Brain Dump
Creativity
It’s really annoying, a month ago I was talking about being on a creative high, however for the past couple of weeks I’ve seriously been hitting a creative wall, AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN. I knew back then that the creativity wouldn’t last forever but it’s really frustrating when you sit down and honestly waste so much time doing sweet fuck all. I don’t know what’s going on, but even the regular haunts I troll to siphone creativity haven’t really been giving me the ideas, which is even more depressing. I’ve actually put my name down for sorting out Broken Kode V5 for CSSReboot, however I honestly don’t know if I’m going to be able to make it in time, we’ll see.
Travelling
Seems like only yesterday I got back from Spain, and tomorrow I’ll be jetting off to Greece to see my parents and get some serious R&R done. I’ll probably do a little bit of reviewing for SplashPanel while I’m there so you can expect a few more reviews coming through (the last big push was when I was last there in Christmas). Tracey’s coming along for the ride, first time in Athens so that should be an interesting experience for her.
Formula 1
I was very upset when Webber lost power in his car, leading the Grand Prix no less (yes I know he was going to get overtaken, but he definitely had the podium in his grasp). The thing that made it slightly better for me was the great way in which he handled the whole situation, which showed a great deal of maturity on his part. He didn’t bad mouth the team, he quickly said that everyone had done a great job in the factory and that he just thought they had to sort out their reliability issues; which is completely true. He was obviously disappointed however he remained a complete pro. I also laughed when Nico said ‘ Yeah I could see him coming to crash into the back of me, and I was thinking ” Please Don’t”‘. Soo funny. I really hope the team gets it together for the next race because it’s really tough supporting a team that has the potential but doesn’t seem to be hitting the mark all the time.
Skype
So I finally actually talked to Michael on the phone last week. I literally got my IPEVO phone, connected it and bam I got onto IM and was looking for anyone that I could test this on. Luckily Michael was on and we had a really good chat (lasted like an hour and a half) about everything under the sun. What was really great is how we were able to talk about blogging and this little hobby of ours and we both knew exactly what the other was talking about. I got the same feeling when I met Podz and Matt last year. If you ever get the chance to meet/talk to other bloggers you’ve been reading for a while I really recommend you do it because you gain a friend, rather than just an internet buddy. Talking or meeting makes them that much more real, even though you know loads about their lives in general (reading their stuff etc). I’ll definitely be looking into talking to more people online now. Skype is cool.
Inkscape
I’ve been looking into using Inkscape because I want a lightweight vector graphics tool. This little thing has got a lot of potential, just needs to get past a few of it’s interface issues. I am having problems with it to be honest though. Basically I’ve got a Wacom pen, and for some reason Inkscape is seeing that as the only real input to the programme. Therefore I can’t use my normal mouse which is a real shit. Anyone have any idea what I should be doing to make sure that I can use BOTH my wacom pen and a normal mouse using Inkscape? I think it’s got something to do with the input devices properties but I have no idea how to disable it while my Wacom pen is still connected? Shame the site doesn’t have a forum or anything like that. (BTW I’m a windows user, so no Linux talk, thanks :) ).
Podcasting
It would seem that if you’re a Windows user, you can’t create an enhanced podcast; that’s according to the Apple website. That kinda sucks because part of the reason for me wanting to do this is because I really liked the production quality of additing the chapters and the links and the images. Very annoying to say the least. The only alternative is to say a big fuck you to Apple and create a Windows Media Enhanced podcast, which to be honest is just as bad. We’re going to be needing a decent open source media player that can do the job properly, wonder if Songbird is going to be good enough?
Yeah Khaled, you definately update Splash Panel!
↓ Quote | 5/4/2006
Oh, we have to skype! Ever heard an American Southern Drawl?
↓ Quote | 5/4/2006
On the topic of creativity, I’ve actively tried to fight it since 2001, and I have a few words of advice if you could use it:
1: It’s okay to rely on routine.
You can’t reinvent the spoon all the time, and recycling is good! If you did something that worked for a similar project in the past, it’s okay to rehash the concept.
I’m actually right in the process of compiling a list of things that work for me, here are two:
2: Design matters much less than you think.
Meaning, that detail that you can’t pin down. Forget about it. No-one will notice it.
3: If in doubt, add a border.
Works for me :)
↓ Quote | 5/4/2006
Kathan - Yeah I’ll be sure to get a load of reviews up and running and the new design as well should go live sooner rather than later hopefully. I’ve got a couple of interviews lined up as well so that should be pretty cool as well.
Jenn - We’ll be talking very soon, once I get back from Greece :).
Joen - Hehe, laughed at number 3. The real problem right now is that I kinda know what I want but can’t seem to get that spark that gets me started and allows the ideas to flow like the river. Eh, hopefully a little break will do me some good eh :). Recharge those batteries. Speaking of which you’ve got to sort out your Skype so we can do a Shuttle ‘chat’.
↓ Quote | 5/4/2006
Actually I just found out my microphone so now there should be nothing in the way.
Except for the fact that I’m more into Google Talk / Jabber… :)
↓ Quote | 5/4/2006
Oh! That’s a classic!
↓ Quote | 6/4/2006