Safari 4
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 7.03.09I finally took the plunge and updated my laptop with the Safari 4 beta. There are a couple things to be aware of going into this; be it updating your extensions (Glims, SafariStand, AdBlock, 1Password, or others), or turning off Growl announcements in Mail (updates made to security protocols in the HTML rendering engine, WebKit, can crash mail when Growl tries to access message content). Yes, there are some pretty severe pauses in internet connectivity (presumably when features such history flow are updating), and crashes as well (it is, after all, a beta). Overall, however, it’s an enjoyable experience… and a good move forward for Safari.
Once you’re up and running, Safari 4 Buddy, mySafari, and other apps, can help customise the experience a bit. While many of Safari 4’s additions are pretty cool (top sites, history flow, javascript engine), other changes will take time to get use to, or just get in the way (sure, tabs at the top are confusing at first, but they can also make window management much more difficult). With these apps, you can mix and match some of the best new features, while reverting to some of the older UI standards.
While we’re discussing cool new features, MacRumors has posted links to a few technology demos (including some truly impressive 3D). But perhaps what I find most interesting is the Safari 4 intro animation. Like new OS X installations, there’s a quick little greeting when you first open Safari 4 (and yes, you have to be using Safari 4 to watch it). Some simple motion graphics and music; all pretty typical for Flash animation, I suppose. But check the page source, and you’ll find it’s done entirely in Javascript, CSS, and the latest rich-media HTML.
Even better, the iPhone already has support for 3D transforms via CSS, as part of WebKit (though for desktop implementations in Safari and Mail, it’s turned off by default). While Microsoft tries to vie for attention with Silverlight, posing as an Adobe Flash replacement and web development platform, Apple may very well be positioning WebKit as a new solution; web standards, and all based in HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
bookmark
Searching system files
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 3.03.09I’ve always been frustrated that OS X 10.5 (Leopard) stopped searching system files. While there are a few articles out there detailing the steps to add the option, I’m a bit slow, and never got it to work. This video explains it perfectly!
Guess it’s obvious; I’m a visual learner. 
bookmark
Parallax
iaian7 » code » webcode John Einselen, 17.02.09Parallax is a small javascript based on the Mootools library that allows you to set up 2.5D interaction with basic DIVs and CSS styling. Anywhere from scrollable landscapes to lens flare effects can be achieved, with reasonably easy setup and simple depth controls.
read more
Faking Volumetric Clouds
iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 7.02.09
An easier, simpler, and much older technique for simulating volumetric bodies (in this case, clouds) is to use multiple transparent layers of geometry. The nodal texture editor makes this effect all the more convenient, and can give surprisingly good results!
read more
Lightwave Core
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 3.02.09As I write this, there is a countdown to an announcement on Febuary 4th at 4pm (EST). For the past two weeks, Newtek has been building a steady furore over the upcoming Lightwave Core reveal. Amid wild speculation as to what might entail (in just one of the threads on the Newtek forums, we’ve amassed over 6000 posts), official announcements themselves are promising something entirely new…
And to capitalize on the anticipation, there have been puzzles, cryptic images, clues hidden within an asteroid belt (no joke), comments within website source code, hints from secretive forum members, security passwords encoded with the birth name of Genghis Khan (It’s Temüjin, if you ever need to know) and several appearances by Thor, Norse god of thunder.
But beyond the viral marketing, it’s the people that surround Lightwave, the users, that make it special. It’s people from Kosova, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Norway, Texas… to solve clues, people work in shifts; going to bed in the wee morning light, as people on the other side are waking up to start anew. Freelancers, studios, retired hobbyists. People posting from their desk at work, people staying up all night, and I believe at least one protester in South America, who reeking of tear gas and bloodied resistance, got online to check out the latest clues.
Join in the global excitement… visit Ustream.tv for live coverage. I’ll be there.
bookmark
Hello, January
iaian7 » blog John Einselen, 1.02.09Some months nothing seems to happen. Others? Well…
With the release of mediaboxAdvanced 0.9.5, 0.9.7, and now 0.9.8 in quick succession, I’m making a little progress with my javascript projects. Still rudimentary at best, but I enjoy the challenge, and it seems there are a few users that appreciate the work! As of January 31st, Iaian7.com has had over 7,500 unique visitors in one month, and most of the traffic is for mediaboxAdvanced; the script I use on this site and others to display images, media, and more in a modal overlay.
I’ve also been trying to work on some visual effects in the evenings. So far it’s been rough; my computer system is old enough it can’t handle 1080p production (even loading the geometry is difficult), old enough that ram upgrades cost 2-4 times as much, and there’s not much more I can do. Frustrating, to say the least, but moreso because…
My time with Vectorform has come to a close. The good news is that they didn’t want to let me go, which I find strangely comforting. The downside is that the economy is bad enough, finding gainful employment is not an easy task. If you know of any openings for a visual effects or general CG artist, let me know!
Maybe I’ll even post here occasionally; it’s unfortunate how much I’ve neglected my blog, and hope I can catch up a bit. Then again, don’t hold your breath. Lord willing, I’ll be busy again soon.
bookmark
UB plugins
iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 26.01.09A list of plugins for the universal binary version of Lightwave 9.3 and 9.6.
read more
UB nodes
iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 26.01.09A list of surface nodes I find especially useful, for the universal binary Lightwave 9.3+
read more
Don't let me be too late
iaian7 » blog » poetry John Einselen, 13.01.09You were standing in the market,
when your old life came a-calling,
a debt you couldn’t pay,
and yourself for the selling
Do not let me be,
too late by your side,
running past the shoes,
you hastily cast aside.
Stuttering on the cobblestones,
stumbling through the naked streets,
mind entangled like your legs,
frantic thoughts in feverish heats.
Do not let me be,
too late by your side,
slipping on the blood,
as stone and feet collide.
And there along a cliff I see,
your soul all worn, and deathly wet.
the wind drops silent, like the birds,
as time falters, broken, unset.
Do not let me be,
too late by your side,
to hold and caress,
and hope that you see…
I take no account,
of a long, sordid past,
when I call in the street,
to a far humbler caste.
You were standing in the market,
when you heard someone calling,
an account you couldn’t settle,
and the awful darkness swelling.
(and so you ran)
Do not let me be,
too late by your side,
to hold and caress,
and hope to provide…
bookmark
Autofocus expression
iaian7 » tutorials » lightwave John Einselen, 13.01.09Super simple expression that drives the Camera focal distance with a null. Hardly deserving of much description, but I need it often enough, I get tired of redoing it in the Expression builder every time.
mediaboxAdvanced
You can get the stream on your iPhone as well!
Download and install the Ustream app from the Apple iTunes store, then search for “newtek” to find the live broadcast.