Glest 3.0 Released

http://www.glest.org/

After some time and quite some expectation, a new version has been released that includes the single most awaited feature in the history of the game: Multiplayer!

At this point the multiplayer feature is reduced to the bare bones, but it works. We are hoping on the community to help us test it šŸ™‚

The minitank!

http://aqua.kyucon.com/miniaqua.html

The site above features a very nice collection of mini-aquariums, along with code for you to include them in your own website or blog, may you want to. I tested a miniaqua in nanĀ“s sidebar for a few days, and after “installing” it my browser updated (automatically) the Shockwave player. Then the aquarium ran perfectly, though a friend told me today that he had been unable to open the site, so be careful if you decide to use it. By the way, thereĀ“s another version of the aquarium available from the same site, though itĀ“s not as mini šŸ˜›

Now, for some real-ly small fishtanks, you may like to take a look at this selection.

Related Article: The megatank!

Dumber&Dumber Vs…

“What do the cruellest criminals do when they are all together?” This looks like the beginning of a joke, but still isnĀ“t… Perhaps if I say ā€œSimon Westā€™s Con Airā€, you will guess what the joke is. Wow! What a horrible film (in my opinion)! More than a blockbuster it seems a ā€œblockbastardā€! -Sorry for the pun.

Ok. Letā€™s start again. I am not going to talk about the ridiculous script, the non-existent sense of measure, the extremely confuse action scenes, or the inappropriate performances. I think that something better could Continue reading Dumber&Dumber Vs…

On crafting Universes

http://www.solarvoyager.com/tutorials.asp

(…)it is useful for beginners and pros alike to see how other artists achieve certain results. These tutorials are only intended to be guides as you work through new processes and challenges. Upon these building blocks, you must add experimentation and a great deal of practice(…)

Solar Voyager hosts what in my opinion is the net’s best collection of tutorials on crafting realistic space scenes by means of 2D techniques. Most of them are focused on different approaches to rendering planets of all sorts, but fortunately there are several other articles which cover a broad field of subjects, from nebulae to asteroids to truly impressive star fields. As you’ll soon realize, following the articles will be a lot easier if you have Photoshop, since thatĀ“s the tool of choice in most of them; however, I’m sure that there’s no effect that you can’t achieve by using other programs, so that shouldn’t be a problem.

Besides from the tutorials, you should pay some to time to visit the rest of Solar Voyager, which covers all branches of space art: youĀ“ll surely be surprised by the quantity and quality of many of the works shown!

The UFO camera

http://www.casadopinhole.net/ovni_eng.htm

This new version of the Ovnipan adds several new features: a improved transport system makes the camera even more pleasurable to use(…) The round design has been retained without changes, harmonizing perfectly with the panoramic function of the camera.

The ovnipan is a panoramic pinhole c the best looking panoramic pinhole camera I have seen so far. It surely looks like a UFO, or a futuristic house; in any case, the design is beautiful in its simplicity and, even better, it works! Here you can find several examples of images taken with the camera, a collection of surreal, yet vivid panoramas. The designers have also devised a special attachment, a rubber band which works as a “second-level” shutter, thus allowing the photographer to make collages. Great!

Related Article: DonĀ“t be tarugo- throw your SatuGO!

Related Article: Throw the camera!

Planet Perplex

http://www.planetperplex.com/en/index.html

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabridge Uinervtisy, it deosnĀ“t mttear in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltter be in the rghit pclae

A firned of mnie tlod me abuot Plnaet Perplex, and I beleive it is a vrey itnersetnig stie and you wlil like it a lot. It cnotians a good seletcoin of amisung gmaes, mind tirkcs and inrcdebile iamegs that sruely will keep you entrteianed for aegs. Ejnoy! (geez, that was hard to write) šŸ˜€

Related Article: The number of the Rose

Hitting the city

A gang of highly professional thieves is committing a series of robberies… An assassin performs his very own nightly tour de force… Two anti-vice detectives pursue the typical delinquent. While looking forward to seeing on screen Miami ViceĀ“s cinematographic version, both “Heat” and “Collateral” offer us a characteristic mark of Michael MannĀ“s work as a director, which is not in the detective stories but in his way of portraying the city. In fact, these two movies Continue reading Hitting the city

Cars: Afterthoughts

http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/cars/

Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself (…) in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs.

For the sake of honesty, IĀ“ll say that I went to see Cars almost forced by a friend. Though I usually love animation films, the way the cars are portrayed looked somehow too bland, too gentle, so to say, and I feared that the whole would share that same spirit.

In fact, while perhaps mild, Cars is nevertheless a good movie. Continue reading Cars: Afterthoughts

Happy life through easy origami: shirt

http://art-smart.ci.manchester.ct.us/how_to/how_to_hi_shirt.html

fold an origami Hawaiian Shirt ( a short sleeved sport shirt).

The origami shirt is one of my favourite models: it is easy to make, and looks great! In the site above you will find step-by-step instructions to fold it, with pictures. The hawaian look is optional, of course: I for instance made this soccer-themed shirt šŸ™‚