Blender 2.40

One word... "Woof"

A new release of Blender and it's a complete stonker. That's my Christmas holidays planned then.

Too many changes to mention so check it out for yourself. A new physics system, fluid simulation, Inverse Kinematics, Advanced Rigging, Live LSCM UV Mapping... Fantastic.

Category:

• 3D
• Blender

Spaceball 5000 USB

I've written about this lust object before and now, thanks to eBay, I've secured a brand new example for the grand total of £85 (you'd be lucky to get one for under £300 from usual suppliers).

Sure, it's been superseded by the SpacePilot but for that cost I decided it was too good to miss. Once I've got it fully set-up, the buttons programmed and I've designed a few award winning masterpieces I'll write a review.

Don't you just love eBay?

Category:

• Spaceball
• 3D
• Gadget
• Business

Recommended Blog

Horribly addictive blog written by ex-Google staffers, hence the title, Xooglers. Although not in Google from day 1 (obviously) these early staff members give a unique insight into the behemoth that Google has become from the heady days of the dot.com start-up bubble, to the crash and onwards to world domination. As always, start from the first post and work your way back.

Fascinating.

Category:

• Blog

The Perfect Gift

Christmas eh? Bah humbug! What ever happened the almost, uncontrollable joy I used to feel in the run up to Christmas? I got old and grumpy I suppose, really cannot be annoyed with the whole thing.

Anyway, presents. Run, don't walk to the SPCA and sponsor a space at one of their Scottish Animal Shelters for someone you can't think what to get for. Prices range from £10 a year for a space for a hedgehog to £100 for a horse stable. A dog kennel comes in at £60 and £35 for a cat unit (you can even select which unit receives your donation). They can't process credit cards online so you just print off a completed form and post it off. Do it now and don't forget to fill out a gift aid declaration so that Uncle Gordon Brown chips in and increases your donation by 28%.

If you're in England or Wales then try the RSPCA and for Norn Iron it's the USPCA or whatever organisation is relevant to your own country to see if they run a similar scheme.

I can't abide cruelty to animals in any shape or form.

Category:

• Personal
• Charity
• Pets

It's All Gone Pete Tong

Currently experiencing my first problem with Tesco's DVD rental scheme. New DVD arrived this morning and as I'm on holiday I thought I'd invest some serious time in watching it on the projector. Unfortunately the DVD had other ideas. Lock ups, skips and jumps marred the opening 10 minutes. Had a look at the surface but there were no obvious signs of scratches or dirt. Upon closer inspection I thought I could detect some defect below the plastic layer.

Tried to rip and burn it to a new disc using DVD Shrink but it came back with checksum errors, no go. Reported the fault on Tesco's website and requested a replacement. My account immediately showed that I had no discs at home and was awaiting allocation from their warehouse. Lesley posted the faulty DVD back this afternoon so should be with them tomorrow.

Big test as to how quick a new disc is sent out and whether it's the same film as the faulty one. Wait and see.

On a brighter note I noticed you can lower the cost of the subscription by paying in advance. My subscription is for 1 DVD at a time costing £7.97 per month, but by paying 3 months in advance at a cost of £18.91 the monthly cost averages out at just over £6.30.