An Sionnach

Thousands of years ago, all the way up until now, the common world has looked for some type of attachment, and ideal that could help us gain some sense of purpose.  A man made imaginative of something perfect, and ideal, that one could long for, to give us purpose and meaning.  This has been known as religion. With this the rich and the powerful have used this as a means to gain more.  The Crusades… about land and property for example, to such recent pompous expectations as the Roman Pontiff, “It ALONE has the right to ensure the respect due to the Successors of Peter, and therefore, to protect the figure and personal identity of the Pope from the unauthorized use of his name and/or the papal coat of arms for ends and activities which have little or nothing to do with the Catholic Church.” (Emphasis added), as well as the numerous things I have encountered in my many years and experiences in faith based religion.

Recently there was a broadcast put out by CNN and Boing Boing

This is only a redirection of the same thing.  A person looking for an ideal.  Recently, Japan, has become know for it’s certain little oddities.  Strange game shows, anime, hentai, as well as technology.  Much of this is due to the huge decrease in satisfaction-al  relationships many Japanese have (this is of course based on numerous resources, not my own experience) due to over-work and less focus on the traditional family values, as well as the time one is willing to take to build a family under “SUPPORTING” a family.

This is only a precursor of what is to come in the US.  Cost of living increasingly goes up.  Families, unless they are in the upper echelon, can afford to survive on a single person income.  Many times both parental figures are typically working, than actually raising their family, except through TV or toys.

I know, as a single male, how difficult it is to survive on your own,without a housemate, a partner, or a wife.  I can’t really afford medical care, I drive over 60 miles a day for a “EH (Under 30,000)” paycheck.  How could I even imagine attempting to taking care of a spouse, neverless, a family.

Technology has become our out.  Things like “Love Plus”, Second Life, The Sims, IMVU, Facebook, Myspace as well as so many other programs, have become a substitute for something lacking in so many peoples lives, much like religion had become.

The difference between Religion and Technology, is at least technology admits it’s a lie, and that it is not real.

Here is just another example of what I am talking about.  If this doesn’t get you thinking…  All I am stumped with is… “HUH!”

What say you??

3D rendering of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night

Most of you who have been around my blog, or any of the sites I have designed, have seen some of my graphical work.  For years I have been toying around with graphics.  Outside of any formal art classes from back in high school, everything I have learned has been self taught, as well a being a gift from my creator.  For years my mom, dad, and aunt have hassled me about wasting this God given talent that I have.  Friends have pointed out my natural gift and have always asked for assistance when working on designs themselves.  And it wasn’t until recently that I realized that I am completely wasting this gift, and settling for something far less that only gets me by.  So after thorough examination of myself, my gifts and what I want in life; as well as some encouragement from some people close to me I have decided to enroll myself into college for a degree in Graphic Design.  It is an online course, fully accredited.  The first year focuses on the graphical aspects of the course, which will give me a diploma, as well as the skills to begin work as a graphical artist.  Once I have the diploma I can then pursue my Associates and Bachelors degree in one of two fields.  Graphic Design or Interactive Graphical Media allowing me to progress further into the field.  Classes start on Oct 1st, so InshAllah (God Willing) my Federal Loans with pull through in enough time to purchase books, supplies, and possibly a Mac.  I could stick with the PC, which I will stick with if I need to, but most graphical artists use a Mac and are usually looking for someone with Mac experience.  If I purchase one later then I will have to repurchase most of the software again for the Mac OS.  So hopefully things will work out.  The other tough part will be working, and taking courses at the same time.  Fortunately with online courses you can work on your own schedule, as long as you meet the necessary requirements set by the school.  I have to say I am pretty excited, and looking for this yet another challenge in my life.

To many it’s just a game or a glorified chat room, but for many others they see that tool that it can become. Check out this impressive build done for a college project

New addition to my design gallery. The above logo was designed for Annunciation Antiochian Orthodox Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

The logo design uses strong symbolism from Revelations, where the woman gives birth to a son. Note the sun, blue attributing to the Most Holy Theotokos (from the Western tradition), and the 12 stars. The three rays is a traditional symbol that is used in icons of the Annunciation which represents God, sending forth the Holy Spirit to the Virgin Mary to bring forth the Christ child.

OK you have that slow machine, or you have some top secret creation that you don’t want anyone to see before you complete it. Well it is now possible through Blender. If you head over to 3pointD you can get the lowdown.

The first thing you need is Blender, which is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. All three of which we have in the house. So you now have blender, now you need to head over to pick up the Prim.Blender plugin to make it compatible with SL. Pick it up right here. Just follow the directions and your on your way.

So you finished up your project and are ready to bring it into SL. Just download the LSL importer and follow the directions.