Particles

No, not another post on physics. At least not directly. In my advanced animation class we are getting to the fun stuff. Yesterday that was particle systems. So in preparation I got to play a bit with the implementation in Lightwave and created these examples:

Did not upload the animation through google video this time. That now requires one to install Gears. I do not really like to install stuff that has a unique identifier (a number) that can be tracked, especially if there is no functional reason for it. Putting that off, at least for now. If anybody knows of security and/or privacy issues related to Google Gears, please comment!

Tiny Things

Reading the Physics Today the other day in our tiny room, or should I say browsing it in the bathroom, I came across an amazing image of a nanotechnology circuit board (or at least some switches made with carbon tubes) against the backdrop of a human hair at the same scale. This is definitely the stuff that used to be science fiction when I was a kid!

Which seems to be a sentiment shared by Dan Pirarro

Maybe the iPod invisible, as once previewed on SNL, is not too far off (aaarrgh, cannot find video!)

Unfortunately the on-line version of Physics Today has the image behind a password. The image posted comes from the BBC, and they only had this tiny version... and that post is three years old, so image how small the circuits must be now!

Version 3?

Partly in preparation for classes (okay, that is a bit of a stretch, but I will be teaching Advanced Animation using Lightwave this Spring) I have been playing with Lscript a bit. Lscript is yet another scripting language, this one for Lightwave 3D. Wouldn't it be great if they too switched to Python?

Building upon the Multi Dimensional Eye Virus series, I created this:

A rough test, not much yet. I plan to also render a normal map from this and use that in the next dimension to enable re-lighting.

But first there are syllabi to write, classes to prepare, diapers to be changed...

Happy New Year!

2008 has been kind of turbulent: moving into a new home, becoming a father, new job (that is: moving up from adjunct to assistant professor, albeit half time) and also some less pleasant things. The next year will likely be even more challenging. Though the challenges will be small compared to what president elect Obama is facing!

I wish everybody a healthy and productive 2009!

My new years resolution? To stop procrastinating in 2010!

Pope blessing consumer credit?

Didn't get to post this earlier but on December 16, the following appeared on my Yahoo! mail:

On a related note (sort of): when posting to blogger, the new post page suggest the following:

"Labels for this post:

e.g. scooters, vacation, fall"

How many stories are there on blogger about scooter accidents while on vacation?