How Do You Backup Your Data?

I have had two major data scares in my life. Well, make that one scare and one actual incident.  The first time was with a 500GB external drive with its own power source. It was nearly full and contained every photo I had ever taken from 2003-2010. One time I accidentally dropped something on it and it started to make a strange sound but continued to work without issue. Eventually the day came when I plugged it in and nothing happened....

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Top 5 Best(and Worst) Castings in Marvel Movies

Recently, I got to watch “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” And while the movie itself was a stellar play of action, character development and social commentary, I couldn't also help but marvel(heh, heh) at the choices in character casting. Whether it was Chris Evans's portrayal of unwavering patriotism or Samuel L. Jackson being his normal, badass, Samuel L. Jackson self.....but with an eye patch. Marvel Studios has done a pretty good job of...

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Studio Ghibli Crossover Sculpt Video

The first in a series of 'practice commissions' that I'm doing for some friends. She asked for something Studio Ghibli related, so I came up with this Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away crossover piece! I have to say that I am SUPER pleased with it! The feathers were a nightmare and I don't ever want to do anything like it again. Haku was a dream, though. The whimsy of his design had me smiling the whole time I was cutting. ...

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You Have Died of Dysentery! A Walk Down Memory Lane.

The other day I had a sudden and visceral urge to play The Oregon Trail. You know what I'm talking about, right? The DOS masterpiece that involved loading up a wagon, naming the doctor after your best friend, and yelling out, "Hey Rachel! You died of dysentery!" while you and your classmates sat in a darkened computer room, basking in the soft fluorescent glow of twenty CRT monitors.   Dying of dysentery is very...

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Final Fantasy 8 Diary - Entry 10

*Irvine and Brothers sources *Journal photo source, second journal source, griever sour...

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The Reaction Diaries - Dammit, Bonnie.

Sometimes, a show is made better when you love to hate on a character. -MJ and Rac...

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How to Teach Magic: the Gathering

This past Emerald City Comicon, I spent a day volunteering to teach people how to play Magic: the Gathering with the Lady Planeswalkers Society.  I've taught people how to play Magic before, but not in a convention-style environment. It was a lot of fun meeting new people and introducing them to one of my favorite games, but I realized that teaching Magic is quite different than teaching other games. Magic can seem daunting to new players,...

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So You Want to Get Into Dungeons and Dragons...

Welcome, brave adventurer! You've heard the tales, listened to other adventurers, and now your curiosity is piqued. You want to know: what is Dungeons and Dragons? Well rest your fevered brain, my friend. For I am the Good-Geek Tom, and I shall be your guide on this descent into madness and wonder. I will tell you all you need to know to get yourself started and even bestow upon you knowledge not found in any book, but from the fires of trial and error so that you may have the best time possible when rolling the die. Dungeons and Dragons, in the most basic sense, is a fantasy role-playing game played through narrative storytelling and by tabletop...

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FF8 GF Sculpt Series Video - Quezacotl

Here's the first GF portrait from Final Fantasy 8! I'm working on creating all 16 of them as a personal project, and I hope to show them in a gallery at the end of the year! -MJ P.S. Did you see the little video camera icon on the article picture and preview picture? That'll be a nice, extra indicator that there's a video waiting for you!...

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My Harry Potter Birthday Party!

My birthday was yesterday, and this year I really wanted to celebrate! Multiple parties, themed events, and general merry-making all week long. Since the actual day fell on a Thursday though, some tweaks were necessary. I informed Rachel that my deepest birthday desire was a Harry Potter party, it's what I would have seen in the Mirror of Erised, and she set to the task with alacrity. Cockroach clusters, butterbeer candies, Hermione's favorite...

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Mission Hill (or Being Poor, Awesome, and In Your Twenties)

Adult life is so damn weird. Everything changes when you stop living with your parents to strike out on your own. Being 25, I have to say that this decade especially is proving to be quite trying in terms of getting my life in order, finding my career, building a family, leaving behind my childhood, etc. Few things properly capture the feelings one has for particular age groups, but Mission Hill conveyed early-to-mid twenties perfectly.   Source! This...

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Final Fantasy 8 Diary - Entry 9

*Galbadia Garden  source *Journal photo source, second journal source, griever sourc...

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