Vue 7 Pioneer Beta is now available for free on e-on software’s website. Now you can try out the software I’m writing the book about for yourself.
The Pioneer version is a smaller version of what I work with, but there is still plenty that can be done.
Be careful. You may just get addicted!
Something happened in the store Saturday with some individuals who’d been stressed out, gotten angry at each other.
My first reaction was to go home and tell my husband about the situation in detail. And then on the way back I started to wonder why. Why did I feel like recounting how these two had acted? What did I think to accomplish with this?
Is it gossip when they are strangers? I think it is, now. So what if the reputation is of anonymous people. The purpose, on some analysis, had been to elevate myself above them. The result would have been a little more negativity in the world.
It is sometimes these little kinds of decisions that build up, create the place we live. We can be joyful, productive, creative, without putting others down no matter how others have acted.
I say this wondering how I have behaved in this way in the past.
I have pointed out things I think are wrong. Sometimes I’ve been irritated or angry, but a great deal of my reason is because people are publicly acting in ways that I feel can harm other people. While I think it is still important to point out things that I think are scams or untruthful, I need to rid myself of irritation and anger. It serves little purpose other than to perpetuate itself.
You know, we do things to serve others, donate, etc. But stuff like this just makes me feel helpless.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/world/africa/12cholera.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
I’m on chapter ten now. This is a pretty interesting experience. I’m huge on double checking, and have found that I know less than I thought I did. In the process the coolest ideas are coming to mind. Unfortunately, I have no time for them just yet, but they may end up becoming part of video tutorial extras for the book.
The manual is helpful, but the people writing it seem to be math geeks. So I’m translating. One of my huge goals has been to demystify a lot of the more complicated by more powerful tools in Vue. I’m completely in love with the material and function editor. In the spirit of Kung Fu Panda: It is blindingly awesome!
Vladimir is working on the tutorial scenes, and I’ve given him some challenges, like “Make the most incredibly mindblowing materials ever but you cannot touch the function editor.” *Gong* (still in Kung Fu Panda mode.)
Creativity is an interesting thing. You can really make it go when you must find ways around limits, or it can explode when a new tool is given to you. Either way, it’s an incredible process.
Even if you don’t use Vue, try it out. They have a free trial version. Unlimited use but with watermarks. It’s an incredible program that lets you quickly create beautiful scenery. The interface is great, giving lots of power to beginners but having a lot of depth in what an advanced user can do.
For writers who like to have their settings visualized, this is a great tool.
The papers have been signed, so now I can let loose.
I have a publisher! I’m writing a book!
In fact, I am so busy writing this book that I barely have time to say more than that. I only have about six more weeks to finish it.
My involvement with my husband is to blame. We’ve been working hard on Geekatplay Studio and this paid off in a book contract with Focal Press about e-onsoftware’s Vue 7.
If you see me at all on facebook, you may have noticed me talking about what chapter I’m on. Right now, that is chapter 8 of 20. This is a rough draft, though, so just getting to 20 won’t make it done.
I’m really excited about this project. Vue is some awesome software. You would probably be seeing more of it anyway, but this latest release has proven to be very robust with some nice additions.
The geek in me just thinks it is so cool how math can be used to create incredible artwork. This is a very different process than something like painting a picture, but that doesn’t mean it is any less work to get high quality results. And that is my goal, to lead people through how to get professional results worthy of being seen on a large screen.
Every once in a while, I do something a little insane like watching a midnight showing. Last night was probably my last venture in this, due in part that I really am getting too old to live on two hours of sleep and that this sacrifice was met with disappointment.
The company was great. I went with a friend of mine and our daughters.
The first thing that turned me off was the voice over narration in the beginning and towards the end. It was completely unnecessary. You could leave the movie as is, eliminate the voice over and not miss a single thing.
This film clearly had a low budget, of which the most unforgivable affect was the background music. It sounded canned and often overly sweet when Bella and Edward shared screen time, as if trying to make up for the next big problem, which is the most devastating of all.
If you haven’t read the book, then go no further.
This was more of a visual tour of the book than a good translation from book to film, with the unfortunate exception of leaving out the scene where Bella and Edward spend an afternoon together at school. We don’t need to see them talking, but shots of them smiling and laughing, waiting for each other before class that first afternoon before he saves her would have gone a long way in establishing the relationship. Otherwise, the love seemed to go from obsession with an annoying snob to “I love you no matter what”. Nuances in the book were lost because questions and thoughts in Bella’s head were reduced to intense gazing that were difficult to classify.
The screenwriter should have come from an angle that no one in the world had ever read the story. Leaving behind the 1st person POV of Bella might have let them establish more conflict as we saw Edward struggle with what was really going on with him, rather than him just seeming a bit creepy at times. (though I can see other ways around this) The love of the two characters shouldn’t have been assumed, but should have been developed.
The fact of the matter is that storytelling in movies and storytelling in books are different arts, requiring different skills. This was clearly evident in the Twilight movie.
On a more positive note, the actors did decent job (Robert Patterson, Edward, overacted a bit at times, but I blame that on the director.) and the location was breathtaking.
I hope they try it again. I hope they get another director, screenwriter, and better music.
I have a project that I’ve submitted a proposal for. This is possibly the worst month for such a venture, what with the publishing industry taking a dive. I’m not sure if this particular niche is sheltered from the mayhem or not.
I’ll find out tomorrow if I get it.
Either way, I’m going to complete this project since it will be useful.
If the proposal doesn’t go through, it is more likely a reflection of the market than what I can do. I’ll be disappointed, but I have an almost completed short story I can finish and one that is banging at the doors to be written, and I’ll have time to do those.
If I do get this project, the time frame will be short but very intense. I’ll be excited but very, very busy.
Here’s to whatever comes 
My story is out at Intergalactic Medicine Show.
The illustration really captures the heart of the story. Thanks to Kevin Wasden for that.
An issue at IGMS is US 2.50. I’ve been reading this magazine from its first issue and the stories are always a great treat. It is awesome to have mine among them.
Hey all,
Like to read? Wanna buy my book someday? Buy a book. Like, now…
http://editorialass.blogspot.com/2008/11/crash-flow-or-what-went-wrong-in.html
I was thinking about going a different direction than I sometimes do, this Christmas. I’ll probably do what I usually do. Predictable and yet, always a surprise. Actually, it can take a long time for me to shop for books for other people, because I really want them to enjoy the book.
At least that is what his website says. Being a writer, and the wife of someone who has worked in advertising or the marketing departments of companies, I’m always skeptical about these kinds of things. I wonder what he will actually do with the advice from millions of people.
Anyway, here is what I said, kept it to 300 words and just a few issues because if anyone ever does read it, they’ll do it in the context of having read hundreds with hundreds more to go. I can see the eyes glazing over already. Cheers to those brave souls.
***
I’m a writer and the wife of an immigrant who is a computer graphics artist.
We have a small business that we hope to make a living at. We’ve built it through our very hard work and creativity. My husband still has to work a full time job programming on top of this. I hope that the economy is friendly towards small community minded businesses like ours.
We need a balance between regulation and the free market.
Regulation is needed with mortgage companies, who were happy to sell loans to people who couldn’t afford them. It is needed with health insurance companies who are posting more profits than ever, don’t have standardized paperwork, and have reduced reimbursements and increased premiums.
I do want health care for all, but I worry about our health care workers being marginalized, and this in turn leading to worse healthcare for patients. I really don’t want doctors worrying about their finances when they should be focused on patients.
We also need to not be selfish, as Americans. We can’t just say the war is finished in Iraq, and it be true. If we leave, we’ll let hundreds of thousands of people come under the rule of violent warlords. I want us to remain committed to rebuilding Iraq and stabilizing the region.
I want us to be a beacon of hope for the women of the Middle East and Africa. These women have struggled under years of oppression, of being denied education. We haven’t won yet until every woman knows she has the power to be in control of her life.
Let’s encourage Americans and others to build free schools in places where free education is not yet available. The more we lift up the world, the better the economy will be for EVERYONE.