"Switch to Firefox, Gimp, and OpenOffice" written by Paul on estrip.org

03/21/04 11:52 - ID#30821

Switch to Firefox, Gimp, and OpenOffice

Many of you are all anti-corporate until it comes to the computers. I would like to offer some free alternatives to common software that you need to exist as a computer user in the 2000s.

--WEB
I would like to offer some free, open source alternatives.

The most important switch is the switch to a free browser that supports standards, has tabbed broswing, is fast as can be, and has the ability to protect your privacy, as well as, to block pop-ups. It works identical on Mac OSX, windows, and Linux. IE is no longer going to be the cross-platform browser that it once was, as they have cut all development of their browser for OS X.

The browser you want was called Mozilla FireBird but has now changed its name to Mozilla Firefox. Grab a free copy its amazing.

In the future I will be designing all versions of this site specifically targeting that browser. I will put a link to download it on the front page.

Here is a link to a great review of that browser

--Office Suite Software
For the the office suite I would switch to OpenOffice. It is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux and is nearly identical on all platforms. The address to get it is

- note it is a large download but very fast.

--Design Software
For a Photoshop substitute I suggest the Gimp.

the windows 32 version can be forund here

Permalink: Switch_to_Firefox_Gimp_and_OpenOffice.html
Words: 281
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/20/04 07:30 - ID#30820

Protest and Talking

We don't have to talk the issues at the war protest. Just by being there we are showing our support for the issue. Especially in todays mass media world where numbers are all that really matter.

I would even argue that it is the worst time to talk about the issues unless you are a speaker or on loud speaker. Otherwise, you are wasting your breath converting the already converted. It would be far more radical to go to the mall talk with people who might not have thought about it.

We have so many other outlets for critcial analysis and thought.

Permalink: Protest_and_Talking.html
Words: 102
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/20/04 04:17 - ID#30819

More site stuff

I am so excited to finally be able to see who is logged in. I hope you all are too, it was the number one most requested feature and I think the reason the chat room had not worked out before. Soon, I will develop something so you can send intersite notes to other memebers who are logged on outside of the chatroom or email functions. I just need to have more time.

I guess it is always about time with this project. I feel so guilty sometimes because I end up ignoring my friends but I really think that in the long run this has potential to make something pretty cool and once its set it should just run by itself.

Thanks for putting up with me.

On another note, I strongly believe that Sarah needs to break free from her mothers and get and apartment. I think she really might want to do it. Just work and pay her way. I for one would be very proud of her.

Mike, this could be a good roomate opportunity.

Permalink: More_site_stuff.html
Words: 179
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/18/04 11:20 - ID#30818

Live from Matthew's Birthday

We are going to Gabriels Gate to eat.

Matthew's Gifts

Matthew thinking hard about scratching off the lottery ticket.

Here I am lookign scary as usual.

Permalink: Live_from_Matthew_s_Birthday.html
Words: 38
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/18/04 10:55 - ID#30817

A Man and his Woman

I met this dude who liked this girl. They were both pretty hot but for some reason they hadn't gotten it on. She is weirded out cause he hasn't made the first move, and he is probably weirded out by the same reason.

All I say is get it on. What if war breaks out tomorrow and their isn't another chance.

Permalink: A_Man_and_his_Woman.html
Words: 61
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: family

03/18/04 08:11 - ID#30816

Visits and Photos

I went to Nonna's today where she taught me and Michael how to sucessfully kill chickens and pigs. I decided it was probably a good life skill to posess. So, if you are in need of a pig or chicken butcher, I'm your man.

After this she talked about how cruel veal was and how she knew this veal farmer back in Italy. His wife or his mother made him stop farming because they thought it was too cruel. I wish I had the whole thing on video tape as I could not agree more. It would have been a great PETA advertisement.

Nonna cooked really great food as usual but complained about the quality of modern chicken. I told her that I could get her free-range which tastes better, is a little nicer to the animals, but costs more. I think she may be interested, but my mother is defintely cheap meat all the way and does all the shopping.

I also took lots of pictures on the way to her house. mindyou I was speeding by the destinations at 30 mph but a couple of them came out good. You can see parts of them in the new banners.

Some Photos:
This one is supposed to look like the titanic going under but it is city hall. It is supposed to show how buffalo is going under and sinking in debt.

This is just weird. how did a sky rise get on elmwood in the first place. Does anyone know the history of the various sky scraper apartments on Elmwood and Delaware.

Our house in all in peeling paint, falling off siding glory.

This is mike visit his journal

Here he is again looking very studious with the large print Reader's Digest.

Permalink: Visits_and_Photos.html
Words: 313
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/18/04 01:56 - ID#30815

I love my site

(E:strip) - I have finally made it do all of the magical backend tasks I wanted it to do. I am still working on condensing some of the code.

Today is Matthew's birthday, I love him too. So I made him an honorary admin for the site and now he can change the colors and banners at will, just as he always wanted. Maybe you will see new colors in th near future as we can update them from anywhere. Even the sidekick.

Permalink: I_love_my_site.html
Words: 84
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: estrip

03/17/04 02:49 - ID#30814

Email Server Seems Down ARGH!

I filed a trouble ticket with the ISP about the email server and we can hope it's all resolved by the morning.

Other than that I have completed so much back end programming, it seems unreal. Soon you will have many new features. One that I worked a while today is the documented upload system. As our first example, I would like to allow people to upload new startup sound files and site banners.

You may ask what is a startup sound file. It is the sound that plays when you go to the site for the first time before closing the browser. If you quit the browser and start it again, the sound would occur again but it does not play more than once per browser session.

Currenlty we have 4 sounds that Terry recorded. I would like to encourage other people to contribute sounds.

Some constraints are: They must be <15k, related to (e:strip) or sounds from (e:strip), and should be in mp3 format. If you have wav format it will accept those also, but a 15k wav file is really small.

Later this week I will also add a section where people can upload new banners to be added to the random que at the top. That file must be <20k, .jpg or .gif and 750px by 8-px. So start planning. I am excited to see what turns out.

Permalink: Email_Server_Seems_Down_ARGH_.html
Words: 233
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/14/04 07:10 - ID#30813

Patrick 's Parade

It was crazy, there were so many 12-15 year olds drinking the street. We had beer in the car and I asumed it was not cool to have it in the street. We were so wrong people, from 12-80 were openly drinnking everywhere. It was a good time all and all. We ended up meeting holly, trish and paul. I think they are coming to dinner at the 567, where we can discuss the future.

There were about 10,000 people. When we first got, there were about 2 blocks of school busses lined up.

We also saw the iron worker's float where there was only one worker. I guess are not many iron workers left in Buffalo, RIP Bethlemehem Steel.

I also learned that the Irish American population is extremely patriotic and seriously associated with civic sevice. I have never seen so many police, fireman and oher service workers in a parade. They even had part of the parade with armoured swat team tanks. It was kind of scary because I was not sure what the message was upposed to be. All I know is that the Irish is the most drunken group of celebraters I have ever seen.

The craziest thing was that there are boys that do that irish little girl dance. they wear all black and don't have skirts.

Permalink: Patrick_s_Parade.html
Words: 224
Location: Buffalo, NY

03/16/04 05:32 - ID#30812

Scud Cinema 4d file

Zack, I am also up for a beer.

As for the wirefusion, there is not standard set up for this yet. However, you can post a movie using flash video exporter. That is one of the main reasons I added flash. Audio and video. It compresses it really small. If you need help with this, just stop by next Monday and we can work it out. It should be really easy.

As for your hero character's cinema 4d file. I was able to remodel him. I can't send you the file caus eI am using c4d 8.5 and it won't work. I could have sent you a VRML file but then you would lose all the textures because they were done with set selection instead of UV mapping(definately something to consider in the future!). I think that the problem was somehow the points there still believed they were in a symmetry object. Here is what I did to solve it. Email me if you need anyhing.

1. Go into polygon mode and select the polygons I higlighted above in orange. Make sure to delete all the way around the back side of the character and both rows.

2. Go into points mode and right click a point. Then select optimize and check unused points and click ok. The middle row of point should disappear.

3. Switch back to polygon mode, then using the bridge tool connect each section.

4. Finally using the knife tool add the middle row of point sback, by going into front mode and making a cut right down the middle of the newly created polygon strip.

5. In the end it should be perfectly normal.

Permalink: Scud_Cinema_4d_file.html
Words: 279
Location: Buffalo, NY