What can be said? It's that time of year again. The time when you have to be nice to people around for no particular reason. The time to be joyful and eat and be sick. It’s bloody xmas again where all the shops are playing endless tape-loops of Christmas carols, which, lets face it, are not the world's best tunes. So this year, I have decided to hibernate and miss it all.
The website has received above 183,000 visitors this year, a little more than last but not by much. I have received a grand total of 5075 email of spam, with fortunately will be reduce to a predited be around 600 next year with a more intelligent way to display it while shielding it from spammers.
About the last years resolution, I indeed get better at drawing and I now got a Watcom tablet which I still need to master. But I admit that 2003 was all but a good year, I was busy as inhumany possible. So I will still have to work on my skills this year too: my coloring skills surely need serious working.
This year, as 2004 dawn, I am online trying to get back to the AM and THC message board and read what I have missed, if anyone remember me at any of those place. So for now, no Freespace, no BattleZone, or anything... No time...
- Tempest
Webmaster
I am officially a bachelor in biochemistry. Yeah me.
On the other hand that just mean I am up against something more challenging for my master degree since I am not that eager to start a professional career at this moment.
- Tempest
Webmaster
It’s official, I have suspended my old account. Hopefully, my new account will be more difficult to harvest and it will also help me remove myself from lists of unwarranted mass chain-letters since they’re usually more pointless than entertaining/interesting.
So from now on, you can contact me at Tempest [at] Colba [dot] Net and any email sent to the former address will give you “The following addresses had permanent fatal errors: Quota exceeded”.
- Tempest
Webmaster
It makes more than 7 months now that the new address at Tempest [at] Colba [dot] Net is the primary address to contact me for the website and as planned, I will suspend completely my other address at (Tempest1 [at] colba [dot] net) in the next few weeks.
- Tempest
Webmaster
I have started to get reports from technicians working at IPowerWeb and got a few explannation about the recent shutdown of the entire Dragnix.Net domain. In the hours that preceeded the suspension, one or a group of individuals has tried to illegally gain and/or accessed the server. IPowerWeb has opted to pull the plug on the site rather than compromising the whole domaine.
At this moment, it is still unclear what these idividual were trying to do, but it is possible that our server was about to become (unwillingly) a plateform to launch massive quantity of advertising or to launch denial of service attack (DoS).
The site will be closely monitored for the next few weeks by IpowerWeb and most of the Dragnix.Net staffs.
The Dragnix.Net staff and I would like to thank you for your patience and understanding throughout the difficult times we have faced.
- Tempest
Webmaster
We understand that there is a severe disruption of services for all users and we are aware that the services outage does continue. We have quickly undertake a constructive dialog to resolves the problem but at this moment we do not know the nature nor the source of the problem.
As we works through this issue we appreciate your patience and support. In order to help us, please refrain from speculating about this or trying to contact IPowerWeb staff about this problem. Also, avoid sending us notices to inform us about this situation; this is likely to aggrieve the situation by possibly taking down our mail server located on the ColbaNet server, however, you are encouraged to leave your supportive messages in our guestbook or discuss and be informed of the latest developments about this there.
In closing, I would like to reaffirm that the problem is addressed and will be corrected shortly. All the sections of this website will soon return online.
Thanks you for your understanding,
- Tempest
Webmaster
I think I was so busy that I was greatly neglecting this site and this section. I want to speak about drawings. Yes, New Year resolution and once I put my mind to something, I don't let it goes easily.
First thing is I plan to get back drawing and posting a lot more. I also thing about making my own little gallery to make those drawings easily available to public.
And secondly, I told you two message below that I would contact the authors from which I am trying to grasp their technique and as the image above imply, I think it is time to pay tribute to them. There is two main artists that I wish to thanks, first is Joseph Jones who contacted me a year and half ago (if you are reading this, sorry if I didn't get back to you), despite that his site contain some interesting info about anatomy, it also contain adult material so I cannot really link it here, but you can find is gallery searching in google with his name (adding "tegu" in the keyword help a lot).
But I think a notable part of the tribute goes to Casey Young, I came across his site about 6 month ago and I got some honest comments about my drawings so far. Moreover, he maintains an amusing web comic involving anthropomorphic dragons (dragons who are human shaped). The artwork is quite good, the storyline amuzing and it involves dragons... what to ask more from a webcomic? So I guess if you are reading this, you could be interested to take a look, seriously do it and vote for his site if you you like it.
- Tempest
Webmaster
Well, for those who are wondering why the theme music of the site has been changed to Blink 182 - What's My Age Again, it was to commemorate that Tempest as another summer on his account. What this has to do with the music, just assume that I have my reasons.
At any rate, I have taken a moment to pause and to think clearly for a moment about this... about what I have done and about the things that should have done but didn't. It as been quite a recurring subject in a lot of recent discussion (on the board, in chat, and on another board as well) was about on what is an adult exactly. Depending of the definition, I qualify and then when I look at the facts, I certainly do not. It all good pretending to be an adult, but that just doesn't match the fact.
All this to says that I would gladly relish the opportunity to be 10 years younger if this was possible and if I could retain my "experience points"... You know it quite hard to reach level 2, I don't want to start all over again :P
In closing, to perhaps give half a worth to this message, I just want to say that you (and everyone of us) should go get act like a child from time to time, like if you are twelve all over again and pretend that this moment is all that matters, because it is and it does, or at least it does to you, or it should, and that’s all that matters.
- Tempest
Webmaster
Well, with everything working quite fine recently, I thought I could keep you updated with my "New Year resolution". Because somewhere, if I am able to come with nice drawings, I may be able to add more original pictures on the site. If anyone actually care, send me your support, flames mail, or advice at the usual address.
Last Tuesday, I have gathered the very basic tools I needed:
- A Staedtler Marsmicro 0.3 mm automatic pencil
- A pack of 25 lead for the above mentioned pencil
- 500 sheets of photocopier papers (actually, that what I planned to buy, but I saw a 150 pages "Artist Book" with a genuine fake leather cover, so I opted for that...)
For the real artists out there who are insulted at the idea of using a 0.3 mm HB automatic pencil and drawing on ultra cheap photocopier papers, well just sue me ;) (no sincerely, you can send me tips and advice if you want to).
So I have started drawing something at least one a day, something good enough for a public display at least once a week and something I am proud of once a month. So far, I am trying to assimilate the style of a few undisclosed artists, I will try to contact them once I have something nice to show them...
All this to say: stay tuned for Tempest's Artwork.
- Tempest
Webmaster
