The Eldritch Mr. Shiny's page

I'm saying something controversial. Later, someone with an opposing viewpoint will call me a douchebag. I will then call him a douchebag, and we will have a troll party. The trolls will all have party hats.

A week later, when everyone's family has been insulted, a moderator will kill the trolls with fire.

I just found out about this today, and figured I should share:

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=25093

I'm sick of looking at this when I'm scrolling through the OTD.

This is the part where I get to promote my radio show. Currently, it's running on WERW AM 1570, Syracuse, NY, but I've been recording each episode of the show as a podcast and posting it on the web.

Each episode features a lot of music that I like and appreciate, as well as the weekly featured website.

The show page can be found here:

The End of Silence

I've been thinking of starting up a Wordpress site, in addition to my portfolio website, as a venue for my essays on various topics, as well as a limited selection of short fiction and my ramblings on life.

I'm not going to call it a "blog," simply because the word "blog" conjures up images of various unsavory bodily functions (thanks go to Henry Rollins for bringing up that particular point), but it could serve some of the same functions.

What do you think?

I'm currently a student at Syracuse University, and I can't seem to find anyone else in the area that plays RPGs. Is there anyone out there?

Just wanted to ask a few things, in case anyone here knows anything about Dreamweaver and/or HTML coding. I'm in the process of expanding the gallery page of my professional website, and several things are not displaying properly:

1. The lightboxed images in my "comics" and "colored work" sections do not show up in the lightbox; they merely open up in the browser.

2. The preview images in all of the sections are preceded by a strange and distracting half-page indent that I can't seem to get rid of.

How do I fix these issues? These two are the major problems, but I do have another question: how do I add text to the lightbox image? I need to credit some people for linework and other copyright reasons.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, if passed, will be an immense violation of EVERYONE'S privacy and civil liberties.

- ISPS will now watch what you download, and tattle on you if you download a music track/ any data / rapidshares / torrents etc.
- ISPS will tattle on you, when you do anything which goes against "Governments policy".
- ISPS will be able to document and store EVERYTHING you do online. nothing will ever be private again.

Read more here.

SIGN THE PETITION TO STOP THE ACTA

The last few months have been hard ones for heavy metal. Pete Steele, James "The Rev" Sullivan, and the seemingly immortal Ronnie James Dio all passed away within a relatively short time. And now, they've got another metal legend for company.

Bassist Paul Gray of Slipknot, Unida, and Hail! was found dead in his hotel room in Urbandale, Iowa, at 10:50 AM on Monday, May 24, 2010. Toxicology reports have not been released, but Gray had been battling a heroin addiction for quite some time. Foul play seems not to have been a factor.

Article on Ultimate-Guitar.com

Article on the Des Moines Register Online

News report from KCCI Iowa News 8

Now, I'm not going to lie, as much as some people knock Slipknot for being a nu-metal band, I really dug them as a teenager, and still do. Slipknot, along with Seether, Social Distortion, and Rollins Band, was one of my "gateway drugs" into music, and they've put out a number of monstrous, head-banging jams.

Paul, you will be missed. I'll play you off with my favorite Slipknot track: "Left Behind"

I know some bad things went down with his family, but it's been three weeks since his last post, and I'm getting kinda worried.

Have you ever come across a TERRIBLE song (or a decent song by a s&&&ty band) that you know sucks, but you can't stop listening to? It happens to me daily.

Here are a few of mine:

Paul Gross - "Ride Forever"

The All-American Rejects - "Swing Swing"

Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up"

Type O Negative singer and bassist dead of heart failure at 48.

The whole episode is up on YouTube. I found the premise to be quite interesting: comedian Dara O'Briain is preparing to do a gig in front of a large group of LARPers, but has to sort of immerse himself in LARP culture before he can do the show.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Dara O'Briain is the man!

From Jeph Jacques' LiveJournal:

Part 1 / Part 2

Please tell me she's not wearing what I think she's wearing...

This isn't happening...

Here's the article.

What do you think?

You know, because I totally have a TON of free time...

Anyway, I'm itching to get in on another PbP game, preferably using the PFRPG rules. If anyone out there needs a player, shoot me an e-mail at theeldritchmrshiny@gmail.com

A guy approached me and asked me if I wanted to be in a band. I've wanted to be in a real band for years, but I know from experience that three of the four other guys party way harder than they should, and I'll be heading to college in September. Should I join?

For those of you who do not know, I will be accompanying a group of drunken frat boys across Ireland and Wales for the next ten days (starting Saturday). I have decided to chronicle my travels in a journal, which, if I have computer access in the lands of my ancestors, will be updated sporadically. If no computer access is available, I will post the entire bloody thing when I get back.

Enjoy,
Dave Mallon, the Eldritch Mr. Shiny

This is one of the few political issues I dare post on these boards, merely because I need answers, and I need to spread the word.

The Orphan Works Act (which was passed through the United States Senate in September of 2008) was recently under debate in the House of Representatives. This bill, while designed to benefit libraries and museums, fits very nicely into the interests of large corporations (specifically their not having to pay for anything).

The (much simplified) points of the bill are as thus:

• All works of art (visual or otherwise) must be registered or otherwise marked, or will be considered "orphaned."
• A work that is orphaned (not clearly marked as belonging to its author) is of fair use and may be used by any party that wants it.
• If passed, this bill would require every artist to fill out Notice of Use papers for EVERY SINGLE WORK THEY HAVE EVER PRODUCED. In my case, being merely a young art student, this would require me to register several HUNDRED works. Some versions of the bill being discussed include a fee. Ergo, if passed, it is quite possible that people would have to buy their own art back from the government.

The part that I have the biggest problem with is that someone (a corporation, private individual, etc.) could "orphan" a work of art simply by cropping a signature out, or similar. Therefore, any work could reasonably be stolen from its owner with little work on the part of the thief.

Art theft is already rampant, mainly due to the ease with which images may be found on the internet (for more information, check out Vitaly S. Alexius' DeviantArt journal).

Am I reading this right? And if I am, is there really that little that we can do about it? What the f~*~ is wrong with the world?

For more information, visit the Graphic Artists' Guild website or the Orphan Works News blog (specifically, these FAQs and this letter.) I also found this YouTube video and this article informative.

link

(Reposted from this article on ultimate-guitar.com):

Being accused of plagiarism is not something any band wants to go through especially when the accused song was one of the biggest songs of the year and is up for three Grammy awards and the accuser is seeking “any and all profits” the band has made from the song.

In response to guitarist Joe Satriani’s accusations that Coldplay’s song "Viva La Vida" features "substantial original portions" of his own song, "If I Could Fly", Coldplay released a statement on their website to share their side of the argument.

"With the greatest possible respect to Joe Satriani, we have now unfortunately found it necessary to respond publicly to his allegations," the band writes. "If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him. Joe Satriani is a great musician, but he did not write or have any influence on the song Viva La Vida. We respectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavors."

Satriani is filing a lawsuit against the band and is seeking a jury trial for damages and all profits that the band has incurred from the song.

A comparison of "Viva La Vida" and "If I Could Fly" can be found here.

A mash-up of the two songs can be found here.

Spoilered due to bias on the part of Mr. Shiny:

Why have so many important and/or famous people been dying this year? So far, according to Wikipedia:

01-11 - Sir Edmund Hillary (explorer, philanthropist)
01-15 - Brad Renfro (actor)
01-17 - Bobby Fischer (chess prodigy)
01-19 - Suzanne Pleshette (actress)
01-22 - Heath Ledger (actor)

02-05 - Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (spiritual leader)
02-10 - Roy Scheider (actor)
02-27 - William F. Buckley, Jr. (author, political theorist)

03-04 - Gary Gygax (game designer, author)
03-19 - Arthur C. Clarke (author)

04-05 - Charlton Heston (actor)
04-13 - Dr. John Archibald Wheeler (physicist)
04-29 - Dr. Albert Hofmann (chemist)

05-26 - Sydney Pollack (film director, producer)

06-02 - Bo Diddley (musician)
06-03 - Mel Ferrer (actor, film director)
06-13 - Tim Russert (journalist)
06-15 - Stan Winston (artist)
06-22 - George Carlin (actor, comedian)
06-29 - Don S. Davis (actor)

07-04 - Jesse Helms (politician)
07-12 - Tony Snow (political commentator)
07-25 - Randy Pausch (author, scientist)

08-03 - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (author)
08-09 - Bernie Mac (actor, comedian)
08-10 - Isaac Hayes (actor, musician)
08-16 - Ronnie Drew (musician)

09-01 - Don LaFontaine (actor)
09-12 - David Foster Wallace (author)
09-26 - Paul Newman (actor, philanthropist)

10-26 - Tony Hillerman (author)

11-04 - Dr. Michael Crichton (author)

I didn't even know he had died...

R.I.P. Ronnie Drew.

There was, once upon a time, a thread on these messageboards, in which there was a link to a two-axis political test.

I call upon ye brave souls with nothing better to do to brave the Stygian depths of the Archives to reclaim this thread!

One of my friends is running a Burning Wheel game in a few days, and I am drawing a F&!%ING BLANK on character concepts. I NEED HELP. PLEASE.

I know that evil characters are not allowed in the Pathfinder society, but are neutral characters that worship evil deities allowed?

I'm thinking about creating a LN Chelaxian defector worshiping Zon-Kuthon in Andoran. Would that be legal?

This was just something random that popped into my head at 2 AM.

Mine:

Craig Conway (Doomsday) as Keegan Cawley
Adam Baldwin (Serenity) as Corvin Killgannon
Kevin Durand (Walking Tall) as Radik Aurel
Voice of David Hewlett (Cube) as Brick
Stephen McHattie (Shoot 'em Up) as Rackham Pulsifer
Sean Faris (The Glass Eye) as Mike O'Neill

I've been listening to the song "I Drink Milk" by the Teen Idles (Ian MacKaye's first band- pre Minor Threat / Fugazi), and I can't understand anything other than the chorus, which is, incidentally "I drink milk" repeated over and over again.

I love the song, but I can't find the lyrics anywhere. Does anybody know them?

OK, for all of you who think it's in your best interest to f#@+ with the other people on these boards, insult their opinions, and attempt to impose YOURS on them, I redirect you HERE.

It is with great sadness and regret that I have to inform you all that, due to extenuating circumstances, I will no longer be able to post on these messageboards.

Keep my stories and my characters alive. It's been a wild ride.

Yours truly,
David Michael Mallon
Friday, May 23, 2008

I redirect you here.

OK, here's the dealy-yo-yo:

I've been in a band for about two weeks. Three guys (Myself -Dave-, a guitarist -Brandon-, and a drummer -Dennis-), moderate talent, nothing really happening.

Problem 1: I'm somewhat employed at the TV station, and the guitarist works as a landscaper. However, the drummer's still in high school, and, on top of that, works at a convenience store. Read: when we practice, 1/2 of the time, there's only 2/3 of a band there.

Problem 2: The playing styles of the three of us are quite different, mostly due to our taste in music: I listen to Richard Shindell and Black Flag, Brandon listens to stuff like Staind and Element 80, and Dennis listens to Led Zeppelin. When we play, we sound like ...s#!$.

Problem 3: I have confidence issues. How can I fix this?

ANY ADVICE IS APPRECIATED.

Thanks,
Shiny

FOR ALL OF YOU THAT ARE RUNNING PbPs THAT I AM IN:
(mwbeeler, Fake Healer, Arctaris, Dragonmann, Zoomackulas, Kruelaid)

Starting this Saturday (April 12), and continuing until Monday, April 21, I will be in a foreign country and away from my laptop. Please NPC Seann / Corvin / Radik / Vilya / Brick / Keegan / Rackham until I get back.

Thank you.

I've been hearing a lot about this lately, but I don't know what it is, precisely. So I looked it up. BIG FRIGGIN' MISTAKE. I either got the super-layman's version, or the MIT professor's version. I need an explanation somewhere in between the two.

Does anyone know anything about it?

Keep in mind, I haven't had a college education.

Post funny and/or intersting quotes here. In this thread.

Example:

Context- A nationally ranked runner by the name of Lee Berube lives in the same town that I do. (He went to high school with me.) I was taping a community event honoring him, and happened to see that he was standing under a GIGANTIC sign proclaiming all sorts of glorious things about him.

Me: "Hey, Lee. You like your sign?"
Lee: "Yeah. It's big. It's a big sign. I like it."

He doesn't exactly have the greatest powers of observation.

This is going to sound idiotic, but...

...If you strap a buckler to your head, do you still get the +1 AC bonus?

I DEMAND SQUEEZY CHEESE! I DEMAND MENTOS! I FLY LIKE WILMA! YOU DENY ME FRESHMAKER?!?

Inspired by this thread, I thought that it should have a counterpart. It seemed lonely. Now without further ado, go! Post your PCs' most cowardly, chicken-livered moments! Don't be ashamed. Be proud!

I've been looking, but I haven't been able to find the Civil Religious Discussion. What happened? Why ain't I got no religion?

OK, eet go like dees:

Write 1 word + the first syllable of the next.

Next person finishes.

And so on.

Has anyone else read the new Punisher comics?

I just think it's coll that Frank has sort of taken on the mantle of Captain America with his new costume. Also, his main foe, the Hate Monger, is one of the most evil I have seen.

What do you all think?

What the hell?!?

Dr. Beckett was KILLED in the lats episode of Stargate Atlantis.

He was one of the best characters on the show!

Does anyone have any idea why he got axed / left.

And also, what happened to the Rainbow Sun Francks character? He dropped of the freakin' map.

This thread is for the off-topic things that don't fit in any other off-topic categories. Example:

Best. Quote. Ever. -

"Sticks and stones can break my bones and I have my Swiss Army knife if they hit me and if I kill them it will be self-defense and I won't go to prison."

Also, last night, I was sitting in my basement with all the lights off, watching my ever so precious Firefly DVDs, when I heard an ominous sound.

Someone was knocking on the basement door.

At two o'clock in the morning.

I grabbed a flashlight and a Bowie knife, and went to investigate.

I shined my light through the panes of glass in the door. There was nothing there.

I tentatively opened the door. I looked down, and I beheld...

...a f$~@ing TOAD! It had been f@~+ing slamming its warty little body into the door, scaring the living s*%~e out of me! I moved it away, and closed the door.

Fifteen minutes later, it was back. Five minutes after that, I gave up and went upstairs to bed.

Myself and Dirk Gently have been thinking of converting Shadowrun to D20 because we hate dice pools. We have come up with a few ideas. I have been thinking of using the D&D rules as a base as opposed to the D20 modern/cyberpunk rules.

What we have so far:

Street Samurai: Use fighter as a base, except every other bonus feat is replaced with a cyberware upgrade.

Street Shaman: Use the Urban Druid rules from the DC.

Eco-Shaman: Use druid as a base.

Mage: Use the gestalt mage rules from UA.

Ganger: Use the gestalt warrior rules from UA.

Any suggestions? Comments? Concerns?