Long Overdue Welcome to Rosa!

As my regular readers know, I've been entertaining a serious addiction to an online environment called Second Life (aka "SL"). I did a little expose on a great deal of people I hang around with there, and shared pictures. Well that group has expanded greatly, but I've still got a couple of really close friends with whom I spend the bulk of my time (you may remember Jaycatt from an earlier post).

Rosa G. is my best friend in SL, and she's started a blog of her own. I helped her with formatting and some setup, but the content is all hers. She posts her observations on life and follows each with a poem of her own creation directly related to the post. It's a wonderful site to read, and I really think you should head over there!

Rosa's Rambles

Thanks, Rosa, for your positive contribution to the Blogsphere!

Just a quick note... we don't have RSS publishing turned on for her site yet, so you can't add it to Bloglines. But, I think a public feed will soon be available.

Twofer!!!

OK, I'm posting this, but you have to read the next post down, too because they're both appearing on the same day, OK?

This is a little filler project we were given. Remember the HP printing commercials where the guy puts picture frames on and off his head, and they turn into photos as he does?

We were given footage of our dear TA, Sammy, putting frames up to his face, and told to produce that effect (these frames weren't big enough to go over his head... or his head wasn't small enough to go through the frames). This was a little two-day process meant to fill the space between the end of "Demo Reels" and the final exam, which is tomorrow.

Enjoy...

Our big finale for Compositing class...

Attached is a video we made as a culmination of all we've learned this quarter. We watched the movie "I, Robot" as reference. We were each given a task for a robot to perform. Mine was the FedEx robot (how coincidental, as in the film, he has a "42" plastered on his head!). We were told not to copy the movie's robots, but to make one that would fit in seamlessly in the film's setting.

As for the elements of the video, I was charged with:

• Writing the story.
• Getting the actor (or acting myself).
• Directing the video shoot (someone else shot the video).
• Directing the motion capture session.
• Building the robot.
• Animating the robot (applying the motion capture data to the robot so he fits in the scene).
• Voicing the robot and an unseen character.
• Putting the whole thing together to create the final scene.

All that said, here it is (a quick note... the published version here seems to have a very quiet soundtrack, so if you don't hear anything, try raising the volume)...

I really hope you like it. Especially if you're in charge of an animation or special effects team and looking for a budding artist!

Six Weird Things About Me

This post goes out to my friend Caz Wahula, who tagged me on my MSN blog almost a week ago (sorry, Caz!). I am being punished with presenting 6 weird things about me (I could have just cut and pasted 6 items from my 101, but I went with "original" items).

1. In order to avoid hogging the bed, I roll over in place. This causes the fitted bottom sheet to bunch up underneath me as I sleep. I wake up on a replica of the San Andreas fault.
2. I can roll my tongue 180 degrees in one direction, then smoothly turn it a full 360 degrees to end up upside down twisted in the other direction.
3. I stretch incessantly. I hook my knees under the desk and stretch backwards over the chair at work or school. Without my knees, the chair and I would certainly go over backward. I don't remember doing this at home, but my computer chair here recently broke... the back fell off. Do the math.
4. I don't care the severity of the situation... there's virtually always room for a joke. When I was shot and about to receive a chest tube, I asked the anesthesiologist for a second consent form. She asked if I'd messed up the first form. I said, "No, I want two doses." This humor prompted the doctors to ask my wife if there was something wrong with me. She informed them it was just the opposite... it confirmed I was acting normally (well, for me).
5. Some people can't see the forest for the trees. Trees? What trees? Look at the texture of this BARK! There are trees here? I tend to obsess over the tiniest of details, sometimes at the expense of even the small picture.
6. I get food routines. They can last for months at a time... or years. I've had half a piece of Starbuck's marble loaf and a coffee every possible day for at least two years (other half gets saved for the next day for financial and caloric reasons). When I discovered Jersey Mike's subs, I ate there virtually every day for at least 3 months. I used to go to Chick-Fil-A every single day (except group outings) when I was working full time. Repetitive meals don't bother me in the least... in some cases.

If you know me... have fear. This punishment is intended to be passed on. Perhaps I'll spare Rosa, as she's new to the blogsphere (speaking of which... I owe her a post of her own to welcome my good friend to blogging!). All others are fair game! ;)