For the first time in almost eight years, you and I are on an equal footing.
I began writing Cylinder and Miserable way back on the 9th of June 2006, and about a year ago I finished writing Series 3 (as noted in this other post); since then I've been publishing steadily without writing any new material, and as of today I have released all extant episodes (2126 of them!), up to and including the end of Series 3 - which means you know everything I do. Well, you know everything apart from the [MASSIVE SPOILER] which I'm planning for the as-yet-unwritten Series 4... but that doesn't count, because it doesn't really exist until I get round to producing Episodes 2127 onwards.
The previous two times, there was a big lump of overlap: I started writing Series 2 before I'd finished publishing Series 1, and I started writing Series 3 before I'd finished publishing Series 2; not so this time. In a way, it's apt that there should be a bit more separation between Series 3 and 4, as I'm planning a few changes next time round. (You'll have to wait and see what those changes are, though.)
Thing is, though, it's not just Cylinder and Miserable. It's very nearly everything.
Grace and Caffeine wrapped up back in 2010 (noted in my third-ever post on this blog), and despite me having notes for dozens of potential new episodes, I've never got round to producing any of them. Knowing It's Called Aspergers seems to have reached its natural endpoint as of last summer. Alien President was only ever a limited-time deal, and is long since completed. Tim, meanwhile, has put Brothers in Shells on an indefinite hiatus, and long since finished his C&M spinoff Sidewards. The only other significant comic strip (or project in a similar format) either of us have been involved with is Fort Paradox.
If you've been reading Fort Paradox, you'll have noticed that we ran out of episodes at the beginning of last month. Again, completely ran out, with no overlap or buffer - Episode 180 was published, without Episode 181 having been written. We scripted the next thirteen strips a few days later, though, and earlier this week Tim illustrated Episodes 184 and 193, which is the only thing that stopped us reaching "Eventuality Zero": the point where every single one of our comic-strip projects has completely run out of finished-but-unpublished episodes.
I expect the new Fort Paradox strips will take a while to see the light of day, as it's unlikely that we're going to finish the next two chapters in any sort of hurry, and hopefully C&M Series 4 will be in production before FP runs out again, so Eventuality Zero should still be at least a year or two away. Beyond that... who knows?
In the meantime, though, I intend to enjoy being able to discuss C&M on an equal footing - at least with Tim and Sarah, even if nobody else is paying attention any more.
- The Colclough
Showing posts with label Ending. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ending. Show all posts
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Saturday, 28 December 2013
Ta-da!
I mentioned last time that I was nearly finished with Papercuts Episode 7, with the last remaining components being of the audio variety. Well, today Tim finished and delivered his ninth composition for the series, I plugged it into the edit along with a handful of other freshly-minted audio elements, and Debt of Gravy-tude was finished. And released - you should see it embedded a paragraph or two down from here.
I hope you've been taking note of the music in Papercuts. Like the visuals, every last bit of it has been specially created for the show - no stock footage, stock score, or stock anything around here: I took the decision relatively early on in Production Block A, last spring, that since I was going to so much effort over the project anyway, I may as well go that bit further and record all my own sound effects too. But the point is, Tim's actually been building up quite a broad-based collection of cues over the seven episodes, ranging from a slow, minimal guitar solo in Episode 3, up to rather more complex and breakneck-paced chase theme in Episode 6, via music for a windmill and a flower, for China, and even for outer space. You can convey a lot with hand-drawn visuals (if I say so myself), but sometimes there's just no substitute for having a composer on hand to help with the scene-setting or (as is more common in this series) with the 'punctuation' of a scene. The main point of this post, apart from showcasing Episode 7, is to offer Tim a public thank you for the Papercuts score. So: thank you, Tim.
In case you were wondering, yes, the vlog is still coming. Just taking a while to edit. Keep watching this space!
- The Colclough
I hope you've been taking note of the music in Papercuts. Like the visuals, every last bit of it has been specially created for the show - no stock footage, stock score, or stock anything around here: I took the decision relatively early on in Production Block A, last spring, that since I was going to so much effort over the project anyway, I may as well go that bit further and record all my own sound effects too. But the point is, Tim's actually been building up quite a broad-based collection of cues over the seven episodes, ranging from a slow, minimal guitar solo in Episode 3, up to rather more complex and breakneck-paced chase theme in Episode 6, via music for a windmill and a flower, for China, and even for outer space. You can convey a lot with hand-drawn visuals (if I say so myself), but sometimes there's just no substitute for having a composer on hand to help with the scene-setting or (as is more common in this series) with the 'punctuation' of a scene. The main point of this post, apart from showcasing Episode 7, is to offer Tim a public thank you for the Papercuts score. So: thank you, Tim.
In case you were wondering, yes, the vlog is still coming. Just taking a while to edit. Keep watching this space!
- The Colclough
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Not Much of a Wrap Party
As you might have heard already if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter (I tweet now - sorta - @TheColclough), I just finished up filming on Papercuts Production Block C; Episodes 5 and 6 have already been released, and 7 has taken another crucial step towards its completion - I'm still hoping to be able to have it finished by the end of 2013.
I think I've mentioned before that for some reason I don't tend to get much of a buzz from finishing a film; it just happens, I feel a bit meh, and I move on to the next thing. This time, though, it's gone beyond mere "not getting a buzz": in the half-hour since the camera shutter fell silent, I've actually started feeling a tad depressed about the whole thing.
Why?
Well, this might be a good time to explain that Episode 7 is, to all intents and purposes, the end of Papercuts as we know it. I decided a couple of months back that the physical cutout process is too fiddly and time-consuming, so after finishing Block C (i.e. Episodes 5 to 7), I would pack it in, and produce any future episodes using a digital process. I'd still create the various elements with paper, ink and photography, but the cutting-out and movement stages would take place inside the computer. I've also considered making one or two revisions to the title sequence, and Tim's made noises about wanting to rework the theme tune, so there's looking to be quite a distinct break between Episode 7 and Episode 8 - the end of "Phase I", and the start of a "Phase II", if you like. It struck me, a minute or two after finishing the closing shot, that that right there might have been the last time I ever did any work for this show using the physical-cutout technique (which I first dabbled with nearly three years ago), and that was when the almost-sad thing came in.
To be honest, I don't even know what the storyline for Episode 8 will be, or whose pen it'll come from - there are various ideas I've had, and various stories which have been pitched in various forms by one or two others (you know who you are), but nothing that's ready to film yet as far as I'm aware. The Murkum Show is a different matter, as I've got several new episode scripts ready to go, but as far as Papercuts is concerned, I just finished shooting the last known script, and I suspect the unknown-ness of the next instalment was a contributing factor to my little bout of unhappiness.
Anyway, I think I'm getting over it now. Just need to do a little bit more editing and audio work, and wait for one new music track from my resident composer, and Episode 7 will be ready to show off to the world, which is a very happy thought!
And in the meantime, since I haven't posted them on this blog yet, here are Episodes 5 and 6. Enjoy (again, if applicable)...
...and have a very Merry Christmas and (in case I don't see you again before then) a happy New Year!
- The Colclough
I think I've mentioned before that for some reason I don't tend to get much of a buzz from finishing a film; it just happens, I feel a bit meh, and I move on to the next thing. This time, though, it's gone beyond mere "not getting a buzz": in the half-hour since the camera shutter fell silent, I've actually started feeling a tad depressed about the whole thing.
Why?
Well, this might be a good time to explain that Episode 7 is, to all intents and purposes, the end of Papercuts as we know it. I decided a couple of months back that the physical cutout process is too fiddly and time-consuming, so after finishing Block C (i.e. Episodes 5 to 7), I would pack it in, and produce any future episodes using a digital process. I'd still create the various elements with paper, ink and photography, but the cutting-out and movement stages would take place inside the computer. I've also considered making one or two revisions to the title sequence, and Tim's made noises about wanting to rework the theme tune, so there's looking to be quite a distinct break between Episode 7 and Episode 8 - the end of "Phase I", and the start of a "Phase II", if you like. It struck me, a minute or two after finishing the closing shot, that that right there might have been the last time I ever did any work for this show using the physical-cutout technique (which I first dabbled with nearly three years ago), and that was when the almost-sad thing came in.
To be honest, I don't even know what the storyline for Episode 8 will be, or whose pen it'll come from - there are various ideas I've had, and various stories which have been pitched in various forms by one or two others (you know who you are), but nothing that's ready to film yet as far as I'm aware. The Murkum Show is a different matter, as I've got several new episode scripts ready to go, but as far as Papercuts is concerned, I just finished shooting the last known script, and I suspect the unknown-ness of the next instalment was a contributing factor to my little bout of unhappiness.
Anyway, I think I'm getting over it now. Just need to do a little bit more editing and audio work, and wait for one new music track from my resident composer, and Episode 7 will be ready to show off to the world, which is a very happy thought!
And in the meantime, since I haven't posted them on this blog yet, here are Episodes 5 and 6. Enjoy (again, if applicable)...
...and have a very Merry Christmas and (in case I don't see you again before then) a happy New Year!
- The Colclough
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
What You're Not Reading This Year
Any of you who've kept an eye on my DeviantArt page might have arrived at the conclusion that this is the time of year when you could expect another round of blue-pencilled introspection in the form of some Knowing It's Called Aspergers drawings. You would have been right. But you may also have noticed that said drawings haven't happened.
Well, it's been five years now. As of the 6th of July this year, I've lived for half a decade with the notion that it isn't just me being an unfortunate and inexplicable freak of nature, it's part of the autistic spectrum and as such is a known and documented phenomenon and not a unique failing on my part - and after half a decade of chewing over the idea and figuring out how it fits in with everything else, it finally seems to have normalised. The drawings were, in essence, about how I felt on the subject, but now I seem to have assimilated it into my status quo and no longer feel much about it at all: "ah, that time of year. How do I feel? Um... no different to how I felt when I wasn't thinking about it." Hence no drawings; there's nothing to draw this year.
I thought it might have been nice to have one or two "I think things are winding down, so here's a little coda"-type drawings to conclude the series, but I spent most of July (on and off) thinking about the question, and couldn't come up with anything to draw as a coda that wouldn't have felt like a tired re-tread of the previous 44 pictures. And in retrospect, I think the 44th - Day 1475 - serves well enough as a finale to the project.
I'm going to have to start putting something else on my DA page, aren't I?
- The Colclough
Well, it's been five years now. As of the 6th of July this year, I've lived for half a decade with the notion that it isn't just me being an unfortunate and inexplicable freak of nature, it's part of the autistic spectrum and as such is a known and documented phenomenon and not a unique failing on my part - and after half a decade of chewing over the idea and figuring out how it fits in with everything else, it finally seems to have normalised. The drawings were, in essence, about how I felt on the subject, but now I seem to have assimilated it into my status quo and no longer feel much about it at all: "ah, that time of year. How do I feel? Um... no different to how I felt when I wasn't thinking about it." Hence no drawings; there's nothing to draw this year.
I thought it might have been nice to have one or two "I think things are winding down, so here's a little coda"-type drawings to conclude the series, but I spent most of July (on and off) thinking about the question, and couldn't come up with anything to draw as a coda that wouldn't have felt like a tired re-tread of the previous 44 pictures. And in retrospect, I think the 44th - Day 1475 - serves well enough as a finale to the project.
I'm going to have to start putting something else on my DA page, aren't I?
- The Colclough
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
End of a Pixellated Era
I actually did it. After the best part of 2 years' on-and-off work in the current phase, and nearly 7 years after starting the project overall, I finally wrote the 2126th episode of Cylinder and Miserable this afternoon, completing Series 3.
I have to admit, at this point, to a strange act of... well, unwarranted strangeness. I actually picked episode 2126 as the end-point for Series 3 several years ago - at the same time (I think) that I picked 1448 as the end-point for Series 2. Which was before I'd written very much of Series 2. And for no objective reason that I can put a finger on, I actually stuck with those two completely arbitrary numbers, ending Series 2 on Episode 1448 nearly three years ago, and Series 3 on Episode 2126 today. It must be getting on for half a decade that 'Episode 2126' has been lurking at the back of my mind as a semi-mythical future event - much like 'Star Wars: Episode I' must have been to many moviegoers up until about 1997, before The Phantom Menace got released - but now it's an actual, honest-to-goodness fact, sitting on my hard disk as a .gif file. The long-gestating third phase of my huge, unwieldy and frequently bizarre webcomic project is finally over.
It hasn't always been easy - the finished article bears a scar or two from the processes of its own creation, and I owe Tim a debt of thanks for getting me to let go of some elements which (without my realising it) were dragging the comic down - but on the whole I'm pleased with the outcome. It ended rather well, if I say so myself - I'll be interested to see whether you agree with me on that point, when the newly-minted episodes get published around this time next year.
I want, and need, a break. I've got a narrative masterplan for Series 4, but I won't start writing that for at least another year, simply because it's hard work writing such a big project, and I can't keep it up continuously. So don't go expecting news of work on Series 4 in a hurry. In fact, if I've got the maths right, I think I might end up finishing publishing Series 3 before I've had as long a break as I want or started writing Series 4, which would be the first time since writing Episode 0001 that I completely run out of unpublished strips. But we'll have to wait and see on that front.
In the meantime, if you're not doing so already, you can find Series 3 still publishing over at http://cylinderandmiserable.webs.com...
- The Colclough
I have to admit, at this point, to a strange act of... well, unwarranted strangeness. I actually picked episode 2126 as the end-point for Series 3 several years ago - at the same time (I think) that I picked 1448 as the end-point for Series 2. Which was before I'd written very much of Series 2. And for no objective reason that I can put a finger on, I actually stuck with those two completely arbitrary numbers, ending Series 2 on Episode 1448 nearly three years ago, and Series 3 on Episode 2126 today. It must be getting on for half a decade that 'Episode 2126' has been lurking at the back of my mind as a semi-mythical future event - much like 'Star Wars: Episode I' must have been to many moviegoers up until about 1997, before The Phantom Menace got released - but now it's an actual, honest-to-goodness fact, sitting on my hard disk as a .gif file. The long-gestating third phase of my huge, unwieldy and frequently bizarre webcomic project is finally over.
It hasn't always been easy - the finished article bears a scar or two from the processes of its own creation, and I owe Tim a debt of thanks for getting me to let go of some elements which (without my realising it) were dragging the comic down - but on the whole I'm pleased with the outcome. It ended rather well, if I say so myself - I'll be interested to see whether you agree with me on that point, when the newly-minted episodes get published around this time next year.
I want, and need, a break. I've got a narrative masterplan for Series 4, but I won't start writing that for at least another year, simply because it's hard work writing such a big project, and I can't keep it up continuously. So don't go expecting news of work on Series 4 in a hurry. In fact, if I've got the maths right, I think I might end up finishing publishing Series 3 before I've had as long a break as I want or started writing Series 4, which would be the first time since writing Episode 0001 that I completely run out of unpublished strips. But we'll have to wait and see on that front.
In the meantime, if you're not doing so already, you can find Series 3 still publishing over at http://cylinderandmiserable.webs.com...
- The Colclough
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Rest in Fleece
I recently wrote a blog post bemoaning the apparent passing of Hannah Newcombe's blog at http://hannahlikessheepbaa.blogspot.com, and suggesting that I should mark the anniversary of the last post with a virtual funeral. Well, it's now a few days (weeks?) on from the anniversary, and I have prodded the corpse to double-check that it really is dead, and guess what? It hasn't twitched. It looks pretty dead to me.
So here goes the funeral!
As a non-relative of the deceased, perhaps I should begin by outlining how I came to meet them. Well, it's Root Hill's fault. I met Hannah for the first time at Root Hill 2010, and found my way onto her blog via her pair of trainers with somebody else's blog address on them (as one does). This conspired together with other elements of RH2010 to inspire the beginnings of my own blog - this one you're reading here right now. The two blogs intermittently goaded each other on over the next year and a half, and a good time was had by all. Or at least by me...
I had suggested that the funeral should take the form of a selection of my favourite posts from the sheepy one's blog, along with an explanation of why I liked them; however, this could present something of a difficulty as there are quite a lot of posts on there (a quick bit of math says 219!) and I've never been very good at picking favourites. I thought about giving it a shot anyway, but soon realised that the sheer number of posts I'd have to re-read and sort through is overwhelming. However noble my intentions, and however much I might enjoy re-reading some of the old posts (which I do sometimes), I just don't have the time to systematically go through all 219 of them. Between the challenges, the ramblings, the huge web of Doctor Who and Hitchhiker's Guide references, the ad-hoc remarks on life as it happened, and the occasional, wonderful moments when my own creative output got put in the spotlight, there are too many posts on there for me to pick out just a few.
Other features of the funeral were going to be a selection of music, and some thoughts on food. Music first:
In a suitably lamentative and funereal mode, and in keeping with the prevailing spirit of sci-fi nerdiness, I nominate This is Gallifrey from the Doctor Who Season 29 / New Series 3 soundtrack, by Murray Gold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-SBNgu1hO4
...followed by Tim's (characteristically baroque) suggestion, the aptly sheepy Sheep May Safely Graze by J. S. Bach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIUCRXMM4pE
Sam suggests Fade To Black by Metallica - I know virtually nothing about rock (you see, I'm assuming Metallica is rock... I could even be wrong about that, for all I know!), so I don't necessarily understand the connection apart from the fading-to-black-usually-denoting-the-end-of-something thing - but I'm sure Sam has some underlying reason for the choice, so here's the link anyway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4qr3GfTp_Q
And to conclude the musical interlude, something I came across via Hannah's blog, which fits well with one of our shared interests, and also somewhat reflects my feelings over here at A White Horizon now that I'm one of the last two survivors from the little circle of Root Hill bloggers (hannahlikessheepbaa isn't the only one to have gone down over the last year or two; Sam's the only other one still going that I'm aware of): Type 40 by Chameleon Circuit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGqrrmZXtqg
And finally, the after-funeral lunch. Sam remembered something important which had slipped my mind - Zombie Fluxx - and used that as the basis for his food suggestions: Sandwiches, Donuts, Coffee and the Zombie Brains. That's a good game, Zombie Fluxx.
And for my nominations: as a semi-regular repository of Whovian enthusiasms, Hannah's blog absolutely must be commemorated with Fish Custard, a la The Eleventh Hour. I also nominate pizza, in memory of various (usually Root-Hill-related) past events - but not Yorkshire Pizza of Death. I think one of those is quite enough for one lifetime. I'm tempted to suggest lamb/mutton, but really not sure whether that's an appropriate interpretation of "likes sheep".
Hannah, thank you for the blogging. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable... thing. What's the proper collective noun for a period of time during which multiple people write blogs that play off each other? I have no idea. But what I was trying to say is, it's been a thoroughly enjoyable one of those.
Rest in fleece, hannahlikessheepbaa. So long, and - because we can't let you pass into the blogospherical afterlife without cracking some sort of Hitchhikers' joke: thanks for all the fish.
And custard.
- The Colclough
So here goes the funeral!
As a non-relative of the deceased, perhaps I should begin by outlining how I came to meet them. Well, it's Root Hill's fault. I met Hannah for the first time at Root Hill 2010, and found my way onto her blog via her pair of trainers with somebody else's blog address on them (as one does). This conspired together with other elements of RH2010 to inspire the beginnings of my own blog - this one you're reading here right now. The two blogs intermittently goaded each other on over the next year and a half, and a good time was had by all. Or at least by me...
I had suggested that the funeral should take the form of a selection of my favourite posts from the sheepy one's blog, along with an explanation of why I liked them; however, this could present something of a difficulty as there are quite a lot of posts on there (a quick bit of math says 219!) and I've never been very good at picking favourites. I thought about giving it a shot anyway, but soon realised that the sheer number of posts I'd have to re-read and sort through is overwhelming. However noble my intentions, and however much I might enjoy re-reading some of the old posts (which I do sometimes), I just don't have the time to systematically go through all 219 of them. Between the challenges, the ramblings, the huge web of Doctor Who and Hitchhiker's Guide references, the ad-hoc remarks on life as it happened, and the occasional, wonderful moments when my own creative output got put in the spotlight, there are too many posts on there for me to pick out just a few.
Other features of the funeral were going to be a selection of music, and some thoughts on food. Music first:
In a suitably lamentative and funereal mode, and in keeping with the prevailing spirit of sci-fi nerdiness, I nominate This is Gallifrey from the Doctor Who Season 29 / New Series 3 soundtrack, by Murray Gold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-SBNgu1hO4
...followed by Tim's (characteristically baroque) suggestion, the aptly sheepy Sheep May Safely Graze by J. S. Bach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIUCRXMM4pE
Sam suggests Fade To Black by Metallica - I know virtually nothing about rock (you see, I'm assuming Metallica is rock... I could even be wrong about that, for all I know!), so I don't necessarily understand the connection apart from the fading-to-black-usually-denoting-the-end-of-something thing - but I'm sure Sam has some underlying reason for the choice, so here's the link anyway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4qr3GfTp_Q
And to conclude the musical interlude, something I came across via Hannah's blog, which fits well with one of our shared interests, and also somewhat reflects my feelings over here at A White Horizon now that I'm one of the last two survivors from the little circle of Root Hill bloggers (hannahlikessheepbaa isn't the only one to have gone down over the last year or two; Sam's the only other one still going that I'm aware of): Type 40 by Chameleon Circuit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGqrrmZXtqg
And finally, the after-funeral lunch. Sam remembered something important which had slipped my mind - Zombie Fluxx - and used that as the basis for his food suggestions: Sandwiches, Donuts, Coffee and the Zombie Brains. That's a good game, Zombie Fluxx.
And for my nominations: as a semi-regular repository of Whovian enthusiasms, Hannah's blog absolutely must be commemorated with Fish Custard, a la The Eleventh Hour. I also nominate pizza, in memory of various (usually Root-Hill-related) past events - but not Yorkshire Pizza of Death. I think one of those is quite enough for one lifetime. I'm tempted to suggest lamb/mutton, but really not sure whether that's an appropriate interpretation of "likes sheep".
Hannah, thank you for the blogging. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable... thing. What's the proper collective noun for a period of time during which multiple people write blogs that play off each other? I have no idea. But what I was trying to say is, it's been a thoroughly enjoyable one of those.
Rest in fleece, hannahlikessheepbaa. So long, and - because we can't let you pass into the blogospherical afterlife without cracking some sort of Hitchhikers' joke: thanks for all the fish.
And custard.
- The Colclough
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Things Achieved: First of February
Morning: got pinched and punched for the first of the month, by one of the accountants. Not sure that really counts as an achievement, but I think it was a first for me, so there you go. Apparently I have to remember to say 'White Rabbit' before she has a chance to attack me on the first of March, to forestall the pinching and punching. As the Americans say, go figure.
Afternoon: unpacked the future out of its little cardboard boxes and put it on the shelves. 'The future' as in the future of household lighting, in case you're wondering. We'd taken delivery of a new range of LED bulbs, and as Kings' employee-most-known-for-being-paranoid-about-the-light-bulb-shelves, it fell to me to help optimise the shelf layout, produce and implant the colour-coded shelf edging strips (they're really nice edging strips, if I say so myself; I should have taken a photo), and put all of the relevant information into the till database. I also made a promotional page for the shop's website as well, which you can see here.
They're rather expensive (prices starting at £9.99 for one bulb), but with the up-to-25-year lifespan and the 80% energy saving, they will more than pay for themselves. The lifespan and the efficiency are the same advantages touted for those ugly compact-fluorescent bulbs over the last few years; but the LEDs have more: they turn on instantly - you don't have to wait for ages between throwing the switch and getting some light - and the bulbs actually look decent, unlike the hideous convoluted bulkiness of a CFL. I'm rather looking forward to the day the CFL becomes extinct and LED bulbs take over the world.
Evening: finished making the DVD copies of Root Hill on Camera 2012. Really. Pictures to prove it:
Now I just need to put the blighters in the post. Watch your letterboxes.
- The Colclough
Afternoon: unpacked the future out of its little cardboard boxes and put it on the shelves. 'The future' as in the future of household lighting, in case you're wondering. We'd taken delivery of a new range of LED bulbs, and as Kings' employee-most-known-for-being-paranoid-about-the-light-bulb-shelves, it fell to me to help optimise the shelf layout, produce and implant the colour-coded shelf edging strips (they're really nice edging strips, if I say so myself; I should have taken a photo), and put all of the relevant information into the till database. I also made a promotional page for the shop's website as well, which you can see here.
They're rather expensive (prices starting at £9.99 for one bulb), but with the up-to-25-year lifespan and the 80% energy saving, they will more than pay for themselves. The lifespan and the efficiency are the same advantages touted for those ugly compact-fluorescent bulbs over the last few years; but the LEDs have more: they turn on instantly - you don't have to wait for ages between throwing the switch and getting some light - and the bulbs actually look decent, unlike the hideous convoluted bulkiness of a CFL. I'm rather looking forward to the day the CFL becomes extinct and LED bulbs take over the world.
Evening: finished making the DVD copies of Root Hill on Camera 2012. Really. Pictures to prove it:
The stack of finished DVDs
Preview of the main menu
Now I just need to put the blighters in the post. Watch your letterboxes.
- The Colclough
Monday, 7 January 2013
From One Weeks' Vantage
Okay, been a week (what, already?) since 2012 shuffled off its mortal coil. I always said the Mayans were wrong and I'd make it to Event 2013, and here I am. Here, more to the point, we all are.
Thought I'd do a little write-up on the past year, and have a brief ponder on what might be coming up...
2012
I turned 24. I remained weird. I also remained single. I didn't remain unemployed though, as you might have read in these pages back in February.
I nearly lost my computer. But it got fixed in the end, so all's well, and all that.
We obtained our seventh hamster back in January, and he has been entertaining us with his nuttiness ever since. And chewing the carpets.
The Jubilee happened. Celebrations in my area got rather washed out, but sometimes that's life. Now I'm busy rooting for Her Majesty to reach the end of her 64th year on the throne and overtake Victoria as the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
The Olympics happened. I enjoyed the event, mostly. It was interesting to see that that at one point the USA decided to report the medals table using a different algorithm to everybody else in order to pretend that they were on top, when really we all knew China were leading - almost as if the whole nation was throwing a huge collective strop because being in second place out of 200-odd nations just wasn't good enough for them, dammit Jim. Us Brits, meanwhile, were perfectly happy with third rank - or at least I was. I thought the closing ceremony was a washout - okay, it's some overpaid morons singing naff songs; even Imagine is massively over-rated, what's the fuss about here? - but thought most of the opening show was brilliant, and the actual sporting in between managed to grip even me, who hasn't a drop of sporting blood in my body.
I made some interesting discoveries about animation - most importantly, the fact that paper cutout animation is actually a lot slower and more difficult than you might think. My animation output for 2011 comprised 13 episodes of Arbitrary Stopframe, but 2012 managed only 4 episodes of Papercuts. Although to be fair, Papercuts episodes feature dialogue (with the consequent burden of lip-synch work), and each have three times the runtime of actual animation (i.e. not counting title and credit sequences) of an AS episode, so when you do the maths they work out relatively close.
That was my film output - what of the intake? Records indicate (yes, I keep records) that I went to the cinema four times in 2012, to see The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists (visually top-notch, as one would expect from an Aardman feature, but disappointingly weak in the story department, and less funny than it should have been), Avengers Assemble (don't get me started, I could eulogise for ages, especially about Phil 'Agent' Coulson), Brave (not quite Pixar's best, but still pretty good), and finally The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (overlong, yes, but largely enjoyable, especially the performances of Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis. Sorry about the inevitable disagreements betwixt us, Sam, but I did like it). I've lost count of all the things I've seen on TV / DVD / Blu-ray, but highlights have included Galaxy Quest on Blu-ray, Sherlock season 2, the first half of the first season of The West Wing, my first time watching full seasons of The Apprentice (s8) and Young Apprentice (s3), and of course Seven Samurai. Not so much a highlight, but still of note, the first few episodes of Star Trek TNG. So far, at least half of them have been really awful - but I kept watching because I'm a bit of a completist sometimes. The Dreaded Moffat has been very cruel and only given us six episodes of Doctor Who this year, instead of the 14 we should have had, but at least the first half of Series 33/7 has been an improvement over the sloppily-written debacle of 2011's Series 32/6.
I finished publishing Cylinder and Miserable Series 2, and started on Series 3. Didn't end up resuming Grace and Caffeine or starting my planned Brothers in Shells prequel spin-off yet.
I also met a guy called Wayne, and we've been writing a sitcom whose basic premise is The Screwtape Letters mashed up with The Terminator, and laced with a liberal dollop of up-to-the-minute financial corruption. More on that later, maybe...
And to round things off, I won 2 out of 5 podium spots for best post, and second ranking on the Best Blog of the Year list, in Sam's 2012 blogroll review, which I have to say was a very nice cap to the blogging year.
2013?
In short, goodness knows. There are 51 more weeks to go before 2014 starts, and 51 weeks is a very, very long time, both in politics and elsewhere.
On the animation front, I'm hoping to get X-Battles GT5 finished soon. Beyond that, Papercuts episodes 5 to 9 are all in various stages of being written, but none are ready to go yet, so I might be taking a break from the show and producing something else next. Possibly more AS, and/or possibly the long-brewing Empire of the Pond, given a helping hand by my new graphics tablet. Or maybe something about Murkum, animated entirely in Lego - but I don't have a workable screen story for that project yet, so you'll have to wait. On a related note, Tim, Sarah and I finished Alpha One's Winter Wonderland back in the summer, and shot a fifth X-Battles GT short in October (nearly finished, just waiting for some more sound-editing work).
Hoping to finish writing Cylinder and Miserable Series 3 this year. Might get round to doing one of those other comic-strip things I mentioned. Might not. Don't know.
Looking forward to Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Monsters University, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Waiting to see what the reviews are like. Need to catch up with Skyfall on DVD/BR sometime.
I've known people who took less than 51 weeks between meeting their future spouse for the first time ever, and getting back from their honeymoon. Not to say I expect to marry in 2013; far from it, I've long since given up any actual hope or expectation on that front, but I know enough about probability - and about God's sometimes inexplicable sense of humour - to recognise that I can't absolutely rule out any traces of possibility.
Can but wait and see!
- The Colclough
Thought I'd do a little write-up on the past year, and have a brief ponder on what might be coming up...
2012
I turned 24. I remained weird. I also remained single. I didn't remain unemployed though, as you might have read in these pages back in February.
I nearly lost my computer. But it got fixed in the end, so all's well, and all that.
We obtained our seventh hamster back in January, and he has been entertaining us with his nuttiness ever since. And chewing the carpets.
The Jubilee happened. Celebrations in my area got rather washed out, but sometimes that's life. Now I'm busy rooting for Her Majesty to reach the end of her 64th year on the throne and overtake Victoria as the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
The Olympics happened. I enjoyed the event, mostly. It was interesting to see that that at one point the USA decided to report the medals table using a different algorithm to everybody else in order to pretend that they were on top, when really we all knew China were leading - almost as if the whole nation was throwing a huge collective strop because being in second place out of 200-odd nations just wasn't good enough for them, dammit Jim. Us Brits, meanwhile, were perfectly happy with third rank - or at least I was. I thought the closing ceremony was a washout - okay, it's some overpaid morons singing naff songs; even Imagine is massively over-rated, what's the fuss about here? - but thought most of the opening show was brilliant, and the actual sporting in between managed to grip even me, who hasn't a drop of sporting blood in my body.
I made some interesting discoveries about animation - most importantly, the fact that paper cutout animation is actually a lot slower and more difficult than you might think. My animation output for 2011 comprised 13 episodes of Arbitrary Stopframe, but 2012 managed only 4 episodes of Papercuts. Although to be fair, Papercuts episodes feature dialogue (with the consequent burden of lip-synch work), and each have three times the runtime of actual animation (i.e. not counting title and credit sequences) of an AS episode, so when you do the maths they work out relatively close.
That was my film output - what of the intake? Records indicate (yes, I keep records) that I went to the cinema four times in 2012, to see The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists (visually top-notch, as one would expect from an Aardman feature, but disappointingly weak in the story department, and less funny than it should have been), Avengers Assemble (don't get me started, I could eulogise for ages, especially about Phil 'Agent' Coulson), Brave (not quite Pixar's best, but still pretty good), and finally The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (overlong, yes, but largely enjoyable, especially the performances of Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis. Sorry about the inevitable disagreements betwixt us, Sam, but I did like it). I've lost count of all the things I've seen on TV / DVD / Blu-ray, but highlights have included Galaxy Quest on Blu-ray, Sherlock season 2, the first half of the first season of The West Wing, my first time watching full seasons of The Apprentice (s8) and Young Apprentice (s3), and of course Seven Samurai. Not so much a highlight, but still of note, the first few episodes of Star Trek TNG. So far, at least half of them have been really awful - but I kept watching because I'm a bit of a completist sometimes. The Dreaded Moffat has been very cruel and only given us six episodes of Doctor Who this year, instead of the 14 we should have had, but at least the first half of Series 33/7 has been an improvement over the sloppily-written debacle of 2011's Series 32/6.
I finished publishing Cylinder and Miserable Series 2, and started on Series 3. Didn't end up resuming Grace and Caffeine or starting my planned Brothers in Shells prequel spin-off yet.
I also met a guy called Wayne, and we've been writing a sitcom whose basic premise is The Screwtape Letters mashed up with The Terminator, and laced with a liberal dollop of up-to-the-minute financial corruption. More on that later, maybe...
And to round things off, I won 2 out of 5 podium spots for best post, and second ranking on the Best Blog of the Year list, in Sam's 2012 blogroll review, which I have to say was a very nice cap to the blogging year.
2013?
In short, goodness knows. There are 51 more weeks to go before 2014 starts, and 51 weeks is a very, very long time, both in politics and elsewhere.
On the animation front, I'm hoping to get X-Battles GT5 finished soon. Beyond that, Papercuts episodes 5 to 9 are all in various stages of being written, but none are ready to go yet, so I might be taking a break from the show and producing something else next. Possibly more AS, and/or possibly the long-brewing Empire of the Pond, given a helping hand by my new graphics tablet. Or maybe something about Murkum, animated entirely in Lego - but I don't have a workable screen story for that project yet, so you'll have to wait. On a related note, Tim, Sarah and I finished Alpha One's Winter Wonderland back in the summer, and shot a fifth X-Battles GT short in October (nearly finished, just waiting for some more sound-editing work).
Hoping to finish writing Cylinder and Miserable Series 3 this year. Might get round to doing one of those other comic-strip things I mentioned. Might not. Don't know.
Looking forward to Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Monsters University, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Waiting to see what the reviews are like. Need to catch up with Skyfall on DVD/BR sometime.
I've known people who took less than 51 weeks between meeting their future spouse for the first time ever, and getting back from their honeymoon. Not to say I expect to marry in 2013; far from it, I've long since given up any actual hope or expectation on that front, but I know enough about probability - and about God's sometimes inexplicable sense of humour - to recognise that I can't absolutely rule out any traces of possibility.
Can but wait and see!
- The Colclough
Monday, 14 May 2012
Chips for the Eyeballs
As in microchips. But before I get on to that...
I've lost. Again. But at least this time it was only a loss by one post, not by 8 or 9 or something ridiculous. Congratulations, Tim - and happy birthday for tomorrow!
Anyway, I'd decided to save the most interesting one for last - Question 6: If you could add one piece of tech to your body, what would it be?
So many choices! Rocket boosters in the heels? Super-strength grip equipment threaded through the arms? Coffee dispenser attached to the side of the head?
No. The details are a bit hazy at this point (I'm hoping to clarify them for myself as I write my way through this post), but I'm pretty clear on the general area of interest: optics. It'd have to be something to do with visual perception.
I'm sure I'm not the only person who's ever looked at a scene and wished there was an easy way of retaining the current retinal image for subsequent review and dissemination, without needing to pull out, calibrate and activate an external camera. In short, some way of hitting 'save' on whatever you're seeing at a given moment. A device attached to the optic nerve to read and transmit its signals, with a remote gadget which can 1) activate the save function, and 2) serve as storage for the image(s) - preferably with advanced biometrics built into the controls, to stop anybody else being able to hack it and use it to snoop on my retina. That's one of the most appealing options.
A variant on the theme, however, would be a device which did much the same thing (generated a computer-readable image out of my nervous system), but working in reverse, i.e. extracting images coming out of my brain instead of ones heading into it. I suppose I could summarise what I'm thinking of as a GIMP / Photoshop variant built into, or at least controlled by, the visual part of my imagination, again with an external USB-compatible storage device. Something that would enable me to author whatever image I want just by thinking about it.
Another variant which occurred to me would be to have the brain-controlled thingy, but attached to a live projected output as well as / instead of the storage device. But then again, I'm not sure if that'd be much of an advantage relative to having the storage version and then plugging the storage unit into a computer with a projector attached to it.
Perhaps I could compromise and have a device which allows you to record from your optic nerve and/or use thought control to generate images, with a remote USB gadget which can either store the images for later, or feed them directly into your computer with its specially-adapted version of the GIMP. Is that too much power to fit within the remit of "one piece of tech"? If not, then that's my answer. If it's too much, then I think I'd settle for the one that lets you record from the optic nerve.
So there you go.
You all thought I'd go for the cigarette lighter built into my thumb, didn't you? Well, gotcha.
The final stats:
- The Colclough
I've lost. Again. But at least this time it was only a loss by one post, not by 8 or 9 or something ridiculous. Congratulations, Tim - and happy birthday for tomorrow!
Anyway, I'd decided to save the most interesting one for last - Question 6: If you could add one piece of tech to your body, what would it be?
So many choices! Rocket boosters in the heels? Super-strength grip equipment threaded through the arms? Coffee dispenser attached to the side of the head?
No. The details are a bit hazy at this point (I'm hoping to clarify them for myself as I write my way through this post), but I'm pretty clear on the general area of interest: optics. It'd have to be something to do with visual perception.
I'm sure I'm not the only person who's ever looked at a scene and wished there was an easy way of retaining the current retinal image for subsequent review and dissemination, without needing to pull out, calibrate and activate an external camera. In short, some way of hitting 'save' on whatever you're seeing at a given moment. A device attached to the optic nerve to read and transmit its signals, with a remote gadget which can 1) activate the save function, and 2) serve as storage for the image(s) - preferably with advanced biometrics built into the controls, to stop anybody else being able to hack it and use it to snoop on my retina. That's one of the most appealing options.
A variant on the theme, however, would be a device which did much the same thing (generated a computer-readable image out of my nervous system), but working in reverse, i.e. extracting images coming out of my brain instead of ones heading into it. I suppose I could summarise what I'm thinking of as a GIMP / Photoshop variant built into, or at least controlled by, the visual part of my imagination, again with an external USB-compatible storage device. Something that would enable me to author whatever image I want just by thinking about it.
Another variant which occurred to me would be to have the brain-controlled thingy, but attached to a live projected output as well as / instead of the storage device. But then again, I'm not sure if that'd be much of an advantage relative to having the storage version and then plugging the storage unit into a computer with a projector attached to it.
Perhaps I could compromise and have a device which allows you to record from your optic nerve and/or use thought control to generate images, with a remote USB gadget which can either store the images for later, or feed them directly into your computer with its specially-adapted version of the GIMP. Is that too much power to fit within the remit of "one piece of tech"? If not, then that's my answer. If it's too much, then I think I'd settle for the one that lets you record from the optic nerve.
So there you go.
You all thought I'd go for the cigarette lighter built into my thumb, didn't you? Well, gotcha.
The final stats:
- Last 10 for 17 status: 10 down, nil to go. Second place.
- Latest book read: still The Kink and I
- Latest film/TV watched: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Latest music listened to: I can't remember
- Latest edible item eaten: cream cake
- Programs and web pages currently running: Microsoft Office Outlook, Firefox (tabs: Tim's games post from last week; Blogger Dashboard; Blogspot Create Post)
- Webcomics posted today: Cylinder and Miserable Episode 1479
- The Colclough
Friday, 3 February 2012
How to Lose a Race
You might have noticed that I lost "First 12 for '12". As in, lost quite badly. The first two contenstants finished within three days, Tim claimed third place within two weeks... and it's taken me a month to finish. All the more embarrassing since I was the one who initiated the contest. I could try offering another selection box of excuses, but I'm not going to bother. Suffice to say that I couldn't get enough half-baked blogging ideas to metamorphose into finished posts fast enough.
I did have some posts planned. Really. It just took a while (or several whiles) to work out the details. "Godzilla Versus" was one of them, and I'm hoping you'll get to see another two pretty soon, including the answers to "22 Questions, 1 Clue". But in the meantime, I thought I should end the race with an illustrated acknowledgement of my defeat. So I tried to do a quick drawing of the podium... but it all went horribly wrong, so I gave up and decided to settle for verbal acknowledgement instead.
Just you wait. 2013 will happen (the Mayans have nothing to do with it, trust me), and "First 13 for '13" will be a whole different contest! MWAHAHAHAHAAAAAHH!!!
My final statistics for the end of the race:
- The Colclough
I did have some posts planned. Really. It just took a while (or several whiles) to work out the details. "Godzilla Versus" was one of them, and I'm hoping you'll get to see another two pretty soon, including the answers to "22 Questions, 1 Clue". But in the meantime, I thought I should end the race with an illustrated acknowledgement of my defeat. So I tried to do a quick drawing of the podium... but it all went horribly wrong, so I gave up and decided to settle for verbal acknowledgement instead.
Just you wait. 2013 will happen (the Mayans have nothing to do with it, trust me), and "First 13 for '13" will be a whole different contest! MWAHAHAHAHAAAAAHH!!!
My final statistics for the end of the race:
- First 12 for '12 status: 12 down, 0 to go. All finished.
- Latest book read: still working through 1 Kings in the KJV. Now, Solomon's successor is dead too.
- Latest film/TV watched: a Ren and Stimpy episode (can't remember which one came last)
- Latest music listened to: Indaco by Ludovico Einaudi
- Latest edible item eaten: toasted hot cross bun, and cowjuice
- Predominant colour of clothes: the old blue and grey, this time with a white t-shirt underneath
- Programs and web pages currently running: Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Firefox (tabs: Blogspot Create Post; Blogspot Dashboard; MatNav 6.1), Skype; Windows Media Player 11
- Webcomics posted today: n/a
- The Colclough
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
One Less Light
Farewell, Scribbles - best of rodents and last of the Intergalactic Hamsters. Thanks for everything. Rest in peace.
- The Colclough
~~~ Scribbles ~~~
August 2009 - 13 December 2011
- The Colclough
Saturday, 3 December 2011
That Concludes That
After ten months in the making, I can finally lay Arbitrary Stopframe to rest. Episode 13, the finale to the group of episodes which I'm calling 'Series 1', is now out on YouTube not just once, but twice.
Monster Movie was guest-written about two months ago by Root Hill veteran and Godzilla buff Sam Arthur, and I've kept it back on purpose because I thought it was one of the better stories/jokes the series has had, and I wanted to make it the closing instalment to send the show off with a bang. The prospect of Murkum running for his life from a giant, angry DVD amused me.
For the pun to work, the DVD obviously had to be a monster movie. I might have used my copy of Jurassic Park, but I'd loaned it to a friend, and I'm not sure it counts as a 'monster movie' anyway, in the strictest sense. So I went on Amazon, and ended up with a copy of The Host, partly because I'd heard good things about it (including a review from Sam), and partly because at £3.99 it was the cheapest out of the ones I looked at. Which makes Episode 13 the only one with a budget greater than zero pence, and puts the average cost per episode so far at £1.07.61538461538461538461538461538. Or so my Windows calculator tells me.
Anyway, budget stats aside, here's the finished article:
And then, since I was in Monster Movie territory, I couldn't resist the urge to create a second version, turned monochrome and matted to 2.40:1 cinematic widescreen, as a homage to the monster films of old. Here's the result of that little tangent:
Judging by the commentary in his latest blog post, it seems that Sam is happy with how his script has translated onto the screen. Which is good, of course - if your writer isn't happy then you've probably got a problem!
Finally, one more video to round off the project: my sign-off blog, including a montage of some of my favourite moments from the series, and some waffly commentary on the show's future:
There you have it. End of Series 1.
- The Colclough
Monster Movie was guest-written about two months ago by Root Hill veteran and Godzilla buff Sam Arthur, and I've kept it back on purpose because I thought it was one of the better stories/jokes the series has had, and I wanted to make it the closing instalment to send the show off with a bang. The prospect of Murkum running for his life from a giant, angry DVD amused me.
For the pun to work, the DVD obviously had to be a monster movie. I might have used my copy of Jurassic Park, but I'd loaned it to a friend, and I'm not sure it counts as a 'monster movie' anyway, in the strictest sense. So I went on Amazon, and ended up with a copy of The Host, partly because I'd heard good things about it (including a review from Sam), and partly because at £3.99 it was the cheapest out of the ones I looked at. Which makes Episode 13 the only one with a budget greater than zero pence, and puts the average cost per episode so far at £1.07.61538461538461538461538461538. Or so my Windows calculator tells me.
Anyway, budget stats aside, here's the finished article:
And then, since I was in Monster Movie territory, I couldn't resist the urge to create a second version, turned monochrome and matted to 2.40:1 cinematic widescreen, as a homage to the monster films of old. Here's the result of that little tangent:
Judging by the commentary in his latest blog post, it seems that Sam is happy with how his script has translated onto the screen. Which is good, of course - if your writer isn't happy then you've probably got a problem!
Finally, one more video to round off the project: my sign-off blog, including a montage of some of my favourite moments from the series, and some waffly commentary on the show's future:
There you have it. End of Series 1.
- The Colclough
Thursday, 18 August 2011
The Halls of Infamy
The finale! After weeks of plotting, scheming, and desperate clattering of the QWERTY board, I finally come to the last of Hannah 'LikesSheepBaa' Newcombe's twenty questions. I've saved this one for last because in some ways, it's the hardest. It's Question 8: "What is your favourite character that you’ve created so far?"
Shouldn't that be, "Who is your favourite character that you’ve created so far?"
Grammatical nit-picking aside, this is going to be tricky. I've never had any children, so I can't really draw a comparison to "having to choose between my children", but I'm pretty sure this is what it would feel like if I did have any children and someone was forcing me to choose between them.
In fact, never mind mere 'tricky': picking a single favourite is going to be impossible. There are too many of them that I'm too fond of. The best I can do would be to present an alphabetically-ordered shortlist, with various facts, figures and claims to fame, and maybe illustrations. And I'm going to put something cool on the speakers. Bear with me while I fire up WinMP...
Not quite my all-time favourites, but Honourable Mentions:
And now, the Front-Runners:
Cylinder the Cylinder (from Cylinder and Miserable, also appears in Fort Paradox and other media)
The Final Stats:
- The Colclough
Shouldn't that be, "Who is your favourite character that you’ve created so far?"
Grammatical nit-picking aside, this is going to be tricky. I've never had any children, so I can't really draw a comparison to "having to choose between my children", but I'm pretty sure this is what it would feel like if I did have any children and someone was forcing me to choose between them.
In fact, never mind mere 'tricky': picking a single favourite is going to be impossible. There are too many of them that I'm too fond of. The best I can do would be to present an alphabetically-ordered shortlist, with various facts, figures and claims to fame, and maybe illustrations. And I'm going to put something cool on the speakers. Bear with me while I fire up WinMP...
Not quite my all-time favourites, but Honourable Mentions:
- The 18th Everything Shopkeeper (from Cylinder and Miserable) - because he can say the most outlandish things and be absolutely accurate about it.
- Brother Threadmoose (from Cylinder and Miserable) - an itinerant monk affiliated with no known religion, prone to speaking with a mediaeval dialect, and in possession of a 'Parakamellama' - whatever the heck of of those is.
- Forkley (from Universe XGT, also appears in Fort Paradox) - encapsulates all the most amusing aspects of UXGT, and would probably be very, very bad for a lot of other people's heads if they knew all there is to know about him.
- Lulu the Ship's Cactus (from A Salesman Beneath) - because it amuses me to have a spaceship controlled by a prickly plant instead of a computer.
- Tom Thomason (from Grace and Caffeine and Goin' Teapotty) - old friend. Probably been in my head longer than anyone else mentioned here except Forkley.
And now, the Front-Runners:
Cylinder the Cylinder (from Cylinder and Miserable, also appears in Fort Paradox and other media)
- Entered my brain: 2006
- First published appearance: 2006
- Official age: unknown (depends whether he had existed before the events of C&M Episode 0001, which is a question I've never bothered to work out an answer for)
- Race/Species: Geometrant
- Claim(s) to Fame: breaks the fourth wall; owns a Metaphysical Violation Drive ship and a 50-foot Norwegian custard jacuzzi; has a sentient sprig of broccoli as a butler; revels in the title of "the World's Most Notorious Travel Writer" and likes to hang out and eat pizza with his self-confessedly rabid fan club; claims to have sold the Sistine Chapel; also managed to parachute a lawnmower into a tree in Vietnam and get it stuck there while being chased by some very angry communists.
- Entered my brain: 2003
- First published appearance: 2006
- Official age: late 70s
- Race/Species: Human
- Claim(s) to Fame: has white hair and uber gardening skills; inherited my pragmatic/grumpy streak.
- Other remarks: I think I like Edwin because he reflects the part of me that gets upset when things don't make sense. On that level, he balances out the other front-runners, who are all pretty much unfazed by pretty much anything.
- Entered my brain: 2010
- First published appearance: 2011
- Official age: late 50s, approximately
- Race/Species: Human
- Claim(s) to Fame: manages to be impossibly happy even when freefalling into a near-infinite void, almost getting eaten by giant bats, being put to work washing hundreds of sticky eggs, battling mechanical spacefaring turtles, or voyaging inside a miniature planet made of jelly.
- Entered my brain: 2009
- First published appearance: 2010
- Official age: 33
- Race/Species: Human
- Claim(s) to Fame: breaks the fourth wall (Cylinder isn't alone); sees the whole world through a filter of cartoon logic; laughs in the face of laser vision; is un-puffed-up enough to settle for being the Sidekick even though he's got more of a clue than anyone else; saves the universe from a gigantic hairy rampaging mutant monster using a bomb built from someone else's briefcase and a bottle of cold tea.
The Final Stats:
- Twenty Questions status: 20 down, none to go - I think, just for once, I might have won.
- Days until Root Hill: 2
- Latest book read: Jennings Follows a Clue
- Latest film/TV watched: Red Dwarf 1.6
- Latest music listened to: Doctor Who Series 5 OST by Murray Gold
- Latest edible item eaten: chocolate cookie
- Predominant colour of clothes: blue/grey
- Programs and web pages currently running: Microsoft Office Outlook and Word 2007, Firefox (tabs: MatNav 6.1; Blogspot Create Post), Windows Media Player 11
- Webcomics posted today: Cylinder and Miserable #1339
- The Colclough
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Twenty Questions: The Beginning
Okay, so I've gone and done it again. I've challenged Hannah 'LikesSheepBaa' Newcombe to another blogging race. If you were reading this blog, hers or both back in January, you'll already know that I initiated the "First 11 for '11" race, and ended up losing it by 10 posts to 11. Which means, of course, that I've got a score to settle!
There has been considerable debate over exactly what form this challenge should take, but we eventually settled on "Twenty Questions": each of us writes out a list of 20 questions (hence the name) and sends it to the other, and each question must form the basis of a blog post. First to answer all 20 questions wins.
That was the short explanation. There are some other rules too: minimum word count 100 per question, not including peripheral stuff like the post title, tags etc; each post must include stats at the end (same as the ones featured in "First 11 for '11", with a couple of additions); each blogger must comment on all of their rival's challenge posts. And we both have to be finished before the start of this year's Root Hill camp, on Saturday the 20th of August. The good news is that the questions can be answered in any order. I intentionally made my questions a mix of the very easy and the rather more arcane (I'll be very interested to see what order H answers them in), and it seems she's done the same.
So, here are the questions I sent her, which you will hopefully be able to read the answers to across the course of the next three weeks over at http://hannahlikessheepbaa.blogspot.com:
...and here are the ones she sent me:
Some of these will be very, very easy. Like number 1. Others, like number 2, will be rather more difficult.
So I've got about 20 days to answer 20 questions... better get started. And since there's no better place to begin than at the beginning, I may as well kick off with Question 1: "We’ve reached the end of the Harry Potter era. Thoughts?"
YES!!! *Punches the air and other excitable gestures*
Pretty much ever since I became aware of the existence of Harry Potter, circa 2001, I've been waiting for it to end. I don't have all that much against HP, apart from the ridiculous overblown fuss that everyone else has been making about it. It's just another fantasy series, really, but it's been hailed as the best thing since sliced bread, and crooned and drooled over by hordes and hordes of people as if it was the greatest story ever told. Which it isn't.
I've made a point of not following the series, just to assert my human right to nonconformity. That's not to say I'm completely ignorant of it, mind you - I know what all the books are called, what years they were published (or at least most of them), as well as what years the films came out, who directed them, and who wrote the scripts and the scores for them. I didn't set out to know all that stuff, I just absorbed the information by accident, because I have the sort of mind that can and does absorb that sort of information by accident.
I've read the first book and a half (when I had absolutely nothing better to do), and while I thought they were passable enough bits of literature, I'm not sure they're the healthiest reading matter for young minds, and I certainly didn't think their plotting or phraseology was scintillating enough to merit all the hype. The storyline hung together well enough, but I didn't think it attained the intricacy of, say, Doctor Who's Pandorica storyline. The use of the English language was fine, but it wasn't a patch on Douglas Adams (who, let's not forget, described the Vogon Constructor Fleet as "hanging in mid-air in exactly the way bricks don't", or something very similar).
I've seen tiny snippets of the first film, but not enough to comment on. I've seen the second in its entirety, and boy it was disappointing. The adult actors were fine - sometimes great, even, especially Alan Rickman - but the child leads came across unspeakably hammy by comparison. I'm told they've improved in the more recent films, but that doesn't change the fact that the world is forever saddled with their utterly atrocious early performances. Towards the end of Chamber of Secrets, Radcliffe's delivery of a certain line about the powers of phoenix tears made all my insides and brain juices squirm like mealworms in a fisherman's bait tin. Don't get me started on the phoenix, either. I'd heard the music for Chamber of Secrets long before I saw the film, and it led me to expect something a bit better from the VFX department. As in, it made me think the on-screen depiction of the phoenix would have a certain majesty, or at least dignity. It doesn't. What a disappointing bird. Although I will admit that from the trailers and things I've seen, the cinematography and effects seem to have improved as the series has gone on.
Sometime last year, they released the first teaser poster for Deathly Hallows, featuring Hogwarts half-destroyed and on fire, with the tagline "It all ends here". I loved that poster. In fact, it's one of my favourite posters of all time, mainly because of that little word 'ends'. The last film is currently in cinemas; soon it'll be out on Blu-ray and DVD, and then, there'll be nothing else to do, nowhere else to go... and maybe the world will finally shut up about it all. The silence will be golden.
I think I might have got a bit carried away there. Pretty sure that little rant is more than 100 words 8p
As per "First 11 For 11", the challenge requires statistics:
- The Colclough
There has been considerable debate over exactly what form this challenge should take, but we eventually settled on "Twenty Questions": each of us writes out a list of 20 questions (hence the name) and sends it to the other, and each question must form the basis of a blog post. First to answer all 20 questions wins.
That was the short explanation. There are some other rules too: minimum word count 100 per question, not including peripheral stuff like the post title, tags etc; each post must include stats at the end (same as the ones featured in "First 11 for '11", with a couple of additions); each blogger must comment on all of their rival's challenge posts. And we both have to be finished before the start of this year's Root Hill camp, on Saturday the 20th of August. The good news is that the questions can be answered in any order. I intentionally made my questions a mix of the very easy and the rather more arcane (I'll be very interested to see what order H answers them in), and it seems she's done the same.
So, here are the questions I sent her, which you will hopefully be able to read the answers to across the course of the next three weeks over at http://hannahlikessheepbaa.blogspot.com:
- Where did the sheep obsession come from?
- If you ruled the universe, what’s the first law you would pass?
- What’s wrong with Doritos, anyway?
- Who is your anti-role model?
- How big are your feet?
- Do you like mornings?
- Beethoven or Bieber?
- Ink or acrylics?
- What’s the most overrated book out there?
- Would you prefer an alien invasion or a zombie apocalypse?
- What’s the strangest activity/project/group you’ve been involved with?
- If you had to choose between your eyes and your ears…?
- If you wrote a comic strip, what would it be about?
- What’s your most recently formed life ambition?
- So… what to do when life gives you lemons?
- Which is the best chocolate bar, and why?
- What would your dream house be like?
- Has Steven Moffat dropped the ball?
- Why is your car called that?
- Is this the last question?
...and here are the ones she sent me:
- We’ve reached the end of the Harry Potter era. Thoughts?
- If you were an animal, how on earth did you become an animal?
- How would you describe your taste in music?
- If you were a character in Doctor Who, who would you be? (Side note, my friends have decided that I’m Donna. Take that as you wish!)
- Do you have a favourite medium to use when doing artwork?
- How tall are you?
- If you were a shape, what shape would you be?
- What is your favourite character that you’ve created so far?
- Do you have a favourite novel?
- You now have a type 40 TARDIS. Where and when would your top destinations be?
- What is your earliest memory?
- What is your suitcase packing method?
- Please can I have your bank details?
- Do you like broccoli when it isn’t named Albert?
- Sheep or cows?
- Zombies or unicorns?
- What is your favourite smell?
- Would you ever go bungee jumping?
- If you were prime minister, what would you do differently?
- If the answer is 42, what is the question?
Some of these will be very, very easy. Like number 1. Others, like number 2, will be rather more difficult.
So I've got about 20 days to answer 20 questions... better get started. And since there's no better place to begin than at the beginning, I may as well kick off with Question 1: "We’ve reached the end of the Harry Potter era. Thoughts?"
YES!!! *Punches the air and other excitable gestures*
Pretty much ever since I became aware of the existence of Harry Potter, circa 2001, I've been waiting for it to end. I don't have all that much against HP, apart from the ridiculous overblown fuss that everyone else has been making about it. It's just another fantasy series, really, but it's been hailed as the best thing since sliced bread, and crooned and drooled over by hordes and hordes of people as if it was the greatest story ever told. Which it isn't.
I've made a point of not following the series, just to assert my human right to nonconformity. That's not to say I'm completely ignorant of it, mind you - I know what all the books are called, what years they were published (or at least most of them), as well as what years the films came out, who directed them, and who wrote the scripts and the scores for them. I didn't set out to know all that stuff, I just absorbed the information by accident, because I have the sort of mind that can and does absorb that sort of information by accident.
I've read the first book and a half (when I had absolutely nothing better to do), and while I thought they were passable enough bits of literature, I'm not sure they're the healthiest reading matter for young minds, and I certainly didn't think their plotting or phraseology was scintillating enough to merit all the hype. The storyline hung together well enough, but I didn't think it attained the intricacy of, say, Doctor Who's Pandorica storyline. The use of the English language was fine, but it wasn't a patch on Douglas Adams (who, let's not forget, described the Vogon Constructor Fleet as "hanging in mid-air in exactly the way bricks don't", or something very similar).
I've seen tiny snippets of the first film, but not enough to comment on. I've seen the second in its entirety, and boy it was disappointing. The adult actors were fine - sometimes great, even, especially Alan Rickman - but the child leads came across unspeakably hammy by comparison. I'm told they've improved in the more recent films, but that doesn't change the fact that the world is forever saddled with their utterly atrocious early performances. Towards the end of Chamber of Secrets, Radcliffe's delivery of a certain line about the powers of phoenix tears made all my insides and brain juices squirm like mealworms in a fisherman's bait tin. Don't get me started on the phoenix, either. I'd heard the music for Chamber of Secrets long before I saw the film, and it led me to expect something a bit better from the VFX department. As in, it made me think the on-screen depiction of the phoenix would have a certain majesty, or at least dignity. It doesn't. What a disappointing bird. Although I will admit that from the trailers and things I've seen, the cinematography and effects seem to have improved as the series has gone on.
Sometime last year, they released the first teaser poster for Deathly Hallows, featuring Hogwarts half-destroyed and on fire, with the tagline "It all ends here". I loved that poster. In fact, it's one of my favourite posters of all time, mainly because of that little word 'ends'. The last film is currently in cinemas; soon it'll be out on Blu-ray and DVD, and then, there'll be nothing else to do, nowhere else to go... and maybe the world will finally shut up about it all. The silence will be golden.
I think I might have got a bit carried away there. Pretty sure that little rant is more than 100 words 8p
As per "First 11 For 11", the challenge requires statistics:
- Twenty Questions status: 1 down, 19 to go (*checks Hannah's blog for recent updates* looks like I'm winning... for now...)
- Days until Root Hill: 22
- Latest book read: Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre
- Latest film/TV watched: Sherlock: The Blind Banker on iPlayer
- Latest music listened to: something Tim wrote for the next Arbitrary Stopframe (coming soon!)
- Latest edible item eaten: toothpaste doesn't count, does it? Before that, dinner. I'm afraid I can't remember what dinner was.
- Predominant colour of clothes: blue (watch this space: blue could become a recurring theme, I think)
- Programs and web pages currently running: Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Firefox (tabs: Blogspot Create Post; Blogspot Dashboard; hannahlikessheepbaa.blogspot.com)
- Webcomics posted today: Cylinder and Miserable #1322; Fort Paradox #68
- The Colclough
Friday, 15 July 2011
Finale Again
So, Sidewards ended this morning. Again. This time, Tim assures me, it really is over. And once again, I think I believe him.
Unlike the previous 'ending' at Episode 086, this one at Episode 152 actually makes sense as a closing-out point for the series, as it explains who the sandwiches are/become, and leads back into the events of Cylinder and Miserable Series 1, although the fact that they seem to have attacked Doctor Mallard instead of Cylinder is an unexpected twist to the tale.
And now, as the creator of Cylinder and Miserable and the final authority on what did or didn't really happen in the Geometriverse, I face a very interesting challenge: the decision on if and how Sidewards fits into the overall 'mythology'. It can't be fully canonised, as it has some discontinuities with the parent show, e.g. the fact that it depicts the creation of the WSDMRF (and, by implication, the Fungal Temple), without leaving any space for the longish back history implied for the organisation in C&M. But there are some aspects which I definitely want to call canon, especially the existence of Field-Marshal Store. I know he's only a supporting character, but he amuses me.
So I'm going to have to have a long hard think about how it could fit. Possible explanations could include Sidewards being a fully-accurate history from a parallel Geometriverse, or an altered set of memories posessed by one or more characters after a neuroprogramming accident. But I'm not sure whether I really want to go down either of those routes.
Whatever I decide, it'll probably be revealed during the course of C&M Series 3, which I've recently started writing, and which (if I've got my maths right) could start appearing online early next year.
Watch this space!
And if you haven't yet ingested the bizarre adventures of the psychotic, industrial-sabotage-committing bacon sandwiches, their neuroprogrammer overlords and their fungal enemies/allies, then please, clicky on this link here and go and fry your brains. Right. Now.
And Tim: it's been a great ride. Thank ye.
- The Colclough
Unlike the previous 'ending' at Episode 086, this one at Episode 152 actually makes sense as a closing-out point for the series, as it explains who the sandwiches are/become, and leads back into the events of Cylinder and Miserable Series 1, although the fact that they seem to have attacked Doctor Mallard instead of Cylinder is an unexpected twist to the tale.
And now, as the creator of Cylinder and Miserable and the final authority on what did or didn't really happen in the Geometriverse, I face a very interesting challenge: the decision on if and how Sidewards fits into the overall 'mythology'. It can't be fully canonised, as it has some discontinuities with the parent show, e.g. the fact that it depicts the creation of the WSDMRF (and, by implication, the Fungal Temple), without leaving any space for the longish back history implied for the organisation in C&M. But there are some aspects which I definitely want to call canon, especially the existence of Field-Marshal Store. I know he's only a supporting character, but he amuses me.
So I'm going to have to have a long hard think about how it could fit. Possible explanations could include Sidewards being a fully-accurate history from a parallel Geometriverse, or an altered set of memories posessed by one or more characters after a neuroprogramming accident. But I'm not sure whether I really want to go down either of those routes.
Whatever I decide, it'll probably be revealed during the course of C&M Series 3, which I've recently started writing, and which (if I've got my maths right) could start appearing online early next year.
Watch this space!
And if you haven't yet ingested the bizarre adventures of the psychotic, industrial-sabotage-committing bacon sandwiches, their neuroprogrammer overlords and their fungal enemies/allies, then please, clicky on this link here and go and fry your brains. Right. Now.
And Tim: it's been a great ride. Thank ye.
- The Colclough
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Night of the Last Shower
Oh dear, nearly a month since my last post. Don't know what happened there. Well, I sort of do: guests staying, and a comprehensive bathroom refit. And a relative lack of inspiration. Among other things. There might be another blog challenge thing versus Hannah in the offing, but that idea's still embryonic.
Some updates:
Our very small bathroom currently has two tubs in it, one on each side, with just enough space to squeeze the old toilet in between. The plan for tomorrow, while the rest of the country is glued to their TVs watching the Royal Wedding, is to take out the old bath and its associated gubbins, and plumb in the new one. All the tiles above the old bath will need taking off the wall, and I'm rather looking forward to doing that. I like the demolition bits.
It was a bit weird standing in the same tub that I've been using for over 11 years, and knowing that after all those hundreds of showers in there, this was the very last, and that within 24 hours the whole setup would have ceased to exist. Slightly bittersweet.
Still, there's a lovely new shower waiting to go just a few feet away...
- The Colclough
Some updates:
- I do plan on resuming Arbitrary Stopframe sometime - just not sure when.
- I've finished the second draft of Megastropulodon Episode 1, Day of the Goldfish.
- I've finished second drafts for the first three episodes of Frozen Bones.
- I've just had my last shower in the old tub. I won't show you a picture - for one thing, I'm not allowed to take the camera in the shower; for another, you really don't want to see that.
Our very small bathroom currently has two tubs in it, one on each side, with just enough space to squeeze the old toilet in between. The plan for tomorrow, while the rest of the country is glued to their TVs watching the Royal Wedding, is to take out the old bath and its associated gubbins, and plumb in the new one. All the tiles above the old bath will need taking off the wall, and I'm rather looking forward to doing that. I like the demolition bits.
It was a bit weird standing in the same tub that I've been using for over 11 years, and knowing that after all those hundreds of showers in there, this was the very last, and that within 24 hours the whole setup would have ceased to exist. Slightly bittersweet.
Still, there's a lovely new shower waiting to go just a few feet away...
- The Colclough
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Some You Win, Some You Lose
Okay, so I lost the "First 11 for '11" race. I was on 10, and then I ran out of things to write about, and left Hannah to steam ahead and win. I also got a bit sidetracked with the illustrations for Fort Paradox 33 to 38, which I was trying to get done as part of another geeky race against Tim. Which I'm pleased to be able to say I won. Still, 11 For 11 was pretty close at 11-10, so I'm not too distraught.
Now here's a little philosophical question that's just occurred to me: is it better to play a race or other game against an enemy and win, or to play it (presumably much more enjoyably) against a friend and lose? Not saying Tim's an enemy - far from it - it's a hypothetical question.
And that in turn leads on to the bigger philosophical question of what constitutes a friend and how one comes by them in the first place.
In case you hadn't noticed, this post seems to be drifting into deep and angsty territory. If this is worrying you, Tim, don't panic - I'll write something less depressing you-know-where afterwards B]
So, back to the subject: I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not the most gregarious type, I very quickly get lost in a crowd, and it usually takes me years to build up any sort of meaningful friendship with anyone - meaningful as in knowing someone better than just to say hi to. I know there was a time, pre-1998, when I didn't know Tim or Sarah Johnston existed, whereas now I know they exist and I'm absolutely convinced that they're awesome, but in all honesty I can't remember how I got from one point to the other. It was quite a long process, I think. Once in several blue moons I meet someone new and would consider them a friend almost straight away, but for me that event is nearly as rare as hen's teeth.
Must... not... get sidetracked... into a pointless discussion of chicken dentistry...
But then again, having said that, my circle of friends might be smallish but it contains some brilliant specimens. Okay, maybe 'specimens' isn't the right word to use, but you know what I meant. I hope. The point is, I like to think I have good taste in people. Too much normality gets boring, but there's not much chance of that happening in my vicinity, as I seem to be slowly accumulating a collection of rather wonderful eccentrics.
And I like it that way. I'd rather have a handful of fellow geeks around me than a huge contact list of 'normal' people any day.
To the few (you probably know who you are): thanks for being there. I'm really glad to know you, even if you do sometimes confuse me, or occasionally wipe the floor with me in some race that I challenged you to. I should learn my lesson and stop challenging people to races, maybe...
Ooh, look, I managed to end my deep and angsty ramble on a high note. Am pleased with that.
And on that bombshell, it's time to give you my latest bundle of stats (I wonder if I'll miss putting stats on the end of my posts?), and wrap up "First 11 for '11":
- The Colclough
Now here's a little philosophical question that's just occurred to me: is it better to play a race or other game against an enemy and win, or to play it (presumably much more enjoyably) against a friend and lose? Not saying Tim's an enemy - far from it - it's a hypothetical question.
And that in turn leads on to the bigger philosophical question of what constitutes a friend and how one comes by them in the first place.
In case you hadn't noticed, this post seems to be drifting into deep and angsty territory. If this is worrying you, Tim, don't panic - I'll write something less depressing you-know-where afterwards B]
So, back to the subject: I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not the most gregarious type, I very quickly get lost in a crowd, and it usually takes me years to build up any sort of meaningful friendship with anyone - meaningful as in knowing someone better than just to say hi to. I know there was a time, pre-1998, when I didn't know Tim or Sarah Johnston existed, whereas now I know they exist and I'm absolutely convinced that they're awesome, but in all honesty I can't remember how I got from one point to the other. It was quite a long process, I think. Once in several blue moons I meet someone new and would consider them a friend almost straight away, but for me that event is nearly as rare as hen's teeth.
Must... not... get sidetracked... into a pointless discussion of chicken dentistry...
But then again, having said that, my circle of friends might be smallish but it contains some brilliant specimens. Okay, maybe 'specimens' isn't the right word to use, but you know what I meant. I hope. The point is, I like to think I have good taste in people. Too much normality gets boring, but there's not much chance of that happening in my vicinity, as I seem to be slowly accumulating a collection of rather wonderful eccentrics.
And I like it that way. I'd rather have a handful of fellow geeks around me than a huge contact list of 'normal' people any day.
To the few (you probably know who you are): thanks for being there. I'm really glad to know you, even if you do sometimes confuse me, or occasionally wipe the floor with me in some race that I challenged you to. I should learn my lesson and stop challenging people to races, maybe...
Ooh, look, I managed to end my deep and angsty ramble on a high note. Am pleased with that.
And on that bombshell, it's time to give you my latest bundle of stats (I wonder if I'll miss putting stats on the end of my posts?), and wrap up "First 11 for '11":
- 11 For 11 status: 11 down, nil to go - race over
- Latest book read: The Dark Tower, and other unpublished fiction by C. S. Lewis
- Latest film/TV watched: deleted scenes from X-Men III: The Last Stand (dir. Brett Ratner, 2006)
- Latest music listened to: Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary by Karl Jenkins (1995) currently on speakers
- Latest food/sweets/whatever eaten: lunch = leek and potato soup with bacon and courgette muffins, followed by coffee
- Programs and web pages currently running: Outlook 2007, Word 2007, Windows Media Player, Skype, Firefox (tabs: Blogspot Create Post; A White Horizon, hannahlikessheepbaa.blogspot.com, MatNav)
- Webcomics posted today: Cylinder and Miserable #1135
- The Colclough
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Ends and Beginnings
Don't panic, this post won't be as deep and angsty as its title might imply.
First off, the Binary Advent Candle experiment is over, for this year at least. I already knew most of the candles were too small, and yesterday numbers 8, 4 and 1 all burnt themselves out. 8 and 4 not only finished themselves off, but also made heroic last-ditch attempts to set the entire five-candle block on fire too. Fortunately we caught them before they sent the dining room up in smoke. And since I could see that the end was coming, I lit number 2 half-way through dinner and let it expire in company with its comrades, even though it shouldn't have been lit for the correct binary formation on the 29th.
To be honest, I didn't think the setup would last as long as it did. Even with several days missed, I was pleasantly surprised that it was still workable as late as the 29th despite the woefully inadequate choice of candles.
So now, the Mk. I is scorched, covered in wax in places where it shouldn't be, and has the remains of the number 8 candle embedded in its hole, where I won't be able to get it out without using sharp objects or something rather hot. Here's a photo of the wreckage:
...but for all that, I think the experiment was a success. People liked it (not least myself), and the principle has been proven. I'll build a better Mk. II version next year with bigger candles. And hopefully a better way of containing any escapee molten-wax molecules.
At the other end of the starting-and-ending spectrum, I've just done my first non-watercolour painting in a few years. I did some work in acrylics at sixth form, but it's been a while since I took up a paintbrush for its own sake, and after three years of largely computer-based study I've started missing the analogue joi d'vivre of paints. So I asked if I could have some paints and things for Christmas, and it was so. So this morning, over breakfast, I did a painting of... breakfast. Logical enough, I think, for the first painting of a new era. It's acrylic on canvas, ~30x40 cm portrait, if you want to know. Photo to follow once the thing's dried out and I've picked a title for it, if I remember (which I might not, but I'll try).
Speaking of new beginnings: only 4 days until all my webcomic postings resume for the new year. The two-week hiatus is going by pretty quick, from my POV.
Umm... that's all for now, I think...
- The Colclough
First off, the Binary Advent Candle experiment is over, for this year at least. I already knew most of the candles were too small, and yesterday numbers 8, 4 and 1 all burnt themselves out. 8 and 4 not only finished themselves off, but also made heroic last-ditch attempts to set the entire five-candle block on fire too. Fortunately we caught them before they sent the dining room up in smoke. And since I could see that the end was coming, I lit number 2 half-way through dinner and let it expire in company with its comrades, even though it shouldn't have been lit for the correct binary formation on the 29th.
To be honest, I didn't think the setup would last as long as it did. Even with several days missed, I was pleasantly surprised that it was still workable as late as the 29th despite the woefully inadequate choice of candles.
So now, the Mk. I is scorched, covered in wax in places where it shouldn't be, and has the remains of the number 8 candle embedded in its hole, where I won't be able to get it out without using sharp objects or something rather hot. Here's a photo of the wreckage:
...but for all that, I think the experiment was a success. People liked it (not least myself), and the principle has been proven. I'll build a better Mk. II version next year with bigger candles. And hopefully a better way of containing any escapee molten-wax molecules.
At the other end of the starting-and-ending spectrum, I've just done my first non-watercolour painting in a few years. I did some work in acrylics at sixth form, but it's been a while since I took up a paintbrush for its own sake, and after three years of largely computer-based study I've started missing the analogue joi d'vivre of paints. So I asked if I could have some paints and things for Christmas, and it was so. So this morning, over breakfast, I did a painting of... breakfast. Logical enough, I think, for the first painting of a new era. It's acrylic on canvas, ~30x40 cm portrait, if you want to know. Photo to follow once the thing's dried out and I've picked a title for it, if I remember (which I might not, but I'll try).
Speaking of new beginnings: only 4 days until all my webcomic postings resume for the new year. The two-week hiatus is going by pretty quick, from my POV.
Umm... that's all for now, I think...
- The Colclough
Monday, 27 September 2010
You wait and wait and wait and then...
This one starts all computery, and then drifts into philosophy. You have been warned.
***
Today seems to have gone mainly on waiting for stuff.
Our new PC was supposed to arrive this morning, but it wasn't delivered until after 4. I think everyone got a bit tetchy waiting for the doorbell to go. But it did arrive in the end, and now it's all set up and ready to go.
It's got Windows 7, making it the first computer in the family to move beyond the Windows XP paradigm. Not that I have anything against XP - it still holds up remarkably well for a 9-year-old operating system. But there is something rather shiny about 7.
I've also been waiting for an email or two which really ought to have been here a long time ago, but neither of them has arrived yet.
*Gets distracted* I've just become aware that the several-decades-old clock in the lounge is bonging obsessively - nay, almost psychotically - I'm talking several dozen chimes in a row, which is (of course) far beyond the call of duty for any clock. *Investigates* Turns out someone wound up the chimes mechanism, and now Mum's winding the hands round and round in an effort to wind the chime spring down again. But if you didn't know that and you just heard the noise, you could be forgiven for thinking that the clock had gone mad. It's been known to happen, you know - we've got a cuckoo clock in the dining room that went mad, and once it starts cuckooing it won't stop. It's been counted doing well over fifty cuckoos in one go. It does stop eventually, but only when the weight on the cuckooing gizmo hits the floor, a good six feet down from the clock.
Anyway, back to the point. The new PC - dubbed 'Bolt' for its speed - isn't a new addition to the Colclough computer fleet, it's a replacement. Its arrival means the decommissioning of an older machine - one running Windows 98 SE - and now that the old thing is sitting on my floor with no controls or monitor attached, one side panel missing, and looking a bit sorry for itself, it's really feeling like the end of an era. We acquired the machine in question in 2001 or early 2002, and shortly afterwards upgraded it with a video card, which was in many ways responsible for the beginning of my career as a filmmaker and animator. Years' worth of my life history have passed through the processor of that PC, and it's put up with so much that I'm almost amazed it's still running at all. In its later years it's been affectionately nicknamed 'Crunchy', because of the horrible noises the fan motor and hard disk make whenever it's switched on. I've moved on - in addition to a 4-year-old laptop and my own 2-year-old 64-bit quad-core, 'Beastie', the new arrival makes three computers in the house which all easily outclass old Crunchy, and it really doesn't have any useful function any more.
I've still got an original Windows 95 installer disc (which I suppose must have arrived with one of Crunchy's two predecessors), and I'm rather tempted to format Crunchy's C drive and install Win95 on it, just for the nostalgia trip of seeing the 15-year-old OS in action one last time. And when that's done, I'd also like to format the disk again and then see if the decrepit box will run Ubuntu.
And when I've finished playing with the corpse, there are two other things I'd like to do. One of them, in fulfillment of a long-standing ambition, would be to take the machine to the top of a tallish building and throw it off the roof, just to watch it smash at the bottom. I've been wanting to do that to a computer for a very long time.
But the other thing is very different: part of me wants to give it a hug before it finally meets its end. Yeah, it's weird. I know. But as one of those people whose IT skills far outstrip their people skills, I don't just look at a family computer as another piece of hardware, like a washing machine or something. It's a friend, of sorts - or at least it used to be, before it went senile and started arbitrarily destroying important files. That's what the hug is for: not because the metal and plastic is anything special in and of itself, or because the old box is still valuable (let's face it, it isn't), but for auld lang syne. For the dozens of films and videos which I edited there, for the hundreds of comic strips I wrote there, for all the emails written and received there - my best friends live 120 miles away, and a lot of our conversation is conducted via email - and for everything else that the machine and I did together over the last eight or nine years.
Having said what I said about people skills... I'd still hug a human friend goodbye too if I knew there was an ending in the offing. Unless they didn't want it, of course, in which case I wouldn't. But you don't go through the same process with humans, of deciding that their end has come, formatting C, saying a ceremonialised farewell and then throwing them off a rooftop. Well, I don't anyhow. I hope you don't either. (Do you?)
Still, the point remains: it'll be sad to see the last of Crunchy.
Now, if its successor matches its longevity record, then we won't be saying goodbye to Bolt until at least 2018...
***
See, I told you I could blog on other days of the week besides Thursdays!
- The Colclough
***
Today seems to have gone mainly on waiting for stuff.
Our new PC was supposed to arrive this morning, but it wasn't delivered until after 4. I think everyone got a bit tetchy waiting for the doorbell to go. But it did arrive in the end, and now it's all set up and ready to go.
It's got Windows 7, making it the first computer in the family to move beyond the Windows XP paradigm. Not that I have anything against XP - it still holds up remarkably well for a 9-year-old operating system. But there is something rather shiny about 7.
I've also been waiting for an email or two which really ought to have been here a long time ago, but neither of them has arrived yet.
*Gets distracted* I've just become aware that the several-decades-old clock in the lounge is bonging obsessively - nay, almost psychotically - I'm talking several dozen chimes in a row, which is (of course) far beyond the call of duty for any clock. *Investigates* Turns out someone wound up the chimes mechanism, and now Mum's winding the hands round and round in an effort to wind the chime spring down again. But if you didn't know that and you just heard the noise, you could be forgiven for thinking that the clock had gone mad. It's been known to happen, you know - we've got a cuckoo clock in the dining room that went mad, and once it starts cuckooing it won't stop. It's been counted doing well over fifty cuckoos in one go. It does stop eventually, but only when the weight on the cuckooing gizmo hits the floor, a good six feet down from the clock.
Anyway, back to the point. The new PC - dubbed 'Bolt' for its speed - isn't a new addition to the Colclough computer fleet, it's a replacement. Its arrival means the decommissioning of an older machine - one running Windows 98 SE - and now that the old thing is sitting on my floor with no controls or monitor attached, one side panel missing, and looking a bit sorry for itself, it's really feeling like the end of an era. We acquired the machine in question in 2001 or early 2002, and shortly afterwards upgraded it with a video card, which was in many ways responsible for the beginning of my career as a filmmaker and animator. Years' worth of my life history have passed through the processor of that PC, and it's put up with so much that I'm almost amazed it's still running at all. In its later years it's been affectionately nicknamed 'Crunchy', because of the horrible noises the fan motor and hard disk make whenever it's switched on. I've moved on - in addition to a 4-year-old laptop and my own 2-year-old 64-bit quad-core, 'Beastie', the new arrival makes three computers in the house which all easily outclass old Crunchy, and it really doesn't have any useful function any more.
I've still got an original Windows 95 installer disc (which I suppose must have arrived with one of Crunchy's two predecessors), and I'm rather tempted to format Crunchy's C drive and install Win95 on it, just for the nostalgia trip of seeing the 15-year-old OS in action one last time. And when that's done, I'd also like to format the disk again and then see if the decrepit box will run Ubuntu.
And when I've finished playing with the corpse, there are two other things I'd like to do. One of them, in fulfillment of a long-standing ambition, would be to take the machine to the top of a tallish building and throw it off the roof, just to watch it smash at the bottom. I've been wanting to do that to a computer for a very long time.
But the other thing is very different: part of me wants to give it a hug before it finally meets its end. Yeah, it's weird. I know. But as one of those people whose IT skills far outstrip their people skills, I don't just look at a family computer as another piece of hardware, like a washing machine or something. It's a friend, of sorts - or at least it used to be, before it went senile and started arbitrarily destroying important files. That's what the hug is for: not because the metal and plastic is anything special in and of itself, or because the old box is still valuable (let's face it, it isn't), but for auld lang syne. For the dozens of films and videos which I edited there, for the hundreds of comic strips I wrote there, for all the emails written and received there - my best friends live 120 miles away, and a lot of our conversation is conducted via email - and for everything else that the machine and I did together over the last eight or nine years.
Having said what I said about people skills... I'd still hug a human friend goodbye too if I knew there was an ending in the offing. Unless they didn't want it, of course, in which case I wouldn't. But you don't go through the same process with humans, of deciding that their end has come, formatting C, saying a ceremonialised farewell and then throwing them off a rooftop. Well, I don't anyhow. I hope you don't either. (Do you?)
Still, the point remains: it'll be sad to see the last of Crunchy.
Now, if its successor matches its longevity record, then we won't be saying goodbye to Bolt until at least 2018...
***
See, I told you I could blog on other days of the week besides Thursdays!
- The Colclough
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Well, that answers that question...
I was wondering the other day whether anyone else would notice the passing of Grace and Caffeine.
Someone did. Feedback like this - http://hannahlikessheepbaa.blogspot.com/2010/09/grace-and-caffeine-or-works-of-someone.html and http://hannahlikessheepbaa.blogspot.com/2010/09/grace-and-caffeine-part-ii.html- makes it all seem worthwhile.
Can't let that pass without saying thank you, Hannah :)
And thanks also to Tim for the rather prominent G&C link graphic at his Sidewards webcomic site :)
On a totally unrelated note, I'm about to go and put the finishing touches to Megastropulodon Attacks! Watch this space for news on the film's online release...
- The Colclough
Someone did. Feedback like this - http://hannahlikessheepbaa.blogspot.com/2010/09/grace-and-caffeine-or-works-of-someone.html and http://hannahlikessheepbaa.blogspot.com/2010/09/grace-and-caffeine-part-ii.html- makes it all seem worthwhile.
Can't let that pass without saying thank you, Hannah :)
And thanks also to Tim for the rather prominent G&C link graphic at his Sidewards webcomic site :)
On a totally unrelated note, I'm about to go and put the finishing touches to Megastropulodon Attacks! Watch this space for news on the film's online release...
- The Colclough
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