Just in from the press! A new video from the Cyberbohemia group in OSGrid. The goal was to bring a “real world” painting to life in the virtual world of OSGrid. They used the 3D building tools in OSGrid to create a 3D model of master artist Rainer Huebner’s painting “Fliegende Welt II” and celebrated the OSG4B birthday party on July 23th 2011 “inside’ the 3D painting scene. I am grateful to Jürgen and co. for inviting me to write the soundtrack for this video and participate in this wonderful project. Rainer Huebner’s paintings are magic, I invite you to visit the Cyberbohemia region in OSGrid.
Jan
18
Jan
15
If you are fed up with the lies served up by the big food industries, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to watch this potentially life saving documentary film. Forks Over Knives delivers the results of years of scientific research about our nutrition and the western diet. Most significant for me was the epic Chinese investigation plotting an “atlas of cancer” and cardiovascular disease. They pretty much can determine a relation between the foods and types of cancer produced in specific counties in China. Forks Over Knives is a no-nonsense attempt by American physician Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and professor of nutritional biochemistry T. Colin Campbell, to reverse the unhealthy course of humanity. They are experts suggesting the best fuel for our bodies to run on.
The documentary exposes the decisions of the National Academy of Sciences, funded and influenced by corporate interests, they determine scientific policies which can make or break studies, revealing sometimes skewed results which the food corporations want you to hear. I liked how they showed several cases of diabetes and high cholesterol, after undergoing nutritional counseling and dietary rehabilitation, the patients underwent a “life-saving experience” improving their health and quality of life. “Let food be your medicine” said Hippocrates, considered by many as the father of modern medicine.
A life saver, this fast-paced documentary flows with essential disease preventing information, no boring moments. Kudos to these scientists for dedicating their lives to uncovering the truth and having the courage to stand up and make this movie. They’ve made eating a plant based diet, smart and cool. As the vegan firefighter said while CLIMBING UP the pole: “Real men eat plants”…
http://www.forksoverknives.com
Nov
9
This new original series “The Dewarists” featured a creative moment in the lives of composers Imogen Heap and the dynamic eastern duo Vishal-Shekhar. It is inspiring to watch how these enthusiastic musicians came together to create the “Minds Without Fear” song, based on a poem by Rabindranath Tagore. They start out sharing stories about how they decided to become musicians, for this unique collaboration, Imogen set up a portable recording studio in the beautiful 475 year-old Samode Palace, just outside of Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. Imogen brings many strange instruments used to create sounds and one of my favorite scenes is when Imogen and Shekhar visit an antique music store which sells some musical instruments over 100 years old, they play around recording sound samples to be used in the song.
“Where The Mind Is Without Fear” by Rabindranath Tagore
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Oct
5
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has left his material body. His influence has left a prominent ark on our daily lives with many of his inventions helping in our domestic and professional tasks. One of his dreams, was to make cutting edge technology easy to use for everyone.
The Apple Mac computer revolutionized the graphic arts industry, my own career as a graphic artist took off when the Mac computer made it possible for me to learn how to use the operating system and art programs in a very short time. The music industry was also changed back when you could buy a Mac as a MIDI sequencer connected to an Emulator Sampler creating a digital audio workstation for around $15,000 Dlls., instead of having to buy a very expensive Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument) or a New England Digital Synclavier Digital Audio System for $100,000 Dlls. More recently, in the midst of the Napster era, which badly affected the music industry, Steve invited recording companies to join his iTunes Store project to legally distribute music downloads and save musician’s royalties. The list goes on… video editing, writers, publishers, designers, regular pedestrians with iPods. In short, the man had a talent for design and realizing his vision. His influence will be felt for many years to come. Our deepest condolences to his family and associates at Apple. let us celebrate his spirit and contributions… Hare Krishna.
http://www.apple.com/
Jul
28
I was sent this beautiful video by my fellow web explorer Delia. This is a magic example of how, with a little observation, one can come up with solutions of working with nature instead of trying to control with brute force. This family tradition takes place in the Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion of Northeast India. They get large amounts of rain so normal bridge constructions would be destroyed when the river level rises. So a local man had the idea of planting a fig tree and using it’s growing roots to create a resistant weave and build living bridges.
Jan
14
Ramananda Dasa of ISKCON Hawaii started a program of online classes and seminars centered around the books with sanskrit translations and commentaries of author H.G. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Classes include studies on Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhakti Yoga Seminars, transmitted live via conferencing on SKYPE.com, audiostream via ustream.tv and SecondLife.com. Each class is recorded for posterity. The program has been a success, with listeners connecting from around the world, hearing, inquiring and sharing stories and commentaries.
Please check schedules @ http://iskcon-hawaii.com/CLASSES.html. We would be happy to increase the number of devotees participating. Contact Ramananda for more info @ (909) 512-6678 or ramananda@iskcon-hawaii.com
Dec
10
Many designers started designing websites with Adobe PageMill (html editor application), which then became Adobe GoLive. Both had good interfaces with smooth learning curves. Adobe discontinued GoLive in April 2008 in favor of their recently purchased Dreamweaver, and now we are forced to learn Dreamweaver with it’s maze-like interface, if we are to survive in a web developer’s dream. Although several years have passed, I still hope Adobe will improve this application or at least offer the same graphic mode of designing pages which GoLive offered.
After several failed attempts, I put off learning this Dreamweaver beast for years until yesterday, thanks to this tutorial “Dreamweaver for GoLive Users” by Sheri German, and expert in Dreamweaver, technology education, eLearning, Fireworks, Photoshop, design and typography.
More good tips, and video tutorials can be found on this Adobe Dreamweaver support section “Migrating from GoLive to Dreamweaver.” Hopefully we can break the barrier and get back to feeling in control of our web tools. I can always go back to using GoLive or ImageReady to design visually if I get stuck, but I love a good challenge 
Nov
4
“Solar Roadways“ won the $50,000 prize in the GE Ecomagination Challenge. With the increase of cost for asphalt, there is a need to come up with a more intelligent solution. Roads already connect communities, so why not take advantage of this and have the roads be an intelligent conductor of energy? Solar Roadways proposes an “out-of-the-box” solution worth investigating. For more information visit http://www.solarroadways.com