xles In reply to bakasan94 [2012-05-28 19:25:49 +0000 UTC]

Thanks for the adorable, albeit very sad, artwork.

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xles In reply to SolanumEpidemic [2011-12-06 03:10:13 +0000 UTC]

Good things are to be appreciated.

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-06 02:54:04 +0000 UTC]

Not as much a laugh as a "daw" from the touching panel. It's too early for laughs. ...Way too early, don't know why I'm even up. And now I'm rambling. It was a fun silly little comic though!

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-06 05:50:45 +0000 UTC]

Well thanks all the same! And why ARE you up if its early?! o.O

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-06 05:57:15 +0000 UTC]

Slept two hours, woke up, tried to fall asleep for a further two hours, gave up and went up at 0330.

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-06 05:59:07 +0000 UTC]

You're living in a different world. Even the TIME is different! XDD J/K

Hell, its 1200 on the money here. I'm about to punch out for the night. Considering how early I rise, I shouldn't even be awake this late. Sigh. I'm getting too old for this. XD

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-06 06:24:14 +0000 UTC]

Danny Glover said it best; I'm gettin' too old for this shit. ^^

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-06 15:08:12 +0000 UTC]

XD

I always wanted to be able to say that, and have it finally be true. Alas, I'm not even to the half way mark. Though... I'm certainly older than I used to be. o.O

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-06 20:34:18 +0000 UTC]

Man, I have it easy. I've been a grumpy old man since the day I turned nine and realised that the world is filled with complete morons, everywhere, everyone, myself included. If anything I'm probably younger now than I've ever been before, starting to enjoy stuff.

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-06 21:42:24 +0000 UTC]

You and I are cut from the same cloth. Though, I do let things roll off my back considerably more than I used to, and even still, considerably more than a lot of people - I'm still bitter, rage-filled and spiteful. XD

To quote one of my co-workers (upon meeting me), "Ahh, so your a spiteful pessimist. Which is odd because you're so damnably chipper!"

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-08 00:23:15 +0000 UTC]

Hehehe, reminds me of what a good friend told me a whole bunch of years ago, back in secondary school; "xles, you're a very angry and bitter little man..."

I just wish I'd known back then what I know now; The importance of knowing how to tell people to fuck the hell off when they're being of no good use. That and not to fucking listen to people when they're talking out of their ass, like my ninth grade guidance counselor. But whatcha' gonna' do. I was young and stupid. And I still am.

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-08 00:50:54 +0000 UTC]

Well, ya know what they say; There's no better teacher than experience.

I'm right there with ya. If I knew then what I know now. Instead, my youth was wasted on being young. Like an idiot. But then, show me one 15-20 year old who DOESN'T think they know everything about everything ver.

Ahhh folleys of youth. I think about the person I could be now, all the success and things if only I hadn't had to make my own mistakes. But NOOOOOO, I was too busy hearing everyone's advice and warnings without listening.
Pff.

Oh well. No worse for the wear, I guess.

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-08 01:08:50 +0000 UTC]

I was way too busy not being a kid actually. "Quiet back there you dang ruffians, I can't hear the teacher! ...Damn kids.". Favourite book growing up was the encyclopaedia.

I have had a rather fundamental change in the last few years though. Growing up around computers, I was convinced that I'd never do anything else, what good is a pencil anyway, who needs art, art is stupid. ...Now, I'm fed up with computers, I really rather Hate computers now, and don't much want anything to do with them any more. Unfortunately they do represent 100% of my verifiable skillset, so I'm somewhat tied down. But all I want to do is art, I want to learn how to handle every kind of tool possible. Just spinning around on my chair I'm on now I can see acrylics, coloured pencils, more pencils, sketch pads, video cameras, still cameras, film cameras, fountain pens, dip pens, felt pens and a 'cello.

I'm convinced there has to be something, something other than computers, that I don't completely suck at. There has to be.

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-08 04:46:45 +0000 UTC]

Yes, thats kind of how it goes though. You surround yourself with something for long enough that its all you see, and you're bound to grow tired of it. When I was younger, I wore all black, all the time. I can't stand to have that shit on my body half the time now. Same principle. You grow tired of the same thing after a while. What was once awesome, thriving and cutting edge will always become starchy, dull and mundane when you subject yourself to enough of it.

Consider the fad and how it cycles. After all, people often jump on the next best thing (if not because everyone else is doing it) because its different, new, exciting.
Surround yourself with computers and keyboards long enough and you'll find a pen and pad more appealing.
Thats my theory anyways.


The beauty of sucking at things is that such a trifle thing can be rectified.
Anything can be learned, by just about anyone. Period.
I've seen some of the worst people though my prior courses go from shit with charcoal to variable Rembrandts. If someone can learn something as complex as art, I reckon you can learn anything.

I'd start by picking something that peaks your interest, truthfully.


I'm feeling awful deep tonight. Maybe its just me.

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-08 14:50:01 +0000 UTC]

Indeed.

The problem with picking something that peaks My interest, is that I have an interest in pretty much everything... Granted, not a bad problem to have, but it does make things difficult. I would like to get into the film industry some day, but we'll see how that goes. As long as I have new things to learn, I'll be somewhat content no matter what I end up doing.

I mean, hell, I could scrub toilets for a living if it gave me enough free time to work on something that I care about. Work to live, never live to work. If my sole reason to be alive is to go to work, you might as well feed my brain with a lead bullet right now.

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-08 15:28:24 +0000 UTC]

I hear that. Truthfully, I don't care for work. Simple fact is, it needs to be done. Plus, if I have nothing but free time, I start to go stir-crazy. Work balances that out pretty nicely, no matter how much I hate it. They key, as with everything, is a nice gray area.

I always wanted to get into filming and such. Or, I thought I did, then, the more school I went through, the more I realized that I didn't want to turn a hobby that I loved into work. I'd rather it be a hobby, even if I can't do half the things now that I could if I were in the field. lack of equipment y'know.

But I still have aspirations to do little pojects and big projects, I still have many ideas and I never stop seeking the knowledge to do stuff. All I need is time, gear and practice. But at least I know how it all works.

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-08 17:28:32 +0000 UTC]

A wise man once said, you should be bored at work, so you can use that time to your advantage.

On one hand, once a hobby becomes work, it cease to be a hobby. On the other, some say that if your job is your hobby you never need to work again.

My problem is a general lack of useful ideas and people willing to help out. Gear, knowledge and time I've got plenty. ...Could always use more gear, but still.

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-08 18:28:50 +0000 UTC]

Very interesting thought.

Odd that all I need is gear and time. Knowledge and Ideas I've got plenty of, alls I need is a little backing in some form or another. I could be rich. RICH I TELLS YA!

In fact, one of the few things I don't acredit myself with knowing too much about is how to get the attention of the right people to pitch said ideas to. For example, they've got glasses that self-tint in the light, why not energy efficient windows for your home, or self-tinting car glass? Now, if only someone would listen to such an idea and not steal it from beneath me. So far, I imagine getting only one of those two, if either at all.

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-09 00:29:50 +0000 UTC]

Yeah I don't know how, where, when or who to get attention from/of either. I have a friend I picked up back at the uni while taking cinema-studies (which I failed miserably), and she aspires to be a producer or screenwriter sometime in the future. She has promised to help me out with my projects if I ever get something together. I did some calculations, and I could probably do a zero* budget film for around 5000 euro or thereabout, if I only have a good idea for it.

(* Zero budget doesn't imply zero cost, while you may be able to trick a dozen friends into making a movie with you, it's still a good idea to provide food and drink for your cast and crew. And if you manage to get them to take a week off, utilize friday eve through sunday night the week after, you've got ten days and a dozen people to keep content. And that's fairly expensive when you throw numbers around.)

As for self-tinting car windows and such;
The problem with photochromatic coatings used on eyeglasses is that currently, all methods rely on a photochemical reaction, which is both slow in transition as well as something that wont last forever. It wears out fairly quick (a few thousand or tens of thousand or maybe a million transitions). Imagine driving in a car in full sunlight, and then *wham' you drive into a tunnel. While your eyes adjust fairly quickly to the change in ambient light, the photochromatic coating will take a few seconds (some upwards a minute or more) to adjust. This could be potentially dangerous, which is also why many countries discourage the use of photochromatic lenses in eyeglasses meant for automotive use.

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-09 00:44:15 +0000 UTC]

All the more reason for someone to pick up my idea and do some good old R&D on it! Hey... nothing starts out perfect. And in the event that it does, I wouldn't trust it. XD

Yeah, must be nice to catch a lucky break like THAT! I got a lucky break with my current occupations, I'm making more than I ever have in my life and I'm STILL just a workin' stiff. oh grunt work. If it weren't for people like me, no one would do it.

I wouldn't mind getting hold of a nice little HD camera, I haven't found any for less than 1400.00 USD though. Thats a little out of my mental price range, even if I had the cash - I still couldnt' talk myself into it... not when I could by a used car for that much.
Though still, man how great it would be to just get some of that raw footage. Afer that, its all in the editing, which I've got down. I could probably enlist and teach some friends to do it as well and my friends work for cheap! XD
Not to mention they'd be very hopeful to make it into a project in the future, which I'd be happy to do for nothing. Still... having a small workforce behind you would be amazing.


See, the problem talking about this stuff is that now, i want a camera. And now, I'm prolly going to be searching ebay for one to no avil. XD

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-09 01:26:29 +0000 UTC]

I need to find someone willing to employ a useless bum with way too much knowledge about stupid shit nobody ever cared about. Being out of a job sucks ass. I have all this free time and no funds to use it for something useful. *sob*

I really love my video camera, excellent piece of kit, even if it's 7 years old now. Canon XL1s. It worked for "28 Days Later...", it's good enough for me (at least until I can afford something proper, 10k EUR is a tad much for a hack amateur like me). I still need to do some upgrades with my camera for it to be truly useful in a production sense. But for playing around it works just fine as is. A new microphone (and preferably a new boom as well) is the #1 priority at this time. ...Then again, you don't have to shoot sync, may as well shoot MOS, but then I'd need to build a recording studio, and I don't have an appropriate microphone for that either.

But until I get a job (or more accurately, until I get a stable income), this is just a childish wish list. ...I'm still paying for the camera, actually. But I have a good arrangement with that: As long as I don't have an income, I don't have to pay.

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-09 16:53:38 +0000 UTC]

Thats a pretty good arrangment. And HEY, we ALL wish someone would be willing to hire useless bums with way to much knowledge about stupid shit nobody ever cared about!

I hate being jobless. Sure its nice at first but then you start needing a house and food and things and eventually you'll take ANYTHING. Which ulitimately ends up scewing you 8 times out of 10.

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-10 01:28:21 +0000 UTC]

Quite. Myself I'm "fortunate" enough to live with my mother for the time being...

Granted, it's both practical and cheap. But I'd much prefer it if I could afford to have my own place of residence. It could be worse I suppose. My friend from the university I mentioned earlier, she also lives with her mother. Unlike me however, king of my own bedroom in my parents house, she lives with three other people in a two bedroom apartment down town. I bitch about having a tedious commute to get anywhere, she shares a bed with her mother.

She's got me beat by a step though, she's got a job, saving up cash to move out. I'm lagging behind!

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-12 20:49:09 +0000 UTC]

Having a job certainly makes things easier. Depending on the job, in my experience. There are those jobs that give you JUST ENOUGH to keep you hard at work all the time. Those jobs, not so good. Better than nothing? Hmm, debatable.

I'm finding myself in a renters nightmare currently, My friends are moving out and getting their own place, which is fine. I make enough to rent on my own. Buuuuttt, thanks to my less than stellar credit, finding a place is proving... problematic. And thats putting it lightly.

Fingers crossed. Wish me luck.


You'll find yourself a place to work, Its statistically impossible to NOT get a job as long as you're looking. I mean, someone, somewhere MUST need someone to do the grunt work. And if thats what it takes to get a foot-hold, I certainly wouldn't be above it, at least for a short while. I'd hate it though XD.

A lot of people in this country are whining and complaining "There are no jobs, there are no jobs"... there ARE because there are 'revolving door' places like food chains and coffee shops everywhere that don't keep employees very long because most of them are idiot kids. I've had my share of those jobs, and being fired or quitting because I was a moron. The problem with a lot of people is they think since they were a CEO or they're so highly edcucated that they are above such work. Well, if they truly are, then they're right, there's no work anywhere. ever.
Simple fact is, if they REALLY wanted to work, they would get one of those crap jobs, if they had a family to support, they'd get 3 of them. I've seen people do a lot more for a lot less.


I'm... not sure I had a point to such a rant-and-ramble. That happens to me sometimes. Sorry XD

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-14 02:20:04 +0000 UTC]

*crossing fingers*

A good friend of mine once told me; There's no such thing as unemployed, only unemployable.
Meaning, if you can't get a job it usually isn't because jobs doesn't exist.

Currently my resume is my biggest issue I think. The typical reaction to it is that they laugh and ask to see my "real resume". Which is somewhat off-putting, but a resolvable issue. Especially as I live for virtually free at the moment. Gives me time to try to acquire new skills and references. Currently I've been instructed to fix a personal website as a means of "branding" myself. Supposedly it would assist in looking for things such as a code-monkey position. Web development and stuff like that. This side will in turn have a version of my resume on it (actually it's an online resume application with custom cover letters for each position I apply for).

Now, as for crap work. There are some things that I will not do. I, unfortunately, know myself all too well. And as such, I know how certain environments affect me. Basically, I refuse to apply for a position where I'm certain I am going to hurt people. Generally speaking I'm not a violent guy (a mosquito might disagree), but I've been known to react poorly to certain environments. And I'm not sure a crap job where you barely get paid to do shit work is worth jail time.
...Then again, that would provide me with food and shelter for an extended period of time...

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classicEIGHT In reply to xles [2011-12-14 02:41:30 +0000 UTC]

Y'know, I've been told the same thing many times, by many folks regarding resume's. It's a sound tactic that involves a very simple task; Put only what you need in your resume, and be sure to put what will be sure to hook them in the first page, preferably high up.
The theory is that once they see the golden shining aura of greatness they won't need or want to read further as they've found what they want. The alternative theory is that you can be as skilled as they come in 200 areas and fluent in a dozen languages, but no one wants to muddle through your life's story and 50 pages of jabber.
I know this has worked for me in the past, but you need to follow up with a strong portfolio - which is where I typically fail. My portfolio is filled with my best work, but its not often that someone finds what they are looking for in it. Unfortunate.
That's a pretty awesome application, by the sounds of it, BTW. Nice way to broaden your search without having to, well, have a 200 page resume.

As for crap work, I agree with you whole-heartedly. I find myself a bit highly strung for things like customer service and a fast-paced work environment. Not a violent man, but easily worked up and angered. I've worked them though, my how I've worked them. I had a job at a burger joint once, I was good at the work (not difficult), but the manager was a monster. She would bark orders like a Drill Instructor and thats no exaggeration. She would SCREAM at the top of her lungs when we went over time on orders - to the point that one night a customer came into the kitchen and really let her have it on the matter. Said things, let her know that he owned his own chain and he wouldn't be shocked if every one of us walked out that night after the way she spoke to us.
That worked for a few weeks, then it all started back in. I yelled back one day. And so ended one of the worst jobs in my life, heheh.

In the end, its just a judgement call really. You have to look at it from every angle. is it a job? Sure, sure, it brings in the income, which can do wonders for you and as long as you're not attached to it, you can split any ol' time. (I have issues with just up and quitting places. Makes me feel bad) The thing about having a job like that is it'll really take it out of you when it comes time to search for more. You either have to make a call on having a job before getting a job or muster up everything you can to have one while looking for one.

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xles In reply to classicEIGHT [2011-12-14 03:11:28 +0000 UTC]

Unfortunately my resume is rather the reverse. It's more or less a blank sheet of paper with my name on it (ok, slight exaggeration, but you get the idea). So really my only thing is a decent portfolio, and I have the bad habit of thinking that 100% of what I do is complete shit, so that's pretty empty as well. However, I have done stuff, even though it all sucks. And I can use that to fill in the gaps, I suppose, with some help from some kind friends I have. Like the resume application for instance, I suppose I could put that in there. The downside to being a web developer (in contrast to a web designer) is that your code can be the best shit on the planet, take you years to develop. But the designer get all credit for the site. People don't care about how well the back end works, as long as it's pretty or until it breaks.

That manager sounds like someone who's going to get her face punched and/or attached to the grill one day.

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xles In reply to LanviL [2010-12-23 13:20:48 +0000 UTC]

Sure thing, perfect Finland. ^^

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xles In reply to Synthucard [2010-10-09 11:07:27 +0000 UTC]

Hehehe, yeah, I'm sneaky like that. That avatar is all over the web, and it's all mine! If you find it some place else, you can bet I'm there.

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xles In reply to Shaw-exe [2010-02-12 09:59:20 +0000 UTC]

Hallå där!
Tyckte det var dags att slänga den där watchen jag kom hit för.

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xles In reply to Stoy [2010-02-11 17:34:23 +0000 UTC]

yay me!

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xles In reply to NairasIllustrations [2010-02-10 21:56:45 +0000 UTC]

Sure thing, you know me, I'm a sucker for pretty... ^^

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NairasIllustrations In reply to xles [2010-02-10 22:33:00 +0000 UTC]

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