There's an Anime Music Video that says:

RIGHT NOW
It's Tricky
to be
Shameless

Wouldn't you know it, I learned how to be Shameless tonight. Don't resist it, everyone would be Shameless if they only could. I only wish I could be more Shameless, so I could be even cooler. Yeah, keeping it real. We be all down wit dat Shameless, j0. Jah be no haters allowed here, j0.

What is tonight's lesson about? First, I'll give a lesson on the technical details. I didn't understand raster graphics worth beans before tonight. And I still don't. But what I did learn was how to use my graphics program, The GIMP 2.0 to produce high quality renderings of embossed chrome, something that everyone needs ^_^*. The tutorial is pretty easy, but I want to clarify it into a very short list.

1. Write large text white on black.
2. Gaussian Blur 5 pixels. Filters/Blur/Gaussian Blur (IIR).
3. Invert the colors. Layers/Colors/Invert.
4. Create an environment map, use the colors you want in the shiny.
   1. Create a new Image, size 256x256.
   2. Fill it with noise. Filter/Render/Clouds/Solid Noise.
   3. Color it with the colors you want in the areas you want.
5. Open the Light Renderer. Filter/Light Effects/Lighting Effects.
6. Click the Bump Map Tab.
7. Click the Checkbox.
8. Click the Environment Map Tab.
9. Click the Checkbox.
10. Select the environment map you made.
11. Make certain that the preview looks right.
12. Allow time to render.

That's mildly simple, right?

---

* So now is the lesson on how to be Shameless and why.

Shame is a strange word in the English language. It carries a negative connotation. The way I use it suggests a positive connotation. Why would someone want to be bad? If we look at anime, as every otaku must, we find that characters that are bad are good for some reason. Sanosuke from Rurouni Kenshin wears the very character on the left on his back. Why? So that he never forgets his quest for revenge on the government who betrayed him. Great Teacher Onidzuka (GTO) is the classical bad boy who rides a motorcycle and beats people up when he feels that justice needs to be done. It is for this same reason that a person wants to be Shameless: to do something bad, but feel good about it.

So Shamlessness means doing something bad. What is bad about what I created above? If you only think about the content, it's totally original. I drew the kanji myself. I created the environment map from a tool. I made things work pretty well using my knowledge. The shame is in the blatant copying of concepts from thousands of other artists who actually put thought into the use of chrome. The guys on American Chopper might not think much about chrome, but they have absolutely no shame in using it correctly. They have a right to use chrome, they make motorcycles for movie stars.

Creating a chrome sign is just a ripoff. But who's counting? Most people like seeing chrome. No one but a jerk is going to criticize you for putting a hundred chrome things in your graphics. Some day it will get old and people using chrome will be laughed at. But that time is not yet. Chrome is a serious tool for artists who want to use it. So, like I say, be Shameless.

If you agree with me, read on for some Shamelessness. Drawing anime girls with waists that aren't realistic has some serious Shamelessness in it. Even if no girl or boy is negatively impacted, it is a meme that deserves to be lost. It is praising the wrong type of values and it is an escape from reality that humans are built for functionality. Who feels bad about drawing a pretty girl? There's something intrinsically Shameless about drawing skinny girls. Shamelessness doesn't have to involve artistic ripoffs. Posting an advertisement on a board made for discussion is Shameless. While everyone else dislikes what you did, you really aren't hurting them. You are just making some dough, Shameless as it is. Talking hip talk when it isn't your natural tongue is Shameless. I speak 1337 often, saying r0xx0r, fuxx0r, b0xen, l33t, j0, and stuff like that, often in real life. It has become part of my MO. It is part of my culture. I cannot leave these words unused when they fit. While it may be Shameless even for me to speak 1337, I'm willing to do it, j0. The second paragraph wasn't my actual speech, it was exaggeration of Shamelessness in case you were wondering.

Blame is a good way to be Shameless. If you blame something on someone else, you don't have to worry about any trouble caused. You can even be on the opposite side, hating on the person who is is blamed for your Shamelessness. For example, say you vote for some referendum which is fascist at the very least. You'll pay if you don't vote for it. But you know that you need to persuade a few people to like you even though they hate this referendum. If the enforce is a good scapegoat, you can blame it completely on him. "If he didn't abuse that referendum, everything would be fine. I voted for something that was necessary, he did something unnecessary."

Well dodged, you slippery bastard, you.

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