RKNet Blog... Thing

April Fools’ Day, one of the most loathsome and wasteful days the calendar year has to offer, has come and gone. Most everyone seems to have survived, thankfully.

DeviantArt, known for being a haven of artists producing works ranging from hackle-raising (no pun intended) furry fan art to really good photography, decided to celebrate this traditional day of asshattery by pranking all of its users. The accomplished this feat, not by Rickrolling everybody and their brother, but by taking care of exposing the masses to another already-mostly-expired internet meme.

For the duration of April first, all DeviantArt user pics were changed to a looping animated gif of a Mudkip, which displayed the phrase “so I heard you like mudkips??”. (Well, more or less anyway.)

A lot of people seemed to be under the impression that DeviantArt had been “hacked” by 4chan. A lot of other people didn’t seem to mind at all. Indeed some even seemed to embrace the siren song of the anime rendition of an axolotl forever om nom nom nom-ing in their profiles and various visited pages.

It was of course only a joke and DeviantArt returned everyone’s avatars to normal when it was April 2nd. April Fools’ Day was pretty uneventful for yours truly, I think I would have liked to have had a little omigod hax! rather than an entire day of waiting for someone to do something awful to me. Anybody out there get meme bashed or otherwise tricked this past April 1st?

Editor’s Note: This is a direct copy of a stunning email sent by one of my brilliantly hilarious co-workers recently. Some items have been redacted/changed/edited to protect various information out of respect for their overall privacy.

Hey Hey Hey!….

It’s that time again:

no, not for that!…..

yea, thats what im talkin about, more micheivous,

BUT A LITTLE LESS FUCKING SCARY!!!!

some kids might see this.

NO! I’m Serious!

th- , that’s, b-, better?

ok, well, anyway, it’s page writing time. a little fun with 400-5. if any kids are seeing this now, dont try this at home. only for the seriously jaded.

just to make sure you’re qualified,

there. if anyone is still reading after that, youre obviously jaded enough. you may continue.

Your mission, should you choose to use your god given talent, is to write about,

this place.

where is that you ask? Spain! obviously!

Looks like youre gonna need a bit of brushing up before you get going here,

uhm, yea.. if you think that will be helpful.

but I was kind of thinking….

yea, more like that!

It might help our readers too, if you want to talk about what you learn. So in case they go to Spain, they dont look like a victim….

Especially in the lower regions….

I kind of meant, lower regions, of Spain…

yea! You know, Lower, Regions of Spain, like, Costa Blanca, Benidorm, Alicante, that sort of thing. You know, where you can find,

Stuff..

And do all sorts of cool stuff, like,

cut yourself…

Or not!

I mean, some people prefer just reading; theres something for everyone in Southern Coastal Spain.

Just take a look at this site:

[redacted] - You can write a whole page for this site! Check out what this guy has! Get inside his head…

What does he think on average?

How does he want others to see him?

or…

How does he see his site?

How does he want viewers to see his site?

Find out his fears, what he eats, where he sleeps and where he shits…..

What are his motives?

How do people get away with this where children can see?

What are people looking for when they move to Spain?

Maybe a rental so they can explore the country before they move there?

Or do they just want what everyone else wants?

You’re the wheel(wo)man here, Its kind of up to you and your judgement. Im counting on you. And anyone else who gets this message. If you want to, and youve made it this far, maybe submit an article, and we’ll have a contest for which one I send. (j/k Amy, there is only you)

On his homepage, hes putting “…rise in tourism, and hotels and rentals[sic] , which may be a good way for you to explore the country before you move here”.

So, hope that helps…that is, if you need some idea of an angle before you go in….

You can write about this:

or this:

Maye even both. Maybe one of those lower coastal Spain regions like the Costas, “have something for everyone, whether you’re into beaches, or eating zebra carcass.” type deals.

Either way,
I believe in you.

you’re a crack agent.

Again, not quite what I meant, but thats ok. Youve never let me down before.

Except that time,

But hey, I’m over it. That was years ago. Now I just want you to take your creative style, and show me a page like no one’s ever seen before….

yea.

s’what Im talkin about….

totally edgy and unique.

Completely fresh, and without label…

not given to societal norms.

way out in edge city

Like, completely defiant, cuz no one understands.

And no one ever will.

Got it?

k thx bai!

<3

In an endless void of silence, one voice was bold enough to even suggest an answer to the challenge put forth by me and my cavalier crew! It was none-other than the good Doctor. The email from Dr. Hypercube was like manna from the heaven that exists in a twisted alternate reality in which anatomy was meant to be treated just like modeling clay.

Despite his highly understandable trepidation in regards to meddling with the forms of nature, he slipped through enemy lines in broad daylight to pass on a concept so daring, so bold, so positively fantastic that I nearly fainted on the spot.

It was a simple visual combination, he suggested, trying not to catch the attention of the vicious guards of Biology and Feminism.

It’s…
and
That’s right. Sally Impossible, of the Venture Brothers, and a Sea Anemone, of… the sea.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find the picture of Mrs. Impossible that I wanted, but I feel as though this one fits surprisingly well. You see, Sally Impossible was bombarded with radiation in an accident (ala The Fantastic Four), and now turns “invisible”. I use the term invisible in quotes because the only part of her that turns invisible is her epidermis, skin, outermost human shell. This reveals something that looks like one of those human anatomy models. It’s unfortunate, and since it happens that she reverts to this “invisible” state without a great deal of concentration, it really puts a damper on her dating life.

Our other inspirational component is the sea anemone - a fascinating creature. Though they appear to be delicate, colorful flowers, the tendrils which gentle waver in the tidal pull are in fact the seeking tentacles of a meat-eating animal. An animal which lives all over the world and has many different species in shape, color, and behavior. Although they lack the teeth to make this combination a true “vagina dentata”, the anemone’s anatomy (say that a couple times fast!) is highly limited, and beyond the tentacles lies the mouth, and beyond the mouth lies what can best be described as a G-spot capable of digestion. Anemones which are divided into two sexes release eggs or sperm through the same orifice through which food is gathered. So essentially they eat sea life and periodically vomit reproductive splooge.

All in all, the most glorious combination ever the grace the minds of RKNet’s fine fellowship in general. A stunning combination of science and awesome cartoons. Roll that into our contest concept of redesigning the human female reproductive area and, well, it’s a work of art.

So, here’s to you, Doctor Hypercube! Even though you weren’t able to diagram your thoughts, you have truly inspired us all in ways we may never be able to scrub from our imaginations whether we’d like to or not.

Efilon pointed this out earlier in the ormgas IRC. Thanks!

This looks absolutely awesome! In the underwater environment I see shades of Ecco the Dolphin (boy did that game used to creep me out), and character designs that seem to remind me of Odin Sphere.

It’s been put together by a group called Bit Blot. Improvements to the way the character looks and behaves have been made since the time this video was made, according to a response to feedback left on the YouTube page for this video.

…
But yeah, there’s a lot of detail in her animation now and it has been updated a lot since this trailer was made (February) due to feedback. We haven’t had any complaints from people who have played the game.
…

There are more videos, as well as screenshots and written details about this game at the Bit Blot site. Such as the fact that it is due to be released tomorrow! Yup, Aquaria drops on December 7th. Aquaria was also the winner of the 2007 Independent Games Festival competition, which only adds more cred to this already tantalizing 2d adventure game.

The Point is one of my favorite animated films of all time. I first saw it on the Disney Channel in the early-to-mid 80’s. I remember that distinctly because the narrator for the film was Alan Thicke, not the more commonly known narrators of Ringo Starr (VHS release) or Dustin Hoffman (special TV presentation, NBC I think).

I discovered later in life that this melodic fable began its life as the musings of a man on acid. I purchased the album version of The Point! and in the booklet contains the backstory on how Nilsson had a revelation in the wee hours of the morning. To explain what exactly occured to him would spoil watching the film, and the last thing I wish to do is ruin the experience by allowing any of you gentle readers to allow presuppositions to cloud your minds.

I think that all folks young and old should get a chance to see this film, as the message within is one that applies to all of us. Not to mention the rich-yet-rough, hand crafted nature of this gently watercolored piece of animated cinema is so engaging that it appeals to all kinds of visual tastes, not just fans of animation. (Read: It’ll make you look like an important, artsy person if you watch it.)

For you to get a taste of this delightful film, I have put together a block of four selections of music from the film, and one extra Nilsson song that just so happens to rock pretty hard.

Anyone who’s read Neuromancer will recall the use of dermal patches for the administering of drugs. At the time it seemed like a far-flung vision of a technologically advanced future. No pills, no needles, just slap it on and go about your business.

HP and a company named Crospon are developing that very thing. A device that looks a bit like a CPU is covered in “microneedles” which are only .5mm long. The article has photos of the device as well as diagrams displaying how it is intended to work.

Current patches, such as the nicotine patch, rely on the fact that nicotine may be absorbed through the skin. Being able to get past the epidermal barrier for chemicals which aren’t readily absorbed could mean wonders for people whose medication regimen requires regular injections, or in some cases could prevent the need for pills. The developers intend to control dosage via microchip, which can protect patients from overdose and expands possibilities of time-release drugs as well.

While this can certainly revolutionize medicine, it also has the potential to revolutionize reacreational and dependency-based drug use also. Look ma, no track marks! This concern is years in the making, as scientists are still working to determine the safety and affordability of such a delivery method.

And now on a related note, for your listening pleasure:

Oh Wonder Woman, with your silly, patriotic outfit, and your invisible jet, and your cuffs and lasso, what an icon you are!

Jamar Nicholas, comic artist and traditionally-trained animator, has set about the task of collecting artists’ renditions of this comic book momma as big, bold, and beautiful as possible. So far I feel he’s done a great job. The art ranges from somewhat abstract to highly detailed. Each artist puts a new, amusing, adorable, or sensual spin to the concept of “fat Wonder Woman”.

Far from insulting, I find this to be encouraging and positive. Women who are overweight are often cast as matrons, villanesses, or as irritating. Depicting Wonder Woman as overweight - or at least at a weight other than svelte - departs from that stereotype. I would argue that it serves to remind artists and authors that body type does not dictate personality. It can set limits to physical ability at times, but I don’t believe body type to be a key factor in attitude.

Above and beyond any social debates on what weight means or does not mean when it comes to stereotyping women, this is a really neat blog full of great art and artists.

Gentle Readers,
I am torn. Every year I say I am going to do something so unbelievably wicked awesome for halloween. Every year I flake out.

This year should be different. I have 2 ideas in mind. One involves a lot of money and would need to be done soon, one involves a lot of time and maybe a little less money and skills I don’t necessarily have.
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When I was at the Gathering of the Vibes earlier this year, there was a peace demonstration on Sunday (the last day). The theme was unity. Flags of all the world were given out, and each country’s name was spoken aloud. Incidentally, I think they skipped a few names - notably Israel by way of repeating Ireland - but I wasn’t paying strictest attention so I couldn’t say for sure. The whole thing was very somber and very poignant - and by that I mean self-inflated and dull as hell. Perhaps if I’d been down where the flags were being waved, where the most activity was taking place, it might have felt more meaningful and genuine.

Instead I present you with a much more entertaining reading of the countries of the world. This is from years ago so it’s not really accurate with the current and apparently a few were skipped.

Before you roll your eyes and groan over the concept of actually watching Yu-Gi-Oh - a show ostensibly created to SELL MORE CARDS GO GO GO! - let me assure you that The Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged Series will be well worth your time.

If you enjoy parody, obscure references, and goofy anime gags, this will be right up your alley. Even if you don’t, there’s a good chance you’ll still get a chuckle out of this.

The Abridged series creator, Little Kuriboh is doing a great job, trimming each episode down to five to ten minutes and then jam packing it with more gags and clever references than you could possibly be tempted to shake a stick at.

Go to the site and watch them. Or just watch the episode below the cut. I chose Episode 11 because that was the one which first got my attention.
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