Monday, November 24, 2008

Behind the Lense



So this weekend I went to visit Mike.
One of our plans was to go downtown Hamilton to take photos on Saturday, but it was too cold. Mike's mom is fixing his winter jacket, so in the meantime all he has is sweaters. That's hardly enough in the cold weather we're getting now.
Though we decided on a quick change of plans.
Instead of going home Sunday, I decided to go home Monday instead. I had already handed in my homework so I wasn't missing out on anything. That being said, Sunday turned out to be a lot warmer, so we took this opportunity to bus down to the town.
After we got back and warmed up, we went to put up the photos on the photoshop account Mike has, but his limit was full. We decided to make a joint account at Shutterfly, since whenever there is any 'serious' photo taking going on, i'm with Mike.
Please check it out! Behind the Lense
Unfortunately by switching to shutterfly, the quality of our photos isn't so good because they are not at full resolution like they should. Benefit to this site is it has unlimited photo uploads. Unlimited photo uploads is good enough for us, we just want to share our adventures while in school/stranded.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

L4D



If all you had was three friends, and a population of zombies ahead of you, what would you do?
Well hell, the fetal postion isn't going to help!
Pick up that damn assault rifle and start shooting!

Left 4 Dead is a four player co-operative that takes you through the ultimate struggle for survival. Zombies stagger, pounce, run and even puke at you around each bend. If you're not listening or keeping your eyes sharp, you'll find yourself left for dead.
It is important that you stick together, no amount of running off will benefit you or the others.

Left 4 Dead is a unique game. It has what is called the AI Director. The purpose of the AI director is to analyze your playing style, your skill, and how well you can work with a team. The AI then uses this knowledge, and plans the game around you.
For instance, say if you were running ahead, not waiting for your team, it is more likely you'll be swarmed by a throng of zombies on your own.
Think of it as a punishment for wandering off.

The AI director will change the game up every time you play, therefore no matter how often you play, the zombies will spawn differently. This provides more interest, and doesn't allow real strategy. It really is a struggle for survival.

As you play, you realize how detailed the game is. There are elements that make the situation feel so real. The lighting, while very limited, is perfect for making paranoia pick at your senses. The environment itself is very interactive towards the players and the zombies. There are many doors and buildings you can pick through (if you take the time), as well as car alarms to watch out for. Windows and roofs far above your head can house zombies, waiting to pounce.


The PC version allows for finer details such as rain, and more realistic graphics though the Xbox 360 version is still very good.

As a gamer myself, I find even on my own I enjoy Left 4 Dead. Though my only complaint is the bots keep stealing my kills. Though they're probably not happy that I try to kill the witch every time I come across one.
I have to comment on how real the bodies react to gunfire. In a full charge, if you manage to kill a zombie, they'll trip and fall, they'll stumble forward, or fall to their knees, look dazed and fall over dead... again... since I guess they're the undead. As morbid as it sounds, it's interesting to watch the bodies. The worst is when they are charging towards you, you kill them, but their momentum keeps them running forward, flying at your feet to leave your screen splattered in blood.

My overall thoughts on Left 4 Dead, is that it is an excellent game. I love how you can play it over and over again, and while the environment is the same, the attack patterns are different. Perhaps more variety in guns would be nice, but i'll live.
My tv screen is dark to begin with (despite my efforts to brighten it up without looking like crap), so it makes it difficult to shoot zombies accurately.
Achievements are really easy to get and are nothing to really boast about. Usually it's all about luck because half of them you couldn't get if you tried.
Trust me, I know.

I think the next thing to do on my part is to get the Wrecking Crew to consider at least renting it. That way I can lure the poor guys into buying it and then I have game buddies :)

That's an issue though, because it is only 4 player co-op, people will be left out. And when it comes to the Crew, we all like to be involved together. That's why despite Gears 2, Halo 3 is still our preferred game.

Anyway, I like L4D, it's a bit easy to get through the first two stories, but that's only because i'm on my own, and on normal. I can't even imagine how hard it would be on advanced or expert *shudders*

I'm going to surf a bit of the nets, then if i'm still awake; download the new 360 dashboard. Oh... it's available in 20 minutes. I guess I could stay up.

Toodles,
Laura

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Layout

You know when you lose an earing, and you think you have an idea of where it fell... but it's not there? Well that is kind of what is happening with me right now. Except with HTML.
Or CSS I really don't know what the hell it is.
I understand code to a certain extent, and right now i'm trying to look for the code I need to delete.
Though I can't find it. There's just so much to sort through.
Like at the top there, it says pictures and videos. I at least want to link those up so they GO somewhere but I can't. Not until I find the blasted code. And at the right corner there, RSS, Technorati, and Delicious? I have to clue what the heck those are, and I don't think i'll be able to get rid of them.
We'll see, just bear with me folks! The confusion is almost over!
.... maybe almost over.
No promises.

Skipjack


Tuna.
Why is there a picture of tuna?
After walking to school in the drizzling rain, finding class was cancelled, then walking back, I raided my food cupboard. I looked at the can of Tuna in there, wondering when i'll take time to actually prepare it. So I read the ingredients Skipjack Tuna, something, and water. I was curious what it looked like, so when I searched it, this is what I found.
I remember when I was younger, I was all about the animals, screw the Barbie whore. I had a random little plastic fish that looked just like this one. I always had it in the bath with me, along with my dinosaurs and puppy in my pockets. A lot of my puppy in my pockets were amputees because the lawn mower attacked them. That's ok, I drew their faces back on.
I saved their lives with markers.

Shouldn't Have Commented

Mainly because then I was tagged over at http://justafoolwaitingonthewrongblock.blogspot.com/Well, lets get it over with!


1. Were you named after anyone?
I think I got my middle name, Elizabeth, from my nana. That's about it though.

2. Do you still have your tonsils?
I got them removed awhile back. Considering how young I was, I remember quite a bit of what happened. There's not much to remember anyway, but I remember the surgical room, the gas, the two nurses on either side of me. Then I remember waking up and I think I started crying so mom and dad came to my side.
When I came home, I laid on the couch with some gingerale and Tara was sniffing over me, seeing if I was ok. I miss that dog.

3. Would you bungee jump?
There are far better things I would rather indulge in. Like food and expensive wine.
And LEFT 4 DEAD AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

4. What is your favorite cereal?
Well, when I discovered Fruity Cheerios, I instantly fell in love with them. Though the runner up has to be Mini Wheats

5. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

It depends how tired I am after walking home from school. Or if it was wet outside, i'll take them off, or if I stepped in poo (has yet to happen) *knock on wood*

6. What is your favorite ice cream?
Oreo, Rolo, Mint, yeah I like those, but my favourite has to be good old french vanilla.
It good with mandarin oranges on top too!

7. What is the first thing you notice about people?
I have to agree with Christie on this one. It's the vibe I get, but i'm actually quite a shy person. Wether it's good or a bad vibe, I generally don't immerse myself into conversation until i'm around them longer

8. What is your least favorite thing about yourself?

Hah, yes, I procrastinate. There are too many amazing distractions, like boyfriends, video games... memes.

9. What was the last thing you ate?

Uh, a banana last night. It's still the morning and I really gotta get ready after i'm finished with this.

10. What are you listening to right now?
The sound of the heater in my room.

11. Last movie you watched?
A movie called Kickin' It. It was an ESPN movie mom rented. The idea was interesting, but overall I was a little bored. Basically it is about people who want to make a difference in the homeless lives. They organise a soccer team from each country, then enter them into a world wide competition. They win trophies, but if they lose; they lose. There are important lessons to be learned in this competition.
12. What did you dream about last night?
I should have filled this out the other night because there was no dream last night.


13. What book are you reading?

I just finished Eclipse by Stephanie Myer. I gotta get myself the final book, Breaking Dawn.
I am really excited!


14. Summer or winter?
I think i'll have to go with Summer. Advantage to winter is it can be pretty, and you can always bundle up more to be warmer. Summer, you can only dress down so much before your walking nude in public. Though the sunny days and poolside relaxation is hard to beat.
I just need to get a pool.


15. Do you have any special talents?

Art. Hah, definatly art. My artistic eye helps me a bit in photography, that's fun. Bad assness is a special talent too. How do you get that? Play Halo and hold your own against the tough guys ; )

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

10 Hours

... and a sore back later, I finally finished my 2D project.
The idea was to create a small, basic image that represents something in either September, October, or November. Naturally, I went for my most favourite celebration; Halloween.
From there we were to create a linear then redraw it onto illustration board. Similar to the architectural project: http://bumberparty.blogspot.com/2008/10/project.html

We had to paint it black and white, one colour, and one desaturated. The desaturated we just use the colour we chose, and use different shades of grey.
I'm pretty pleased with the end result.
I mean, after 10 hours of work I should be!

Enjoy!
And for the record, it was damn hard to paint with gouache.





Oh! and in life drawing class, one of my images are going to be put on display in the school!
It's exciting for me :P




Life Drawing 11/01

First installment of Novembers life drawings!
The first few here are actually from October, but hey, i'm posting them in November.
Cause I can.











Doodles

These are just a few doodles.
Sorry if the images seem a little dark, I just don't like using the flash to take photos.














It's November

OMG Hai guyz it's November! Know what that means?
It's a new month! Know what that means?
It's almost December! Know what that means?

...


UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE STUDENTS BETTER PREPARE FOR A SHIT LOAD OF WORK AND STUDYING BEFORE THE HOLIDAY.