June « 2009 « Jim's Random Notes

Flat Plane Character Carving

By Jim, on June 30th, 2009%

Flat plane carving is a style of figire carving that uses large flat planes to create features. Tool marks are left in the carving and there is no smoothing or rounding. The idea is to create the figure using very deliberate cuts. The resulting figures are typically caricatures with exaggerated features.

Gene Messer, the carver . . . → Read More: Flat Plane Character Carving

Web video: Searching for standards

By Jim, on June 23rd, 2009%

Web video is all the rage these days, with seemingly everybody getting into the action. The 900 pound gorilla, of course, is YouTube. Estimates of YouTube’s size vary from 100 million to 250 million videos. My suspicion is that it’s towards the top end of that range. But even 100 million videos is more than . . . → Read More: Web video: Searching for standards

Windows Explorer Wonkiness

By Jim, on June 22nd, 2009%

In Windows Explorer, double-clicking on a folder name in the list pane opens that folder so you can view its files. This is nothing new. Over the years I have become accustomed to double-clicking and having that folder’s files appear in the list pane. Life is good.

Well, life was good. For reasons unknown, many . . . → Read More: Windows Explorer Wonkiness

Facebook photo problem

By Jim, on June 17th, 2009%

So after five days working with Facebook, I’m mostly impressed. I have a few minor nits with the user interface, but it may be that they want the UI to be somewhat mysterious. I think they want you to explore, and if things are just a little bit wonky, you’ll be more apt to wander . . . → Read More: Facebook photo problem

Facebook

By Jim, on June 15th, 2009%

I resisted the whole social networking thing for a long time, mostly due to preconceived notions. In the past, I was a member of many different social networks: bulletin boards, Compuserve forums, etc. The explosion of users that came with the rapid Internet expansion lowered barriers to entry and reduced the value of those forums. . . . → Read More: Facebook

Wizards!

By Jim, on June 11th, 2009%

I was getting tired of the bears and little trinkets, so I thought I’d learn how to carve something else. Since I liked that 5-Minute Bear tutorial so much, I figured I’d take a crack at the 5-Minute Wizard:

The blank is a piece of basswood, six inches long and one inch square. . . . → Read More: Wizards!

More Carvings

By Jim, on June 11th, 2009%

I have been carving quite a bit, actually, but haven’t taken the time to post anything here. I carved quite a few of those little bears while I was in Phoenix, and a few other things, as well. Here are a few of my miscellaneous doodles. You can click on any of the pictures below . . . → Read More: More Carvings

Wrap Rage

By Jim, on June 9th, 2009%

We’ve all experienced it, the anger and frustration that ensues when we try to open one of those clamshell packages that contain whatever new geegaw we picked up. You can’t open it with your bare hands. Normal office scissors are ineffective. If you’re lucky you can puncture that plastic armor with your pocketknife, and if . . . → Read More: Wrap Rage

Jim's Random Notes