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Lightsabers

I'm still sick. Actually, I'm sicker, with a fever that reached 102.4° last night. The good news is that the girls are doing much better. Their fevers are down and the remaining symptoms are those that are typical of end-stage colds (runny noses and coughing). Since the progression of Aerin's illness so closely resembled that of Claire's — except two days behind — I'm hopeful that I'll feel better in a couple of days too. As is usually the case, this poor blog remains neglected while my family continues to recover. However, when I came across this Imgur gallery of lightsabers, I knew that I had to share it with my readers. Three things of note: This collection only seems to span the prequels (boo). The lightsaber...

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Boo!

Look at me! Did that scare you? ;-)  Because it's pretty freaky, if I may say so myself. As much as I would like to take credit for this zombie effect, I didn't have to do any work to achieve the ghoulish look (unless you call clicking on some buttons "work"). So no, there will be no makeup tutorial. :-P What I can tell you is that you can easily do the same for yourself, or any other person's portrait. All you need is a Google+ account...

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“Photoshop” in the 1930s

Close your eyes. Now, imagine your favorite vintage portrait. Is it of Jean Harlow? Audrey Hepburn? Vivien Leigh? Marilyn Monroe? No matter who, there's a very good chance that the famous portrait engrained so deeply in your mind was "photoshopped." Not in the modern sense, but by using film photography techniques from bygone decades. When the above before-and-after was posted to Reddit, experts and enthusiasts readily chimed in with stories, explanations, and history lessons. For example, the most upvoted response divulged: I have worked at a commercial studio since the mid 90's. We were still doing some of these things then. I remember working in the darkroom and dodging/burning prints, masking...

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Translated TV Show Titles

For today's edition of "interesting stuff I found on the web," cartoonist James Chapman shares with us an illustrated guide to what popular TV shows are called around the world. I think I'd much rather watch a show called "In the Shoes of Satan" than plain ol' "Breaking Bad," wouldn't you? Or how about "A Crazy in the Area?" Be sure to check back next week, because Chapman will reveal part 2 of this series! Via Neatorama....

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How Do Computers Render Curves? [Video]

If you've ever used vector graphics programs such as Adobe Illustrator, you probably know what a Bézier curve is. But do you know how they work? (In other words, how your computer draws them?) The following video by Peter Nowell explains just how. It's a geeky "how does it work?" instructional that is sure to captivate illustrators — heck, even those with no interest in computer graphics will find this engrossing! If you want to see more Bézier curves in action, check out these interactive animations by Jason Davies. :-) Via Gizmodo....

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