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SE Michigan, Vol. 9 Iss. 4
January 18, 2007 by TMO · Leave a Comment
'Eidul Ghadeer at Islamic House of Wisdom
Reported by independent reporter Amanda Khalil
Dearborn Heights–January 13–The Islamic House of Wisdom held its annual celebration of Eid Al Ghadeer on Saturday. It was a sizeable community event commemorating Prophet's (s) praising Sayyidina Ali (kw).
'Eidul Ghadeer is an event celebrated by Shi'a in connection with the hajj. According to their tradition, upon the completion of the Prophet Muhammad's (s) final hajj he stopped in Ghadeer Khum whereupon he announced some core principles of Shi'a belief. .
Upon entering the IHW, aromas of delicious foods and the echo of chatter filled the room. Guests of the dinner enjoyed a scrumptious array of foods, drinks, and desserts. A recitation of the Qur`an permeated the guests' ears for all to savor. It was an event that kindled the warmth of family and community togetherness.
There were lectures in Arabic and English on the importance of the hajj and the wisdom behind it. Hajj represents prayer, charity, education; submission to God's will, total connection, and is a purifying process. They said hajj should be a deep spiritual revolution in a person's mind, heart, and soul. Imam Elahi said, "the lesson one learns on the spiritual journey of hajj should be taken back to every corner of the world as a light and purity to all the nations."
Imam Jowad spoke of the symbolism of the hajj, "Imagine waking up and seeing such a large number of people rising in the morning, almost as if they were rising from the graves in a sort of metaphorical symbolism for the resurrection, and a humbling experience as one sheds the possessions and comfort of the worldly life for a deeper connection and understanding." He urged Muslims as they come back from hajj to remember the comforts of this life that they lost on hajj, and carry that appreciation of what they have been blessed with in their hearts. When they see someone without a bed, remember when they didn't have a bed and feel compassion for humanity.
Imam Mohammed Elahi discussed the importance of togetherness and unity amongst all Muslims on the Hajj, "During the pilgrimage peoples of diverse nations and languages unite together in prayer, love, and brotherhood, which we should take an example from, lighting the way to unify the Sunni and Shi'a schools of thought in order to work together in peace and harmony for a common goal of understanding and communication."
Carly Chirifi, a Muslim convert who attended the lectures commented on the evening saying, "It was a really welcoming atmosphere. It gave me a sense of togetherness, and the lectures really opened my mind about hajj on a spiritual level. It improved my faith, and I'd recommend all people regardless of their faith to attend events such as these to open one's mind; and elevate their understanding of the humanity and unity we all share."
Local ladies go formal
By Beena Inam Shamsi
Southfield–January 14–Muslim Women Up! has found a unique way of helping today's young women. Sometimes you just need to get dressed to the nines.
Recently, MWU celebrated its second annual "all sisters ball" at Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in Southfield, Mich. Women of all ages came, dressed in their evening gowns. There were no men allowed.
"It gives the young girls the opportunity to dress up and meet with other Muslim girls," said Mimo Debryn, a guest attending the ball and an advisor of the Youth of America of the Unity Center in Bloomfield Hills.
MWU is a non-profit social- and community-based organization. Its purpose is to welcome all Muslim women regardless of race, class, or culture. It is working hard to bridge community gaps and form a community of true sisterhood.
The event started at around 6 p.m. with Qur`an recitation and a speech on strengthening the `ummah, followed by games, dinner,, a fashion show and dancing. It was a picture-perfect evening.
The chairman of MWU and a mother, Khadijah Abdullah, said, "I have found huge segregation in the Muslim community. Girls don't know other girls. We are losing a lot of girls because of it. Lack of knowledge is causing this segregation. Looking at my own daughter, I don't want to see her lost." She said she wants the girls to realize they are not alone and Islam is a way to help everyone.
Initiating Muslim events has increased Islamic knowledge and promoted personal religious growth.
"There is still culture segregation, where Indian goes to the Indian events, Pakistanis goes to their Pakistani events and Arabs goes to theirs. When you grow up here, you are growing within diversity. Muslim Women Up! is a wonderful opportunity to bring the community together," Debryn said.
The chair of the youth council, Yasmeen Thomas was the inspiration behind the organization. She was confused between her Muslim and non-Muslim relatives. She couldn't decide which path to choose and then she thought about organizing a platform for young women to come forward and have fun within the Islamic norms. "I thought I was the only one with the problems but there were other girls as well. It is a place to reach out to young sisters," she said.
Abdullah said a cohesive community could be built by introducing girls to other girls. MWU has brought a positive change for the young girls. "Last year there were three races; 90 percent African American, 3 percent European and 7 percent Arabic. This time we have seven races," Abdullah said.
MWU also offers a monthly spa day to bring together the sisters of all communities for a day of pampering said the publicity chair, Raina Thomas.
Every month, teens from ages 14-19, get together for a sleepover where they are provided with Muslimah counselors to create a safe place where they can talk out their issues and begin on a road to better communication, self-awareness, self-esteem and family relationships.
MWU's meetings take place in once a month. Meeting are the last Saturday of the month from 3-5 pm starting February 24, 2007.
For more info or to join MWU call Khadijah at 313 205 8764.
CIOM meeting to discuss recent acts of vandalism
Dearborn–A meeting of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan (CIOM) was held last week, comprising about 25 local community leaders from the Sunni and Shi'a communities. The meeting was held in the wake of some very unfortunate acts of vandalism earlier, apparently by radical Sunnis against Shi'a two mosques and several other businesses. Prominent local imams including Imam Qazwini of the Islamic Center of America, Imam Elahi of the Islamic House of Wisdom, Imam El-Amin of the Detroit Unity Center, and Imam Mohammad Moosa of the Bloomfield Unity Center, among other prominent guests, were present.
The focus of the discussion was on promoting congenial relations between all of the different leaders, to maintain a good and friendly basis and not to be at odds with one another, so that cooperation and communication are facilitated at times of crisis when it is important for all communities to work together.
Another meeting is scheduled on February 5th at the Islamic American University.
Free Fibromyalgia Workshop
Press Release: Livonia–a local authority will be appearing at the Carl Sandburg Library for a free workshop on Wed., January 31, 2007 at 7 pm to "reveal the shocking truth behind what can be causing Fibromyalgia. This event is sponsored by the National Wellness Foundation, a non-profit organization.
To register fro the free workshop, call 248-426-0201 and leave a message.


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Do you have a blog? Is it as successful as you were hoping it would be? Hopefully your answer was yes, but if not, I've written this post to help you out. Below are several tips that you can easily implement on your blog to make it better.
1. Use a headline generator
My favorite is called Portent's Content Ideas Generator and it makes it really simple to generate some great headlines. Just input your subject, and it will spit out a new headline. Keep refreshing the page until you find one that you like.
2. Have an awesome blog logo
Every blog needs a great looking logo. It's a great way to build your brand and make your site memorable. Take a look at Rae Hoffman who has a terrific looking 007 type logo on her site.
If you're not a designer, then take a look at 99designs which is our favorite crowdsourcing place for getting cool logo designs. You can find some logo inspiration from a site like Logofaves and then you can use it as the basis of your design brief. After that, you will have a great looking logo in less than a week.
3. Put Social Icons above the fold
Why isn't anyone following your twitter account or liking your Facebook page? More then likely it's because you are putting these widgets above the fold on your blog.
If you want people to follow you on social media, you need to make it easy for them. Every extra hoop you make your visitors take will cost you followers.
4. Add A Call To Action
You write blog posts because you want your visitors to do something, right? Whether it's writing a blog comment, clicking a link, or buying a product, you need to include some sort of explicit call to action. If you don't, your readers will read your post and just move away on their own. Nobody can read your mind about what you want them to do, so why not tell them!
5. Show a Photo of yourself on your blog
Having a photo of yourself builds trust. Your readers want to know that what they are reading is being written by a real person.
6. Use A Good Web Host
Having a poor web host is the death of any blog. If your site is slow, or always down, then any visitors you do get, will never come back. That's no way to run a blog, right?
Instead, make sure you invest in a reputable web host. A shared web host like Bluehost is a decent option, but look into getting a VPS with a hosting company like WiredTree (see review). They're fast, reliable and their support is top notch.
Final Thoughts
What do you think of our blog tips? How many of them do you think you will be able to implement for your own blog? If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments and we will respond right away!

subset: commoncrawl


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Crown Holdings Schedules Third Quarter 2012 Earnings Conference Call
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Crown Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CCK) will release its earnings for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012 after the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, October 17, 2012. The Company will hold a conference call to discuss these results at 9:00 a.m. (EDT) on Thursday, October 18, 2012.
The dial-in numbers for the conference call are (415) 228-5025 or toll-free (800) 475-0233 and the access password is "packaging." A replay of the conference call will be available for a one-week period ending at midnight on October 25. The telephone numbers for the replay are (203) 369-1081 or toll free (866) 442-2103. A live web cast of the call will be made available to the public on the internet at the Company's web site, www.crowncork.com.
Crown Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a leading supplier of packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world. World headquarters are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
For more information, contact Corporate Communications at (215) 698-5351.SOURCE Crown Holdings, Inc.
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Marlins Valuable Professionals - Internship Program
The M.V.P. Internship Program aims to offer young leaders an opportunity to enhance their academic and professional development at Marlins Park. The M.V.P. Internship program is a signature offering of the Miami Marlins and endeavors to positively contribute to the workforce development and marketability of young professionals in our community.
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I Love Dust
Category: Designers/Studios,
Posted by: Sherry Chang
Location: London
Posted: Oct 16th 2011
I Love Dust is a UK interdisciplinary design studio that's based in East London and Southsea. I really like the way they mix design and illustration in their projects. I especially like their typographic work, they've also designed some creative type like the Running Club alphabet for Nike.
Comments: 1
Peter KingUnited Kingdom, Brighton | Oct 28th 2011And don't forget their gorgeous new office. http://ilovedust.com/blog/new-ild-london-studio


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11 shot in Chicago Monday night
BY MITCH DUDEK AND MICHAEL LANSU Staff Reporters December 3, 2012 6:48PM
Five people were shot outside this currency exchange at 75th & Exchange. Monday, December 3, 2012 | Brian Jackson~Sun-Times
Article Extras
Related Stories
Updated: December 4, 2012 11:59AM
Eleven people were shot on Chicago's West and South sides through the night Monday, including five people hurt in a single shooting at a busy South Shore corner.
Paramedics took four people to area hospitals in critical condition following the attack about 5:55 p.m. near 75th Street and Exchange Avenue, authorities said. A fifth person was hospitalized in good condition.
The shooting happened at a busy intersection outside a Western Union currency exchange. Witnesses said two men approached a group standing on a corner and opened fire.
The witnesses said a woman waiting for the bus was struck by the gunfire and went inside the Currency Exchange, where she collapsed. At least three other men fell to the ground after being shot.
Earlier Monday, about 5 p.m. in the South Chicago neighborhood, a police officer from a department other than the Chicago Police shot an armed man during the course of an armed robbery, police said. The attempted robbery happened in the 8700 block of South Luella Avenue.
The alleged robber was taken to Advocate Trinity Hospital in an unknown condition, police said.
Another shooting about 7 p.m. in the East Garfield Park neighborhood wounded an 18-year-old man, police said. He was shot in the leg in the 0 to 100 block of South Whipple Street and is in good condition at Mount Sinai Hospital.
About 8:55 p.m., three males walked up to a 19-year-old man standing in a driveway in the South Deering neighborhood and started shooting, police said. The man was shot in the legs in the 9600 block of South Luella Avenue. He was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County in "stable" condition.
About 9:30 p.m. in the West Garfield Park neighborhood, a 19-year-old man was standing on a corner in the 3900 block of West Lexington Avenue and heard gunfire and realized he was shot, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for a gunshot wound to the abdomen, and is in "stable" condition.
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The most recent shooting happened about 3:37 a.m. Tuesday in the 500 block of East 75th Street, police said. A 41-year-old man was shot multiple times and is in "stable" condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.


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Update - Friday - 3/22/2013, 12:36am ET
WASHINGTON - Police have identified the 71-year-old victim of Thursday's fatal hit-and-run accident.
Officials say Ruby Whitfied of Northeast D.C. died after being hit by a silver 2010 Mercury Mountaineer traveling eastbound on Florida Avenue NE. She was walking in a marked crosswalk.
The driver, 32-year-old Joel Russell Bromwell of Annapolis, Md. fled the scene, but was later located on Elliot and F streets in Northeast.
He has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The investigation is ongoing.
Earlier - Friday - 3/22/2013, 6:36am ET
Michelle Basch,
WASHINGTON - A 71-year-old woman is dead after a fatal hit-and-run in Northeast D.C. Thursday night.
Police say they received the call at 8:21 p.m. on Thursday night that a pedestrian had been hit in the 1100 block of Florida Avenue NE.
The victim was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The driver left the scene, and officers began searching for a silver Mercury SUV with possible front-end damage.
Eventually police found the vehicle in the 600 block of Elliot Street NE, and arrested the man they say was driving.
There's no word yet on the exact charges against the driver.
Follow Michelle and WTOP on Twitter.
© 2013 WTOP. All Rights Reserved.


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Yo Cube ! Much respect , I wanna thank you for staying you and doing the whole thing as a man. Been inspired by everything you do, Just cop'd that lottery ticket today $22.00 Can, No bootleg, support everything you into, Black Ops WHAT!!! I knew that was you as soon as I heard homeboy talk, that was the shit, but they shouldn't of done you like that I was f***ed up. "Here he come" that sh**s my theme song, Lol, anyway I'm out Keep excelling cube, got you in mind everytime I'm in the studio "you ain't got to lie to kick it" Where Chris Rock been anyway, now that I mention it, lol.....iiiight (throwing dub up ) Peace....


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updated 12/12/14
8.25/10 rating (44 votes)
comments (14)
traveller (planetside)
updated 12/11/14
8.66/10 rating (64 votes)
comments (22)
the blank angel (winter)
updated 12/09/14
8.17/10 rating (52 votes)
comments (8)
updated 12/02/14
7.79/10 rating (57 votes)
comments (12)
While Bucephalus chugged away rendering the snowy version of my Black Angel, I was inspired to create a new version of my "Traveller" scene from last year. I've moved the icy moon in much closer to the planet, added a fiery moon in the foreground and some sublimating watervapor from the new sunlight angle.
Let me know if you think this one deserves its own spot in the gallery or if it should just be a Pickle Jar entry.
Here's a nice little minimalistic wallpaper I put together while relearning how to create 3D fractals using Mandelbulber. Expect a few other, perhaps less minimalistic, versions in the days ahead as my knowledge expands.
I've added a winter version of "The Black Angel" to the Members Gallery this morning. I created the original "Black Angel" as a Halloween wallpaper but I was already thinking how interesting it might look as a winter scene.
I've used the same snow-covering technique that I first attempted in Hokkaido to cover the branches and vines with snow. This scene, however, was considerably more complicated so the results were not always perfect.
No, this is not my Christmas wallpaper for 2014 ;-)
This is what happens when I try to recreate a lost abstract and end up going off on an entirely different tangent. I somehow managed to erase my scene file for "Infinitesimal" before I was able to render the multiscreen version. I still had the objects though so I set about trying to recreate it.
For whatever reason, though, I couldn't get it to look right. I created a bit of new geometry then, thinking I would just create a new "Infinitesimal", but I was never able to get results that I felt were better than the gallery version.
I decided, in the end, to scrap the revision and just create something new with my new geometry. I hope you like the results!
My ultra-widescreen version of "Pyre (2014)" for multiple-monitors and 21:9 is now available. I've also added a selection of 5120 x 2880 "5K" images to fit the new Apple iMacs. The zip file is available for Members on the Downloads page.
Here's my third (final?) version of my "Pyre" update (see the original "Pyre" here). I've added a bit more "halo" around the pyre, changed the pose of the pyromancer, and added some magic coming from his fingertips.
The first two renders will remain available in the Pickle Jar. Let me know what you think!
Sorry I've been a bit quiet the past couple of weeks. I've actually had three projects going and here's the first that I think is ready for the gallery. It's a little 3D doodle I rendered on my Macbook Pro while Bucephalus and Asfaloth were busy rendering. I created the geometry using Xfrog and rendered using Lightwave 11.
Members can check out my WIP preview page to get a look at one of the other projects and I've teased the other on my Instagram page. Hope to have the others ready soon!
My latest render is called "Painted Canyon". It was inspired by a tiny thumbnail of a photo I glimpsed while surfing the internet. I wish I'd saved it or tried to find the source! The photo brought back the time I visited Big Bend National Park and saw the sunset through a massive gorge.
I hope you enjoy it. I still have a tweak or two I would like to try but I thought it looked nice enough to share...
PS: I did a interview recently with MOARgeek.com which you can check out here if you are interested. What's the weirdest place I've ever seen my work pirated? Read on...
Someone recently mentioned that I don't make enough abstracts any more. Here's a new one that I put together on my laptop while Bucephalus rendered the black angel. Enjoy!
It's always tough when one of my first drafts takes off and gets high-ratings, because there will always be folks who won't like my changes. Still, I knew when I posted the first version of "The Black Angel" that I wasn't completely finished with it.
I've reworked the foreground (the grass was too tall and just a blur before), added some more vines to the trees and the statue, added some blowing leaves, and finally brightened the scene a bit so you can see more details in the foreground.
I hope you like the changes. The first version will remain available in the Pickle Jar along with a bonus B&W version that I think looks pretty creepy too...
PS: Jessie took issue with my claiming the inspiration for this piece was the Black Angel in Iowa City. She correctly noted that our son Ian has been putting together a black angel costume for Halloween for the past month so he should get the credit. Thanks for the inspiration Ian!
Me back in 92 getting inspired for my latest #Halloween render. pic.twitter.com/Q4fY0rzY9V— Ryan Bliss (@dblasphemy) October 20, 2014
The "Black Angel of Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City always freaked me out as a college student back in the 90s. As you can see from the photo above, I couldn't even look at it.
While the statue in Iowa was my main inspiration, I'm sure some of you will also think of Doctor Who when you see this render.
Either way I hope you have a happy and safe Halloween!!
PS: Are you on "Ello"? I signed up this week and you can follow me here.
I get this a lot...(src.. http://t.co/HPvbRhEMv8) pic.twitter.com/LTKVS0aLKO— Ryan Bliss (@dblasphemy) October 19, 2014
I added "The Final Flame" to the gallery early this morning. This one still has a few issues (the bottom of the frame needs work, camera angle needs adjusting) but I thought it looked interesting enough to share while I work them out. Expect a new render in a day or two.
Here's a night version of my updated "Karesansui". I stuck with the original lighting scene (rather than adding visible lanterns) as I wanted to keep the focus on the foreground. Let me know what you think!!
Ever since Lightwave added their own Instancing engine, I've thought it would be cool to add real stones to my "Karesansui dry garden. The original used a displaced plane to simulate the raked gravel.
This new version uses over 4 million instances to create the "gravel sea".
I've also subdivided the stones so they look a bit more hi-res. Not sure if I should mess with the background or not. I've done some experiments but anything I add back there seems to steal focus from the foreground.
Let me know what you think! So many different applications for instances...
I was never really happy with the clouds in my original "Moonshadow" render. For this update I wanted to simulate a real "moonshadow" with the clouds (some still lit by the sun and some are in shadow).
You may notice that quite a bit of this scene as adapted from "The Green Flash". I put a lot of trial and error work into achieving those atmospheric/beach effects and I didn't want to re-invent the wheel for what would essentially be the same environment.
You can think of this piece as a companion to "The Green Flash" if you'd like, taking place a bit further up the beach ;-)
As with the original Moonshadow, I'm sure a lot of people would prefer there be no human in this piece. I may provide such a render later, once I am happy with the "final" settings.
Let me know what you think!
I've added a new version of "Hokkaido" to the Members Gallery this morning. This new render is available for both single and multiple-screens (up to triple 4K).
I would also like to mention that Members who have more than two years remaining on their accounts will no longer see the "Sliding Sale" message. The sale has been a success so far and am much happier having more Members who paid less than fewer who pay more.
To that end I have set a goal of 20,000 active Members by Jan 1st 2015. There are 18678 active Members currently so that number isn't out of reach. Help me out and sign up or renew today!
I've added dual and triple-screen versions of "The Dreamer" to the Members Gallery. I have to admit I almost like the cropped 16:10 middle of this one better than the single-screen render I posted. Try it for yourself by choosing the image that matches your vertical resolution and select "Center" when you set it on your desktop.
Here's an updated version of "The Dreamer" which builds upon the whale theme but makes it a bit more abstract. Let me know what you think!
This piece was inspired by a photo I saw of Hokkaido's famous "Blue Pond".
Believe it or not The Dreamer and this scene sprang from the same root, even though they couldn't be more different tonally.
I've added "The Dreamer" to the Members Gallery today. I had started work on a landscape project but it took a left turn into something that blends space, landscape and abstract in one image. This piece is dedicated to my boys, Ian and Jason, who are both dreamers in their own distinct ways.
Modeled and rendered using Vue d'Esprit 2014.
I've finally managed to add dual and triple-screen versions of "The Green Flash" to the Members Gallery this morning.
Any of you running multiple 4K screens? I am proud to report that I have added my first wallpapers designed to fit multiple 4K monitors this morning.
Right now I only have three available (my most recent 3 projects) but I hope to add more as demand dictates!
My latest Thank You cards have arrived! These cards feature my updated version of "Endless Blue" and you can get yours (signed on the front by myself and on the back by the Bliss family) by purchasing or renewing a DB Membership ($15 minimum purchase).
Completed the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge yesterday...
Let me know what you think in the comments!
As you guys can probably tell, I take Leonardo's quote ("Art is never finished, only abandoned") quite seriously. This particular piece was started in the winter of last year and I abandoned it before I was 100% happy.
Fast forward to a few days ago and I was modeling objects for another new project and the idea came to me how I might "improve" this one.
I hope you like the new render. The old versions are still in the Pickle Jar so you can see what's changed.
The multiscreen version of "The Green Flash" is currently rendering on Asfaloth and is a few days away!08/13/14
I had the opportunity to return recently to San Diego and visit with old friends. It was tough leaving. This wallpaper is my homage my old home in the west and the years I lived there.
I used Vue d'Esprit's "planetary" mode to allow me to place clouds (and the sun) beneath the horizon line so I could create godbeams from beyond the curve of the earth. Tricky to set up and it took forever to render (to clean up the noise) but you let me know if was worth it.
Also, I am also having a little sale in which I am trying something new. I'm calling it a "Sliding Sale" and the discount will vary based on how long it has been since someone last joined or renewed. Within 10 minutes the discount will be 50%. After all that starts sliding down. 45% after 10 minutes, 40% after 20 minutes and down to 30% after an hour. If no one makes a purchase for 2 hours the sale will end.
Current members use the coupon code "SLIDINGSALE" go get the discount here.
Lastly I wanted to mention that, for a limited time, I will be offering my signed 4x6 prints to anyone who signs up for a full-price Lifetime Membership/Renewal. They were previously only available to folks who chose to become DB Donors.
By popular demand I have added my updated version of "The Overseer" to my main gallery. You will noticed that I updated a few elements for the gallery version, but I kept the windows the same. I played around with quite a few different options but nothing beat these simple lines IMO.
As I mentioned before, this render was inspired by a Member who sent me a picture of her Thank You card...
What started out as an update to "Hybrid" took a number of left turns and ended up someplace very different. This project was another exercise with Lightwave's instancing system (a la "Island in the Void"), but this time with solid objects.
My first version featured a sort of "frost" but I found the gold leaf to render much faster while also not being mistaken for mold or decay :-)
Either way this is a new technique for me so please let me know what you think!
Earlier this week one of my fans sent me a photo of her Thank You card setting in front of the dual-monitor version of "Island in the Void". One of the comments suggested that it looked like the view from inside a space ship which led me to think that my galaxy render would make an interesting view for my "Overseer".
This render and another similar one are available in the Pickle Jar for my Members to download. They are fun little bonus wallpapers and I hope you enjoy them!
Here's a version of "Horizons" with some bioluminescence added to the cave flora. After some reflection I've decided to leave this version in the Pickle Jar however and go forward with v.2. Thanks to everyone who shared their opinion!!
My third batch of Thank You cards have arrived. These, as you can see, feature my "Fluorescence" mushrooms. As before, all new Members (yearly and above) and renewing Members will receive one signed by me and the family (I am trying to teach my boys a lesson about gratitude).
If you are already a Lifetime Member or wish to get one without purchasing a Membership/Renewal please see here for my criteria!
There are 150 of these Fluorescence cards and I will be moving on to a new design once they are all sent out (around 35 of them are already spoken for). If you want this classic design you should probably act quickly. The last cards were gone within a few days!
Announcing the winners of the DB Minecraft Challenge 2014!
|Grand Prize Winner:
"Portals: A Perspective" by Tyler Hohnstein
Prize: Lifetime Membership and I will try to import and render his creation!
|First Place:
"Necropolis (Day)" by Karl Ashton
Prize: Lifetime Membership
|Second Place:
"Phaeralon (Day)" by Brian Jones
Prize: Lifetime Membership
|Third Place:
"Endles Blue" by Phil Ridings
Prize: 1 Year Membership
|Fourth Place:
"Amazed" by Michael North
Prize: 1 Year Membership
|Fifth Place:
"Gotham Garden (Winter)" by Scott North
Prize: 1 Year Membership
|Sixth Place:
"Memorial" by Joseph Barrett
Prize: 1 Year Membership
|Honorable Mention:
"Gazebo" by Brandon North
Prize: 1 Month Membership
I hope to have a contest every summer (as long as people are still playing Minecraft). If you didn't win this year I hope you will keep entering!
"Horizons" is the end-result of my learning some new space rendering techniques over the past few weeks. I used my Class M planet from Skyward, my gas giant from "Cronus", and my galaxy from "Island in the Void" for the sky and modeled the foreground in Vue 2014.5.
The title is from a comment left by member "Jenna" on the work-in-progress version, where she said: I really like the "from our current horizon to our eventual horizon" feel.
I hope you enjoy it too!!
My Thank You cards have been so popular that I thought I might take it a step further. All DB Donors will receive a signed and numbered 4x6 print of your choice (in addition to a thank you card and listing on my donor page).
If you use the PayPal option please use the "instructions to seller" field once you get to the PayPal site to let me know which image you want. Please be sure to include your shipping address!
If you use my Bitcoin option please email me your address and the image you would like after you make your donation. Thanks and please let me know if you have any questions!!
If you use the PayPal option please use the "instructions to seller" field once you get to the PayPal site to let me know which image you want. Please be sure to include your shipping address!
If you use my Bitcoin option please email me your address and the image you would like after you make your donation. Thanks and please let me know if you have any questions!!
My second batch of 100 "Thank You" cards arrived from Zazzle over the weekend but I've already sent out nearly 80 of them! The boys had a marathon signing session last night... Otherwise I will be moving on to the next design soon!
"Island in the Void" is new in the Members Gallery this morning. The title refers back to this piece from 2001.
I started playing around with this model on Asfaloth while waiting for "Cronus Rising" to render on Bucephalus. My goal was to create a believable galaxy in Lightwave using the new instancing tools (and no Hypervoxels).
This one rendered in around 90 minutes at 4800 x 3000 with 24 anti-aliasing passes. That certainly beats the 24 hours that a similar Hypervoxel render would take. I'm still learning all the tricks to the new instancing system so this is just the beginning.
Let me know what you think!
I've also added dual and triple-screen versions of "Cronus Rising".
After all that tinkering with Vue's planetary rendering mode, I thought I should bring it all together was a nice planetscape. "Cronus Rising" is new in the Members Gallery this morning.
The planets are a combination of two different Vue renders (it only lets you render one planet at a time) and the foreground was also rendered using Vue 2014.
You might detect the influence of my recent visit of Washington state.
Here's the original from 1998 if you are curious as to how they match up! I hope you like the update!!
Second Annual DB Minecraft Contest!
Last year's contest on Facebook was a huge success. It's gotten a lot harder recently to communicate with my fans through Facebook so I am bringing the contest back home to DB.
Another change: In addition to a Lifetime Membership, I would like to try to import the Grand Prize winning into either Vue or Lightwave to create a special render.
Rules, prizes and entry instructions can be found here.
Vote for your favorites here (the first entry has already been posted!). One Grand Prize winner (chosen by an expert jury) will receive a prizes listed above. The next 4 highest rated images will each recieve 1-year Membership gift certificates. One Honorable Mention will receive a 1-month membership.
Enter as many times as you like, but each submission is final (no submitting improved versions please). Members please let me know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions!
I stepped away from the computer for a few days with family and friends out in beautiful Washington state. I have quite a few ideas in mind for future landscapes!
I was pleased to see that Bucephalus finished a multiscreen render of "Cronus" while I was away.
I moved my "camera" in a lot closer for this one to get a better look at the volumetric layers. This is an experimental process for me so please let me know what you think!I would like to tackle a new version of "Cronus Rising" before I move on if no one minds...
"Cronus" continues my exploration of Vue d'Esprit's "Planetary" mode. It basically allows you to move the camera high enough that you are looking down at the entire planet that you were working on. The planet in "Skyward" was made in this manner, but I wanted to see if I could use it to create a gas giant type world.
This render combines my gas giant with a smaller terrestrial type satellite. Both were rendered using Vue d'Esprit 11.5. It's still very much a work in progress so expect a few alternate versions. As I said before, it's a lot of fun making planets in Vue!
UPDATE:I've added a new version of "Cronus" this morning. I've flattened the clouds a bit and, as suggested, added some haze to the atmosphere. Still, this is meant to be a fanciful gas giant (and it's my first) so I don't mind sacrificing realism in that pursuit.
The main benefit of this new version is that the gas giant is all one, raw, render. The first version was actually a Photoshop composite of 2 different renders. My main goal is always something that I can re-render without Photoshop and this version satisfies that nicely.
The name was taken from one of my first Bryce planetscapes. I think an updated "Cronus Rising" may appear sometime in the not-too-distant future.
Another benefit of this 3D approach to planet-making is that I can move my "camera" down into the cloud layers themselves for some very interesting views. Stay tuned!
In other news, the first batch of Thank You cards went out today!
In other news, the first batch of Thank You cards went out today! The boys are working on their signatures and are getting a real kick out of seeing how my fans are in so many different countries.06/13/14 Third time's the charm? I've made some adjustments to the planet for the third version of "Skyward". The clouds have been scaled back a bit so you can see more details on the planet's surface. I've also added a few dark side lights.
I've added back a bit of underlighting in the trees but it's no longer red. I hope you like the update!
I think I'm pretty close to being happy with this one, and it has been a lot of fun learning how to make planets in Vue d'Esprit. The tools are quite powerful and I can see some really cool applications down the road!!
Help me teach my boys a lesson about what I do for a living!
I brought back this stack of postcards from Rustycon. From now until they are gone all new and renewing Members (yearly and above) will receive a "Thank You" signed by me (on the front) and the family (on the back). I would like to teach my children a bit more about what I do for a living and I think this will be a good hands-on lesson!
So how do you get one if you are a Lifetime Member? Great question! I will be happy to send you one for a small donation!
I've added an updated version of "Skyward" this morning. This chief difference you will notice is that the tree branches are no longer lit from beneath. I've also added a bit of glow to the highlights. Hopefully the tree branches are still visible on your screen!
The first version is still available in the Pickle Jar. I may yet have one more revision before the multiscreen...
I've always wanted to do a wallpaper depicting what you might see laying on your back and looking up through the trees at a wondrous night sky. After creating my first planet in Vue d'Esprit it seemed like the time was right.
I hope you enjoy it! This is a bit of a first draft so don't be surprised if I post an update or two in the days ahead...06/07/14
The dual and triple-screen versions of "Endless Blue (Night)" are finally available. I'm still not sure why this one takes so long to render but I'm glad it's finished!!
My Members have been requesting a way to browse my Pickle Jar for a long time now. Here's a start...
It's still a work-in-progress but it is mostly functional. Let me know what you think!
So I spent the past few days trying to get this scene to render in under half the time, yet also without the noise that has plauged the earlier versions. In addition to tweaking the renderer I've decided to lose the transparency/refractions.
This version renders faster, is cleaner, and I think also has better contrast. The savings in render time allowed me to add a bit of volumetric light as well.
Dual and triple-screen versions are available as well.
Let me know what you think!
Here's my nearly final version of "Inner Space". I thought it would be interesting to introduce some purple into the mix. Let me know what you think! 05/24/14
While waiting for a couple of renders to finish I thought I would tackle a site feature that many have requested. It's long been possible to buy someone a Membership using a Gift Certificate. My Pay-It-Forward program allowed one to renew a random Member (as a random act of kindness) but it has never been possible to purchase a renewal for an active Member (and thus keep alive the Membership that was initially given).
To fix this I've added a Gift Renewal page where all you need to do is enter the recipient's username or account email address to get started.
It would seem to me that such a renewal would be the perfect gift. After all, the recipient has already shown that they enjoy my work enough to go the extra mile and become a Member.
Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!!
Continuing my experiments with e-on's "The Plant Factory" here, exploring possibilities beyond greenery. Here's a development photo showing TPFs "Grow on Mesh" capability with a non-continuous object.
Sorry the first draft is a little grainy. I used Lightwave's native renderer here because F2 (my preferred Lightwave renderer) doesn't work with Lightwave's new instancing. I will work on cleaning it up for future renders.
Let me know what you think!
Multiscreen users: I have a 7680 x 1600 version of "Endless Blue (Night)" rendering now on Asfaloth. I hope to have it ready soon!!
Here's a scene that I started on Asfaloth while I waited for "Endless Blue (Night)" to finish rendering on Bucephalus. It's was inspired by "Relics" from 2000, but I thought it would be interesting to focus down the barrel. I modeled the barrel using Lightwave and then used the "grow-on-mesh" capability of The Plant Factory to create the vines.
Let me know what you think. I know it's a bit different...
I started work on a night-time adaptation of "Endless Blue" almost immediately after I posted the last day version. It took me a few tried before I arrived at something worthy to post though. My first attempts were far too dark.
I hope I didn't go overboard with the lights in this one. As with the day version wanted to take what I had done before and turn it up to 11.
Let me know what you think. I hope to have multiscreens soon!!
I had always planned on making a night version of "Pot of Gold" but I underestimated how much trouble I would have doing it Vue d'Esprit. Most of my "glowing" work is created in Lightwave after all.
I did finally manage to create something interesting in Vue but then after nearly 5 days (!) of rendering I aborted the scene. Instead I decided it would be better all-around if I recreated the pond scene in Lightwave for my night version.
I hope you like the result!
I think I am finally happy with my revised "Endless Blue". At times I've wanted to retitle it "Endless Rendering" but I've finally figured out how to render it semi-quickly with decent quality. The night version should be interesting...
Just wanted to let you all know that I am finally accepting BitCoin for Memberships. I am using Coinbase to process the transactions.
Current Members can purchase their renewals using Bitcoin here!