Diodes

Just looked at the attendees list in the OP and I am excite! Really looking forward to meeting some people for the first time, seeing people I missed last year/in previous years, and just hanging out with everybody in general!

Soul Splint, that is a great story, and probably some great motivation for all of us .) I came here to give a little status update: I've been doing my routine pretty regularly for about 3 months now. Briefly: my routine is 3x cardio/week alternated with 3x muscle-training floor exercises, as well as shifting my diet to incorporate more calories from protein. I am seeing a tiny bit of change in the shape of my abs (my original goal), but it's not a lot. I can just tell probably because of over-obsessing and staring at the mirror too much .P I am seeing the beginnings of some definition around the sides of my waistline, and just below my rib cage. But the thing is, it doesn't bother me that there isn't much visible change. More noticeable -- and satisfying -- by far is the physical change that I feel, and mental as well. I look forward to my workouts every day, whereas when I started, I felt that muscle training was unpleasant and painful. I feel so good after every time I work out, so I know that it's worth putting in the hard work, I'll feel the benefit immediately. I have had an insanely stressful past few weeks, starting a new job, and before that, having to be a nomad and traveling around a ton. My whole schedule got turned on its head, and I was left with almost no free time. The ONE thing that I really really wanted to squeeze in the time for? Working out. I did it at friends' houses, after work when I didn't have time for anything else, pushed my curfew a little for it when I was already insanely tired. I feel like it is keeping me sane and giving me a sense of building mastery, an anchor when everything else around me is chaos. I can also tell that I am getting in better shape because I am gradually able to take on more reps and increase the difficulty. I don't get very sore afterwards anymore. Diet-wise, I haven't made a major change. I just try and make sure I include at least one good source of protein in each meal, and I will eat a high-protein snack on most days. Things that are tofu-based or bean-based, rather than just grain-based. It's really not too far from where I already was, just shifting the ratio of calories a bit. But now that I am more conscious of where my calories are coming from, I am better able to make sure my meals are satisfying, and also to create the correct portion, so I'm not eating too much or too little (both of which have been problems for me at times).

Hello Secret Santa recipient! Be forewarned* that I am most likely going to completely ignore the suggestion list you posted, are going to post, or did not and are not going to post at all, to handcraft you something completely awesome that you will be forced to love, because I will have made it with love!! * even though you have no idea who you are xoxox, diotrans

Photoshop CC for $10/mo for a year. https://creative.adobe.com/plans/offer/photoshop+lightroom?promoid=KHQFP Yeah it's still $120 for a year of Photoshop, but it's way cheaper than the normal $20/mo. I'm probably going to get this.

I'm a girl! If you didn't already know that. Totally cool with whatever, but a couple of things: Don't send me earrings, because I'm super allergic unless they are pure silver or gold (nickel free and hypo-allergenic are still no good). Don't send me anything edible, because my diet is so far from normal that it's not even worth explaining what it is. Beyond that: My T-shirt size is, let's say M for women's to be on the safe side, S for unisex, and L or XL if it's from Japan and runs much smaller than we're used to in the US. If in doubt, err on the large side; I can always tailor it smaller. I have not been gaming much recently, although I still play League of Legends on occasion. But I love Mario games (Bowser is the best!) and FF6, FF4, and FF10. I don't need any more games. I'm also a fan of the Avatar series (The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra), and Adventure Time, to a lesser extent. I looooove cats and turtles. I'm not much of a movie person. My favorite color is mint green. Seriously, do whatever! I will love it, whatever it is.

Happy Vinnie Day!! <3

Happy birthday, buddy! <3

Hi guyz can I join ur club?? I am what I believe is referred to as the "skinny fat." I'm on the low end of the healthy BMI range. But I have very little muscle toning. I decided about 2 months ago that I wanted to improve (shrink) my abdominal area. Over that time, even though I was exercising a lot, I just couldn't seem to get rid of that layer of belly fat. After some discussion with OA and Global Trance, I figured out a few things that I can do differently, and I also shifted my goal a bit. Now I am going for overall muscle tone, not just in one area. Talking with OA also prompted me to reexamine my diet, and discover that my current diet is way too carb-heavy. I'd like to shift the balance and get more protein. An additional challenge for me is that I am a near-vegan vegetarian, and I have an adverse reaction to most dairy. I have actually always paid a lot of attention to nutrition, and I eat fairly healthy: lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains over refined, organic and unprocessed when possible, rare lapses of eating junk food. This has been working fine for me, but now my goals have changed. Looking at all the food in terms of the macronutrients, I think I just need to eat the same stuff, but in different proportions. Besides reworking my diet, I am also going to incorporate more muscle-toning exercises into my routine. In the last two months, I was doing a lot of planking-based floor exercises to work the abs and core. I'm going to add more exercises that encompass the other parts of the body, like pushups, squats, lunges, and deadlifts. I'm trying to see how much I can do with floor exercises before I invest in more equipment, but I am considering a pullup bar in the near future. My goal is to do muscle training 3x/week. I'm already doing at least 30 mins. of cardio about 3-5x/week in the form of Pump It Up (similar to DDR; my roommate has the arcade machine in our house) and ultimate frisbee. But I may replace some of those cardio workouts with muscle training instead, because I only have so much time.

Count me in!

Thank you And thanks everybody for the shout outs. <3 you, OCR friends! Cash, if you do ever see me at a con, please say hi. Very glad I started this. I'm enjoying everyone's OCR origin stories.

Apologies in advance if a thread like this already exists. I felt like sharing my OCR story, because it is pretty awesome. Others who were present at the time, feel free to correct me on the details. The year was 2007 or 2008 I believe. I was dating Vinnie (Palpable) at the time, and our good friend Aaron was dating Kaleb Grace, who was visiting from CA. At the time, I was aware of the site's existence, because Palpable was a posted remixer, of course. But I was not at all involved in the site. The four of us randomly decided to go out to a karaoke night, not something we did often (or ever, really). There we were, sitting at our table and watching the other singers, when suddenly Kaleb said, "I think that's DJ Pretzel." We all looked up at the guy who was singing a (Talking Heads?) song. "Who's DJ Pretzel?" I asked. Vinnie explained: "You know that video game remix website that posted my remixes? DJ Pretzel is the guy who runs the site." We asked Kaleb how he knows that's DJP, and Kaleb says he's seen pictures. (We weren't even aware that Kaleb had any involvement with OCR.) Some discussion over whether that was actually DJP ensued, until finally Kaleb decided to go and talk to him. He came back to our table shortly; yes that was indeed DJP. There was a little bit of "OMG what the hell do I say to DJ Pretzel," but we got over it and went to say hello. And then of course, when Vinnie introduced himself as Palpable, DJP actually got very excited that he was meeting Palpable (of Oedo Hop fame). It was then that I made my first real connection to OCR, and afterwards, Vinnie and I both got a lot more involved with the site. I think this is very interesting, because actually, this was a very improbable and completely life-changing event. If Kaleb hadn't been visiting at exactly that time, if we hadn't decided to go to karaoke that particular night, or if Kaleb didn't show up, or if DJP hadn't been at karaoke then, or if none of us were paying attention during the Talking Heads song... I mean, none of this would have ever happened. I would have never met any of you awesome OCR community members, I would probably have never made any video game remixes... my life would just be completely different. So uh, thank you Kaleb and DJP, for being present at karaoke that night.

Addictive Drums for $99 on Musician's Friend, downloadable. Totally just snatched this up. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/xln-audio-addictive-drums

I don't care about my rank anymore. Maybe I even belong in Bronze V, whatever that means, as it encompasses such a wide range of skill. I started playing ranked solo queue to start from scratch and find my correct MMR and play games among people around my relative skill level. But I am absolutely certain that the majority of people I end up getting into games with are noticeably lower in skill. My point was not just to brag about how great I am and denigrate about how inept other people are. I am pointing out my concrete observations about my play and their play that in my mind, demonstrate that I am of a different skill level than the other players. I'm not trying to say I'm the best player ever, but to explain my capabilities so that others would understand where I am coming from and why I would be frustrated. But I suppose I forgot that the forums are not a place to go to find people who are trying to understand where you are coming from. The reason why I made the post at all was to share my view of a failing of the MMR system, and how my placement has made solo queue so unenjoyable to play that I no longer care about my rank, nor have any interest in attempting to rise in the ranks. Thanks for listening, friends.

I am pretty much at the bottom of the bottom of the bottom of Bronze V, with the MMR equivalent of probably <800. I am 100% certain that I don't "belong" there, in the sense that I'm sure I am significantly better than 90% of the people I get into games with. (I am generally not a cocky person; I don't say that lightly.) When I solo queue, this is what I observe: * People do not automatically understand that they are supposed to leash. You can ask them, but even then, they don't always comply. * The ADCs need to be told to last hit, rather than constantly push all the time. Again, you can instruct them, but they often will just cuss back at you and complain, no matter how nicely you try to explain it to them. * People are prone to doing insanely stupid things, like chasing an enemy champ way too far into the jungle with no wards, etc. The crazy thing is, this sometimes actually pays off, due to the stupidity of the opposite team. * People will claim roles out of the pick order, and insist that they MUST play ADC or MUST play Master Yi top because it is the *only thing they know how to do*. (Then, when they get their way and get the one role they're "good" at, proceed to feed.) * People frequently leave in the middle of the game. Or in the beginning. * Behavior is very immature. The in-team chat feels like I'm talking to a bunch of 10 year olds who have just discovered the internet and the fact that they can say anything they want to without their parents finding out. People are very quick to cuss the team out, complain about everybody else while feeding the other team, and it's very hard to get a dymnamic of teamwork. * People do not know how to ward. In contrast, I play 4 roles decently well, and there's only one role I would ask not to have to do (top). I have good map awareness. I have decent CS, and understand last hitting. I am very good with ward coverage, even when the ADC I'm supporting whines and complains I haven't placed a single ward down. I am very team-oriented and try hard to be positive and encouraging, and get everyone to work together, even when the other teammates are already calling everybody fags. I have played enough ranked games that my rank cannot really be called a fluke. I think I've played ~50 ranked games this season. So this is where League of Legends has decided I belong. I'm not really sure what I have done to deserve this. Outside of solo queue, I am used to playing with a group of people who are silvers and golds. The gameplay is a lot different than being in cardboard 5. The one thing I could say that I still haven't mastered is how to take control of the game and completely dominate when the rest of your teammates clearly don't know what they're doing. This is due to having gotten used to playing with people who are on average better than me. I would also like to say that I have observed some people in silver that also seem to lack basic skills (though not as badly as the bronze 5 randoms). Things like ADCs not last hitting at all, people rushing into fights again and again after losing several times and being down 5 kills, tanks going off and doing their own thing, never being present for a single teamfight, and singlehandedly losing their team the game. So from this, the conclusions I have drawn are: * I will not put much meaning into your rank in bronze or silver. I would if you were Gold or Platinum. But I no longer think that being in silver entails being better than a bronze player, or vice versa. I would judge based on your playing and not make any assumptions. To be fair, on the average, I would agree that silver players are better than bronzes, or bronze 1s are better than bronze 5s. However, I don't think that the rank is a good definite indicator of your skill. * I will not solo queue in ranked. There used to be a time when I thought it might be neat to climb in the ranks to get into silver. I no longer care about that, which is related to the last point I just made. But moreover, those games are not enjoyable. At all. I feel like I am babysitting a bunch of whiney bratty kids when I solo queue ranked. Even more frustrating is that I feel that my actions and skill have less of a bearing on the outcome, and what it really comes down to is which team gets the leaver, or the last pick who insisted on playing ADC when ADC has already been taken. (Although, why has that been my team 5 times to 1?) I would only be willing to play ranked duo queue with somebody in silver, or teams. (Duo partner must be silver in order to bring up the average skill level of the game; bronze 4 partner would just be more of the same.)

I'll be there, but have no current plan for rooming. EDIT 9/18: I have made room arrangements and will be staying at the Gaylord, in the OCR block I believe. Yay!

Happy birthday! Nice project!

Dude this is awesome. OCR bossa nova represent! I love all the quirkly little fills, great attention to detail. I definitely get the Fantastic Plastic Machine vibe. Excellent performances too from Jeff and Jesse; both of you nailed the style and really gave this remix so much personality. What a way to debut on OCR, Calum & Jesse, and looking forward to hearing more from both of you!

Don't know if this is that applicable to you, but cosplay, and in the same vein, I suppose fanart in general.

I've been teaching music privately (primarily instruments, like guitar, piano, voice, violin, etc.) for about 6 years now. For most of that time, it has been my main source of income, but I have also done other work concurrently, mainly software contracting and performing. In my experience, and from what I observe of my peers, there are a lot of problems for music teachers. I can't speak too much about teaching in schools, because I haven't done too much of that. I'm talking more about private teaching. Private teachers have a choice to work for a studio, or teach on their own, or do some of both. Teaching on your own takes a tremendous amount of work because you are essentially running your own business. You have to find students on your own, so you have to do your own marketing and networking, and it's a constant effort to keep finding new students. Not only is that a ton of work, but there is no guarantee that you'll get much or anything at all from any of it. Teaching in a studio has its own set of problems. From what I can tell, it's really hard for studios to do well financially. The profit margin on things like instruments and sheet music is very low, so they have to make a good chunk of money from teachers. (Actually, renting out instruments seems to do decently well, too.) As a result, they take a huge percentage of the fee that they charge the students. One place I worked for took close to 50%, and for group lessons/camps that I did, at more than one studio, they took something like 60%, which to me is outrageous. However, they have rent to pay, and in some cases are desperate to stay afloat, so that is what they choose to do. In addition to the high studio fees that they take out of teachers' pay, there also seems to be a lot of toxic work dynamic drama going on at some of these places. Now I've only worked for a handful, so I shouldn't say that will be the case across the board. I would just caution anybody who is going into this work situation to observe very carefully how the management treats the teachers, both on a personal level and with their policies. This is more of a concern in this work setting than a full-time job, because at most of these places, you are still an independent contractor, not a full employee, so you miss out on some rights and benefits. A lot of these studios tend to see teachers as interchangeable commodities, and they really don't care who is teaching a particular student, as long as that student keeps going to the studio, because they make the same amount of money in the end. The reason why many teachers stay at studios with less than ideal working conditions is because they have a larger community presence, and can continue to give teachers students regularly (as long as their business is doing relatively well). I know teachers who teach at home or go to peoples' houses, but are only able to do this 1 day out of the week, because it's so hard to find students on their own. Currently, I am fortunate enough to be working at a place where the owner values the relationships between the students and teachers, and generally has the philosophy that it's in his best interest to keep his teachers and students happy, so that they'll continue to stay there. He also believes in interdisciplinary learning, so I have had an opportunity to expand my teaching to songwriting and composition, music production, and even drawing and cosplay/fashion design. I personally would love to teach more of songwriting and production, but the demand for these things is low. A lot of students that I meet are interested, but parents being dubious of their value is one issue. Another is the general lack of prevalence for these kinds of lessons. Kids might really love to do it, but it's not well-known that the lessons are available, so nobody is thinking to look for them. I believe that another issue for teachers right now is the general decline in interest for music lessons. In my opinion, this is due to problems with the economy, and a dramatic increase in free resources to learn how to play songs on your own. However, there are still always people around who value having a teacher-student relationship, and there are always people who want to learn how to play piano and guitar. If I had to give some advice to somebody who is considering this as a career, or actively trying to get into it, I would say: * What I said before, about proceeding to studios with caution. * If you're trying to build up your own studio, do everything you can to promote yourself, but be aware that there is a very real possibility that you won't be able to get enough students. * Get really good at as many instruments as you can. Be the go-to person for whatever instrument/s you play. * Build relationships with your students and their parents. If they love you, they'll follow you no matter where you go, if you switch studios, open up your own studio, or decide to start teaching out of your basement. * Have a backup plan. If you are absolutely set on staying in the music field only, then get really good at your instrument/s and get session work or live gigs. Learn how to repair guitars. Build a portfolio, and get work as a composer. Make albums and sell them. Don't expect that you'll be able to fully support yourself on teaching alone. A lot of financially successful music teachers (and musicians in general) that I know are successful because they diversify and find every kind of work opportunity that they can.

This was surprisngly hard to narrow down. 1. Max (Dark Cloud 2) 2. Professor Layton 3. Pikachu

Happy birthday, best kitty!!

Super late to the game: https://soundcloud.com/diotrans

Thank you everybody!! I feel so loved, and that's what made my day so awesome.

Happy birthday, girl!

Congrats on your marriage, and hooray to another couple who met through OCR