Costumes and Cosplay – How To Be A Better Supervillain, Part 2
Now, when I wrote part one of this blog, I promised you that part two would be ‘along very soon’.
That was, in fact, back in May – five months ago. Well, in that time I’ve been doing many things – I moved to a Tiny House and began work on it, I have embarked on many Cycle Adventures and I have started reviewing independent cafes – and writing blogs related to all of these things!
Until recently I didn’t have much time or space (or, to be fair, inclination) to finish the video I started making, but finally I got my butt in gear and did it.
This was partly prompted by the fact that How To Be A Better Supervillain (With Vincent Saxby), for which the costume was made, was due for a second revised performance – in the end it had to be cancelled due to unfortunate circumstances, but many of us agreed that more time to practice and polish was not a bad thing. And for those who wanted to come along, don’t worry – we will be getting ready for another run asap!
A Change for the Strange
Hi everybode,
Hope you are all doing well! Vidjablowg is on hiatus due to life being a pain. However I have been toying with a new idea recently…something a bit…odd. Hope you enjoy! More to come.
In other news vile hipster D Romeo D will be back with his ‘Blog of Stuff U Dont Get’ in a second episode- remember to check out his channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/dromeodsblog
Also, I really do need feedback for the first CakeWalkVodcast. Your mind to my mind, your thoughts to my thoughts, Vulcan style!
Now I must away to fight cream…bye!
– Spekti Jim
The CakeWalkVodcast Pilot Arrives!
Well, finally it has happened – the CakeWalkVodcast Pilot is finished!
It was filmed back in November (as you will be able to tell from my Movember Moustache) and there is no reason why it should have taken so long to put together.
No reason, that is, except the complexity of life and editing itself. Hey ho. This is why the Spekti Vidjablowg has suffered a bit this past week, but I consider it a sacrifice worth making – my regular rambles will be back up asap.
I am still not entirely happy with the finished product, even accepting the normal trial-and-error nature of a pilot.
I could say I ran out of time with it, but it is more accurate to say I ran out of patience.
Anyway, here it is, for better or worse- CakeWalkVodcast: Mulled Wine Cake!
Okay- feedback lines now open!
Very eager to hear your views- here are some of my reflections on it.
Perhaps a little bit of background about the filming of this may well help explain some of the following- first, on the day we had planned to be walking (with a friend who is a dedicated chocolate enthusiast and contributor to the Fat Chick’s Guide to Real Food on tumblr (which you can find here: http://fatchicksguide.tumblr.com/) it was grey and raining heavily, despite mild weather predictions. There was no way we could either take the camera or have a nice time, so it was off.
We had to wait a little more than a week before another window came up, and we took it, but this time without a ‘guest’- fate graced us with an absolutely gorgeous winter afternoon, but it was still very chilly and getting dark and at the end we more or less wanted to get home.
There are positives and negatives in the final product, so…
Things That Need Improving
- It is FAR too long – I think at most it should be 20 minutes long, 10 minutes for the cake, 10 mins for the walk
- There is far too much waffling in the cooking stage- its fun to throw in a bit of banter, but too much waiting makes it drag on
- The title sequence is okay, but not really inventive or engaging enough, IMO
- The position of the camera is wrong because my body blocks the food – it should be placed with the food between the camera and presenter
- The sound varies wildly, both in and out. Inside I kept on having to move the mic, and my own position relative to it, for different shots, and outside I forgot to turn the external mic on when we were discussing the cake, hence the subtitles. Talking of which…
- There’s not enough discussion on the cake – its flavour, texture, keeping power, etc. were very lightly touched on, and people will want to know! (I hope)
Things to Add
- An recipe – of course we do go through the ingredients, and we can continue doing what we did for this one and include a .pdf file of the recipe on the notes, but having a few seconds of it on-screen would be useful for people watching.
- A map of the walk – the idea was always to encourage people to try walks for themselves and see a bit of the area. Since this walk was fairly close to our house it was perhaps a good thing not to include it for privacy
- A ’round up’ at the end – this I feel is the biggest omission; there was no discussion at all about the walk and and a ‘goodbye’, which would have rounded things up nicely
Things I Like and Want to Keep:
- The theme tune
- The logo – this very cute thing was designed by Britta, but I think it need tidied up a bit more for computer use
- The ‘stings’ and associated animations
- The banter on the walk
- The background music (but vary it a bit)
- The judging cards (but filmed better so you can actually see the numbers properly)
So the question is, what next?
Well, we will need some feedback from those who have been kind enough to show their support so far.
Also there will be a matter of discussion with Miss Britta- despite being (I think) a charming and talented presenter she is not comfortable in front of the camera and so doing she may not want to do what she did for this one again.
All in all it will probably be another month at least before the CakeWalkVodcast really gets on its feet. When it does, there is the question of regularity. We will need to arrange walks (and people to do them with) quite a way in advance and, when it comes to putting it together, although the baking part of the Vodcast will be fairly controllable the amount and quality of the footage from the walk will always vary, which makes editing time consuming.
Given these and other logistical constraints at most it would have to be a fortnightly ‘broadcast’…unless we got paid for it, of course. Here’s hoping!
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Bye!
– Spekti Jim
Age Tagging – The Good, the Bad and the Invasive
Hello everybode!
Today’s vidjablowg is about an idea of mine to ‘age tag’ posts on public forums- viola!
This silly idea got me thinking- it does spark off a lot of interesting thoughts about privacy, age in culture, data protection and internet honesty.
For a start, people can be ludicrously worried about their age. Everyone ‘knows’ there is a world of difference between being 35 and 39, for example. And how about those horny 16-year-olds who will now never be able to get internet action, because they lack the necessary two extra years to be cool. And that’s just in the west – I am not sure what the etiquette exists in other countries around asking peoples age, but I should imagine in some places it is considered tantamount to asking someone, after five minutes of knowing them, if they want to have anal sex with you in a public toilet (there are some situations in which that would be okay, of course, but not many).
Next, honesty- why should people be honest about their age, especially considering the aforementioned cultural sensitivity?
Who’s to say that if someone is willing to be a dickish troll that they won’t deliberately set up their age as 12 to get away with it?
Who’s to say that a would-be child-predator couldn’t make themselves look younger via age tag, as they often pose as children on websites already?
Well the key to this would have to be redundancies. Rather than being a website application it would be a browser application that is linked to public forum accounts on various websites- each time you add an account, the application will check the birth-dates and ages you have entered against one another. If it spot incongruities, a little note will come up next to the age tag on every post saying ‘This age tag may be inaccurate’ or ‘this age tag is conflicted’. You could also have one saying ‘this has been recently altered’ just in case someone is playing silly buggers. That will ring instant alarm bells for anyone looking on…and JUDGING.
Remember the application isn’t there purely for your user’s benefit – its for everybody in internet land.
Also to make it more stable, as I mention in the video, you could link it to your IP address.
The upshot of this is that you would EITHER have to lie everywhere from the very beginning of your internet career OR adopt a policy of complete transparency and honesty, which is much easier.
However this leads us to the point where in order for this to work, it will require a massive amount of information linking from the user, potentially violating their privacy and making it easier for malicious hackers and bots to find their details. Not at all ideal.
Still the internet is already an arena where it is easy to accidentally give your details, or have them appropriated or have programmes fool you into thinking they have them. I get terrified every time a third-party advert appears and tells me, essentially, that it knows where I live (albeit in the form of trying to get me to ‘Meet hot girls near INSERT LOCATION HERE).
Still, difficult as this would be to implement, I still think it might have some merit.
If we are argue with people in real life, we have a right to know who they are and their intellectual level. Of course age isn’t the be-all and end-all of intelligence or indeed education, but it is a fairly reliable indicator. My main reason for suggestion the ‘age tag’, as you see in the vidjablowg, is to help people restrain themselves from beating down on people who may not be their intellectual equal and may benefit far more from advice than from criticism.
We don’t know what the internet is going to be in a few years time, which direction its going…it would be nice to think it will reach a new maturity and have more safeguards against trolls and bullies. Hopefully ‘Internet Etiquette’ class will become mandatory in all schools and we won’t have to worry about the problems an age-tagging application will cause.
Anyway that’s all for now –
Bye!
– Spekti Jim
Epicurious and D Romeo D’s Blog of Stuff U Don’t Get
Hello everybode!
Bit of a late one today, life seldom runs smooth and neither do schedules. However I do indeed have a new vidjablowg for y’all, about my thoughts on epicures and their bizarre quest to break their own game…
New Vidjablowg – 029 Epicurious:
Next, something even more exciting…a new video series! This is something I wrote ages back…not sure how long I’ll keep with it, the basic idea is simple: a loathesome hipster who calls himself D Romeo D has a video blog. His channel is here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/dromeodsblog
I got the idea after learning a little about hipsets and realising how generally loathesome and pointless they are.
I will carry on with it if its fun, but ultimately I don’t want to end up just copying Nathan Barley. Curse you Charlie Brooker (and Chris Morris) always one step ahead!
D Romeo D’s Blog of Stuff U Don’t Get (Episode 1):
So, I hopes you enjoy! CakeWalkVodcast pilot and a new short film are literally just round the corner.
I am *still* running the Derby 10k in April, please do sponsor me:
Nice N Kind
Hey all!
Today’s vidjablowg is all about a very interesting article from the Huffington Post by Marcia Sirota.
Though I disagree with her central agrument (that pleasing people is in general a bad thing) she raises some good points, so do ch-ch-check it out.
I suppose this struck a nerve as pleasing people and seeking praise is a primary drive of mine, and I consider that it has done nothing but good for both myself and for the people around me. I don’t see any reason to expunge it from my personality, and though thankfully these days it is balanced with good self-esteem, even when I was a bit more needy and insecure I was never insincere or selfish in my acts. It pleases me to see people happy- what more can I say?
In other news, my new video series ‘D Romeo D’s Blog of Stuff You Don’t Get’ will be posted tomorrow, with its own channel – watch this space melonfarmers! I am also really, REALLY trying hard to get other projects edited, but as luck (good or bad, take your pick) would have it, I do actually have some proper work by now so don’t shout at me if it drags on a bit longer.
Bye!
– Spekti Jim
Normal Service Sort-Of Resumed
Hello everybode,
Yes, I have been very lazy with my blog of late, and a little lazy with my vidjablowg. But now the times, they are a changing, and I will do my best to keep you all updated.
OMGNEWS
New Vidjablowg entry, a How-To of my H.E.V Suit for any Half-Life fans out there. I have seen some truly amazing versions of the H.E.V. Suit out there designed using high-tech software and made with fibreglass and, but I went with the old fashioned paper-and-pencil and then cardboard and paper-mache approach, which has worked for me in the past and is a pretty good low-cost solution.
For those of you who don’t want to watch (it is LOOOONG, 20 minutes plus), here is part of the result:
My PhD was on proving super-symmetry for certain flavours of Quarks.
You may also know me from BUSTING ALIENS WITH A CROWBAR.
In other news the CakeWalkVodcast pilot is NEARLY finished. There is no way, in a sane world, why it should have taken so long to do- my only defence is that we clearly live in an insane world, designed by spiteful hobgoblins who love to laugh at out pain.
Next, I am about to launch a new series of videos on a New Channel, to be posted here in a day or two, called D Romeo D’s Blog of Stuff You Don’t Get.
Finally, I am going to be running the Derby 10k on Sunday 1st April for Sporting Futures dressed as a Zombie, so please donate via my justgiving page:
http://www.justgiving.com/spekti10k
Anyway, thanks for reading and for putting up with me,
Bye!
– Spekti
Xmas Haul Highlights
Hello everybode,
Back to my regular home, I contemplate the simple things in life: food, rest and housework. Also- good presents!
Walking back from the station last night I was able to appreciate them by weight – Britta, being sensible, had left some of her heavier presents at home, so they could be delivered later. Me, being me, had packed everything into two barely carriable bags and decided I was winning. My arms are now paying for this foolishness.
No matter, though, because they are here and I am very happy.
Usually I feel that sharing what you got in your ‘present haul’ is a little bit…indelicate. Lets not mince words, some people are better off than others, and it can sting a bit hearing that someone got an Xbox 360 and an iPhone for Xmas when you didn’t.
But I often find that the presents I like best (and I like all of them) are not the most expensive or the most ostentations, but the most thoughtful. So here are my top five this year…
Present: A fine set of DWARVEN dice
From: Some lovely friends (including a Mr. The King)
Merits: I have been without dice for far longer than a roleplayer should be, and needed a set of my own. Like everything DWARVEN MADE they are amazing and much better than anything any elf could do.
Present: A gorgeous notepad.
From: Father Xmas (My Mum)
Merits: I love love love getting notepads, their tactile qualities alone make them a favourite, and the cover of this one is just amazing, like a particulalry flashy version of the Psalms.
Present: Richard Herring’s ‘How Not To Grow Up’
From: Miss Britta
Merits: I love Mr. Herring and have already read this once since Xmas. He is a hilarious fellow and the poigniant, funny and vulgar account of the Year He Turned 40 (whilst childishly trying to fight against it) will be making me laugh possibly till my 40th birthday.
Present “The Incredibly Strange Film Book” by Jonathon Ross
From: My friend and Britta’s Brother, The Eturian
Merits: This contains an entire chapter about ‘The Tingler’ a wonderfully silly innovation in ‘4D Cinema’. ‘Nuff said.
Present: “Mary Berry’s Ultimate Cake Book”
From: My brother Ed’s lovely ladyfriend, Kanana-Banana.
Merits: This is a lovely book and will MASSIVELY assist the Cake/Walk Vodcast when it gets going.
Needless to say those things that did not make the list are still amazing and I love them all.
I really appreciate every one I got and thanks once again for all the kindness of my friends and family. Its very slightly more than I deserve.
Spekti’s Vidjablowg 11 – A Film by What Now?:
(—–WATCH THIS SPACE—–)
(I am currently in the process of sorting out the backlog of Vidjablowg entries, and will be updating and backdating them ASAP)
Make way for film!
– Spekti
The Cookies Were A Truth
Hey everybode!
I have had a bit of a long day today, catching up with old friends and installing my brother and his awesome ladyfriend back into their home after the Xmas shenanigans.
My VIDJABLOWG today is about food, something which is ubiquitous around and after Xmas, but one particular food gets special mention today…PORTAL COOKIES!
That’s right kids, one of my friends, some ladies known (occasionally) on the interwebs as Robyn Panda Lemonfingers and Kazmin Corkflake Flappysleeves were joining together with another awesome lady to make totally original cookies themed around the hit vidjamagames Portal and Portal II. Have a looksee:
You cannot deny that that is some tasty, tasty science being done right there, although there were sadly some icing casualites.
But there’s no sense crying over every mistake.
Spekti’s Vidjablowg 9 – Greedy Box:
(—–WATCH THIS SPACE —–)
Make way for film!
– Spekti Jim
What is your damage?
Hey all!
Having watched my brother slaughter his way through minor enemies in Castlevania, I decided to make today’s blog and vidjablowg about the disturbing presence of what is known as ‘collateral damage’ in our fictional media.
The extent to which was as an audience have become ‘okay’ with the “hero” having a license, nay even a right, to cause terrible acts of destruction is kind of at odds with our belief in their morality.
We have come to accept certain things as bloodless and therefore acceptable acts – the overturning of a lorry, the explosion of a building, crashing through shops and houses in a free running sequence. But in real life these events are far from bloodless, and even if by a miracle one of them was, you always end up with people’s propetry being trashed and their livelihoods ruined.
Two scenes come to mind from recent films, one I dislike and one I think is actually pretty good. First Transformers – the point at which I knew the film was morally reprehensible rather than just blundering, brain-crushingly bad (if you like that film I’m sorry, as yet medical science has no cure for Motor-Moron Disease) is in a sequence where Optimus Prime and Megatron are fighting. You get a glimpse of a tower block and, crucially, inside the tower block, of the office workers being buffeted around as a wayward blow from the fighting robo-titans knows the building in two. They scream and panic, unable to resist gravity as they slip to the side. Moments later, their cries of anguish still in our ears, the building topples and falls. We have witnessed those people die. To be honest, I am on the side of the military on this one (a very rare occurence): Autobots or Decepticons, get rid of the whole load of them, they are too damn dangerous.
Next is a scene from Iron Man 2. The titular steely superhero, pursued by baddies, races through a carpark and sets all the car alarms off with his intense speed. Moments later the baddies fly by, smashing every car window to pieces. At this point I remembered when, as a nipper, my parents would leave me in the car whilst they got out and paid the parking money. I would wait, frustrated but safe, until they got back. Iron Man flies above my head, I am deafened by noises…but that doesn’t cause a problem for long, because then baby me dies, razored to death by flying glass.
If any single car had someone in it, Iron Man’s choice of direction has pretty much killed them, and if they are all empty, congratulations!You just destroyed the cars people probably worked years to earn. Well done hero.
Now I know that I, being a film nerd, am wont to analyse this more than others. But the problem is, no one has even raised the issue in mainstream film yet. No one has brought it to people’s attention so they can make a decision for themselves. I’m not saying we have to get rid of the explosions and the gunfire, just be a little less witless about how we approach them, maybe add a little realism to it.
The best example I’ve ever seen is (no, not Austin Powers) in Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. Sam, the hero, is escaping in a truck. He pulls off some heroic (but highly inadvisable) driving, causing one of the pursuing vehicles to explode. He whoops in excited elation as they get away. Stopping to look back, he sees a person emerging from the vehicle, writhing and covered in flames. His face falls as he realises what he has done.
(Go to 3:30 if you can’t be bothered to wait)
And as Mr. Punch says, ‘that’s the way to do it’.
If my griping has depressed you, have some more humourous griping here!
Spekti’s Vidjablowg 8: Evil Collateral
(—–WATCH THIS SPACE—–)
Make way for film!
– Spekti Jim
SpektiJim 