angelchann
photoshop_lover

Here's another tutorial for ya! Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving! <3

to
Made in Photoshop 7
Translatable?: No (has selective coloring!)
Difficulty: Easy
PSD: Yes

pinky_place

springstead

Because you needed someone to tell you one more thing to buy, that's why!

We all know Christmas albums are largely a manifestation of the larger cultural over-commercialization of what could, theoretically, be a meaningful holy festival season. The songs are recorded no later than summer, and they virtually all sound the same. Case in point: Bob Dylan's new album. Sure, his crypt-keeper voice makes the tracks "distinctive" (read: possibly creepier than that Victoria's Secret TV commercial he did a few years back), the instruments and the way they're played could have been ripped from almost any other seasonal album (because, seriously, non-believers like Jewel and Streisand have "Christmas" albums for sale, too) in the past seventy years.

However, if you find yourself stuck in traffic this month, or you're stuck at a mall job that condemns you to hours of the same smelly "classics" for the next month, you'll be more than thankful to have that Bela Fleck & the Flecktones CD ready to go. Released in 2008 under the title "Jingle All the Way," it's anything but normal. Anyone already familiar with the group knows they're the world's first (probably still only?) progressive jazz ensemble fronted by a banjoist. But on this album, you get not only banjo and jazz, but also some never-out-of-season Tuvan throat singing. (Google or YouTube throat singing either before or after your trip to Amazon to order the Flecktones album, in case you're not familiar with this Buddhist monkish technique of vocally producing simultaneous tones). And if you didn't already have this album, feel free to thank me later.

Where was I? Ah, yes - church history paper ...

theljstaff
news

Tweaks and enhancements

1. In order to improve site security, we've temporarily suspended the ability to change passwords for old email addresses that haven't been used for over six months. For further information and support, please visit our customer care page.
2. We've launched a new mobile site with an enhanced UI at m.livejournal.com. View spotlights, post to your journal, read and post to friends pages, and more, no matter where you roam! Please let us know what you think, since this will eventually replace our existing mobile interface. You can update your mobile preferences on your account page.
3. We've upgraded from Beacon to Facebook Connect to improve dual posting. If you've already signed up for Facebook Beacon, you're good to go. If you wish to update your Facebook Connect setting, visit Account Privacy settings and scroll down to the option labeled: "Send information about my updates to Facebook." You can choose Always or Ask each time. Remember to save (on the bottom left corner of the page). To learn more, check out FAQ 249. While we're on the subject, if you happen to be visiting that side of town, please join our Facebook fan page for a touch of home away from home.
4. You'll now receive the Writer's Block Question of the Day in the body of email notifications. To sign up for Writer's Block notifications, visit writersblock and choose the Watch Community option. Next, update your Writer's Block notification settings by checking the box to the right of "Someone posts a new entry to writersblock."
5. Paid and permanent users can now view, add, and edit Notes of commenters. Notes will appear beside the username of comment posters (instead of stars) on S1-themed comment pages.

Send some lovin' thanks to your friends with our holiday vgifts!

Photos of the week

We're so delighted with the immense talent of our growing, global lj_photophile community that we've decided to introduce a poll. Each week, we'll choose a half-dozen photos (based on user comments and staff feedback) and ask you to select a photo of the week. The winning photo will be announced in the next newsletter. If possible, please limit photo size to 350x350 to ensure that images display properly on friends pages. We want to thank you again (and again!) for sharing your passion.

Check out this week's photo poll and more fantastic user content after the jump!

( Read more... )

Curtains

Thanks for joining us. To our American friends, have a fantastic Thanksgiving. To all of our international neighbors, we'll eat a little extra for you!