tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15057760726666800872012-02-17T02:44:51.185+11:00Superhero Sidekicks Of The World UniteGuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.comBlogger2181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-51801431887686057142011-12-24T22:35:00.003+11:002011-12-24T22:35:59.163+11:00

The reason why people often get travel-sick is because the motion of their body doesn't match what their brain is telling them. Either their body is perfectly still while the horizon is moving around them, such as when on a boat, or they are moving and the horizon is not, such as when they spin in a chair. Too many movies are trying to be clever with their photography, attempting to give a

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-76697109296311661932011-11-05T15:34:00.002+11:002011-11-22T19:23:11.392+11:00

It may not surprise anyone to learn that I took Art in High School. I was trying to figure out what kind of art I wanted to pursue. The stuff I liked to do and was quite decent at, sketching and drawing, cartoons and comic strips, was not looked on as a viable career, so my Art Teacher tried to get me interested in all kinds of arts, so I had a lot wider skill set to draw upon, and other

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-12419190585415997672011-09-18T00:01:00.002+10:002011-11-22T19:21:44.631+11:00

I haven't posted on my blog in ages. There are a few reasons for this. One is, not much has happened that's worth posting about. Secondly, I've not had the same kind of free time to compose a post of even the most mundane of thoughts as I used to have, as my job takes up 70% of my week. Also, I am on Twitter most of the day, and a lot of my musings are shared there in short sentences, rather

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-79705604958798693832011-07-24T22:23:00.000+10:002011-11-22T19:21:11.754+11:00

When I was younger, in High School and after, I didn't swear very much. Then in my early 20s I started to swear a lot, though it felt clumsy. Now I have found the equilibrium, and my swearing has evened out. I think I do it appropriately. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of everyone. Some people swear way way too much, in my opinion, and it really bothers me. Swearing has a purpose. It's

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-22460838617713375212011-07-12T13:06:00.002+10:002011-07-12T16:14:18.358+10:00

Myki cards are the new wave of metro tickets. They're meant to last years without a hitch. Mine lasted three weeks before failing. Here's what happens if your Myki card stops working: You have to take it to one of two locations, both in the city. That's an inconvenience of monumental stature. The city sucks for a single journey - it takes two hours out of your day even if it's a quick

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-88218311170418213882011-06-11T16:51:00.003+10:002011-06-11T17:21:50.355+10:00

It's been three weeks at my new job, and I've gotten into the swing of things a bit better. After a small technical delay I got paid this week, and it's so nice to have real money in my bank account again. I splurged on a visit to Amazon.com, somewhere I haven't purchased from in a whole 18 months! Hurrah! I can catch up on my favourite authors again. I thought I'd tell you all a little bit

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-27928097493942514382011-05-28T14:02:00.007+10:002011-06-04T23:45:23.351+10:00

When I left my last full time job, I was flush with cash and full of promise. I had planned to take a year off, maybe two, to learn a couple of new skills and take my career in a completely different direction. The skills I had planned to educate myself on, not through formal education but by nutting it out myself from books and tutorials and experimentation, were (jargon alert) 3D character

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-91876944019251861272011-05-20T18:21:00.000+10:002011-05-20T18:21:35.785+10:00

Something unexpectedly good just happened. Details to come.

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-87798481661137881342011-04-06T13:31:00.011+10:002011-04-06T18:46:00.533+10:00

When it comes to a successful movie or TV series, getting the right cast is crucial. Not only do they have to look the part in themselves, but they have to be able to perform the character as written, with their own personal twists allowed, and then fit in as part of an ensemble, who they'd have to work with in very close quarters for weeks or months at a time. I would say that it succeeds about

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-19405143561756564962011-03-03T21:09:00.009+11:002011-03-13T12:29:28.640+11:00

In the year 2000, the Olympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia. It was a major event for Australia, and I was lucky enough to witness the country in the throes of national pride as they presented a fantastic locality for visitors and viewers to enjoy the games within. To lead up to the games, a comedy TV show was commissioned, a pseudo-documentary created by John Clarke and Ross Stevenson,

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-13274709205751475162011-02-21T12:18:00.001+11:002011-02-21T12:22:35.010+11:00

I need to write this down, so I can clarify my thoughts on this. It's something that is annoying me a lot, and yet I am almost a lone voice in the wilderness and I feel somewhat displaced by that fact. A new trailer for a video game was released a few days ago. It's a zombie killing slaughter type game, one of many in a widening genre, called Dead Island. From what I can tell, it's no more

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-18512632276481012822011-02-08T14:19:00.002+11:002011-05-28T17:40:42.607+10:00

Here's an interesting discovery I made. This is Alexei Sayle, circa 1982. This is Captain Sensible, circa 1982. And this is Cyndi Lauper, circa 1983. I can't embed the video, but you can click on this link, and here are some relevant pics. And if that isn't enough to make you go "Huh?" there's also this:

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-12122245988655070422011-02-06T16:27:00.002+11:002011-02-06T23:06:35.413+11:00

My life has been something of an unholy mess lately, and I'm not out of the hole yet, not by a long shot. If anything it's getting deeper. But I need to get out of these doldrums somehow, and I have found solace in getting back into writing again. Having been thinking about a story idea that had been around for a long time, and making the graphic image a few weeks ago for fun, I went back to the

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-59090301778568049372011-01-23T20:04:00.007+11:002011-01-25T10:50:35.037+11:00

Back in November, online bookshop (and more) Amazon.com launched a somewhat controversial new venture, Amazon Studios. The idea is for amateur screenwriters to have an opportunity to showcase their product in a way that hadn't been available before. Instead of going through the messy existing Studio system, something that is still operating in the same way as it did in the 70s, the 50s, even some

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-49716020725730879322010-12-31T11:40:00.002+11:002010-12-31T12:01:36.871+11:00

A few days ago it was Kenny Everett's birthday. Who? Surely you know Cuddly Ken, he of the Kenny Everett Video Show? I grew up watching his subverted comedy in the 70s and 80s. He was the perfect transition, filling the gap between Monty Python and the Goon Show I consumed in the 70s, and the anarchic Comic Strip and The Young Ones I was influenced by in the 80s. He started out his career in

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-66391964858992116332010-12-04T20:09:00.002+11:002010-12-04T20:11:47.536+11:00

I was looking at an image of a fantastic new mega-camera that will be installed on the Blanco Telescope at Chile's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, and was marvelling at the bright attractive colours. It wasn't that long ago that everything technological was white or silver or grey, and now they are deliberately building complex machinery in bright colours. It occurred to me that the

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-56080191937343898572010-11-11T20:20:00.003+11:002011-01-25T10:51:58.436+11:00

I can't stop myself from constantly changing my PC desktop wallpaper. Sometimes I'll put something new up three times in a week, though I do try to keep it down to twice a month. Usually I'll find some online and pre-made, perhaps promoting an upcoming movie, video game, or current TV show, or occasionally an actress or model who takes my particular fancy or is just pleasantly photographed. But

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-23437501903283758772010-10-20T18:00:00.003+11:002010-10-20T18:25:54.153+11:00

I have never been a big a fan of Joss Whedon's work. He created and masterminded such shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spinoff Angel, the SF Western Firefly and its movie sequel Serenity, and most recently the hard-to-define Dollhouse, while dipping his finger into a few other pies here and there throughout. I have tried to watch and enjoy Buffy, but it just didn't work for me. So much of

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-60921344899748448182010-09-08T22:04:00.004+10:002010-09-08T22:10:20.283+10:00

I haven't posted anything to the blog for a while. I've been in a strange place mentally (and it's even manifesting physically with aches and pains) so haven't had much to share. But I have been active, and those tales can be found on a different blog, for Pick Up And Go, that chronicles some of the film-making fun we've been dabbling in. It's been for a couple of fun projects that are intended

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-33606252915987700592010-07-20T20:08:00.002+10:002010-07-20T22:20:31.288+10:00

Sometimes I watch a movie from a long time ago (the 80s - sad to say that is almost the dark ages, in some respects) and wince at it. Not because it's a bad film, but because styles and technology have changed so much in the intervening years that it feels dated and creaky. The most obvious difference, especially for me, are things like the visual effects, which back then were entirely

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-74208565319010780932010-07-11T19:02:00.001+10:002010-07-11T19:14:24.297+10:00

Sometimes I wish I had a tutor looking over my shoulder, giving me tips and step-by-step lessons. My current hobby, amongst many, is that of visual effects. That includes 3D Modelling, Texturing, and Animation, as well as Compositing, Rotoscoping, and anything else that comes up as needs must. In the professional Visual Effects industry you can specialise in any one of those disciplines, but

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-85310018507941049132010-06-18T13:31:00.006+10:002010-06-18T20:50:36.548+10:00

I am not sure if I am as geeky as I ought to be. It is time for an analysis.I have never been someone who has made friends easily. Throughout my life most of my friends have been few, and borne of circumstance rather than true appeal. This is not true of every one of them, but enough to make me wonder.At ages from birth through to ten, I had three friends of any significance, and that was because

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-13851636365656483792010-06-06T12:52:00.010+10:002010-06-06T15:53:29.913+10:00

I used to write reviews of Doctor Who episodes, but I don't do that anymore. Partly because I realised that my reviews weren't very informative or useful to anybody - I tended to say variations on "Gosh, that was good" and "Hmm, didn't like this one so much". It felt like it needed more than a rating, it required analysis, which I am not very good at; especially so soon after having watched each

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-28876345594787614002010-05-12T16:31:00.008+10:002010-07-05T12:40:21.300+10:00

There's been a lot of concerns about Facebook lately. Serious privacy-related concerns. What used to be a priority for the social networking juggernaut is now being treated as a liability. Without warning, personal profile information, image galleries, and some posts, which until now had been set as private, viewable only to a few, were changed to be almost exclusively public, available to all.

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-59154050085468837162010-05-01T11:47:00.008+10:002010-05-02T14:19:43.408+10:00

This one won't make me very popular.Ridley Scott is overrated.He has directed many films which are listed in personal top tens: Alien, Gladiator, Blade Runner; and also made some less popular films, often listed as disappointing mistakes: Legend, Kingdom of Heaven, Black Hawk Down. In terms of pop culture, he has made an indelible impact, not only in making oft-quoted and well-remembered films,

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-53949323138967000182010-04-27T12:36:00.004+10:002010-04-27T13:05:13.257+10:00

I am finishing up the last touches on a website. In the same way that the most dangerous time to be on a return journey is a few miles from home, the most fiddly time to be finishing a website is in the last few steps. It's when things that you had anticipated to be the simplest and quickest end up taking the longest and are the most maddeningly convoluted.Why are some methods to do things so

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-36919521572254349262010-04-25T01:16:00.011+10:002011-08-28T23:07:19.525+10:00

I was having a quiet evening in (just like 99.9% of all my other evenings) randomly leaping through YouTube, when I stumbled across the music video for the 80s one hit wonder Safety Dance by "Men Without Hats". Famous for its incomprehensible nonsense, coupled with a weirdly catchy tune, it was the band's only success, and is still popular amongst the nostalgic. And to match

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com56tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-22473423354126080342010-04-22T21:37:00.003+10:002010-04-22T21:49:23.959+10:00

I suck.

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-22583457848755466182010-04-16T12:53:00.005+10:002010-04-18T14:14:17.262+10:00

I have been on the internet for a long time. I started way back in 1995, and before that a friend of mine had a BBS Bulletin Board of his own that he had been running for around three or four years, so I have been aware of the social side of the net for nearly two decades.The biggest problem with posting your comments online is the lack of the context that shows your intent. It's very hard to

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-42173837804376084222010-04-09T15:52:00.009+10:002010-04-10T09:51:49.837+10:00

This won't be a long post. I don't want to talk too much about the new screenplay in case I jinx myself into not ever finishing it, just like so many attempts that have gone before.But I have completed the storyline, to at least a level that I feel can now be attacked and shaped into a first draft script, so have begun the task of writing it.Its current working title, after floating many

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-68549835163714641572010-04-04T14:01:00.009+10:002010-04-04T19:22:03.015+10:00

I posted a query on a messageboard about something, but after some discussion where they answered a question I wasn't asking, I have come to realise there may not actually be an answer.I thought I would talk about it here, so I can clarify some things in my own head, and cover a little bit of technological development history at the same time.The saying goes that if you build a better mousetrap,

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-10463407648001713132010-03-27T21:58:00.012+11:002010-04-10T10:07:57.254+10:00

I am very good at starting things and then never finishing them. I know I am not alone in this skill, but it is frustrating how many good ideas I begin and then abandon, even though they would probably be really brilliant if they'd been completed, maybe even fortune-inducingly good.Since completing my first screenplay, I've been aching to write another. Each time I think I have a good idea, and

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-35310460871255668202010-03-20T17:46:00.006+11:002010-03-21T16:53:27.635+11:00

I am a night owl. That is, I prefer to work in the afternoon and evenings and into the night. I do not like getting up early, even though that is a very pleasant part of a day.This means I tend to work when it's dark outside, and it goes further, in that I prefer to work with the lights out. I will probably have the TV on, which is four or so metres away from me, and my desk will be illuminated

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-72281473354843189342010-03-07T23:00:00.006+11:002010-03-07T23:31:17.624+11:00

So about six months ago I messed up with my blog design by accidentally saving over it with a template, completely losing everything I had tweaked it into. Took me four hours to get it back into shape.Today I decided I would back up the design so I wouldn't make the mistake of doing that again, and had a look around for the link I knew was available to save my template. And there I found a button

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-49964273104567828072010-02-28T22:56:00.003+11:002010-02-28T23:48:48.310+11:00

Since beginning modelling in 3D with any earnest, i.e. after I had gotten over the initial stumbling blocks of figuring out how the hell I can make all the myriad of options available to me in Lightwave actually do what I want, there have been a few things that have been near the top of my "want to try making" list.I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to model very cool, and

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-65808104266514766872010-02-20T22:26:00.007+11:002011-01-25T10:54:04.055+11:00

Another desktop wallpaper, this time of two of the stars of the new show Caprica, which is the prequel series for Battlestar Galactica, covering the gestation of the Cylons. On the left there is Alessandra Torresani, who plays Zoe Graystone, who dies in the first episode, but her video game avatar lives on inside the body of a robot; and on the right is Magda Apanowicz, who plays Lacy Rand,

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-83290529253119831272010-02-11T10:45:00.007+11:002010-02-23T12:11:46.269+11:00

I value my solitude. I like the quiet, insular, solitary life I have made for myself. Sometimes I miss a little bit of interaction with others, but I could happily stay indoors and never meet another living soul for days at a time, with no ill effects.Eventually I know I need to get out there and talk to someone, it's unavoidable, but I try to keep it minimal, enough to keep me happy, and then I

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-89940336040353431922010-02-06T14:11:00.006+11:002010-07-05T17:58:12.312+10:00

I made another babe-related wallpaper today, and I thought I'd show how I made it. To look at it, I hope that you'd think it was a genuine untouched photo. That's certainly my plan most of the time. Whenever I make a matte painting, I try to get it as seamless as I can, so it's sort of become my default approach, though I don't always achieve it (I am notorious for cutting corners and cheating).

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-9229117826550773492010-02-03T13:59:00.015+11:002010-02-03T23:20:17.066+11:00

Avatar has ticked over to be the biggest box-office hit in the history of film, beating James Cameron's previous movie, Titanic, and in a faster timeframe. Now, despite its achievement being trumpeted far and wide, box office take is an unfair measurement, because many other factors helped it to reach this milestone.Firstly, this number is based on money earned, and not ticket sales; it doesn't

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-82580556380901314522010-01-30T20:39:00.006+11:002010-01-30T20:48:18.364+11:00

There is a disproportionate number of Australian blokes called Lachlan.I mean, what's up with that?

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-41933663617236000112010-01-28T13:20:00.008+11:002010-01-28T21:23:52.701+11:00

My older brother is well known amongst his peers. He was the head of an organisation significant amongst the Maori population, known as Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu, and was the visible face and spokesperson whenever there was a need for comment on Maori issues. In that role, he had opportunities to meet dignitaries and visiting celebrities, and interacted directly with political figures. It was quite

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-81871216988304006972010-01-27T11:49:00.012+11:002010-07-05T18:10:45.393+10:00

I'm an arty sort. Kind of. Well, people think I am. I just bugger about clumsily until something starts to come together. It's not very efficient or a display of a particular amount of talent, really. So what I like to do is dress my computer monitor with a nice desktop wallpaper background, and change them regularly every week or so. I troll around online for either ready-made wallpapers from

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-64169777896355827592010-01-21T17:42:00.010+11:002010-01-22T22:05:19.078+11:00

Whenever I model something in 3D that I've never done before, it's an education.When I first modelled a building in any level of detail, I had to look at the structure of it as though it was real, and piece together all the elements in much the same way you would to build it in the real world. But without the heavy lifting.So I was acutely aware of how walls meet the roof, and what makes up the

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-44891447126716646282010-01-10T19:11:00.005+11:002010-01-13T16:00:03.051+11:00

I have not had a lot of money to spend on frivolities lately, so have not splurged on DVDs on days of release for a long time, instead waiting for them to halve their prices later in the year. But last week, I decided I wanted to finally catch up on movies I had missed, movies that had been praised at their cinema release, so I bought three movies to watch: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-32895769733691733832010-01-04T21:38:00.003+11:002010-01-04T22:05:28.491+11:00

A two part episode to end the year, also ended the reign of the Tenth Doctor, as David Tennant bows out of the iconic role he has so assuredly made his own.It was, of course, an epic load of silly pseudo-science-fiction, an over-abundance of drama and melodrama, and a healthy dose of unnecessarily tortuous story call-backs. Couple that with celebrity cameos, enigmatic character cameos, and more

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-23417374331888257262009-12-31T21:35:00.008+11:002010-01-01T18:47:47.053+11:00

So. That was 2009. And, indeed, that was the first 10% of the 21st century.It wasn't quite the successful year I had hoped it would be for me. But neither was it utter failure and despair. However, I am not in a very comfortable state at this point, and I need to ramp up the change and get my life sorted out.2009 started out pretty well, with a lot of possibility. I had been organising my first

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-32648862809992685602009-12-17T22:57:00.005+11:002009-12-17T23:25:52.061+11:00

There is a new bar for visual effects, and it is Avatar.I don't see movies in the cinema very often anymore - it's expensive, a hassle to get there, and the viewing experience is usually a lot less pleasant than watching a DVD at home. To counter the drain of theatregoers to their own home cinemas, they have reintroduced a superior version of 3D to films, which are widely accepted and are,

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-60343508163780710552009-12-12T18:30:00.009+11:002009-12-12T21:57:21.590+11:00

I don't know much about science. I didn't pay much attention to it at school, preferring to joke around with my mates instead. I was very good at Maths, English, and Art, though, so was sort of allowed to drop the ball on other subjects as a kind of balance.Looking back on it, I wish I had paid attention, because nowadays a lot of scientific advancements and discoveries fascinate me. Not to the

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-41814702287569350802009-12-09T16:15:00.004+11:002009-12-09T16:18:44.521+11:00

The whole morning was wonderfully sunny and quiet.The early afternoon, similarly warm and pleasant.But the very minute I sit outside in my yard to quietly read a book, what happens? Next door's lawn mower starts up, which then sets the opposite house's dog barking.Bloody typical.

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-27269125148831406792009-11-25T17:29:00.005+11:002009-11-25T17:58:33.080+11:00

My hair has always been unworkable. From as early as five years old, I can remember the struggles I had with being able to do anything with it.For a start, it parts on the opposite side to most other people, which made it look lopsided. It was very thick and dark, which gave it no shape, and no control. It just did whatever it wanted, which was always the same thing - fluff up and sit like it was

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-90848889289764585782009-11-18T12:27:00.012+11:002009-11-28T21:43:34.696+11:00

I'm not very good at video games. I don't play them very often, certainly not as much as I once did, but even back then it was an infrequent pastime, as I was universally crap at almost all of them. Much like board games, and sport, and most other similar activities.I do still occasionally open a video game up and give them a burst of effort, but it's half-hearted and brief before I get

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-56443151411602740612009-11-14T11:14:00.009+11:002009-11-14T22:11:20.341+11:00

Every so often, to waste time and go for a fun drive, Rob will call up and say "It's a nice day, let's go looking for possible locations we can film at". A few weeks ago we travelled out to Mt Buffalo, which when it's out of ski season is a fantastic mountain covered in uniquely beautiful rock formations and fresh waterfalls.And yesterday we headed out to Heathcote, and a spot called Pink Cliffs.

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-88919505041183206812009-11-06T20:52:00.008+11:002009-11-06T21:52:51.589+11:00

I don't know much about music. I don't even listen to it as often as most other people do. I prefer working and relaxing in silence.But I do have a small music collection, which I unearth and play every once in a while, and a lot of it tends to be movie soundtracks. I used to buy quite a lot of it, but recently it's died down somewhat, as not a lot of movie music takes my fancy as being

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-46027893817722850782009-10-23T15:49:00.007+11:002009-10-23T21:28:42.662+11:00

I have not succumbed to all the latest home entertainment gadgetry. I resist, not just because I don't have the money to throw around anymore, but also because I am not yet convinced of its necessity. As a geek, I am atypical in my reluctance to participate in the technology-fest.Having said that, my current set up is not too bad. A 42-inch plasma TV, 5.1 surround, and a 2000 piece DVD collection

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-85759411135583351092009-10-16T17:15:00.006+11:002009-10-17T18:59:06.174+11:00

There is an interesting trend in cop shows right now, that I sort of like, even if it's blatantly unoriginal.In the serieseses Bones, The Mentalist, and Castle, they each have a female senior Detective who has a mysterious dark past, and all have similar big-eyed smouldering looks.They are played, respectively, by Emily Deschanel, Robin Tunney, and Stana Katic. They don't really look alike, you

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-13889445429251165002009-10-10T23:19:00.004+11:002009-10-10T23:31:27.627+11:00

When it rains, it pours.I was sitting doing ordinary regular computer stuff the other night, when the screen suddenly went *plink*. I assumed it was a power surge crash, as has happened before, though it only affected the one computer, and my clocks weren't blinking "12:00" so wasn't sure.I rebooted the computer, only to get a blank screen, and my monitor's power light to be blinking a regular

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-58725051889057427672009-10-09T11:44:00.002+11:002009-10-11T00:02:19.580+11:00

Apparently I am officially old. How annoyingly inevitable.I think 40 is a good age to look back on your life, look ahead at your future, and do a little analysis.I certainly know I haven't achieved as much as I had hoped. But I have fulfilled a lot of my dreams, weird and unlikely as they occasionally seemed, and not a lot of people can say that.I also have many dreams yet unfulfilled, ones that

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-14979035603678686422009-10-05T17:00:00.006+11:002009-10-05T17:43:07.481+11:00

I probably shouldn't be doing this.I have two other screenplays I want to write, but both of those have struck problems. One has a plot that needs to be completely re-configured, and the other has a huge stumbling block I can't figure out and is spinning me in circles.But Rob and I were chatting the other day, and he said "I am just waiting for you to write the sequel to Pegasus Rampant." Well, I

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-23752331986016035712009-09-27T15:29:00.019+10:002009-09-28T12:24:26.715+10:00

Progress.These are the first steps for A Hard Day's Knight, the animated short film which may never be made.I've jiggled Wally's textures a bit, and shortened his arms a tad. Then, not being able to stop myself, I grabbed the layers for his body and armour, and whacked them onto the head of the other character (which I had also previously modelled earlier this year), rearranged most of the points

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-60034199221974754282009-09-25T12:40:00.008+10:002009-09-27T22:51:32.689+10:00

Quick post just to show off.Did some character work, finishing off one I'd begun many months ago, for an animated short film that Rob and I are considering. It'd be a lot of work on my part, though, so we're not sure if it's a practical direction for us to head down.Here's what I've done. I am particularly pleased with the hands and feet. They're the parts I often struggle with, but this time I

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-27551926564172911502009-09-22T12:38:00.005+10:002009-09-22T21:53:39.780+10:00

It's a frustrating thing that I believe I'm a good writer, and yet I don't have the patience and dedication to self-motivate. The best motivation for me is to do something for another person, preferably under a strict deadline. I'm good with deadlines. But when I'm doing it for myself, I can wangle an excuse to get out of doing the work at every step.I am not a professional writer, and I may

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-89799175886174673302009-09-13T16:40:00.006+10:002009-09-13T17:09:58.324+10:00

America has a gun culture. And it frightens and confuses me.It seems to stem from the Wild West, where everyone carried guns and shot at anybody who looked at them funny. At least, that's how the movies portray the era - I have no idea if it was really that crazy.But it has nevertheless carried through into today, where too many people with evil intent can easily find and carry weapons, and

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-11143530517539559262009-09-12T18:33:00.004+10:002009-09-12T18:54:24.759+10:00

Most people have a climate preference. Some, for whatever reason, like the cold. But I prefer the heat. I used to live in the coldest part of New Zealand - it has been known to snow during the summer solstice in Dunedin. It's the Port closest to Antarctica. Rain is often blown horizontally into your face.This is one of the many reason I moved to Australia, and it has made quite a difference to be

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-39852508691515997672009-09-10T14:27:00.005+10:002009-09-10T15:45:02.939+10:00

I like 3D Graphics. This is no secret. But there's another kind of "3D" that is all the rage these days - Stereoscopic 3D. You know, the red-blue glasses, or Viewmaster, kind of three dimensionality.With new digital-recording and -screening techniques, 3D has become easier to film and distribute. It no longer requires the red-green glasses, instead it uses polaroid, or something similar, so the

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-90973312487906424212009-08-30T18:21:00.007+10:002009-08-30T21:29:29.496+10:00

I don't like food.Well, that's not strictly true, really I just don't eat properly. But where most people have a great love of eating, going out to dinner and trying some things that are exotic and exciting, or interestingly healthy, or decadently unhealthy, I really don't care about all that. If I didn't have to, I wouldn't eat at all. Except for lollies, probably.My Mother had a devil of a time

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-73457900372965883132009-08-20T15:55:00.011+10:002009-09-09T19:19:57.499+10:00

I don't often pay much attention to song lyrics. If they're even intelligible. I assume they are a competently written poetry, telling some lame story or expressing some simple emotion, that matches the feel of the music.Every so often, though, someone comes along who writes amazing lyrics that really stand out. The first person I remember recognising their skill at this was, perhaps surprisingly

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-28514225841473031072009-08-16T13:12:00.005+10:002009-08-16T14:08:52.792+10:00

When I grew up in the 70s, I didn't see any animation from Japan. I know there were some around, like Astro Boy, and Kimba The White Lion, but I don't recall any of it being broadcast in New Zealand. If it was, I overlooked it.In the 80s it started to appear, but not in the forms most people think of Anime today. There was one about Peter Pan, another called The Yearling based on a book about a

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-71217468793746800602009-08-13T09:35:00.006+10:002009-08-13T10:08:16.966+10:00

Here's a truth we cannot deny. Everybody dies.There's not a single person on this planet who will not die, most within fifty years from now, some within 80 years from now, and for a few it will be closer to 100 years or so from now.But then, some will die in a matter of months, weeks, or even days. Heck, just today there will be approximately 150,000 deaths. (However, there will also be about

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-87522630512508061722009-08-03T23:40:00.004+10:002009-08-04T00:13:42.208+10:00

Some people have recurring dreams, or worse, recurring nightmares. Usually it's something like arriving at school, but naked, and not having done the homework that's due in five minutes. I've never had that particular dream.But I have had recurring themes in my dreams. When I used to act on stage, at a poky little Repertory theatre in the middle of nowhere, I would have a nightmare just before

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-52021821739124742832009-08-01T12:51:00.007+10:002009-08-03T14:59:22.136+10:00

I don't know how common a viewpoint this is, but I have a particular dislike for graphic sex and violence in my entertainment. Except that's not always true, as it all stems from context.I used to work for an Adult Website, so there was a lot of nudity and sex everywhere I turned. I had no moral or personal problem with this (except in very specific circumstances). To me, pornography has a

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-40863741693784142152009-07-25T19:46:00.012+10:002009-08-01T17:05:36.266+10:00

The main role for a digital matte painting is to create an entirely virtual environment, which is to say, a completely artificially assembled background for a shot.They used to be made using paint, often on glass, which is then blended optically, that is practically, and re-photographed. But these days you can use photographs, blend them together seamlessly, and then apply them directly to 3D CG

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-1496681774636398482009-07-21T23:56:00.004+10:002009-07-22T00:15:53.311+10:00

It's fun to work on short films. I've managed to involve myself in all sorts of different sides to making a film, in pre-production, actual production, and post-production. I like to write, and draw storyboards; I have been a general dogsbody crew member, and even a co-director; and I have edited, and created visual effects.But these things can take a lot of time and effort, sometimes to the

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-45175913158842803132009-07-17T18:44:00.006+10:002009-07-19T18:15:53.338+10:00

Apostrophes are certainly tricky, but they do adhere to strict principles. There is no need to guess, or stray, from consistent usage rules.Missing Letters:When letters are removed while contracting two words into one, mark the missing letters with an apostrophe.Can not = Can'tShould have = should've (oh, don't get me started on this one)Are not = Aren'tExceptions include "Ain't," which is

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-27817111067142368382009-07-12T19:03:00.005+10:002009-07-12T19:19:53.800+10:00

I have blogged before how I should cut down on eating lollies, because of my constant teeth problems. But I rarely take any notice of such nonsense. I have been keeping my teeth cleaner than ever before, though, so that's something.Australian lollies are decidedly bland, and extremely low in variety. All the jelly-based lollies taste the same, they only vary in shape. All the marshmallow or

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-33860464620543521652009-07-09T15:44:00.006+10:002009-07-09T22:49:54.143+10:00

Here's a handy tip. When you leave your house, make sure you have your keys with you before you close your door.This may seem like an obvious tip, and one that many of you have suffered the brunt of before now, perhaps many times. But for me, this was my first time I had ever actually locked my keys inside anything.At my previous home, the deadlock on the (only) door was one that could only be

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-55722235098322508002009-07-03T22:03:00.003+10:002009-07-03T22:23:03.175+10:00

In the industry I am hoping to be involved with professionally, that of Visual Effects, you don't apply for jobs in the standard fashion, where you send in a simple Word doc that lists your past places of employment. Though you still do that, it's less a list of places and more a list of achievements, skills, and software. And hopefully a little bit of name-dropping. My friend Cameron can

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-77927047309340546522009-07-02T13:03:00.006+10:002009-07-02T14:23:23.896+10:00

I don't watch any Australian Drama series. I do, however, watch a lot of US and UK Drama serieseses. Here's why.Australia tries very hard to do realistic and significant drama, that has a unique Australian voice. But they really don't know how to do it without it falling into a soap operatic melodrama. Australia, you see, excels at soap opera. They have had worldwide success with all their shows

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-12302193263405504982009-06-27T18:21:00.002+10:002009-06-27T18:24:39.302+10:00

Gosh, have you heard? Michael Jackson died!Gee, you'd think somebody might mention it on the News.

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-50437603395784560872009-06-18T18:34:00.013+10:002009-06-22T20:33:00.450+10:00

When I was a teenager, I was not as sceptical as I am today. I assumed that what people said was happening, really was what was happening.I was fascinated by mysterious goings on, like Bigfoots and Yetis, Loch Ness Monsters, Ghosts, and UFOs. I devoured any book I stumbled upon with this subject matter, though I didn't really seek any of them out otherwise. If they were there waiting, I'd pick

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-1208285396623615742009-06-15T21:42:00.004+10:002009-06-15T23:01:16.280+10:00

My telly was broken. It had a dirty great line through it. Big thick and black. If it had been somewhere to the side of the screen, that probably wouldn't be so bad and wouldn't interfere with my viewing too much. Tolerable.But it didn't decide to be at the side of my screen - noooo, it had to be right smack dab through the very centre of the screen, top to bottom.It's surprising to me how many

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-62567477772904173082009-06-14T18:01:00.004+10:002009-06-14T18:10:56.954+10:00

It's bloody cold.Australia is not known for it's freezing temperatures. Dunedin, New Zealand, however, is famous for it. So when I moved here I thought those cold miserable days were behind me.For the most part I was right. Winters are not exactly tropical, down in the southern parts of Australia, but they at least don't get snowy and icy. In fact, I sort of miss the frozen puddles and snowy

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-44494869274108688782009-06-06T22:56:00.005+10:002009-06-07T13:28:01.156+10:00

I am not from around these parts.I lived in New Zealand until 1999. I love New Zealand as an entity, as a country, and its people are delightful. I do miss it. But it has a fundamental flaw that it cannot do anything about, and so is forever going to lose out, in my estimation.It's too bloody small. And by being small, and, worst luck, at the arse end of the world, relative to the development of

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-41152424203182442622009-05-31T20:50:00.010+10:002009-06-05T21:14:16.038+10:00

I was supposed to be doing some other kind of work this weekend, I promised someone I'd finish something up for them.But though I did do a little bit on it, I instead got carried away with something else that I wasn't even supposed to do for weeks yet.And why have I blogged this admission to slack off proper promised work, and instead to bugger about unnecessarily? Because this is the fastest CG

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-65313732164693710282009-05-29T15:51:00.006+10:002009-05-29T20:37:40.148+10:00

I do not have the Flu. I have never had influenza, as far as I can recall. The worst I've had is a severe feverish cold for a couple of days. Some people call that level of affliction "flu" but it's not consistent with the symptoms of true influenza, so I don't believe that it was.Many people get a dose of flu shots, which I believe are free, in the impression that will help them not catch the

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-76909365907815937082009-05-18T18:31:00.007+10:002009-05-18T20:54:25.831+10:00

The general principle you should expect the world of TV to run by is if it's your favourite show of the new season, it will be cancelled after half a season, and never tie up the loose ends.Mostly because the current crop of TV Execs and Producers are of my generation, the first to have been brought up with Star Wars as a primary influence, and with fond memories of the action and SF shows and

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-87170129072543282072009-05-14T21:21:00.003+10:002009-05-14T22:20:50.610+10:00

I am not a Trekker. Or a Trekkie. Or a particular fan of Star Trek. I don't really like the original TV series from the 60s because the dated production values just bother me too much. I'm a bit of a snob about that kind of thing, to my detriment, cf. Doctor Who.I enjoyed a few of the movies. And Star Trek: The Next Generation was really quite fun, now that the production values and effects

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-71544090912185677562009-05-11T20:54:00.006+10:002009-05-12T22:41:07.770+10:00

There have been times in my life when I have no work to do. My free time is left wide open, and I am a little bit lost for some way to occupy myself.But to be honest, I cannot remember the last time that occurred.I've always had arty, creative friends throughout my life, but the current crop are the most creative, energised bunch I've ever known. There's always some new project bubbling under, or

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-37667184395095494182009-05-10T16:16:00.010+10:002009-05-10T22:27:03.396+10:00

I use Lightwave for my 3D graphics. It's not a very popular program in the Professional Industry, unfortunately, except in certain branches. It's used a lot in commercials, children's animation, and previsualisation (which is rough animatics for movies, like 3D storyboarding). But it's rare for the movie industry to use it in their visual effects (instead they use apps like Maya or Softimage), or

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-46147927854470708802009-05-08T17:43:00.004+10:002009-05-08T22:10:20.523+10:00

The internet should be exclusively an information and entertainment resource. Unfortunately, that's an unrealistic hope. Not only does it cost money for upkeep and maintenance, but there are too many opportunities for advertising to expect them not to be tapped. And now that the internet is starting to supersede magazines and newspapers, advertising needs to abandon them and swamp the Web.But

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-62605103428424946432009-05-04T21:11:00.004+10:002009-05-04T21:42:38.305+10:00

I have a problem, and it's starting to interfere with my life.About six or seven years ago, I started to have this issue that mystified and annoyed me. I don't eat a lot of stuff, especially healthy stuff, but I adore chicken. But when I ate chicken, it started to feel like it was stuck in my throat. In fact, I thought that was actually what was happening and I'd have to wait some moments, or

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-23736419806687544802009-05-03T12:28:00.004+10:002009-05-03T12:45:57.989+10:00

The last internet plan I had with my last ISP before I moved was very nice, and suited me well. I probably abused it by using it to capacity, but if you've got it, then why not? It was 25GB download during peak times, and another 40GB download during off-peak times. On top of that, my uploading was not metered.Since moving to my new place, I no longer have access to ADSL, so cannot remain on that

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-25692447940547059942009-04-27T18:14:00.004+10:002009-04-27T18:25:18.096+10:00

Though some parts of our day to day life are necessarily complex, some parts ought to be so much easier.Here's the comedy of errors that has been my efforts to connect to the internet in April 2009.Before I made the big move, I anticipated a few hiccups, but tried my best to be completely organised so that a minimum of things would go wrong, and if they did, I could cope with it within my limited

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-22718593935185448162009-03-28T23:03:00.004+11:002009-03-28T23:24:42.095+11:00

The other day I called my new Estate Agent for the new place I'm moving to, and checked to make sure everything was on track for moving in on Monday.And she said "Oh. No, I don't think the current tenants have moved out yet, and won't until Tuesday! Hmm. I'll call them and check."Argh!Luckily she called back a couple of hours later to say all was fine, they are moving out over the weekend, and I

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-29687166965971822272009-03-24T13:01:00.004+11:002009-03-24T13:28:34.649+11:00

Around 15 years ago, when coming home from a visit with my sister, I suffered unexpected and persistent acute pain in my gut. My Mum, who was driving me at the time, saw me writhing in pain, asked me if I wanted to go to the A&E, and I said "Yes." She told me afterwards that my saying that, from a guy who was normally reluctant to visit even a Doctor, meant this was serious.The diagnosis was not

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-71963533357284980512009-03-22T15:30:00.005+11:002009-03-22T15:59:27.939+11:00

This weekend was supposed to be when I was shooting my first short film. But it was not to be, I cancelled the shoot when it all fell apart before my very eyes. As I have mentioned before, I have few regrets, and it is possible I'll revisit it later in the year.But as the camera and dolly tracks were already booked, Rob thought he might take advantage of the opportunity of a weekend where a team

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-72108833222592475412009-03-15T20:24:00.005+11:002009-03-16T19:09:21.985+11:00

I am sure this is a human trait, and is common amongst most of us, but sometimes I get all "creative'd out".I generally spend a lot of my free time pursuing some kind of creative or artistic endeavour, be it reading (email, articles, novels), drawing (sketching, website art, 3D graphics, storyboards), writing (emails, scripts, ideas), or something movie related (compositing, visual effects,

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-84224218142582153892009-03-10T18:59:00.005+11:002009-03-10T22:58:49.757+11:00

After feeling the need to abandon my short film, and reschedule it for much later in the year when I regain my confidence, the production stops going off the rails, and the weather is less of an unpredictable bastard, it freed up the weekend I had originally planned for the shoot. So my mate Rob leapt on the day and the previously booked video camera to use it for pickup shots for his film,

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-25977058997540996952009-03-04T22:03:00.002+11:002009-03-04T22:05:22.248+11:00

Ugh.

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-53687196592680318342009-03-03T17:59:00.005+11:002009-03-03T19:23:29.555+11:00

I have been asked to leave my current apartment. Not through any fault of my own, but because the owner wants his son, who is moving to Melbourne, to live here instead of me. Not the greatest piece of news I could have gotten.So since that bombshell, I've been looking for somewhere new to live. Two problems with this - one is that the time limit is stressful. Two months sounds like plenty, until

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1505776072666680087.post-46619660558197508422009-02-22T11:58:00.009+11:002009-02-22T18:51:37.946+11:00

As I begin my first draft of my new screenplay, I have come across an unexpected development that is really quite a thorny problem.I have a treatment, which is a five page outline of the complete story, and it works reasonably well as a simple breakdown. Undoubtedly, as the writing develops, and new drafts are written, changes will occur, some major, some minor. For the first draft, however, all

GuanoLadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10003894743902155910noreply@blogger.com0