let me say i'm sorry

you see, it's hard for me to admit it, but...

i've found someone else.

not that you weren't great. you were. you are, even. i'm just...changing. and completely enraptured.

sorry if i don't communicate enough. i'm trying, but she's taking over my life. and i'm loving every minute.

but be not dismayed. she is open to others, too. you could join us, if you like. i know that might be a little weird, and not what you're used to, but...i'm telling you, it's worth it. or at least, it will be.

[where has nic gone? he's here, making a movie. come help him!]

a film project for YOU

this is it, folks. my first official announcement of the latest crazy concept i dreamed up. and now more than ever, this one's about you.

ever notice how the internet these days is all about user input? users tag other user's photos on flickr, internet applications stay in beta for about a million years while collecting "user feedback", there's even a whole internet encyclopedia created by users keyboards!

well, i'm gonna take this concept of a "user-centric" internet and see what happens when you try to make a film with it.

it's called "villagefilm." because, as the former pseudo(actual?)president of the United States would say, "it takes a village..."

The Concept
its completely collaborative, from page one. everybody has input on the storyline we use, the editing process of the script, the storyboarding, the post-production process--pretty much everything except the actual shooting process (which you can actually be involved in if you're willing to relocate to Jackson, TN for a while).

The Process
we will use a number of collaborative internet applications that allow many people to at least give their input on any given step. these applications are, intentionally, all provided by Google. Google, however, has not expressed any endorsement of this project and probably never will. the system simply allows us to use a wide variety of apps without a lot of sign-up processes. the applications we will use include:

Gmail - for communications.
Writely - for the script.
Google Spreadsheets - prop lists, equipment needs, etc.
Google Calendar - scheduling, duh.
Google Talk - live communications .
Google Notebook - for saving a collective of good ideas.
Picasa - to use the web albums.
Picasa Web Albums - storyboarding and production shots/poster concepts.
Google Video - for dailies and trailers.
Blogger - promotional material, production blog, t-shirt sales, etc.
Sketch Up - further storyboarding possibilities.
Google Pages - promotional purposes/the full website.
Froogle - props, equipment purchases.
Google Maps - directions/locations.

The Current Situation
currently, those involved on the project are deciding on a logo for the villagefilm. you can give us your input here. soon, however, we'll start debating story ideas and fleshing out a script. i wanted to give you the heads up now because, well, that's the point. everyone can be involved from page one. [you'll have to sign in to your Google account to leave a comment. if you don't have one, get one]

if you want further updates about this project, keep checking here or send us an email at

villagefilm [at} gmail *dot* com <--protecting me from spam bots. type it in like a normal email address and you should be fine.

looking forward to working with you!

invite a friend!

a spam blogger? me?!?

apparently, blogger's webbots have tagged my "pfostpfilms" blog as a spam blog, aka a 'splog'.

which basically means i have to punch in a word verification every time i post.

think of it. me. your friend nic. an official spam blogger. and not just an ordinary splogger, no. one that has garnered the attention and, yes, punishment of our friend Google. which is ironic, seeing how much i support and depend on Google practically every day.

life is funny sometimes.

i broke xanga! whoops!

so i accidentally broke xanga for some people. didn't realize i had the power.

so this is my attempt to fix the problem.

good luck to me.

finally, finally, finally

after several hours of tinkering, i finally got xanga to accept new posts from blogger.


which means the following:


new posts from me will show up simultaneously at blogger, xanga, and facebook. (FINALLY!!!!)
comments will be disabled on xanga (you can comment on blogger WITHOUT signing up for it).
i'll probably rarely update my layout on xanga (but i do that already, and noone cares...so...).


ALSO--


i'm going to post about a film project that you can have a part in pretty soon. keep your eyes peeled.

also...

i am either a hardcore man-feminist....

or i am at least 60% female.

gross.

curse of normality

i am male.

i am white.

how can i best diversify a classroom, workplace, or other system that will benefit from diversification?



by leaving it.

pixel art to the EXTREME!

http://www.lovepixel.idv.tw/

think of it. starting with a large blank canvas in Microsoft Paint.

then, pixel by pixel, you start to create a building. which turns into a city. which becomes a freeking LANDSCAPE.

this, my dear friends, is the fate of whatever guy did the picture at the link.

the internet is ****

funny. i spent all day online and end up

here.

and i think its the most enlightening (not to mention brief) thing i've read all day.

i think i'll go read a book now.

[and--sorry for the language. it's still good.]

google game

how weird is this?

google has this weird little game thats oh-so-addictive. they pair you with a random person who is also at their site, and the two of you have ninety seconds to label as many images as you can.

for every image you both label with the same word, you get 100 points and move on to the next image.

the images seem to be somewhat randomly pulled from the "google image search ", so don't be surprised if you see a picture of yourself up there.

the idea behind the game, actually, is that it will help google better identify pictures when you're searching for them.

but, really, the game is just stinking fun. at least, fun enough for me to get into the top 100 all-time players ever. go me.

play it here. you don't have to have a google account to play.

Wedding Photos!

find them here.

you know you want to.

you've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time.

now's your chance: making fun of nic galore!!

how you likin' the married life?

lotsa time for thinking.

i think a big part of the reason i was opposed to marriage for so long is because it was different. not being married, in my mind, kept me safer from the rut of normality. if i were to be thoroughly psychoanalyzed, my guess is one of my main fears would be to "fit in too much", to disappear into the vast sea of plain faces and redundant stories.

but i think marriage has actually had the opposite effect. noone in the world will have the story quite like mine, noone will love quite like i do, and certainly noone will enjoy the benefits of marrying such a quietly beautiful person like i do.

dustin martin said something profound to me yesterday: "man, do you even know how lucky you are [that amy isn't high-maintenance]? i mean, i don't even have a girlfriend and i have more drama than i can handle."

which is true. it is good, better than even i had hoped.

so take that, old self. marriage doesn't make you blend in. it makes everything else stand out in a way you'd never seen it before.

now i wonder what 50th anniversaries do to you?

just this side of single

weddings are just a little stressful.

two at once is a lot stressful.

so i'm videotaping joshandkim's wedding later...today, actually. and i'm being videotaped in my own a mere 28 hours later. phew.

just a few things i've learned so far from the whole relationship/dating/marriage thing:

if you want to please yourself, try pleasing the other person.
the only surefire way to get a woman to like you is to be disinterested in her. not act, be.
tall men should marry tall women. that is, if they don't want the tall women getting mad.
women actually like wearing heels, except when they don't.
flowers are only a great idea when they are unexpected. otherwise, they are merely a good idea.
the wedding is the woman's.
genuine, loving compromise may be the most beautiful action humans are capable of.
sex is the definition of biblical marriage. adam and eve married when he "knew" her. so don't go around marrying people.
don't try to figure out if she'll say yes before asking her. that is wussy.
a low-maintenance woman is a gift from God.
do not take advantage of a low-maintenance woman. she is a gift from God, and deserves better.
life is too short to wait to get married. if you can honestly make a life-long committment, what the heck are you waiting for?
have high expectations of yourself, and low expectations of the other person. thus, they will always impress you.
be realistic and disregard that last piece of advice.
be yourself. don't pretend you are what you aren't.

the most important thing i can share with you is this:

if you're going to have a wedding,
have it on a roller-coaster.

this is the ride of your life.

wtfsc?!?

married.

in less than one week.

any final words?

[me: i'm scared exuberant, joyously spitless, toe-tappin' knees-knockin', all colors of crazy excited wiggin' out over here. its good. its real good.]

pulled potatoes

"i just pulled my groin muscle trying to imitate a potato"
--meg (friend of a friend of a friend)

you just never know what you'll hear around here.

the harbinger of death

i don't know how to pronounce the word "daschund".

i'm a reader, you see, and am much more comfortable spelling words than saying them. which can result in some embarrassing moments...if you know what i mean.

i also don't know, apparently, how to post with any kind of regularity.

story of my life: i need more discipline.

my mother, of course, agrees wholeheartedly.

maybe i should start wearing makeup and straightening my hair in the morning. that would be a habit that may effectively restore some of the abilities i once enjoyed.

hrm. one month from today, my responsibility-o-meter clicks to "code level red". which is great, but scary as you-know-where.

some of you may be pleased to know that a third pfostian CD project is currently in the works. the theme this time seems to fall somewhere between love and pessimism.

hm. there might be something to that.

and i don't care what anybody says
i promise you mean more than a dispenser of PEZ
though i have to admit the resemblance is funny
when you tilt back your head and give me some sugar, honey

--a little something i'm working on for "pezheads: the movie". should be...interesting.

...?

anybody remember why we're here?

no longer engaged

so i have class with four girls, all of whom are engaged. there are two of them that i have even sat with from the beginning of the semester.

except that i lied. sometime in the past two weeks, all four of them ceased to be engaged.

some sort of epidemic has seized those around me, and i'm not sure why. but its not something i could keep to myself. its kind of scary, really.

and i'm thrilled that the plague has not struck me.

------
Re: abortion post

thanks to all the people who "got it".

no, i am not an abortion supporter. and no, i'm not just trying to "get people to come to my site so i can make money." i'll have you know that the day i put that post up, i made a whopping 0.01 dollars.

and no, i know of no real scriptural support for the age of accountability. that was my point. i'm not sure i'm ready to take it this far, but i think the point is we don't know where babies go.

thus, this is my problem: if we don't know where babies go, what the heck are we doing just sitting around? abortion is a MUCH bigger issue if some of those kids even might be going to hell.

or at least, that's my take.

join the abortion industry

so here's a modest proposal: Christians should join the abortion industry.

this has two main benefits. first, it is the most effective way to increase the kingdom of God. second, it has positive social effects that support basic Christian values.

Kingdom Expansion
abortion is the second way into heaven, after accepting Christ. the age-of-accountability concept teaches that anyone who dies before they are mentally capable of making moral or spiritual decisions automatically goes to heaven.

this is a situation that we have failed to take advantage of fully.

now, i'm not proposing that we stop sharing the gospel. i'm merely suggesting that we guarantee the salvation of those we are capable of guaranteeing. too many Christians have lots of kids, only to see them grow up and turn their backs on the faith.

if our interest is truly the eternal salvation of as many as possible, we should be the #1 providers of abortion in the world.

Social Benefits
these are really self-explanatory. obviously, it ends the rift between Christians and the rest of the world on this issue at least, which might actually make Christianity more palatable to more people.
it promotes choice for women. choice is one of the basic priveleges of the Christian philosophy, at least for those that are unfortunate enough to have survived beyond their age-of-accountability threshold.
also, it helps keep world population at a manageable level.
one of our responsibilities as Christians on this earth is to manage its resources. less people on the planet (or at least less population growth) will result in more sustainable resources and will reduce needless waste.

Criticisms
the main argument i hear against this idea is that it refuses the opportunity for the unborn to have a choice for their salvation. i have three responses to this.

first, simple mathematics. if someone reaches their age of accountability, there is essentially a 50-50 chance of their eventual salvation. if they do not, there is a 100 percent chance of it. the math is a strong argument for such a concept, IF you truly are concerned about their eternal salvation more than their physical life.

second, i can virtually guarantee that most people in hell right now wish they didn't have a choice. they'd much rather be robots in heaven than free will agents in hell.

finally, i don't believe it is your place to argue with God about who gets a choice and who does not. if He is pleased to save based on age, that is His perogative.

let he who has ears, let him hear.

africa photo story

so my friend kristen nicole is selling a book of her photos of a refugee family from sudan.

these photos are amazing.

and kristen could use the support, since she's moving to europe for a couple months to take more photographs.

you have to reserve your copy of the book by THIS MONDAY. i would get cracking.

[email kristen here.]