Month: February 2020

Spaceballs-Inspired Robot Mask

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Since we’re going to have a Longest Night masked ball at Norwescon this year, I picked up a basic mask this past Halloween season. However, it was all black plastic, so I knew I’d want to decorate it somehow so it didn’t look like wearing blackface. I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.

This Saturday, the Mercury is doing a masked ball, so this gave me the impetus I needed to find an idea. What eventually came to mind as inspiration was Vinnie, Pizza the Hut’s henchman in Spaceballs. He’s a robot, but it was all done with makeup, no prosthetics.

My painting skills aren’t great—I have no idea how to do actual shading, it’s all solid colors and lines—so I doubt people would really connect the final result with the inspiration. Even so, I’m pretty happy with the end result.

Day zero: The base mask.

The base mask.

Day one: Sketching the design in pencil, and the first coat of white.

Sketching the design in pencilFirst coat of white

Day two: Second coat of white, and adding the metallic silver.

Second coat of white, and adding the metallic silver

Day three: Detailing in black, and the finished product. Likely won’t be easily identified as the inspiration, but I think it still comes across as decently robotic. I’m happy with it, at least.

Detailing in blackThe finished mask

On This Day: Feb 13

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Since I’ll hit 20 years of blogging this November, this year I’m posting a daily list of anything I published on this day in the past.

There are 23 posts previously published on February 13th

  • 2024
  • 2023
  • 2022
  • 2021
    • The world’s most misunderstood novel: “The Great Gatsby is synonymous with parties, glitz and glamour – but this is just one of many misunderstandings about the book that began from its first publication.” ➡
  • 2020
    • Star Trek: Picard S01E04 Absolute Candor 'He can't even go on a guilt trip without a starship.' ➡
    • Spaceballs-Inspired Robot Mask Likely won’t be easily identified as the inspiration, but I think it still comes across as decently robotic. I’m happy with it, at least. ➡
    • On This Day: Feb 13 Recognizing 20 years of blogging, here are my past posts from February 13 ➡
    • 📚 ten of 2020: All Worlds are Real, by Susan Palwick ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee Good collection of bittersweet and thoughtful short stories. Particular favorites are “Cucumber Gravy”, “Lucite”, “Homecoming”, “Remote Presence”, and “Recoveries”. ➡
  • 2016
    • Prairie and me with nieces Nalah and Finn at Nalah’s 7th birthday party. (44/366) ➡
  • 2015
    • Today’s page in my “Stupid Quotes” calendar. #50ShadesofGrey #FiftyShadesofGrey #peopleacutuallyenjoyreadingthisjunk ➡
  • 2014
    • Watching more downloaded Olympics while I exercise, but this event was recorded off of Swedish TV. Can’t understand the commentary, but they still sound like sports commentators. Sadly, not a single “börk börk börk!” ➡
  • 2010
    • No Olympics For Us While it's not quite to the point of being what I'd call a 'boycott,' it's looking like the chances are extremely slim that we're going to be watching much of this year's Olympic coverage. We'd like to, but NBC has done a marvelous job of ensuring that we either _can't_ watch, or when we can, we don't want to. ➡
  • 2009
    • 1234567890 As of now -- Feb. 13th 2009, at 3:31 (and 30 seconds) PM (PST), the Unix Time is **1234567890**. ➡
  • 2006
  • 2005
    • Alive and Well Or, at least, as well as I ever get. ;) More to come as I continue to play catch-up. ➡
  • 2004
  • 2003
    • Seems simple to me Here I am, working at the single biggest software company in the world, packed to the brim with some of the brightest people in the tech industry — and yet they need signs posted outlining a four-step process to get a free soda out of the vending machines. ➡
    • Upgrades galore Two important (in my world) software upgrades hit the 'net today: Mac OS X was upgraded to version 10.2.4, and MovableType was upgraded to version 2.6. Both are installed, and both are working like a charm. ➡
    • Weather wierdness It looks like Dave Winer and John Teggatz have all the cold weather that Dad is complaining he's missing in Anchorage. And on an entirely unrelated note: I really wish that Dave's RSS feed had individual posts linked to their permalinks. ➡
    • Your e-mail is safe from scrutiny More good news as I catch up on my newsreading — the Total Information Awareness program is facing heavy opposition, and is likely to be barred from collecting information on American citizens. ➡
  • 2002
    • Enterprise: Shuttlepod One But -- and there's always a but -- those had to be some _horrid_ mashed potatoes if they could patch a hull breach with them, no matter how temporarily! I'd say I'd never tease my mom about her mashed potatoes after that...but, then, that'd be no fun. ;) ➡
    • Looks like I might be moving I'd noticed as we were wandering around that directly beside every door to an apartment was a small door, about a foot and a half wide and two and a half feet tall that also looked like it led into the apartment, but had been painted over and was obviously no longer used. I couldn't figure out what they were for. ➡
  • 2001
    • The collection grows again… ...like that's really a surprise to anyone who either knows me or is actually bored enough to read this babble on a regular basis. ➡
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📚 ten of 2020: All Worlds are Real, by Susan Palwick ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee

Good collection of bittersweet and thoughtful short stories. Particular favorites are “Cucumber Gravy”, “Lucite”, “Homecoming”, “Remote Presence”, and “Recoveries”.

Picard Theory (Probably Wrong) 🖖

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Adding to my list of probably wrong predictions about where a current Star Trek show is going (most recently, for Discovery, those would include that the Kelpiens and the Ba’ul are different stages of the same species and that Control was the genesis of the Borg)….

Spoilers for episodes two and three of Picard follow, but probably not for anything beyond that, because I’m usually wrong about these things. :)

Read more

On This Day: Feb 12

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Since I’ll hit 20 years of blogging this November, this year I’m posting a daily list of anything I published on this day in the past.

There are 26 posts previously published on February 12th

  • 2024
  • 2021
    • 📚 7/2021: Bone Silence by Alastair Reynolds ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PKDickAward nominee 1/6 A satisfying end to the Revenger trilogy. Not all questions answered, but those most central to the main adventure are. If the “high seas adventure in space” conceit works for you, it’s a good series. ➡
  • 2020
    • Picard Theory (Probably Wrong) 🖖 Spoilers for episodes two and three of _Picard_ follow, but probably not for anything beyond that, because I'm usually wrong about these things. :) ➡
    • Someone Built a Distraction-Free Cellphone With a Working Old-School Rotary Dial: “Haupt’s creation seems like it was brought to Earth from a parallel dimension where mobile phones took an entirely different evolutionary route, and where technologies like touchscreens never came to fruition.” ➡
    • On This Day: Feb 12 Recognizing 20 years of blogging, here are my past posts from February 12 ➡
  • 2019
    • Bed used in hotel honeymoon suite for 15 years then discarded in a parking lot, rescued by an antiques dealer, and initially believed to be Victorian, turns out to be Henry VII’s marriage bed. ➡
    • Book fifteen of 2019: The Book of Merlyn, by T.H. White. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📚 A curious coda to TOaFK, mostly serving as an argument against humankind’s warlike tendencies. Not critical to finish Arthur’s story, IMHO. ➡
  • 2016
    • Kicking off this long weekend with the latest Bond flick. Doo doo, doo dooooooo… (43/366) ➡
  • 2014
    • Turned into a gorgeous day, 48 degrees and snow melting off everywhere, and the sun is even above the hills at 5PM! Are we sure it’s not spring yet? ➡
  • 2010
    • Links for February 3rd through February 12th Sometime between February 3rd and February 12th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too! • Now You Can Facebook Chat Through iChat • How to Create a Google Buzz Desktop App • Deckle Edge in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction • Pepsi Skips Super Bowl TV Advertising for Social Media • Confused by the 'Lost' Premiere? Never Fear! Damon and Carlton Explain a Few Things About the Start of Season 6 (SPOILERS AHEAD) ➡
  • 2009
    • Good Twitter Marketing is Communication The single most important aspect to marketing successfully on Twitter is having a real person behind the account. Many companies seem to see Twitter as little more than an RSS reader for people who don't grok RSS readers, and that's a rather sad outlook. ➡
    • Links for February 11th through February 12th Sometime between February 11th and February 12th, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too! • Darwin Survives as the Fittest • Evolution and Facebook's "25 Random Things About Me" Craze. • Czar Struck: Obama’s Brilliant Pick for Drug Czar • 15 Companies That Might Not Survive 2009 • Surprising Stories Behind 20 Muppet Characters ➡
  • 2007
    • Which Super Villain am I? Which super villain am I? 'You fear the persecution of those that are different or underprivileged so much that you are willing to fight and hurt others for your cause.' ➡
    • Wanted: One Apology from the Seattle PI The PI's public vilification of the crane operator was a slimy, sleazy way to grab eyeballs and sell papers at the expense of his reputation. Trial and conviction should be handled in the courts, not in the headlines. ➡
  • 2004
    • Atom feed now available Seeing as how an Atom-enabled beta of NetNewsWire just hit the 'net, I took a few moments to get an Atom newsfeed up and running for Eclecticism. ➡
    • Biggest breakup of the year I'm talking a breakup of real importance here — one that will be inspiring headlines in all the rags, sending the talk-show hosts into a flurry, and prompting a whole slew of rabid fan sites lamenting the passing of such a long-adored perfect couple. ➡
    • The Grey Album Vocal tracks from Jay-Z's 'The Black Album' + samples from The Beatle's 'The White Album' = Danger Mouse's 'The Grey Album'. ➡
    • Good advice Kids, this is all the shit I had to learn the hard way. Now that I’m retired it’s time to pass it on, so you won’t have to suffer the same indignities I did. ➡
  • 2003
    • Patriot II raising ire Finally, some good movement happening on the polictical front — a very welcome change from last week's ranting and raving. It seems that the recently-leaked 'Patriot II' draft, in addition to getting attention in the blogging world, is also raising eyebrows on Capitol Hill. ➡
    • Recommend me? Actually, I'm not out to be a boyfriend right now — pretty happy staying single for the foreseeable future — but I can think of plenty of times when I wouldn't have minded getting a recommendation on greatboyfriends.com! ➡
    • Awww – how sweet! Just a little 'Wüdi love' from me to my readers, in honor of the coming Valentine's Day. Yeah, even I can get a little mushy from time to time. Who knew? ➡
  • 2002
  • 2001
    • If? What is this if? If I were a lesbian, she would make me go straight! ➡
    • Hannibal I just don't think the script gave much to work with, and I can say that I definitely agree with both Jonathan Demme and Jodi Foster's decisions to pass up on returning to this film. ➡
  • 1994
    • [From Usenet: 2.12.94 0400] I got a shirt a while back only because I thought it was great (person with bird's head mask holding a naked woman upside down by a knife through the foot, says 'Some have to dance, some have to kill' on the back), and someone recently told me it was a Psychic TV shirt. ➡

Recommeowndations

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Our “Movies we think you’ll like” lineup on Amazon Prime tonight included:

Sherlock Holmes
Murder on the Orient Express
Clue
The VelociPastor

and

Movies for Cats – Forest Songbirds

Apparently, the combination of Law and Order SVU, The Fabulous Mrs. Maisel, The Expanse, and Dr. Who (before it was taken off) is enough to convince Amazon that we’re…murder kittens.

Well, okay then.

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Got my copy of the new #StarTrekPicard novel today…but can’t (well, won’t) read it until I’m finished with this year’s #PKDickAward nominees. So many books, and only so much time to read! 📚🖖

On This Day: Feb 11

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Since I’ll hit 20 years of blogging this November, this year I’m posting a daily list of anything I published on this day in the past.

There are 27 posts previously published on February 11th

  • 2024
  • 2022
    • 🎥 Eternals Really long. Lots of things happened that involved a lot of fancy glowy effects. ➡
  • 2020
    • Recommeowndations Movies for Cats - Forest Songbirds ➡
    • Got my copy of the new #StarTrekPicard novel today…but can’t (well, won’t) read it until I’m finished with this year’s #PKDickAward nominees. So many books, and only so much time to read! 📚🖖 ➡
    • On This Day: Feb 11 Recognizing 20 years of blogging, here are my past posts from February 11 ➡
  • 2017
    • Chucks of the day (49/53): #pride edition black hightops with rainbow specks, soles, and heel plate. Was quite thrilled to find a pair of these today! #converse #chucks ➡
  • 2016
    • Mmmm…ending the day with a warm drink is nice. (42/366) ➡
  • 2014
    • I will have my chocolate tonight! (Not the whole thing, though.) ➡
    • She’s nekkid! I’m shocked; shocked, I tell you! ➡
  • 2010
    • Seattle Metro Tunnel Beating This is one of the most disturbing local stories I've seen in a long time. A 15-year old girl was beaten on the platform of the Seattle Metro Bus Tunnel, while security guards and witnesses stood around and watched. ➡
  • 2009
  • 2005
    • Ugh. Ick. Bleah. On the bright side, one thing I love about working five blocks from home is that I've got time on my one-hour lunch break to leave work, hit Subway, grab a sandwich, come home, eat, hop into the shower and soak under hot water for about 20 minutes, then get back dressed and head back into work. That's probably about the only thing that made the latter half of the day bearable. ➡
    • Captain’s Blog, Stardate 47751.2 Today's comic from Joy of Tech is a must-see. ➡
    • Washington Post article on Blogging and Jobs About two weeks ago, I spent some time being interviewed by Amy Joyce of the Washington Post about my expulsion from the Microsoft campus for an article she was working on about the potential pitfalls of blogging about one's job. The article went live today: Free Expression Can Be Costly When Bloggers Bad-Mouth Jobs. ➡
  • 2004
    • Relationships One of the things that's always bothered me (and many other people) about social networking sites such as Orkut, Friendster, or any other *ster meme-of-the-moment is the binary nature of their setups — either someone is your friend, or they aren't. That's it. Those are your only choices. ➡
    • Own 1/1100th of a supercomputer! Now that Virginia Tech is upgrading 'Big Mac' to the new G5-based XServes, some of the original 1,100 dual 2Ghz G5 Power Macs that were part of the cluster are being sold through MacMall for $2799. ➡
    • Help the CIA find those pesky WMDs! How wonderfully thoughtful — the CIA has posted a handy little online form so that people can submit tips on WMD locations (and other Iraq-related intel). ➡
    • Like, I guess I’ll just have to, like, get used to it now 'It really is a wonderful, useful word,' says Muffy E.A. Siegel, an associate professor of English at Temple University in Philadelphia, who has studied the use of 'like.' ➡
    • Brother for sale …the words 'sewing machine' were accidentally dropped, leaving a 'BROTHER' for sale ad. ➡
    • Sponsorship I'm experimenting with something that I found via Snowman on the TPUG — sponsored weblog entries. Three posts on my site now have small, fairly unobtrusive text ads at the bottom of the post, for which I get some small amount of compensation. ➡
  • 2003
    • Still tempin' My boss got back to me with Xerox's employment offer. What did they use to try to entice me into the Xerox family? A whole lotta nuttin'. ➡
  • 2002
    • Hold on, please. Whenever a phone solicitor calls in the middle of dinner, don't get sore. Don't slam down the receiver. Don't hang up. Just say, 'Hold on, please.' Then gently set the receiver on the table and go about your business. ➡
    • Possibilities of moving? If I can come up with the money to make the move, I think it could be a good deal -- a larger, newer place for the same price, more varied experience on my resume, and being able to stay with a landlord that I know I'm on good terms with. ➡
    • You couldn’t pay me enough Ever since I started working here, I've been able to watch day by day as a new skyscraper is built about two blocks away from my building. When I started last August it wasn't much more than a hole in the ground as they worked on the foundation; now there is a steel framework stretching up about 25 floors, with a central concrete core that's going up what looks to be at least another ten floors or so. ➡
  • 2001
    • The un-what? It's our job...we have to be nice to the unfuckables. ➡
    • Quicker archiving, twins, frustration Seeing as how I'm actually starting to update this thing on a more regular basis, I figured I'd drop the archiving settings down to weekly so that this page didn't just keep scrolling on and on and on and on and on.... ➡