How to make Real Realistic Looking Water Base for Ship Model Diorama

Disclaimer – This article is reproduced here from IPMS Stockholm without permission – I know this is a really bad thing to do, but SO many good articles have disappeared from the internet over the years, and I couldn’t stand to lose this one, so I have saved a back up copy of it here.

PLEASE Visit IPMS Stockholms original article by Omami HERE.


tech_seawater_01Replicating elements of nature in miniature is one of the more tricky aspects of modelling, requiring not only the “engineering” knowledge of a subject but also a bit of artistic sense.

For ship model builders such as myself, water base can really make or break a good model. In this article I would like to show you how to produce a realistic sea base for ship model, with rough water surface, surf and wake. I have perfected these techniques during my own project of modelling the IJN Task Force, Carrier Division 1. The Task Force consists of  the aircraft carriers Kaga and Akagi steaming side-by-side on a single base.

Before we begin, let’s consider the qualities of our subject.

Despite of what we all know about water, deep water basins seldom look transparent, especially when seen from a distance. Rather than that, water has colour and forms a glossy, highly reflective surface. These qualities of water are especially appropriate to replicate in scale, particularly when dealing with ship models in smaller scales such as 1/700.

Having performed this most basic analysis, let’s move to a step-by-step description of how to produce a convincing sea base.

Continue reading “How to make Real Realistic Looking Water Base for Ship Model Diorama”

Total Offline Geocaching on iPhone with Looking 4 Cache App

Looking For Cache Icon

Recently I was made aware of a great Geocaching App for iPhone called Looking 4 Cache. It has quickly become my favorite Geocaching App, and not by a little. I think it is easily the “Ultimate” application for Geocaching on the iPhone at the moment! There is one thing this App can do, that the others can’t, that places it head and shoulders above the rest – 100 Percent Complete Total OFFLINE Geocaching!

homer-woohooNow that I have satisfied the “SEO Gods” with my first paragraph, let’s get down to business. To begin with, I downloaded the free version, Looking 4 Cache lite. My first impression of Looking 4 Cache Lite was not good. I didn’t find it intuitive. As I had previously been using iGeoknife, I thought Looking 4 Cache’s interface was ugly by comparison, and I actually deleted it from my phone. It was only after discussing offline caching on a Facebook group that I learned the Full version/Pro version offered offline maps. I then paid my $10, bought the Pro version, and gave it another go. This was a big enough feature to force me to revisit and re-assess my opinions on this application.

Looking 4 Cache Screen CaptureNot only do I find the App’s Icon to be somewhat disturbing, Initially, and still today, the interface looks somewhat like a “Pirate Map” to me… Perhaps that is what the developer was going for, and I can see why – Geocaching is somewhat of a “Treasure Hunt”. Having just played with iGeoknife (A far more polished, but considerably less capable app) prior to Looking 4 Cache (from hereon referred to as L4C), it’s cleaner and sharper (especially on iPad) appearance was still at the forefront of my mind. The first thing I did with each App, was to go and look for a cache. I am sure you will agree, the appearance of the compass in iGeoknife slaughters L4C’s offering.

iGeoknife vs Looking 4 Cache Compass ComparoIn my opinion, opening L4C for the first time is confusing, un-intuitive, and messy.

BUT……………….

If you can get past that, and give it a few minutes, and try and dig down into it, once the penny drops and you get the gist of how it is laid out, you will quickly forget the initial awkwardness forever, and like me, will also forget every other Geocaching App (Including the Official Geocaching App) you have ever tried.

Unlike the Official Geocaching App (Which is the biggest data allowance gulping app on my iPhone), L4C seems to be built on the concept of low/no data usage. If you are caching online, it saves your “Live” searches, so if you leave your current location, and come back another day, those results are still available to you (assuming you haven’t cleared them). You might be thinking “but I wont be seeing the latest logs”. L4C gives you the option to update or reload the cache you are chasing, to get the latest information (obviously you need connectivity for this). Just hit the “Reload” icon in the top right corner.

L4C ReloadIf you are using “Live” maps, it also seems to “Cache”…(pardon the pun) the map tiles as well, so once they are downloaded, it doesn’t appear to have to re-download them again whilst you are still active in that area.

Where L4C cements itself as the number one Geocaching App, is it’s ability to download very detailed maps, and save them for offline use. The Map Download Centre gives you the ability to download detailed offline maps from pretty much everywhere in the world. But, be warned, as you would expect, detailed maps equals big impact on free space! If you want to cache offline, it is going to take up some room to do so! The offline Australia map is 3.3Gb! You cant have one without the other!

Map-Download-CentreCombine this with its ability to digest/ingest pocket queries from the Geocaching web site, as well as GPX files and databases that you might create using GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife), and you have got a 100 Percent Totally Offline solution.

L4C-PQsYou can now go Geocaching literally in the middle of nowhere, completely cut off from the internet, provided you have your maps and pocket queries in order before you leave. Once you have found your caches you can create “Found It” logs as you go, and once you have data coverage again L4C will send them off to geocaching.com automatically. Cool Huh!

L4C has a website you can check out Here.

 

 

Another way to recover data from a dead hard drive

Hard Drive Icon

There are plenty of articles on the internet that provide you with many ways you can attempt to reclaim data from a dead or dying hard drive. Everything from putting the platters in a new drive casing to bagging the drive up and placing it in the freezer for 20 minutes. These all seem to be fairly extreme measures to me, so here’s a quick tip I have discovered recently by accident which may help.

I have a number of old drives I have been using as storage, and I recently needed to access a file on one, and when I plugged the drive into my USB dock it spun up but would not mount. I re-tried several times and it refused to load. Needless to say I was pretty unhappy. I kept coming back to it over the next few days, trying again and again, hoping it would mount so I could “just get that one file”. A few weeks later, whilst having a clean up, I decided to give it one more try and if it didn’t work, I was going to throw it away.

I plugged the drive in, it spun up, and again it refused to mount. At this point I was called away quiet urgently, and I left with the drive plugged in and turn on. After about 4-5 hrs I returned, and found the drive had some heat in it. Wondering if this might yield a result I switched off the drive, then switched it on again, and it mounted, and I was able to get the file!

 Woohoo

I seized the opportunity to copy off all the other data on the drive, and then I started to wonder…

I had two other drives that I had deemed dead in the past, so I plugged those in and left them to warm for a few hours. After restarting them, both of them mounted as well. One mounted and appeared to work well, but the other mounted just long enough for me to drag a few files off, and then it ejected itself again. In the week or so since, I have been able to reconnect and use two of the three drives normally.

I’m wondering if tarnish might have built up on the read/write head over the period when it was not in use, and a little bit of heat might have been all it took to break it down enough for it to be able to read again? Either way, if your drive spins up but wont initialize, this method might be well worth trying before you take extreme action.

How To Make Your Own Internet TV Show – Part 5 – Desktop and Browser Capture

Web Browser and Desktop Capture in Vidblaster Image

Part 5 – Desktop and Browser Capture

In this video I show you how to capture your desktop, and incorporate your web browser into your Vidblaster setup in either Windows or Mac, so you can include media (Such as Youtube) in your broadcast.

Note to Pros – These articles are aimed at beginners, who wish to spend little or no money until they have a grasp on the topic, and are hoping to learn how to get started quickly and easily, using equipment they most likely already have.

httpvh://youtu.be/b9IieU22bF8

You can download a free unrestricted trial copy of Vidblaster from vidblaster.com

vidblasterbuynow234x60
Part 1 – Selecting Video Switcher Production Software – The Heart of Vidcasting – VIEW HERE
Part 2 – Installing Vidblaster, Connecting Your Webcam, Switching and Interface Basics – VIEW HERE Part 3 – Adding Additional Cameras – VIEW HERE
Part 4 – Mixing Audio, Mics, and Avoiding Looping in Software – VIEW HERE
Part 5 – Desktop and Browser Capture – VIEW HERE
Part 6 – Connecting Guests Via Skype – VIEW HERE
Part 7 – How To Make A Lower Third Overlay – VIEW HERE
Part 8 – Adding flair with Effects, Soundboards and Chat Streams – COMING SOON!
Part 9 – Green Screen/Chroma Keying and Virtual Sets with iClone – COMING SOON!
Part 10 – Recording and Streaming – COMING SOON!

Easy Fix or Work Around for iMessage bug problem on iPhone running IOS7

iMessage iconSince updating to iOS 7, a lot of iPhone users are finding that iMessage does not send their messages. It looks like it is sending, but stops or freezes at last minute. I have discovered a work around, I am not sure if it is a “Fix” but I have had good results using this method, and have tried on on some friends phones with success as well. I hope it works for you!

httpvh://youtu.be/Y0JZ0R51e9I

Firstly, go into iMessage on your iPhone.

imessage-fix-001Clear off ALL messages and threads by swiping to the left on each conversation to make the “delete” option appear.

imessage-fix-002and then press delete.

imessage-fix-003Now go into settings.

imessage-fix-004Then select “Messages”

imessage-fix-005Turn “iMessage” option OFF

imessage-fix-006Now turn your phone off by pressing and holding the power button on the top right edge, and then swipe across the red “Slide To Power Off” message on your screen.

imessage-fix-007Once your phone has completely powered off, you can press the power button again to restart it. Once your phone has booted up again, select “Settings”

imessage-fix-004Go back into Messages

imessage-fix-005Turn on the “iMessage” option and you will see your phone re-activating and syncing with the iMessage server.

imessage-fix-009When it has finished, it you should see confirmation that you can now use iMessage.

imessage-fix-010Now, Hopefully, you should be back in business.

How To Make Your Own Internet TV Show – Part 2 – Installing Vidblaster, Connecting Your Webcam, Switching and Interface Basics

vidblaster-basics PART 2 – Installing Vidblaster, Connecting Your Webcam, Switching and Interface Basics

In this tutorial I show you how easy it is to install Vidblaster in both Mac and Windows, and get started with some basic switching between modules, adding a title, playing a video and showing a picture.

Note to Pros – These articles are aimed at beginners, who wish to spend little or no money until they have a grasp on the topic, and are hoping to learn how to get started quickly and easily, using equipment they most likely already have.

httpvh://youtu.be/wk7UC-ZVHeI

You can download a free unrestricted trial copy of Vidblaster from vidblaster.com

vidblasterbuynow234x60
Part 1 – Selecting Video Switcher Production Software – The Heart of Vidcasting – VIEW HERE
Part 2 – Installing Vidblaster, Connecting Your Webcam, Switching and Interface Basics – VIEW HERE Part 3 – Adding Additional Cameras – VIEW HERE
Part 4 – Mixing Audio, Mics, and Avoiding Looping in Software – VIEW HERE
Part 5 – Desktop and Browser Capture – VIEW HERE
Part 6 – Connecting Guests Via Skype – VIEW HERE
Part 7 – How To Make A Lower Third Overlay – VIEW HERE
Part 8 – Adding flair with Effects, Soundboards and Chat Streams – COMING SOON!
Part 9 – Green Screen/Chroma Keying and Virtual Sets with iClone – COMING SOON!
Part 10 – Recording and Streaming – COMING SOON!