Toren Atkinson’s Absolute Blog

They shuffled us around at work this week so I’m in a cramped training room - there is no room to draw so that puts a kink in the Horribles proliferation. I’ve been having ideas but I keep forgetting to write them down. I don’t know why I haven’t learned after years of telling myself “that’s so good, there’s no way I’ll forget it” and then having no idea what was in my brain just 2 minutes ago. But there you have it.

I’ve been browsing the internet to figure out how I’m going to set up my little home recording studio. It’s going to be for me to do voiceovers in the comfort of my own home and some wee song recording. Nothing fancy, but it’s still probably going to cost me several hundred dollars to set it up. It’s extremely intimidating to read these sites because once you get past “you need a microphone” and into “get a preamp/mixer/wagglydeedoo and x software on a computer with 900 milliboobs and a cubic hectare of RAM not to mention a good soundcard” I just feel completely pummelled about the medulla oblongata. My process so far is going through a half dozen of these sites and writing down common threads among all of them. Even the amount of RAM suggested varies greatly. I’m probably going to have to consult an “expert,” luckily I probably have a line on one or two whom I have known through my musical and v/o career to date.

Meanwhile The Thickets may have been dealt a dreadful blow but I will know more in a day or two.

Well here it is! The beak opens and closes as you turn the light on and off. One of the TONMOers was joking that it should come with a Captain Nemo finger puppet. Order it for your mom for Mom’s Day!

At my Cafepress store….

More fun shortly.

I finished the four pinup girls I did for Kelly for her Bad Girls Chocolates company (and boy howdy she makes some gooooood chocolates).

Here’s one of them:

I’ve added a couple to my DeviantArt gallery, which is now linked off to the right, along with some other changes. Have a look at the gallery and tell me which images I should provide as prints. There’s a $25 signup fee for DeviantArt prints accounts, but after that I can get 50% of the profit from any print I sell off the site. Which seems pretty good because right now I’m getting 0 and am too lazy to make any prints on my own. Plus DeviantArt has the setup to sell them online. So right now I’m just trying to suss out which images might sell. I wasn’t able to create Where the Great Old Ones Are mugs from CafePress because they “recently learned that your CafePress.com account contains material which may not be in compliance with our policies. Specifically, designing, manufacturing, marketing and/or selling products that may infringe the rights of a third party, including, copyrights.” I guess Sendak ripoffs don’t go over well.

Oh well, I’ve still got my other ideas, such as the giant squid light switch cover. The switch itself is the beak!

BREAKING NEWS: J.J. Abrams to Produce/Direct “Trek XI”

J.J. Abrams, producer of hit shows Lost and Alias, as well as director of the upcoming Paramount film “Mission: Impossible III,” is slated to produce and direct the next Star Trek feature, according to today’s Daily Variety and sources at Paramount Pictures. There is no title as yet for the new movie, but it will be the eleventh in the franchise. (Until a title is selected, we will usually refer to the project as simply “Star Trek XI.”)Although there isn’t an official Paramount press release announcing the movie, it is a confirmed project under development with a 2008 release date targeted. Word about the Abrams project surfaced this morning in the daily trade paper. He will be writing the script with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who penned “M:i:III.” STARTREK.COM will keep you up to date on all official statements as they are released.

The proposed story will focus on the early days of James T. Kirk and Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and their first mission in space.

Abrams’ producing partners from Lost, Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, are cited as being producers on “Trek XI.” This project is separate from the previously rumored script developed by Eric Jendresen and overseen by Rick Berman. The former Star Trek producer is not involved in this project.

Today I brought some $7 pens today at lunch. They’re refillable, and have replaceable tips. So I’m told. They came in unusual sizes (normally you get .005, .05, or 1 and higher - these were .25 and .35). I also bought some other types. When I got back to work I tried them all out with some quick sketches. Here are the results.

I may scan in another Horribles tonight. If you’re very lucky. Because I have no plans for tonight. Anyone want to go see a movie at Tinseltown?

Last night Joe and I went to drop in to badminton at the Mt Pleasant Community Center but they were all full up (we were told after waiting a half hour). I have to invest in a net and racquets so that we can go to any park on any sunny day and play any time we want. All of us! You and me! BADMINTON!!! I’ll just have to find out who sells such things. Sport Mart? Doubtful. WalMart? Probably but it will be a cold day in hell etc etc….

Meanwhile, check out this video from the Mercury probe MESSENGER as it leaves our front porch.  

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/the_mission/flyby_movie.html

This is the planet you live on.

“A 23-member team of balloon artists, an eight-member flight crew, and countless community members were needed to launch the first ever piloted latex balloon sculpture. Nearly 20,000 animal balloons were twisted together by the hand-picked team of artists from around the US and Canada to create the Fantastic Flying Octopus.”

BONUS:

If you like video games and you like fine art, check this out:

 http://www.vinylpulse.com/2006/04/show_coverage_i.html

I love the Bubble Bobble one by Luke Chueh.

http://www.thickets.net/toren/horribles-no-farting.jpg

http://www.thickets.net/toren/horribles-biological-clock.jpg