How to add the Ken Burns effect in Final Cut Pro or Express where you give motion to stills jpgs. Tutorial by Ryan Jackson / ryanjackson.ca
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Mugen #795: American Gladiators
Title comes from an 1989-1996 (that was revived for a bit in 2008) show that was basically athletes against each other and the show's gladiators. The opponent here reminds me of that. Also, he was actually put off since January. Now, if you're aware of Team Spoiler, you know that their chars are well, crap (it is of note that Team Spoiler I believe possibly disbanded, some going to CvG where they at least improved a little, some staying at IMT). Guy Gardner Warrior is one of those comic chars no one has heard of. Well, damage is pretty bad. Sprites are misaligned everywhere, lack shading everywhere, and the anims are quite jerky. He blocks a lot. His CLSNs are ugly; priorities everywhere, amongst other things. He's basically totally silent. Cooldown and startup are almost nonexistent. Apparently JASONTODD of Team Spoiler did this with Madcook, who is one of the creators I hate the most. This sucks. This Chibimoon I used back in #168, which was a fair while ago (almost a year). She can do a lot of chip damage with her supers, especially with QCBx2+Y and D,D+A+B. The latter is a level 3, unless you're under 500 life, in which it becomes a level 1. I think a level 2 might've been a better choice. Her range is pretty short for the most part, except for QCF+P and charge B,F+P. The umbrella, B,F+Y, I can't find in the readme or CMD. Speaking of which, the two are a giant clusterfuck. They're crammed into 4 lines basically. I must admit, this is one of the best Sailor Moon chars ...
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Dingoo A320 Review
Apologies for audio aberrations during the video - I foolishly didn't realise an unshielded microphone was right under my face.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Part 3 - The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Chs 13-16)
Part 3. Classic Literature VideoBook with synchronized text, interactive transcript, and closed captions in multiple languages. Audio courtesy of Librivox. Read by Mark F. Smith. Playlist for The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: www.youtube.com
Electrical Heater Ideas Pink Graphing Calculator Sale Trickle Battery Charger Buy Online
Monday, November 14, 2011
How To Make Labels For Your Homemade Wine
If you are making your own homemade wines, it only makes perfect sense to make your own homemade labels. Making your own labels is the only way for you to know the homemade wines contents, age and characteristics. Having clear and concise homemade labels will make it easier when you are looking for a specific wine for it's flavor or characteristic without trying to remember the character of each batch. Making your own homemade wine labels is easy and is something you can do in a couple hours.
You will need to know both types of contents, the fruit you started with and the yeast. You need to write on the homemade label the history of the wine, the vintage year, and the type it is, the alcohol % and maybe a little about the flavor of your homemade wine. By doing a little research in the recipe book, you will know the approximate alcohol percentage. For instance as I write this I am sipping on a Nov. 2005, black grape, alcohol at about 13%, semi-dry finish, I call it my Cabernet, Yummy!
To make the homemade labels for your homemade wine you will need to have a computer, printer, plain paper or label stock, software that has graphics and scissors or paper shear. If you don't have Microsoft Office, there is a free program at openoffice.org that will do the task of creating your homemade wine labels just fine. It is up to you how fancy you want your labels to be. They can be plain and just have the immediate information on them or you can get artistic and add some design onto your wine bottles.
I recommend going to your favorite wine store for ideas. Check out the labels on the other small vineyards bottles. You will find many labels that look like they made them on a computer! You may even find a few winery labels of less quality than you will be creating.
Start with a graphic for the homemade wine label that will "brand" you. When in the store I am sure you found many types of animals like zebras, elephants, kangaroos, as well as logos like tipped over wine glasses and such. Try to think of a simple graphic that will convey your attitude or character. While reading labels, pay attention to what they have written on them, your homemade wine labels will want to say similar things.
Your homemade wine bottles will look stunning on the wine rack when you have these beautiful homemade labels on them. When your friends come over, offer up a unique looking bottle of your finest work. They probably will not know it is homemade wine until you tell them. I am not kidding, some of the labels you will see at the store are a joke. You can easily come up with a homemade wine label that will impress the wisest of critiques.
These homemade wine labels will look great on any bottle of homemade wine that you give to someone as a present or bring to a dinner party. I always enjoy that, bring a two dollar cost bottle of homemade wine to an elegant dinner party and wait for the compliments from the enthusiasts!. Not only will you be giving them a great gift with the homemade wine that you have created, you will compliment the gesture with your own branded label. This will be an idea that they will love and that you will be proud to give them.
You do not have to make the homemade labels look perfect. All you have to do is have some imagination and the right equipment. You can make all of your homemade wine bottles look like they were bought at a fine wine store. With the combination of one or two graphics and some well placed text, your homemade wine bottle labels will give your homemade wine the perfect finish.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Importance of Character
I had a bad case of writer's block this weekend. I wanted to write something great and profound, but couldn't because for some reason I had the attention span of a child. So I decided to do some spring cleaning and came across this gem of a speech I had written 10 years ago. "There's nothing new under the sun," is something my mother often says to me. Reading this speech made me realize how true this saying is because this speech still rings true today. See for yourself and I am sure you will agree.
Everyone has it. Some more than others. You have it. I have it. We cannot escape from it because it is who we are and we must strive to improve it in order to gain acceptance from others and ourselves. It is the only valid thing we have by which to judge someone. What is it? It is character. Character can simply be defined as moral or ethical strength. But when you see a handsome young guy walking down the street you don't say," That guy has a great...character!" Character is not a physical thing. It is not something you wear. To some character is a quaint little idea based on what we learned in kindergarten, but it is much more than that. It is the culmination of who we are. Character comes as a result of life and it doesn't come easily. In order to know where we are going, we have to know where we have been in the struggle to achieve character.
During the forties and fifties teachers and parents were the moral leaders that students admired. Hard work and patriotism were strongly affirmed in schools.
In the sixties and seventies America's youth rejected the previous generation's conformist attitude and opted to adopt idealism. The nation took John F. Kennedy's statement to heart, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." America's adolescence along with their teachers accepted this challenge by participating in the Peace Corps and later the Teachers Corps. In the middle of America's rebirth, Kennedy was assassinated, Martin Luther King was gunned down in Alabama, and Kennedy's brother, Robert saw the end to his life in a hotel kitchen in Los Angeles and with that came a transformation in schools attitudes.
The Scholastic Aptitude Test scores started to drop after 1963 while school vandalism, violent crimes among young people, and teacher absenteeism ran rampant. Distrusting the government and increased focus on individual rights gave way to students using slogans such as, "Don't trust anyone over 30." People over 30 said, "Don't trust anyone under 30." Almost everyone just thought, "Don't trust anyone." Society at this time was so anti-authority, teachers dominating influence declined. Teachers were just as puzzled as the rest of America's youth over issues like the limits of protest, sexual mores, and patriotism.
The eighties brought a rekindling disposition to a society fatigued by transition and inward strife. This brought a resurgence of national reports associated with the failing of moral nature in schools by displaying the poor discipline, vandalism, and physical abuse of both teachers and students. Students used drugs and television as an escape. America was in strong need of moral behavior. Schools questioned themselves in whether they could be the only ones who could teach kids to act morally correct. Administration and public officials turned to the thoughts of Aristotle and Thomas Jefferson in trying to reinstate America's right and responsibility to teach the traditional values of patriotism, and respect for adults.
For years, this debate raged. It went on during the "me generation" and the "X-generation" and the effects on society could be witnessed by the loss of trustworthiness, tolerance, and lack of accountability.
In a recent article done by U.S. News and World Report on cheating, it seemed as if "immoral behavior" was everywhere. Eighty-four percent of college students believe cheating is the way to get ahead in today's world. Ninety-percent of college students believe that cheaters never pay the price. The poll also found that one in four adults believe they must lie to get ahead.
When people are dishonest, immoral, or that they are displaying poor character, the last thing they want to be told is that they are unethical. People have very little tolerance when it comes to criticism. In an age where zero tolerance is a buzz word parents favor the concept but when it is applied to so called "good kids" they are outraged. Supporters of zero tolerance argue it makes schools safer and unifies disciplinary measures. Critics argue it is a knee jerk reaction to tolerance. However, is it really a knee jerk reaction to the challenge of character and the necessities to develop it?
One of the greatest philosophers in history, Aristotle, noted, "If we want to take credit for our virtues...then we must equally take blame for our vices." As a society, do we really want to accept the consequences of our actions? I was amazed when I read the story of Regales. My world history teacher introduced me to this character driven man. He was a counsel in the Roman army who had been captured by the Spartans after Rome lost a battle to them. He was taken prisoner and was going to be used as a prisoner swap with Carthage.
Surely, these governments lacked the convenience of modern communication so they could only rely on the message personally delivered. So Regales was sent by the Spartans back to Rome to tell the Roman Senate what was to be done. Before he left Sparta, he promised them he would return and if the Roman Senate did not approve of the terms of the agreement he would allow Sparta to kill him. Regales did return to Sparta. Unfortunately, Rome did not agree to the terms and the story ends with Regales in a barrel into which the Spartans stuck swords and rolled him down a mountainside. Did this man have character or what?
Obtaining character is a daily struggle. We can stress the importance for character by educating people. Aristotle saw in the year 350 B.C. the need for character when he wrote Nicomachean Ethics. In it he tries to define happiness; the virtues of character and determine its place in the happy life. This supremacy of thought is relevant to acquire character. After all, "We are what we think." This later became the foundation for others trying to win the warfare on character. Michael Josephson, a highly acclaimed ethicist, advocates The Character Counts! program which is based on teaching The Pillars of Character. Together these components encourage the individual to be better and in turn help others improve their character.
Once an individual has been educated in the importance of character, they then have a clear vision, are inspired to achieve success, and when it comes time to experience challenges rely on character to pull them through the situations that they might face. Living without the perception of what you want to do or where you want to go and how to do it, is a life wasted.
With a clear vision despite defeat, rejection, and lack of recognition, you can persevere through challenges that may be hurled your way. When you are able to acknowledge your imperfections, you can triumph over them in order to accomplish your goal. Walter Payton was one such individual. "I want to set the record so high that the next person who tries for it, it's going to bust his heart," Payton once said. Despite his 5"9 frame, he was the leading running back in the NFL for 13 years. With focus and determination, we can make our vision a reality.
Having a clear vision gives you the ambition to be inspired to achieve success. When you look back on all the hardships that you have been through you feel a sense of awe and satisfaction in achieving your goal. Character is not just about having the ambition or inspiration to achieve success, but it is about accomplishment and planning. We all posses the skills needed to accomplish our goals, but it is how we utilize our skills that make us talented and successful.
You must expect to experience challenges in the long journey toward acquiring character. Having setbacks and restrictions makes us mentally stronger. Enduring these setbacks is what makes our vision seem valuable when obtained. Senator John McCain was a naval aviator in Vietnam. While on a mission he was captured by the enemy, beaten, and offered early release by his captors. McCain declined because he was unwilling to leave his fellow POW's behind. He instead endured five more years of brutal captivity with them. We all experience setbacks at some point in time, but it is how we respond to and handle them that makes our goal even more precious when reached.
How the turn of the century is viewed by future generations is up to us. If we continue in the direction that we are headed in, we can expect to see an increase in declining ethics. On a survey done by the Josephson Institute on character development, 97% of teenagers felt it was important to be viewed as a person with good character.
Character is what helps people overcome the fear of challenges that we must endure. Perseverance through these obstacles enables us to clearly visualize our ultimate goal. When we know what we are truly capable of, only then, can we expect success. In the end, character is the only lasting trait humans have that enables them to be something more, than just merely existing.
Used Salt Water Chlorinators For Pools Picket Fencing Panels Free Shipping
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Is the "Kingdom of Heaven" Merely "Right Relationships"?
The Internet is a blast. Casually searching out the writings of Keith Miller, I came across this phrase: "The Kingdom of God is the kingdom of right relationships."
My knee-jerk response? No way! The Kingdom of God has to be much more than "right relationships", even though right relationships have to be a part of living in the Kingdom of God. This "definition" seemed, well, wimpy because shouldn't the Kingdom of God be defined with words like, "The Kingdom of God is Power! It's dynamite! It's tearing down the Gates of Hell and scattering Satan's dark forces to the winds! It's the Final Triumph of Grace over Sin and Light over Darkness. The enemy sees us in Christ and flees!
But the idea slyly hung about in my mind for a bit, making me reconsider if "pulling down demonic strongholds in the heavenlies" might not actually be the essence of the Kingdom of God.
And in the end, I realized that there's a lot of truth in Keith Miller's statement. And so I have to "travel" to a new place in my spiritual understanding.
Let's begin with my favorite definition for the Kingdom of God: The Kingdom of God is any place in which God rules as King.
It's not geographical but spiritual. It's not located in California, necessarily, but may or may not be located in your heart.
Right in line with Jesus who, when they asked Him where the Kingdom of God was, He said, "It's in the midst of you." And in His sermon on the Mount [Matthew 5-7], He warned that when we all appear before Him at the Judgment Seat, there will be many sincerely, surprised religious people who don't make it. They'll cry out, "But Lord! Lord! Haven't You seen all the wonderful things we did in Your Name -- preaching, working miracles in Your Name!"
But He looks at them all and says, "Who are you people? Go away from Me -- I don't even know you!" But in the verse immediately prior, Jesus gives us a clue about who is welcome in the Kingdom of God. He says, Only those who do the will of the Father will ever enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Can you "do the will of God" if you choose to do your own will? Does God rule in your heart if you override His rule and direction regularly? Is He King if you're stubbornly in charge of your life? Is He the King and daily Commander of your life? Do you call the shots in your life, or does God?
If you call the shots in your life, you're NOT "in the Kingdom of God", since His Kingdom exists only where the King rules!
Let's put that issue behind us -- the Kingdom of God is wherever, whenever and in whoever He rules as King.
One other thing to consider: what is the Will of God? Jesus told us very simply, and then John the Beloved picked it up and repeated it at length in his first letter. In John 13,35f, Jesus told us what God's will is: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
That sounds pretty much like "relationship, to me. And John, in his first letter (second chapter), wrote that whoever says he "knows" Jesus but doesn't obey Jesus' commandments, "is a liar". And in chapter 3, he writes, "This is God's commandment, that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He has commanded us. And whoever keepsJesus' commandments dwells in Him, and He in him."
Loving others, "dwelling" in Jesus and Jesus in him -- this all sounds pretty relational!
So -- what about this notion that "The Kingdom of God is the kingdom of right relationships"?
There are three levels of relationships that define the Kingdom of God.
(1) In the Kingdom of God, by faith we are made one with Jesus Christ; He dwells within us un such a manner that He can direct us to live our daily lives under the leading of the Holy Spirit -- indwelling us, communicating spiritual gifts and power as Love in this loveless world.
(2) In the Kingdom of God we are made one with all others who are in Christ Called to adopt the same "mind-set" of humility and honor that Jesus showed us, we have become a people who set the needs and issues of others above those of our own, and our relationships manifest the Love of God for all.
(3) In the Kingdom of God, by the mercy of God we are obligated to spread the powerful Gospel of Christ to those who do not yet know Him -- thereby offering to them the same Love that's been freely given to us, that we might give it freely to the yet unloved.
The Kingdom of Heaven truly is a Kingdom of Power and Might, the pulling down of strongholds, Great and triumphant in the earth -- but it operates through relationships -- Love relationships.
© 2008 by Emil B. Swift
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |