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July
08, 2007 -
So, here's what I look like as a Simpson's character. Go to http://simpsonsmovie.com/ and make your own Simpson's avatar. I'm still skeptical about the movie, but I'm sure I'll end up seeing it.
Also for the designers out there, I have two great links for you. The
first is Color Blender, a site
which allows you to pick a color using RGB sliders. The site then picks
five more complimenting colors for you. You can then download the palette
as a Photoshop or Illustrator color file. The second is Kuler
by Adobe which lets you create a five color palette using a variety of
methods. You can then publish the palette and vote on those published
by others. Like Color Blender, you can also download these palettes. Both
of these sites are very useful for any kinds of color related design.
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July 05, 2007 -
Man, this building I've been texturing at work was kicking
my ass, but I finally got it finished. Having it done is a great feeling. My
project is coming along well, and should make for an awesome advertising piece.
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May
08, 2007 -
This past weekend, Beth and I went into DC to the National History Museum. We spent about 3 hours there drawing in the Mamals and Origins of Western Culture sections. At the left is one of mine, a Black Backed Jackal. We plan on going in much more often.
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Also, I bought the new Amy
Winehouse album, Back to Black. They've been playing the single, Rehab,
on 94.7 the Globe like crazy. Apparently enough to make me go buy it.
The entire album is great, but the gems are definitely Rehab, Me & Mr.
Jones, and the title track, Back to Black. The style of the entire album
is very Motown, but with a new twist on themes and lyrics. Winehouse is
a white British girl who sings like an black American soul singer. She
would have been in good company in Detroit with a bee-hive in 1965. Check
out Rehab, and if you like it, you'll like the whole album.
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Apr
30, 2007 -
This past weekend I took a trip to Fort Pickett
in Blackstone, Virginia as part of a project to create a 3D environment
of their MOUT site. While we were there taking pictures of the site, there
was a Marine training exercise going on. The Marines were learning how
to move through the urban environment in a safe manner as a cohesive unit.
At first, they were just making dry runs through the many buildings on
the site, clearing rooms and securing areas. |
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By 2 PM the fireworks started. A group out of San Diego, California provided Iraqi actors to populate the site. Now as the Marines moved through, with full combat kit, they had to deal with civilians, often acting very angry, speaking Arabic and waving around AK-47s. Then, on some runs, explosives were set off to simulate grenades, RPGs, or IEDs. The IED explosions shook the cinderblock buildings of the site even into the basements.
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What
was strange was walking around the streets of the site, having to walk
past these "Iraqis" sitting out in front of their "houses". It was a surreal
experience. A couple times I actually felt uncomfortable walking past
the actors into the buildings because it was like walking right into someone's
bedroom without even asking permission. It was odd. |
And then an explosion
would go off or a firefight would break out, involunatarily pumping adrenaline
into the system. All in all it was a unique experience
and a great eye into the amazing and in-depth training our forces receive. For
more reading and photos of the training at Ft. Pickett, here's
an article about the training on the Marine Corps website from a week earlier. The photos above are from Ft. Pickett's website pending permission to post any of the photos I took.
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