The scale keys tool in Maya is a little awkward. Why doesn’t it just have a normal scale manipulator tool like every other app?

It does, it just isn’t turned on by default:

Open or download the QT version below if you want to see a higher resolution version of the video:

QuickTime Version 1152×720 (95MB)

iPhone Version

Feel free to let Autodesk know that this should be on by default.

Click image to watch High-Bandwidth version.
Low-Bandwidth Version (iPhone)

The amount of tools they developed, with the amount of people they had working (around 90), in the amount of time they had to do it, is extremely impressive. And another reason why anyone interested in vfx/animation/film should definitely take a very hard look at Nuke.

[fxGuideTV]
[Image Engine]

PSYOP is a fantastic example, not only have they been posting up most of their recent work, they have also been posting up breakdowns of how it was conceived from start to finish. As much as I enjoy the finished work I must say I enjoy these breakdowns and making of’s even more.

EDIT: Original video was removed by PSYOP, here is the complete ad:
>

Great stuff! Check out the rest on their Vimeo page.

[PSYOP - Vimeo]

A fantastic bit of information, humor, and ideas so eloquently dropped by Mr. Jonathan Zittrain.

[TED - The Web as random acts of kindness]

“Bonnie Bassler discovered that bacteria “talk” to each other, using a chemical language that lets them coordinate defense and mount attacks. The find has stunning implications for medicine, industry — and our understanding of ourselves.”

Pretty incredible discovery if you ask me, and I know a thing or two about incredible discoveries. . .

It is very interesting to think about this on a very simple level, very simple organisms that can’t do anything really on their own can really do a lot when there is a lot of them and they can communicate effectively. Maybe humans should try this idea in a little more dramatic way.

Barry Schwartz makes a passionate call for “practical wisdom” as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world.

This is my favorite talk of TED 2009 so far. What is being said is applicable in so many parts of our society it is just depressing. Think people think!

Ubiquity for Firefox from Aza Raskin on Vimeo.

[ubiquity]

I would have killed to have something like this in elementary school. I am completely blown away at how quickly they are able to continue to add more and more content.

Included in the new version is underwater and ocean tours, going back in time!, and many more incredible additions. You are crazy if you don’t check out the newest update.

Definitely check out Cousteau Ocean World!

And just to continue with the theme of Google being awesome, STOP MOTION! Google Japan’s Chrome Design animation, death to useless icons!

(Make sure to check it out in HD!)

Oh and don’t forget about Mars:

[Google Earth]
[Google Earth Blog]
[Cousteau.org]

Moji is a Firefox Add-On that gives you a sidebar that allows you to easily highlight an individual character or word, then look it up right in your browser. It gives you all the information you should need including index pages to any other book or flashcards you may already be using.

Highly recommended. I will try to post some other things I have come across in the future, I have a pretty extensive list of bookmarks and apps that are very useful.

[MOJI]

I love this sort of thing. Entertaining and impossibly possible. Neil DeGrasse Tyson (author of Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries) explains what it would be like (or wouldn’t be) to die in black hole. You will never hear so many people laughing about a method of death and doom.

I don’t want to be a spaghetti!

[BoingBoing]

Wikipedia – List of Animated Feature Films

also check the bottom of the list for more categories, and hey if you know one that isn’t on the list, or is in red, add to it, that is how wikipedia works, or how it should work.

find it, watch it…

Horizon is one of my favorite series I have ever seen, not only is the content interesting, the people involved and the quality of the actual films themselves are phenomenal, good cinematography, editing, music, people.

good stuff.

[giagia]

Mathematician Steven Strogatz shows how flocks of creatures (like birds, fireflies and fish) manage to synchronize and act as a unit — when no one’s giving orders. The powerful tendency extends into the realm of objects, too.

[TED]