June 30, 2004
And here’s an item from Lileks:
An interesting story from the AP — but only for the headline. Read the story. Read the headline. Find the concerned analyst.
Partly this is because I love books. I own over six hundred of them, and they span a wide variety of genres—
Since everything in the store was at least 20% off, I ended up buying nine books: Mike Nelson’s satirical novel Death Rat, Sara Douglass’ fantasy The Wayfarer Redemption (which sounds oddly like the title for a certain prison movie…), Christopher Paolini’s young adult fantasy Eragon, Roger Ebert’s The Great Movies, Robert Rodriguez’ diary of guerilla moviemaking Rebel Without a Crew, the ”How to Draw Manga” book Making Anime (which guides the reader through the production process at AIC, the anime studio that made Tenchi Muyo!, El Hazard, and many other anime classics), the Berlitz
By the time Saturday was over, I’d read Ebert’s The Great Movies and most of Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew. The former is a very handy reference to classic films, why they’re classics, and their relevance for modern film viewers. It’s also wonderful to have all the
Rodriguez wrote a simply inspiring book. Most of it is simply his diary as he wrote, filmed, edited, released, and shopped an action film called El Mariachi at a total production cost of $7,000. The rest is a personal note to the reader, a ”Ten Minute Film School” that provides some very basic information about film cameras, and repeatedly exonerates the reader to just go out and film something. His theme is that ordinary people can make
(For the record, Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico are both sequels to El Mariachi.)
And now, more VR story.
Thomas flexed his fingers, feeling the luxurious slip of the black leather gloves caress his hands. The gloves were heavily wired, but the wires were so
He sighed in contentment, smiling at the gloves. This felt good. He was back in his chosen environment.
A fringe of blonde hair leapt up from behind a nearby cluster of servers and routers, followed by the head and shoulders of a teenaged boy. He had the desperate energy and rapid,
“So, ya like it?” he asked, his words coming in machine gun bursts as he ran his fingers over various switches and scanned blinking lights for a dozen different
Thomas grunted. Youngsters like this one just annoyed him. This kid was probably the persona behind a hundred different forum hacker aliases and script kiddies.
Doodlehopper walked up, cradling a mug of something hot between her hands, her face doing a poor job of masking worry. Now she was Trinity crossed with Florence Henderson.
He didn’t want to ask why she hadn’t volunteered to go in with him. It was odd. But he knew that if he asked, and she’d simply forgotten, then she’d insist on going in. Best to let it lie.
He looked over at the teen, who was now squinting into the screen of an ancient
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Too tired to write a full update, and it’s late. Nothing to report since yesterday. I have a few things written, which I’ll try to upload soon. Finished reading Mike Nelson’s Death Rat last night, which deserves a review lasting more than a few words. Short version: It was as funny as I’d expected it to be. Very much a first novel, but a highly respectable first novel.
Monday, June 28, 2004
Saturday was Otherspace Productions day, sort of. Both the animators—the
So. What to do? The key animator is currently on vacation, and I want this fixed. So, I had the
Meanwhile, the CGI artist punched up the opening scene with a road and more buildings in the background. I confess I’d been mentioning the need for lots of background buildings for awhile, to the point where she reassured me several times that there would be plenty of buildings. Just before she left, she showed me how she’d added dozens of buildings, and we laughed as I agreed that that looked good.
We all had a pretty good time. We spent a fair amount of time chatting, a fact that I felt ambivalent about for a little while. I wondered if I should be pushing them to return to their work after five or ten minutes of discussions about manga and video game consoles. But, no. I certainly have long chats at work myself, and I consider that a reasonable aspect of doing a job. Humans talk, and I’m perfectly willing to let them (and myself). I’m reminded of a scene in the Animation Runner Kuromi anime series, in which the studio president enters the main production room to see a chaotic but energetic crew working, trading paper, and resolving
On the other hand, I have realized that I’m already spending a lot of money on this. Even paying these artists minimum wage for
The CGI is the main expense. The CGI artist is spending a lot of time on the shot. This is not a condemnation of her; I can watch her and see that the assembly of all the elements takes a lot of time. I’m planning to call her and explain the situation and ask if there’s any way to speed up the process. In fact, I may just tell her that I’ll pay her through Saturday, then we’ll pause work on the CGI shot until I’ve paid for more of the animation.
Friday, June 25, 2004
You know a piece of music is good when you can listen to it in a variety of different circumstances, and it fits all of them.
In other news: Otherspace Productions is killing me. When the animators return to my apartment tomorrow (for an extended period of work, no less), I will have had animators there doing one thing or another for four out of six days. It’s fun and exciting to see my dreams materialize on a monitor or a drafting table six feet from my eyes, but I didn’t expect it to require quite this much time.
And it doesn’t even take up much of my time. Mostly, I get to putter around my apartment while the animators frown at the paper or screen. But I haven’t gotten used to this, so my mind stays in Animation Company President mode. I might be able to do a few little chores, but it doesn’t feel right to switch on the PS2 and play some Final Fantasy while these animators struggle with an expression or a camera movement.
Oh, yes. I bought a PlayStation 2 last weekend. I still don’t know quite why. I’ve been thinking about buying a console for awhile now, but couldn’t make myself spend the several hundred dollars. So when I went in to Best Buy to look at their selection of DVDs (they often have a few good films at a steep discount), I never planned to buy a console. But I wandered over to the games, and browsed the different games and systems, and suddenly realized that I was going to walk out of the store holding a console and a few games.
I went with the PlayStation 2 mainly because it’s the primary system for the Final Fantasy games, and seems to have a solid lock on a lot of good games. I’d rather not give Microsoft any more money than I have to, and the GameCube’s selection seemed paltry to my eyes. So, what the heck. I’ll buy a GC if I need to.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Otherspace Productions has been taking up a lot of my time lately.
My CGI artist came over Wednesday morning, where she showed me her work and began integrating lain herself into the animation. It’s a shame I don’t have more time to devote to animation; I can only spare a few hours in the morning, and even that requires me to wake up early.
But it’s fun. Don’t get me wrong; this is not a situation where I can shift from complaining about work to complaining about animation. Animation gives me real joy.
Now to deliver.
Thomas gave Dana his best Sherlock Holmes indulgent smile. “You have enough processing power here to map the human genome.” More than that, he thought. “I look around and the people I see are all hackers. Young. Stereotypically, loners. Not the types who normally stay together in groups this large, not for long.”
She shook her head, still smiling. “This is sort of a convention,” she said. “We all know each other online, and we’ve gathered here for a couple of days’ worth of harmless fun.”
He snorted, but kept his own smile pasted on his face. “In a giant warehouse?”
Her smile was turning into a newswoman’s plastic smile. “It was available.”
He struggled to keep the contempt out of his voice, but failed. “And you all just happen to drive large, unmarked moving trucks?”
She tried to spit out a comeback, then turned and furrowed her brows further. Thomas was impressed with himself. He had her completely on the defensive. This was working.
She turned back to him, her eyes dark and furious. “Listen,” she growled. “We took you in, and we’re giving you free access to our net. Why? Because we trust Doodle.” She jabbed a finger at his chest. “Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.”
Thomas gulped and nodded as Dana whirled and stalked off. Thomas wondered if he’d made a mistake. And he suddenly remembered another bit of the Art of War: He wins his battles by making no mistakes.
Doodlehopper sidled over to him, a playful smirk on her face now. He tried to let it lighten his mood, but Dana’s reaction had jangled his nerves too much.
“So,” she said. “You really showed her, huh?”
He gave her a sidelong look. But he found himself chuckling, and then the tension eased out of him and he was able to laugh. She laughed too. And it made her look pretty.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Okay. Okay okay okay. No updates except for the weird one on Friday. Yeah.
I don’t really want to apologize for this, because as I see it, I’m not posting these journals exclusively for readers. Obviously, I want people to read it—otherwise why would I put it online?—but this journal is only a part of my life, and sometimes I don’t have much time for that part.
The
Meanwhile, my CGI artist
So I’m feeling good. My
Friday, June 18, 2004
Yeah, yeah, this has been another Week of Suck when it came to updating my journal. In many ways, the week was uneventful; I worked, I came home, I exercised, I wrote a bit, I watched anime.
In other ways, this was a momentous week. I hired two animators this week, one to do
For example, one female animator will be coming over to my apartment this Monday morning to work. I’m worried about the impression she might get about working in a basement apartment, alone with a guy, the heavy door closed. But I insist on having the animators physically work with me, if at all possible. I’ve had too many artists working from home flake on me.
Also, I have very high standards. I don’t know if these people can do it, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to explain to them exactly what I want. This is all so totally new.
So, I’m scared. But then, I’m pursuing my dream. I’m willing to experience a little fear to make that happen.
Anyway, here’s this week’s bit of the VR story (which I’d really like to name one of these days):
“He’s a client.” It was Doodlehopper’s voice, a warning growl from off to his left.
“So?” asked one of those holding a shocker. “Could still be dangerous. Might’ve tricked you.”
Thomas felt sweat pop out on his forehead. If any of those shockers touched him, he’d be in serious pain. Worse, if they decided to be nasty, he could be dead. He’d seen videos of gangs jabbing captured victims with shockers. After thirty or forty shocks, the nervous system gives out.
A husky, older woman’s voice came from ten or twenty feet in front of Thomas and said, “Let him go. We can trust Doodle.”
The neon spears drew back and away as their holders slipped back into the shadows of the warehouse. For that’s what it was, now that Thomas’ eyes had adjusted to the light. He could see the outlines of large moving trucks huddled all around the floor, and nearby, literally tons of computer equipment stacked in seemingly haphazard piles.
And now he could see the people, dozens of them. About half were sprawled in small knots of two or three, occasionally swigging from a can of beer or biting into a microwaved snack before setting it back down on top of a server or router. The rest of the occupants were dancing, swirling, gesturing, and enrobed in VR gear.
Doodlehopper grinned at him from where she was standing, arms crossed against her black vest, watching him. “Welcome to Safe House,” she repeated.
“You can stay here for the next
“Whatever you say,” he replied, trying to keep his voice calm, ripping the top off and taking a whiff of the food inside. You had to check for freshness when dining with Young Hacker Types. It smelled very good, though he knew that was partly because he hadn’t eaten much lately. He nodded at the folks around them. “Can I ask you about this place?”
Dana smirked, but without humor. “You can ask.”
He willed himself to stay calm and grabbed a pair of chopsticks from a bunch sticking out of a Styrofoam cup. He stirred the cooked tofu and rice as he composed his thoughts. He recalled the Art of War. The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.
“What is your purpose?” he asked, almost casually, his eyes on his food.
Dana’s eyebrows furrowed for a second, then she gave him a broad smile. This had as much humor as her smirk. “Why do you think we have a purpose?” she asked, spreading her arms.
Doodlehopper shot Thomas a worried look over her plate of noodles.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Maybe it’s obvious. But it made me laugh. From TNH’s blog:
Gandalf: What happen?
Samwise: Somebody set us up the orc.
Pippin: We get signal.
Gandalf: What!
Pippin: Main seeing stone turn on.
Gandalf: It’s you!!
Saron: How are you Fellowship!!
June 10, 2004
Okay. You’re a massive entertainment company. You have a new TV show that’s generating significant critical acclaim, airing on two networks. One network—for whatever reason—decides not to air one episode. What do you do?
You stream it on the web for free, of course.
That’s exactly the situation Geneon Entertainment is in with their anime series Koikaze. It’s a drama about a very depressed young salaryman who suddenly runs into his younger sister after a long period of separation, which dredges up all sorts of memories. Geneon could have simply clammed up about it. They could have released a
A round of applause for Geneon, please, in celebration of at least one company that gets it. Thank you.
Quick link: Zeyad just posted part 1 of an article about Iraq’s tribal history at Healing Iraq. Informative, deep, and just plain fascinating, this part of the article discusses the distant past, particularly the psychology of the Arabian tribes who have influenced Iraqi life so much.
June 9, 2004
I’m beginning to agree with Something Awful. The internet makes you stupid.
…And whoops! Almost forgot to upload another VR snippet. Here we go….
He waited for a few more moments, looking around at the scenery. There wasn’t much to see. A thin strip of blue sky peeked out above the buildings around them. The buildings themsevles looked like warehouses or converted office space, just like a thousand other buildings in the city. Which might be why Doodlehopper’s stopped here, he thought. Perfectly anonymous cover.
“TK421,” Doodlehopper murmured, loud enough for Thomas to hear. He looked at her, debating whether to ask what she meant, and saw that her head was turned towards him but she was staring down the street. He looked in that direction; nobody was there.
“The color of television, tuned to a dead channel,” she said, still looking at nobody. He must have given her a weird look, because she flashed a grin at him and made a motion with her hand to ignore her.
“Home seems about right,” she said, then arched her back, levering herself off the concrete and standing upright without using her arms.
“What…” Thomas began. Doodlehopper grinned at him again, then turned 180 degrees and bowed, gesturing at the wall. “Welcome to Safe House,” she said.
The concrete wall which she’d been leaning against promptly melted away, revealing an entrance as black as a monolith. No light penetrated. He realized—late enough to make himself feel like a fool—that Doodlehopper had been reciting passphrases to the door.
Doodlehopper sauntered into the
But once his dazzled eyes had a second to adjust, his attention was immediately draw to the large streaks of light hovering in front of him, and a second later he realized they were the ends of shockers. Each had been modified to glow a bright color, one
He gulped and halted, straining his eyes to see beyond the shockers at the people wielding them, but the lights were too low and his eyes couldn’t yet adjust from the morning sunlight outside.
And if you
Also, the VR story will be getting back into VR eventually. I’ve written it. We just need to get Thomas into real safety.
![[matrix experiments lain]](http://www.other-space.com/matrixlain/logo.jpg){kind=logo}
Okay. So. I’m meeting with three potential animators this Saturday morning.
This makes me feel…weird. Oddly elated. Tingly.
Arg, I’m not communicating this well at all. I feel joyful. Energized. I’m actually doing it.
A small voice in the back of my mind wonders if I won’t be just as tired of this animation business in a few years as I am with technical writing now. But somehow, I can’t make myself believe it. This is exciting in a way that programming or tech writing never was.
Now that I’ll be meeting with them, I suddenly realize I should have some sample artwork for them to look at, so I need to print out a sample booklet. All of a sudden, there’s stuff to do.