Alright, if it's anything I've learned, it's that I'm extremely curious...

damn you paras!

Sure anything to get Grand Arms in the know, and also help with your magazine.

Al, those sketches are sweet. if my magaziney thing ever materializes, would you mind if i made use of that drawing?

Tay, can you send me that message header you did?

Also, I think I figured out a solution for the too-wide message problem. Here's the new page: newlayout.htm. Take a look, let me know if there are any rendering abnormalities. (I haven't figured out the min-width hack just yet, but I've got to be able to get it soon.)

Just a quick sketch of some ideas I was thinking up for Grand Arms.

This is the typical cockpit for a Grand Arms unit. Seems similar to most typical anime mecha cockpits. (assuming that the Grand Arms unit is in space)The "ball" controls the vectors that the engine nozzles/propulsion units point at and the rotation of the torso. The "ball" is centered by a magnetic feild or some similar antigravity device. When the "ball" is rotated on its axis, the torso will then rotate the angle of deviation from its "neutral" position. So if the "ball" was rotated 45 degrees up from the horizontal and 10 degrees to the right from center. The torso will then move to fit the movements of the "ball". If the "ball" is moved form its center position then the engine nozzles will point in that direction. For example if the ball was moved away from its center position to the right then the nozzles will then move to the left so that if force were applied then the mecha would move right. If it was moved to a weird angle then the nozzles would postion themselves so that a applied force from the nozzles would move the mecha in that direction. The throttle obviously controls the amount of force that is applied by the engines. If the throttle is pushed a little bit forward then a small amount of force is applied. If it is pushed to the farthest forward position then the throttle are opened all the way and the full force of the engine is applied. Essentially the throttle controls the speed. So with the ball and throttle control a wide degree of movements can then be performed. This control scheme for movement should both be intuative and easy to use. The unit can be flying in one direction with the torso facing another direction and vice versa. The cockpit pictured has a foot throttle but a hand throttle or any other configuration is possible.

You will notice that the cockpit uses panoramic monitors. Essentaially the pilot can see a full 360 degree view of the battlefield. Auxillary monitors are mounted on a retractable stand. When needed the monitors will swivel out on a servo arm and display itself to the pilot. When no longer needed the monitors will swivel away and retract into the floor. The monitor are touch screen and voice activation is also possible. This all adds up to a "easy" to pilot mecha. Later generation units apply holographic projections to replace the mechanical auxillary monitor system. 10 generation level cockpit apply air touch technology so that holographic monitors become touch screen monitors. Seconadary contorls can also be generated form holograms, making 10 generation cockpits one of the most advance cockpits.

Now moving on to the right side controls.(The ball can be moved to the right side and vice versa, depending on the pilot preference. The cockpits are totally customizable.)The "stick" is the standard contorl for weapons. Since all Grand Arms units are all fly-by-wire controls the execution of complex moves are "easily" done. The "stick" contorl allows for the most complex moves to be performed. The degree of control using the stick is usually favored by ace pilots or pilots who favour a large degree of flexibility. The "light zapper" is a customized control for Blitzmeister. Since the pilot of Blitzmeister is both a crack shoot and speed demon, a conventional stick control was not choosen. The "light zapper" essentuially works like a light gun form the game silent scope. The sight is used for up sniper shots but the gun can also be fired "from the hip".(unaimed) The "bar" is a simplified form of the "stick". The degree of flexibility is less then the "stick" and beginner pilots usually choose this control device. By moving the "bar" forwards and back and pressing different combinations of buttons all the preprogrammed moves can be performed. The last device to be discussed is the "power glove" . The degree of flexibility for this device is far beyond that of the "stick". Using computer signing(similar to how tom cruise interfaced with his computer in the movie minority report) different function can be performed. The mecha can also be programmed to follow the arm actions of the pilot which can be useful for units like Crusader who specialize only in melee combat. The natural martial arts skills of the pilot can then be directly applied to hand to hand combat weapons.

As mentioned before all cockpits can be specially made for the pilot choosen to pilot that unit.

oh yeah, from the Listen records mailout:

Moog: A Documentary Film by Hans Fjellestad - Plexifilm - DVD
- "Moog, the new documentary about Robert Moog, inventor of the modern synthesizer, is a portrait of the legendary figure in music and technology and his ideas about creativity, design, interactivity, spirituality and his collaborations with musicians over the years. MOOG was directed by Hans Fjellestad and produced by Fjellestad and Ryan Page, who collaborated on FRONTIER LIFE (2002), a film about Tijuana, Mexico, and its burgeoning electronic dance music scene."

WHO'S GOING TO SEE OUR MERCURY AND CHOKE TOMMOROW NIGHT?

Oh. so they give their cds out for free (rich bitches?), suddenly they're the greatest fucking band alive, and actually worth putting on a bill with CHIXDIGGIT?!?!?!?! Nice guys or not, some shit just goes too far (i'd much rather see the Apples on that bill, frankly):


Chixdiggit w/ Pind, Chick Maggot & The Blame Its
Saturday June 4
@ New City

whoops. missed posting their last track.

18. Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk (Pink Floyd cover)

Don't Smack Your Ho, Unless you behave like transformers yo?

I KNOW I've posted about this before, but i can't find the posting - anyways you'll all be happy to know that the ATDI anthology is officially out now...i think. (details ripped off of Amazon)


Anthology: This Station Is Non-Operational
At the Drive-In

Four years since their "indefinite hiatus", the band members (now split into The Mars Volta and Sparta) have unveiled this collection of greatest hits, videos, BBC sessions, b-sides, re-mixes, EPK, and covers of The Smiths and Pink Floyd tunes. Includes an 18-track audio CD, a companion DVD, and a booklet containing 20 unreleased photos.

Track Listings
1. Fahrenheit
2. Picket Fence Cartel
3. Chanbara
4. Lopsided
5. Napoleon Solo
6. Pickpocket
7. Doorman's Placebo (B-Side)
8. Metronome
9. 198D
10. One Armed Scissor
11. Enfilade
12. Non Zero Possibility
13. Incetardis (B-Side)
14. Autorelocator (Rare)
15. Rascuache (Vaya Remix)
16. This Night Has Opened My Eyes (Smiths cover)
17. Initiation (BBC Lamacq Session)

HISHAM BHAROOCHA

you probably don't know who tha fuck that is. up until like two hours ago i didn't either. anyways That's unfortunate. i will tell you the reason why. he was once the drummer for the fuckrock spectacle that is Lightning Bolt, as well as a sound contorsionist for Black Dice (DFA). oh wait. did i mention that he's in Pixeltan too?

Listed on NYC bandlist

FROM GREEN IDEAS BLOG

Something less depressing, but still sort of bad


Well, greenideas HQ, as they say, has finally calmed down from the tectonic rage that has plagued us for the past couple of days. Now we're simmering.

Bad news though, on a extremely different scale than Tuesday: Black Dice is cancelling their tour, due to an illness in one of the band members' families. They were going to spend most of November on the road with Animal Collective, freaking the shit out of unsuspecting white-belt technology Abercrombots and hipsteroonies, but it looks like Gang Gang Dance (who are super-poppy goth-gypsy-core) will be filling in on noise duties. Hopefully everything with the Black Dice extended family will turn out well.

Speaking of which, Hisham Bharoocha, whom we last mentioned in this post, has apparently left Among Natives (which included Doug Shaw and Abby Portner (Animal Collective's Avey Tare's sister)) to join with Scott Mau (who's in Noah Lennox(Panda Bear)'s side-project 'Jane') to form the band 14K. Also, he's in Pixeltan. And does a lot of visual art. Dude is tearing shit up. Isn't it odd how striking a similarity the NYC out-rock/folk/noise scene bears to, say, the aristocratic families in War and Peace? Or are we the only ones who noticed that? Bah.
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NOTE TO SELF: also check out WHITE MAGIC. keep eye open for his "high concept "life metal" band (like death metal but positive) in the works called Colossal Caves, a possible collaboration with Eye from the Boredoms, as well as his Magic Star Band project.




from the Fader blog:
off of Being Hunted: THE KING AD-ROCK'S SWEEEET DUNK DESIGN

speaking of shoes, you've seen those VANS SLIPS with the Skulls oh them, yeah? well those are drawn by the FUDGE FACTORY


PHOTOBLOG FROM THE LEGENDARY IRAK CREW



REFUSED: EVERLASTING EP


COLDPLAY COACHELLA 2005

Coldplay Quote off of Newsweek, from Stereogum.
...and another bit I forgot to excerpt from Newsweek (since we won't rest until Coldplay is compared to every popular rock band on the planet):

GUY BERRYMAN: "We're not a cool band anymore like the Strokes or the White Stripes, and sometimes I feel insecure about that."

Martin admits he winced when Radiohead's Thom Yorke, one of his heroes, labeled Coldplay "lifestyle music" - a dig at the band's universality in films, stores, airports and Mom's iPod.

CHRIS MARTIN: "It's like unrequited love. I'm in love with a lot of things. Some of those things love me back. And some of them don't - and one of them is Radiohead."

INDIE'S VERSION OF CRIBS (it's gnarly bunk)