Boo

So I was just browsing NYTimes.com and I found this article: [url="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/technology/21email.html?_r=1&hp"]E-Mail Use Falls as Young Chat and Text - E-mail Gets an Instant Makeover[/url] For those who don't feel like reading, it basically says this: (Young) People e-mail less than before and are instead chatting, texting or leaving messages on facebook and such. Some in the article question the future existence of the human ability to communicating with the written word. The rest of the article is about how e-mail providers (like gmail) are now implementing chat features and such to their websites, making the e-mail "just a part" of gmail. Now what I thought was interesting was the quote in this thread's topic description: [b]â??Weâ??re going down a road where weâ??re losing our skills to communicate with the written word,â? [/b](Ms. Kallos said.) What are peoples thoughts on this? Some stuff you can [i]consider[/i]: - Isn't it the job of the schools [i]to teach[/i] people how to use the written word (and stimulate them in the usage)? - Many connect the same subject with the subject of "people becoming [i]less social[/i]". Is this about right? - Is the written word [i]something of the past?[/i] AND does this mean we'll be using short phrases next, then just pictures, and then go back to "OOGA BOOGA" where we started off? - Boards like this one are something in between-ish, right? [b]Discuss stuff![/b] I'm just going to take the second dash from up here and write down this situation thingy I noticed earlier: I was sitting in the bus and there were these two girls sitting next to each other. They both had their iPhone kind of thingies in their hands typing like mad. They hadn't said a word to each other since the iPhones came out, so a woman behind me muttered something about the youth becoming less social. HOWEVER, I figured they were probably at this very moment messaging with dozens of people at a time, able to reach billions of people by just a few taps on the touchscreen. Is that worth so much less than a conversation-because-we're-sitting-next-to-each-other-in-the-bus? Also, would they be communicating so much if they were only using e-mail?

Yeah, I know how to reach it, but I was just sayin'. I remember when we went to V...5 (?The first skinny OB with the sidebar) and the major argument was "less clicks > more clicks" when I proposed a dropdown menu. VELL.

I have to say the first picture already looks ace itself showing a great deal of feeling for detail, like shadows. However, while heading further down the post, stuff just keeps getting more detailed and realistic, with of course that amazing Assassin's Creed picture at the end. It's so detailed, just wow. Also, I envy you for having the discipline to spend so many hours on your work. I wanted to ask you though if you draw all of this by example, and if so, do you have any from-the-top-of-your-head material to show?

[quote name='JamesMay' timestamp='1292852527' post='702995'] I originally wanted to use some text but it ended up just looking goofy.. I will use text on some future banners with more "sparse" layouts. [/quote] I know what you mean. Adding text is pretty much a whole art by itself. :P You'll not want to just paste text on there because the contrast will be too great. Try to toy around with layer overlay effects to see if that makes it look any less goofy.

Hm, unlike CaNz, I like the thick borders giving a cinematic effect to it. SarahPatricia was pretty spot on about the focus of the banner, but I have to say that for a first shot this is pretty ace. The picture you used for the banner is top quality, the lens effect works well and the overall feel of it is pretty much "I'm epicly awesome". I'd recommend putting the other shoulder more in view, which in effect will put the head in focus more. Also, some kind of text would be schweet. Quotes and names mostly work well enough for forum banners. :V [b]EDIT[/b] Oh, you updated! The focus on the second one is better, though for the effect, I'd move the stock more to the left border. Especially because the picture abruptly stops on the left wing. The colours are easy on the eyes generally. The background just looks a bit calm compared to the used picture, but contrast is a good thing mostly. If I look at this stuff, I wish I had started out with youtube tuts and stuff. :( It's really cool material for first times.

... That's actually quite a plan. I should start digging into that. In the case of, I'll probably be bombing you with questions about stuff though. :^D OH. Then you can be a weekly live guest in the podcast too. 8D

Hmph, casually finding a job in Ireland proves completely impossible. :^( I'm going to have to use my European charms, I'm afraid. Maybe they need a part-time podcaster in a villa on Jersey.

[quote name='JamesMay' timestamp='1292756839' post='702951'] soooo stoked.. im replaying oblivion at the moment to get even more psyched up for this. anyone have news on what graphics engine they are using? god i hope they dont use the same engine as fallout 3. [/quote] I don't hope so either. I thought I read somewhere they were going to make use of IDSoft's newest Engine, which is supposed to be AWESOME. But maybe the article read they were NOT going to be using it.

whooooaaaaaa!

[quote name='chibi-master' date='17 December 2010 - 10:47 PM' timestamp='1292622459' post='702878'] I think this is my favorite podcast so far, though. [/quote]I wonder why? 8D

Yee-ha! Howdy peeps! Okay, so this week's podcast has an excessive amount of testosteron going on because to join us (BOO and KOREY) we had SHINMARU and SHY co-hosting as well! [center][u][b][size="7"][url="http://otakuboards.podbean.com/2010/12/17/ob-podcast-006-the-dude-ranch/"]OB PODCAST #006: THE DUDE RANCH[/url][/size][/b][/u] [/center] The original recording is about 5 hours long, but we managed to edit out all the appropriate parts (2 hours) and the parts where we were solely making fun of others (2 hours) and then replaced some of KOREY's anecdotes with a new weekly NEWS segment by last week's guest-host KEI. And of course Chibi's weekly holiday segment and a LIVE anime review by Shinmaru! ALSO! We finally bring you the winners of last year's (2009) Nifty Fifty "of the Year" awards! So listen and see if you're among them wee lucky guys and gals! Enjoy, (you will) Europe

Telling people who are enjoying a joke that you're not enjoying yourself that it's not funny anymore is SO TOTALLY OtakuBoards. Or maybe not, but it happens.

[quote name='CaNz' date='13 December 2010 - 10:31 PM' timestamp='1292275876' post='702722'] yeah, neither of those things are that fun anymore.... [/quote]Whut makes you say that?

FINALLY. Why Skyrim though? It's just a cold region and they'll probably make the setting as boringly standard medieval as they did with Oblivion. Besides, I have seen enough snow and ice and Nords in Morrowind's expansions, and Bruma was based on Skyrim architecture too. I was hoping they'd go for another elven area, or to Argonian or Khajit lands. Meh meh.

YEAH. So Chibi's weekly segment is now in the last podcast officially after some effort! :^D Remember to send in questions (PMs or comments to either Boo or Korey, posts in this thread, Twitter reactions, theO messages, SEND STUFF IN ANY WAY), especially because next episode we'll have *drum roll* Shinmaru and Shy!

Thinking about "futer" made me lose [i][u][b]the game[/b][/u][/i].

OK. Episode #005 is out now! And this episode we have the actual [b]BETH[/b] on the show, and also my boss [b]KEI[/b]! They're co-hosting the show along with Korey and meself! Also features a review on anime Giant Robo by Shinmaru. It's shortened by 10 minutes in the podcast, so to listen to the original 15 minute review, go [url="http://soundcloud.com/otakuboards/ob-podcast-special-shinmarus-giant-robo-review-uncut-edition"]here[/url]! So! [center][b][size="7"][url="http://otakuboards.podbean.com/2010/12/10/ob-podcast-005-the-real-bethybaby/"]Episode #005: THE REAL BETHYBABY[/url][/size] Enjoy! [/b][/center]

[quote name='Magus' date='08 December 2010 - 04:31 AM' timestamp='1291779090' post='702503'] (I was going by Venom before both) [/quote]THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING. Also, '05 roflz.

[quote name='Sangome' date='07 December 2010 - 08:51 PM' timestamp='1291751470' post='702482'] [color="#9932cc"][font="Microsoft Sans Serif"]The Beth impression killed me. XD[/font][/color] [/quote] I'm afraid it will kill us too.

Oh poo, just found it. I think it should be thrown in next podcast. :^D

Oh thanks, I just looked it up and noticed it myself too. No idea what happened there, but I'm blaming it on our internet connections. :^D ALSO, updated version is out now! Same page, new audio file in the place of the old one! Now includes weekly [B]CHIBI SEGMENT[/B]!

[quote name='Shinmaru' date='05 December 2010 - 08:26 PM' timestamp='1291577179' post='702390'] I guess my dinky Twitter question came in too late for this podcast. [/quote] When did this happen? D: Also, I still need to listen to the podcast myself because the last bits (finishing, uploading) were done in a rush before I went to Germany, so did anybody notice anything really lame about it yet?

Yo! The 4th Podcast episode is out! [size="7"] [url="http://otakuboards.podbean.com/2010/12/03/ob-podcast-004-koreyerokorey/"]OB PODCAST #004![/url][/size] For now you can go to our Podbean page again to check the Podcasts out! Keep an eye out for EPISODE #004 before the end of the week!

"8 Take it in the Ear Day" lolwut?

Yo. So I was just wondrin' what you guys think is so TOTALLY OtakuBoards. It doesn't even have to exist/visit here any more! [indent]I say the Nifty Fifty is so TOTALLY OtakuBoards. Also, member Charles is so TOTALLY OtakuBoards, though he only pops in once a millennium. A lot of the most memorable things from here included Charles. So yeah. [/indent] Well, that's two examples. Now you!