Journals
I came home and found that my neighbor left a notecard on my door. The note said lightning hit the tree. Sure enough, the tree 6 feet from my door is all fucked up. I'm glad we weren't home at the time because we probably would have been outside watching the storm, sitting on metal chairs near a metal railing that runs closely by the tree. Though it doesn't appear that any lightning jumped to the railing, still I wouldn't take the chance.
It's dark out and I will try and get pictures tomorrow morning.
EDIT: IT'S MORNING!
This is the tree.
From the corner of the stairs. Not far now is it? Only a few inches from the roof.
A wide shot, I live on the corner. Lyssa is there reading a book so that's how close we would've been.
Pieces of the lightning enchanted wood that my neighbor has. I wonder what he's going to do with it? Lucky bastard.
Looking through the flecks on the ground, I started finding tree amber. This small piece is actually quite shiny. Picture doesn't do justice. It's really orange around the edges.
Blown out chunks of sap. There are parts that are marbleized from the heat, and other parts are burned. Smells really good for some reason.
It's dark out and I will try and get pictures tomorrow morning.
EDIT: IT'S MORNING!
My cat died this morning :[
Got a big pit in the bottom of my stomach, it's horrible. You don't appreciate things that have been with you your entire life until they're gone. She lived to the grand old age of 21, which for cats is pretty damn old. But yeah, I'm only 22. She's just always been there. nnnngggrgh.
FEELS AND INABILITY TO EXPRESS THEM BECAUSE I AM MANLY AND NOT CRYING LIKE A LITTLE BITCH.
/cries like little bitch.
Got a big pit in the bottom of my stomach, it's horrible. You don't appreciate things that have been with you your entire life until they're gone. She lived to the grand old age of 21, which for cats is pretty damn old. But yeah, I'm only 22. She's just always been there. nnnngggrgh.
FEELS AND INABILITY TO EXPRESS THEM BECAUSE I AM MANLY AND NOT CRYING LIKE A LITTLE BITCH.
/cries like little bitch.
wat
I'm going to assume that this is because of lighting related tutorials and forum threads that I may have posted in.
Claiming dubs while I still can.
I posted a link to my (very basic) JavaScript RMF loader/renderer in the Shoutbox yesterday and a few people said they were interested in learning more about JavaScript and 3D stuff, so here's my official guide to learning JavaScript and/or 3D stuff! Hopefully someone finds it useful or interesting 
Even if you're not interested in learning programming, I would recommend clicking on the links to the D3 and three.js websites - the examples for those libraries are really damn cool!
JavaScript:
What you need to get started:
Learn some basic HTML and CSS: This video series from Google is said to be a good introduction to HTML and CSS, as well as some more stuff about JavaScript.
Learn more about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript APIs: MozDev is one of the best resources for doing front-end web programming. It covers every API and element that Firefox supports (or might be supporting in the near future) - which is basically everything you'll ever need to know.
Look at cool JS libraries!
What you need to get started:
Learn GLSL: The above tutorial will get you started with GLSL shaders, but you can use websites like http://glsl.heroku.com/ and https://www.shadertoy.com/ to work with GLSL without needing all the extra wiring up that OGL requires.
Skip all of that and learn three.js instead: Skipping the OpenGL stuff will certainly put you at a disadvantage, but three.js allows you to get started with 3D programming without having to deal with the lower-level stuff. If you want a quick 3D fix without having to learn loads of really difficult stuff, you could do this, and learn the complicated stuff later!
OpenGL bindings that I know of:
I put all my code on GitHub, you can check some of it out here:
Sledge: https://github.com/LogicAndTrick/sledge
The JS RMF loader from above: https://github.com/LogicAndTrick/sledge-js
Double bonus: Help me out by contributing new features to Sledge >____>
Even if you're not interested in learning programming, I would recommend clicking on the links to the D3 and three.js websites - the examples for those libraries are really damn cool!
JavaScript:
What you need to get started:
- A computer
- ...(with a browser)
- .......(that's not IE, use Firefox/Chrome/ChrOpera)
Learn some basic HTML and CSS: This video series from Google is said to be a good introduction to HTML and CSS, as well as some more stuff about JavaScript.
Learn more about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript APIs: MozDev is one of the best resources for doing front-end web programming. It covers every API and element that Firefox supports (or might be supporting in the near future) - which is basically everything you'll ever need to know.
Look at cool JS libraries!
- jQuery - easy HTML/CSS manipulation, AJAX, HTML events
- Backbone - write a single-page application like all the other cool people! I'm writing one at work at the moment. SoundCloud is an example of a single-page website made using Backbone.
- D3 - a super-cool library for graphing and displaying data in a visual way. Supports topography/maps, graphs, animations, interactivity, and other cool stuff. The examples are great!
- three.js - Really easy OpenGL (see below) for the web! I used this for my RMF demo. There's tons of examples, so it's really easy to get started.
What you need to get started:
- A computer
- A graphics card that supports OpenGL 3+
- Programming knowledge. You can't just jump into 3D programming, you need to know the basics first. JavaScript works, but so does C, C++, C#, VB, Java, Python, and many other languages with OpenGL bindings. JavaScript is one of the easier options due to the three.js library (see above).
Learn GLSL: The above tutorial will get you started with GLSL shaders, but you can use websites like http://glsl.heroku.com/ and https://www.shadertoy.com/ to work with GLSL without needing all the extra wiring up that OGL requires.
Skip all of that and learn three.js instead: Skipping the OpenGL stuff will certainly put you at a disadvantage, but three.js allows you to get started with 3D programming without having to deal with the lower-level stuff. If you want a quick 3D fix without having to learn loads of really difficult stuff, you could do this, and learn the complicated stuff later!
OpenGL bindings that I know of:
- .NET: OpenTK
- C/C++: GLEW
- Java: JOGL
- Python: PyOpenGL and PyGame
- Others: Just google "opengl <your_programming_language_here>"!
I put all my code on GitHub, you can check some of it out here:
Sledge: https://github.com/LogicAndTrick/sledge
The JS RMF loader from above: https://github.com/LogicAndTrick/sledge-js
Double bonus: Help me out by contributing new features to Sledge >____>
Sat my Mathematics for Physics exam yesterday.
I spent a good hour or so on B1. It was completely wrong.
I didn't even attempt B2.
B3 I attempted the very first part, and failed.
B4 was incredibly easy for 10 marks so I think I've screwed it up.
I don't think I've passed.
Isn't there someone here doing engineering?
I didn't even attempt B2.
B3 I attempted the very first part, and failed.
B4 was incredibly easy for 10 marks so I think I've screwed it up.
I don't think I've passed.
Isn't there someone here doing engineering?
Look what just arrived signed by the Author 
Semester Over!
My final project was a moderate success.. almost...
Automatic Bottle Opener:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRhLXIHeIT8
That ate a lot of my time
So did the book though
Bleah.
2 more semesters to go and I'll have my engineering degree.
Cant wait.
My final project was a moderate success.. almost...
Automatic Bottle Opener:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRhLXIHeIT8
That ate a lot of my time
So did the book though
Bleah.
2 more semesters to go and I'll have my engineering degree.
Cant wait.
What is a good file hosting site these days?
I used to upload files for the map vault on filefront(now gamefront), but they delete them after a while.
Also, linking from my dropbox account or something like that doesn't feel very secure either.
... so?
Also, when is TWHL going to increase the 2mb limit and allow for more than one screenshot?
I used to upload files for the map vault on filefront(now gamefront), but they delete them after a while.
Also, linking from my dropbox account or something like that doesn't feel very secure either.
... so?
Also, when is TWHL going to increase the 2mb limit and allow for more than one screenshot?
“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.”
Anna Quindlen, How Reading Changed My Life
Anna Quindlen, How Reading Changed My Life
In order to listen to music at work I decided to make this. It helps prevent the speaker from projecting into the break room which I'm working from currently and sharing with another co worker.
I'd use headphones but am not allowed.
I used my laser cutter to quickly cut it out. It works really well.
I'd use headphones but am not allowed.
I used my laser cutter to quickly cut it out. It works really well.
Freelancing is a terrifying prospect. I can make more in a day on the right job than I would in a month of permanent employment, yet there is absolutely no guarantee of work.
After an embarrassingly bountiful end to 2013, the work dried up during Jan and Feb (Very few shows get shot in the winter months due to lack of daylight hours, so there's almost no post-production work until spring) and I took an unavoidable break.
However, I got hit with a massive tax bill of £900 because I earned more than I expected in December last year so I've had to go back to a permanent job for the moment because I can no longer wait for the freelance work to pick up. What's the job? Post-production Coordinator. Minimum contract of 3 months. Been here 2 weeks and already bouncing off the walls out of lack of creative output. I'm managing 8 edit suites and a dub suite. Managing. Not using. Nnggg.
What's particularly annoying is that literally two days after starting this position, I got offered one of the most lucrative freelance gigs of my entire career (VFX on Irn Bru's official Commonwealth Games ad - anyone familiar with Scotland will understand why that's a huge deal) and I've had to turn it down.
tl;dr:
When I'm freelance, the security of permanent seems so appealing. When I'm permanent, I get super exciting freelance opportunities.
After an embarrassingly bountiful end to 2013, the work dried up during Jan and Feb (Very few shows get shot in the winter months due to lack of daylight hours, so there's almost no post-production work until spring) and I took an unavoidable break.
However, I got hit with a massive tax bill of £900 because I earned more than I expected in December last year so I've had to go back to a permanent job for the moment because I can no longer wait for the freelance work to pick up. What's the job? Post-production Coordinator. Minimum contract of 3 months. Been here 2 weeks and already bouncing off the walls out of lack of creative output. I'm managing 8 edit suites and a dub suite. Managing. Not using. Nnggg.
What's particularly annoying is that literally two days after starting this position, I got offered one of the most lucrative freelance gigs of my entire career (VFX on Irn Bru's official Commonwealth Games ad - anyone familiar with Scotland will understand why that's a huge deal) and I've had to turn it down.
tl;dr:
When I'm freelance, the security of permanent seems so appealing. When I'm permanent, I get super exciting freelance opportunities.
It is now legal for me to drink alcohol in the U.S.A.