Monday, September 8, 2003

   Another Week...

Another day, another blog post. ~_^ There's not too much to update today. The weekend was relatively slow apart from some...uhh...romantic activities? Yes, that best describes it. And that's always good, of course. Other than that, I've been working on a design for Justin Blessing's new automotive performance parts site. I think it's going to be a hit -- he's a very dedicated guy. So he always ends up doing something really amazing when it comes to web-related stuff. I also had some great conversations on AIM this weekend, which is always nice. I had a relatively long conversation with Josh today on AIM and that was great...especially since we don't chat as much as I'd like. But I guess that goes for most people I know on AIM, considering the time differences and such. Lucy finally sent me the full batch of photos from Phillip Island, too. I don't know what took her so long...she was here today and she didn't say anything about it until I asked her. Forgetful girl. o_O;; And now, some random quizzes...(yes, okay, you can tell what kind of mood I've been in this weekend...) <_< You have a mysterious kiss. Your partner never knows what you're going to come up with next; this creates great excitement and arousal never knowing what to expect. And it's sure to end in a kiss as great as your mystery. What kind of kiss are you? brought to you by Quizilla Nerdslut What's your sexual appeal? brought to you by Quizilla You are probrably humping the walls right now you horny toad! How horny are you? brought to you by Quizilla

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Saturday, September 6, 2003

   Religion & Abortion Threads?

I've just closed another abortion thread in OL. I say "another" because I know we've had several...and I'm sure that I've closed at least one before. I always feel very conflicted and unsure when I close this type of thread. On the one hand, I can see that some people do want to have a legitimate discussion. And I respect that. But on the other hand, I am all too aware that a lot of people tend to bring down these threads. It's hard to have a discussion about either of these topics when they can become so personal. And when people take points of view as personal attacks. It's just a very messy situation. But I hope that most people are at least a bit relieved by these threads being discouraged in more recent times. Yes, we've had them before. And they do tend to be divisive. So, I sometimes wonder how they can do any good at all. I mean, yes, I do want people to be able to discuss serious issues in Otaku Lounge. I don't want every thread to be a "wat skool do u go 2?" type of thing. But members always seem to fall back on these "controversial" topics whenever things get slow or boring. It annoys me. It just shows a complete lack of inventiveness, in my view. It's almost the laziest form of thread you can make...because you know that even if you put no effort into your first post, everyone else will jump in and respond anyway. I guess it's one of those situations where I just have to make a judgement call and hope that it's right. If enough people wanted it re-opened, I'd probably open it up again. Either way, it's a difficult decision to make. I usually anger someone when I close threads like this. Oh well. I'm at least happy that most people on OB seem to have matured a lot...at least, compared to how things were on v1 and 2. I'm glad that I don't have to deal with these things on a daily basis anymore. It was tougher in a way when that was the case.

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Friday, September 5, 2003

   Finally!

I'm now finally in a position to get myself a new computer. I've been hoping to buy a new one for the last year or so, but I haven't been able to. But now I'll be able to order a new one on Monday. It's a relief in many ways. Finally I can use a machine that can really do what I want, in terms of the very memory-intensive stuff that I do for school (like animation and so on). It's going to be very useful. So I'm glad about that. This machine is still pretty good for most things...but it's starting to show its age with the newest applications. Don't you just love the way computers don't age gracefully? ~_^ Other than that, nothing terribly interesting has been happening around here lately. Perhaps this is why I never really used to post in my blog much. <_< Although, I did notice when I came home that OB has cleared the 6,000 member mark. Nice. That's 1,000+ new members in around one month. I would definitely like to reach the 10,000 mark by year's end. Funnily enough, myOtaku is catching up to OB already. It won't be long now before myOtaku eclipses it. But that's a good thing. When both sites become even more symbiotic, hopefully we'll see a lot more people passing between both. I really feel that we can round out the whole Otaku Experience in this way. I'm very pleased that myOtaku is proving to be a success, even at this incomplete stage. I remember Adam being concerned about it...and wondering if it'd really take off. But I knew it would. So many OB members had a blog before myOtaku came along...and a lot of them have moved their blog from other services to myOtaku. So, if you have members already...why not provide everything they need yourself? Why not give them control over their own domain, within this community? I think it's turned out to be a great philosophy. It makes me wonder how we can extend this concept in the future. Perhaps we can look at building our own blog software, which is extremely user-friendly (and far more feature-packed than myOtaku). Who knows. The possibilities are endless. Don't you just love it when I go off on an unrelated tangent?

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Tuesday, September 2, 2003

Good Stuff

Well, today was a pretty good day. I got some work done and I had a great conversation with Jenna. It's good, because I haven't spoken to her in a while. And even though we were never particularly close friends or anything, she was always a bright and bubbly part of OtakuBoards. Once she stopped posting for a while, the place just wasn't the same. I think that everyone really adds something to OB in one way or another...and it is definitely sad to see people go. So it was nice to speak to Jenna and catch up on things. I think that really made my day today. It also reminded me of Final Flash. He retired recently and hasn't been around for a while now. I know that this is because he's got an active social life and stuff...and honestly, I wish him all the best. It's great that he has a lot to look forward to. But the selfish side of me wants him back on OB as a regular visitor. I'm even starting the third Maverick Hunters RPG without him...and that feels very alien. But I'm still very upbeat about the boards in general. Yes, it can be sad to see older members leave and move on. But by the same token, I've noticed a lot of fantastic new members. And a lot of newer members are posting regularly and improving all the time...they aren't registering and doing nothing, like they used to do on occasion. I think that really demonstrates strong growth in OB. I used to think that my job at OB was sometimes more of a burden than anything else. Sometimes it was just very difficult to balance everyone's feelings. But as time has gone on, I've realized that it's actually a fantastic gift. I have spoken to countless people over the last few years, as a result of OB itself. And I'm very thankful for that experience. I would never have met so many interesting, talented people if I'd not come on board in the first place. It's funny to be talking that way about a message board...but it's also quite amazing how entertaining basic human interaction can be. I mean, all we're doing is typing out our thoughts into text. But that's an environment that we've all become very comfortable with. And we've grown to know each other very well through that. It's not something to be ashamed of. I think it's a very fantastic thing. ^_^

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Monday, September 1, 2003

Photo Anxiety?

Well, I finally got myself a clearer photograph. You know, clearer than the little "army" one I posted a long time ago. lol I've only shown it to two people so far, but I definitely don't plan to post it up on OB. I was saying to Transtic that I don't want to become a digital dartboard...or better yet, someone's avatar. *glares at Spikey* In any case, it's interesting that I finally got it emailed back to me. My sister's friend, Lucy, went with us when we went on vacation to Phillip Island in late July. It was really cool (I haven't been on a vacation in a while) and I took the opportunity to get my photo taken. Lucy's got a digital camera, but she only sent me the picture recently. I had totally forgotten that she even had it! Bleh. X_X Anyway, I know some of you have been wanting to see a clearer shot. So yeah...IM me if you want to see it. lol Other than that, it's been pretty uneventful lately. I'm helping Justin B out with his new online store (I'm doing some images for it), so that's pretty cool. It'll be good to see everything up and running. And bleh...I'm tired. Doing homework late is never fun. X_X

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Sunday, August 31, 2003

Sparkler Bombs?

I had an interesting experience tonight. My little brother showed me how to make some cool sparkler bombs. ^_^ You have to buy those sparkler things...um, I don't know what you might call them elsewhere. It's like a metal wire with powdery stuff all over one half and when you light it, it sends little sparks in all directions. Anyway, you strip the powder from the metal wire. Then, you take a plastic bottle cap and fill it with the stuff. You put another cap on top (so it makes a little capsule-type-thing) and you cut a small hole in the top. You put one sparkler inside the hole and push it down. And then you light it. ~_^ It was actually pretty impressive! They looked like mini-fireworks. The sparks fly out the hole in the top of the capsule...and if you have enough powder inside, it looks like a golden waterfall shooting out the top. It's funky. We had too much time on our hands tonight, methinks. ~_^ Other than that, it's been a pretty uneventful weekend. I've been catching up on some school work and stuff...and generally just chugging along with things. I've started the third Maverick Hunter RPG, which I hope will take off in some way. Nobody seems to want to put in any effort with RPGs anymore...it's really a shame. It's disappointing. Some of the best RPGs were some of the first to fail. V_V Oh well. Hopefully it'll pick up a bit soon. I even made a banner for it. ^_^;;

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Friday, August 22, 2003

Doot Doot.

Phew! What a day! I finally handed in some work for my Digital Publishing class. It included that JSR image thingy. It was a relief to get it all done. Actually, today's class was really good. On Fridays, I have an early start (9am, which means I have to be awake by 5:30am if I'm going to get to the other side of the city by then). But after the three hour class, everyone pretty much gets to go home. Today it was great, because we were able to work on our projects and polish them up, rather than just hand them in at the start and focus on something else. We had a lot of fun. My friend Beam (a crazy asian chick with awesome hair lol) put the Animatrix soundtrack on really loud in the classroom...but nobody seemed to mind. We were all having a lot of fun finishing things up and chatting. It felt like the last day of school or something. o_O Also, I checked the comments on my last blog post today at school. It was good to read through them and see the support. I know that some people who previously viewed Adam and I with suspicion are now completely convinced about our side of the situation. It's good, because I feel like it removes a lot of the tension in general. It's nice to put things behind us and just move on with what we're doing. To that end, Adam's back now...and already theOtaku.com/myOtaku is being fixed and updated. It'll be great to see the new fan fiction site and others go up over the coming weeks. So, stay tuned. ^_^;

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Thursday, August 21, 2003

Is a Response Really Needed?

I came home today, after a long and tiring day of classes...and I now see an interesting chat transcript between Kevin and others. If you aren't aware of the whole Kevin situation, I'm not going to bother filling you in, because I'd be here forever. In any case, I want to thank Lumi. Apparently she provided this information and I'm glad to see that she has been a bit constructive and helpful here. So, thanks Lumi. ^_^ I notice also that Kevin has made his own profile on myOtaku, even though he apparently hates our sites. Go figure. I normally would not respond to his frequent misinformation, but just this once, I'm going to just my blog to actually have a bit of a dialogue here. Let's take a look at Kevin's latest post in his own blog. "Life is strange, we go through it with the "good guy" attitude. We try to be a nice person live by certain guidelines and turn the other cheek with others and forgive them as many times as we see fit. However under the illusion or perhaps for better terms mask we learn the world if full of hyporcrites." Ah yes. I've noticed this all too well. Kevin is describing my own feelings here. ^_^ "People who pretend to be your friends yet try to stab you in the back at any turn. I only have on question to pose here? If Adam supposidly is in full control of all his sites then why is his own staff members violating the guidelines he's setup? Whose site is this Adam? James or yours? Because from the looks of it if your not too careful you might be the one banned from your own website?" Firstly I'd really have to ask how I've stabbed anyone in the back. I gave Kevin the opportunity to work for OtakuBoards twice...even after he had walked off in a huff over theOtaku.com. And the only reason he decided to leave theOtaku is because Adam wouldn't share a 50/50 control with him. Ah yes, that's what Kevin forgets to tell everyone; he wanted an equal share of Adam's site. Can't forget that. And moreover, what guidelines has Adam set up that I have violated? I can't think of any. Adam and I have been friends for years now...I've known Adam far longer than Kevin has known him. And as a result, I think we both have a really strong idea of what each other is thinking -- that's why we work so well together. I have never been in a situation where I've been angry with Adam, or where we've had a significant disagreement. We just seem to click in a very positive way. And I'm truly thankful for that. Kevin, I don't know how you conclude that I might be banned from my own site. I've been making the rules at OtakuBoards for years, with Adam's complete knowledge and approval. I don't see why your tantruming changes that. "Think about that, you promote equality at your boards. Yet the minute a difference in opinion arises at your board. James is quick to use his "I'm right, your now banned" theory. If your trying to promote these things I suggest you change the rules on the board." You know, I'd really love to see where this has ever been the case with me. I really would. I have never once banned someone because I disagreed with them. Let's look at the evidence here. Take people like Cloricus or Mnemolth. I disagree with both on frequent occasions. I often find Cloricus to be rude...and I often find Mnemolth to be arrogant and egotistical. But are either banned? No. Mnemolth himself said that he's been banned at several other boards. Yet not at OtakuBoards. If that doesn't show a tolerance for a range of views, I don't know what does. Honestly, these kinds of claims come from some vaccuum where facts bear no relevance. It's annoying, frankly. "You aren't promoting a friendly enviroment at all there, and its not your fault since you aren't aware of what goes on there. However I really think you should take a look back at all the members that have been banned on OB. They haven't been banned for breaking rules they been banned for stating opinions that James doesn't agree with." I really have to take issue with this for a few reasons. Firstly, Kevin makes out that a huge number of members have been banned from OB. In relative terms (relative to his own board), that might be the case. But Kevin's board has circa 150 members. OtakuBoards is 5,000+. Isn't it logical, by simple numerical standards, that OtakuBoards will experience a situation where more people are banned than somewhere like AEB? Of course! Yet, this is conveniently ignored by my good friend Kevin. Secondly, I have seen newbies comment on numerous occasions that OtakuBoards is a friendly place. And I believe this to be true. Yes, we have our fiery debates. And yes, some members to argue with one another. But how is this different to any other board out there? And moreover, compare our "freedom of speech" to AEB. At AEB, if you dare say anything that might upset the Administrator, your thread is closed. And yet, how many times have I been in a position where I've been openly discussing things on OB? Take a look at Cloricus or Mnemolth as examples. And take a look at the Suggestions threads and so on. If I were to close every thread that I disagree with, I'm sure I'd be closing a lot more than I currently do. Kevin also assumes that I'm the only responsible party at OB. That is, of course, incorrect. There are a multitude of staff who close threads and make independent decisions. They can support the fact that, by and large, I give them a fair amount of discretion when it comes to these matters. "Think about it, and take a more active role in your sites. You may just learn how to promote a friendly enviroment if you took the time out to pop your head in there. I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way." Adam does take the time to pop his head in there. It's just that you never bothered to notice, when you were making highly inaccurate accusations. And no, you're not the only one who feels that way. There's also kuja. Oh, and maybe thimoc. I should probably end this by apologizing to any who have managed to wade through all of this. I really don't want to turn my blog into some kind of mud-slinging match. But at some point, I really have to cut through the crap and bring some much-needed sanity to the table. Kevin, despite apparently hating theOtaku.com and OtakuBoards, is nonetheless obsessed with both sites. His own boards, while being "highly unique", are also not afraid to heavily mimmick OtakuBoards. Moreover, Kevin rules with an iron fist at his own boards. He has fired countless staff. Those said staff have spoken to me about how he treats them and what the situation was like there. I could quite easily throw a flurry of claims at Kevin, all of which would have far more accuracy than what he has dished up for you here. The difference, however, is that I simply won't sink that low. Kevin is already struggling with the weight of his own perceived inadequacy...I don't want to make it worse. But there's a bigger picture here. And it's one that Kevin seems to ignore or, he simply isn't aware of it. OtakuBoards is a website on the Internet. It's not a prison or a nation state. Therefore, people can come and go as they please. What does that mean? Put simply, it means that if you don't have the goods, nobody will want to visit you. If you can't deliver something enjoyable, people will very quickly move to your competitor with the click of a mouse. If what Kevin says is true, why is it that AEB's growth is far smaller than that of OtakuBoards? And why is it that OtakuBoards itself continues to grow rapidly? The answer is clear. We are providing a friendly environment. What would happen if we weren't? Our membership would never grow. Nobody would visit. Nothing would happen. Adam and I cannot control the visiting patterns of members. They come and go as they please. It's ultimately their choice, as to whether or not our ventures succeed or fail. The Internet is, in effect, the ultimate free market. You're only ever as good as what you're providing. Simple as that. I know that what I've said here could easily be spun into yet another tale of destruction and mystery by Kevin. I'm well aware of that. And I'm well aware that his apparent obsession with OB is well out of my own control. But I guess I'm writing this more for those of you who are undecided about the whole thing -- so you can read both sides and make your own choice. Normally, I wouldn't care about this at all. And frankly, it does not affect either myself or Adam to any great degree. Adam finds Kevin's words about as laughable as I do. We've even spoken about his OB-obsession with some amusement. But at some point, the utter rubbish that Kevin pedals has to be met by reason. I could sit here all day and go through this situation point by point, to provide an even clearer view for you. But I won't. I'm sure you guys are all intelligent enough to make up your own minds. This will definitely be my last word on the the whole subject. The sheer idiocy has worn me out. My next post will return to normal, I assure you. ~_^

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Monday, August 18, 2003

Back Again, Eh?

Well, here I am again, more or less. I'm still approving fan art. I've been up all night, pretty much. Although it's actually been good, as I've been able to talk to some people who I normally can't speak to (because of the time difference). I must say...I really wish people would stop sending in unoriginal art to Original Anime. Why? Because sometimes they send in really gorgeous art that I'd love to approve, but I can't. If I start approving unoriginal anime for that category, we'll have a mess later on. So if you guys really want to submit anime that we don't have a category for, I can only once again ask you to post your suggestions on OtakuBoards. Hopefully we can organize something when Adam returns. Anyway, I've started to really find some amazing artists on here. Snow Fox is a good example; I love her art. And of course, there's Ginny too. Always great stuff. There was someone else that caught my eye too...shooting stars, I think. That member had a couple of gorgeous graphite pencil images submitted. One of them was Escaflowne in the Original Anime category, so I couldn't approve it. It's a shame though, because it was so lovely. Anyway. I'm starting to know how Shy feels about Otaku Lounge. Those threads are getting more and more inane by the day! I think I'm going to have to step in and create some of my own now. I tried making one about Australia becoming a Republic (since there are so many Aussies on OB), but hardly any of them responded. That's weird. I thought that Cloricus would at least reply. lol Oh well. *ninja* a superb warrior with mad skillz. resourceful; evasive; kick-ass [Final Fantasy Tactics Job Class] Wow, my first quiz. What an interesting result...I'd have thought that I'd come out as a black mage or something. *shrug*

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Stuff & Stuff

Nothing too interesting has been going on this weekend. I finally bought a ZIP drive, which I desperately needed for school. We use them pretty much exclusively, so now I can actually work on stuff at home. Phew. ^_^ Also, I submitted another fan art piece. I think it's better than my Proteus picture, but it's also the result of me trying to get used to Paint Shop Pro 8's bezier curves. They're the same as the ones in Photoshop, but I don't like them. I prefer the PSP7 curves. Still, I guess I'll learn how to use 'em. I've also finished approving all of the fan art today, which is nice. There's so much to do with that site each day. But I don't mind it -- it gives me an opportunity to take a look at what everyone's doing. And that's really a great pleasure. Also, thanks to everyone for signing my guest book. ~_^ It's nice to see the messages there. Hehe. Oh, and yes. I did steal Sara's use of Trebuchet MS. It's just too lovely to pass up. Anyway, I thought I'd continue this blog post rather than create another one on the same day. I've been looking around at a lot of myOtaku pages lately and some are really impressive. This is my current list of favourites: Favourite "Avatar": Sara Favourite Overall Design: SaiyanPrincessX Favourite Blog: N/A It's really hard to choose a favourite blog. They're all very interesting. And normally I really despise music on sites, but I think SaiyanPrincessX pulled it off relatively well. Her myOtaku site has a nice little atmosphere to it.

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