feefafo

There's a funny alphabet thing that one of my teachers was talking about, but I can't find the whole thing anywhere. Instead of 'B for Bravo' and stuff, it was 'B for veal' (beef or veal) and 'M for sema' (emphysema). Does anyone know what I'm talking about and where I can find a whole alphabet like this?

Okay, so there's a competition at my school where we have to submit something (an essay, a presentation, a poster, etc.) about 'youth music from Scotland' (where we live...not a random country we have to research or anything). One of the suggestions is to write a poem or a song, which I found interesting. I don't listen to a lot of current music and I don't know anything about the young Scottish music scene, so I thought writing lyrics would let me be a bit more abstract about the whole thing.

The ideas I have so far for lyrics have the potential to be good, but they also have a massive risk of sounding cheesy. They're mostly about the new generation of musicians taking what they've learned from past musical cultures and creating something new, and how the musical identity of young people is not the pop that's created for them, but what they create themselves. I haven't written any specific lyrics yet, because it's supposed to be in German and I'll have to think about what phrasing works when it gets translated.

My main concern is that it'll sound completely obvious and that my thoughts will just sound scattered and messy. I'm trying to improve my songwriting, but I've never completed a song before and I don't have a lot of experience. Put a weird theme and a foreign language in the mix and I'm lost!

If you can give any advice at all, I'd love to hear it.

It's not cheating because it's revision!

So, there's a roof. The end of it looks a bit like this would if the asterisks were connected.

*

* *

We know that the angle in the bottom right is 15 degrees and that the side on the left is 0.5 metres. We're trying to find S metres (the sloping edge of the roof between the top asterisk and the bottom right asterisk).

Do I use trig to work this out? If so, how do I do it? If not, how DO I do it?

I don't want the final answer on its own. I want to be able to understand it. Otherwise, what's the point? Please help!

I have a YouTube account and I make Sims 2 movies. Sadly, I'm not getting a lot of views or comments on my videos. They aren't the best thing since sliced bread, but I still feel they should be getting more attention. I know it would be stupid to sit and moan about it, so I want to try and improve them.

http://www.youtube.com/user/feefafo

I'd really appreciate any comments, critique or advice you can give me on my videos. I'm honestly not fishing for compliments, but it doesn't mean you have to be rude!

Also, if you have any ideas about how to promote my videos without looking like the annoying, attention-starved brat I really am, I'd love to hear it.

Thanks in advance, guys!

I make art.

This ( http://feefafo.deviantart.com/ ) is my deviantART page.

I'd like to know what you - yes, YOU - think.

What do you like? What do you hate? What can I do to improve? What is your advice?

I appreciate all the help you can give. Thanks.

If you'd like me to look at your page, post a link!

There's a song that's been on a few adverts that's really catchy but I have no idea what it's called or who it's by. I think it was on a car advert a few years ago and I heard it on an advert for Watch (a TV channel in the UK) today.

The car advert had lots of toys and childish things in it (if I remember correctly). I'm sure there was lego or something in it. Can't remember what's in the TV channel ad.

I'll try and add more clues and stuff if I remember anything. Please help!

Does this video work? It says it's blocked. I can still see it, though.

You don't have to watch the whole thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpBQo-5C_Z4

I made a Sims 2 music video and put it on youtube. I was hoping to make and upload more, but just so I know, is there anything I could work on?

It's for a song called "Helpless" by Oingo Boingo. I'm not really concerned about you liking the music (although it would be fantastic if you did) - any opinions relating to the video will be nice!

You can either leave 'em on youtube (preferred), here or both - just be nice and say something!

Oh, and if you're not big on nice comments, please be polite about negative critique.

Also, unless we have similar tastes in music, I will probably not want to make a video for a song you request. Unless it's very good. I'm big on 80s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq217s2oBUE

I've got videos from the Devo performance at the Winter Olympics up there too, so check 'em out if you really have a lot of free time.

Thanks in advance!

Okay, so I got a fair bit of money for Christmas and I really, REALLY want to buy a DVD with it. However, it's a rare concert DVD (Oingo Boingo's Farewell concert) and it's around £85 from eBay (£126 from Amazon...ugh...) and, even though I'd be using my own money, my mum's against it. She wants me to keep my money for more important things (specifically clothing). I know this seems like a really expensive, frivolous purchase, but I want it so badly. How can I talk her around?

My dad understands it more, and he says I should definitely save up for it. My parents are divorced, though, so it's hard to get my dad to influence my mum about anything.

I want it so, so much. HELP!

Okay, so I was bored the other day and I was just kind of randomly searching around the Internet for something to do and I somehow stumbled upon binaural beats (http://www.i-dose.us/). They're supposed to do something to your brainwaves to make you think or feel specific things. At first, it all seemed a bit odd, even by my standards, but it actually kind of worked. I listened to the Lucid Dream one when I was doodling and I ended up with some bizarre poem about cold tea and brain rice and clouds that look like melting heads.

Have you ever tried these things? Do you believe they work or do you think people just want to believe that they do things because of the music? When I was doodling/writing, I wrote something about being in a trance of low inhibitions. I felt like I could write any old crap but it wouldn't matter because I could, like, blame it on the binaural beats. I ended up putting down anything and everything that popped into my head. Whatever it did, it worked.

I just want to hear what everyone thinks about these things. The best answer will be the most interesting answer, so no 'idk havent heard of em lol'. If you don't know what they are, go to the link and try one!

I've discovered that I quite like psychobilly and horror punk music, so I was wondering what bands you think are good. Opinions?

Oh, and I have a last.fm, so don't suggest that.

Yes, I'm asking for help with an essay, but I'm not looking for somebody to write it for me. I'm not that stupid, and I doubt anyone here is stupid enough to want to do that.

Anyway, I've got to do a personal writing essay for English at school. I really hate personal writing. I couldn't think of anything to write, so I decided that I might write about memory in general, and just kind of fit in some memories I have (or don't have and should).

Even if I could remember anything from my rather dull childhood, I can't write about these things for very long. You'll get a paragraph from me at most.

So, this memory thing...I was going to write about how, as a child, you can't really tell the difference between the important things and the trivial things. You're just as likely to remember putting on a shoe as you are to remember your first day at school. So, when you're told to write about something you remember, you end up with a big mish-mash of childhood in general which is very hard to find anything interesting in.

You know all the things you really should remember, like how you felt when you found out Santa wasn't real and what happened at your cousin's birthday party that ended up with you being in a hospital bed, but sometimes the memory just isn't there. Either that, or you just hear about all of these things you supposedly did when you were six through the magic of 'Let's-Get-All-Weepy-At-Old-Photos' time with your parents.

I've got the idea of what I want to write, but I don't know how to do it without it seeming like a big unstructured, totally irrelevant ramble.

I have a problem whenever I'm asked to get 'personal' in English...I start looking too deeply into things and start ignoring all of the obvious things that would be fine to talk about. I can't do stuff without being all 'Let's-Look-At-The-Big-Picture' either. I just can't be personal and specific.

If you managed to force yourself to read that, please help me. Just give me some direction with this. PLEASE!

Okay - I know it's early, but I was thinking of what I want for Christmas. Well, actually, I was thinking about getting a synthesizer for the band I plan to start, but I thought I could hold on until Christmas for one.

Anyway, I've been having a look around, but I can't choose one. I don't want anything too expensive, but I want something quite good. I've only got a Casio keyboard right now, and it's crap.

So...how do I choose? How much do I spend? If you could give me any information that might help me in my quest for a synthesizer, please say so. Also...what about keytars? I wouldn't mind one of those. Again, I don't know how to choose one of those, and I can't have anything too expensive.

Thanks in advance!

I listen to music all the time, and I'm always looking for different things. Most of the music I listen to is from the 80s, but I wasn't around back then (sadly), so all of the music I listen to has to be looked around for, usually through Last.fm. I still like getting suggestions from real people, though, so I thought I'd come here.

Well, I love new wave, post-punk and synthpop. If it's from the 80s, there's a good chance that I'll like it. I also quite like ska (2tone and ska punk), geek rock, comedy, avant-garde and experimental music. I've also got a thing for African beats and cool percussion.

Some bands and musicians I like are Oingo Boingo, Devo, XTC, Sparks, The B-52's, Adam Ant, Wall of Voodoo, Lemon Demon, The Campanulas, Logan Whitehurst & the Junior Science Club, Reel Big Fish, No Doubt, Weird Al, They Might Be Giants, Nuclear Bubble Wrap...there's quite a lot.

I tend to just put Last.fm on and listen to my radio stations, so there are a lot of bands that I've only heard a bit of, but I still like. I haven't listed them. There are literally hundreds. Well, at least a hundred.

I'd like to hear any suggestions you have. I'm up for most kinds of music.

My Last.fm is http://www.last.fm/user/feefafo if you want to see more stuff (you might get a better idea from that).

Thanks in advance!

I'm trying to start a band with some friends and we're thinking about covering a few songs to start out. We want to play a variety of music instead of being tied down to the same boring genres, so we're just going to cover completely random songs. We want your ideas!

Any genre, any style...anything. Go ahead!

I'm trying to write some music, but I need some help. I just want to know why you like the music you like.

Tune? Lyrics? What is it?

What is it about the tune that makes you sing it over and over? Why do you like the lyrics? Are there certain topics you like hearing songs about?

Any help you have would be greatly appreciated.

I already asked this, but I want more answers. You can't bump on Y!A. It's so annoying.

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

This is a bit of a ramble, but it has a point...I think.

Anyway, I had a friend over for a sleepover last night and we were up for hours talking about how we felt about our current age (13/14) and how depressing and suffocating school is.

Don't think we're emo or 'just hormonal' - we've got good reason.

We feel like we are being held back and we should have made something of our lives by this point. It must sound stupid - we're only teenagers - but we know that we should be contributing to society and actually being taken seriously. We feel so trapped at school. We aren't learning or being pushed. It's like having some crappy, dead-end office job when we have bigger ambitions.

We also said how we felt terribly alone (remember, we are not emo/'just hormonal') because we can't talk to people without them just stepping back and saying, "That's just weird," or, "That's a bit heavy for a Saturday night..."

We like talking about the universe and why we're here and the mind and stuff, but we don't feel like there's many people we can talk to about those things that are our age. We just feel completely cut off from everyone.

Right now, we should be out working on our masterpieces and making our mark in the world, but we can't. Our age is a really crappy one.

We talked about being an individual and non-conformist and how the world sees us...it's all quite depressing, really.

I want to be really happy with my life, and I need to be doing something with it, but I'm at a loss as to what I should be doing.

All I'm looking for is something to do. I want advice or thoughts on this in general. Don't just give it, "Everyone is like this," because they're not. People don't see teens as having the capacity for deep thought. It's horrible.

I just need some help to feel satisfied with life and myself. I don't want to feel stuck in this boring patch of life.

Yeah, the title says it. I made a few rotoscope animations today for the first time of me doing some simple movements - twisting from side to side, brushing my hair and reading a book. Not together, of course. That would be one to try.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had tips or ideas for me. I'm using Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 and Jasc Animation Shop 3. My animations are currently thick black outlines and basic, flat colour.

I'm finding that I'm very impatient and I get bored really quickly. I used to do lots of stop motion and I've also made a hobby of pixel animation. I think it's all the drawing and copying and pasting that's driving me mad. Any way to make it more fun and less of a chore?

Also, what can I animate? I just want to warm up with some easy stuff.

Thanks in advance!

I posted this earlier, but I'm posting again to see if I get more replies at a different time. Sorry if this bugs you.

Okay, I've recently been wanting to get back into writing, but I've fallen short on ideas. I've decided to look to my dreams for inspiration. Last night, I said I'd write something about whatever I had a dream about. Luckily, I remembered my dream and actually found it quite interesting. It was about a train that could alter time or the perception of time. Weirdly, it was in the middle of a safari park, in the rain, next to an Irn Bru bottling plant in Glasgow and it was raining. I left those parts out. Also, Thomas Dolby was there. I think he invented it.

My rough plot outline:

Train that alters time/perception of time

Idea came to inventor in a dream and once he finished planning it he forgets most of the dream, meaning that it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

He is denied funding and, over time, the whole thing is forgotten.

Years after the inventor’s death, a person who works with designing and building trains finds the plans in an old book and finds them interesting.

Through their influence in the field of train building, they change the design of a train that is about to be built to match the original plans.

After the train has been build, the person reveals that it had been copied from the old plans for the time altering train only to be booed at.

Everyone thinks the person is crazy except for one person who has also studied the plans.

We will now call the first person (one who build train) MC and the second person (person who was also interested) 2C for the sake of clarity.

2C asks to look at the train as they believe there was one part of the plan that didn’t make sense at all.

MC has replaced that vital part of the plan, meaning it will not work correctly.

MC and 2C insist that the train must be put back under construction, but the bosses are still not convinced that there is, or could be, anything special about the train and arrange for it to go ahead and be used normally.

As the train goes off for the first time, there is some sort of internal failure and the passengers’ perception of time speeds up so much that their time appears to be different from everyone else’s, but all clocks and watches in the world start spinning differently, making everyone wonder whether it is only their perception of time that has been changed or real time and space.

This could end terribly if it goes unfixed, so MC and 2C are on a mission to stop the train before it’s too late.

The whole kind of ‘moral’ of the story is that there are some things that are beyond understanding. The story also explores the concept of dreams and perception of reality.

I'm 13, by the way. Normally that changes (or verifies) what a person thinks when they read ideas or stories.

I'm looking for any help I can get. When you remember a dream, it fades away really quickly and stops making sense. I don't know if this idea is good or not because I'm not that long awake.

Be harsh if you want to be. I might get defensive, but I understand you mean well.

Oh, and DON'T STEAL MY IDEA!

Okay, I've recently been wanting to get back into writing, but I've fallen short on ideas. I've decided to look to my dreams for inspiration. Last night, I said I'd write something about whatever I had a dream about. Luckily, I remembered my dream and actually found it quite interesting. It was about a train that could alter time or the perception of time. Weirdly, it was in the middle of a safari park, in the rain, next to an Irn Bru bottling plant in Glasgow and it was raining. I left those parts out. Also, Thomas Dolby was there. I think he invented it.

My rough plot outline:

Train that alters time/perception of time

Idea came to inventor in a dream and once he finished planning it he forgets most of the dream, meaning that it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

He is denied funding and, over time, the whole thing is forgotten.

Years after the inventor’s death, a person who works with designing and building trains finds the plans in an old book and finds them interesting.

Through their influence in the field of train building, they change the design of a train that is about to be built to match the original plans.

After the train has been build, the person reveals that it had been copied from the old plans for the time altering train only to be booed at.

Everyone thinks the person is crazy except for one person who has also studied the plans.

We will now call the first person (one who build train) MC and the second person (person who was also interested) 2C for the sake of clarity.

2C asks to look at the train as they believe there was one part of the plan that didn’t make sense at all.

MC has replaced that vital part of the plan, meaning it will not work correctly.

MC and 2C insist that the train must be put back under construction, but the bosses are still not convinced that there is, or could be, anything special about the train and arrange for it to go ahead and be used normally.

As the train goes off for the first time, there is some sort of internal failure and the passengers’ perception of time speeds up so much that their time appears to be different from everyone else’s, but all clocks and watches in the world start spinning differently, making everyone wonder whether it is only their perception of time that has been changed or real time and space.

This could end terribly if it goes unfixed, so MC and 2C are on a mission to stop the train before it’s too late.

The whole kind of ‘moral’ of the story is that there are some things that are beyond understanding. The story also explores the concept of dreams and perception of reality.

I'm 13, by the way. Normally that changes (or verifies) what a person thinks when they read ideas or stories.

I'm looking for any help I can get. When you remember a dream, it fades away really quickly and stops making sense. I don't know if this idea is good or not because I'm not that long awake.

Be harsh if you want to be. I might get defensive, but I understand you mean well.

Oh, and DON'T STEAL MY IDEA!