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Welcome to the (Concrete) Jungle
  • Hey, all! Question. I'm looking for a Cheshire cat, or a cat that can be retextured to look like the Cheshire cat. I know of the one at CP... and it sorta works, since I'm thinking of slightly... darker Alice in Wonderland renders, but I was wondering if you knew of anything else out there.

    Thanks!

  • Awwww! Though I gotta admit I was waiting for an actual picture, ;-P Didn't start reading after a while because I was waiting for it to load, hehehe.


    Thanks, Terre, ^_^


    Well, the photographer was also the groomer AND the treat-hand-out-er. Sorry, no photos.
    Suspiro ergo sum.

  • I've always wanted to do a twisted Alice in Wonderland that was more adult and darker too. I know there's some great stuff for it at CP. I'm sorry I haven't seen anything elsewhere.
  • @AP: Welcome. :)

    @Surocheck: That's a cute picture all right. LOL
  • Cute puppies are always cute. =)
  • I'm just tired!  Kid's happy as a clam with his new gifts and has actually been quiet enough that I can get some work done around here :D
  • Suro - Ah, ok. Well, we'd love to see more pics of puppy! We're on puppy pic withdrawal, :-P

    MLB - See, there's this guy http://contentparadise.com/productDetails.aspx?id=154 which... somewhat works, and this guy http://www.runtimedna.com/The-Cat.html which is a little creepier, but hey, may work. Other than that, I haven't seen any other toony cats out there that can be turned into Cheshire. 

    GT - Very glad to hear that, ^_^
  • Puppy pic... complying

    Watch dog likes watching out of the window. Doesn't watch for much other than passing cats and dogs... and delivery people. He turned around when I called, though.
    image
    June2011.jpg
    360 x 480 - 107K
    Suspiro ergo sum.
  • AAAAAAAAW! He is precious! That underbite gives him so much character, hahaha. He's just too cute, ^_^
  • Suro - Ah, ok. Well, we'd love to see more pics of puppy! We're on puppy pic withdrawal, :-P


    MLB - See, there's this guy http://contentparadise.com/productDetails.aspx?id=154 which... somewhat works, and this guy http://www.runtimedna.com/The-Cat.html which is a little creepier, but hey, may work. Other than that, I haven't seen any other toony cats out there that can be turned into Cheshire. 

    GT - Very glad to hear that, ^_^


    I found this add-on package. It makes the CP Cheshire look a lot different, maybe even better.

    http://contentparadise.com/productDetails.aspx?id=12723
  • The paws are still so weird, but you're right, it does look a lot better! A lot of those textures could work with just a diffuse change, methinks.
  • Oh my Percy is just adorable suro!
  • I bet Percy is amazed at all the chasable looking stuff out that window. ( -_^)

    Cute!
  • Percy growled all the time that Daughter#1's friends visited -- well he growled at one person in particular. Go figure... Colin is a dog-lover, and Percy usually takes to dog-people.

    In other news... I am now the proud (and confused) owner of Silo. I haz new toyz! But don't start asking for modeling help... I'm far from comfortable with it yet.

    And because today was a good day, a list of things I like:
    - Incremental, numbered saves in Silo.
    - Layers in Photoshop (and PSP). I mean, just think about it.
    - Dog cuddles.
    - Camembert and good red wine.

    ... not necessarily limited to these and not necessarily in that order. Cheers! (oops, my glass is empty)
    Suspiro ergo sum.
  • Hehe...

    I find the weirdest things...

    image
    MagnaBall05.jpg
    500 x 412 - 23K
  • Sooo one of my brothers is a good natured dingbat.  Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but a kindly soul who also will fly into NerdRage over various favorite shows.  One of those is James Cameron's "Avatar".  We were watching this idly on Thanksgiving, and Mom asks wtf this movie is about besides the usual White Man Does The Native Man's Schtick Better and Wins The Beautiful Chiefs Daughter, as in "Dances With Wolves".  NerdRage... rising...  

    I said "It's just "Ferngully", knowing Mom had to sit through all of those late '80s "Message Cartoon Movies" that about killed the genre, and I was blessedly too old for.  In fact, she had to sit through it with my younger brothers, so while Bill was laughing and agreeing with me, Marc was NERDRAEGING.  

    Marc didn't remember seeing "Ferngully" though, but eventually and grudgingly acceded that there may be some similarities, but James Cameron would NEVER STEAL AN IDEA.  He IS a god.  

    Anyhow, while shopping for gifts at Best Buy, lo and behold, a DVD copy of Ferngully was sitting in the 5 buck or less pile.  Nab.  Wrap.  Addressed to Marc.  

    I'm so going to hell.  



  • I'm so going to hell.  





    Yes. Yes you are. But I want pictures of his face when he unwraps it.  image
    * A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!
    * Isn't it wonderful how cute weapons of mass distraction can be?
    * Those are my principles. And if you don't like them, I have others.
  • You should have included Disney's Pocohontas too. :)

    James Cameron is so not a god. He's not even a good director. Just wickedly smart, a very good technician with loads of cash and good connections in Hollywood. But as a director? Nope. Sorry.He does not fall into that category for me. He's adequate, at best.
  • No, Hitchcock he is not. Mainly he seems to rehash stories that have been done before.
    * A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!
    * Isn't it wonderful how cute weapons of mass distraction can be?
    * Those are my principles. And if you don't like them, I have others.

  • Ferngully. Hahahaha...

    I hope he enjoys the gift. =D

    I remember when Avatar came out and I discovered it was just Pocohontas with smurfs on another world, I was so disappointed.
  • The fun part of Avatar was the whole handwavium-generated bit about being able to inhabit another body. And of course, the twin thing right off the bat. Right. Sure. We picked people with paraplegic twins on purpose for this experiment!
    * A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!
    * Isn't it wonderful how cute weapons of mass distraction can be?
    * Those are my principles. And if you don't like them, I have others.
  • I best scene I really liked in Avatar, was seeing it in 3d was the scene where they're going through the forest at night and everything's fluorescent.  Just not as awesome at home watching that same scene on a regular TV.  Effects were pretty good, storyline...meh.

  • In case anyone needs a low res male figure in the 11443 (approx.) poly range I stumbled on the Vincent Parker figure from Vanishing point. Looks good for that poly count.

    http://www.vanishingpoint.biz/productdetail.asp?productID=1515

  • In case anyone needs a low res male figure in the 11443 (approx.) poly range I stumbled on the Vincent Parker figure from Vanishing point. Looks good for that poly count.

    http://www.vanishingpoint.biz/productdetail.asp?productID=1515


    Plus there is a cross dresser license for him so you can convert M4 clothes to fit. I've had him sleep in my Runtime for a while but think of converting stuff to use him in crowd scenes.
  • Marc didn't remember seeing "Ferngully" though, but eventually and grudgingly acceded that there may be some similarities, but James Cameron would NEVER STEAL AN IDEA.



    Well, he did and he didn't.

    Okay - in order: There was Dances with Wolves, then Ferngully, then Pocahontas, then Avatar. All of them have the exact same plot, they only differ in the details.

    Why?

    Well: Dances with Wolves was a novel by Michael Blake (who went to college in my town Portales, yo!). Various things happen in his life, he makes a few Hollywood connections, and he ends up writing the screenplay for a movie called "Stacey's Knights." Which starred Kevin Costner. Costner thought the screenplay was brilliant (which is good, because it actually sucked), and the film was his "breakthrough" movie, so he had a lot of fondness for it. One day he gets a copy of a book that Blake wrote in late seventies and published in the early eighties called "Dances with Wolves." The book barely sold at all here in the US, but (oddly enough) it sold well in Australia. Costner thinks the book the best thing since sliced bread (he is a self-described bleeding-heart liberal), and gets in touch with Blake, asking him to write the screenplay for it. Blake does, it gets made into a movie, Costner directing and starring.

    Okay, the movie is a smash hit. Ferngully follows, and was widely considered an animated rip-off version of the same plot. Well, it was and it wasn't. It wasn't, because Ferngully was based on the book of the same name by a gal called Diana Young, and the book was written years before the movie was released. And at the same time, it was a rip-off, because... Well, remember I said the novel "Dances with Wolves" sold well in Australia? Would you care to guess where Diana Young lives? ;-) Fox tweaked the plot of the film a bit to emphasize the same themes as DWW, and later they hired Diana Young (yes, same gal) to write the novelization of the movie (which differed from her book in several small points and chopped out several scenes, but hey, that's normal for Hollywood).

    Okay, then Pocahontas follows. Pocahontas was written specifically to cash in on the popularity of Dances with Wolves. So, Disney's writers intentionally lift several of the elements of the plot of DWW, and add several magical elements they lifted from Ferngully (which, itself, was based on DWW). Pocahontas is a smash hit, the soundtrack gets so much radio airplay that there is an entire generation of people who vomit upon hearing the song "Colors of the Wind."

    Enter James Cameron. Cameron turns around and writes the screenplay for Avatar. He has several times admitted it's Dances with Wolves in space. But, he incorporates several elements from Pocahontas, like the magical tree stuff (which has a techy-explanation in Avatar, but it's still magic). Which means he inadvertently stole from Ferngully, because that's where Disney stole the idea. Which means he stole from Costner, because the film version of Ferngully was tweaked by Fox to be closer to the film Dances with Wolves, and the original book Ferngully was made from was inspired by the novel Dances with Wolves.

    Which means everyone above is stealing from Michael Blake (remember him? Yeah, he's the guy I mentioned at the beginning), because he's the one who came up with the plot in the first place. But, hey, Blake didn't invent the "White Guy Does The Native's Shtick And Does It Better" plot, that plot has been around literally for centuries. What Blake added was the "And Gets The Native Princess" bit, because back in the Bad Old Days™, the idea that our Stalwart White Hero would hook up with the Beautiful But Swarthy Native Princess was a non-starter.

    And that is the whole story, to the best of my knowledge. ;-)

    [Edited above to correct an error - Costner directed himself in DWW, Cameron wasn't involved.]
    Jim Farris, Author, Science Fiction and Fantasy
    Jim Farris, Author, Science Fiction and Fantasy
  • Your ability to clearly explain something so muddled even the people involved barely understood what they were doing leaves me speechless. But not terribly surprised at how that all worked. And very glad I've seen neither Ferngully nor animated Pocohantas. Saw DWW a looooong time ago, that was sufficient.
    * A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!
    * Isn't it wonderful how cute weapons of mass distraction can be?
    * Those are my principles. And if you don't like them, I have others.
  • Well if I was trying to develop a new and "sexy" academic theory, I'd go for the "Avatar syndrome in Russian history". At least it would make a splash for a few weeks.

    One of the longest and most-argued questions among historians is whether the Norse took over (or invaded) Russia or were called in to rule by the hapless local tribes. In other words, what does the reference in the Chronicles to the calling of the Norse (Viking) warriors to "come and rule our land" mean.

    Me, I always thought it was myth and symbol. And maybe an early DWW/Avatar version? Big blonde warrior comes to the rescue of the poor agrarian tribes?

    (Oh, and if they took over, where is the linguistic impact?)
    Suspiro ergo sum.
  • Ahhh yes, "Colors of the Wind".  The older kid was performing it with band years back, he was on sax.  Off tempo because he was still learning it.  It bugged me.  I had him play it on the piano, off tempo.  There it was:  "Listen to the Music of the Falling Rain".  
  • At least we skipped the performing of the song part. And while I love Westerns, DWW is NOT a Western and so I snubbed it. Even with all the wolves around. Meh. And Avatar? It takes A LOT to get me to go see a movie that "everyone" has to see.

    Unless it's for the kids. But that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish.
    Suspiro ergo sum.
  • surochek said:

    One of the longest and most-argued questions among historians is whether the Norse took over (or invaded) Russia or were called in to rule by the hapless local tribes.



    The real answer may be a bit of both. There's evidence to show an invasion happened, and evidence to show it didn't. It depends on where (and when) you look.

    My theory is that some of the local groups (I hesitate to call them "tribes" because the Rus were a bit more advanced than that word indicates in English) may have seen how well their neighbors were doing under Viking rule, and asked to join so they could get in on the same thing. At which point other Norse said "hey, they are ripe for the pickin's", and invaded in some areas.

    Either way, Viking influence on their culture and genetic makeup is unmistakeable. The more geneticists do gene extrapolations on the modern Russians, the more Norse descendants they find. The real question is whether the Rus wanted this to happen back then. And that's a question that may never be resolved, as we don't have much documentation to go on.
    Jim Farris, Author, Science Fiction and Fantasy
    Jim Farris, Author, Science Fiction and Fantasy

  • Xaa said:

    surochek said:

    One of the longest and most-argued questions among historians is whether the Norse took over (or invaded) Russia or were called in to rule by the hapless local tribes.



    ...<snip>
     And that's a question that may never be resolved, as we don't have much documentation to go on.


    So, perhaps they sort of moved in nearby in an aggressive way. Piecemeal. Kindof. Moved nearby and were bossy neighbors?
    * A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!
    * Isn't it wonderful how cute weapons of mass distraction can be?
    * Those are my principles. And if you don't like them, I have others.
  • Quite possible, yes.
    Jim Farris, Author, Science Fiction and Fantasy
    Jim Farris, Author, Science Fiction and Fantasy
  • Or moved in, blended in (genetics prove that), but the "we are the rulers, we take over" didn't really happen because there is no linguistic or cultural evidence, beyond "being neighbors" that shows the dominance of one culture over the other.

    Probably there's more randomness and interpersonal history involved (likely in the times we are talking of) than later historians want to acknowledge. Hey, after all, if it all started with a little personal war or a romance or just a border raid, that's not very state-building heroic.

    The fact remains that the ruling "princes" had a semi-inherited position somewhat distinct from the people, and yet there was enough upward and downward mobility that dynastic alliances were not limited to the "noble lines" or to marriages to foreign dignitaries.
    Suspiro ergo sum.
  • ...aaand stop me now because I'm preparing to teach a survey that start in the darkness of before Russia was Russia, and the more I review the more I'll want to babble.
    Suspiro ergo sum.
  • surochek said:

    Probably there's more randomness and interpersonal history involved (likely in the times we are talking of) than later historians want to acknowledge.



    Well, a good example is the Hatfield-McCoy feud here in the US. Despite that it was only two families involved, it dramatically shaped a lot of the later cultural interactions in that area of the US. Put something like that in Russia before the dawn of written history, and you can have an interaction which is equally dramatic, with effects that are equally long-reaching - but the source will always remain unknown, because everyone who knew how it all started is long dead.
    Jim Farris, Author, Science Fiction and Fantasy
    Jim Farris, Author, Science Fiction and Fantasy
  • Yep! But it's not Heroic (in the Romantic Movement sense). It's not a World-Shattering Epic Beginning!

    It's all that hubris getting in the way of good theories and better Story.
    Suspiro ergo sum.
  • End of year Silo Sale, for you poor Hexagon users! $109 (was $159). http://www.nevercenter.com/silo/
    * A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!
    * Isn't it wonderful how cute weapons of mass distraction can be?
    * Those are my principles. And if you don't like them, I have others.
  • I bought it already. :D

  • Yay!

    The cost of stability just went down.
  • Yes! I did convince my husband that it was a good investment. I am now the proud owner of a Real(TM) modeling app.
    Suspiro ergo sum.
  • surochek said:

    Yes! I did convince my husband that it was a good investment. I am now the proud owner of a Real(TM) modeling app.



    imageimage
    * A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!
    * Isn't it wonderful how cute weapons of mass distraction can be?
    * Those are my principles. And if you don't like them, I have others.
  • Hm. I wish I could get onto the Silo- but I may end up eithe rneeding parts for my tower, or an entirely new tower system. I had a new morphed model rendering last night when I went to bed, when I got up-computer was off.
    Mark didn't shut it down....so it shut down on its own. I opened it this morning, and the render was there! So I saved it, turned the model to the side, fiddled, and rendered again for a side-view. Saved that...and Poof. Computer shut off. Couldn't turn it back on. The light under the power chord was still on, as well as the ehternet cable (it's lit for some reason), and you can hear a low underlying hum from within. Eventaully I did manage to re-start it, but as soon as it got to "uploading settings" it popped off again. Did it again after rebooting in safe mode, and into the recovery screen. I was going to dial back to the save I did before I left and ...poof.

    As soon as the "uploading settings" should have been there-gone. *SIGH* It could be the fans, it could be just that it needs tore apart and cleaned. Either way, if it's those options or that it just gave up on me, I won't know until tonight. It was leave it alone or pitch it out the window. >.<
    "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying that I approved of it. " Mark Twain.
  • Ooh, that's bad news.
  • Oh no. And that tower's been a bit of a pest for years, too. :(
    * A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!
    * Isn't it wonderful how cute weapons of mass distraction can be?
    * Those are my principles. And if you don't like them, I have others.
  • It has, but still- I give it credit for plodding on this long. *Sigh, again* I did some research and asked about- ten to one it's either the fan (cooling system) or there's corrosion from within (if it's dirty and such; five years in a basement? Yeah, I'd be filthy too.).

    I'll update when I find out- either tonight (HOPE! Someone quick! Cross toes!!) or tomorrow from work. *Hugs both!* Wish me luck and hold that "Get outta jail free" card, Nan. I may call you on it. ;)
    "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying that I approved of it. " Mark Twain.
  • Oh crud! I hope it's nothing serious. Best of luck.
  • GRIM said:

    It has, but still- I give it credit for plodding on this long. *Sigh, again* I did some research and asked about- ten to one it's either the fan (cooling system) or there's corrosion from within (if it's dirty and such; five years in a basement? Yeah, I'd be filthy too.).

    I'll update when I find out- either tonight (HOPE! Someone quick! Cross toes!!) or tomorrow from work. *Hugs both!* Wish me luck and hold that "Get outta jail free" card, Nan. I may call you on it. ;)



    Hm. Maybe we should reformat my old Dell XP's hard drives and tote it up to you? Heh.

    Too many dying computers recently!
    * A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five!
    * Isn't it wonderful how cute weapons of mass distraction can be?
    * Those are my principles. And if you don't like them, I have others.
  • If I was female I'd have to have this bra...it's just too funny.

    http://catbuns.tumblr.com/post/15274988683
  • Does it come with the transparent shirt?
    Suspiro ergo sum.
  • Nanobot said:

    GRIM said:

    It has, but still- I give it credit for plodding on this long. *Sigh, again* I did some research and asked about- ten to one it's either the fan (cooling system) or there's corrosion from within (if it's dirty and such; five years in a basement? Yeah, I'd be filthy too.).

    I'll update when I find out- either tonight (HOPE! Someone quick! Cross toes!!) or tomorrow from work. *Hugs both!* Wish me luck and hold that "Get outta jail free" card, Nan. I may call you on it. ;)



    Hm. Maybe we should reformat my old Dell XP's hard drives and tote it up to you? Heh.

    Too many dying computers recently!


    Oh, I'd appreciate it dollface-trust me. However... After four hours of working on this thing I've discovered a few things: 1- it wasn't as dirty as I thought, but it's aired out and dust free now. 2- the processor fan works fine as does the tower fan. 3- the power cord, supply, and plug in seem to be fine. 4- it isn't staying on for more than a minute, maybe less, no matter what I do- IF it goes on at all. 5- it could be the coolant system.

    I have a few people here I can speak to about this, but if it can't be fixed without having to spend more than a hundred bucks (more like 40, it's all I have left) then I'm out a computer until who knows when. I figured I'd update here for now to at least let you guys know I may not be around but for breaks at work for months, and no artwork to be submitted for longer. I'll update again when I can.
    Til then- Take care of yous. ~Dar

    "I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying that I approved of it. " Mark Twain.

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