Thursday, April 27, 2006

SketchUp in 3-D

Google is at it again... Now they've released a free "lite" version of the recently-acquired SketchUp 3-D modeling program, and have integrated it with Google Earth. I haven't tried to do anything fancy, but I messed around for about an hour (including downloading, learning tools, etc.), and came up with this little scene. Some of the sample models (which can be dropped into their correct locales) are pretty detailed. I don't have those kind of skills, but the super-simple interface makes it both accessible and fun to play with.



Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Nothing to do?

Try these (some are oldies, but goodies):
Special disclaimer: If you get fired or lose sleep, it's not my fault!

Monday, April 24, 2006

Revenge of the <Blink>

From the "who gives a damn which department it's from" department:

Quite possibly the best html insider joke of all time. And it requires substantially more coding skill than the interactive Aggie joke, too...

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Camera Fun

From the "Had to play with the new toy" department:

I wanted to test the noise levels of the camera, and also wanted to play with the continuous shooting mode. Luckily, we had a storm come through this evening. So, I stood in the garage and shot toward the corner streetlight. A couple of lightning strikes provided occasional illumination in the clouds, and a car turning onto the street provided an interesting opportunity to examine the camera's reaction to changing light conditions.

The results of this experiment are cataloged in the following movie, wherein each frame (shot @ 5 fps) is displayed for 1/2 second to slow down time and extend the sequence...

http://www.lonewolf-digital.com/images/flick.mov

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Stop Saving Your Pennies and Start Rockin'

From the "empty the ashtray and start flipping the sofa cushions" department:

So, what Apple news -- you ask -- could possibly trump "Boot Camp;" which had previously trumped the hack-tastic method of running XP on an Intel-powered Mac and raised it a video driver?

How about turning your jug-o'-change into a handful of songs straight from iTunes? Coinstar, those fine folks who would charge you 8.9% to flip your pint of Lincoln-heads into a receipt that you could redeem for $7.22 at the register, now offers the ability to waive the 8.9% fee and apply your entire seven hundred ninety two pennies to an iTunes music card.

But, what if iTunes taxation (without representation) renders your $7.92 good for fewer than seven songs, and makes you want to fling some crates o' Lipton into Boston Harbor? Well, you could opt to apply your $7.92 to a venti double-shot non-fat mocha (hold the whip) instead, by opting for the Starbucks card. Or, you could almost get a nice paperback from Amazon or Borders; or even a down-payment on some "software" from Linens 'n' Things or Pier 1.

Geek Squad Services Systems, Supposedly Swipes Software

From the "most gratuitous use of alliteration in a post title" department:

Best Buy's "Geek Squad" has been accused of donning ye olde eyepatch. Winternals, makers of some darn fine software tools, has had their request granted for a temporary restraining order (TRO) which requires that Best Buy Co. and its subsidiary, Geek Squad, immediately stop using and pirating unlicensed versions of Winternals' copyrighted software. I suggest that the following logo be embroidered upon said eyepatch:


More details...