Holder of the Pointy Stick

PA Cards

2009-07-04T07:08:35Z

Again, more a minor thing than a major thing. Whenever MZDM goes dark, if there isn't an archive of your card somewhere... it's up on Lucidia's hosted/pacards/ directory. With the exception of any cards that weren't in the pa card listing, etc., that is. Meaning: Oni, that card you had done isn't there, but I can probably get it for you. I know there's another hole in the list, please don't get me started on it.

To clarify what I meant earlier:
You, if you are the player of the PA depicted in the card (or one of the PA's in the case of a buddy card), may use them as you will. If you are not the player of said characters... don't. Lucidia Fantasy's involvement, as in the forum administration and all official activities, in these cards extends solely to providing image hosting and allowing linkage to them in profiles and if I decide to allow signatures as large as they are.

Don't want to chat with them? Just a click away!

2009-07-03T07:49:02Z

LF update:

Okay, I'm not talking about (much to some peoples' displeasure) the issue of not wanting to chat with another player... no, I mean not wanting one of your characters in the chat! This is now possible, with a simple loading of a page with their number on it. How simple is that! And if you decide you want them back on your list half a second afterwards, you just refresh that page and they're back! Huzzah!

Go have fun, kids, this should help with keeping from accidental postage of secret alts.

Start of Dev Journal

2009-07-02T08:31:31Z

Okay, starting the dev journal for Lucidia... here.

Eeesh. Right. I know, in my LJ. But hey, what'cha gonna do. Anyhows, this post is for what's presently active on Lucidia Fantasy.

Player creation - tied to an e-mail. I presently don't know of ... well, any more ISP's than one outright rejecting my e-mails, and that one I can get no information from about why it's declining. Ah well, it's one British university, so... whatever. If you have a problem creating a player login, please let me know. My e-mail's in my LJ profile.
Character creation - instant, perhaps too instant. At least I have some sanity checks after Ame made an empty-string login. Woo.
Profiles - Presently you can create, edit, and delete regular profiles. OOC profiles still need their absurdly simple editor put into place. It's been low priority. One note: the numbers beside the field name are for ordering - so if you don't feel like copying and pasting things around, that'll do it. Also, if you rename fields you can reload the template to gain more fields to work with. When I get around to javascript you'll be able to insert more on the fly. In the mean time I'm just working on minimal basic functionality.
Tabbed profiles - they're there. Not too pretty, but there.
Chat - what can I say... it works. Same basic code as MZDM's, so... little to debug. I know people want a clock. I suppose I'll have to make one.
Changing your password - oooh. Yeah, people wanted this one and fast. It's there.

So... yeah. Present to-do list:

Forum listing - this includes the admin pages to make new forums.
Threads/posting - Wooo... can we have an actual working webforum? I think so.
Link fields editing/creation in profiles - this will be more complicated than simple fields. I have the display down pat, though! See Krin's profile!
Copying over PA cards for archival purposes only - this will allow you to keep linking to them even after masterzdm.com goes dark. No using them in RP as objects/goals, or for Lucidia official business, etc... they are for the player owning the character to use as they see fit. This does include sigs, etc, however I may eventually implement them. This one's actually done... being the simplest one on this list.

databank @ 2009-06-25T02:43:00

2009-06-25T09:44:10Z

Okay, I'm curious about what people who pay attention to my LJ think, relatively speaking, of various pics of my chars... Yes, this was spurred on by someone chatting about the latest Molly picture being their favorite one of her, and I got to wondering about this.

As you can probably imagine, I have my own personal favorites of all of my chars. They may not be the ones you expect.

My best way to suggest this, if you feel like participating: pick whatever you would consider the best pictures of the character. No real limit, just no "all of them"... I'm hiding the results for a reason. I'm going in this order of preference for site: FA, dA, Lucidia-hosted, MZDM-hosted, artist's hosting. I don't think I'll hit the last one. Some of these pics will be on multiple lists.

View Poll: Character Commission Stuff

So... obviously not going to modify this poll anymore, as it's posted. Just pick which ones you particularly like within a grouping, and I might get some light summary back to y'all after a while. Might.

Meme - "Nice guys STILL finish last"

2009-06-22T04:29:55Z

Yeeeahhhh... decided to click on an earlier journal entry for Fantasy, and hit upon this. Everything after the cut (technically the horizontal rule for when you're reading) is the contents of the meme. Beyond that... bleh. Shows how far it's gotten me.

♥ To every guy that said, "Sex can wait"...
♥ To every guy that said, "You're beautiful"...
♥ To every guy that was never too busy to drive across town to see her...
♥ To every guy that gives her flowers and a card when she is sick or down...
♥ To every guy who has given her flowers just because thats how he rolls...
♥ To every guy that said he would die for her...
♥ To every guy that really would...
♥ To every guy that did what she wanted to die for...
♥ To every guy that cried in front of her...
♥ To every guy that she cried in front of...
♥ To every guy that holds hands with her.
♥ To every guy that kisses her with meaning..
♥ To every guy that hugs her when she's sad...
♥ To every guy that hugs her for no reason at all...
♥ To every guy who would give their jacket up for her...
♥ To every guy that calls to make sure she got home safe...
♥ To every guy that would sit and wait for her for hours just to see her for ten minutes...
♥ To every guy that would give his seat up...
♥ To every guy that just wants to cuddle...
♥ To every guy that reassured her that she was beautiful no matter what...
♥ To every guy who told his secrets to her...
♥ To every guy that showed how much he cared through every word and every breath...
♥ To every guy that thought maybe this could be the one...
♥ To every guy that believed in her dreams...
♥ To every guy that would have done anything so she could achieve them...
♥ To every guy that never laughed at her when she told him her dreams...
♥ To every guy that walked her to her car and opened the door...
♥ To every guy that gave his heart...
♥ To every guy who prays that she is happy even if he's not with her...

Not many girls appreciate nice guys anymore. And because of this, there are not many left out there. I guarantee 90% of the men on your page will not repost this because they care more about their image.

- If you are a nice guy, repost this in your journal with the title: "Nice guys STILL finish last";
- If you are a girl that thinks every guy should treat a girl this way, repost this in your journal with the title: "To Every Guy".

databank @ 2009-06-21T00:01:00

2009-06-21T07:01:16Z

Okay, this is tradition, so....

Happy b-day Spike!

Lens here!

2009-06-11T10:29:44Z

I'm pretty amazed with myself - I've taken a few decent shots of very well-lit objects (like a light fixture) with a 1300mm lens now. By hand... and yes, the shake's noticable when composing, but when you're looking straight at a flourescent light fixture, there's enough light in there to get a decent shutter speed. Plus, there's the old trick of "relax... breathe out... squeeze shutter release.."

One of these days, I'll work out its maximum reproduction ratio - it actually seems pretty close to my 70-300's 1:4... (at 300)...

Anyhow, that's the fun for this evening. *zonk*

Opening testing...

2009-06-10T08:05:58Z

http://lucidiafantasy.com/ - I'm opening up testing to those who're interested. At the moment it's no more than a chat, but I intend for it to gain forum abilities fairly soon. >.>' It's not that different from the chat system, after all.

Also, looking into emote packs. masterflare421 recommended darkmoon3636's Tardmotes, though I do want to glance around to consider other options. We'll see where we go.

Woo...

2009-06-08T09:14:04Z

Okay, system is happily making new logins for people. Here's a testing file for you to look at... though it will be the location of the real thing (i.e. the real character listing) eventually.

http://lucidiafantasy.com/forum/characters.php

Presently, there's no functioning profile system on-site, and I haven't gotten the link-back authentication up so there's no additional links but for what I've put in manually...

But it works. Lucidia Fantasy's coming online. The chat system will likely be next... I've got the input system up. I'll get to work on the "set default" and "change password" features after that. Profiles... will be a while still.

databank @ 2009-06-05T01:21:00

2009-06-05T08:21:32Z

Continued updates: The "Avatar List" of the AMS has been updated to comply (more or less) with how I've got things set up on lucidiafantasy.com, complete with actually using the term "Character" in all places display and code. Next up, creating a character. (I used my console to create Dat and Krinele...)

databank @ 2009-06-02T02:14:00

2009-06-02T09:15:02Z

I have gotten the twisted translation of the AMS to create a login on the new server now.

Woo. Discarded the age check in favor of having a checkbox say it. It's too easy to lie on the 'net anyhow, and most kids that are determined have enough math skills to say "Oh, I'm 18! =D" by putting in a birthdate.

Sleep time is now.

databank @ 2009-05-29T02:10:00

2009-05-29T09:10:27Z

Am I supposed to do a trick, now? People are watching me on FA, and... really. I have a picture of my cat up there, and that's it. I might get a nice 200mm 1:1 macro lens at some point and post a picture of a doggy booger, but...

Yeah.

Also, for some reason my cat just climbed over the pile of junk in the middle of the room rather than taking the slightly more sedate and straight path along the ground. Weirdo.

Seeking Graphic Designer!

2009-05-25T08:07:08Z

Part two of prior post. I know not many people read this, but... I'm looking for someone with some skills in graphic design. Particularly, someone who can work out a design fitting for a light freeform multi-genre fantasy role-playing site.

I'll need some examples of works, mind you.

sending mail..

2009-05-25T07:19:32Z

Well, Lucidia's set up to be able to run php, send and recieve (recieve a limited amount) email, and... well, there's apache, and an idling mySql server...

Yeah. But it works: http://lucidiafantasy.com

I think I haven't done as much on a computer's console since my single and very useless linux class back in '99 or '00. Actually, to get this involved, we have to go back to ms-dos.

*looks at his spam inbox* and there's the two e-mails from while I had my mail server slightly misconfigured. Go figure they'd trigger something! Just barely, though... looking through the headers I'm not sure what triggered it. o.o; may have been just that my whidbey telcom didn't care for "test" and "test" as subject and body a second and third time in as many minutes. <.<'

Awesomness

2009-05-20T07:38:24Z

Okay, today had one moment of pure awesome. Pure. It could have gone only marginally better.

I got a return from the service desk when I picked up paper goods and chemicals. Some customer hadn't wanted a pack of neon straws, and while it's technically an impulse item, they're normally kept with the paper plates. But... not there. So I kept them with me as I returned to garden, to add them to my pile of "deal with later" stuff and get on with my job.

A few minutes later, I had to jump on the register and get the lines down. One customer hands me a pack of these same neon straws, and I notice it's all torn open.

I ask him, "Sir, would you like a package of these that aren't torn open?"

He responds, "Oh... only if it won't take too long..."

I head over to my pile, which was on one set of patio furniture hiding behind the pricing sign, and return with the straws. The guy was smiling and shaking his head in disbelief... my response was like "I just happened to pick these up not too long ago, we'll take care of the other ones."

Awesome.

Bandywagoning

2009-04-27T00:10:46Z

http://datban.mybrute.com

Yarr, etcetera. :p Feel free to beat the crap outta me if ya's got one.

All you need is...

2009-04-22T07:15:37Z

Some sort of four-letter word I'm starting to feel like I'll never get to experience properly. Love, that is...

Right now, I think the easiest way to piss me off (or alternately, throw me into depression) is to play some pissy little country song about how the only thing you really need in the world is love and nothing else is worth anything.

One problem is I live in a navy town on an island where there's nothing else going on... this means most females around my age are either engaged to a sailor, married to a sailor, or are a sailor... but even then normally attached to someone else. Of course, of those left... the rest tend to stick around because they've put down roots... which, again, tends to mean a guy in the picture.

Then there were the last few teenage years I had... pretty much wasted. I spent my junior and senior years in the running start program, which minimized my contact with my peers while I did have any sort of freedom (I could drive). Then, the schooling amounted to what... nothing. I have an associate's degree, sure, but... that's it. As well, I didn't go to college proper, so again... no peer interaction there. Just into the working world for a year, then... stuck at home, with a little job that did all of shit for me other than got me rather bitter. Now I'm at Walmart, and... yeah. Those years in the running start program really paid off, didn't they?

Which just makes me wonder what the heck this is all for. If I die, now or of old age, what will I leave behind?

Zilch. Maybe a handful of photographs that merit note, if that. Otherwise, my contributions are negligable at best and none at worst. I'm left wondering if I've ever been special to anyone, and it's not a good feeling.

I guess, maybe, I'll have to realize all that's left for my life is helping others live, and watching them reach their dreams.

DS(i)

2009-04-18T06:55:27Z

Okay, time for a review of the DSi...

If you're looking for something useful to play present-day games on, get a DS Lite. The DSi may have potential in its downloadable games, but so far the market's slim. The camera is nothing more than a gimmick for me, though it may provide adequate power for someone who doesn't want to carry their own around with them.

The music player on it doesn't understand MP3 files, only AAC, which is a major restriction. Given several games on my PS3 seem to prefer playing MP3, I'm not going to re-copy my entire library.

I do appreciate its ability to disable the wireless systems, and can see the use for the parental controls. It'd be handy to have on the plane, in case I wanted to solo any game sections that normally activate the wireless radio and just listen.

Some future gimmicky games, probably the next generation of Animal Crossing, I can see making use of the camera. On the flip side, that's dangerous stuff there.

Wheeeee

2009-04-07T08:37:46Z

<a href="http://databank.deviantart.com/art/Moonlight-on-Trees-118401618">Night-time!</a>

Actually, my camera still has one more stop of exposure speed left, but that goes from "noisy" to "so noisy it's kinda psychedelic"... dropping it down from Hi-1 to something more like 6400 or 3200 would probably get far better color quality, but I'd need to get the good tripod up there.

That thing's heavy.

databank @ 2009-04-06T12:29:00

2009-04-06T19:29:24Z

...

Why am I still inside? I have things to do... >.>;

Inquiring for a friend...

2009-03-28T09:20:20Z

Anybody interested in a ferret, or know someone who is, in the Puget Sound region? I have a friend that got a guy free from a friend, and... well, he's apparently figured out how to open his cage, or at least some circumstances made it easier for him a few days ago. The resulting pandemonium while she was at work was quite a bit more than she was ready to hear about from her roommate.

She's hoping that the majority of the problems were due to him not being able to get back in his cage, but I did promise I'd start feeling out in my own limited range of communication.

Flash

2009-03-27T09:43:08Z

I've seen a good many photographers, particularly portrait photographers, malign the camera's flash. However, as many other photographers will point out... people do like photos taken with flash, especially if it's done right. By and large, this means "don't have the flash sitting right on top of your camera pointed straight at your subject".

Now, any of you who know me know that I make use of the "Commander Mode" on my camera, Nikon's answer to wireless flash control. Did it quite a bit with the D80 (an entire Christmas portrait shoot, actually), and have been seeing how the D700 handles it.

To wit, it's all about control. If you don't know how to control your flash, or don't have the gonads to back up thousands of dollars in lens and camera purchases with a few hundred to a dedicated flash instead of some built-in flash... just use flash for quick stuff. The flash is a tool, and as a tool must be controlled and cared for.

My SB-900 has been one of my most valued tools, and I think I will end up getting a few dedicated remote flashes - probably the macro kit with the SU-800, and two SB-R200's... the trick is that both R200's and SU-800 take 123A batteries, which are somewhat expensive and presently not available as rechargeables that I can find :/

Other option would be to get some SB-600's, which take AA batteries and are more powerful. Or, if I really wanted to flood the place, I could go with SB-900's.

Those ten-packs of high-quality Ni-MH batteries are looking better every day. ;.;

From the pandy...

2009-03-16T06:03:30Z

RULES:
1. Put Your itunes, windows media player, MP3player, etc on Shuffle

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS

4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name

Q&A
Are you male or female?
Tombstone Shadow - CCR

Describe yourself!
Side of a Bullet - Nickelback

What do people feel when they're around you?
Faithfully - Journey

Describe your current relationship.
Empty Chairs - Don McLean (( *dies* ))

Where would you like to be now?
Patiently - Journey

How do you feel about love?
Little Guitars - Van Halen

What's your life like?
Life for Rent - Dido (( ... >.> ))

What would you ask for if you had only one wish?
Only the Young - Journey

Say something wise.
Up Around the Bend - CCR

If someone says "is this okay?" you say...
Vincent (Starry Starry Night) - Don McLean

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Someday Never Comes - CCR

How do you feel today?
Molina - CCR

What is your life's purpose?
Bad Moon Rising - CCR

What is your motto?
Just the Same Way - Journey

What do you think of your parents?
Good Golly Miss Molly - CCR

What do you think about very often?
The Midnight Special - CCR (( *sweatdrop* ))

What is 2 + 2?
Don't Leave Home - Dido

What do you think of your best friend?
Everybody Loves Me, Baby - Don McLean

What do you think of the person you like?
Anytime - Journey

What is your life story?
If Today Was Your Last Day - Nickelback

What do you want to be when you grow up?
My Baby Left Me - CCR (( o.o; ))

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Follow You Home - Nickelback (( Thank God the last one didn't come up for this answer... ))

What will they play at your funeral?
Rockstar - Nickelback (( >.>' ))

What is your hobby/interest?
Do You Have a Little Time - Dido

What is your biggest fear?
Girl Can't Help It - Journey

What is your biggest secret?
Wreck of the Day - Anna Nalick

What do you think of your friends?
Breathe (2AM) - Anna Nalick ((......... >.> .......... <.< ......... >.> ...... ))

What will you post this as?
Sand in My Shoes - Dido (( That almost makes sense... ))

... Do you believe in miracles?

2009-03-09T09:24:28Z

Related to last post.

Package again had a departure scan of 9:29PM Sunday. If things are to be believed, it made it to Seattle at 12:50AM. It's possible it'll make it, now, just a short hop to Burlington, where it'd get on the truck.

This'll take a miracle...

2009-03-08T18:30:40Z

So, UPS says that my package is on time with a scheduled delivery date of... tomorrow. I'm less than inclined to believe them, given the package tracking results as of this moment.

Last scan is an arrival scan in Portland, OR. Today. Any scan activity on a weekend has historically been a sign of something really not right. Especially since the previous scan was on Friday - a departure from... Portland, OR. Where it had sat on the deck for twenty-nine hours before somehow ending up on a two-day round-trip movement. Or just sat on an immobile truck for two days.

Adding to my ill feeling is the present inclement weather, and that there's another stop between the actual center it ships out of and Portland. Seattle, which once put a 250GB hard drive on a truck headed to Jacksonville, FL instead of Burlington, WA.

I'm not complaining about the lateness, I just wish that in the face of apparent overwhelming odds against it being on time, they'd say "don't wait for it tomorrow, even though we know you or your shipper paid extra to get it there faster, it'll be late". 3 Day Select, shipped on 3/04 for any who're interested. It was doing great until it hit Portland.