tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84657519500646445752012-01-18T13:04:31.422-06:00Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.comBlogger771100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-2899477706691015892010-12-08T13:39:00.000-06:002010-12-08T13:39:04.512-06:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys This survey question is about the absolute biggest moral dilemma in all of EGS. There are those who would consider the acceptance of homosexuality and all that to be a moral dilemma, but I consider that to just be common sense. In any case, there is potential for great good and great horror depending on how the magic in EGS is used. Used benevolently, it could

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-89423014737083119362010-12-04T13:38:00.000-06:002010-12-04T13:38:04.853-06:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys I have issues with cable news. Not a specific channel, mind you. My issue is with news running 24/7. Sometimes, there just isn't anything worth reporting, or there's just nothing new to say about the latest big news. If you're a cable news network, however, not only do you have to fill that time, but you have to fill it with things that attract viewers away

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-50627867443927428082010-11-29T14:09:00.000-06:002010-11-29T14:09:56.791-06:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys I'm not sure how survey heavy this week is gonna be. I only asked one last week on account of the holidays, and I'm thinking it's best not to force a question for each update. Quality over quantity, or something... in any case, here's the question from last week: You're still you, but have taken Justin's place in this comic. How do you respond to Elliot's

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-69678181626497997252010-11-27T13:28:00.000-06:002010-11-27T13:28:10.394-06:00

I saw Tangled last night with some friends, and it was a fun, cute movie. The characters were likable, the jokes were funny, and the horse may very well be the most awesome horse in all of cinema (take THAT, Mr. Ed!). One thing that caught me off guard, however, was the singing. I know it's a Disney movie, but none of the previews I saw gave any hint of musical numbers, and I can't think of any

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-74795218802644776902010-11-22T15:11:00.000-06:002010-11-22T15:11:04.112-06:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys EGS is full of awkward moments and concepts, and I figured this one being suggested was perhaps an extreme example of that. Was I right? Well, let's find out! Do you agree with Grace's comments about morphing and looking like people in this comic? http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-19 I understand where Grace is coming from, I wouldn't mind someone taking

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-26370921143542014112010-11-19T13:03:00.001-06:002010-11-19T13:05:16.807-06:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys For anyone wondering where the survey for the 15th is, there wasn't one. I couldn't think of a question I actually wanted to ask, and that almost happened with the 17th, too. It occurs to me that there will be times when I might not have a question to ask for every comic (future fight scenes come to mind), so, for the record, not EVERY comic is guaranteed a

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-63804431526446173092010-11-13T13:00:00.002-06:002010-11-13T13:06:11.162-06:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys I know people have a tendency to go flying when they get hit in martial arts movies, but to quote top scientists, "that doesn't happen for realsies". Someone might move a few feet as a result of a punch or kick, and maybe even slide across the floor for a few more. When it looks like they're flying across the room in a straight line as though suspended by a wire

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-20081616218218612622010-11-11T22:46:00.000-06:002010-11-11T22:46:23.668-06:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys Nicknames can suck, can't they? I mean, when they're good, they're good. I once had the nickname Dandave, and I thought it was nifty keen! When they're bad, however... Elliot can either reinforce or counter the cheerleader persona. Which should he do, and how? http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-10 Deny it by declaring himself a proper super hero name.

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-68930809873868148732010-11-09T14:39:00.001-06:002010-11-09T14:40:36.727-06:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys As common as it is for all of us to wind up on the news and being asked an awkward question, rarely is that question something we dare not give the actual answer to. Nonetheless, this is the situation Justin finds himself in. How would you answer Carol's question? http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-08 Zah?! She came from my shop? "Well Carol, to answer

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-52290992874368903752010-11-07T23:07:00.000-06:002010-11-07T23:07:09.701-06:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys What I find funny here is that if Grace was the recipient of the cupcake after the previous question, she'd probably wind up giving it up on account of this question. Why? Well... Grace needs to comfort mild mannered Elliot! How should she do this? http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-05 hugs and ice cream of course By turning into a Squirrel-cat and

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-48736790244442540852010-11-05T14:19:00.001-05:002010-11-05T14:23:38.485-05:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys You are about to be given a question that would shatter the resolve of kings. Do you think you can handle it? Don't say you weren't warned: There is one cupcake left. Both Grace and mild mannered girl Elliot are making puppy-dog faces. Who gets the cupcake? http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-03 Grace. Mild mannered girl Elliot because of her glasses.

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-67546984701819848422010-11-02T11:12:00.000-05:002010-11-02T11:12:42.768-05:00

My Twitter profile - Past Surveys Okay, so we all have our plans ready for what we'll do when we inevitably get zapped into our opposite genders and have to prove our identities. However... Role reversal: what would it take for you to believe someone claiming they're your friend but have been turned into the opposite gender? http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-11-01 The secret handshake, what

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-88463036525136020412010-11-01T12:09:00.003-05:002010-11-01T13:06:11.752-05:00

My Twitter profile The latest question is the sort that seems a bit odd until one remembers "oh, right. El Goonish Shive. This is to be expected." Ladies, gentlemen and whoever, the question: You're temporarily transformed. You're the opposite gender and look very different. How do you prove you're you? http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-10-29 Expose, or hint at, embarassing secrets held by

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-71583881424708898922010-10-27T13:53:00.003-05:002010-11-01T13:05:41.273-05:00

My Twitter profile Before I get to the question, I just want to remind people that I'm not going to post adult content or swearing that goes beyond what one might reasonably expect seeing in the comic itself. Please also keep that in mind when making comments on this blog. And now, ze question: What comment would you leave on someone's video of Justin and Super F-Elliot fighting the fire

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-82782495301370332162010-10-24T15:58:00.001-05:002010-10-24T15:59:41.353-05:00

Dear everyone who is still e-mailing me about this: I am not "forgetting" the idea of infinite parallel universes.  I made a long comment in response to one of my earlier posts that really should be it's own blog post, and I'm posting it here. I've bolded where I start talking about "infinite". ----- My argument is that if there is no randomized component, then the decision is going to based

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-44110477905865009332010-10-22T17:02:00.002-05:002010-11-01T13:04:51.928-05:00

It's a whole new you! My Twitter profile I've decided to do something fun to accompany EGS story comic updates. At 1 pm Eastern US time (noon for me, hence the "odd" time), a scheduled tweet will ask a question related to the latest update and post most of the tweets I get prior to a set deadline (the deadlines will probably vary. I say "most" only because there's always the possibility that I

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-38901019093862366862010-10-20T18:38:00.000-05:002010-10-20T18:38:57.622-05:00

I'm a big fan of early seasons of The Simpsons. Hell, the entire reason my horribly named comic, El Goonish Shive, has "goonish" in the title is because of an episode from season four where the line "hired goons?" got stuck in my brain and refused to leave. The episode I'm interested in ranting about today, however, is from season two, and is titled "Itchy And Scratchy And Marge". It is

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-39600818166701314062010-10-18T13:19:00.000-05:002010-10-18T13:19:09.149-05:00

Before anything else, it has to be said: Jamie Hyneman is a badass. He's like, "Yeah, I know you're the president of the United States. I'm still going to wear what I always wear." Secondly: what the hell? I saw tweets over the weekend about how Adam and Jamie were going somewhere over the weekend and how it was all very hush-hush and would be revealed on Monday, but I never would have guess

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-75105806950334811812010-09-24T12:56:00.002-05:002010-09-24T12:58:11.479-05:00

I was in a FRY's earlier today, and something caught my eye. A Batman... thing that's specifically designed to be placed on computer monitors. An official Batman product that's designed to stay near where you work at the computer and stare at you with a judgmental look on his face. SOUND FAMILIAR?! Batman, you jerk! I... I thought we had something special! You would sit on my desk, remind me to

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-72882341163766091462010-09-23T11:53:00.000-05:002010-09-23T11:53:27.674-05:00

Yeah, yeah, I'll get back to that quantum physics mumbo-jumbo later. For now, however... I don't watch a lot of YouTube videos, but there are plenty of gems to be found there. I was recently directed to some Weebl's Stuff on YouTube, and discovered this video for a band named Savlonic while browsing the channel. She only looks far away. I wasn't sure what to expect when I clicked on the link

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-77283429015687190902010-09-18T13:41:00.000-05:002010-09-18T13:41:12.637-05:00

"You don't see THAT everyday..." In my last blog post, I proved once and for all why we couldn't possibly exist in other universes short of a higher power intervening and no one could think of a single argument as to why that could be wrong. ... Okay, so maybe there were a lot of comments with counter-arguments. I have a counterpoint that touches on the basis for several arguments for the

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-4453969091008438812010-09-17T15:32:00.001-05:002010-09-18T22:07:57.763-05:00

Family Guy is owned by FOX. Also, the episode this is from was pretty good. Parallel universes are a fun science fiction trope. Imagine a world similar to our own where things are very similar but different. Universes where someone else won that one big war, or dragons roam the Earth, or the Star Wars prequels kicked ass. And in these universes, there are various versions of yourself,

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-30420096518012220362010-09-12T12:04:00.000-05:002010-09-12T12:04:33.810-05:00

Oh, wow. I have a BLOG? A place where I can write and say things that are on my mind and share it with the world? EXTRAVAGANT! My comic, El Goonish Shive, is arguably very strange. In this age of the internet, what does and does not qualify as strange is a bit iffy, but I would still argue that my comic qualifies. It includes a lot of unusual elements and combinations of said elements that

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-67254917346629392332010-07-12T21:36:00.000-05:002010-07-12T21:36:58.049-05:00

I know this is pretty random, but... how the heck does telekinetically boosting a punch work? Seriously, I used to read X-Man, and he'd punch someone with TK BOOSTS! ... What does that mean? Are his hands surrounded by force fields? Does that make them tougher somehow? Is there like a bounce effect that sends people flying more? If it's just a force field, does he even need the fist? Does he

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-15849786357499028862010-07-10T16:05:00.002-05:002010-07-10T16:05:49.789-05:00

I recently talked about the possibility of attending a prerelease tournament for Magic: The Gathering's 2011 Core Set. This morning, I woke up at the crack of 6:30am and scampered off to the nearest tournament. It was a good experience. There were 43 people in attendance, and all of them appeared to be in their upper-teens or older. Part of the reason I went to the earliest tournament was the

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-6088847814228538012010-07-05T10:17:00.002-05:002010-07-05T10:37:30.997-05:00

Have you ever concluded that you might have had a fever? As in, you didn't think you were sick at the time, but in retrospect the evidence suggests that maybe you were? Last night, my face felt hot, I had a headache, it was difficult to think straight, and I felt the need to lie down and stay down before it was even 9 pm. At the time, I just concluded it was the heat, but the air conditioning

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-49267419197421466682010-07-03T18:20:00.000-05:002010-07-03T18:20:51.720-05:00

I'm debating whether I should participate in the pre-release madness of the Magic: The Gathering (M:TG) 2011 core set. It's been years since I've played for realsies, though I recently got Duel of the Planeswalkers on Steam, so I'm not nearly as rusty as I could be. I got out of M:TG long ago due to the cost of staying up to date with "allowable" cards, the annoyance of mostly playing against

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-35005214003223270012010-07-03T16:11:00.002-05:002010-07-03T16:15:12.060-05:00

As anyone who read my last blog post is aware, I had complaints about the Apple TV and its video playlist options. They aren't visible by default, and there's no shuffle option. I think you might be able to shuffle music videos, but I only have one Weird Al video, so I can't really test it. People have offered reasons for this, but I don't buy them. I stand by the "average consumer would want

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-22025781813918218992010-06-12T13:02:00.000-05:002010-06-12T13:02:38.367-05:00

I recently acquired an Apple TV. This was mostly a result of the simple fact that my iTunes library has grown large over the years and, assuming I can still get a good deal on them, I'd rather have TV shows take up hard drive space than shelf space. At this point, I have much more of the former to spare than the latter. As much as I like iTunes and my iPod Touch, however, I am convinced that

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-16176097484512993502010-05-24T12:52:00.000-05:002010-05-24T12:52:16.400-05:00

As has been mentioned, I am prone to browsing in hardware stores. I usually have just one specific thing to purchase or nothing at all, but my manly instincts draw me to them. The particular location of choice for me at the moment is a massive Menards. Recently, I found the section with PVC pipes, which immediately got me thinking about a certain video by Linkara about a prop he had made which

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-12888539863956412882010-05-15T18:04:00.000-05:002010-05-15T18:04:31.680-05:00

I'm writing part of this blog post before watching the latest episode of Bones on hulu, and will write the second part afterward. What has prompted me to do this is the fact that the episode I missed on Thursday was a court episode, and frankly, court episodes of non-Law & Order crime shows and me have a tendency to not get along. Like the odd meal that makes me sick at a restaurant I normally

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-23611156333495275842010-05-01T15:34:00.002-05:002010-05-01T16:25:42.089-05:00

The image posted here was originally drawn with the intent of being used in my Princess Bride review. My scheme involved a video review full of still images similar to the one posted. I have since revised this plan on account of how many centuries that would take to do (three) and the fact that I plan to review other movies. (1920x1080 version of image is available at my DA account. Click image

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-79989942251647558112010-04-26T22:58:00.003-05:002010-04-27T11:16:01.751-05:00

I have newfound respect for the video games Half Life, BioShock, and Team Fortress 2. I was recently browsing in a hardware store, as manly men who do manly things are prone to do. While there, I discovered that they sold wrenches and crowbars. When sold in a hardware store, the assumption is that they will be used to somehow aide in building, repair, and the opening of crates. In the

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-16788270506456775212010-04-23T14:20:00.001-05:002010-04-23T14:23:01.237-05:00

I've recently expressed by medium of tweet my interest in Monster Hunter Tri. My interest was born out of the perception of an open environment that acted as a sort of living ecosystem and sandbox elements that would allow me to explore, soak in the scenery, and basically do whatever to my hunter's content. Since then, I've watched some videos and read a review or two, and I've gotten the

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-6072085020892249832010-04-21T10:05:00.002-05:002010-04-21T10:08:24.603-05:00

Roger Ebert is in hot water with gamers for declaring that video games can never be art. On the surface, I disagree wholeheartedly with this statement. I've actually played games that I feel are more concerned with art than fun gameplay, such as Fable 2. Granted, I enjoy Fable 2, but the game definitely feels like it's more concerned with fulfilling Peter Molyneux's vision than ensuring fun times

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-39862405652508986072010-04-14T11:44:00.002-05:002010-04-14T11:48:59.471-05:00

It's possible that Fable 3 won't be the most awkward game ever. Just because Peter Molyneux says you'll be able to do something in a game doesn't mean it's going to make it into the final product. If what he's being saying lately pans out, however, you will be able to get it on with co-op partners. Yikes. Okay, this sounds cool and fun in theory. Friends can have a good laugh about it, couples

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-32706362435530582782010-04-11T11:02:00.000-05:002010-04-11T11:02:51.126-05:00

Thanks for the intro, Sinistar. I've been posting less the past week, and it's primarily been due to three factors: having a cold, finishing my taxes, and prep-work / script editing of the next EGS storyline. Frankly, though, it was mostly the taxes. They were actually easy to do, but I have this stupid anxiety when it comes to filling out government forms that makes it way more of a hassle

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-29569740157165953112010-04-07T23:23:00.006-05:002010-04-08T00:34:57.922-05:00

Click image for 960x480 version. 1920x960 version on DA (download for full size). I couldn't resist doing a followup image as it would give me an excuse to draw Bowser, and I love how Bowser looks and have wanted to draw him for years. I'm not sure why I hadn't. Come to think of it, I've barely drawn any of the Mario characters in spite of wanting to. Why was I depriving myself? As a kid, the

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-59370610000753472542010-04-05T13:42:00.001-05:002010-04-05T13:53:06.819-05:00

The full version of this image is 600x600 pixels, so it's twice as large as what I tend to post here. Larger version at DA Account.(download for full size). Yesterday, aka Easter, I foolishly joked on Twitter about drawing Princess Peach in a bunny suit and holding a Yoshi Egg. This was a joke, but then I wanted to draw it. In my mind, the narrative is that Mario is out on a mission, and

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-91823177786084988062010-04-04T15:21:00.000-05:002010-04-04T15:21:25.678-05:00

I have finally seen The Princess Bride. I intend to record my thoughts on it tomorrow, and make the video during my leisure time over the next week (as opposed to playing video games or hopscotch). The video itself will mostly be narration with still images that I've drawn or appropriate stills from the movie, but there is some animation planned. This isn't intended to be a huge task, so what

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-23736085623913968362010-04-03T18:50:00.000-05:002010-04-03T18:50:51.923-05:00

The embedded video (one instance of "hell" being said) is simply the previous post in audio form with comments from the nerdy squirrel avatar thrown in. It was a test of many things, one of which being conversion of stuff made in Flash to something I can actually upload. This image looks a bit blurry because I wound up sizing up the video with the solution I used, which wound up involving

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-29995309288311035382010-04-03T13:44:00.001-05:002010-04-03T13:49:44.256-05:00

The new microphone is great. I tested it by an open window and still barely got any background noise, and what I got should be nothing Audacity can't handle. I also got a new pop filter, so I should be ready to test everything. Should being the keyword because apparently mic stands are different in Europe and the makers of this microphone apparently felt it best to pre-install the European

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-46735255418899118922010-04-03T10:04:00.002-05:002010-04-03T10:49:23.812-05:00

Something I've been wanting to do since snagging a headset (you know, the headset that isn't good enough for the videos I want to make), I've been wanting to play Team Fortress 2 again. It just seemed like there was something missing when I could only communicate via keyboard. When you're also using the keyboard to move and shoot, that makes communicating with teammates something of an issue.

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-8185596470034933532010-04-02T18:06:00.001-05:002010-04-02T18:14:36.449-05:00

So I've decided that I really want to try and do a good job with this whole video review thing and that the headset just wasn't going to cut it, so I ordered a relatively inexpensive, but well reviewed, microphone and a pop filter. For those who are unaware, a pop filter is something you put between you and the microphone to cut down on wind interference and "pop" noises from "p" sounds and the

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-46324349250372745062010-04-01T09:05:00.001-05:002010-04-01T09:10:19.447-05:00

April Fools can be a fun day, but it also results in a lot of stupid, simply not funny stuff. I logged into Deviant Art today to discover that all the user icons had been changed to things like Lady Gaga and Twilight. That's a little weird, kind of annoying and not really funny, at least in my opinion. It's made worse by the fact that they've basically done it before, except they gave people "I

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-8447779589124179692010-03-31T14:26:00.001-05:002010-03-31T14:55:31.248-05:00

I've been plotting to have what I've been referring to as an "elaborate slide show video" for sharing my thoughts both before and after seeing Princess Bride. My scheme was to put it all together in Flash and convert it to an appropriate format for Blip. I'm used to Flash and don't have much else in the way of editing software, so this seemed like a good idea, but I've made a dramatic discovery:

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-16723918071691376492010-03-30T09:58:00.000-05:002010-03-30T09:58:24.083-05:00

Yes, this is another How To Train Your Dragon post, but there's actually more to it than that. One of the comments to my previous post expressed disappointment in Dreamworks over having Astrid, a strong female love interest, in the movie. The reasons given were that she wasn't in the book and the "strong female love interest" angle has been done many times before. (Although, to be fair, 99% of

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-29062048074224736732010-03-29T11:56:00.005-05:002010-04-02T18:31:11.107-05:00

Note: Blogger's images seem to be having trouble showing up. If you can't see the image for this post, click here to see it on DA. As I've stated, I loved the How To Train Your Dragon (HTTYD) movie. While watching the end credits, I noticed that it claimed to be based on a book. Given that I had become an instant HTTYD-fanboy, I decided to look into it. It turns out there's a series of

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-21532684799267352652010-03-28T01:35:00.001-05:002010-03-28T01:48:05.222-05:00

It's late and I need to get some sleep, so this is going to be a very quick review. Fortunately, my review ultimately boils down to five words: It's awesome. Go see it. How To Train Your Dragon is the definition of a good family movie. It has something for everyone. I honestly can't think of a single person I know who I wouldn't recommend this movie to. Granted, it's 1:30 in the morning and

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-35353256983137506732010-03-27T15:27:00.000-05:002010-03-27T15:27:42.157-05:00

My recent movie suggestion request has resulted in a few people suggesting Marx Brothers movies, and this in turn has reminded me of an incident from  High School. Back in the day, I was in a film class. We mostly watched movies and abused having access to film equipment, and I sat in a corner with three friends. It doesn't sound bad, and yet I still somehow managed to find the class

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-25369654511825758592010-03-26T23:55:00.002-05:002010-03-27T00:00:55.860-05:00

First off, many thanks to everyone who have suggested movies! Please keep them coming; I scheme to get through at least one of these suggested movies a week and post about them here, DVD rental shop willing. I just hope they're not playing hockey on the roof when I get there. Anyway, a few of you have asked for updates on my Bellsprout, which I initially thought was odd until I looked at that

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-76094977812362271702010-03-25T23:08:00.002-05:002010-03-26T12:55:27.177-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a bone chilling revelation to unveil. Or, well, repeat, assuming you follow me on Twitter. Clarifications that undermine the dramatic tension of what I am trying to say aside, my point is this: I have never seen The Princess Bride. If you are anything like most people I know, that sentence rocked you to your very core and blew your mind. It's not that I specifically

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com115tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-73523882381479002872010-03-23T09:30:00.000-05:002010-03-23T09:30:36.444-05:00

According to TV Guide, Disney is banning breast implants from Pirates Of The Caribbean 4. Or, at least, for a particular group of actresses. From the sound of the requirements, the women will likely be involved in dancing or some other form of activity where the presence of implants could be obvious. From the article: The potential ladies will also have to undergo a test involving jiggling and

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-88500955031848868042010-03-22T17:35:00.002-05:002010-03-22T18:15:47.420-05:00

I neglected my Bellsprout today. I transferred it to my Pokewalker last night and told it we'd be going for a walk on the beautiful beach today, but I've continually forgotten to put the Pokewalker in my pocket. It's been sitting there all day wondering when we're going to go to the beach, and now it's gotten pretty late. I could put the Pokewalker in my pocket now, maybe get a few hundred steps

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-154230476579938272010-03-21T10:08:00.006-05:002010-03-21T12:31:11.251-05:00

I recently stayed up late watching an old monster movie called The Monster That Challenged The World. I tweeted as I did so, and while those tweets contained many spoilers, this movie was made in 1957. I think the statute of limitations on SPOILERS! has passed. (Incidentally, all of my tweets about this movie are compiled at the bottom of this post) They don't make movies like this one anymore,

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-20560073497738745592010-03-20T14:33:00.003-05:002010-03-20T14:39:20.087-05:00

I follow several RSS feeds about movies, TV, games, etc in an effort to stay on top of pop culture and not look like a dang fool. As a result, I have been keeping tabs on the performance of Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland, a movie I found I really enjoyed. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks to the marketing of the film, I expected the focus to be unduly on Johnny Depp and the

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-4424591777655728702010-03-19T23:09:00.006-05:002010-03-26T00:00:40.878-05:00

Note: This was originally part of a second blog I decided I don't need as the labels allow me to mark all posts with artwork so it will be easier if I just keep it all in one blog. These are some old Plants vs Zombie sketches that I already shared on Twitter, and I may post some other old artwork as well, but I scheme to draw plenty of new stuff as well.

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-85128175630919280082010-03-19T23:07:00.000-05:002010-03-19T23:07:24.962-05:00

So, yeah. I recently acquired the latest incarnation of Pokemon and tried out the Pokewalker. These facts have inspired this sketch (as always, click for full size): THE SHAME! Although, in reality all I would have to do would be have an Eevee follow me around and women would flock to it. I'd be ignored entirely, of course, but there'd certainly be less shame.

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-48253782729546247232010-03-19T19:00:00.008-05:002010-03-25T23:58:30.764-05:00

...and that's just what I did. As I said I would in my previous post, I brought my Pokéwalker along with me when I went out for a bit earlier. I transferred some random Pokémon from storage (only had three in there; I choose you by default, Bellsprout!), and was on my way. In theory, I walked close to 4,000 steps. I say "in theory" because I have no idea how accurate this thing is. For all I

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-32638510074392439112010-03-19T13:01:00.004-05:002010-03-26T00:01:40.507-05:00

I recently acquired one of the "new" Pokémon games (in quotes because it's a remake and they're all basically the same game), and it has subsequently dawned on me that I am still a Pokémon geek. This fact crystallized for me earlier today when I was looking up the moves for Mareep, an electric sheep Pokémon. Looking that up is in and of itself a bad sign, but what really emphasized the point was

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-92102239919097716272010-03-16T10:32:00.001-05:002010-03-16T10:33:18.324-05:00

This is a custom ad I made for advertising at Real Life, a comic by Greg Dean (click for full size). It is worth noting that this Greg mentioned in this ad is THAT comic's Greg, and not the Greg from my comic. I intend to make more custom ads to be used with specific sites, as those seem to perform better than my generic ads. It's difficult to sum up EGS in a 160x600 pixel ad, but I can sure as

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-67506544065329181472010-03-05T14:27:00.005-06:002010-03-05T14:29:09.892-06:00

A while back, I watched the movie A Series Of Unfortunate Events with some friends of mine. I didn't particularly enjoy watching it. The cinematography was nice, but the general concept of "kids point out the obvious, adults don't listen" grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. It's simply something I find more frustrating then fun to watch. When I expressed this feeling after watching

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-21438665031443343362010-03-01T22:26:00.004-06:002010-03-02T07:41:42.018-06:00

I recently shared a screen shot of an end game of mine from Plants vs Zombies on Twitter. This is that screen shot: If you are not familiar with the game, you will have no idea what's odd about this. ...Okay, what's odd from a GAMEPLAY standpoint. For those of you in the know, what's odd is that there are no sunflowers present, which provide power to add plants, and the lawn is filled with

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-47143455257322317612010-02-23T09:58:00.004-06:002010-03-26T00:02:26.894-05:00

I was going to just rant on Twitter about this, but man, I have been neglecting this blog and need to get my rant on here, so here we go. A common complaint I've heard regarding math and the learning thereof is the existence of word problems. Instead of "5*12+3" you'd get "You need five apples for twelve people, but you just know your cat is going to eat at least three of them. How many apples

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-6295261765237314932010-01-22T14:47:00.002-06:002010-02-23T10:04:06.370-06:00

Doppelgangster Author: Laura Resnick  Paperback, 400 pages Publisher: DAW Release Date: January 5th, 2010 As much as I love to read novels, I have a tendency to not read that many of them simply due to how many there are and not knowing which ones to read. I was recently browsing a book store for reference material, however, and the cover of this book caught my eye. The title alone, "

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-42601304303621415682010-01-21T00:48:00.001-06:002010-03-22T18:08:59.286-05:00

I have been directed to many blogs, editorials and news articles regarding James Cameron's Avatar and the controversy thereof. I have decided that it is absolutely, positively, and incontrovertibly necessary for me to give my in-depth impression of the film. Ooh, ooh, lookit the 3D! Wow, an alien world! It's so shiny and immersive! Those animals are kewl and realistic looking! Man, it would be

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-22051026321045920282010-01-17T23:14:00.000-06:002010-01-17T23:14:43.923-06:00

But enough about that. Does anybody else find themselves hyper-aware of their own movement after sitting through a movie? Seriously, it's like after I get out of my seat I'm aware of movements I would normally take for granted. It doesn't happen with every movie, but it did with this one, and with almost every CGI film I've ever seen. If ever I were to participate in an ill-conceived ballet

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-26275821982786023882010-01-17T11:43:00.002-06:002010-03-21T12:33:03.553-05:00

I made a mistake last week. In a post I have since deleted, I proudly declared how, basically, I was going to be treating this blog as a part of my overall business model and force myself to post new and interesting stuff in it every day! So, of course, I immediately became very busy with my comic work and was too tired to have much of anything funny to say and wound up not posting all week. Go

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-51149620393934455912010-01-11T00:16:00.002-06:002010-03-26T00:03:50.216-05:00

Howard the Duck was a 1986 movie made by Lucasfilms. It starred a duck named Howard (of course) who lived in a universe where duck lives as man (insert dramatic thunderclap), but is brought to our universe by some sort of science fiction macguffin. It was based on the character of the same name from Marvel Comics who actually dates back to 1973. While the comic character still turns up from time

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-92161413048163265382010-01-08T00:43:00.007-06:002010-03-26T00:03:11.780-05:00

I've been hearing a lot about celebrities behaving badly lately. Every time I turn on celebrity gossip shows, they're talking about celebrity gossip, and frankly, I'm sick of it. I watch these shows day in and day out waiting for them to give me the damn football score, but they never do! In light of this frustration, I have decided there is only one solution: end celebrity scandal forever.

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-66142114160329966422010-01-06T22:58:00.003-06:002010-01-08T00:45:02.627-06:00

DanTheShive: Ah, instant messaging. Is there any activity more worthwhile? BatFigure: I'm Batman. DanTheShive: GAH! What the hell? You have an instant messenger? BatFigure: Of course I do. I'm Batman. DanTheShive: No, you're not. You're a Justice League Batman figure I bought from a comic book store and are in no way a threat to DC and its various trademarks and copyrights. What do you

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-47635415499980636842010-01-05T00:39:00.001-06:002010-01-05T10:38:18.559-06:00

The next four storylines of my webcomic El Goonish Shive are being planned out. While this is all subject to change, here are some songs that come to mind when I think of certain parts of these upcoming stories. Please note that I have no sort of official connection to these songs; they simply come to mind when thinking about these stories. "Eye Of The Tiger" by Survivor "East Bound And Down" by

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-61978365651690454992010-01-04T00:20:00.003-06:002010-01-05T10:36:10.464-06:00

I'd normally (or I suspect I would normally; this is, like, my fifth post here) post a sketched fan art such as this only at Deviant Art, but I actually have a bit of a story to tell connected with this that's worth posting here. Click for larger Version First, the sketches. This is fan art of three of the reviewers at the That Guy With The Glasses website (much swearing, NSFW. The site, I

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-71777654776061612172010-01-03T12:46:00.002-06:002010-01-05T10:38:37.615-06:00

Hm... I should post at least one interesting thing a day here. Haven't done much yet today, though. I'm still getting back on a good sleeping schedule since New Years. Let's see, interesting... interesting... Oh! I have a Batman action figure on my desk. Yeah, I was making jokes on Twitter about how Batman was telling me to do all these things like sit up straight and work harder, and I decided

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-32760060972829678732010-01-01T22:25:00.006-06:002010-03-22T18:08:08.937-05:00

Ok, I know I just wrote in length about a DVD and I don't want to give the wrong impression about what manner of blog this is, but this rant is gonna happen. I was generously given the new Star Trek (Two-Disc Digital Copy Edition) for Christmas. It is worth noting on the side that this came with quite an enjoyable movie that I absolutely love, a digital copy of it and a ton of extras, but

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-74490078019676211072009-12-31T17:11:00.033-06:002010-03-22T18:16:58.556-05:00

Something, Something, Something, Dark Side Studio: 20th Century Fox Release Date: December 22, 2009 Version Reviewed: 2009 DVD Run Time: 54 minutes Rating: Not Rated (but intended for mature audiences) Family Guy's History With Star Wars Family Guy is an animated TV show with a tendency to cut away to jokes and skits having little to nothing to do with the actual plot. Enough of these

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465751950064644575.post-82460344826764783082009-12-30T18:39:00.001-06:002010-01-01T15:34:54.093-06:00

For those who don't know me, I'm Dan Shive. I draw a comic called El Goonish Shive (yes, it has a horrible name). In an effort to be able to rant online without drowning Twitter and only occasionally turning EGS:NP into a soapbox for me to stand upon, I am setting up this blog. Granted, I use EGS:NP to talk about certain things, but that limits me to talking about stuff I can make an amusing

Dan Shivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378394614896042626noreply@blogger.com5