Happy Birthday to the Best Cook Ever 💛💛💛

Crosshair Being the Mother Hen of the Batch

On this post I made a comment about Crosshair being a mother hen and @lisasstars​ suggested I should write something for that, so I guess this is for them! Enjoy!

-So, my reasoning behind this is that because he’s such an exacting person (being a sniper and all) that overall he’d be the matronly one of the bunch. I know Echo is usually the one given the title of momther, but that’s only really because we haven’t seen this man in action.

-There’s no way in hell this guy is anything other than a mother hen, he’s broody (like a hen), and he’s also a sniper, and sniper’s have nests (you know, like a hen). 

-So like, he’s the first one to snip a little at the rest of the batch for leaving a mess around but will begrudgingly huff and clean up behind the hurricane that is the messier members *cough cough* Wrecker *cough* when they inevitably pass out after a day of excitement.

-He will cross his arms, stare someone down, and tap his foot impatiently if somebodies mess is immediately affecting him.

-I bet he’s also like, a master at sewing. 

-”Stitches? What stitches? This uniform looks brand new!”

-Definitely has embroidered small, individual, decorative things on his vode’s clothes (b/c making things/acts of service is his primary love language b/c it doesn’t require words)

-And I know he’s a toothpick, but he’s definitely on all his vode’s asses about getting proper meals and follows them up and down the ship until they agree to eat their proper calorie intake (and is smug when he succeeds).

-Like yeah, he’s an asshole, but he also shows he cares by being an asshole.

-While he’s the first to peck at the rest of the batch to do their work and take care of themselves, he’s also the first in line to teach somebody an important skill.

-When Omega joins the crew he is all over that role

-All these headcanons with Crosshair being the distant one? Nope. Hunter may be the primary dad™ but Crosshair is sure as shit going to make sure his vod’ika knows every basic life skill there is like their life depends on it. 

-Omega doesn’t know how to cook? Here’s how not to ruin it and give yourself food poisoning. 

-Sewing has two different applications: saving clothes and others from bleeding out.

-’I don’t care if it’s movie night, we are not relaxing until everything is back to where it was this morning! You’re in this too Wrecker!’

-Can you imagine this dude trying to explain budgeting to a literal 9 year old? ‘We need x supplies and we have this many credits, what should we do?’ ‘Mantel mix?’ ‘No.’

-I feel like mechanical work and taking care of the ship is definitely something tech is all over, but Crosshair will not miss an opportunity to show Omega how the gear he uses is properly cared for and stored (even if she’s not allowed to use it).

-He has his softer moments too though.

-Omega’s upset? He likes his hair being played with so he just does that and it always seems to get a smile out of her.

-Also, even if it’s usually Wrecker that’s sneaking treats, he has his own stash hidden away that he will share with someone when circumstances call for it  (like Lupin giving Harry chocolate on the train).

-Will cause his own brand of background mischief, definitely the master of ‘firing shots’ with his words, excellent at one-liners.

-All in all Crosshair runs a tight ship, but only because that’s who he is and it’s his own way of showing he cares.

Bonus

-You know the single eyebrow-raise mother’s do when they’re questioning what you’re doing and it makes you smile as cute as you can and apologize while you immediately stop what you’re doing? Yeah, he’s the master of that.

Extra Bonus

Edwardian matron Crosshair (please ignore the shitty bits of the drawing I literally do not have the attention span to practice art):

Link to the gown

The Moff lottery will open tomorrow night (2/23), close Thursday night (2/25), and I will draw winners on Friday (2/26). There will be three Lunas and one coppery unique Moff. Ithey will be $125. I missed my chances for natural light photography, so I will hopefully be able to snag a few minutes to photograph everyone tomorrow morning! The other Moff news is that I will be having Moff professionally cast. 💚 the production will be done by @ghostrabbitsociety who is a US-based production artist who does work for a number of toy artists you may already follow. He’s a great guy who does very clean, professional work and I’m excited to have him take on casting Moff. It’s kind of hard for me to outsource production because I feel like I can and should do everything myself... but in reality, I’m just one person and I have many projects that all want my time! The part of Moff I love most is the painting! And I will still be individually hand painting all of the Moffs.... as well as doing occasional unique Moffs that I cast myself in my home studio. Meantime, letting another artist do the casting of the general edition Luna Moffs will allow more people to buy them and also will doubtlessly raise the casting quality. The details of the professional production aren’t set yet, but it will most likely be open edition in batches of 20. There will be some changes to the sculpt between the first version and second - most notably, the wing attachment will be much more robust and the antennae will be resculpted to lie against the head. There will be other tweaks as well, but you may not even notice those. I’m reworking her currently, so I’ll post pics of the new version when she’s finished. So basically, if you want this version, hand-cast by me, pop into the lottery this week - these four will be the last ones of this first version. Otherwise, the pro-cast release will likely happen within a couple months, so there will be other opportunities to adopt a Moff. :) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLnSIBWjm8-/?igshid=vnm7rkxemv58

ok ok ok so the refs from today. im just talking as perap does so feel free to ignore this

- it was kind of like a test to see how i could balance out quality with quantity. my canvas size has bumped up in resolution since the post from last year and im finally coloring line art, hallelujah. (i cant believe it took me so long to start doing that my old stuff was SO washed out with just black line art)

- tbh i did most of the extras (alt outfits etc) bc i thought it would be fun. and it was! well, the line art was. the coloring... oh god, what a drag. its so boring. so much procrastination... but im glad i finally got it out and just a little over a year after the first ones.

- so ya i said galar was like 90% done and NOW its like 200% done, and with that being said

- "yOu DiDnT dO tWiLiGhT wInGs ExClUsIvE oUtFiTs OR ThE cOrViKnIgHt TaXi DrIvEr" and my response is: when does it end, susan? MAYBE i will end up doing them. but it took me two months along with all that art i posted earlier this month and im tired. im not doing them today, not tomorrow, not for a while. galar is DONE i want to move on

- so the take away from the test is. i am not doing that again. JDGFG. the alt outfits and designs (basically the entirety of part 3)... i wont be including those in ref batch posts from now on. it was a lot. when i draw extras like that, ill just do it whenever. im not making them priority like i did with the posts from today.

- tbh i MIGHT aim to get gen 7 done this year. i can try it. i ACTUALLY have a few sketches done already so theres hope.

ok so now for comments on specific things

- firstly, tumblrs image limit forces me to put multiples on the same canvas, which i finally decided to take advantage of and have a few interactions that i wouldnt have done if i could just post them all individually so i think thats neat. adds some substance i think.

- again mustard isnt urshifu bc i couldnt choose which one he wouldve been. tho ngl hyde wouldve been cute as a kubfu

- ik honey has a team but i didnt like any of them for her so its free real estate

- yes klara and avery are the ONLY ones with gloves and dynamax bands. shhh i know. i know.

- nia was also kinda free real estate bc her only known pokemon is tyrantrum and. i didnt like that. i also didnt like galarian meowth for her either. so tbh i did it to match her earrings, but also i dont have ANY pikachu girls as of yet and i wanted to fix that (i say that as i already posted a pikagirl a few weeks ago HDHDGS)

- sighs. sordward and shielbert... i NEEDED a reason to justify their stupid hair ok i DONT care about anything else. i THINK it makes them better. maybe. probably not. and also i copy and pasted them despite trying to not be lazy with my art bc i just fucking hate them i dont care.

- the macro cosmos employees were actually inspired by this made by flare-gamer-64! its the reason i didnt go with aggron for peony. and at first i thought mawile for one of my designs would turn out weird but i actually think its fine now

- glorias mom is glaceon bc free real estate clause. and i just threw in hops and leons mom bc why not.

- snom anthro. s n o m a n t h r o

- close ups of allister and gordie bc i needed eye color refs for them. also wanted to draw gordies natural hair cuz hes cute

- i DONT think we see bede in his gym uniform BUT my official plushie of him has it so thats my reason for including him and completing the quintet of the kids in their uniforms.

- let us all take a moment to appreciate the confirmation that klara has feetpaws. ive started drawing hands more but im probably never drawing human feet. ever.

- annnd ball guy. what is ball guy you ask? ball guy is ball guy. dont question it.

- oh god i HATE the tundra outfit dont EVER make me draw it again shoes AND bags god the very last things i had to do involved the tundra outfits bc i was putting it off for last uhfjdvd

songs/20

Happy Holidays Everyone! I started making these yearly playlists in 2001 as an attempt to connect with friends in the wake of 911. It was just before the dawn of ITunes, and way before social media. We were not in touch like we are today. I burned dozens of individual cd’s one at a time, printed up customized jewel case covers and snail mailed them all out. It was an annual month-long labor of love. Over the past few years, streaming music has made it much easier and faster to compile and distribute, and frankly much more fun. I still look forward to putting the playlist and blog together and sharing it with all of you. Particularly this year as it gives me a chance to connect with so many friends I haven’t seen in quite some time. It was a tremendously challenging year for all of us. I was grateful to have had my family here in LA the entire time, we remain healthy and well. The west coast Herzogs know just how lucky we have been. The next year will not be without its own challenges, but I'm hopeful we are able to move past this pandemic and the exhausting events of the past 4. More than that, I look forward to seeing each and every one of you in 2021. Until then, be safe, be well, and be good to one another. Enjoy the music.

ox peace, dh

Los Angeles CA. December 2020

Khruangbin - Time (You And I) Don’t ask me to pronounce the name of this eclectic trio from Texas, but this dubby disco tune had me returning to its chilled out groove often during the last few decidedly “un-chill” months. Dreamy and funky, the groove takes me back to NYC’s early 80′s club scene and Ze Records releases from the likes of Kid Creole and Coati Mundi.

Anderson .Paak- Lockdown Scenes from the front, June 2020

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Bill Withers (1938-2020)- Use Me The legendary Bill Withers left the playing field at the top of his game in the early 80′s, hardly heard from again. And while he didn't pass from Covid, his healing pop hymn Lean On Me seemed to be everywhere as people found music to help them cope with the challenges of the pandemic. Withers left behind a legendary and enduring group of hit songs that moved easily from soul to folk to pop, not to mention the subtle rolling funk of this one.

Black Pumas- Fire Strong debut from an unlikely Austin duo that garnerd both buzz and grammy nods. The critics are calling it “psychedelic soul”. Not quite sure that nails it, but like the artists coming up next, they’re carving out new ground while drawing inspiration from classic sources.

Gabe Lee- Babylon

Marcus King- Wildflowers and Wine

Charley Crockett- Welcome to Hard Times

Three artists that are literally changing the face of Country and Americana music. Soulful, authentic and diverse, reaching back for inspiration but always looking forward. If you like this sort of stuff they are all worth checking out. Each album is filled with quality songs.

Low Cut Connie_ Private Lives Philly’s Low Cut Connie are back at it with a double album that plays like the soundtrack to a boozy night at your favorite bar. Sweaty, funky and not a little bit messy. If Peter Wolf and Bruce had a kid it would be this blue eyed soul boy. Adam Weiner grew up in the shadow of the Jersey shore and can't help but have a bit of that E Street hustle.

Willie Nile- New York at Night One of New York’s beloved adopted  son’s dropped this love letter right into the jaws of a battered metropolis driven to its knees by the pandemic. It was heartbreaking to listen as the “city that never sleeps” came to a full stop. Somehow I still found myself coming back to it, imagining night’s ahead, when NYC is back on its feet and I’m roaming its streets. Looking for music, a beer, or maybe just a slice, and fueled by the irreplaceable energy and promise of the greatest city on earth.

The Long Ryders- Down to The Well Americana pioneers the Long Ryders reunited last year for a surprisingly solid album. This single sounds like it could have been recorded during their 80′s heyday featuring their trademark Byrds like jangle and harmonies, but the lyrics mark this song as unmistakably 2020.

The Speedways- Kisses Are History UK power pop outfit reach back to the the 60′s on this sweet slice of retro pop perfection.

Billie Joe Armstrong- That Thing You Do

In the early days of the pandemic we had all our kids (+ a significant other) at our house for a few months. It worked out great and we were luckier than most. The biggest issue was keeping enough food, weed and wine around.  There were some great nights with amazing meals, followed by gathering around the TV together. We re-watched The Sopranos, binged Billy On The Street, and revisited some of our favorite movies. One night we went back to a old family favorite, Tom Hanks’ underrated love letter to the one hit wonders of the post Beatles era, That Thing You Do!  I’ve seen the movie several times and it never fails to please. A true feel good film and a perfect Kodak snapshot capturing a simpler time in American pop culture. 

While we watch the unlikely chart topper’s The Oneders  fizzle as fast as they rose to fame, its not really the point. The movie is really an old fashioned love story. Playing like a perfect hit song you can listen to over and over, full of both hooks and heart. I always thought the title track, written by Fountains Of Wayne leader Adam Schlesinger  (who we lost to Covid), brilliantly captured the British Invasion sound every group wanted after The Beatles stormed America. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong must agree. During the pandemic he cut an album’s worth of cool covers including a faithful version of this one.

Gerard Way (W/Judith Hill - Here Comes the End A tale of discovering music in 2020:  Heard this on a Netflix trailer for the series The Umbrella Factory. Turns out it is performed by Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) who also writes the comic book the series is based on. (got all that?) He’s joined on this searing garage/psych rave up by the talented and versatile Judith Hill doing her best Merry Clayton.

Hinds- Spanish Bombs I’ve been following this Madrid based, all female outfit of punky garage rockers for a few years now. I think they are pretty great. This track, recorded for a Joe Strummer tribute bursts with an unbridled joy the stone faced and politically minded Clash could never muster. I bet Joe would love it though

The Secret Sisters- Hand Over My Heart Have enjoyed their harmonies for some time now. This one gives me vague Wilson Phillips vibes and I don’t really mind. 

Tame Impala- Breathe Deeper I know I’m supposed to like this guy, all the cool kids do, I’ve even seen the band at Coachella. Over the years very little of the music has stuck to me, but the pandemic offered a bit more free time to dig into this funky dubby, chilled out jam, and it stuck with me. Not to mention that 2020 was all about deep breaths.

Ledisi (feat.Corey Henry)- What Kind of Love Is That Ledisi is back with some slinky, sultry R&B and jazzy vocals

Dinner Party- FreezeTag An R&B/Jazz collective featuring Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Kamasi Washington use sweet soul on heartbreaking and all too familiar tale..

Toots and The Maytals- Time Tough  I’ve written an awful lot about my love for Reggae over the years. Right after Bob Marley kicked the door down for me, Toots showed me around the house. Ska, rock steady, and roots. He was true reggae royalty and sadly we lost him to Covid, just after he released what would be his last album. Check my Toots tribute blog and playlist.

Mungo’s Hi Fi- The Beat Goes SKA! These clever UK roots reggae collective never fail to surprise. This kitschy Sonny & Cher cover managed to make me smile every time I heard it. No mean feat in 2020

Stone Foundation (feat. Durand Jones)- Hold on To Love Frequent collaborators with Paul Weller  (he appears on a track on the album), Stone Foundation are back with another batch of their UK soul revival stylings. This one features Durand Jones ( of Durand Jones & The Indications) on vocals and some great reggae style horns at the top.

The Pretenders- You Can’t Hurt A Fool Can’t resist a good torch song, especially sung by the smokey voiced Chrissie Hynde. Was kind of shocked at how many good songs were on this album.

Shelby Lynne_ Don’t Even Believe in Love Sultry country soul and one of her strongest albums in awhile.

Jaime Wyatt- Neon Cross Outlaw country has a new bad girl. And in case you didn’t think she was serious, she enlisted producer Shooter Jennings (and his mom Jessi Colter on one track) to help make her point. 

Daniel Donato- Justice 25 year old guitar prodigy call his music “cosmic country”.  Ok, now I’m listening. You should be too.

The Jayhawks- This Forgotten Town 30 plus + after their debut this Twin Cities alt country group led by founding member Gary Louris continue to deliver. They find their inner Neil Young on this one.

Lucero- Time To Go Home God I wish I was in a bar right now listening to this, even if I might be crying in my beer.

John Prine (1946 -2020)- Lake Marie We lost so many this year, but this one really stung. A true American songwriting treasure, who was still making great music against all odds right up to his untimely passing. His songs are known for their simplicity, and economy of words. but this one goes against the grain. I’m still not exactly certain what it’s about. Sorrowful and haunting, yet somehow uplifting and redemptive. I heard him perform it live here in Los Angeles a just over a year ago and it has stuck in my head ever since. There is surely a place in heaven for the great John Prine.  He sang about it on his final studio album in 2018. Ironically it became the last song on his last record.

Thanks for making it this far....

***Play the entire songs/20 Spotify playlist HERE!***

The Most Effective FRESH DOG FOOD DELIVERY IMO: HEALTH AND CONVENIENCE FROM THE FARMER'S DOG

At an occasion years ago, I talked with somebody who was a quite pet-savvy person. We spoke about dog food, as well as I mentioned adding fresh veggies-- carrots, beans, peas, etc.-- to the young boys' food. She looked aghast. "I don't feed my dogs individuals food," she said. "I don't want to transform them into beggars."

OK, the habits issue apart, when she stated "people food," I could not assist yet question: Well, what is dog food made of otherwise ... food? A minimum of, shouldn't it be constructed from food, genuine food, like the kind individuals eat? If a bag of kibble states it has carrots in it, exactly how's that various from providing your dog a carrot?

The discussion seemed ridiculous to me, and now, say thanks to benefits, it's come cycle ...

THE FARMER'S DOG FOOD REVIEW

WHY FRESH DOG FOOD?

This is the large, underlying concern: Why feed your dog fresh dog food?

At the end of the day, food is food is food is food. What makes one meal different from another eventually comes down to just how it's made, right? Take the carrot example. Boiling and also steaming both prepare the carrots, however steaming protects its nutrients while steaming sheds 60% or more of the carrot's nutrients. Eating a raw carrot may not be best, either, though due to the fact that study shows that some food preparation techniques may really boost the carrot's antioxidant power. Basically, a steamed carrot is a carrot, a boiled carrot is a carrot, a raw carrot is a carrot, a dehydrated carrot extruded right into kibble form is still a carrot ... however they're not all nutritionally equivalent. I believe we can all settle on that, as well as I believe we can all concur that there's absolutely nothing grosser than a boiled carrot. (Actually, perhaps steamed asparagus is grosser?).

Anyway.

If you're mosting likely to eat food, which of course you are, and also if you're going to feed your dog food, which of course you are, wouldn't you want it to be the most nutritionally-rich food readily available? Obviously you do! We all do! And the advantage to our dogs is that they don't have to pick between, claim, a smoked poultry bust vs. drive-thru chicken nuggets because we make the decisions on their behalf. So, it stands to factor that if we know fresh food is best, as well as we're in position to make a decision the most effective food to feed our puppies, we 'd wish to go fresh, yeah?

There are a TON of fresh foods hitting the market (more on that particular in a minute), however we've found The Farmer's Dog to fit our way of living, spending plan, and Coop's belly peculiarities.

Backing up one fast action: When I wrote about The Farmer's Dog previously, we switched foods after getting the results of Cooper's allergic reaction examination. At the time, I really did not write a complete review due to the fact that I wasn't certain how handy it would be given that I was so focused on food allergic reactions. We were so pumped to find a recipe that really did not include a single allergen from Coop's list, and also while he's restricted to among the three solutions for that extremely reason, it's made measurable, obvious distinctions in his stubborn belly. I wanted to sing that from the roofs! However, SO numerous of you have actually connected with details concerns I really did not answer in that blog post that I believed I would certainly draw them together in a full evaluation nevertheless!

Note: Because I assume turning proteins is so very vital, we're still rotating in The Honest Kitchen due to the fact that 2 of the three solutions from The Farmer's Dog do include irritants on Coop's list.

The other large point is that our food manufacturing system is deeply flawed. Romaine lettuce, any person? I'm certain you've all seen the congeries as well as gobs of dog food remembers as a result of tainted active ingredients, too. Actually, there's a significant one underway as I kind this: FDA Alerts Pet Owners concerning Potentially Toxic Levels of Vitamin D in Several Dry Pet Foods.

It's critically essential to me that we're feeding Cooper a food where the active ingredients are properly sourced as well as the production is smaller range for much better quality assurance. I fully recognize that no food manufacturing system is excellent. For that, we would certainly have to expand as well as make our very own, which allowed's be straightforward, isn't taking place.

THE VERY BEST FRESH DOG FOOD DELIVERY.

I assume we can all concur that fresh food is the method to go, however that's not without a substantial list of pros vs disadvantages when it concerns pet food. It's not like you can stroll right into the produce area of your local pet store and also pick up a fresh dish, ya understand? Let's take a look at a few of the evident advantages and disadvantages of fresh dog food as well as fresh dog food delivery services:.

Price: Equal parts PRO/CON. I enter into this carefully below re: The Farmer's Dog, yet these services are definitely more costly than getting an average store bag of kibble (though there are several superior kibbles that are similar or even more costly). I do assume it's worth taking a look at the expense of health-related issues from fast food vs. wholesome foods. However you men understand me: I'm NOT somebody that says in a covering declaration kibble is bad. It's not. Although I advocate genuine, whole food, these solutions could not fit your budget plan. #noshame It's my viewpoint that The Farmer's Dog is priced at a reasonable worth. It's most definitely a stretch if you've been feeding normal kibble, however not if you've been feeding premium or, as we were, a dried alternative like The Honest Kitchen.

Packaging: PRO! Alright, you guys. You know I'm consumed with searching for green remedies to every animal care problem. Well, The Farmer's Dog can be found in recyclable packaging AND the insulation is corn starch that you liquify in your kitchen area sink! The brand is dedicated to sustainability, as well, so you can trust that their production techniques are gentler on the setting.

Website/ordering: CON. You can not see the formulas till you create an account. I feel like that's a disappointment for those people that have dogs that are SO sensitive to active ingredients that we can't choose till we see every last active ingredient.

Ease: PRO! Extra on this below, yet having the food automatically shipped is a life saver.

Small-batch manufacturing: PRO! For all the factors mentioned above. And also each packet comes identified particularly for Cooper.

THE FARMER'S DOG VS OLLIE (OR NOMNOM NOW, PETPLATE, ETC.).

Fresh food + shipment is the future, y' all.

Hopefully by now you're on board with the fresh food item, yet shipment?

OK, so I know that you're busy. I'm hectic, you're active, we're all essentially extended so thin it's difficult to maintain. Grocery store pick-up has actually changed my life! I truthfully can't stand entering into the shop-- really, grocery buying is my single most despised chore-- so buying online then driving over and having a person tons it right into my auto is, in my opinion, the best invention of my life time.

At the very least it was.

Till ... Delivery!

Distribution is the next wave of convenience foods, which is SO much better than "comfort" foods like McDonald's or microwave meals since you can pick all your very own healthy and balanced foods and have them given your doorstep. My neighbors, who have 5 youngsters, obtain their groceries provided, and also I'm certain it's altered their lives right! Well, that's just how I really feel regarding fresh food distribution for my pets. I think more people are demanding delivery for more and more things (I have 3 different apps on my phone for takeout/delivery services ...) so you can expect to see tons of fresh dog food shipment brands appear to fulfill that requirement.

After my previous article, I got a lots of inquiries regarding exactly how The Farmer's Dog compares to Ollie. Truthfully? We've never attempted Ollie. I did Google a bunch of the brand names that are currently around, and also almost everything I read placed The Farmer's Dog towards the top for convenience, expense, and also alternatives. Right here's a testimonial from a food blog site I like if you want to check out some particular contrasts.

Just How Much DOES THE FARMER'S DOG COST?

It varies. It depends on the dimension as well as age of your dog as well as his or her everyday calorie requirements. Let's say you enjoy a sedentary pug. Well, your price is going to be reduced-- and also appropriately so!-- than my high-energy, perma-pup Am Staff mix. He needs a great deal of calories in the day to stay up to date with his skittering as well as cat chasing!

That said, they do supply arrangements to do the dish as a mattress topper, which I believe would be an ahhhhhmazing means to blend whole foods right into a kibble or dehydrated diet plan in a cost-effective method.

My recommendations? Try it at 50% off as well as see. It's either going to work wonders for your dog as well as his diet plan (which I truly do think it will certainly) or it will not! But, it can't hurt to try, specifically at such a reduced cost.

ALL-TIME LOW LINE.

At the end of the day, every person wants to do what's finest for their pup. That's it. All of us do the best we can with the criteria we have. No, this isn't mosting likely to be for everyone. It might not be a square meal option for you, either, yet the topper situation might work. Or, possibly you're ready to dive into something brand-new. Everybody's doing their ideal, and as long as you're caring your pet dogs, you're doing terrific. If part of that includes attempting The Farmer's Dog fresh dog food shipment service, I would certainly enjoy to assist you start with a discount: Click below to try it for 50% off!

What rocks have I left unturned? I attempted to answer the inquiries I had obtained via email as well as DM, but in case I missed something, or if an additional question cropped up for you as you were reading this, please leave them in the remarks! I 'd love to supply as much info as feasible, and if I do not understand the solution, I'm always satisfied to connect to the business to find the right information!

Seven Types of Game Devs And The Games They Make

The Computer Science Student

The computer science student had to write a game for class in the fourth semester. The game must demonstrate OOP design and programming concepts, and solid grasp of C++.

This game is written not to be fun to play, but to demonstrate your skill to the professors - or to their poor assistants who have to read the code and grade the accompanying term paper. The core loop of the game is usually quite simple, but there are many loosely connected mechanics in there that barely don’t really fit. For example, whatever the core gameplay is, there could be birds in the sky doing some kind of AI swarm behaviour, there could be physics-enabled rocks on the floor, there could be a complicated level and unit editor with a custom XML-based format, and all kinds of weird shaders and particle effects.

And with all this tech infrastructure and OOP, there are just two types of enemies. That’s just barely enough to show you understand how inheritance works in C++.

The core gameplay is usually bad. Un-ergonomic controls, unresponsive game feel, flashy yet impractical 3D GUI widgets make it hard to play - but not actually difficult to beat, just unpleasant. The colours are washed-out, and everything moves a bit too slow. There is no overarching design, the moment-to-moment gameplay is not engaging, and the goal feels like an afterthought.

But that’s ok. It is to be expected. The professors are CS professors. They (or rather their assistants) don’t grade the game based on whether the units are balanced, whether the graphics are legible, or whether the game is any fun at all. They grade on understanding and correctly applying what you learned in class, documentation, integration of third-party libraries or given base code, and correct implementation of an algorithm based on a textbook.

The CS student usually writes a tower defense game, a platformer, or a SHMUP. After writing two or three games like this, he usually graduates without ever having gotten better at game design.

The After-Hours Developer

The after hours programmer has a day job doing backend business logic stuff for a B2B company you never heard of.

This kind of game is a labour of love.Screenshots might not look impressive at first glance. There is a lot going on, and the graphics look a bit wonky. But this game is not written to demonstrate mastery of programming techniques and ability to integrate third-party content, tools and libraries. This game was made, and continues to be developed, because it is fun to program and to design.

There is a clear core loop, and it is fun and engaging. The graphics are simple and functional, but some of them are still placeholder art. This game will never be finished, thus there will always be place-holders as long as the code gets ahead of the art. There is no XML or cloud-based savegame in there just because that is the kind of thing would look impressive in a list of features.

More than features, this games focuses on content and little flourishes. This game has dozens of skills, enemies, weapons, crafting recipes, biomes, and quests. NPCs and enemies interact with each other. There is a day-night cycle and a progression system.

While the CS student game is about showing off as many tech/code features as possible, this kind of programmer game is about showing off content and game design elements and having fun adding all this stuff to the game.

This game will be finished when the dev gets bored with adding new stuff. Only then, he’ll plan to add a beginning and an ending to the game within the next six months, and go over the art to make it look coherent. The six months turn into two years.

The after-hours developer often makes RPGs, metroidvanias, or rogue-like games. These genres have a set of core mechanics (e.g. combat, loot, experience, jumping) and opportunity for a bunch of mechanics built around the core (e.g. pets, crafting, conversation trees, quest-giving NPCs, achievements, shops/trading, inventory management, collecting trinkets, skill trees, or combo attacks).

The First-Time Game Jammer

The first-time game jammer wants to make his first game for an upcoming game jam. He knows many languages, but he does a lot of machine learning with torch7 for his day job, so he has decided to use LÖVE2D or pico-8 to make a simple game.

This guy has no training in digital art, game design, or game feel. But the he has a working knowledge of high-school maths, physics, and logic. So he can write his own physics engine, but doesn’t know about animation or cartoon physics. He doesn’t waste time writing a physics engine though. He just puts graphics on the screen. These graphics are abstract and drawn in mspaint. The numbers behind everything are in plain sight. Actions are either triggered by clicking on extradiegetic buttons or by bumping into things.

The resulting game is often not very kinetic or action-oriented. In this case, it often has a modal/stateful UI, or a turn-based economy. If it is action-oriented, it could be a simple platformer based around one core mechanic and not many variations on it. Maybe it’s a novel twist on Pong or Tetris.

The first-time game jammer successfully finished his first game jam by already knowing how to program in Lua, copying a proven game genre and not bothering to learn any new tools during the limited jamming time. Instead, he wrote the code to create every level by hand, in separate .lua files, using GNU EMACS.

The Solo Graphic Designer

The graphic designer has a skill set and approach opposite to those of the two programmers described above. He is about as good at writing code as the programmer is at drawing images in mspaint. The graphic designer knows all about the principles of animation, but has no idea how to code a simple loop to simulate how a tennis ball falls down and bounces off walls or the ground. He used to work in a team with coders, but this time he wants to make his own game based on his own creative vision.

The graphic designer knows all about animation tools, 3D modelling, composition. He has a graphic tablet and he can draw. He knows all about light and shade and gestalt psychology, but he can’t write a shader to save his life.

Naturally, the graphic designer plays to his strengths and uses a game engine with an IDE and a visual level editor, like Unity3D, Construct, or GameMaker.

The graphic designer makes a successful game by doing the opposite of what the coder does, because he does it well. The screenshots look good, and his game gets shared on Twitter. He struggles writing the code to aim a projectile at the cursor in a twin-stick shooter, but we live in a world of Asset Stores and StackOverflow.

The resulting game is a genre-mixing thingy full of set pieces, cut scenes, and visual-novel-style conversations. The actual gameplay is walking around and finding keys for locks, but it’s cleverly recontextualised with a #deep theme and boy does it look pretty.

The Engine Coder

The engine coder is like the CS student on steroids. He has nothing to prove. He knows his C++. He lives in a shack in Alaska, and pushes code to GitHub over a satellite connection. He also knows his Lua, C#, Python, and Haskell. The engine coder writes a physics engine, particle system, dialogue engine, planning-based mob AI, savegame system, a network layer and GUI widget library.

He has written five simple demos for the engine: A first-person walking simulator, a third-person platformer, a very pretty glowing orb swarm shader thingy, a non-interactive simulation of a flock of sheep grazing and a pack of wolves occasionally coming in to cull the herd with advanced predator AI, and a game where you fly a spaceship through space.

Somebody comments in the forums that it’s hard to even write Pong or Tetris in the engine. The Engine Coder is more concerned with optimising batched rendering and automatically switching LoD in the BSP tree so you can land on planets in space without loading screens.

The Overeager Schoolboy

The schoolboy has an idea for a game. He saves his money to buy Game Maker (or RPG Maker) and tells his all friends about his amazing idea. Then he makes a post about it on tumblr. Then he makes a sideblog about the game and posts there too, tagged #game development.

Unfortunately, the schoolboy is 15, and while he is talented, he doesn’t really know how to program or draw. He’s good at math, and he can draw with a pencil. Unfortunately, he wants to learn digital art, level design, and programming all in one go. He already knows all the characters for his game, and he writes posts about each of them individually, with pencilled concept art and flavourful lore.

Even more unfortunately, our schoolboy is hazy on how big the game is actually going to be, and what core mechanic the game should be based around.

After designing sprite sheets and portraits for ten characters you could add to your party, plus the Big Bad End Boss, he realises that he has no idea how to get there, or how to make the first level. He starts over with another set of tools and engine, but he doesn’t limit his scope.

In an overdramatic post two months later, he apologises to the people who were excited to play the game when it’s done. A week later he deletes the tumblr. He never releases a playable demo. He never gets constructive feedback from game developers.

The Game Designer’s Game Designer

The game designer’s game designer is not exactly a household name, but he has done this for a while. While you have never heard of him, the people who made the games you like have. All your favourite games journalists also have. Through this connection, many concepts have trickled down into the games you play and the way your friends talk to you about games they like.

The game designer’s game designer has been going at this for a while. When he started, there was no way to learn game design, so he probably studied maths, psychology, computer science, industrial design, or music theory.

The games fall outside of genres, and not just in the sense of mixing two genres together. They are sometimes outside of established genres, or they are clearly inside the tradition of RTS, rogue-likes or clicker games, but they feel like something completely new.

The games of the game designer’s game designer are sometimes released for free, out of the blue, and sometimes commissioned for museums and multimedia art festivals. Some of them are about philosophy, but they don’t merely mention philosophical concepts, or use them to prop up a game mechanic (cloning and transporters, anyone?). They explore concepts like “the shortness of life” or “capitalism” or “being one with the world” or “unfriendly AI” through game mechanics.

But they also explore gameplay tropes like “inventory management“ or “unidentified magic items“ or “unit pathfinding“.

Sometimes bursts of multiple games are released within weeks, after years of radio silence. Should you ever meet the game designer’s game designer, you tell him that you got a lot out of the textbook he wrote, but you feel guilty that you never played one of his games. So you lie and tell him you did.

My Eco Friendly Journey

So I’ve been trying hard lately to be more eco friendly in everything I do. It’s clumsy still and I’m working on one thing at a time, but I’m like super proud of how much waste you can cut out of your life with small adjustments. So far I have:

- Made a superior effort to recycle, and take the time to check for recycling symbols and my local recycling laws - Seriously guys if you’re gonna recycle do it right, or you’re just going to end up ruining a batch of recycling. Always check your symbols and numbers, and never put things that are prohibited in your local recycling. For example local to me they only take numbers 1-7 and do not take plastic bags (this includes those air filled sacks that are used in shipping to protect stuff, or those little individual wrapping for small items like screws). Greasy cardboard is also usually prohibited, so rip off that soggy pizza box bottom.

- Cut straws out of my life and replaced them with sustainable glass straws - Probably my biggest plastic waste next to packaging material. I was tossing out at least 5 of these bad boys a week to go sit in a landfill somewhere. I now keep straws at work for coffee runs (orange for Dunks’s Green for Starbucks because I am a dweeb) and one in my purse for restaurants. I read a comment on a youtube video about how bad straws are that basically said ‘uhh.. here in the UK we don’t use straws often because we’re adults and we don't need sippy straws??’ and it made me realize how crazy the US goes with straws and how we put them in EVERYTHING. But also like.. I am a child and I want a straw still., so glass was the best option for me and tbh has a way more satisfying mouth feel than plastic.

Replaced shopping/produce bags with reusable bags - We’ve all had one, the mom bag stash. Y’know that spot in the cabinet usually under the sink where we hoard grocery bags like somehow we’re going to one day need 1,000 shopping bags?? The worst part is while they’re recyclable most pickup recycling trucks DO NOT TAKE THEM. (Please check your local recycling restrictions because putting them in the recycling can ruin the batch) So you let them build up, stuffing bags into bags for an eternity, always forgetting to bring them with you back to the store (where they usually have a recycling drop off specifically for plastic bags/wrappings) until it has now taken over under your sink and become sentient. Yeah... well I got tired of it. So I bought some nice reusable shopping bags, and mesh produce bags. It never occurred to me that I don’t need to use the stores plastic bags every time I buy fruit and shit. Fuck that, I got various sized mesh draw string bags for that shit to put IN my other bigger shopping bags. Now if I could only remember to take my bag hoard to the store to properly recycle it someday. I also keep a fold up bag in my purse in case I’m out and about and need to shop for something quickly. NO MORE PLASTIC BAGS. EVER. I scream as I whip it onto the belt at checkout.

Cut plastic water bottles out of my life - Don’t need them. I’ve got a small hoard of those classy ass glass Bkr bottles, I always have one in my purse, one on my desk at work, and one at home. I actually have a neoprene bottle sleeve built into my purse that it fits perfectly in! (Shout out Dagne Dover best purses for women who want function and style, not just a massive price tag and bragging rights) Also, if you’re looking to snag a Bkr bottle yourself, check out their insta because they post a sale like.. every day. It might just be a pride month thing but I always see them posting a color or line of the day that’s on sale. Also Mercari and Poshmark usually have some posted some even new with tags. Fuckin’ get it girl. Cut them plastic bottles out cold.

- TOO MUCH INFORMATION AHEAD, sorry but this might be considered graphic for some - Replaced feminine hygiene products with more sustainable low/no waste products aka Menstrual Cups. Stop here if you don’t want details. FYI I fucking love these now, and I’ve never felt more confident and less gross. Pulling bloody wads of smelly cotton out of my lady bits for a week every month is DISGUSTING to me (to each their own no shame just not for me). Sitting in your own blood like your trying to summon satan in your panties using pads, also not for me. Both are terrible for the environment anyway with all that packaging. I’m super pleased with my new life during my period, no smelly cotton, no upset Ph from sanitary product use, just me and my happy lady bits.

So yeah, my household of 3 produces 1-1.5 bags of trash a week. Most of those bags are filled with food waste, and animal waste (ferret cage recycled paper litter, cat box scoopings). I’m interested in composting next, and if I can start that, I’d like to upgrade to biodegradable trash bags. My fear is that if I’m not composting and wet food waste goes into the biodegradable trash bags they will degrade too quickly and just make a mess. But we’ll get there!

for the first in a while, I'm gonna ... try to take it easy, today.  

I actually have a lot to do but I really need to chill the fuck out for a second and take a breather.  my OCD's made my life remarkably difficult lately and I've begun to disassociate in order to cope.  I know disassociation plays a key role in obsessive-compulsive disorders; I know my OCD's fairly severe and it's been getting worse as I get older, but I'm not...usually this bad.  Even when under stress.

for example, a batch of 200 commissioned banner icons suddenly turns into 400+, and I'm still not done because I can't stop keep remaking them.  

oh, this one's coloring is off. but these frames are split second to each other ... can't have that, gotta redo 'em. 

 wait, the pixels are...'weird' looking in the corner, here.  rejected.

this one could've been cropped way better.  how could I expect them to use this?

why is this one in the 'final version' folder when the border around it overlapped a part of the icon?

I need to redo these 73 because the shadow is too dark and blocky beneath the icon.  it’s supposed to be a fade.  it’s what they ordered and you’re not giving them what they asked for. 

someone's paying you for this shit get it TOGETHER

yesterday, my OCD got triggered about 3 times?  I have a couple of forms.  I had a breakdown in front of my mother after she came home and asked me if I ate and I know I must've made some kinda stupid face that gave it away because seconds after she'd asked, I realized I didn't know what the hell ate other than the toast she'd watched me eat before she left for work at 9am.  It was 11pm when she asked.  

I also had mini-breakdown while talking to my customer and it was terribly embarrassing.  I got a nosebleed to top it all off too lmao  ( i'm so sorry if you're reading this, john omfg you've been the best to me and I'm sorry because I'm sure all you'd wanted was icons to rp sdfkjsd )

but I just. 

All of my friends think OCD is just me having high ass standards or just being 'know-it-all'.  I've been called that all my life.  In fact, I've been called that by friends I thought would never say anything like that about me because I thought we were friends

We live in this new age of 'awkward is cute'.   It's hip to be square, cool to be uncool, and sexy to be nerdy and quirky.  and there isn’t any better way to declare your individuality and weirdness than branding yourself 'so OCD' about something.  

Ahaha.

I fucking loathe people who do this.

OCD isn't a quirk or a set of tendencies.  It's not fucking buzzf.eed list, not a little buzzf.eed quiz you can take and readily relate to the results; it's an incapacitating, isolating disease that makes you afraid of your own mind.

If my friends could see, just once, what it's like for me, when I'm caught in an obsessive-compulsive loop, maybe then they'd finally understand me when I say ''''it's bad''''.

Even Something as simple as drawing a line-art from a sketch turns into a complete and total nightmare.  8/10 times, I'll redraw the line-art like — hm, I don' dunno — about 7 fuckin' times in a row, then, delete all of it because IDK, it wasn't 'right'?  ( Who am i kidding; I do the same with sketches ヽ(・ω・)ﾉ  )

Oh, yeah, for sure.  Me and my ‘high fucking standards' did this.

NO.  No one in their right mind would do this.  They wouldn’t re-draw the same fucking drawing 7 times in a row and the same layer style over and over, not even changing things up to maybe get some progress.      Nobody.  Jfc.

And oh, god, that moment when you realize, it's been more than 8/9 hrs since you began and you haven't eaten or drank anything; you don't remember the last time you looked at your phone or what the hell happened to the time because last time you looked, it was 11am and now it’s 9:48pm.

Moreover, you made exactly zero progress on your project — because IDK — there’s no valid reason?  JUST COULDN'T STOP HA

I never thought I would talk about this, but uh, Y'all know how much I love han.  I want Han to be seen in the best light possible.  while SW has been one of the few things that have held a light in my life, he's helped me become a better person in more ways than I can articulate.  and no, I don't mean I suddenly started picking trash up off the highways.

I mean, by writing him in this amazing place filled with people I don’t have IRL who share my interests, I’ve met so many new people, friends, learned so many lessons, about characters and life and writing.  

When I began writing Han, here, I had just learned what present and past tense was in English.  I was winging my writing, trying really hard to understand.  English isn't my first language.  In Cantonese, my native language, there's no such thing as a past tense.  

By writing Han with you guys, I've taken huge steps in life, without even realizing it. 

So, everything I do for han, I want for it to be good.  

Not outstanding, and definitely not exemplary or nonpareil — just ... good. 

And icons — haha.  I love icons.  I love and hate making them.  similar to my writing, I work very hard on his icons.  ... but I need to learn where to draw the line.  

I once remade an icon 23 times before I was happy with it.  ( i had 23 versions left in my folder lmao ).  like these here?  10 versions of each, in the least. 

( the last one is kinda an exception... I think.  I made that one well over 25 times, for sure.  but I think it's because I'm not accustomed to Blaine's coloring yet. ) 

Wow, this really turned into a long post.  I don't really care, though.  My OCD is something that has always been completely ignored IRL.  Shit, it's ignored by even my online friends.  I can't even game online without one of them thinking I must get off on establishing my superiority and overall knowledge of '???’ game.  Haha.

'Show me your build?' :D 'Er...nah. I think I'll pass.' 'Why?  What's the matter?' 'You'll pick it apart.'

It's never considered 'advice' when it's from me.  It's me as a know-it-all, as someone who looks down on others for not having up-to-par stats. 

I'm sorry I did the math for you so you wouldn't have to.  This is simply advice you're free to toss aside, but it's not like it matters.  Even if I reassured that—you're already too annoyed to listen for any longer.

So, I’ll also apologize for how I can recall faction modifiers, body part modifiers, critical hit and stealth modifiers, as well as debuffs; how a certain amount of damage of one type turns into inflicted damage to a target while considering type modifiers and armor, and knowing the damage formulas needed to calculate the number of hit points required to kill an armored or unarmored target, with or without a finisher multiplier figured in — because I want you to do the very best with your weapon of choice, even though I can name 5 different weapons that utterly outclass it by tenfold. 

In reality, I never had much of choice.  Information like that doesn't stop looping in my mind, even at night, when all I want is to sleep.

Sometimes ... I wish I could be that one character on a comedy show who has a quirky disorder or ''OCD'' and everyone seems to love him for it because he's funny when he does it or he's generally helpful 

More often than not, my OCD just ruins everything.  I don't feel like I belong anywhere.

I need to take a breather.

My biased reading of Journal 3...

... as a BillFord shipper.

(contains a few spoilers for the UV version) (contains also a few plot bunnies)

‘My Muse’ page: at this point, Ford’s not sure Bill’s not part of his unconscious mind. He becomes more and more sure of his existence with time.

‘Soothquitos’ page: Yeeeah someone who is good as codes surely couldn’t understand ‘BATCH OUT FOR WILL’. It’s called denial, Ford. Dipper understood their messages instantly. I’m sad soothquitos are not used more in fic. They’re awesome.

‘A Bit of History’ page: His discovery of Bill is listed as an important date. Aww. It’s safe to think he fully believed he was real at this time. And this change of heart mean either Bill giving him physical proof (I like to think he taught him a bit of magic), either a lot of encounters.  

Art hoarded by the Northwest: You’re jealous, Ford. Don’t pretend. (my headcanon is that he stole a lot of his collection from the Northwest)

I really love the UV version. I wonder: how did Ford learn all this? Did Bill brag about all this? Did Ford madly research all of Bill’s appearances in the past, never able to connect them logically before te betrayal? 

Also, do you have headcanons about other historical figures he could have met? My guesses are on Pythagoras (of course), Gerbert d’Aurillac, and I’d like to find someone in the French Revolution, as Bill is very visible on the French declaration of the rights of man.

‘Category 9′ page: “I prefer dreams with my Muse”. Of course you do. ^^

‘The Muse has Spoken’ page: I love how he draws a rising sun out of joy. Aw, Ford. 

‘My assistant’ page: Here is one of the things that intrigue me more. We know Ford has his big shrine to Bill. It’s canon. It’s never mentioned in the Journal. Maybe there were no reasons? Maybe he’s shameful of how he got them? But here, when Fidds talks about the photo of his wife and kid, and Ford mentions his picture of Nikola Tesla, I can’t keep thinking: you have not only this, Ford. You have pyramids on your desks. You have A LOT of pictures of a loved one.

Also, the next page, “Could F really appreciate the complex fates that brought me and my Muse together?”. No, he couldn’t. ^^ He would be right about it. ^^ I wonder when the scene from the show Ford-meditating-with-pyramids is, timeline-wise.

Ford seeing Bill in the sky as a constellation is one of the few things which are very romantic-coded and don’t really make sense as friendship or religion.

‘An Encounter’ page (and the ones following): Really, once I got over the deception that possession wasn’t a usual thing for them, I got to really love this pages. ‘I felt a physical chill’ and “This is a feeling like no other’...

Also, I wonder if part of the hurt Ford feels (the bleeding eye) is due to natural possession, Bill being too much for his body, or if all of it is him being a sado-masochist little shit ‘THANKS FOR LETTING ME BORROW YOUR BODY SIXER ENJOY THE MYSTERY BRUISES’

The ‘My Muse was a monster’ page may be my favorite. It’s not fear for the Universe  yet- that he will show later because he can be quite responsible sometimes - It’s pure emotional devastation.

‘Bill Cipher’ page: First time he uses his name. One of the most shippy too.

The stroke through text ‘Bill has proven himself to be one of the friendliest and most trustworthy individuals that I’ve ever met in my life. What a guy! I honestly couldn’t trust him more. Not evil in any way, Bill is a true gentleman’. It sounds like something he wrote before. But that he didn’t put in the Journal because it was private and useless to science. Somehow I’m quite sure Ford has a big heap of these private pages talking of Bill. (I saw headcanons that Bill wrote it while possessing him, but possession changes the handwriting)

Also, ‘a true gentleman’. Another thing strongly romantic-coded. You don’t say this about your friends or your gods.

‘will seduce you with never-ending flattery’. Yes he did. ^^

‘LIAR MONSTER SNAPPY DRESSER’: still caring about his clothes, Ford?

In the UV version: The part about Bill replacing the word ‘burden’ with ‘sea otter’. Yes, is it hilarious. But I can’t get over how scary it is. So Bill can change things in Ford’s mind, with long lasting effects. He could have entirely destroyed his language centers. What couldn’t he do? Could he replace feelings with other feelings? I smell darkfic. Please write all the darkfic.

‘Hiding places’: Small drawings of Bill. Everywhere. He still can’t stop drawing him, even if he strikes them through later. Also, the UV version of the ‘My Muse’ page. It was post-betrayal, and he took the time to draw a so pretty and threatening Bill.

The UV version makes clear that Bill can possess Ford again, as long as he sleeps. It was never really clear, so, good for ficcing ^^ We have less pre-betrayal possession than I hoped for, but still a lot of potential after.

‘I’m back’ page, UV version: So you love Eurythmics, Ford. I guess you never listened to “Sweet Dreams” the same way after Bill betrayed you. Music fans, do Eurythmics have other songs thatt could be good for a BillFord fanmix and Ford listening to break up songs

‘The Nightmare Realm’ page: One of my favorite sentences is ‘I was so crazed from fatigue and rage that my first impulse was to give myself up to Bill so I could curse him right to his face’.

The very ending: I’m still baffled that it was Dipper who has the idea of destroying all the Bill artefacts. Ford should have destroyed them post-betrayal. Or just after Dipper discovers them, to make sure there’s no more misunderstandings. Or after vanquishing Bill, if he kept them as a reminder of his duty. But really, he would have KEPT them???

Also, I was talking sooner about what Ford never mentions. He never talks about the way Bill tortured him. It can be because the Journal has to be readable by children. He can be because his low self-esteem strikes again and it was too heroic for him to mention. It can be because he can’t even bear thinking about it.

Or it can be because it was MA-rated. We’ll never know. ^^

Comic Script Prompt: Batgirl of Burnside

My Overwatch script got at least one artist working on it from what I can tell. One is more than the zero that I was expecting, so after what I consider to be a successful first attempt at this I’m gonna give it another go. I only read a few volumes of Batgirl from Stewart, Fletcher, and Tarr, and while I understand there were some controversies regarding certain villains, it was still stylish and entertaining. That being said, I only read a few volumes and have NO IDEA what’s going on in current continuity, other than what I hear about Frankie Charles apparently being dropped which is what inspired me to write this script... last year. I forgot it was even here. But I’m not worried about this script fitting into any sort of canon, are you? Good. We’re here for fun. You know what’s fun? Batgirl. Let’s have fun. THE RULES: For those who are new to illustrating comics: the rules are simple. Read the whole ten-page script. Outline and illustrate based on how you feel the story is best told. The panel counts and even the descriptions of the panels are only suggestions. The writer’s job is to give you the story to tell. Therefore you are the story teller. It’s only polite to stick to the dialog as closely as possible, but most writers can’t even draw stick figures, so the layout of the actual comic falls to your expertise. Go get ‘em. I would love to see as many takes on this script as possible, so I would be grateful to those who are willing to share this script in order for it to be seen by artists far and wide. I would appreciate writing credits, of course, but the rest of your work is yours to do with as you please. I also ask that you PLEASE TAG ME if you post your illustrations on tumblr so that I can ooh and awe. If you’re looking to get into comic book illustration, or are just bored and need something to mess around with before your own inspiration takes over and leads you to make your own art: this is as good a place as any to start. This goes to writers too. Do not be afraid to post fan scripts online. Everyone needs practice, and it could lead to exciting collaborations. Feel free to share any questions or comments. Thank you. PAGE ONE (Six Panels) Panel 1. Interior warehouse. Batgirl, clad in her ever-stylish bat-themed ensemble, and Operator, clad in a hoodie and several multi-purpose cybernetic enhancements including bulky gauntlets, backpack that converts into a small robot, and ever-important leg braces, lurk in the foreground behind some industrial barrels as they watch Killer Frost command her henchmen. I know Frost's kind of an independent homicidal maniac nutjob who don't need no hench-man, but this is only a comic prompt so mind your biscuits. BATGIRL: I think we finally found Killer Frost's lair. OPERATOR: What gave it away? The freezing cold or the fact that she's literally right in front of us? BATGIRL: Don't question the super sleuth.

Panel 2. Operator wraps her arms around herself to stay warm and restrain her shivering from drawing unwanted attention. Batgirl pulls a stick of lip balm out of her utility belt.

OPERATOR: Man, it's so friggin' cold my lips are chapped. BATGIRL: Here, I have something for that. Panel 3. Close up. Operator holds the closed stick of lip balm in front of her face and scowls at it and its patented bat motif. Panel 4. Batgirl looks concerned. BATGIRL: What? Panel 5. Close up. Operator continues to scowl, only this time it's directed forward at the camera. Panel 6. Batgirl lowers her head and fidgets nervously. BATGIRL: Never mind. Your eyes say it all. PAGE TWO (Five Panels) Panel 1. Operator applies the balm and raises an eyebrow to Batgirl, who simply shrugs. OPERATOR: Does Bat-MAN carry around a tube of lip balm too, or just Bat-GIRL? BATGIRL: Presumably? I guess? Why not? Panel 2. Imagined scenario. Exterior. Gotham City. The Batman looms atop a gargoyle and surveys his city with a brooding scowl. Such is the severity of his brooding scowl that it can easily be conveyed through his brooding cowl, which is itself designed to convey both brooding and scowling because it is a mask and the whole point of a mask is to hide your face regardless of its expression. BATMAN (Caption): “Somewhere, even now, Scarecrow is preparing his most recent batch of fear toxin.” BATMAN (Caption): “Any slip up on my part could cost thousands of lives.” BATMAN (Caption): “No time to be distracted by trivial aches and pains.” Panel 3. Extreme close-up  profile view of Batman's gritted teeth as he juts his jaw forward and applies lip balm to his lower lip. BATMAN (Caption): “Thankfully...” BATMAN (Caption): “I came prepared.” Panel 4. Low angle of Batman leaping from the gargoyle with his cape flared out dramatically behind him as lightning strikes in the distance. His lips have a distinctly glossy sheen. BATMAN (Caption): “I am the night.” BATMAN (Caption): “Woosh!” Panel 5. Back to Batgirl stroking her chin in thought. OPERATOR: Really? The Batman says, “Woosh?” BATGIRL: I think? But only in his head. PAGE THREE (Four Panels) Panel 1. Batgirl and Operator turn face to face with their backs to the camera. Between them, in the background, Killer Frost looks over her shoulders and is surprised to see two figures lurking in the shadows. Wow, ladies, it's time to step up your lurking game. BATGIRL: Point is: You're not questioning the lip balm anymore. OPERATOR: I assume his sparkles too. BATGIRL: We all have our vices. OPERATOR: Superman doesn't have vices. He's Superman. BATGIRL: Uh, duh-hoy. Yeah, he does. Panel 2. Imagined scenario. Exterior. Batman crouches atop a building, ever the picture of disgruntled vigilantism, as Superman hovers in the air beside him with his arms folded. They both look out over the city. SUPERMAN: Hi there, Bruce. BATMAN: Clark. SUPERMAN: Chilly tonight, isn't it? Panel 3. Batman hands Superman his lip balm from off panel. BATMAN (OP): Here. SUPERMAN: Thank you. Panel 4. Same angle as Panel 2, except Superman hovers with one arm akimbo, as the hip Metropolisian likes to call having one hand on his hip, which is hip, and the other applying lip balm to his perfectly honed alien lips, which might be less hip. SUPERMAN: You know, my Kryptonian blood and Earth's yellow sun grant me resistance to chapped lips. SUPERMAN: I do, however, appreciate the cherry flavor and glossy sheen. BATMAN: Totes. PAGE FOUR (Four Panels) Panel 1. Operator gives a skeptical look. OPERATOR: Hold up. Batman's name is “Bruce?” Panel 2. Batgirl nervously rubs the back of her head with one hand and waves dismissively with the other at the easily dismissed notion of The Batman having a perfectly normal civilian name. BATGIRL: No! What!? Ha ha! No! BATGIRL: I just thought it would be funny to give them funny normal funny civilian names. Panel 3. Killer Frost strikes a dramatic pointing pose as she orders her hench-peeps to advance on the intruders. BATGIRL (OP): His name would obviously be “Battholomew Manchild” anyway. I mean, get real. KILLER FROST: Intruders! Get them! Panel 4. Batgirl and Operator bound over the barrels to bop some bad-guy noggins. Operator's gauntlets slide over her hands and form something along the lines of metal boxing gloves. BATGIRL: Wow. Really? OPERATOR: “Get them?” Uhh, cliché much?” PAGE FIVE (Five Panels) Panel 1. Batgirl and Operator bop and ka-pow the various hench-folk with ease and flair while Killer Frost gets angry and defensive. KILLER FROST: Hey! It's not my fault! It's a hench-people thing! KILLER FROST: They're trained to follow certain key phrases, like “Don't let them escape!” and “Take her to my chambers!” Panel 2. Wide angle of the skirmish as Batgirl and Operator dispatch the minions of darkness through the use of fisticuffs. One hench-individual comes up behind Operator, seemingly unnoticed. BATGIRL: I guess their handbook hasn't been updated in a while. BATGIRL: You can still order them to get you an “Iced Tea”, right? Huh? OPERATOR: Don't make puns. Don't be that girl. Panel 3. Batgirl notices Operator's encroaching assailant preparing to grab her from behind and gets ready to throw a batarang to intercept. BATGIRL: Who are you who are so adverse to base comedy? Panel 4. Operator raises her fist without looking and strikes the hench-being behind her in the nose with what has come to be known as the “Batman Punch,” seemingly validating her coming claim. OPERATOR: I'm Batman. Panel 5. Killer Frost prepares to engage in an assault of her own. KILLER FROST: You're not Batman... PAGE SIX (Five Panels) Panel 1. Killer Frost unleashes a freeze blast that Batgirl and Operator narrowly dodge. I say narrowly because that incites tension. Tension is important to action scenes. I can action scene. I can action scene real good. You don't know me. You don't know what I've been through. KILLER FROST (Burst): You're a dork! Panel 2. Operator takes a knee and fires off a small projectile. OPERATOR: Body Snatcher. SFX: Ptunk! Panel 3. Shot of the projectile streaking through the air. Panel 4. Same angle as the projectile expands into a net, or whatever sort of binding contraption you deem to be more “creative” as you kids like to say. You with your newfangled “Stylizes” and your “Welcome Tablettes.” In my day we had rock walls and our own blood. That was how we made comics. Panel 5. Killer Frost shoots the “body snatcher” out of the air. That's what she thinks of your imagination. What're you gonna do about it? KILLER FROST: Nope! Boring! PAGE SEVEN (Three Panels)

Panel 1. Operator's gauntlets take on a decidedly more “energy canon” appearance as matter-sucking vortexes begin to manifest. OPERATOR: H.G. Wells!* SFX: Voormvoormvoorm! CAPTION: *Hyper Gravity Wells. Not to be confused with iconic sci-fi writers. Panel 2. Killer Frost loses her balance as she struggles against the powerful current of pseudo-science pulling at her from off-panel. SFX:Voormvoormvoormvoorm! KILLER FROST: What the $#&%? Panel 3. Batgirl delivers a leaping kick to Killer Frost's noggin BATGIRL: Calling out my attack!* SFX: Boot! CAPTION: *Not to be confused with a good idea. PAGE EIGHT (Five Panels) Panel 1. Batgirl and Operator stand side-by side. Batgirl playfully jabs Operator in the shoulder as Operator adjusts her equipment. BATGIRL: Way to suck, Operator. OPERATOR: I'm serious about the puns. End them, or I will. Panel 2. Killer Frost nurses her aching head as she tries to prop herself up on the floor. KILLER FROST: You really think a kick to the head is gonna stop Killer Frost? Panel 3. Batgirl and Operator exchange knowing looks.

BATGIRL: Sedation? OPERATOR: Sedation. Panel 4. Close up from behind. Operator turns her head over her shoulder and talks to the device on her back, causing it to boot up. OPERATOR: Sic her, Rossum. ROSSUM: *Berp* *Wrrr* Panel 5. Operator’s backpack, now Rossum the Universal Robot, springs into the air above Operator. ROSSUM: *Keerp* *Zzzzt* PAGE NINE (Four Panels) Panel 1. Rossum drops like a sack of robot on top of Killer Frost and pins her to the ground. KILLER FROST: Ooph! Get off me! KILLER FROST: Don't you touch me! Panel 2. Close up on Rossum as a little nozzle comes into view. KILLER FROST (OP): What're you doing? Don't you do it! Panel 3. Rossum emits a colorful fog into Killer Frost's face, causing her to blink sleepily. KILLER FROST: Don't you--! ROSSUM: Blorp! Panel 4. Same angle as Killer Frost loses consciousness and drops her head to the ground. PAGE TEN (Six Panels) Panel 1.

BATGIRL: I had no idea you were such a sci-fi dork. OPERATOR: I, like many a prolific genius before me, have been burdened with an overabundance of time to sit on my butt. OPERATOR: Fiction helps. Panel 2. Operator starts to lose balance as her legs give out. BATGIRL: I'd call that a pretty satisfying field test though. Good work. OPERATOR: They're Qadir's designs. They just need my signature programming to work. Panel 3. Operator falls to her hands and knees in pain. OPERATOR: Aaaaaaand, maybe a better power supply. BATGIRL: Oh no! Are you okay!? Panel 4. Operator stares at the ground in front of her in frustration over her apparent weakness as Rossum scurries back up her back. OPERATOR: I can reroute Rossum's power to the braces. This is too much gear to carry on my own in my... OPERATOR: You know... condition. OPERATOR (Whisper): I swear I'm not a liability. Panel 5. Batgirl leans over and places her hand on her friend's shoulder to comfort her. BATGIRL: I never said you were. We'll get you home and figure out an energy solution. Panel 6. Batgirl stands up and looks over the mess of the warehouse. BATGIRL: Right after we figure out what Killer Frost was up to. CAPTION: To never be concluded!

Ethereum’s ASIC Rebellion Heats Up With New Effort to Brick Big Miners

“When mining ether won’t pay for power anymore, what will you do?”

The question – posed on an ethereum forum Thursday – is emblematic of a growing anxiety among the miners who today dedicate both computing power and machinery to securing the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency.

Grappling with the emergence of ethereum ASICs, or specialized mining hardware built to maximize the software’s rewards, the forum features no shortage of miners stating their intention to move their kits to other cryptocurrencies.

“What is the ether value when all the miners quit?” another post asks.

The statements come in advance of an ethereum software upgrade scheduled for October. Dubbed Constantinople, the change, to be conducted via a hard fork, is set to reduce the amount of coins paid out to miners from 3 ETH to 2 ETH per block, as currently coded by developers.

While that won’t necessarily break the bank of miners, the changes could add up quick. According to figures from Etherscan, about 6,000 blocks are currently found per day, with about 17,000 ETH (roughly $3.4 million) being paid out to miners by the protocol.

Yet, should ASICs become a more popular tool for mining ether, smaller hobbyist miners could be even more hard-hit by the proposed adjustment. As such, ethereum miners beginning to back a code change that would prevent ASICs from dominating the platform.

Bolstering the movement, according to several sources, is the belief that the proposed issuance reduction won’t impact all miners equally. Rather, some think it’s likely to concentrate mining power in a small number of pools with access to cheap electricity and with the resources necessary to purchase ASICs.

“This community of small miners, hundreds of thousands, is now faced with the economic reality that selling their used hardware may be a better outcome than continuing to participate in ETH,” Brian Venturo, CEO of mining company Atlantic Crypto, told CoinDesk.

Believing that the presence of small miners is necessary for the decentralization and security of the network, proponents of GPUs — a general purpose hardware that is easier to access than ASICs — are advocating a code change that would remove competing hardware from the platform.

“The entire foundation of ethereum is decentralization, that’s the foundation of it, that’s the theme,” GPU supplier and leading developer behind the code change, Kristy-Leigh Minehan, told CoinDesk.

She continued:

“The only kind of hardware that’s naturally decentralized, and that means that it’s available in mass quantities to multiple individuals that aren’t inherently involved in cryptocurrency, that don’t have financial motivation, that’s a GPU card.”

Preparing for battle

Minehan, then, is prepping the code changes for its possible inclusion into Constantinople, currently scheduled for October.

“The goal is to staff up and have people working on that full time,” Minehan said.

In her effort to block ASICs, Minehan joins several major cryptocurrencies — most notably, privacy-centric cryptocurrency monero — in what has been termed “crypto’s war on miners.”

A grassroots movement started back in January, the trend can be linked to several batches of specialized hardware developed, mainly by the China-based mining giant Bitmain, for cryptocurrencies that were previously only mineable with GPUs.

But Minehan not only believes the type of code change she’s advocating for will remove ASICs from taking over ethereum, she also thinks it will lead to performance gains for GPU miners as well.

That’s because, built on an algorithm named ProgPoW, the code is designed to maximize on the characteristics of GPU hardware, using 80 percent of the overall graphics card toward computing the algorithm, instead of the 10 to 20 percent that is typical of cryptocurrency mining.

Because of this, Minehan said that if a hardware designer tried to build out a ProgPoW ASIC — which is to say a specialized chip with the sole function of computing ProgPoW — it would just end up resembling GPU hardware.

“One of the really cool features of ProgPoW is if you were going to implement this centralized hardware, an ASIC, then you would end up just mimicking a GPU card,” Minehan told CoinDesk.

In this way, Minehan said that the algorithm draws a lot on Ethash, ethereum’s current mining algorithm. While Ethash was built to resist ASIC hardware, by adding in a dataset, named a DAG, which increases incrementally over periods of time, it seems manufacturers have gotten around that barrier.

Distinct from Ethash, ProgPoW forces changes to the algorithm itself every epoch, meaning that “it’s impossible to have fixed function hardware,” Minehan said.

Minehan, then, calls it an “extension of ethereum” that has been built especially with GPUs in mind.

She told CoinDesk, “That’s inherently what PropPoW is, it is a lesson in how to make algorithms tailored to hardware.”

Two kinds of hardware

In interview, Minehan was adamant of the importance of general purpose hardware for the health of the ethereum network.

“I don’t think the ethereum developers realize just how, pardon my language, but how fucked they are, when the new generation of ethereum ASICs publically gets to the market,” she said.

In her mind, that’s because, while the current ethereum ASIC isn’t a huge improvement on the GPUs used today — aside from being slightly more efficient when it comes to electricity usage — rapid improvements in hardware means that GPU and ASICs will become increasingly polarized.

According to Minehan, the problem with this isn’t just that, it’s also that ASICs by nature are bound to a specific algorithm, and as such, can effectively lock miners into securing on particular protocol.

She explained:

“When you’re locked into one coin it causes a lot of competitive behavior, a lot of dangerous behavior.”

That���s because, while the primary market for GPUs is the gaming industry, there’s no other use for custom-built ASICs other than mining crypto. This means that ASIC manufacturers and miners are more directly incentivized to protect their investments — even if it means interfering with the direction of the network.

This is especially concerning given that ethereum is planning to switch its mining process to a technology called proof-of-stake, which will do away with the need for mining hardware entirely, Minehan contended.

“We believe proof-of-stake is the natural progression of ethereum, and we want proof-of-stake to be out there, but the network will be incredibly vulnerable if only ASICs are allowed to play,” she said.

ASIC manufacturers, she continued, are “naturally incentivized to keep ethereum on proof-of-work,” so much so that it might mean splitting ethereum when it comes time to make the switch.

“They will do everything in their power to keep it on proof-of-work which includes maintaining a large portion of the network hashrate,” she concluded.

Not in Constantinople

The implementation of ASIC-resistant code is being heralded by developers as a “reasonable compromise” for GPU miners on the network. As such, developers are taking time to investigate ProgPoW for its potential inclusion into ethereum’s codebase.

Speaking to CoinDesk, communication officer for the Ethereum Foundation, Hudson Jameson, confirmed that he’s been working to gain an understanding of the viability of ProgPoW implementation.

Jameson has been in contact with some of ProgPoW’s stated reviewers, including GPU manufacturers AMD and Nvidia.

“Once I’m done doing that I will work with some people from the community and experts in ProgPoW to continue to assess it’s viability as a replacement for Ethash,” Jameson told CoinDesk. “ProgPoW will certainly be discussed in upcoming core developers’ calls as we continue to assess it.”

Yet, it’s still unclear whether there’s sufficient support to implement such a change.

For example, arguments exist that the increased hashrate that comes from ASIC hardware is actually a positive for network security. Others warn that ProgPoW might have unexpected impacts — like damaging the investments of miners who had optimized their GPU cards for mining Ethash.

Aside from that, developers are adamant that the change cannot be included in Constantinople. Alluding to this, Afri Schoedon, the communications officer for ethereum client provider Parity Technologies, told CoinDesk that an ASIC effort “will not happen” in the upcoming hard fork.

“Constantinople is final,” Schoedon told CoinDesk.

Jameson echoed this, telling CoinDesk, “There is no way ProgPoW can go into Constantinople,” but rather that it has the possibility of being included in the following hard fork (nicknamed Istanbul), currently planned for eight months after Constantinople.

The delay might be disheartening to the many miners calling for ASIC-resistant code. With rapidly diminishing returns, there’s a chance that the GPU mining community will have moved to new cryptocurrencies by the time Istanbul comes around.

But regardless, Minehan and her team are still optimistic.

She said:

“I just want to have it all done and finished and then just point to it and say look guys it’s done, it’s ready, adopt it if you want it, don’t adopt it if you don’t, I don’t really care, but don’t say it’s not ready to be implemented because it’s finished.”

Graphic cards image via Shutterstock

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.

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Ethereum's ASIC Rebellion Heats Up With New Effort to Brick Big Miners

New Post has been published on https://cryptnus.com/2018/09/ethereums-asic-rebellion-heats-up-with-new-effort-to-brick-big-miners/

Ethereum's ASIC Rebellion Heats Up With New Effort to Brick Big Miners

“When mining ether won’t pay for power anymore, what will you do?”

The question – posed on an ethereum forum Thursday – is emblematic of a growing anxiety among the miners who today dedicate both computing power and machinery to securing the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency.

Grappling with the emergence of ethereum ASICs, or specialized mining hardware built to maximize the software’s rewards, the forum features no shortage of miners stating their intention to move their kits to other cryptocurrencies.

“What is the ether value when all the miners quit?” another post asks.

The statements come in advance of an ethereum software upgrade scheduled for October. Dubbed Constantinople, the change, to be conducted via a hard fork, is set to reduce the amount of coins paid out to miners from 3 ETH to 2 ETH per block, as currently coded by developers.

While that won’t necessarily break the bank of miners, the changes could add up quick. According to figures from Etherscan, about 6,000 blocks are currently found per day, with about 17,000 ETH (roughly $3.4 million) being paid out to miners by the protocol.

Yet, should ASICs become a more popular tool for mining ether, smaller hobbyist miners could be even more hard-hit by the proposed adjustment. As such, ethereum miners beginning to back a code change that would prevent ASICs from dominating the platform.

Bolstering the movement, according to several sources, is the belief that the proposed issuance reduction won’t impact all miners equally. Rather, some think it’s likely to concentrate mining power in a small number of pools with access to cheap electricity and with the resources necessary to purchase ASICs.

“This community of small miners, hundreds of thousands, is now faced with the economic reality that selling their used hardware may be a better outcome than continuing to participate in ETH,” Brian Venturo, CEO of mining company Atlantic Crypto, told CoinDesk.

Believing that the presence of small miners is necessary for the decentralization and security of the network, proponents of GPUs — a general purpose hardware that is easier to access than ASICs — are advocating a code change that would remove competing hardware from the platform.

“The entire foundation of ethereum is decentralization, that’s the foundation of it, that’s the theme,” GPU supplier and leading developer behind the code change, Kristy-Leigh Minehan, told CoinDesk.

She continued:

“The only kind of hardware that’s naturally decentralized, and that means that it’s available in mass quantities to multiple individuals that aren’t inherently involved in cryptocurrency, that don’t have financial motivation, that’s a GPU card.”

Preparing for battle

Minehan, then, is prepping the code changes for its possible inclusion into Constantinople, currently scheduled for October.

“The goal is to staff up and have people working on that full time,” Minehan said.

In her effort to block ASICs, Minehan joins several major cryptocurrencies — most notably, privacy-centric cryptocurrency monero — in what has been termed “crypto’s war on miners.”

A grassroots movement started back in January, the trend can be linked to several batches of specialized hardware developed, mainly by the China-based mining giant Bitmain, for cryptocurrencies that were previously only mineable with GPUs.

But Minehan not only believes the type of code change she’s advocating for will remove ASICs from taking over ethereum, she also thinks it will lead to performance gains for GPU miners as well.

That’s because, built on an algorithm named ProgPoW, the code is designed to maximize on the characteristics of GPU hardware, using 80 percent of the overall graphics card toward computing the algorithm, instead of the 10 to 20 percent that is typical of cryptocurrency mining.

Because of this, Minehan said that if a hardware designer tried to build out a ProgPoW ASIC — which is to say a specialized chip with the sole function of computing ProgPoW — it would just end up resembling GPU hardware.

“One of the really cool features of ProgPoW is if you were going to implement this centralized hardware, an ASIC, then you would end up just mimicking a GPU card,” Minehan told CoinDesk.

In this way, Minehan said that the algorithm draws a lot on Ethash, ethereum’s current mining algorithm. While Ethash was built to resist ASIC hardware, by adding in a dataset, named a DAG, which increases incrementally over periods of time, it seems manufacturers have gotten around that barrier.

Distinct from Ethash, ProgPoW forces changes to the algorithm itself every epoch, meaning that “it’s impossible to have fixed function hardware,” Minehan said.

Minehan, then, calls it an “extension of ethereum” that has been built especially with GPUs in mind.

She told CoinDesk, “That’s inherently what PropPoW is, it is a lesson in how to make algorithms tailored to hardware.”

Two kinds of hardware

In interview, Minehan was adamant of the importance of general purpose hardware for the health of the ethereum network.

“I don’t think the ethereum developers realize just how, pardon my language, but how fucked they are, when the new generation of ethereum ASICs publically gets to the market,” she said.

In her mind, that’s because, while the current ethereum ASIC isn’t a huge improvement on the GPUs used today — aside from being slightly more efficient when it comes to electricity usage — rapid improvements in hardware means that GPU and ASICs will become increasingly polarized.

According to Minehan, the problem with this isn’t just that, it’s also that ASICs by nature are bound to a specific algorithm, and as such, can effectively lock miners into securing on particular protocol.

She explained:

“When you’re locked into one coin it causes a lot of competitive behavior, a lot of dangerous behavior.”

That’s because, while the primary market for GPUs is the gaming industry, there’s no other use for custom-built ASICs other than mining crypto. This means that ASIC manufacturers and miners are more directly incentivized to protect their investments — even if it means interfering with the direction of the network.

This is especially concerning given that ethereum is planning to switch its mining process to a technology called proof-of-stake, which will do away with the need for mining hardware entirely, Minehan contended.

“We believe proof-of-stake is the natural progression of ethereum, and we want proof-of-stake to be out there, but the network will be incredibly vulnerable if only ASICs are allowed to play,” she said.

ASIC manufacturers, she continued, are “naturally incentivized to keep ethereum on proof-of-work,” so much so that it might mean splitting ethereum when it comes time to make the switch.

“They will do everything in their power to keep it on proof-of-work which includes maintaining a large portion of the network hashrate,” she concluded.

Not in Constantinople

The implementation of ASIC-resistant code is being heralded by developers as a “reasonable compromise” for GPU miners on the network. As such, developers are taking time to investigate ProgPoW for its potential inclusion into ethereum’s codebase.

Speaking to CoinDesk, communication officer for the Ethereum Foundation, Hudson Jameson, confirmed that he’s been working to gain an understanding of the viability of ProgPoW implementation.

Jameson has been in contact with some of ProgPoW’s stated reviewers, including GPU manufacturers AMD and Nvidia.

“Once I’m done doing that I will work with some people from the community and experts in ProgPoW to continue to assess it’s viability as a replacement for Ethash,” Jameson told CoinDesk. “ProgPoW will certainly be discussed in upcoming core developers’ calls as we continue to assess it.”

Yet, it’s still unclear whether there’s sufficient support to implement such a change.

For example, arguments exist that the increased hashrate that comes from ASIC hardware is actually a positive for network security. Others warn that ProgPoW might have unexpected impacts — like damaging the investments of miners who had optimized their GPU cards for mining Ethash.

Aside from that, developers are adamant that the change cannot be included in Constantinople. Alluding to this, Afri Schoedon, the communications officer for ethereum client provider Parity Technologies, told CoinDesk that an ASIC effort “will not happen” in the upcoming hard fork.

“Constantinople is final,” Schoedon told CoinDesk.

Jameson echoed this, telling CoinDesk, “There is no way ProgPoW can go into Constantinople,” but rather that it has the possibility of being included in the following hard fork (nicknamed Istanbul), currently planned for eight months after Constantinople.

The delay might be disheartening to the many miners calling for ASIC-resistant code. With rapidly diminishing returns, there’s a chance that the GPU mining community will have moved to new cryptocurrencies by the time Istanbul comes around.

But regardless, Minehan and her team are still optimistic.

She said:

“I just want to have it all done and finished and then just point to it and say look guys it’s done, it’s ready, adopt it if you want it, don’t adopt it if you don’t, I don’t really care, but don’t say it’s not ready to be implemented because it’s finished.”

Graphic cards image via Shutterstock

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.

Album Review: ‘Asking Alexandria’ by Asking Alexandria

More than just a band, Asking Alexandria has been a perpetually evolving collective, something that has arguably made them one of the biggest powerhouse acts of the modern music era. Few bands can say they’ve embraced change as strongly as they have, the members of Asking Alexandria keeping everything fluid as they matured and progressed, expanding upon their core sound with each album they released. And in the process, they asserted more dominance and became a more powerful – and chart-topping - figure. Of course, such success usually comes with its fair share of hardships; and everyone, even those just somewhat familiar with the group, know of Danny Worsnop’s departure from and subsequent (and somewhat surprising) reconciliation with Asking Alexandria. As jarring as it was for fans and even the musicians themselves, perhaps that split was the best thing that could have happened to Asking Alexandria. Perhaps those paths needed to diverge for a time in order for Ben Bruce, James Cassells, Cameron Liddell and Sam Bettley and Worsnop to all experience a different journey, one where they could pursue what they needed to in that moment before reconvening with a new-found respect and appreciation for what they had together. Their fifth studio album (released via Sumerian Records) – aptly self-titled – that was released in the final weeks of 2017 would seem to suggest as much. Asking Alexandria’s most encompassing work to date, it covers a staggering amount of ground, at times honoring where they came from, while also capturing its full potential and using it to usher in a bold new era, revitalizing things for years to come.

One of the greatest attributes that some of the songs possess is how introspective they are, something demonstrated right off the bat with the lead song, “Alone in a Room”. It begins Asking Alexandria in such epic fashion; the opening line, “I've been away a little while…” being so much more when taken out of context, such as a slick way for Worsnop to address his absence. That’s just scratching the surface of the full magnitude of “Alone in a Room”, though. The track details a person losing themselves, devising different coping mechanisms as a means to just get by and the dependencies that follow. It’s about confronting those demons along with one’s own faults and shortcomings, doing one of the hardest things possible: having a personal reckoning. “…All I needed was the last thing I wanted: to be alone in a room. Alone in a room,” ends each chorus, the reservations and even fear ever present as Worsnop snarls and sings. A full throttle alt-rock song, it’s a far cry from the bands point of origin, but is no less exhilarating. In its own right it’s even a heavy, aggressive song; Cassells hammering out some robust beats when it moves away from the melodic moments. An incredible introduction to this latest chapter in the saga that is Asking Alexandria, that lead track gets the album off to a sensational start. Initially released as the second single from the record, “Where Did it Go?” stands as one of, if not the strongest offering from this fifth album. A cutting-edge song, it sounds fresh and completely new, further demonstrating the versatility that Bruce, Worsnop, Cassells, Liddell and Bettley are capable of. The ebb and flow of it is brilliant, literally going from one extreme to another as the track utilizes some electronic/programming elements, splicing it with the sheer force that hard rock and metal provide. It’s daring and dangerous; the guitars, bass and drums culminating in a thrash-y sound on the choruses, echoing back to their earlier days. It would be remiss to not mention the singing style as well, Worsnop keeping it quite rhythmic, particularly on the verses. It’s nowhere near being a full-blown rap, though it is akin to that. Offbeat as that may sound on paper for Asking Alexandria, it sounds splendid and just hammers home one of the points that the track makes. Rockstar bravado and swagger seeps forth from the song that is an overview of the bands’ career, calling out the copycats and impersonators that have attempted to follow in their footsteps, Asking Alexandria just reaffirming they’re the same groundbreaking outfit they’ve always been. Two of the most surprising numbers on the album come in quick succession, “Under Denver” again breaking a mold. Somewhat ambient at times, the hopeful song that comes across as being about rebuilding and making a better society almost feels like a lullaby. At least that’s the case on the verses, before it gets kicked into high gear, the track still boasting some explosive moments that give it a serious bite. “Vultures”, however, does not. At least not in the traditional sense. The rare acoustic song from the band who is known for everything but, it stands as a phenomenal and gorgeous number that is, arguably, their most impressive piece of work to date. Some subtle percussion ultimately being worked in to give the song more body, it primarily just relies on the acoustic guitars and is guided by an absolutely breathtaking vocal performance from Worsnop. “Vultures” acts as a vessel for him to demonstrate just what he is capable of in terms of the heights he can push his voice to as well as the overwhelming emotion he can pack into his delivery. That’s the most stunning quality about that number. As it delves into the dark side of the music industry, the forces in charge demanding more and more from the people whose careers they are shaping and how empty that can leave a person, you can tell Worsnop is completely and personally invested in it. Packing every fiber of his being into his performance, he makes it honest and raw, fitting with the depiction of someone who has grown so used to doing what is expected of them that they’ve lost sight of who they are as an individual. Channeling anger, sorrow, despair and frustration, “Vultures” stands a definitive point of Asking Alexandria. Coming straight out of left field is “Eve”. Out of the dozen songs that comprise this latest record it is the one with the most prominent ties to their metalcore days. Worsnop may have moved beyond screaming, though it is nice to hear him venture back to it, the guttural way he bellows out the verses having a venomous touch to it; the instruments creating something that’s wildly chaotic in the best possible way. Even then it zigs and zags, throwing some curveballs at the listener as it evolves into a heavy but melodic number, further showcasing how well-rounded Asking Alexandria is aspiring to be. While continuing to forge new ground, they’re not beyond revisiting where they’ve been, and in instances such as this, by combining the various aspects, it yields something else that is totally new. As Asking Alexandria reaches its conclusion, it comes full circle in the most poetic way possible. In a sense it ends where it began, all alone in a room, though “Room 138” finds Worsnop depicting one of the worst days of his life. Still, in a sense it is about confronting the worst aspects of oneself; a period of substance abuse bringing him to the precipice of death before, fortunately and miraculously, getting a second chance. Musically, it’s done in a fashion similar to that of “Eve”, extreme and pulse pounding at times, it hammers home the emotions being depicted, while the chorus, "So, these are the walls that have to hold this moment. I never expected to be here again..." is catchy as can be. Hard rock tinged with metal influences, it also draws on some mainstream sensibilities in regards to the overall appeal, again resulting in something different, while bringing the record to a dynamic finish. In the end, Asking Alexandria finds Asking Alexandria completely redefining what they are. Really, the enthralling listening experience seems to serve as a reintroduction, because this release does act as a new beginning for the now ten-year old project. Bruce, Bettley, Liddell, Cassells and Worsnop all got the time apart that they needed, and as relatively brief as it may have been it allowed them to all grow exponentially and realize what the best course of action would be when moving forward. In a way it was the same as it had always been for them, though this time the reinvention has been much more dramatic, adding significantly to their wheelhouse. It doesn’t even stop there, though. With these dozen songs Asking Alexandria has created something genre bending and on some levels even groundbreaking. Rock, alternative and hard rock. Metal, metalcore and post-hardcore. It’s all represented in one form or another. Let’s not forget the melodic and even acoustic tendencies, nor the electronic contributions, all of which further flesh out this amazing batch of songs. The fact that so many of those styles often exist within the same song is what makes it so fascinating. In theory, the combinations and transitions between such vast spots on the musical spectrum shouldn’t even work, yet they’ve made it all feel so fluid; the record as a whole having a remarkably cohesive vibe. Brimming with energy and filled with some of the most emotional and passionate songs they’ve written to date, Asking Alexandria is a riveting listen from start to finish. It’s one of those rare records you want to listen to all the way through. And when it’s over, you’ll probably give it another spin… or two. Their most creative and invigorating record to date, Asking Alexandria proves these guys continue to be ahead of the curve, implementing ideas that few would have the guts to. It has led to a new gold standard for the band. That’s how, in due time, this album will come to be viewed; their future as a band seeming brighter now than it has ever been. Purchase Asking Alexandria on: iTunes | Google Play | Amazon MP3 Visit Asking Alexandria’s websites: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Dallas Show Info: Friday, February 16th at Gas Monkey Live in Dallas, Texas. All ages. Doors open at 5:30. Music begins at 6:30. Crown The Empire will open, with Black Veil Brides and Asking Alexandria co-headlining. $32.50+ Current Shows: 2018 February 7--The NorVa--Norfolk, VA 8--Terminal 5--New York, NY 9--Rams Head Live--Baltimore, MD 10-- Electric Factory--Philadelphia, PA 12--Tabernacle--Atlanta, GA 13--Marathon Music Works--Nashville, TN 14--Egyptian Room at Old National Centre--Indianapolis, IN 16--Gas Monkey Live--Dallas, TX 17--House Of Blues--Houston, TX 19--El Rey Theater--Albuquerque, NM 20--The Marquee--Tempe, AZ 22--Knitting Factory Concert House--Boise, ID 23--Roseland Theater--Portland, OR 24--Showbox SoDo--Seattle, WA 25--Vogue Theatre--Vancouver, Canada 27--Knitting Factory Concert House--Spokane, WA March 1--The Warfield Theatre--San Francisco, CA 2--House of Blues--Las Vegas, NV April 28--Welcome To Rockville--Jacksonville, FL May 5--Charlotte Motor Speedway--Concord, NC 12--Northern Invasion--Somerset, WI 18--Mapfre Stadium--Columbus, OH June 1--Rock am Ring--Nürburg, Germany 1--Rock Im Park--Nürnberg, Germany 4--TivoliVredenburg--Utrecht, Netherlands 6--Circolo Magnolia--Milano, Italy 7--Greenfield Festival--Interlaken, Switzerland 8--Donington Park--Derby, United Kingdom 12--Melkweg--Amsterdam, Netherlands 14--Pannonia Fields--Nickelsdorf, Austria 14--With Full Force--Gräfenhainichen, Germany 17--Forum Karlin--Prague, Czech Republic 18--Budapest Park--Budapest, Hungary 19--Event Center--Hohenems, Austria 21--Graspop Metal Meeting--Dessel, Belgium 22--Hellfest--Clisson, France 26--Markthalle--Hamburg (Altstadt), Germany 28--Provinssi Festival--Seinäjoki, Finland 30--Vainstream Rockfest--Münster, Germany

BOOKS TO END 2017, PART 1

So after a couple months of work and grad school applications, I’m back. I read a lot of books in 2017, and I was going to do individual reviews for every book, but frankly, ain’t nobody got time for that. So here are some quick thoughts of the rest of the books I read in 2017.  (Yes, I know that it is already February of 2018.)  

         Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

Continuing my theme of post-apocalyptic/dystopian/speculative fiction/magical realism books, Brown Girl in the Ring is set in a future Toronto and follows Ti-Jeanne, a young single mother of Caribbean ancestry. She lives with her grandmother, Gros-Jeanne, a very traditional and spiritual woman. It is through Gros-Jeanne that most of the Afro-Caribbean culture is introduced, and the spirits and magic that inhabit the pages of this book are absolutely incredible.  This was Hopkinson’s debut novel, and that does show a bit at points, but it was overall an incredibly imaginative and interesting novel.

         Demigods on Speedway by Aurelie Sheehan

Another short story collection.  Set in Tucson, it follows characters that roughly resemble figures from Greek mythology, some I was easily able to draw the parallels between (i.e. Zero is a stand-in for Zeus, a power-hungry business man prone to extramarital affairs), while others I had no clue who they were inspired by.  Perhaps I was missing out on something because of this, but I still for the most part enjoyed the stories—well written, with complex characters. See previous entries to learn about my ongoing struggle to improve my ability to interpret or analyze short stories, though.

         Duplex by Kathryn Davis

Duplex was wild.  I picked it up because it was described as speculative fiction, but this is no Margaret Atwood.  Honestly, I had no idea what to make of it, and I still don’t.  The only thing I know is that Davis can really capture the essence of girlhood in the strangest ways possible, and I left the book uncommonly sad for main characters Mary and Eddie—I have a thing for stories of childhood sweethearts.  (Probably because I’m trying to live vicariously through such characters, pretending I can still find this kind of love, etc. etc.)

         Silk Road by Jeanne Larsen

Definitely one of my favorites of this batch of books.  I don’t really know anything about Jeanne Larsen’s educational background, but as evidenced by this book, she seems to be an expert on Chinese history and culture.  I was completely absorbed by the stories she introduced in this novel, especially because I personally know very little about Chinese mythology.  It’s a bit difficult to succinctly describe what happens in the book because there are so many different threads to the plot, but at its most basic level, this is a story of a little girl, Green Pearl, who is kidnapped and sold into slavery and her lifelong quest to find her real mother.  I couldn’t help but think of Green Pearl as almost a new version of Hamlet—she has a specific mission (find her mother), but never really does anything about it, which is kind of frustrating at times as the story winds its way across the Tang dynasty Chinese empire, but through Larsen’s meta-textual storytelling, I was happy to go along for the ride.

         The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones

Another dystopian!  But this novel kept being… not what I expected.  So I spent the entire time reading it trying to adjust my expectations, and I still have mixed feelings about the result.  (I think part of my problem is that I’m used to watching and reading things like The Walking Dead, where there’s a clear enemy, and this enemy always has a diabolical plot that goes deeper than you can imagine.)  In The Salt Line, the characters that you think might be the bad guys are actually just human, making stupid mistakes like the rest of us.  Which is all fine and good, but just so far from what I was expecting.  For a quick summary, the novel takes place in a time where the United States is divided up into zones, and outside of these zones is supposedly just wilderness, where ticks carrying deadly diseases live in abundance.  For the very rich, there is a program where you can go out into this wilderness for a safe, guided tour.  This might get a bit spoilery, but one of issues I had with the book was that the hostage plot created by the leaders of Ruby City (a secret community outside the border walls) for the rich campers seemed incredibly useless and frustrating.  I read this book in September of 2017, so my memories of the actual plot are hazy, but I couldn’t for the life of me follow the logic of the steps these characters took.  I was further bothered by the description of Ruby City—it seemed a classic case of so perfect, it’s sinister.  Yes, there was a catch to their existence outside the “salt line,” but I couldn’t help but find myself skeptical of the place that apparently even cured a character’s depression.  But maybe I need to re-read it.

         A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

Of the seven books in this installment of reviews, if you read only one, make it A Thousand Acres.  This is a re-telling of King Lear set in 1970s Iowa, and we view the events from eldest daughter Ginny’s point of view.  Her thoughts are captured perfectly, and Smiley’s attention to detail and form is exquisite.  If you want to read a book where you can be convinced to sympathize with a character who plots to kill her own sister, pick this up.  Smiley is nothing short of genius here, and her updates to Lear feel so right and powerful, especially from a female perspective.

         The Baum Plan for Financial Independence by John Kessel

A great collection of science fiction stories.  I was particularly drawn to the Lunar Colony Sequence, which told stories from a matriarchal society built on the moon.  I loved how Kessel explored the way a matriarchal society could and would be built, and how this society would affect both men and women, positively and negatively.  I can’t imagine the amount of work and imagination that went into creating this world, with everything from lunar government to the role of men’s rights activists figured out.  I also particularly liked a short little story comprised of dialogue between two operators of an absurd phone-sex company.  The warmth and humor Kessel creates with every plot and character is beautiful.

3 Ways To Have (A) Much more Appealing teacher

Intriguing Truths I Wager You Never Knew About instructor.

There are some interesting truths about becoming an instructor's aide that you must know. However, when the school year begins, lots of first-year middle school educators are pleasantly shocked. Some function retracting badge reels, which are terrific for teachers who swipe their ID cards to get to different areas within their institution.

. Exactly how I Enhanced My instructor In One Day.

When pupil instructor connections move from the healthy and balanced motivating degree to a charming or sexual setting, difficulties begin to arise and also both the trainee as well as instructor will certainly endure in the future. I will post this at an institution where I have an unique program - I understand lots of instructors that will certainly enjoy this things (in addition to me). I'm seeing expert educators leave early due to exactly the very same reasons we're reviewing below. Therefore, an ideal instructor has to be very honest and also clear in all her ventures with the children as well as with her coworkers. Third, the duty of the teacher changes from the take-charge leader right into more of a mediator that aids pupils figure out just how they discover finest. On the internet teacher workshops are in the process of being created and also will be used soon. Additionally, with the integrated laser reminder educators can explain any essential information on the table from any distance. You must require that of your students spend for each and every single week of the year regardless of whether or not they determine to appear (without any make up lessons). With lessons on DVD, the ordinary individual can take a seat to take a lesson at any time of the day without worrying about contrasting job timetables as well as not having the time to practice strategies prior to the next lesson. Yes, the students most definitely understand when the teacher is excited regarding a topic - it's catching! On the other hand, there are institutes that also provide regular classes, so that when trainee has acquired enough understanding, he could easily use up Yoga instructor training as his occupation. Since to boost such youngsters's social abilities they are associated with classrooms with other regular students so these instructors are also needed to collaborate with basic education teachers. You can make the songs teacher Mr. Smith a lot of the same kind or create a few sets as well as integrate the flavors to give numerous various instructors multi-flavored batches. Proper time management draws you closer to a more happy as well as effective teacher life; hence, eliminating dangers as well as possibilities of getting stressed out.

Ways to Teach instructor Much better Than Anybody Else

People do not become aware occasionally that children bond with their educator and also a Hug might be Brotherly or Fatherly. Browse as well as download particular piano instructor software program from trustworthy as well as credible on the internet websites today and see great results on scholastic purposes. After that we will play a game at the end of the day, if we have achieved most every little thing that the educator has actually asked us to do that day. Naturally it is terrible what this guy has done so I want something could be done to enable instructors to still be able to access the resources without the person profiting by any means atall. I have actually had terrific comments from students along the road and recognize I have it in me to be one of those influential-type instructors that most teachers actually want to be. However, managers have virtually pressed me from it due to the fact that they believe that, given that my trainees aren't sitting in cool rows taking generous notes while they pleasantly hear me talk, I don't have the correct class management abilities they value. In addition to training in special education and learning institution they additionally use seeking advice from solutions to general education and learning teachers. The initial day of school can be tough, but if you've arrived, the remainder will certainly be simple. This indicates that a person who intends of getting a singing teacher task should reveal gratitudes on the different categories of songs which a lot of singers like to sing. Additionally, when educators intend to hold exterior courses they do not have to bring their teaching devices along. A more trustworthy resource is the teacher recruitment internet site They are created to help you in finding that perfect mentor work in Florida (or any type of state for that matter). For example, one could be a teacher as well as there could after that be a number of people who see them as having all the answers. Some liked the experience, while others didn't look after it. I was stunned to discover that in my area, independent schools pay much less than public schools do. I make certain this differs from one state to another and from private school to private school. In some societies, teachers delight in a status comparable with medical professionals, accounting professionals, attorneys, as well as designers, in others, the standing of the profession is reduced. Many thanks very ~ a great deal of excellent info at those sites, plenty of pointers valuable for parents likewise, as you are your kid's initial and crucial instructor. You must discover an area that interests you the most as well as register. Also if you can not make a conference every month, this will help you start to see the input as well as impact that instructors can have on curriculum choices. Fortune School of Education and learning trainees understand the level of commitment and also sacrifice that it takes to be a Read the Full Report golden state school teacher in the most challenging of settings.