   Hi guys
  Been about eight months since I logged in to GDNet or even checked the site. Silvermyst and I were talking on FB and he said the input box was acting up so he'd finish up on GDNet, and then I decided to delete my FB account entirely... LOL.Anyway, thought it'd be rude to just pop back in and start posting like I never left. A quick update:* I left the US for Nigeria in December of last year, planning to visit family and spend maybe six weeks. I'm still there.* I'm an uncle! My sister had a baby boy (her first) two weeks ago. He's cute.* The situation in Nigeria is stable, despite the Abdulmutallab attempted bombing in December, the intrigues around the health of the former president and his death this past Wednesday.* I'm looking at establishing my own animation studio locally, though I'm not 100% committed to staying yet. Infrastructure is poor, security is a concern from time to time, and I'm bored out of my mind when I'm not stuck in traffic or in yet another fruitless meeting.Any questions? [smile]   
  Good to see you around. Congratulations for your nephew. I have a question: What religion does most people practice there? How commited are they to it?See u around!   ;  What've you done, not related to nigeria, in the last eight months?   ;Quote:Original post by owlGood to see you around. Congratulations for your nephew.Thanks and thanks. [smile]Quote:I have a question: What religion does most people practice there? How commited are they to it?The "official" statistic is 49% Christian, 49% Muslim, 2% indigenous religions. It's obviously fudged to maintain perfect parity and prevent setting off religious conflict. The level of commitment is interesting; people are extremely religious (in terms of ritual), but it doesn't translate into more ethical behavior. It is also extremely common for people to nominally be Christians or Muslims (both monotheistic religions) but still worship traditional idols and/or consult with the medicine man/witch doctor/etc.Quote:Original post by Dragon88What've you done, not related to nigeria, in the last eight months?A bunch of freelancing, ironically almost all web development. (I hate web development.) I'm waiting to be paid for a site I built for a state government client. Once that happens, I'll have enough money to actually have to decide whether to stay or return to the US.   ;Quote:Original post by OluseyiIt is also extremely common for people to nominally be Christians or Muslims (both monotheistic religions) but still worship traditional idols and/or consult with the medicine man/witch doctor/etc.That's exactly what I wanted to corroborate. Most papers (I've read [not many actually]) on Nigeria don't reveal this aspect of it's society. I personally belive it's a good thing.   ;  Seen any good (local) movies lately?And hi & congrats! :)   ;Quote:Original post by owlQuote:Original post by OluseyiIt is also extremely common for people to nominally be Christians or Muslims (both monotheistic religions) but still worship traditional idols and/or consult with the medicine man/witch doctor/etc....I personally belive it's a good thing.On some level, yes. Accretive polytheistic societies tend not to have religious conflict, which is a distinct advantage. Unfortunately, more fundamentalist forces are trying to leverage Islam in the north as well as ethnic resentments to generate violent flare ups in order to destabilize the polity. With strong leadership this could be addressed, but Africa isn't exactly known for strong leadership in the constructive sense...   ;Quote:Original post by Oluseyi[...] but Africa isn't exactly known for strong leadership in the constructive sense...Yet it survives through the ages, with it's culture essentially intact. A remarcable thing.   ;  Great to see you back man! Congrats on taking such a risk to pursue your dreams. I've been thinking a lot lately about the trade-offs in following your passion versus compromising for the sake of stability. It can be a tough call when you're sober about the fact that even if you get your dream job it's still a job, with the negative elements that that word sometimes entails. Nevertheless, when the risk is worth the reward I say go for it.Anyways, I look forward to your sometimes acerbic (:D) yet always cogent game design analysis.   ;Quote:Original post by WanSeen any good (local) movies lately?No. In fact, I've been contracting the scope of things I do as a survival mechanism. Looking forward to movies and then finding the only way to get them is bootleg DVDs on the streets is... disheartening. I've largely stopped watching (new) movies, period. I should get keyed into the new breed of local content, though.Quote:And hi & congrats! :)Thanks! [smile]Quote:Original post by WavinatorGreat to see you back man!Thanks, man.Quote:Congrats on taking such a risk to pursue your dreams. I've been thinking a lot lately about the trade-offs in following your passion versus compromising for the sake of stability. It can be a tough call when you're sober about the fact that even if you get your dream job it's still a job, with the negative elements that that word sometimes entails. Nevertheless, when the risk is worth the reward I say go for it.Yeah. A quote I saw yesterday did encourage me, though: find a job you love and you add five days to your week. Idealistic, but still encouraging.I'll either end up with a job I enjoy doing every day or a business of my own that does something I love. I consider that a win-win, even if it's tougher in the short term.Quote:Anyways, I look forward to your sometimes acerbic (:D) yet always cogent game design analysis.That might take a little bit longer. I'm not gaming much at all right now (my PS3 is still in New York, no internet for access to Flash games or downloading - as another coping strategy I've decided to think of the internet as only useful for email, Google searches, light banking... think "internet circa 2000"), and my interest level is still ebbing. If/when I get back to the US I hope to re-immerse myself and rediscover the fun, but for now I just read art books and draw to cope with the entertainment vacuum. [smile]Okay, internet access is about to run out. A demain, tous!