Burundanga Coffee Cup

Slow going

I am still animating and rendering.  Managing about ten to twenty seconds per day.  The project has to be finished on the 14th.  While this is going on, I have my old job at Global Rail Systems back doing advertising, webwork, video, animation, and graphic design.  They are going to buy a completely new computer system set up with my specs and the programs I will need, Dreamweaver, Flash, Carrara, Ableton Live.  One year at this job is going to give me so much education and real world learning that I have no doubts that one year from now I will be able to do AMAZING things with my own music, website, and a rock music video or two that I have in mind.

I lose one day on the tenth due to a doctor's appointment but I intend to make my November 15th deadline and post my animation in response to Alex Jones and Charlie Sheen's contest.  Going for a win in this!  Check back on the 15th to see the final result.

Plague Happenings

As many of you know, I have been creating music in my band, Plague of Smiles.  After I was laid off I decided to start this recording project and see what buzz I could drum up.  I recorded several songs and even filmed H1N1BS, my first music video/short film.  I am going to continue doing that but at a much slower pace.  The reason is that my old company, Global Rail Systems, was recently acquired by Vossloh and they are expanding their advertising department so I have a new position at an old company.  This will mean less time for Plague of Smiles.  I have one more week before I start working full time for Global Rail and I am going to be using that time to create one final VERY SPECIAL product called "Lessons Forward - 20 Minutes - in 2209."  This is going to be my first fully animated short film that is to be created as an entry into Charlie Sheen and Alex Jones' video contest that you can find here http://twentyminuteswiththepresident.com/  Based upon the entries so far, I believe I have a really great chance of winning this thing and it will bring in even more publicity for Plague of Smiles so it's a win/win type of thing. 

The video has to be finished and posted by the 15th of November so that leaves me very little time to render animations and record music for the film.  At the same time, I also have to finish working up my appeal to the VA on my acromegaly case.  The VA has issued a Statement of Case and I am working with a laison with the Texas Veteran's Commission.  I have a really solid case and I'm looking forward to winning this thing, possibly retiring and finally allow my body time to recover.  A vacation is much needed.  

My first short film in HD- H1N1BS

Take a look at my first short film.  Created in response to the government's propaganda campaign surrounding H1N1 and the "vaccine."  H1N1 is a virus that was created in a lab as evidenced by gene splicing, patents, and following the money trail.  One company was already caught with tainted product, switching vaccine with virus.  The "vaccine" has BYPASSED FDA rules and regulations and disobeys the laws of the United States in that they are making available a completely UNTESTED vaccine that is filled with toxic agents such as mercury and squalene.  Many doctors have already gone on record as stating that the vaccine is much more deadlier than the swine flu itself.  This is really about MURDER.  The government, as controlled by fascist corporations operating outside the law, want to kill and damage YOU and YOUR CHILDREN, by spreading a phony pandemic and hoping the idiots will rush to the hospitals and get their dose of disaster.  The more people that die, the bigger the pandemic, the more money they will make.  They have already given up BILLIONS in your taxpayer dollars to these pharmaceutical companies to buy up their supplies of "vaccine," and I say that in quotation marks because it's really just poison, not vaccine at all.  It is fraud.  It is murder.  Those in authority believe they have the right to kill you and make money from your deaths.

So my film says asks this question:  "IF those in authority believe it is OK to kill you... then that is an action, and every action has an equal and opposite reaction, which is to...?"  Watch the film closely for clues and enter the Who Will Get The Plague Contest - contest details on my plague pages http://www.kendwebber.com/plague.html

I am giving away the actual Flip Mino HD camcorder used to shoot the short film.

Also take note, that this is a real DIY thing.  I wrote and recorded the music, wrote the script, filmed it with a Flip Mino HD camcorder, directed it, edited it, made it with my brother and his nephew, and even did the animation leaders and credit trailer.  This is the way of the future.  Bands completely bypassing MTV and getting their own stuff out there on the cheap.  Imagine a full length feature film in ten minute segments.  Now that's an idea!

Spread this to all you know and love.

Acromegaly research today

I just spent a very enjoyable three hours being interviewed by a pair of ethnographers who work for a client that is contacting acromegalic people in order to understand and better treat the condition of acromegaly.  They left me with a camcorder to record my own sort of video diary of living with this rare condition.  Anything for science and especially anything to destroy pituitary tumors and keep them from existing!  I showed them my world and my links to other acromegalics.  If you have never heard of acromegaly just google "Tonya Angus" and take a good hard look at the heartbreaking damage this thing can do in only a few years time.  Anything to stop it.  So... what did you do today?

What I learned from my first HD youtube video

EXTREME frustration!  Youtube needs an intervention.  Someone needs to sit them down and tell them how to make things user friendly.  How about a simple PAGE OF INFORMATION on HD?  A simple How-to would be nice.  Oh, and why did I have to search through page after page of info on the net just to learn that the HD tag, that also comes with the better than puke video quality, shows up HOURS LATER?!  Just knowing that alone would have saved me hours of time.  Why wasn't I told somewhere that if I make a youtube video that I should shoot with lots of LIGHT because youtube makes everything look so much DARKER?  I could have used that information BEFORE I began rendering animation.  Now I have to completely re-do hundreds of hours of animation just to get things to look normal on youtube.  I almost feel like Walstreetpro2 and the need to take a baseball bat to stupid mindless objects in a fit of destructive frenzy! 

Youtube please... make a page that explains all the in's and out's of HD, HQ, and the various codecs and sound codecs and just when it'll appear on the computer with all the appropriate tags. 

Just before my youtube meltdown, I went shopping with my brother for the supplies to create the Official Plague of Smiles Viennese Mask and all the props necessary to begin filming H1N1BS tommorrow.  Instead of using a butcher knife to cut off the testicles of our adversarial character we decided on garden shears.  H1N1BS is set to release the first of October along with a contest to giveaway a Flip Mino HD, the very same one we are using to film with.  Until then, watch this glimpse into the TINY, TINY, studio world of Plague of Smiles.  Don't make me take to the shears!

Did I say that animations take a while? Yes, I did.

The opening animation is done and came out perfectly.  Started rendering the trailer credits early this morning.  I borrowed my brother's professional easel and hooked up the Flip Mino HD in order to film some videos, get some buzz going.  Still getting my feet wet with video editing.  Now I see why they give awards for this kind of stuff!  I record with the Flip, bump the video into Ableton Live where I pull music and attach it to the soundtrack.  The final thing is to record the track's commentary and then I should have the first of several videos.  This is not H1N1BS.  That music video is coming out October 1st along with a contest to win, of all things, the very Flip Mino I am using to record all this video.  Stilll waiting on sunshine to begin filming.  I will finish the commentary on this current video later today and once my H1N1BS trailers are done then I can begin recording my opening and ending animations to stick at the front and rear of my every day videos.  Not quite a VLOG but definitely getting there.

I have so many ideas now that I am finally getting into film and videos.  I will never be a performance artist.  I mean shit, who's going to top Lady Gaga after the VMA's?  It'd be like the Fonz, "jumping the shark."  But VLOGGING and making my own music videos could be a niche for Plague of Smiles.  Look to this Friday for some video.  The first video is just a short walk-thru of my recording and animation studio.  Keeping it simple... for now, but who knows what I'll be doing once I'm set free!

Animations take a looooooooooong time

I am in the process of redoing my film animation leader and credit trailer.  You know those short ten to fifteen second pieces of film that launch before a movie (the Lionsgate horror films have a great opener) and mention the film company?  I'm making one of those in Carrara 3.0.  I got into this program long ago when it was still being called Ray Dream Studio.  I'm not sure what version Carrara is now, probably 8.0 but I'm happy right now with 3.0.  My other computer is rendering a 15 second opener for "Coffee Cup Films" and an ending credit for the music video H1N1BS coming out in October.  I had originally rendered them in a square ratio and then the Flip Mino HD came in and duh... Ok, that means 1280 by 720, which means I have to redo the animations for high definition.  The opener is 450 frames and the ending credits are close to 1,000.  My guess is I'm going to be running the computer day and night for at least a couple of days. 

I just sent off a comment to RB from www.fastcompany.com about how it is going to be entirely possible for artists to become completely independent and very soon.  I have a Flip Mino HD camcorder, Ableton Live, all the musical instruments I need, M-Audio's Trigger Finger, a GNX4 digital interface, Carrara, and web design skills, not to mention a full fledged art studio set up for graphic design and illustration.  Using youtube, myspace, and facebook I fully intend to not only compete with the major labels but I intend to surpass them in strength one day.  Wipe those big $$$ mogul fatcats off the scene and send them packing to a real job where they have to actually do work.  

In the past, musicians got tidbits and nibbles from the record companies and were forced to spend most of their time on the road to earn money from merch in order to pay back the record company.  This is the reason most bigtime recording acts only produce an album per year.  They record 12 songs and spend a whole year trying to pay back their record company loan.  Almost the same as slavery or indentured servitude.

On the other hand, an independent can now record in their basement studio, spend ZERO time touring, and instead put that time into more and better recording.  The more an artist records, the better they become at producing music!  The old dinosaurs are putting out 12 songs a year.  Newer artists are putting out 30 to 40 songs per year and quickly becoming better at their craft.  Do this for a few years and you end up with a huge catalog of better sounding songs. 

How many bands do you know of today that are doing their own thing?  Post names and URL's if you got em.  What are your favorite indie heroes?  Share the knowledge!

Infection can kill

Once, when I was a small child, I got an infected cut that had to be taken care of.  My dad explained that he was going to have to take a knife to it and clean all that pus out.  I of course began crying because it was painful just to touch the wound, much less have someone take a knife to it and squeeze the hell out of it.  Dad held me down and just did it over my screams and objections.  That was the LAST time I ever let a cut get infected, the pain was so intense!  

America is INFECTED.  For eight years we've been telling ourselves that our wound was going to be all right.  We've been lying to ourselves.  It's not going to be all right.  

Let a wound go infected and what happens?  It will never heal, it will only get worse, the pain will increase, and you could lose a limb.  That is what is happening today in America.  

By not addressing the truth, by SHITTING on the truth, and accepting the government's lies we accept infection.  Eight years ago our own politicians and military traitors MURDERED close to 3,000 Americans and blamed it on Muslims in order to create a phony war for profit.  Shameful traitors in the Pentagon, the White House, the media, the CIA and other interests wanted us in Iraq stealing oil and in Afghanistan securing the opium fields. 

We have sat back for eight years and picked at this wound, wondering why it has not healed over.  It has not healed over because the real killers were not prosecuted.  The real killers are still here, infecting the system with lies about Al-CIA-duh, infecting the media on a daily basis, creating more pain and more infection.  The evidence is clear.  Demolitions were in those buildings.  Many of the "terrorists" they said attacked us turned up living in other countries.  Aircraft fuel does not reach temperatures hot enough to weaken or melt hardened steel.  WTC 7 had no such splash of fuel.  Under even the slightest scrutiny the government's lies fall completely apart.  These are lies that are upheld by media pukes that should be hanging from trees for conspiring with murderers.  These are lies that are upheld by traitors.

The wound is not clean.  The wound is infected.  The whole world knows this.  We look like utter fools and cowards to the rest of the planet.  The entire world stands off, waiting for the day when we weaken from our cowardice and fall.  Our enemies would like to see that happen.  And we have more of them every single day because we allow our lying military and Federal Reserve to dictate murderous, traitorous, policy.  

9/11 was an inside job!  NEVER FORGET THE TRUTH, because in the end, it will make itself PAINFULLY clear no matter how much you lie to yourself... pusbag!

Song finished, I move on to filming

The song H1N1BS is finished thanks to the channeling of the funk of Lenny Kravitz and the demon spit spirit of Gene Simmons.  What inspirations!  I release the work on October 1st in the form of a viral video contest.  I am raising awareness concerning the criminal fraud and giving away a Flip Mino HD camcorder.  Until then get active by signing the petition. I oppose mandatory shots!

I am in too much pain, sorry.

Very quick blog to let you know I didn't drop off the face of the planet.  Vomiting began wednesday.  Checked into the hospital yesterday.  I am passing several kidney stones and the pain and discomfort is exquisite!  Doc said they'd pass in one to seven days or so.  So no song this week.  Thanks for your understanding.  Ken

Latest Creative Commons concoction

Just released Playing In Dark Boxes.  Not a song but a poem set to music with sound effects and an animation script.  It has also been released under the creative commons license in order to find animators and story board artists who should take it and run with it.  This marks the recording debut of my 3 year old nephew, Christian R. Webber and his father, my brother, Michael C. Webber.  The poem is found on my Plague of Smiles homepage http://www.kendwebber.com/plague.html

short delay on short project

Ok, I use Verizon wireless.  That means 5 GB of monthly transfer and I am almost peaking now.  I rollover on the 11th whereupon I will be able to once again post things.  That means that I am going to release my new project this coming Friday.  It is a poem/animation/film project using creative commons.  I created the sounds in Ableton Live.  YOU are going to create the animation.  You win.  I win.  Perfect!  So come on back this Friday.  You'll love the project.  I recorded my 3 year old Nephew for one of the parts.  Until then check out my revamped myspace page for Plague of Smiles.  The URL is
http://www.myspace.com/plagueofsmiles

Laid off!

A couple of us just got the boot from Global Rail Systems Inc. but we left on a really good note.  They just couldn't handle the downturn in the economy.  My brother is still there but at a 40% pay cut.  So what to do?  I'm thinking that I should use the time (and savings and unemployment) wisely AND since I just got my studio fully up and running with a new computer and Ableton Live... maybe it is time for the butterfly to turn into a full fledged musician?  What say you? 

Here's what I got, guitars, a bass, an amp, M-Audio's Trigger Finger, a high quality Behringer microphone, a GNX4 effects pedal and MIDI interface, Ableton Live 7.0 for recording and mixing, and Ableton Live's full library of intruments, effects, and Drumtracks - the drum library, and a few old-school foot pedals.  I have found that Ableton Live is VERY easy to use and works like a dream to lay tracks, create realistic drum programming and beats, mixing, and producing songs - week after week after week.  I'm not saying I can produce a song a day but maybe a song a week seems more realistic and in one year that'd be three to four CD's of material and my knowledge of mixing and recording would jump into the professional realm in no time. 

Long time readers also know that I am already a professional illustrator/graphic designer so I can also do work for bands on their CD's.  I did a lot of graphic design/website work for Global Rail including working up ads for print.  I also have a full-fledged graphic arts studio complete with Metacreations Painter 5.0, scanner, digital camera setup, and Carrara 3.0 and Poser to create realistic 3D models.  If you know any bands let them know I'm available for freelance work (I also know HTML, a bit of Javascript, and CSS) and they can click around my website or this blog and see the various works of art that I am capable of.  I got my training at the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design!

So that's the plan, go fulltime on art and music and use the time wisely.  Again, what say you?  What would you do if you were living in tiny little Marlin, Texas with no car, no driver's license, advanced arthritis in the knees and hips, and leftover damage from a brain tumor?  If you know anyone looking for what I can deliver don't hesitate to spread a good word or two and let's hope that Global Rail can get up and running again.  This entire nation needs to get this bad economy off our backs and start holding politicians and "banksters" responsible.  Put them in prison for stealing through the back door of the Federal Reserve and all these communist bailouts.  It is not about the false left/right paradigm.  Socialism is the wrong road for a nation wanting to be free.  So says me!

Me as a Vulcan, no big surprise

Duma KEY

I just finished reading Stephen King's Duma Key.  It is a novel about a recovering artist who encounters the supernatural after a tremendous head injury.  There are truths in this book that artists such as myself know to be true.  They are truths that concern reality. 

I am an artist who is recovering.  I am recovering from a very slow-growing brain tumor that was removed from my head.  Ever since I was little I have been able to see bits and pieces from the future.  When I was a small child I had an accident in which I got hung from a cord.  I was quite blue when my grandmother burst into the room and saved me.  Much of my youth was filled with dreams of being with the dead.  Many of these dreams were nightmares of escaping death, of drawing another future. 

The drawing below was finished in 1995 when I was a student at The Savannah College of Art and Design.  I have always seen bits and pieces of the future.  I learned two years ago that I had a brain tumor, whose origins have been traced back to a time before art school when I was in the Marines.  We know this from the very unique symptoms of my particular disease.  Acromegaly it is called.  It is a very slow-growing brain tumor, something that starts small and grows bigger and bigger, like a stack of dominoes waiting to cause problems. 

The Stephen King book, although it held truths, also ended up missing the mark.  Hit and miss, Stephen's work is like that.  Sometimes you get an "IT" or something like "The Stand" or a work of genius like "The Dark Tower Series" and other times you get... "The Tommyknockers."  I'm not saying the book is a total wash, it may have missed it's mark but it still hit some pretty high points.

Anyways, after reading Duma Key I have definitely made the decision to continue to be an artist.  Duma Key is not going to stop me --- "Be brave.  Don't be afraid to draw the secret things." --- Stephen King.  I am an artist.  I am fearless.  I am illuminated. 

I feel the "itch" to draw but I am content for the moment to put my thoughts down in sketch form and save them for my "Act Three."  You should see a doozy of a sketch I have in mind.  Still up in the noodle.  I'm going to call it Persephone, or maybe...   "Persephone Unbottled."  Yes.  Much better title, given that it fits Artist Ken D. Webber so fucking well.  I'm sure Stephen King would understand.  Do you?

"Crazy Man" copyright 1995 by Ken D. Webber; All Rights Reserved.