We all know and enjoyed the Honda Cog commercial. So now is the time to have a look at how it has been made. 😉
KDE apps
ehrm, today I got the silly idea to run through all kde apps releases at kde-apps.org released in 2006… There were more than I anticipated! 😉 (around 850)
A few weeks ago, I started to compile a list of linux alternatives for all important windows applications I use in daily routine. Since KDE is my favorite desktop environment, kde-apps.org was a nice source of information. Most of the apps I’ve already heard of, but it was just a matter of writing it down once, in order not to forget and possibly be useful to migrating people.
Since I’m on windows right now, I’ll wait to publish the list until I have verified and tested all apps. Since there are some new ones, their quality still has to be proven. 😉 Also I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be better to only post these I finally actually use in the end. 🙂 but that would delay the whole thing a lot, since this can only be decided after a lot of testing — dilemma.. 😉
A few years ago, I tried to make a similar list and concluded I just wasn’t ready for linux due to the lack of a lot of GUI tools I’m used to in windows. Today, I’m pleased to see the situation has a lot changed! The only programs left I had trouble to find alternatives for, were TCPview and filemon, 2 monitoring tools for network connections and file access respectively. Still, I found an interesting blog post about network connection monitoring. So I might wanna try something out myself. 😉
As far as file monitoring is concerned, the case seems a bit harder, but not impossible. 😉
Heelys
Blender on Siggraph 2006
For the first time in history, there’s an “open source pavilion” on one of the biggest CG exhibitions. You can follow daily video coverage on BlenderNation! Quite entertaining for a fanboy like me. 😉
Post test…
I just posted something and somehow, it doesn’t show up on the front page… There is no draft anymore. One moment I thought another post was lost. 😉 Until I found it back in the database. Some people are complaining about new posts not showing up immediately, but no one has investigated the matter thoroughly… I hope I don’t have a similar problem. 😉
😉
UPDATE: It seems somehow, when publishing the draft, the timestamp didn’t get updated *rolling eyes* 😉
The Rename util
You have like a total bunch of pictures from several camera sources, each with their own file naming convention, and you still want to give them an appropriate uniform filename which puts them all in the proper order? If you’re on KDE, you immediately think of KRename. But if you’re less fortunate (like me most of the times ;)), you may want to find a windows alternative. Search no more! THE Rename util is the answer.
Write your own MSN virus
Microsoft wants to invite everyone to write their own MSN bot. That’s right, let’s spam some more. 😉 Except, after 6 months, you’ll be paying for your spam. 😉
Seriously, it’s a nice initiative, but certainly not innovating when you compare with all the open source IM clients out there. Who wants/uses MSN anyhow?
What’s wrong with MNG?
Recently, I wanted to make a simple animation to put on a webpage. I have a background image and a rendered 3D animation which should be on top of that.
When it comes to lossless image compression, PNG is my all-time favorite. It has layer support, full transparency, lossless non-patented compression, open format, … So the PNG-derived MNG would be a logical choice for animation, right? Wrong! 🙂 Almost none of the current browsers support it out of the box! Mozilla supported it for some time, but gave up due to bloated implementation. Konqueror is the only one supporting MNG! Can you believe that? 😕 Maybe you can, if you see the popularity of Flash. But what if you just want a simple animation? Is the loading of a full flash player justified for a simple animation? And why prefer a closed proprietary format if there are open ones? So I went on a quest for better formats. 🙂 Continue reading What’s wrong with MNG?
Stealing Harvard
Guess I have another movie to add to my list of movies that are “so stupid they’re actually good”. 😉
If you’re amused by Tom Green saying:
Duff: See those dead plants? I planted those.
or fan of Jason Lee:
John: Dave! John Plummer. Remember? You used to call me “asshole”?
David Loach: I call everybody “asshole.”
John: Yes, but I believe I was the first. We were five, maybe six at the time?
David Loach: Congratulations, asshole. Now get to the point.
then this movie is a must see for you. 😉 The quotes really don’t do much justice to the movie, but they’re the best I could find on IMDB. 😉
I must admit Tom Green can sometimes act “over the edge“, but in this movie he keeps control over himself.