Apple iTunes to have DRM free music by the end of April.

Apple announced that iTunes will soon be selling nothing but DRM free music! Many believed (as did I) that the music industry was selling DRM free music to Amazon to try to break the Apple empire... it appears with this report that this thinking may not be the case.

This really is good news for consumers and for iPod users, as any existing DRM music purchased can be upgraded to the DRM free music. Only problem is it will cost 30 pennies for the privilege. Oh well... can't have it all.

Moving Building Facades.

How cool is this... buildings with facades that changes shape and move. NEAT, NEAT, NEAT!
LINK

Most Dangerous Roads

Check out the six part series from DRB. They show off the most dangerous roads (and some really fun roads) to drive on. LINK

High School Student Extract Revenge using Speeding Camera and Fake Plates

This in from John C Dvorak's blog...

As a prank, students from local high schools have been taking advantage of the county’s Speed Camera Program in order to exact revenge on people who they believe have wronged them in the past, including other students and even teachers.

Students from Richard Montgomery High School dubbed the prank the Speed Camera “Pimping” game, according to a parent of a student enrolled at one of the high schools.

Originating from Wootton High School, the parent said, students duplicate the license plates by printing plate numbers on glossy photo paper, using fonts from certain websites that “mimic” those on Maryland license plates. They tape the duplicate plate over the existing plate on the back of their car and purposefully speed through a speed camera, the parent said. The victim then receives a citation in the mail days later.

Students are even obtaining vehicles from their friends that are similar or identical to the make and model of the car owned by the targeted victim, according to the parent.
[...]
“I hope the public at large will complain loudly enough that local Montgomery County government officials will change their policy of using these cameras for monetary gain,” the parent said. “The practice of sending speeding tickets to faceless recipients without any type of verification is unwarranted and an exploitation of our rights.”

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2009 New Year Wallpaper

Nice site with wallpaper celebrating the new year. Some are simple and didn't take much time to create, other look more detailed and creative and look to have taken a bit more effort. LINK

No... I'm not in the dog's bed.

When the dogs are away, the cats will play.... ummm... curl up in the dogs bed and sleep.

Google Calculator and 42

I love The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, a book by Douglas Adams. It is one of those cult favorites that everyone should have in their library. It really is a fun read!

For those who don't know, the entire book circles around an Earthling named Arthur Dent who is forcibly removed from Earth prior to its destruction. As Arthur travels the universe, one things keeps popping up. The number 42. It apparently is the answer to the question, 'What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything." It is so absurd and funny, that it launches everyone forward into finding the real question to the answer 42.... or the real answer... which is circular logic.

Now every good geek knows the fun of the book, and the buried humor when 42 creeps up during the day. The people at Google also have fun with this, and if you type in 'the answer to life the universe and everything' into Google's search box, you will discover that their deep thinking computers will return the value of 42. Good Job Google for inserting humor into our lives.

And another thing....

Polar Clock Screen Saver

An Oldie but a Goodie!

Polar clock screen saver came out in 2007, but is still my favorite screen saver. I really like the unique and fresh way of displaying the time and date. For those who don't know about the clock, the months, days, hours, etc. are displayed as portions of a circle. This circle puts a unique perspective on time and how much has lapsed.

The screen saver is free for download and is free of adware. Go download your copy over at PIXELBREAKER.

Check out my personal web page, PatrickHoesly.com

Come check out my personal webpage at patrickhoesly.com You can view my portfolio and if your interested in hiring me as a contractor or a full time job, download my resume. But if nothing else, keep coming back to this blog to download free tileable textures and read about the interesting things I blog about.

This can't be good.

Look Ma.... no han... auuughh!

Really Slick Screen Savers

I can't believe I just discovered Really Slick Screen Savers! They are free OpenGL screen savers which are very beautiful to look at and are free of advertisements. Most free SS are loaded with ads, or want all your personal info just to download.... not this.

One note of caution. These are OpenGL screen savers which demand a good deal of work from your video card. If you are a visual artist and your computer is crunching a lot when your not in front of it (rendering etc.) then these may not be the best thing to run. However, on the flip side... they are soooooo cool. Amazingly, you could get soooo wrapped up in viewing the visuals that you might forget about all that nasty work you have to get done...... this has never happen to me. LINK

Santa's Gone Centro

Wow! Palm has really been suffering from not upgrading their software or phones to keep up with the 'new' smart-phones. It really is sad, however, their marking department has kicked it up a notch and made a very good ad campaign this season.

UPDATE: They even made a Facebook page for Claus! Download the music (by the Rondo Brothers) & videos and leave a messages for Claus. Damn fine marketing job!

CAD Hatch Pattern T-Shirt

CAD all day, CAD all night. Those hatch patterns start to dance and tease you with promises of sleep. Nope... sleep is for the... the weak...... zzzzzzzzzzzz

Seriously neat shirts with AutoCAD hatch patterns on the front. Really inside joke, which will be shared by only those who use the program. The only problem with the shirt is the pen style is off (another joke). LINK

2008 Logo Trends

The 2008 year in review of logo designs. Interesting the styles that became new, novel and nifty in 2008. LINK

Holy @!*$, Rocket Crayons

Ummmm.... WOW! Where can I get a pack? LINK

Crayon Carvings

Pete Goldlust has patients, and a steady hand to carve these intricately carved crayons. No coffee for him! Extra caffeine in my coca-cola coffee please.

Recycle Old Crayons

Very good article by Chica & Jo on melting down old crayons into new shapes. It kind of reminds me of the melted crayons at Hallmark's Kelidiscope here in Kansas City.

1. prep crayons
2. sort crayons
3. boil crayons
4. mold crayons
5. use new crayons

The Art of Jim Denevan

Jim Denevan has made large freehand drawing on a dry lake low tide beaches. Jim walked all day creating his art and can walk up to 40 miles in its creation. His work is transient, as the ocean or rains come in and wash away the art. He seems to have the same, 'appreciate the moment' mentality the Buddhist monks have when creating their sand art.

• Jim Denevan's Website
• Buddhist Sand Art
  

Posting to Blogger while on the road.

How to send posts to your Blogger Account while using your mobile phone.

http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=42448

Dogs at play on Christmas Day