Take the time today to remember why we have this holiday, and all the bloodshed and injustice that brought it to be.
Once you have educated yourself on the TRUE history of the holiday, then remember why you celebrate it yourself, personally.
Give thanks for all you have, and all those who sacrificed their lives for you to have it, from the natives we stole this land from, to the Troops overseas right now who allow us to continue to live free.
Now go eat some turkey and spend time with relatives you don't like! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Happy Birthday to me!
Hey folks!
Just wanted to drop in and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Now for my birthday there are plenty of things that I would love to have:
A Playstation 3 and a copy of MAG
A Honda Shadow Phantom
A new PC from Alienware
A flyfishing reel\rod\tying kit
But most of all, your donations to the Special Olympics. 1$ to 1million$, give what you can. Volunteer your time, money, hell there's even a way to donate stocks you own in a company!!
If you want to personalize it, this is the Special Olympics division in my geographical area: http://www.sonc.org/
Otherwise, just donate to the organization as a whole here:
http://www.specialolympics.org/
Every dollar you give is a dollar they don't have yet to make one of these folks day an awesome one, so show you care, and wish me a happy birthday in the best way I can think of, DONATE!
Just wanted to drop in and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Now for my birthday there are plenty of things that I would love to have:
A Playstation 3 and a copy of MAG
A Honda Shadow Phantom
A new PC from Alienware
A flyfishing reel\rod\tying kit
But most of all, your donations to the Special Olympics. 1$ to 1million$, give what you can. Volunteer your time, money, hell there's even a way to donate stocks you own in a company!!
If you want to personalize it, this is the Special Olympics division in my geographical area: http://www.sonc.org/
Otherwise, just donate to the organization as a whole here:
http://www.specialolympics.org/
Every dollar you give is a dollar they don't have yet to make one of these folks day an awesome one, so show you care, and wish me a happy birthday in the best way I can think of, DONATE!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
New blades, less pain, and boobies!
Hey folks,
Just dropping in to show off some of the new papercraft gear I picked up:
The blade is an X-acto Gripster knife, which takes standard #11 blades, has a rigid design like the oldschool knives with the unscrew blade removal. A slightly larger diameter on the handle coupled with the different material for the grip gives this blade a much more comfortable feel. I paid 7$ at wal-mart as an impulse buy and the only color they had was pink, but if you have the time you can get it cheaper and in different colors by shopping online. Check it out here.
The mat is an X-acto Self Healing cutting mat. Basically its made of a rubberized polymer that closes up after being cut. Using anything else is counter intuitive, but with a price of 10$ for a 12X12 mat this might be a bit of a spend for those on a budget or not wanting to drop a lot of cash onto a hobby. I found mine at wal-mart again on a Halloween shopping trip and again it only came in pink, but I'm willing to forgo looks for functionality, and this thing is 100% functionality. From the 1/2 inch grid pattern to the 30-45-60 degree angle marks, this mat is a papercrafters dream. I actually can't find these for sale online anymore, but check your local wal-mart or office supply store or a crafting store to find them.
My wife thought these were breast cancer awareness items and that's why they came in pink, but I couldn't find anything on any website that suggested that, so I don't think so. Since she brought it up though, go Donate and save somebodies boobies and maybe even a life. It's a more than worthy cause for your dollar.
Boobies.
Just dropping in to show off some of the new papercraft gear I picked up:
The blade is an X-acto Gripster knife, which takes standard #11 blades, has a rigid design like the oldschool knives with the unscrew blade removal. A slightly larger diameter on the handle coupled with the different material for the grip gives this blade a much more comfortable feel. I paid 7$ at wal-mart as an impulse buy and the only color they had was pink, but if you have the time you can get it cheaper and in different colors by shopping online. Check it out here.
My wife thought these were breast cancer awareness items and that's why they came in pink, but I couldn't find anything on any website that suggested that, so I don't think so. Since she brought it up though, go Donate and save somebodies boobies and maybe even a life. It's a more than worthy cause for your dollar.
Boobies.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Simple fun for everyone!
Hey folks!
Got a little sumthin speshul for ya today! Paperkraft.net put out a link on their facebook page for something called Twink: The Toy Piano Band. I have no clue what this Twink is, but I liked the papercraft pianos that were in Paperkraft.net's wall post, so I clicked and had a look. Turns out they have all the "twink" papercraft models on the site free, which is very cool. So I saw one I liked and turned it out in about 5 minutes (cutting curves is a pain in the butt!).
Pretty sweet right? Then I was bored again. So I figured, I have a piano, but no pianist, and no man should ever be pianistless, so I made one:
And now I have a hot-rod piano and a 2 inch pianist.
Aside from this random funtime, it got me thinking about the kids, and how much fun it would be for them to make some papercraft models along side their parents or older siblings. Most of the models out there are too complicated or require delicate hands and precise cutting\gluing. Single piece crafts can be a great way to introduce the kiddies into the hobby, and since the designs are printed right on the sheet theirs will look awesome too!
You'll have to do some googling to find the single sheet models, I haven't found a website that is dedicated to them yet, but they are out there and plentiful, so have fun!
Got a little sumthin speshul for ya today! Paperkraft.net put out a link on their facebook page for something called Twink: The Toy Piano Band. I have no clue what this Twink is, but I liked the papercraft pianos that were in Paperkraft.net's wall post, so I clicked and had a look. Turns out they have all the "twink" papercraft models on the site free, which is very cool. So I saw one I liked and turned it out in about 5 minutes (cutting curves is a pain in the butt!).
Pretty sweet right? Then I was bored again. So I figured, I have a piano, but no pianist, and no man should ever be pianistless, so I made one:
Aside from this random funtime, it got me thinking about the kids, and how much fun it would be for them to make some papercraft models along side their parents or older siblings. Most of the models out there are too complicated or require delicate hands and precise cutting\gluing. Single piece crafts can be a great way to introduce the kiddies into the hobby, and since the designs are printed right on the sheet theirs will look awesome too!
You'll have to do some googling to find the single sheet models, I haven't found a website that is dedicated to them yet, but they are out there and plentiful, so have fun!
ADD creates armless mage....
Hey folks!!
It's been a busy few weeks for me, so sorry about the lack of posts, but I should be back on schedule here starting this week.
Made some progress with Vivi so here we go!
As you can see above I've got the staff, fireball, hat, and body done. Leaving me with just the arms and hands to actually assemble. For any of you that are going to attempt this model, I'll let you know right now, it's not an easy one. The build gets progressively more complicated and harder as you build. Starting with the feet, up to the hat, then the arms and hands.
One part that was easy, however, was the face, which I was going to save for last.
I'm not the world's most patient person, and I'm pretty sure I have some level of ADD going on so here's ol Armless Vivi for your viewing pleasure.
I'm currently working on the arms for the next post, and then I'll have a final post for the finished Vivi and the pose I choose for him. I'm thinking of printing a backdrop to make a sort of shadowbox for him as well, which I think could be pretty cool. Maybe a diorama style display or something. Either way you can keep checking up for whats going on and I hope to see some comments and such! Thanks!!
It's been a busy few weeks for me, so sorry about the lack of posts, but I should be back on schedule here starting this week.
Made some progress with Vivi so here we go!
One part that was easy, however, was the face, which I was going to save for last.
I'm not the world's most patient person, and I'm pretty sure I have some level of ADD going on so here's ol Armless Vivi for your viewing pleasure.
I'm currently working on the arms for the next post, and then I'll have a final post for the finished Vivi and the pose I choose for him. I'm thinking of printing a backdrop to make a sort of shadowbox for him as well, which I think could be pretty cool. Maybe a diorama style display or something. Either way you can keep checking up for whats going on and I hope to see some comments and such! Thanks!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Guest post!
Hey folks!
Just wanted to drop in and say I'm working on some blog posts to get back on a regular thrice a week schedule here. Been pretty busy still but I did write a little opinion piece for a blog about Video Games called Theory Of Game by Justin Hebert. Go check his blog out and you'll see my video game related rants and raves from time to time..
.
Anyways, if I had all my pics uploaded I'd give you a Vivi update like I've been promising, but I don't and I'm watching a movie so I'll get em up soon.
Oh, and for those that are interested, Paranormal Activity 2 (in theaters now) is about what you'd expect from a sequel to that movie, but explains the first movie in a plausible way (unless you saw the alternate ending...). Either way, I'd call it a "Rent", not a see-it-in-the-theaters-like-I-did movie.
Listen to my band now! The Long Black Veils!!
Just wanted to drop in and say I'm working on some blog posts to get back on a regular thrice a week schedule here. Been pretty busy still but I did write a little opinion piece for a blog about Video Games called Theory Of Game by Justin Hebert. Go check his blog out and you'll see my video game related rants and raves from time to time..
.
Anyways, if I had all my pics uploaded I'd give you a Vivi update like I've been promising, but I don't and I'm watching a movie so I'll get em up soon.
Oh, and for those that are interested, Paranormal Activity 2 (in theaters now) is about what you'd expect from a sequel to that movie, but explains the first movie in a plausible way (unless you saw the alternate ending...). Either way, I'd call it a "Rent", not a see-it-in-the-theaters-like-I-did movie.
Listen to my band now! The Long Black Veils!!
Monday, October 25, 2010
update on ME!
hey folks!
Just wanted to let you know, I'm still here, still working on my Vivi papercraft (almost done!!!!) still fishing and still playing in my band The Long Black Veils.
I've been busy with home life and working on getting some training (unemployment doesn't pay as well as I'd like :) ) playing live shows with the band and being busy with family life, but I'll have a Vivi update soon, as well as a new blogroll link for a friend of mine who is starting a video game blog that I'll be contributing to (vidya games are awesome!).
In the meantime, let me point out to you a few things completely awesome:
In the realm of papercraft: EVIL DEAD!
In the realm of fishing: Trout Ninja!
In the realm of random awesomesauce: Absolute Zero!!
Look foward to some random rations coming soon including a papercraft gift for a relative in law, a fishing report from the upper Kings river, and hopefully the completed Vivi by the end of the week!!!!
Just wanted to let you know, I'm still here, still working on my Vivi papercraft (almost done!!!!) still fishing and still playing in my band The Long Black Veils.
I've been busy with home life and working on getting some training (unemployment doesn't pay as well as I'd like :) ) playing live shows with the band and being busy with family life, but I'll have a Vivi update soon, as well as a new blogroll link for a friend of mine who is starting a video game blog that I'll be contributing to (vidya games are awesome!).
In the meantime, let me point out to you a few things completely awesome:
In the realm of papercraft: EVIL DEAD!
In the realm of fishing: Trout Ninja!
In the realm of random awesomesauce: Absolute Zero!!
Look foward to some random rations coming soon including a papercraft gift for a relative in law, a fishing report from the upper Kings river, and hopefully the completed Vivi by the end of the week!!!!
Monday, October 18, 2010
More Vivi!!
Hey folks!
Got another Vivi update for you! I'm not quite done yet, been busy with my band and other such things, but here is the progress I've made on the awesome mage hat!
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| The brim of the hat, its actually 2 pieces top\bottom |
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| The underside glues to the top |
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| This piece was easy to attach |
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| This piece was NOT easy lol it fits weird and is bigger than the piece it glues to |
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| this is when it starts to look cool |
Now all that's left is the Arms\hands and to finish the hat and I'll be done! I'm very proud of this model, even though it does have some mistakes. It's the biggest and most difficult I've done so far :) Stay tuned for the full model in completion very soon!!
Comments are appreciated :D
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Just couldn't wait!
Hey folks!
I just couldn't wait for this Vivi Update, so here you go, and I'm sure I'll make more progress very soon!
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| Finally finished the bottom half!! |
 | |
| I'm particularly proud of how well the back came out |
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| Vivi's Fireball, very small and cramp inducing! |
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| You can see how the pieces fit together |
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| Finished fireball |
Hey folks! I'm back again with my final spooktacular reblog post!
"Having posted my views on Environmental evidence, I move on now to Visual Evidence.
To me, Visual evidence of the paranormal is the most compelling, as it can be studied and analyzed to the most minute detail. There are photographs and videos all over the internet to be studied, and its easy and relatively inexpensive to go out and take pictures and video on an investigation.
First I would like to talk about authenticity, as it is the most important factor when analyzing visual evidence. It is a reality that everything can be faked with today's technology. The best video and photograph could be the result of an intelligent 14 year old and a copy of Photoshop, I've seen it done. So whats the point in analyzing evidence that has no way of verifying its authenticity?
There comes a point at which to critically analyze visual evidence you have to put aside your beliefs of whether something is real or has been faked. With visual evidence there are many methods of examination which can reveal the authenticity of the photograph, as in has it been tampered with physically or digitally. But there is no way of telling if the photographer has faked the scenario in question, setting it up to look supernatural before the picture is even taken. So there is an element of trust in question. In the end visual evidence really is no more convincing scientifically than Environmental evidence because of this. But it is much more compelling anecdotal evidence than any other kind.
Another reason I find visual evidence so interesting is that you can in fact be an expert in the field. Photography and Videography are very technical and precise fields, and to be an expert in them is to be an expert at analyzing visual evidence. I only wish I had the time and money to be such an expert, but I have my contacts that fill that "expert" need when I have it.
That out of the way, I'd like to drop a quote from a guide I wrote for The Atlantic Paranormal Society website in reference to posting visual evidence on the message boards and the reactions to expect, I've edited it for length and pertinance.
"Posting Etiquette, A sample guide:
4. Take responses to your posts or posted evidence with a grain of salt, a touch of humility, and a bucket full of understanding and patience. Just because you are 100% sure there is something paranormal about your picture doesnt mean there is. Dont get defensive about replies to your post or posted evidence, there will always be someone who disagree's with what you think you've found.
5. Be aware of your own attitude, if someone is irritating you subtly or you are getting frustrated with 9 out of 10 people saying your posted evidence is mundane, take a step back, keep your reaction in check, and proceed thoughtfully. Emotion is a wonderful thing when kept in control, passion for the field is a great quality, but can be very hurtful when left unchecked.
7. If someone tears your evidence apart, they are most likely doing so from a technical viewpoint, which is how it should be done. Using science, technology, and solid logic to debunk evidence is what makes the field more than just a pseudoscience, and if we are ever to become a fully respectable field of research and study, we must conform to the base principles of investigation and testing. So when someone shreds your evidence to pieces with concise and accurate methods of deduction, don't be offended, be honored that they spent that much time to debunk your evidence, and be happy that you can have a solid answer instead of a vague feeling of the veracity of the evidence."
These points are the ones that relate to real life events, whether it be a buddy showing you his cool photo of smoke that "looks like a face" or when you are showing off your own such photo's to others. Just remember, not everyone is a believer, but everyone likes a cool picture.
I have to give credit where its due, the reason I wrote the etiquette section of my visual evidence guide is thanks to a buddy on the TAPS message boards, Jackpot316. You can see the full guide and everyone elses comments and suggestions at http://www.tapsmainforum.com/index.php?topic=10499.0
And I highly suggest that you join the TAPS message boards, its very educational, entertaining, and you meet a lot of great people like jackpot316 Ncarnate78, Dreams4U, Mystical, and many more I don't have time to list, 0h, and I'm there too."
That's it for my Howloweeny posts, next time back to Papercraft and a much needed Vivi update!! Thanks for reading and please leave comments and click the "share" button below to post this on your facebook page!
"Having posted my views on Environmental evidence, I move on now to Visual Evidence.
To me, Visual evidence of the paranormal is the most compelling, as it can be studied and analyzed to the most minute detail. There are photographs and videos all over the internet to be studied, and its easy and relatively inexpensive to go out and take pictures and video on an investigation.
First I would like to talk about authenticity, as it is the most important factor when analyzing visual evidence. It is a reality that everything can be faked with today's technology. The best video and photograph could be the result of an intelligent 14 year old and a copy of Photoshop, I've seen it done. So whats the point in analyzing evidence that has no way of verifying its authenticity?
There comes a point at which to critically analyze visual evidence you have to put aside your beliefs of whether something is real or has been faked. With visual evidence there are many methods of examination which can reveal the authenticity of the photograph, as in has it been tampered with physically or digitally. But there is no way of telling if the photographer has faked the scenario in question, setting it up to look supernatural before the picture is even taken. So there is an element of trust in question. In the end visual evidence really is no more convincing scientifically than Environmental evidence because of this. But it is much more compelling anecdotal evidence than any other kind.
Another reason I find visual evidence so interesting is that you can in fact be an expert in the field. Photography and Videography are very technical and precise fields, and to be an expert in them is to be an expert at analyzing visual evidence. I only wish I had the time and money to be such an expert, but I have my contacts that fill that "expert" need when I have it.
That out of the way, I'd like to drop a quote from a guide I wrote for The Atlantic Paranormal Society website in reference to posting visual evidence on the message boards and the reactions to expect, I've edited it for length and pertinance.
"Posting Etiquette, A sample guide:
4. Take responses to your posts or posted evidence with a grain of salt, a touch of humility, and a bucket full of understanding and patience. Just because you are 100% sure there is something paranormal about your picture doesnt mean there is. Dont get defensive about replies to your post or posted evidence, there will always be someone who disagree's with what you think you've found.
5. Be aware of your own attitude, if someone is irritating you subtly or you are getting frustrated with 9 out of 10 people saying your posted evidence is mundane, take a step back, keep your reaction in check, and proceed thoughtfully. Emotion is a wonderful thing when kept in control, passion for the field is a great quality, but can be very hurtful when left unchecked.
7. If someone tears your evidence apart, they are most likely doing so from a technical viewpoint, which is how it should be done. Using science, technology, and solid logic to debunk evidence is what makes the field more than just a pseudoscience, and if we are ever to become a fully respectable field of research and study, we must conform to the base principles of investigation and testing. So when someone shreds your evidence to pieces with concise and accurate methods of deduction, don't be offended, be honored that they spent that much time to debunk your evidence, and be happy that you can have a solid answer instead of a vague feeling of the veracity of the evidence."
These points are the ones that relate to real life events, whether it be a buddy showing you his cool photo of smoke that "looks like a face" or when you are showing off your own such photo's to others. Just remember, not everyone is a believer, but everyone likes a cool picture.
I have to give credit where its due, the reason I wrote the etiquette section of my visual evidence guide is thanks to a buddy on the TAPS message boards, Jackpot316. You can see the full guide and everyone elses comments and suggestions at http://www.tapsmainforum.com/index.php?topic=10499.0
And I highly suggest that you join the TAPS message boards, its very educational, entertaining, and you meet a lot of great people like jackpot316 Ncarnate78, Dreams4U, Mystical, and many more I don't have time to list, 0h, and I'm there too."
That's it for my Howloweeny posts, next time back to Papercraft and a much needed Vivi update!! Thanks for reading and please leave comments and click the "share" button below to post this on your facebook page!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Hey folks!
This is part 3 in my reblog of ghostiness, discussing types of paranormal evidence and such. Enjoy!
"This is the disclamer: I am no professional by any means. I only know from experience and general knowledge. Everything is IMO only.
I do alot of looking for physical evidence of the paranormal. I'd say 90% of the time its all completley normal, its that 10% of the time that gets us excited. Evidence ranges from visual- photographs and video, to aural- EVP's, sounds on tape or DAR, to Environmental- recorded measurments of EMF, tempurature fluctuations (cold\hot spots), even barometric pressure.
Today we will cover what is, in my opinion, the weakest of the three evidences: Environmental Evidence.
Environmental evidence is the least accurate and easiest to discount. Some may find that statement offensive or think it untrue. But the simple fact of the matter is that environmental evidence is unreliable and conjectural. It has not been proven that an EMF spike, or a change in barometric pressure, or tempurature fluctuations, have anything to do with the paranormal. I qualify that statement with this one: EMF and tempurature fluctuations have long been associated with paranormal activity, and it is a widely accepted means of determining activity within a location. But to a non-believer or an investigator debunking from a scientific standpoint as well as a believers view, conjectural evidence is weak to failing.
In the course of an investigation, I would indeed take all the environmental readings customarily taken, record the readings and thier locations and variables, make sure they are accurate and then continue on. These readings, as conjectural as they are, do seem to give a fairly accurate base reading of the activity level within a location. Through the studies of investigators around the world it has been found that these readings are reliable in thier general capacity.
So when telling someone of your investigations, make note of the environmental evidence, but dont emphasize it. Within the community, the readings will be understood, but outside of the field, the readings mean basically nothing. For example, if I was to say to a friend "I found 3 moving cold spots, the first two were accompanied by abnormal EMF readings and the third with a drop in barometric pressure." My friend would say "So?" even if he did understand the terms. But if I were to say that to someone who is an investigator, that would be fairly good evidence of activity.
However, if I were to explain the terms and the significance of the events simply as follows "hot/Cold spots are believed to be caused by paranormal activity, as are abnormal EMF readings and abnormal barometric pressure readings, and we experienced them all, 3 times in a short period." The friend would most likley say something like "So that means there might be some activity, interesting, do you have any other evidence?"
And at that point I would move on to Visual Evidence. Which I will do, in my next post.
Thanks for reading, as always feel free to comment on anything I write, I want your opinions!"
That's all folks! Stay tuned for tomorrows post!
This is part 3 in my reblog of ghostiness, discussing types of paranormal evidence and such. Enjoy!
"This is the disclamer: I am no professional by any means. I only know from experience and general knowledge. Everything is IMO only.
I do alot of looking for physical evidence of the paranormal. I'd say 90% of the time its all completley normal, its that 10% of the time that gets us excited. Evidence ranges from visual- photographs and video, to aural- EVP's, sounds on tape or DAR, to Environmental- recorded measurments of EMF, tempurature fluctuations (cold\hot spots), even barometric pressure.
Today we will cover what is, in my opinion, the weakest of the three evidences: Environmental Evidence.
Environmental evidence is the least accurate and easiest to discount. Some may find that statement offensive or think it untrue. But the simple fact of the matter is that environmental evidence is unreliable and conjectural. It has not been proven that an EMF spike, or a change in barometric pressure, or tempurature fluctuations, have anything to do with the paranormal. I qualify that statement with this one: EMF and tempurature fluctuations have long been associated with paranormal activity, and it is a widely accepted means of determining activity within a location. But to a non-believer or an investigator debunking from a scientific standpoint as well as a believers view, conjectural evidence is weak to failing.
In the course of an investigation, I would indeed take all the environmental readings customarily taken, record the readings and thier locations and variables, make sure they are accurate and then continue on. These readings, as conjectural as they are, do seem to give a fairly accurate base reading of the activity level within a location. Through the studies of investigators around the world it has been found that these readings are reliable in thier general capacity.
So when telling someone of your investigations, make note of the environmental evidence, but dont emphasize it. Within the community, the readings will be understood, but outside of the field, the readings mean basically nothing. For example, if I was to say to a friend "I found 3 moving cold spots, the first two were accompanied by abnormal EMF readings and the third with a drop in barometric pressure." My friend would say "So?" even if he did understand the terms. But if I were to say that to someone who is an investigator, that would be fairly good evidence of activity.
However, if I were to explain the terms and the significance of the events simply as follows "hot/Cold spots are believed to be caused by paranormal activity, as are abnormal EMF readings and abnormal barometric pressure readings, and we experienced them all, 3 times in a short period." The friend would most likley say something like "So that means there might be some activity, interesting, do you have any other evidence?"
And at that point I would move on to Visual Evidence. Which I will do, in my next post.
Thanks for reading, as always feel free to comment on anything I write, I want your opinions!"
That's all folks! Stay tuned for tomorrows post!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Re-blog Paranormal Halloweeny part 2
Hey Folks!
This is Part 2 of my Paranormal themed posts for the howl-o-ween season, you can get an idea of how I think and my religiosity through these posts, but also a glimpse into how the field of Paranormal Investigation isn't a bunch of kids breaking into abandoned houses and scaring themselves silly. The next two posts will be a bit more technical, but this post is personal, since I'm talking about my own beliefs and procedures. Comment, follow, share, etc :)
"This will be sort of a continuation of the first post I made. Of a more general nature, and with more thoughts than references.
Whenever I put forth my view of the paranormal in relation to Christianity, I get replies similar to those comments left for my last post. (thank you to those who commented). So invariably I have to delve deeper into my own theosophy (theology\philosophy, I made a new word.) of the subject.
I think the term "all things in moderation" fits well here. When I was a non-Christian, I engulfed myself in the occult and the paranormal, and I brought others with me as well. Its a burden I will bear for the rest of my life. Imagine bringing others to the occult, equipping them with knowledge and experience in the ungodly, then setting them on the path of wickedness, only to become a Christian later on in life. I imagine it is somewhat similar to how Saul\Paul felt after he was made blind and came to Christ.
While I was in the condition of the non-believer, I delved as deep as my own fear would allow, stopping short only when in fear of death either physical, or (if indeed possible) spiritual. So while my experience is extensive, I wont be telling fantastic stories of the kind, because it serves only to glamorize the lifestyle, and I stand against that. Instead I will attempt to use my experience to shed some light on the subject of the paranormal, and in turn show that it can be fascinating without being detrimental to life or faith.
As I said, moderation is the key. I dont devote myself to anything besides my family and God. I try to spread my time equally amongst my many hobbies after the first two priorities have been seen to.
Much like others I have talked to, I have a very strong urge and impulse to delve into the paranormal, be it ghosts, demons and angels, the enochian keys, astral travel, or anything else that doesnt involve drug use. I have found that when I let my urges get the best of me, I get set on a downward spiral, and my quality of life in general starts to decline drastically. I have also found then when I adhere to the guidelines I've set for myself, I do just fine.
Number 1. I dont do E.V.P.'s, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon. The Bible strictly forbids trying to make contact with the dead. Conducting an EVP session involves asking questions to any entity that may be in the vicinity and reviewing audio tape later to check for responses. If someone brings me an EVP to listen to, I will on occasion. But I will never participate in the EVP session itself. I also count the "mexican ultrasound", Ouija boards, ball or bowl scrying, and other such things in this rule.
Number 2. I dont research occultic religions too deeply. What good is it to me to know the kinds of herbs and stones used in a Gardenarian Wiccan Solstice Ceremony? To know of the ceremony, and the purpose of it, is plenty of reference material for discussion, debate, and interest.
If I hold myself fast to those 2 guidelines, I dont seem to have a problem. I can observe, categorize, document, and analyze anything paranormal, as long as I do it from a perspective of a Christian, and not just someone interested in the paranormal.
So you have my viewpoints and personal rules so far. I apply them to the entire range of things considered "paranormal", from UFO's to Shamanism, from ghosts to Satanism, and everything in between. Id like to know what you think, Whether you be Christian or not, skeptic, investgator, non-believer, or debunker, I am interested in all opinions and views.
Im open to questions, Ill post a blog in response to any good question I get. Also suggestions, if you feel you want to hear what I have to say on any given subject, simply let me know, and I will do my best to respond."
That's it for today, I think I'll post the other two over the next two days so I can get back on my regular schedule and get some music and papercraft posts up soon. Thanks for reading, Leave a comment!!
This is Part 2 of my Paranormal themed posts for the howl-o-ween season, you can get an idea of how I think and my religiosity through these posts, but also a glimpse into how the field of Paranormal Investigation isn't a bunch of kids breaking into abandoned houses and scaring themselves silly. The next two posts will be a bit more technical, but this post is personal, since I'm talking about my own beliefs and procedures. Comment, follow, share, etc :)
"This will be sort of a continuation of the first post I made. Of a more general nature, and with more thoughts than references.
Whenever I put forth my view of the paranormal in relation to Christianity, I get replies similar to those comments left for my last post. (thank you to those who commented). So invariably I have to delve deeper into my own theosophy (theology\philosophy, I made a new word.) of the subject.
I think the term "all things in moderation" fits well here. When I was a non-Christian, I engulfed myself in the occult and the paranormal, and I brought others with me as well. Its a burden I will bear for the rest of my life. Imagine bringing others to the occult, equipping them with knowledge and experience in the ungodly, then setting them on the path of wickedness, only to become a Christian later on in life. I imagine it is somewhat similar to how Saul\Paul felt after he was made blind and came to Christ.
While I was in the condition of the non-believer, I delved as deep as my own fear would allow, stopping short only when in fear of death either physical, or (if indeed possible) spiritual. So while my experience is extensive, I wont be telling fantastic stories of the kind, because it serves only to glamorize the lifestyle, and I stand against that. Instead I will attempt to use my experience to shed some light on the subject of the paranormal, and in turn show that it can be fascinating without being detrimental to life or faith.
As I said, moderation is the key. I dont devote myself to anything besides my family and God. I try to spread my time equally amongst my many hobbies after the first two priorities have been seen to.
Much like others I have talked to, I have a very strong urge and impulse to delve into the paranormal, be it ghosts, demons and angels, the enochian keys, astral travel, or anything else that doesnt involve drug use. I have found that when I let my urges get the best of me, I get set on a downward spiral, and my quality of life in general starts to decline drastically. I have also found then when I adhere to the guidelines I've set for myself, I do just fine.
Number 1. I dont do E.V.P.'s, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon. The Bible strictly forbids trying to make contact with the dead. Conducting an EVP session involves asking questions to any entity that may be in the vicinity and reviewing audio tape later to check for responses. If someone brings me an EVP to listen to, I will on occasion. But I will never participate in the EVP session itself. I also count the "mexican ultrasound", Ouija boards, ball or bowl scrying, and other such things in this rule.
Number 2. I dont research occultic religions too deeply. What good is it to me to know the kinds of herbs and stones used in a Gardenarian Wiccan Solstice Ceremony? To know of the ceremony, and the purpose of it, is plenty of reference material for discussion, debate, and interest.
If I hold myself fast to those 2 guidelines, I dont seem to have a problem. I can observe, categorize, document, and analyze anything paranormal, as long as I do it from a perspective of a Christian, and not just someone interested in the paranormal.
So you have my viewpoints and personal rules so far. I apply them to the entire range of things considered "paranormal", from UFO's to Shamanism, from ghosts to Satanism, and everything in between. Id like to know what you think, Whether you be Christian or not, skeptic, investgator, non-believer, or debunker, I am interested in all opinions and views.
Im open to questions, Ill post a blog in response to any good question I get. Also suggestions, if you feel you want to hear what I have to say on any given subject, simply let me know, and I will do my best to respond."
That's it for today, I think I'll post the other two over the next two days so I can get back on my regular schedule and get some music and papercraft posts up soon. Thanks for reading, Leave a comment!!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Re-Blog! Ghost time!
Hey folks,
In the spirit (lol) of the season the next few days I'm going to be posting on a subject that has fascinated me since I was a child, the paranormal! Ghosts, Demons, Angels, God, Monsters, UFOs, La Llorona, etc. I started a blog a long time ago discussing Religion and the Paranormal, but with work and music and family, I didn't have time for it.
A little about me and the paranormal:
I've been involved with the paranormal investigative (pi) field for ten years now. I've been a moderator for the TAPS Main Forum for the group TAPS who do the SciFi show Ghost Hunters for the last 3 or 4 years and a member of the forum since 2004, if your a member or go check it out, drop me a line my user-name is HOST_Zombie_slag. I've been on investigations in my area and consulted with groups and other PI's on clients, cases, evidence, methods, theories, recipes, movies, etc. over the last decade.
In case you didn't know, I'm Christian, and extremely conservative in my faith and politics, but not in my lifestyle, which makes me either a hypocrite or a complicated man, I prefer the latter and don't care if anyone thinks is the first :P haha. Anyways, I'm going to re-post the posts that I made in the shortlived blog I mentioned before because I like what I had to say, I think I had valid points and theories, and because I can.
So heres the first post, there will be 4 posts in this series and I think I'll pick it up again and continue it in amongst my papercraft, music, fishing, etc posts. Keep in mind these are from almost 4 years ago, so the fact that their awesome should be even more impressive! I like to think I have something for everyone, if by everyone I mean people interested in what I have, which should be you since your reading this, so "everyone" enjoy!
In my time as someone interested in the paranormal, I have had the chance to live a few different lifestyles. As a Christian, a Non-Christian, and many, many things in between the two.
I've found that there is a constant in regards to the paranormal, and that is this: It does exist. When I was a Non-Christian, I delved into many things not suitable for discussion here, or anywhere else. And in those times, I was all the more certain of the existance of another "world". A world of things not easily understood and even less easily explained in the mundane here-and-now.
Now the subject is ghosts, that is- The disembodied spirits of human beings post-mortem. Through my own amateur actions and studies, I have found proof enough for myself that ghosts do in fact exist. While it can be (and often is) argued that an encounter with a ghost is merely a misunderstood encounter with an Angel or Demon, I have always found myself believing in the possibility of ghosts in the sense of the definition above.
Having rejoined the Christian faith some years ago, I began wondering if my fascination with the paranormal was still a viable passtime in conjunction with my re-found faith in Christ. So I began asking various friends, family, and religious figures. I found that the majority of those I questioned didn't believe in ghosts, and furthermore deemed it an impossibility for a ghost to exist according to the Christian faith. Well, If anyone knows me, they will tell you I am enraged by impossibility. Everything is possible, especially within the Christian faith:
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Having satisfactorily refuted the point of impossibility, I moved on to precidence. To reconcile my belief that a human ghost could be contacted, observed, and indeed exist, with my belief in Jesus Christ and the Christian faith, I found I had only one option. Turn to the Bible for precidence. For those in the faith, the Bible is the only irrefutable evidence of anything, and to be shown an event in the Bible is to believe.
"There is one in Endor," they said.
8 So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name."
9 But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?"
10 Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this."
11 Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?"
"Bring up Samuel," he said.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"
13 The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?"
The woman said, "I see a spirit [a] coming up out of the ground."
14 "What does he look like?" he asked.
"An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said.
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
15 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"
"I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."
16 Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. 18 Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. 19 The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."
20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.
21 When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 22 Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way."
23 He refused and said, "I will not eat."
But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.
24 The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. 25 Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.
Now, one may gather from the preceeding passage that the witch of Endor could have been faking, pulling one over on Saul for whatever reason. But if you take notice, after describing the spirit to Saul, The witch of Endor is out of the picture. From that point on it is the spirit of Samuel conversing with Saul himself. A conversation without interjection by the medium.
So in conclusion, I have found that within the Christian faith, there is possibility, precedence, and for believers of the faith, indeed proof of the existance of Ghosts. At least on one occasion.
Stay Tuned for more ghosty goodness!!
In the spirit (lol) of the season the next few days I'm going to be posting on a subject that has fascinated me since I was a child, the paranormal! Ghosts, Demons, Angels, God, Monsters, UFOs, La Llorona, etc. I started a blog a long time ago discussing Religion and the Paranormal, but with work and music and family, I didn't have time for it.
A little about me and the paranormal:
I've been involved with the paranormal investigative (pi) field for ten years now. I've been a moderator for the TAPS Main Forum for the group TAPS who do the SciFi show Ghost Hunters for the last 3 or 4 years and a member of the forum since 2004, if your a member or go check it out, drop me a line my user-name is HOST_Zombie_slag. I've been on investigations in my area and consulted with groups and other PI's on clients, cases, evidence, methods, theories, recipes, movies, etc. over the last decade.
In case you didn't know, I'm Christian, and extremely conservative in my faith and politics, but not in my lifestyle, which makes me either a hypocrite or a complicated man, I prefer the latter and don't care if anyone thinks is the first :P haha. Anyways, I'm going to re-post the posts that I made in the shortlived blog I mentioned before because I like what I had to say, I think I had valid points and theories, and because I can.
So heres the first post, there will be 4 posts in this series and I think I'll pick it up again and continue it in amongst my papercraft, music, fishing, etc posts. Keep in mind these are from almost 4 years ago, so the fact that their awesome should be even more impressive! I like to think I have something for everyone, if by everyone I mean people interested in what I have, which should be you since your reading this, so "everyone" enjoy!
In my time as someone interested in the paranormal, I have had the chance to live a few different lifestyles. As a Christian, a Non-Christian, and many, many things in between the two.
I've found that there is a constant in regards to the paranormal, and that is this: It does exist. When I was a Non-Christian, I delved into many things not suitable for discussion here, or anywhere else. And in those times, I was all the more certain of the existance of another "world". A world of things not easily understood and even less easily explained in the mundane here-and-now.
Now the subject is ghosts, that is- The disembodied spirits of human beings post-mortem. Through my own amateur actions and studies, I have found proof enough for myself that ghosts do in fact exist. While it can be (and often is) argued that an encounter with a ghost is merely a misunderstood encounter with an Angel or Demon, I have always found myself believing in the possibility of ghosts in the sense of the definition above.
Having rejoined the Christian faith some years ago, I began wondering if my fascination with the paranormal was still a viable passtime in conjunction with my re-found faith in Christ. So I began asking various friends, family, and religious figures. I found that the majority of those I questioned didn't believe in ghosts, and furthermore deemed it an impossibility for a ghost to exist according to the Christian faith. Well, If anyone knows me, they will tell you I am enraged by impossibility. Everything is possible, especially within the Christian faith:
Matthew 19:26 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Mark 9:23 (New International Version)
23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."Mark 14:36 (New International Version)
36"Abba,[a] Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."Mark 10:27 (New International Version)
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
1 Samuel 28:7-25 (New International Version)
7 Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.""There is one in Endor," they said.
8 So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name."
9 But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?"
10 Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this."
11 Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?"
"Bring up Samuel," he said.
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"
13 The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?"
The woman said, "I see a spirit [a] coming up out of the ground."
14 "What does he look like?" he asked.
"An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said.
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
15 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"
"I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."
16 Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. 18 Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. 19 The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."
20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.
21 When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 22 Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way."
23 He refused and said, "I will not eat."
But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.
24 The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. 25 Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.
Now, one may gather from the preceeding passage that the witch of Endor could have been faking, pulling one over on Saul for whatever reason. But if you take notice, after describing the spirit to Saul, The witch of Endor is out of the picture. From that point on it is the spirit of Samuel conversing with Saul himself. A conversation without interjection by the medium.
So in conclusion, I have found that within the Christian faith, there is possibility, precedence, and for believers of the faith, indeed proof of the existance of Ghosts. At least on one occasion.
Stay Tuned for more ghosty goodness!!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Zero Budget Mods: Bassolin!
Hey folks, I'm back with some instrument modifications I've done. I won't say much cause I've got vids for it all, but the gist of it is this:
My band has a few songs that could use a cello or viola parts, and seeing as we are a 3piece, it is kinda hard to work that in. So having a Rogue sx100b laying around in the garage and a violin bow, I decided to mess around, the results have been mixed, but I'm happy with what I got out of it. 4 vids from start to finish, enjoy.
Since then I've modified it further, but that's for another post. Lemme know what you think!
My band has a few songs that could use a cello or viola parts, and seeing as we are a 3piece, it is kinda hard to work that in. So having a Rogue sx100b laying around in the garage and a violin bow, I decided to mess around, the results have been mixed, but I'm happy with what I got out of it. 4 vids from start to finish, enjoy.
Since then I've modified it further, but that's for another post. Lemme know what you think!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Darkness is Back - Live at "The Next Bar" 9/23/10
Hey folks got another vid up, this one is one of my favorite to play, as well as to listen to, so check it out and tell me what you think! You can see the rest at my bands youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLongBlackVeils you can also find us on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thelongblackveils
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Long-Black-Veils/112452882135111
And even Twitter: http://twitter.com/thelbv
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Long-Black-Veils/112452882135111
And even Twitter: http://twitter.com/thelbv
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Country Song #1 - Live at "The Next Bar" 9/23/10
For all of you that made it out, Thanks!! For those that didn't, here's a vid from My band's (The Long Black Veils) show 9-23-10 at The Next Bar in Fresno, Ca. I'll have some full blogs up soon (Vivi!!) but I'm dead tired from fishing and rocking the house and having a family, this week has been hectic!!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
...and then you shellac him real good!
Hey folks, quick post here about PAPERCRAFT!
I've been told of this thing called "Decoupage" , which is also a form of paper art:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoupage
Which got me thinking, My papercraft link is pretty fragile, mayhaps I should shore him up with some sort of lacquer type substance stuff. So here you go:
I took him out to the garage, impaled him like Vlad (well, he's got openings in the bottom so not really, but it looks like it XD) and sprayed him with the Polyurethane I bought when I was refinishing a table. This particular kind of spray varnish has a flat spraying nozzle, I don't know about other brands, but it works perfectly.
I simply sprayed him in even coats the way you would any other surface, making sure to get the crevices and such, making sure not to soak him down, and let him sit to dry. He came out pretty good in my opinion:
Now, I used semi-gloss spray, because that's what I had in my garage. If I was buying it specifically for papercraft models I would prefer matte (no gloss, less shiny). The end result is a sturdier, more resilient model that will last longer. I'm going to go back out and add a few more coats to further reinforce the model, letting him dry after each coat. I anticipate it will strengthen the model and, in my case because of the semi-gloss spray, make him even shinier.
Let me know if you try this method or know someone who does, I'm always looking for tips to make my papercraft better and to share here for others!
I've been told of this thing called "Decoupage" , which is also a form of paper art:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decoupage
Which got me thinking, My papercraft link is pretty fragile, mayhaps I should shore him up with some sort of lacquer type substance stuff. So here you go:
I took him out to the garage, impaled him like Vlad (well, he's got openings in the bottom so not really, but it looks like it XD) and sprayed him with the Polyurethane I bought when I was refinishing a table. This particular kind of spray varnish has a flat spraying nozzle, I don't know about other brands, but it works perfectly.
I simply sprayed him in even coats the way you would any other surface, making sure to get the crevices and such, making sure not to soak him down, and let him sit to dry. He came out pretty good in my opinion:
Now, I used semi-gloss spray, because that's what I had in my garage. If I was buying it specifically for papercraft models I would prefer matte (no gloss, less shiny). The end result is a sturdier, more resilient model that will last longer. I'm going to go back out and add a few more coats to further reinforce the model, letting him dry after each coat. I anticipate it will strengthen the model and, in my case because of the semi-gloss spray, make him even shinier.
Let me know if you try this method or know someone who does, I'm always looking for tips to make my papercraft better and to share here for others!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Make your own Papercraft!!
Hey folks!
I'm back with some SUPERB info for all you papercraft fans!!!
Papercraft is art, but even more so, its logic. The bends, the folds, the dimensions, its all quantifiable in terms of geometry. So who gives a damn? Not this highschool dropout! But it is an interesting part of the hobby, so lets give it a minute to shine eh?
Any object in real life can be broken down into dimensions, width, height, angle, area, circumference, etc. What happens with 3D imaging is that all these dimensions are input into a PC program and a model is created. Now animation aside, you can get away with very few dimensions on almost any object in real life.
Take a Cube, it has 6 sides (not counting "indside" and "outside" of course)
, top-bottom-left-right-front-back. This is the realization of the image of a box in 3D. But in terms of papercraft, it becomes a tad more complicated. It becomes a cross of squares with tabs to glue to the sides. Example "companion cube" from the "portal" games (btw, the cake isn't a lie):
Now the cube at the bottom is a more complicated version, but you get the idea.
Now, you might be content with downloading and buying your papercraft model plans from premade sources, but if you're like me, you'll eventually want your own creations, and I'm here to tell you how to do that!
First of all, you need a few programs. How you get them is up to you, some are free, some are not, but I'm not going to tell you what to buy or what to download.....legally of course. What I will tell you are the programs that I use.
Blender and Pepakura. Blender is a 3D modeling program that you can use to render any object you can create into 3D models for export in various formats. Pepakura is a papercraft specific program that unfolds your 3D models and lets you print them out just like you print out your downloaded papercraft models. I've found through my limited experience that these are FREAKING AWESOME programs for papercrafters.
I've found a few tutorials for Pepakura on youtube, most of them suck, but there was one pretty good one:
This tutorial wont give you step by step directions, but I've found with Pepakura you won't really need them, most of the help you need you'll find on the Pepakura website HERE, and this vid will show you the extreme possibilities inherent in the hobby.
Now Blender, its a bit more complicated. It's a full on 3D rendering program. You can use it to make animations, prototypes for products, papercraft models, or anything else you can imagine that's in 3D. I can't understate this, IT'S FREAKING AWESOME, but it's a lot more difficult to use, and it's the way you make your models SO LEARN IT! That being said, I've found some really kickass tutorials from this great guy super3boy on youtube, check his channel HERE. Here is the first of the Blender tutorials from super3:
So basically, you use blender to create a 3D model (say the companion cube) then save the file, then you use pepakura to open the file you just created, and it will "unfold" the 3D model and turn it into a printout (like the "cross of squares") that you can print, cut, and build. :)
Now you have the info you need to get the tools for creation, so create! I'd love it if anyone who creates a papercraft with these would send the files to me. Email me at Zombie_slag@basslayer.cc.
I'm back with some SUPERB info for all you papercraft fans!!!
Papercraft is art, but even more so, its logic. The bends, the folds, the dimensions, its all quantifiable in terms of geometry. So who gives a damn? Not this highschool dropout! But it is an interesting part of the hobby, so lets give it a minute to shine eh?
Any object in real life can be broken down into dimensions, width, height, angle, area, circumference, etc. What happens with 3D imaging is that all these dimensions are input into a PC program and a model is created. Now animation aside, you can get away with very few dimensions on almost any object in real life.
Take a Cube, it has 6 sides (not counting "indside" and "outside" of course)
, top-bottom-left-right-front-back. This is the realization of the image of a box in 3D. But in terms of papercraft, it becomes a tad more complicated. It becomes a cross of squares with tabs to glue to the sides. Example "companion cube" from the "portal" games (btw, the cake isn't a lie):
Now, you might be content with downloading and buying your papercraft model plans from premade sources, but if you're like me, you'll eventually want your own creations, and I'm here to tell you how to do that!
First of all, you need a few programs. How you get them is up to you, some are free, some are not, but I'm not going to tell you what to buy or what to download.....legally of course. What I will tell you are the programs that I use.
Blender and Pepakura. Blender is a 3D modeling program that you can use to render any object you can create into 3D models for export in various formats. Pepakura is a papercraft specific program that unfolds your 3D models and lets you print them out just like you print out your downloaded papercraft models. I've found through my limited experience that these are FREAKING AWESOME programs for papercrafters.
I've found a few tutorials for Pepakura on youtube, most of them suck, but there was one pretty good one:
This tutorial wont give you step by step directions, but I've found with Pepakura you won't really need them, most of the help you need you'll find on the Pepakura website HERE, and this vid will show you the extreme possibilities inherent in the hobby.
Now Blender, its a bit more complicated. It's a full on 3D rendering program. You can use it to make animations, prototypes for products, papercraft models, or anything else you can imagine that's in 3D. I can't understate this, IT'S FREAKING AWESOME, but it's a lot more difficult to use, and it's the way you make your models SO LEARN IT! That being said, I've found some really kickass tutorials from this great guy super3boy on youtube, check his channel HERE. Here is the first of the Blender tutorials from super3:
So basically, you use blender to create a 3D model (say the companion cube) then save the file, then you use pepakura to open the file you just created, and it will "unfold" the 3D model and turn it into a printout (like the "cross of squares") that you can print, cut, and build. :)
Now you have the info you need to get the tools for creation, so create! I'd love it if anyone who creates a papercraft with these would send the files to me. Email me at Zombie_slag@basslayer.cc.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Music to dance to!
Hey folks!
Time for that "something special" I mentioned the other day. If you read my "about me" section you know I'm the bassist for a band called "The Long Black Veils". Well, here's the links to our myspace, twitter, facebook, and even youtube!
We played our first live show at a house party out in the country a few months ago and it went great, you can see the pics all over the myspace and facebook pages. Then our drummer had surgery so we went on a break (and cleaned out the Otter House, drank lots of beers and had a few bbq's lol).
But last week our singer Rob Avalos had the opportunity to open up for friends of ours Sunconscious Fountain at The Next Bar and we had a great time! It was great to be a part of the crowd, drinking and cheering, I usually don't get to be on that side of the stage so it was really cool.
Here's some pics!
There's more pics on the facebook\myspace and heres a vid from the Youtube channel. This is Rob warming up outside while the P.A. is being set up.
It was an awesome night and we will be heading back as soon as we can as a full band (maybe even putting our drummer on acoustic guitar if he's not recovered yet? Who knows!) So check out my band, check out our sites, listen to the music, and please leave comments, follow us on twitter, like us on facebook, be our friends of myspace, rate and comment our vids on youtube and all that stuff!
K time to get some work done on my ViVi papercraft!
Time for that "something special" I mentioned the other day. If you read my "about me" section you know I'm the bassist for a band called "The Long Black Veils". Well, here's the links to our myspace, twitter, facebook, and even youtube!
We played our first live show at a house party out in the country a few months ago and it went great, you can see the pics all over the myspace and facebook pages. Then our drummer had surgery so we went on a break (and cleaned out the Otter House, drank lots of beers and had a few bbq's lol).
But last week our singer Rob Avalos had the opportunity to open up for friends of ours Sunconscious Fountain at The Next Bar and we had a great time! It was great to be a part of the crowd, drinking and cheering, I usually don't get to be on that side of the stage so it was really cool.
Here's some pics!
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| Rob tearin it up onstage! |
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| Subconscious Fountain bringin it home |
It was an awesome night and we will be heading back as soon as we can as a full band (maybe even putting our drummer on acoustic guitar if he's not recovered yet? Who knows!) So check out my band, check out our sites, listen to the music, and please leave comments, follow us on twitter, like us on facebook, be our friends of myspace, rate and comment our vids on youtube and all that stuff!
K time to get some work done on my ViVi papercraft!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Vivi Papercraft update
Hey folks!
I'm back in black and at it again, Working on my Papercraft before goin to band practice! I've got a pic update of my progress on the Vivi model I've been working on and a few tips that I've thought of as i've been working today. First, Vivi update:
I'm back in black and at it again, Working on my Papercraft before goin to band practice! I've got a pic update of my progress on the Vivi model I've been working on and a few tips that I've thought of as i've been working today. First, Vivi update:
Got the bottom of the jacket, lemme tell you that took a bit of patience!
Then another piece just above that, this model has tons of pieces!
Okay, I'm still working on it currently (like right now I'm blogging this while waiting for glue to dry!) but I noticed some things that I can share with you all.
TIP TIME!
1: Cut carefully!! Now this may be a no-duh tip, but you'll be surprised how little it takes to screw something up. Here's my example:
Now that's frustrating! As you can see, there are no other white lines on the bottom half of the model, just that one spot. That came from being distracted and angling my blade the wrong way. When you cut a piece, you should angle your blade slightly away from the piece.
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| This is the angle you want to cut at, tilting the blade AWAY from the piece. |
This way the blade is cutting in and UNDER the piece, so if you do screw up by a micromillimeter it wont be bad because you wont be exposing the white paper under the ink of the piece. You can cut straight down also, but I find that its easier to stay exactly along the edge of the piece if you cut at an angle. For your reference, and cause I took the pics:
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| Straight |
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| Wrong! This is how I screwed up the piece in the top pic. |
It will just make your models cleaner and save you from disappointment overall.
Tip 2: Glue an anchor, then wait!
Most models go in sections, some of them large, some insanely small and delicate, either way, the best way to keep control of the model and get everything aligned is to glue an anchor and wait.
Start with the center or one edge of the piece, glue it, let it dry, and then you will have a much easier time gluing the subsequent tabs on that piece. It's a pain in the butt to wrestle an entire piece trying to glue multiple tabs. It exercises your patience, but trust me, its the best way to go.
Tip 3: Reinforce!!
Paper, even cardstock, isn't the sturdiest medium to work with, and it can fall apart. To make your models last, you should reinforce the weakest points, obviously the points where its glued together. Whenever your done gluing a piece in its entirety, simply take your toothpick and glue and put a layer on the INSIDE of the model, coating the joints and effectively reinforcing your model. Depending on what stock your using you'll use more or less glue to reinforce. On regular A4 use very little, on cardstock you can be a bit more generous without compromising the paper.
Tip 4: Relax!!
I know how stupid that sounds, but just take it from me, you wanna have fun and be relaxed for this, just like any other hobby. If you're the type that likes to focus and zone out to relax, go ahead and hit it stressed. If you're anything like me, you wanna be relaxed enough to focus and zone out before you hit it. Personally I stick some blues (Son House and Johnny Winter FTW!) on Pandora radio, brew a pot of coffee, clear the kitchen table and go into my own little world.
Thanks again for reading and I hope you get some use out of these tips. As always remember to check paperkraft.net for more awesome models (seriously, those guys have the best stuff) and pretty please leave me some comments :D
Thanks again for reading and I hope you get some use out of these tips. As always remember to check paperkraft.net for more awesome models (seriously, those guys have the best stuff) and pretty please leave me some comments :D
Thursday, September 9, 2010
New phone yay!
I got a new phone! So now I can take pics and vids even if I forget my nifty polaroid dvf130.
See, told you guys I'd blog about whatever the hell I feel like talking about :)
Yeah I know, you all have iPhails or Droids, good for you, but I'm poor, so I'm excited for my qwerty keypad, mp3 via bluetooth, and other nifty whatnots. Hopefully I'll get a data plan eventually (blog from phone?) but for now I'm happy. :) see, smiley face means happy :)
I have the black one and wifey got the purple. Samsung Strive. Love this phone!! The only bad thing I can say about it is that there is no 3.5mm jack, which is annoying in this day and age of interconnection. I should be able to load my phone with mp3s and jack it into my car stereo, but alas, no such luck. But I can listen to my music via the extraordinarily loud speaker on the phone itself or bluetooth headset, which is nice on those early morning fishing trips or when I'm doing my papercraft and the wife has the TV on Buffy and that damdedly loud theme song comes on, which is a daily occurance. Buffy I mean, not papercraft, that's weekly or so.
Also, for a 2mp camera it takes surprisingly good pictures and video, and with a converter http://www.nchsoftware.com/prism/index.html you can easily convert videos from and to the .3gp format the phone uses. I've got the last half of Naruto season 6 on my phone for when I'm stuck in line or at a dinner or something.
Here's a pic of my youngest for your viewing enjoyment
Pretty decent quality for a phone right? And thats in multishot mode which means its only 320X240, it goes up to 1600X1200 for single shot mode.
Well that's it for today. Gunna have something special up over the next few days (maybe even tomorrow!) so be on the lookout.
See, told you guys I'd blog about whatever the hell I feel like talking about :)
Yeah I know, you all have iPhails or Droids, good for you, but I'm poor, so I'm excited for my qwerty keypad, mp3 via bluetooth, and other nifty whatnots. Hopefully I'll get a data plan eventually (blog from phone?) but for now I'm happy. :) see, smiley face means happy :)
Also, for a 2mp camera it takes surprisingly good pictures and video, and with a converter http://www.nchsoftware.com/prism/index.html you can easily convert videos from and to the .3gp format the phone uses. I've got the last half of Naruto season 6 on my phone for when I'm stuck in line or at a dinner or something.
Here's a pic of my youngest for your viewing enjoyment
Well that's it for today. Gunna have something special up over the next few days (maybe even tomorrow!) so be on the lookout.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Dinner Time!
Hey folks!
Back from a good day of fishing at the ol Kings River!
As you can see, I have dinner and a sunburn XD I'm tellin you folks, Troutninjatv.com. Dude knows his trout. This will probably be my last fishin post for a while, cause really, how much can you post about it aside from "Look at my fishies!!!". I'm no instructor, which is why I'm referring you to the trout ninja, I'll let him give you the tips he's given me!
Back from a good day of fishing at the ol Kings River!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Trout fry!
Hey folks, rested up and ready to go trout fishing again tomorrow morning!
And to you doubters, heres some vids from a few trips ago, caught with tips from troutninjatv.com
And it tasted gooooooood lol. I'm going out tomorrow morning so maybe I'll have enough caught to bring home and fry up. I don't like bringing trout home unless I have enough to feed the wife and kid too, that way its a full meal and I feel the fish are used well. Frying up one or two small ones is nice for one person, but it seems to me like a waste, since those smallfrys could grow up to be lunkers that could feed the whole family.
I also do this thing I call Zero Budget Mods, kinda a combination of customization and re-purposing items. It's an exercise in improvisation and can apply to any aspect of life, you just gotta be creative.
Work with what you have right? I'll post up my ZBM bass mod soon, and yeah, this time I actually am talking about Bass Guitar :)
And to you doubters, heres some vids from a few trips ago, caught with tips from troutninjatv.com
And it tasted gooooooood lol. I'm going out tomorrow morning so maybe I'll have enough caught to bring home and fry up. I don't like bringing trout home unless I have enough to feed the wife and kid too, that way its a full meal and I feel the fish are used well. Frying up one or two small ones is nice for one person, but it seems to me like a waste, since those smallfrys could grow up to be lunkers that could feed the whole family.
I also do this thing I call Zero Budget Mods, kinda a combination of customization and re-purposing items. It's an exercise in improvisation and can apply to any aspect of life, you just gotta be creative.
Work with what you have right? I'll post up my ZBM bass mod soon, and yeah, this time I actually am talking about Bass Guitar :)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Trophy Bass!
That is, if there's a trophy for smallest bass EVAR!
That's right, I caught that bad boy! I think the picture even makes it look bigger than it was, if thats possible hahhahaha! We caught more and much bigger, but this was my favorite one of the day. I'm sunburned and tired so that's all you get for today.
Going trout fishing Tuesday, hopefully I catch enough to bring home to fry! Happy Sunday all, have a good day!
Going trout fishing Tuesday, hopefully I catch enough to bring home to fry! Happy Sunday all, have a good day!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Fishing Time!!
Hey everybody! (hi dr. nick!)
No, my name isn't nick, but I play one on T.V.
ANYWAYS! Taking a break from the Papercraft to bring you a little FISHING TIME FUN!! Going bass fishing (that's the one with 4 strings right?) with my dad and cousin in the morning, which will be great! But for the blog purposes I'll focus on what I normally do during the week, which is Trout Fishin!! Got a site to reference, if anyone is reading, go check out The TroutNinja!
This goofy guy got me started on the right track when I started trout fishing a while back. Didn't have much time for bass fishing anymore (which I've done for 20 years now) because of travel time and needing to be within cell range, but there's a river running right through my area and I figured, wth, I'll go trout fishin! I've done pretty well on his tips, and I've even gotten some of his super secret bait to field test, so you guys would do well to watch all his videos!
Anyways, so far in my trout fishing area (Kings River Ca) I've noticed two things, fishermen lie alot (big news huh) and trout like garlic. I've caught more trout off Garlic Power Bait than anything else.
That's all I got for today, maybe tomorrow will bring some pics and vids of some fish catching action, but more than likely will bring a sunburn and an early bedtime! Seeya next time kiddies!
No, my name isn't nick, but I play one on T.V.
ANYWAYS! Taking a break from the Papercraft to bring you a little FISHING TIME FUN!! Going bass fishing (that's the one with 4 strings right?) with my dad and cousin in the morning, which will be great! But for the blog purposes I'll focus on what I normally do during the week, which is Trout Fishin!! Got a site to reference, if anyone is reading, go check out The TroutNinja!
This goofy guy got me started on the right track when I started trout fishing a while back. Didn't have much time for bass fishing anymore (which I've done for 20 years now) because of travel time and needing to be within cell range, but there's a river running right through my area and I figured, wth, I'll go trout fishin! I've done pretty well on his tips, and I've even gotten some of his super secret bait to field test, so you guys would do well to watch all his videos!
Anyways, so far in my trout fishing area (Kings River Ca) I've noticed two things, fishermen lie alot (big news huh) and trout like garlic. I've caught more trout off Garlic Power Bait than anything else.
I want to get some rainbow-garlic, but for now this is the kind I can find. I get bites on it at the stocked Woodward Park ponds (grass carp and catfish?) and at any spot I go to on the Kings river. Wal-mart stop carrying it, but I found that Doyles market (on the way up to pine-flat) carries it. Also you can order it and all the varieties online (click here).
Another one I've found to work well lately, rooster-tail spinners. These things get the fish chasing your hooks, if not biting them lol. I've literally watched trout chase these things all the way up to shore.
A good tip for you if you plan on eating the fish you catch, don't bother freezing them, they turn to mush when you thaw them out. If you don't catch enough to fry, let em go. You might try taking the first few you catch home to clean and cook just as practice though, cleaning trout isn't the hardest, but it aint the easiest either, it takes some practice. You can find plenty of videos on der Youtube.com to teach you how.
As far as cooking, I prefer to fillet and deep fry, but you can grill or bake as well. I take the classic method, cornmeal-salt-pepper, and kick it up a notch with some Cajun seasoning or Tajun (local mexican chile-lime seasoning). drizzle with lemon juice or just chow down. My favorite part is the tail, cause fried fish tails are better than chips!
That's all I got for today, maybe tomorrow will bring some pics and vids of some fish catching action, but more than likely will bring a sunburn and an early bedtime! Seeya next time kiddies!
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