It's been a while since I wrote anything here. Not like other times, when I went for months without making new entries, but still... what is the purpose in having a blog without writing in it, eh?
So, as I have nothing better to do, I'll just start typing and see how far I can get.
Right. So, last time, I addressed The Sims 3 being a capitalist monolith. Well, you know how Google will search an HTML document for a word or phrase, then display an advert or three in the margins that have to do with the word or phrase it chose? In an interesting bit of irony, Google found that post and is displaying links to the EA Sims 3 for consoles site. Funny how that worked out, i'n'it? A corporate disestablishmentarian ranting post attracting official links to the very game I ranted about!
Next, I've become rather good at drawing Okudagrams. LCARS displays. Star Trek: The Next Generation? Still no idea? Here's an example, then...
That is an okudagram I made for an SKP (Google SketchUp document) of a TNG PADD. Now, I'm sure that some Trek anorak is going to find fault with something in that display, but, I don't really care. If the only thing you have to do all day is troll obscure blogs looking for problems in fan-created Star Trek material, you probably don't have a job or a girlfriend and you live in your parents' basement.
Yes, well, anyway... that took a nasty turn, didn't it. The point is, that I've gotten rather good at drawing those, both in CGI and on paper. It's even better in CGI, really, 'cos I recently managed to track down the LCARS font. Amazing thing, the search engine. Typing "star trek font" into Google can send one to the most interesting places.
Next: there are finally clouds in the sky! For nearly two weeks, here in Lancaster County, we've had naught but cloudless blue skies for as far as sincerity goes in a pumpkin patch: as far as the eye can see. I'm probably a freak of nature in this manner, but I find clear skies with lots of sunshine to be terribly uninspiring. To me, sunshine means sunburn, heat, UV rays, summer-time, spiders, big bugs, sweating, and wasting money on air-conditioning. When the clouds come in, though -- particularly cirrostratus and cumulonimbus -- there's no better source of inspiration. Autumn and winter are my two favourite seasons... cor, I've even done piano improvs with "autumn" and "winter" in the title ("An Autumn State of Mind" from the self-titled album and "Early Winter" from Utopia). I'm something of a cloud enthusiast -- not only as their being a harbinger of cooler temperatures, but also just as things to look at. I have a rather extensive collection of cloud photographs on my mobile phone and my DSi, ranging from whispy cirrus to tornadic cumulonimbus.
Finally, today's nifty word is, "basalt".
Look it up, why don't you?
