One more quarter left before I graduate!

Right now, I've been listening to a lot of alternative/indie hip hop

Here are some of the cd's I've been playing:



Kid Cudi - A Kid Name Cudi
Cleveland, OH
Strong Tracks: Day and Nite, Down and Out, Cudi Get, Man on the Moon, The Prayer, Embrace The Martian, Maui Wowie, T.G.I.F., Cudi Spazzin

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Download: [link] (free mixtape on purpose, not pirated)
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The Cool Kids - The Bake Sale EP
Chicago/Detroit
Strong Tracks: What Up Man, One Two, Mikey Rocks, 88, Black Mags, A Little Bit Cooler, Gold and A Pager, Jingling




Killer Mike - I Pledge Allegiance To The Grind 2
Atlanta, GA
Strong Tracks: 10 G's, Can You Hear Me, Pressure, GOD IN THE BUILDING (BEST TRACK OF 08), Woke Up This Morning, Grandma's House, If I Can't Eat Right, I'm The Shit



Little Brother - And Justus For All
Durham, North Carolina
Strong Tracks: Can't Stop Us, Life of the Party, A Word From Our Sponsors, Too Late For Us, Never Leave, Cool As A Fan, Fan Mail, Back At It



Nas - N.I.G.G.E.R. (Untitled)
Queensbridge, NY
Strong Tracks: Queens Get the Money, You Can't Stop Us Now, Make the World Go Round, Hero, Testify, N.I.G.G.E.R., Fried Chicken, Y'all My Niggas, We're Not Alone, Black President


Anyone else got any good alternative, conscience, or indie hiphop (that's not pop rap, gangsta rap, or really hardcore rap...since I mentioned Nas..)

Yep, today is my birthday...

This friday, I'm hosting my party called "22 Blunts"....where I will attempt to smoke 22 blunts in one day.

Thanks to all who wishes me a happy bday and thank dA for havin me here and showin me that good ol dA love.

WHO!
Chris Porter

BITCH IM ME!
BITCH IM FROM CLEVELAND!

(sits back and starts doin the dougie to the song...)

***Updated****

I've found my great front end coder...so my search is over!!!!

Thanks for participating!

Well I found a couple people that are excellent in visual design, but I still need a person or two that is good in:

+ XHTML/CSS (being able to break a psd down and code it without using the old slicing method, but the crop each element out and place it in using DIVs)

+ PHP and/or .NET (if you can do it, thats great. It deals with knowing about databases, content management systems, online stores, social networking, etc)

I'm also still looking for people that are good with web marketing and/or copy writing. I will just need you here and there, but can be on call.

I usually charge clients $40/hr for web design and $60/hr for identity branding (I usually give deals to long time clients, people I know, bartering, referring me to new clients, etc)

I like to thank the two designers that are going to team up with us at HeatedGFX for these projects and hope that we can get something going!

What's good dA,

As of right now, I'm looking for a web designer, that is very good (at least as good as me or better) and must know these skills:

- Knowledge of information architecture such as sitemaps and wireframes

- Wonderful with typography. Must know how to use typography really well.

- Good with colors and design layouts (especially if you have that "Web 2.0" style or a very good unique style that can sell!)
[link] and [link] for site designs I look for

- Know XHTML and CSS (if little, I can help out, im like level 14325595032432 in CSS...lol)

- Good with marketing/copywriting is a plus!

- Javascript, AJAX and Flash AS is a plus!

- PHP/.NET is a super plus, on some wordpress blog level or if you can set up a decent CMS like drupal.


I have about four - five $1000+ projects and I need another good designer to help out. All of the projects are contracted, meaning that real clients signing real contracts, meaning you're going to get paid.

Everything is hourly based, so you must be very organized and good with using project management systems to log your hours.

Also, being in the United States is a big plus. The closer you stay to Pittsburgh or Cleveland, the better, but if you don't stay in the U.S., make sure you have some type of Instant Messaging client such as AIM to keep in close contact.

Also, having a Paypal is a must if you want to get paid fast.

I need a designer ASAP as these projects have tight deadlines and are really big projects.

If interested, please send me your gallery or website via note or comment below or if you think your the "O'G" of designing and coding and you're really really serious, email me at chrisporter@heatedgfx.com. That's if you can design like (shoutouts!!!):

Kwaku ([link]
Liquisoft ([link]
Osec ([link]

or any along those lines of greatness...

If you really want to make $300-$500 for just designing and coding, please hit me up!

***Update:
As of right now, I have two clients under contracts as of this week and I'm still trying to secure these other two projects down with contracts.

***Update (6/9/08 at 11pm):
If you want to hit me up via IM:
AIM: poolpimpc
Yahoo: chris.porter
Live: whochrisporter@live.com
Google: chrisporter@heatedgfx.com

Well, my spring break journal bash is over. Back to updating this thing once every two months. Just playing, but I will update it more often. I'll have more work posted up soon. I'm just working on some more important things at the moment.

I'm also available for hire for any contract work. So if anyone needs a web site, identity branding, front-end programming, marketing/entertainment design, or any of that sort, please email me at general@heatedgfx.com.

[link]

A birth-control pill for men is now a reality, according to an international consortium of physicians who revealed their formula for "safe, effective and reversible" hormonal contraception for males.

The preparation includes progestin, a key ingredient found in women's birth-control pills, and the male sex hormone testosterone. Progestin, a synthetic version of a hormone produced in a woman's ovaries, helps suppress ovulation when used in an oral contraceptive. It appears to function in an analogous fashion for men, suppressing "both rate and extent" of sperm production.


-------------------------------

Share your thoughts on this pressing issue of male birth control...

Does this mean...only use a condom on some strange???

Lets hear your thoughts...

I just wanna ask the world....how far have you gotten to in the trip level...and if ya want, what you did to get to that level...

This is straight off Wikipedia, which had plenty of resources from other sites...so here we go...

Level 1

This level produces a mild "high" effect, with some visual enhancement (e.g. brighter colors) and music sounds "wider," or more piercing to the ears. There is a sense that one's thoughts are spiraling into themselves. This level can be achieved from a normal dose of cannabis or a very low dose of a classic psychedelic such as psilocybin. Occasionally common prescription drugs like SSRIs can produce mild 'trippy' effects, as well, though they are not normally classified as psychedelic experiences because they are so mild.

Level 2

Bright colors; visuals (e.g. things may appear to move or breathe); some two-dimensional patterns become apparent upon shutting eyes. Confused, cyclic (thought loop) or reminiscent thoughts. Déjà vu is commonly reported. Change in short term memory leads to continually distracting thought patterns. While it may become increasingly difficult to follow a single train of thought, at other times one might find themselves lost in deep introspection about one specific idea or problem. The need to see 'normal' reality becomes less, the urge to venture 'beyond the void' becomes more. Level 3 tripping can intersperse with level 2 as long as eyes are shut. This state can be achieved from a high dose of THC or a low dose of psilocybin or LSD.

Level 3

Very obvious visuals, everything looking curved and/or warped, patterns, kaleidoscopes or fractal images seen on walls, landscapes, faces, etc. Closed eye hallucinations become three dimensional. There is some confusing of the senses (synesthesia). Time distortions and "moments of eternity". Movement at times becomes extremely difficult (too much effort required). A normal dose of either psilocybin or LSD.

Level 4

Strong visual effects, e.g. objects morphing into other objects. Dissolving or multiple splitting of the ego (e.g. things start talking, or feeling of contradictory things simultaneously). The loss of sense of self can bring a shift in the sense of reality, often accompanied by a sense of ineffable lucidity. Time becomes very distorted and participants may perceive an activity lasting only minutes to have encompassed hours of their own reality (or vice versa). Out-of-body experiences, mystical visions and ESP-type experiences are common at this level. A high dose of psilocybin or LSD can produce this effect, as can a normal to high dose Salvia Divinorum.

Level 5

Total loss of visual connection with reality. The senses cease to function in the normal way. Total loss of ego, known as ego death. Feelings of merging with space, other objects or the universe. There are powerful, and sometimes brutal, psycho-physical reactions interpreted by some users as reliving their own birth. Feelings of reaching to the beginning or the end of space and time. The loss of reality becomes so extreme that it defies explanation. Dream or movie like states, people have been reported seeing themselves in entirely different settings than their original setting. Many people experience religious phenomenon at this level. Often mentioned are an "all-powerful presence" or a "universal knowledge" which many equate to their idea of God or enlightenment. Earlier levels are relatively easy to describe in terms of measurable changes in perception and thought patterns. The only thing still reported to be working at a recognizable level, is the mind's voice of thought. Much is unknown about what a person actually experiences during this period, because most people actually come back explaining the experience as "inexplicable" or "uncommunicable". This effect can be produced in high doses of LSD, Ketamine, and extremely high doses of psilocybin or with extremely high doses of the strongest extracts of salvia divinorum. DMT is known to send people to level 5 with a common smoked dose, making it one of the most powerful psychedelics known to man.

Me, of course, got ta level 2...I was SUPER DONE....seeing demons spin outta ppl's heads and shit...lol

Here is my second post about hiphop music.

I know not many deviants listen to hip hop, but if you are a deviant, who probably lived in the hood, or lived by some black folk, or likes poetry and music together, then you like hip hop.

But for some reason, i like/dislike commercial rap...

Ok, everyone does have moods when listening to music
For example which type of hiphop you listen to when your:

+Studying: kanye, common, lupe, talib kwali

+Designing: three 6, anything crunk, my beats

+Smokin: Bone Thugs, Screwed and Chopped Rap

+In the car (normal): lil wayne, gucci, jeezy, any trap rap song with heavy bass and hihats

+In the car (going to the club): commercial rap/club rap or crunk rap

+In the car (with a female): depends on the girl
   -hood chick: lil wayne, gucci, crime mob, yung joc
   -classy chick: lil wayne, common, kanye, lupe, talib

+On sundays: OLD SKOOL (80's and 90's)

+Walking to school: throw the Zune on random everything

+Cleaning up the house: gotta step away from rap....Al Green

+Fuckin: Wild sex - anything crunk....Classy/slow sex: al green, slow r&b

+At work: anything...throw it on random

+With White ppl: (lol on that one)...whatever they listenin to, I produce and like to sample or hear different shit, so listen to what they listen to...like punk rock, 80s rock, pop, whatever...or lil wayne..

+Cookin: usually put on MTV Jams or BET in the background...but fuck them now...throw on some real hip hop or some classy rap like Snoop Dogg's Ego Trippin, or Lupe Fiasco

+In Class: GET CRUNK!!!

+Letting people discover new music thats not from OHIO: IM FITTED ..UH UH IM FITTED...cleveland rap like chip, al, royalty, ray cash....u know...

What about you guys...what do you like to listen to at a certain time period, doesn't have to be hiphop all the way...or you dont have to have all dem time periods like i do...

This was always a hard question for me...

my hometown...Cleveland's own Bone Thugs-n-Harmony who..
-started out as a horrorcore group, which dealt with the occult, violence, quija boards, drugs, and streets
-became more of a harmonic, rapid fire hardcore/ganrap group
-became one of the greatest rap groups of all time
-recorded a song with all of the late rap greats when they were alive (2pac, biggie, big pun, and Eazy E)
-make some of the greatest smoking songs
-had 5 members, now down to three
-multiplatinum
-now are not as good anymore

or

my dad's hometown...Memphis' own Three 6 Mafia who...
-started out as a horrorcore group, which dealt with the occult, murder, rape, drugs, etc
-had a bunch of underground mixtapes
-had a fued with bone over style
-also had a couple rapid fire, harmonic rappers
-went to more hardcore/crunk style, tear the club up music
-multiplatinum
-won an oscar
-went from 20 members to 6 members to 2 members
-now are making "soft" hardcore songs...

well idk...its a hard choice to make for me...
any suggestions?

Ok, heres my problem...
When I get bored, I spend money...
but when I want to try to get some school projects done, Im not pumped enough to even start on the work...

After reviewing my mint.com, I went to the ATM 8 times in one week...but with my work/school schedule, most days im out from 9am - 10pm...so i gotta eat...
Also, since I'm bored, i buy too much unneccessary shit like weed, chips, or other stuff (dont go there about the weed thing, you don't need weed to survive)

I'm also a heavy night club person/social/hood whatever person, so if I don't do none of that at least twice a month, I will either A) shoot up a school, church, bank, etc, b) commit suicide, or c) all of the above (since thats more popular than soulja boy)

any tips on what I can do to save money and get me to get my work done/stay from being bored at the same time..

One tip was for me to get rest on my days off from school (since i don't go to school for two out of the five days). LIke when i come home from work, lay down for a few hours, get up, cook, and then I should have my head cleared to get motivated to do some school work.

If anyone else have any tips, that would be lovely!

ps...please dont hit me with that
...stop goin go the atm machine (tried it)
...do your homework (thats the fuckin problem)
...drink/smoke (you need to spend to that do, plus im not an alcy)
...get on the computer (my job is webdesign, my major is webdesign, im on the computer 12 hours of the fuckin day!!!!)
...leaving your ATM card at home...i have bad memory, so when I really do need it (like depositing a paycheck, paying a bill), my card is sittin at home (remember im out from like 9am-10pm)...

...yeah

Update: Again after trying my best...im messin up worst than last time, going to the ATM machine 10 times for the month of March

I'm already going to just start sending all my paychecks back to home home (cleveland) and have my godparents hold them for a while until i start to get better...and then whenever i need the money for a bill, I can just request for the money and they would just drop it in the bank for me to pay that bill

But since thats not being a grown person at all...that will be like my last hope...

Today I will get a planner because maybe that will help me a bit...

Make it short and sweet, I'm up to 6 G's (visitors for the slow)...
Thanks everyone for supporting me and the movement!

----------------------
STOP RIPPIN!
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I will try to keep this updated...any links/categories you have..please comment below
(To open in new tab, middle click the link with your scroll wheel or CTRL+left click the link)

PIRATE/RIP WATCH

This section is all the sites that shows off sites that ripped another sites. People BE ORIGINAL!!!
Pirated-Sites
Pirated-Sites on Flickr
Stolen Web Sites on Flickr
Design Theft on Flickr

Design Trend Inspiration

CSS Galleries
Web Designer Wall Inspiration
Design Meltdown
Web Creme
Lookom
CSS Hive
Web Doctrine

Flash Galleries
The Dreamer



Front/Back End Programming Help/Techniques

Help in XHTML, CSS, Actionscript, PHP, .Net, Javascript, AJAX
A List Apart
Actionscript.com
Actionscript.org

Free Graphics/Vectors

Vecteezy
Brusheezy
The Icon Lab
The Inspiration Gallery


Typography

ColorCharge on Typography


Web/Graphic Design Blogs
Web Designer Wall
Go Media Zine
Color Charge
NDesign Studio
Good-Tutorials
Bitbox
Artistic V Designs
Mono Factor
Smashing Magazine

Free Fonts / Font Information

Smashing Magazine Fonts
Da Font
1001 Free Fonts
Urban Fonts
Font Leech
Brand Fonts


Color Theory

Color Blender
Kuler
Colour Lovers


Web 2.0 Software:

Collabtive PMS
LightCMS
Pure Edit CMS
ActiveCollab PMS

Information and Contract Design

Elance SOW


Search Engine Marketing/Optimization

SEONoobs
WebCEO

I just want to help out the community by posting really good DIRECT resources for people to look at. It will help you out in the long run so take a look at these, and I will have more later on!

Award Winning Newspaper Designs

Check out these newspapers design links. (Derived from Smashing Magazine) They have great inspiration in the typography aspect of things, so pay special attention to typography and how things are layed out, especially for the print, graphic and web designers out there! Some of the vectors are nice too.



[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]
[link]


The Web Design Business Kit 2.0 sample

For people who wants to start a web design business or partner up with somebody, and is serious about it, here is a sample of the $290 sitepoint kit. It is very interesting and it teaches you a lot of stuff like:

- Starting out
- How to market your business
- How to handle clients
- Outsourcing your projects

The full table of contents is there so you can actually see what's in the kit and then you get the free four chapters and some sample docs like agreements and letters.

This kit can also help people who are not into web design but are into something simular like ad agency or graphic design business.

If you want to check it out:
[link]


Web 2.0 Fonts

Want your hands on some of those popular Web 2.0 websites logo fonts or search engine logo fonts such as Youtube, Google, etc.?

Well look no more, here is my first little pack of fonts.

Like:
Helvetica Neue
Univers
Catull (Google Font)
Arial Rounded (Myspace Font)

[link]

Note: I know I shouldn't be talking about cracked software that I have, but millions of people do it, so what!

Just wanted to know how many people have gave up most of their cracked software for the great opensource software that is out there.

OS Living has most of the open source software that is out on the net now.

I think its a good thing (well it should be), because of course, you're not stealing no more, and plus there are more opportunities for opensource software, because...its opensource!

The only software I'll probably have left that is not bought is Windows XP because I don't want to buy Vista, XP is too old to buy, and you can't run Adobe software on Ubuntu unless you run WINE in the background. And a lot of other software I use cannot work on Linux OS.

Adobe CS3 is of course another software I'll have to keep, because mainly its the software we use at school. So I have to use it at home. After school...I'll probably be able to buy it...

Everything else can kick rocks or I can purchase like my dj software (Senato or Virtual DJ), FL Studio 7 (i bought that like when i was 16), Pro Tools (it comes with the M-Box you buy at Guitar Center).

Here are my lil opensource apps that I use except for cracking software:

MS Office ---> Open Office
Just the same except MS Office is just prettier and well known but Open Office gets the job done and you can install plugins without the hassel of "is this product genuine?"

Trillian Pro 3 ---> Pidgin
Well I could of used Trillian 3 basic, but I didn't like it...killed my ram. So I was like....welp since Basic 3 and Pro 3 both kills the resources..might as well use pro...but then Pidgin came along and out goes Cerulean...and Trillian Astra can forget about it too..although that is looking kind of nice...

Adobe Dreamweaver ---> Aptana (not opensource, but free version is killing Dreamweaver)
Just must better than Dreamweaver. Thats all I can say. Aptana doesnt have that viewer, but you can preview the actual pages in the software faster!!! Aptana also has more help in code view like where you start .

MS Outlook ---> Mozilla Thunderbird
Outlook just freezes too much...and once my phone started fuckin up when it was trying to sync with the Outlook, i was like fuck it...that HTC Mogul sucks anyway...ill just get me a cheaper phone, stlill with good looks, but way better battery and cheapen up my phone bill....SAVINGSSS BITCH!!!!

Any Media Player ---> VLC Media Player
Even though most media players are free, VLC is killin em all

Objectdock ---> Rocketdock
Ok, rocketdock is not open source either but do I really need those extras in Objectdock pro and object dock free has the same shit like rocketdock, but objectdock kills the resources!

Any virus scanner ---> None at all or AVG at least
Damn stop click on ads....download porn off forums or trusted torrents or at least stream it at pornotube.com, redtube.com or youporn.com....damn!!! I usually catch viruses manually and have fun gettin rid of em, but i still have AVG runnin in the bg...

Ok time to vent about other software...

WHO USES ZUNE SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE:

Love the Zune MP3 in your hand player...but i fuckin hate the software...they made that shit for the slow...or the technical reason, they made it for the ppl who actually buys their music...you can't edit the mp3 meta tags at all unless u use windows media or some other software...so like fuckin songs be all fucked up out of order and shit...fuckin up my day....software be killin the resources and everything else...worst part about it...thats the only fuckin available software that can through music on the Zune'

IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY OTHER SOFTWARE THAT CAN TRANSFER MUSIC ON THE ZUNE OTHER THAN SONGBIRD (which they are trying now to transfer music to zune on that software) PLEASE REPLY NOW!!!!

ok thats all...reply and stuff...

UPDATE: I'm finally now trying out the css features for the journal....damn, it did take a long time to do did it...lol...

Damn....these bills are killin me...
If it ain't one bad thing, its another...

I know some ain't that bad, but here is my standing until I can get me some freelance work in:

Checking Account: $117
(note all bills are due now or on the 1st of January)

Electric (Duquesne Lights): $120
Gas (Equitable Gas): $140
Phone (Sprint): $170
Internet/Cable (gay ass Comcast): $270
Rent (even though its paid off till febuary): $550/month

I used to have at least $2000 in the bank every month...but since Pittsburgh and my school is sooooo damn boring and when I get bored I spend money...I haven't seen $2000 in a hot minute...and plus school has been keeping my hours low at work...lets say 12 hrs every two weeks at $10/hr.....now its winter break..i just fucked 12 hrs in the ass in a day in the half...fuckin school...

So now I'm trying to get back up in the money management game...

Here's what I've been doing so far to improve:

- Work for an X-Box 360 and 37" flat screen tv so I WONT GET BORED during this winter

- Pack a lunch for work except for dining out or Wendy's and McDonalds

- Help track my spending with Mint.com and Wesabe.com

- Keep putting small amounts of money on each bill until I get like a big ass check at work to pay a lot of shit off...


So now its ur turn...whats ur tips on bills, money management, etc...even organization because I hate paper...and I try to manage everything on the computer as much as possible (even down to how many females I pumbled each week)...lol...