UPDATE, you'll now find this at http://zachariasreinhardt.com/

UPDATE, you'll now find this at http://zachariasreinhardt.com/

Originally shared by AgenZasBrothers

AgenZasBrothers Blender Sculpting Cheat Sheet

Free Download:
https://agenzasbrothers.com/…/blender-sculpting-cheat-sheet/

Created in cooperation with Manuel(https://manuell3d.wordpress.com/).

Have fun! ‪#‎b3d‬ ‪#‎sculpting‬ ‪#‎sculptjanuary‬
~Zacharias

P.S. Sharing makes happy!

He used a Burroughs B-5500 to make music.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

He used a Burroughs B-5500 to make music.
http://priceonomics.com/the-father-of-the-digital-synthesizer/

cool tips

cool tips
http://electricalice.tumblr.com/post/68701008868/10-typical-perspective-errors

Model download: Bush Pack - Addicted to CG offers a set of four bushes for download.

Originally shared by BlenderNation

Model download: Bush Pack - Addicted to CG offers a set of four bushes for download. Addicted to CG writes: This is a bush pack giveaway. The pack includes 4 bushes with the particle systems not applied so that you can add further customization. What is more the bushes also come with 4 branches that they use for their particle [...] The post Model download: Bush Pack appeared first on BlenderNation.
http://ow.ly/39u69i

This is a good introduction to texture painting done entirely in Blender.

Originally shared by Serene Jewell

This is a good introduction to texture painting done entirely in Blender. He's using Blender 2.72 rather than the current 2.76, but the process hasn't changed much. I think this whole series is a good intro to low poly creation in Blender for things like Unity and OpenSim.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr_itixx0Yo

Has a neat magnifying feature to examine the textures.

Has a neat magnifying feature to examine the textures.

Originally shared by Chic Aeon

Texture Resource

Varying licenses, some public domain, some creative commons, some perhaps other things :D.  Fast server. Easy to get around.

http://www.cltextures.com/
http://www.cltextures.com

An online Colour Scheme designer.

An online Colour Scheme designer.
http://paletton.com/#uid=30S0t0k61FU7gJ969J161CC5+-C

This looks interesting.

This looks interesting.
http://www.colourlovers.com/

"Darktable" indeed. ;)

"Darktable" indeed. ;)
http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/darktable-2-0-released-with-printing-support

a mixed bunch of replacements

a mixed bunch of replacements

Originally shared by Danie van der Merwe

49 Open Source Office Tools - Ideal for Startup Businesses and Established Ones

Top open source office tools for everything from graphics to CAD to Web design to CRM. All free downloads, of course.

The good thing about open source office tools: you can use them to save major cost in office productivity. As you’ll see on the list below, some of these free office tools replace highly expensive commercial software. In some cases, a business could equip itself for thousands of dollars less.

In many ways, the following list of open source office tools shows just how far open source has progressed in the last several years.

See http://www.datamation.com/applications/49-open-source-office-tools-1.html.

There is also my own list that I maintain at http://gadgeteer.co.za/opensourcesoftware/ which is grouped by category.

A Win/Linux plotting/writing thingamie.

A Win/Linux plotting/writing thingamie.
http://www.bibisco.com/en

An open source Screen Writing program.

An open source Screen Writing program.
http://www.trelby.org/

A Java based writing program.

A Java based writing program.
http://quollwriter.com/index.html

Seems legit, though many of the links take you to Youtube.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Seems legit, though many of the links take you to Youtube.
http://www.openculture.com/freemoviesonline

Paramount Now Streaming 175 Free Movies Online, Including Westerns, Thrillers & Crime Pictures

Originally shared by Open Culture

Paramount Now Streaming 175 Free Movies Online, Including Westerns, Thrillers & Crime Pictures
http://www.openculture.com/2015/12/paramount-now-streaming-175-free-movies-online.html

Linux Mint Upgrade Sparkles

Originally shared by Danie van der Merwe

Linux Mint Upgrade Sparkles

The Linux Mint upgrade to version 17.3 Rosa is one upgrade regular users do not want to skip.

This latest release in downloadable ISO format, available in the MATE and Cinnamon desktop editions, hit servers earlier this month. Several days later, the upgrade was available from within the package management repository for existing Linux Mint users. That eliminates the need for a clean installation and having to set up all the apps and configurations to use the new release.

Linux Mint 17.3 is based on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS and is supported until 2019. It is a major upgrade from version 17.2 Rebecca.

Compared to the many recurring bland Ubuntu releases cycles, Linux Mint does not disappoint. Each decimal advance has been marked with should-not-miss improvements to the constantly evolving Linux Mint distro.

For my long term support upgrade next year I'm thinking of switching from Kubuntu to Mint's KDE. I am a bit surprised to hear though that the latest update allows the selection of a localized mirror servers for faster downloads.... I've certainly seen this before and have been using it in Kubuntu for the last two years.
http://www.linuxinsider.com/story/82889.html?rss=1

Today is the last day for me to ever bake textures in Blender!

Originally shared by Fred Beckhusen

Today is the last day for me to ever bake textures in Blender!  Substance Painter V 1.7 contains an important and long awaited new feature for Opensim and Second Life  users :  super-easy baking of lighting into your color/diffuse maps.  

Watch the video at the 14:30 minute mark.  Substance Painter also produces compatible bump/normal and gloss maps with just a few clicks.  
https://www.allegorithmic.com/blog/substance-painter-17-enhanced-workflow-and-content

Very cool look at the original steampunk vessel.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Very cool look at the original steampunk vessel. You might also being interested in http://jogrid.net/abyss/nautilus.htm which relates to a Second Life/OpenSim reconstruction of it as well (at http://jogrid.net/abyss/nautilus.htm).
http://www.vernianera.com/Nautilus/

This looks like lots of weird fun, in a 3D way. Not entirely sure what practical use it has though.

This looks like lots of weird fun, in a 3D way. Not entirely sure what practical use it has though.
http://structuresynth.sourceforge.net/

I think in some ways Blender is like Firefox and GIMP - it succeeds at being what it is because of a huge supporting...

I think in some ways Blender is like Firefox and GIMP - it succeeds at being what it is because of a huge supporting community of developers and users, and has gadzillions of addons to extend it (see http://blenderaddonlist.blogspot.com.au/) further. And like those other two opensource programs, there's always another update in the works.

Earlier this year I decided to commit to Blender as my main 3D modelling editor, but this year has also been one of deferred, delayed and drawn out projects, so I will get to that eventually. Like most capable stuff, you have to sit down and play with it until you learn/understand it. Look forward to that.
#opensource  
http://www.blender.org/

I always thought that I "ought" to like Sketchup, but don't.

I always thought that I "ought" to like Sketchup, but don't. That might be because of it's interface. Looks simple enough and even has a built in guide, but, mmm, bleaugh. I made backgrounds for a webcomic using it ages ago. In some ways the best thing about Sketchup is the 3D Warehouse.
#freemium  
http://www.sketchup.com/products/sketchup-make

I have a history with Wings3D.

I have a history with Wings3D. I used it and DOGA (gasp, see http://www.doga.co.jp/english/) to make 3D models for an old webcomic of mine (which can still be seen at http://lauraseabrook.comicgenesis.com/d/20060207.html). I'm likely to revive that webcomic, but probably use OpenSimulator to make it. The last update was in August 2015, but the documentation is mostly online.
#opensource  
http://www.wings3d.com/

I've always been impressed with this as well, but like most of the 3D programs, you only get good results by...

I've always been impressed with this as well, but like most of the 3D programs, you only get good results by spending lots of time learning to use it. Seems you can make avatars for OpenSimulator as well with this, via Avastar and Blender (see http://www.makehumancommunity.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=11970).
#opensource  
http://www.makehuman.org/index.php

I looked at this a few times when looking at 3D modelling suites.

I looked at this a few times when looking at 3D modelling suites. The results look impressive, but there seems to be a distinct lack of a manual for it (maybe a list of shortcuts at http://www.openfx.org/resources/shortcuts/designer.html ?). Last revised in March of 2015.
#opensource  
http://www.openfx.org/about.html

And this, which is described as a "3D modeler designed to help you create content for your game project, whether...

And this, which is described as a "3D modeler designed to help you create content for your game project, whether you're a professional or indy game developer" seems to quietly chug away in the background, while apps like Unity and Blender get a lot more publicity. Or does it? The website shows a 2011  date, and the last update at source forge is 2013-04-26.
#opensource  
http://www.delgine.com/index.php?filename=product_deled

Have always been fascinated by the model examples made with this - they all look like they've been made with plastic.

Have always been fascinated by the model examples made with this - they all look like they've been made with plastic. The last release, 0.98.  has a 2013 date.
#freeware  
http://www.anim8or.com/

Cool.

Cool.
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/102740

Wow!

Wow!
http://www.scifi3d.com/list.asp?intGenreID=10&intCatID=10

​*Before the Web: Online services of yesteryear*

Originally shared by Richard Wooding

​*Before the Web: Online services of yesteryear*
Before we were watching Netflix movies, video-conferencing with our friends, and playing real-time video games on the Internet, we were using online services, such AOL, CompuServe, and GEnie to talk about movies, type letters to our buddies, and play ASCII, turn-based games.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/before-the-web-online-services/

Today in History: UNIVAC — World’s first general purpose, commercially produced, electronic digital computer — was...

Originally shared by Brad Acker

Today in History: UNIVAC — World’s first general purpose, commercially produced, electronic digital computer — was dedicated, 1951
On June 14, 1951 — 64 years ago today — the United States Census Bureau dedicated the world’s first “general purpose” commercially-produced electronic digital computer, the UNIVAC I, which stood for UNIV ersal A utomatic C omputer. 

The computer model, of which 46 were made, became famous for correctly predicting the presidential election outcome in 1952. In fact, the computer correctly predicted an Eisenhower landslide victory with only a tiny percentage of the votes actually counted; but because traditional pollsters almost universally predicted victory for Adlai Stevenson, CBS withheld the computer’s prediction until later in the evening. At 8:30 PM, the computer was predicting the electoral college vote — Eisenhower 438, Stevenson 93. The actual count ended up as Eisenhower 442, Stevenson 89. CBS, using the computer data, was the first network to call the election. By the next presidential election in 1956, the other two major networks were also using computers on election night.

The UNIVAC was designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, and it was manufactured by the Remington Rand company. The computer weighed 29,000 pounds and could process about 1,905 operations per second using a 2.25 Mhz clock. The machine was 25 feet in width by 50 feet in length, used 5,600 vacuum tubes, 18,000 crystal diodes, and 300 relays; it had an internal storage capacity of 12,000 characters. Each of the original UNIVACs came with 10 magnetic tape drives — all compatible. 

YouTube videos:
•Remington-Rand Presents the UNIVAC (length 17:31). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2fURxbdIZs
•UNIVAC — Then and Now (length 13:17). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4wQJfdhOlU
•History of the Computer — Documentary (length 48:07). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPDy2y4AjSo

Vimeo Video:
http://vimeo.com/52980654

Web sources:
•http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?year=1951
•http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/univac-computer-dedicated
•http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-u-s-census-bureau-first-dedicated-univac-61-years-ago-today
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIVAC
•http://www.computermuseum.li/Testpage/UNIVAC-FAQ.htm
•http://bitscolumn.blogspot.com/2013/10/computer-projected-1952-presidential.html
•http://edn.com/electronics-blogs/edn-moments/4423752/UNIVAC-predicts-election-results--November-4--1952
•http://www.historyfactory.com/2012/11/06/presidential-elections-and-a-brief-history-of-emerging-technologies/
•http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9904/30/1952.idg/
•http://www.ideastream.org/news/npr/163951263
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Presper_Eckert
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mauchly
•http://www.thocp.net/hardware/univac.htm

Book sources:
• A Few Good Men from Univac by David E. Lundstrom [History of Computing]. http://amzn.to/1SenThn
• Computing: A Concise History by Paul E. Ceruzzi [The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series]. http://amzn.to/1BeJQZl
* UNIVAC: Webster’s Timeline History, 1941-2002 by Icon Group International. http://amzn.to/1cTVIEu

Image credits (top to bottom, left to right):
•Remington Rand’s Harold E. Sweeney (left) and J. Presper Eckert (middle right) demonstrate UNIVAC for CBS’s Walter Cronkite (right). http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/edn-moments/4423752/UNIVAC-predicts-election-results--November-4--1952
•Creators of the UNIVAC — J. Presper Eckert (left) and John Mauchly (right). http://www.thocp.net/hardware/univac.htm
•UNIVAC at the U.S. Census Bureau with 10 magnetic tape drives. http://www.thocp.net/hardware/univac.htm

Additional Events in Technology History on June 14:
•The European Space Research Organization (later the European Space Agency, ESA) was established in Paris, France.
•NASA launched Mariner 5 to explore Venus.

#history #history -tech #UNIVAC #RemingtonRand

Not so sure about the brands they mention, I grew up using a typewriter, so I prefer a mechanical keyboard to some...

Not so sure about the brands they mention, I grew up using a typewriter, so I prefer a mechanical keyboard to some virtual keyboard on a glass screen, or worse - a "dead squid" rubber keyboard thing (ewwww).
http://www.improgrammer.net/mechanical-keyboard-guide/?utm_content=buffer64d68&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer

6 useful LibreOffice extensions

Originally shared by Danie van der Merwe

6 useful LibreOffice extensions

LibreOffice is the best free office suite around, and as such has been adopted by all major Linux distributions. Although LibreOffice is already packed with features, it can be extended by using specific add-ons, called extensions.

The main LibreOffice extensions website is extensions.libreoffice.org. Extensions are tools that can be added or removed independently from the main installation, and may add new functionality or make existing functionality easier to use.
https://opensource.com/business/15/12/6-useful-libreoffice-extensions

*Combo Maps Revisited - BLENDER*

Originally shared by Chic Aeon

*Combo Maps Revisited - BLENDER*

I know I have been talking about combo maps a lot lately. Many months ago I wanted to learn how to make them. Debbie went to lots of trouble to teach us how. I learned -- well for a minute or two -- and then I lost the skill. I will say that this is one of the most important things I have learned in Cycles Rendering. I don't think there are tons of folks using cycles -- at least to its fuller abilities -- right now, but there is always the future.

Yesterday I went astray with the combo maps. I spent hours trying to figure out just WHERE I went astray, but I couldn't see where the problem lay. Today I think I have it.

So here is what I learned today.

What I wanted to do --- Make a second VERSION of a spice rack that had used combo maps successfully (yeah) including using textures of various sizes AND changing the scale of the texture on one of the UV maps (metalUV).

Here's what I did: 

I renamed the good file as "version 2" so I wouldn't loose my good blend file. I then went in and separated the glass material objects from the metal. With wireframe on, I selected each of the bottles one at a time and moved them to new places.

I then joined the metal and bottle parts again.  I had my combo map from version 1. It was fine EXCEPT I wanted to have a slightly different metal texture placement wise on version 2 so that the set would look more realistically like a set. Rebaking the file with the same three UVs didn't work at all. That would have been too easy!

So I deleted the bottleUV and metalUV maps and made two new maps with slightly different names.  I then deleted the OLD UV map input nodes and put in new ones (possibly not necessary but I was trying all possibilities I could think of at once). I chose the new UV maps as the inputs for each of the materials.

I THEN went in and adjust the metalUV map while the metal material was selected moving the map (JUST for the metal now)  around on the texture plane OF THE METALtexture.

I made sure that #1  the image texture shown in the UV window to bake to was the one I had been using before, that it was the image in the image texture window (far right) and that the far right image texture nodes (not connected to any other nodes) were the active nodes for both materials,

#2   that I had both materials selected and active.
#3 that the COMBO UV map (UVmap in the screenshot) was the active map before I baked.

That worked!

It sounds complicated but it IS getting easier so I heartily suggest that when you feel the need for a new skill you watch Debbie's video and try the process -- a few times :D.

A new version!

A new version!

Originally shared by Bundysoft

The free 'Standard Edition' of L3DT 15.11 is now available for download. For more information, please follow the link below.
http://www.bundysoft.com/news/doku.php?id=l3dt:ann:v15.11se

Whew - finished amalgamating my email accounts and it's all on my Media PC now.

Whew - finished amalgamating my email accounts and it's all on my Media PC now. It was easier to take screenshots of the account details of the RecRoom version and enter them manually than try and edit profile files. I plan to set this up via a network drive as per the instructions on this page. I was going to have it all on an external drive, but after I read about the problems related to that I thought this was a better method.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-ways-to-sync-thunderbird-emails-across-multiple-computers/

Am about to attempt merging my two versions of Thunderbird.

Am about to attempt merging my two versions of Thunderbird. One set of accounts was kept on the Studio PC, and the other on the RecRoom PC. That initially helped divide up "work" with "fun" (they often involved a LOT of work) but I think it's time to merge them back. So many conflicting pages on how to do this, but the first step is copying the Thunderbird profiles on each. Ain't open-source grand.
#thunderbird #emailclient

Gosh. Liked the look of the Flamethrower one.

Gosh. Liked the look of the Flamethrower one.
#blender #3d  
http://cgi.tutsplus.com/articles/45-epic-blender-tutorials--cg-9669

I use this.

I use this. Not only does it capture all or parts of a screen, it can record scrolling windows, and create videos from a part of the screen (with sound) and has an editor for afterwards! And it's free, but WIN only. I registered my copy (because I wanted to support the developer) but that's optional.
#screencapture #windows  
http://www.faststone.org/FSCaptureDetail.htm

The EMERAC and its successive jobs:

Originally shared by Maurici Carbo (nummolt apps)

The EMERAC and its successive jobs:
(Electro-Magnetic Memory and Research Arithmetic Calculator)
(Also known as "Emmy") 
[image] "Desk Set" (Fox 1957)
(Mondrian office): 
http://secondsightcinema.com/desk-set-1957-sapiosexuals-katharine-hepburn-and-spencer-tracy-find-love-in-the-library/

"Invisible Boy"
http://theoldmoviehouse.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/the-invisible-boyepisode-9.html

In the "Seaview":
http://www.vttbots.com/interiors_1.html

And in the credits of "Desk set": 
http://secondsightcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Desk-Set-IBM-note-in-opening-credits-e1431407497234.png

Not quite computing, but the fact it was don in 1897 is impressive.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Not quite computing, but the fact it was don in 1897 is impressive.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-telharmonium-was-the-spotify-of-1906

Day 6 - Baby Steps and Blocks

Originally shared by Chic Aeon

Day 6 - Baby Steps and Blocks

Now you wouldn't have thought it would take ALL DAY to make concrete blocks and front steps but ya know ---

that picky thing. I made these modular so that both stairs and blocks can be adjusted somewhat for bumpy or hilly land.

Most things went smoothly until I came to the dreaded texture bakes black thing. It took me quite awhile (towards the end of the day) to remember that you can only have ONE UV map to bake to (unlike Debbie's clever use of UVs to bake to the same texture plane).

Eventually I remembered and after a couple of tries got everything copacetic. This black texture no baking thing happened to me first with my toolbelt last year. It comes from IMPORTING objects into a Blender file (something I don't do often enough for the steps to become second nature).

RENAME both (or all) maps to the same name BEFORE JOINING the parts of your mesh --- that's the trick :D.

Anyway I still have a back stoop to make (different style and funnily quirky) tomorrow and will start on the roof  -- or I might take some time off.  Well PART of a day anyway.

Company coming for Black Friday Dinner which we had last year and was loads of fun. Mexican with lots of black things like beans and rice and chips (yep, black). Token veggies snuck in for the kid (well everything is relative).

Here are the photos for my scrapbook and for those of you following along.


PS. I was remembering today a building class I took in SL LONG ago. It was about making things NOT so perfect so that they seem more real. There really is a process to that. But the overall feel is very much what I am after.

Currently 25 LI in SL and 16 in OS.

A retro computer that a "second career" as a film and TV prop!

A retro computer that a "second career" as a film and TV prop!

Originally shared by Maurici Carbo (nummolt apps)

The EMERAC and its successive jobs:
(Electro-Magnetic Memory and Research Arithmetic Calculator)
(Also known as "Emmy") 
[image] "Desk Set" (Fox 1957)
(Mondrian office): 
http://secondsightcinema.com/desk-set-1957-sapiosexuals-katharine-hepburn-and-spencer-tracy-find-love-in-the-library/

"Invisible Boy"
http://theoldmoviehouse.blogspot.com.es/2013/06/the-invisible-boyepisode-9.html

In the "Seaview":
http://www.vttbots.com/interiors_1.html

And in the credits of "Desk set": 
http://secondsightcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Desk-Set-IBM-note-in-opening-credits-e1431407497234.png

One way to do it.

One way to do it.
#comics #sketchup  
http://www.genkigirl.com/finesometimesrain/?p=771

I though I'd shared this before.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

I though I'd shared this before. Some good textures here for your 3D builds, and there's a free version of membership.
http://www.plaintextures.com/

Don't know about you but good concrete textures are essential for a lot of my builds.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Don't know about you but good concrete textures are essential for a lot of my builds. You might have to use Translate to read the license.
#textures  
http://www.iwebdesigner.it/texture-photoshop/free-concrete-textures-34809.html

Looks like fun.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Looks like fun.
http://gottcode.org/cutemaze/

Moffat and Capaldi on TripleJ NOW.

Moffat and Capaldi on TripleJ NOW.
#doctorwho #drwho

I edited a mesh in Blender–and you can tooHypergrid Business

Originally shared by Selby Evans (Thinkerer Melville)
http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2015/05/i-edited-a-mesh-with-blender-and-you-can-too/

A freeware Windows program to create wood patterns.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

A freeware Windows program to create wood patterns. I've used this once or twice before and it is good at what it does.
http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/ww_overview.htm

Generate ANYTHING!!!! For example, using the "Guy Fieri Restaurant Menu Generator", I got:

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Generate ANYTHING!!!! For example, using the "Guy Fieri Restaurant Menu Generator", I got:

Our unlicensed chefs take a Velveeta cheese block beaten with crunchy peanut butter and pummel them with a Honey-Baked Ham then we fry it in biscuit gravy and toss it with candied bacon and chocolate nibs.
http://www.generatorland.com/

I found this reference to Scrivener during the week while reviewing Mind Mapping software.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

I found this reference to Scrivener during the week while reviewing Mind Mapping software.
http://www.informationtamers.com/WikIT/index.php?title=Choosing_mind_mapping_software_to_help_plan_writing

GASP!!

Originally shared by Laura Ess

GASP!!

#3dmodeling #blender  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCEN0qQOsIA

I've written an article on using and importing Mind Maps and other programs with Scrivener, and posted it to my...

Originally shared by Laura Ess

I've written an article on using and importing Mind Maps and other programs with Scrivener,  and posted it to my Dreamwidth account.
#scrivener   #scapple #aeontimeline   #opml   #mindmaps  
http://laura-seabrook.dreamwidth.org/1524918.html

I found this while looking for something else.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

I found this while looking for something else. It is VERY simple and only works under windows and loads/saves to HMP/BMP formats. You can have fun replacing things and digging canals through your terrain.
http://hme.sourceforge.net/

A free 3D model viewer

Originally shared by Laura Ess

A free 3D model viewer
http://sourceforge.net/projects/glc-player/?source=typ_redirect

Cool source for building textures.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Cool source for building textures.

Came across this list while looking for something else.

Came across this list while looking for something else.
http://forums.xonotic.org/showthread.php?tid=93

Can anyone point me to any resource which might explain if and how it's possible to either change the entries for...

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Can anyone point me to any resource which might explain if and how it's possible to either change the entries for trees and grass in OpenSimulator, or be able to edit the definitions of the vegetation created? It seems odd to be stuck with ONLY these options. I did find a set of TREE commands for the server (documented at http://forums.osgrid.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2865) , but this seems to involve importing linksets to work.

I though I'd shared this before.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

I though I'd shared this before. Some good textures here for your 3D builds, and there's a free version of membership.
http://www.plaintextures.com/

Not quite steam punk, but it would certainly fit in well.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Not quite steam punk, but it would certainly fit in well.
http://www.boredpanda.com/usb-typewriter-interface-device-qwerkywriter-qwerkytoys/

I found this image on this page about fake quotes -...

Originally shared by Laura Ess

I found this image on this page about fake quotes - http://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/7-famous-quotes-about-the-future-that-are-actually-fake-1631236877. It's clearly a control panel of some sort (power station?) and the fake quote it illustrates is ""There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." — Ken Olsen, founder of the Digital Equipment Corporation in 1977" I think there's a tendency to consider previous generations to be old fashioned and short-sighted, but as we know old-tech was cool for its time.

Anyone know what this is?
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--vktdKteA--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/cwm6rvnai4xdlrz7q1ab.jpg

Poor Gabby (at back) - been gone for half a year.

Poor Gabby (at back)  - been gone for half a year.

The Dick Smith System 80 / Video Genie / PMC-80/81, was a TRS-80 Model 1 clone, popular in Australia and New Zealand...

Originally shared by Laura Ess

The Dick Smith System 80 / Video Genie / PMC-80/81, was a TRS-80 Model 1 clone, popular in Australia and New Zealand in the late 70s/early 1980s. TRS-80s were expensive to buy from Tandy/Radioshack (now absorbed into DSE in Australia) so the System 80 was a cheap alternative as a personal computer.

The System-80 was my first personal computer. I bought mine in 1979,  and for a monitor I had a Sony B&W three-in-one portable TV. The image was wavy but back then even a tiny blurry screen seemed a miracle! The System-80 boasted a massive 16kb of RAM and a 12 KB built in BASIC. I had mine extensively modified, with: cursor keys, sound board, programmable character set (including LOWER CASE) and a joy stick (which emulated cursor keys)! Later I added an expansion unit with a printer, and four chained 8" floppy drives.

Like the TRS-80, the graphics display was a primitive B&W grid created by 2x3 dot characters. It may have been extremely basic, but the games were fast and fun. Playing MS Flight Simulation version 1 however was more an exercise in abstraction than simulation. At one point I hooked up two of these together by using external tape player plugs and played a game of Battleships.

Like the the TRS-80 again, it survived until outclassed by the Commodore 64 (better graphics and colour) and the Apple II.
http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/system-80/

I edited a mesh in Blender–and you can tooHypergrid Business

Originally shared by Selby Evans (Thinkerer Melville)
http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2015/05/i-edited-a-mesh-with-blender-and-you-can-too/

A freeware Windows program to create wood patterns.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

A freeware Windows program to create wood patterns. I've used this once or twice before and it is good at what it does.
http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/ww_overview.htm

This turned up on a FB page called "Cult of the Weird".

Originally shared by Laura Ess

This turned up on a FB page called "Cult of the Weird". I don't think it's weird at all. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
http://woodtv.com/2015/06/11/1980s-computer-controls-grps-heat-and-ac/

Blender - UV Mapping Video

Originally shared by Chic Aeon

Blender - UV Mapping Video

For those of you that are still wondering about UV mapping, this looks like an excellent series (I have watched 2 of the four videos 4).  This is in Blender 2.7 and he is in cycles but even if you aren't using cycles, the UV mapping is relevant -- just ignore the node stuff (not too much).

I wasn't looking for this. I was watching an advanced cycles tutorial and YouTube in its wisdom (and sometimes it is pretty smart) just started this automatically. So I watched!

Keep in mind that he is not making things for our type of world. So a subsurf of three on a mustard bottle (OH NO!) and an alpha layer on a texture that really has no alpha used (longer download time).

But I already learned a couple of things in the second video and the first one was an excellent example for close to beginners.  He DOES assume you know a few things but he also mentions the key strokes often.

Anyway bookmark for later or whatever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2-FfB9kRmE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2-FfB9kRmE

This has probably been shared before, but it makes interesting reading.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

This has probably been shared before, but it makes interesting reading.
http://mashable.com/2015/07/16/vintage-computer-reviews/

Some folks have trouble getting one of our tutorial kits to rez when they get it to their home grid.

Originally shared by Nara Malone

Some folks have trouble getting one of our tutorial kits to rez when they get it to their home grid. Since this is a common problem when shopping for anything across the hypergrid, we decided to do a little tutorial  about moving content between grids this week. To give you something to practice with we put the V2 of the NPC poseball in the box and the makings of an NPC plus a premade NPC. It works like version one but lets you set the script to only rez the avatar when someone is close by.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Vk9vIm1DY&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Vk9vIm1DY&feature=youtu.be

34 weird vintage photos of women in tiny miniskirts at huge old computers

Originally shared by Wolfie Rankin
http://boingboing.net/2015/07/30/miniskirtsandcomputers.html

A friend was having trouble understanding animating his birds, so I made a short video on how to use the Prim...

Originally shared by Fred Beckhusen

A friend was having trouble understanding animating his birds, so I made a short video on how to use the Prim Animation Compiler.   I use this script almost every day in pets and doors,  or anything that needs to move around, like the fins on the Blue Whale, and piles of rocks that fall down.  It works on attachments, too, so it's useful for things like shoulder pets.

The script and detailed instructions is at http://www.outworldz.com/secondlife/posts/prim-compiler/

I came across this book at my university library today. Very interesting.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

I came across this book at my university library today. Very interesting.
#retro #computing  
http://www.digitalretro.co.uk/

I found another free texture site!

Originally shared by Laura Ess

I found another free texture site!

Actually it was made public domain back in 2006!

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Actually it was made public domain back in 2006! Has 211MB of Blender stuff to download as a CD (but you might want to review the contents first).
http://www.blendernation.com/2006/05/17/blender-texture-disc-now-public-domain/

Old levitation tech that actually works, but is probably more expensive than other methods, and dangerous in a...

Originally shared by Laura Ess

Old levitation tech that actually works, but is probably more expensive than other methods, and  dangerous in a thunderstorm!
#technology #levitation  
http://www.ufodetector.com.br/lifter%20mecanica%20popular%20em%201964.htm

An A3 poster version of this might come in handy one day.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

An A3 poster version of this might come in handy one day.
#3dmodelling #blender  
http://www.giudansky.com/design/51-blender-map

I like KRITA which is an open-source painting application (see https://krita.org/).

I like KRITA which is an open-source painting application (see https://krita.org/). Here's a handy keyboard reference.
#opensource #software #krita  
https://colorathis.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/krita-2-8-shortcuts-cheatsheet/

Very cool.

Very cool.
#steampunk #julesverne  
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20140925-in-france-a-steampunk-park-of-jules-vernes-dreams

One of the original video games!

One of the original video games!

Originally shared by Norbert Landsteiner

Annual Spacewar! Halloween Special

Just this weekend: The annual Spacewar! Halloween Edition at http://www.masswerk.at/spacewar/.

This year, the game doesn't only include themed ship outlines, an on-screen score display and the "Minskytron" hyperspace signature, it also includes a motto screen implementing a 1960 soft character rendering code along with its font definitions. This demonstrates quite impressively how ample 4K of 18-bit words actually are …

Happy Halloween!

According to the wikipedia:

According to the wikipedia:

"The first shorthand machine (the word "stenotype" was not used for another 80 years or more) punched a paper strip and was built in 1830 by Karl Drais, a German inventor The first machine was made in 1863 by the Italian Antonio Zucco and was in actual use since 1880 in the Italian Senate."

1830! Very much a real life "steam punk" thing, really - practical trains/railways were only just being built at that point. Babbage had conceived of his 'Difference Engine' eight years before (though it was never built in his lifetime). It's as old as Belgium!
#reallife #steampunk  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenotype

There is something fascinatingly creepy about this demonstration. Amazing things were done in the analog era!

There is something fascinatingly creepy about this demonstration. Amazing things were done in the analog era!
#vocorder #archivefootage  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMOhxpf9ow0

Are you a lazy typist? Try this on for size!

Are you a lazy typist? Try this on for size!
http://asetniop.com/

I like the look of this nifty old kit.

I like the look of this nifty old kit.

* 8-bit machine offered 256 bytes memory. Switches keyed the input and lights displayed the output
* Was capable of executing several hundred instructions per second
* Possessed a memory of about 1,000 words, could handle word processing

Cor!

Originally shared by Jamel Tayeb

It is always a pleasure to read about our "hobby" in mainstream press!

The man who made 'the world's first personal computer'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34639183

And still on the subject of these semi-cylindrical buildings, I found this interesting collection of photos.

And still on the subject of these semi-cylindrical buildings, I found this interesting collection of photos. Using one as a cinema seems an odd choice of use, since the space must be long and narrow (instead of wide) so the screen size can't be that big. But I do love the additions that people have made to these buildings! :)
http://www.polarinertia.com/may04/quonset01.htm

This has information and ideas about reusable housing and buildings, like the bus stop shown in the image.

This has information and ideas about reusable housing and buildings, like the bus stop shown in the image. Living in ex-container boxes might not be so bad, if the alternative is a shanty that might fall down.  It also mentions Nissen/Quonset Huts, of course.
http://affordablehousinginstitute.org/blogs/us/2009/06/little-boxes-little-boxes.html

Yesterday's future often becomes tomorrow's junk.

Yesterday's future often becomes tomorrow's junk.
http://www.archdaily.com/401528/ad-classics-the-dymaxion-house-buckminster-fuller/51dc8831e8e44e66bd000039-ad-classics-the-dymaxion-house-buckminster-fuller-image

It seems that Buckmaster-Fuller got involved in prefab housing for WWII as well, and these were the result.

It seems that Buckmaster-Fuller got involved in prefab housing for WWII as well, and these were the result. Like the Nissen and Quonset huts, they used corrugated sheets to advantage for strength. I can imagine several of these stacked in a pile for transport. They also look retro futuristic in their lines. I found an interesting variation at http://synchronofile.com/dymaxion-deployment-units-still-standing/ and it's similar to at least one version of he  Dymaxion House (see http://www.archdaily.com/401528/ad-classics-the-dymaxion-house-buckminster-fuller).
http://alastairgordonwalltowall.com/2014/05/09/the-necessity-of-ruins-the-lost-dymaxion-deployment-units-of-buckminster-fuller/

Nissen Huts actually predate Quonset huts by 20 years.

Nissen Huts actually predate Quonset huts by 20 years. I can remember seeing some of these in Australia in the 1960s.  It seems that they were built to house migrant families until more permanent accommodation could be found. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissen_hut#Main_Roads_Migrant_Camp.2C_Narrogin

Quonset, or Nissen Huts, are forgotten examples of portability and economy.

Quonset, or Nissen Huts, are forgotten examples of portability and economy. Doesn't mean they were that comfortable to live in, but they had multiple uses.
https://wadahp.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/style-guide-quonset-huts-1941-to-1960/

There was a certain beauty belonging to machines of the past.

There was a certain beauty belonging to machines of the past. This photo comes from Miranui Flax mill in New Zealand. (see http://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/en/site/topics/2475-miranui-the-story-of-new-zealands-largest-flax-mill) and drove seven stripping machines.
#oldmachinery  
http://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/image_files/0000/0009/5407/A_worker_with_the_%E2%80%9CTangye%E2%80%9D_suction_gas_engines_at_Miranui.jpg

Then there's this.

Then there's this.
#plants #generator #design #mesh  
http://ngplant.org/

Generate your own tree and save it as mesh, online...

Generate your own tree and save it as mesh, online...

It's fun playing with the parameters even if you don't want to save the result.
#trees #generator #mesh  
http://www.snappytree.com/#seed=152&segments=6&levels=5&vMultiplier=1.16&twigScale=0.44&initalBranchLength=0.49&lengthFalloffFactor=0.85&lengthFalloffPower=0.99&clumpMax=0.454&clumpMin=0.246&branchFactor=3.2&dropAmount=0.09&growAmount=0.235&sweepAmount=0.01&maxRadius=0.111&climbRate=0.41&trunkKink=0&treeSteps=5&taperRate=0.835&radiusFalloffRate=0.73&twistRate=2.06&trunkLength=2.45&trunkMaterial=TrunkType3&twigMaterial=BranchType2

Many women were instrumental in developing Computers and computing, and their recognition is long overdue.

Many women were instrumental in developing Computers and computing, and their recognition is long overdue.

Originally shared by Laura Ess

I'm familiar with Grace Hopper (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper) but hadn't heard bout Hamilton.
http://www.wired.com/2015/10/margaret-hamilton-nasa-apollo/#slide-1

Despite there being no practical use for this, I find the emulation of interest. :)

Despite there being no practical use for this, I find the emulation of interest. :)

Originally shared by Ed S

Here's a lovingly handcrafted software emulation of a proper front panel, with instructions to run (with SIMH) on Linux and Windows. As a bonus, a couple of demo programs for you to toggle in.
(I had to squint to read the model - it's an Industrial 11:
http://www.vintagecomputer.net/browse_thread.cfm?id=603
)
http://www.retrocmp.com/projects/blinkenbone/176-blinkenbone-download-and-run-simulated-panels-for-free

Paralell Worlds

I love doing cross-overs and it seemed to me that Daria and Jane had some similarities with Enid and Rebecca. Their stories are both about the friendship of two young woman, trying to cope with their environment. Only by then end of their stories, Daria and Jane are still friends whereas Enid and Rebecca aren't.

I wanted to draw in the style of each, but there had to be a certain consistency so I used three sets of photos as sources to create this work.The background is from the Ghost World film and can be found at Ghost World/Real World. Enid and Rebecca are also from the film and found at Daniel Clowes Wants to Revisit His 'Ghost World' Characters, Talks 'Wilson' Film. Finally, I searched for screenshots from the Daria show for Daria and Jane eating pizza. I found a number that made good colour references, but in the end I used a photo from Perhaps the best Daria cosplay as the source. Because the sources were all from "real life", the proportions should match (I hope).

I plan on doing a sequel, where Trent has his friends Shaggy and Jughead over for pizza at the house, while they try some herbal cigarettes. We'll see.

Had a bit of time today, waiting for Lisa to arrive.

Had a bit of time today, waiting for Lisa to arrive. I've been looking at this to see how it goes for making terrain for Open Sim. So far I can't see any reason to use the Indi/Pro version. That allows you to chop up a large heightmap into tiles, but having read an OpenSim page, it seems you can load a big map over multiple regions.
http://www.bundysoft.com/docs/doku.php?id=l3dt:about

wow - a 3D thingamie.

wow - a 3D thingamie.
https://labs.sketchfab.com/tower/

I used to use this on my Atari XT PC2 in the 80s/90s. It was an MSDOS one pane file manager that run in character...

I used to use this on my Atari XT PC2 in the 80s/90s.  It was an MSDOS one pane file manager that run in character mode. But still, at the time it was better than DOS console commands like DIR. It's main competitor was Norton Commander, which was a DUAL pane MSDOS file manager (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Commander).

Xtree went the way of all things, but Norton's (before it was retired) inspired a whole genre of dual (and even quadruple) pane file managers such as Midnight Commander, and Free Commander, which is what I use on my PCs when in Windows.
#msdos #software  
http://www.xtreefanpage.org/

While I have a decent search function in my preferred file manager File Commander (see...

While I have a decent search function in my preferred file manager File Commander (see http://freecommander.com/en/summary/) this looks interesting. It is cross platform, has a portable version, can search in archives and detects HTML pairs.
#opensource #software  
http://docfetcher.sourceforge.net/en/index.html

I bet this sells quick!

I bet this sells quick!
http://www.messynessychic.com/2015/09/08/for-sale-the-perfect-bond-villains-lair-atop-a-desert-volcano/

Enjoy a fast and powerful OS with #Q4OS!

Enjoy a fast and powerful OS with #Q4OS! A light & easy to use OS that offers a traditional desktop interface. http://sourceforge.net/projects/q4os
http://sourceforge.net/projects/q4os

Handy for easily referencing webpages in Chicago (the style, not the place).

Handy for easily referencing webpages in Chicago (the style, not the place).
https://www.zotero.org/

Hurray - this is much easier than expected!

Hurray - this is much easier than expected! It will make things MUCH easier to manage references for my revised exegesis.
#scrivener #endniote #exegesis #academic  
http://theplan.co.uk/scrivener-endnote-crib-sheet/

A TED talk by Bruce McCall, who pioneered the sensible extrapolation of the past absurd via illustration.

A TED talk by Bruce McCall, who pioneered the sensible extrapolation of the past absurd via illustration.
#retro #future #reversenostalgi #tedtalks  
https://www.ted.com/talks/bruce_mccall_s_faux_nostalgia

I wonder how many kilometres it gets to the litre?

I wonder how many kilometres it gets to the litre?

Originally shared by Przemysław “Soul Reaver” Grzybowski

I love ♥ steampunk

Having watched the video, the bar and meeting rooms do look "classic" but I wonder if preserving the hotel is the...

Having watched the video, the bar and meeting rooms do look "classic" but I wonder if preserving the hotel is the only way to to preserve that? They could easily store the furniture and maybe recreate those elements in the new hotel.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-25/last-call-tokyo-s-iconic-okura-hotel-meets-the-wrecking-ball

A neat free 3D model viewer for Windows.

A neat free 3D model viewer for Windows. The developer  also set up an online 3D model converter at http://www.greentoken.de/onlineconv/. Cool.
#3d #viewer #windows  
http://www.open3mod.com/

Jenny Everywhere Day 2015

It's Jenny Everywhere Day here, and here's my two contributions:

and

"Open Broadcaster Software is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming."

"Open Broadcaster Software is free and open source software for video recording and live streaming."

Never heard of this before but it looks interesting!
#video #webcam #videorecording  
https://obsproject.com/index

A friend was having trouble understanding animating his birds, so I made a short video on how to use the Prim...

Originally shared by Fred Beckhusen

A friend was having trouble understanding animating his birds, so I made a short video on how to use the Prim Animation Compiler.   I use this script almost every day in pets and doors,  or anything that needs to move around, like the fins on the Blue Whale, and piles of rocks that fall down.  It works on attachments, too, so it's useful for things like shoulder pets.

The script and detailed instructions is at http://www.outworldz.com/secondlife/posts/prim-compiler/

I LIKE Clicky-Clacky Keyboards.

I LIKE Clicky-Clacky Keyboards.
http://www.wired.com/2015/07/meet-master-old-school-clicky-clacky-keyboard/

Just did a search on that MAC OUTLOOK search issue, and found this.

Just did a search on that MAC OUTLOOK search issue, and found this. Emailed the link to my supervisor. Seems really odd that MS would hide it this way.
https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/finding-the-hidden-search-options-in-outlook-2011

"Flying Car" is a concept that's been around for at least a hundred years.

"Flying Car" is a concept that's been around for at least a hundred years. Authorities aren't that keen to have flying cars, and in general a pilot's license is needed as well. That sort of limits how many will be out there.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/g357/flying-cars-in-history-picture-gallery/?slide=1

Apparently "Trolling" predates computer networks, as british in the 1920s interfered with each other's radio...

Apparently "Trolling" predates  computer networks, as british  in the 1920s  interfered with each other's radio reception when they attempted to both tune in correctly and make the reception louder. People would "dob in" their neighbors who they thought were offenders.

This finally ended with more powerful transmitters and changes in radio design. The technique survived as the Theremin!
#radio #am #history

Some folks have trouble getting one of our tutorial kits to rez when they get it to their home grid.

Originally shared by Nara Malone

Some folks have trouble getting one of our tutorial kits to rez when they get it to their home grid. Since this is a common problem when shopping for anything across the hypergrid, we decided to do a little tutorial  about moving content between grids this week. To give you something to practice with we put the V2 of the NPC poseball in the box and the makings of an NPC plus a premade NPC. It works like version one but lets you set the script to only rez the avatar when someone is close by.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Vk9vIm1DY&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Vk9vIm1DY&feature=youtu.be

Lots of free stuff lately, though one can never have "too many" books, e-format or otherwise (says she with a mound...

Lots of free stuff lately, though one can never have "too many" books, e-format or otherwise (says she with a mound of them to read for the Masters)..
http://www.openculture.com/2014/01/read-700-free-ebooks-made-available-by-the-university-of-california-press.html

"Before the advent of the magnetic core store system for fast read and write computer memory (RAM), the most...

"Before the advent of the magnetic core store system for fast read and write computer memory (RAM), the most successful was the CRT system."

GASP!
http://www.radiomuseum.org/forum/williams_kilburn_williams_kilburn_ram.html

More free stuff.

More free stuff.
http://www.openculture.com/2013/12/british-library-puts-1000000-images-into-public-domain.html

The birth of modern computers seem full of interesting people, and methods to do things.

The birth of modern computers seem full of interesting people, and methods to do things. CRT Memory? Bicycle wheel drives? Trying to wrangle binary operation from analog tubes - no wonder the logs show so much frustration.
http://www.ted.com/talks/george_dyson_at_the_birth_of_the_computer

Blender - UV Mapping Video

Originally shared by Chic Aeon

Blender - UV Mapping Video

For those of you that are still wondering about UV mapping, this looks like an excellent series (I have watched 2 of the four videos 4).  This is in Blender 2.7 and he is in cycles but even if you aren't using cycles, the UV mapping is relevant -- just ignore the node stuff (not too much).

I wasn't looking for this. I was watching an advanced cycles tutorial and YouTube in its wisdom (and sometimes it is pretty smart) just started this automatically. So I watched!

Keep in mind that he is not making things for our type of world. So a subsurf of three on a mustard bottle (OH NO!) and an alpha layer on a texture that really has no alpha used (longer download time).

But I already learned a couple of things in the second video and the first one was an excellent example for close to beginners.  He DOES assume you know a few things but he also mentions the key strokes often.

Anyway bookmark for later or whatever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2-FfB9kRmE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2-FfB9kRmE

Yes, there are still text browsers for the Web, and LINKS is one of them.

Yes, there are still text browsers for the Web, and LINKS is one of them.
#webbrowser  
http://links.twibright.com/

Hmmmm, sorta interesting.

Hmmmm, sorta interesting.
#freeware  
http://dimio.altervista.org/eng/

I consider fake buildings to to be a form of art.

I consider fake buildings to to be a form of art.
http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-fake-buildings-you-didnt-know-hide-stuff-from-you/

How often do people use smart phones this way? Still not popular, probably because without the video you can get...

How often do people use smart phones this way?  Still not popular, probably because without the video you can get away with more.

Originally shared by Open Culture

Fritz Lang Invents the Video Phone in Metropolis (1927) 
http://www.openculture.com/2015/06/fritz-lang-invents-the-video-phone-in-metropolis-1927.html

All my home PCs (I have three) are dual boot with WIN7/Linux Mint on them.

All my home PCs (I have three) are dual boot with WIN7/Linux Mint on them. I like the Mint Distro, especially with KDE (which is closest to the WIN7 GUI). Anyway I had version 14 still installed and I decided to update Mint to 17.1, but it's been a real mess on both RecRoom and Studio PCs. The RecRoom PC had graphics issues, and the Studio install froze and all I get on boot was ''Grub Rescue'' (which sounds like something done by a naturalist, but is really a multi boot menu system and standing for ''GRand Unified Bootloader'').

Anyway I found this utility which can be burnt to a CD or USB and booted to. It brings up a special Linux desktop with utilities to fix things. And it did the trick very quickly, finding my Mint and Windows installs and restoring the menu. Just as well, since the graphic novel  is on the Studio PC. It's backed up, but not recently. Something I might do real soon.
#linux #Win7 #dualboot #GRUB  
http://www.supergrubdisk.org/rescatux/

Well I've recently used File Hippo App Manager to keep my (Windows) programs up to date, but the latest version just...

Well I've recently used File Hippo App Manager to keep my (Windows) programs up to date, but the latest version just went haywire. Just now I've just  tried something called the Glary Software Updater. So far as I can see it doesn't add any malware in itself, or to downloads, and it's not adware either. It checks your software and sends you to a webpage with a list of available updates and links to downloads. The links work, though I think it renames the downloaded files by adding the version details as a prefix. And for me that's a good thing, because too many updates have something  like SETUP.EXE as their filename, which tells you nothing at all about it later!

We'll see how it works out.
#windows #software #updates  
http://www.glarysoft.com/software-update/

Very sad.

Very sad.
http://www.messynessychic.com/2015/06/24/the-abandoned-russian-space-centre-complete-with-two-unfinished-spaceships-inside/

Nice to know that Americans don't have the monopoly on derelict theme parks.

Nice to know that Americans don't have the monopoly on derelict  theme parks. This one's in Tasmania, and it looks like the sort of place with deranged clowns jump out at you.
http://weburbanist.com/2015/06/23/grimm-abandonment-derelict-australian-fairy-tale-park-for-sale/

Is a replica just a "fake".

Is a replica just a "fake". Replica Eames chairs and tables turned up at my local ALDI, and frankly, I think it misses the point.
http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-love/dl-home/should-you-buy-replica-furniture-20140908-3f2o0.html

I expect that all the locals are used to this, but I'm sure it must be at least a minor tourist attraction.

I expect that all the locals are used to this, but I'm sure it must be at least a minor tourist attraction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lp9vEtkrnQ

My Vanity Fair Cover

Decided to play along with this (details on the flicker page).

This seems like a good idea, but will it work in web browsers - for example automatically unclicking McAfee on Flash...

This seems like a good idea, but will it work in web browsers - for example automatically unclicking McAfee on Flash downloads?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzb_SHxt-o8

ha ha ha ha. Some designed a replacement for Cpmic Sans, at http://comicneue.com/

ha ha ha ha. Some designed a replacement for Cpmic Sans, at http://comicneue.com/
http://www.boredpanda.com/typefaces-worst-fonts-ever-creative-market/

cool

cool

Originally shared by Open Culture

The Mystical Poetry of Rumi Read By Tilda Swinton, Madonna, Robert Bly & Coleman Barks. Hear the audio.
http://goo.gl/DblNeS

I read this article in a library copy of TIME.

I read this article in a library copy of TIME. There's a checklist of things you can do, which AREN'T included in the net version of the same, and on the whole the list seemed sound, but not always easy to do. They are:

* Develop a core set of beliefs that nothing can shake

* Try and find meaning in whatever stressful or traumatic thing has happened.

* Try and maintain a positive outlook.

* Take cues from someone who is especially resilient.

* Don't run from things that scare you - face them.

* Be quick to reach out for support  when things go haywire.

* Learn new things as often as you can.

* Find an exercise regimen you'll stick to.

* Don't beat yourself up or dwell in the past.

* Recognise what makes you uniquely strong and OWN it!
http://time.com/3892044/the-science-of-bouncing-back/?xid=gplusshare

I edited a mesh in Blender–and you can tooHypergrid Business

Originally shared by Selby Evans (Thinkerer Melville)
http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2015/05/i-edited-a-mesh-with-blender-and-you-can-too/

In the beginning, there was FreeAlpaca - see http://firealpaca.com/en - and now there's CloudAlpaca.

In the beginning, there was FreeAlpaca - see http://firealpaca.com/en - and now there's CloudAlpaca. What next? It looks like a decent drawing app for smartphones and tablets, though a motto  of  "he world's best comic creation tool" sounds a bit over confident. I guess too, this uses a cloud.
#drawingsoftware #apps #smartphone #tablet  
http://cloudalpaca.com/en/dl/

I was looking for something called SLGO that was related to Second Life, and found this instead.

I was looking for something called SLGO that was related to Second Life, and found this instead. The St. Lawrence Global Observatory looks rather interesting. I only really know the St.Lawrence area via an old Canadian TV show called "Seaways", so this was a revelation.
#ecosystems  
http://slgo.ca/en/

Pretty good for a free, open source, cross-platform video editor.

Pretty good for a free, open source, cross-platform video editor.
#opensource #software #videoediting  
http://www.shotcut.org/bin/view/Shotcut/WebHome

Just used this.

Just used this. I don't know about fixing things but after selecting some of these Facebook and Google+ ran like a rocket!
http://www.sordum.org/7952/dns-jumper-v1-0-6/

Gosh and golly!

Gosh and golly!
http://cyberneticzoo.com/underwater-robotics/1910-submarine-armor-chester-e-macduffee-american/

More tiny houses!

More tiny houses! I can think of a number of folk who'd be quite happy in a "Hobbit Hole", though they might not be as roomy seen in the Peter Jackson films. Also, I was unaware that this is a "Movement" in Europe.
http://www.dw.de/tiny-houses-for-eco-friendly-everyday-living/g-18448825

Having watched last week's PORTLANDIA, now I know what they were poking fun at!

Having watched last week's PORTLANDIA, now I know what they were poking fun at!
http://www.boredpanda.com/small-houses/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Newsletter

I've been rearranging my bedroom.

I've been rearranging my bedroom. I used Sweat Home 3D (see http://www.sweethome3d.com/)  to try out configurations first. Still a lot of work involved in  moving real beds, wardrobes and drawers around!

This a demo for a java audio sequencer, but it sounds like some bands from the early 80s who were just getting into...

This a demo for a java audio sequencer, but it sounds like some bands from the early 80s who were just getting into synthesizers. I like it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=51&v=mB9WegyKCnk

was on a discussion on Facebook about sources of free sounds and music for video editing and someone suggested a...

was on a discussion on Facebook about sources of free sounds and music for video editing and someone suggested a proprietary desk top editor. Of course the trouble was that it wasn't free and all the content cost $$$ as well. Decided out of curiosity to look around for alternatives out there, and found the following (all run on Win, but many are cross-platform):

Jokosher -A simple yet powerful multi-track studio
http://sourceforge.net/projects/jokosher/

LMMS - with a free, cross-platform tool for your computer.
https://lmms.io/

SOX - a cross-platform command line utility that can convert various formats of computer audio files in to other formats.
http://sox.sourceforge.net/

Audacity  - A free multi-track audio editor and recorder
http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/

Not that I'm a musician either, but being able to edit or a mix a soundtrack comes in handy.

#sound #music #editors   #opensource  
#open
https://lmms.io

I remember this magazine, and also the program LAZY WRITER which was the first word processor I ever used.

I remember this magazine, and also the program LAZY WRITER which was the first word processor I ever used.
#retrocomputing  
http://www.explainamation.com/trash80/trash80.htm

I used TED way back when it was a DOS program.

I used TED way back when it was a DOS program. Nice to see that this free plaintext editor is still around, even if I mostly use Notepad++ to edit stuff (that has syntax functions).
#texteditors #freesoftware  
http://jsimlo.sk/notepad/

Must have a good look at this later.

Must have a good look at this later.
http://wonderbooknow.com/

There is a strange appeal about abandoned and decrepit buildings, especially surrounded by encroaching nature.

There is a strange appeal about abandoned and decrepit  buildings, especially surrounded by encroaching nature.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/abandoned-settlements-hidden-inside-national-parks-180955064/?utm_source=facebook.com&no-ist

Makes me think of extraterrestrials, serial killers and Dymaxion cars. Oh, and atom bombs.

Makes me think of extraterrestrials, serial killers and Dymaxion cars. Oh, and atom bombs.

But then, I'm not American
http://techgnotic.deviantart.com/journal/Collection-Airstreams-528741714?utm_source=social&utm_medium=all&utm_term=dd&utm_campaign=042415_NET_soc_Airstream

Cool tutorial, but not what I expected.

Cool tutorial, but not what I expected.
http://kotaku.com/how-to-draw-detailed-buildings-1699399560?fb_action_ids=10206429172591199&fb_action_types=og.likes

This looks good.

This looks good.
#opensimulator #ncp

KRITA - the free open-source digital painting application, just got updated.

KRITA - the free open-source digital painting application, just got updated.
#opensource #digitalpainting #krita  
https://krita.org/item/krita-2-9-2-released/

There are guidelines, but this is great!

There are guidelines, but this is great!
#free #sounds #nasa  
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2014/10/nasa-posts-huge-library-space-sounds-youre-free-use/

"DjVu is a web-centric format and software platform for distributing documents and images.

"DjVu is a web-centric format and software platform for distributing documents and images. DjVu can advantageously replace PDF, PS, TIFF, JPEG, and GIF for distributing scanned documents, digital documents, or high-resolution pictures. DjVu content downloads faster, displays and renders faster, looks nicer on a screen, and consume less client resources than competing formats."

This looks like an interesting bit of software, but it's useless if no one else uses it as well.
http://djvu.sourceforge.net/

I use Scrivener which is good but costs money.

I use Scrivener which is good but costs money. This software is free, works on Windows and Linux, and does only script writing.
http://www.trelby.org/

I can see this in part as a sensible move in that Open Source software is often more reliable, and easier to fix...

I can see this in part as a sensible move in that Open Source software is often more reliable, and easier to fix when there are issues. Also, if we're talking some form of Linux based software, it's often more secure and less prone to viruses. I'm willing to bet that the big driving force here is in saving $$$.
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Use-of-Open-Source-Software-Is-Now-Mandatory-In-Indian-Government-Offices-477052.shtml