Author Archives: MJC

Make: Electronics: Learning Through Discovery (book review)

Want to learn the fundamentals of electronics in a fun, hands-on way? With Make: Electronics, you’ll start working on real projects as soon as you crack open the book. Explore all of the key components and essential principles through a series of fascinating experiments. You’ll build the circuits first, then learn the theory behind them! Build working devices, from simple to complex You’ll start with the basics and then move on to more complicated projects. Go from switching circuits to integrated circuits, and from simple alarms to programmable microcontrollers. Step-by-step instructions and more than 500 full-color photographs and illustrations will Read more

Processing for the iPhone

The Processing Javascript library has been adapted for use on the iPhone. iProcessing is an open programming framework to help people develop native iPhone applications using the Processing language. It is an integration of the Processing.js library and a Javascript application framework for iPhone.

Self Publishing resource guide

Self publishing is not a new phenomenon. It is the publishing of all media by the author/artists of those works rather than by established, third party publishers. Although self publishing has been around since the beginning of publishing [5], it has seen a huge increase in activity with the advancement of publishing technology and the World Wide Web…….. Website: http://www.digitalartistshandbook.org/publishing

Epson inkjet cartridge recycling

The only way to recycle EPSON inkjet cartridges is to return them to EPSON. None of the reuse schemes accept EPSON. Slade Digital Print are part of the EPSON Recycling Scheme and have a large blue box in the Digital Print are to collect them in. All students and staff are welcome to take advantage of this box for EPSON inkjet cartridge recycling. (But, please do not use the Epson box for any other manufacturer or compatible cartridges as these will end up in landfill.)

Beyond Privacy. New Perspectives on the Public and Private Domain

Our traditional notion of privacy is coming under pressure from a political system obsessed with security and control and a commercial sector avid for sales. More and more measures are being taken that conflict with our constitutional right to privacy. New technologies are being developed and implemented in order to keep an eye on citizens and collect data about their comings and goings. Societal resistance to this is relatively scarce, particularly in the Netherlands. At the same time people harbour fewer and fewer qualms about voluntarily revealing personal information in the media and on the Internet. Apparently the protection of Read more

The Ultimate Dropbox Toolkit & Guide

Dropbox, the app we all (at least many of us) know and love, has a plethora of advanced uses to make life so much easier in managing data between multiple computers and online. We’ve posted several roundups of tips and tricks for Dropbox and now we present our ultimate toolkit and guide. We’ve pulled all our tips and tricks together and added quite a few more. Additionally, share your Dropbox tips and tricks and we’ll update the list to share the fun with everyone. Dropbox? Not familiar with Dropbox? Let me start out by simply saying, Dropbox is awesome. I Read more

online tool for sharing photos, screengrabs quickly

Do you ever want to share some photos, mockups or screengrabs with somebody else online quick and dirty? Go to DropMocks, drag and drop your images, and you are done. You get an instant image gallery that displays in CoverFlow style, along with a short URL to share it. Website: http://dropmocks.com

Free alternative to Microsoft Office

The Document Foundation, which coordinates development of LibreOffice, a new, free and open office suite, has reached an important development milestone significantly ahead of schedule. LibreOffice 3.3 shipped this week; it’s the first, stable, road-ready version of the suite. A large, 100+ community of developers has been attracted to the project, and while it’s still clearly under construction, it’s an impressive showing in a short time. Website: http://www.libreoffice.org/download/

Create custom or global shortcuts that perform more complicated tasks on Mac

Macs have some great built-in keyboard shortcuts, but if you want to create custom or global shortcuts that perform more complicated tasks, you’ll need to do a little extra legwork. Here’s how to turn virtually any action into a keyboard shortcut Website: http://lifehacker.com/5749811/turn-any-action-into-a-keyboard-shortcut-on-your-mac?skyline=true&s=i

Access to Knowledge in the Age of Intellectual Property

At the end of the twentieth century, intellectual property rights collided with everyday life. Expansive copyright laws and digital rights management technologies sought to shut down new forms of copying and remixing made possible by the Internet. International laws expanding patent rights threatened the lives of millions of people around the world living with HIV/AIDS by limiting their access to cheap generic medicines. For decades, governments have tightened the grip of intellectual property law at the bidding of information industries; but recently, groups have emerged around the world to challenge this wave of enclosure with a new counter-politics of “access Read more

Xpert Media Search and Attribution service

One of the main barriers to publishing and using open resources is copyright and particularly the use of third party images where the copyright status is uncertain. To help with overcoming this problem the Open Nottingham team created the Xpert Media Search and Attribution service, which is a ground-breaking website helping users to find creative commons or public domain media and automatically incorporate licence information into the resource. Routinely embedding open licences simplifies OER development, removes barriers to repurposing and publishing OER, and substantially increases the usability and accessibility of course materials. For the first time, broad audiences of OER Read more

Software at UCL Clusters

There are many applications available at UCL Clusters that would be useful to Slade students, such as Photoshop It’s worth noting that some Clusters, such as those in UCL Libraries, are open 24 hours at certain times of year. Full list of software is on this webpage: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/staff/purchasing/software/software_bid/applications

Software UCL make available to students for home use

An up to date list of computer software available to UCL students for use on your own computer: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/isd/students/windows/software Adobe Students get 80% off the retail price. Order direct from Adobe AutoCAD Free copies of AutoCAD is available to students from the AutoCAD website. Microsoft Microsoft are once again doing the Ultimate Steel For Office Mac

Open Street Block – lat/lon coordinate convertor

OpenStreetBlock is a web service for turning a given lat/lon coordinate (e.g. 40.737813,-73.997887) into a textual description of the actual city block to which the coordinate points (e.g. “West 14th Street bet. 6th Ave. & 7th Ave”) using OpenStreetMap data. There are likely many applications for such a service. It should be quite useful any time you might need to succinctly describe a given location without using a map. Website: http://transit.frumin.net/openstreetblock/

Camera Movements

What are camera movements? Essentially, they are controlled independent movements of lens or film plane which enable us to form a more usefull image under a particular set of conditions. They enable us, for instance, to increase depth of field over important parts of the subject, change image shape, and use images of subjects well above, below or to the side of the lens. Camera movements offer us all sorts of image controls, from simple square-on views of mirrors without the camera showing, to a complete change in the appar­ent perspective of a building. Here, indeed, is valuable ‘professional magic.’ Read more

Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) Camera

The 35mm Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera is fundamentally a 45° hinged mirror set behind a lens which reflects the image up to a focusing screen on the camera top. As the shutter release is pressed the mirror flips up to: i) Form a seal under the focusing screen to prevent light from entering the camera through the viewing lens. ii) Move out of the way of the lens and film. When the mirror reaches the horizontal position it fires a focal plane shutter just in front of the film to make an exposure. Distances are arranged so that the Read more

Medium Format: introduction

Format refers to the size of film that you are using. Medium format mostly refers to 120 film which will be 6cm wide but depending on the camera you are using can be 4.5,6, or 7cm long and even longer which would go on to a large format camera. Our cameras produce negative that are 6 X 6cm and 6 X 7cm. We would advice that you do not use 220 film as it doesn’t have a paper back and can rip and is difficult to load, also some of our cameras are not designed for this longer film, So Read more

Shutter speed and aperture

Controlling the exposure. Both shutter speed and aperture affect the amount of light reaching the film. To get a correctly exposed negative, one that is neither too light nor too dark, you need to find a combination of shutter speed and aperture that will let in the right amount of light for a particular scene and film. PDF: Shutter speed and aperture

Glazes: an introduction

Glazes can be classified into two simple groups, which are earthenware and stoneware. These groups can also be classified by firing ranges for individual glazes. Earthenware glazes mature in the range 950°C to 1190°C, where as stoneware glazes fire in the range 1200-1300°C. Some crossover can occur between the high earthenware and low stoneware temperatures. For ease of selection sub-groups are arranged within these groups based on temperatures ranges. Other methods of grouping are based on colour or finish (e.g gloss, opaque, matt etc) or even speciality (e.g. raku). At Clayman we also include a third large group called Brush-on. Read more

Clay: an introduction

Clay is one of the most satisfying and seductive materials to work with. It is made up of millions of tiny plate shaped particles. When water is present in the correct proportion these particles will slide easily over each other without breaking. When the clay body contains approximately 20% water it can be easily moulded or shaped. From the earliest times man has used the qualities of clay to form functional and decorative artefacts. We can arrange clay bodies into five general groups: RAKU The word raku has Chinese origins and describes a specalist type of firing where the pots Read more

Arduino starting points

http://www.creativeapplications.net/category/objects/ http://arduino.cc/blog/category/artduino/ http://arduinoprojectspotter.com/ http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Projects/ArduinoUsers http://wn.com/Arduino_Art http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/arduino/

Copyright, protecting your work against infringement

As a UK artist you automatically hold copyright in your original works of art. This guide by Lee Gage introduces the basic concepts of copyright law and offers practical advice on protecting your work against possible infringement… Website: http://www.a-n.co.uk/knowledge_bank/article/81144/77173

Digital Bookmaking Tools: A Roundup

For those of us who aren’t code slingers, what’s the easiest way to build a digital book? I’ve noticed a small but growing number of tools, ranging from big guns like those on offer from Adobe to iPad-based efforts that aim to make publishing a touch and drag affair. Below is a list I’ve been compiling over the past few weeks. Some of these solutions get you an iPad app, some get you ePub, some are for web-based books. Website: http://newkindofbook.com/2011/04/digital-bookmaking-tools-a-roundup/

booru WebCam software

booru WebCam 2.0 will assist you in capturing images from your web camera, publishing them on your homepage, archiving them on your harddrive or storing them on the Internet. The program makes it easy to apply effects such as picture and text overlays to the camera image. The main purpose of booru Webcam is to increase the fun factor and usefulness of webcams! Party Cam: Use your web camera as a party cam, documenting the party to your local hard drive. You can later on look through the archive to find all the highlights from yesterday’s party. Or why not Read more

Rear projection film

Vikuiti Rear Projection Film uses the same micro bead technology as in 3M’s rigid screens but with a flexible, self-adhesive film that can be applied to windows or transparent partitions. It’s easy to cut to shape and size, is fast and easy to remove, and can be integrated with other window graphics.

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Display graphics, banners, signs

Contour Digital Large format graphics for display, windows, banners, vinyl Provide most of the display graphics for UCL http://www.contourdigital.com/

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Thesis & Dissertation Printing & Binding

Bookbinders of London Ltd is a fourth generation family run business located in Highbury, North London. We work for individual members of the public, students from all of the top London Universities and Colleges plus a wide variety of companies operating in fields such as print, publishing, design, construction, banking, television; modelling etc. We carry out work to your individual specifications and help you in choosing materials and styles of bindings to suit your requirements and budget. We are happy to bind one book or thousands; large or small and will complete your job to a high standard on time. Read more

FLOSS manuals

FLOSS Manuals is a collection of manuals about free and open source software together with the tools used to create them and the community that uses those tools. They include authors, editors, artists, software developers, activists, and many others. There are manuals that explain how to install and use a range of free and open source softwares, about how to do things (like design) with open source software, and manuals about free culture services that use or support free software and formats. Anyone can contribute to a manual – to fix a spelling mistake, to add a more detailed explanation, Read more

Hahnemühle Photo Rag

A smooth bright white 100% rag based paper specifically designed to meet the need of photographers or artists using digital photographic output. The heavier 308 gsm paper provides the weight of an art paper with a smooth calendered surface, which picks up every detail captured in the photograph. PDF: Hahnemühle Photo Rag data sheet

Introduction to web browers

Many of us these days depend on the World Wide Web to bring the world’s information to our fingertips, and put us in touch with people and events across the globe instantaneously. These powerful online experiences are possible thanks to an open web that can be accessed by anyone through a web browser, on any Internet-connected device in the world. But how do our browsers and the web actually work? How has the World Wide Web evolved into what we know and love today? And what do we need to know to navigate the web safely and efficiently? PDF: 20 Read more

The Do’s and Don’ts of Online Publicity

There’s a question that has been bugging me for years: why are 99% of publicists and promotion/marketing people complete useless failures when it comes to blogs and online outlets? I keep waiting for the industry to figure things out and catch up, but it never seems to happen. So I’m taking the time to write this guide. If you work in online PR or know someone who does, this is a must-read — NOT because my observations here are anything other than obvious to the bloggers and editors you’re targeting, but because they’re clearly not obvious, or even known, to Read more

Make your own fonts

YourFonts.com is an online font generator that allows you to create your own OpenType fonts within a couple of minutes.

Colours suitable for newsprint

Newsprint has a limited range of colours that work well. Here are the colours that work best when printing offset PDF: Colours for newsprint

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