FA+
Shop
Democratic Disconnection
Posted 10 years agoI don't normally post political stuff, choosing instead to annoy you folks with my opinions on various entertainment properties, how apple or microsoft have blown it this week, or weird little bits of comedy that have probably left a good many of you confused.
But I thought this was interesting, and worth taking note of:
http://usuncut.com/politics/6-reaso.....pundits-claim/
Who came out on top in the Democratic debate?
According to the American public, it was Bernie Sanders - overwhelmingly.
According to big media, it was Hillary Clinton.
It's as if the people have spoken, but the aristocracy doesn't want to hear it.
But I thought this was interesting, and worth taking note of:
http://usuncut.com/politics/6-reaso.....pundits-claim/
Who came out on top in the Democratic debate?
According to the American public, it was Bernie Sanders - overwhelmingly.
According to big media, it was Hillary Clinton.
It's as if the people have spoken, but the aristocracy doesn't want to hear it.
Share The Coke or Get Out Of The Way
Posted 10 years agoIt's been a year since my first brush with Coke's smarmy "Share a Coke with..." campaign:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6006870/
...and things have taken a turn for the strange. My Coke can currently has the following message printed on the side of it:
Share a Coke with a Tailgater
So, apparently, I'm not supposed to drink this. I'm supposed to use it as ammunition during a road rage incident.
Pull the ring and let it fly.
HAVE A COKE AND A SMILE YOU ASSHOLE!
I'M SHARING!!
I can only assume that Coca-Cola's legal department didn't get a look in on this one.
...I had to do it officer, it said to on the can.
You have to follow the directions on the package. That's how food works.
Yes, I can see you're not happy, but there's a toll free number on the can you can call if you should wish to voice any complaints.
Quite frankly, I'm amazed the highways aren't already awash in spilled Coca-Cola and burning cars.
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6006870/
...and things have taken a turn for the strange. My Coke can currently has the following message printed on the side of it:
Share a Coke with a Tailgater
So, apparently, I'm not supposed to drink this. I'm supposed to use it as ammunition during a road rage incident.
Pull the ring and let it fly.
HAVE A COKE AND A SMILE YOU ASSHOLE!
I'M SHARING!!
I can only assume that Coca-Cola's legal department didn't get a look in on this one.
...I had to do it officer, it said to on the can.
You have to follow the directions on the package. That's how food works.
Yes, I can see you're not happy, but there's a toll free number on the can you can call if you should wish to voice any complaints.
Quite frankly, I'm amazed the highways aren't already awash in spilled Coca-Cola and burning cars.
This week's Doctor Who, in five words:
Posted 10 years agoThey finally got it right.
The world's most dangerous mouse is back
Posted 10 years agoNo, Not Mickey.
I speak of none other than the greatest secret agent in the world - Dangermouse!
A brand new series is underway courtesy of CBBC, with episodes 1 & 2 having aired already. I was shown the pilot last night, and I've just finished watching the second episode - and they are both really quite good.
They are very faithful to the original, with the same basic character designs, the same mixing of animation and photographic elements, and the same basic plot setup. The same oh-so-very-british humor... Even the classic theme song is there, in an updated-without-being-bastardized version.
Man... after the stinking pile of failed reboots and updates of classic properties that we've been subjected to recently, it's not just refreshing to see someone finally do it right - it's damn near a religious experience. I cannot say enough good things about what I've seen of this series so far.
And the best part - while episodes are only 11 minutes in length (with the exception of the "double-length" pilot episode) there is going to be a brand new episode every day (except weekends.)
Episode three airs tonight. Episode four is tomorrow. And wikipedia says that there will be 52 total episodes in this first series.
So, for the next 52-and-some days (except weekends) Dangermouse is back, and as good as ever.
Polished up and sparkling new.
I cannot wait to see more.
I speak of none other than the greatest secret agent in the world - Dangermouse!
A brand new series is underway courtesy of CBBC, with episodes 1 & 2 having aired already. I was shown the pilot last night, and I've just finished watching the second episode - and they are both really quite good.
They are very faithful to the original, with the same basic character designs, the same mixing of animation and photographic elements, and the same basic plot setup. The same oh-so-very-british humor... Even the classic theme song is there, in an updated-without-being-bastardized version.
Man... after the stinking pile of failed reboots and updates of classic properties that we've been subjected to recently, it's not just refreshing to see someone finally do it right - it's damn near a religious experience. I cannot say enough good things about what I've seen of this series so far.
And the best part - while episodes are only 11 minutes in length (with the exception of the "double-length" pilot episode) there is going to be a brand new episode every day (except weekends.)
Episode three airs tonight. Episode four is tomorrow. And wikipedia says that there will be 52 total episodes in this first series.
So, for the next 52-and-some days (except weekends) Dangermouse is back, and as good as ever.
Polished up and sparkling new.
I cannot wait to see more.
The Daily Show Without Jon Stewart
Posted 10 years agoI'm watching the debut of The Daily Show's new host right now.
It's.... not good.
This guy is really not suited for comedy. No sense of timing. Bland delivery. He doesn't appear to understand why a joke works, or how to tell it. He actually blew the first gag they gave him by delivering the punchline before the joke.
They've also tried to have him do a couple of Stewart's standard bits like the spit-take, and it just didn't work.
They really should have replaced Stewart with someone who had some stand-up experience under his belt. This guy just doesn't know what he's doing.
He's got a nice face, but zero personality and no chops at all.
It's.... not good.
This guy is really not suited for comedy. No sense of timing. Bland delivery. He doesn't appear to understand why a joke works, or how to tell it. He actually blew the first gag they gave him by delivering the punchline before the joke.
They've also tried to have him do a couple of Stewart's standard bits like the spit-take, and it just didn't work.
They really should have replaced Stewart with someone who had some stand-up experience under his belt. This guy just doesn't know what he's doing.
He's got a nice face, but zero personality and no chops at all.
I finally understand Moffatt's take on Dr Who
Posted 10 years agoIt all became clear to me this week.
I finally understand Moffatt's take on Doctor Who.
It all makes sense now.
He's living out his midlife crisis, through the show.
When most guys hit that midlife crisis, they buy a motorcycle, or start trying to find a girlfriend half their age or they buy a big stupid car. They get regrettable tattoos or body part piercings or sometimes they just go out and get really drunk.
Instead, Moffatt's putting the Doctor in sunglasses, and having him play an electric guitar. Because look, I'm still hip and cool and young! I'm down with The Kids and their rock and roll music and crazy t-shirts. Throw away that sonic screwdriver - that doesn't impress the chicks. I call people "dude" now!
AND DON'T LOOK AT MY BALD SPOT!!!
This is past embarrassing.
...Will somebody please fire this asshole until he comes to terms with getting old?
I finally understand Moffatt's take on Doctor Who.
It all makes sense now.
He's living out his midlife crisis, through the show.
When most guys hit that midlife crisis, they buy a motorcycle, or start trying to find a girlfriend half their age or they buy a big stupid car. They get regrettable tattoos or body part piercings or sometimes they just go out and get really drunk.
Instead, Moffatt's putting the Doctor in sunglasses, and having him play an electric guitar. Because look, I'm still hip and cool and young! I'm down with The Kids and their rock and roll music and crazy t-shirts. Throw away that sonic screwdriver - that doesn't impress the chicks. I call people "dude" now!
AND DON'T LOOK AT MY BALD SPOT!!!
This is past embarrassing.
...Will somebody please fire this asshole until he comes to terms with getting old?
We Bare Bears
Posted 10 years agoSo... this cartoon show... We Bare Bears...
It's basically Gay Furry Roomates: The TV Series isn't it?
Needs more Bear Bareness.
It's basically Gay Furry Roomates: The TV Series isn't it?
Needs more Bear Bareness.
I want to burn Picarto to the ground and pee on the ashes
Posted 10 years agoI've just set up an account on Picarto.
I didnt really want to, but it became necessary, because someone whose streams I attended regularly had switched from Livestream to Picarto, and as their streams tended to be adult-rated, they had to lock the stream against guest account access.
So, I attempted to sign up.
And they sent me an authorization email to activate my account with an embedded HTML link to do just that.
PROBLEM: My email client cannot handle embedded html. I use a client that does this to prevent those nice email-viruses from sending me payloads in the guise of html code. It's a nice little added layer of security that I don't want to do without.
And the embedded HTML link to authorize the account showed up as a line of text that said "click here to activate!"
HOWEVER..... Picarto also provides an alternate to using this embdeed link in the form of an auth code that you can type in manually.
SO WHAT WENT WRONG:
The only way to use the auth code, which was put in the email in case you couldn't use the embedded HTML link...
...REQUIRES THE USE OF AN EMBEDDED HTML LINK.
There is no place on their entire website to put this fucking code in. At least not one that they tell you about.
You cannot send them feedback, because only registered users who are logged in can do that.
So, for those of you who have found yourself screwed by these idiots, allow me to be your savior.
https://picarto.tv/site/activate/manually
THAT is the hidden url. The one they don't link anywhere on their site.
THAT is where you put the auth code in.
And THAT is how you get around their ineptly designed piece of crap sign-up system.
Go forth and spread the word.
Let it be a secret no longer.
I didnt really want to, but it became necessary, because someone whose streams I attended regularly had switched from Livestream to Picarto, and as their streams tended to be adult-rated, they had to lock the stream against guest account access.
So, I attempted to sign up.
And they sent me an authorization email to activate my account with an embedded HTML link to do just that.
PROBLEM: My email client cannot handle embedded html. I use a client that does this to prevent those nice email-viruses from sending me payloads in the guise of html code. It's a nice little added layer of security that I don't want to do without.
And the embedded HTML link to authorize the account showed up as a line of text that said "click here to activate!"
HOWEVER..... Picarto also provides an alternate to using this embdeed link in the form of an auth code that you can type in manually.
SO WHAT WENT WRONG:
The only way to use the auth code, which was put in the email in case you couldn't use the embedded HTML link...
...REQUIRES THE USE OF AN EMBEDDED HTML LINK.
There is no place on their entire website to put this fucking code in. At least not one that they tell you about.
You cannot send them feedback, because only registered users who are logged in can do that.
So, for those of you who have found yourself screwed by these idiots, allow me to be your savior.
https://picarto.tv/site/activate/manually
THAT is the hidden url. The one they don't link anywhere on their site.
THAT is where you put the auth code in.
And THAT is how you get around their ineptly designed piece of crap sign-up system.
Go forth and spread the word.
Let it be a secret no longer.
To sum up today's Dr. Who Episode in three words:
Posted 10 years agoPSYCHE!
RESET BUTTON.
RESET BUTTON.
Jeremy Clarkson must be following me
Posted 10 years ago...because he's apparently decided to use the name I came up with, for his new motoring show:
https://motortorque.org/articles/ge.....ksons-new-show
The comment in question:
"They should call their new show Gear Knobs.
...and use the original Alman Brothers version of Jessica as the opening theme.
Just to rub the Beeb's nose in it. "
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6606979/
Time to out yourself Mr. Clarkson - what's your FA handle?
https://motortorque.org/articles/ge.....ksons-new-show
The comment in question:
"They should call their new show Gear Knobs.
...and use the original Alman Brothers version of Jessica as the opening theme.
Just to rub the Beeb's nose in it. "
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6606979/
Time to out yourself Mr. Clarkson - what's your FA handle?
Signal Boost - Fur In Need
Posted 10 years ago
johnnyblanco needs to come up with $200 pretty quick, or he's not going to make his mortgage payment for the month.Anything you folks can do to lend him a hand, please do.
Patreon Pledgebot Scam
Posted 10 years agoOver the past couple months, Patreon pages belonging to various furry artists have been beset by a rash of phony pledges.
These phony pledges appear to be made by an automatic system, which seeks to sign up at whatever the top available reward level is, (since the highest reward level available is likely to have access to all the goodies), for the sake of scraping any new images being posted, and reposting these to a website, whose address I'm not going to publicize.
I don't have proof that the system is automatic, but a few things lead me to believe that it is.
For example, it doesn't discriminate between text-only posts and image posts. I scrapes them both. It has been scraping both my own Cobalt Patreon, and the one for Evil Twin - and the only thing I post there are the strips, which actually get posted there last. Pretty much everything under the Talboc patreon is posted not just here, but to it's own page at comicgenesis, before it even shows up there. So, it appears that no attention is being paid to the actual content of what's being grabbed.
There is also the matter of the formatting of the phony accounts. They all exhibit the following characteristics:
1) No avatar icon.
2) The email address will be a random tangle of half-words that most likely were selected at random from a dictionary file, sometimes with a four digit date stamped on the end.
3) a username which bears no relationship to the email address at all.
4) They are signed up to one Patreon. Yours.
5) they seem to prefer yahoo.com, outlook.com and gmail.com email accounts.
...and of course, there is also the minor matter than once the end of the month rolls around, and it's time to collect the pledges, these accounts will always com up DECLINED, because they signed up with phony credit card info.
I have contacted Patreon about this, and they have assured me that a new pledge system is in the works, which will require a pledge payment in advance before it will allow a person to sign up. I have suggested to them that they lock pledge accounts out of an artist's file gallery until such time as that initial payment is confirmed.
They have not said specifically when this new system will be in place, just that it will be "soon."
So, what does this mean to you folks?
For a start, when you visit a Patreon page, however much it shows as pledged to that artist? Don't believe it, because it may not be true. At present, my own Cobalt patreon has about $50 in real pledges, and $60 in fake ones. Before I cleaned it out at the start of the month, I had $90 in fake pledges.
I'm contacting each person who pledges now, to verify that they're a real person, and then deleting the pledge after 24 hours if there is no response.
Secondly, if an artist (such as myself) has a pledge level that is limited, and it shows that level as already full - don't hesistate to sign up for it anyway, if that was the reward level you wanted. There's a good chance that whoever is signed up there now is a pledgebot, and they will be deleted once they come up DECLINED, if not sooner.
Also, if you're going to sign up, it helps if you make your account look as little like a bot account as possible. Put an avatar icon on it. Sign up to more than one Patreon - there are a lot of great artists out there who'd love your support. You might even want to drop the artist a note after you sign up telling them "Here's me! And I'm real!!"
Hopefully, Patreon will get their act in gear sooner than later.
In the meantime, I'd just like to once again, point out that I've added new rewards:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7026035/
...and although some of those rewards are currently claimed by bots, I will be deleting those bots as quickly as I can.
Thanx in advance.
These phony pledges appear to be made by an automatic system, which seeks to sign up at whatever the top available reward level is, (since the highest reward level available is likely to have access to all the goodies), for the sake of scraping any new images being posted, and reposting these to a website, whose address I'm not going to publicize.
I don't have proof that the system is automatic, but a few things lead me to believe that it is.
For example, it doesn't discriminate between text-only posts and image posts. I scrapes them both. It has been scraping both my own Cobalt Patreon, and the one for Evil Twin - and the only thing I post there are the strips, which actually get posted there last. Pretty much everything under the Talboc patreon is posted not just here, but to it's own page at comicgenesis, before it even shows up there. So, it appears that no attention is being paid to the actual content of what's being grabbed.
There is also the matter of the formatting of the phony accounts. They all exhibit the following characteristics:
1) No avatar icon.
2) The email address will be a random tangle of half-words that most likely were selected at random from a dictionary file, sometimes with a four digit date stamped on the end.
3) a username which bears no relationship to the email address at all.
4) They are signed up to one Patreon. Yours.
5) they seem to prefer yahoo.com, outlook.com and gmail.com email accounts.
...and of course, there is also the minor matter than once the end of the month rolls around, and it's time to collect the pledges, these accounts will always com up DECLINED, because they signed up with phony credit card info.
I have contacted Patreon about this, and they have assured me that a new pledge system is in the works, which will require a pledge payment in advance before it will allow a person to sign up. I have suggested to them that they lock pledge accounts out of an artist's file gallery until such time as that initial payment is confirmed.
They have not said specifically when this new system will be in place, just that it will be "soon."
So, what does this mean to you folks?
For a start, when you visit a Patreon page, however much it shows as pledged to that artist? Don't believe it, because it may not be true. At present, my own Cobalt patreon has about $50 in real pledges, and $60 in fake ones. Before I cleaned it out at the start of the month, I had $90 in fake pledges.
I'm contacting each person who pledges now, to verify that they're a real person, and then deleting the pledge after 24 hours if there is no response.
Secondly, if an artist (such as myself) has a pledge level that is limited, and it shows that level as already full - don't hesistate to sign up for it anyway, if that was the reward level you wanted. There's a good chance that whoever is signed up there now is a pledgebot, and they will be deleted once they come up DECLINED, if not sooner.
Also, if you're going to sign up, it helps if you make your account look as little like a bot account as possible. Put an avatar icon on it. Sign up to more than one Patreon - there are a lot of great artists out there who'd love your support. You might even want to drop the artist a note after you sign up telling them "Here's me! And I'm real!!"
Hopefully, Patreon will get their act in gear sooner than later.
In the meantime, I'd just like to once again, point out that I've added new rewards:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/7026035/
...and although some of those rewards are currently claimed by bots, I will be deleting those bots as quickly as I can.
Thanx in advance.
Didn't want Windows 10? You're getting it anyway.
Posted 10 years agoAfter news broke a few weeks back that Windows 10 was laden with spyware that allowed Microsoft to pretty much keep track of everything you do with your computer, a cry went up from the internet that installing Windows 10 was a bad idea. Stick with Windows 7! Stick with Windows 8! Do not upgrade to 10! It's a privacy nightmare!
But then, seeing that their customers were in open revolt over this and refusing to upgrade, Microsoft decided to create updates that added those same spyware features to Windows 7 and 8:
http://arstechnica.com/information-.....o-windows-7-8/
So, see.. you might as well install Windows 10 because you already have our spyware. STOP RESISTING!
This resulted in users identifying which updates contained the spyware code, and either blocking them from being installed, or uninstalling them if they had already been put in place. There are tutorials all over Tha Googles telling users what to get rid of, and how to switch it all off and lock Windows 7 and 8 back down to insure some actual privacy again.
Well, they say the third time is the charm...
Because folks, unless you were smart enough to turn off updates, Microsoft is now filling your hard drive with Windows 10, WHETHER YOU WANTED IT OR NOT:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer.....e-just-in-case
Remember the massive screamfest that resulted from Apple sending people a U2 Album they didn't want?
This is that, but worse. They're going to fill up your hard drive with this thing that you didn't want, and they're going to do it so some PR hack can stand in a room full of stockholders and trumpet the percentage of users who have now downloaded Windows 10.
Because appearance is everything, and to hell with what the customer wants.
But then, seeing that their customers were in open revolt over this and refusing to upgrade, Microsoft decided to create updates that added those same spyware features to Windows 7 and 8:
http://arstechnica.com/information-.....o-windows-7-8/
So, see.. you might as well install Windows 10 because you already have our spyware. STOP RESISTING!
This resulted in users identifying which updates contained the spyware code, and either blocking them from being installed, or uninstalling them if they had already been put in place. There are tutorials all over Tha Googles telling users what to get rid of, and how to switch it all off and lock Windows 7 and 8 back down to insure some actual privacy again.
Well, they say the third time is the charm...
Because folks, unless you were smart enough to turn off updates, Microsoft is now filling your hard drive with Windows 10, WHETHER YOU WANTED IT OR NOT:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer.....e-just-in-case
Remember the massive screamfest that resulted from Apple sending people a U2 Album they didn't want?
This is that, but worse. They're going to fill up your hard drive with this thing that you didn't want, and they're going to do it so some PR hack can stand in a room full of stockholders and trumpet the percentage of users who have now downloaded Windows 10.
Because appearance is everything, and to hell with what the customer wants.
Patreon updated with new rewards
Posted 10 years agoAfter looking at a few other artist's Patreons (and noting how much better they were all doing than I was) I decided that the rewards I'd been offering weren't quite good enough.
So I've revamped them.
Pledging $1 and $5 are still the same as always.
$10 pledges can now request one rough digital sketch per month.
(3 of 3 available)
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13711675/
$15 pledges can request one digital inked image per month.
(2 of 2 available)
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8452647/
$20 pledges can request an inked and flat colored image with simple background
(1 of 2 available)
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/16949344/
$40 pledges can request a full color toned image with a full digital background painting per month.
(1 of 1 available)
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/17508355/
And I've added a notation that these will be awarded only after payment is confirmed.
Hope that sparks some new interest.
Thanks, all!
So I've revamped them.
Pledging $1 and $5 are still the same as always.
$10 pledges can now request one rough digital sketch per month.
(3 of 3 available)
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/13711675/
$15 pledges can request one digital inked image per month.
(2 of 2 available)
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/8452647/
$20 pledges can request an inked and flat colored image with simple background
(1 of 2 available)
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/16949344/
$40 pledges can request a full color toned image with a full digital background painting per month.
(1 of 1 available)
example: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/17508355/
And I've added a notation that these will be awarded only after payment is confirmed.
Hope that sparks some new interest.
Thanks, all!
Star Wars: Rebels
Posted 10 years agoIn my never ending quest to keep myself going during the dry rerun-filled summer months, I finally broke down and watched Star Wars: Rebels.
Those of you who saw my previous journal about it:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5959826/
...will know that I wasn't exactly keen on the concept.
I have to admit that part of the reason for this is The Clone Wars, the previous 3D Star wars epic series that came to TV, which alternated between bland and cringeworthy. (Those stupid, robotic jar-jar binks comedy droid troopers set my teeth on edge every time they came onscreen.)
So, that was probably a bit unfair of me, but I didn't have high hopes going in.
And, as it turned out, I was wrong.
REBELS isn't just good, it's very good.
Clearly, the series is being made by people who are not only talented, but understand the essence of Star Wars.
It's 1978 in there. The design language is period perfect. It probably helps that they used Ralph McQuarrie's unused concept art from the original film as the basis for their designs. But they got the look, and the feel of it absolutely correct. The pacing, the direction, the music. For the first time in a long time, we have some gods-honest Star Wars onscreen.
I'm still a bit put off by the whole "Look! It's a Jedi....again!" thing. I guess I'll have to wait and see how they manage the little hangup that there aren't supposed to be any other Jedi by the time Star Wars happens.
All in all, my only real complaint about it, and this is a minor niggle at best, is they got Darth Vader's helmet wrong.
I think I can let that slide though.
So, Star Wars: Rebels. I'm giving it my thumbs up.
It just goes to show, all Star Wars really needed to be good again, was to get rid of George Lucas.
Season 2 starts in a little over a month.
I'm looking forward to it.
Those of you who saw my previous journal about it:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5959826/
...will know that I wasn't exactly keen on the concept.
I have to admit that part of the reason for this is The Clone Wars, the previous 3D Star wars epic series that came to TV, which alternated between bland and cringeworthy. (Those stupid, robotic jar-jar binks comedy droid troopers set my teeth on edge every time they came onscreen.)
So, that was probably a bit unfair of me, but I didn't have high hopes going in.
And, as it turned out, I was wrong.
REBELS isn't just good, it's very good.
Clearly, the series is being made by people who are not only talented, but understand the essence of Star Wars.
It's 1978 in there. The design language is period perfect. It probably helps that they used Ralph McQuarrie's unused concept art from the original film as the basis for their designs. But they got the look, and the feel of it absolutely correct. The pacing, the direction, the music. For the first time in a long time, we have some gods-honest Star Wars onscreen.
I'm still a bit put off by the whole "Look! It's a Jedi....again!" thing. I guess I'll have to wait and see how they manage the little hangup that there aren't supposed to be any other Jedi by the time Star Wars happens.
All in all, my only real complaint about it, and this is a minor niggle at best, is they got Darth Vader's helmet wrong.
I think I can let that slide though.
So, Star Wars: Rebels. I'm giving it my thumbs up.
It just goes to show, all Star Wars really needed to be good again, was to get rid of George Lucas.
Season 2 starts in a little over a month.
I'm looking forward to it.
RIAA to stop piracy by making you hate your favorite music
Posted 10 years agoI've just laid eyes on the latest brainfart to come wafting out of the offices of the RIAA. A little propaganda campaign they're calling YOU WOULDN'T STEAL IT, IF YOU KNEW WHAT WENT INTO IT!
The campaign consists of a series of print ads, roughly in the style of a record sleeve, upon which they have stamped the name of a popular song, and then used the words of that song title as bookends, to tell the sob story of that particular artist.
However, I'm not sure that the reaction they're going to get, is the one they expect.
The three examples are below:
AMY WINEHOUSE:
https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-amy.jpg
ELVIS PRESLEY:
https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-elvis.jpg
MARVIN GAYE:
https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-marvin.jpg
You know that happy poppy little song you like?
Well, the person who recorded it is a miserable, damaged freak. How in the hell could you possibly want to enjoy this person's music? Can't you see what fame has done to these people?
Oh, and in case you missed it, all three of them are DEEEEEEEEEAD!
And it's YOUR FAULT!
You monster!
DON'T PIRATE MUSIC!
I'm guessing that what they were going for was a kind of "Look how these people suffered to make their art! How can you make light of that suffering by stealing that art!?" thing.... but it doesn't really come off that way.
Picking artists who are dead, and therefore not likely to be cashing their royalty checks any time soon is just a reminder that the recording industry is staffed by greedy, grasping middlemen, who are happy to line their own pockets at the expense of the creative talent.
Furthermore, the sob stories drive home, at least to me, the message that the recording industry destroys artists. Uses them up and kicks them aside.
And then releases a Greatest Hits album before their corpse is even cold.
Seriously, the only change you'd need to make to these, to turn them from pro-RIAA Propaganda into anti-RIAA propaganda would be to change the tagline to THE RECORDING INDUSTRY KILLS ARTISTS. DON'T GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY!
Or maybe they really do think that the best way to stop people pirating music, is to just to make them hate listening to it.
The campaign consists of a series of print ads, roughly in the style of a record sleeve, upon which they have stamped the name of a popular song, and then used the words of that song title as bookends, to tell the sob story of that particular artist.
However, I'm not sure that the reaction they're going to get, is the one they expect.
The three examples are below:
AMY WINEHOUSE:
https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-amy.jpg
ELVIS PRESLEY:
https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-elvis.jpg
MARVIN GAYE:
https://torrentfreak.com/images/piracy-marvin.jpg
You know that happy poppy little song you like?
Well, the person who recorded it is a miserable, damaged freak. How in the hell could you possibly want to enjoy this person's music? Can't you see what fame has done to these people?
Oh, and in case you missed it, all three of them are DEEEEEEEEEAD!
And it's YOUR FAULT!
You monster!
DON'T PIRATE MUSIC!
I'm guessing that what they were going for was a kind of "Look how these people suffered to make their art! How can you make light of that suffering by stealing that art!?" thing.... but it doesn't really come off that way.
Picking artists who are dead, and therefore not likely to be cashing their royalty checks any time soon is just a reminder that the recording industry is staffed by greedy, grasping middlemen, who are happy to line their own pockets at the expense of the creative talent.
Furthermore, the sob stories drive home, at least to me, the message that the recording industry destroys artists. Uses them up and kicks them aside.
And then releases a Greatest Hits album before their corpse is even cold.
Seriously, the only change you'd need to make to these, to turn them from pro-RIAA Propaganda into anti-RIAA propaganda would be to change the tagline to THE RECORDING INDUSTRY KILLS ARTISTS. DON'T GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY!
Or maybe they really do think that the best way to stop people pirating music, is to just to make them hate listening to it.
Signal Boost - Purple Bunny Awesomeness
Posted 10 years agoIdle Status, aka Purple Hare:
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/idlestatus/
...has just launched a Patreon:
http://www.patreon.com/Idlestatus
... for his webcomic:
http://idlestatus.com/
If you're unfamiliar with his work, then you should go read thru his comic archives, admire the awesome, and then if you are so inclined (which I believe you will be) throw money at him to keep making it.
Bunnies! Robots! Mad Scientists! Shipping! Even an Evil Twin or two! (and you know, comics with an Evil Twin in them are superior to every other form of entertainment. It's a proven scientific fact. I have powerpoint slides.)
Cheers, folks. It's a thing well worth doing.
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/idlestatus/
...has just launched a Patreon:
http://www.patreon.com/Idlestatus
... for his webcomic:
http://idlestatus.com/
If you're unfamiliar with his work, then you should go read thru his comic archives, admire the awesome, and then if you are so inclined (which I believe you will be) throw money at him to keep making it.
Bunnies! Robots! Mad Scientists! Shipping! Even an Evil Twin or two! (and you know, comics with an Evil Twin in them are superior to every other form of entertainment. It's a proven scientific fact. I have powerpoint slides.)
Cheers, folks. It's a thing well worth doing.
This week's thought, for which I will be going to hell
Posted 10 years agoThis concerns two events that took place in relative short order:
1) This week my Patreon patronage doubled after I posted to it, the next page of a pornographic Foozle comic that I've been working on.
2) Just a little while ago, I watched Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, where he did a segment on prosperity gospel preachers.
And during it, I had a revelation... If one buys the position of TV preachers who preach the prosperity gospel - that money being given to you is a sign that you have gained God's favor...
...then, God wants Foozle porn. And he's paying me to make it.
Hallelujah!
1) This week my Patreon patronage doubled after I posted to it, the next page of a pornographic Foozle comic that I've been working on.
2) Just a little while ago, I watched Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, where he did a segment on prosperity gospel preachers.
And during it, I had a revelation... If one buys the position of TV preachers who preach the prosperity gospel - that money being given to you is a sign that you have gained God's favor...
...then, God wants Foozle porn. And he's paying me to make it.
Hallelujah!
Evil Twin: Behind The Scenes
Posted 10 years agoSomeone once asked why I don't post work-in-progress stuff for Evil Twin to my Patreon.
I had to respond that it was because there really wasn't any. Since the comic posts Tuesday, I tend to draw it on Monday. And I usually post it to FA / Patreon & Comic Genesis the moment it's done. This is also why the comic tends to appear randomly somewhere between Monday and Tuesday.
Until then, the comic exists primarily in a series of text documents, all bundled into one folder on my computer.
So, in all, the creative process goes a bit like this:
While ideas do sometimes come to me while I'm sitting at the computer, working on the comic, mostly they happen as I am laying in bed, either right before I go to sleep, or soon after I have awakened.
Once an idea has gelled, there's a mad scramble to get from the bed to the keyboard, and to throw open notepad and hastily jot down the idea before it gets away.
I keep a rough road map for what lies ahead in one text document, noting which individual text file holds which impending strip idea. (at the moment, I am plotted up through mid September)
When the day comes to do a particular strip, I open up the text doc with that comic idea in it, and my photoshop comic template. I then type the joke into the comic panels, and start trimming, tightening and making adjustments to the language to better define the intended joke, or sometimes just so that it will all fit.
Once the joke is working the way I want it to, I rough in the figure and prop placement. Then I work out the figures, ink everything, apply dot tint, and finally go back over the whole comic with a fine-point brush to add the crosshatching.
From there it's posted, hot and fresh, onto the internet where you the viewing audience can enjoy it.
And that's how it all happens.
Below, I am reproducing the contents of a few of the text documents for jokes that have already been done, complete with their rough, unfinished and alternate dialogue. Comparing these to the finished comics should give you an idea of how much adjusting and tweaking goes on behind the scenes.
Enjoy:
LUNCH.TXT
lunch break!
Your homeowner's association board are a bunch of self-righteous stuffed shirts. I still say you should let me blow them up.
When one fights monsters, one must take care that he too does not become a monster.
(thinking)
down, boy.
I would look so cool with bat wings.
DUES.TXT
glad thats over with
brick crash
dont forget to pay your neighborhood civic association dues
ON CALL.TXT
another brick just arrived - I've been called before the hoa to answer charges
what are you gonna do?
Call my lawyer
oh
problem?
In this sort of situation, I usually like to go for a solution with a bit more oomph.
That might be counter productive.
But a lot more fun to watch... y'know, from a safe distance.
You can't blow up the HOA
not even a little bit?
we're trying to convince them not to kick you out. Using a, whaddaya call it?
Atomic Doom Beam.
Right, that kinda thing is just asking for more trouble. Where would you even get parts to build something like that?
Got a toaster?
yes... NO!
So here I stand, forced to defend my own evil twin, in front of an official government tribunal.
A tribunal made up of the universe's greatest superheroes. The living embodiment of righteousness. How can I defend myself against that?
Well, obiouvly I must do what everyone does when called for questioning. Stand firm behind my convictions!
...and then admit nothing, and lie like a rug.
Yo! mister guilty! you're up.
Will the accused state his name for the record?
I don't recall.
You don't recall your own name?
I don't recall.
Do you even know why you're here?
I don't recall.
Look, can we start over again?
I don't recall.
RELAUNCH.TXT
gosh, it feels good to be back again!
you're evicted. get out.
You're evicting me from the Doomsphere?
Yep. Get out.
You can't do that!
Can too. I'm from the bank.
Our records for the past year show you haven't made a single mortgage payment, so we're foreclosing.
I don't HAVE a mortgage!
Details, details.
CLOUD JOKE.RTF
how high up are we?
cloud rolls in
it's raining on my kneecps.
I had to respond that it was because there really wasn't any. Since the comic posts Tuesday, I tend to draw it on Monday. And I usually post it to FA / Patreon & Comic Genesis the moment it's done. This is also why the comic tends to appear randomly somewhere between Monday and Tuesday.
Until then, the comic exists primarily in a series of text documents, all bundled into one folder on my computer.
So, in all, the creative process goes a bit like this:
While ideas do sometimes come to me while I'm sitting at the computer, working on the comic, mostly they happen as I am laying in bed, either right before I go to sleep, or soon after I have awakened.
Once an idea has gelled, there's a mad scramble to get from the bed to the keyboard, and to throw open notepad and hastily jot down the idea before it gets away.
I keep a rough road map for what lies ahead in one text document, noting which individual text file holds which impending strip idea. (at the moment, I am plotted up through mid September)
When the day comes to do a particular strip, I open up the text doc with that comic idea in it, and my photoshop comic template. I then type the joke into the comic panels, and start trimming, tightening and making adjustments to the language to better define the intended joke, or sometimes just so that it will all fit.
Once the joke is working the way I want it to, I rough in the figure and prop placement. Then I work out the figures, ink everything, apply dot tint, and finally go back over the whole comic with a fine-point brush to add the crosshatching.
From there it's posted, hot and fresh, onto the internet where you the viewing audience can enjoy it.
And that's how it all happens.
Below, I am reproducing the contents of a few of the text documents for jokes that have already been done, complete with their rough, unfinished and alternate dialogue. Comparing these to the finished comics should give you an idea of how much adjusting and tweaking goes on behind the scenes.
Enjoy:
LUNCH.TXT
lunch break!
Your homeowner's association board are a bunch of self-righteous stuffed shirts. I still say you should let me blow them up.
When one fights monsters, one must take care that he too does not become a monster.
(thinking)
down, boy.
I would look so cool with bat wings.
DUES.TXT
glad thats over with
brick crash
dont forget to pay your neighborhood civic association dues
ON CALL.TXT
another brick just arrived - I've been called before the hoa to answer charges
what are you gonna do?
Call my lawyer
oh
problem?
In this sort of situation, I usually like to go for a solution with a bit more oomph.
That might be counter productive.
But a lot more fun to watch... y'know, from a safe distance.
You can't blow up the HOA
not even a little bit?
we're trying to convince them not to kick you out. Using a, whaddaya call it?
Atomic Doom Beam.
Right, that kinda thing is just asking for more trouble. Where would you even get parts to build something like that?
Got a toaster?
yes... NO!
So here I stand, forced to defend my own evil twin, in front of an official government tribunal.
A tribunal made up of the universe's greatest superheroes. The living embodiment of righteousness. How can I defend myself against that?
Well, obiouvly I must do what everyone does when called for questioning. Stand firm behind my convictions!
...and then admit nothing, and lie like a rug.
Yo! mister guilty! you're up.
Will the accused state his name for the record?
I don't recall.
You don't recall your own name?
I don't recall.
Do you even know why you're here?
I don't recall.
Look, can we start over again?
I don't recall.
RELAUNCH.TXT
gosh, it feels good to be back again!
you're evicted. get out.
You're evicting me from the Doomsphere?
Yep. Get out.
You can't do that!
Can too. I'm from the bank.
Our records for the past year show you haven't made a single mortgage payment, so we're foreclosing.
I don't HAVE a mortgage!
Details, details.
CLOUD JOKE.RTF
how high up are we?
cloud rolls in
it's raining on my kneecps.
Bloom County - It's BACK
Posted 10 years agohttp://www.comicbookresources.com/a.....me-in-25-years
And, just when I thought I had all the books.
And, just when I thought I had all the books.
Paul Feig's GHOSTBUSTERS - a tragedy
Posted 10 years agoWhen I heard that we were soon to be graced by a new GHOSTBUSTERS movie, with an all-female cast, I was instantly worried. It stunk of stunt casting. Rule 63 personified. I could hear the hollywood bigshot in my head grinning over a sloppy martini glass "We need an angle. Let's put some chicks in it. Chicks are hot right now."
However....
If you've been reading the IDW comic series, they actually do an entire multi-issue story arc about the concept of an all-female team (led by Jeanine), and the hassles that go with being in it (from not being taken seriously or regarded as "real" because they aren't "the guys" to being forced to wear skimpy, impractical little fashion-model costumes, and then getting banged up and bloody when they have to battle a ghost while wearing them.)
So it's been done, and it worked.
Maybe this reboot wouldn't suck.
I allowed myself to become hesitantly optimistic. It was still a reboot, which seemed like a really DUMB idea, considering that the GHOSTBUSTERS was built on the idea of selling franchise rights to other teams, in other cities.
.....But, no.
It's going to suck.
It's going to completely suck.
So what's the problem?
Let's start with the teaser images that have been released this past week..
Proton packs that look less like functional equipment, and more like twenty minutes in the garden section of Home Depot:
http://i2.wp.com/bitcast-a-sm.bitgr.....roton-pack.jpg
(Is that a tool box lid?)
An Ectomobile that looks like they spent about ten dollars and half an hour building it:
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwfeatures/.....7/p02wn7r2.jpg
(Why is the symbol on the doors bisected by the goddamn body moulding?)
And costumes that look like bad Comic-Con Cosplay:
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media.....1394766949.jpg
(What's with the Mario Brothers boots?)
I wanted to like this film, but the more they show of it, the worse it looks.
The cheaper it looks.
You can smell the lack of both money and effort.
God damn... There are porn parodies that are more faithful to their source material, and show more effort in recreating it.
But the real kicker is this interview with Paul Feig, the writer-director who foreverafter shall be known simply as "the guilty party":
http://www.theguardian.com/film/201.....-female-reboot
Here's the money quote:
he was originally offered the chance to direct a more traditional Ghostbusters sequel.
“I just kept turning it down because I didn’t know how to do it,” he told AlloCiné. “The scripts had been written, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it. I wasn’t excited about it.”
Yes, nothing says "I am the right man for this franchise" like the phrases "I didn't know how to do it" and "I wasn't excited about it."
“I thought, if I could put four women in the lead roles, that’s exciting to me,” he said. “That I know how to do, and I know how to make that funny. And there’s so many funny women I’ve been dying to work with.”
....Seriously?
Slap some tits on it? That's how you got your head around the idea?
Right. We need an angle. Chicks are hot right now. Sloppy martini on standby.
And you had the balls to call your detractors misogynist?
This film is going to be the biggest disaster. I just hope the franchise can survive it.
The worst thing about it though, is it's likely to sour the audience on the idea of putting an all-female team on the big screen. No matter how good an idea that could be, when handled by someone competent.
Which might have actually happened, someday.
However....
If you've been reading the IDW comic series, they actually do an entire multi-issue story arc about the concept of an all-female team (led by Jeanine), and the hassles that go with being in it (from not being taken seriously or regarded as "real" because they aren't "the guys" to being forced to wear skimpy, impractical little fashion-model costumes, and then getting banged up and bloody when they have to battle a ghost while wearing them.)
So it's been done, and it worked.
Maybe this reboot wouldn't suck.
I allowed myself to become hesitantly optimistic. It was still a reboot, which seemed like a really DUMB idea, considering that the GHOSTBUSTERS was built on the idea of selling franchise rights to other teams, in other cities.
.....But, no.
It's going to suck.
It's going to completely suck.
So what's the problem?
Let's start with the teaser images that have been released this past week..
Proton packs that look less like functional equipment, and more like twenty minutes in the garden section of Home Depot:
http://i2.wp.com/bitcast-a-sm.bitgr.....roton-pack.jpg
(Is that a tool box lid?)
An Ectomobile that looks like they spent about ten dollars and half an hour building it:
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwfeatures/.....7/p02wn7r2.jpg
(Why is the symbol on the doors bisected by the goddamn body moulding?)
And costumes that look like bad Comic-Con Cosplay:
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media.....1394766949.jpg
(What's with the Mario Brothers boots?)
I wanted to like this film, but the more they show of it, the worse it looks.
The cheaper it looks.
You can smell the lack of both money and effort.
God damn... There are porn parodies that are more faithful to their source material, and show more effort in recreating it.
But the real kicker is this interview with Paul Feig, the writer-director who foreverafter shall be known simply as "the guilty party":
http://www.theguardian.com/film/201.....-female-reboot
Here's the money quote:
he was originally offered the chance to direct a more traditional Ghostbusters sequel.
“I just kept turning it down because I didn’t know how to do it,” he told AlloCiné. “The scripts had been written, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it. I wasn’t excited about it.”
Yes, nothing says "I am the right man for this franchise" like the phrases "I didn't know how to do it" and "I wasn't excited about it."
“I thought, if I could put four women in the lead roles, that’s exciting to me,” he said. “That I know how to do, and I know how to make that funny. And there’s so many funny women I’ve been dying to work with.”
....Seriously?
Slap some tits on it? That's how you got your head around the idea?
Right. We need an angle. Chicks are hot right now. Sloppy martini on standby.
And you had the balls to call your detractors misogynist?
This film is going to be the biggest disaster. I just hope the franchise can survive it.
The worst thing about it though, is it's likely to sour the audience on the idea of putting an all-female team on the big screen. No matter how good an idea that could be, when handled by someone competent.
Which might have actually happened, someday.
A Tale Of Two Trailers
Posted 10 years agoYesterday, I posted the trailer for the new LEGO Dimensions game - featruing Doctor Who:
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6875601/
It was the coolest thing I've seen all week. It made me want in a way I have not wanted in a good long while.
Pure unadulterated win.
Today, the trailer for the next season of Doctor Who appeared, and....ugh.
Here, take a look:
Is it just me or that extremely underwhelming? from the BOOM blackness BOOM blackness cliche, to the badly written voice-over that sounds like lines from a Rik Mayall poem. (Can't you just hear Rik delivering the line "I want to kiss it to death!")
The whole thing leaves me feeling kind of "So What?"
Maybe it's just a bad trailer, but I dunno. The poor quality of the previous season doesn't inspire much confidence. And this is their big presentation. This is what they think best represents the coming season.
This is supposed to make me want to watch. And it doesn't.
How sick is it that a trailer for a game based on the show is more engaging, inspiring and awesome than the trailer for the show itself?
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6875601/
It was the coolest thing I've seen all week. It made me want in a way I have not wanted in a good long while.
Pure unadulterated win.
Today, the trailer for the next season of Doctor Who appeared, and....ugh.
Here, take a look:
Is it just me or that extremely underwhelming? from the BOOM blackness BOOM blackness cliche, to the badly written voice-over that sounds like lines from a Rik Mayall poem. (Can't you just hear Rik delivering the line "I want to kiss it to death!")
The whole thing leaves me feeling kind of "So What?"
Maybe it's just a bad trailer, but I dunno. The poor quality of the previous season doesn't inspire much confidence. And this is their big presentation. This is what they think best represents the coming season.
This is supposed to make me want to watch. And it doesn't.
How sick is it that a trailer for a game based on the show is more engaging, inspiring and awesome than the trailer for the show itself?
O. M. F. G.
Posted 10 years agoALL MY YES.
The Cannonball Run bugs me
Posted 10 years agoOk, at that start of the race, they explain that there are two timeclocks. One on the east coast, and one on the west coast.
You clock into one clock at the start, and then clock out of the second clock at the end. The difference between the two times is what counts. The shortest time wins the race.
The Lambo with the two girls in it takes off several minutes (of screentime) before the ambulance with Burt Reynolds and Dom Deluise.
At the end of the film, there is a footrace to the finish line, with the girls from the Lambo, and Dom Deluise running neck and neck.
Dom Deluise (as captain chaos) throws down the timecard and goes off to save a woman's dog.
The girl from the Lambo clocks in first.
Burt Reynolds then proceeds to wait for Captain Chaos to finish rescuing the dog, and then stands around berating him for not clocking in and winning the race, rather than picking up the stupid timecard himself, clocking it in and WINNING THE DAMN RACE.
None of the other drivers make any attempt to clock in at all.
That always annoys the hell out of me.
You clock into one clock at the start, and then clock out of the second clock at the end. The difference between the two times is what counts. The shortest time wins the race.
The Lambo with the two girls in it takes off several minutes (of screentime) before the ambulance with Burt Reynolds and Dom Deluise.
At the end of the film, there is a footrace to the finish line, with the girls from the Lambo, and Dom Deluise running neck and neck.
Dom Deluise (as captain chaos) throws down the timecard and goes off to save a woman's dog.
The girl from the Lambo clocks in first.
Burt Reynolds then proceeds to wait for Captain Chaos to finish rescuing the dog, and then stands around berating him for not clocking in and winning the race, rather than picking up the stupid timecard himself, clocking it in and WINNING THE DAMN RACE.
None of the other drivers make any attempt to clock in at all.
That always annoys the hell out of me.
