Serial Experiments

Walking Around Amsterdam

2008-05-28T02:10:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, we had a visit from Chris Want (old time Canadian Blender compatriote) and his girlfriend, so that gave me the opportunity to snap some pictures in other part of the city. It was, of course, very nice meeting them and they allowed me to tag along on Saturday for a visit to the Van Gogh museum.

Some people enjoying a cruise on the canal.

NOO! They are everywhere!

After the restaurant, we passed through Central Plaza (or whatever it's called). A Building, the Plaza itself, another building.
I had more pictures, but sadly too blurry.

On Saturday, we payed a visit to the Van Gogh museum. Sadly, no pictures allowed at all inside, so we'll have to make due with those two shots from the park behind the museum itself. This one is another museum of something or another and that one is a concert hall (currently presenting Chopin recitals).

That's it for now. I'll be back next Monday in the cold northern Canada (except not that cold since it's summer), so I don't really expect to be posting more stuff here.

Next time I'm halfway across the globe I guess.

More Pictures

2008-05-23T01:08:00.000-07:00

Shipping Peach DVDs on Tuesday

Inside the Blender Institute: the artists room, the walls are full of these, the kitchen/dinning room, the developers' corner.

Taken from the balcony in the back of the apartment: Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3.

That's it for now.

Martin

Snapshots from Amsterdam

2008-05-18T04:52:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I'm in Amsterdam for three weeks, working at the Blender Institute, so I'll use the opportunity to revive this blog a bit.

Today was a bright, warm and sunny day, so I took some shots on the walk from the apartment to the institute.

Sidewalk view
Across a canal
Bus
Street view
Canal shots again, one more, another
Courtyard
Tram
Boat on the canal (a tourist tour I think)
Artis Zoo (just across the canal from Entrepotdok)
Interesting bridge
Probably art or something
An old docking crane
Entrepotdok

Pictures from the inside of the apartment: my room, dining room and living room, stairs leading to the entrance (we don't see much, but there's a weird curve at the bottom, the stairs are angling toward the wall and not toward the door).

I'll post some more as soon as I have them.

Martin

Joke

2007-02-02T21:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, it's been a while, just thought I'd drop in a little joke before I forget it.

Why the chicken crossed the Möbius strip?
To get to the other... oh...

Yes, the geek factor is really high, and as such, I found it highly amusing.

That's life.

Homebrew scripts

2006-08-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

Hi there, long time no blog.

This is a short post to introduce two home made scripts. They're not terribly useful, but I do happen to use them often and I've been asked in the past to share them, so I thought I might as well do it here (assuming people still read this blog...).

Anyhow, both are python scripts, but only the first one is truely cross platform, though the second one could be changed to be so too.

numericnames

This script renames files in folders and subfolders (recursively) to follow a numeric naming scheme. That is, all files in a folder will be renamed to FOLDERNAME00000.extension, where FOLDERNAME is the name of the folder in question, 00000 is a numeric sequence and extension is the extension of the file. The numeric sequence is basicly a padded count of the files in the folder. If you have 10 files, the sequence will be 01, 02, 03, ... The script takes into account deleted files (filling the empty slots when renaming) and increases the padding size when needed. I mostly use this script on images folder, usually photos or the like when I don't really care about the name of the file but still want to give them a meaningful base name (the name of the folder).

wallpaper

This script is basicly a wallpaper management tool. It requires KDE and pyKDE's DCOP access to change the wallpaper, but it could be changed to use some Gnome method, win32 method or whatnot.
It takes a source directory (with possible subdirectories), supports different operations: changing the wallpaper randomly, changing and deleting the current wallpaper, changing to (or one of) the latest wallpaper(s), running a renaming script (I use numericnames for that). You can specify a pattern to use only a subdirectory of the source folder. The script uses a simple config file (which it locates next to its own location) to define source directory and default operation. The config file is generated on first run.

Hopefully, those could be useful to someone else too.

Martin

Blender Conference

2005-10-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Wheee! Long time no blog.

As some might know, I'm in Amsterdam this week end, attending the annual Blender Conference.

I'll put more impressions/feedback on that later, this is just a quick post with the first photos.

Central Place at Schipol airport

Waiting for the train to Central Station

Angela introducing WAVK

After the first day, discussion moved on to more serious matters. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Saturday "morning" looking out of De Waag

That's about it for now, 'till next time...

Martin

Python Strike Back

2005-07-11T21:50:00.000-07:00

G'day!

I've been taking a short break from complex decimator code today and fiddling with some more fun stuff.

Py Buttons!

Basicly, it evaluates the text as a python expression as if using eval() and puts the value back in the button as usual (meaning it checks for limits and all that). The execution is done sandboxed, it only has access to __builtin__ as well as the Blender and math modules (if it can import them).

Branching to the python evaluation code is based on the presence of the hash (#) symbol as first character. I thought it would be ironic to use the Python comment sign to signal Python evaluation. The irony is nice for memory :P. This is very faculative though, it could very well evaluate everything if it is wanted.

Right now (meaning after capturing the video), it pops the normal Python error message if it hits and error and prints the traceback in the console. It could be done silently though (as shown in the video).

Python Powa!

Martin

Followup on my last post

2005-07-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've heard from reputable sources that what I was doing with the transform code is (opening quote) insane (closing quote).
There was some other nice encouraging comments too, so I thought I might post a followup, to show people where I'm going with all this.

WATCH ME

Not shown in the video are the changes to the constraint hotkey access in transform. First press on X/Y/Z is the global axis, as before, second press is the axis from the defined space. This is just an experiment, not sure if I like it yet (the way it works I mean, for sure I want to give access to the user defined space with hotkeys).
Also, the user defined space can be changed on the fly with Alt-space (like usual outside of transform).

Known bug: the "?" button adds to the selection, it doesn't "select" as if clicking on it.

That's pretty much it, have fun!

Martin

Blender Development Goodies 2

2005-06-29T01:12:00.000-07:00

I've been having a go at the transform code again the past days, unifying the code, simplifying, fixing some bugs, fun stuff.

Part of the unifying busines is merging options for the manipulator into normal transform. I also sneaked in View space constraint and user defined (through objects) spaces.

Enjoy

User defined spaces are saved as part of the scene, they are linked to the object, so if you rotate the object used, the constraint space follows. The system also support spaces not linked to objects (like a user specified edge or whatnot), but it's not currently accessible in the UI.

The code to deal with the space switching depending on the option is a bit yuck since it is part of the manipulator code and does some handling that normal transform doesn't need, so I'll have to clean that eventually.

Anyhow, 'til next time,
Martin

Blender Development Goodies

2005-06-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

I've been toying around in the past days with some small user options in navigating 3D scenes in Blender. I Thought people might appreciate a preview (flash video done with Wink).

Surprise!

I'll try to commit to tuhopuu when I get the time.

Words of the day: Math is much better on paper.

Quaternions are fun!

After those words of wisdom (cough), best regards,
Martin

IBDMIM : The Informal Blender Developers Meeting in Melbourne

2005-06-20T01:17:00.000-07:00

Last saturday, we met up with Matt Ebb (fellow Blender developer) in Melbourne, had a nice walk around the town, some food and then ended up in a pub to finish the evening.
We had a very good time, talked about loads of stuff, lot of it Blender related.
It was good to have that kind of talks in person and I'm really looking forward to BConf after that (assuming I can finally go this year).

Obviously, some pictures were taken, so here they are in all their glory (cough):
Melbourne's Spencer Street Station (the ceiling looks like the inner of a 3D model, all made of triangles), Keep Clear, some nice grafiti, Federation Square from the outside and from the inside, night lights: shaky, blurry, better, posing on a lamp post: Cam and India, along with Matt and myself, Victoria University (with the big neon signs and the rainbow colored spots, very "progressive") and at the pub (and with a little less flash)

'Till next time!

Martin

Australian Wildlife Preserve and Beach Walk

2005-06-12T17:57:00.000-07:00

Last sunday, we visited a wildlife preserve, so here's some quick pictures.

The hunchbird of Notre-Dames, a cockatoo, a punk, pink parrot, another bird, a white peacock, a normal peacock trying to court the females (who were more interested in the white one, who was snobbing everyone), a wombat, another wombat, sleeping wombat, shy wombat, wallabies, out of focus parrot (thought it was a neat photo), sleeping koala, another sleeping koala, koala's life activites board, koala's fact board, sleeping koalas, a koloa awake!, a fox, a lizard (it's head, rather), silly fluo beck duckish bird, dingos, in the reptile section: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, black swans again: 1, 2, 3, sea birds en vrac: 1, 2, 3, bats, bats again, and again, mousey thing, an howl, bird of prey, an emu, closer shot of an emu, side shot of an emu, some birds again: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Kangaroo's: 1, 2, 3, Echidna fact sheet (the echidnas were hiding), stupid play on words.

Walking down the beach later in the afternoon: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

And that's it for now. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Martin

Australian Sports

2005-06-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

Today, you will be introduced to the marvelous world of australian sports.

Netball:

Netball is a really weird game where opposing teams try to shoot a ball through the hoop on the other team's side. That's the easy part, the rest of the rules are rather obfuscated. For example, each player is assigned a position, which restricts where he can go on the field. It is a "no contact" sport geared more toward girls, the game I watched was mixed gender.
I won't try explaining the rules further, since I don't know half of them.

Picture time
And a video

Australian Football:

The only thing Australian Football has in common with North American Football is that both sports use a non-round ball, but the american one is a bit small and more pointy. The game is rather simple: Each team battles to kick the ball through the opposing team's posts. Between the center posts is a goal (6 points) and between the side posts is a point (hitting a post is a point and kicking in your own goal is a point). Passes between players must be made by either punching the ball or kicking it. Running with the ball is permitted, but you must bounce it off the ground every 6 steps. Catching a ball 15 meters away from where it was kicked is a "mark", that means opposing players must leave you some space to kick the ball again. The game is played on an oval shaped field more than 130m long. Contact is permited and the players have very little protection (they often jump on one another, tackle and climb on top of each other for a mark).

Picture time: The players enter, the goals, the field, the players, a tackle, the umpire proudly wearing yellow socks, supporters, sunset on the game, sunset 2, sunset 3, setting sun behind the goals

And a video of the players entering the field.

And then a pot pourri of photos from around Geelong: funny cactus tree, sailboats, sailboats 2, docked boats

'Till next time,
Martin

Australian Internship: Text Mode

2005-05-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

Some people are asking me to write as much about my trip as I'd talk in real life, but that's impossible, so I'll just settle in writting a little bit more. ;)

The first three weeks were great, time flies when you're working on something interesting (week days) and when doing fun stuff (week ends).

For lunch during week days, we usually end up walking to a small bakery shop near the house, getting sandwiches and (sometimes) pastries from there. Cam (my boss) makes the shop ladies freak out by ordering the weirdest sandwiches ever (and later tell them that it was good, beyond reason). Things like: Ham, Cheese, Mustard, Beets, Onions, and Pineapple or Ham, Cheese, Egg salad, Pineapple and Avocado. Like I said, the weirdest ever! (FYI, I'm just having normal sandwiches, none of that weird stuff)

The rest of the food is ok, so I'm still alive and well.

Washing day came and passed without much of a hassle (w00t).

Work is great, always working on challenging stuff.

I haven't seen any kangaroos yet. Cumberland river (see last post) was kangaroo land (they have crossing signs for them, about as much as we have moose crossings in the Laurentides) but the only thing we saw of them was poo (I kid you not).

I think that's about it for now, regards,
Martin
PS: I can't believe Paul Martin is still in office... BOOOOH!

Australian Photos: Take 2

2005-05-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

A little bit late, but here's some pictures (en vrac) from last week end's trip to Cumberland river (we stayed in a cabin there) and from my birthday (21st) the week before.

Grand Ocean Road: Ocean View, Weird Extreme Warning, Some sailboats in the distance

Birds: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Split Point Lighthouse: From Grand Ocean Road, From up close, Close shot on the top, Commemorative Writings

Near the lighthouse: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

The house on a pole (I hear it's pretty famous): 1, 2

In some city (can't remember the name): a clean skatepark (amazing, no grafiti!), The water fountain was overshooting a little, Trampolining 1, Trampolining 2, Trampolining 3, Trampolining 4, Trampolining 5, Some weird trampolining pose, Another one

Near the ocean: 1, Daytime Moon, 3, Alien landscape 1, Alien landscape 2, Alien landscape 3, Alien landscape 4, Skull shaped rock-thingy, the ocean again, 5 and a video of waves rushing to the rocky shore: CLICK ME

Cumberland River: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Bush walking near Cumberland river: 1, 2, Jebb's Pool and an extermely badly filmed video with me wishling on the audio track (shame!): CLICK ME

For my birthday, they organized me a surprise supper at John's (Cam's father) house. I didn't have the slightliest clue, so it was a really good surprise (we had cake and I recieved a really nice card game called Sets, lots of fun). Cam's sister and grand-parents were there too, as were Cam, Cathy and little India, of course.
Those pictures were taken during the supper: 1, 2, 3, 4

As a random bits of humor, here's a video showing that water turn the other way around in Australia. (For some reasons unknown to mandkind, toilets here don't make the water turn like they do back home, so I had to film a sink. It's a bit blurry, but still): CLICK ME

Enjoy!

Martin
PS: As usual, the videos are encoded with Xvid. See last post for links to the codec.

Pictures from Australia

2005-05-14T03:14:00.000-07:00

Hey!

Like some of you knows, I'm down there in Australia having fun and working my ass off (cough), so I thought people might enjoy a couple of pictures from there.

Leaving Canada, at the PET airport: 1, 2, 3

During the flight, at dawn.

Pictures from my first day off work, on saturday:

Bushes land, from the car.

Random shots from an australian town: 1, 2

Penny-Arcade

Wyuna Spring, oh yeah...

Cam, Cathy and little India walking to another spring.

Some colorful bird, from a better angle

India playing connect-4 with Cam in the car (video)
At the "spring"
Pumping the mineral water spring (video)
Ducks, Black Swan, another shot of the black swan, Ducks (video), Flying duck, White ducks, THE ugly duck

Bullrush bushes (tree size, I'm not kidding)

Toadstool (Mario was hidding somewhere)

Holy, for no reason in a patch around the lake.

And that's it, hopefully, I'll post more sooner or later.

Martin
PS: All videos encoded with Xvid. People that don't have the codec can download it directly here.

Crack! Dzzzzzzzz

2005-04-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Exam overdose this week end.

Those who thought three 3h exams in two days was remotely sane should be shot.

Then again, the whole end of the semester is compressed like hell due to the three weeks we lost so hello 4h courses on friday evenings...

In other non-whiny news, prime minister Paul Martin pretend he has the moral authority needed to rule Canada, which is about as likely as his mother being a virgin.
Why do we even need humorists for, they are putting on a great show in Ottawa...

Signing off for more study before my brain fries itself out.

Blender's Transform Refactoring

2005-03-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Uhm, looks like our student association (at the U) being on strike has a good side, I was finally able to give a good push of bug squashing in the Transform refactoring.

Also, LOD from the french community was nice enough to do some video demos (the first one has some french audio commentary, the second one had text instructions), you can give them a download HERE and HERE.

This is starting to look more and more like a finished product (need some UI cleaning still, but it's getting there).

'til next time

Morons

2005-03-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

Some random moron used a phpBB exploit to send a mass e-mail with a link to a virus to all the elysiun users on sunday.

Hopefully we caught that up in time, sent another mass e-mail to warn people and blocked the hole. Thankfully, he didn't do more damage then that.

Apparently, this was a new sort of virus (a user contacted an antivirus company about it). Not a very smart virii maker though, making code in VB (someone on IRC had lots of fun desassembling it, another one tried to run it in Wine which didn't do much...). Apparently the virus downloads an IRC proxy and spams a server or whatnot. Not that much important.

This pisses me off for two main reasons: That some people are still making virii (for any morons reading: j00 4r3 n07 1337!) and that the phpBB people could still have such a stupid hole in their code (missing type checking in the session handling code, no less).

Now, I better stop writing, I'm getting pissed just thinking about that (well, that an some school matters but that hardly interests you).

Signing off

SYN

2005-03-01T20:47:00.000-08:00

Connecting...

Good day

I'll try not to be too formal, this is my first blog and I'll be putting some random thoughts here, whether it is about Blender, school, work or even (god forbid) personnal stuff.

So grab a popcorn and enjoy.

Blah

2005-03-01T20:28:00.000-08:00

Here goes nothing...