Introduction:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the unthinkable has happened: The Dark Side of the Soul has recieved a complete coding overhaul going from basic HTML written entirely in good 'ol reliable notepad to XHTML complimented with CSS, which together have really cleaned up the the underlying coding (wow is this going to make life easier performing global updates. Why didn't I start doing this six years ago?) And, what's this? Is that a JavaScript? Why yes. Yes, it is. Another perk that'll make updates much easier. But don't get your hopes up -- all two of you to whom I probably sent a link. Anyway, like all of this site's predecessors: everything has been done manually by yours truly. Tested against Opera, Netscape, Internet Explorer, and Firefox. I feel like a professional web-designer (please, hold your comments about the amateurish design. Merci beaucoup.)

So let's kick this off with a new introduction -- Dark Side of the Soul is a personal web-site designed to showcase my interests, talents, and thoughts (or lack thereof) without the boring "about the author" section because, to be perfectly frank, I never read that section anyway ... that and I hate talking about myself. Through the content of this site, images I created and my own criticisms of said images, comments about movies, games, concepts, I feel I express enough to paint a relatively clear picture without an "about the author" blurb.

Which brings me to the next point: my update schedule. From the URL, the internet saavy users have probably realized the extent of my dedication to an ongoing site. For everyone else, the update schedule reads "when I have new content" and "when I have time to update." I'll be very up front with my readers about that. I am, at best, whimsical (after all, I don't get paid for this site, and I insist on doing it the hard way.) I get irritated when a great website pops up and then never gets updated -- I'm telling you from the start this site is neither great, nor will it be updated regularly. I've tried that in the past, and it didn't turn out so hot.

Streams of Consciousness:

IMDb Reviews

I put up the occassional review on the Internet Movie Database. Mostly comment on films, but their scope spans more than just films so I comment on the occassional tv show and video game while there . . . but mostly films. I'm really not that picky about films that I enjoy and don't pretend to be a connoisseur of an entertainment medium; I don't see why anyone goes to see a movie with a stick up their ass and demands Oscar worthy material with every viewing. Like Pauline Kael once said, "Cinema is so seldom great art that if we can't appreciate great trash we might as well stop going."

Jay's Portfolio

The title says it all. Collection of drawings arranged roughly in chronological order with commentary which inclues my inspirations, my thoughts on the final render, bits of trivia, and different odds and ends. I have to confess, though, I have a habit of neglecting my artwork so you'll frequently see the phrase, "I haven't touched my pencil in 'X' amount of months so I couldn't do what I wanted to do ..." or something of the like. You've been warned.

Photobucket Doodles

For quickie sketches that I don't feel like wasting my own web-space on and/or writing out lengthy commentaries. Usually these are done either as warm-ups to more serious renders, or when I'm in the mood to draw but lack the inspiration/dedication/motivation to see it through. You'll notice a less refined looser style that's somewhat grown on me. It's not that I'm dismissing these drawings, but I'm not really looking for criticism with them either. As a side note, I think it's a testament to how far I've come that the newer "doodles" surpass my older "serious renders."

My Space

Somehow I got dragged into MySpace against my will. So I decided to use its blog function as a spot for random rambles. Spouting pointless crap, if you will. Every now and again I'll put up something more sober just to mess with peoples minds ... that is, of course, assuming I ever update it.

Live Journal

The LJ is geared more towards reflecting upon artistic principles in general and encouraging discourse on the subject matter. Unfortunately, no one reads it, so I wind up talking to myself. Oh well. It's good to see the words on the screen, and flesh out ideas none-the-less. Introspection, I guess. Although the LJ is much less likely to get updated. I refuse to add anything to it unless I feel like I have something to say.