Last night was the kick off for the New Orleans Film Festival. It runs October 10th – 16th. I attended two film showings at one of the three locations being used for the festival. Now I’m mapping out what I’ll see during the next few days. Yes, that may mean some hopscotching between locations. So far I’ve purchased two 6 film passes – saving a little on admissions prices. As you can see I’ve been by the film postcard table.
A fellow plurker posted this Wayne John review, of ten avatar creation sites, on Plurk today.
10 Cool 'Create an Avatar' Web Sites
• gravatar
• SimpsonizeMe.com
• South Park Studio
• Face Your Manga
• DoppleMe.com
• Meez.com
• Build Your Wild Self
• Portrait Illustration Maker
• TizMe.net
• DigiBody's Caracature Maker
• Block Head Iconizer
If you make a new avatar with one these sites, post a comment. 
YouTuber Rgmonster posted a marshmallow eating challenge video back in January of 2007. Participants place one marshmallow at a time into their mouths and attempt to say “chubby bunny” each time. The point is to see how many will fit. He manages to stuff his mouth with seven before gagging.
At some point YouTube featured his video. So if you run into videos with “chubby bunny” in the title, you know who begat this madness. A search of those two words on YouTube generated 2,030 results.
And now for a few words from the peanut gallery . . .
Tropical Storm Gustav (downgraded as I type) is not even in the Gulf of Mexico nor is it over Cuba, yet the local forecasters are already panicking our local populace with reminders about supplies they should purchase and things they should do in preparation. Here’s a bit of humor concerning the National Hurricane Center’s forecast cone.
The Weather Channel shows the cone and where the storm may hit along the Gulf Coast. Right now it extends from Texas to Florida.
Here are seven computer model projections. More of them have shifted west since I last looked at them. A high pressure system has been sitting over Florida. High pressure systems help protect an area. Too bad one isn't over my area right now.
OK, so I saw this in another forum. Let's see what kind of story sifters can create.
Each sifter will add three more words to the story.
If you need help click on Sample Story.
OK, here we go:
Slowly he turned
Are you good at following directions? That's what this test is really about. Have at it . . .
ArtCalendar, the business magazine for visual artists, has launched a site to appeal to the artists who work in media sometimes dubbed "craft." This new site is called CrafterCircle. However, all varieties of media are included - even computer related. The site is FREE. Here is my profile on this site. It is still new.
I've previously mentioned their first venture into social networking, ArtScuttlebutt. The two sites are very similar. And here is my profile on the other site. This site has a lot more folks using it now.
One of the downsides of Twitter is that the site is often down. Some of us, in our frustration, have turned to another site called Plurk. It has similar features, but it set up for threads.
Here is the FAQ. There is a blog that chronicles features that are added.
Plurkers seek higher states of karma. The higher you go, the more perks you earn - including more lively emoticons.
Plurk highlights Interesting Plurkers.
Here's my profile on Plurk.
Some new features were just added on Friday. I'm still learning about how the site works, too.
Some of the YouTubers are branching out into live broadcasts. On BlogTV viewers can post questions from a chat room. Here's a show that starts on Thursdays at 7 p.m. EST and Sundays at 9 p.m. EST. SuperEd86 started a little early tonight. Prior broadcasts are available if you scroll down. He broadcasts from Portland, Oregon. The chat room comments appear at the bottom of the player when you watch. This is his channel on YouTube.
His schtick is bit in the Jim Carrey direction. He's probably calmer live than in his YouTube comedy videos. Of the videos I've watched thus far, he mentions that he was born in Latvia and that his parents spoke Russian around him when he was child.
There is also a site with a similar service called Ustream.tv. BlogCatalog has a channel on the site. Being a participant on that site, I’ve tuned into some broadcasts on BC’s channel. So far, Erica O'Grady has broadcast four discussions about social media. Again there is a chatroom for viewers to ask questions.
Another site I found, because of a YouTuber, is Stickcam. This site is geared to those folks who enjoy webcam interaction. Thus, I really haven't explored the site much. Help walks you through the setup.
Earlier this year Ginger Rose returned from Lafayette to live with my sister . She turned one in early June. Here she is with her favorite toy.
Tropical Depression Arthur, formerly Tropical Storm Arthur, decided to appear before the actual Hurricane Season started today, June 1st. The season lasts from now until November 1st. Of course there are some years when the storms don’t pay attention to the ending date either. So it’s time for the hurricane geeks to get a hold of their maps to plot those coordinates. Us coastal folks have to start thinking about what we’re gonna take if we are forced to leave our homes and which way we're gonna go should a monster storm head our way.
A few sites for the hurricane “diehards”:
Tropical Weather . . . Done Better™
Tropical Weather: Weather Underground
Tropical Weather and Storms: Hurricane Updates from Weather.com
And now for the list of names that will be used. After these names, the Greek alphabet is used as was the case in 2005:
Atlantic Storms
Bertha
Cristobal
Dolly
Edouard
Fay
Gustav
Hanna
Ike
Josephine
Kyle
Laura
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paloma
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky
Wilfred
East Pacific Storms
Alma
Boris
Cristina
Douglas
Elida
Fausto
Genevieve
Hernan
Iselle
Julio
Karina
Lowell
Marie
Norbert
Odile
Polo
Rachel
Simon
Trudy
Vance
Winnie
Xavier
Yolanda
Zeke
Anyone's name on either list?
Artists Call to Action
The Orphan Works Act of 2008
Don’t Let This Pass
Make Your Voice Heard
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CqBZd0cP5Yc
On April 24, Senators Pat Leahy (D-VT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA), John Conyers (D-MI) and Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced legislation (S.2913, HR 5889), which is now being referred to as the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008. It is virtually the same bill that was presented in 2006, and subsequently rejected by Congress. But now, they are trying again.
If passed, the Act would radically alter
copyright laws, taking away the automatic copyright now guaranteed to artists
of all types who create any type of work. Right now, under U.S. law, you
are automatically guaranteed copyright on everything you create, from the
sketches in your sketchpad to your best paintings and sculptures. Under the
Orphan Works Act, every creator will be required to register everything
he or she creates in a private registry system, requiring a fee of course,
and supposedly to make it easier for the “public” to search for works and
contact the creators if they want to use the works for some purpose.
Everything created in the last 30 years will need to be registered
through this as-yet nonexistent system, including those works already registered
via additional fees with the copyright office. If they aren’t, and some
member of the public makes “due diligence” to find the creator of a work
and can’t find him or her, that member of the public is entitled to use
the work without any limitations, and artists will have no legal recourse.
That means every piece of work you have out there, especially online, would
be open season for use by major publishing houses and businesses (Microsoft
— who owns one of the largest online image databases — and Google have already
voiced support for the bill and indicated they will use thousands of images)
and everyone in between.
Proponents of the bill say it will assist the public in identifying and contacting creators of works and going through the proper channels to contact them to ask for permission. While we understand the need for an organized system of search, there are MAJOR FLAWS in the proposed bill that need to be addressed before any such proposal should take place. Here are a few points:
Last week, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the bill, and yesterday, May 15, the Senate Judiciary Committee did as well. This means the bill will be presented to Congress, likely before the end of May.
We need you to write to your representatives ASAP and let them know that you do NOT want this bill to be expedited, as it is now. Tell them we need a better solution, or tell them you don’t want it at all: Just be sure to tell them something soon. Click the links below to get more information on the bill, including a video that gives you a great overview of the artists’ concerns:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CqBZd0cP5Yc
http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00261
http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00185
http://www.capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=11346091&type=CU
http://www.asmp.org/news/spec2008/orphan_update.php
http://judiciary.house.gov/media/pdfs/Perlman080313.pdf
Click
below for several options of pre-written and editable letters that you can
fill out, and that will automatically identify and send it to your representatives
when you enter your address.
http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/
Don’t wait. Do it now. And pass this on to everyone you know. Thanks for your help
OK, so the turtle is a tiny one. I spotted the turtle in the lagoon while attending the LA/SPCA's "Dog Day Afternoon in Audubon Park." The second photo shows you the branch where the turtle was perched. See bottom center of the second photo.
This photo was taken at the Louisiana's SPCA's "Dog Day Afternoon in Audubon Park." The band Fleure de Lis provided music and local vendors served food and drink. Dogs and their owners took part in a Walkathon. This was a booth at the event. To see more photos from that day, click here.
On the first night of the National Art Education Association Convention, Crayola throws a lavish party for conventioneers. This year the convention was held at Mardi Gras World since the convention was in New Orleans. The warehouse is loaded with float parts that will be used on Blaine Kern floats.
Upon entering the Crayola Party, each guest was handed a "goodie bag." Inside the bag was a t-shirt and a 50th Anniversary Crayola set. Following the sound of music, folks made their way into the big room for hot hors d'oeuvres, desserts and open bar. The dance floor was already hopping as I arrived. Several people wore jester hats.
In a room across the hallway, there were three workshop stations to visit. One was set up for creating a collage. Another one was set up for imprinting and drawing. A third one involved collaborative mosaics. Here’s a piece I created that night using Twistibles Slick Stix™ (softer than oil pastels - kind of like lipstick), Model Magic (texture imprinting tools) and Washable Paint.
To see photos taken at the Crayola Party and the NAEA Convention, click here.
This is the guy who has launched a game of naked tag on YouTube only three days ago – in case you were wondering. I guess this will test those viewers who flag YouTube videos. Yes, spring is definitely here . . .
A friend Twittered this chart the other day. It ranks from top to bottom - least geeky to most geeky. Anyway, here it is for your amusement, perusement, irritation, comment, rotten tomatoes, etc. I imagine some folks might arrange some of the rankings quite differently.
While looking around, I also found a response post with a chart for bloggers in response to the chart above. Oh boy, here's more fun. Again, enjoy yourselves.
This evening I ate at the restaurant Aunt Leni's, in Algier's Point. I just happened to pick up a copy of a newspaper called The New Orleans Levee: "We Don't Hold Anything Back. As you might have guessed it is a satirical publication. You may remember my sift New Orleans Mayor Nagin Coldcocks the Media. Well, it just so happens that the March 2008 issue places the "gun-toting" photo of the mayor in other environments. The link is provided on the home page.
Some of you may have received e-mail jokes about the different kinds of Barbie's. Well this issue has Barbie's from different sections of the Big Easy. Oh, and next month the staff promises a send-up of a certain senator - given recent events in New York.
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