Toby is indeed special.

A little backround on Toby's "special-ness".
Eric, Toby, and I (collectively known as the flickerfactory) are gearing up to shoot a music video for the band 99tales.

Eric and I decided to use the band's cover art aesthetic for the look of the video. The video clips Toby posted below are tests. We wanted to see if we could incorporate live action into the animated world Eric had previously created. I think it worked fairly well. We originally had hoped to make the video in February, then it got pushed to June, and now it looks like it won't happen till August or later because of the bands availability. There is a slight chance we'll just move ahead with the project on our own and limit the bands involvement. I had planned on having a big part of the video being performance oriented. But who knows? Eric and I will get together to see if we should proceed or wait.

To see Eric's take click here.
To see Toby's take click here.

What do you think?

-Guy

I'm Special...Effects

UPDATE: Some readers have expressed issues with the way that the movies draw on screen. To see the 'special' pictures CLICK HERE

So You Want it Alive Too?

It's free, and it is a cat.

originally posted by ry2k at lenny.cc

Cheese Friday: American History

Homey mac and cheese is an American standard
By Ronnie Fein, STAMFORD ADVOCATE

MACARONI AND CHEESE is the kind of food people turn to when they're feeling vulnerable, lonely or miserable. And when they're in high spirits, eager to take on the world, thrilled with life.
Macaroni and cheese comforts incomparably when you're cold. It's also just the right thing to bring to a picnic or serve at a barbecue. Or eat at home on a hot summer day when your air conditioner makes the house feel like a meat locker.

Whatever its origins, macaroni and cheese is entrenched in American cuisine. It started after Thomas Jefferson brought a macaroni mold home from Paris and served the casserole at a White House dinner in 1802. According to food historian John Mariani, its status as a culinary icon was assured after Kraft Foods introduced Kraft Dinner in 1937.

Click Here for the full article and recipes too!

Cross Promotion: Bunker Is Back

My personal (and much grumpy-er) blog, Live From The Bunker is back up and running... well, more like walking quite rapidly... OK more of a shuffle but with focus.
Feel free to check it out, or just subscribe to the RSS/XML feed and I'll come to you! (that's a good thing).
XML/RSS

This Just In: "bandit8791" is a fan!

To: toby@##############.### (REDACTED)
From: bandit8791@###.### (REDACTED)
Subj: RSS Feed.

Thanks so much for your helpful primer on the easy-to-use RSS feed of your splendid website! As a busy star of stage and screen I have only so many hours to dedicate to websurfing, now I have enough time to order my new hairpiece online. I look forward to more of you guys and your off-the-wall brand of comedy.

Keep at it y'all.

bandit8791

P.S. Be sure and check out my upcoming starring role in "Boss Hogg: The Movie" coming this Summer to a theater near you.

Technology Update: RSS Feeds Can Be Fun

Now some of the kids out there might already be hip to this, but for the unitiated. You Can Subscribe to The Smart Patrol!!!.

This can be fun and profitable, as this brief playlet illustrates...

Toby: Hey, why not subscribe to The Smart Patrol's RSS feed?

Chad: (thoughtfully) RSS Feed? What's that?

Toby: Well Chad, an RSS feed is a special version of the Smart Patrol site that notifies you when new and exciting updates and additions appear!

Chad: (genuine shock) Holy crap, tell me more.

Toby: Sure! There are lots of free applications, called agregators, that collect these RSS feeds together, it's like the program surfs the net for you.

Chad: Awesome, because I'm so busy. (shrugs) Who has time for all that surfing?

Toby: (nodding) Word. By-the-by homeslice, there are lots of sites that publish an RSS feed of their content, you can practically build your own magazine of tailor-made content.

Chad: (looking for 'the catch') Does this involve devil worship or cost any money?

Toby: (dismissively) Well, as long as you are already tithing to the dark lord, it's all free and clear, even the agregator software. Google "RSS news" for the application that turns you on the mostest! Just another exciting part of The Smart Patrol.

Chad: (curiously aroused) I'm sold. How do I do it?

Toby: (misreading body language) Oh Chad you slap happy retard! Just copy this URL into the RSS feed agregator of your choice - http://smartpatrol2.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Chad: I sure will, and... I LOVE YOU!!

Toby backs away from Chad, who is blocking the exit.

and... SCENE

Toby Jumps On "The Tank" Bandwagon

http://www.myspace.com/thetank
http://www.myspace.com/tobyw
(your site here)

So I saw Guy's post (heck I even edited it) and jumped in. I had set up a myspace page but now I have set the easy to find url (up there genius).

This is not a big thing Guy is asking for. I think it's a good opportunity to see how influential The Smart Patrol can be, after all we all know people who know people.

Like my good friend The Altruistic Puma has often said, you put it out there and then you hear it someplace else (I'm paraphrasing sloppily).

So now we need to hit myspace, get our pages and make friends with The Tank.

Toby, thePrisoner, FOTT - Friend Of The Tank

A Favor For A Friend?

Hey all. As many of you know I play in a rock band called The Tank. Well, The Tank is in the process of trying to heighten our visibility. We have been toiling around in obscurity for almost 9 years now and it's time to step things up.
Here's the favor:
If you would be so inclined I would invite each of you to sign up on myspace.com and add us as a friend. I would also ask you to tell all your friends about this awesome band that you know and suggest they check us out on myspace or our website.

Late last year we completed a 5 song demo with famed producer Lou Giordano (The Ataris, Taking Back Sunday, Goo Goo Dolls, Husker Du, etc...). Now, after much hand wringing the songs are about to be shopped around to labels. We could use some buzz, and if it comes in the form of having a few thousand myspace friends, so be it. I would really appreciate any help in promoting The Tank.

Tell a friend.

Cheese Friday: Rolling for Cheese

Jason Crowther, from Pembrokeshire, was the first to catch up with a giant rolling wheel of cheese after chasing it down a steep hill in Gloucestershire.

The 23-year-old beat dozens of other daredevils, who rolled, crashed and bounced themselves down hill on a 200m stretch of grass in pursuit at Cooper's Hill, Brockworth. Jason gets to keep the seven-to-eight-pound Double Gloucester cheese.

St John Ambulance reported just three people taken to hospital with suspected fractured limbs and they treated a total of 18. Last year they treated 40.

For more info Click Here.