as I may balls up any "surprises". So, I restrained myself from buying anything (sometimes with her help in the form of her actually taking things out of my hand and putting them back on the shelves).

Good job, too, as I got these babies:

Also from my Wish List, I got the new Valérian by the legendary Jean-Claude Mézières & Pierre Christin book, published by 9th Cinebook, who are now publishing the time travelling series in English. The last to attempt it was iBooks (not Apple) in 2004. Valérian doesn't have a brilliant English-language publishing history, but they are so AWESOME! Over the years, scenes and design elements in Star Wars, Avatar, and even the taxi scene in The Fifth Element, have been based on these guys' work. I am not kidding, these books are where a lot of cool Sci Fi has got its ideas.

Here's a picture of The City of Shifting Waters:

Lastly, I got my birthday present to myself: book six of Empowered by Adam Warren. Adam Warren is almost single-handedly responsible for popularising the Manga style of drawing in the USA. If I am honest, Empowered Vol. 1 is the reason I didn't pick up Scott Pilgrim. Sad but true.

Here's the book:

:)

Some interesting things

Hello.

First new post in quite some time. And the first of many I hope. :S

So where to start?

It was my birthday recently and my lovely family, both old and new, contributed to me getting a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch Medium. "What is a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch Medium"? I hear you ask?

It's one of these:

This is one of the final components for me "doing more arty stuff" that I have been getting together over the last couple of years. I immediate drew a thank you self portrait using my Wacom in Photoshop, using layers and proper techniques and stuff, as advised by My Love, as she is a professional illustrator and knows what is what in Photoshop.

Here's the picture.

Pretty basic and cartoony, but once I got going the whole thing just seemed to flow.

My birthday was sadly not all fun and games due to me getting something called vestibular therapy.

Why did I have vestibular therapy?

Well, about mid July I started feeling sick and then dizzy pretty constantly, like being horribly drunk without all the fun of getting drunk. The Doctor stated I had Labyrinthitis and should take it easy for a bit as it generally only lasts a couple of weeks max. and dually gave me some car sickness pills. Over the next month the Doctor kept apologising to me as she had never seen a case last for so long.

And after the constant symptoms subsided I was left with mild tinnitus, prolonged dizzy spells with a feeling that I can only describe as unpleasantly like being on drugs. During these episodes I tend to feel like throwing up and fall over, have panic attacks and an almost constant wobble.

Shit!

Still I did manage to successfully tag over 9000 MP3's during that month, so mustn't grumble too much.

Anyway, I had vestibular therapy on my birthday, this consisted of a hearing test and then the specialist dropping me backward 3 or 4 times.

This last procedure has now left me with mild tinnitus, prolonged dizzy spells with a feeling that I can only describe as unpleasantly like being on slightly different drugs. Now, during these episodes I tend to actually throw up, fall over, have panic attacks and have a less constant wobble.

Bonus.

Still, been off work this last week due to the throwing up, which today has afforded me the time to play with Google Sketchup. In part inspired by

the talented Kev Lev's recent blog.

A couple of years ago, on a forum I used to go on, there was a discussion about Judge Dredd's gun, The Lawgiver. And based on that discussion and pictures posted there in, using PC Paint I made the following picture

It has both the Mk. I and my own version of the Mk. II. I have spent the afternoon arsing about with Google Sketchup with the following results.

Not finished but not a bad start. I have never used a 3D programme before but Sketchup is an awesomely easy programme to learn with loads of online help. Plus, the basic package is free. Anyway, thats it for now.

:)

As you all (ha! 'all' there is maybe one of you) know it snowed today.
me and my pals went out and made a Snow Lady



And then, in line with long standing tradition, we picked on the weakest member of the group...



... To death. We are hard core that way...



... Then tuned on each other...



AweSOME day. Wished the Girlf was there though...

I love London sometimes...

Just got on to a Tube and witnessed a proper Geezah having a "chat"
with a bunch of drunk lads. Apparently one of the drunk lads was being
mildly abusive to a (possibly) Gay couple. And as he was in a
group of lads this would seem quite intimidating.
Any way, I got the
gist of this because when I got on this 'Geezah' was pointing out
quite calmly and relativity quietly (and this is in my experience the
most incredibly DANGEROUS point with this kind of chap) that the
abusive lad was enjoying "being a bully" and that "this is London, who
the fuck cares if the couple are Gay? They ain't bovvahin' any one. E'
just sitting there mindin' 'is bizniz. Why are you bovvahin' 'im?".

This kind of thing kind of makes me slightly proud to be a Londoner,
English and British. Not all of the proper 'Geezahs' are sexist,
racest homophobes and live up to the semi romantic ideal about the
'yeomen of England' are a decent sort who believe in fairness and that
proper 'blokes' don't pass by when they see people being abused for
anything be it Race or indeed sexuality.
And as the 'Geezah' said
"what you thought was you could get away with abusing them because you
thought you could bully and intimidate them cause you're with your
mates. Well, I am standing here telling you I am NOT afraid of you. OR
your fuckin' mates, alright?".

--
Sent from my mobile device