tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85122610207809935532024-03-13T11:35:18.575-07:00Everything About EverythingEmilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-49926453825294570822013-02-05T20:23:00.000-08:002013-02-05T20:23:24.369-08:00Pasting Paths in the Adobe EnvironmentEvery time I spend half an hour figuring out a two-second fix, I swear at the gods of the internet for not requiring people to post their useful knowledge in public forums for me to find. Then I realize that I haven't posted since October, and I get all red and shame-faced. <div>
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So here's my latest and greatest quick tip for you:</div>
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If you are trying to copy and paste a path from Adobe Illustrator into Adobe After Effects, <i>and </i>you would like to use that path as a motion path, the original path cannot have any fill or stroke applied before you copy it. If it does, even if you paste it into a position or path attribute, it will turn into a mask (or possibly many masks, if you have a dashed stroke). </div>
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If you didn't understand the above paragraph, here's the basic situation:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>You would like something to move along a path in After Effects, but you have the path stored elsewhere (likely in Illustrator). </li>
<li>This is normally simple - you go into Illustrator, use the Selection tool to select the path, press Ctrl+C to copy. Go into After Effects and click on the Position attribute of the thing you want to move, and press Ctrl+V to paste. A keyframe should appear where your cursor was. To expand this, hold down Alt and drag the keyframe out to the right. </li>
<li>Unfortunately, if your original path in Illustrator had a fill or a stroke applied, AE will interpret this as a mask - possibly many of them - rather than a stroke. You will be able to see the path, but it will be in bright green, meaning it's a mask. Position paths appear in light purple. </li>
<li>Solution: just make sure you have the <i>bare</i> path selected before you copy/paste across programs.</li>
</ol>
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Did this help you? Have any other ideas for how to accomplish the same thing? Let me know!</div>
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Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-61004805141091334612012-09-16T17:53:00.000-07:002012-09-16T18:00:48.178-07:00Cider Review and Sundry<br />
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Umm....hi. *shuffle* Do you, ah, radio silence much? Oh! Good. Me too.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Hard Cider Review Series - Introduction and Week # 1</h3>
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I had big plans for this blog (remember <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/06/file-under-boring-but-helpful.html" target="_blank">this</a>?), but it turns out that moving for a month straight, plus every deadline at work converging on the same date, plus a (new! awesome!) huge apartment that surprisingly takes much longer to clean than the one that was 1/3 the size....it turns out that all that is a perfect recipe for blogland radio silence.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Luckily for y'all (Sorry...I went a little bit country for a while there): </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/418924_10101668258009396_884309834_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/418924_10101668258009396_884309834_n.jpg" style="text-align: center;" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right behind me is a North Carolina wild water bear. Was terrifying. </td></tr>
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...so luckily for you all, I have a couple blog-worthy ideas and projects in the works. The first (and most self-serving) is a new (hopefully weekly?) series of hard cider reviews, culminating (hopefully) in a batch of (hopefully) delicious homemade hard cider. (You can read a great series of beer reviews from the guy who suggested this <a href="http://dylancharles.net/" target="_blank">here</a>). See, two things I adore about the northeast are a real autumn and the prevalence of hard cider. I also adore cider.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EmUEXQf8rXM/UFZn2YUAafI/AAAAAAAAAvs/P2r4al6fMmA/s1600/IMG_3200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EmUEXQf8rXM/UFZn2YUAafI/AAAAAAAAAvs/P2r4al6fMmA/s320/IMG_3200.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vg-2PYIqjDk/UFZnz6LdvMI/AAAAAAAAAvk/LjWA1ufyXXI/s1600/IMG_3190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vg-2PYIqjDk/UFZnz6LdvMI/AAAAAAAAAvk/LjWA1ufyXXI/s320/IMG_3190.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buh. This happens *every year* and no one talks about it. Lordy.</td></tr>
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I'll try to review a cider every week or two throughout the autumn, and maybe at the end of it all, I'll have accumulated all the stuff I need to make some cider at home. Maybe there'll even be a tutorial.<br />
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With no further ado, here's week one's review:
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVhS6G1AzRs/UFZspUD1jII/AAAAAAAAAwc/_az4beD5aFQ/s1600/IMG_4121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lVhS6G1AzRs/UFZspUD1jII/AAAAAAAAAwc/_az4beD5aFQ/s640/IMG_4121.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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This is Samuel Smith's Organic Cider, which claims to be made from organically grown apples. I tend not to be too concerned about organic produce or food, but it's nice for some folks to have that option. </div>
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According to the bottle, it comes from the UK (although there is an "agent" name on there with a Washington ZIP code), and is 5.0% ABV. I found it singleton, one-pint bottles in my local supermarket in Boston(ish), so it looks like they've got a pretty widespread distribution.</div>
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The label is a slightly-kitschy, old-timey illustration of some apples and a few apple blossoms. It honestly looks like a plate that my grandmother would have hung on the wall. Not a fan, to be honest, but it's different, and it did get me to buy the thing.</div>
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Mr. Smith describes the cider as "a medium dry cider with brilliant straw color, light body, clean apple flavour and a gentle apple blossom finish" and suggests pairings like pork dishes, cream soups, or a salad with vinaigrette dressing (er...bit of a non-sequitur with the salad? You decide. I went with risotto, myself.). </div>
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I chilled the cider in my fridge for a while (read: weeks) before I had the chance to drink it, so it was nice and cold when I finally pulled it out. The color is pretty spot-on straw colored, and a bit more orangey than some of the other ciders I've had. It hasn't got much of a smell to it - mostly sweet, with the tiniest hint of apple. </div>
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On tasting it, my first impression was that it tastes more intensely of apples than a lot of other brands. You know how big apples tend to be kind of bland, but smaller ones are sweeter and more flavorful? That's the difference here. It's got a nice quick hit of apple at the beginning, then backs off in to a sweet, clean flavor. I think that "medium dry" might be the wrong term here - it's very sweet to my palate. They do add sugar to their cider, according to the ingredients list. The bottle claims it has an "apple blossom finish" but damned if I can taste it. I get almost no aftertaste here.</div>
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The carbonation is on the lower side, which is sort of unfortunate, because more than anything, the taste reminds me of straight-up apple juice. It's a good flavor, very apple-y, but if I'm going to drink a hard cider, I want it to differentiate itself from Welch's as much as possible. I think more carbonation would help that. </div>
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So to sum up: a pleasing cider with a pretty good alcohol content and strong apple flavor, but could back off on the sugar a bit and be more daring with the taste. An organic option for those who care about such things.</div>
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Oh...I have to have a rating system? Ah. I guess...how about...four Galas and a couple of Fujis? Is that good? Yes? Yes.</div>
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<b>So what are you going to be drinking for the fall season? </b></div>
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-67423506094943700502012-07-30T08:44:00.000-07:002012-07-30T08:44:00.458-07:00Tech Support from the Trenches: Computer Beeping on Startup<br />
For this particular problem, I'm going to cut right to the chase, because DAMN, that beeping is annoying, isn't it?<br />
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<b>Symptoms of this problem:</b><br />
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- You are using a LSI MegaRAID 9260-4i card (confirmed) or potentially -8i (unconfirmed)<br />
- On startup, computer makes LOUD beeping noise - 1 second beeps, continuously, starting midway through the boot process<br />
- Computer DOES boot into OS (still beeping)<br />
- In Windows, you cannot see your RAID array, either in Windows Explorer or in Disk Manager<br />
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<b>Other things that may, but probably don't, matter:</b><br />
- OS: Windows 7x64<br />
- Lenovo S20 Workstation<br />
- RAID array configured as RAID 0<br />
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<b>What's (probably) going on: </b><br />
For whatever reason, the RAID controller card could not see one or more of the disks in your RAID array for some period of time - it could be cables got jostled (were you just poking around in the tower?), or that the firmware is not up to date (according to LSI tech support - I have not tested this myself). Because of this, the unseen drives were declared "unconfigured bad." You need to fix this in the controller BIOS. If you do this properly, no data will be lost (and ain't that a fine thing?).<br />
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<b>Solution:</b><br />
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Unfortunately, you will have to endure the beeping while you complete the below. It will stop after you import the "foreign" configuration.<br />
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1. Power up and press Ctrl+H to enter the RAID controller BIOS.<br />
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2. Select your RAID array from the start screen menu. For you lucky people with more than one RAID array, make sure you know which one you're selecting (although it will be obvious later if you haven't selected the right one). Press Start.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-htflJMWcyho/UBIGvF8hSKI/AAAAAAAAAuU/ZpuhqUsUg8s/s1600/02-StartScreen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-htflJMWcyho/UBIGvF8hSKI/AAAAAAAAAuU/ZpuhqUsUg8s/s640/02-StartScreen.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry - no screen caps at the BIOS level. </td></tr>
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3. On the homepage, you should see that one or more drives are marked in black and declared "FOREIGN" and "unconfigured bad". There should also be corresponding "missing" drives marked in red.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U3G6pivtcYw/UBIHEriKOPI/AAAAAAAAAuc/U1npXOZ9tB8/s1600/03-DrivesUnconfigBad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U3G6pivtcYw/UBIHEriKOPI/AAAAAAAAAuc/U1npXOZ9tB8/s640/03-DrivesUnconfigBad.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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4. Click on "Drives" on the left-hand side.<br />
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5. Select a drive marked as bad (Select in top window and click Properties>Go). There are radio buttons on the bottom of the screen where you can change the status from "unconfigured bad" to "unconfigured good".<br />
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6. Go back to the home screen. If you've done everything right, you should see the drives you edited at the bottom in blue. The problem drives will still appear as missing - that's fine.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p6k_6SZQGGg/UBIHmPiqHkI/AAAAAAAAAus/eq1z7yAW_oM/s1600/06-EditedDrives.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p6k_6SZQGGg/UBIHmPiqHkI/AAAAAAAAAus/eq1z7yAW_oM/s640/06-EditedDrives.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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7. Click on Scan Devices. You should see a screen offering to import foreign configurations. In the drop-down, select "All configurations" and hit "Preview".<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UGdPeiimbc/UBIH4BwRztI/AAAAAAAAAu0/0jYf04NkqI4/s1600/07-ImportConfig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3UGdPeiimbc/UBIH4BwRztI/AAAAAAAAAu0/0jYf04NkqI4/s640/07-ImportConfig.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holy glare, Batman.</td></tr>
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8. Check the configuration it shows you to make sure it matches your original RAID configuration. <span style="color: red;">(IMPORTANT: If the configuration is NOT exactly your original config, do not import it. There is a high probability that doing so will erase all your data.) </span>On the other hand, if it does match exactly (and there's no reason it shouldn't), no data will be lost, which is pretty nifty when you think about the way RAID arrays work. </div>
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9. If everything matches, click "Import". (Beeping should stop at this point.)<br />
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10. Exit the controller BIOS and restart your computer.<br />
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Did this work for you? If it did, help some other folks out and leave a comment with your system specs, anything you did differently, etc. The internet will thank you.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Contents of this post courtesy of time spent at <a href="http://www.technofrolics.com/" target="_blank">TechnoFrolics</a>, which is a very cool company and you should go check them out.</span><br />
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<br /></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-7124397310042552592012-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:002012-07-26T21:03:09.443-07:00DIY: The Lazy, Procrastinating Gardener's Tomato CageLet me be blunt. I am a lazy, lazy gardener. I spent all of June watching my tomato plant get bigger and bigger, bloom madly, start sporting the tiniest of green tomatoes, which turned into larger tomatoes, and are currently weighing down the plant to the point of cracking the stem. And all of June, I was telling myself that I'd better buy a tomato cage now, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get it around the whole plant when I really needed to. Well, it's the end of July, and there is no tomato cage on the market that would comfortably and easily support my ginormous tomato plant.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eleven of....I stopped counting.</td></tr>
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This left me this morning in the uncomfortable position of needing to build a tomato cage that was 1) fairly cheap, 2) flexible, 3) modifiable (to accommodate new growth), and 4) dead simple to put together. Well. Two out of four ain't bad.<br />
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I'm writing this up because a few minutes of googling didn't turn up anything similar to this, and I figure there must be a couple more procrastinating newbie gardeners out there who might like to follow along. </div>
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The Lazy Gardener's Tomato Cage</h2>
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Note: this guide is just to show you what I did and maybe give you some ideas. You should assume in general that if you modify any particular step to suit your needs, the world will not end. </div>
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What to do:</h3>
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0. Put on sunscreen if you're going to be outside. You always wear sunscreen, right?</div>
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1. Gather your supplies. Here's what I used:</div>
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From top to bottom and left to right, that is:</div>
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<ul>
<li>(4) .75"x.75"x6' gardening stakes</li>
<li>(1) tomato plant, badly in need of staking</li>
<li>(1) hand saw (optional)</li>
<li>(1) claw hammer</li>
<li>(1) 550-ft ball of sisal twine (you won't use nearly 550 feet - maybe 1/3 of that if you're generous)</li>
<li>appx. (60) 1.5" wood nails</li>
<li>(4) 2"x0.5"x24" gardening stakes</li>
<li>Not shown: pocket knife or scissors to cut the twine</li>
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Of all of these, you really only need to be particular on the hammer, in that without it, you will fail really badly at this project. The other items are up for customization - three foot tall stakes? Fine. One inch nails? Also good. Cucumber plant instead of tomato? Golden. Just for reference, here are the brands of nails and twine that I used:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U21D3_DPCmo/UA4ZACmhU0I/AAAAAAAAAr0/jXzY7ruVYc0/s1600/IMG_4055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U21D3_DPCmo/UA4ZACmhU0I/AAAAAAAAAr0/jXzY7ruVYc0/s320/IMG_4055.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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2. This step is optional - if you don't care whether your top struts have pointed ends, you can go on to number 3. If you are slightly worried about having pointy garden stakes around eye height, by all means - read on. (Also a disclaimer: be careful with that saw. Use proper sawing technique and wear eye protection. If you hurt yourself, it'll be because you were being stupid like me. Don't be stupid like me.)</div>
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Now you should just saw off the pointy ends of your shorter garden stakes. It doesn't really matter how much you lop off - I took just over an inch off the ends. </div>
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If you do cut off the ends of your stakes, please don't do it like I did. Get a vise or something. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--2Jse8184wA/UA4drY_VVOI/AAAAAAAAAsI/Au4fZvsFgzk/s1600/IMG_4024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="h
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not smart.</td></tr>
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Some tips on sawing:<br />
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<ul>
<li>To start a cut, draw the blade of the saw very lightly several times over where you want the cut to be. The idea is to start a groove in the wood so that the saw blade naturally comes to rest there. </li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zacefxZ9XXs/UA4eV64YoOI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/gI4SaFcoNbE/s1600/IMG_4035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zacefxZ9XXs/UA4eV64YoOI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/gI4SaFcoNbE/s400/IMG_4035.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About like this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>When you're sawing, don't press the blade of the saw down into the wood. To cut more quickly, you actually want to lessen the pressure and saw quicker.</li>
<li>Make sure all your motions are exactly parallel to your cut. It's easy to bend the blade and jam it, which can damage your saw and seriously slow down your cutting. </li>
</ul>
<div>
So saw lightly and quickly, and soon you should have nicely squared off garden stakes:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vqovYhRSmOY/UA4fGZgPWYI/AAAAAAAAAsY/JkthahZRPxo/s1600/IMG_4031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vqovYhRSmOY/UA4fGZgPWYI/AAAAAAAAAsY/JkthahZRPxo/s640/IMG_4031.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a minute to note that grain. Awesome. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
You can use your first sawed-off stake to mark the others, so they're all the same length, but that's not entirely necessary. Approximate measurements are fine here.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-az1iFgGysB4/UA4iinVEgZI/AAAAAAAAAs0/-O-64LqOZGo/s1600/IMG_4033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-az1iFgGysB4/UA4iinVEgZI/AAAAAAAAAs0/-O-64LqOZGo/s640/IMG_4033.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not really 100% necessary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3. Once you've done all four stakes, it's time to move on to the legs of the cage. What we're doing here is just studding one side of each leg with nails so that we have something to catch the twine on later. Add more nails than you think you need here - it's going to be very difficult to add more once the cage is standing. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Take one of your cage legs and pick a spot at the top (the non-pointy end) to put your first nail. Find a hard, flat, level surface (or if you're me, a bumpy, inclined lawn) and hammer it in until you can just see the tip on the opposite side. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hklTUSBYKGQ/UA4kQVE1rUI/AAAAAAAAAs8/Iscbvtro73g/s1600/IMG_4061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hklTUSBYKGQ/UA4kQVE1rUI/AAAAAAAAAs8/Iscbvtro73g/s640/IMG_4061.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's a good idea to hammer the point back from the other side so it's flush with the stake. You don't want unexpected nails anywhere, ever.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now hammer in 9 (or more or less, your choice) more nails down the length of the stake. I used the nail box as a spacer, but you can just eyeball it, if you want.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ml0cQK50PI/UA4iL_stE8I/AAAAAAAAAss/6bcJQKZSCc8/s1600/IMG_4040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ml0cQK50PI/UA4iL_stE8I/AAAAAAAAAss/6bcJQKZSCc8/s640/IMG_4040.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
When you're done, you should have something that would be an excellent weapon in the zombie apocalypse.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9__QV9EcPQ/UA4lNSnylgI/AAAAAAAAAtM/Jx_m0NnwKUw/s1600/IMG_4037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9__QV9EcPQ/UA4lNSnylgI/AAAAAAAAAtM/Jx_m0NnwKUw/s640/IMG_4037.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be careful with this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As of the current moment, there is no zombie apocalypse, so you can hammer the nails over so they're bent parallel to the longest dimension of the stake, heads pointing upwards:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i-XZ_aKTvtc/UA4lFD9OGEI/AAAAAAAAAtE/HVR708YEzB8/s1600/IMG_4042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i-XZ_aKTvtc/UA4lFD9OGEI/AAAAAAAAAtE/HVR708YEzB8/s640/IMG_4042.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makeshift hooks or a first-grade woodshop project gone wrong.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now do the same for your other three long stakes. It's a lot of hammering, but fairly easy, low-pressure hammering.<br />
<br />
4. There's a tiny bit of hammering left, but it's pretty painless. I hammered three nails partway into each shorter stake to serve as hooks on the top of the cage. I don't have a great picture of this, but you can sort of get the idea:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6ul_ZhDxaOg/UA4mYTzarjI/AAAAAAAAAtU/4Eut2EACLzY/s1600/IMG_4065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6ul_ZhDxaOg/UA4mYTzarjI/AAAAAAAAAtU/4Eut2EACLzY/s640/IMG_4065.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course, do this for all of your shorter stakes.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
5. I had very ambitious plans to nail this whole thing together, but it turns out that without a proper vise setup, it's very difficult to nail one thin, low quality piece of wood to another, thinner, low quality piece of wood, especially when you're holding the entire setup in one hand and a hammer in the other hand, standing on the stairs so that you can reach the top of the stake. Bad idea.<br />
<br />
I ended up lashing all of the pieces together with twine, which has the disadvantage of taking quite a bit of time, but the benefit of looking pleasantly rustic when finished.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there's a better way to do this, but here's how I went about it:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pOQa9Avetnk/UA4qnJkwZgI/AAAAAAAAAtg/44m8X0jnS18/s1600/IMG_4077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pOQa9Avetnk/UA4qnJkwZgI/AAAAAAAAAtg/44m8X0jnS18/s640/IMG_4077.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Hammer a nail in about 1/2 inch from the edge of one of your top stakes and bend it over like the others. That makes a nice place to anchor your twine. Cross your short strut with a long one so that about one inch of each is overlapping.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-neQuE_sMTTk/UA9tViinDyI/AAAAAAAAAts/EBo99l2POI0/s1600/IMG_4079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-neQuE_sMTTk/UA9tViinDyI/AAAAAAAAAts/EBo99l2POI0/s640/IMG_4079.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You should have a very lopsided X - the bottom legs of the X are ridiculously long, and the top ones are ridiculously short. Take your twine that's anchored at the nail, and wrap it in a figure eight around the short legs. Give it maybe 8-10 turns. I went a bit crazy with the twine and it took forever - you don't have to.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0AJ78Bfurk/UA9ufZ3k7kI/AAAAAAAAAt0/68mq-3qb9Xs/s1600/IMG_4080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0AJ78Bfurk/UA9ufZ3k7kI/AAAAAAAAAt0/68mq-3qb9Xs/s640/IMG_4080.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Now wrap the twine in a figure eight around the longer legs of the X. Once you have those two sets of wrapping in place, you can wrap anywhere you like. I don't have pictures of what else I did, but do what makes sense to you to limit the flexibility of the joint. You can wrap horizontally around the point where they cross, vertically, weave around the intersection, etc. Presumably the sailors in the audience can point out some better ways to do this.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">Attach two long struts to each of two short struts, so that in the end you have two pi-shaped frames.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mr_ymwdIiNA/UA9vVsYlzII/AAAAAAAAAt8/zUA1ezYi60Y/s1600/IMG_4072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mr_ymwdIiNA/UA9vVsYlzII/AAAAAAAAAt8/zUA1ezYi60Y/s640/IMG_4072.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pi, not pie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: white;"></span>6. This step is probably the trickiest, and of course the one I don't have any pictures of. What you want to do is take one of your remaining two short stakes, and lash it so that it sticks out perpendicular to the frame in question (perpendicular to the ground in the above photo). I put mine in the inside corner, between the long legs of the X, but you don't have to - you could put it on top, or on the side even - whatever's easiest, just make sure that you do the same thing to both frames. <span style="background-color: white;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also, before you lash the last short stake to its frame, make sure that when you're done, both three-legged frames will fit together! Up until here, the frames have been mirror images of each other, but in this step you need to line things up before you make anything permanent. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When you're done with this step, you should have two identical pieces, each with two long legs and two short ones. When you stand them up together, they should form a rectangular prism shape - like a big box.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
7. Doing really horribly with the pictures here - after an hour of wrapping twine, my fingers were green, and I really wanted to go drink some lemonade. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I hope this step is obvious - stand up your two frames and tie them together! Your smaller stakes should end up at the top, with the longer "feet" free and able to move a bit to accommodate uneven ground.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
8. Now for the fun part - position your frame over your tomato plant. Using all those nails you hammered into the frame in the beginning, tie lengths of twine between the frame legs looping underneath your tomato plant to hold it up as needed. You can use any pattern here, but I liked the even look I got by tying the twine straight across. Diagonal wrapping would also work. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And there you have it: one very lazy tomato cage!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EYtx4Db89o0/UA90PazVkMI/AAAAAAAAAuI/SRFDKwAXaso/s1600/IMG_4085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EYtx4Db89o0/UA90PazVkMI/AAAAAAAAAuI/SRFDKwAXaso/s640/IMG_4085.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
All that wrapping with the twine gives the cage <span style="background-color: white;">some flexibility, so I made the base wider than the top so that it would be a little more balanced. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Some of my branches really needed some extra support, so I ended up looping the twine over the top struts, which are stronger than the "ladder rungs" that everything else is resting on. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I also left loose ends after I tied the twine to the nails - I think it looks kind of rustic-chic, when really all it is is lazy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">How did your tomato cage turn out? Let me know!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-76327950452256765732012-07-09T20:39:00.000-07:002012-07-15T18:29:22.926-07:00Basil Lemonade - A Recipe for Amateur BloggersMy introduction to the blogging world (well...the <i>good </i>blogging world - Xanga doesn't count, although <a href="http://www.dylancharles.net/" target="_blank">other good things</a> have come out of that) was through food blogs. Blogs like <a href="http://www.smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a>, <a href="http://www.macheesmo.com/" target="_blank">Macheesmo</a>, and <a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/" target="_blank">Culinary Concoctions by Peabody</a> have a way of taking the ordinary (remember cheese-sandwich blogs? This is what I had for lunch today...and this is what I had for lunch yesterday) and giving it the Hollywood treatment. To this day, I'll turn to a food blog for a new recipe over America's Test Kitchen or The Joy of Cooking. Where a cookbook has very little leeway to go off and talk about how you should go about altering recipes when you live in a tiny apartment with an oven that runs a hundred degrees hot, you might find a food blogger (who hopefully has several hundred readers/commenters) who is in exactly your predicament. The best bloggers also have a bit of an artistic eye, and can make beef stew in an old brown dish look like something from <a href="http://www.elbulli.com/" target="_blank">El Bulli</a>.<br />
<br />
This is just to say, I am not one of those food bloggers. What I am is a warmish Bostonian with a summer afternoon off, gorgeous light coming through the south-facing windows, and quite a lot of basil in the fridge.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ba9TXWARP_g/T_tcLw74CvI/AAAAAAAAArE/5r2LeujcvXE/s1600/IMG_3986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ba9TXWARP_g/T_tcLw74CvI/AAAAAAAAArE/5r2LeujcvXE/s640/IMG_3986.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemonade? Lemonade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Basil Lemonade Recipe</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Before I start, I should add a disclaimer: what I'm making here is not straight-out-of-the-pitcher drinkable. It's more of a lemonade concentrate that you pour into a glass and add water to taste. So take these ratios with a grain of salt and far less sugar than I used.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Ingredients:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
8 lemons or limes or some combination thereof</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2 cups sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2 cups water + extra to taste</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2 cups fresh basil </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Helpful equipment:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A sharp kitchen knife</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A 2-liter pitcher</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A citrus juicer (I have something like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amco-Enameled-Aluminum-Lemon-Squeezer/dp/B0002V23BG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341873666&sr=8-1&keywords=lemon+squeezer" target="_blank">this</a>)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Process</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
1. Start making your simple syrup. Combine 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar (or any 1:1 ratio) in a saucepot. Turn the heat up to medium-ish. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. And let cool slightly. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2. Once the syrup has cooled (not a lot - you should just barely be able to stick a finger in it without burning yourself), bruise the basil lightly and add it to the pot, reserving some for garnish. Let sit while you juice the lemons, or for at least 20 minutes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
3. Cut all of your citrus in half. Squeeze into your serving pitcher.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
4. Once your syrup has cooled significantly (room temperature or so), pour it into the pitcher and stir.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
5. Fill the rest of the pitcher with water.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Serving:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Pour about 4 oz. of lemonade concentrate into a glass. Add water and ice to taste. Garnish with reserved basil sprigs.</div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
You can follow the recipe above (mentioning again: concentrate, not something you want to chug), or you can do it the way I did it.<br />
<br />
<br />
Once you've assembled your ingredients, you should realize that you'd like to blog about this later, and that the light is perfect, and you may not get another chance like this for weeks. Get your camera.<br />
<br />
Set up in front of the only part of the apartment not covered in books or dishes or small pieces of electronics and carefully frame your shots so both the ugly box fan and the ugly radiator never appear.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J5HQoOE2wRM/T_tb6hUMn7I/AAAAAAAAAos/CG5_8-xqIR8/s1600/IMG_3909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J5HQoOE2wRM/T_tb6hUMn7I/AAAAAAAAAos/CG5_8-xqIR8/s400/IMG_3909.JPG" width="300" /></a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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Start taking pictures of your ingredients, then realize that it's de rigeur to assemble everything first and take a "group shot". Also take a moment to note that the tomato situation in the background has gotten very much out of hand.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrXGYxMXva8/T_tb83eNNTI/AAAAAAAAAo0/JrxLmiZqSNQ/s1600/IMG_3913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrXGYxMXva8/T_tb83eNNTI/AAAAAAAAAo0/JrxLmiZqSNQ/s640/IMG_3913.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Get out your limes and lemons and put them in a pot. Measure out the last two cups of sugar and vow to go to CVS later so your boyfriend won't be sad in the morning when he has no sugar for his coffee. Get out a huge handful of basil that you bought from the store, even though your herb garden has gone wild downstairs. Tell your boyfriend that it's because you want to make basil-something-else later in the week, and you don't want to decimate the basil crop. </span>
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bhAOX54g8E8/T_tb98glzZI/AAAAAAAAAo8/yPxF806VKPE/s1600/IMG_3916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bhAOX54g8E8/T_tb98glzZI/AAAAAAAAAo8/yPxF806VKPE/s640/IMG_3916.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Start taking artsy shots of your food. Pretend you're a food stylist.</div>
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You can use all lemons, all limes, or some combination. I tend to favor lemons, so I used a 5:3 ratio (one wouldn't fit nicely in the pot).</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oDXLmixVUAE/T_tb-gHFM6I/AAAAAAAAApE/XKgOZfazt_I/s1600/IMG_3920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oDXLmixVUAE/T_tb-gHFM6I/AAAAAAAAApE/XKgOZfazt_I/s640/IMG_3920.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Pour your two (!) cups of sugar into a saucepot. Don't try to replace this with artificial sweetener. The result is something very much unlike the lemonade we're making here.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NjUv5ZznQmE/T_tcANoHB9I/AAAAAAAAApU/OdmzOl85lo0/s1600/IMG_3934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NjUv5ZznQmE/T_tcANoHB9I/AAAAAAAAApU/OdmzOl85lo0/s640/IMG_3934.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Add two cups of water. (You could be using any 1:1 ratio. Simple syrup keeps for months in the fridge, so make extra if you're so inclined.)</div>
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I made an artistic choice not to show you my tiny, tiny kitchen with the stubborn splatters on the wall, so just believe me when I say that I put the pot on the stove and turned the heat up to medium. I also stirred until the sugar dissolved, and let it simmer for five minutes. Then I took it off the heat to cool down slightly.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--UA1hcir0ig/T_tcAzLErrI/AAAAAAAAApc/Xdo6HEa__co/s1600/IMG_3937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--UA1hcir0ig/T_tcAzLErrI/AAAAAAAAApc/Xdo6HEa__co/s640/IMG_3937.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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In the meantime, juice your citrus. Like Alton Brown, I am against unitaskters. HOWEVER. </div>
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<li>This particular unitasker just about doubles the amount of lemon juice I can get out of a lemon.</li>
<li>It is less than fun to hand-squeeze sixteen lemon halves.
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I justify it by thinking of all the money I'm saving by not buying double the amount of lemons. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RfOhDFBOS8U/T_tcFirum0I/AAAAAAAAAqM/8GPacrd-fMY/s1600/IMG_3960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RfOhDFBOS8U/T_tcFirum0I/AAAAAAAAAqM/8GPacrd-fMY/s640/IMG_3960.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Cut all of your citrus in half. </div>
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Take a picture of the helpful bird that's wandered by.</div>
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Now, I have a question for you folks. Wouldn't you think that, lemon juicers being shaped as they are, you'd put the lemon in this way?</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hea6YJIYIm8/T_tcGRuc8QI/AAAAAAAAAqU/ODi18ansH3g/s1600/IMG_3966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hea6YJIYIm8/T_tcGRuc8QI/AAAAAAAAAqU/ODi18ansH3g/s640/IMG_3966.JPG" width="640" /></a>
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So did I. But I was over on <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2012/07/blackberry-gin-fizz/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a> the other day, and she had put the lemons (limes, actually) in upside-down, so the rind was facing up, like so:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tslamFjfWuU/T_tcH2y7hfI/AAAAAAAAAqc/Ik9ylvtBGD4/s1600/IMG_3967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tslamFjfWuU/T_tcH2y7hfI/AAAAAAAAAqc/Ik9ylvtBGD4/s640/IMG_3967.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I tried it both ways, and I have to say that the upside-down way works better to catch the seeds, although you do get a bit more pulp. Which way do you use a lemon juicer?</div>
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If you're diligent, you can get about a third of a liter of juice out of eight lemons. Try squeezing each one twice or three times, shifting the rind a bit each time, to get the most juice out of them. I think limes are a bit more juicy "per capita" than lemons, but this recipe is so flexible, it shouldn't matter.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZjC2JdL9-U/T_tcIsBWsGI/AAAAAAAAAqk/niY9HG5xnI4/s1600/IMG_3969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZjC2JdL9-U/T_tcIsBWsGI/AAAAAAAAAqk/niY9HG5xnI4/s640/IMG_3969.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Leave your artfully stacked citrus rinds for the moment, and go back to your pan of simple syrup. You want to catch it before it cools down to room temperature, but after it's done simmering. Luckily, since there's so much sugar in it, this is quite a long window. Your goal is to infuse the syrup with basil flavor without denaturing the alcohols that give it its smell and taste.</div>
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Test your syrup to see if it's cooled down enough by putting a small basil leaf in and stirring. If after 30 seconds, the leaf is still mainly bright green, that's a good temperature. If it wilts and turns a dull green or brown, put the pan in the fridge for a few minutes to cool off. </div>
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Add your giant handful of basil to the pan. The more basil you use here, the happier you will be later. (Do save a few sprigs for a garnish - that's not just an aesthetic thing, it's important for the taste, too.) </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OjcMgN09uEY/T_tcBrzh3bI/AAAAAAAAApk/OdI9FtPY3I8/s1600/IMG_3944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OjcMgN09uEY/T_tcBrzh3bI/AAAAAAAAApk/OdI9FtPY3I8/s640/IMG_3944.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Stir and let sit. The longer you let this sit, the more intense the basil flavor will be. (Also, folks, if you wanted to stop right here, pour all of this in a dish, throw it in the freezer and stir it every hour or so, you'd end up with an unusual and very refreshing basil granita. I won't tell.)<br />
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After 20 minutes (or however long you can wait), add about half the syrup into the pitcher. I added the whole darn thing, and it was too sweet, so take it slowly! (Alternative option: add water first and sweeten to taste.)<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take a moment to note that the differing viscosities between water and simple syrup give this photo a different character than the photo of the water pouring above.</td></tr>
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Add water to the top of the pitcher, and you're done! <span style="background-color: white;"> Leave the basil in there. It'll get better with time.</span></div>
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Notes:</div>
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<ul>
<li>This is very sweet, very concentrated lemonade. I would cut down on the sugar next time, and I <i>love</i> sweet things.</li>
<li>Having made this with 8 lemons vs. a mixture of limes and lemons, I'd say that the limes cut the tartness a little bit, although they were juicier. I can't say I have a strong preference either way.</li>
<li>A 1:1 ratio of concentrate to water makes a pretty darn good drink, although it could be tarter.</li>
<li>A basil garnish is a must. Smell is the better part of taste, and although you will taste the basil if you let your syrup sit long enough, burying your nose in a sprig of basil as you go to take a drink really hits it home. </li>
<li>Folks, if you don't try this with gin, your world will be darker and smaller forever.</li>
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Have you tried basil lemonade before? Let me know in the comments!</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-6977957237604508822012-07-09T13:15:00.001-07:002012-07-09T13:19:58.716-07:00A midsummer gardening update<div>
I should really go around and take good pictures of all the lovely growing things around here, but there's really only one important thing here:<br />
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<img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ez_T6FtS9z8/T_s7xrnmwlI/AAAAAAAAAog/UqYrmpcpIVA/2012-07-09%25252015.48.13.png" /><br />
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Eeeeeee tiny tomato!</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-30882394987936189972012-06-27T09:00:00.000-07:002012-06-27T09:00:04.438-07:00What I learned today:June 27, 2012Meine Damen und Herren, Illustrator...has spellcheck.<br />
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I know. I was shocked too. So where is spellcheck in Illustrator? Right here:<br />
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More specifically, under the Edit menu in CS5.5. As long as your text is still formatted like text (not rasterized, etc.), spellcheck will...well, check your spelling.<br />
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-90886234513180644502012-06-26T18:06:00.000-07:002012-06-26T18:06:06.254-07:00What I learned today: Daisy-chaining Hardware Port Multipliers, June 26, 2012If you're like me, you grew up in a world where, for the most part, if you wanted to know something, you googled it. Discounting those early elementary school projects where they forced you to learn how to use an encyclopedia, the vast majority of the information that I ever looked for I found on the internet, for better or for worse. The modern world would be slow and impractical without the web's hive mind - in fact, you count on other people to post somewhere that they, too, have encountered Windows Error Message 7x000f941A42 (but only when booting from an external drive, on a Sunday, with a Japanese version of iTunes installed and playing a cover of "Brown Eyed Girl"). So when I went looking for a particular piece of information on the internet today, and <i>didn't find it </i>(!), it threw me for a loop.<br />
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So if anyone out there is wondering if you can daisy-chain SATA hardware port-multipliers (HDMs) and see the disks connected to the second HDM as individual drives (JBOD*), the answer is...no. You can't. Sorry.<br />
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Do you not know if you have this problem? Here's a handy little diagram:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All stand-alone letters here represent drives.<br /></td></tr>
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What we have here is a computer with a particular multi-drive compatible SATA PCI Express card installed. Into that, we plug Hardware Port Multiplier number one. Into <i>that</i>, we plug (some number of hard disks and) a second Hardware Port Multiplier. We connect some number of hard drives to this second HPM. Questions: can you see the disks at the second level? do they appear as individual drives or one big drive?<br />
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Answers: If this is the setup you have, and you're trying to configure ABCD as JBOD (i.e., you want them each to be their own volume), you're SOL - it violates the protocol of how the information is transferred. ABCD can (must), however, be configured as RAID (you would see them as one logical volume). See <a href="http://www.addonics.com/faq/daisy_chain.php" target="_blank">this </a>helpful tutorial from Addonics for more on that. abcd can be configured as RAID or JBOD - I think. You should verify that with someone who's more of an expert than me. Have you checked the internet?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*RAID = Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">JBOD = Just a Bunch of Disks</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Learned in the context of <a href="http://www.technofrolics.com/" target="_blank">TechnoFrolics</a>, a very cool company that does very cool stuff. </span>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-46244530770698988662012-06-25T10:00:00.000-07:002012-06-25T10:00:01.918-07:00What I learned today: June 25, 2012<h4>
Using Command Line Options to Enable/Disable Windows Hibernate Function</h4>
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File this one under "titles that are longer than the actual post itself." This is incredibly quick and easy, even if you've never used command line anything, ever. </div>
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1. Run the cmd.exe as an administrator. In Windows 7, the easiest way to do this is to click the start button, then type in "cmd" (less quotes). There should be one option under "Programs", cmd.exe. The icon is a little black window with white writing. Right click on it and select "Run as Administrator."</div>
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2. Say "Yes" when the window pops up asking if you want to allow changes. (Sorry for lack of screenshots. PicPick isn't the most fantastic screen grabber. </div>
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3. This window should open up: </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-inHDSjGWEDA/T-PZlBWxV5I/AAAAAAAAAfM/3H8JopBbgsM/s1600/OpenCMDscreen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-inHDSjGWEDA/T-PZlBWxV5I/AAAAAAAAAfM/3H8JopBbgsM/s1600/OpenCMDscreen.png" /></a></div>
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4. Type the following in: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6W-nl7oONQI/T-PZ7-BWZ4I/AAAAAAAAAfU/KNdQnh_MdBM/s1600/CMDlineEntry.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6W-nl7oONQI/T-PZ7-BWZ4I/AAAAAAAAAfU/KNdQnh_MdBM/s1600/CMDlineEntry.png" /></a></div>
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5. Press Enter. You're done! The hibernate option shouldn't even be visible anymore. </div>
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6. To turn hibernate back on, you do the obvious: instead of typing "powercfg -h off," you type "powercfg -h on". </div>
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Learned in the context of <a href="http://www.technofrolics.com/" target="_blank">TechnoFrolics</a>, who are very cool people who do very cool things and you should go check them out. </div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-68715948076384641752012-06-23T20:18:00.000-07:002012-06-23T20:19:12.653-07:00Photoshop Tutorial: Turn a scene from day to night<h4>
Day To Night in Photoshop</h4>
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Hi folks. In this tutorial, I'm going to take you through how to make it look like a daytime photo was really taken at night. (Really, it's one of those tricks that you should really have in your Photoshop arsenal. Amazing how often the need for it crops up.) I'm going to be using this photo: </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-07UNBOToIaE/T-YYEuh5kgI/AAAAAAAAAf0/TUQtKcUqK_k/s1600/01Orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-07UNBOToIaE/T-YYEuh5kgI/AAAAAAAAAf0/TUQtKcUqK_k/s640/01Orig.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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which I took in Boston's North End, and which you are free to download and follow along with. I chose this one because it has clearly-defined borders between the sky and everything else, it has some windows where we can do some cool light effects later on, and the natural shadows give the image a lot of depth, which can be a problem when you're darkening lots of parts of an image. Like I said, feel free to use this particular image, or you can choose your own. If you're working with a different photo, try to choose one with good contrast and a clear sky. Also note that your mileage may vary on the settings I use for the brushes, etc. Do what looks good for your image.</div>
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<b>Step 0. </b></div>
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Import your image into Photoshop and make a copy of it. (You always make backups of your images, right? Right?</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mMBBLBoqchs/T-YYEKiX_0I/AAAAAAAAAfs/5vkKb7XS-2Y/s1600/00CopyBg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mMBBLBoqchs/T-YYEKiX_0I/AAAAAAAAAfs/5vkKb7XS-2Y/s1600/00CopyBg.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 1. </b><br />
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Pick up the Magic Wand tool.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LEGjz-wPPJs/T-YYE7CWWbI/AAAAAAAAAf8/Xscc9fjveIU/s1600/02MagicWand.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LEGjz-wPPJs/T-YYE7CWWbI/AAAAAAAAAf8/Xscc9fjveIU/s1600/02MagicWand.png" /></a></div>
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Using these settings:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UwT3HOi4GTE/T-YYFQoY7dI/AAAAAAAAAgE/CfTox98hiBc/s1600/02MagicWandSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UwT3HOi4GTE/T-YYFQoY7dI/AAAAAAAAAgE/CfTox98hiBc/s1600/02MagicWandSettings.png" /></a></div>
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select all of the sky area. Use the shift key to add areas that don't get selected from your first click. Just make sure that you get every bit of the sky, otherwise you'll have weird artifacts when we start applying adjustment layers and stuff. If you're following along with this image, be especially careful where the lamp and the electrical wires meet the building. It's worth taking the time to make this selection a good one. This is the area you should have selected: </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iNMnDIz-AqA/T-YYG6031VI/AAAAAAAAAgU/F3mNdkWoyLE/s1600/03MagicWandSelection.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="359" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iNMnDIz-AqA/T-YYG6031VI/AAAAAAAAAgU/F3mNdkWoyLE/s640/03MagicWandSelection.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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We're going to use this particular selection a lot in this tutorial, so it may be worth saving it in the Channels palette for easy access. (or you can Alt-click on any of these adjustment layer masks. Just know where you can find it easily.)</div>
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<b>Step 2.</b> </div>
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With your new selection, go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer > Levels. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAknlnRyq2Y/T-YYF2QXbbI/AAAAAAAAAgM/_oNDk2SroTo/s1600/03LevelsLayer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAknlnRyq2Y/T-YYF2QXbbI/AAAAAAAAAgM/_oNDk2SroTo/s640/03LevelsLayer.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P2oxhuWi_nY/T-YYHHnki7I/AAAAAAAAAgc/oIS0oKzkjTA/s1600/04LevelsLayerWindow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P2oxhuWi_nY/T-YYHHnki7I/AAAAAAAAAgc/oIS0oKzkjTA/s320/04LevelsLayerWindow.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Name like so. </td></tr>
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Open the Adjustments tab (automatically pops up in CS 5.5) and use the settings below:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TYlK-4Da6ts/T-YYHXo2P7I/AAAAAAAAAgk/J5NuEuV9WKQ/s1600/05LevelsSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TYlK-4Da6ts/T-YYHXo2P7I/AAAAAAAAAgk/J5NuEuV9WKQ/s320/05LevelsSettings.png" width="192" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 3. </b><br />
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Go to Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Brightness/Contrast. You should use adjustment layers whenever possible (rather than making edits directly on the layer in question) so that you can edit any change you've made at any time. Working non-destructively lets you avoid extensive re-dos by giving you a lot more dimensions of control.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R1nBnR2NPhY/T-YYIFEoJ0I/AAAAAAAAAgs/njMZ3bq2hto/s1600/06BrightnessLayer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R1nBnR2NPhY/T-YYIFEoJ0I/AAAAAAAAAgs/njMZ3bq2hto/s640/06BrightnessLayer.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fia8gOxeWuk/T-YYIvrX4pI/AAAAAAAAAg0/KgnyWQ6gi80/s1600/07BrightnessSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fia8gOxeWuk/T-YYIvrX4pI/AAAAAAAAAg0/KgnyWQ6gi80/s1600/07BrightnessSettings.png" /></a></td></tr>
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Bring the brightness down and the contrast way up. Don't go crazy with the brightness setting - you still want a bit of color left in the sky so it shows through later. We'll darken it up more when we add the stars.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sy7W97GSoPE/T-YYI0qUUgI/AAAAAAAAAg8/b4EodRYYeLs/s1600/08BrightnessSettings2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sy7W97GSoPE/T-YYI0qUUgI/AAAAAAAAAg8/b4EodRYYeLs/s1600/08BrightnessSettings2.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 4. </b></div>
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Add a new layer on top of the other layers and call it something creatively descriptive:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--VdPl6PzPSE/T-YYJEctbYI/AAAAAAAAAhE/p_nQ8OAQ3mM/s1600/09StarsLayer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--VdPl6PzPSE/T-YYJEctbYI/AAAAAAAAAhE/p_nQ8OAQ3mM/s1600/09StarsLayer.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 5. </b></div>
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Go to Edit>Fill and fill the entire layer with black. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iGStWGWIw8g/T-YYJz_3jEI/AAAAAAAAAhM/eWzrMgJGLnY/s1600/10EditFill.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iGStWGWIw8g/T-YYJz_3jEI/AAAAAAAAAhM/eWzrMgJGLnY/s640/10EditFill.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 6. </b></div>
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Now we're going to start adding some stars. Go to Filter>Noise>Add Noise.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TFQzh-KlDNE/T-YYKQGtbKI/AAAAAAAAAhU/QmtAy2m6rLg/s1600/11AddNoise.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TFQzh-KlDNE/T-YYKQGtbKI/AAAAAAAAAhU/QmtAy2m6rLg/s640/11AddNoise.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Bump the amount of noise way up (above a certain point it doesn't matter how much, but definitely somewhere above 200%. Make sure that the distribution is uniform and that you check the monochromatic box. Hit OK.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWlLFHD_3ck/T-YYLBRWKHI/AAAAAAAAAhc/W_PbXLYrFMo/s1600/12NoiseSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JWlLFHD_3ck/T-YYLBRWKHI/AAAAAAAAAhc/W_PbXLYrFMo/s1600/12NoiseSettings.png" /></a></div>
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Note: If you're not happy with the noise level, you can do this step two or three times in a row to try and get a look you like. Play with the slider until you get a white:black ratio you're comfortable with. Obviously, more white will give you more stars, and more black will give you fewer, farther apart.<br />
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The next step is to blur the stars a little and make them a little less harsh. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SuBW8B89LNw/T-YYLwCMRvI/AAAAAAAAAhk/ppB7TRZdkzM/s1600/13GaussianBlur.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SuBW8B89LNw/T-YYLwCMRvI/AAAAAAAAAhk/ppB7TRZdkzM/s640/13GaussianBlur.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can use a 1 px radius, but I think I'd recommend using a 2 or even 3 px radius. I'm using an image that's twice the resolution of the one I posted, and I think next time I'd use a bit more blur. Keep in mind that stars that are too blurry will look less realistic and more surreal. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1IZmv-Tfspo/T-YYMX4fohI/AAAAAAAAAhs/Q54C4AlKZ-o/s1600/14GaussBlurSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1IZmv-Tfspo/T-YYMX4fohI/AAAAAAAAAhs/Q54C4AlKZ-o/s1600/14GaussBlurSettings.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 8. </b></div>
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Reselect the sky by Alt-clicking on one of the adjustment layer masks.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TLOcfJdihh8/T-YYMkbKaII/AAAAAAAAAh0/u2vC9bglJ0I/s1600/15AltClickHere.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TLOcfJdihh8/T-YYMkbKaII/AAAAAAAAAh0/u2vC9bglJ0I/s1600/15AltClickHere.png" /></a></div>
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Press Ctrl+Shift+I to select the inverse. You should see the marching-ants selection line change subtly. Make sure you're still on the stars layer and delete the building. </div>
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While you still have the stars layer selected, drop the opacity down to about 40%. Your layer thumbnail should look like this: </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HMfO5FBCrKw/T-YYMx8HgfI/AAAAAAAAAh8/1Fc-0MCPcXw/s1600/16StarsOpacity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HMfO5FBCrKw/T-YYMx8HgfI/AAAAAAAAAh8/1Fc-0MCPcXw/s1600/16StarsOpacity.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 9. </b></div>
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Now it's time to really make them look like stars. Go to Image>Adjustments>Curves (Sorry, no screenshot). Make sure that you are NOT using an adjustment layer this time...I know I said just a minute ago to use them whenever possible, and this time, it's just not possible. The effect just doesn't come out right - I don't know why. </div>
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You should have a nice regular curve (because you gave your noise a uniform distribution, right?) and a 1:1 line superimposed over that. Adjust the line like so: </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tfXCtOtpp6Y/T-YYNSqVTpI/AAAAAAAAAiE/ZhltwtXgEi0/s1600/17CurvesSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tfXCtOtpp6Y/T-YYNSqVTpI/AAAAAAAAAiE/ZhltwtXgEi0/s1600/17CurvesSettings.png" /></a></div>
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It's ok to be approximate here. Check the "Preview" box so that you can see how the stars look, and do what looks best to you. </div>
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Side note: for some reason, after I clicked OK here, the image on the canvas didn't match the preview image - there was a bunch of background filler that popped back into view, and I still don't know why. If that happens to you, it's fine - leave it, and we'll fix it later. </div>
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<b>Step 10. </b><br />
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Select the sky again and make a Brightness/Contrast layer on top of everything (we're back to adjustment layers now). Bring up the brightness and contrast as below:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aZdYIoeUtkU/T-YYNjKzmTI/AAAAAAAAAiM/L8DGMC4_Ajw/s1600/18StarsBrightnessContrastSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aZdYIoeUtkU/T-YYNjKzmTI/AAAAAAAAAiM/L8DGMC4_Ajw/s1600/18StarsBrightnessContrastSettings.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 11. </b></div>
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This step will remove much of that mid-level noise and leave you with just the largest/brightest stars. You could leave more of the filler than I did to make a particularly star-filled sky (and actually, I like that effect - it would be great in some fantastical forest scene, but I didn't think it quite fit here).</div>
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With your stars layer selected, go to Filter>Noise>Dust & Scratches. Adjust the sliders to your liking. Here's what I used: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-llAADdtRAkI/T-YYNxRtD5I/AAAAAAAAAiU/10GDWTO7YhI/s1600/19DustAndScratches.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-llAADdtRAkI/T-YYNxRtD5I/AAAAAAAAAiU/10GDWTO7YhI/s1600/19DustAndScratches.png" /></a></div>
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I wouldn't use a radius greater than two pixels here, but you can adjust the threshhold levels as you like to increase or decrease the number of fainter stars you see. </div>
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<b>Step 12: Checking in. </b></div>
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Take a look at what you have so far. It should look something like this: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mwzVUhFRuEY/T-YYO4jsx_I/AAAAAAAAAic/LcEM70EOzPg/s1600/20TheWayThingsStand.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mwzVUhFRuEY/T-YYO4jsx_I/AAAAAAAAAic/LcEM70EOzPg/s640/20TheWayThingsStand.png" width="556" /></a></div>
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Yes? Yes. Onwards.</div>
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<b>Step 13. </b></div>
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Since we have sort of a twilight scene, where the sky is lighter at the bottom right and darker at the top left, we need to remove the stars from the lit area. We'll do that using a simple layer mask. Select the sky again and add a layer mask. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zYRHuNwhkm0/T-YYPWmkBGI/AAAAAAAAAik/TtL_DLjLGqM/s1600/21LayerMaskOnStars.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zYRHuNwhkm0/T-YYPWmkBGI/AAAAAAAAAik/TtL_DLjLGqM/s1600/21LayerMaskOnStars.png" /></a></div>
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Now, select the gradient tool with a simple black to white gradient. Choose the radial gradient style and click in the middle of the brightest area of the sky. Drag towards the top left. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tnvKBRjwP30/T-ZL9yRRGXI/AAAAAAAAAjM/V6Vv2_XEGmM/s1600/GradientTool.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tnvKBRjwP30/T-ZL9yRRGXI/AAAAAAAAAjM/V6Vv2_XEGmM/s1600/GradientTool.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gradient tool icon.</td></tr>
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Use these settings:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ym6WfX17cv8/T-ZL_aC9y-I/AAAAAAAAAjU/uINDe1YSiKI/s1600/GradientSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="14" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ym6WfX17cv8/T-ZL_aC9y-I/AAAAAAAAAjU/uINDe1YSiKI/s640/GradientSettings.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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(that's a black-to-white radial gradient, normal mode, opacity 100%, check Dither and Transparency)</div>
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You probably won't be able to get a perfect mask with just the gradient tool, so select your brush tool with these settings:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CxPNggkgtow/T-YYPsHJx8I/AAAAAAAAAis/QFddJ33JhzM/s1600/22BrushForLayerMask.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CxPNggkgtow/T-YYPsHJx8I/AAAAAAAAAis/QFddJ33JhzM/s1600/22BrushForLayerMask.png" /></a></div>
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I would use an opacity of 15 or 20 percent and a ridiculously low flow rate. Anything with hard edges here is going to look weird. With black, paint on the layer mask until you're happy with how the stars fade into view. My mask looks like this: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ6qYGBYNEQ/T-YYP4RvUwI/AAAAAAAAAi0/D9BAmAIiy4U/s1600/23LayerMaskGradientandShading.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ6qYGBYNEQ/T-YYP4RvUwI/AAAAAAAAAi0/D9BAmAIiy4U/s1600/23LayerMaskGradientandShading.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 14: </b></div>
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We're done with the sky for now - there's some touch-up work to be done, maybe with clouds or a moon, but it's enough to give us a sense of nighttime and a color palette so we can adjust the buildings. To get the sky layers out of the way, I put them in their own group:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9IouSWTgmxo/T-YYQCnpXmI/AAAAAAAAAi8/S_OLU8r_gng/s1600/24Grouping.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9IouSWTgmxo/T-YYQCnpXmI/AAAAAAAAAi8/S_OLU8r_gng/s1600/24Grouping.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 15.</b></div>
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Now let's work on making the building, which is currently doing a great job of reflecting lots of sunlight, look like it's really only reflecting the last bits of a sunset. To that end: </div>
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Select the Burn tool with these settings: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-28ZUmUhTOII/T-Z27nrI6CI/AAAAAAAAAjg/ltb80FxVBJk/s1600/25BurnToolSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="15" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-28ZUmUhTOII/T-Z27nrI6CI/AAAAAAAAAjg/ltb80FxVBJk/s640/25BurnToolSettings.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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(Brush 125px, 0 hardness, Range: highlights, exposure 51%, check protect tones)<br />
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Make sure that you have your background copy layer active. Select the sky again, then press Ctrl+Shift+I to select the inverse, which is the building. This selection will prevent you from "coloring outside the lines" and darkening the sky when you don't want to.<br />
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Now use the burn tool to darken the rooftop edges. Don't make it uniform. In the image below, the red arrows point out the edges where I was focusing, and the green arrows are where I tried to leave a bit more light. Corners and extreme edges should be more visible than long, flat stretches.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6d8sAIJcG0/T-Z28fCxrJI/AAAAAAAAAjo/mCE8vjPNguY/s1600/26BurnedRooftops.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N6d8sAIJcG0/T-Z28fCxrJI/AAAAAAAAAjo/mCE8vjPNguY/s1600/26BurnedRooftops.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 16. </b></div>
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Still with the Burn tool, switch from highlights to midtones and darken the area pointed out below.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3smt1Erf8x0/T-Z28w4jhRI/AAAAAAAAAjw/oioNc5fiajw/s1600/27BurnedWalls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3smt1Erf8x0/T-Z28w4jhRI/AAAAAAAAAjw/oioNc5fiajw/s1600/27BurnedWalls.png" /></a></div>
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Now darken the windows and ledges. You may have to flip back and forth between highlights and midtones to get the right effect. What you're aiming for is to tone down the reflected light on all those surfaces. To start, you can take the Burn tool at a very low strength, set it first to highlights and then to midtones, and with a very large, soft brush go over the entire left side of the building. Then go back with a smaller brush and do some touch-up work. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N0ETkh8c0A0/T-Z29eRkb6I/AAAAAAAAAj4/X0le-_Dbd6A/s1600/28BurnedWindowsAndLedges.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N0ETkh8c0A0/T-Z29eRkb6I/AAAAAAAAAj4/X0le-_Dbd6A/s1600/28BurnedWindowsAndLedges.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 17. </b></div>
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All that burning should have decreased the saturation significantly, which is good - night vision has very low color depth - but we need to bring the contrast back up. To do this, set the burn tool to focus on the shadows, bring the strength down to 1 or 2%, and deepen the shadows around the windows and under the roof edges.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2fY6rhdDcvI/T-Z29irJwpI/AAAAAAAAAkA/7YIeM0ggr1k/s1600/29DarkenedShadows.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2fY6rhdDcvI/T-Z29irJwpI/AAAAAAAAAkA/7YIeM0ggr1k/s1600/29DarkenedShadows.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 18. </b></div>
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Now do much the same thing on the front and right sides of the building. Use a very light hand on the front of the building. There are some great blues in there that you don't want to get rid of. </div>
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A good place to focus is those overexposed parts over on the right side. Use a brush that's the width of the panel you're working on, and use long brush strokes to dim the brightness.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6hyYC4paU3k/T-Z2-QMLQkI/AAAAAAAAAkI/LZ63mF3Wh4M/s1600/31RtSideShadowsDarkened.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6hyYC4paU3k/T-Z2-QMLQkI/AAAAAAAAAkI/LZ63mF3Wh4M/s1600/31RtSideShadowsDarkened.png" /></a></div>
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When you go to darken the shadows, make sure that your exposure is set very, very low. A little goes a long way here.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gfKH1377rM0/T-Z2_ECcANI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/9C39FKlHFfc/s1600/31aRtSideBurnedHighlights.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gfKH1377rM0/T-Z2_ECcANI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/9C39FKlHFfc/s1600/31aRtSideBurnedHighlights.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 19. </b><br />
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Still with the building selected (as the inverse of the sky), use the Burn tool on the highlight setting to remove that weird neon glow around the lamp.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPe6XVAChL4/T-Z2_xSYf7I/AAAAAAAAAkg/vb5ssdFrSSw/s1600/33LampEdges.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPe6XVAChL4/T-Z2_xSYf7I/AAAAAAAAAkg/vb5ssdFrSSw/s320/33LampEdges.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Feel free to go back and do any touch-up work on any part of the building after this. Since we're editing the layer directly, it's better to use a light hand and do edits later, since you won't be able to Ctrl+Z your way out of anything you do here after a while. (Also, you are taking snapshots of your work along the way in the History palette, aren't you?)<br />
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<b>Step 20. </b><br />
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Now that the building looks suitably dark, it's time to put in some lights of our own.<br />
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Make a new layer for the new light. Title it something like "Bottom light top pane".<br />
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Press "P" to select the Pen tool<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DgvJiZafQ4A/T-Z3Iwz3osI/AAAAAAAAAng/1gtaizYDAas/s1600/PenTool.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DgvJiZafQ4A/T-Z3Iwz3osI/AAAAAAAAAng/1gtaizYDAas/s1600/PenTool.png" /></a></div>
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and make the following shape over the front bottom window:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YcVIXCsDO84/T-Z3BfQPAMI/AAAAAAAAAlA/HFBba7kR6D4/s1600/34BottomFrontWindowSelected.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YcVIXCsDO84/T-Z3BfQPAMI/AAAAAAAAAlA/HFBba7kR6D4/s1600/34BottomFrontWindowSelected.png" /></a></div>
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Still with the pen tool selected, right click and say "Make selection." You'll get this window: </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-npE13ecmXrc/T-Z3B8pRJXI/AAAAAAAAAlI/lPjNb_7-EdU/s1600/35Feathering.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-npE13ecmXrc/T-Z3B8pRJXI/AAAAAAAAAlI/lPjNb_7-EdU/s1600/35Feathering.png" /></a></div>
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Put in the settings above. (Your feathering setting may vary depending on your resolution. If you're using the original image from here, note that the copy on the website is half the size I'm using right now to make this tutorial. Remember that when you're setting everything here and in the layer styles below.) </div>
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<b>Step 21. </b><br />
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Select the gradient tool.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSGKbizyUM8/T-Z8vQqw3FI/AAAAAAAAAns/VhK3eIqQPKM/s1600/GradientTool.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSGKbizyUM8/T-Z8vQqw3FI/AAAAAAAAAns/VhK3eIqQPKM/s1600/GradientTool.png" /></a></div>
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I forgot to take a screen grab of this, but make a radial gradient from #fcea56 to #fef89d. With the window still selected, put the center of the gradient in the middle bottom pane and drag upwards until you hit the edge of the glass, and let go.<br />
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<b>Step 22. </b><br />
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Drop the opacity of the layer down to 50 or 60% so that you can see where the individual panes of glass are.<br />
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Press "E" for the eraser tool and use the following settings:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A_okCSx7wi4/T-Z3CFx8t8I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/oHM29j2JcQY/s1600/36EraserSettings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A_okCSx7wi4/T-Z3CFx8t8I/AAAAAAAAAlQ/oHM29j2JcQY/s1600/36EraserSettings.png" /></a></div>
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(Brush size 7, 100% hardness, brush mode, opacity 26%, flow 23%)</div>
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Carefully erase the gradient so that the struts between the panes of glass show through. If you're using a touch-pad, I'd recommend hunting down a mouse. If you're using a mouse, I'd recommend hunting down a tablet. Just try to get something steadier than what you're currently using. </div>
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If you can't do that...just go slowly, and remember that Ctrl+Z is your friend. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k35lxZYfxJI/T-Z3Ce6GCzI/AAAAAAAAAlY/YqjjQcLvijQ/s1600/37WindowPaneStruts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k35lxZYfxJI/T-Z3Ce6GCzI/AAAAAAAAAlY/YqjjQcLvijQ/s320/37WindowPaneStruts.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 23. </b><br />
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Now we get to use my favorite part of Photoshop, layer styles. If you can ever accomplish something with a layer style over something like a brush, jump at the chance. Layer styles are exact, repeatable, and eraseable, something that not all actions in Photoshop are.<br />
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Make these changes on the windowpane layer:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--1oJax8gBOI/T-Z3DBxjaxI/AAAAAAAAAlo/j8MiL_0ytUU/s1600/38OuterGlow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--1oJax8gBOI/T-Z3DBxjaxI/AAAAAAAAAlo/j8MiL_0ytUU/s1600/38OuterGlow.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 24. </b></div>
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Make a new layer for the bottom piece of the window. </div>
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Again using the Pen tool, select the bottom screen. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4z5p56SgkUM/T-Z3CxiPEhI/AAAAAAAAAlg/UQusydhNsJw/s1600/38BottomPane.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4z5p56SgkUM/T-Z3CxiPEhI/AAAAAAAAAlg/UQusydhNsJw/s400/38BottomPane.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Right click and say "Make selection". Here you can fill the shape with a gradient or just a solid color - I used #faffac. </div>
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<div style="background-color: white; display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eEOilVlG-F4/T-Z3IJG_XKI/AAAAAAAAAnI/DP1shXngP0o/s1600/FillWfcfb56.png" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eEOilVlG-F4/T-Z3IJG_XKI/AAAAAAAAAnI/DP1shXngP0o/s1600/FillWfcfb56.png" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eEOilVlG-F4/T-Z3IJG_XKI/AAAAAAAAAnI/DP1shXngP0o/s400/FillWfcfb56.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, bring the opacity of the layer down to about 25%. </div>
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<b>Step 25. </b></div>
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Now apply these layer styles: </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VWmyTVH3O4E/T-Z3DstDKBI/AAAAAAAAAlw/pp9qe7vcpvw/s1600/39LS1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VWmyTVH3O4E/T-Z3DstDKBI/AAAAAAAAAlw/pp9qe7vcpvw/s1600/39LS1.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QJO_wHYiI04/T-Z3D24B_DI/AAAAAAAAAl4/DL-F1Q_NGow/s1600/40LS2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QJO_wHYiI04/T-Z3D24B_DI/AAAAAAAAAl4/DL-F1Q_NGow/s1600/40LS2.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B5VrvvLJQHk/T-Z3EVw8dPI/AAAAAAAAAmA/8xA0Bq9IV_A/s1600/41LS341f6fba1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B5VrvvLJQHk/T-Z3EVw8dPI/AAAAAAAAAmA/8xA0Bq9IV_A/s1600/41LS341f6fba1.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 26. </b></div>
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I used the same technique to light up two other windows. Keep in mind that the layer styles settings will be slightly different for each one. I also changed the colors - I wanted to keep the window in front the warmest, so the other two have colors that are closer to white. </div>
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It's also probably best to keep each pane on its own layer so that you can apply layer styles to each one individually. When you're done with all the lights, put them in a group so they're out of your way.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0r23wIJmNUU/T-Z3FWxV6YI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/U8KDVcZx39o/s1600/43Threelights.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0r23wIJmNUU/T-Z3FWxV6YI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/U8KDVcZx39o/s1600/43Threelights.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 27. </b><br />
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Part of the reason I didn't go crazy with removing the highlights on the right side of the building was because I was planning on cheating a little bit and using the lamp as a light source instead.<br />
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Make a new layer and use the pen tool to make the following shape.<br />
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Fill it with a radial gradient from #fdea4c at 100% to #fdfac2 at 60%. (Sorry no screencap.)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iSUOUd4qDvU/T-Z3F8a6TjI/AAAAAAAAAmY/IcwR6GFAs6Y/s1600/44LampSelect.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iSUOUd4qDvU/T-Z3F8a6TjI/AAAAAAAAAmY/IcwR6GFAs6Y/s1600/44LampSelect.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 28. </b><br />
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Resize the light as you see fit - I had to poke at it a few times before I was happy with the shape. Don't be afraid to use the Perspective and Distort transform functions. They're very helpful when you have a regular shape (like a rectangle) being viewed from an oblique perspective.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a4jWojDQruY/T-Z3GQHUnpI/AAAAAAAAAmg/LVWGNTS3mQo/s1600/45Transform.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a4jWojDQruY/T-Z3GQHUnpI/AAAAAAAAAmg/LVWGNTS3mQo/s400/45Transform.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Step 29. </b></div>
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Apply these layer styles: </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lbsl3L16kn0/T-Z3GqVqSmI/AAAAAAAAAmo/Zu7Dy8miy94/s1600/46LS1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lbsl3L16kn0/T-Z3GqVqSmI/AAAAAAAAAmo/Zu7Dy8miy94/s1600/46LS1.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NuYuik40z7A/T-Z3En1XfPI/AAAAAAAAAmI/qNktKA8I25I/s1600/41aLS3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NuYuik40z7A/T-Z3En1XfPI/AAAAAAAAAmI/qNktKA8I25I/s1600/41aLS3.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MQzwc5kr7WE/T-Z3HHZ4wtI/AAAAAAAAAmw/yi0kYY80jzY/s1600/47LS2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MQzwc5kr7WE/T-Z3HHZ4wtI/AAAAAAAAAmw/yi0kYY80jzY/s1600/47LS2.png" /></a></div>
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I didn't show it here, but I also turned the opacity of the whole layer down to 68%. </div>
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<b>Step 30: Touch-ups.</b></div>
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Almost there. There's a bit of touch up work to do, especially around here: </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EDDd7p6zfXI/T-aDWeIp7AI/AAAAAAAAAoA/9p_kg4CvO1U/s1600/50BlurAndBurn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EDDd7p6zfXI/T-aDWeIp7AI/AAAAAAAAAoA/9p_kg4CvO1U/s1600/50BlurAndBurn.png" /></a></div>
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And here: </div>
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First, select the buildings and use the burn tool to get rid of that (very persistent) neon glow. Go all the way around the edge of the building to get spots that you may have missed before.</div>
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Next, select the blur tool. Using a medium-sized soft brush, go over any pixelated or rough edges where the magic wand may not have made the best border. Be careful not to lose any detail, like around the wires, but do try and get rid of any rough edges. </div>
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The last thing I did was to blur the stars a little more. I used a Gaussian blur of 1.7 pixels. </div>
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<b>The finished product: </b></div>
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<b><br /></b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YLSv29fvs-w/T-aEbFHw40I/AAAAAAAAAoI/rmIL2XYmZ8A/s1600/51Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YLSv29fvs-w/T-aEbFHw40I/AAAAAAAAAoI/rmIL2XYmZ8A/s1600/51Final.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-70295223067950477052012-06-23T10:00:00.000-07:002012-06-23T10:00:02.255-07:00What I learned today: June 23, 2012How to nail Golden Hour*, the respectable way:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Become a photographer. Or:</li>
<li>Become a meteorologist.</li>
<li>Spend 40 years in the business.</li>
<li>Learn from experience how to predict Golden Hour accurately.</li>
</ol>
<div>
How to nail Golden Hour, the cheap and lazy way:</div>
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<ol>
<li>Go to <a href="http://www.golden-hour.com/" target="_blank">this site</a> and put in your city.</li>
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I KNOW, right? </div>
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<div>
*For those of you who don't know, Golden Hour is a magical time just before sunset when God turns up the world's "Fairy Tale" setting and it is physically impossible to take a bad photo. True fact. </div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-27547900395656941562012-06-21T19:00:00.001-07:002012-06-21T19:00:26.530-07:00File under: Boring but helpfulThe word on the street is that the way you become a good blogger is by blogging often, with lots of pictures, clear insight, and original content. In pursuit of that goal, I have blogged....not at all in the past three weeks. So with the same reasoning that makes McDonald's outsell <a href="http://www.perseny.com/" target="_blank">Per Se</a>, I'm going to try a series of "What I've Learned Today" posts: content that's not especially well done, but damn if it's not prolific.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img "or,="" alt="" blog="" for="" pandering="" shameless="" src="http://blogs.longwood.edu/comm481crisisnews/files/2012/02/mcdonalds.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" views."="" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious cardboard-y content.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /> </div>
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To really outdo myself, here's the only thing I can remember that I learned today:</div>
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<div>
To find out what version of Quick Books you have, press F2. The window that pops up will have "Quick Books yyyy - ABCD" at the top. The ABCD is your version number. </div>
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That's right, folks - no screenshots, no nuthin'. Just something that I wish I had been able to find a little quicker when I was trying to figure it out today. </div>
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How to update Quick Books without it failing at the last minute is a little trickier. I'll let y'all know when I figure it out. </div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-56605275213263222012012-06-09T15:54:00.001-07:002012-06-09T16:41:05.012-07:00Gardening Update<div>
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Well hello, woefully neglected blog. Can I just say that learning stuff and writing about learning stuff are two totally different things? I have what I call "Birthday Candle Syndrome", which I've just now made up and defined thusly: it is the tendency to equate putting on the finishing touches with completing all of the work that should precede them. Example: you're making a birthday cake, but didn't have time to frost it, but you slap some birthday candles on it anyway, and voila! You're done. The finishing touches are there, so you must be done. You're done, right? So instead of carefully documenting all of my new exploits for the blog and posterity, I'm rushing through to the finished project, because that's always more interesting.<br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BIRPwCMeKmg/T9PcyT3IxRI/AAAAAAAAAe4/mSmm6MUA8R0/1339284642513.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-BIRPwCMeKmg/T9PcyT3IxRI/AAAAAAAAAe4/mSmm6MUA8R0/1339284642513.png" /></a></div>
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I'm considering a "What I Learned Today" series to try and counteract that. For example, today's entry would include:<br />
<ol>
<li>How to insert a title into an Adobe Premiere sequence.<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</li>
<li>How to (start to) add a SATA port to a ten-year-old Windows XP machine.</li>
<li>How to do frame-hold cross fades between separate video clips in Premiere.</li>
<li>How to make sure that when you water your potted plants after shamefully forgetting to do so for three days, that the water actually gets absorbed by the soil and doesn't just run over the sides.</li>
<li>How to make strawberry mango paletas (ok, this one wasn't today).</li>
<li>What ECC memory is. </li>
</ol>
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Since five of those require screen captures and/or more photos than I'm willing to take, I'll go with the gardening one, maybe a bit embellished. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mxv5hqEV3Zc/T9PevWjf2HI/AAAAAAAAAfA/SKXHzYfRgSQ/s1600/herbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mxv5hqEV3Zc/T9PevWjf2HI/AAAAAAAAAfA/SKXHzYfRgSQ/s320/herbs.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<h3>
Gardening Tips from an Amateur Windowsill Gardener</h3>
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<ol>
<li>If you've forgotten to water your plants for a few days, don't just dump water in when you actually do go to water them. Dig a little trench in the middle of the pot/planter so the water pools in it before the dry soil starts to absorb it. The top layer of soil can't absorb water that fast, so if you just pour water in, it'll all run down the sides (and into your guinea pig's cage, if you're me).
</li>
<li>Don't be afraid of thinning out. Let your seeds sprout, then when it looks like they're not going to die from the tiniest breeze, choose your favorites (pick a number that you'll keep based on how much space you really have), and ruthlessly pluck the rest. Crowded plants don't grow well.</li>
<li>Consider an un-manicured look. A windowsill herb garden that's a little overgrown and bushy not only provides more herbs, it looks pretty darn good, too.</li>
<li>Remember to pinch back your plants to make them bushier. It feels cruel, but pick off those little leaf sprouts every once in a while, and your plant will pick a new (less dangerous) place to put its new leaves.</li>
<li>Seedling pots are just that - for seedlings. Your average vegetable will not enjoy being grown in a 4" pot. (I'm looking at you, alliums!)*</li>
<li>Be realistic with yourself regarding how much space you have to grow. My eggplants will wait til next year because I can only handle one indeterminate plant in my apartment at a time.</li>
</ol>
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What are your windowsill gardening tips?</div>
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<b><br />
</b></div>
<ol style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6JQuzuh9XmI/T9PUKyGBtBI/AAAAAAAAAeM/OjUNVj3IVGc/2012-06-09%25252018.50.49.png" width="320" /></ol>
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* I will say that my indoor tomato plants (six in the planter that you see above, three - three! - in a 4" seedling pot) are doing just as well or better than the one I have outdoors in a five-gallon bucket. Go figure.</div>
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-59901847477904478982012-05-29T20:44:00.001-07:002012-05-29T20:44:51.185-07:00Pizza Math<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a alt="Temperature measured in Celsius, obviously" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2goZg7ZqHXQ/T8WWynHVzpI/AAAAAAAAAeA/L6PY_O1rsmw/s1600/Pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2goZg7ZqHXQ/T8WWynHVzpI/AAAAAAAAAeA/L6PY_O1rsmw/s400/Pizza.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-22926628226266377962012-05-12T11:05:00.000-07:002012-05-12T11:05:42.501-07:00DuoLingo: Language for and from the massesI make no secret of the fact that I am a bit of a language nut. It's one of those systems that hits all of the right buttons: internally consistent, infinite in output but not in input, etc., etc., not to mention that it makes the world go round. I'm a big fan of the democratic ideal of language - i.e., it's not anyone's job to tell you how you <b>should</b> speak, although it could be someone's job to describe <b>how </b>you speak. People have been trying to impose rules on language for as long as they had people to impose on, and it never, ever works.<br />
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In short, democracy is the only way language has ever and will ever work, which makes it a lovely thing when a service like <a href="http://www.duolingo.com/" target="_blank">DuoLingo</a> pops up. DuoLingo started late last year as an offering from the same professor-grad student team that brought us <a href="http://www.ted.com/speakers/luis_von_ahn.html" target="_blank">reCaptcha</a>, the web device that turns an anti-bot timesuck (proving you're human by typing in the wavy letters in the box) into something actually useful that harnesses the aggregate computing capacity of millions of human brains every day (digitizing books by crowdsourcing the translation via CAPTCHAs). So, these very cool and clever people bring us another translation service: a free, web-based language instruction program that simultaneously crowdsources the translation of the web. It was launched in beta in November of 2011, and Wikipedia claims that their waiting list is 300,000 plus as of March of 2012.<br />
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I requested one invite to learn Spanish and one to learn German back in March, and I just got both of them this past Friday. For anyone who hasn't gotten their invite yet, or is considering signing up for one, here's a quick overview of the software.<br />
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This is Duo, the irresistibly adorable owl who's the mascot of this whole project. Note that, as it says here, this is not an activity that you want to undertake in the library or around roommates. You're going to be both listening and speaking, and you're going to end up sounding like an idiot at some point, so maybe leave this one for a time when you've got the apartment to yourself.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0shLRg2fLWo/T66kG2YlMkI/AAAAAAAAAco/FwTPYBg9MO0/s1600/01-welcome.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0shLRg2fLWo/T66kG2YlMkI/AAAAAAAAAco/FwTPYBg9MO0/s640/01-welcome.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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You have the option of not activating your microphone, but I don't know if you can get through the whole program without actually speaking any of your new language.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tRxATq1eyuI/T66kR9SQGYI/AAAAAAAAAcw/bu15XvUdX_0/s1600/02-microphone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tRxATq1eyuI/T66kR9SQGYI/AAAAAAAAAcw/bu15XvUdX_0/s640/02-microphone.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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After a quick training session, you're taken to your new homepage. The backbone of your program is the decision tree/pathway that takes up the left panel. I thought that the layout was really pretty good, actually. It allows you some flexibility in which lessons you do and when, but it makes sure you don't go jumping into third-year language on your second day. The program also puts a star by the program that it recommends for you next. I haven't gone far enough in either of mine to see if the recommendations are worth anything, though.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i4ZyrPVAXaA/T66kYkgLdHI/AAAAAAAAAc4/75yR8x4YMu4/s1600/03-homepage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i4ZyrPVAXaA/T66kYkgLdHI/AAAAAAAAAc4/75yR8x4YMu4/s640/03-homepage.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your homepage allows you to follow other language learners on the social media site of your choice, track your progress in a variety of ways, and navigate the curriculum. </td></tr>
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You can hover over any of the lessons and see the content, new words, and prerequisites. I liked this bit because it reminds me of the science advisor's panel in Civ 3 (I spent hours at that game figuring out the bare minimum of prerequisites that would let me build the space shuttle. Geek out!). In my opinion, any time you can turn studying into a game, you're already leagues ahead of those poor souls huddled up in the reference stacks of your local university library.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0i44EdWvEgM/T66kvcUgWII/AAAAAAAAAdA/45N3jQ1LZfU/s1600/04-hover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0i44EdWvEgM/T66kvcUgWII/AAAAAAAAAdA/45N3jQ1LZfU/s640/04-hover.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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When you click on a lesson, you're taken into a ten-to-twenty step training program that consists of translation back and forth between your native language and your chosen language, as well as some speaking and listening. New words are highlighted for you, and you can always hover over them to see their translations.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QmdXSk1WdH0/T66k4ylK1NI/AAAAAAAAAdI/0m7zhsxONKk/s1600/04a-basic+interface.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QmdXSk1WdH0/T66k4ylK1NI/AAAAAAAAAdI/0m7zhsxONKk/s640/04a-basic+interface.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just one of the types of training exercises. There's also basic conjugation, speaking, listening, and translation in the other direction.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For every correct answer, you pass on to the next question. If you make a minor mistake (typo, forget an umlaut, whatever) you get a little warning like this:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QFvtXWkxx08/T66lP5zPutI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/fwpla2oOnTs/s1600/05-mistake.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QFvtXWkxx08/T66lP5zPutI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/fwpla2oOnTs/s640/05-mistake.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you make a larger mistake, like I did here, it tells you what your mistake was and knocks off one of your four hearts at the top right corner. Those are a way to grade yourself on every lesson. At the end of every lesson, you get bonus points (coins? something) for every heart you have remaining - three hearts left equals three coins, etc. You accumulate coins to level up.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-byTWEjGRPqU/T66lVRAj2EI/AAAAAAAAAdY/zkludddcRNU/s1600/08-mistake2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-byTWEjGRPqU/T66lVRAj2EI/AAAAAAAAAdY/zkludddcRNU/s640/08-mistake2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Verbs get special drop down menus of their own: you can over over to see the translation, and within the drop down, you can click to view a conjugation table. I'll admit that this isn't the best conjugation table that I've ever seen - I'd like to see them grouped into number (plural and singular) as well as person.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_NfinYo_f60/T66ljaUKCYI/AAAAAAAAAdg/HCl8SYhSVyo/s1600/07-conjugation.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_NfinYo_f60/T66ljaUKCYI/AAAAAAAAAdg/HCl8SYhSVyo/s640/07-conjugation.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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When you finish a mini level, you see this screen:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Asucj3vaoi4/T66lsWVwoeI/AAAAAAAAAdo/_B6Q-F1eDmM/s1600/06-end+lesson.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Asucj3vaoi4/T66lsWVwoeI/AAAAAAAAAdo/_B6Q-F1eDmM/s1600/06-end+lesson.png" /></a></div>
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And when you finish a block, you see this:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg7L6KyuxAg/T66l0Lf0Q0I/AAAAAAAAAdw/pgePT9bmYDc/s1600/09-WIN+SCRN.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="608" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg7L6KyuxAg/T66l0Lf0Q0I/AAAAAAAAAdw/pgePT9bmYDc/s640/09-WIN+SCRN.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can go on like that as far as you like, following the lesson tree however you want. There's always the option to go back and practice lessons for extra coins. However, the real purpose of DuoLingo really isn't to teach you a foreign language; it's to translate the web. You'll notice a "translate" tab up near the top. Clicking on that brings you to your translation homepage. Here you can find snippets of text collected from all over the web for you to try and translate. You can click through a set of related sentences and try and translate them. The hover ability still works here, so you're not entirely on your own, but the fun is in using what you've just learned on real-world examples. The beauty of the program is that it doesn't matter if you're horribly wrong in your translation - the theory of crowdsourcing bets that the cumulative knowledge of hundreds of thousands of people will zero in on the best answer, and your wrong one will be lost in the noise. (Or your correct one will lend weight to the answer that will prevail). This is probably my favorite part of the program.<br />
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There's a lot more to talk about, but I think I'll leave that for another time. A few notes on the program after one day of use in two languages:<br />
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<br />
<ul>
<li>If you have never had formal language instruction in the language you choose (like me and Spanish), one pass through a particular lesson is probably not enough. I had to do three passes through the first basics lesson before I thought I could get the verb conjugations straight for just "I", "you (inf.)", and "he/she/it". </li>
<li>The speech recognition software is not very good at all. About half the time, it makes you repeat what you said (not a bad thing, but still). Also, I deliberately said the wrong word a few times to see what it would catch, and it passed me on all of the wrong answers. Don't count on this software to improve your pronunciation.</li>
<li>If you have had formal instruction in a language before (like me and German), the first few levels are ridiculously easy, as they should be. I don't know yet if there's a way to test into a higher level. Certainly there's a way to test out of your level once you reach a certain point, but I don't know if there's a way to skip, say, two years worth of German in one go. </li>
<li>I come from a school of thought about language instruction that says that translation (which DuoLingo does a lot of) is really not very effective in teaching usable, conversational language. While I do still agree that translation is not the best vehicle for language instruction, I will say that 1) it's better than nothing and 2) the reliance on translation here is probably due to what the program actually is: a means to teach a whole bunch of people simultaneously via the internet. Without great speech recognition, you're sort of stuck with translation (although there's a company called <a href="http://www.alelo.com/" target="_blank">Alelo </a>that does great language training games - hardly free ones, though.)</li>
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All in all, I am very excited about DuoLingo. It's not the best language software out there, but it might be the best free one, and it's definitely the only one that puts all that brainpower out there to good use. Get thee to the waiting list!</div>
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<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-38953570406328496102012-04-16T14:41:00.000-07:002012-04-16T14:41:00.809-07:00Well, shoot. I guess I'd better tackle this one while I've got two hours left in the weekend, and I've been putting it off for long enough: gear ratios. (Dun dun dun.) I'll admit that I'm treating this topic a bit like I treat the calculus I've forgotten: it'll probably be fine once I've read through it once or twice, but I don't want to admit how much I don't know about it. And don't worry...I hear you. "Gear ratios?" you're saying. "Why don't you just write about taxes or spreadsheets or spark plugs or something maybe minimally more exciting than <b>gear ratios</b>?" My response is: I KNOW. And I have a counter-response, which is this:<br />
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/swoopyfar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/swoopyfar.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/swoopypage1.htm">http://www.lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/swoopypage1.htm</a> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Which is to say, I WANT one, and also to say that wooden clock plans are free and available online, and they're not gonna make themselves. So: on to mathy things.<div><br />
</div><div>Very generally, you want to have a firm grasp of gear ratios when:</div><div><ul><li>you have one thing spinning very quickly and you want to slow it down</li>
<li>you have something spinning very slowly and you want to speed it up</li>
<li>you own a bike and live in a very hilly area</li>
<li>you own a manual-transmission car and live in a very hilly area</li>
<li>you want to transmit rotational motion from point A to point B, which are fixed</li>
</ul><div>Picture two gears, of equal size. the first one is connected to a motor (the driver gear) and the second one (the driven gear) meshes with the first. When the first one rotates - let's say at 1 revolution per second - the second one follows suit exactly. That's the trivial case - the ratio is 1:1, because both gears are rotating at the same speed. Here's a non-trivial case: </div></div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="[fedora gears]" src="http://howto.nicubunu.ro/gears/gears_16.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Licensed under a Creative Commons license from here:<br />
<a href="http://howto.nicubunu.ro/gears/">http://howto.nicubunu.ro/gears</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Let's call the gear at the lower left the driver gear. It has 12 teeth. The next gear in the train has 25 teeth, and is correspondingly bigger. Ignoring the third gear for the moment, what's going on with these two? Say the small gear still spins at a constant rate of 1 revolution/second (that would be omega, for those of you with a physics textbook). When all 12 teeth have gone around once, the bigger gear has advanced by 12 teeth as well - only about half of a full revolution. It takes the bigger gear longer to make a full revolution, so it has a slower rotational velocity. How much slower? A gear ratio is defined as Omega<sub>driven</sub>:Omega<sub>driver</sub> or N<sub>teethdriven</sub>:N<sub>teethdriver</sub>. (Omega and N - the number of teeth - are proportional, so which equation you use doesn't matter.) So for this example, <blockquote class="tr_bq">N<sub>driven</sub>:N<sub>driver</sub> = 25/12 = 2.08</blockquote><br />
The small gear spins 2.08 times faster than the big one. Put another way, the small gear has to make 2.08 revolutions to get the big gear to turn once.<br />
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Let's isolate the second and third gears, now. We know that the second gear has 25 teeth. The third has 18. Now the equation gets us:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">N<sub>driven</sub>:N<sub>driver</sub> = 18/25 = 0.72</blockquote>So the third gear spins one revolution for every 0.72 turns of the middle one. New question, then: how many turns of the driver gear does it take for the third gear to make one revolution? Wikipedia says that you can just multiply the individual gear ratios in the train to get the overall ratio for the entire train, provided all the gears contact each other. (I'm not sure I understand mathematically why that's so, but I'll run with it for now.) That leaves us with:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"> 2.08*0.72 = 1.4976</blockquote>The driver gear makes 1.4976 revolutions for every one turn of the third gear. And now you should be getting suspicious, because the first gear has 12 teeth and the third gear has 18, and 18/12 is awfully close to 1.4978. It turns out that, provided the gears contact each other, you can simply take the ratio of the first and last gears to get the total gear ratio between them. (The discrepancy between the answer calculated above and the 1.5 you'd get from dividing 18/12 is because I rounded 2.083333333...into something easier to type.)<br />
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So...err....not that bad after all, at least not yet. Some questions I can think of (namely, "If my escapement gear has 12 teeth, how many leaves should my fourth wheel pinion have, and how many teeth should my fourth gear have, and how many leaves should my third wheel pinion have (etc., etc.), so that the center wheel makes one revolution every hour?") might be considerably more complicated. I'm sure you have exactly the same questions.<br />
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Are you done with gear ratios for now? I'm done.<br />
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<div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div></div></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-50452647745542909872012-04-13T18:08:00.000-07:002012-06-23T12:35:50.867-07:00Clockwork and Cryptography: Angelmaker Code Hints, Part 5<br />
Welcome back, <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/?isbn=9780060512804" target="_blank">Detachment 2702</a>. How goes the codebreaking? Hopefully you've made some progress. Have you checked the classifieds yet? *wink wink*<br />
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<a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker.html" target="_blank">Hint 0/1</a><br />
<a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_03.html" target="_blank">Hint 2</a><br />
<a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_04.html" target="_blank">Hint 3</a><br />
<a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_08.html" target="_blank">Hint 4</a><br />
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So when I was at this point in the code, I was able to read ciphertext where I knew the plaintext equivalent - namely, the hint pages that Knopf put out, like this one:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://knopfdoubleday.com/files/2012/03/angelmaker-controlit.jpg" />\</div>
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If I were a gung-ho codebreaker, and I decided I didn't want any 3rd-party hints (i.e., those from this blog), and that I just wanted to use what Knopf provided (good for you!), I think that the most valuable ones to look at are probably the one above and the "Soot and sorrow, I know it" one. Just sayin'.<br />
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As I think I mentioned before, this image was pretty key in my realization that<span style="color: #20124d;"> <span style="background-color: #20124d;">1) the text in the hint pages was reflected in the disks</span></span> and <span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">2) the disks were not 1:1 with either letters or words. </span><span style="background-color: white;"> In five of the first six images, the code reiterates some of the text on the page. I'm not saying which ones, but if you haven't figured that bit out yet...happy birthday. Free hint. Since I last posted, Knopf put up an extra three hint pages (</span><a href="http://knopf.knopfdoubleday.com/2012/03/19/angelmaker-can-you-crack-the-code/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="background-color: white;">), and they're perhaps slightly trickier. Although come to think of it, when I first tackled the hint pages, I spent some time considering that the code disks could spell out (MAJOR HINT) </span><span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">the speaker of the quote, and not the quote itself.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Look at me, rambling on, and that's not even what I brought you all here to say. Like I mentioned above, if you sort of half-understand how the disks break up the plaintext, you can read things like the hint pages, but not anything useful - like the text on the dust jacket. This hint might help:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YfkN_i6uOJI/T4jK8E8o7WI/AAAAAAAAAcU/DIAbeUitiL4/s1600/AngelmakerHint5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YfkN_i6uOJI/T4jK8E8o7WI/AAAAAAAAAcU/DIAbeUitiL4/s200/AngelmakerHint5.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What's up with the gap?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">Straight up: the "gap" in the outer ring (where it exists) represents the beginning of a word. Where there's no gap, that means that the disk continues the word started by the prior disk. </span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;"> Just like this bit of linguistic and etymological sleight of hand, yuo cna rdae tihs qtieu esaiyl, as lngo as teh itniail ltetsre aer in teh prorep pcael. Knowing where that first letter goes will go a long way towards clarifying the plaintext. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">That said, there don't seem to be totally explicit rules as to how the plaintext is broken up across the disks. Based on <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker.html" target="_blank">Hint 1</a>, I initially thought it was purely syllabic, but based on something apocalyptic (*wink wink nudge nudge*), I think it may be just a matter of convenience. Certainly, you can find disks that hold more or less than one syllable by the <a href="http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsASyllable.htm" target="_blank">official definition</a>.</span><br />
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Hope that helps you...and please do drop me a note! If you've cracked the thing wide open, I'd love to hear about it, and if you're hopelessly stuck, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do to help. Has anyone made it all the way down the rabbit hole yet? If so, I don't believe I caught your name...? ;)<br />
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Happy codebreaking!<br />
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That's all I've got for now...if you need more help, feel free to leave a comment, and I'll see what I can do.<br />
<br />Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-82563521491484317822012-04-08T13:47:00.001-07:002012-06-23T12:18:44.610-07:00Clockwork and Cryptography: Angelmaker Code Hints, Part 4Welcome back! Before you read this hint, make sure you take a look at the preceding ones:<br />
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<a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker.html" target="_blank">Hint 0/1</a><br />
<a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_03.html" target="_blank">Hint 2</a><br />
<a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_04.html" target="_blank">Hint 3</a><br />
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We've gotten to the point where the things I point out as hints may be old news to you. On the other hand, who knows? It's time to consider one of three (possibly four) features of this code that I'm going to call "non-core" - i.e., they modify the code's basic functionality to improve its comprehensiveness. I'm sure that the basic codebreaking literature addresses this (and maybe has a different term for it), but for my purposes, I'm going to define "comprehensive" as "the ability of a code to represent all elements of the plaintext as ciphertext." This code is about 98% comprehensive. For comparison, a non-comprehensive code might represent the plaintext<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
ATTACK AT DAWN, SIGNED PATTON</blockquote>
like this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
TTCK T DWN SGND PTTN</blockquote>
which is 1) not a very good code, and 2) unable to represent words such as "a" or "I". It's not as comprehensive as a Caesar cipher (95-100% comprehensiveness, depending on the plaintext) because there are letters in the original message - the vowels and the punctuation - which simply can't be written in the code. (For interested parties: you could figure out the comprehensiveness of this code by adding up all the letter frequencies of A, E, I, O, and U and subtracting from 100.)<br />
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Assuming that you've figured out the basics of how the Angelmaker code works, I'm going to estimate its comprehensiveness at around 85%, depending on what you've realized about certain other features. You could definitely read the message(s) if you couldn't figure this bit out, but there would be some ambiguity. If you add in the feature I'm pointing out here, you'd be at around 88% - maybe as much as 90 or 91, although I haven't done the research. So: what's the deal with this?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o0fjKBRs7dI/T4H1b5RiDlI/AAAAAAAAAcI/RuPaUyFQKzI/s1600/Well.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o0fjKBRs7dI/T4H1b5RiDlI/AAAAAAAAAcI/RuPaUyFQKzI/s320/Well.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">In Hint 1, I think I pooh-poohed the idea of comparing the relative frequencies of each disk (and rightly so, as you'll probably have realized by now). Now I'm going to tell you to bring that strategy back. Where does that extra line appear? How often? Does it ever appear in the inner ring? How many sections (out of the total 12 outer + 6 inner = 18) does it bisect? I'd also suggest that you just browse around <a href="http://letterfrequency.org/" target="_blank">here </a>for a bit. Just sayin'. </span><br />
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<div>
And there you go! That's three hints in one, for those keeping score at home. Oh...I only put in two? I'm so terribly sorry, I must be mistaken. Bwahahahaha. </div>
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Have fun!<br />
<br />
(Or for extra help, read the next hint <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_13.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div>
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</div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-75683221080761781162012-04-04T09:00:00.000-07:002012-06-23T12:17:00.193-07:00Clockwork and Cryptography: Angelmaker Code Hints, Part 3My dear fellow cryptographer,<br />
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<div>
May I congratulate you on your perseverance? You've been plugging away at this code for quite some time now, it appears. Well, perhaps you haven't - perhaps you've just googled "Angelmaker code hints," blew right past my admonitions to not read the hints, and started reading hints <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker.html" target="_blank">0, 1</a>, and <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_03.html" target="_blank">2</a> straight away - but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. </div>
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<div>
Some suspicions about the nature of this code should be forming in your mind, and you may even be starting to test out a few theories. This is a good thing, and all the more reason that you should IGNORE THIS HINT AND SOLVE IT YOURSELF. You'll be so proud of yourself! This is a code that was meant to be broken, and it was meant to be broken by the likes of YOU. Go solve it, you young <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois_Champollion" target="_blank">Champollion</a>, you, and let me know when you're done. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Still here? All right, then. I did imply that you were dedicated. Here's the third hint:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">You're looking at a monoalphabetic cipher with a twist.</span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">In a monoalphabetic cipher, one ciphertext symbol stands for one plaintext symbol. The very first code you ever broke was probably a monoalphabetic cipher, and most likely a Caesar cipher at that (you know, where you shift the alphabet however many letters to the right, so that A is encoded as E, B as F, C as G, and so forth). This is obviously not a Caesar cipher (there's no alphabet to shift), but the ciphertext symbols have a one-to-one mapping with the plain text. Now, that's a gigantic hint if you haven't made a particular realization yet, so I won't elaborate any more. (If you have made that realization...er, sorry. Getcha next time.) Go look at the picture I posted in Hint 1, then come back and read this hint again. Hopefully, you'll have one of those lovely "aha" moments that make codebreaking so satisfying. </span><br />
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Oh, what's the twist? Not telling (yet). Sorry.<br />
<br />
Happy codebreaking!<br />
<br />
(If you need more help, here's <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_08.html" target="_blank">Hint 4</a>.)<br />
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<br /></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-90005752953515596472012-04-03T09:07:00.000-07:002012-06-23T12:15:04.842-07:00Clockwork and Cryptography: Angelmaker Code Hints, Part 2So here's the situation: you've read Nick Harkaway's Angelmaker, found out there's a code (!) on the American dust jacket, you've tried to solve it, and you're stuck. Presumably you've also read hints 0 and 1 <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and didn't make a whole lot of progress. In that case, you're in the right spot. Ready for hint number two? Here it is (want to have one more go on your own? Go ahead, I'll wait. If not, highlight to read):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">Trust in Knopf.</span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;"> As part of the marketing campaign for the book, Knopf released a <a href="http://knopf.knopfdoubleday.com/2012/03/19/angelmaker-can-you-crack-the-code/" target="_blank">couple of images</a> meant to help you along. I suppose if you already knew about those, this isn't a very good hint, so here's more: initially, I found <a href="http://knopfdoubleday.com/files/2012/03/angelmaker-controlit.jpg" target="_blank">this one</a> to be especially helpful. Later on, <a href="http://knopf.knopfdoubleday.com/2012/03/19/angelmaker-can-you-crack-the-code/%3Cbr%20/%3Ehttp://knopfdoubleday.com/files/2012/03/angelmaker-sootandsorrow.jpg" target="_blank">this one</a> was very useful, particularly in conjunction with the image of the back of the dust jacket that I posted in part 1. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">You might also want to watch that little video clip of Harkaway talking about writing, as it does have a tiny clue in it, but if you've made it this far, it won't tell you much you don't know.</span><br />
<br />
Happy codebreaking!<br />
<br />
If you're still stuck, <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_04.html" target="_blank">here's </a>the next hint.Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-79060137646907673012012-04-01T12:59:00.000-07:002012-06-23T12:13:34.570-07:00Clockwork and Cryptography: Angelmaker Code Hints, Part 1<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1100593.Nick_Harkaway" target="_blank">Nick Harkaway's</a> witty, whimsical, energetic <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angelmaker-Nick-Harkaway/dp/043402094X" target="_blank">Angelmaker</a> was released in the US a little over a week ago (you'd better believe I pre-ordered it), approximately a month behind the British/UK release. If you are, like me, both 1) American and 2) a ginormous Nick Harkaway fan, this was an irksome (if expected) delay.(Taking a moment to note that spell-check takes issue with "pre-order" and "preorder," but not "ginormous.") It turns out that the wait was worth it, because the good people at Knopf and AAS Graphic Design have gifted us with a dust jacket design worthy of the book itself.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://mindywithrow.com/wp-content/uploads/Angelmaker_cover.jpeg" />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I will assume that if you're here, you already know that those discs are a code. (When I found this out, I took a moment to make an offering to the gods of clockwork, steampunk, difference engines, for they are good to us. Also to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace" target="_blank">Ada Lovelace</a>, oft-forgotten programmer extraordinaire.) I'll also assume that you're having trouble cracking it. To that end, I've put together a few hints to help you out, because the reward really is intriguing. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
My first hint is: STOP LOOKING FOR HINTS AND START SOLVING IT YOURSELF. SLACKER.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Seriously. Your self-esteem and your ego will thank me. This is a code that is meant to be broken (what good is it in this context otherwise?), so you know that it's not terribly difficult. Clever, yes. Difficult, no.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Ok, fine. We'll call that Hint 0. You won't be much happier with Hint 1, but here it is (last chance to do it yourself! Turn back now!) : </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">Look with your eyes.</span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: #20124d; color: #20124d;">Courtesy of Arya Stark, via <a href="http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/syrio-forel?before=1308057590" target="_blank">Syrio Forel</a>, of course. Take a new look at the dust jacket. There are clues there to get you started - even clues to suggest the existence of a code, if you hadn't known there was one there. Look closely. Take it off the book, if you need to. The heart of codebreaking is in recognizing patterns where there don't seem to be any, so let your pattern-sensitive human brain take over for a minute, and go with your gut.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ph9jEGeYesw/T3iyiYNEIzI/AAAAAAAAAcA/JjhKU5fgb7I/s1600/IMG_3522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ph9jEGeYesw/T3iyiYNEIzI/AAAAAAAAAcA/JjhKU5fgb7I/s640/IMG_3522.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Start there.<br />
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More hints to come. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
Ready for more? Hint 2 is <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/04/clockwork-and-cryptography-angelmaker_03.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<br /></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-51447787430339612792012-03-26T23:59:00.001-07:002012-03-27T19:34:28.461-07:00Hats off to you.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
ETA: The acknowledgement below still stands, but multiplied by about ten. The code isn't just a code. It's a rabbit hole. I'm stuck at the moment. </div>
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Confidential to Mr. Harkaway or Mr. Booher:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xVr0ygj1Ucg/T3Fkkh2nmtI/AAAAAAAAAb4/PlN-uiTEbNI/s1600/Harkaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xVr0ygj1Ucg/T3Fkkh2nmtI/AAAAAAAAAb4/PlN-uiTEbNI/s1600/Harkaway.jpg" /></a></div>
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Thanks for this, and the rest of the book. Great fun. :)Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-44158862031086362012012-03-26T15:10:00.000-07:002012-03-26T23:06:12.373-07:00Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway - ReviewETA: Cracked the code! I'll write another post with hints tomorrow. Confidential to Mr. Harkaway: a patch of ice, eh? A likely story.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1100593.Nick_Harkaway">Nick Harkaway</a> is back with another
satisfyingly-unclassifiable, broadly-scoped-but-detail-conscious,
avert-the-apocalypse novel to follow his first, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Gone-Away-World-Nick-Harkaway/dp/0307268861">The Gone-Away World</a>. That's not
to say that one follows the other - they're independent stories - but there is
a curious reappearance of maroon Rolls-Royces and a peculiar focus on bees
(which had a passing role in The Gone-Away World but feature much more
prominently here). I tried hard to read this book without thinking of The
Gone-Away World, because the two have nothing to do with each other, but it was
difficult. I will admit freely that The Gone-Away World was and is one of my
top two favorite books, so any sophomore novel of Harkaway's has to fill big
shoes from my perspective. I'm going to try to review Angelmaker on its own, but
I'll put some comparisons in at the end, because I think it makes for
interesting speculation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/98070201">Once again</a>, I can't really tell you what this book is about.
Most prominently, there's Joe Spork, son of a flashy gangster of ill repute,
who emphatically does not want to follow in his father's shoes, even while
inheriting his socks. There's the indefatigable Polly Cradle and her unique
fascination with the timing of certain British train lines. There's a horrendously
ugly dog who gets carted about (most of the time) by the unlikeliest, most interesting
female protagonist of the past (and next?) ten years, Edie Banister. There's a
train called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace">Ada Lovelace</a> (!) and a baby war elephant with rather opportune
timing. Most importantly, there's a plot to destroy the world, leveraged by a caricature
of a villain (who is nonetheless absolutely deadly and as timeless as <a href="http://baroquecycle.wikia.com/wiki/Enoch_Root">Enoch Root</a>)
and enabled by Joe Spork's brilliant and achingly sympathetic erstwhile
grandmother. And of course, the bees. (It's here that I want to interject, "But
wait! I haven't even mentioned the Book, or the veiled monk-like
techno-cultists, or the kelp-armored submarine!" Suffice it to say that
this book is difficult to sum up, and that it will all come out in the wash.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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It took me 104 pages to stop worrying that Harkaway had
grown up so much that he had written exactly the type of book that made me hate <a href="http://www.amazon.com/High-Fidelity-Nick-Hornby/dp/1573225517/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332799326&sr=1-1">High Fidelity</a> so much: the kind with a single, male
protagonist in his one-third life crisis who aspires to abide by the law, and complains
because he doesn't lead an exciting life of crime and gangsters. <o:p></o:p>See quote:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This day is the pattern of his life. He is the man who
arrives too late. Too late for clockwork in its prime, too late to be a
gentleman crook, too late to know his grandmother. Too late to be admitted to
the secret places, too late really to enjoy his mother's affection before it
slid away into a God-ridden gloom. And too late for whatever revelation was
waiting here. He had allowed himself to believe that there might, at last, be a
wonder in the world which was intended just for him. Foolishness." p. 85</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It takes a train (several trains - chemical transport ones)
and an attractive set of toes to do it, but Joe Spork stops resembling <a href="http://www.heartlessdoll.com/RobGordon.jpg">Rob Gordon</a> at some point (thank god). The change (not the one at the end - I won't
say anything more about that one) is distinct enough that I wonder if
mealy-mouthed Joe Spork of pages 1-103 is a purposeful ruse that Harkaway put
out to throw people like me off their guard. I'm dubious about that notion,
though. It feels more like he's trying to write a different type of book, and
slips sort of inevitably into his natural style somewhere along the way. Again,
thank god.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Joe Spork is dragged, increasingly-less-reluctantly into
a world that seems to be going to hell in a bad way, and somehow he's the one
to spearhead the operation to save it. We bounce back and forth for a while
between Joe's modern-day escapades and Edie Banister's prior ones. I will say
that this book cannot possibly have enough of Edie Banister. She's just the
right balance of feisty and no-nonsense and relatably human. The most achingly
poignant scenes in the book happen when she, right along with us, tries to
figure out the enigmatic and impossibly brilliant Frankie, and coming up short.
I haven't read the Edie Banister short story, but it's on my to-do list this weekend.
I tend to find myself utterly devoted to Harkaway's characters. They're at once
larger-than-life and utterly human, and they stand no chance ofbeing lumped in
with the traditional modern-fiction stereotypes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The tone throughout is distinctly irreverent, cheeky, and
with a sense of its own ridiculousness. See quote:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"...sometimes the plummy, playful verbiage is
obnoxious. It conceals emotion. Actually, it mocks emotion, the better to
pretend to be above it." p. 177</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ironic or self-mocking? Given Harkaway's approach to emotion
and his way with words about it, I tend toward the latter. Actually, I think
that's part of what I find so appealing about his novels. He finds words for
catastrophic moments and deep emotion, and suddenly the insane world of
Angelmaker is a little more believable, because right here is something we can
relate to. See quote: <o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"[something has happened] most awfully, most deliberately,
most pointedly, and that is the world now, newborn and hard." p. 105</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There's something about this that is quintessentially
Harkaway. His characters run up against reality, and they are unlike heroes in
that they don't have any special defenses for when the world knocks them silly,
and we know how they feel because we are also unlike heroes in that way. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The threads of this story are delightfully steampunk-ish,
with absolutely no mention of zombies (well, ok, just once, and it's part of a
solid plotline, and unique enough that it might just be a wink-and-a-nod in the
direction of that tired genre). They're also incredibly vivid (in line with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/China-Mi%C3%A9ville/e/B001IQUN20">China Mieville</a>, although not nearly to that
extent. Despite the imagery,I found myself wishing for a few ink drawings along
the way (for the Book and the whojimmy, in particular). <o:p></o:p></div>
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But! I can't possibly complain, because while there are no
drawings, there is a code hidden on the (American) dust jacket! I haven't worked
it out yet, but the fine folks at Knopf have <a href="http://knopf.knopfdoubleday.com/2012/03/19/angelmaker-can-you-crack-the-code/">left a few clues</a>. I suppose I can give up illustrations in favor of a
clockwork code on a book about a clockwork book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ok, *now* we compare with The Gone-Away World? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Full disclosure, as above: The Gone-Away World pretty much
tops my list of favorite books (although it is sometimes beaten out by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles/dp/0756405890/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332799519&sr=1-1">Name of the Wind</a>), which definitely colors my opinion. That said, I do still think that Angelmaker is a good book
with solid storytelling and an enjoyable sense of fun. It's a much more
character-driven book than TGAW in that this is more of a book about what
people figuring out their relationships to each other while the world goes to pieces
(and trying to save it), rather a book about the world going to pieces and
people trying to save it (and figuring out their relationships to each other in
the process). Whether you happen to like the former approach over the latter or
vice versa is just personal preference.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Angelmaker is perhaps a more mature book than TGAW. We see
more character development, more self-doubt, less recklessness (though there is
still a significant amount of it!). It makes me slightly sad, because we have
grown up from the Gone Away World. The issues in this world are the same as in
the last one - Bad People who do Bad Stuff to destroy Everything - but as
"responsible grown-ups on the wrong side of thirty-five" (p.86), we
cannot give them the faces of monsters and call on the School of the Voiceless
Dragon to ferret them out and do away with them. This is the world now, newborn
and hard.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Enough mawkishness - this is still undoubtedly a book worth
your time. It's unlike any other book on the market – wildly imaginative, in
equal parts violent and humorous, and I think the author knows it:<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Who creates a superweapon or a superwhatever-it-is and
makes it so bloody whimsical?" (p. 203).</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thank you, Nick Harkaway, for making the world so bloody
whimsical. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Good quotes:<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Mr.Pritchard! What are you doing? is that O-soto-gari?
No! It is not! It is a yak mating with a tractor! That is *really* very very
not very good!" p. 127</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The man is a brigand in the pay of the Opium Khan;
it's not every day he is assailed a willowy white lunatic in forest green,
borne along on a wave of fire by a box on wheels. Indeed, there probably aren't
many people who have great familiarity with this situation." pp. 245-246. </blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ha! Amazon's statistically improbable phrase capturer must
have a field day with Harkaway's books.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"From within comes a noise like a trombonist being
goosed during the overture." p. 261</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p>TL;DR: Good book. Inventive and fun. Maybe not as good as his first, but cleverly written.</o:p></div>
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<br /></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-371256267806414212012-03-11T09:55:00.001-07:002012-04-08T14:16:05.179-07:00Argyle Ladybug Photoshop TutorialI was looking at a picture of a ladybug the other day, and I started thinking man, this little guy is just not very stylish. Ladybugs need a bit more variation in their wardrobes. And so I offer you the opportunity to dress your very own ladybug in some sartorially-conscious argyle:<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-07kmOCrGD9Q/T1rZT5jq3qI/AAAAAAAAAWk/E__mxVmYmeE/s1600/argyle-bug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-07kmOCrGD9Q/T1rZT5jq3qI/AAAAAAAAAWk/E__mxVmYmeE/s640/argyle-bug.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Ok, so not really. I just like argyle, and I like ladybugs. I'll take you step-by-step through the process that I used to create this guy.<br />
<br />
1. The first step is to collect the files that you'll be using. You can import them into Photoshop now, or just leave them in a handy place so that you can find them as the need arises. I used this ladybug from <a href="http://changedesktop.com/tag/ladybug/">this </a>website:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="300" src="http://changedesktop.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ladybug_IXL_by_webcruiser.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By LittleMissParasite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This leaf from <a href="http://www.texturedownload.com/2010/12/hd-leaves-texture-close-up.html">here</a>:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5YQzFd7SgnI/TPYhe32VzlI/AAAAAAAAAmo/lWT9fzJZxzo/s400/Leaf+4.jpg" width="400" />
</div>
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<br /></div>
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And the argyle pattern from <a href="http://colorburned.com/2010/01/how-to-create-a-seamless-argyle-pattern-in-illustrator.html">this </a>tutorial (you could make your own in Illustrator - it's an excellent tutorial - but I used the final product that he posts on his website): </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="create-argyle-pattern-2" height="400" src="http://colorburned.com/wp-content/uploads/create-argyle-pattern-2.jpg" width="400" />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
2. Once you've got your files assembled, open up Photoshop and create a new file. I'm using a canvas size of 1366x768 so that I can use it as a desktop background, but you can make yours any size you want (within reason - keep the resolution of the leaf and ladybug in mind). Import the ladybug file and give it its own layer. Title the layer something appropriate.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hoLh4Rwc7w0/T1v7uE41q9I/AAAAAAAAAWs/07OasDnKQd8/s1600/01+-+ladybug.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hoLh4Rwc7w0/T1v7uE41q9I/AAAAAAAAAWs/07OasDnKQd8/s640/01+-+ladybug.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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3. The next step is to extract the ladybug and leave the leaf behind. I suppose you could skip this step and just use the background as-is, but I found a leaf I liked more, and I didn't particularly like the border around the edges. For this particular extraction, I used the quick mask mode. You might be able to get away with using the magnetic lasso, but I didn't like the result. Your other option is the pen tool, but I think that the quick mask gives the best results - you just have to be a little bit patient. </div>
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Enter the quick mask mode by pressing "q" on the keyboard or selecting the circle-inside-a-rectangle icon below the foreground/background selection swatches.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G53JSIu663w/T1v-6cbpAaI/AAAAAAAAAW0/5UtAz82nfNw/s1600/03+-+quick+mask+button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G53JSIu663w/T1v-6cbpAaI/AAAAAAAAAW0/5UtAz82nfNw/s1600/03+-+quick+mask+button.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"> Select a round brush with 100% hardness. Make sure that the flow and opacity are both set to 100%. </span>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lp7VKgURNFs/T1v-7q8yjDI/AAAAAAAAAW8/Jz4A-S4XdVQ/s1600/02+-+quick+mask+settings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="89" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lp7VKgURNFs/T1v-7q8yjDI/AAAAAAAAAW8/Jz4A-S4XdVQ/s640/02+-+quick+mask+settings.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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3. Double clicking on the click mask icon will bring up this window: </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFU9ogQjQr0/T1v_o--n68I/AAAAAAAAAXE/-E8Jdvretnc/s1600/04+-+quick+mask+color.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFU9ogQjQr0/T1v_o--n68I/AAAAAAAAAXE/-E8Jdvretnc/s1600/04+-+quick+mask+color.png" /></a></div>
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Use approximately these settings. The color is important - quick mask defaults to red, and a red mask on a red ladybug won't go very well. I also bumped the opacity up to 70%. I thought 50% was a little difficult to see. </div>
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4. Start painting over the ladybug with a fairly big brush. I started with a very large brush - 300 px or so - to cover the majority of the ladybug's shell. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lU-tlZO-aLE/T1wBW_cdcLI/AAAAAAAAAXM/LMw-PJEd3yM/s1600/05+-+quick+mask+rough.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="510" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lU-tlZO-aLE/T1wBW_cdcLI/AAAAAAAAAXM/LMw-PJEd3yM/s640/05+-+quick+mask+rough.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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5. Using progressively smaller brushes, start painting over the more detailed parts of the ladybug. A helpful keyboard shortcut here is using the "[" and "]" keys to change the size of the brush. Don't go too crazy - you can skip painting in the little hairs on the antennae, for example - but you do need to go pretty small to get the legs and stuff.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Zoom in for the finer details. The finer your work is here, the better the final product will look. Keep going until the entire ladybug is masked in blue.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yxyk479c9-k/T1wGtcioGTI/AAAAAAAAAXc/7bKQxrNv7qg/s1600/07+-+quick+mask+done.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="498" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yxyk479c9-k/T1wGtcioGTI/AAAAAAAAAXc/7bKQxrNv7qg/s640/07+-+quick+mask+done.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This level of detail should be fine. For the last bit of masking, I switched back to a very large brush, and used the edge of that to approximate the curve of the ladybug's shell. That way, you get a smoother edge. (There's math there, I just don't know exactly what it is. Something calculus-y.)</div>
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6. Now press "q" again. The marching ants selection line should appear around everything that was not masked.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LxgGf8jc6BQ/T1wHkhcwlXI/AAAAAAAAAXk/Ebr8t_5fHLM/s1600/08+-+selected.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LxgGf8jc6BQ/T1wHkhcwlXI/AAAAAAAAAXk/Ebr8t_5fHLM/s640/08+-+selected.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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7. Now press "Delete". You should be left with just a ladybug on a white background. I resized and rotated it a bit using Transform (Ctrl+T), but you don't have to if you don't want to.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A_Rhp4I2o8g/T1wJM2F2zxI/AAAAAAAAAX0/PQs1UaRiGvs/s1600/09+-+just+bug.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A_Rhp4I2o8g/T1wJM2F2zxI/AAAAAAAAAX0/PQs1UaRiGvs/s640/09+-+just+bug.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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8. Now import your new leaf background on a different layer. Title it something impressively creative.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-WV7-AtSEM/T1wPMK3hTiI/AAAAAAAAAX8/WadpbqK_WVM/s1600/10+-+leaf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u-WV7-AtSEM/T1wPMK3hTiI/AAAAAAAAAX8/WadpbqK_WVM/s640/10+-+leaf.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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9. The next step is to put the leaf into perspective, so it looks like the ladybug is actually walking on the leaf and not floating in front of it. Press Ctrl+T to transform it, then hold down Ctrl to use the Distort mode as you move the handles as below. You may want to move the ladybug layer above the leaf layer for a reference.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgD96ld17yM/T1wREw_4l9I/AAAAAAAAAYE/-obGG1qWT0g/s1600/11+-+distorted+leaf.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="402" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KgD96ld17yM/T1wREw_4l9I/AAAAAAAAAYE/-obGG1qWT0g/s640/11+-+distorted+leaf.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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11. Obviously we've got some work to do here - it looks awfully Photoshop-y at this point. The first step is to add the ladybug's shadow back in. Press Ctrl and click on the ladybug thumbnail in the layers palette to select just the ladybug. Copy and paste it into its own layer and call that layer "shadow." </div>
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Now, with that shape still selected, fill it the selection with black.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hkldQDJ4_UU/T1wSwmRF78I/AAAAAAAAAYM/8tHIEaZ_f0c/s1600/12+-+shadow+layer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="374" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hkldQDJ4_UU/T1wSwmRF78I/AAAAAAAAAYM/8tHIEaZ_f0c/s640/12+-+shadow+layer.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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12. Move the shadow layer under the ladybug layer. Get rid of the selection (Ctrl+D), but keep the shadow layer activated. Go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur and set the blur to 13.0 px. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OADHrUPGQ5c/T1wYczLH--I/AAAAAAAAAYc/s2iYQjzPvkA/s1600/13+-+gaussian+blur.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OADHrUPGQ5c/T1wYczLH--I/AAAAAAAAAYc/s2iYQjzPvkA/s320/13+-+gaussian+blur.png" width="309" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DmlS-8EdK1Q/T1wYi79kNfI/AAAAAAAAAYk/sJi_0x4l2sI/s1600/14+-+blurred+shadow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DmlS-8EdK1Q/T1wYi79kNfI/AAAAAAAAAYk/sJi_0x4l2sI/s640/14+-+blurred+shadow.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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13. Using the direct selection tool (the black arrow symbol), move the shadow so that it approximates the original shadow in the original photo. No need to get too precise - we're going to transform it in the next step to make it look a little more accurate.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-efDiF5_pmSA/T1y2P7J4zxI/AAAAAAAAAYs/pH9J7gCDj6c/s1600/15+-+moved+shadow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-efDiF5_pmSA/T1y2P7J4zxI/AAAAAAAAAYs/pH9J7gCDj6c/s640/15+-+moved+shadow.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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14. It looks better with the shadow, but the legs still look like they're floating a bit, and the overall shape isn't quite right. While you're still on the shadow layer, press Ctrl+T to transform it, then right click on the canvas and select the Warp tool. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NEqVibSIdYU/T1y4RhxDvsI/AAAAAAAAAY0/8pK95pVKxLU/s1600/16+-+choosing+warp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="603" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NEqVibSIdYU/T1y4RhxDvsI/AAAAAAAAAY0/8pK95pVKxLU/s640/16+-+choosing+warp.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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15. Using the Warp tool, start nudging the shadow around. You want to make the shadow near the head a little bit wider. Also, make the shadow-feet meet up with the real feet in such a way that the feet touch, but the shadow of the leg is in front of the real leg.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7qcHUuqGDoE/T1y-Eq7kj-I/AAAAAAAAAY8/pcf4djeQAPU/s1600/17+-+shadow+warp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7qcHUuqGDoE/T1y-Eq7kj-I/AAAAAAAAAY8/pcf4djeQAPU/s400/17+-+shadow+warp.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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16. Better, but still not perfect. Pick up the brush tool and select a round 0% hardness brush and set the opacity and flow as shown: </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-19B8cC7Q_EU/T1zAu1bYHyI/AAAAAAAAAZE/nqlvwn1id0c/s1600/18+-+shadow+brush.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="90" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-19B8cC7Q_EU/T1zAu1bYHyI/AAAAAAAAAZE/nqlvwn1id0c/s640/18+-+shadow+brush.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now, brush in some shadows near the feet. Use a small brush (like 12 px to start), and as you move away from the foot, use one a few pixels larger - maybe 20 px. Don't go crazy - subtlety can work in your favor here. Let the shadow fade away as you move away from the foot. </div>
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Shadows can really make or break your image, so be careful in this step. Take the angle of the light into account, as well as the angle of the legs and the angle of the leaf. If you took a really long time to get this step right, it would be time well-spent.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oe1oLW52IeQ/T1zBwh6D7BI/AAAAAAAAAZM/9CHSRvkJW_U/s1600/19+-+shadows+brushed+in.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="618" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oe1oLW52IeQ/T1zBwh6D7BI/AAAAAAAAAZM/9CHSRvkJW_U/s640/19+-+shadows+brushed+in.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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17. Once you're happy with your shadow, it's time to move on to the interesting stuff. Import your argyle texture (or follow this <a href="http://colorburned.com/2010/01/how-to-create-a-seamless-argyle-pattern-in-illustrator.html">excellent tutorial</a> and make your own) and give it its own layer above the ladybug.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-um_E7k0vvG8/T1zDCnCIBFI/AAAAAAAAAZc/s89boOeJvZ4/s1600/20+-+added+argyle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-um_E7k0vvG8/T1zDCnCIBFI/AAAAAAAAAZc/s89boOeJvZ4/s640/20+-+added+argyle.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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18. Press Ctrl+T to transform the image, and rotate it clockwise about 45 degrees. I also resized it to be slightly smaller. Make sure that if you do resize it, you hold down the shift key to maintain the proportions.</div>
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You'll also notice that I took the opacity of the argyle down to about 70% to make it easier to line up the pattern. Try to line it up so that the line down the center of the carapace lies directly between two of the black diamonds. It will also look better if that line is parallel to the line that runs through the longest dimension of the black diamonds at at least one point. See below:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lmzbx8yInww/T1zFDUAL0RI/AAAAAAAAAZk/UfMeZL9v1k4/s1600/21+-+argyle+rotated.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="594" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lmzbx8yInww/T1zFDUAL0RI/AAAAAAAAAZk/UfMeZL9v1k4/s640/21+-+argyle+rotated.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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19. Still in Transform mode, select the Warp tool again. Start nudging the argyle shape around the ladybug's shell. The important parts are the top and bottom edges. See if you can make the argyle pattern make the same curve as those upper and lower edges. Don't worry if the pattern hangs over in some places. We'll crop that out later.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4X4WLW8JtA/T1zGcY8z6II/AAAAAAAAAZs/aoYuMOfSRMg/s1600/22+-+argyle+molded.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h4X4WLW8JtA/T1zGcY8z6II/AAAAAAAAAZs/aoYuMOfSRMg/s1600/22+-+argyle+molded.png" /></a></div>
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20. Hold Ctrl and click on the argyle layer thumbnail to select its contents. Go to Filter>Distort>Spherize, and set the slider to about 45%. Press OK.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OxNgeKuuks4/T1zLLZaDadI/AAAAAAAAAaU/BgG_D8_hzZ0/s1600/22a+-+spherize.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="491" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OxNgeKuuks4/T1zLLZaDadI/AAAAAAAAAaU/BgG_D8_hzZ0/s640/22a+-+spherize.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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21. Depending on how happy you are with the argyle pattern at this point, you may or may not need to go to the next step. Go to Filter>Liquefy and choose the Bloat tool.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvCogOFEqh0/T1zLtAnQ5zI/AAAAAAAAAac/sXSP3L7Fejk/s1600/22b+-+bloat+tool.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvCogOFEqh0/T1zLtAnQ5zI/AAAAAAAAAac/sXSP3L7Fejk/s400/22b+-+bloat+tool.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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With a these settings, click once or twice in the center of the argyle pattern.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-odQMBCXqMd8/T1zM9RLdctI/AAAAAAAAAak/8TuRmQISVls/s1600/22c++-+bloat+settings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-odQMBCXqMd8/T1zM9RLdctI/AAAAAAAAAak/8TuRmQISVls/s400/22c++-+bloat+settings.png" width="253" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xo9DhzG5dWM/T1zNP7a2R5I/AAAAAAAAAas/z51waunFEhY/s1600/22d+-+argyle+molded.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xo9DhzG5dWM/T1zNP7a2R5I/AAAAAAAAAas/z51waunFEhY/s400/22d+-+argyle+molded.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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You may find it necessary to go back now and redo some of the warping you did earlier. You can modify it all you like, but make sure that the argyle always overlaps all of the red.</div>
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22. Now turn off the argyle layer for the moment. Click on the ladybug layer and select the magnetic lasso tool (click and hold on the lasso tool to find it).</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kf7lznkxRfw/T1zHJekeKDI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/Pi9Qize9EvA/s1600/23+-+magnetic+lasso.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kf7lznkxRfw/T1zHJekeKDI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/Pi9Qize9EvA/s320/23+-+magnetic+lasso.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Using the magnetic lasso, trace all the way around the red part of the ladybug. The tool does a nice job of selecting anchor points itself, but sometimes you may need to click and add one if the tool wanders off in an odd direction. Once you've made it all the way around, click on your very first anchor point to complete the loop and make the selection.</div>
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23. Go back and turn your argyle layer back to visible and make sure that layer is active. Press Ctrl+Shift+I to invert the selection, then press Delete.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CEi-_WGgbQg/T1zOgaHreqI/AAAAAAAAAa0/I4Svy7HpIHY/s1600/26+-+argyle+wallpaper.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="544" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CEi-_WGgbQg/T1zOgaHreqI/AAAAAAAAAa0/I4Svy7HpIHY/s640/26+-+argyle+wallpaper.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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24. Turn up the opacity of the argyle layer to 100% and select Overlay as the blend mode (Soft Light and Linear Light might also work, depending on your preference).</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6IP6L7gSWRY/T1zPFG70riI/AAAAAAAAAa8/sJuELN2VUO4/s1600/27+-+overlay.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="584" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6IP6L7gSWRY/T1zPFG70riI/AAAAAAAAAa8/sJuELN2VUO4/s640/27+-+overlay.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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25. Make a new layer on top of the argyle layer and fill it with this gradient:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B4aSJ_83I2w/T1zQLTxsajI/AAAAAAAAAbE/Owp5b4NJcEM/s1600/28+-+gradient.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B4aSJ_83I2w/T1zQLTxsajI/AAAAAAAAAbE/Owp5b4NJcEM/s640/28+-+gradient.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Copy all of it (Ctrl+C). Go to the Channels palette and paste it into a new channel (Ctrl+V). Call this channel "blur source".</div>
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You can delete the original gradient at this point - we don't need it anymore.</div>
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26. In this step, you're going to have to combine all your current layers into one. I like to make a copy of all of them, just in case I have to go back and change something. Lock the duplicates and make them invisible.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wfzA8cqsarg/T1zTX-d_kpI/AAAAAAAAAbU/OzZo-nZ8STI/s1600/30+-+duplicated+layers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wfzA8cqsarg/T1zTX-d_kpI/AAAAAAAAAbU/OzZo-nZ8STI/s320/30+-+duplicated+layers.png" width="244" /></a></div>
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Now select all of your other layers, right click, and select "Merge visible".<br />
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I forgot to take a screenshot of this, but using your rectangular marquee tool, select the entire canvas and copy it onto a new layer. You can get rid of the old merged layer. This will make it easier to apply an accurate Lens Blur in the next step. </div>
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27. With your new merged layer, go to Filter>Blur>Lens Blur. You can play around with the settings to find a look that you like. I like these settings:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6xaprHGpw5I/T1zU_YSgf8I/AAAAAAAAAbk/9EHBs7GOW3Q/s1600/32+-+lens+blur.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6xaprHGpw5I/T1zU_YSgf8I/AAAAAAAAAbk/9EHBs7GOW3Q/s640/32+-+lens+blur.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Make sure that the source is set as "blur source" (or whatever you titled your gradient in the channels palette). I have the shape set to octagonal, the radius to 19, the curvature at 8, and the rotation at 31.</div>
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28. Last step: vignetting. No doubt there are real graphic designers out there going "God no! Not another vignette!", but I like the way it looks. Go to Filter>Lens Correction and apply these settings:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ow74LQfq7oI/T1zWUxfSvkI/AAAAAAAAAbs/UjvM8pB2TRQ/s1600/33+-+lens+blur+settings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ow74LQfq7oI/T1zWUxfSvkI/AAAAAAAAAbs/UjvM8pB2TRQ/s640/33+-+lens+blur+settings.png" width="376" /></a></div>
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That's it! I didn't quite like the way the argyle pattern lined up with the shell, so I went back and changed the way it was warped back before the Spherize and Bloat steps. Here's my final result:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-07kmOCrGD9Q/T1rZT5jq3qI/AAAAAAAAAWk/E__mxVmYmeE/s1600/argyle-bug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-07kmOCrGD9Q/T1rZT5jq3qI/AAAAAAAAAWk/E__mxVmYmeE/s640/argyle-bug.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Questions? Leave a comment!</div>
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If you use this tutorial and happen to post your result somewhere on the interwebs, leave a link...I'd love to see!</div>
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<br /></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8512261020780993553.post-73832537398495806242012-03-03T12:13:00.002-08:002012-03-03T12:14:39.409-08:00Last Stop on the Going TrainThe <a href="http://fifthfloordiversions.blogspot.com/2012/01/going-train-melodrama-in-three-parts.html">last time</a> I wrote about the inner workings of a mechanical watch, I ended with the fourth wheel, which interacts with the final piece of the puzzle, the escapement/balance combination. The combination of gears that makes up the going train is all very well and good, but it's the escapement and the balance that make all those tiny mechanical parts into an actual timekeeping device.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hAxs2NXy3xo/T1JpdiX5bmI/AAAAAAAAAV8/owp6qtXzDVA/s1600/Naturejournal36londuoft_0523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hAxs2NXy3xo/T1JpdiX5bmI/AAAAAAAAAV8/owp6qtXzDVA/s320/Naturejournal36londuoft_0523.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An actual timekeeping device. Source: "Nature" journal, September 22, 1887, pp. 485. For all the tiny parts and clever engineering, mechanical watches are awfully old. </td></tr>
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The escapement is what keeps all of the energy in the mainspring from dissipating all at once. Imagine a heavy weight raised up to the ceiling with a pulley. You're holding on to the other end of the rope. If you let go of the rope, all the energy you put into the weight to get it into the air is released all at once, and the weight puts a hole in your floor. Instead, you can choose to let it down slowly by applying some downward force to the rope. The energy released is the same, but it's over a longer period of time, and you don't do any structural damage to the building. Which method you choose depends on how much you like your floorboards or your neighbors.<br />
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The same thing happens with a mechanical watch or clock. The wound mainspring is like the weight/pulley system when the weight is all the way up at the ceiling. You, if you decide to pull back on the rope and slow the pulley's descent, are like the escapement: you control the release of potential energy in the system. If there were no escapement, all of the energy in the spring would be released in a very short amount of time. (Quick physics note: energy per unit time is defined as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_(physics)">power</a>, or P = W/t. The maximum energy in this system is constant [due to the physical limitations of the mainspring], so as time gets very small, power gets very big. Thus, a hole in your floor.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Covyhw2bo4/T1J03g80V3I/AAAAAAAAAWE/KZT0ARVJV_0/s1600/hole+in+floor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Covyhw2bo4/T1J03g80V3I/AAAAAAAAAWE/KZT0ARVJV_0/s320/hole+in+floor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oops.</td></tr>
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By regulating the power output at a very precise rate, the escapement turns all those gears into a useful way to keep track of time. The escape wheel is shaped differently than the rest of the gears. The teeth look a little bit like those things that keep you from driving back into parking garages once you've left.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-02viBmAYNrE/T1J2EYya43I/AAAAAAAAAWM/kU_DMbIQIl4/s1600/parking+spikes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-02viBmAYNrE/T1J2EYya43I/AAAAAAAAAWM/kU_DMbIQIl4/s320/parking+spikes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Guardian Traffic Control Systems.</td></tr>
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And with good reason - their purpose is really the same: to allow motion in one direction, but not the opposite. In a watch, the fourth wheel meshes with the escape wheel's pinion (gear with fewer teeth than the main gear that spins on the same axle and with the same angular frequency as the main gear). The pinion turns the axle, which turns the escape wheel. However, the bow-shaped bit on top of the escape wheel prevents it from spinning freely. The anchor (bow shaped bit) rocks back and forth to allow only one tooth at a time to escape.<br />
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Every time the anchor swings in one direction, it also gives a little push to what's called the balance wheel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="File:Alarm Clock Balance Wheel.jpg" height="300" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Alarm_Clock_Balance_Wheel.jpg/797px-Alarm_Clock_Balance_Wheel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit to Chris Burks for the photo.</td></tr>
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The brass-colored wheel in the bottom center is the balance wheel. It's attached to the thin spring above it called the hairspring. The balance wheel spins until the force of the hairspring pushes it back in the other direction. This is the equivalent of having a pendulum in a standard wall clock. The time to complete one rotation of the wheel or one swing of the pendulum is constant*, so the rate at which the escapement lets the mainspring's energy escape is steady. Et voila, a timekeeping device.<br />
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So I thought I was done with tracing the energy through a watch, but take a look at this picture from <a href="http://horologist.com/">horologist.com</a>:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pEXxGpdoJrk/T1J7EDY-lDI/AAAAAAAAAWc/Tin9V4Miun0/s1600/GearTrain02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pEXxGpdoJrk/T1J7EDY-lDI/AAAAAAAAAWc/Tin9V4Miun0/s400/GearTrain02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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What's a crown wheel? or a click spring? or a click, for that matter?</div>
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There is more work to be done here.</div>
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<br /></div>Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01795164971276397236noreply@blogger.com0