A retro 3D “shooter” in the style of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. The twist comes with the shooting part. You don’t have a gun with bullets. Instead, you have a welder, a freeze ray, … Basically, the idea is to draw (with mouse) on your opponents to disable them.

I was the level designer on this project. Yep, all three levels were my creations with heavy input from everyone else on the team. During testing, I created dummy wall, floor, ceiling textures as fillers. They were simple png files with “Floor” or “Conveyor Belt” in text. We talked about using these as an Easter Egg, but I don’t know if this feature was ever included.

Check out this review from Indie Games.
Play now!

sophomorenyc

fall08

On the theme of inspiring videos, I submit a Charlie Rose interview of Renzo Piano, whose Chicago Art Institute addition I wrote about in my first post. Piano insists that an architect is above all a BUILDER (his architecture firm is called “Renzo Piano Building Workshop”), and that at its core, architecture is making shelter.

But at the same time he says architects are also POETS, and HUMANISTS. He claims that architecture is an art of building emotions, especially emotions about beauty. Beauty, he claims, is one of the few human emotions that can compete with true power (money, might, destruction, etc.). Fantasy is good, he claims, but like marmalade, it is best in small doses, and when spread on great piece of bread.

The biggest lesson he learned from his early career, especially the ground-breaking design for the Pompidou Museum in Paris, is a certain amount of stubbornness, to stand behind one’s ideas, and rebelliousness, to challenge conventions, the status quo, and the obvious. Where cultural institutions used to be monumental fortresses, he sought to create open, inviting, temples of light that aroused curiosity in a broad public.

He talks a great deal about sustainability, the single greatest challenge, AND opportunity, for architects in the 21st-century. Sustainability in architecture is about love for nature, is making buildings that talk to, and are in tune with nature, rather than fight it. The core idea for his SF Academy of Sciences museum, for example, is that the earth is fragile. The building opens up at night, adjusts itself to the weather and seasons. He says the goal of his practice is to develop an “aesthetic of sustainability,” where the connection with nature is beautiful. He insists we must accept the possibility of making things with less. His love for sailing has taught him many lessons, especially about being in tune with nature, being able to adjust one’s surrounds to interact more efficiently with nature.

If you have not already looked at Renzo Piano’s work in depth, spend some time this summer doing so. It’s an amazing body of work, no matter what your taste in architecture. He has done MANY museums, so his work is useful for our fall museum project. Be sure to study how he works from first sketch, through planning phases, attention to important construction details, light…

Does this look familiar?

A fair weather lakeside dwelling with minimal protection from the elements for a contemplative president of a university? Sound a little far fetched?

Three projects that might make you think otherwise: two of which are completely off the grid and constructed for less than the cost of a new Toyota.

Writing Studio for an Art Historian

Swamp Hut

‘Watershed’ Sustainable Writer’s Retreat

When the fall season first started, I was hesitant about watching this show. From what I had seen, it was to be a mindless/shallow action show against demons, and the main characters were all wearing orange jumpsuits. It just didn’t look like the kind of show I would get into at the time. Well, I eventually talked myself into watching the first episode, and at first it looked like I was right. We were given a main who lost a loved one to an evil shota with glowing blue butterflies. They introduced the demons by category, and of course showed off how the group of mains did a much better job of kicking ass. Really the first thing that actually intrigued me about the first episode was the motorcycle, I mean that was just EPIC.

Then the episode is coming to a close, we’ve had a long string of class C, a B, then an even larger B. The mains are taking a break, drinking coffee or something, and it looks like we might be getting some exposition finally on what is going on…. Instead a high school girl with a sword shows up, is called a Class A, and then utterly kills everyone.  Leaving me going wtf at the first episode, this show was crazy. By the time the second ep was available I decided that I would come back to the show later but only after it had finished so that I could just marathon the show.

So the show ended,  I downloaded it, and proceeded to watch it. The first ep was still the same level of wtf, and I seriously want a bike that awesome in more shows. And immediately moved onto the second ep, which was a much more constant level of wtf throughout as we watched everyone getting killed by Yomi. Then the episode ends again with several people dead and the only other girl with a sword calling Yomi her sister and is about to receive a death blow.

Third episode is here to save the day, sending us to the past before all this crazy shit happens. The story starts to actually make sense now, it’s all about Kagura and Yomi with how they meet and what all happened to lead us to where the show started. After Kagura’s mom dies and her father inherits the strongest of all demons, Kagura is adopted into Yomi’s family. Yomi instantly becomes a caring older sister to her, if not a loving mom. From there the show becomes a coming of age story for Kagura as we watch her grow and mature into the role she is to play.

The show continues it’s trend of being a bit crazy, with one episode dedicated entirely to being a high school comedy love story, and a following episode that features a horror story with the female victims wearing nothing but swim suits(definitely the best way to do horror). Weapons used in combat range from one of a kind swords, drills, briefcases, umbrellas, steam irons, and a new personal favorite wheelchairs.

Music was also a high point, with plenty of good music that fits what was going on, I’m actually pretty excited over when the OST will come out. The animation for the show is also above par, there isn’t much to complain about. I thought it slightly weird how they chose to censor some of the more graphic blows, one of the worst is what looks like a yellow colored spray effect from paint, but otherwise things worked.

I’m still not sure why the first episode existed, all it really did is introduce the bad guys and the world a bit, all but one main didn’t even have screen time, and none of the mains take center stage till the second ep. But that sure didn’t stop this show from being awesome. They did a great job with this show, having just enough time to properly tell us a full story.  The ending is depressing, and it’s clearly not all resolved thanks to this show being a prequel to the manga(which is still going, and I’m currently downloading). I can only hope and pray that there will soon be a Ga-Rei anime.

I think I might be a bit of a sucker for shows that start with the end, for example Banner of the Stars II started with Jinto dying in Lafiel’s arms and both of them were speaking Abh without subtitles so we had little idea what the hell was actually going on, and it wasn’t until the last episode when we saw this same scene play out and fully understand what was going on. So through the entire show the viewer is left waiting for the end to come, and then when it does it plays out you now fully understand the situation. So when things don’t end like you thought it would, it feels great. But that of course only works if you can get us to care about the characters, so while the first episode of GRZ might have left me a bit dazed, they saved themselves with the great character building and story during the flashback episodes.

Now I’m off to read the manga Ga-Rei. ^_^ I like how it starts at exactly the same point the anime ended.

Another semester has ended and I’m left feeling only moderately accomplished. I had set out a series of goals and things to work towards for myself going into this school year.

Here I am, halfway through, back at home after finishing all my classes and finals and I gotta wonder: did I actually accomplish anything this past semester?

Here are some of the things I wanted to do.

1). Boost my GPA.

2. Get a job.

3. Be nicer to people without expecting anything in return.

4. Buy a sweater-vest.

5. Live full throttle.

6. Develop a sense of empathy.

7. Get the new Fall Out Boy CD.

8. Begin making decisions that aren’t based solely on what I want.

9. Get more out of my classes than just the material I’ll need to pass the exams.

10. Stop swearing as much.

How’d I do with my list?

1. This one has yet to be seen, but the way things are looking right now I’m inclined to say it’s going to be a couple points lower than previously.

2. I got a job and it’s actually one that I enjoy, something that I’ve had trouble saying about many of my past jobs.

3. This one needs some work. I’m capable of being nicer but sometimes it is just so hard. Especially when drunk. I’ll highlight this one for next semester.

4. Yeah, I bought a sweater vest.

5. I did, in fact, live full throttle.  It wasn’t easy and oftentimes it led to horrible consequences, but when you live full throttle like me sacrifices (like my public image) must be made.

6. This was a big one. For the most part I feel as though this was accomplished. Although, I still slip from time to time. I just need to remember to slow down and consider those around me sometimes. It’s not easy, but it has to be done. Still working on it, but I’ve definitely made progress since last year.

7. Fall Out Boy. There are so many reasons I should hate this band, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Whatever, I got their CD and I’m listening to it right now.

8. This kind of goes along with the empathy thing. I’m working on it, but I’m starting to understand that what I want to do and the right thing to do usually don’t coincide. I haven’t perfected my decision making processes yet, but it’s come a long way.

9. Eh, some classes I actually took away from. Others? Not so much. Half and half on this one.

10. Of course everyone swears when provoked but it’s the casual swearing I’ve been trying to cut back on, especially that f-word. I think I’ve done a decent job with the f-word, now I just have to take care of the rest.

Naturally, I’d like to think that I’ve done my best with this list, but there’s still a lot to be desired. One more semester to go to fulfill my goals. And what better time of the year to motivate me than the Christmas season?

It’s Game Time.

 ELIE SAAB

Elie Saab (Arabic: إيلي صعب) (born July 4, 1964), sometimes known simply as ‘ES’, is a Lebanese fashion designer.

In 1982, Saab launched his own Beirut-based fashion label when he was 18 years old. His main workshop is in Lebanon, a country to which he remains deeply attached. He also has workshops in Milan and Paris.

Saab is self-trained. He started sewing as a child and knew that one day he would make a living out of it. In 1981 he moved to Paris to study fashion, but ended up returning and opening his workshop in 1982. In 1997 Saab was the first non-Italian designer to become a member of the Italian Camera Nazionale della Moda, and in 1997, showed his first collection outside Lebanon in Rome. In 1998, he started ready-to-wear in Milan, and in the same year, he held a fashion show in Monaco which was attended by Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. He became an overnight success after he became the first Lebanese designer to dress an Oscar winner, Halle Berry, in 2002. Berry wore a burgundy gown by Saab to the 2002 Academy Awards when she won for Best Actress. Berry later wore another dress by Saab, this time a gold dress, to the 2003 Oscars.

In May 2003, the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture invited him to become a member, and he showed his first haute couture collection in Paris in July 2003. His first ready-to-wear collection in Paris was the Spring-Summer 2006 collection, and Paris is now his permanent ready-to-wear runway.

His creations can be found all over the world, with boutiques located in Beirut and Paris.

Elie Saab

De origem árabe, Elie Saab faz sucesso com seus vestidos de noite vendidos para as mais variadas festas em ambientes formais ou a rigor; de coquetéis a recepções, bailes e casamentos. Com um estilo que faz sucesso tanto entre as mulheres ricas da sociedade quanto no tapete vermelho do Oscar (Halle Berry é uma das estrelas que prestigiam Saab na cerimônia), o estilista mostrou sua coleção para o Inverno 2008-09 com sala cheia para cerca de mil pessoas, incluindo o escritor Paulo Coelho.

Rosas enfeitavam a cintura alta no mesmo tecido dos vestidos, que eram também ganhavam babados, drapeados e outros trabalhos de modelagem em musselines, tafetás amassados, organzas e crepes . Os bordados com brilhos, tão apreciados pelas conterrâneas de Saab (sentadas na primeira fila) ficaram em segundo plano aparecendo em dois ou três vestidos tas inteiros cobertos por pequenos cristais.

O modelo hit da passarela era o clássico tomara-que-caia. Mas Elie Saab também se saiu bem em outros momentos, principalmente da metade do desfile para frente, quando os longos de festa começaram a aparecer (o início, com looks mais formais, em preto, foram menos feliz). Na cartela de cores, os azuis e os verdes mais vibrantes perderam em refinamento para o bonito azul clarinho, com toque de cinza e o rosa quase fúcsia. Na única estampa da coleção a citação ao tema de Elie Saab, numa versão livre da geometria de Mondrian.

Criador de moda para um público feminino que tem dinheiro e gosta de se vestir à maneira dos ricos “de antigamente”, Saab é sucesso de vendas neste setor, com bom corte e caimento de seus vestidos. Os negócios vão tão bem que, recentemente, ele abriu uma loja na Champs-Elysées, em Paris.

RED & BLUE SHADES

*Update* ANN reports that Eri Takenashi the mangaka for Kannagi has underwent surgery and is currently recovering with plans to get back to work.  You can read my original post below.

Eri Takenashi(Kannagi) has joined Katsura Hoshino(D.Gray-Man), and Yoshihiro Togashi(Hunter X Hunter) in their hiatus of undetermined length.

But that isn’t the interesting thing, Kannagi has recently fallen under attack when the December chapter of the manga revealed that Nagi had an ex-boyfriend in the past. For many this brought into question her virginity, which I guess is incredibly important to them, there are some who have even taken this so far as to say that Nagi must be a slut and have renounced the manga saying that they now hate it and won’t be supporting it any further.

But now we have all sorts of doujinshi on the way.

The timing of this hiatus right on the tail of a huge upset in the fanbase leaves me wondering if the mangaka has actually been receiving threats. It’s happened before, I remember all the stories for the Evangelion series, that you can actually see some of the death threats that were sent, in the End of Eva movie. And I personally hope that things aren’t that bad for her. The anime has been doing well, and I have been totally loving it.

And thanks to this hiatus a whole new slew of rumors and attacks seem to be popping up. I just want to say, it’s pretty obvious that she’s already been kicked to the ground, do we really need to keep going? There are so many rumors flying around now that the manga will be ending prematurely or even canceled thanks to this stuff already. I just think enough is enough, let her take the break without all this abuse (even from the US side of the internet), and see what happens.

First, I have to show love to the wonderful women of Epsilon Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.  Thank you beautiful sisters for allowing me to spend the day with you all and trusting me to do good work.  Now, for the NEOS!

In Beyond This Place, I hope to be granted access to tell the stories that go untold.  Through a real, unedited look at BGLOs I think we can find the greater good which ALL our Founders planned for us to have.  Tonight I experienced a great sense of purpose for doing this project.  The level of access for these images was amazing and I can not help but again, thank the women of Epsilon Psi for their understanding and willingness to allow me into their lives, even if it was for a brief second.

Often spectators see the flash and glamor that comes with Greek Life during step shows and coming out shows.  What you don’t see is the long, hard hours preparing these shows (not to mention the time invested to become initiated into these organizations).  Before every probate show, the new initiated and older members get together to practice the chants, steps, and strolls to be used during the probate show or coming out show.  These shows are put together to introduce the newest initiated members of the sorority/fraternity to the community.  Their origins are reminiscent of traditional secret society initiations or training and can be compared to older traditions like the ones found in Shamanism, where initiates are separated from the general community, taught specific skills/traits/knowledge, then re-introduced ceremoniously into the villages.  Few scholars have written about this tradition but those that do, do it well (see Black Greek 101- Dr. Walter Kimbrough).

These images are taken from my day with the Deltas.  Documenting the neo’s final moments before they are announced to the general campus community as the newest members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

Here are some of the images from tonight’s events.  Congratulations NEOS!!!!