Tuesday, November 1, 2005

I want to write my name on your t-shirt.

So, it's been an interesting weekend. The weather is finally starting to settle itself. Right now, it's absolutely perfect. Warm air, with a slightly cool breeze. It's one of those nights where you can sit outside and feel completely comfortable...the cool air just gently drifts over your skin. It's amazing. The weather will be great for the trip. I should be leaving this Sunday, though I'm not quite sure how long I'll be away for. I am hoping that I can get 'net access with my laptop while I'm gone, because I still have quite a lot of things that need to be submitted by email and stuff. It should be fine though. In network-related news, I spent most of yesterday working on Art of Otaku with Adam. It was good fun, it reminded both of us of the time when we were working on theOtaku.com v2 together for hours. Ahh, nostalgia. ~_^ The beta of Art of Otaku is now running I believe and I hope it will be a success. The beta has certainly improved in its various iterations, but I am hoping to be able to spend some time further refining things for the November 20th launch. I really feel that we have to keep working up until the deadline, to get things as solid as possible. It's not enough to meet people's expectations; we have to exceed them. You may have also noticed the Halloween changes on OtakuBoards. I'm glad that people seem to like them. We usually tend to make some changes for Christmas, but that's about it really. I really like Halloween, so I thought it'd be fun to do something for that too. I think I will leave the Halloween changes up for just a little longer before I take them down. Sammy: Ah, but how many of these threads are you reading? Heavy issues, but shallow debating? I totally disagree with that. Just look at the thread about suicide. Yeah, you get your shallow people, which will pop up no matter where you go. But there's a hell of a lot of insightful/well-thought-out stuff in there. I wouldn't be so dismissive. I think that people are always talking about trends on OB. I don't know how long they have been around or how observant they are, but I think I can confidently say that OB is always in a state of flux. I don't believe that we're ever "getting more serious" or getting one way or another, as if it's a longterm trend. It just changes on an almost monthly basis, based on the individual people who are active at the time. I saw your new OB screenname and I might as well take the opportunity to remind you that you need to get AIM. I harp on the issue, but you really should try it! Anyhoo, congrats on the new name. ^_^ Baronness: And I still think you are weird for having such an obsession with two words that are totally different. Seriously, the only thing they share is "an" at the start! Hehe But yeah, it happens. There are a lot of innocent words that remind me of things they shouldn't. For example, Mitch knows that his previous AIM name "dilapoid" reminded me of "dildopoid". I didn't intend that to offend him, but I always read the word that way. So I guess that no matter what I do, someone will associate it with something. But you know, the word is what it is and it means what it means. So I'm happy enough. *shrug* indifference: Well, the free service is paramount. It will be our focus initially. So I can say that not only will we not get rid of our free service here, but we will dramatically expand and improve it. So nobody needs to worry about that. Some sites create a subscription service that locks free users out of some features that they've already been using. In our case we're adding more features for free users, and then adding more on top of that for premium users. So I think it's something everyone will be happy with. Alexus: Reminds you of Bruce Wayne? Oh man, don't make me laugh! Hehe. Anyway, yeah, it reminds me of something Homer said: "He's just a crazy nut." So yeah, that's about the size of it. SunfallE: Yeah, it was a name I was going to use for a domain. But I don't really mind that it's taken - an AIM name is something I can easily change, but a site domain really has to be what I want. I sat here a few nights ago and came up with about a dozen names, all of which were taken. So, it's very tough! But it really has to be right, it has to be what I really want. I'll keep at it. ^_^ Shinji: Absolutely, I think that's what it's all about. This is one reason why I don't get starstruck when I meet famous people. Sometimes people get like that just because someone is famous. Why? They are known by many people, but does that matter in and of itself? Surely not. What matters more is what kind of person they are and what they've done. I'm far more likely to be starstruck by someone like Miyamoto than by even the most famous Hollywood actor (oh gee, starstruck over Miyamoto, that isn't going to go down well in some quarters ~_^). But that's just how it is. I have so much more interest in people who have done things that have had an impact on me in some way. Zid: Oh there's nothing to tolerate - I enjoy talking to you and that's it. When it comes to friends, I'm always there to listen. Even if a problem seems stupid to you or something, it's still a problem and it's still affecting you...so it's as real as any other problem. You know what I mean? I'm not concerned with the general flows of traffic. People come, people go. That hasn't changed in the last five years or so and it won't change in the future. That is why I talk positively about new members - if I only clung to some old clique, I'd never be satisfied and nothing would ever change. Of course, I appreciate old friends and good memories, but not at the expense of making new friends and having new experiences. It has to be a balance and for me, I enjoy equally spending time with "oldies" as well as people I've become friends with only recently. ^_^

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