Rawrb.com

Interviewed! Me!

February 28th, 2010 No Comments

Awh.

Is it selling out if it’s free?

February 27th, 2010 No Comments

Oh man. What a pickle.

I’ve been messing around with Wordpress and I’m very pleased with how it works. Essentially it’s exactly what I’ve been trying to create but it’s just far more robust and feature filled. And it’s free. FREE.

I’m on the verge of deciding to convert Pluh.com to WP. At this point Pluh.com is one simple thing; a goofy online blog/article system. There’s also the potential for actual video and video game production and transitioning over to this system would completely work. Completely.

I’ve got a new design in mind to work with WP’s system, then the conversion shall take place. This shouldn’t be to difficult; I can create an RSS feed specifically to import the articles. From there I should be able to assign categories for all the articles. I might even end up writing custom import queries to get other stuff properly imported.

Then there’s the comments; that’ll take me a while to nail, but that’s another custom import script. Should be painless after some testing.

I’ll probably keep the forums just for those who want forums for some reason. I have to fix them though; problems have been reported. Oh yay. I’ll probably have to completely restore the old database then run yet another upgrade.

Then I gotta tour. Heh.

Doing stuff is what I do!

February 27th, 2010 No Comments

I’ve discovered the secret behind why reality TV shows are so… popular.

Curiosity. Oh yes, it’s that simple.

People always want to know the hidden, secret stuff. Those ridiculous magazines you see when you’re buying groceries is another sample. “Brad and Jen reunion! Angelina shoots heroin!” It’s completely insane but we ALL want to know about it. We’re pulled in because we’re curious and that’s just flat out not gonna change.

This is also true for bands – people all want the inside scoop on the internal workings of the band. They want to know why members leave, who butts heads with who, blah blah blah. From the band’s perspective, keeping the peace and trying to keep all internal problems… well, INTERNAL, is a frustrating struggle that I can’t begin to describe.

A band’s business is their business, not yours. If they choose to share that’s their decision. People ask about Mike and Jimmy all the time; it’s not their business! I’ve got my thoughts on those two but I can’t exactly dump all that to you. Not even in person. Not only is it not your business, but you’re not exactly going to benefit from knowing what’s going on either. Right?

So while I do appreciate the concern you have for the band members you admired that are no longer with us, please respect the internal private workings of our stupid band and we’ll call it even. Cool?

Cool.

Wordpress conversion in your FACE.

February 23rd, 2010 2 Comments

Alrighty, so as you can see I’ve converted over to a newer format. It’s generic right now because I haven’t hopped in and done my thing. Why switch? Well Rawrb.com’s old blog system was half completed and I just don’t have the time to tinker around with it. Wordpress is fantastic and I’ll be more inclined to actually blog using a robust CMS.

There’s quite a bit to do though. I’ve got to find a way to import the comments from my old blog system and then organize these blogs by their proper category.

I urge you to be patient as I do stuff. Thanks.

Don’t pour coffee in your oatmeal.

February 10th, 2010 No Comments

I’m really impressed with the new ckeditor. They’ve really trimmed the fat and made an incredibly easy to use, fast, robust XHTML WYSIWYG editor that any browser can run. That couldn’t have been easy, and I’m launching kudos right into their faces. Launch, launch, launch!

Couple questions came in, so I SUPPOSE I’ll answer ‘em… with a FIST.

Name: Corey
Subject: Games
Question: Have you played Darksiders, Bayonetta, Army of Two the 40th day, or any of the newest games out if so whats your opinion on them. Also you must go on your 360 and download the Bad Company 2 demo it is amazing. I am a employ at gamestop so ive played most games that are out and that have been out but id really appreciate any input on some of these games. thanks again. -corey

Dude, can you get me a Wii? Haha. Seriously. Wii. Now. I want to buy and play NES, SNES, and other games. I also want Metroid Prime Trilogy. Want.

Anyway. I haven’t played any of THOSE particular games, but I did finish Assassin’s Creed II recently. That game was top-notch, completely surpassing every single aspect of the first one. I’ve played Arkham Asylum, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Fallout 3, etc etc. I tried the demo out for Bayonetta, but it seemed a bit… hokey? I dunno. Maybe I should try it and accept the ridiculous nature of that game.

Must play Bioshock 2.

Name: jacob
Subject: 2 questions, unrelated
Question: Alright, I know this is a long ago question that I should have asked in 2008ish, but it finally ate at me enough to ask. What happened with mike? I dont wish to stir the pot in anyway, so if its unanswerable, understood. Curiosity finally got the better of me, going back and watching the pluh and beer videos. Gotta understand that i still wear the bright green psychostick shirt from the cd release party at the cajun house.

Secondly, i can kill 2 birds with one stone on this one. What do you feel is the best way to break into advanced coding practices? I am trying to get motivated to work on some projects, but i feel ridiculously overwhelmed at what i should know vs what i do know. Im a 3rd year computer sci student at ASU, but i feel like im just a script kiddy. Any advice on how to break out and start to feel confident in the work you put out? I know practice makes perfect, but my problem is knowing where to start and what to look for.

Wow. You are an old school ’stick fan. That shirt was our first shirt design ever. I just tried to dig up the old design but couldn’t find it. Weirdness.

As for Mike – I can’t really divuldge details on why he was let go. That’s super personal for him and it’s not my place to make his departure reasons public, or even just between you and me. You’ll notice most bands don’t make internal stuff external for many reasons, many of them being stupidly dramatic. It’s just not the public’s business to know, and it won’t benefit them in any way TO know. Y’know? So in short, you’ll have to ask him yourself.

Advanced coding practices, huh? I’m not really in a good position to give you advice on that because I’m not an advanced programmer. I can get the job done, but not in the most efficient way. I get better and better every time I build something, so like you said practice, practice, practice.

I highly recommend coming up with an idea for an application. Go crazy with the idea, write down all the logistics of how a person would interact with the application. After that’s done, start building it programmatically. You’ll learn stuff very quickly that way because your mind will switch over to “problem solver,” and in my opinion that’s when our brain is in one of the most intelligent states of being. Before you know it, you’ll be able to crank out top-notch stuff with little effort.

Hope that helps!

Also, for you designers out there, I just completed a new site for a fireworks company out of Nebraska – Midwest Fireworks.

On top of that, here’s a side-by-side comparison of concept sketches and final products, just so you get an idea on how I build stuff.

Psychostick.com: Concept, Final.
Psychostick.com Spash Page: Concept, Final
Evacuate Chicago: Concept. Final

And there you have it. I’d show you lyrics to songs but… you’re not permitted. :]

No, we can’t ALL get along. Sadly, that’s human nature.

January 13th, 2010 No Comments

There’s always some sort of unease in this business that I do. One of the realities and inevitabilities of leadership is the fact that you simply can’t please everyone. Despite how honest I am, and with all facts presented, there is no salvation for me in certain peoples’ eyes. I’ve spent a tremendous amount of time trying to understand this.

Despite ALL my hard work and efforts, ALL my honesty, ALL of my evidence, ALL the reassuring, there are times when it’s just not enough. I exhaust all approaches and methods I can think of to rectify problems and tough situation between myself and others. I do all I can think of, and I get nowhere.

Where do I go wrong? These are strange situations. I’m not used to being the “bad guy.” I’ve always been able to make things work. I’m a problem solver by nature (must be why I like programming so much), so when something goes unsolved it drives me crazy. I’m having an extremely hard time just letting things go. I just want to understand so I can move forward, but at times I can’t even communicate with the person(s) in question. They’ll cut all ties and I refuse to resort to childish methods that I feel would harm my personal ethics. Plus I’m not a child.

Does that make me stubborn? Refusal to try childish methods that might get me answers? I think it shows a tremendous amount of integrity; standing by my morals and being confident in my position. Those who observe my actions and dealing with those that are butting heads with me can easily tell that I do everything in my power to create common interest. I don’t feel I was ever lacking in my communication to those who refused to truly open up and discuss the issues at hand. “If you want to talk about it, come talk to me about it!”

“I’m here if you want to talk.”

“Call me if you need anything.”

I can’t tell you how many times I say this. Do I have some sort of hard-to-deal-with nature? Why do I give off that vibe when I intend the opposite?

Ugh. Such a frustrating situation. Even though I try to dismiss any hope of actually resolving the situation, DESPITE my efforts, I feel rather misunderstood and disturbed that the other side of the coin never took the time to understand my side (to avoid hypocrisy, I have rationalized the other side of my coin, and things still don’t make sense to me). I guess some folks out there are literally ALL about themselves and nothing more.

Disappointing. What did I learn?

It’s absolutely impossible to please everyone. This is why we still have the two retarded political parties.
People will likely NEVER pull you aside and actually confront you if they have a problem. They’ll be passive. You’re going to have to almost beat the truth out of ‘em.
If you attempt to confront others, 90% of the time you won’t get the whole truth.
Emotion will always overrule rationality, EVEN WHEN ALL CARDS ARE ON THE TABLE AND THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY YOU ARE WRONG.
People will almost always blame someone or something else when they are threatened to look within for problems.

Make all the assumptions you want, this blog is about my general experience with people and not any single situation. Just thought you should know.

Ahem. Anyway, I had a question come in, and it took me a while to get to it. Sorry ’bout that.

Name: Simon

Subject: Blarg. I think advice is needed.

Question: Pluh Rawrb-ski

I got a problem with my band

Basically theres me, a keyboardist and a bassist. We are an industrial metal band and stuff, inspired by many bands including the ’stick, and yeah.

Anyway, we can’t find any decent guitarists/drummers and I could do with some tips.

Plus we had to change our bandname after some copyright thingiemajigabie and we’ve ran out of ideyarrs. Anyhelp?

PLUUUHHH FROM UK

Wheeelp, I don’t know how publication works over there in the UK, but start hitting up newspapers and online networking to get some recruitment going. Go to local shows, talk to other bands, make buddies. Ask ‘em if they know anyone who’s free and looking to join up a band. You’ll almost always find someone to join up. That’s how we found Alex – Phoenix New Times. RAWR! The band name thing is just gonna have to be you constantly thinking of ideas. Toss ideas around with your bandmates. No matter what, once you’ve told yourself you need to think of a band name, you mind will always be working on it. I thought of the Psychostick band name half-asleep at 2:00 AM.

AND… that’s all. I got a couple web jobs lined up (WOOHOO), so I’ll be able to make my move sooner than later. I’ve missed my Xbox. Plus Jarsh gets here in a few days – hooray for songwriting!

Rawrb Need Work!

December 29th, 2009 No Comments

Hey guys, I’m currently looking for a bit of freelance web development. If you or anyone you know is in need of a website, please send them to Pluh.net’s web development form – this form goes directly to me and I will respond promptly.

Here’s a portfolio of a few sites I’ve done in the past. I do it all; programming, design, database design.

Thanks!

Accountability is not the ability to crunch numbers.

December 19th, 2009 No Comments

What does it take to succeed? In anything? I pose this question to you in hopes that you can understand me better and better yourself.

People want to succeed – they do. Inherently, of course. Doing whatever it takes to move forward is another story, and that – it seems – is where most fall short and seriously start to lack real accountability for their actions. Better yet, accountability for their LACK of action.

Here are my thoughts on how to take the right steps towards success and happiness.

Accept criticism from your peers and superiors. If people are taking enough time to talk to you to help you “see the light” or whatever, listen with an open mind. Take notes. Don’t fight or make excuses, just listen. If justification for your behavior makes sense, plead your case, but don’t make excuses. People will always see you in a different light than you see yourself. If someone has been doing what you want to do long than you have, and possibly better, they have wisdom to share. BASK IN IT. Many times you will simply not like what you hear, and you may even disagree, but you can learn and grow from it. (Note: This does not mean “roll with the punches.”)
Keep the lines of communication open. This one baffles me. I am presently in a situation where I simply need to talk to a person for a few minutes, but I’m getting the silent treatment due to some irrationality. If you keep your ears and eyes open, take a phone call, respond to an e-mail/text, you are at the very least facing the right direction for progress.
Be accountable. Know when you messed up. Learn from it.
Think big. Simply focusing on the little, day-to-day dramatics will not get you any closer towards the big payday. You do have to deal with the little stuff, of course, but don’t get swept away by it. It’s good to ask yourself, “Is this what I truly want to be doing? How is this getting me closer to my dreams?”
Be happy. Sound stupid, right? It’s not. If you’re not happy, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Even if you have to make huge changes in your life that affect others, you deserve to be happy.
Do, or do not. There is no try. Yoda is brilliant. Do something, or don’t. Don’t say you will and don’t. Don’t say you will and make a lame attempt. Do it, or go home.
Accept your feelings. Sometimes you’re down. Sometimes you’re depressed. FEEL those emotions, let them pass through you. Resisting them is letting them persist even more. After you feel them, ask yourself, “Now what?” Solutions will always present themselves.
Don’t take financial advice from broke people. This is a broader statement than you think. It simply means if you want to succeed in something, seek out others that have succeeded, and pick their brains and follow your path.

I could go on and on here, but let me be plain about something: nothing lasts forever. Your job, relationships, friendships, life, food, etc. Change is a constant in this universe, no matter what your beliefs are. It’s coming, and if you don’t adapt, you will lose your footing and get swept away.

There’s your Rawrbness for today. Pass it along, or die trying!

I bet there’s an app for dramatic nonsense.

November 27th, 2009 No Comments

Heyawr! Man I’ve been out of my regular e-commission for a stupid amount of time. Uh, sorry? Hah. Not really. My “excuses” all line up to the idea of me “relaxing” and “being busy.” Since we last spoke, there was something like this going on:

Tour
Video Games
Tour
Video Games
Drama
Video Games
Girlfriend
Tour

Of course, everyone’s eyes see the “drama” part of it and they want to know what I’m talking about. Did you NOT see the touring and Video Games?! The drama part of it makes me realize that despite how good I *think* I am with people, I’m often put back into my seat with my mouth agape. So I see this as a challenge and attempt to make things clearer, more positive, and solution oriented. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Motivation? Explaination? Breaking things down? Offering a hand of assistance? I think there’s a limit to how much a person CAN motivate, explain, break things down, and offer help until they don’t see the lack of drive in the receiving end. What to do, what to do…

Well anyway, I can tell you the best way for me to move forward is to, you might guess, redirect that frustrated energy into something PRODUCTIVE. This is where I truly believe most end up hitting a brick wall – they focus on being frustrated while opportunity escapes them. So guess WHART? I’m finally taking the right steps to developing my first iPhone app. OMG!

I’ve boasted a bit in the past on how I’m gonna make some iPhone apps, but never really had any ideas for an app. Last night I had one of the better ideas that I can’t believe isn’t being utilized, so I’m gonna pursue that over the next few months. If things go in a productive direction like I’m hoping and gonna work towards, I’ll have this new app idea all done and in the app store before the end of the year. Wishful thinking? Maybe. Do I care? NO!

If only Panera’s connection was faster so I could finish downloading Xcode and the iPhone SDK. Grr.

In band news… well, not really in the mood to talk about that. Good stuff though. Music videos, bigger tour next year – all is coming together well.