Basic Supplementation for Dummies

In my dark lurkings across bodybuilding forums, I have noticed a disturbing trend among new posters – a complete lack of understanding regarding effective supplement usage. Thanks to various influences, people are beginning bodybuilding and thinking they have to use X or Y product with so many churros at a particular time of the day in order to make any kind of progress. With all the good information scattered amongst the weeds, the confusion is understandable. With this posting, I hope to consolidate some of the good information in a very basic way that beginners can understand and use as a foundation for more advanced supplementation further down the road. So, let’s begin with the fundamental question:

Do I Need to Use Supplements?

No. You don’t need to. Ever. Your nutrition and training are going to be THE major contributors to your success. Supplements can add a bit of an edge, but are largely worthless if your diet and training aren’t solid. So before you begin supplement use, I recommend checking out the stickied threads (the titles start with “Sticky”) for each of these sections:

Nutrition: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13

Workout:  http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Exercise: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9

Yes, it’s a lot to read. Yes, you’re going to take a while to firmly understand all of it. Yes, I expect you to stop reading this until you know the above threads like the back of your hand and have been making consistent progress for months. So go on. This will still be here when you’re ready.

So, if you’ve come to this paragraph, I’m hoping you’re somewhat more swole than you used to be, and have that meal timing notion out of your head (oh, so you didn’t read the stickies? Go back and read them noob). So with that, let’s move on to

The Staples

Protein – Since you’ve read the stickies (I will strike the fear of God into you if you haven’t), I’m sure you’re meeting your protein goals already. Maybe you’re using protein powder. Maybe not. You don’t have to change what you’re doing either way (as long as most of your protein is still from food). Protein powder merely adds a level of convenience if you don’t always have the time or means to cook. Your gains will be the same whether you get the crap from Wal-Mart, or you get something amazing like XF Ultra Peptide 2.0 (oh no, fat content…I’m going off IIFYM here).  So, just get something you like the taste and texture of. I personally like Myofusion and UP 2.0. Whatever floats your boat here.

Multivitamin – I’m not going into the specifics of vitamin forms here. You can read about that here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=133086553&highlight=vitamin+forms If you read through that, you can ascertain that some vitamins are just plain crap. I’ll keep it simple here and give you my recommendations. On a budget, I like Life Force by Source Naturals. For a higher income bracket, Orange Triad (the joint and digestive complexes are nice additions). If you’re Money McRichBags, you can grab Ortho Core. Ortho Core is like a nice shiny Ferrari. But I digress.

Some things to note: Make sure there is no added iron, unless you’re a woman or a vegetarian. And if your urine turns neon yellow, it’s fine. It’s from the B vitamins. You aren’t dying. Maybe.

Fish Oil –I’m sure you’ve read a million forwarded emails saying fish oil is awesome. Yea, it is. But make sure you aren’t using crap. What you want to worry about is the EPA/DHA content. You want anywhere between 2-3 grams COMBINED of EPA/DHA daily. You’ll get a good concentration of this from Now Ultra Omega 3 (great on a budget), or Controlled Labs Oximega (the coating reduces fish burps).

Creatine – Don’t tell your mom I’m recommending steroid. No, seriously, don’t. Creatine isn’t a steroid, and you shouldn’t expect results from it as though it were. In short, creatine increases ATP production and water retention WITHIN THE MUSCLE CELL. A lot of people get scared of water retention, but it’s not going to make you look fat here. It will make the muscle larger. Who doesn’t want that? But what kind should you take? Creatine monohydrate. Get it from Allmax, Optimum Nutrition, whatever sells pure creatine mono in bulk at a cheap price (make sure the source is Creapure for quality).

Once you have that, take 5 grams every day, whenever you want, for a month. After about a month, you’ll be saturated and can take it just on workout days. You don’t need to take it with carbs or anything (although my stomach hates me when I take it without food). Saturation is saturation. You have creatine in you once you’re saturated. Dextrose isn’t going to help you maintain what you already have.

As far as loading, that’s also unnecessary. The creatine won’t be any more effective, you’ll run out sooner, and you’ll experience that bloating that people hate so much.

Now, you’ll see other creatine forms out there. Some are fine. Some are crap. Don’t buy into them right now. Any reported increase in effectiveness is probably not worth it when you’re spending a lot more money for MONTHS less of product. Don’t worry about it at the moment.

Preworkout – This is as “advanced” as I’m taking my recommendations here. There are a ridiculous amount of preworkouts on the market with a whole mixed bag of ingredients. I’m not interested in controversy (in this post, I’ll do it elsewhere), so I’ll just give my recommendations here. This is merely what I have used. I know there are a lot of things I haven’t used or am about to try.

Stimulant based – Coffee (seriously), White Flood (new formula), Superpump Max, SAN Fierce (have yet to try, but the feedback is too good to leave out).

Stim Free – Pump Bol, MAN Clout, Agmatine Sulfate

Every time you finish a bottle of a stimulant based pre (or are drinking multiple cups of coffee), I recommend stopping ALL stimulant use. Coffee, tea, soda, preworkout, caffeine pills, whatever. For 3 weeks or so. Take a stim free pre or nothing at all. Whatever. When you come back to stimulants, you’ll need a lot less than you left off at.

Water – I can’t stress the importance of this (especially if you take creatine). Get AT LEAST one gallon of water per day. If you constantly sip water throughout the day, it actually ends up being pretty easy. I manage to drink over half a gallon during a workout alone. Your body cannot perform basic metabolic processes without this. And in my experience, stimulants (and everything else) are far more effective with adequate water intake.

So this concludes my not so little post. I hope you’ve come out of this with a lot more knowledge and less of a hit on your wallet. If you’ve followed the linked threads before following my supplement advice, you’ll do very well. Never forget the basics, and keep pressing on toward the goal.

Reconciling Bodybuilding With God

Of all the sports in the world, bodybuilding is likely the most self-centered, egotistical of all. Nowhere else do you find men (and women) flexing their muscles on stage in a speedo for a day. And yet, the sport can still be used to glorify God. Brandon, have you gone completely off the deep end? Quite possibly, italicized representation of my audience, but allow me to present my case.

First, it’s important to understand the motivational factor for bodybuilders in general (this is going to take awhile – Christian specific content will come, trust me). Ladies, I’m not in your head, so this is specifically in regards to male bodybuilders. For many of us, our initial motivator is for attention from women. And it certainly does work for that purpose. But there is a point of diminishing returns. There comes a point when a larger physique doesn’t bring much more attention, and this where many “bodybuilders” remain content and stagnant. But to bring it to a competitive level requires a change in the motivational factor and a mental hardness that doesn’t come about from working for the ladies. Especially in untested organizations where steroids are rampant and physiques become less desirable to most women. Competitive level bodybuilders are in the gym most days of the week, track nutrients enough to make the most obsessive compulsive people jealous, and become egregiously tired and moody from the level of dieting required for a single day’s worth of posing. I’ve heard it said that bodybuilding requires a mental drive greater than that of the Marines, coming from the mouth of a Marine. I still take this statement with a grain of salt, but the point remains. The sheer amount of dedication involved is not worth it if you’re only thinking of women.

So why DO we do it? For many, I would say ego still plays a role. It’s a competitive sport. Bodybuilders are always striving to become better than the competition and even ourselves. But ego isn’t all of it. Have you ever done something that you simply love, whether you can explain it or not? For some, it’s the calm of casting a line into the lake, followed by the excitement of reeling in a big fish (or a snag, as I tend to do most of the time). For others, it’s the feel of driving a tiny white ball across a field to a tiny hole in the ground. For those of us who bodybuild, we love to “pick things up and put them down.” The gym is a sanctuary where none of the crap from our daily lives has to bring us down (unless you have your phone with you…you know who you are). Throwing around heavy chunks of iron does wonders for stress relief and is just plain fun. We step on stage because it’s a natural thing to show off the results of a sport we simply love to do anyway. If these competitions didn’t exist, I assure you that many competitors would still be hitting the gym and making the less dedicated patrons uneasy. The stage just allows us to combine our love of the gym with our desire for a competitive outlet. It’s like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made out of iron and biceps.

But how do we reconcile that with God? I can’t speak for all bodybuilders, even Christian ones, but my experience may be able to lend some insight. Let’s go back to the idea of the gym as a sanctuary. When I get in that gym, I can shut off all ties to the outside world. Any pent up aggression gets transferred into those weights and does wonders for maintaining a calm demeanor outside the gym. This is vital for reflecting God’s glory. It’s impossible to be an effective witness for God when you constantly snap at people. Be it lifting weights or knitting, it’s important to find an outlet for negative emotion so your interaction with others becomes more like Christ’s. Of course, He isn’t some passive aggressive ninny, but that’s a discussion for a later post.

And what about competition? Surely, I must be off my rocker if I think winning a “pose off” brings glory to God. Barring the fact that my chair does not rock (never mind, I just discovered it does), it depends on how you handle the competition. Of course many get on stage to say “hey, look at me”, but others do it for different reasons. Some hope to be an inspiration for others, saying that you “can do all things through Christ who give me strength.” Even Ronnie Coleman, who many argue is the greatest bodybuilder in history, thanks Jesus Christ whenever he is named Mr. Olympia. Mentioning Christ to thousands of people when awarded the greatest honor in the sport can have a powerful effect. Still others may be showing off the wonders of the human body which God has made. This one personally rings true for me. Through bodybuilding, I am always learning new things about the human body that never cease to amaze me. The level of complexity is astounding and could not have happened by chance.

Now let’s look at another aspect of bodybuilding – community. Any group of like-minded individuals is going to create a community (sounds like the Church, eh?). In this case, it’s a common love for lifting weights and competing (competition tends to be a driving force for many male-dominated communities).  Major bodybuilding competitions and events like the Arnold Expo bring in a lot of people with the same interests. This is a ripe field for proclaiming Christ. It is (relatively) easy to proclaim Christ through word and action to people that have similar interests. People are going to wonder how you can compete and still place Christ at the center of your life. The humility that comes from Christ is going to be of interest to people when contrasted by the typical egotism of the sport. Compare that to handing out gospel tracts on the street, or trying to reflect Christ in a sewing circle while having no interest in sewing. It doesn’t work so well (especially those gospel tracts…).

I hope this article has clarified an often misunderstood sport, at least in regards to the Christians involved in it. I pray that, whatever you do, that you’ll take this and apply it to your own life. Are you glorifying God with whatever takes up the majority of your time? Is there a niche God has called you to, and how can you proclaim Christ in that niche? “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Enclosed: An Insignificant Cultural Rant

When you put 1000 students, mostly males, in a university that advertises to the appeals of nerdom, you get a pretty specific focus of culture. Before I continue, I must make it clear that I am not referring to geeks. Geeks are an umbrella term that can fit anyone with an intelligent passion for something. You can be a book geek, a movie geek, even a bodybuilding geek. If you have a pursuit of knowledge in pretty much anything, you're probably a geek. Nerds, on the other hand, are a particular subset of geek. They tend to be more focused on the technological side of things (which is a good thing), but have an overwhelming lack of social aptitude.  I should also clarify that if you are reading this, you are likely not the subject of this rant. Unless my blog suddenly blossoms in popularity outside my Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

Although the University of Advancing Technology advertises with the heavy use of the term "geek", the social misconception of the term has ushered in a cornucopia of nerds into the school. Few have any real passion for their education. They are merely the outcasts of society and chose a school that is filled with similar outcasts. This is great for the students, as they can finally fit in with a large number of peers. Unfortunately, their education goes to the back burner. 

The main draw for the school is the video game related degrees. The majority of students that come in are video game nerds, and think making video games would be "cool." Playing video games are fun, why wouldn't making them be? In my time as a game artist, I have to agree. Making games is fun. But it's not the illusionary happy fun time most students expect. Making video games requires work. You need to forfeit free time in order to better your craft and be worth a damn in the industry. The bare minimum class work isn't going to cut it, nor should it. The industry doesn't want people that need their hand held in their jobs. But these kids, as they shall forever remain in my mind, don't seem to get this. They devote an egregious amount of time with video games, oftentimes sacrificing the already small amount of work they have to do. Their emphasis on gaming tends to drop their grades to unsustainable levels. Many are forced to drop after a semester or two, and are quickly replaced by other unproductive members of society.

Amongst those who are in the last half or so of their tenure at UAT, there are very few who fit the above ineptitude. These are the ones I have befriended, the ones who strive to be better than they think they can attain. They don’t settle for the minimum, they don’t give in to the status quo. They put their all into improving their craft and themselves, losing much sleep and sanity in the process. My friends in the university are the ones who will be receiving emails praising (or bashing) their work. Many of them will speak in front of thousands at GDC and other such conferences. I can think of a few who will be presenting at the Arizona TedX very soon. They are the shining stars of a school that is otherwise decrepit and the victim of a simple choice of diction in a marketing campaign. Fortunately, they are the majority who will be granted degrees. UAT may soon gain respect in the industries it pushes graduates toward, at the hands of those who give a damn.  

Warning: Bible Content. In Which I Say Things Relating to the Bible.

After my gym sessions, I like to listen to some smooth jazz (I can't listen to metal all the time). This gets interrupted every so often by texts or Twitter updates . Last night, one such tweet was from John Piper, as they often are. I typically read them, set my mind on Christ for a minute, and resume the music.  If it's a link, I have a bad habit of not reading the material (I'm sorry John). I was compelled this time (read: actually listened to the Spirit) to click on what Pastor John had posted. The link brought me to a meditation he had given in 2007 "about what it means to bank on Christ." If you have 15 minutes of time to listen to it, I strongly recommend you do so. If you don't, I suggest you make the time.


What primarily stuck out to me were Romans 1:20-21, 32. "20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened...32and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them" (NASB). 


In the full context of Romans 1:18-32, it is clearly evident that Paul is referring to those who do not believe in God. John Piper takes this one step further, applying it even to those who believe. If you take a moment to carefully examine your heart, you know very well it's an accurate assessment, particularly verse 32. We are constantly ignoring God and approving the actions of this world. You do it, I do it, and I'm willing to wager John Piper does it. And we do it every day. 


But first, let's examine our inward selves, "for out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." In verse 21 we read "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks." We'll make it easy and just think about today. I'll take it for granted that you gave thanks for the food God has given you today. You probably even gave thanks for the air you breathe. But think harder. Did you thank Him for the abnormally short line at Starbucks today? Or, as may be the case, the egregiously long line? Neither did I (I didn't go to Starbucks today, but I digress). Now let me be clear. I am not suggesting that every breath, every bite of food, or every whatever you want is cause for stopping and praying "God, thank you for this blah blah blah." We would never be able to do anything else. But too often we take positive events for granted, and the seemingly negative events affect our hearts too, well, negatively. In each of these situations, God has some kind of plan. That long line at Starbucks may have kept you from having the time to buy that donut you know you shouldn't have. It may not even be for your sake. Maybe the bloke behind you won't be having that donut now. And we both know he doesn't need it. So if you ever remember that you're forgetting God (hello paradox, my old friend), take some time to thank Him for whatever He may be doing that you may not perceive.


Now that we've taken some time to thank God (go on if you haven't, I'll wait), we'll take a look at verse 32. "And although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." Prior to this, Paul gives a lengthy list of what "such things" are (Paul loves lists). At the beginning of verse 29, Paul gives a general criteria for the list, "being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil." It doesn't require very much thought to realize this covers all of sin. If you've noticed, we still commit sin fairly often. And we most assuredly "know the ordinance of God." Thank God He did that whole dying for our sins thing, eh? 


Now let's go further. Paul states that not only do we sin, "but also give hearty approval to those who practice them [sins]." Every time we swear with our friends, or laugh at that raunchy joke, we are not only sinning in our own heart, but we are encouraging the sins of others. If the group is full of Christian brothers and sisters, we're adding to a heaping pile of stumbling blocks. If it's a group of unbelievers, we are hiding our light from the world. The very light which Christ calls us to shine. The commission to confess God to the world is put on the back burner. We are confessing the world itself. We are taking on the yoke of an unbelieving world. This is in direct defiance to Christ, who says to "take My yoke upon you." We are burdening ourselves with what the world desires, what the world finds hilarious. We must instead burden ourselves with Christ. We worry ourselves too much with making the Gospel "attractive" that we neglect to display the Gospel at all. There is a medium between "why did the chicken go to church" and "your mom" (unless your mom brought some chicken feed). Between contemporary Christian music (which I can't stand, but I digress) and sacrificing a goat on stage. We must show by our lives, by our actions, by our words, that we do not live by this world; we live in it. 


So as we go about our days, we must always strive to focus our minds on Christ. In our heart of hearts, we must have a spirit of thankfulness so we may let our lights shine outward, "that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." May the peace of God be with you. 

Of the Business Ramifications of Babies

I have more RSS feeds set up than any respectable human being probably should have. Some have more fruitful content than others, such as Fortune’s Management and Career feed. When I saw the notification for a new article in this feed, I got excited (I was also ridiculously bored before this, but I digress). The article, “Flexible jobs = happy worker bees?” by Katherine Reynolds Lewis, did not disappoint my ravenous desire for out of the box business thinking. However, I can’t help but have some disagreement with the presented flexibility. Most of the ideas could work very well, save for service industries, but one particular idea doesn’t seem like it would quite mesh in almost any environment: bringing your baby to work.

The idea certainly seems to work at Menlo Innovations, but there are some abnormal factors colluding to allow this. Of note is the large open space that employees work in. The space provides an openness and hum of background noise that welcomes a baby’s cry with relatively minimal addition to overall sound levels. The employees seem to be very accommodating as well, caring for another’s child willingly. I can’t help but think the article’s tone is such that any adversity to the child would be omitted, but for the sake of argument, I’ll take it for what it says.

In most other environments, on the other hand, a baby (or in a worst case scenario, babies), could prove very problematic. Many offices have little open space, and generally have a quieter atmosphere. A sudden cry can be very jarring and horribly distracting. If a given worker is deep into a stressful project, the child could compound this stress to the breaking point. This applies to both the parent and the myriad of coworkers who are unwillingly subject to this new distraction. Sure, employees could bring headphones, but it can be a lofty investment to purchase a pair that would properly eliminate the noise. And why should so many workers be forced to accommodate the needs of one?

In the typical office environment, there are already too many distractions, often in the form of internet services. There is a growing trend of allowing workers to invest certain amounts of time with these distractions, and there is supporting evidence that this actually improves productivity. But there comes a point where it becomes too much. . You have workers distracted by Facebook, Twitter, Peggle, and now babies. For most, the baby is an involuntary, stressful pull from productivity. For those more positively inclined to the baby, it becomes a distraction of a different sort. Whereas Facebook and other such services are more of a personal distraction, a child distracts everyone in range. The few that love the baby may certainly be more productive. But the majority who may be less tolerant will be far less productive.

In such a situation, I would be much more inclined to provide paternity leave and hire a temporary contractor to fill the position in the meantime. This can be a costly measure, but would be far more beneficial to my employees’ collective sanity in the meantime. I find this to be an agreeable compromise. Food for thought.  

Transitioning to a Larger University

My first semester as a business student at ASU is almost over, and I feel I have made more progress than my years as a game art major at UAT. My education at UAT was decent, but the mannerisms of the students and the lack of a serious fine arts backing led to a desire for change. And so I began my transfer to ASU.  I have already mentioned in a previous post my switch from a Fine Arts degree at ASU to a Business Management degree. So far, I have not regretted the decision. I feel more at place and certainly more passionate about this than almost anything I've done in life. In my short time at ASU, I have already noticed some key advantages, aside from the change in major.

1. The Culture


As I began writing this section, I quickly created a fairly lengthy rant. For the interest of readers (and my own sanity), I will craft that monologue into a separate post. I will make the point here more concise.

There are a little over 1000 students at UAT, most of them male. These students tend to spend a ridiculous amount of time with video games, and have a common trend of social awkwardness. Education takes a backseat to unproductive games. I am not saying video games are inherently evil, but anything that means so little to progress needs to be done in moderation. The social ineptitude of the students is particularly troublesome for the women that attend, who number less than 100 the last time I checked. During the orientation weeks, the new girls are followed by anywhere between 5 and 20 nerds that have no idea how to talk to a girl. The girls are pretty much stalked to various degrees. Some of them love the attention, and others are genuinely uneasy. Of course, there are a good number of awesome people in the upper classes, but I personally could not remain in a school with such a high density of "creepers."

The last figures I saw for ASU numbered the population somewhere for 50,000 with a roughly 50/50 split in the male/female ratio. The university offers a broad range of academic pursuits, and does not specifically target any particular social group. This brings a great diversity of cultures that makes the school rich with social knowledge. With ASU's academic reputation, you also tend to get students that take their education a bit more seriously. Of course, people will often place immediate gratification over the long run. Combined with the ease of high school, you get a good deal of students that party too much and sacrifice their grades. The difference here is, the students tend to pick up their grades over time, something I rarely noticed at UAT.

2. Class Structure


I can not speak for every class at ASU, but a good deal of them are lecture-based classes that can seat hundreds of students. The maximum I ever saw at UAT was maybe 30 students, but most were around 15. With UAT, you tend to get more personalized care from the professor. This is it's greatest strength, but one of it's greatest weaknesses. I noticed that many classes would scale back the difficulty to the ability of the laziest students. This cheats everyone. The greatest students have no incentive to hone their skills in class. The worst get through with a degree if they did the bare minimum work they were given, but are complacent and have no chance at a job in their chosen field. They are useless.

This does not exist in the lecture-based class. The lazy students have no interaction with the professor. Only the ambitious approach the professor, avoiding any undue influence by the students that refuse to succeed. If you want to pass the class, you have to do your work. In the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU, you have to be damn good at your work. The economy is unforgiving to those who don't know what they are doing. That's the government's job, but I digress. Only the strong survive here.

Despite the large number of students in a single class, the professors are still approachable. Each of them have office hours for the students to come in and pick their brains. Aside from this, they have students assistants that are capable of helping reinforce their material outside the classroom. For the students with a drive for their future, the resources are available to accelerate that drive.

3. Workload


In high school, the bulk of my classes were AP courses. As much as I tried to get away with not studying, I still had to do it in order to pass the classes, let alone the AP tests at the end. At UAT, my studying took a roaring halt. With the aforementioned decrease in difficulty, I could easily slide through most of my classes. At ASU, I do not have this illusionary luxury. For every test I have had to take, I have had to study for. While the concepts make sense to me, I still need to ingrain them into my head. I need to work harder than I ever have in order to get my degree. From this, I am going to come out of the university knowing what I'm doing, and will have the ability to apply it to my career. At UAT, I saw far too many students that could slide through with a degree but nothing to show for it. I could see an artist graduate but somehow have no portfolio of work. If you don't have a portfolio, you can't be an artist. UAT is essentially a degree mill for many of its majors. Degrees from ASU actually mean something.


Any university will be what you make of it, but some things can make it more substantial. I got a lot out of UAT. I would not trade the experiences or the friendships I made for the world. But these last few months have been a greater educational journey than any I have had before. In my next post, I plan to expand on the cultural nuances of UAT that were the overall tipping point for my exit from the university.

Cultural Commando

Very little introduction is necessary for Arnold Schwarzenegger. The mere mention of his difficult name will encourage a frenzy of movie quotes mimicking his iconic accent. For bodybuilders, it will also bring compliments on his physique and the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron. Californians will envision their former governor, and metal enthusiasts will bang their heads to the tribute bands Austrian Death Machine and ArnoCorps. Arnold has had a major effect on many aspects of culture, and is arguable the most influential celebrity in America.

Arnold’s most obvious influence has been in the action movie genre. According to IMDB, Arnold has appeared in 41 films, and is rumored to make an appearance in the upcoming sequel to The Expendables. If you were to sit in the theater during the premier of the first movie’s trailer, you would likely here the joyous shouts of many men as Arnold appeared on screen. This is excitement stemmed from his extensive career in the movie industry. His first film was the laughably terrible Hercules in New York in 1969. His big break came in the 1982 film Conan the Barbarian, but his most well known role has been in the Terminator series. Since the first film’s release, it has spawned three sequels with more rumored to come, a slew of video games, and an abundance of toys. While his appearance in the movies is an obvious explanation to their success, Arnold made a major alteration to the first film that is likely the underlying cause. Originally, James Cameron had wanted Arnold to play as the protagonist Kyle Reese. Arnold requested the role of the Machine instead, much to the chagrin of Cameron. Arnold’s reply was to “trust me,” and history was made. The Terminator series also saw the introduction of his most quoted line, “I’ll be back,” which has been used in many of his films since. The film Last Action Hero even poked fun at his expected use of the phrase. It could be argued, however, that Arnold is not the largest influence on the film industry. Sylvester Stallone has acted in an mind-blowing 58 films and directed, wrote, and produced numerous others, including The Expendables. Sylvester Stallone invokes renditions of “Eye of the Tiger,” visions of .50 cal machine guns mowing down Vietnamese with boxing gloves, and cries of “Adrian!” While Stallone’s fame is hard to ignore, it is harder to quantify. Sure, he starred in and created more films, but how many of them are well known? The Rocky and Rambo series are his major hitters. Arnold can claim Conan, The Terminator, Total Recall, Kindergarten Cop, and many others. Arnold shows a greater, if only slightly, influence on the industry.

A great factor in Arnold’s movie career has been his gigantic physique. Since 1970, he has won five Mr. Universe titles and seven Mr. Olympia titles. However, many considered bodybuilding to be an “oddball sport.” It was not until the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron that bodybuilding became so popular. Between some of the film’s staged scenes and Arnold’s witticisms, bodybuilding took off as an accepted lifestyle choice. Bodybuilding remains vastly popular today (though the proper science thereof is lost on most). In the words of Andrew Sullivan, Arnold “did a deeply American thing: he took a bohemian subculture and infused it with the hard-edged, competitive ethos of capitalism. He has played the popular culture with unerring skill ever since.” Amongst the bodybuilding culture, one scene of the film in particular has stuck, despite its exaggeration. In an interview in the film, Arnold equates the pump acquired the gym with an orgasm. While Arnold states in a later commentary that he was joking to sensationalize the film, many bodybuilders believe he was serious about the claim. Arnold’s presence in the film certainly embedded the documentary in the minds of many.

Schwarzenegger rocking a barbell curl and bert-stared by a scrawny man.

In a temporary retirement from acting, Arnold served as the Governor of California from 2003 to 2011. Many Americans fail to follow state elections across the United States, let alone for their own state. The 2003 elections, however, were widely televised, due to Arnold’s monumental celebrity status. As the 2003 elections were a recall of former Governor Gray Davis, many have dubbed the event as a “Total Recall” in honor of one of Arnold’s films. Arnold’s status made him better known to the people than many candidates, helping to contribute to a grassroots trend of campaigning, in which the people feel a more personal connection to a candidate. Arnold’s campaign signs never called for people to vote for him, but to “join” him, harboring a strong sense of group cause. Of course, Arnold is not the only actor to turn politician. In fact, he isn’t even the most influential. Before his tenure as the 40^th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan enjoyed his own stint as an actor. While Reagan did not hold the same level of notoriety in film as the Governator, he certainly had a greater influence on the United States and the world in the political realm.

With Arnold’s extensive influence in multiple fields, it should come as no surprise that he has inspired music, as well. Currently, there are at least two metal-based bands created in tribute to the behemoth: ArnoCorps and Austrian Death Machine. ArnoCorps does not openly admit their dedication to Arnold, preferring to claim such songs as “Terminator” and “Commando” are in homage to Austrian lore, which have been “bastardized for cinematic exploitation in big-budget Hollywood blockbuster.” Between the song titles, the Austrian decent of the band, and the truncated use of Arnold’s name in the name of their band, it is obvious who their inspiration truly is. Austrian Death Machine is the side project of Tim Lambesis, front man for the very popular Christian metal band As I Lay Dying. Lambesis says the inspiration came from a discussion backstage regarding how great it would be to have fans rush the stage to sing Arnold’s one-liners. This obviously made an impression on the singer, as he began writing songs a year later for what became the album Total Brutal. The songs consist of Arnold quotes screamed by Lambesis and spoken by an Arnold impersonator. While Arnold’s movies are the main subject matter, Lambesis recognizes his other roles as well. The intro to Total Brutal is presented by “the Govenator, also known as the gummy bear of Candy Cornia…Mr. Universe, and the greatest actor in the world.” Since then, there has been one additional album release, Double Brutal, and a Christmas EP, A Very Brutal Christmas. No other actor can say they have inspired two successful bands, let alone have the material for multiple albums consisting almost entirely of their one-liners.

Arnold Schwarzenegger had clearly had a great influence on American culture in many ways. He has been a world-renowned actor and a musical inspiration. He is largely responsible for the popularity of bodybuilding, a sport that many had previously shunned. His most recent foray has been into the world of politics as the Governor of California. While he is certainly not the most influential celebrity in the political realm, his significant contribution to politics, music, fitness, and film add up to a level of cultural influence that few but religious figures can claim. For Arnold, the greatest things in life are to crush your political enemies under your feet, to take their ticket money and their bodies, and to hear the lamentation of their music.

New Direction in Life

As I lay in bed one night, trying to sleep, an epiphany beat me in the face (all my epiphanies tend to do so at the same time and in the same manner). I realized that I am most likely not pursuing God's will for me in the art path, but I should instead pursue business. Now, I did not immediately jump into it; in fact, I was loathe to completely change what I had spent my last few years doing. But upon further prayer and reflection of my life and mannerisms, I feel God is definitely pushing me in the direction of business. The reasons are as follows:

1. I don't really spend much, if any, of my free time on art pursuits. Art is something that, typically, requires metric crap tons of time to become phenomenal. Alongside that, a great artist is passionate about his work to the point that it is a natural past time. Over the years, I have increased my artistic abilities through classwork, but never developed that overwhelming desire to create art from my own whims.

2. I have always been fascinated by the inner workings of businesses. I very much love and (on occasion) idealize the structures found in successful companies. For me, it's to the point that I naturally try to defend a corporation when any shady practices are reported. I do delve further into the reports, though, and often find the business is in the wrong. I haven't begun to sprout horns and a tail quite yet.

3. I am a natural leader. This doesn't mean I'm a GREAT leader quite yet. That's going to take experience and a drive to better myself. But I tend to take charge, or be put in charge, of situations/groups/employees. Leadership is something I've apparently had for quite some time, but I never saw in myself until a few years ago. During middle school, my teachers held an unofficial awards ceremony for the students. They decided to award me with the "Future CEO of a Fortune 500 Company" award. I took it with grace, but never once considered at the time that it was something I may actually want to do.

With those reasons, I do believe God has me doing this for some reason or another. But I could be wrong altogether. Who knows? I'm only human.

I still have this thing?

I never really forgot about the blog, I just always forgot to post in it when I had time to. But now that I have time, I guess an update is in order. And not only that, but I actually have some art!

First of all, I've been working on a ecological-awareness game called Tellus as an environment artist. It's still a work in progress, but it was one of two projects chosen by UAT for a sponsorship to GDC. I am very excited for that opportunity. I have no idea what I'm allowed to disclose art-wise, however. So I will refrain from that for now.

I also have a project or two to show off for a texturing course I took this semester. The first is an M1 Abrams tank. The instructor provided the model, and we textured it. This one was a lot of fun to do.

For the final, we had to create an environment in Unity and texture said environment. Most of my texture work was to find photos and make them seamless. Unity is a great engine, and I love working with it.

SIP Inquiry

So, after sending off an inquiry as to the usefulness of my school's SIP for landing a job in the video game industry (art-wise), I finally got a response from the president of brokenbulb game studios, Jason Moore. This is the conversation:

Me:

Dear Jason Moore,

My name is Brandon Gilmore. I met you last night at the IGDA Phoenix meeting (your speech was great). I am currently attending UAT in pursuit of a degree in video game modeling, specifically focusing on 3d environment art.

I am asking for your opinion on something which I will describe to the best of my ability herein:

My school has recently implemented something it calls SIP (Senior Innovation Project). This consists of about 4 classes that guide a student through the process of designing, and possibly creating, an innovative project. All students must come up with something (preferably in their field of study) to innovate upon. And this is for each individual. Let’s say a group has an innovative idea for a video game. The designer can claim his innovative design. The programmer may come up with some new AI method or what have you. The artist, under the innovation requirements, is kind of out of luck there.

This is a graduation requirement for all students of the University. The graduation requirement was once a portfolio, but it is my understanding that said requirement is being phased out, with this SIP replacing it (they currently co-exist, but soon may not).

Some concerns students have with the SIP is that it requires an extensive amount of time, time that could normally be spent on creating a passable portfolio. So much time, in fact, that many students are having to create lackluster portfolios during school so they can get the SIP requirement done for graduation.

Another concern with this SIP is that some majors are more able to do this than others. As stated before, a programmer could easily work their innovation into a portfolio. However, for a 3d modeler, it is my understanding portfolio implementation is quite a bit more difficult, if not impossible. From what I have learned through CGI communities such as Polycount and CGSociety, the hiring process for a 3d artist involves a quick scan of the portfolio and resume, followed by the interview. The users on those communities that are involved in hiring processes for gaming companies are very quick to tell posters what should and should not be in a portfolio. Based on these recommendations, I do not see any innovative project being acceptable, as simply creating a new character or prop does not fall under my school’s idea of an innovation. As I understand, 3d artists are slaves to our tools. Any innovation in the tools requires a programming skillset. That would not make me a programmer, not an artist. While I, personally, can learn these concepts, not many artists can, and definitely not in the time span of college.

So I ask, do you feel there is any use for this SIP project in the video game industry, specifically for 3d artists such as what I aspire to be? Do you see this being considered whatsoever in the hiring process? Are any of my concerns valid? Finally, what perceptions am I in error about? Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Brandon C Gilmore

P.S.: I understand that your company does not do too much work in 3d art, but any opinion you may have on the matter would prove valuable. Or if you know of any artists that might be able to answer the questions, as well.

Reply:

Brandon,

Thanks for the email. Your email is very well thought out and I can see that you are quite an intelligent person approaching this disagreeable SIP with an eye towards understanding it better. Well done.

First and foremost, as you already alluded to, I am not currently in the 3d world when it comes to hiring. So everything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, we work a ton with art, and obviously are in the exact same field of gaming.

My first impression of the SIP program, as a local gaming business owner, is that it is a fantastic program. My impression as a student I'm sure could be different. See, as a business owner, I'm not interested in hiring everyone with a graphic degree. I'm interested in hiring the best someone for the job. That means that I want someone who has done something above and beyond what everyone else in the field has done and can do.

Don't get me wrong, art is art, and I want to hire someone who shows me the best art. But the truth is that there are many qualified people in the grouping of "best level of art" and when it comes time to pick someone out of that group, I'm going to look for someone who shows me something special.

The fact of the matter is that it is precisely BECAUSE of the incredible challenge to innovate in an Art program that makes succeeding so special. Not everyone can do it. It seems like an almost unfair task to be placed on every student. But again, I don't care. I'm not looking for every student, I'm looking for THAT student. And this challenge gives every student a chance to BE that special talent.

As for the time that it takes to perform a SIP getting in the way of a portfolio, I have to say I'm skeptical that one would preclude the other. A portfolio is something that will grow over time forever. Things you've done a long time ago and things you will do tomorrow will make it in. Given the fact that you're not going to infinitely grow the size of the portfolio, you don't necessarily need 1,000 examples. Just put in the best examples. If working on the SIP project means that your portfolio is bad, then I think there is something else wrong.

Also, you are half correct in saying that what employers do is scan through a portfolio and resume and decide on doing an interview. The thing is, you're skipping an important step: getting me to LOOK at your portfolio. Too often people apply for a job and simply attach a portfolio and resume as if it doesn't matter to them. So when I open my email, I see nothing but attachments to a blank email. I can assure you that when I open a job response and it starts with them telling me about them and why they want the job, I am 100% more likely to give them a shot. And here's the kicker. If in that email they tell me that they went above and beyond, or did something innovative in their field already, I'm going to be excited opening their portfolio. Art is somewhat subjective, as you know. If I open your portfolio assuming you could be a rockstar, I'm going to be more inclined to side with your art.

So that's my take on the SIP. The question becomes, what the hell do you innovate. And truthfully, that should be 90% of the work. If you spend the majority of your time figuring out "the idea" that IS innovative, then the work will come easy. My only guidance I can give you with regards to innovating in 3d art is to think about what currently sucks for artists, or employers of artists.

Obviously whatever you land on as your "innovation" you hope is something that people go, "wow, that is actually useful." Which means you should start with what would be useful and then work backwards to see how to innovate the problem away.

Hope that gives you another subjective opinion on the matter. If you need any help or if you have ideas you want to toss by me, feel free.

Good luck with your project!

Regards,

Jason Moore

www.BrokenBulbStudios.com

President

My Reply:

Jason,

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond. I have found this to be very insightful. I never really approached the SIP concept from quite the perspective you gave. Upon thinking of it, there are many artists that may be more than qualified for a position, but a selection must be made SOMEHOW, so standing out in a positive way would be of benefit. And I see that this SIP can allow for that, if done correctly. I also thank you for the reminder of getting someone to LOOK at the portfolio. To be honest, I did not consider that applicants would merely send a blank email with links. I wish you luck with your company.

Sincerely,
Brandon Gilmore

Review of Sources Part II : The Rest

This part should be significantly shorter than the last one.  In this, I will review my sources for materials.  The reviews will be pretty short, as purchasing items are typically pretty straightforward...even in cases of small amounts of uranium...*cough*Amazon*cough*. Possible plots of world domination aside, here are the reviews:

Playstation 3 Eye

Yes, the source is Wikipedia.  But the Sony website does not provide very much information on the unit, comparatively.  The NUI group (mentioned in the last post) strongly recommends this camera for infrared detection, housing many threads full of tutorials on making it work to that purpose. While it is not the best camera for the task, it is more than adequate, and is the most cost-effective (retailing at $40 USD).  I plan on utilizing at least two for my project (if I ever actually build the thing).

Sony Bravia 52-inch LCD

This is by no means a final decision on the TV I will use, nor is it some crazy attempt for me to rake in advertising money (though I have looked at Google Adsense on one occasion...).  I simply had to make a decision on the TV, and I typed in 52-inch LCD, and picked the cheapest.  Thus, the TV.  For the TV, I will have to remove any IR blocking filter, which, if I recall, would only be the white opaque filter.  A filter that is not always placed in an LCD anyway.  I wouldn't know until I opened up the thing.

DigiKey

Again, not an endorsement, but if MaximumPC felt they were good enough for their LEDs, so do I.  According to the NUI group, the LEDs required should be between 40° and 60°, so as to allow the infrared waves to bounce around, but not leak out.  An LED that meets the required specifications(of which there are more), is the Osrams SFH-4350, which DigiKey sells. 

Review of Sources Part I : Concepts

In this post, I will do a bit of a review of some of the sources I will be using for my Senior Innovation project.  This is the engineering project I referred to in my first post.  My project is to create a multi-touch mall directory.

The materials I will be reviewing in this post are those related to the concept of my design.


Multi-Touch Surfaces: A Technical Guide.

This is one of the most important sources for my project. The document is a collaboration by developers who attended the Bootcamp on Construction & Implementation of Optical Multi-touch Surfaces at Tabletop 2008 in Amsterdam.  This document lists the known technologies utilized in multi-touch surfaces at that time.  The document also delves into the specifics of each technology, ranging from projection-screen based surfaces, to LCD screens incorporating infrared LEDs.  Upon reading the document, I realized that the latter method would be the most cost-effective, low-maintenance, and higher quality option.  Cost-effective because an LCD screen of the size required by a mall-directory would run less money than a projector screen of adequate resolution to provide a clear directory.  Low-maintenance because projectors would require frequent bulb replacement, cleaning to avoid dust (thus, over-heating), etc.  LCD screens could simply be replaced as the need arose.  Higher quality because projectors are not typically of a high resolution (at least not high enough for how large mall-directories are), whereas LCD screens are almost all of the required resolution and clarity.

The document also delves into the different LED designs possible for the LCD screen.  One method is the use of infrared transceivers, which contain both an infrared emitter, and a sensor to pick up the emissions. This allows for a more accurate form of tracking. Unfortunately, this method requires the LEDs to be laid in an array on the entire back of the screen.  As such, this method becomes increasingly more expensive as the size of the screen is increased, becoming nonviable for screens over 32". The other method is to place infrared LEDs all around the bezel of the LCD screen, and any tracking would be done by an infrared sensitive camera.

The document also analyzes the latency of various projectors and filters.  As I am not utilizing a projector, latency is not as much of a concern in my design.

Next up: TacTile

TacTile is an LCD-based multi-touch display developed by the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  The website provides links to a gallery of pictures showing off the display, as well as the documentation of the display.  In addition, the source code, API, and some applications are also provided.  The programming aspect should be of the greatest use for me, as the multi-touch tracking I would need is right there.  I will have to find someone skilled enough at programming to add what is necessary for what my mall-directory concept will entail, of course.

MaximumPC

Now, when you read through this, you will realize that it is using a projector.  So why the heck do I have this as a source?  Well, it is partly because it goes into the fine details of actually BUILDING the bloody thing.  There is still commonality in the process, such as the LED array, the computer, etc.  In addition, the article provides links to sources from which materials such as LEDs can be purchased, which is awesome, because I am not so good at finding the LEDs.

NUI Group

MOTHERLOAD.  I honestly have not found a better source for DIY touch-surface creation.  In fact, if it weren't for my school's requirement of multiple sources, I would review ONLY this site.  There is a link to code for touch-surface displays.  There is a wiki that details information on applications, libraries, and tutorials for everything involved in the creation of a touch-surface, such as wiring the LEDs.  There is also a community forum with threads galore regarding touch-surface technology.  Browsing through the Camera-specific heading, I noticed that nearly all of the threads recommend the Playstation 3 Eye as the best camera for touch-surfaces.  These suckers are cheap, and GOOD.  All they require is a bit of work to allow for infrared detection.  As I build the prototype (and hopefully the finished product) of my design, I plan to utilize this group to a great extent so my design may be perfect.

LG 52-inch Mutli-Touch LCD

In my research, I have discovered that it is very difficult to create an LCD touch-surface with a screen larger than 32", due to how fragile it is.  While this video does not provide anything directly useful to my design, it does provide a confidence boost that it CAN be done.  Encouragement is still an important part of the engineering process.

Quick edit (forgot this one): Janus Displays

This is a demo for a touch display at The Hilton in Chicago.  It also ties into Chicago-OHare airport.  Sure, it's not a mall-directory, but it IS a directory.  I will be looking to this for inspiration in interface design, as the conventional mall-directory design is not ideal for multiple users.  Then again, neither is this, but some elements of the design (such as the isometric multi-level map), should prove useful.   

First!

This being my first blog post, I guess an introduction is in order.  I am Brandon Gilmore, 19 as of this writing, and I am currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Video Game Art and Animation at the University of Advancing Technology.  I am aspiring to become a 3D Environment Artist.  Due to that, I plan to update the blog here every so often with pictures of my work...if I remember to use this blog.  I will also be posting progress on an engineering project I am working on for a class at the school throughout.  I may also post any ramblings I deem as necessary for the internet (which isn't saying much, to be honest).