How do you...

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 1:05 am

How do you change your name? (thomasso is getting weird)
How do you get a movie clip on your display image?

AlmostBlue · Post by **AlmostBlue** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 2:02 am

probably can't change your name unless the sysop volunteers to change it for you in the database.
the "movies" are animated gifs

you can make animated gifs from video clips, 3d software tools, animation tools, or one frame at a time:

http://www.gigablast.com/search?k6k=556 ... +gifs&n=10

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/i ... fl=0&x=wrt

AlmostBlue · Post by **AlmostBlue** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 2:02 am

probably can't change your name unless the sysop volunteers to change it for you in the database.
the "movies" are animated gifs

you can make animated gifs from video clips, 3d software tools, animation tools, or one frame at a time:

http://www.gigablast.com/search?k6k=556 ... +gifs&n=10

or you can just steal one..
some examples:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/i ... fl=0&x=wrt

Post by **BlueChair** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:58 am

I would not encourage you to use an animated avatar. They're obnoxious.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:38 am

You think Storm's are obnoxious?

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:38 am

And WHAR's is pretty cool too, for that matter.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:41 am

I suspect Blue means in terms of bandwidth, paid for mostly by Doc Spooky.

Post by **BlueChair** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 12:32 pm

That's what I meant, although I do find them pretty irritating... storm's not so much, but whar's yes...

Gillibeanz · Post by **Gillibeanz** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 4:21 pm

Whoa - I didnt realise it cost anyone money to have an animated avatar - i'll change mine straight away - sorry guys!!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:54 pm

BlueChair wrote:That's what I meant, although I do find them pretty irritating... storm's not so much, but whar's yes...

I once spent a solid 5 minutes watching WHAR's. It's a work of genius. Storm's also, um, commands one's attention.

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:37 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote:
BlueChair wrote:That's what I meant, although I do find them pretty irritating... storm's not so much, but whar's yes...
I once spent a solid 5 minutes watching WHAR's. It's a work of genius. Storm's also, um, commands one's attention.

What exactly is it? It seems like an Elvis Presely-type guy on a beach.

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:39 pm

I'm not so sure about the "costing money" issue, but I'll ask Doc when he returns from his rafting trip with the boys in North Carolina tomorrow.

We have the site on a commercial account through our local cable company, so I'm not sure on the specifics of animated avatars and how much space they take up. He thought my Woodstock was cute and didn't mention anything about it eating up bandwith. But, he's the computer expert in the family and I only know what I know about computers from him.

I shall check this out with him when he returns. He usually keeps tabs on the site specifics so he should know.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:52 pm

thomasso wrote:What exactly is it? It seems like an Elvis Presely-type guy on a beach.

It's an exploration of identity. A young man is on a beach, clearly out of place, with full clothing and an overnight bag. He is looking out to sea, contemplating his place in the scheme of things. He should be alone in this scene, but is implausibly surrounded by funseekers. The camera swings around to take us away from his perception and to see him in context. There is motion and life all around with him as a static contrast. The camera distances itself at this point, leaving him lost and alienated, and yet as we come to see him in his alienation, expecting a final shot face on to leave him defined and fixed, we start again, back with his perception. The rhythm of the panning and the movement all around disorientate and keep the whole thing in constant flux. It's an expression of the irresolvable opposition of the subjective perceiver and objective perceived. It's like the moment of your life flashing before your eyes, pre-death, and as such is a continuous statement on the human condition.

That's how I see it, anyway.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:04 pm

And in addition, I think it's a clip of a Daryl Palumbo video or something.

Either Otis has been smoking something, or I have...

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 4:36 am

Two or three glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon and a modest Spanish brandy. Quite clear of mind, though it was 3.30am. Is it Daryl? In which case Thomasso's comment about some guy looking like the other Elvis adds further amusing dimension to this.

It's not a feeling I'm particularly familiar with, but I'm really widshing WHAR himself would visit this thread and give us his perspective. Come in, WHAR, WHAR AR you?

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 7:24 am

Maybe I'm missing something but how does whar get an avatar like that uploaded in the first place when the image size limit is 16k? Surely his and Storm's are bigger than 16k?

It's not teeny ones like Gilli's that eat up the bandwidth, it's the almost-mini-movies.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 10:25 am

For what it's worth, I love looking at the animated avatars, and I'm quite capitvated by WHAR's as well.

Maybe we should ask people to post these little mini-movies just once, on the photo thread. Though I'm waaaay out of my depth as to what takes more bandwidth and how all that works.

Is that Princess Leia, Pop?

ReadyToHearTheWorst · Sun Aug 21, 2005 12:54 pm

PlaythingOrPet wrote:... how does whar get an avatar like that uploaded in the first place when the image size limit is 16k? ...

If you 'upload' an Avatar then the 16K limit applies, and that will take up an equivalent amount of disc space on the server in Spooky's basement.

However, whar has used the 'link to off-site Avatar' option that leaves the gif where he found it (in this case photobucket).

That mechanism also means that the Spooky's bandwidth is not being hit (as would otherwise be the case) but photobucket's is (and ours, of course).

PlaythingOrPet · Post by **PlaythingOrPet** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 2:14 pm

Ah, thank you RTHTW.

selfmademug wrote:Is that Princess Leia, Pop?

Haha, no. Think Bjork's Big Time Sensuality video.

I'm rather hurt you think it's ol' bun ears.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 3:37 pm

Well, Bjork *was* affecting a rather Leia-ish look then... but I don't know her videos so would never have made the connection! Anyway that makes sooooo much more sense.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 3:55 pm

Great video, on the back of a truck going through the streets of NY, looking up at the buildings and smiling at camera and belting out 'It takes courage to enjoy it'.

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 1:04 pm

Alas, thomasso (that jerk) is gone and now you may all bow to:

"Extreme Honey" (get used to it

)

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 5:34 pm

SLL's new set of animated features are cracking me up!

whar · Post by **whar** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 6:06 pm

My avatar is a .gif image, the file is not large at all... and is no threat to bandwidth (for reasons explained above).

It is a clip from a Gilmore Girls episode actually. Don't worry about it, selfmade.

It sort of loses its punch without the Beach Boys track in the background.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Aug 22, 2005 6:11 pm

That would ruin it. It is a thing of beauty!