I am a coward

Indeed, a coward I am: i got the idea that drawing the faces for the playing cards deck will be the hard part, so I do anything to delay it. The last thing was to do some backs:

Steps to the full Deck

So the boring part is done:


Next step: the hard part: drawing the faces and at least one back side. I have now just a vague idea on how to do them, something modern and original.
Note: I'm fully aware that the faces are the "salt and pepper" of the deck, the most important part of it.

After that, a future step will be to choose a final template, these are the candidates so far:


Of course I can to all of them but this may be just bloat: 216 images instead of 54. Hard decision to make: quantity or quality?

Playing Cards

I'm thinking about creating a complete playing cards set for the Open Clip Art Library and here are two samples:

What I really need is a sincere opinion: are those samples worthy? (quality wise) is such a set needed? (considering there is at least another one set with a free enough license).
The task may become boring at some point (54 figures!) and definitely will have some hard parts (cards with figures) so I'm not sure if is wise to engage in this task.

create.freedesktop.org

The infrastructure for the project is up and running:

• Website: a quick copy of the Planet OCAL with logos and feeds removed (more polishing needed)


• Mailing list, but only with my "frist prost" so far


• The default Wiki

To Do:

• clear the scope and maybe decide a policy;


• spread the word and get people from intersted projects (Inkscape, GIMP, Scribus, etc.) to join;


• create a particular look and feel for the site (new logo, favicon, style sheet);


• more? join the mailing list and propose

One potato, two potatos...

When I say the South Park character generator I said "I must make something similar".
This week my hard disk crashed so I had to buy a new one. Having plenty of free space I performed a full install and after a very long time the "Potato Guy" game was installed on the computer. This was to much, I fired up Inkscape and draw this:

I think is nice, here are some faces created with it:


Next step is to find some use for it, like submitting to OCAL. I would like to find someone able and willing to make a GNOME Potato Guy game with those images, because I'm certainly not able do do it myself.

PS: BRIBE -> if someone want to make the game, I promise to at least two additional graphic sets.

Update: pieces from this image are available in my Public Domain SVG clipart collection (see galleries like "clothes" or "people").

Java stuff

Considering all the fuss around the increased dependency on Java introduced in OpenOffice.org, this is my [wishful thinking] take on it:

Searching for clipart

Is a shame that using the Creative Commons search engine, the first result is NOT openclipart.org but other obscure page instead. I guess I should update my commoncontent.org page to reflect the "new" URL instead.
Searcing with Yahoo CC will produce Sodipodi flags page as the first result, OCAL as the second but my page on the 5-th place, but this time with the other address.

On the same note, in the commoncontent.org catalog are two pages, one for Etiquette Icons and another for SVG Flags Collections, maybe thosw two could be updated to new locations.

Openness

Day after day I become more convinced that Sun really doesn't really understand Open Source.
Take this message as a sample, is about handling RFEs on OpenOffice.org or more exactly about the RFE system not working and being ignored by Sun.

note: NLC means Native Language Confederation and is composed exclusively by volunteers doing localization, user support in various languages and marketing on local communities.

second note: SVG support in OOo is one of those RFEs having 213 votes in their tracking system, but about a year ago was cosidered not important enough to be a priority.

Here are some extracts:

It was understood by all that as Sun largely determines the shape of SO/OOo (OOo being the same codebase as SO), that we would have to negotiate with Sun marketing directly.
[...]
We all want to include more of the community in deciding OOo's shape and roadmap. Equally, we also recognize the need of structure for any such inclusion. Because discussions on OOo affect StarOffice, and vice versa, we must approach the issue of including community input very early on carefully. NDAs may very well be needed for discussions that involve StarOffice marketing. StarOffice is of course a proprietary application and its
roadmap and future is a thing of competitive interest.

Meanwhile, OOo's efforts to systematize community interest in enhancements (RFEs) has stalled, as many are probably aware, though we are trying to get things going again. We made some attempts in this
regard late last year but lack of interest and meaningful progress (and the holidays) arrested that development.
[...]
Second, and this proposal can work within #1 above, we discussed a model where representatives of the NLC leads might meet directly with StarOffice marketing and product management leads. The idea is to represent to SO product management the desires of the NLC users. As mentioned above, representative leads may have to sign NDAs with Sun, as they would be discussing proprietary information with the company.

Internet Explorer

Fascinated by the theme created by Seth Nickell for pgo I created my own [rip-off] version, which I found pretty (this is a static snapshoot).
Unfortunately, because of bad CSS support, in Internet Explorer the layout looks borked (but still readable).

Normal rendering:


IE's borked version:


Well, I don't find myself compelled by the idea to recreate the layout using tables to get it rendered on sub-par browsers.

Game map editing - finale

After the two previous posts is time to put the puzzle together:


Not too bad for a couple of hours of work I would think.

Update: Download my RPG map tileset clipart in SVG format (released as Public Domain)

Game map editing - part deux

The same symbols from the first part, now with a little colouring.
WARNING: those are raw images, without any significant polish

Game map editing

Bryce, of course it would be a breeze to create in Inkscape maps like those described in the Slashdot article.
You must have a library of symbols, (the one below is created in a few minutes using pen and paper and automatically traced, without any polishing) and an easy way to insert those elements (drag and drop from a Nautilus window in Inkscape is enough)


But the most important is to have enough motivation to create a comprehensive library of symbols.

Disco Jesus

The orthodox Easter will be celebrated in about one week, this gave me the opportunity to see what I consider the kitchiest thing in the world (thanks God I'm an atheist, otherwise i would find offended :p )

Yes, Jesus and disco lights, at least it does not produce any sounds and it costs about 1.2 Euros.

All this is made using the finest Chinese plastic and some LEDs and is so well built that my photo session broke the damn thing:


A couple of super glue drops later, the pieces at least stay together, but the Disco magic is gone: now only the blue light works.

Gold

The first step is to create such an image in Inkscape and export as bitmap (at least two layers: one for model and another for background)


Then import as a layered image in The Gimp, apply bump map, adjust color curves and finally a drop shadow. The end result is:

Dumb Ms posters

I think those are the dumbest posters i saw. Ever.

This one has the message (aproximative translation):
What work from the first try,
Navigate safely
And has free techical support?

The answer in smaller letters: Computers with preinstalled Windows XP Home Edition

And the second one:
Computers with preinstalled Windows XP Home Edition
A serious motivation to return happy at home

On the footer of both posters is placed the following text:
With preinstalled Windows XP Home Edition,
your new computer is functional from the first moment,
you navigate securely on internet
and, additionaly, you receive free technical support.

Office suites

I think I'll trow my two cents at the discuss regarding the OpenOffice.org versus Gnome Office competition.

Some OOo people like to talk about The Digital Tipping Point and how Open Source applications like OpenOffice.org will replace proprietary ones in the same way Sony replaced RCA, they call it "disruption". I believe at some point Gnome Office will start disrupting OOo.

In present people think they need the full MS Office, but OOo is changing this mentality. Once it will gain a certain threshold (some OOo people estimated the needed market share at 15-20%), the mentality will change and OOo acceptance is supposed to increase dramatically. Well, I think that will be a very good opportunity for Abiword/Gumeric.

Open Document
I saw the new file format used in OOo 2.0, OpenDocument, like the best of their initiatives so far: if it is declared an ISO standard this could means immediate acceptance in governments, which will generate industry-wide support.

This is where i see a missed opportunity for Gnome Office: Abiword does not have very good support for OpenDocument (as a counter example, KOffice is using it as the default format).

FOSS projects and corporate membership

Uraeus counts GNOME Foundation members working for a company on GNOME and find an impressive number: 85.
Well, the number of corporate people working on OpenOffice.org is bigger (note: this list does not include all Sun people), but OOo is very much developed cathedral-style and is not very clear all the time if those people work on OpenOffice.org or on StarOffice.

Geekiness

SVG support in Firefox 1.1

Ath the first sight it may look like a rumour but it is confirmed, Roc (Robert O'Callahan) say:
Barring major catastrophe, we will be turning it on for FF1.1.

useless post

ignore this, its only reason is to test time/date in Planet aggregation

recruitment strategy

I like Alan's attitude: "have been added to Planet OpenClipArt.org [...] I guess I should also take it as encouragement to contribute more Clipart".
If more people would think the same we can develop a strategy: include people on Planet Open Clip Art and get in exchange more contributions.

spam for Planet

this post is completely useless, its only purpose is to provide an entry for the upcoming Planet OpenClipArt

software patents again

this look like an intersting approach: European Anti-Software Patent Bribe Pledge Drive

software patents

How much we like to be a part of the banana republic?

deviantART

it was the time for me to have a deviantART page.