Folks,

Dux:

Pity about your missing that seldom seen bird my friend. Doubtless it was a keenly felt disappointment for the bird not to tick you off it's hard to spot people list as well. Fret not, rare as that one may be, there will be many more pleasant days tramping over the greenwood and surely more chances for a meeting.

You're a good sport Dux. We kid you unmercifully about your birding yet I know full well how much it means to you and to the prodigal C51 also. Alas it is not for me to seek the avian illusives for IMHO it takes a keener eye and an encyclopedic memory plus a bag full of luck to be a successful birder. Of course, and as usual, no one has actually asked for my opinion.

LOL. Thanks for posting that ribald limerick (is there any other kind?). I believe that the limerick is a much under appreciated art form. Since our Pal C51 is of Irish descent, he is quite fond of Guinness, and he is highly intelligent (he's a teacher) he has all the tools and should be more than well versed (pun intended) in the art. He sent word that he would be lurking about the forum sometime today. Perhaps he will grace these willing pages with a favorite limerick of his very own?

As you know, my hobby is computer graphics. Having more or less managed to beat the odds to become somewhat accomplished in the finer technicalities of PhotoShop V. 7, I am now tackling a 3D program called Strata. Each program has its strengths and they are to that degree complimentary. PS is more intuitive so the learning curve may be long and difficult for Strata. On the other hand knowing one well may help with the other. I have also downloaded a free open source program called POV Ray. I have not installed it as yet. There is concern regarding that program over writing important system files.

I am thinking of creating a 3D P-51D or Spitfire in Strata once I become more familiar with it. I'll create a 2D flat frame drawing and scan it in first I guess. Others have used actual plans from plastic model kits scanned in for this purpose. So far I have only managed to create a very good label in PS and then import that into Strata as a texture map. Then I created a beer can and successfully texture mapped the label onto the can. Even a fair 3D modeler would laugh at it of course but I tweaked it further in PS and it turned out OK for my first attempt. Looking on the web at finished 3D art by others, it is more than clear that I have much to learn.

NOTE:

Hurray! The bright sparks have triumphed over the slow loading edit screen at last!! The page loaded almost instantly for the first time in weeks in spite of my slow connection . Salute!