I just recently ran across this nifty little application: http://gottcode.org/kapow/
It's a simple app for keeping track of your hours while doing tasks. I'm finding it invaluable for my freelance work. It lets you keep track of multiple projects and tasks at once, and is super simple and easy to use. And it's open source and cross-platform. Woo hoo!
Actually, that's me on both sides. I have a terrible time thinking of gifts to get people. I assume other people are like me, and I draw a blank.
Project Durian is almost over. I'm coming back to the USA on the 20th of July (this month). Yay! :-D
I've been planning for a while to go freelance after Durian, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes. I've already been putting my feelers out looking for possible work. But I'd like to ask that anyone who reads this blog keep an ear out for work that might suit my abilities. This being my first time going freelance, it's a bit scary.
I'll be putting together an updated demo reel as soon as I return to the USA. But for now, here is my 2008 reel:
I am especially skilled in rigging and animation, but I am also well versed in modeling, lighting, and rendering. I am happy to do all kinds of work, from full-fledged character animation to visualization to logo animation. No job is too mighty nor too humble.
I've discovered a strange phenomenon here in Europe: people hate pigeons. They call them "rats with wings" (of course demonizing rats is also problematic), and I see people kicking at them and shoing them away. It was particularly distressing seeing a boy perhaps 8 years old trying to kick pigeons. (To be fair, most people ignore them rather than kick them, but still.)
Does this distain for pigeons also exist in the USA? I have not encountered it there.
This negativity towards pigeons has only distressed me more as I have gotten to know a few. I go out to the dock and feed several species of birds on a daily basis now, and it is easily the best part of my day. With the exception of the crows and herens, I've had at least one bird from each species eat directly from my hand at some point. It's really an amazing feeling.
But the pigeons have become particularly friendly, and a few of them will happily perch on me as I feed them. Two of them will even let me pet them, as long as I'm careful (their feathers are so soft!). One of them even perched on my head today for a brief moment. It's an extraordinary experience, having these birds trust you like that. Feeling their feet gripping on you, walking on you. The weight of their bodies.
I am a huge fan of non-sequiturs in humor. And therefore, I adore this web comic: Axe Cop
It is written by a 5 year old, and illustrated by his 29 year old brother. The result is full of so much hilarity and awesomeness that you just have to go and read it.
In retrospect, I think every creative team should have at least one 5 year old kid on it. Adults get way to caught up in what "makes sense".