Shita!

Don't worry, I didn't say what you think I said. It means "rain" in arabic. Well, maybe it should be shita shwai, which means "little rain". Okay, maybe it's not REAL shita, but for me, it is. Take a look at some pictures from the five miniute rain sprinkle we had.

This is a picture of the street right in front of our apartment. This is as wet as it gets. Only once has it rained more than this since we've been here. Guess what? We took a five minute walk to the mini snack-shop in the neighborhoo. On the way home we got stuck in the rain! What a "coincidence".

Here's a picture from my parents rear window. The sky doesn't look like this often. I hope it rains for real when we get back to the States.


This is the view from our kitchen window. It's the view in between our building and the building next to us. It looks pretty wet from here! But...it's not.

This is another picture from my parents window. I just zoomed in on the sky. Pretty foggy. Spooooooooky!

Well, that's what it looks like in Jordan when it's wet! I'll be back in the US soon so I can see REAL shita.

Mayhem

Well, right now my whole family is getting ready to head back to the States from Jordan. Pretty neat, eh? I think so except for the whole packing in ONE week thing. I mean, really, one week? It does get a bit stressful at times but we have Arlene, our housekeeper, to help us pack. She helps a lot.

Sadly, all my Legos are packed. :-( That really bums me out. I had so many Lego movies planned out and ready to go! All we have left are the two laptops--which isn't that bad, I guess. But still...

I'll post when I can while we move but it might be three to four weeks before we get settled and I can write regularly. It's always a big move when we go international.

So untill next time here is a collection of videos from my Lego friend SirSquid.


SirSquid says: I think there should be a flame thrower accessorie in LEGO Universe, it would be extreamly powerful close up, but it does not have a very long range. I would love to use this in LU!

SirSquid says: A movie showing my creature for LEGO Universe Mr. Munchy fighting my minifigure Elite Commander Glew.

SirSquid says: Voolekcore are aliens that look like minifig heads with rocket boosters, unlike all other LEGO creatures the Voolkcore can't have fun, so they must drain fun out of other LEGO people to live. They can teleport within a short range of there location if no one can see them, and they can move very fast, making them a deadly foe. The video shows my minifig Lord Electron hunting down some of them. NOTE: No minifigs were harmed in the making of this video.

All of these movies can be found in the Lego Universe Creation Lab. Enjoy!

Uh Oh

Well, guess what? Remember my post called "More on the Lego Movies"? If not, scroll down for a refresher. Well, it seems the method of putting on the sound effects while the music is playing is not working. I'm having trouble. Maybe it's just my computer because I did exactly what the original website told me to do. If you know a better way to add sound effects, PLEASE TELL ME!

My friend LegoAlienGuy894 told me a different way to do it. Here is what he said:

To add music while sound FX are playing, it is kinda' complicated so I will explain the best I can. Well first, add the sound FX and save it to your computer on the highest memory. Then, after it is saved, tell it to do a new project. Add the one with sound FX into your new project as video. (Click import video and find it). After you have added the movie with the sound FX into the new project as video, add the music! Thats all there is to it. Oh yeah, when you are saving it to your computer again, make sure it is not over 5 MB. (4 is good) And now for one final tip: when you are uploading you movie to Lego, upload it into one of the little view boxes below the main picture.

Between his method and mine, guess where I've gotten? Not far. That's where. Heh heh.

Like I said, I don't really understand it. Maybe you can experiment with the program according to what he is saying. If a little light bulb goes on in your head and you get it, please tell me. I'm confused. Can you help? I know it should work, but I'm obviously missing something. I know it's possible because LegoAlienGuy894's video had it all worked out. I'll keep messing around with it to see if I can figure it out.

Meanwhile...watch these videos from my Lego friends.

Here's a rockin' video from my friend LegoAlienGuy894. I like the music on it. The drummer is the coolest part of the whole thing. In my opinion, this is one of the best on the Lego website.

This is a really neat video from another friend. It's about an alligator that comes to attack a minifigure. It's actually pretty funny.

This is a really weird one. It really has no point at all but it's still pretty interesting. It's just kinda' random. I don't know what they were thinking when the kids who did this made it.

All of these videos can be found in my sidebar link to Lego Universe. Enjoy!

Zit Fit

I woke up this morning with two things on my face. As you can probably guess, they were zits. My brothers now have, as my mom would say, a zit-ster. I have one just above my right temple and one on my right cheek. I'm now getting a greasy nose and skin. I guess it's all part of getting older but I'm still waiting for that growth spurt!

I'm totally having a fit now. I don't, and never did, want a zit, and now I have two! Luckily, I'm busy with school and helping pack for the move so we don't have to go out. Phew!

Well, hopfully they will go away. How long do ya' think they'll be sitting on my face saying,"Don't pop me, I'm not ready yet!"? It really doesn't bother me THAT much. NOT, yes it does! But, it reminds me that I'm finally getting older and bigger. Finally!

More on the Lego Movies

So, since I am moving I can't do many more Lego creations for a while. I can't wait to get my Legos unpacked though! It'll be a few weeks.

My usual technique for making a movie is to just do it. No script, no plan, and no tri-pod. I just do it as I go. I go with the flow. Now, I have decided that it is best to write an entire script and get everything ready before I start shooting a movie.

One of the biggest problems with Windows Movie Maker is that that there is only one audio line. That means music and sound effects can't be added at the same time. Which to me, kinda sucks. There are two ways to get around this though, but they can drive me nuts at times.

I'm itching to use it in my next movie! Okay, I'll tell you even though it's a trade secret. First, drag and drop the pictures or video clips onto the timeline. Then find the music that you want to use and right click on it and hit "Add to timeline." It's easy to place and edit the length of the music by simply putting your cursor at the beginning or end or the music to adjust it. Then go to the video transitions. There, find a suitable transition to use. Make sure not to drag and drop the transition. Just do the same thing that you did with the music. The second that you hit the "Add to timeline" button, a second audio line will appear! Then it's as simple as draging and dropping the effects onto the other timeline. Easy as pie!

Here is my good friend LegoAlienGuy894's Lego movie. I learned a lot of the "Lego-movie-know-how" from him over the internet.



I am planning on making a Christmas Lego movie with a new character never before seen! Anyway, it is going to have full music (gutair I think), full sound effects, steady video--the whole nine yards. I can't start it now because I'm moving but make sure to keep your eyes peeled! I am going to spend a lot of time editing and perfecting it before I release it on my blog and on Lego.com.

I will be looking foward to hearing your comments on my blog and e-mails from everybody!

Lego Stop Motion Movies

If you have read my profile, you'll see that one of my interests is "Lego Stop Motion Animation." You're probably wondering what the heck that is. So I guess I can tell you.

Basically it's just making a set out of Legos, setting up a camera on a tri-pod (on macro), and taking pictures as you move the legos little by little. After you take all the pictures you download them onto a computer then send all the pictures and video to a movie maker program. Once you have it there you can drag and drop them onto the timeline. Make sure that you speed up the pictures with the effects. Then just syncronize music and sound effects with the video. The last step is to save it to your computer.

It's fun to do that because...well, it's just fun! I like to see hours of work all sped up and looking like a movie. I mean, who doesn't like that ? I also like it because I can post all my videos on the official Lego web site. If you've got Legos, a high megapixel camera (I use 10.1), and a movie making program, try it!

Here is the offical Lego web site. It's the branch that allows movies and videos to be posted.

http://us.universe.lego.com//en-us/creationlab/Default.aspx

It might take you a little while to understand what it is all about. If you want to see my FIRST Lego video, and other posts that I have made, search in the "Search for creations" box for the username Profclyde. I hope you like it!

If the video doesn't load from the web site, here it is.

There is one REALLY bad scene. It's really wobbly but other than that I think it's fine.

BB Gun Havoc

Have you ever wanted a BB gun? I definetly have. Actually I have been wanting one for maybe about 2-3 years already. Well, I think I have finally got approval from my dad that I could get one. I think the reason that parents don't let their kids have a BB gun, or any type of projectile shooting gun for that matter, is becauese they are scared of what will happen to you, or anybody or anything around, if you get a gun in your hands. Parents probably don't want to end up getting the family a reputation in the neighborhood for being the 'gun' family.

Really, the only place that you can get hurt with an airsoft gun is in the eye. So you can't really get hurt--unless the BB ends up being a ricochet (is that how you spell that?). Ouch! There goes baseball and all the other sports. So just make sure that you, and everybody around, wears proper eye protection.

Some people say that having a BB gun is a good thing. In some ways it is. It can be a good reason to get outside. While it is also a good training tool for gun saftey, it can also be a good tool for father-son bonding. I mean what dad doesn't like to get out there and shoot at a couple of targets with his son?

It all really depends on the level of responsibility you have. If your parents think you're really responsible and you want one, I say go for it!

Here is a website for BB guns.

http://www.airgunsbbguns.com/

Lets Get the Hang of this Blog thing

So. This is my first blog entry. I don't really know what I'm going to post on this blog in the future. I guess I'm supposed to post anything that I feel like posting. Right? Well, I guess this whole blog thing sounds kinda fun! I think that I'll enjoy doing this. With the support of my followers, my mom, and my nifty new typing skills (30 wpm. Wowie!) I think this will be quite enjoyable!

Kinda lame for a first entry. Huh? If you think it is, just tell me. I can take it.