Teamwork

Poser & Photoshop. I created this after playing with Poser for a minute. I dislike Poser figures because they generally look so fake so very little editing was actually done in Poser, aside from the Poses of course.

This image is very simple to create and consists of four layers, the demons each had a layer, but I'm not counting them. The layers are the texture, which also textures the demons, the wall, the floor, and the framed picture. Some very minor editing was done to get the shadows and demons to look more natural.

If you're looking for an open source alternative to Poser, you will want to take a look at Make Human. Available for OS X, Linux, and Windows. For a freeware alternative see Daz Studio.

The meaning is simply this, as evil and nasty as mankind can be, we can still join together and do kind things from time to time.

Lovely Charts

Lovely Charts is a web based application for creating charts and diagrams. I needed something like Visio to diagram and see program flow, but I don't use these types of tools enough to warrant installing or buying something. Lovely Charts does what I need and it's free, requires no install, is powerful, and has no weird problems.

Moved to Macintosh full time.

After years of running Linux and occasionally Windows I've made the switch to Macintosh. My wife has been using Macs for years and I have used them every now and then so it wasn't a big change, plus I supported them years back in a technician role, but I do believe I was missing out. My only complaint is the window management is lacking, and the fact that you can't do a lot of theming. Besides that, I'm in heaven.

First, there is plenty of open source software so I have just about everything I need. I have the power and security of Unix and the purchasing power of a commercial OS. The best of both worlds! I still have to watch when I buy strange hardware or a game, but Linux made me used to this type of lifestyle so no big deal. I still have more options with OS X and I haven't spent anytime fixing anything! My one complaint with Linux was I constantly had to fix or get something working every time I installed it.

I am a programmer by trade so of course I'm spending some time with XCode. I have about four iPhone apps that will soon be in the works. Objective-C is a little different from the world I come from and XCode/Interface Designer has a bit of a learning curve but I'm liking it so far; although, it's a very tedious language/process. Of course Python is far superior and I already wrote a bundled Python/Tk GUI tool to get data out of a SQLite database created by an iPhone application...

So I am happy with my decision and love it so far. I would recommend a Mac to anyone who wants to be productive and secure with a clean way to manage everything, including software. One thing about Macintosh the haters miss, it allows you to be as technical as you feel comfortable with. If you want to program, it's there. If you want to dig deep into Unix commands and software, it's there. If you just want drag and drop pictures with red eye removal, it's there. I do all of the above based on my mood. One day I only want to create art, the next I want to play around porting some Linux app in x11.

One thing is for sure, Macs are a little higher priced than the cheap ass crap at the local best buy. I call those consumer throw away machines. We have eight year old Macs still in use here, but I can guarantee those cheap HP, Dell's, whatever will be collecting dust within four years and you will feel the pain if they're not... That should not be an argument. I have some old HPs and I can't stomach using them. Honestly, I looked at laptops that would be about the same level of power and features as the Macbook and the price wasn't all that much different if you're out to buy a good machine that will last you awhile. If you're looking for the cheapest thing you can get, you will get what you pay for, period...

Before I start getting labeled a "fan boy" let me suggest if you have a nice laptop and want one hell of a killer Linux distro that has some of the same look and feel of Mac, get a copy of eLive! I am putting a copy on my son's laptop and I don't even mind donating to install, because it really is nicely done.

Whatever your opinion of the various operating systems, you have to admit they all have their strengths and weaknesses. I've used them all including Novell Netware/Windows/DOS/SCO, Linux (too many flavors), Solaris, BeOS, Amega, OS/2 Warp, etc... My opinion is the same, early 90s Amiga was ahead of its time, mid 90s BeOS was ahead of its time, early 2k Linux was on it's way (hasn't changed), now OS X is what I consider, not ahead of its time, but certainly in time...