Hastle: The Dorkening

(2.763" x 3.6" CYMK, 3.69MB, TIFF)

I got bored during lab day, so I made this monstrosity. It didn't dawn on me until I was getting ready to go home that it doesn't have power/toughness, so I'll just dull it down to an enchantment next time I'm in class.

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Posted by XenoFreq @ 3:56 PM - 2 comments

Seagull Project

(8" x 4.5" CYMK, 1.13MB, PNG compression)

My first 'required project' for my Photoshop class. If we stuck to the book (which would land us a "C" grade) it would have been a blue background with some seagulls. If we elaborate and use the skills from the project in a visually different way (changing background, color, foreground, etc.) we get an "A". I'm really hoping for said "A", but ya never know.

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Posted by XenoFreq @ 2:46 PM - 0 comments

New System

Before I (re)start this post, I'd like to point out something that makes Firefox better than Safari. First, Firefox alerts you if you're closing a window with multiple tabs. Second, Safari doesn't render NewEgg. I am quite bitter at this point. Also, control+tab doesn't cycle through tabs. As far as I can tell, there is no keyboard command for switching through tabs. It doesn't help that OS X doesn't like to tab through open windows.

Okay. So. I got the rest of my computer parts in yesterday, and now my upgrades are complete. My computer has been transformed from a machine that struggled to play games more than a year old, but now blazes through the newest games like a Dwarf through a field of Orcs. Here's what my computer, Ghost, now has:
Motherboard: MSI KM4M-V @ 333MHz
CPU: AMD Athlon XP 3200+ (Which, because of the FSB speed, thinks it's a 2500+)
RAM: 1x 512MB DDR333
Optical: Toshiba SD-R5372V 16x DVD+RW
Video: XFX PV-T43A-N 6600GT
Storage: Maxtor 300GB SATA150
Monitor: 21" hp p1130 (PDF)

Those are in addition to older parts (case, extra drives, etc) that didn't need replacement. I gave all my old parts (including my 15" monitor, complete with stickers) to build a new computer. Karma +1, I hope.

I'm not exactly sure how this directly effects my design work, except for the added resolution, but it makes me happy. And more moral means better work.

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Posted by XenoFreq @ 1:28 PM - 0 comments

XenoBlog Ver. 1.01

I made a lot of minor changes to the layout of XenoBlog. Chances are that I'm the only one that will notice -- with the exception of Auri (who's server space I'm currently occupying). It all has to do with alignment and, to an extent, proximity. I lined up the headlines with the rest of the entry, fixed the padding with the images (all but the align-right images, which there arn't any right now), and added a rule between the end of each post and the author and date. It's all personal stuff that really only effects the way it looks to me, though anyone else that stumbles onto this may notice something subconciously. Auri also suggested that I change the text margin to 1.3em.

This is a test to see how compatible Japanese is with my blog, how it registers on PCs, other browsers, etc. Don't worry if you can't read it, it's uninspiring.　ＸＥＮＯＢＬＯＧはとってもいいです。新しいなまえは回数です。

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Posted by XenoFreq @ 3:23 PM - 0 comments

Robin Williams (and then some)

For my design classes, I was told I need to purchase The Non-Designer's Design Book Second Edition by Robin Williams*. I blasted through chapters 1 through 6, which was both review from what I was taught in High School, as well as refinement on issues that wern't very clear. Today I'm going to start chapter 7, which is the beginning of the typography, colors, shapes, etc.

Also I got the bundle of Adobe Photoshop 7: Introduction to Digital Images and Advanced Digital Imaging. Chapter 1 discussed DPI (dots per inch), PPI (points per inch), LPI (lines per inch), scanners, and how high resolution to scan at. I started chapter 2, but we don't even need to have chapter 1 finished for another 2 weeks, so I'll spend my reading time else where.

I picked up The Art of Intrusion by Kevin Mitnick. I've only read through the first chapter and a few pages into the second, but it seems like an amazing book so far. It's a collection of hacking stories, but not stories of kids in IRC who think they're "31337" because they "hacked the Gibson". It's mind boggling to think what people do to get into computers, and what people don't do to prevent it.

In addition to books on hacking and graphic design, my English 101 class required me to invest in Ideas & Details: A Guide to College Writing by M. Garrett Bauman. I have 3 chapters or so done, and I need to have 5 by Monday. It's a shame that it's the only book I have for college right now that isn't interesting to me.

*I would link to her 'personal site', but it looks so awful I refuse to believe it's her's.

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Posted by XenoFreq @ 9:37 AM - 0 comments