Fantasist's Scroll

Yes, I keep making more art.
I know, this has got to get boring for you few regular readers, but I’m having fun. I’m really enjoying making some pictures of things that have bounced around inside my head for ages. Vue d’Espirit really lets me take some basic shapes and objects and combine them into very interesting pictures. The islands floating in the sky in this picture has been a theme for me ever since I first saw Views by Roger Dean. He had the most wonderful paintings of floating islands that just fired my imagination beyond belief. So, you can imagine how thrilled I am to be able to create my own visions of that theme. You can expect to see more!

Okay, movie hype has reached a “whole new level”.
Look , I like Batman. I read the comic books. I watched the original series. I watched all the different cartoons, and still do, when I can manage it. I love the movies. Even the bad ones! But, when Forbes is running an article about how to be Batman, well, I think we’ve gone a little to far. Though, they haven’t gone as far as HowStuffWorks, who has a How the Batsuit Works page and a How the Batmobile Works page.

Well, what the heck, it is Friday, after all. Click on one of the links. They’re all good!

Okay, this may be fun for a limited number of people…
But, I’ve “invented” a generator based on the tables found in the d20 Past supplement for TSR’s, er, Wizards of the Coast’s d20 Modern Roleplaying Game. It’s from the section on pulp heros. Specifically, it’s the table for randomly generating inventions for your pulp-age scientist. Now, fully automated by yours truly.
So, what are you waiting for? Go whip up some Pulp Science-Fiction Inventions!

Aw, c’mon, it’s Friday, what have you got to lose?

I love Dune.
I love the Dune Encyclopedia even more. I have a now very rare, hard-back copy of this wonderful book, but it is sadly out of print. I treasure my copy and will, on occasion, simply thumb through the pages randomly reading entries. The imagination that generated the source material for the Dune universe, and the creative people who created the Dune Encyclopedia are equally brilliant, in my opinion.
In any case, you can get a fairly good PDF of the Dune Encyclopedia for free by simply clicking on the link. It’s worth the 10 megabyte download. Trust me.

Now, this is what I call “assault and battery”!
Ever wanted to build your very own trebuchet? How about a mangonel? Well, now you can! Just head over to How To Build A Catapult and go nuts. They’ve got lots of plans using different materials and even different sizes of devices. There are a bunch of links to other resources, too, including a link to CatapultKits, where, obviously, you can buy kits and save a lot of hassle.

Anyway, it’s a fun, if somewhat violent, hobby and it’s Friday, so click the links!

Not just water and rocks!
Nope, this time, I included some free science-fiction objects with their “skins” mapped differently. In their original forms, they weren’t shiny enough to be science-fiction. If it’s not sparkly and shiny enough, it just can’t be high-tech! (Hmm, I should make sure my brother in R&D at Motorola knows that…)
Anyway, I created this because someone who reads my site complained that my digital art was all a little too antediluvian for his taste. And, I have to admit, it all did seem somewhat, well, “prehistoric”. Now, keep in mind, these pictures are all done with the FREE version of Vue d’Espirit which is several revs behind the full version and severly lacking in features. Also, all the good free stuff is done for the newer versions, so my subject matter is fairly restricted. Still, I think I do a fair job, all things considered. I can only imagine what I could accomplish if I spent the money on the full version. Someday, perhaps, someday….

My favorite fantasy author is experimenting.
Specifically, Lawrence Watt-Evans is serializing an Ethshar novel called The Spriggan Mirror. Apparently, the fans are clamoring for more Ethshar, but not loudly enough to be heard in the halls of the ivory towers of publishing. So, dedicated author that he is, Lawrence has begun serializing the novel on his website. Every week that he has recieved $100, or more, in donations, he will post a chapter, until the entire book is “exposed”. Of course, if he hasn’t recieved the required donations, he doesn’t post anything that week. So, all you rich kids who like Lawrence Watt-Evans, go spend your allowance on this project, so I can read this fine novel for free.

Oh, you know I’m going to contribute, but it’s Friday, so I thought I’d have a little fun. Now, go read as much of The Spriggan Mirror as you can before the boss catches you!

No kidding.
Ever wonder how those really neat Jedi weapons actually work? Well, Howstuffworks.com has an article about How Lightsabers Work. I love these psuedo-scientific looks at science-fiction technology and lightsabers have long been a favorite of mine.
The funny thing is, I once had a long conversation with my brother about this very topic. Now, that might not seem like much, but my older brother has a PhD. in Physical Chemistry and worked with lasers for years as part of his doctorate research. The man knows lasers. He told me that it might actually be possible to focus a laser, or array of lasers, in such a way that you could actually create a sword-length beam. The trick is getting the engergy to power it. To make a laser or lasers powerfull enough to get lightsaber-like results, would take an enourmas amount of power that could not possibly be contained in a handle-sized device. Today. Who knows what might happen tomorrow.

Anyway, that’s enough deep thoughts for a Friday. Go, click the link and enjoy the fun!