Pot of gold?

Or a big explosion?

- the low sun yesterday made De Mezas Vej look like it had been set on fire. Unfortunately I only had my mobile phone cam with me, and the image is not exactly representative of how it really looked. It was stunning.

- and on that note: Happy New Year to everyone :)

First home-cooked meal in the new appartment

- well it's SOMETHING to celebrate. But in the midst of cooking, it suddenly hit me: I had no salt, pepper or anything. The spice rack was still in the old appartment. So I had to put the food on standby and go fetch spices in the old appartment, which is luckily only 50 meters away.

I had a chicken casserole with spinach, cream, red onion, mushrooms, cream cheese, a bit of tomato and nutmeg - over fresh fettucine. Yumyum.

Earlier today I spent 3 hours in hell - hell being Ikea on the first day open after christmas. I did get a lot of usefull stuff for the kitchen though, as well as closets and other stowe-away-furniture. The big things should arrive tomorrow. Unfortunately my bed was out of stock, and probably won't arrive for 4-5 weeks. It'll be nice with a proper closet though. Currently my clothes are stacked/piled/thrown into 3 moving crates and a few bed rollers. But I am 92.1% finished... approximately.

85 percent settled

I'm getting organized fast. All I need now, is to mount 6 small racks for DVD's on the wall, sort my clothes and hook up the rest of the hardware - but for the last two things I'll have to pay Ikea a visit. I also need a new bed, and some other minor stuff. And to put up 2-3 lamps. Groovy :)

- and apparently the internet is hooked up already, but the stationary phone is not.

Moving moving moving

I've moved to a new flat yesterday (thanks to everyone who helped), and I won't have internet access until dec. 27th. Stay tuned, and merry christmas once again ;)

- if you desperately need to contact me, you should do so by mobile phone (the stationary is dependant on the internet connection).

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

- official teaser for Duke Nuke'em 4(n)ever to be released tomorrow.
This is fantastic news - if there's any truth to it. A nice christmas present. It's only been awaited since '99 or so. But that's what game developing is like.

*edit* And there it was :


Not sure what to think. Graphics and mood remind me a lot of F.E.A.R. and there's hardly any environment shots and no more than short flashes of in-game action, primarily consisting of attacking aliens. But then again - it's just a teaser, and it does look promising. But they'll have to step up BIG time, to hype Duke again, after 3 consecutive Vaporware Awards, and one honourary lifetime achievement award.... of vaporware.

Quicktime HD link

*footage courtesy of 3Drealms

Merry X-mas from me (and TurnTool)

Well - it's finally online - this years interactive TurnTool x-mas card.
Try it here (or click the image above)

- All graphics and animation by yours truly, scripting by Mikkel and music by Anders Reinholdt. TurnTool plugin required, obviously.

Unfortunately - only Internet Explorer friendly. Enjoy anyways.

I love my Flat Eric doll...

... he's just such a pal.






- feel free to send him sausages for christmas. He'd really appreciate that.

Aqua's Barbie Girl the indian way?

It has to be - judging by the pitch of her voice. Ken is slightly beardier though.



- do you also wonder why he head-butts her boobs about 3.40 mins into the video?

How blond can you get?

... i mean - seriously?



(no offense to blond people in general, but honestly - this is ridiculous)

Morning gold

- pretty colours the other morning...

You've got spam!

...and you just KNOW it the minute you read topics like this one:




- spoon brain and ice-cream mist?!?

Why Tourette's is a cool "condition"

- more on Tourette's Syndrom here. It's actually not funny at all, but I'm only human, so sue me for laughing at utterings like "The garbage disposal sounds like Chewbacca taking a shit", and "Bob Saget" as a profanity...

Another visualization

This time Saltboderne in Nibe.
Done at 3D-empire of course. Interiors by me - exterior by Anders and Danny.

More kittie goodness

Yes it's funny - but more so is the perfect hitler cat (or Kitler) overseeing the events from the background. I wan't a hitler cat too...
More at macrocats.com

- thanks to fixx.dk for showing the way.


...and yes it's quiet on the blog. I'm busy and stuff.

...in other electorial areas

- it's a tie between That guy and Ni!, closely followed by a bag of potato chips.

- at least I can conclude that my trusty viewers are sane, voting fictional characters and edible items over Anders Fogh ;)

Thank you for participating.

same old, say mold

Call me red, but last nights election did not come the way it should. I don't get it - after more than 6 years, the majority of the danish population still opted for the constellation of parties that has brought them the worst level of public service (schools, hospitals, elder care, kids care, public transportation), and who generally has a twisted perspective on humanity.
I've never experienced so many strikes and such a drop in public services as during this government. It was especially bad, when we were taken hostages during the latest bus conflict, which sarted before we moved to the city center. For 6 months we couldn't count on getting to work on time, and more than once I had to walk, because there were only 70% of the buses on the streets. The generation that fought the germans in WW2, are left to rot on elder "care" centers, where they get a bath once a week, and get put to bed at 7pm, because there's not enough staff to take proper care of them. If you live away from the bigger cities and get ill or break a leg, you're screwed, because the local emergency stations are being shut down one by one. If you manage to get yourself to a hospital, you face the risk of having to lie on the hallways. That'll surely speed up the recovery...
- and for what, Denmark? Just so that you can get the equivalent of 1-2 extra hours worth of work paid out at the end of the month? Why don't you WORK that extra hour then? Because with the current system, you're handing those money over again faster than you know it, in terms of higher prices on the public services YOU need. And guess what - you're paying more for less. Just so the government can go out in public and say : We're a rich nation. We have so and so much money in the treasure chest.
I beg to differ. We're a poor and sad nation when we can't even cater to those who need it. More people are living below the poverty limit now than under the previous government. And I'm not counting those refugees that we refuse to give a decent life. No - I'm talking born and raised danes. Families. Kids goddamit!

- I'm not proud to be danish today...

doodle doodle on the screen

I use a wacom tablet for photoshopping textures for my 3D models. Although I'm no wizard with a pen, it does seem to make the job a little easier. Or a lot actually.
This weekend I've been working on a concept for a project (which I won't reveal just yet, so if you are one of the few who already DO know, please don't spoil it), and I decided to take a raw, untextured 3D-model, render it with no colour, and try an overpaint in Photoshop. It was an eye-opening experience. I'm definetely going to try this again, because within an hour, I had a "previz" of the model - It'd probably take me a lot longer to unwrap and texture it. Granted my techniques are pants, and my brush strokes are somewhat shaky, but I like the result, and it gave me renewed inspiration and ideas for the texturing stage. And it's easy to change colour and add little details.


- that's the raw render.


- and the overpaint version.

Malta buses

If you believe in spiritual stuff, you could say that Malta is "Bus heaven". Where the very souls of old and worn-out buses come to get their halo and wings, if they've been good buses. Makes you wonder if "Bus hell" is being converted to a mobile kindergarten in Vilnius, Lithuania...

On Malta the buses get revitalized. And they do have many good years in them still. And even if they have more modifications and remakes than Dr. Frankenstein's pet project, you can see that the drivers (who are usually also the owners) really DO care about them. And so a bus trip on Malta becomes an attraction in itself. You never know what you're gonna get. Will it be "Bambina", or "Life in Heaven" - or perhaps the little Perkins that looks like it has shrunk in the last car wash.

I think they're gorgeous, and I really appreciate when someone takes such good care of automotive history. Just look at the shapes, the ever shiny chrome, the pinstriping and occasional flame-job.

Stupid people should have their voting privileges revoked!

The election campaign is raging at its fullest. Naturally it takes up every front page and every first 10 minutes of a live news broadcast. Some are digging up dirt on eachother, and some are scrutinizing previous statements of the opposing parties, and twisting their words around. Fair enough - that's part of the game. They're all battling for the voters approval and that extra little "X" in the right spot. But unfortunately some voters are just stupid (not just in Denmark, mind you - I mean... George W. Bush.... twice??!).

On the front page of "Urban" - one of the danish freebie newspapers - they have a front page theme with the title "Who would you prefer to hug?" - with a picture of the danish prime minister Anders Fogh and a picture of the leader of the opposing party (and candidate for the prime minister seat), Helle Thorning. And you can read on that Urban thinks the election (and especially the campaign) is about characteristics such as "credibility, empathy, care, efficiency, control and sex appeal". Sex appeal. What the fuck? If I wanted to vote for sex appeal, I'd go to ratemyboobs.com or ratemybutt.com. Sex appeal in a political campaign is just as stupid and misplaced as realityshows on MTV (you know that actually stands for Music TeleVision... Yeah. I know - where's the friggin music?)
Anders Fogh could be the handsomest hunk ever, and Helle Thorning the sexiest slut ever - but what the hell does that have to do with politics? What has that got to do with governing a country with 5.5 million people (yes we're a teensy weensy country)? Even though italian porn actress Illona "Cicciolina" Staller actually did get elected for parliament for flashing her boobs, what did that really do for Italy? I mean other than portray the country as a nation of men with constant hard-ons?
The only logical explanation for Urban's statement about sex appeal in a political campaign, must be that there are people out there who are just too damned dumb to have an oppinion about stuff that REALLY matters.
- like during the last election in 2005, where a local tv-station interviewed a bunch of women attending a political show-down of some kind in a big hall, and asked them where they would place their X in the upcoming election. Surprise surprise - some of these middle-aged, fat, trailor-trash scum actually said "We vote for this person, because he is more sexy and neat". Not for once did it occur to them that the minute he was elected, his first mission would be to cut back on their welfare, raise the price on pretty much all social services, and lower the quality at the same time. Great thinking, lard asses!
Now why, OH WHY, would a group of people vote for a person who would immediately start making THEIR lives miserable through anti-social politics - just because he looks neat? I mean what other reason, except blatant stupidity could there be?

Do us all a favor this time: DON'T VOTE! Become one with your couch (more than you already have), and leave the voting to people who actually care...

*edit* Oh look - dead race between That Guy and Ni! in the polygonpoop election poll

New tech acquired

I got me a new mobile phone. It's snazzy. It's a slide phone, as opposed to my old clam shell phone. And it's a walkman phone. I enjoyed the walkman feature of my old phone, but it was not as good as the new one, which has the Sony walkman seal, meaning there's been taken measures to ensure a good musical experience. And it is good. Nice sound with the in-ear plugs, as well as the ability to use your own headphones. Nice.
It's still new, and I still need to setup a few things - but overall I'm very pleased with it. Let's see if I end up doing a full review of it.

Traffic rage pt. 1

Stupid ass lorry driver. So first he goes left when I try to pass him on my bike to the left side. Then he goes right, as I fall back and try to pass him on the right side (because he left me no other option). Mind you that at no time during this, does he signal what he wants. Then he turns on the emergency/catastrophy/warning signal, while still driving.
"No Mr. lorry driver. Having signal lights blinking to the right and to the left, does NOT mean you can act like an indecisive teenage girl, and drive as you please".
- and he has the nerve to toot the horn, as I finally pass him, and signal with my hands, that he needs to make up his mind, and alert the rest of the traffic about his intentions in a clear and decisive manner. Jerk. I hate traffic. People will litterally kill eachother (and other people at random) just to gain 5 seconds, or one place in the queue at the next signal.

Election time

Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, has officially announced the election. Set for Nov. 13th.

I vote for "That Guy".

Dun-dun-din-din-dundudun-din-din









Take advantage of a unique voting opportunity, to directly influence the danish election, through grotesque media-manipulation and brainwave-control.

How is this even possible, you ask? Science my friend. Science and a vast amount of dirty money, paid to mad professors in eastern european countries.

Look for the poll on the front page, and excercise the right the danish government doesn't wan't you to have.

* image courtesy of Fox

I don't read many books...

- in fact I more or less don't read books at all (comic books and educational litterature not included). Between 1990 and 2006 I've probably only read one book, which was Bill Bryson's "Down Under" - a gift from Kim before I wen't to Australia in 2000.
But I've slowly started reading books again. I prefer "real" stuff - like biographies and "travel logs". So last year I read a book about a boating trip in and around China, I read the biography of a local, and slightly controversial, soccer player (whom I also wen't to school with). This year I've read a book about a danish special ops soldier, and I'm currently readin a book about why girls are weird, and why guys are also weird - only in another way...

But I've not enjoyed reading as much, as when I read Alex Uth's latest release "Marskens Hemmelighed" (that's the secret of the marsh). It's the first piece of fiction I've read in a looooooong time, and it was great. Granted I'm a bit older than the target audience, but you're never too old for mysteries and thrills.
Now Alex has a way with words. Or - she has her way with words. I don't know. But they do seem to take a very describing and picturesque form, when lined up in the right formation. I actually think she's a visual artist - she paints with words, to form very detailed images in people's imagination. Obviously you need to have imagination, but the crisp and detailed descriptions, makes it very easy.
I've had the pleasure of working with Alex at Runestone, so I'm already familiar with her writing, as she was responsible for most of the backstory on the game "Seed", so I know she's a great writer.
Anyways - I can highly recommend this book, though once again - aimed at a younger (danish) audience.

Coffee and stardust...

- sounds like caffeine and cocaine orgy. It was nothing that drastic though (except for the caffeine part), but Jan got a little time-out from the twin-raising business, so yesterday we hooked up at Baresso (and they hooked us up with coffee). We later took a stroll through the local mall, and ended up staring at the movie posters at Cinemaxx (although I suspect he had planned it all in advance). Fortune had it that we could just make the afternoon showing of "Stardust", and despite a rather gay looking (yes I am once again using that term negatively...) poster, the movie was fab. It's a really well written, and well told adventure, with everything that particular genre should contain. And a really great cast. Some big names in lesser roles were introduced in cool ways. Visually nice too, so a highly recommendable movie.
- must be the first time ever that I've gone to the movies with absolutely no treats or drinks - but we were in a hurry (commercials were almost over). And at least we got to kick a bunch of grotty teenagers away from our rightfull seats (even if they were not THAT great)...

Trendy toilet paper?

Be honest. When was the last time you we're taking a dump, reached for the TP and thought to yourself: "Dear me, this TP just doesn't match my bathroom. I really need to find some TP that compliments the interior decoration of my bathroom".
- like never, right?

Lambi has the following little nugget on their six pack of TP of the "Satin" brand:



-------------------------------
LAMBI TREND COLLECTION
brings the latest trends to your bathroom.
This season's must is ever elegant grey,
or as we see it: poetry of silver.
After all, style is all about details.
---------------------------------

- I read this little nugget and I wen't huh?! It's TP, for crying out loud. It's designed to wipe crap from your corn hole. It's the essense of use-and-throw-away-products. It's the godfather of use-and-throw-away-products. Should we really care about how it looks? It could say "Sandpaper grain 16" on it, as long as it didn't feel like it. It could have print of barbed wire on it, as long as it feels soft on the butt cheeks.

Lambi trend collection... What the fuck. I mean WHAT THE FUCK?!?

And just to add insult to injury...
It's no secret that TP has about the same structural integrity as mashed potatoes. In other words it is very close to falling apart from the stress of it's own weight (so don't ever use TP for hull plating on your next spaceship, NASA).
With this already more than weak structural integrity, would you think it was neccesary to perforate anything but the line that seperates the sheets? I say no. Lambi says yes. Yes! YES! Let's perforate the ENTIRE sheet, except for 10 little flowers on each sheet, because TP with patterns AND perforation is the new ideal for ass wiping.
You have to be friggin kiddin'! Who was the idiot product developer, who let his or her 3-year old kid design the TP now situated on my TP-holder? The person needs to be fired, then hired and fired once more. This TP is only useable, if you meticulously use a FLOWER part of the sheet. Anything else... well - let's not get graphic about that.
Honestly - if you absolutely HAVE to put patterns on TP, use coloured print. I'd much rather have a green butt, than - well once again with the graphic details...

MORONS!

*image courtesy of Lambi

[DVD] Eragon (of AlaGAYsia)

This is a gay movie. Why? Well...

The "hero" is a 17-year old kid - Gay
- who wrestles his cousin for combat training - Gay
- he get's a little baby dragon - Gay
- who's name is Saphira - Gay
- and is a girl - Gay
- who only communicates by thought - Gay
- obviously to save money on CGI lip syncing - Gay
John Malkowich is only semi-evil - Gay
- his dark sidekick is played by Robert Carlyle - Gay
- who is way more evil in Trainspotting - Gay
- and dies without a proper fight - Gay
- in a grand finale battle, which lasts 5 minutes - Gay
Jeremy Irons' character (Brom) dies - Gay
- after having said so many tacky lines - Gay
- on the back of someone elses dragon - Gay
- just because he didn't look after his own - Gay
- but he has a sword that glows - Gay
- which he stole - Gay
- probably from Frodo - Gay
The dark sidekick's henchmen are a bunch of girls - Gay
- who whine when you poke a sword in their foot - Gay
- and die from a small cut on the upper arm - Gay
- but they DO wear makeup to look intimidating - Gay
- and people are obviously intimidated - Gay
The "hero" (once again) doesn't get laid - Gay
- he does not even get a little kiss from the girl - Gay
- even though he saved her bony ass - Gay
- at the expense of Brom's life - Gay
The movie was worse than Starship Troopers 2 - Gay
- it has combat, but no blood - Gay
- it was rushed - Gay
- and predictable - Gay
- and it had a crappy 5 second CGI ending - Gay
- and it's the first in a trilogy - Gay
- so you know there'll be more of this crap - Gay

Seriously - don't bother. Not even if you're paid to watch it. I just spent 104 minutes, which could've been spent more interrestingly by poking red-hot needles in my eyeballs, watching this movie. They get the following rating for at least being able to hold a camera and a microphone boom.

Rating :


* I mean absolutely no disrespect whatsoever to gay people.
** Image courtesy of the blind and deaf monkeys who released this movie.

Happy 60 year anniversary

Signs, sailors, and the best vagenas

Yes please, banana spit sounds nice...
How is that even possible? Some weird genetic mix of a lama and a banana (and would that make it a lamana or banama)?
- can I have a side order of coconut vomit?


Happy sailors.
- classy souvenirs brought back from greece. I love how it looks like they've been wearing them forever. It just looks natural somehow ;)


The best and cheapest... vagenas?
- I guess when your store is not located on the main street, you have to take drastic measures to attract customers...

Lies, all lies!

I read somewhere today that dark chocolate should be the thing to eat, if you're feeling a bit tired or if you've run out of energi.
I just ate a brick of dark chocolate, so I should be wide awake, and jumping of the walls. I am however not. Instead I just feel like taking a nap.

- back to caffeine again I guess.

More power....

So my computer had been coughing and nagging for 2 months. It started slowly with random power-ons after I had shut it down. Then it couldn't cool properly, and finally the power supply said *poof* and everything went black - during a game of Medal of Honor : Pacific Assault.
So two days without my primary machine. But today I got me a new power supply (15 watt stronger than the old one). And everything seems to be working fine. However, Firefox decided to throw away all my bookmarks, but a quick look at their site, revealed that firefox backs up bookmarks daily, and keeps a file for each day for the last five days. Clever thinking, Mozilla guys (and girls).
- everything should be working now :)

Ominous clouds approaching...

- I always wanted to say that... in a proper context anyways.

So here they are - shot 5 minutes ago. So very ominous and... cloudy. And they're also approaching.

Monorail cat

- lots of kittie goodness at roflcat.com and roflcats.com

Evil Dead... the musical?!?!

Now THERE's a good reason to go to the theater. Apparently it ran in 2006.

- I did so NOT see that coming.

*image shamelessly borrowed from Amazon.com

Interior visualization

Just before I wen't on vacation, we finished a visualization of 6 new houses - exterior and interior.
I did most of the interiors, and here are my favourites :



- you can see more both interior and exterior here.

Glittering stars tutorial (3dsmax)

I´m assuming you know how to set up an environment map, and how to use the Material Editor for this tutorial...

Step 1.
Open Material Editor and select an empty slot. Go to maps->diffuse and add a noise map - name this map "parent".

Step 2.
Apply the following settings to the noisemap and leave those i dont mention to their defaults.
Noise Parameters :
Noise Threshold High: 0.7
Now add a new noise map to the colour #1 map slot (its the black one) - and name this noisemap "child01"

Step 4.
Now go to the parent noisemap - and copy the child01 noisemap to the white map slot - and rename the copy "child02"

Step 3.
Apply thefollowing settings to the new noisemap - and leave those i dont mention to their defaults :
Coordinates : skip this part.
Noise Parameters :
Size : 1.0 (this defines the max size of the stars)
Noise Threshold Low : 0.69
Output :
RGB level : 5.0 (this makes the stars brighter)

Step 5.
In the child02 noisemap´s Noise Parameters, animate the Phase from 0 in frame 0 to 3 in frame 100.
By only animating the phase of one noisemap, you have ensured that there will always be some static stars, instead of having them all flicker.

Now apply the parent noisemap as environment map, specify output path and filename/type and hit render.
I know its not perfect, but it can be fitted to your specific needs with a little tweeking.

Open air vintage car show (again)

Once again I've been to Kalø bay, to see some great classic cars. This time though, we arrived in one as well. More specifically in Liv's uncle's '64 Ford Consul Cortina :

A stunning car I must say. Drives very well too, considering it's age and total lack of modern motorvehicular technology.

This time the "field" was dominated by AC Cobras, Chevrolet Corvettes, as well as a few really nice VWs and some rare NSUs. And as expected quite a few of the cars from last time. But lots of new ones too.

The Vee Dubs :

- lovely cabriolet. Not sure if it is in fact a rare Karmann.


Three kings... notice the excellent top chop of the black one? Not many people seemed to notice, which in my book means they did a really good job.


A closer look of a slammed, but otherwise pretty classic looking bug.


T2, which used to serve in the army, and then in the civil defence, who's insignia I think it is on the front. Now privately owned and redone as a camper.

And some of the smaller cars :

A NSU Prinz 3 - quite rare I believe. Another of Liv's uncles used to drive one of these.


The ever lovely Fiat 500 - with ragtop and accessories.


I thought it was an early Fiat Spider, but it is in fact a Renault Florine.


Opel GT. Or "poor mans Corvette". Typical european "smaller remake" of an american car.


NSU RO80. I spoke to the owner and got some interresting backround information about various technical details about the clutchless gear shift, and the Wankel rotary engine, which does not make everything shake like in your average piston-based engine.
Beautifully kept for 30 out of its 33 years by the same owner, who also told me that it had done 370.000 kilometers, with hardly any engine repairs.

And of course the big americans were there as well :

Smokey and the bandit anyone? Very nice Pontiac "Firebird" Trans Am.


Not sure about this street rod, but I'm quite positive it is Ford-based.


Another pontiac.


A fantastic Olds(hydra)mobile. Stunning paint job, which unfortunately doesn't really show on the photo.


GRR baby, very GRR! A chevy showing teeth...

And the weather was lovely - bit colder than greece, oh yes, but lovely still.

- that's the other Pontiac from the rear. Gotta love those finns.