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I stayed with my Mother this weekend and as always she had a whole bunch of tech related questions for me to solve. One of which was whether she could design quilting patterns with any free software for her new toy, an ‘Intelliquilter’ (IQ) device.
For those that don’t know, it’s essentially a quilting machine that has been automated in a similar manner to a CNC or milling machine.
The IQ device which instructs the machine on the pattern to follow accepts a couple of file types, including .dxf which is a vector graphics file type created by CAD programs.

The free alternative I found for her was Inkscape, it will allow users to create designs on a computer that can be transfered onto the IQ device and reproduced by the quilting machine.

Step 1: Get Inkscape

You can download a free and Open Source copy of Inkscape from sourceforge here.
If you are a Windows user, click on the ‘Windows Installer’ Mac and Linux users follow the relevant links.

Step 2: Install Inkscape

Once downloaded double click on the Inkscape installer to install the program on your computer.

Step 3: Get dxf plugin

Inkscape struggles to properly format dxf files for milling machines out of the box so we’ll have to apply a little patch to it so that it works with curved lines properly. The patch can be found here. The instructions for installing the patch are included on the website, but I’ll include some screenshots here incase you get stuck.

Step 4: Create your design

Now I’m not a quilt designer, so please forgive my efforts, but using the beizer curves tool, you can create some interesting swirls and curves, or even copy some cursive text into a single curve for use on the machine. See screenshots below.

Step 5: Save and Transfer to your IQ device

Here comes the important bit, when you want to save your work ready for transfer, click ‘File’ then, ‘Save As…’ decide on a good place to save it, then name it. Important bit! From the drop down box, you need to select ‘better DXF’ and then hit save. You can then transfer the new design to your IQ using the USB stick provided.

Step 6: Enjoy your new capabilities and have fun!

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photo credit: Lord Jim

Gaming these days doesn’t have to cost a fortune. You’ve probably got a reasonable PC, you might pay for and play games already. But sometimes you want something new, something fun and more importantly something free! So here’s a list of the best totally free to play multiplayer games. Whether you’ve got friends who play already or you want to find some gaming buddies. Why not give these a try.

I’ve picked these to try and give a mix of genres and styles, some you can just pick up and play, some of them are a little trickier to get the hang of, but they will all give you hours of free gaming pleasure.

So what’s the catch?

Well they’re all free to play, but the developers have to make their money somewhere right? most of these are ad supported or offer in game features for real world cash. So you’re given the choice, if you get really into a game you might think it’s worth spending a little cash, otherwise resist the temptation and your in free gaming heaven.

1. Alien Swarm

 4 players battle their way through a space hulk to escape seemingly endless hordes of bug aliens. There are 4 different classes of character to choose from each with their own specialities and a whole host of different weapons. Control is simple, move with the keyboard and your gun will aim towards the mouse cursor. Best played with 3 friends (really difficult if you don’t have a full squad), plus to get the most out of it you’ll need to have all of the classes. Beware of friendly fire! When it hits the fan and you’re spraying bullets like a garden sprinkler with ADHD you’re just as likely to cut your team mates to ribbons as you are to survive the carnage yourself. The co-operative gameplay is well thought out too, allowing players to ‘draw’ on the map to show paths to objectives or give advice on the locations of problems/objects.

Fancy a change of view, you can now try it in first person mode check out the guide here

http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/07/21/play-alien-swarm-in-first-person-guide-and-video/

• Info – co-operative, top down,  shooter
• Best Bits – Pick up and play, multiple skill levels, co-operative
• Catches – You’ll need Steam to play it, it’s a little short so it’s got a limited lifespan

2. League of Legends

 You play a ‘Summoner’ in control of a ‘Champion’ and have to defend a base from an opposing team. There are currently 72 Champions to choose from and new ones are added monthly. You earn in game ‘IP’ which can be used to buy Champions, or if you’re impatient you can fork over real world cash and purchase them with that. Each week a selection of 10 Champions are free to play so you can try out a few, then once you have some in game currency, you can ‘buy’ one you like which unlocks them for you from then on. Champions differ by their abilities, some are long ranged, some are melee, and there are plenty of combinations in between. Whether you like flinging spells from the sidelines or smashing baddies with a massive sword, there is a Champion for everyone.

• Info – co-operative, top down, DOTA style, team VS team
• Best Bits – Easy to get started, beautiful to look at, good community
• Catches – System requirements a little high, steep learning curve to get good

3. Gunbound

Remember worms? Well Gunbound is based on a similar idea. Your character sits atop a ‘Mobile’ which has a 3 different attacks or weapons with which to despatch other players sitting on top of their own mobiles. It’s basically a turn based worms clone with quite a few twists. Instead of a bunch of weapons to deal with all of the different situations you may find yourself in you are limited to the attacks that your mobile can do. Mobiles are chosen at the beginning of each match so your not stuck to one. Gaining experience points will allow you to buy items for your character that can boost his/her performance by increasing attack power, speed and many more. Gunbound has been around for ages and the servers are full of players ready to smash you into oblivion.

• Info – team, solo, turn-based physics shooter
• Best Bits – Cute graphics, very addictive, easy to pick up, difficult to master
• Catches – Some of the items in the shop are cash only, terrible language and childish behaviour prevails

4. Quake Live

You can now play Quake online, in a browser, for free… not sure what else you really need to know on this one. It’s based on the Quake III Area game and has a massive user base. The fact that such a hugely successful game can now be run in a browser window speaks volumes for how far the net and computers have come in general.

• Info – classic Quake III style gameplay, frag you way through competitors
• Best Bits – Pick up and play in a browser window, great graphics and very playable
• Catches – You are out of practice, not a lot new here

5. Neopets

Ok so it’s a cutsey browser based virtual pet market, but you know what? It’s got so much more than that. Once you’ve jumped in and made your pet you’d be suprised how many games will engage you. Not really a single game, this is a massive collection of very simple flash games to pit you pet against. Some are skill based, while others are puzzle games that would put an A-Level Mathematics student into a cold sweat. Great to jump in and pit your wits, with so many games to choose from there is something for everyone.

• Info – mostly single player, massive collection of simple flash games
• Best Bits – No install required, simple and additive
• Catches – A little too cute for some, the adverts can get a little nagging.

So, all work and no play… what’s your excuse now?

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Image via Wikipedia

Even though work has become more casual and many workplaces are now having “dress down Friday” the art of tying a proper tie seems to be getting lost. There are of course many different knots to choose from but for ease of tying and impact the full windsor is the way to go. 

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After seeing Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall rant on about how easy and satisfying it is to make yoghurt at home on one of his episodes of “River Cottage” I thought “WOW! finally something that I can do that looks easy peasy and doesn’t require growing/farming, killing my own food” I’ve always felt the guilt that these shows grow from in that I am very far removed from the food hat I at. I often eat out of packets, rarely cook from scratch and never grow my own food.

It reminded me of a Science experiment we did back in school where my Science teacher showed us how yoghurt could be made with milk, a bacterial culture from some more yoghurt and a thermos flask. We suffice to say, when there is Science involved, I had to give it a go.

After a quick search online I found the wikiHow article below, which seemed simple enough to follow.

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yogurt

But why bother? it’s cheap enough in the shops isn’t it? Well yes I suppose it isn’t going to save you enough for a holiday, but it will save a few pence for each pot, and if you get through a lot of yoghurt then the savings could add up. The reasons you should try this is it’s fun! You never know you might learn something.

The basic steps are these:

1. heat some milk to kill all existing bacteria in it
2. transfer it into a sterilised jar (it’s easier than you think to sterilise jars if you have a dishwasher, just stick them in and make sure you don’t touch the inside when you take them out)
3. let it cool down to room temperature (you don’t want to kill the bacteria you’re about to add)
4. add some bacteria culture (a teaspoon from a pot of any bio-yoghurt will do)
5. seal the lid and leave it somewhere warm overnight, near to a radiator or in the airing cupboard.
6. check on it the next day, you should have creamy white yoghurt, ready to eat! (if not you may need to leave it another night)
7. add jam/chutney/honey or pretty much anything else you usually have to flavour your yoghurt.

The best bit is, you don’t need to buy any more starter yoghurt because when you’re running a little low, just take a spoon of the stuff you’ve made and use it to start the next batch!

Ikea do a great range of cheap kilner jars that you could use to start with and if, like me, you take yoghurt as part of your packed lunch, the small jars in the lead photo are an ideal size to stick in your lunch-bag.

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Geek tshirts are a must, and while not all of us want to take wardrobe advice from Sheldon of Big Bang Theory fame. There are some classic geek shirts out there that are a little more amusing than the average “I <3 my Geek”.

Here are my top 5 in no particular order

American McGee’s Alice

A Fantastic Hi-Res Image of a classic heroine from “American McGee’s” twisted take on a fairy-tale character. If ever there was a better alternative to ‘pin-up’ tshirts this is it.

Added Bonus: respect from those in the know

£18.60 Zazzle.co.uk

e=mc2

The duality between matter and speed summed up in one elegant equation. While other equations might have fancy symbols or require a maths degree to see their inner beauty, this one is as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.

Added Bonus: Nice Typography

£17.45 Zazzle.co.uk

Plasmids!

Mad Scientist invents an easy way for people to have super powers! what could possibly go wrong… Show your support for Plasmids! Why wait for evolution?

Added Bonus: Awesome Retro Style

£10.99 Jinx!

Darwin

A little controversial perhaps but who doesn’t love fish with legs? Plus evolution makes a lot of sense. Well done Darwin!

Added Bonus: You’ll never be stuck for conversation

£14.99 RedMolotov.com

Periodic Naughtiness

Tee Hee! it’s a rude word! Feed your evil streak with this shirt which while being very rude indeed, is safe for Sunday dinner with Grandma.

Added Bonus: French Connection Pah!

$17.99 Thinkgeek.com

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Well I’ve got to start somehwere, and this is it. Not quite sure what form this blog will take. It may prove useful, it may just be another web deadend. But you never know I might one day write an article that people really like.

Until then, sit tight and lets see what my mind spews forth onto these pages.