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October 31, 2006: October 31, 2006
October 29, 2006: October 29, 2006
Backstage at the ARIAs
Im now backstage at the ARIAs waiting for the photos of the red carpet to upload.
I'm also eating the majority of the biscuits left out for all the media people. I think they'll run out in about 15 minutes and have to order more.
The only thing between me and every muscial artist being interviewed is a thin red curtain which sadly I cannot see through. Although I can hear Andrew Gee interviewing Youth Group right now.
You can check out all the official photos on the ARIA Awards Flickr account.
October 28, 2006: October 28, 2006
Big Break
This years Big Break finalist have been announced and they are all guys? Is there no girls with any big ideas?
This is a great comp and there needs to be more like this.
p.s Maybe the winners form this year can buy a haircut with the prize money :)
27 Mr Potato Heads and counting
I've completed my 27th Mr Potato Head (see full list here) and have now got 7 Mr Potatoheads at home ready to be customised. (I went crazy on Ebay and bought up all the 2nd hand ones).
I've also registered MrPotatoMash.com and will move all the news to that site once it's up.
Cover Browser
Coverbrowser is a collection of covers for comics. An invaluable resource. It's a shame not all the artwork is scanned at the best quality.
I've only had a few minutes to browse but here's a few I remember seeing a while back that I always liked.
October 26, 2006: October 26, 2006
Kill Dill
She's on a mission to Kill Dill. The evil pickle that ruined her life.
She'll also take on the Carrot 88.
Fight Night 3: The Punch
We love this game in our office. We have a league which I ruled for almost 3 weeks but now I'm bottom of the ladder!
This was my sucker punch to David but I lost to a controversial decision after being knocked out instantly with a Haymaker twice. My 4 knockdowns I gave Dave meant nothing!
October 25, 2006: October 25, 2006
In the News
At your next dinner party show you watch SBS World News with attention by dropping a few names of oppressed armed forces in dictator run countries.
FARC and MILF are ones to watch out for.
Also show you know pay attention to the NADAQ by noting that BJ’s have shot up in price thanks to big demand for BJ's, while WTFC has dropped due to shareholder revolts.
October 23, 2006: October 23, 2006
Inflatable Sumo Suit
I know what I want for Christmas now. An inflatable Sumo suit. Not for me but for my Girlfriend to complete my fantasy of being sexually abused by a angry Sumo.
Ahh yeah! Let's see the Google search referals on that sentence.!
October 22, 2006: October 22, 2006
Like I could..... Take on the world!
Jeremy has put Day of the Tentacle on his New Nokia running through Scummmm.
Fucking cool! I've got heaps of the Scumm games (Monkey Island and stuff) so I think I'll upgrade as this is too cool.
October 21, 2006: October 21, 2006
Sponsor my Moe
This year I've remembered to register for Movember so I can raise money for my moe.
So click the image above and fork over some of your cash.
If you need any proof that your money will be going towards a quality moe then check my effort from 2004
And my others from 2005.
So if you must sponsor just one moe make sure you're getting your money's worth and sponsor me.
Affilliate Payments
I got a payment from HMV/Sanity this month for $63.58 in commisions for sales I sent to their site.
I remember setting up the affilliate account almost 3 years ago and doing nothing with it. Then suddenly I've referred over $1,500 worth of sales.
I can only hope these phantom sales continue to roll in. I can't even log into my account to check where they are coming from but the payment they sent me said last month (September) i referred $151 so they are still coming through. I don't even know the format on how to link to the site so even if I wanted to link to it to enhance these payments I couldn't.
To top this week off I also found $20 in a pair of jeans I washed!
Loco Roco on the PSP
I finally got around to playing Loco Roco on the PSP. If you own a PSP then this is a must have! It's only $49.95 too which is a bargain.
The art direction and sound design are perfect. You can't fault it. I didn't even realise there was the mini games and the Loco Roco house game. You find yourself singing along like a stoned chipmunk.
The music is one of the best features. If you split your character into the little Loco Rocos the music changes slightly to have a choir element to it. Bring them back together and your Loco Roco just sings alone. So subtle and seemless.
As you progress through levels you pick up little items. These items are used in a seperate puzzle game called Loco Rocos House. This mini game is like Mouse Trap. You assemble your pieces and try to get your Loco Rocos to pick up even more hidden items in the house. You can spend hours adjusting wheels, cogs, and ladders to get them where you want.
One thing the game does well is bring vector artwork back into gaming. It look stunning and maybe peopel will see the beauty in flat colour again.
People on Ebay are Idiots
How is anyone meant to get a bargain on second hand goods when idiots pay more than retail on Ebay? It makes no sense.
Take thisMr Potatohead auction that just went through. My big was $20, if you factor in delivery I would have saved maybe $5, but some idiot paid $105!!!
Either they put the wrong amount in or have no concept of money.
Thats 3x retail prices!
October 20, 2006: October 20, 2006
Spud Driver
You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only potato here. Who do the fuck do you think you're talking to? Oh, yeah? Ok.
Yellow Potato Head
I actually made this as Crispy M&M (orange) but I think Yellow Peanut M&M fits the shape better.
I should use the Mr Potatohead teeth in all designs if possible as this isn't looking as potato as I would like.
October 19, 2006: October 19, 2006
Luigi Potato Head
Luigi hates mushrooms. The mortal enemy of all potatoes.
He's looking a little Village People to me. This is also the first Mr Potatohead I've done with pants. It just didn't look Mario Bros enough without the suspenders.
I would have done Mario but I ran out of red clay. I will have to restock over the weekend.
October 18, 2006: October 18, 2006
Twisted French PS2 Commercial
The ass slapping is awesome! That's what I'm thinking about when playing games.
October 17, 2006: October 17, 2006
National Geographic Kids Halloween Ecard
We just completed this fun project for National Geographic Magazine in the USA. It's a Halloween Ecard Maker. They are tryig to run a comp where the best ones get printed in the mag but with such strick legals over there in the USA it's quite tough.
Nathan J did the awesome illustrations and we designed and coded the interface. I'm really happy with this and even though we have reused this engine a few times I think this is one of the best uses of it.
We initially had a few more items but they were removed as they were too dangerous. You can see them above. The axe, exposed brain,anythign devil related and the sickle. Doh. But luckily Nathan make a whole bunch of new items that were just as cool. And not so violent. I'm sunsure what that big pink thing is but I trust Nathan that it's something cool.
My fave is the Frankenstein mask and the frog eyes.
One thing we had troubles with (i say we but all I kept doing was saying I didnt like it ) was a logo for the game. Below is the 5 versions we went through until Brad stepped in and saved the day.
We also went through many revisions of the interface. Again, mainly as I kept pushing Ron to do more. You look at the initial designs and the final ones as it's such an improvment. The top image is the final designs
We've got a a fe wmore jobs lined up for National Geo and one thats just getting approved now. I really like doing stuff for kids as you can have alot more fun and be silly.
October 16, 2006: October 16, 2006
"Who Killed The Electric Car?" on Google Video
While it lasts Who Killed the Electric Car is available in full on Google Video.
Its a great doco that will have you shaking your head at the stupidity of greed.
read more | digg story
October 15, 2006: October 15, 2006
Photobooth Mutant Submission
This is one of the funniest (and grossest) submissions I've had to the Photobooth Mutants group I set up on Flickr.
Places of Interest on Google Maps
Here are the 5 latest locations I have done Earth Wallpapers for. This will probably be my last batch until Microsoft, Yahoo, Google or NASA want to give me the OK that they will allow the site to continue. Google havent replied to my email asking what I can do to keep the site running so I've left it up. I guess they'll remember later and then send a more forceful letter.
Industrial Kazakhstan: Looks like a shit place to work
Egyptian Dock: Mmmmm I wonder if the P&O faor star stops here?
Alaska: Weird colors. Right next to this is a massive red area.
NZ Volcano: WOW. Probably the most amazing thing I've seen on Google Maps to date. It looks so surreal.
Saudi Lake: It's like Saudi Arabia 90210. The whole area is weird.
Hidden Playground Zurich
I found this place 15 minutes from the main train station in Zurich. It's a playground that looks like something from WW2. There's giant chess pieces, dirty teddy bears and other junk. Check out the photos from the playground here. It was a very weird place.
October 14, 2006: October 14, 2006
War of the Worlds Foreign Desktops
I love this Chinese version of the War of the Worlds keyart. You can get all the other languages here.
Check the Japanese poster. Japan likes to do things differently.
One thing that is always the same is the Japanese always have a different version to everyone else. Even for Xmen 3 they had totally different artwork and trailers. It even had a different name; Xmen: The Final Decision. Check the Fox Japan sitefor X3 to see how different the trailer and artwork is.
When we worked on the web campaign Fantastic Four for Fox Australia we were sent the artwork files for the posters. Thankfully they left them layered and included all the other languages.
I had a great time saying El Hombre Elastico. Le Femme Invisible in French sounds like you'd expect just more sexy. I don't think The Human Torch will ever visit China as signing his name in Mandarin looks to be a pain in the ass.
Mike from Potatos Inc
I had a mini Mr Potato Head lying about (thanks to the bucket I bought so I thought I'd make the little guy from Monster's Inc.
Toss and Turn next to the Jizz Spot
The Toss & Turn by itself is pretty funny but the fact it's 2 doors down from the Jizz Spot almost brought me to tears.
You might need to view the full size image to properly make it out.
October 12, 2006: October 12, 2006
Captain Potato Head
This is one of my favs. I'm not even a Captain America fan I just like the design of the character. His shield is great little prop too.
Star shapes are really hard to cut in the flimsy white clay but even hareder are letters. The A had to be chopped in half then reassembled to make the proper shape.
The white clay is so sticky and fiddly to work with. It's a different brand to the other colours.c
I used the drain strainer from my kitchen for Captin Spu'd shield. It works out perfect. You can see it in
October 11, 2006: October 11, 2006
LOST FART
I had this in my head for ages and finally spent a few hours to get it complete.
This is taken from the Season 2 episode Hunting Party
October 10, 2006: October 10, 2006
Limbo Game = WOW
I have no idea what platform this game Limbo is on (It would be awesome as a PSP game) but it looks like Tim Burton meets Loco Roco with a little bit of Another world thrown in.
Make sure to check the site as the teaser animation is fantastic.
If you are a Digg person you can Digg it here and read the thread about it.
The Spud
I just realised The Tick doesnt have any pupils! Doh!
The ears would only stand up for a few minutes before they fell down. I have modelling wire inside to keep the shape.
This took about 3 episodes of "My Name if Earl" to finish.
October 09, 2006: October 9, 2006
Nikolai Valuev
Why havent I heard of this guy Nikolai Valuev boxer before!?!?!
The guys 7ft tall, unbeaten and looks like a Chenobyl mutant! Amazing! Please EA add him as a downloadable boxer for Fight Night 3 on XBOX 360!!!
I like this photo too. You can add your own sound effect to it. If ever you are having a tough day at work just imagine having to fight this guy to earn your pay.
It's this photo that freaks me out. WTF happend?! He looks semi normal in other photos.
October 08, 2006: October 8, 2006
NoPattern Book : The Art Of Chuck Anderson
Mike just ordered this book from Nopattern.com and it looks great. An ecleptic array of artisitc styles all with a wonderful imagination.
October 07, 2006: October 7, 2006
Guiness Book of Records Attempt
155 T-Shirts. It doesn;t seem that that many and then you watch this video. It reminds me on when I was in highschool and I went through the Guiness World Record book looking for ones I thought I coudl topple.
Also there's a Mambo shirt in the mix about half way through.
Hanso Exposed
I missed the whole LOST experience. But luckily it's all online and explained clearly on Wikipedia for people who don't have the patience like myself.
October 06, 2006: October 6, 2006
LOST Season 3
It's back!!! Luckily I had Deadwood, Rome, Sapranos and Prison Break to fill the gap while it was gone.
Other Ashley Ringrose's
It's wierd to think there are other people out there with your name. Esspecially for one like mine which isn't common.
I remember hearing about a guy who met every other person with the same name as him and had a photo taken with them. Maybe I need to get an arts grant to fund this most excellent idea?
The freakest one of all is Girl Gymnast of the Year Ashley Ringrose. Whoa. I can't even touch my toes!!!
My Arnie Impression
I watched The Running Man which I bought at a garage sale for 50c the other night. Man that movie was pretty good for its time. It's also Arnie at his best. He sports a beard, he says "I'll be back" he kills alot of people and he also wears that jump suit.
Oh and that's my voice in the video.
October 04, 2006: October 4, 2006
Runiks Cube Solution Video
We've had a Rubiks Cube around the office for the last few months and I've gotten really good at solving them. I asked someone to mess it up in around 25 turns and I told them I could solve it in under a minute. It took me just under that.
October 02, 2006: October 2, 2006
Nathan J's Berline Exhibition
Nathan J has switched off the colour tab and produced a new style of work for his latest exhibition in Berlin. It's dark, moody, sexy but always imaginative.
Here is the show preview he sent me recently. The show is on October 10th at Gallery Neurotitan, Berlin
The full show consists of 22 framed ink/pen/watercolour sketches ranging in sizes between A5 - A2), a large installation featuring Bunniguru and various prints. It's titled 'Keliukis' - (the Lithuanian god of travel).
Earth Wallpapers To be shutdown
I got an email form Google today saying that the site will have to be shut down.
This is quite annoying but I guess I am using their imagary without persmission.
I'll be taking it down in the next few days and might just leave it up there with links to the locations and a guide on how to make the desktops.
Oh well, at least I didn't spend too long making the site. It was about 1-15 hrs work total.
Mr Potato Head Eye shortage
I've run out of Mr Potato Head normal eyes. The fun bucket I bought had 2 bodies in it but only one set of normals eyes. I've actually got 6 of the little guys (one without eyes) around me now so I have to start tearing them down to make new ones.
The more I work on them the more I want to keep them.
Free Hugs
I saw a friend from my old school giving out free hugs in a busy city mall. I'd say she wanted the attention more than she actually wanted to make people happy by giving out a "free hug".
Nachoooooo Potato!!!!
I had to make the light blue clay myself by mixing the white and blue together. The cape was from a craft store.
The hard part was the white clay is a different brand of clay and very sticky. Mixed with the blue and it's all sticky.
I originally had him with no ears and just the ear marks but I thought it was funnier with the ears pocking out.
Fryday the 13th: A few sequals on
Here's a full body shot of Jason in potato form.
Half of the reference shots I found on the internet showed his mask with the big chunk taken out of it and lots of battle scars.
I just went over the top with the blood and scars to make it obvious Jason has been to hell and back (litterally).
Fryday the 13th: A few sequals on
I cranked up the dials on this one and it turned out great.
After 12 or so sequals the mask has Jason have taken a beating.
