I’ve decided Chop Chop Master Onion would have been better with a west country accent. Same could be said for anyone though.
— Bryan McDowall (@bryoz) May 16, 2013
It was shortly after this that I created a Vine account. Against my better judgement.
16
May
2013
15
May
2013
Front end development isn’t easier. quora.com/Startups/Why-a…
— Chris Coyier (@chriscoyier) May 15, 2013
Found this Quora thread incredibly insightful, and a real morale boost! Sometimes I think of the work I do as ‘sub-development’ level, as it’s perhaps not as logical, or mathematical as core programming or software development. Reading so much intelligent feedback from developers and designers on the subject adds a little perspective to the work I do.
I think I may just strut a little on my way into work tomorrow.
14
May
2013
Endless Fantasy by Anamanaguchi
I’ve been looking forward to this album for months, and it really didn’t disappoint. Anamanaguchi have really developed their style since Power Supply and the Scott Pilgrim game soundtrack. Endless Fantasy features a more diverse selection of tracks, including guest vocalists.
I’ll be supporting Anamanaguchi’s Kickstarter project, and picking up their LP whilst I’m at it. I hope they can make more great albums like this!
11
May
2013
Ghost in the Shell: Arise
I saw this over at Anime News Network. Having recently finished watching Stand Alone Complex, I really can’t wait for Motoko’s next appearance.
The story is set in 2027, one year after the end of the fourth non-nuclear war. New Port City is still reeling from the war’s aftermath when it suffers a bombing caused by a self-propelled mine. Then, a military member implicated in arms-dealing bribes is gunned down.
During the investigation, Public Security Section’s Daisuke Aramaki encounters Motoko Kusanagi, the cyborg, wizard-level hacker assigned to the military’s 501st Secret Unit. Batou, a man with the “eye that does not sleep,” suspects that Kusanagi is the one behind the bombing. The Niihama Prefectural Police detective Togusa is pursuing his own dual cases of the shooting death and a prostitute’s murder. Motoko herself is being watched by the 501st Secret Unit’s head Kurutsu and cyborg agents.
10
May
2013
I went to the Scottish National Gallery at lunch time. It was my first time there – the paintings are huuuuge!
— Bryan McDowall (@bryoz) May 10, 2013
7
May
2013
Ray Harryhausen, 1920 – 2013
In my primary school years, I would repeatedly watch Jason and the Argonauts whenever it was played on TV. There was something mesmerising about the creatures and monsters which were brought to life by stop motion. As an animation student, I delighted in learning about his techniques, which despite their simplicity were truly inspired.
The above video is one of his most familiar scenes – the skeletal warriors from Jason and the Argonauts (1963), their slow, eerie march breaking into a sprint with a ghoulish scream. It was a scene that scared the bejesus out of me as a child, and not something I’ll forget any time soon.
Ray Harryhausen, aged 92. Rest in peace.
5
May
2013
First!
After much deliberation, I’ve decided to update my personal homepage.
Until recently, this site was a portfolio of my web development and design work from the past 3 years, but after moving to Edinburgh I’ve had little use for it. I will slowly be moving my work to my Behance portfolio over the coming months, and updating that instead. Social networks seem to be the way forward when managing that type of thing.
This site was built to suit my needs, and will grow and develop as they do. Ultimately, it is for personal use so it may not be particularly intuitive to others. I hope to use it to post my musings and thoughts, as well as videos, music, links and tweets which inspire and entertain me.