Base14

Base14 Studio: Update 3

Tyler — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:03:30 +0000

Success! Yesterday the entire team here at Base14 celebrated the completion of a new animatic. The contents of said animatic are still hush-hush, but rest assured it is going pretty well. Once feedback has been collected from select focus groups, there’s a very good possibility of some animation occurring.

In other less covert news, the entire Rightfield web comic archive has now been moved to its new, permanent home here at Base14. You can jump over to the archive anytime by using the Rightfield button in the sidebar. The address rightfield-online.com has been deactivated, so this is now the only way to reach the archive. But I think it’s easy enough.

One more thing! It’s always been a dream of mine to add some more fun, quirky elements to the Base14 Blog. So today we’re rolling out classic Base14 quotes. All your favorite quotes from all your favorite Base14 projects, now randomly delivered via our quote widget. For now, it’s the bottom item along our sidebar, but if I can find a good way to fit it in, I’d like to put it up along the top banner with a bit more of a visual style.

Just so long as we keep our boss happy.

Base14 Studio: Update 2

Tyler — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 05:20:20 +0000

Oh my goodness! What a mess that all was to sort out. If you’ve been attempting to explore the site in the past week, you very well may of noticed that none of it worked! Well, we noticed it too. And withholding some unforeseen extra glitches, I think we’ve got it all sorted out now.

The problem, it seemed, occurred while moving the entire site from the old host to the new one. The process I originally used to transfer the blog called for a complete transfer of blog directories with all original files intact, and a exact backup and restoration of the blog database using phpmyadmin. This process, while it did successfully connect the file structure with the database, somehow got the permalink functionality messed up, resulting in every subpage of the site becoming inaccessible. As I looked for the cause of the problem, I realized how deeply saturated the entire WordPress setup was with outdated plugins and leftover Yahoo host paraphernalia. And to top it off, the entire WordPress back end was due for an update.

My eventual solution was to take the scrambled, malfunctioning installation and export an XML file of all posts, comments and other user data. I then wiped clean everything of the blog, and installed a clean version of the latest release (WordPress 2.6). I activated the two plugins I actually use, uploaded all the content from previous posts (photos, videos, attachments), and imported the XML file of all posts and user data. And surprisingly enough, it worked wonderfully! The clean install allowed me to flush out all the old Yahoo host gunk and the import option saved me from manually recreating every old post (which I was preparing to do).

So hopefully that should solve most of our pressing migration issues to the new host. www.tylerkupferer.com seems to be working fine, as well as the experimental Base14 flash site. All that remains is to upload the Rightfield archive, which will arrive pending any unforeseen problems.

In other news, while I was busy blog troubleshooting, Eli was out wandering the streets, looking for new rodent friends. It looks like he even found some too. That had better be character design research, Eli! And I don’t want to see him wearing red suspenders.

Help me! I can't climb the curb alone.

Base14 Studio: Update 1

Tyler — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:23:18 +0000

Here comes Update 1 from the Base14 Studio! Yesterday things got off to a good start. Co-producer Eli Glasch and I reviewed the current state of an animatic and made some ambitious decisions as to the flow and feel of the animation. Our decision mainly derives from an effort to make the creation flow better with faster, more continuous motion. Once the changes have been made, we’ll bringing in some consulting parties and see if the changes are an improvement.

Eli also has been taking time out to work on Threadless shirt designs, while I continue to get all my old websites and features back into fully functional states. And we have an entire fresh package of Oreos. Sweet!

Paradise Regained

Tyler — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:52:28 +0000

Well it’s a happy day here at Base14! After a week of database management, registry keys, and countless support emails, we’re finally back online with a whole new web host. To make a long story short, our old web host, Yahoo, decided to significantly raise domain registry prices, and we weren’t too keen. So some research and price comparisons led us to Inmotion Hosting, where we’re now settled and sitting happily. So hopefully this new setup will keep the website sailing for a long while to come, and we can get back to what we do best: making exciting new multimedia creations!

In other news, Base14 is conducting a test-run of a experimental production studio setup here in West Lafayette. With then return of animator Eli Glasch, Tyler Kupferer and Mr. Glasch will conduct a week-long simulation of a production studio focused on animation and motion graphics. Insight gained from this experiment may prove useful to future real-world entrepreneurial endeavors!

To kick off the new host and highlight our experiment, we’ll be posting an update at the end of each day right here on the blog! So check back soon!

Firefox 3: Download Day

Tyler — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 19:03:37 +0000

Here I’ve been checking the Mozilla website and Firefox Wikipedia page for months trying to find out when the final version of Firefox 3 would be released. And lo and behold somehow I’ve missed that the Mozilla folks have launched a huge campaign to set a world record for for the most software downloads in 24 hours! It seems no one has ever attempted to set such a record before; what a swell idea to promote the worldwide support of this excellent piece of software! I’d encourage everyone who is a fan of the ‘Fox to partake, and if you’re one of the 74% of the population still using Internet Explorer, perhaps take the opportunity to try something new! Visit the site and pledge your support for Firefox!

A New Google Favicon

Tyler — Sat, 31 May 2008 04:19:45 +0000

When I woke up and was browsing my Google News headlines this morning, something caught my eye almost immediately, and refused to go away. Finally I gave it the attention it demanded, and realized to my surprise, Google has a new favicon! Well, we’ve had the uppercase G for as long as I can remember, and here’s how the new one compares.

I think the most interesting thing is the use of transparency here. Whereas the old favicon was a solid square, this new one is mostly transparent behind the g, save for a slight gray gradient at the bottom. And interestingly enough, putting it against darker backgrounds reveals something else.

There’s also a light gradient at the top! I suppose this would be visible in browsers with dark color themes, but most of us would never notice. It’s interesting to see this attention to detail. Overall, I’d say this new logo will take some getting used to. The big G always felt so solid and strong. This little g doesn’t seem to resonate the enormous entity Google has become. But as other bloggers have pointed out, perhaps they’re trying to keep thinking like an underdog.

Munk: A Game of Skill

Tyler — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:31:38 +0000

Well, while the Base14 movie division is seeding the foundations of some new projects and the development division is working some other odd jobs, I thought now would be a good time to pull an oldie from the Base14 time capsule. So today we present to you a real gem: Munk. It is, to put it simply, a game of skill. Actually, it’s a Flash game created by myself and Rick DeSutter. The player takes on the role of Munk the chipmunk, who must quickly collect enough acorns to make it through the winter. Problem is: acorns can grow awfully high up! Click the link and have a go at our little game. If you reach the 200th acorn, things get very interesting. Enjoy!

“Ara” Online Premiere

Tyler — Sat, 17 May 2008 18:58:51 +0000

(Please open the article to see the flash file or player.)

The long wait is finally over! Exactly one month since its official premiere in theaters, Base14 is proud to present the award-winning animated short film “Ara” online for the first time in its complete, original version! This version contains minor tweaks since the original premiere version, and several other changes are planned for the final DVD version. The film can also be viewed in the Base14tv section of the website.

So Long, Purdue. Hello Savannah!

Tyler — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:27:20 +0000

As the wise Rafiki once so eloquently put it “Ahhh. Change is good.” And here at Base14 we couldn’t agree more. Change is a strong theme for the company today as I, Tyler, officially graduated from Purdue University with my Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Graphics Technology. Thanks Purdue! Now it’s on to bigger and better things down in Savannah, Georgia where I’ll be attending Savannah College of Art and Design for a Master’s Degree in Film and Television. This can only mean good things for Base14, as my newfound skills in directing and producing will undoubtedly lead to continuously better film productions. Of course we here at Base14 would like to thank all our fans and supporters during our stint here in West Lafayette, and encourage you to keep in touch. Purdue will always be recognized as the spark that gave life to the multimedia development diversity of Base14.

“Ara” Movie Premiere Video

Tyler — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:27:48 +0000

(Please open the article to see the flash file or player.)

To kick off the week right, I’ve uploaded an abridged version of the “Ara” movie premiere / 411 presentation that our group hosted on April 17th. Now you can relive all the magic and the splendor! To keep the length and (more importantly) the file size down, I cut out the parts where we show the trailer, premiere the movie, and answer questions. The full unabridged version will be included as an extra feature on the Ara DVD, along with many other very cool things. For now though, enjoy the recap!