It’s somewhat a celebratory time here at mellowSPACE. We have reached some milestones! :D! We passed 3000 unique visitors this week (since we started using Woopra). We did it by posting three posts by three authors and we got about 300 uniques for those posts all up :)! So in celebration you can all go buy yourselves cake or candy.

I managed to watch Toradora the other day. I saw it in RAW and then grabbed the GG subs when they came out. I’m going to fanboy Taiga just to annoy Mike hahahahaa. I enjoyed the show and i’m pretty sure I will follow the series. I just need to get my CentOS CLI FLV converter to run. I hate putting acronyms in capitals but whatever.

I also saw the first episode of Yozakura Quartet. I watched it in RAW so I can only guess at what the back-story is. It looked somewhat interesting but not amazing. I will probably watch one or two episodes if it gets subbed. Cat girls are irresistible.

Another great release by icie is out for all you Eve no Jikan lovers. We get to explore more of Sammi’s life I guess. I still need to watch it.

The new mSPACE 09 design is coming together nicely. I managed to sketch out a lot of the layout today while I was travelling around. Notebooks are awesome. I would love a leather bound journal to use though .. with a nice pen. ALSO PLEASE IF SOMEONE IS FEELING GENEROUS AND INSANE GO HERE.

Anyway peeps that’s all for now i’ll catch you later. (Going out to a BBQ.. also I HATE databases.)

“Bloglomerates”  As told to me by RyanA (his thoughts here). The following are my own thoughts on the word and what it means.

I may have mentioned this before but I have a very active imagination. I treat it as a special gift. The title of this post is somewhat misleading as to what I actually think of bloglomerates but it painted a cool picture in my mind.

Imagine a world where writers control mankind. Not through magical words but in great literary battles that are fought between the great corporate writing bloglomerates. Their clashes shaping and moulding the world around them and changing the opinions and thoughts of those who read their words. I keep imagining some sort of anime done by BONES on the subject. Bloglomerates would rise and fall, new alliances and friendships and new enemies would be found in each clash. Those destroyed by the power of other’s words or the lack of any will to fight themselves, would disappear off into.. wherever.. obscurity would be good. I think that would make an awesome show.. or at least some sort of narrated art book ;D!

Anywho my actual opinion on bloglomerates isn’t that of fear or as seeing them as fighting and squabbling groups. I actually think they are a sign of the progress and friendship that is formed in our greater community. We have a few bloglomerates of late and there is two types from what I can see. The first type of bloglomerate could be defined as “self-contained”. They are self-contained in the sense that they have a single focal point to represent themselves. The writers for these bloglomerates may have their own blogs but they choose to post either in parallel or dedicate more to the bloglomerate headquarters. Below is a list of some of the bloglomerates that I know of and follow…

Are-are

Heterochromia

Oi, Hayaku!

THAT Animeblog

The Scrumptious Anime Blog

Yukan Blog!

㊥出し

These bloglomerates are great places to get regular written food for the mind. They are composed of multiple authors who usually post on different topics thus allowing you to enjoy a wide range of topics. These are the first type of bloglomerates and probably the more obvious. Because of the amount of content that the bloglomerate sites generate a lot of people will follow the bloglomerates in herds. HERDS I TELL YOU. Followers of a bloglomerate may end up joining the group or even forming their own bloglomerate.

There is however a second type of bloglomerate. This type may be composed of different multi-author or single author blogs that work in harmony to reach certain goals. They could be involved in projects together that are for the community or they could be friends who regularly work together to create posts or events.

This second type of bloglomerate could be classed as more creative or innovative. They are more likely to make things that aren’t in the norm or that are new and exciting. They are not confined to writing to a particular schedule or to particular guidelines and are more likely to develop ideas that they come up with.

I would like to think that mellowSPACE is part of a bloglomerate that combines with one or two other bloggers. We work together behind the scenes trying to bring new things to the community and in that sense we have more then just a common purpose or goal. We actively work together to make these things happen. I guess the one thing we lack is perhaps an outward unity which is visible through writing collaborations or similar.

What is your take on bloglomerates? Do you agree with how I have portrayed them? Would you place yourself in a bloglomerate? Could you envisage a more formal arrangement for bloglomerates such as an index?

Edit: I for some reason was not aware that Random Curiosity is multi-author. I’d say that RandomC is deifintely a self-contained bloglomerate that has quite far-reaching influence.

I don’t care about it. I wish to state this clearly. I DONT CARE ABOUT IT. WHY MUST YOU PEOPLE TORMENT MY RSS FEEDS WITH THIS UTTER NONSENSE. Sorry.. it’s been a long day. A looong day. Work was very tiring as there are lots of issues I need to resolve before my deadline tomorrow. The issues seem to be growing rather then shrinking. Also I was at work early today for a meeting.

I don’t hate people’s posts about the show but seriously it finished already.. who cares anymore? A new season is upon us and yet there must still be ONE ZILLION posts on Code Geass being crafted as I type this. You know what ignore this post i’m just being a total bawmonster.

In other news i’m waiting to see Toradora and Xam’d. Yay for FLV anime ;P! Also I want to see Quartet. The show should be airing in about 6 hours or so which means I might be able to see the raws tomorrow. RAWS U SAI? Yes I say. I can’t be bothered waiting for subs :D!

P.S The site looks a little different cos I got COMPLETELY pissed off at work and decided to bum around for 30 minutes.

Maid + Gun + Eyepatch = YOU ARE DOOMED SUCKER

In preparation for projects be they big or small, it is necessary to plan ahead. Why? Quite simply because it helps you to avoid problems which can either slow down your work pace or completely nullify the work you have done. With any project you should first lay out your goals and objectives. Then once you know what you want to achieve you can begin the process of planning how you are going to get to that point. <– THIS ALL I KNOW ABOUT PLANNING.

Planning has left me in EMO ANGST.

I have a serious problem when it comes to planning. I am a complete impulse creative. I all of a sudden think of an idea and WOOOOOOOOOSH I need to make it. I do not know of a good formula for actually writing a plan out. A structure that is easy to understand and which covers everything I need to think of. I think I really should just sit down and sort that out before I continue on any of the work I am doing. If anyone can suggest a good way of doing it please let me know.

Some of the things I would like to implement in mellowSPACE 09 are user accessibility related. An optional minimal theme that will display for both IE6 users and those who choose to view the site in that manner is a necessity as I will not support IE6 with some of the more modern code I will use on the main theme. I also want to implement a mobile ready version of the website. Now, I know these things can be done and relatively simply. My problem is that I haven’t written down ANYWHERE all the things I want to put in. So I now find myself not knowing what to place where in my design because I haven’t defined what I need.

In fact I think I work in reverse when it comes to making new websites. I start with a design and then work out how i’m going to use it. It’s a bad way to go. Here’s a small look at the coming new mellowSPACE design.

This is just a draft by the way, this shows a post preview.

My launch date is set at the 1st of January 2009. Once mellowSPACE is up and running all new-like then I will be working hard on getting the Bloggers Anthology 2009 going. That project is going to be awesome by the way. The end result will be a 200-300 page magazine that you can read and enjoy.

I think I should probably change the title of this post to something like Not Planning | Is the fools way because seriously .. it is so much harder to do things without thinking them through.

Anyway congratulations to Yukan Blog! on their new design and new authors. It’s good to see blogs with nice layouts and easy to read posts. As a collective whole if we present ourselves in a classier manner we are more likely to get more attention.

Anywho I should do some work, my boss is looking at me like ( ~_~)!

So as you may know.. there is actually like… 5 writers.. wait 4 writers on this blog. Toshiyuki has retracted himself as he focuses on his school work. Also Toshiyuki smells like eggs. Having 4 writers on board doesn’t mean we actually have a lot of content though. We have a very relaxed kinda style around here. There are no deadlines, no topics of the day.. nothing. We just exist together. Like some freakish symbiotic anime/manga consuming organism.

There are winds of change blowing towards mellowSPACE however. Currently underfoot is a rather large construction of not only a new theme but many new features. This theme will most likely stick for the whole of 2009 but will be able to be altered by users. At least the colour scheme that is :P! There will be openings for writers on mellowSPACE to either a dedicated topic or just whatever they want to post. Writers will share in any success mellowSPACE might experience financially as well. It’s not just the writers that will benefit though, readers and members of mellowSPACE will be able to take advantage of new services and features as well as promotional offers from sponsors.

So in light of this mellowSPACE is moving away from being just an anime blog. It is moving towards becoming a provider of otaku content. As tj_han pointed out recently the anime blogosphere isn’t that anymore. Otakusphere does indeed seem to fit better. More and more blogs are either merging or partnering together. They aren’t always blogs either. Some sites are more resources for images or show information. But they fit under the larger umbrella of an otaku realm as such. As a good pal Ryan said er…. it was something like… “bloglomerates are forming” but he said it with more dramatic impact. These bloglomerates are providing more then just anime content.. they have seiyuu posts, merchandise posts, blog on blog posts (maybe I should have just copy-pasta’d tj’s post lol).

One question I want to know the answer to is if the same type of online Otaku community exists in Japan. Do they have blogs like ours? Do they gather in forums and IRC channels?

Anyway… I can’t remember what my aim was with this post. Enjoy a picture.

A Moment Of Thought

So in a moment of clarity last night I came to some conclusions about my life. In a manner that is easy to read and looks official I will list them below. A numbered list even, that’s how important this is.

1. I spend to much time on IRC.
2. I spend to much time on my computers.
3. I have attempted to invest my time in too many things.
4. I have failed to look after my health.
5. I spend to much money on something that gives no return. (Server .. which is up to $450NZD btw.. darn you exchange rate)
6. I need to have more control over my situation.
7. I need to stop downloading anime to have a clean conscience.
8. This all needs to happen right now.

An Explanation

The amount of time I spend on IRC is huge. If I am on a computer.. I am on IRC. We are talking upwards of 12 hours a day here. RIDICULOUS. As much as I love to converse with fellow bloggers and anime people the fact is it distracts me from my work. It is also mentally unhealthy. The content of some of the conversations can a lot of the time conflict with what I actually believe is right or drops below my normal “out of net” moral standard. All in all it is having a negative effect on my mental health.

As I mentioned before I can spend upwards of 12 hours a day on computers. I spend a minimum of 8 hours at my place of employment and then I logon when I get home. This means that I do not spend time with my family, friends or just time winding down the mind and doing something productive. My physical health does not improve either as I am not spending time on exercise. This has to change now. I have calculated and I kid you not.. of the last 6 months I have been sick for 5 1/2. I have had 2 weeks of good health in half a year.

I love the possibilities that abound in the internet. I love them. There are so many opportunites to create and collaborate with so many awesome people. Because of this interest that I have in making new things and being part of exciting projects, I find myself in a predicament. As of right now.. I am meant to be working on 9 different projects. I should be able to invest 4 hours of time for 3 of those projects a week. At this point it’s more like 30mins. Why? Because I have become exhausted and ill. I have spread myself too far and now i’m stuck in a situation where I am failing to meet the minimum requirements for the projects that really matter.

My health hit an all time low last month. I was told by the Doc that I needed to sleep, eat, work and then sleep again. I am almost running on vapors. As a result my mental health has suffered when it comes to managing stress. Of course this has a flow on effect back to my physical health. What does this all stem from? It comes from stress related to making sure I give my best to all the people I have dedicated my time too. This includes my full time job and the 9 other projects I am part of. This also comes from a lack of looking after my body with exercise and healthy eating. I am now on a managed eating plan of healthy foods. I am meant to be doing exercise daily but that hasn’t started yet.

I currently have expenses monthly that almost exceed my income. The one large expense that is growing with the current market uncertainty is my web server. Here is the dilemma for me. This server is the gateway to me producing online income. The problem is I haven’t as of yet created anything which will produce income. The scheduled upgrade and change of mellowSPACE isn’t meant to begin until the 1st of January 2009. In between now and then my expenses are set to increase with trying to keep myself healthy. I can definitely pay for this coming month’s bill which will see me through to October. After that I do not know.

I really need to take charge of what i’m doing. At the moment i’m drifting in life. Cruising. Just going with the flow and it’s completely pointless. I have goals I want to achieve and I want to make sure they are my priority. So as they become more of my focus then other things will swing around and shift in or out of my life. The end of it needs to be that I have command of what I am doing in my life for the positive.

Being perfectly honest with myself downloading anime is illegal. Totally illegal. Don’t give me crap about “unlicensed content” and stuff. People made the show and do not receive what they deserve when we download it illegally and not through official channels. I don’t want to have that sitting on my head anymore. As much as I love watching anime I cannot justify my actions.

All these things that I have finally admitted to myself are things I need to act on now. In fact this post is more for me then you as a reader. In writing this down i’m having to admit to myself where I am falling short. It serves as a sort of explanation to people too. I guess you’ll hear from me if I have a changed situation for you in regards to projects. At the moment all I can focus on is my full time employment and the web company that I am part of. I apologise if this puts anybody in an awkward situation but such is life and I can do no more.

Why would I not put a picture, seriously.

I couldn’t let this go. Seriously I love music. This song… has to be my most wanted song in an anime ever. I can just see it now @__@! Damn I wish I could make anime magically. Seriously.. sit.. close your eyes.. and envelop yourself in this song.. let your imagination create the scene.

Anyway I found a couple of versions on Youtube. I’m not sure which version I like the most.. they all invoke different ideas.

Nina Simone

Michael Buble

Muse

In other news the ninth episode of Xam’d was again most excellent. Me and Extrange discussed it a bit and damn.. Extrange is following this series closely. There was lots of points that he er pointed out to me. The biggest one being the similarity between Nakiami and Haru (see the episode ten preview at the end of episode nine). This show is QUALITY. True quality, thank you BONES.

Also there are lots of exciting things being planned in the shadowy underworld of anime blogger developers lol. I wish I could say more.. OHH HOWW I WISH. I can let you know that 2009 will be a big year for mellowSPACE. The site is getting a bit of revamp to help it grow. Not only will it get a revamp in looks but there will be a few new features and a lot more content that you want to see ^^!

Anyway. My week at work begins tomorrow.. and ends on Wednesday. Hahaha I took a day off sick today and I have annual leave as of Thursday/Friday. I’ll be online but I have a lot to do over those four days. I’m meeting up with an old friend and hope to discuss my Anime Blog Anthology idea with him. Also i’ll be traveling for a day in total. It will be fun to see family though.

Peace out ladies! Have a great Tuesday!

P.S Does anyone else here get annoyed at seeing Danny Choo feeds on 1 billion other anime blogs? Seriously.. why? No disrespect to the guy… but that’s some sweet market penetration. WHY? It’s not like the blogs that have the feed actually receive anything back.. I just don’t get it :/