Design Sheets
2005.08.30 - Tuesday
One More Day
2005.08.29 - Monday
Today should be the last day on this "Atlantis" project. I should have a couple of normal days at work on Tuesday and Wednesday, then I've got 5 days off. It should be a nice break before the next show starts.
I've added one more still to the gallery, from a Cylon shot in episode 206 of "Battlestar Galactica". There are a few more shots, but they don't work very well as still frames, so I'll have to leave them off for now.
Busy
2005.08.26 - Friday
Well, so much for the "breather" I thought was coming. I jumped straight into another project which is nearing its deadline, so things have been busy again this past week and should continue at least through tomorrow. The plus side of working all the time is the overtime pay. I've decided to buy the goalie equipment, since I haven't bought anything significant through the summer and the busy hours have been pretty consistent.
I've got the colours narrowed down. I've also decided it's going to be NHL regulation size gear, according to the 2005-2006 season rules. Does anyone seriously believe they're going to reverse the 11-inch pad rule? I don't think so. The blocker will be an inch shorter in height, and I believe the glove remains mostly the same. There was some talk of reducing the glove perimetre from 45" to 43", but the last I heard they nixed that idea after seeing how small a 43" glove actually is. Remember, the NHL is after entertainment, and people love a great glove save just as much as a great goal.
I'll post some design sheets over the weekend, assuming I have time. Oh, those new Battlestar shots will go up as well.
Monday
2005.08.22 - Monday
I've been surfing for the past 10 minutes or so, but couldn't find anything I really wanted to post about. It's been like that a lot lately, for whatever reason. I'm still looking at new goalie equipment, but I imagine I'll be able to hold off until the season starts, when hopefully the urge to get new stuff will go away. I do need to get a new bag though, something with wheels, since it's way too hard to maneuver an over-the-shoulder bag through the narrow halls of my building.
I should be able to add a couple more images to the gallery tonight. These would be shots from Galactica episode 206, "Home, part 1". Nothing too exciting, just some Cylons, but at least I had a chance to animate them this time. I would have liked to have had more time for this episode, but deadlines have been getting shorter and shorter with every episode. Thankfully, we seem to be getting a breather now, at least as far as Battlestar is concerned.
I've decided on Canucks' colours for my new gear. Mostly white and blue, with a small amount of maroon trim. It looks good.
The Itch
2005.08.18 - Thursday
Whenever I complete a long stretch of working overtime I get the itch to buy some expensive item. Usually it's because, without the time to go out shopping, I haven't really spent any money in a while, and the overtime paycheques have been piling up. I know what I should do, put it in savings or against debts and all of that. BORING!
I just bought new goalie gear last year, and yesterday found myself using a web based colour combination tool to come up with something for my next set. I accidentally hit a colour I didn't intend on using and it looked great. I was tempted to just decide right then and there to buy the pads. Crazy!
I'm sure I'll find something to get in the next few weeks. Maybe I'll be able to hold off long enough that the itch will go away? Ha! I doubt it.
Abbotsford Airshow 2005
2005.08.17 - Wednesday
I usually keep track of the airshow website in the month leading up to the event, and was very worried this year when it seemed like the show was going to be very small. Even in July, the only military performers listed were the two formation teams, and the CF-18 Hornet demo. Thankfully, we got an A-10 Thunderbolt demo with pyro, some F-15 formation flybys with hard breaks in afterburner, the two stealth aircraft, the Canadian forces "Skyhawks" parachute team, and plenty of decent civilian acts. Still, the show seemed a little slower this year, and less exciting.
The stealth aircraft, the F-117 Nighthawk and B-2 Spirit, are always fun to see. The B-2 is especially interesting simply because it looks just as odd in real life as it does in photos, even more so in fact. I look forward to the day when we can see one parked in the static display at the show. It would be great to see up close. We did get to see two F-117s on the ground though, and it's obvious that the security is dropping around these once top secret aircraft, as it was only surrounded by a few men with sidearms and batons, instead of the assault rifles we saw last time.
I haven't see a B-25 Mitchell before, as far as I can remember, at least not flying. It's obviously not as cool as the B-17 from last year's show, but the warbirds are always nice to see. Along with the B-25 were the usual compliment of a few Harvards and a P-51. The Red Baron Pizza Squadron made their first appearence at Abbotsford this year. Unfortunately they didn't get to fly their full show on Sunday, as they were bumped by an emergency water bomber call. So instead we sat around while four bombers landed, were re-loaded with fire retardant, and sent off again. It would have been nice to see the full Red Baron show, as it's something a little different and could have been interesting.
Ooooohhh! Who was better? Surprisingly, it was actually a tough call this year. The Thunderbirds flew a perfect show this time, and even though I didn't think it possible, they've actually managed to make their audio presentation even cheesier and more pro-American than last time. Lots of "God bless America" songs, recorded intros from television personalities and even President Bush number one, and to top it all off, a five minute dialogue on the legend of the Native American Thunderbird spoken with the typical Native accent. At least they started flying after that.
The Snowbirds were good as always, but their show seemed slower than usual this year. Maybe it was the music choice, which was very low tempo throughout, but it seemed like there was more time looking at nothing between maneuvers than is usual for them. Still, no goof ups and the multi-plane formations and maneuvers they fly are still more interesting than their American counterparts.
The show was good, despite the relatively low military turnout. Also, the Red Baron and Skyhawk guys really seemed to cut into the time they usually give to Bud Granly or Manfred Radius, thank God. I'm glad I went on a Sunday, since we got to see a few aircraft leave the show that would have otherwise stayed on the ground. It pays to hang around and wait for the traffic to clear, as it turned out to be the first time I saw the Galaxy fly. I leave you with this:
Working On It
2005.08.16 - Tuesday
I'm working on my annual airshow review post, but still need to go through and edit the pictures. I didn't take as many this year, mostly because it was a lot of the same stuff and I would always rather see things with my eyes than through a screen or viewfinder. Luckily a couple of the people I was with took plenty of photos with cameras that easily eclipse my own.
It was a good show, but more on that tomorrow.
Lindros?
2005.08.12 - Friday
Jesus! It's almost as if the Leafs are trying to make people laugh at them. I bet there are already pools springing up in Toronto for the number of games Lindros will last before his next, and most likely final, concussion. How many would that make? Fifty billion or something?
Busy Off-season
2005.08.11 - Thursday
Now that the NHL has a new collective bargaining agreement, the hockey world is buzzing with activity. As much as I may wish that I didn't care, I can't help but get excited about the approaching season, the new rules, and the new CBA. Players are signing all over the place as big teams shed those with expensive salaries and smaller teams are finding themselves in a position with something to offer. Already Pittsburgh has moved from being the worst team in the league to a possible playoff contender, and the same can be said about a number of the teams who shared that position. Bigger teams are dumping talented players like crazy in an effort to come in under the salary cap. I honestly think it could be one of the most interesting seasons in years.
Rule changes have finally come in force as well. I'm in favour of all of them, except for the shootout, though at least it gets rid of that awful "get a point even if you lose in overtime" idea. Oh yeah, the goalie playing the puck as well, is a silly rule. Lots of the other ones have been a long time coming. The big question is the officiating; will the NHL stand tall against obstruction or crumble and give up once a few media pundits start to complain? If they crumble, we'll almost be back where we started.
We'll see what happens.
More Game Music
2005.08.08 - Monday
I was sent the link to this page by the folks who run it. They're asking for a link exchange as I assume they're trying to get their name out there. The site is obviously early in its development but so far they've got a pretty decent library of music going. Lots of original soundtracks too, not just remixes.
Actually, the fact that they've got these soundtracks posted makes me wonder how much longer the site will exist. I've been downloading as many of the files that I'm interested in as I can, since I expect the site to be shut down one of these days. After all, most of the stuff they're posting can be bought on CD, even if you have to go to a specialty or import shop to find them. You never know though, the game industry hasn't been too persistent in chasing down game music websites, so Galbadia Hotel could last for a while.
I'll keep an eye on the site and grab anything new and interesting, at least while it's there.
Stealth
2005.08.02 - Tuesday
Not nearly as bad as I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, "Stealth" is not a good movie, but it is also not completely without enjoyment, as most reviews have suggested. I suppose it depends on what kind of person you are. If you can suspend your disbelief, quite a bit, and simply enjoy the cool jets and flying sequences, you might enjoy "Stealth". If you're one of those people who must pull at every loose thread of plot and logic, then the movie will quickly unravel into a pile of festering garbage. It's just like "The Fast and the Furious", which is not surprising since it's the same director; just leave it alone and enjoy the action, or you'll be sorry.
I'm glad the story didn't follow the typical "man vs. machine" angle that always seems to happen with tales about intelligent computers. I was actually surprised at the direction that it goes. It did, however, feel like a cheat when the computer sacrifices itself to save the humans. Oh, and if you didn't want to know what happens, don't read that last sentence. Having "Eddie" die is a cliche used in the worst way. I would have much rather seen it, and the two remaining human pilots, fly off together on some mission at the end of the film. Unfortunately we get an unemotional sacrifice which doesn't even make practical sense in the way it happens. Completely lame.
The aircraft were awesome. Great visual effects and design. The only thing that bothered me was the giant re-fueling blimp. It just didn't make sense. Otherwise however, I didn't have any complaints. Some of the shots have definitely given me ideas and worked as inspiration, and that's what I was hoping for. I'm not sure what else to say. It's not as bad as I was expecting.