Latest Information Technology Articles

History of Animation: Before Disney

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:27:52 -0700

Since the very beginning of time, man has always been interested in capturing a sense of motion in every work of art. Right from the eight legged boar that was first found in the Altamira caves in Northern Spain to right alongside the mummified remains of pharaohs long gone, this craze for capturing motion is always evident in every artistic endeavor known to man.

A good example of what an ancient comic strip would like can be found in the ancient Egyptian wall decorations. A famous illustration by Leonardo da Vinci depicts how various limbs would look in different positions. Giotto’s seem to miraculously be taking flight in their motions, and the Japanese made use of scrolls to tell their stories.

Real animation can never be achieved without the person first understanding a basic principle: “the persistence of vision”. This particular principle was first brought to our notice in the 19th century by a Frenchman with the name of Paul Roget, who also invented the thaumotrope. This particular contraption happened to be a disc with a string attached on both ends. One side of the disc had a bird on it and the other an empty cage. When the disc was twirled, the bird would appear to be in the cage. This only goes to show that the human eye can retain images even when it is exposed to a series of pictures, one at a time.

Since then, there have been two other inventions that have gone a long way in furthering the cause of animation: the phenakistoscope by Joseph Plateau and the zoetrope by Pierre Desvignes. The phenakistoscope was a circular card like structure with slits along the edges. When the viewer held this whirling device up to a mirror and looked through the slits, a series of drawings along the circumference of the card would appear to the viewer as a moving object. The same technique was used for the zoetrope, wherein a strip of paper containing drawings was carefully inserted into a cylinder. The cylinder was then twirled on a spindle and the viewer would gaze through the slots on the top of the cylinder. The figures on the insides of the cylinder would magically come to life.

The invention of the motion camera and projector by Edison was the first real invention that propelled the concept of animation into reality. And although, animation became reality with the motion camera, it was still in its simplest of forms. The short film by Stuart Blackton, “Humorous Phases of Funny Faces” was probably the first real movie to bring animation to life. For the movie, comical faces where drawn on a blackboard and then photographed, after which they were erased and another stage of expressions would be drawn.

This particular “stop motion” effect managed to captivate audiences by the simple fact that it managed to make basic drawings come to life.

In the early 20’s, the hype surrounding animated cartoon began to diminish while movie exhibitors began to look elsewhere for other sources of entertainment media. The reason behind this being that the audience was bored stiff of watching animated figurines doing their thing without there being any real storyline to it. Up until this point, animation was still in its basic form (with the exceptions of Winsor McCay’s works like Gertie the Dinosaur). What McCay managed to accomplish was a character in this dinosaur that he brought to life, something which was only seen in Felix the cat by Otto Messmer. The very notion of a dinosaur coming to life was in itself remarkable.

The biggest drawback about the animated flicks that came out during this time was the fact that there was never any importance given to plots. The animated flicks during this time were only a series of gags that were haphazardly strung together. And not what anyone today would call funny.

Of course you have to take into consideration that most of the animated movies were based on stringing primitive gags (and in many cases violence) together. In many movies you would have one character beating another character mercilessly. Or, the hero would cut the villain into tiny slices of ham.

As nonsensical as it may sound to us today, it did work for a while back then, until a big change came about in the animation industry towards the mid twenties. The bigger animation studios began to take over the smaller projects and set certain industry standards for animation. Animators were given a definite number of drawings to draw per day and cartoons began to be manufactured cheaply and in quantity.

And this is how the animation industry got started before the times of Disney.

The Evolution of Making Animations at Home with 3D Animation Movie Maker

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:27:41 -0700

A lot of people have thought of making their own low-budget movies. And by this I don’t mean just simply editing movie clips together that are taken on a family vacation or something. It’s obvious that hiring professional actors is an expensive option and if you think that taking your friends on as actors should be a cheaper option then maybe you need to think twice, since most of your friends won’t make very good actors. This is why making 3D animation movies has now become a popular low cost option.

When computers first made their entry, it took them a while (many years) to actually improvise themselves and get good enough graphics, even the stationary ones. But over the years, the quality of graphics has been getting better and better, not only when it comes to rendering still scenes, but also for hardcore animations as well. Unfortunately, since most of the big time Hollywood studios can afford the higher powered software and hardware, it has become something close to inaccessible to many of the amateur movie makers.

The high prices of professional 3D animation software have led to the evolution of machinima. In machinima, cheaper computer games are used to record your 3D animated movie clips. There are many computer games today that have an inbuilt camera or record function that help record the game action. As for the other computer games that don’t possess any built in facilities, there are additional facilities like Fraps that can also be used for recording the game action. Some popular machinima games are SIMS 2, Quake, and Unreal Tournament. These games come with the option of designing sets and characters, as a part of the game or by using utilities that are provided along with the game. Admittedly, getting the exact same movie clips from these games is very challenging.

If there have been so many difficulties, then why is it that nobody has ever attempted to produce a low budget software product that is specifically used for making 3D animated movies at home? Back in the mid 90’s, Microsoft attempted that with a product called the 3D Movie Maker, which was initially targeted at the kids market. However, this particular product was designed for our early computers and it turned out to be pretty basic, making it very slow on most home computers and it was thus discontinued. However, recently there has been a renewed interest in this particular need.

Reallusion helped to develop a modern 3D animation movie maker, known to us as iClone. This software comes as a godsend to all of those who would like to make movies using 3D animation. In its basic form it costs somewhere near to the cost of a top end computer game, and the more advanced versions or the Pro version is still very reasonably priced. Even though you can make an entire movie with the iClone, it is still better to construct a number of smaller series of animated clips and then to edit them and fuse them together using the Microsoft Movie Maker (or any advanced home movie editing software).

Isn’t it amazing that today, with a budget of less than say a $1,000, you can actually buy yourself a PC and the required software to make 3D animated movies from home, when 20 years ago, you would have probably needed millions of dollars for less capable facilities.

Trendy Mobile Phone Cases

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:11:30 -0700

Whereas mobile phone cases may not have been a very trendy item a few years ago, this has dramatically changed especially with the appearance of phone skins and trendy cases that really creates a unique phone.
Surfing on this new trendy wave, a lot of companies like otterbox and their otterbox cases have become specialists and try to define the new fashion.

It is not surprising anymore to find cases with unusual colours or pictures and shapes that are made to match all tastes. One thing we tend to forget is that cases are first made to protect phones. With the latest phones being more and more expensive, but also carrying more technology and having bigger screens, it has become even more important to protect them against anything that could damage them.
Thankfully, most mobile phone cases on the market today have been designed to answer that need as those companies perfectly know that breaking a phone can cost a lot of money to their owner.
Those companies have even developed cases that are waterproof to make sure all their products can satisfy everybody from the business man to people who love spending time outdoor and may get caught in the rain or drop their phone in a wet place.

With the increasing demand for more environmentally friendly products, mobile phone cases makers have also come up with their own ideas. More and more of these companies now provide cases that are polyvinyl chloride free, or more commonly called PVC. On top of that, it now very common to hear that you can return your old mobile phone cases to the manufacturer who will deal with the recycling process. Obviously, more indirect things are also done, like reducing the electricity consumption for example.

Leather cases have also been very sought after products. But not only with business man who want to look smart, but with anybody. Trendy looking leather cases have been developed with various colours and patterns like western or golf looks.
Custom made mobile phone cases are also more and more common, and go from a very simple design to anything unusual and very expensive. Many famous people have entered that game and it has become common to see them with diamond or gold made cases for their phones.

In the end, mobile phone cases have become more than just protective cases and are now almost like a fashion item that everybody needs to have. Most people probably do not realise the first and main goal of those cases but thankfully, manufacturers always keep in mind to provide solid cases that will protect your phone.

Clever Car Kits – the best mobile technology for those on the move

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:10:40 -0700

The chances are we probably all spend too much time in our car these days, but whilst you are there, you may as well have the best (and safest) music and communications tools to pass the time. If you’re into smart gadgets and have to work on the move, then check out the best car kits around.

PARROT CK3200 LS Colour LCD Bluetooth Car Kit
Whether it’s the first or only time you’ll ever have an exotic bird in your car, make sure it’s the PARROT CK3200 LS Colour LCD Bluetooth Car Kit - the first Bluetooth hands free car kit with a colour screen. With voice recognition technology you can dial numbers that are stored in the memory by simply stating the contact’s name. If you have photos of that contact they will also be displayed on the screen, so when you ask it to “Call Angelina” you’re in for a real treat! The voice recognition can store up to 150 names for the really popular amongst you and as it’s 100% Bluetooth enabled, it is compatible with virtually all Bluetooth phones on the market and comes with an additional adaptor to make it suitable for any car brand.

iO PLAY
Keeping your hands free can only be a good thing when you’re driving and if you want to enter a new world of music streaming and mobile hands free possibilities the iO PLAY is for you. However you store your music you can enjoy it with intelligent Bluetooth technology with this clever gadget that is fully installed into your vehicle and integrates into your existing audio system. You can essentially create your own in car party with the excellent sound quality offered by the iO Class D Amplifier technology which also means you don't have to depend on your vehicle having an AUX-in facility. Because the iO PLAY incorporates all your mobile devices simultaneously and wirelessly using Bluetooth® technology it also acts as a hands free car kit, and can integrate with your sat nav voice instructions too. It can even connect devices that are not Bluetooth® enabled using a universal plug-in Bluetooth adaptor. iO PLAY is suitable for all Bluetooth® enabled MP3 players, Mobile Phones and Sat Nav Systems, and is fully compatible with the iPhone and the new iPhone 3G. A stylish piece of kit for the smartest of phones.

VisorLite
Although it sounds like a Star Wars accessory, the VisorLite is actually one of the Supertooth range of Bluetooth Visor car kits and is the new sleek, portable, wireless hands-free in car solution. With minimal installation and no wires, you can just clip it into your car and you’re ready to go. The microphone powers the unit on and off and it can be used as a loud speaker for conference calls. It features built in noise cancelling and echo suppression for a smooth sound and has 8 hours standby time and up to 15 hours of talk time, plus has an inbuilt charger, so you can chat to your hearts content whilst cruising around and staying legal.

Battery reconditioning e-book review

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:39:49 -0700

I will recommend the battery reconditioning e-book to
•    All those people who want to make sure that they know how to recondition batteries to make them last long, really long.
•    People want to find out everything about how to keep your battery healthy and make sure that the run time is extended.
•    People who want to learn how to rejuvenate supposedly dead batteries through car battery reconditioning
•    People who want to know how the charge capacity of a battery can be measured. In this manner, you are going to be able to measure the improvement in your battery, after you have reconditioned batteries.
•    People who want to know how to revert a battery cell which has has been reversed back into its original state of good health.
Features of Battery reconditioning e-book
This amazing e-book has managed to tap the potential of a still unexplored niche market, that of battery reconditioning. But one has to admit that the market is out there, and the attention is still untapped. Nevertheless, the battery reconditioning e-book is a small book, which is going to tell you every single aspect of how you can make your battery last for a longer period of time. The point is, that the factory has a memory and the effect of this memory can be reduced and eliminated with judicial reconditioning. Apart from this, you are going to learn how to tell exactly when you need to recondition your battery and which particular type of battery can be reconditioned effectively. There are other types of batteries, which improve amazingly and dramatically. This e-book is going to tell you the difference between those types of batteries.
Features and benefits list of batteries reconditioning e-book
•    You are going to learn everything about battery reconditioning, as well as rejuvenating supposedly dead batteries, by reading this relatively inexpensive e-book.
•    You will also learn how all these different procedures of rejuvenating, reconditioning and recharging can be done with tools which are definitely not expensive. This is going to give you most amazing results, especially if you want to go into the business of battery reconditioning.
•    Apart from this, there are some niche marketers out there who are willing to give you bonus gifts, where you can find out how to tap into the potential of any niche market, and star earning money ASAP.
You are going to learn all about the techniques which can rejuvenate NiCad batteries. Anybody who wants to explore the potential of this niche is welcome to do so, because not many people are exploring the field of how to recondition NiMh batteries and NICd batteries. Even dead as a door nail batteries can be rejuvenated, and that has been done again and again by people who use the techniques given in this amazing e-book.
What do people have to say about the reconditioned batteries e-book?
Would you believe it, I have a carpool and I was spending lots of money, buying new batteries ever so often. I want to thank you for saving me thousands of pounds, because I have found out how to recondition batteries with your amazing e-book. Thank you-Jeremy B. Portsmouth UK
I thought my NiMh battery was dead until my brother-in-law "borrowed " it. He revived it, and I was still wondering how he had managed to do so until I found your astonishing e-book upon the Internet, I downloaded it immediately, and if I am crowing over him at the moment, I have good reason to do so. This is also an amazing Christmas present for car battery reconditioning!-Nicholas K.
Final say for batteries car battery reconditioning e-book
This is an amazing buy for all those people who want to know about reconditioned batteries, when they needed it the most. On the other hand, this also happens to be an excellent niche for affiliate marketers, especially as this is a very fast selling as well as useful product.
This recommendation answers the following questions.
•    How to get reconditioned batteries?
•    Does reconditioning of a battery actually increase its life?
•    Is battery reconditioning a profitable niche for affiliate marketers?

Are you an Innovative Online Marketer?

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:14:30 -0700

There are loads of websites and magazines that will tell you how to be innovative and how to make quick money. But if these guys were so smart then why don’t they make billions like the inventors of Google or Amazon. I’m sure guys like Mark Cuban or Rupert Murdoch weren’t stuck in their closets reading these articles and then getting inspired to make their fortune.

The matter of fact is that all of these online entrepreneurship idols were creative, not genius or super smart, but plain creative and different. The key to success in anything that you do is to be different and that you can only do best depending on who you are and what your skills set comprises.

So, on that note, let me not go on about how one should be innovative, but let me instead share with you the mistakes an online entrepreneur should steer clear of in his pursuit of innovation.

Here are 3 tips on what NOT to do when trying to be an innovative online entrepreneur –

1.    Don’t go by first reactions –

First reactions are very important for some people and when they present their ideas to a group of friends or peers and if the response isn’t very encouraging, they go ahead and trash the idea. But keep in mind that many people may not have the same outlook as yours and may just be very conservative in their way of thinking. Take Paul Graves’ example – when he thought about creating a website for HIV positive people to meet and date, many people who heard about his idea initially, thought it to be outlandish. Today Positivesdating.com has more than 50,000 members and Paul is making over $ 110,000 a year. Moral of the story – “It’s good to be bizarre.”

2.    Don’t be a copycat –

If you can’t create then you must be good at transforming something that already exists. The best example for this is today’s social networking website. Have you heard about Well.com or Theglobe.com? Well, I didn’t think you did. These two websites were one of the first social networking sites the internet had ever seen. Innovative you might think, but the reason why you don’t know these names is because these sites couldn’t keep up with the changing times. Instead, we all know about Facebook.com and the latest craze Twitter.com, theirs is no original idea, but the way in which they transformed online social networking is what led to their success.

3.    Don’t overlook anything –

Finally, don’t limit yourself by blinkered vision. Develop an analytical and observational bent of mind and you’ll soon see the opportunities in every online field. Visit forums and blogs frequented by your target audience and understand their interests and needs. This will help you identify unique opportunities.

All Portugal Products under One Roof!

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:05:50 -0700

Portugal is situated in the south western part of the European continent. It is a modernized nation flourishing economy along with a quality social and cultural life. Several products of Portugal such as the Portuguese wine, Portuguese saddles, Portuguese embroidery is known throughout the world for their high quality.

Items such as Portuguese saddles with a made in Portugal stamp are on high demand in the Portugal shop. Portugal is also known prominently for its involvement in the practice and promotion of various sports. Sports such as horse riding are very popular among the citizens of Portugal. One of the leading brands which are involved in the manufacturer of horse saddles in Portugal is the Lusitano brand.

The country being famous for horse related market serves both as a market as well as producer of leading saddles around the world. Some of the best saddles produced in the world consist of made in Portugal tag associated with it. Various traditional forms are the ones which gave them a historic look but that there are also some newer innovations that are being included from time to time. The tradition of Portuguese saddles that are most prevalent in the present era dates back to the 18th century. These saddles are designed in such a way so as to cater to those who have the time to enjoy novel designs and keep moving with time to accommodate the newer and better designed versions. Apart from saddles Portugal shop also specializes in the sales and production of various equestrian products such as the bridles, chaps, etc.

Embroidery is seen as the art as well as the craft of decorating materials chiefly fabric using needle and thread. Embroidery has its primitive roots in Europe and is known to have a great acceptance there among the common public. With the modern mass production embroidery has become vintage products and Portuguese embroidery is a class apart in the field. Portuguese embroidery is known for its exquisite patterns throughout the world. Portuguese embroidery is known for its highest quality and natural flair and beauty attached to it. Examples of these embroideries may range from ordinary table cloth to the high end dresses which are in market today. Portuguese products are known for their natural beauty and bright and happy moods which they portray.

The traditional hand made embroidery products can not be found as easily these days as they are not as abundant as they were a decade or two ago. But at the Portugal shop you may still be able to get some of the remaining gorgeous pieces, such as hand-embroidered ones to decorate your home during special occasions. Embroidery itself is special as it requires unyielding care to do.

Some of the common products which are at offer at the Portugal shop include cotton table cloth, traditional linen table cloth and their various varieties. These table cloth can used over special occasions. For more information regarding the Portugal products you can also visit the online version of Portugal shop.

Want your webpage to be placed on top by the search engines? Read on…

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 07:10:33 -0700

Is your webpage placed in near the bottom of the search results? Search Engine Optimization helps you to improve some features in your website and make it rank in the top spot in search engines. Search Engine Optimization checks the methods by which the people search the internet and the algorithms using which the search engines list the websites when a topic is searched. The optimization consists of the processes like editing the content of the website so that the most searched keywords are listed in the right places, HTML coding of the keywords and the titles, adding a hyperlink relevant to the keywords and also removing the factors blocking the activities that help the search engines to index the sites. Do not let your webpage untouched anymore?? Optimize your website and record the most number of views!!

Earlier, when a topic is given to a search engine, the top links in the search results will be those most viewed previously. So there was less chance for other sites that ranked below to raise to the top spot in the search engines. After 1997, when Search Engine Optimization was introduced, the websites were edited and improved in standards according to the search engines’ expectations using various algorithms and techniques. They also observed several kinds of searches like local search, image search industry-specific vertical search engines and even blogs. White hat and black hat are the two classification of SEO. White hat techniques are recommended by search engines as an example for good designs while Black hat techniques are not approved by the search engines. To get long time results, people go for White hat technique. But Black hat technique is not so favored by the search engines as they use dishonest methods to raise the ranks of the websites. So once the search engines identify the factors, they may ban the websites temporarily or even permanently.

White hat Search Engine Optimizers follow techniques like using distinct page titles, expressive keywords as links, clean web design, site topics that are focused and many other small differences that may differentiate the customers’ websites from the others. The top results in any search engine mostly have these things in common. The page titles will be linked using HTML presenting the topic causing the search engine to consider the order in which the links are to be placed.

Most of the SEO also use the white hat techniques like choosing the domain name with the primary keyword. Using suggestion tools and popularity tools they find the suggested keywords and use them in the webpage. Another important factor is the keyword density, the number of times the keyword is used in the page. Too high density may lead to spamming and you may be blacklisted. To get your company recognized, use the company name in the author tag. The search engines also check for the quality and the quantity content of the webpage. Using php pages is also recommended so that the content will be changed periodically. Frames, cloaking, meta-keywords, refresh tags, mirror pages, and invisible text are likely to be avoided to prevent your page from getting banned. So use the recommended Search Engine Optimization method to get your webpage on the top list in any search engine.

Relaystrategy upcoming company

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:46:16 -0700

RelayStrategy has been a year in the making, and we are excited to start a blog and share with the world, and even more excited that you decided to stop by and check us out.

This blog will be our running forum for sharing the latest RelayStrategy company news, progress, and thoughts.

Building a technology services company from the ground up sure takes a lot of work.

The entrepreneurial voyage is exciting, and can be fueled organically by the experience itself – getting new business, welcoming passionate new talents, expanding on capabilities and portfolios, building solid domain knowledge, working on cutting edge technology, and improving our process and methodology.

Then again, every single one of RelayStrategy’s employees can also attest to many moments of being extended more than imagined possible – long days, lack of sleep, fire drills, carpal tunnel, and stress of doing whatever it takes to meet a timeline.

At the end of the day, one thing is for sure: nothing is more assuring and satisfying than having happy, reference-able customers returning to give us repeat work.

So, we are basing our core mission on that – to build successful long term relationships with our customers by delivering quality, cost effective, and timely solutions to help them become successful in their goals and objectives.

We are committed to do this for every customer.

www.Relaystrategy.com

Free Online Dating Sites- Like Plenty of Fish Friend Rule the Internet

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 22:20:04 -0700

Free online dating sites have taken a serious lead over paid online dating sites. If you take into account the economic status of the country and the impact even on single online dating people, the pay online dating sites are taking a virtual beating. Markus Frind of PlentyofFish.com has now surpassed every paid dating site and is climbing the search statistics of sites like Facebook.com and Yahoo Search. Plenty of Fish online dating is a force to be reckoned with. When it comes to page views, Plentyoffish.com is ranked 13th in a league of the big hitters, like Google, Amazon, Yahoo, Facebook, and You Tube.

Markus Frind is a computer science graduate that took his talents, as a single one-man show, with his free online dating site, PlentyofFish.com and made an absolute fortune with a very popular niche.. He has been criticized for having one of the ugliest online dating sites by mere visual eye appeal, but it's interesting to note that it's his focus on content, and ease of access, that has proven to out weigh his competition, even the paid online dating sites like eharmony.

PlentyofFish.com generates revenue in the thousands of dollars a day, and Markus Frind is probably, if not the, number one customer of Google AdSense program. for more detials:-www.greateducationonline.com.Markus has benefited from a novel idea with his free online dating site and the incorporation of Google AdSense ads for his revenue. Using his skills in computer science to tap into the online dating service and provide free online dating to his customers, he has literally become a self-made millionaire several times over.

Markus Frind, a geek, or an inspired entrepreneur? Wisdom and application are hard to beat. PlentyofFish.com is a perfect example of finding a niche and exploiting it to the fullest. Craigslist.com is a very similar story, but the founder of that site has refused to allow pay-per-click ads to be used on his site. Now that baffles me, why would you have a site of that value and traffic and not cash in on the ads and revenue Google AdSense would offer. Oh well, to each his own.

Plenty of Fish online dating site, according to Markus himself, was able to gain market share over other online dating sites primarily because of the shrinking online dating industry business. for visit detials:-www.greatindustrialguide.com.He says the online dating industry has shrank by some 40 percent. This allowed Markus Frind to rally his online dating service to the top of a popular niche when others were crashing around him. Do you think by being a free online dating service, played a major role in this phenomenon? That and the fact that Markus knew how to make use of organic search traffic while others were paying to be in top search positions. Again, it pays to know your way around the computer business.

http://www.finding-the-one-online.com
http://www.fire-itup.com

If you want to learn from a master of his domain, Markus Frind and PlentyofFish.com is a textbook case in point. Online dating will continue to be a high traffic niche, but even by Markus' own statements, the social networking industry is gaining huge strides currently, so if you want to ride the surf from the top, Facebook.com and MySpace are where it's happening