Fatkat Animation

The first thing that I learned about Fatkat from their website and blog was that they have worked on many well known television shows. I was surprised to find out that a studio from Miramichi played a role in Family Guy, as well as Happy Tree Friends. It was interesting to see the variety of the shows that they have worked on, for example, Three Delivery seems to be directed toward a younger audience, while Happy Tree Friends is obviously meant for a more mature audience. Another thing I didn't know is that they also did some work for brand names, like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and Microsoft.
I liked the way that the blog was laid out, with several videos and posters for the shows that they work on, and occasionally funny pictures as well, for example:



















A couple of questions that I would like to ask Fatkat Animation Studios:
1) Do you also work on CGI animation?
2) Why did you go into animation instead of other types of media?
3) Is there any particular show that you've worked on that is your favorite?

How to decipher leetspeak.

Are you tired of having your forums trolled, your blog posts assaulted by 1337 h4xx0rz? Do you have no idea what's going when you are confronted by the sentence "u r teh n00Bz lolololol"? This how-to will give you an idea what this raving madness is all about.

This confusing language has been masterfully crafted by a crack group of genius computer programmers, geeks and online gaming crybabies. They've created a language that's even more difficult to read than it is to type, and this article is here to help you figure it out.

Most importantly, you need to understand basic leetspeak, the foundation for other, more complex forms of 1337speak(of which there are many). 1=L, 3=E, 4=A, 7=T, and 0=O. This is the very basic level of leetspeak that you need to understand. With this you can decode low level leetspeak, the type typically used by online gaming crybabies and people who have nothing constructive to offer to society. This number system is why leetspeak is sometimes spelled 1337sp34k, or just 1337speak. An important thing to remember is that people who use 1337speak have no grammatical skills whatsoever. Here is an example of a typical sentence written in 1337speak. "u r a t0t4l n00b n0 ski11z ur just a h4kk3r." Decoded, the sentence is "You are a total noob no skills you're just a hacker." Or in normal English, "You are an inexperienced gamer with no skill. You are cheating in some way." You will most likely recieve this message after soundly defeating someone in an online video game.

So, now you should be able to understand basic 1337speak. Simple, isn't it? An important note; the phrase "h4kk3r" is an insult. The phrase "1337 h4xx0r" is a compliment. There are many more subtleties of this nature within 1337speak, but these are learned through experience.

Three Little Pigs. (Bonus)

Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. There was Curly. He was the oldest. There was Wurly. He was the smartest. And then there was Flo. She was the favorite pig. Their mother loved Flo the best. Curly, Wurly and Flo lived with their mother in a high-rise apartment building in New York City. Their apartment was on the 75th floor. The pigs didn’t mind this because there was an elevator that opened right in front of their apartment door. It was on the days that their elevator wasn’t working, that the pigs suffered. Their little hoofs would be aching by the time they reached their apartment. Their mother would have to have little hoof baths waiting for her three little pigs when they finally reached the top. Of course, Flo always got the warmest hoof bath because she was their mother’s favorite. One day, Mama Pig sent the three pigs to the store to buy apples for their dinner. She gave them a list of items that she needed. She also gave them their allowance, and she told them that they could buy their favorite candy which they would eat for their dessert. The three pigs put on their jackets (it was winter).They put on their gloves and scarves. Next, it was time to put on their boots. Curly slipped on his bright red leather boots over his red and yellow polka dot socks. Wurly, being the most intelligent, slipped on his waterproof, fully lined boots over his white socks. Curly and Wurly were ready and waiting for their sister. She could not find her boots. "Curly and Wurly," she said, "have you seen my boots?" Curly and Wurly looked at each other and then they looked at their sister. "I’ll tell you where they are," said Wurly, "if you’ll give us your allowance to hold while you go and get them." "Okay," agreed Flo as she handed the boys her allowance. "There are your boots, over there," said Curly. "Where?" asked Flo suspiciously. "Over there!" squealed the boys as they pointed to the window in their living room. "They’re over they’re behind that curtain." Flo slowly walked toward the window. The boys followed closely behind their sister. Just as she reached the window, Curly opened the window and Wurly pushed Flo through. Curly and Wurly squealed with delight as their sister fell 75 floors. Curly and Wurly were thrilled that their plan worked. They were rid of Flo and they had her money! Luckily for Flo, she landed on a huge snow pile and was not hurt. Her brothers were not so fortunate. Mama Pig heard the commotion, ran into the living room and, when she realized what they had done, sent the boys to live with there Uncle Oscar Mayer. Uncle Oscar always knew what to do with bad little pigs. The boys protested. They were just doing Floa favor by helping her find her boots; it wasn’t they’re fault that she was clumsy. But Mama would not listen to there excuses and off they went to Uncle Oscar’s. Flo and Mama Pig still live on the 75th floor of the apartment building in New York City, and they’re very happy there. Now Flo gets her brothers’ allowance since they’re not there.

(Bonus) How I Picture Hell

Writing 110

How I picture Hell.

It is an endless plain, filled with the souls of the damned. Every inch of ground is coated with spikes and thorns, so that every step is agony. No eyes, no ears, no tongues. You cannot hear your own screams; you cannot hear any comforting words, only the hissing and cackling of demons inside your own head. You cannot see anyone or anything else. The only senses left are touch and smell. And all you feel is pain. All you smell is rotting flesh, burning skin, fire and sulfur. The demons inside your disembodied soul remind of what you lost, what you could have had, what you took from yourself because of your disobedience. “It’s your fault. We tempted you, but all you had to do was resist. You were weak! And your weakness put you here, with us!” You scream, but no one can hear you. You cry, but no one cares. You burn, but you are never consumed.