Author Archives: MJC

The Feynman Lectures on Physics

Caltech and The Feynman Lectures Website are pleased to present this online edition of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Now, anyone with internet access and a web browser can enjoy reading a high-quality up-to-date copy of Feynman’s legendary lectures. This edition has been designed for ease of reading on devices of any size or shape; text, figures and equations can all be zoomed without degradation.1 http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/

10 things you should NEVER say during presentations

From http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2013/09/12/10-things-you-should-never-say-during-presentations-2/ At our TNW Conferences we see a lot of presentations and I have given a fair share of presentations myself. I often see people making the same mistakes and cringe when I hear the same excuses or basic errors when people get on stage. The easiest way to lose an audience is to make a mistake in the first minute, and that is exactly where most mistakes are made. Here is my list of 10 things you shouldn’t say during presentations: 1: I’m very jet-lagged/tired/hungover Not sure where this comes from but one in five presentations at any Read more

Circuit design app

Autodesk today expanded its suite of free 3D tools by partnering with Circuits.io to launch an electronics design tool: 123D Circuits. The program allows users to create virtual breadboard-based designs to build and experiment with circuits. A virtual Arduino board can be added to the design, and the code can be edited in a browser window and simulated. The code can also be edited collaboratively (“a Google Doc for electronics” Autodesk claims). The program also provides hooks that allow users to have the virtual boards professionally manufactured. http://www.123dapp.com/sandbox

Where to buy cheap paint

We stock: • Emulsion paint for walls and ceilings (vinyl matt and silk) • Kitchen and bathroom paint • Paint for interior and exterior wood and metal (gloss, satinwood and eggshell) • Undercoats and primers • Masonry paint for exterior brickwork • Varnishes and woodstains • Floor and tile paint Reclaimed paint is available in a wide range of colours and sizes – from 750ml to 10 litres. A range of ‘as new’ paint donated from commercial sources is also available.     Reclaimed paint is available from the following locations for a suggested donation of £1 per litre: FRP Read more

CREATING AN ARTIST WEBSITE, or The Art of Storytelling

One of the most common misunderstandings artists have about websites is the idea that an online virtual gallery or portfolio can function as a comprehensive marketing strategy. I often read articles encouraging artists to simply develop an online portfolio to drive audiences (and potential buyers) toward their works. Unfortunately, the internet is so saturated with images, audio, texts and videos that creative manifestations without context can easily become engulfed in the abyss of the World Wide Web. Creating your successful artist website is not about simply displaying art. It’s about engaging your site visitors through a compelling story about you Read more

Woodworking service London

Our background is in fine art but our roots are in woodworking To say we are a family firm is perhaps stretching a point: our small company feels like a family and our family’s roots are embedding deeply in manufacturing tradition. Tim, aged 16, was apprenticed to his grandfather in the family’s Yorkshire carpentry business and Roddy’s grandfather was a cabinet maker and furniture designer. We both left the north of England to study fine art in London: Tim at Chelsea and Roddy at Central Saint Martins and the Slade school. After graduating we became involved in the London art Read more

Quotes & Accents

Quotes & Accents (& Dashes) We all need to use them but hardly any of us know how to type them. Here is a brief guide of how to type smart quotes and accented characters (and dashes) on a Mac. If you have the latest OS you probably discovered that you can also find accented characters by holding down a letter to reveal its spicier cousins (I discovered this myself many times when attempting to type “heeeeeyyyyy” in an iChat window.). If you’re on a Windows computer or some nerdy space machine, I’d recommend googling “keyboard commands for accented characters”. Read more

Super 8 film, processing and transfer

Ektachrome 100D Film Process & Telecine Paid An all-in-one package: We send you the Ektachrome 100D Super 8 film, and a Film-Processing & Telecine Voucher. Once you have shot your film you return it & the voucher to us. We process the film, and then telecine it either to MiniDV, DVD Video or DVD Data formats. All formats are Standard Definition. http://www.bluecinetech.co.uk/products.php?cat=87

Wireless PA System, QTX Sound – Manual

The Media Store now has this Wireless PA System. QTX Sound QR12PA / QR15PA QTX Sound User Manual 178.843 / 178.846 Features:  Mains, external or internal D.C. power supply  Internal 12V rechargeable battery  2 x VHF handheld wireless microphones included  2 x microphone inputs (6.3mm jack)  Master 2 band EQ and Echo effect for microphones  Internal USB/SD digital audio media player  Wireless remote control for media player  Integral trolley with telescopic handle  Integral 35mm pole mount  AUX line input

Sculpture Workshop – Berlin

Sculpture Workshop   The Sculpture workshop in the Berlin district of “Wedding” with an overall size of 3600 square metres and 12 metres height provides excellent conditions for artistic projects in metal, wood, stone, plaster/casting, plastics and ceramics. A 3D laser scanning system is also available. The available space sections are designed to be able to carry out a variety of projects, including large-scale and complex designs, facilitating a work environment to the highest professional standards. The workshop supervisors are there to offer advice on the technical realisation of projects, providing information on specific materials and are willing to help Read more

Kulturwerk print studio – Berlin

The Print studio in the Berlin district of “Kreuzberg” offers all the facilities for mechanical, chemical and digital printing techniques. Ranging from the traditional printing methods, such as book printing, etching and lithography to screen-printing and offset print, the services on offer are regularly adapted to incorporate the latest technical developments. Additionally, the studio runs workshops for papermaking and bookbinding. A whole range of printing methods may be realised: from traditional printing editions to crossover techniques and experimental projects. News from the workshop Screen printing Etching/ Engraving Lithography Letterprint Bookbinding studio Paper Making Computer Fotografie Accommodation in Berlin? Druckwerkstatt im Read more

LibreOffice free alternative to Microsoft Office

LibreOffice is the power-packed free, libre and open source personal productivity suite for Windows, Macintosh and GNU/Linux, that gives you six feature-rich applications for all your document production and data processing needs: Writer, Calc, Impress, Draw, Math and Base. Support and documentation is free from our large See what LibreOffice can do for you »

Google Spreadsheet Mapper 3

Spreadsheet Mapper 3 This tutorial shows you how to enter data in an online spreadsheet to generate a set of placemarks in Google Earth and Maps. Google’s web-based, collaborative editing allows you and your team members to simultaneously enter data and instantly publish updates. Using this tool you could: showcase your organisation’s projects, programme sites or partners; map your offices, volunteers or resources; or visualise your data on local, regional or global scales. Some of the new and improved features in Spreadsheet Mapper version 3 include: Create 1000 placemarks – add more if needed. Six simplified balloon design templates – Read more

JsFiddle live online tweaking of code

JsFiddle is a playground for web developers, a tool which may be used in many ways. One can use it as an online editor for snippets build from HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The code can then be shared with others, embedded on a blog, etc. Using this approach, JavaScript developers can very easily isolate bugs. We aim to support all actively developed frameworks – it helps with testing compatibility. (full Interview) News and announcements may be found on the blog. One can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook  

Audio speakers made from paper

Inspired by Marcelo Coehlo’s paper speaker and Vincent Leclerc’s Accouphene textile speaker. These paper and fabric speakers are made by running 5-9V amplified sound signal through a very conductive coil in close proximity to a magnet. Unlike most speakers that have the wire coil wrapped cylindrically and placed around the magnet, here the coil is in the plane and directly adhered to the membrane that moves the air creating sound. Also see: etched fabric speaker, carved and engraved wood speakers, plated seashell speakers: http://hlt.media.mit.edu/?p=1372  

Getting Started with Raspberry Pi – book

  What can you do with the Raspberry Pi, a £25 computer the size of a credit card? All sorts of things! If you’re learning how to program, or looking to build new electronic projects, this hands-on guide will show you just how valuable this flexible little platform can be. This book takes you step-by-step through many fun and educational possibilities. Take advantage of several preloaded programming languages. Use the Raspberry Pi with Arduino. Create Internet-connected projects. Play with multimedia. With Raspberry Pi, you can do all of this and more. Get acquainted with hardware features on the Pi’s board Read more

Stacey – web CMS without a database

Stacey stores all of its content using flat text files & folders rather than a traditional database. So installation is as simple as copying the application files onto your server. No install file, no database setup and it will run on any standard php server.     see it working Imran Perretta uses Stacey

The RGBDToolkit – open-source 3D capture for video

The RGBDToolkit invites you to imagine the future of filmmaking. Repurposing the depth sensing camera from the Microsoft Kinect or Asus Xtion Pro as an accessory to your HD DSLR camera, the open source hardware and software captures and visualizes the world as mesmerizing wireframe forms. A CGI and video hybrid, the data can be rephotographed from any angle in post.

Arduino’s co-creator explains electronic circuits for absolute beginners

Looking to learn the basics of using the Arduino starter board? Well be sure to watch this informative video hosted by Massimo Banzi, one of the Co-Founders of Arduino. The video explains how to build a basic circuit with the Arduino board, and how to use each of the basic components such as LEDs, switches, and resistors. So if you are new to engineering, or have only recently purchased the Arduino started kit, this video is a must-watch! View this video and others at RS online: http://ow.ly/e3WVr Buy the starter kit and related Arduino products: http://ow.ly/e3WVr

Standard book sizes

Books can be any size. Here are the standard sizes to which most books follow:   134 x 197mm (Standard) 216 x 138mm (Demy) 210 x 148mm (A5) 234 x 156mm (Royal) 249 x 177mm (Pinched Crown Quarto) 246 x 189mm (Crown Quarto) 276 x 219mm (Demy Quarto) 297 x 210mm (A4)   it is often cheaper to use one of these.

Pressbooks – make ebooks, webbooks, and printbooks

Easily create ebooks for any device, webbooks for accessibility and promotion, and PDFs for printbooks and print-on-demand. Use our distribution services to get your books into Kindle, Apple iBooks, Nook and other retailers — or do it yourself. PressBooks is built on WordPress, so it’s as easy as blogging.   Pressbooks

Your New TV Ruins Movies – settings to use or not use on LCD screens

Prolost Maybe you got a new TV for Christmas. Or maybe you just got one recently. Maybe you are thinking of buying one. Whichever is the case, take heed: your TV will try very, very hard to make whatever movies you watch on it look not just bad, but aggressively, satanically, puppy-drowningly bad. TVs are designed to do one thing above all: sell. To do so, they must fight for attention on brightly-lit showroom floors. Manufacturers accomplish this in much the same way that transvestite hookers in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district do—by showing you everything they’ve got, turned up to Read more

Encyclopedia of Electronic Components Volume 1: Resistors, Capacitors, Inductors, Switches, Encoders, Relays, Transistors

  Want to know how to use an electronic component? This first book of a three-volume set includes key information on electronics parts for your projects—complete with photographs, schematics, and diagrams. You’ll learn what each one does, how it works, why it’s useful, and what variants exist. No matter how much you know about electronics, you’ll find fascinating details you’ve never come across before. Convenient, concise, well-organized, and precise Perfect for teachers, hobbyists, engineers, and students of all ages, this reference puts reliable, fact-checked information right at your fingertips—whether you’re refreshing your memory or exploring a component for the first Read more

100 independent bookshops in London

Independent bookshops fill the gaps in the high street, stocking thoughtful and idiosyncratic selections rather than market-driven choices of books. They sustain local interests and offer different ways for communities to participate in a range of cultural activities. They are crucial platforms for alternative publishing. The London Bookshop Map

Popcorn Maker: a drag-and-drop tool for mashup interactive video

Sunday at the Mozilla Festival in London, Mozilla launched the 1.0 version of their new Popcorn Maker tool, a free web app that makes video pop with interactivity, context and the magic of the web. Popcorn Maker makes it easy to enhance, remix and share web video. Using Popcorn Maker’s simple drag and drop interface, you can add live content to any video — photos, maps, links, social media feeds and more. All right from your browser. The result is a new way to tell stories on the web, with videos that are rich with context, full of links, and unique each Read more

How to Retouch Portraits Without Losing Skin Texture with Frequency Separation

Here’s a great introductory retouching tutorial by photographer Sara Kiesling, who writes, Basic skin retouching using frequency separation and dodging & burning. I use this process on every photo that I do, and I usually spend about 4-5 minutes on headshots like this (and less time on full body shots when there is obviously less detail in the face). This is not intended to be a high-end retouching tutorial, but techniques that can help people who want to do natural-looking retouching while maintaining most of the natural skin texture! Frequency separation is a technique that allows you to give skin a smooth-yet-sharp Read more