the blog quebecois

thought i�d finally found the way
but i�m right back where i started
now i�m stuck inside the maze

dokken

Standard, unicursal, no dead ends, circular, triangular, hexagonal, octagonal, random angles, true random, over-and-under, 3D, 4D, 5D, spirals, arrows, biased passages, long passages, diagonal passages, symmetric, nested fractal, recursive fractal, cubes, word, hypermaze.

The program also features recreations of some famous real mazes, such as the Glacier Maze in Montana, above and at left.

Google has released SketchUp, a free 3D modelling application. In comparison to other software of the type, it's very easy to use. It'd be ideal for sketching out additions to your house (or a whole new one) or landscaping or designing or . . . well, whatever else comes to mind.

You can upload your images to the 3D Warehouse (from where I got the design at left) or import them into Google Earth.

It's only available for Windows now, but a Mac version is promised soon. Minimum requirements:

* Microsoft Windows - 2000, XP Home or Professional Editions
* 600 MHz Pentium� III processor
* 128 MB RAM
* 80 MB of available hard-disk space
* Video card that is 100% OpenGL compliant
* Windows compatible pointing device
* Microsoft� Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
* Windows� Media Player or QuickTime 5.0 and web browser for multimedia tutorial.

You can download it here.

I've been on the Internet for about ten years now, and I've developed fairly good instincts about what's safe and what's not. For instance, chat rooms are very dangerous. Not because the nubile 14-year-old girl you're attempting to woo is in fact a grizzled undercover cop named "Al." No, the true hazard is that you might accidentally encounter a 14-year-old girl:

OMG! OMG! R U 4 reel!!!! :):):)

Et cetera. So my advice is to skip chat rooms.

I rarely recommend downloads, at least not of popular stuff. Screensavers, icons and wallpapers from commercial sites are often buggy with spy-and-adware.* One study found that 80% of sports screensavers from one site were infested with it.

One exception I'll make is when it comes from a site identified with one person, who puts, in effect, her personal guarantee on the program's integrity. Such would be AJScreenSaver. It's a very nice collection of 14 different clock designs, such as the one pictured, designed by Charles Salim.

You can get many more safe, free screensavers here. (Note: Only the screensavers on the site itself are screened for viruses, spyware, etc. They can't vouch for any programs appearing in banner ads.)

*If you're not clear on what spyware is, this Wikipedia article should get you up to speed. Spyware isn't inherently destructive, though it can drain your system resources and slow your computer down if you have too much of it running.

It's a good idea to periodically scan your computer. Two of the best freeware programs to check for it are Ad-Aware (download Ad-Aware Personal from the left sidebar or from here) and SpyBot.

Some file-exchange programs like Kazaa and Limewire won't function if you remove their included spyware. You can quarantine individual spyware components until you determine they aren't needed for other software to work, at which time you can remove them entirely.

I recently got an iPod, which meant that I had to iInstall iTunes so that I could load my iMusic (iPromise, I'll iStop doing this iSoon) onto it, or at least that subset of same which iTunes deems acceptable. Apart from that (and the earbuds -- how on earth do you keep them in? Duct tape? Crazy Glue? Roofing nails?) it's a pretty cool gadget, the first Apple product I've bought. Even the packaging is nicely done, and it's possible to open it up without mortally wounding oneself with a utility knife.

Coincidentally, I happened across Maddox's rant (Warning: Language) about Apple. Funny stuff, but also informative, as when he takes a closer look at iTunes' EULA (End User's Licence Agreement, that mainly-unread piece of legal gibberish that you're required to check off on before you can load most commercial software).

I can just imagine Osama in his cave somewhere, clicking, clicking, clicking on iTunes and failing to:

a) build an atomic bomb; or,

b) find his latest podcast.

The dreaded digital prostate exam last week. Believe me, it's not as romantic as it sounds. A little bit of mood music and champagne would go a long way. Just sayin', doctor.

The good news is that I have one, and it seems to be intact. (Passed the PSA test, too, so it wasn't a surprise.)

Speaking of anatomical topics, DAZ 3D, one of the most popular makers of 3d graphics software, is releasing three of their most powerful programs for free until the end of March. (That'd 3d as in the sense that the things you pose or create inhabit a world with height, depth and width. You don't need special glasses to view the final images.) They include DAZ Studio Pro, the main modelling program; Bryce, for designing backgrounds, natural and man-built; and Hexagon, for creating 3d objects. They're available in Macintosh and for Windows 64-bit and 32-bit varieties. The 32-bit would probably run under Vista or even XP. (The main program works fine on my $500 laptop, though I think I'd go crazy trying to use a trackpad for any length with it -- you'll want a trackball or mouse.)

Download them here . Even if your present equipment won't run it, it would be a great idea to download the programs for later. Altogether, it's a +$800 value. If you are talented at design, you can even make some money at it -- there are many sites that will host your work for free (or for a small fee) and collect payments for you, etc.

They're also offering other stuff for free, including the Victoria (pictured) and Michael 4 models. To get them go here and sort by lowest price first. The free items will be listed as $0.00. Victoria's on the first page; Michael's on the second. You'll also find interesting things like Mixamo software, which you can use to animate your creations.

This leads us to another discovery -- click here to view part of the main design screen for Studio Pro. That's one of the generic models that come with the program. Notice anything?

That's right. There's no "There" "Down There." Or to use more scientific terms, no "va-jay-jay" nor "winkie" to be found. Fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be), the Internet Sex Fiends (motto: Sex! Sex! Sexsexsex!!!) have rushed to correct this oversight by lovingly crafting both male and female, fully-functional (so to speak) Naughty Bits. Worse, they then cast their characters into ghastly tableaux illustrating the perverse, insatiable appetites of Internet Sex Fiends. That's why they're called Internet Sex Fiends.

Or so I have heard.

I wouldn't have a clue where to find this stuff, of course. There is a rumor, however, that a search for "daz genitals" might turn up some interesting links (or possibly a movie about a German submarine in WWII).