This software tutorial shows you how to get started using Trapcode Particular particle plug-in for After Effects. Particular is a powerful 3D particle system that creates a wide range of effects — from natural smoke and explosions to geometric or organic abstract elements. If you've never used it before, see how easy it is to integrate into your After Effects projects in this tutorial. Get started with Trapcode Particular in After Effects.
The Surface modifier in Autodesk's 3ds Max generates a patch surface based on the contours of a spline network. A patch is created wherever the segments of the interwoven splines form a three- or four-sided polygon. The Surface modifier and the CrossSection modifier, taken together, are referred to as Surface Tools. They allow you to create complex or organic surfaces, like the fuselage of a plane, or a three-dimensional character.
I don't have a cool cell phone to use apps to filter my pictures. I think that the pictures taken with apps can look really cool though. I think someone should make an app that does what I did in Photoshop to the following photos. My wife calls it blueprint style.
This is an interesting article about a Hmong family who grew their own produce, not because it was cool, but out of necessity. It's brought up a lot of memories for me, as my own family also grew and continues to grow a lot of their own produce. My mom's got a total green thumb - whenever I go home I know I can look forward to dinners with snow peas, green onions, squashes and melons from the back yard.
This is a great website to browse if you're not into slathering unpronounceable ingredients onto your skin. The beauty industry is very much self-regulated, which means it is not required by the FDA or by any law to disclose all of the ingredients in a product. And there is also no legal definition of "natural" or "organic." So yes, that "natural" jar of cocoa butter you're using might be no better for you than your generic body lotion, and it may still contain cancer-causing agents.
Every summer my husband and I plant a tomato plant. We do this to enjoy the plump red tomatoes right off of the vine.
Photo: Carolyn Cope Serious Eats has some great tips for shopping at the farmers' market. Some of the best ones:
Pure Luck is one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in Los Angeles. They have tons of vegan options and you can't beat the prices... but it's the organic microbrew selections that really make this place something special and a perfect place to visit on a summer Sunday afternoon. Favorite dish? Tofu pesto sandwich.
COOLHAUS! Just in time for summer, if you are in the LA Area this great wagon o goodness is here for you! These architecturally inspired ice cream sandwiches only employ the best (organic whenever they can) products for their handmade artisanal ice cream flavors like mexican chocolate, marscapone balsamic fig and brown butter with candied bacon. These bovine derived beauties are folded between two homemade cookies that are bound to make your mouth smile. They are a moving operation so make su...
Tin cans have resin linings that contain bisphenol-A (BPA), which has been linked in animal lab testings to a number of ailments that include reproductive problems, heart disease, and obesity. Tomatoes are high in acidity, which means that the content of canned tomatoes eats away at the resin lining, which causes BPA to leach into what you eat. Long story short: avoid canned tomatoes at all costs.
Detoxing with natural drinks made out of organic fruits, vegetables, and spices is a great way to help your body eliminate toxins and absorb vital nutrients that will help you feel healthier and more energized throughout the day. Making them yourself at home will save you both a trip to your local health smoothie bar and money in your wallet.
Want to mix up the flavor profile of the food you are feeding your dog? Show your pooch some extra love with homemade dog treats recipes that are healthy, organic, and do not use any weird, overly processed chemicals in the ingredients.
Want to wrap your Christmas gifts in a memorable way? Give your gift recipient a DIY super-secret book safe, and while you are at it, hide a small gift inside the the secret safe. Or, if you plan on giving a gift card, create a snow globe out of a mason jar and water and glitter, and insert the gift card at the bottom of the jar so that it is held upright by superglue.
Most people know that you can add vegetable peelings and egg shells to your compost heap, but did you know that you can also add nail clippings, human hair and pet hair?
Love carving jack-o'-lanterns but hate dealing with all the gunky pumpkin seeds afterward? There are plenty of no-carve ways to decorate a pumpkin for Halloween, but what if you're sick of the orange pumpkin aesthetic and still want to get your hands dirty carving something?
Back in the '80s, NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America did a study where they discovered which houseplants were the most effective in purifying the air in space facilities. Though you may not be living in a rocket ship, you can definitely benefit from having one or more of these plants in your home.
Trees can be annoying in Minecraft, because they're organic and grow in unpredictable ways. But there are a few techniques for controlling how trees grow so that you can have a forest that looks exactly like you want it to! Come join us at our workshop this Saturday and we'll show you how to make trees grow how you'd like them to! Then you can compete to see who can make the coolest tree! Workshops are held on our server, mc.wonderhowto.com, every Saturday at 12:01 pm PST (3:01 pm EST). I hop...
MIT scientist explains OLEDs by electrocuting a pickle. From Gizmodo:
Can you pull 33x your body weight? Sam Noyoun can. Uphill no less.
Like Michaelangelo and Carerra had marble, this anonymous artist du jour had a plastic stirrer and spare flame. This beautifully intricate design was created by burning plastic. What you see artfully illustrates the chemical process known as thermosetting.
Mildew can be the bane of a beautiful exterior paint job, marring its appearance even when the paint is otherwise in good shape. And while there’s no way to guarantee that mildew won’t eventually rear its ugly head on any home exterior, there are ways to fight it. Here are six steps you can take to combat the problem:
ZERO WASTE. Yes, You read that right. This kitchen of the future aims to have zero waste. Ekokook the kitchen concept out of design company Faltazi gives us hope for a greener future. How is this possible you ask when in most homes 85 or 90 percent of a family's trash is generated in the vicinity of the kitchen? Ekokooks kitchen system is divided up into disposing and storing your waste in three mechanized sectioned systems Solid Waste, Liquid Waste and Organic Waste. Solid Waste- The solid w...
Start with a Polygon Plane Start by creating a Polygon Plane with 4 width and 5 height sections.
Last weekend we had a fun workshop (not the redstone workshop from yesterday) in which a bunch of people got together and built mountains! Well, small mountains, at least. The workshop was only an hour, after all.
Artist Austin Houldsworth of the UK has come up with a device that drastically speeds up the process of fossilisation. Entitled Two Million & 1AD, Houldsworth is capable of creating a fossil in a few months (which otherwise might require thousands of years). Houldsworth is currently experimenting with objects such as a pineapple and phesant, but ultimately hopes to fossilize a human. Houldsworth proposes:
So you love the idea of delicious dinners from farmers market finds, but that idea isn't going to cook itself! Maybe your mama was one hot Italian lady but she only knew how to push the power button on the microwave. No matter the challenge or limitation have no fear, local cooking classes are here to help. Here is a list of some great classes that come highly recommended from friends across the country. So put down that take out menu and pick up your phone and get to cookin! Happy Eating!
Samosa House This southern Indian market and restaurant is a stellar choice for any veggie. Their jackfruit is superb! If you've never tried it, please do. It looks like pulled pork, tastes like a seitan or chicken and is a great natural alternative to meat. Lucky you, they just opened up a second location up the street in Culver City! Also the Bharat Bazaar is a great spot to pick up spices, ginger beer and anything you're missing as far as an Indian grocery goes!
Erik Demaine is a Professor of Electronic Engineering and Comp Sci at MI, but he is also an origami folder who has had work displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. He makes some beautiful models and intricate puzzles, but in my opinion the really inspirational work is the curved creased models. In Erik's own words describing the above models: "Each piece in this series connects together multiple circular pieces of paper (between two and three full circles) to make a large circular ramp ...
Richard Sweeney is an incredible artist whose body of work consists mainly of sculptures made from paper. His art is often related to origami, and much of his work is related to geometrical forms. I personally really love his modular forms in paper. Many of them are based off of the platonic solids, which have been discussed in previous posts this week. Below are a small number of his sculptures, which are very geometric in nature.
LEVOGYRE 65 points (15 points without the bingo) Definition: turning toward the left [adj]
URUSHIOL 61 points (11 points without the bingo) Definition: a toxic liquid [n]
Eric Jacqmain is one smart cookie. Borrowing from the same principles of Archimedes’ mythological death ray, the Indiana teenager used an ordinary fiberglass satellite dish and about 5,800 3/8" mirror tiles to create a solar weapon with the intensity of 5000x normal daylight. The powerful weapon can "melt steel, vaporize aluminum, boil concrete, turn dirt into lava, and obliterate any organic material in an instant."
It looks like Sony is adding some cool features to their upcoming portable game system called NGP (Next Generation Portable).
HoloDecon Tecnology directly afects our perceptive capacity, influencing the construction of the oniric sourronding , built in the alternate hyperrealist narratives
How would you like to live like Tarzan, except in a sustainable, organic treehouse? Check out TED Fellow and urban designer Mitchell Joachim and his plan for homes of the future. Read the full article here.
Via craigslist: Do you like organic living? Willing to learn what you don't know? Are you a writer, student or someone who makes your own hours? If so read on..
New Mexico native Amelia Coulter grew up amongst the rich creative community and natural beauty of Santa Fe. After attending SUNY Purchase as a sculpture major, Amelia settled in Brooklyn and decided to merge her love of patterns, architecture and design with her passion for food. Thus SUGARBUILT was born. Amelia seeks out the best ingredients available to create wonderful and unusual recipes. Starting with the basics of a tasty sugar cookie dough and royal icing, she transforms the classic c...
Oh Alice Waters and her magical Edible Schoolyard! Back in 1994, Alice Waters and King Middle School principal Neil Smith, worked with the community to refurbish their 1930's cafeteria kitchen into a wonderland of food education. The kitchen along with a one acre garden was the begining of what turned into the Edible Schoolyard project.
