Phins4life

Heven't taken a shot at a wall in a loooong time. Did this for my wife today. I know it's rough around the edges, so be gentle :wink: .

I hear ya. It would normally be what I would do, but I literally just started working without any plan, so by the time I realized it may look better behind the smaller render, I had already begun the blending into the right side. As a side note, I'm having a pretty hard time finding tuts anymore, much less wall tuts. Any good sites still around?

Good call on the TCU game, Anthony. I got to catch the tail end of the game in the midst of that crazy comeback. If a little more time had been on the clock, maybe it's a different story. Either way, the Bears certainly earned it. The disappointed expressions on the TCU fans' faces were pretty priceless.

Always been a little torn on it. On the one hand, you have the college kids who play with passion but without the paycheck (usually). On the other hand, the NFL is the cream of the crop...period. Plus, it's fun watching veterans initiate opposing rookies by schooling the shit out of them. I'll take the NFL by a small margin.

I wish I could draft like this when sober....

Liking this style, BK. Is that embossing you're doing with the render?

Just don't have much else to say at this point....

I respect you, D-Mac, and I respect your belief in the Christian faith. Funny thing is, not 2 years ago I would completely agree with you (I was raised Southern Baptist, and believed it whole-heartedly). So believe me when I say I know both sides of the moral argument and the way both sides think about issues like this. I also understand that because of that you and I may never agree on the finer points in this discussion. But I do have to ask you this: if you truly believe that people have the right to be free to do as they choose, as I assume you do, isn't it contradictory to turn around and basically impose the views you were raised to believe onto other individuals who don't believe in the same religious or spiritual code? What I am gathering is that you would tell them they can't do something they are perfectly willing to do (that wouldn't really be hurting anybody), simply because you don't believe it's right, because you BELIEVE that the human body is a special temple not to be smeared by extramarital sexual acts. That isn't an objective stance and it isn't a fair way to make rules.

Ten Million Slaves by Otis Taylor. First heard it on Public Enemies and now it's one of my favorite songs.

I absolutely think that it should be legal with heavy regulation, for a few reasons. One, it would make it's contribution toward the reduction of crime and the needless population of already overpopulated prison systems. Second, as already mentioned before, the regulation and taxing of the profession would contribute to moving the economy in the right direction....regardless of the measurable impact, progress is progress, in my opinion. Third, I have a sneaky suspicion that poverty would go down as well, because now some women (or men) too afraid of legal action could pursue this opportunity as a way out. My last reason is actually a little more speculative, since I don't know for sure what the impact would be, but I believe that legalizing prostitution could also put more of a stranglehold on human trafficking. Many women being trafficked allow themselves to be treated poorly because they are intimidated into believing that their pimp (who usually fronts as a legitimate businessman) will expose them as a prostitute, thus endangering their freedom and the freedom of their children if they have any. Regulating it would force crooks to go through channels they could have otherwise avoided if prostitution were illegal. I have a sincere problem with taking a moral stance on issues like this, because painting it black and white and calling it done does the subject no justice, and it feels like a cop out from having to give a controversial issue some real critical thought. Example: Prostitution is wrong because sex is an intimate act that should only be conducted between a married man and woman, and this profession ruins the sanctity of the act. Problem: As far as I can tell, humans are the only species on earth who view sex as a special or intimate act. All other animals view it as what it is....just sex, regardless of purpose. There is nothing special about it. It's what you BELIEVE that determines the value of the act itself. So I ask objectively, who or what is being harmed by legalizing an already existent profession? I believe the best argument here would be sexual health and safety, which is where regulation would come into play. Since I am not a legislator, I have no ideas what kind of particulars there should be or even if it's possible, but it seems to me that setting up some kind of STD registry system would help to mitigate the issue of getting a disease. Also, if a prostitute wishes, she could have the option to request a client be tested, and decline business deals if the client refuses. Pregnancy could be an issue for those too stubborn to use protection, so there could be some kind of deal where the guilty client would have to pay for abortion expenses(only bringing it up because it is legal...I don't want to hijack this topic). Basically, prostitution is a transaction between two consenting adults who know what they are getting into (as a rule). I don't see a real good reason to keep a consensual act illegal on the basis of subjective moral principle. Sorry for the lengthy post.

I thought the starting lineup turned out alright, until Foster re-aggravated his hammy. Now I'm paranoid I'm gonna have another injury plagued year. I ended up opting to drop Helu for Tate on waivers as a handcuff, even though I honestly think Helu could be solid as a rookie. QB: Matt Ryan RB: Arian Foster RB: Lesean McCoy WR: Hakeem Nicks WR: Dwayne Bowe TE: Vernon Davis W/R: Austin Collie K: Dan Carpenter D/ST: Jets B: Joe Flacco B: Davone Bess B: Marshawn Lynch B: Todd Heap B: Roy Helu B: Chargers

Considering the size of the league I think it's a good roster. Why not put Williams or H. Ward over Starks? Is Grant going to be getting a lighter load this year?

According to ESPN, Foster's hammy injury is a tear. FML. I'm starting to hope that the Seahawks passing game can open up enough room for Lynch to do some work, just in case I need him more than anticipated.

Almost drafted him.....

I think this is a very premature move. I like Vick, and I think he's proven he deserves more than he was making, but locking him up for 6 years after one great season back from prison is almost setting him up for failure.

I used to think that Noah put 2 of every species on earth into a boat, floated above the mountains for 40 days and nights, and then everyone got off and repopulated the earth without enduring the most drastic genetic bottleneck in world history. Aaaand then there's this problem......

Nothing so popular (or otherwise depending on how bad your weather man is). Air Force weather.

Trying to play around with the marquee tool and gradient maps in this one. Now that I think about it, this looks a bit like the Nick Collins one I did a while back.

Weather guy

Don't know which one to post since it can end a number of ways, but the final sequence of Mass Effect 2 is probably the best I have seen. I don't play many video games, though, so.....

I haven't lost faith in Henne yet. I never had blind notions of the second coming of Marino, either, which makes me different from a large portion of Fins fans from what I've seen....sadly. If he absolutely can't put it together this season, then I'll go ahead and join the crowd saying it's time to move on. As for Thomas, I'm pretty disappointed that Sparano has lost faith in Brown's replacement over the course of his ROOKIE PRESEASON. Maybe it's me, but that seems early.

Brown

Yeah, I would definitely go for Weaver as the next best.

Might take some ridicule but I'll make mine a little different. Up and Comer: Cameron Wake. I'm not sure if he really counts in this class because of his age, but I chose him because of the limited time he has played and the impact he has already shown he can make as a DE and as a blitzing linebacker. I'm a big fan of aggression and tenacity and he has plenty of both. 30 and Over: Drew Brees. I want to start my franchise off on the right foot with a thoroughly proven veteran at the offensive helm. He could easily have another 5 years left in him (barring serious setback), giving me time to find the heir apparent. In the meantime, I'd have a guy who knows how to find the open man with precision and poise on a consistent basis.

Awesome