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Friday February 1, 2008
Hi All! Welcome back to my words for the tail-end of yet another week. I was browsing eBay this week when I spotted what looked like a remarkable deal. A full-featured 3D modeling and animation package for less than $10. The specifications listed were very impressive, as were the screen shots. So what was the catch? The software in question is Blender, a program that can be downloaded for free from the developer's site. That's right amgios, some clever parasites are selling pieces of FREE software to the unsuspecting neophyte bargain hunters. Not just Blender but some of the very best free and open source stuff is being sold online, including Audacity, NVU and Open Office. I can see repackaging free stuff on a CD or DVD and charging folks a bit for the media, but these guys are simply providing a download address. My suggestion is to ALWAYS do your homework before buying such a low-priced package. Chances are, the cool music or graphics application you're considering is available elsewhere for the downloading.
The picture of the week was created using Project Dogwaffle.
Clic
k on the image for a full-sized view
The loops of the week are some drum loops.
The PC game of the week was Sword of the Stars.
Send your comments and feedback and I’ll read it all and respond to some of it.
Bye for now!
Friday January 25, 2008
Chilly winter greetings! It's a cold and rainy January eve here at the gray cat's place. The topic for tonight is music and I'm going to share some web sites that offer free music stuff. I've mentioned KVR Audio before as a good place to hunt for free and commercial plug-ins. You can search for instruments, effects or host programs in a huge variety of categories, ranging from free and lightweight to costly and capable. It's an easy way to expand your favorite music program without breaking the bank. If you're a musician in need of some manuscript paper or guitar tab sheets you need look no further than blanksheetmusic.net. Finally, if you crave the sound of a good march, then check out the music section of the John Phillip Sousa site. Here you'll find complete MIDI files of all 136 of Sousa's marches, as well as short MPEG, and RealAudio clips. Among my favorites is “The Liberty Bell”, which became famous (or infamous) as the theme from Monty Python.
Last week's meme-tag resulted in feedback from 40% of those I tagged, so I guess it was a little less than half successful. I'll bug my old pal Mark later about getting on the ball and passing the meme on.
The picture of the week was created using Bryce.
Click on the image for a full-sized view
The loops of the week are a set of sweet synthesizer parts.
The book of the week is “The Selected Poetry of John Donne”
The PC game of the week is Forged Alliance yet again.
Send your comments and feedback and I’ll read it all and respond to some of it.
Bye for now!
Friday January 18, 2008
Hello again! It's Friday once more and I'm here doing the TGIF dance. I was blog-tagged (or meme-tagged) way back in December by my blog-buddy OneLuvGurl so this week I'm passing the favor on to my friends and two new individuals whose sites caught my attention. The rules are you have to answer each question by using the first letter of your name. You can’t use your own name either. Let’s get busy!
1. Famous Singer: Marvin Gaye
2. Four Letter Word: Moon
3. Street: Mountain Ave.
4. Color: Mauve
5. Gifts/Present: Manga (Japanese Comics)
6. Vehicle: Mustang (1965)
7. Things in Souvenir Shop: Maps
8. Boy Name: Michael
9. Girl Name: Maya
10. Movie title: M (Fritz Lang 1931)11. Drink: Mocha Frappuccino
12. Occupation: Mover
13. Celebrity: Miley Cyrus
14. Magazine: Mountain Bike Action
15. U.S. City: Monterey, CA
16. Pro Sports: Motocross
17. Fruit: Mango
18. Reason for Being Late to work: Monkeys ate my necktie.
19. Something you throw away: Melon rinds
20. Something you shout: Mwah-hahahahahahahaa!
I'm tagging Mark, Ben, CK Lester, Slackermama, and Anithete. Good luck and god-speed folks. The fate of the meme is in your hands and I hope you washed them.
The picture of the week was created using Bryce.
Click on the image for a full-sized view
The loops of the week are a set of chopped helicopter samples.
The PC game of the week is still Forged Alliance.
Send your comments and feedback and I’ll read it all and respond to some of it.
Bye for now!
Friday January 11, 2008
Good evening and welcome back! The topic for tonight is graphics and I'm delving into the realms of symmetry. The simplest use of symmetry is to mirror an image horizontally or vertically. By doing multiple reflections you can create a kaleidoscope effect. The mirror option is also useful in 3D designs. When making a human figure, you can create a left arm or leg and then mirror it to create the right side. That's the quick and easy version, but there are tons of other possibilities. Try to explore a few in your own favorite graphics application.
The picture of the week was created using Project Dogwaffle
Click on the image for a full-sized view 
The loops of the week are a set of percussion sequences.The web site of the week is a cool list of 101 free games. This is the 2007 list and the new 2008 list will be up soon.The PC game of the week is still Forged Alliance. Money can't buy you love, but it will get you a slice of pure RTS goodness.
Send your comments and feedback and I’ll read it all and respond to some of it.
Bye for now!
Friday January 4, 2008Happy New Year and happy Friday to all! It's rainy tonight and looking to be wet weekend. I don't have a fixed topic in mind so I'll just update all the current progress. In music I've been working on some short loops that are mathematically symmetrical in nature. The resulting sounds are a bit strange but pleasing and decidedly different. The main graphic project of the week was animating the title sequence for a short film. I got blog-tagged by my old friend OneLuvGurl, but haven't had the chance to tag anyone else yet. I'll have more on everything next time out.
The picture of the week was created using Anim8or.
Click on the image for a full-sized view
The loops of the week are some symmetrical drum loops.
The book/graphic novel of the moment is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill.
The PC game of the week is Forged Alliance, the stand-alone sequel to Supreme Commander. Send your comments and feedback and I’ll read it all and respond to some of it.
Bye for now!
Friday December 28, 2007
Hi and welcome back! It's been a rather lazy week due to the holidays so tonight's post will be short and sweet. This week also represents a small milestone in that it's the 50th post made to this site. The main projects of the week were some more animations in Anim8or. I've continued working on a revamp of my web page and did a bit of music sequencing.The picture of the week was created using Project Dogwaffle.Click on the image for a full-sized view
The loops of the week are some smooth synth tracks.The book of the moment is The Armchair Universe by A.K. Dewdney.The PC game of the week is still Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators.
Send your comments and feedback and I’ll read it all and respond to some of it.
Bye for now!
Friday December 21, 2007Hail and TGIF! Cold winter weather prevails on this penultimate Friday for 2007. The topic this week is games, and I'm going to give my top 5 PC games for the past year. This list is purely subjective and based on what games I had access to and played the most. In ascending order, my favorite games of 2007 were:#5 Star Wars: Battlefront 2A good mix of FPS action and the Star Wars universe. It also has a nice space combat component that adds some variety to the campaigns.#4 ToribashThis is the only online game that I've really devoted much time to. I'm up to the green belt level and playing every chance I get.#3 Dungeon SiegeIt's not the most original concept for a PC game, but it is exceptionally well executed.#2 Civilization IIIGet Civ 3 if you want a deep turn-based strategy that will keep you playing for hours.#1 Supreme Commander2 words: insanely addictive. I literally have to limit my SC sessions lest I end up wasting more time than I have. The good news is that my addiction pretty much under control. The bad news is that the “Forged Alliance” sequel is out.And that's my annual game roundup for 07. Keep watching this space for more of my weekly picks and pans.The picture of the week was created using Bryce.Click on the image for a full-sized view
The loops of the week are some angelic choir samples.The song of the week is the “I Want You to Want Me” (the live Budokan version) by Cheap Trick: a bit of classic 70s pop/rock.The book of the moment is Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter. Another bit of late 70s coolness, responsible for growing neurons even as it blew minds.The PC game of the week is Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators. This game is huge in scale and time consuming but I've managed to stay alive thus far.Send your comments and feedback and I’ll read it all and respond to some of it. Bye for now!
k on the image for a full-sized view
