Pete Namlook Tribute (Peter Kuhlmann)

It will soon be 3 years as Peter has left us… way too soon… but his work lives on forever… Here are some of my favorite pieces made by him.

If you know his music, you will enjoy, if you don`t, you are about to discover another world…

Shades of Orion 2 – Pete Namlook & Tetsu Inoue (1995)

From the Earth to the Ceiling – Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell (Outland, 1994)

Pete Namlook & David Moufang – Tangent

Travelling Without Moving Part 2 – Pete Namlook (Air 2)

Into the desert – Pete Namlook (Silence III, 1998)

Happiness – Pete Namlook (Air V – Jeux Dangereux)

Sphäre II – Pete Namlook (Raumland Sphäre)

Exploration I – Pete Namlook & David Moufang (Move D) – (Raumland Exploration 2007)

Footer – Pete Namlook & David Moufang (Live In Heidelberg 2001)

May there be May – Pete Namlook and David Moufang / Move D – The Audiolounge (2000)

Coda – Pete Namlook & David Moufang (Exploring the Psychedelic Landscape, 1996)

 

This is far from all that he made, much more can be found on my youtube channel:

Enjoy…

Thank you all

There are many persons, movies, bands that influenced my life, and here are some of them:

Adrian Edmondson – Bottom
Rik Mayall – Bottom, the New Statesman
Muhammad Ali
Bruce Campbell
Arnold Schwartzenegger
Bill Laswell
Black Sabbath
Ozzy Osbourne
Blade Runner
Bubba Ho-Tep
Once upon a time in the west
Conan the Barbarian
Das Boot
Dire Straits
Donnie Darko
Dr. Strangelove
Dune
Eddie Money
Ennio Morricone
Fantomas
Faith no More
Mike Patton
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jimi Hendrix
Korn
Kraftwerk
Led Zeppelin
Monty Python
Predator
Jesse Ventura
Richard Pryor
Trainspotting

But my post would not be complete without a large, high quality wallpaper collection of all of them:

BMW High Resolution Wallpapers (HD)

Another brand, another high definition wallpaper collection, this time its BMW turn.

Mercedes Benz High Resolution Wallpapers

Just a collection of high quality and high definition Mercedes Benz Wallpapers. Enjoy 😉

Fallout High Resolution HD wallpapers

Best games ever 😉 Fallout series

Beautifull high resolution (HD) wallpapers vol3

Kawasaki Z1000SX 2011 High Resolution Photos

Supersport seduction with everyday versatility. That’s the concept of the new Z1000SX. The bike offers street riding excitement wrapped in seductive full-fairing styling that embodies its sporty performance. Add a number of convenience features and the result is a unique package more than able to satisfy a rider’s every desire.

Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 High Resolution Photos

And now for something new from Italy, new maxi supermoto from Aprilia – Dorsoduro 1200

Kawasaki Z750R 2011 High Resolution Photos and Specification

Designed to enable even higher-level street riding, the new Z750R adds high-grade suspension and brake components from the 2009 and 2010 Z1000. A new front cowl and two-tone colouring give the latest Z model styling to match its increased performance. The sharpened performance and styling make the Z750R a high-grade middleweight Super Naked.

SPECIFICATIONS:

ENGINE
Engine type: Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke In-Line Four
Displacement: 748 cm³
Bore x stroke: 68.4 x 50.9 mm
Compression ratio: 11.3:1
Valve/Induction system: DOHC, 16 valves
Fuel system: Fuel injection: ø32 mm x 4 (Keihin) with oval sub-throttles
Ignition: Digital
Starting: Electric
Lubrication: Forced lubrication, wet sump
DRIVETRAIN
Transmission 6-speed, return
Final Drive Sealed chain
Primary reduction ratio 1.714 (84/49)
Gear ratios: 1st 2.571 (36/14)
Gear ratios: 2nd 1.941 (33/17)
Gear ratios: 3rd 1.556 (28/18)
Gear ratios: 4th 1.333 (28/21)
Gear ratios: 5th 1.200 (24/20)
Gear ratios: 6th 1.095 (23/21)
Final reduction ratio 2.867 (43/15)
Clutch Wet multi-disc, manual
FRAME
Frame type Tubular backbone (with engine sub-frame),high-tensile steel
Wheel travel, front 120 mm
Wheel travel, rear 134 mm
Tyre, front 120/70ZR17M/C (58W)
Tyre, rear 180/55ZR17M/C (73W)
Rake/Trail 24.5° / 103 mm
Steering angle, left / right 31° / 31°
SUSPENSION
Suspension, front 41 mm inverted fork with rebounddamping and spring preload adjustability
Suspension, rear Bottom-Link Uni-Trak, gas-charged shock with piggybackreservoirRebound damping: SteplessSpring preload: Stepless
BRAKES
Brakes, front Dual semi-floating 300 mm petal discsCaliper: Dual radial-mount, opposed 4-piston
Brakes, rear Single 250 mm petal discCaliper: Single-piston
DIMENSIONS
Dimensions (L x W x H) 2,085 mm x 795 mm x 1,070 mm
Wheelbase 1,440 mm
Ground Clearance 165 mm
Seat height 825 mm
Curb Mass 224 kg / 227 kg (ABS)
Fuel capacity 18.5 litres
PERFORMANCE
Maximum power 77.7 kW (106 PS) / 10,500 rpm
Maximum torque 78.0 N•m {8.0 kgƒ• m} / 8,300 rpm

Kawasaki ZX-10R 2011 High Resolution Photos

At Intermot Kawasaki presented its most powerful superbike – ZX-10R, and here I`m presenting it to you with ultra high resolution photos of every single detail you could imagine 😉

KTM 2011 models in detail and ultra high resolution (HD)

KTM presented brand new models for 2011 and I have already posted photos of the new bikes, but this time I have 131 ultra high resolution photos (perfect for wallpaper) of all bikes and the details. Hope you`ll enjoy it 😉

Models included in the gallery are:

• 350SX-F Factory
• 690 Enduro
• 690 SMC
• 990 Adventure
• 690 SM Limited Edition
• 690 Duke Black Edition
• 690 Duke R
• 690 Duke White
• RC8R in every possible variant 🙂
• 125 Sunt
• 125 Race
• 450 SX-F
• eBike Offroad
• eBike Street
• 450 EXC
• 530 EXC
• 200 EXC
• 250 EXC-F
• 300 EXC Sixdays
• 125 Duke
• 990 SMT

Pete Namlook – Interview and music

Pete Namlook (born in Frankfurt, Germany) is an ambient and electronic music producer and composer. In 1992, he founded the German record label FAX +49-69/450464, which he masterminds…

This interview was made for Chillbase.org portal.

Once upon a time there was a boy named Peter that was not creating fabulous music, how did he start doing it, what was the main “trigger”?

Listening to music actively from the start of my existence on. Great music from all kind of sources and styles was my trigger… the trigger to create my own definition of sound and music.

As everyone of us did, guess you also listened to all sorts of music (and are listening still), but for who would you say that had most of the influence on you? What were/are your favorite bands/musicians?

J.S.Bach, Eberhard Weber, Miles Davis, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Chopin, Wendy Carlos, Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, and a lot more

After some time in electronic music, you founded your own label company with curious name, can you tell us why such a name for label, and are you releasing only your music, or are you releasing other peoples music too?

The FAX machine was in the beginning of the 90ies a very innovative way to communicate. 😉 The internet was not as omnipresent as it is today… as I did not want to spoil my artwork with too many contact adresses etc. I simply named my label after my FAXnumber. This way it was obvious for licensing partners, musicians and fans how to contact me.
Of course on FAX there are a lot of different artists… please have a look on http://namlook.de

You are producing music for a long time now, and you have released many albums. How many are there?

About 440 releases including FAX +49-69/450464, Yesterday + Tomorrow, Rather Interesting not counting the reissues on my “world” label (57 reissues)

And how come there is so many of them?

Because I love creating and releasing music…

Can you describe us your working place, where do you create your music, and with out what you can not work?

My working space is on the highest floor of my house on the top of a hill … on the left I have a view into the forest.. on the right over fields and hills to the horizon. In front of me are my computer screens and I am surrounded by my mixer and a lot of sound sources including all my favourite Synths and Guitars.

Except from creating music, how do you spend your days, what makes you happy, what do you enjoy the most?

I do enjoy my family most and being very nature oriented and very keen on best possible food I am into gardening a lot. Also cutting wood from time to time when needed.

You put allot of yourself in your music.. when listening to your tracks, listener can actually feel what you were feeling… what gives you so much inspiration to be able to perfectly transform things from your head into the music you make?

Life is my main inspiration with all its complex and different facets… in its past, present and future form. Transforming feelings into music is very complex and very easy at the same time… one only has to let go from being “the best keyboard, guitar etc… player in the world” … simply learn everything about music that you can and then just play. When making music becomes as easy as breathing in and out it is easy to create whatever you like but it can only be performed with a lot of experience and I try to improve my sound and music with every composition.

You had many collaborations with many famous artists and there is special aura around every one of those collaborations… two or more mind in one track… do you prefer working alone or with someone else?

Both is nice… there is no preference

Is there any artist in the world that you would like to collaborate with, but you were not able to?

Oskar Sala … he died before we had the chance to collaborate (that we would collaborate was his wish but there was not enough time left)

If you HAD to chose something else than making music, what would it be, what would you do in your life?

to die !!… *laughs* … not really:

Making music is only a part of my daily work … a lot of office and creative work that comes with running a label, running a studio etc.
But I could do a lot of other things if I had to stop making music… I have quite some experience in a lot of different fields like banking, craftsmanship, gardening etc…
I would do everything that I do with my whole heart and try to do a great job. From my point of view: If you don’t do what you do with full dedication life becomes futile.
The question is not only what you do… but how you do it.
Perhaps handing over my knowledge in “creating music and how to release it” to students at a university would be the next logical step.

PC or MAC?

Both… Mac for creation PC for mastering.

What is your favorite piece of hardware in your studio?

This depends on the music to be performed… and cannot be answered in general
Every piece of equipment in my current studio has its place.

Time is passing by us very fast and everybody is trying to plan something in their lives. What are your plans for the future?

Improve my work until I die.

Thank you Pete!

Into the desert – Pete Namlook (Silence III, 1998)

Footer – Pete Namlook & David Moufang (Live In Heidelberg 2001)

Keeper of the purple twilight – Pete Namlook & Bill Laswell (Outland 3, 1998)

Secretary – Pete Namlook & Atom Heart (3, 1993)

Exploration I – Pete Namlook & David Moufang (Move D) – (Raumland Exploration 2007)

Exploration II – Pete Namlook & David Moufang (Move D) – (Raumland Exploration 2007)

Exploration III – Pete Namlook & David Moufang (Move D) – (Raumland Exploration 2007)

Sphäre II – Pete Namlook (Raumland Sphäre)

Lost in Passion – Pete Namlook (Air I, 1993)

Minimalistic Overchill – Pete Namlook (Minimalistic Source)

Pete Namlook & David Moufang – Wired – Wear your love out

Pete Namlook & David Moufang – Wired – Asymptote

Pete Namlook & David Moufang – Wired – Hypoteneuse

Pete Namlook – A Long And Perilous Voyage (Part 3 & 4)

Pete Namlook – Sky Lounge (Fires of Ork)

Pete Namlook – Picnic (Silence V – 2001)

Pete Namlook & Jochem Paap – ntr t nw wrld (pp • nmlk – 2004)

Pete Namlook & David Moufang – Flexdollars (Home Shopping)

Pete Namlook & Geir Jensenn – In Heaven (Fires of Ork II)

Pete Namlook & David Moufang – Tangent

Mil Mi-24 Hind

Development

During the early 1960s, it became apparent to Soviet designer Mikhail Leont’yevich Mil that the trend towards ever-increasing battlefield mobility would result in the creation of flying infantry fighting vehicles, which could be used to perform both fire support and infantry transport missions. The first expression of this concept was a mock-up unveiled in 1966 in the experimental shop of the Ministry of Aircraft’s factory number 329 where Mil was head designer. The mock-up designated V-24 was based on another project, the V-22 utility helicopter, which itself never flew. The V-24 was similar in layout and configuration to the UH-1A Huey, with a central infantry compartment that could hold eight troops sitting back to back, and a set of small wings positioned to the top rear of the passenger cabin, capable of holding up to six missiles or rockets, with a twin-barreled GSh-23L cannon fixed to the landing skid.

Mil proposed the design to the heads of the Soviet armed forces, and while he had the support of a number of strategists in the armed forces, he was opposed by several more senior members of the armed forces who believed that conventional weapons were a better use of resources. Despite the opposition, Mil managed to persuade the defence minister’s first deputy, Marshal Andrey A. Grechko, to convene an expert panel to look into the matter. While the panel’s opinions were mixed, supporters of the project eventually held sway, and a request for design proposals for a battlefield support helicopter was issued. The development of gunships and attack helicopters by the US Army during the Vietnam War convinced the Soviets of the advantages of armed helicopter ground support doctrine. This had a positive influence on moving forward with the development of the Mi-24.

Mil Mi-24 HIND A

Mil engineers prepared two basic designs: a 7-ton single-engine design and a 10.5-ton twin-engine design, both based on the 1,700 hp Izotov TV3-177A turboshaft. Later, three complete mock-ups were produced, along with five cockpit mock-ups to allow the pilot and weapon station operator positions to be fine-tuned.

The Kamov bureau suggested an army version of their Ka-25 Hormone ASW helicopter as a low-cost option. This was considered but later dropped in favor of the new Mil twin-engine design. A number of changes were made at the insistence of the military, including the replacement of the 23 mm cannon with a rapid-fire heavy machine gun mounted in a chin turret, and the use of the then-under development 9K114 Shturm (AT-6 Spiral) anti-tank missile.

A directive was issued on 6 May 1968 to proceed with development of the twin-engine design. Work proceeded under Mil until his death in 1970. Detailed design work began in August 1968 under the codename Yellow 24. A full scale mock-up of the design was reviewed and approved in February 1969. Flight tests with a prototype began on 15 September 1969 with a tethered hover, and four days later the first free flight was conducted. A second prototype was built, followed by a test batch of ten helicopters.

Acceptance testing for the design began in June 1970, continuing for 18 months. Changes made in the design addressed structural strength and fatigue problems, and reduced vibration levels. Also, a 12-degree anhedral was introduced to the wings to address the aircraft’s tendency to Dutch roll at speeds in excess of 200 km/h, and the Falanga missile pylons were moved from the fuselage to the wingtips. This gave the helicopter its characteristic wings. The tail rotor was moved from the right to the left side of the tail, and the rotation direction reversed. The tail rotor now rotated up on the side towards the front of the aircraft, into the downwash of the rotor, which increased the efficiency of the tail rotor. A number of other design changes were made until the production version Mi-24A (izdeliye 245) entered production in 1970, obtaining its IOC in 1971. It was officially accepted into the state arsenal in 1972.

Russia has developed the Mi-28 Havoc and Ka-50 attack helicopters, which are smaller and more maneuverable and do not have the large cabin for carrying troops. The Russian Navy however has no plans to retire their small number of Mi-24s. As for the Russian air force the service is severely short of funds, the “krokodil” will serve for many years to come.

Design

The core of the aircraft was derived from the Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name “Hip”): two top-mounted turboshaft engines driving a mid-mounted 17.3 m five-blade main rotor and a three-blade tail rotor. The engine configuration gave the aircraft its distinctive double air intake. Original versions have an angular greenhouse-style cockpit; Model D and later have a characteristic tandem cockpit with a “double bubble” canopy. Other airframe components came from the Mi-14 “Haze”. Two mid-mounted stub wings provide weapon hardpoints, each offering three stations, in addition to providing lift. The load-out mix is mission dependent; Mi-24s can be tasked with close air support, anti-tank operations, or aerial combat.

Mil Mi-8 Hip

The body is heavily armored and can resist impacts from .50 caliber (12.7 mm) rounds from all angles, including the titanium rotor blades. The cockpit is an even more heavily armored titanium tub and can resist impact from 37mm cannon rounds. The cockpit and crew compartment are overpressurized to protect the crew in NBC conditions.

Considerable attention was given to making the Mi-24 fast. The airframe was streamlined, and fitted with retractable tricycle undercarriage landing gear to reduce drag. The wings provide considerable lift at high speed, up to a quarter of total lift. The main rotor was tilted 2.5° to the right from the fuselage to counteract dissymmetry of lift at high speed and provide a more stable firing platform. The landing gear was also tilted to the left so the rotor would still be level when the aircraft was on the ground, making the rest of the airframe tilt to the left. The tail was also asymmetrical to give a side force at speed, thus unloading the tail rotor.

A modified Mi-24B, named A-10, was used in several speed and time to climb world record attempts. The helicopter had been modified to reduce weight as much as possible, and among the measures used was to remove the stub wings.[5] The speed record over a closed 1000 km course set on August 13, 1975 of 332.65 km/h still stands, as does many of the female specific records set by the all female crew of Galina Rastorgoueva and Ludmila Polyanskaia. On 21 September 1978 the A-10 set the absolute speed record for helicopters with 368.4 km/h over a 15/25 km course. The record stood until 1986 when it was broken by the current record holder, a modified Westland Lynx.

As a combination gunship and troop transport, the Mi-24 has no direct NATO counterpart. Though some[who?] have compared the UH-1 (“Huey”) as NATO’s direct counterpart to the Mi-24, this is inaccurate. While UH-1s were used in Vietnam either to ferry troops, or were used as gunships, they were not able to do both at the same time. Converting a UH-1 into a gunship meant stripping the entire passenger area to accommodate extra fuel and ammunition, making it useless for troop transport. The Mi-24 was designed to do both, and this was greatly exploited by airborne units of the Soviet Army during the 1980–1989 Soviet war in Afghanistan. The closest Western equivalent was the Sikorsky S-67 Blackhawk, which used many of the same design principles and was also built as a high-speed, high-agility attack helicopter with limited troop transport capability; it, like the Mi-24, was also designed using many components from an already existing product, the Sikorsky S-61, itself a close approximation to the Mi-8/Mi-14. The S-67, however, was never adopted for service. Another relatively close western equivalent is the US MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator, a special purpose variant of the UH-60 Black Hawk which is capable of mounting a variety of weapons on its stub wings, including AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rockets, in addition to being able to carry up to 14 troops. The MH-60L is also similar in size compared to the Mi-24, but is more utility biased, lacks armor and can carry more troops and payload.

General characteristics

Crew: 2-3: pilot, weapons system officer and technician (optional)
Capacity: 8 troops or 4 stretchers
Length: 17.5 m (57 ft 4 in)
Rotor diameter: 17.3 m (56 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 6.5 m (21 ft 3 in)
Height: 6.5 m (21 ft 3 in)
Disc area: 235 m² (2,530 ft²)
Empty weight: 8,500 kg (18,740 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 12,000 kg (26,500 lb)
Powerplant: 2× Isotov TV3-117 turbines, 1,600 kW (2,200 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 335 km/h (208 mph)
Range: 450 km (280 miles)
Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,750 ft)

Armament

Flexible 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borzov Yak-B Gatling gun

Internal guns

• flexible 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borzov Yak-B Gatling gun on most variants. Maximum of 1,470 rounds of ammunition.
• fixed twin-barrel GSh-30K on the Mi-24P. 750 rounds of ammunition.
• flexible twin-barrel GSh-23L on the Mi-24VP and Mi-24VM. 450 rounds of ammunition.
• PKT passenger compartment window mounted machine guns

External stores

• Total payload is 1,500 kg of external stores.
• Inner hardpoints can carry at least 500 kg
• Outer hardpoints can carry up to 250 kg
• Wing-tip pylons can only carry the 9M17 Phalanga (in the Mi-24A-D) or the 9K114 Shturm complex (in the Mi-24V-F).

Bomb-load

• Bombs within weight range (presumably ZAB, FAB, RBK, ODAB etc.), Up to 500 kg.
• MBD multiple ejector racks (presumably MBD-4 with 4xFAB-100)
• KGMU2V submunition/mine dispenser pods

First-generation armament (standard production Mi-24D)

• GUV-8700 gunpod (with a 12.7 mm Yak-B + 2×7.62 mm GShG-7.62 mm combination or one 30 mm AGS-17)
• UB-32 S-5 rocket launchers
• S-24 240 mm rocket
• 9M17 Phalanga (a pair on each wingtip pylon)

Second-generation armament (Mi-24V, Mi-24P and most upgraded Mi-24D)

• UPK-23-250 gunpod carrying the GSh-23L
• B-8V20 a lightweight long tubed helicopter version of the S-8 rocket launcher
• 9K114 Shturm in pairs on the outer and wingtip pylons

And here is something for all of you Hind lovers… complete high resolution picture walkaround 😉

No matter if you are a 3D modeler or scale modeler, this is the reference you simply gotta have.
Of course, I included the blueprint 😉

Mil Mi-8 Hip

Mil Mi-24 HIND A

Flexible 12.7 mm Yakushev-Borzov Yak-B Gatling gun

Beautiful Animal high resolution wallpapers

And again, one nice collection of high resolution wallpapers… todays theme are animals, enjoy.

Mikoyan i Gurevich MiG-29M OVT (Thrust vectoring demonstrator)

MiG-29 OVT / Fulcrum “F”

At the Moscow MAKS airshow in 2001, RSK MiG unveiled a demonstrator with vectored-thrust nozzles. This aircraft, a modification of the sixth MiG-29M prototype, is designated the MiG-29OVT (Otklanyayemi Vektor Tyagi / Deflected Thrust Vector)”, and its RD-33 engines are to fitted with Klimov-designed nozzles that can rotate up to 15 degrees in any direction. It also has wingtip launch rails for short-range AAMs. Compared to the MiG-29 the MiG-29 OVT has increased range of more than 2,100 kilometres, improved avionics, vast improvements in weapon systems, HOTAS systems, wide range of weapons of air to air and air to ground, as well as a variety of defensive and offensive avionics suite. The engines have been moved backwards to make more room for fuel in the fuselage.

The MiG-29 OVT, is powered by a newly developed engine that offers an advanced level of manoeuvrability. The new engine’s secret lies in the design of the nozzles at the back of the plane, which move in all directions, allowing advanced steering capability. The MiG-29 OVT is the latest version of the MiG-29 jet, which has been on the market for several years. The “all-axis nozzles dramatically increase manoeuvrability, especially at low and zero speed,” Vladimir Barkovsky, chief of MiG’s design bureau told reporters. The demonstration of the new engine, known as the RD 33, was the culmination of several years’ work. MiG started work on developing a new all-axis nozzle in the late 1990s, Barkovsky said. To date, MiG has invested several million dollars in its development.

Production version of the latest MiG-29 with the proven thrust-vectoring engine that use fly-by-wire technology. The aircraft uses the same airframe of the MiG-29M1. The fighter is more agile and has an increase in range to 1,329 statute miles (2,139 km). With improved avionics, vast improvements in weapon systems, HOTAS systems, wide range of weapons of air to air and air to ground, as well as a variety of defensive and offensive avionics suite. It is no longer tied to the GCI system and would be able to conduct operations independently. It has eight weapon pylons and be able to refuel as well as carry three external fuel tanks. The aircraft is being marketed under the designation MiG-35 for potential export.

Many people still thing that 5th generation airplanes are the way to go… they are stealthy, expensive, and much less maneuverable that 4th generation airplanes that we can see are being developed in Russia.

One of those planes is MiGs thrust vectoring test platform MiG-29M OVT which has 3D thrust vectoring and there are no words that can describe what this airplane can do in the air… so, just watch it 😉

And as you can always expect from me, a gallery of some nice higher resolution photos:

Sukhoi SU-34 Fullback (SU-32)

Work on a two-seat strike version of the Su-27 has been underway at the Design Bureau since the early 80s, the aeroplane being initially regarded as a variant of the two-seat trainer Su-27UB. Officially work to produce a two-seat fighter-bomber was initiated by a decree of the government of 19th June 1986, the Design Bureau having assigned the new plane the manufacturer’s designation T-10V.

In May 1988, the plane’s conceptual design was presented for critical design review. The conventional Su-27UB-style cockpit configuration, with the pilots seated in tandem, one behind the other, was for the first time combined with an alternative option of a “side by side” pilot-seating arrangement. The latter option was selected as the principal solution. The new configuration made the crew more comfortable: the cockpit overhead space behind the seats allows the pilot to stand up, with the crew boarding the plane using an inbuilt ladder through the bay in the nosewheel landing gear unit and the service hatch in the back wall of the cockpit.

The main distinctive features of the fighter-bomber are:

– large ordnance load and a broad line-up of guided air-launched weapons,

– high load capabilities engineered through reinforced design of the airframe and landing gear, and increased fuel tankage.

– probe-and-drogue flight refuelling capability,

– improved damage control (cockpit and essential systems armoured, explosion safety improved by engineering protection and filling the fuel tanks with PU-foam),

– advanced avionics line-up, including multi-purpose PAA radar, onboard optical search and track station and an integrated defensive aids suite,

– a state-of-the-art HUD system incorporating multi-role indicators with push-button panels.

R.G. Martirosov was appointed head of the 10V project, the plane’s detailed design being completed in 1987-1988. The first prototype T10V-1 was built in 1989-1990 on the platform of the production Su-27UB. Its first flight was performed by the design bureau’s test pilot A.A. Ivanov on 13th April 1990. Production of the aeroplane was set up in Novosibirsk, at NAPO, which produced the Su-24 family. The first pre-production craft was built at the end of 1993; its first flight was made on 18th December by the design bureau’s test pilots I.V. Votintsev and Ye.G. Revunov. In June 1995, having been renamed the Su-32, the aeroplane was for the first time shown abroad at the air show in Le Bourget. In the summer of 1999, the Su-32 was used to establish 7 world records of lifting loads to high altitude.

In June 2003, the plane successfully completed the first stage of governmental testing. Preliminary Opinion on the machine’s compliance with Air Forces requirements having been delivered, next stage testing got under way. By 2004, the Novosibirsk facility had produced a development batch of 8 Su-32 aeroplanes. In the long term, the Su-32 is expected to become the main strike asset of front-line aviation of the RF Air Forces, replacing all the Su-24 and Su-24M planes currently in service.

Aircraft performance
Normal takeoff mass, kg	38,240
Maximum ordnance, kg	8,000
Service ceiling (without external ordnance and stores), km	15
Maximum flight speed at sea level (without external ordnance and stores), km/h	1,400
Maximum flight speed at altitude (without external ordnance and stores), km/h	1,900
G-limit (operational)	9
Maximum range, km	1,100
Ferry range, km	4,000
Maximum airborne time (pilot-dependent), hours	10
Aeroplane dimensions:
– length, m	23.34
– wingspan, m	14.7
– height, m	6.09
Crew	2
In-flight refuelling system
Maximum flow rate (at entry pressure of 3.5 kg/cm 2), l/min	1,100
Powerplant
Number and type of engines	2 x AL-31F
Thrust in afterburner, kgf	12,500 -2 %
Avionics
1. Avionics
1.1. Electronic countermeasures suite
1.2. Multi-purpose forward-looking PAA radar
2. Optical-electronic attack and navigation system
2.1. Information visualisation system
2.2. Onboard graphics station
2.3. Laser/TV station
3. Aeroplane control system
3.1. Autopilot system
3.2. Remote control system
4. Communications system
5. Integrated defensive aids suite
6. Kh-59ME missile preparation and telecommand homing equipment pod
7. Monitoring and recording system
7.1. Onboard automatic monitoring and display system
7.2. Unbiased monitoring equipment
7.3. Flight information recording equipment

Armaments
1. Guns	Onboard 30mm gun with 150 rds
2. Guided air-to-air missiles	R-27R1(ER1) R-27T1(ET1) R-73E RVV-AYe
3. Guided air-to-surface missiles	Kh-59ME Kh-31A, Kh-31P Kh-29T(TYe), Kh-29L S-25LD
4. Guided bomb units	KAB-500KR, KAB-500L KAB-500KR, KAB-500L
5. Air bombs	FAB-500T BETAB-500ShP ODAB-500PM OFAB-250-270 OFAB-100-120 P-50T Incendiary bombs
6. Cluster bombs	RBK-500 SPBE-D
7. Unguided missiles	S-8KOM, S-8OM, S-8BM S-13T, S-13OF S-25OFM-PU
8. External fuel tanks	PTB-3000 (3,050 l)
9. Suspension points	12

Sukhoi SU-35 Flight test (Video & High resolution pictures)

The Su-35 has long been a brand name in the aviation world. Since 1992, an export version of the Su-27 fighter (created under the order of the Russian Air Force) has been demonstrated at international air shows. At the turn of the millennium, Su-35 fighters participated in the tenders of Korean and Brazilian air forces. By the mid-decade of the new century, a general concept emerged of a considerably modified Su-27 fighter, which retained the name of Su-35.

What is new in the Su-35? First off, the fighter will get an improved airframe, which will dramatically increase its service life to 6,000 hours, 30 years of operation (the time before the first test and recondition and the between-repairs period has been increased to 1,500 hours, or 10 years of operation).

Aerodynamically it is similar to the Su-27. But unlike the Su-30MKI it will feature no canard fins. All the three channels will have electrically signaled control without mechanical cabling. The use of a new integrated control system (developed by MNPK Avionika Moscow-based Research and Production Association) simultaneously performing functions of several systems – remote control, automatic control, limiting signals system, air signals system, chassis wheels braking system – will enhance the fighter’s handling capability and maneuverability.

Among the Su-35 design features, worth of note is the absence of an overhead brake flap, a standard characteristic of the Su-27. Its functions are performed by an active rudder. The Su-35 chassis has been reinforced because of the increased takeoff and landing weight of the aircraft. For the same reason, the front bearing has two wheels. The improved radar stealth reduces the reflectance of the Su-35 in the X radio waveband and in the angle range of ±60°.

Another important difference of the Su-35 from predecessors from the Su-27 family is the use, in its power plant, of new engines with an increased thrust. Those engines, known as 117S, have been developed by NPO Saturn Research and Production Association.

In terms of engineering, the engines are substantially modified AL-31F production engines employing fifth-generation technologies. They use a new fan, new high and low pressure turbines, and a new digital control system. A provision is made for using a vectored thrust nozzle. The modernization has increased the engine special mode thrust by 16%, up to 14,500 kgf. In the maximum burner-free mode it reaches 8,800 kgf. Compared to today’s AL-31F engines, their capabilities will grow substantially, by 2 to 2.7 times. For instance, the between-repair period will grow from 500 to 1,000 hours (the operating period before the first overhaul is 1,500 hours). The designed period will vary between 1,500 and 4,000 hours.

The 117S engines will be co-produced by Ufa-based Motor Building Association and Rybinsk-based NPO Saturn Research and Production Association. The first production 117S engines were delivered to KnAAPO in early 2007 for testing on the first experimental Su-35 aircraft.

The distinctive feature of Su-35 is the employment of a new suite of onboard instruments. Its core is the information management system (IMS), which integrates functional, logical, informational and software subsystems into a single complex that ensures the interaction between the crew and equipment. The IMS includes two central digital computers, commutation and information devices and an indication system built on the “all-glass cockpit” concept.

The core of the Su-35 cockpit instrumentation suite are two full-color multi-function liquid crystal displays of MFI type, a multi-function panel with a built-in display processor, a wide angle collimatory display on the windshield and a control and indication panel.

MFI multi-function displays with a built-in processor measure 9 x 12 inches (diagonal 15 inches) and have a resolution of 1400×1050 pixels. They are intended for reception, processing and production, in a multiple window mode, of graphic, numeric, alphabetic and symbolic information. They also present televised information received from onboard TV sensors and impose on it synthesized numeric, alphabetic and symbolic information. Besides, they produce and send video signals in a digital format to the video record unit. The multi-function panel with a built-in display processor presents the required information and issues commands by pushing the buttons on the button array at any time in flight. The airborne collimatory display with a built-in processor monitors the space beyond the cockpit. The information is processed by control signals. The collimator angle of view is 20×30о.

The onboard systems and armament in the new cockpit of Su-35 are controlled by buttons and switches on the aircraft control joystick and engine control levers as well as by a button array on multi-function displays. Thus the HOTAS concept is realized on this type of aircraft. The displays and some other avionics systems of Su-35 are developed by Instrument Design Bureau of Ramenskoye and affiliated companies of Tekhnokompleks Research and Production Association.

The core of the Su-35 armament is a new radar control system with a phased antenna array (Irbis-E). It features unique capabilities in terms of the target detection range. This is a development V V Tikhomirov Research Institute of Instrument Production. In design, this is an X-waveband multi-role radar with a passive phased antenna array (PAA) mounted on a two-step hydraulic drive unit (in azimuth and roll). The antenna device scans by an electronically controlled beam in azimuth and angle of elevation in sectors not smaller than 60°. The two-step electro-hydraulic drive unit additionally turns the antenna by mechanic means to 60° in azimuth and 120° in roll. Thus, in using the electronic control and mechanical additional turn of the antenna, the maximum deflection angle of the beam grows to 120°.

Irbis-E radar control system detects and tracks up to 30 air targets, retaining continuity of space observation and engaging up to eight targets. The system detects, chooses and tracks up to four ground targets in several map-making modes with various resolution at a range of up to 400 km, without stopping to monitor the airspace.

Irbis-E radar detects air targets with an absolute cross section of 3 m2 on a head-on course at a range of up to 400 km.

Being an improvement on radars with a PAA, Irbis has much better capabilities: expanded (by more than twice) operating frequency band, increased from 70о to 120о target detection and tracking zone in azimuth, substantially (by 2-2.5 times) increased effective range, improved anti-jamming capability, etc. In this aspect, Irbis is comparable to the best foreign counterparts, outperforming most of the US- and Wes-European-made radars with passive and active PAA.

The Research Institute has been developing Irbis since 2004. By now, the engineering prototypes of the system have passed the required bench trials. The first of them has been installed on the Su-30MK2 flying laboratory and is undergoing flight tests. The first flight of the flying laboratory with Irbis onboard occurred in early 2007 at Gromov Flight Test Institute. During the flight, the laboratory proved the superior performance of the new radar in the air-to-surface operating mode.

Among other new onboard systems of the Su-35 is modern navigation and radio communication equipment, systems maintaining fighters operation in a formation and a highly efficient electronic countermeasures suite. The component package of the latter and its complementation with specific jamming devices can be determined by the customer.

In addition to the armaments onboard the modern Su-30MK, it is planned to additionally arm the Su-35 with new types of air-to-air and air-to-surface guided missiles, including long-range types. The maximum ordnance load of the Su-35 is 8,000 kg. This is placed in 12 weapon stations.

And here are some high resolution pictures of the test flight:

Die Antwoord – Next level shit!

I recently discovered one crazy South African band called Die Antwoord… three of them, totally crazy, unique, and don`t give a shit about anything!

Check them out 😉

Kako napraviti “daljinsko paljenje/resetiranje računala”?

Ukoliko vam je komp pored stola, ispod stola, iza stola ili ima vratašca ili je na neki drugi način otežan pristup do power buttona, zasigurno ste mu već nekoliko puta jebali majku dok ste se saginjali da ga upalite ili resetirate… ali, sve se to da vrlo jednostavno srediti… za kojih dvadesetak kuna.

Kako? Evo kako sam ja to složio kod sebe.

Materijal i alat koji je potreban:

– 2x muški audio konektor
– 2x ženski audio konektor
– 2 metra dvožilnog kabla (ili više, zavisi koliko vam treba)
– 2x gumb (ne prekidač)
– izolirka
– skalpel
– cvikcange
– lemilica (može se i bez nje)

Prvo što je potrebno jest neki stari reset ili power konektor od kućišta koji se spaja na matičnu. Imate ga? super, odrežite žice na kojih 20-ak centimetara i na drugi kraj stavite ženski audio konektor.

Stavite ga na ovu duljinu tako da taj kabel ostane u kućištu, kako biste ga lako mogli otpojiti kada rastepavate komp, selite ga ili tako nešto.

Ovako izgleda moj:

Sada treba napraviti kutiju ili panel preko kojega ćete paliti ili resetirati komp. Ja sam našao jednu lijepu crnu kutiju u koju sam to sve stavio, koja lijepo stoji ispod monitora i usput ga podiže na pravu visinu.

Na prednjoj strani izbušite rupe koje odgovaraju gumbima koje ste kupili, te ih ubacite unutra.
Da bi se seljakanje i generalna zajebancija sa kablovima smanjila, ja sam na stražnju stranu stavio ženske audio konektore, a u unutrašnjosti ih spojio sa gumbima.

Da, ovdje je mala gužva, ali to je samo zato jer ja u svojoj kutiji imam još nekoliko dodatnih stvari (prekidači za rasvjetu u sobi), ali za potrebe ovog vonabi tjutorijala gledajte zeleni gumb koji je spojen sa ženskim audio konektorom na zadnjoj strani kutije (stvarno mi se nije dalo sve to lijepo slagati kako bi izgledalo fensi za potrebe ovog tjutorijala).

Ako ste se do sada zapitali zašto sam koristio audio konektore, e pa, zato kaj su lijepi i nejjednostavnije se spajaju i odspajaju.

Ok, sada kada imate složen gumb u kutiji ili gdje već i kabel u kompu, potreban je kabel koji će ići od kutije do kompa… a to je najjednostavniji dio … uzmite kabla koliko vam treba i na obje strane stavite muške audio konektore.

Ostalo vam je samo da s tim kablom spojite komp i kutiju i to je to… puš d batn end komp startz tu rambl.

Ovo sve možete složiti i puno ljepše, tako da vaši geek frendovi ne mogu reći.. e, kak si to gadno napravio, kaj nisi mogo ovo ili ono .. ali mene za to nije bilo briga… bitno mi je da radi i da radi ono što ja želim 😉

KTM RC8 R High Resolution Wallpapers

And something for Austrian bike manufacturer fans, KTM RC8 R high resolution wallpapers. 1680×1050 as always 😉

Kawasaki Z1000 High Resolution Wallpapers

For all you Kawasaki fans, some new Kawasaki Z1000 wallpapers in high resolution, 1650×1050 pixels to be exact… Enjoy 😉

Movies that I can watch every day – Part 2

This time lets look at some old classics… If you missed them somehow, don`t repeat that mistake now!

6. Das Boot (1981, Director:Wolfgang Petersen , Main character: Jürgen Prochnow)

I can remember that I was just a little kid when I first watched this movie on TV, and I know I cried like a baby… And many years after that I remembered it, and had to watch it… and it was all the same.

There aren`t many movies that can pull you inside with their story, that you really think that those characters involved are real. Das Boot is one of them.

As you could have already guessed, it is a German movie about German submarine crew during World War II. About their struggle to stay alive in all of that chaos that others started, and they were just following their orders, like all of military personel did during war time.

But I have to warn you right away, when you watch this movie, remember to breathe, `cause most of the time you will be no that submarine, waiting… listening to see what will happen.

7. Once upon a time in the west (1968, Director: Sergio Leone, Main characters: Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards)

Best western of all times! And made by Italian director who even did not know English language, but he knew his movies, and made a masterpiece with this one.

I have seen many silly westerns with white guys painted to look like bad old indians and such stupid stuff, but this isn`t like that, this is a all time western classic. Base of the movie isn`t on the west itself, or indians… it is a human story, about revenge, good and bad, money and honesty.

All of the characters in this movie are really unique… OK, Claudia Cardinale looks like my dream woman … but, enough of that 🙂

Great deal of movies atmosphere is achieved with one of the best soundtracks ever made… Ennio Moriccone once more showing what a genius he is.

8. Dr. Strangelove (1964, Director: Stanley Kubrick, Main Characters: Peter Sellers)

I guess that everybody has a movie that, when it crosses your mind, makes you laugh… Dr. Strangelove is one of them to me.

If you ever wanted to see a truly crazy movie with some of the best ever acting, you must not miss this one. Yes, it is old, but it is still a perfect movie that has a huuuuge fan base.

In time of nuclear threats from Russia and America, many things could have gone wrong, and they did, in Dr. Strangelove… and it went wrong in the silly way… main reason were bodily fluids 🙂

But maybe the greatest thing about this movie is performance of Peter Selers who plays three totally different characters, and you will not even recognize his at first. And he does it so so good 🙂 This little short from the film will tell you much more than I can.

Movies that I can watch every day – Part 1

Everybody who likes to watch a good movie has his personal favorites, movies that he has to have in his collection … and these are the movies that I watched for million times and will watch them again and again.

In case you did not watch some of these movies, trust me, you have to 😉
And yes… this is not a top list or reviews, just a random list with my comments on the movies and reasons why you have to watch them 😉 I`ll post 5 movies at a time… so, subscribe and wait for more 😉

1. Moon (2009, Director: Duncan Jones, Main character: Sam Rockwell)

As I`m writing this, Moon soundtrack is playing, and I can see Sam on the moon, all by himself… or is he?

One of the rare new sci-fi movies that doesn`t use CGI to be sci-fi… it is based on one really heart touching human story of Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), stranded all by him self on the moon, on his three year long job in Lunar Industries, where he is in charge of managing the harvesters that supply earth with new kind of energy.

Sam Rockwell was always one of my favorite actors… silly, crazy, funny, smart… he can be anything… and he showed here what a great actor he is. Beside him, Duncan Jones made a fantastic story, that will make you wonder… make you feel like Sam Bell, maybe it will even make you cry… but you will end up loving Sam Bell and when the movie finishes… you will have your head full of Moon, Sam, life, meaning …. I AM SAM BELL!

One more thing I must point out is soundtrack by Clint Mansell. Some say it is to repetitive, but it perfectly fits Sam Bell character and situation he is in… a must have 😉

2. The Thing (1982, Director: John Carpenter, Main character: Kurt Russell)

If you are afraid of the dark… afraid of real horror film, you have to watch The Thing and wet your pants!

An old time classic horror movie that is what it should be, really scary movie! Carpenter at his best if you ask me… combined with chilling Arctic setting… nothing nowhere for hundreds of miles, just 12 men and something else that haunts them … until all of them are gone…

This movie was made in 1982, but effects are still great, and one of my personaly best things in the movie… lightning, intesity of every situation … who is who … who is the Thing and who is not… uh, chills running down my spine 🙂
Even if you are not a great fan of horror movies, I recommend you to watch this one, `cause story is intense, there are some really great moments… and Ennio Morricone made a really chilling sountrack.

I think that one of my favorite scenes from The Thing could show you what is a real horror movie… and make you watch the whole thing:

3. Donnie Darko (2001, Director: Richard Kelly, Main character: Jake Gyllenhaal)

Donnie Darko … watched it really many times… and can watch it again when ever I get a chance… When you get totally connected to the movie, character of Donnie… then you are obsessed… there is no turning back.

This movie is love it or hate it type, but I must say that I noticed that people with lower IQ don`t like it, and those who are a bit more intelligent simply adore it… guess that makes me a smartass 🙂

First of all you have to know that this is a strange movie, and you`ll watch it at least twice, I can guarantee you that. It involves much thinking from your side… it is not a kind of movie you would sit and watch… no no, Donnie Darko is a lot deeper experience.

Jake Gyllenhaal contributed alot to the movie… `cause his performance is simply genius… there could be no other actor that could have played Donnie as good as he did… and chicks love him 🙂

It is a happy-sad movie… at the end you will be happy as Donnie is, but will also feel very sorry for all that happened… and same as the Moon … it will be in your head for some time…

4. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002, Director: Don Coscarelli, Main characters: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis)

Elvis is alive! And he is living in home for elderly people with cancer on his penis, and his best friend is JFK, who is btw black 🙂 And they are here to save the world from ancient mummy that came to life and is sucking human souls through their asses 🙂

Yes, this is the plot of this movie, believe it or not 🙂 It may sound totally absurd, but trust me, you haven`t seen the movie yet, so shut up for now.

Director is able to give you a “realistic” explanation of all this through the film, and he does it in a great way!

But who could be the best man to play Elvis in such a movie? The one and only, Bruce Campbell… as always, he is brilliant and gives this movie his own crazy touch (like it is not crazy enough without it).

Is it a silly movie? Yes it it. Is it movie you`ll talk about to your friends? Yes it is. Is it a movie you always be glad to watch again? Yes it is 🙂

Bubba Ho-Tep is simply crazy, but very smart film that has its own unique way of connecting you with its characters.

5. Dead Snow (Død snø) – (2009, Director: Tommy Wirkola, Main characters: Vegar Hoel, Stig Frode Henriksen, Charlotte Frogner, Lasse Valdal, Evy Kasseth Røsten, Jeppe Laursen, Jenny Skavlan)

Talking about silly horror movies… Dead Snow was such a surprise to me when I saw it that I had to tell everybody about it!

In a good old manner of Army of Darkness, Braindead and similar trashy horror movies, Dead Snow brings you all that you could wish for: Zombies, dead zombies, decapitated zombies, Nazi zombies and lots and lots of blood 🙂 Do you need anything else?

OK, some decent story would be nice.. so, here it is, Dead Snow has one, and its about Nazi zombies trying to kill a bunch of friends who went on a vacation somewhere in Norwegian mountains.

Yes, zombies have been done for million of times, but not in this way… especially not in such cleverly humorous way… with such amounts of blood 🙂

Beautifull high resolution (HD) wallpapers vol2

And here is another one of my wallpaper collections … hope you`ll like them 😉

Gratuitous Space Battles Review

There are not many games out there right now that would make me want to write a review about them… because there is one constant problem with games ever since first Voodoo card came out. Graphics, effects, graphics, effects etc. etc. There are just few games that concentrated on the gameplay itself.

So here I am, writing this review, few days after been playing one game non-stop, and that game is “Gratuitous Space Battles“.

Space & battles! Woohooo, thats got to be something fun, killing alien scum in your ship, or is it an grand space RTS? What is it?

Yes, it is fun… Yes, you kill alien scum… but it does not belong in any known category of games. How can I say that you ask? Someone invented something new? I don`t know if this is the first game of its kind, but it is the first one I have ever seen.

OK, you are boring… what is it? Well… take a look at this video taken from the game… it may tell you a lot… and nothing 😉

Nice looking graphics, cool effects, smooth running… and no, thats not because I have triliom GHz CPU and Geforce 109880, it`s `cause the engine is really simple, but does its job perfectly… a good use of nice textures, bunch of particle effects and a nice background, and there you have it, all that one starfighter could wish for!

But here is the really cute part about this in game video.. I haven`t done anything except moving the camera with my cursor 🙂
Yes, I did not control any of those ships! Non, nada, zero! They were fighting automaticaly, all by themselves!

“OK, this game sucks big time”  – the words that are in your head probably, but… stay with me just a bit more, and you`ll find out where does the beauty of this game really is.

All of the fighting that you saw was a result of the playing that you have done before the battle even begun! This is not a RTS, it`s… BPS – Building and Planning Strategy.

In normal RTS games you have units, you build and then fight… but in Gratuitous Space Battles it is a bit different.
First you are presented with the battlefield and your opponents:

As you can see from the screen, your opponents units are already deployed, and now it is your turn to create your armada and deploy it on to the battlefield, and this is where all the magic happens.

Result of the whole fight that you saw at the beginning was a result of creation and deployment of your fleet on the battlefield, and options are almost unlimited, and so are the strategies.

To build your fleet, you have to go to ship designer, where you will spend most of your time.

Here you can select a type of ship that you want to build: fighter, frigate or cruiser, and then equip them with all that you need, or at least, think that you need for your battle.

Every ship has two kinds of mounting points, the ones for weapons, a the ones for all other systems, like engines, power generators etc.
The goal is to construct a ship that best suits the given scenario and enemy fleet of course. You will find yourself changing your designs many times, after you get defeated or simply were not satisfied with the result of the battle and you think you can do it better.
Its best to save all those designs under names that show their purpose, like “Cruiser Heavy Plasma” or “Frigate Fighter Hunter”, so you can easily use them afterwards without having to look at all the details of each ship to see if it will fit your needs.

After you have completed your ships, it`s time to place them on the battlefield. It is a simple drag&drop procedure, but you have to know that you are always limited with number of pilots and credits, so think wisely when placing all those ships onto the battlefield.

Did I mention credits? Yes, yes, every single ship costs certain amount of credits, and so do all of the little systems and weapons you placed on them… so you have to watch for that to!

To make things more interesting, once your ships are on the battlefield, you can issue them orders which they will follow during the battle. You can set the priority of engaging certain type of enemy ships, maximum range of engagement, you can make them work as a team, to protect each other etc., but you`ll see it for your self, because you simply have to play this game 🙂

When all is done: ships are constructed, fleet is arranged on the battlefield, orders are given, it is time to FIGHT! With a press of a button named, what a coincidence, fight, the battle begins, and you can sit and watch your armada kicks your enemies behind… our see your ships doing everything to amuse the enemy… with huge explosions, screams and so on:)

To conclude, every strategy lover has to try this game, and it can run on almost any regular PC, without the need for some high end GPU or CPU. As a matter of fact, I`m playing it on GeForce 8500GT with all the details in 1680×1050 resolution… enough said 😉

Enjoy this nice “little” game (no, it does not come on 4 DVDs, it will take only around 70 Mb of your precious hard drive) and share the enjoyment of killing everybody else in space with your friends 🙂

If you want to see more about the game or buy it, visit Positech web site, where you can also download a demo of this awesome game

Fight against online file sharing (music frontline)

There is something very strange happening with music,
one of my favorite artistic expressions.

Call me old fashioned, but I still think that when someone does something with love and soul, only prize for his work that he needs is recognition and other peoples enjoyment in his work… When we speak of music, such artists were Vivaldi, Mozart, Bethoven and all other classical masterminds that made music for their own pleasure, they did not compose for money, they did not charge a penny for their music. They loved what they do!

Few days ago I have read one article online that made me a bit angry…

Main character in that article was Bono Vox from U2 (personaly I really love their old albums), who is “a great man who figts for human rights, world peace etc. etc.”. But Bono obviously fights for his money also (poor little Bono)!
Ok, you will say that everybody would fight for his money, and that is in most of the cases true, but in this case, you have to look at the things a bit deeper.

Bono stated that internet providers should be controlled because of great financial losses in music industry. But he did not say that U2 was best payed band in 2009!

Sure, many of us use torrents and other kinds of online file sharing to get the music that we want… I personally have cca 115 GB of downloaded music, or to be more precise: 11.906 songs, and yes, I have complete U2 discography.

I do not want to pay for music! I will never pay for music. I will pay for a concert entrance, but not for the music. If you wanted to make music, you wanted people to listen your music, did you not? Well, I`m listening to your music. But now, that is not enough, you want ME to pay YOU to listen to YOUR music? lol

You made that music with only one intention, to make money on it? Well… maybe that is why it is called music INDUSTRY …

Where did all that artistic spirit go? Its colored green… shame…

Conclusion?

Continue “illegal” music download… real artists that want people to enjoy their work will not have anything against it.

And here is all that you need:

Torrent client and few good sites for torrent search: http://thepiratebay.org/ and http://isohunt.com/ are my favorites.

Beautifull high resolution wallpapers

I have a collection of my favorite wallpapers, and many of my friend asked me for me to send them to them… so, here is a easier way, and of course, this way all of you can download them. Enjoy 😉

Meats Meier interview

One of the greatest 3D artists in the world, gave me an interview some time ago when I was working in VIDI magazine, and here it is for all to read in PDF format for download, or you can read the plain text version that follows:

Meats Meier interview – PDF Download

Hello Meats, could you please introduce yourself to the readers of VIDI magazine, personally and professionally.

I`m Meats Meier, a traditional and digital artist. I am 34 years old and have worked with computer graphics for over 10 years. I work out of my own studio creating animations and illustrations. I live and breathe art, it is my whole world. It is all that I really focus on. I also create training DVDs for Maya and Zbrush through the Gnomon Workshop (www.thegnomonworkshop.com)

How did you start in computer graphics, who were your role models? (how did you learn, did you have any mentors?)

I started originally with my father, who brought home an Amiga computer when I was young. I was so excited and learned all that I could when it was my turn to use it. I started with a small painting program called Dpaint. It opened a whole world to me. When I was 22 years old, I was asked to become a lead artist at a video game studio. It was there that I was introduced to the world of 3D. I started 3D with a program called Strata Studio Pro. It was really slow to work in, but I was patient and began my learning process of the 3D world. A little later, the company that I worked for “Beyond Games” got a copy of Alias Poweranimator and Wavefronts Advanced Visualizer program and I was paid to learn how to use them. I feel very lucky for that. It was a lot of work, there wasn`t any good training available at the time, so it just came down to reading all of the manuals from cover to cover.

What are you currently working on?

Right now I am working on animations for the live concert show for the band “TOOL” as well as my own personal artwork whenever I have the time. I am also creating a DVD explaining my process of inserting digital elements into live action video. I spend a lot of time filming the things around me and then having fun adding 3D creatures and characters into the scenes and trying to make them look as real as possible. It is not all fun for me, although. I am trying to start my own studio by myself, so it means that I have focus on computer networking, business things, etc. and not just the artwork.

You have a lot of great projects, but which one of them is your favorite?

I think that whatever I am currently working on is usually my favorite because it`s fresh in my mind. If I had to choose things from the past, it would probably be the Mother Nature series, as I have gained a lot of exposure because of it. It has appeared on the cover of several books and magazines over the last few years, and is probably my most recognized piece. I also really like the old animations on my demo reel, which I had a lot of fun creating.

What made you famous in the world of 3D, when did people start to notice you?

I got my first bit of exposure after I created the short film “the Future of Art” in 2001. I won best animation at a film festival for it and was featured on a few 3D websites because of it. It was strange at first getting fan emails and questions, but I eventually got used to it. Shortly after, I decided it would be best if I spent time making still images with the programs, and began to post them all over the internet, which led to a lot of people knowing my name.

What do you recommend to beginners in 3D, how to start off and what is important for them to know at the very beginning?

It`s been said many times, but a good knowledge of traditional artwork is very crucial to making good 3D artwork. You have to know the rules in order to break them. It`s also very important to know just how hard it is to learn enough that you can create artwork or images with the computer. It takes a lot of time and dedication in order to get good at it. Once you are at the professional level, it is even harder. You have a lot of people that are working very, very hard at their craft and they are your competition. If you ever want to make a living doing 3D, you just have to want it more that everyone else and put your heart and soul into it and get better every day.

Where do you get your inspiration from and is there something you cannot work without (music, coffee etc.)

I definitely couldn`t work without coffee and music for sure. Coffee wakes me up, and music keeps me going. I work by myself all day, so I need to be stimulated as much as possible to stay focused. My inspiration just comes from making things. I just try and get something up on screen that I could look at. Once the seed is planted, it is easy for me to look at it and come up with ideas to make it better and more interesting. Each day I add or take off a little bit to improve on an idea. I also work on many things at once, and borrow pieces or concepts from each other to improve on the individual ideas.

What is the software combination that you use the most? And why?

The main software packages I use are Maya, Zbrush, Boujou, After Effects, and of course Photoshop. I have used Maya since it was introduced and I am very comfortable working with it at this point. Zbrush is the tool that I use to add detail and sometimes begin my 3D models; it is such an amazing program. It feels very artistic and natural. For compositing, I use After Effects, it`s what I`ve always used, and was also trained to work professionally with when I worked at the Orphanage (a visual effects house) on the movie “Hellboy”.

I am always open to new software choices, and I will always just use what I believe to be the best.

Software is of course nothing without hardware, so what do you use? (Computer, tablet etc.)

I have a new dual core workstation and four dedicated render machines that are networked with a program called “RenderPal” which allows me to split up my images onto all of the computers to enable me to work on high resolution images very quickly. I use a Wacom tablet for most of my input; I use it even on word processors. I also have a Canon D20 still camera and a Canon Gl2 video camera, which are both very important in my work.

We know you have been working on some blockbuster movies in Orphanage, so how is it to work on movies compared to “regular” artwork?

Working on movies is a great experience for sure. The best part is seeing your name in the credits once the movie finally comes out! I enjoy my own personal work much more because I have control over every aspect and can work much faster that way. Working with a huge team on something like a major motion picture involves a lot of hours away from home and basically no life. I did learn so much from doing it, but one of the things that I learned is that I am much happier creating my own personal art.

Based on your experience in movie CG, do you plan to stay in the movie industry?

I will probably always work in the CG movie industry but will do it as a private artist working out of my own studio, and not for someone else.

You have made most of your work in Maya and ZBrush, and even made covers for those two, but are you maybe involved in development of those applications in any way?

I like to think that I have given some good input to the companies here and there, but haven`t played any type of major role in the development. I was on the beta team for the first Zbrush and was able to learn it before almost anyone. I was also trained by the creator of Zbrush, Ofer Alon. I try and give feedback whenever possible.

How much technical knowledge must today`s digital artists have to get most out of modern 3D applications?

It`s getting less and less complicated, but a 3D artist still has to know so much technical things in order to do much with 3D at this point. Programs like Zbrush are making it so that traditional sculptors can just jump in and create art. I think that this is the path that 3D will take in the near future – programs created for artists, not technicians.

Have you ever worked with other applications besides Maya and ZBrush? What do you think about SoftimageXSI, 3DS Max and Lightwave3D?

I have tried most programs (I always want to know what is out there) but always go back to Maya, it just feels so comfortable to me.

Realism vs. stylization? What do you go for?

I like a little bit of both. I like things to look real, but also want to use 3D to make things that aren`t possible in real life. If I want to make really realistic things, I will just use my camera and take a picture of it.

How demanding is working as a professional 3D artist?

It is very demanding. You never know what your boss or client will want from you, so you have to be ready for nearly anything and be ready to take on any challenge. The competition is very hard as well. So many people want to work in video games or movies that you have to be very skilled to compete.

Except being a great 3D artist, what else do you do in your life, how do you spend your free time? How do you relax after all that modeling and animation?

I like to relax and not do anything at all in my free time. Other than that I like to be with my friends, ride my motorcycles, and enjoy the weather of southern California. I love to watch movies, although it is hard for me to not think about how they went about creating all of the effects.

Have you ever wanted to be something else? As a kid, what did you dream becoming of?

As a kid I only wanted to be an artist. I knew it was the only thing that I could be from a very young age. I was lucky because I had parents that supported me and my artwork and they made sure I always had the support and supplies that I needed. For a while I did want to become a stunt man, though. 😉

Where did PERSONAL COMPUTER dissapear?

PC – Personal Computer – how many of you feel that way towards that box by your desk?

Is it really your personal computer? your everyday companion? someone you feel connected to somehow?

Or is it just a stupid box… nothing else?

For more and more people it is becoming the other one, `couse times of personal computer are over, and have been for some time… but, there are still some of us fanatics that feel a bit different about their computers.

But why is that? Simple, we grew up with them, back in the times when Commodore 64 was a gaming king… and then first PC came… damn… that was really long time ago …

My first PC was Compaq 8086 🙂

Yes, yes, it was a portable computer 🙂
That is what Compaq marketing said at least… its 25kg didn`t go well with it portability 🙂
But, it didn`t matter, I had 4 MHz processor, 640 KB of RAM and 20 MB of hard disk space! Darn, that was a beast! Paired with monochromatic screen and 5.25 disk drive it could do miracles! 🙂

But that was my start, my first PC steps! And it was a special times, everything was totally new, everything was unknown, interasting and I can remember my parents trying to move me away from it… they said… your eyes will get fucked up, there is no future in computers … heh 🙂

Long was my computer voyage with that 8086… and the time came for a replacement, `couse there were way way more advanced PCs on the market when I was still on that old fart 🙂

Pentium 100, 32 MB of ram, 2 GB hard disk, 14″ screen, 2 MB S3 Trio graphic card.. wow! that was something…. it came out of space! The speed, the games… no one could separate us!

And then came the era of great advance in computer technology, I was changing components monthly, upgrading, overclocking…damn those were fun times!

** pause for looking over old CDs for old PC pictures 😉 **

Hey mister, what a hell is that? :))

That is how old gaming rigs looked like 😉 Please notice the cooler on graphic card 🙂 here it is a bit closer (Pentium 3 stock cooler hehe) 😉

Computer was placed on foam to eliminate all the vibrations from the coolers 😉

And this is how the room looked like 🙂
Notice 15″ ADI 4V Microscan with a puppy on it 🙂 old Epson printer, prehistoric joystic on the case etc…

And then came lights! weee! Bunch of coolers, ton of copper, and lightshow! 🙂

Now you can really call this a “modern” setup! 1.5 GB of RAM, AthlonXP 1700, overclocked from 1.42 GHz to 2.5 GHz!!! and a Quadro card 😉 It was very very fast and, very very loud 😉

And where am I now?

You may say nothing special, but it is made just for me, by me 😉
If you wonder what is that black box with green and red button under the monitor, its just box with switches for turning on and reseting the computer.

Case is some total cheap crap, but I tore it apart, painted it totally black (with gold details) and isolated it from any vibrations… placed hard drive in hand made foam/rubber padded case on the bottom of the case… you can not hear it now!

Why is this computer so special to me? Because I built it for me, to suit my needs, and it does that perfectly. It is MY personal computer!

Specs are as follows:

Core 2 Duo E6300 2.8 GHz with Zalman 9500 AT
4 GB Corsair DHX RAM
Foxconn MARS MoBo
Asus GeForce 8500GT passive
WD Caviar Black 500 GB + 500 GB external WD
CoolerMaster Silentmaster Pro 600W PSU
22″ LG LCD + 19″ HP LCD
Altec Lansing 5.1 speakers
Basic Logitech wired mouse and keyboard – turned out to be the best for everyday use
Logitech MX3200 wireless set – for in bed activities 🙂

Can older/cheaper graphics cards still give you acceptable gaming experience?

Yes, in modern games it is all about graphic cards, and if you want to play the newest ones on the highest settings to see them in their complete beauty, you need what? monster graphic card.

Most of us don`t want to spend a little fortune on one piece of hardware, so we are not all equiped with state of the art GPUs. Is there a simple and cheap way of making our gaming experience a bit better?

Of course, and it has been with us for a loooong time – overclocking!

This little example of getting more from your cheap graphics card will be made using my passive GeForce 8500GT card, that wasn`t ever ment for breaking any records. It`s main purpose was to be quiet and do its job of displaying picture. Ok, it can run modern games, but don`t expect anything spectecular from it.

In order to get real life results, I`ll test the cards performance in two games: Company of Heroes and F.E.A.R.

To get most out of this card, you have to have an overclocking softvare (I used RivaTuner) and some little help to cool down the card.

I used Intels stock C2D cooler… removed the heatsink, and placed the vent onto the cards passive cooler. Good thing about Intels cooler is almost complete silence! I made it even quieter by lovering its rpm to 1015 using BIOS settings.

So what are the starting frequencies of this card that we will be playing with?

– Core: 459 MHz
– Shader: 918 MHz
– Memory: 400 MHz

And right in the start I made benchmarks using default values, just to see where my starting point was:

Company of Heroes results:

– Average: 16,9 fps
– Max: 40,5 fps
– Min: 6,6 fps

F.E.A.R. results:

Average: 16 fps
Max: 30 fps
Min: 39 fps

As you can see by the results, the framerate is too low and it will give us a twitchy kind of gameplay experience… have to do something about it.

After some time of raising frequencies and testing stabillity I ended with these final values:

Core: 650 MHz (from 459 MHz) – 42%!
Shader: 1300 MHz (from 918 MHz)- 42%!
Memory: 550 MHz (from 400 MHz) – 37,5%!

But what about the results in games after overclocking?

Company of Heroes results:

Average: 23,6 fps (from 16,9 fps) – 40% increase!
Max: 53 fps (from 40,5 fps)
Min: 10,6 fps (from 6,6 fps)

F.E.A.R. results:

Average: 23 fps (from 16 fps) – 44% increase!
Max: 39 fps (from 30 fps)
Min: 69 fps (from 39 fps)

No money – just some time and good will and there you have it – 40 to 44% increase in framerate!