Moar I Can Haz Artings, Yes!

I did this for someone on Menewsha because they were INCREDIBLY nice to me and sent me an awesome newbie package. I was so impressed by their kindness and generosity, even when they thought it wasn’t all that big a deal, that I just had to do something for her! This is Jennifer of Menewsha’s avatar and I really, REALLY hope she likes it!!!

I likes teh hair, YUMMMM!!!

For a MUCH larger viewing version, cleeeeek here: RAWR!

In later news…. MOAR ARTS ON TEH WAY!  YARRRR!!!

FINALLY! Art Block Over NAO Yes?

In case you have missed the memo… I am arting again!  =cheers and shouts with joy=  To share just what I have been working on, here’s a few… just a taste!  I plan on keeping this up…. I must!  I can’t go back to long periods of nothing… never again!  So, say hello to some avatar arts I’ve done for me and my family, and some WIPs done for my sis and an art trade with Elegant Feather Duster of Menewsha!  wh00t!

Finished:

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WIPs:

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Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

And… I have a few more WIPs that I haven’t even uploaded.  It’s a miracle, really!  =glows with delight=

And yeah, I know… all different sizes, lol!  But hey, I just wanted to show it all off!

Now… off to go fix some supperz, YARRRH!

An ity bity update

Just a little update, nothing much. Kids were home for over a week for Easter Break so we split time up a lot. Trying my best to force myself to draw again. I miss it. BAD. The stress I’ve been under for so long has taken a toll on my ability TO draw… but I believe I can get back on track. Trying hard.

For that matter, I went looking for a reference photo for a piece I was thinking of. I sketched it last night and it’ll be of my Gaia Avatar for her profile page, but the idea is good enough for an art piece, so that’s my initial goal. Then the profile page, lol! Looked through Marcus Ranum‘s stock account on DA today and found a few pictures that will be nice to use to help finagle the more difficult parts of my sketch. I adore his stock photos! Much love, MUCH love!

Anyway, just taking things slowly, eating as healthy as I can, exercising as much as I can, and taking one day at a time!

And, of course, I am SO far behind in my work! IF I can get my ability to draw properly back, I have a few requests I have every intention of finalizing. I’ve got a few drawings I did awhile back that are just sitting in my art folders waiting to be finished. And I want them finished!

All in good time, of course! ^_~

They said it couldn’t be done…

For decades they’ve been telling us it wasn’t possible.  Those who believed it were called quacks. Even the representative from NeuroSky states this is first level telepathy.  Hey, it’s all going to be a bit more believable in the near future, folks! ^_~  For now, I’ll settle with the truth that our brain waves can create enough of a signal to manipulate objects.  Rock on!

And I desperately want that Star Wars toy! *__*

Psycho jargon aside, this has great potentials.  Does series/movies such as Angelic Layer, The Matrix, and of course, Johnny Mnemonic come to mind?  Imagine the possibilities both good and bad.  I do, indeed see a revolution in the gaming industry shortly.  But, as hinted in CNN’s interview with NeuroSky and others, the potential for other uses could be fathomless.  Suddenly, I feel like all the long thought impossible theories of so many SF novels and movies seem far to plausible.  While I have always been one with an open mind, even I can’t think of all the possibilities to come.  For now, I’m excited with the developments currently taking place.

It’s certainly good advice for our National Security department to grow wise to the true possible utilization of this tool in ways they’ve yet to perceive.  Always be ready for anything, should be their motto.  But truthfully?  I say they’ve already developed this technology some time ago, though really, I still say the government needs more creative minds working for it.  (Stop getting rid of/not supporting the arts programs, you dolts!)  Though, I don’t believe we should use this technology for war.  We should be prepared for outside usage, however.  It could be a decade from now before it’s implementation becomes anything to be concerned about, but one shouldn’t wait for the inevitable.

In the end, the advancement of technology continues to show us both the pros and cons of its growth.  With an influx of great concepts comes the unforeseen negatives that we cannot simply ignore.  Such as, who would have thought that texting would lead to a medical condition we now call “Blackberry Thumb“?  Progress comes at great risks and we must keep pushing forward, but with a cautious air stepping out into that great unknown. 

And with regards to the great SF writers of old, even we can’t always imagine the turns our futures will take.  They told us ships that moved deep under the sea were impossible.  Ships that flew beyond the earth’s rims in the depths of the sky were improbable.  And A.I.?  Never in the realm of reality!  And yet, we have come closer to than ever to achieving just that, along with continuing the same philosophical and moral debates inherent in the concept.

In the end, we should remember that anything can be possible, open our minds to our rapidly changing world, and look forward to all the future may hold in store for us.

Look Who’s Back, Ne?

So, folks, it has happened.  Tas-Tas is back online!  Been busy last two days doing ALL number of updates.

One important one was officially moving my journal from Blogger to WordPress.  After much deliberation, the notice that Blogger was discontinuing its ftp service made the decision for me.  It was quite a bit of a hassle getting it done.  I looked all over for a good tutorial/service on blogger-to-wordpress conversions, but most only stipulated that the blogger account needed to be hosted on blogspot.  In the end, I found this WONDERFUL tutorial, located here: http://www.labnol.org/internet/switch-from-blogger-to-wordpress/9707/ , that made me realize it’d just be simplest to convert my ftp and personally hosted blogger journal to blogspot, and then convert through WordPress.  Painfully stupid, but seeing as how that service will be suspended, =shrugs=  there’s no reason to fuss over a one time deal.

Anyway, after all is said and done, you are now looking at the fresh install of Dreaming in Shades, WordPress hosted!  Lovely, isn’t it?  O_o;;;  I have to re-code my layout for WordPress, so it’ll be a few days before it’s back up.  For now, I’m enjoying the free WP layouts, lol!

I’ve also been having TONS of fun messing with the plugins/widgets/whatnots.  Setting it up for all sorts of time saving things for myself.  Expect to see just a few test posts in the future, but I’ll try and make sure they’re content worthy. ^_~

I hope to be more active shortly, but only after I’ve gotten most everything updated, lol!  Stay tuned, folks!

Now… time to go get some chow!

He has a name, RAWR!

Mr. Ryu Head a.k.a. Mr. Baldy a.k.a. The HEAD is now known as “Remiel.”

Go, meh! *_*

The name fits him perfectly.  He’s also got a few nicknames aside from the “head” references, lol. You can learn more about him at my BJD site located @ Ends of Fate.

For the love of a variable!

With the wealth of “Scientific” shows out there that seek to discover answers to one question of another… is there anyone else besides me that sees the blatant flaws in their “scientific experiments”?  (I’m sure I can’t be the only one!)  I dunno, just takes the fun outta watching something when you know they’ve left this huge, gaping variable outta the equation and then claim they have “proof.” 

A great loss, but a great and lasting gift.

With all the hullabaloo surrounding the outcome of the presidential election, with all the turmoil surrounding the passing of Proposition 8 in California, and with the general going-on surrounding such a historical moment in American history… I only became aware today that a brilliant man who I have always greatly and very deeply admired passed away on November 4th, 2008, Election Day.

Michael Crichton has always been a favorite author of mine, inspiring me as early as age 12, and continuing to remain so to me all these years later. Yes, I did indeed begin to read his novels when I was 12, and I redily devoured them as I got my hands on them! I always loved the ingenuity of his writings and how, though he was not a scientist per se, he was a lasting reminder of how true science fiction should be handled and written. Although his SF works were certainly fiction for the most part, they always carried those elements of possible or certain truth based solidly on the extensive amounts of research he conducted to place his novel within that modicum of reality.

His writings encouraged us to question, to seek answers, and to believe that the unbelievable could always be possible… within reason of course, and went the extra mile himself to prove to us how that might be. He gave us drama and heart, he challenged us to seek knowledge and understanding of our world and the things in it, and he reminded us of our flaws and of our very human qualities.

And most of all, he wanted us to do good by our world and our society as a whole, as evidence by the messages in his many works. I am grieved by his loss, but I know his spirit will continue to thrive within the many pages of his gifts to humanity.

Thank you, Mr. Chricton for all that you have done for us. Peace be with your family and friends who will miss you most of all.

NaNoWriMo – 2008

Yep, it’s that time again, and in but a few scant hours in the grander scheme of things, NaNoWriMo is about to start up for 2008!  I’ve got my characters, a basic plot, and no idea for an ending.  I’m fairly stoked!  How about you? ^_~