Recent Posts

9951

Living Room / Re: Help with music video/song/group ID?!

« Last post by 40hz on September 09, 2009, 07:28 PM »

Possibly Cheap Trick???

Either this:





 http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=WsPtCnyxMsE ???


or this:



http://www.youtube.c...&feature=related

9952

General Software Discussion / Re: Graphic Design question: Services and prices?

« Last post by 40hz on September 08, 2009, 06:44 PM »

As for the success of it, I don't know.  The things i like are never really that popular.  

-superboyac (September 08, 2009, 04:49 PM)

I hear you. I'm one of the people that actually liked Islandia.

We are going to go all out on it, but success is such a tricky thing, and the things we like don't normally fall into the successful/popular category.  At best, they are acclaimed critically.

If you have a story that you really need to tell, you have a genuine crack at success. That's one characteristic of most successful works of fiction. The author(s) wrote the story they wanted to read, rather than the one they thought would sell.

re: help wanted

Here's a suggestion. Consider a quasi-viral approach. Think Firefly. Think StarTrek.

Do a project website. Explain what it's about. Show people some of what you have so far. Try publishing the first two or three chapters up on the web. Invite interested parties to participate in whatever capacity, and under whatever terms seem most acceptable to your creative team. And be blunt about what you're seeking. If you're looking for final art (and only final art) just say so. And if money is going to be an issue (or non-existent), also make that very plain from the get-go.

FWIW: I've got a buddy who's a very talented comic book writer. He's been involved in several collaborative projects. And to date, only a few of them ever panned out. The problem is that most people (especially the bedroom art crowd) underestimate the amount of work involved in getting a graphic novel out the door. From his (and my) experiences, I'd say about 95% of the people who contact you will never come through on what they promise. Most of the remaining 5% will also fizzle out on you after a few weeks. And this sad statistic has held true whether or not there was money to be had.

Sill, if you're lucky, you just might hook up with somebody that actually brings something to the party.

Think of it this way - suppose your book really takes off and they decide to have Burton or Speilberg make it into a movie. Suddenly you'll find you have hundreds of people collaborating to bring your epic to the screen. Might not hurt to get a little practice in first.

I'd hold off on doing any of this right now. But tuck it in the back of your head for later.



P.S. Thanks for the compliment, but I'm definitely not an artist. We have a real one in my family  - so I know.

9953

General Software Discussion / Re: Grpahic Design question: Services and prices?

« Last post by 40hz on September 08, 2009, 03:51 PM »

Hoo Boy! You do know how to ask a question...

Gonna need a little time to work something up for you on that one.

But one big question for you before we start: Are you open to a collaborative partner (i.e. Story by: X Illustrated by: Y) or are you looking to do a "work for hire" agreement whereby you pay the artist for full ownership rights?

 

----

re: Prices

You can get a ballpark idea of prices (and the mindset behind commercial art) by looking at a copy of the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines. This is the book most of the Pros look at even if they don't follow it.

IMHO, the Artist's Guild pricing guidelines fall somewhat into the category of 'wishful thinking' since most graphic professionals I know tell me they'd like to charge what they see suggested in this book.

Prices will also vary widely by geographic region, so take the Guild's numbers with a grain of salt. Something to look at. But not gospel by any stretch. Some interesting comments on this title are posted over at Amazon. ( www.amazon.com/Graphic-Artists-Guild-Handbook-Guidelines/dp/0932102123 ). Might be worth a look.

Be back in a bit with some more.

9954

Living Room / Re: OK - lets get to know each other... who are you, what do you do, where from?

« Last post by 40hz on September 06, 2009, 10:35 PM »

Anybody else want to admit their age by saying they recongize it?

-edbro (September 06, 2009, 11:07 AM)

Well..I could answer that question...but:

If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop

 

too easy -- and one of the best bands in the history of the universe.

-mouser (September 06, 2009, 11:21 AM)

+1

9955

General Software Discussion / Re: What is your preferred font?

« Last post by 40hz on September 06, 2009, 07:59 AM »

I always thought Arial was a fairly straight rip-off of Helvetica,
but I see Wikipedia agrees with you:-

-tomos (September 06, 2009, 07:24 AM)

Glad to hear that.

There's a lot of things I'm not too knowledgeable about. But one thing I actually do know something about is type.

9956

General Software Discussion / Re: What is your preferred font?

« Last post by 40hz on September 06, 2009, 07:54 AM »

For those of you who want to begin exploring the world of typography, here are some links to collections of free fonts to get you started:

http://apostrophiclab.pedroreina.net

www.dafont.com

www.urbanfonts.com

www.1001freefonts.com

www.fontsquirrel.com

www.fontspace.com

There many other font sites up on the web, but these links get repeatedly mentioned in various design articles. Worth a look.

I'd also suggest checking out www.deviantart.com Although not a 'font site' per sce, many of the contributing artists have taken a crack at font design. Browse around while you're there. Some of the creative works on display at DeiviantArt are quite amazing.

Caution: constantly searching for 'the ideal font' can be habit forming.

9957

General Software Discussion / Re: What is your preferred font?

« Last post by 40hz on September 05, 2009, 01:32 PM »

I always get a headache when switching fonts but everytime I was put in a position where I just want to rip everything apart, I always settled on Arial as lame as that probably is for font enthusiasts.

-Paul Keith (September 05, 2009, 12:01 PM)

I have received my share of criticism for my love of Arial.

-app103 (September 05, 2009, 12:38 PM)

Sod the snobs and enthusiasts. I sometimes think of myself as a connoisseur of fine typography. (So much so that I had to look up the spelling of the word connoisseur  ) But I'll never diss anyone for liking Ariel. Especially since there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's a very workmanlike font - and one of the better screen fonts for web use.

I think it's also  important to distinguish between what works well on screen as opposed to what works well in print. They're two completely different things. And the overall design and optical considerations should reflect that. Screen resolution is usually 96-dpi. Print resolution can range anywhere from 1200 dpi on up to the absolute resolution of the output device and media.

Ariel was primarily designed to be a screen font. As a result, it's metrics and kerning are optimized for screen resolutions. IMHO, it doesn't look that great when you print it out at 1200 dpi (especially when you compare it to 'printer fonts' such as Helvetica or Univers), but that's just a matter of personal taste. If you grew up on TrueType fonts and laser printers, I doubt you'd have the issues the old typesetting crowd has with Ariel. Again, it's just a matter of taste - and what you've been taught to look for in a font. Neither is intrinsically better. They're just different.

And besides, it's all about readability. At least in my book. One of the biggest complaints I have (with a lot of what passes for 'graphic design') is the tendency of many designers to treat text as just another graphic element. Text is not a graphic. Text is meant to be read. And anything that interferes with that is poor design.

So when people say things like:

I just find that Arial is a very comfortable font to look at for long periods of time. Other fonts tend to make my eyes tired, rather quickly.

-app103 (September 05, 2009, 12:38 PM)

and...

I'm not kidding. Sure I can tolerate alot of these fonts and I currently have Verdana in Opera and of course Times New Roman is default in MS Word but when you put a gun to my head, I always default to Arial. It just seems like the font that gives me the least headache regardless of text size, text zoom and text formatting.

-Paul Keith (September 05, 2009, 12:01 PM)

...it just makes me wonder what possible argument anybody can really make against a font like Ariel?

Fonts are like wine. What's the best? Answer: the one you like.

 

9958

General Software Discussion / Re: What is your preferred font?

« Last post by 40hz on September 05, 2009, 01:05 PM »

Hm, Day Roman... what's with 6 and 8 floating above the rest?

-f0dder (September 05, 2009, 03:07 AM)

That's a typographic style element called an ascender. It's cousin to the descender which is the exact opposite.

http://www.fonts.com...sary/_glossary_A.htm

ascender
The part of a lowercase letter that extends above the x-height, usually continuous with a main stroke. The letters b, d, f, h, k, and l have ascenders; i and j do not. (The letter t, which has a shorter projection above the x-height, is often not classified with other ascending letters.) The old-style numerals 6 and 8 also have ascenders because they extend above 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9.

 

9959

General Software Discussion / Re: What is your preferred font?

« Last post by 40hz on September 04, 2009, 06:27 PM »

Wow, nice tastes. Never heard of either. Love how they designed the numbers.

-zridling (September 04, 2009, 04:10 PM)

Glad you liked it. Everyone I've shown Day Roman to loves those old-style descenders on the numbers. It's probably DR's biggest 'selling' point.

BTW: If you liked Minion, also check out a font family from Linotype called Fairfield. This one is a little less fleshy with 'only' 20 fonts in the collection.
http://www.linotype....airfield-family.html




Yet another drop-dead gorgeous serif font. Keeps the best of traditional serif designs, but also adds a slightly more modern set of improvements. One of the better choices for text when you're setting type for a book. Fairfield was specifically designed to be highly legible. My tired eyes appreciate seeing Fairfield every time I come across it in a book or magazine article. Also a little $$$, but again, still worth it. My second favorite after Minion - with my old flame Garamond coming in a close third.

Fairfield was designed by Rudolf Ruzicka, a gentleman who created another beautiful font called Lake Informal which is also published by Linotype.
http://www.linotype....07/lakeinformal.html



Lake Informal is an excellent choice for giving text a handwritten look. It also mixes well with more formal typefaces and plays quite nicely with Minion.


and...I'm gonna stop now. I can go on and on about fonts for hours....

But you probably already figured that out didn't you?

9960

Living Room / Re: top secret: tech support cheat sheet (xkcd)

« Last post by 40hz on September 04, 2009, 01:34 PM »

Absolutely under NO circumstances should one attempt to install FreeBSD under the influence of alcohol.
 

You have been warned...

-Edvard (September 03, 2009, 04:44 PM)

Same goes for attempting to start a Gentoo Stage 3 after having a few too many pints
of Kanc Country Maple Porter.

But I have a 3 day weekend, a case of beer, and nothing planned... <-Just add FreeBSD y/n)  

-Stoic Joker (September 04, 2009, 11:43 AM)

Do not be afraid! A botched install builds character.

9961

General Software Discussion / Re: Program Whose Time Has Come: virtual folders, collections, file baskets...

« Last post by 40hz on September 04, 2009, 01:22 PM »

@tranglos- Thanks for the clarification. As you pointed out, the difference is in the implementation. And you've obviously thought this one through.

Question: how does your product handle changes to the collection after the fact? Does all file manipulation (add, delete, move, rename, set file permissions, etc.) have to be done within your app if you want to preserve the collection; or can you use any tool (including Windows built-in tools) and still have the collection reflect the changes?

Sorry I'm asking so many questions. I'm not much of a coder, but I have a huge interest in how applications such as this one get designed and built.

 

9962

General Software Discussion / Re: Program Whose Time Has Come: virtual folders, collections, file baskets...

« Last post by 40hz on September 04, 2009, 10:19 AM »

Maybe I'm dense, but how is a collection or virtual folder really any different than using a tag to group a disparate collection of items?

If you did a search for all items tagged something like "Collection-01", wouldn't all the program features be available for use on the results of the search?

I realize there are productivity gains to be had by not having to do another search each time you wanted to reassemble the file group so some indexing and filtering would be involved. But isn't that basically what it comes down to? That and some UI cosmetics to make it look as though the collection resided in an actual folder or other container

9963

General Software Discussion / Re: What is your preferred font?

« Last post by 40hz on September 04, 2009, 09:46 AM »

- For general screen use: Verdana or Tahoma.
Bland and functional. Nothing much to like or dislike about either. Both fonts are easy to read.

- For technical screen use: Dina
Finally a san serif font where it's easy to tell the difference between the number one and the lower case L!

- For print (everyday): Day Roman by Apostrophic Labs
www.fontspace.com/apostrophic-lab/day-roman



A very clear, beautifully designed serif. And the price is right too. It's free!


- For print (publication): the Minion font family from Linotype
www.linotype.com/1236/minion-family.html



Learned about this font back in the days when I was very heavily involved in graphic design and publishing. Minion is easily one of the most complete, elegant, and readable designs ever created. Not cheap by any stretch. Especially if you opt for the entire family of 93 fonts ($275). But IMHO, Minion is still worth every penny. Individual fonts within the family are available at a very reasonable $26 each.

9964

Found Deals and Discounts / Another site offering 5 free WinAutomation Professional Licenses

« Last post by 40hz on September 02, 2009, 01:27 PM »

Hongkiat.com has a giveaway similar to the one found earlier by theredgiant.

Link: http://www.hongkiat....ows-tasks-automator/

Courtesy of folks behind WinAutomation, we are giving out 5 copies of WinAutomation Professional (worth $199 each) to Hongkiat readers. That’s right, it’s a giveaway contest worth about $1000. Here’s how you can win them!
How to Win

We’ve got 5 copies, and winning them is simple. Drop a comment, letting us know how it will help you in terms of productivity. If you can’t think of any, share with us your frustration and grievance on handling routinely repetitive tasks :-)

Contest starts today, ends 9th September. Winners will be announced on the blog. Good luck!

If you're interested, why not hedge your bet and put in for it at both sites?

9965

Found Deals and Discounts / EASEUS Partition Master for Free

« Last post by 40hz on September 01, 2009, 10:59 AM »

----------------<09/02/2009: THIS OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED>-----------------------------------


Courtesy of the folks over at Gizmo's.

Offer is good for one day only (24-hrs) - Tuesday September 1, 2009

See link below for original article and full details of how to get it:

http://www.techsuppo...tion-master-free.htm

Get $39.95 Pro Version of EASEUS Partition Master for Free

Like freeware? Then why not become a software reviewer for Gizmo's Freeware.
Last Update: Tue, 09/01/2009 - 13:45 — ianjrichards

Here’s another exclusive offer from Gizmo’s Freeware.  Today we are offering the full $39.95 current Pro version of EASEUS Partition Master free for 24 hours from 12.01 AM Tuesday 1 September, 2009 USA Pacific Daylight Time.  As part of the promotion EASEUS is also offering Gizmo's Freeware readers 20% off all its products for the rest of 2009.

Although I prefer to use a bootable PartedMagic CD when I monkey with my drive partitions, Easus is also an excellent tool that gets the job done. Of especial interest is that this product also has the ability to create drive recovery images - something that's been discussed at various times here at Donation Coder. That feature alone should make this product worth the download. So grab a copy while you can!

 

9966

Site/Forum Features / Re: Badge/Award Mod Rewritten

« Last post by 40hz on August 30, 2009, 11:49 AM »

Cool!
May I suggest something? Maybe removing the frame and making the musical note larger would make it look better in 16x16

-jgpaiva (August 30, 2009, 09:17 AM)

Glad you said that. Two minutes after I posted it, I had misgivings about the frame on the small one, but I was a little too lazy   to change it since it was already well past midnight when I did the original.

This is as big as I can get with the graphic and still stay withing 16x16:

16x16-no-frame version >>  

File is in png format - so If anybody is good at hand tweaking small graphics, don't hesitate to have at it.

9967

Site/Forum Features / Re: Badge/Award Mod Rewritten

« Last post by 40hz on August 30, 2009, 08:38 AM »

I just put these together. Will they work? No attribution necessary that way.

64x64       16x16


Also 'buttonized' for 64x64  

9968

Site/Forum Features / Re: Badge/Award Mod Rewritten

« Last post by 40hz on August 29, 2009, 10:12 PM »

So, maybe we should make a few more?
Which ones would you guys consider important?

-jgpaiva (August 29, 2009, 08:26 PM)

Well, I was thinking that there are probably quite a few musicians in the Donation Coder community...

 

9969

Site/Forum Features / Re: Badge/Award Mod Rewritten

« Last post by 40hz on August 29, 2009, 07:18 PM »

@jgpaiva - didn't know if you'd be interested, but my sister (the one that's the graphic designer) pointed me to this link:

http://www.famfamfam...com/lab/icons/flags/

They've done up most flags already  in case you don't feel like reinventing (or re-iconizing) the world flag set. They're free to use without restriction, unlike many icon collections.

Flag Icons

“Flags” are 247 icons — in GIF and PNG formats — representing most countries in the world as small pixel icons. These flag icons are available for free use for any purpose with no requirement for attribution.

The flag icon filenames follow the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes.

P.S. I like the colors on your version of the Portugal flag better!

9970

General Software Discussion / Re: Recent Sightings: Process Tamer is on Ziff-Davis's Baseline website

« Last post by 40hz on August 28, 2009, 05:57 PM »

Also just showed up today on FreewareFiles.com


http://www.freewaref...t_program_16933.html

Love to know how they came up with 4.92 out of 5.



  :Thmbsup:Mouser! You're on a roll!

9971

Site/Forum Features / Re: Badge/Award Mod Rewritten

« Last post by 40hz on August 28, 2009, 05:43 PM »

Sorry.

I'm so used to dragging and dropping I sometime think I've forgotten how to type...or read...or walk...or...

9972

Site/Forum Features / Re: Badge/Award Mod Rewritten

« Last post by 40hz on August 28, 2009, 03:03 PM »

Out of curiosity, I tried adding it to my profile, but it doesn't show up over my avatar.

Am I doing something wrong?

9973

Site/Forum Features / Re: Badge/Award Mod Rewritten

« Last post by 40hz on August 28, 2009, 10:10 AM »

I did some retouching on the previous 16x16, and I think the contrast is a bit better now, what do you think?
 (see attachment in previous post)

-jgpaiva (August 28, 2009, 05:16 AM)

Kudos! Works for me!

9974

Site/Forum Features / Re: Badge/Award Mod Rewritten

« Last post by 40hz on August 27, 2009, 10:56 PM »

i think penguin would be best, but preferably one without a lobotomy.

-mouser (August 27, 2009, 06:52 PM)

I'd love to see someone do a workable 16X16 badge. I've done dozens of badges for Linux, but I've never been able to get one I liked below 64X64.

This one falls apart at 16

9975

Site/Forum Features / Re: Badge/Award Mod Rewritten

« Last post by 40hz on August 27, 2009, 05:26 PM »

Maybe just a small formal T as in "Tux" for Linux?