The <off topic> thread

[DarkShock]

I need help.

I'm trying to download Windows Movie Maker, but every time I do and the setup wizard says that it successfully downloaded it I can't find the program anywhere.

It should be on your PC already. I'm now confuzed.

It's not on here.

[vista?]

I need help.

I'm trying to download Windows Movie Maker, but every time I do and the setup wizard says that it successfully downloaded it I can't find the program anywhere.

It should be on your PC already. I'm now confuzed.

The latest version.

I cannot understand why anyone would want WMM anyway.

Do you mean it's updated?

It's quite good for BASIC things. <-- Note the usage of the word BASIC.

[MattBlackLamb]

@MBL: In the overflow? I don't think there is that much editing you can do to a fractal apart from application.

Colour balance, cropping to get a tighter composition or to get rid of the bits you don't like. I guess it could be run in the fractal discussion thread...

Alas, I would study it were it not for the fact that people would frown on me, but when has that ever halted me in my proceedings before in my life?

The pentatonic scale is a five-note scale, (which is what the name means, Penta being Greek for 5 & tonic reffering to the fact that there are 5 tones or notes in it). You take the First Second Third Fifth & Sixth notes of the scale of the key you're playing in & end on the octave (the same note you started on but an octave higher). The Blues scale is slightly different & gets it's name from the fact that it's used a lot by people who play the Blues. To play a blues scale you take the root (first) note of the key you're playing in, the minor third, fourth, flattened fifth, fifth, flattened seventh & then to finish it of in a pleasant way, you play the octave.

Ok folks, that's your music theory lesson for today Or I can carry on if you want, I know quite a lot about this stuff.

[Simon Brown]

@MBL: In the overflow? I don't think there is that much editing you can do to a fractal apart from application.

Colour balance, cropping to get a tighter composition or to get rid of the bits you don't like. I guess it could be run in the fractal discussion thread...

I don't think a fractal competition could go in GD/Q just because at the end you have to edit your entry with paint.net.

[Rubrica]

@MBL: In the overflow? I don't think there is that much editing you can do to a fractal apart from application.

Colour balance, cropping to get a tighter composition or to get rid of the bits you don't like. I guess it could be run in the fractal discussion thread...

Alas, I would study it were it not for the fact that people would frown on me, but when has that ever halted me in my proceedings before in my life?

The pentatonic scale is a five-note scale, (which is what the name means, Penta being Greek for 5 & tonic reffering to the fact that there are 5 tones or notes in it). You take the First Second Third Fifth & Sixth notes of the scale of the key you're playing in & end on the octave (the same note you started on but an octave higher). The Blues scale is slightly different & gets it's name from the fact that it's used a lot by people who play the Blues. To play a blues scale you take the root (first) note of the key you're playing in, the minor third, fourth, flattened fifth, fifth, flattened seventh & then to finish it of in a pleasant way, you play the octave.

Ok folks, that's your music theory lesson for today Or I can carry on if you want, I know quite a lot about this stuff.

While the lovely sound that is music can be highly calming and helpful at times, it is my preference to study things such as mathematics, which can aid you as you progress in your life, and have a better result in the end. So stop getting so hyped-up and psychoneuretical about it.

[MattBlackLamb]

While the lovely sound that is music can be highly calming and helpful at times, it is my preference to study things such as mathematics, which can aid you as you progress in your life, and have a better result in the end. So stop getting so hyped-up and psychoneuretical about it.

Now, while you are right that maths will help you when you are big & growed (deliberate mistake ) up, it may interest you to know that music is the UK's biggest export, so, learning how to play french horn / trumpet / guitar / piano / double bass / bassoon / sitar / zither / balalaika / saxophone / drums / whatever you like, even comb & paper.

Trust me, even if you only ever do it as a hobby, playing a musical instrument is really good fun & can be a very liberating expeirence.

Edit: Out of interest, when, whilst reading my previous post, did you twig that I was talking about music?

[Rubrica]

While the lovely sound that is music can be highly calming and helpful at times, it is my preference to study things such as mathematics, which can aid you as you progress in your life, and have a better result in the end. So stop getting so hyped-up and psychoneuretical about it.

Now, while you are right that maths will help you when you are big & growed (deliberate mistake ) up, it may interest you to know that music is the UK's biggest export, so, learning how to play french horn / trumpet / guitar / piano / double bass / bassoon / sitar / zither / balalaika / saxophone / drums / whatever you like, even comb & paper.

Trust me, even if you only ever do it as a hobby, playing a musical instrument is really good fun & can be a very liberating expeirence.

Edit: Out of interest, when, whilst reading my previous post, did you twig that I was talking about music?

It didn't occur to me while reading your previous post, it was while reading the post before. And by the way, I found some music for you to try and play by ear. It's on guitar, but you can probably play it on something else.

[MattBlackLamb]

What music is this?

[Rubrica]

Hang on, I was meant to post the link in my previous post. I'll just get it.

EDIT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBVTB8t0 ... re=related It's the tune you could try, you can change the words to whatever you like.

[Myrddin]

While the lovely sound that is music can be highly calming and helpful at times, it is my preference to study things such as mathematics, which can aid you as you progress in your life, and have a better result in the end. So stop getting so hyped-up and psychoneuretical about it.

Whilst you may have been jesting about his hype on the subject, having one impart their personal experiences about a subject can be a fantastic means to learn something new, even if it's just titbits of information, it can still develop your knowledge base.

So, by all means, Matt, if you want to tell more, please do .

Anyway, music can be just as beneficial as mathematics.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I told you, it'd would never happen in a million years!

Do you realise how long one million years is? That's more than enough time for the human brain to evolve to the point where such ideas would be accepted.

Methinks that Myrddin was being pedantic.

Yes, quite right, Matt. Are some people blind to emoticons?

[DarkShock]

My goodness. We're already so close to 700 pages. :o

[Rubrica]

While the lovely sound that is music can be highly calming and helpful at times, it is my preference to study things such as mathematics, which can aid you as you progress in your life, and have a better result in the end. So stop getting so hyped-up and psychoneuretical about it.

Whilst you may have been jesting about his hype on the subject, having one impart their personal experiences about a subject can be a fantastic means to learn something new, even if it's just titbits of information, it can still develop your knowledge base.

So, by all means, Matt, if you want to tell more, please do .

Anyway, music can be just as beneficial as mathematics.

Oh, I was not denying any of that information, I am just not a practical type of person. I' more (psycho)analytical.

[MattBlackLamb]

More music theory hmm, I think I can manage that

Lets start with some basics, the major & minor scales:

Major Scales

The C major scale (playing all the white notes on a piano starting & ending on C) would be spelt something like this:

C D E F G A B C

There is a formula to make learning all the major scales easier, it may seem a little abstract at first but any music theory is a very abstract thing until you put it into practice on an instrument of some sort.

(T = tone ST = semitone, one T is equal to 2 ST) wow, I didn't know I could do algebra

To play a major scale you take a note & play:

T, T, ST, T, T, T, ST.

The major scale formula can be remembered by the simple phrase two tone semitone, three tone semitone.

Now, to relate the formula to the C major scale:

From C we go up one tone to D where we go up another tone to E. From E we go up a semitone to F, this is where a lot of new / young piano players get confused because E & F are two white notes & a common misconception is that all white notes are a tone apart. From F we go up a tone to G, then another tone to A, another tone to B & out last step is a semitone to C which is the octave.

You can use the major scale formula to learn all the major scales (yup, all 12 of them)

Minor Scales

If that seemed like a lot of reading then I apologise, there won't be so much in this one, at least there shouldn't be.

Ok, lets begin with the A natural minor scale which is played using all the white notes on a piano, only this time starting on A, spelt out, it'll look like this:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A.

The formula for a natural minor scale is:

T, ST, T, T, ST, T, T.

As before you can use this formula to work out any other scale that uses it, which, in this case, is the natural minor.

Unlike the major, there are three types of minor scale the Natural (see above), the Harmonic & the Melodic. You won't learn about the Harmonic or The Melodic until about grade 5 or 6 (at an educated guess), they can make life interesting & provide some nice sounding bits of music.

Phew, that was a fair but of typing...

[Myrddin]

More music theory...

Whilst I'm not surprised at the amount of music theory, I am surprised at the content of the theory. Pleasantly surprised, naturally.

Impressive stuff, Matt!

[The_Lionhearted]

@mattblacklamb: I play piano. Hooray theory!

@Yata's contest: I don't really do fractals so I don't have an opinion.

@vista?'s contest: Yeah, the replication contest probably wouldn't happen...

@darkshock's contest: PDN duel? If we have two people making a sig or something and then voting for the best one...isn't it really the SOTW contest? :?

[DarkShock]

@darkshock's contest: PDN duel? If we have two people making a sig or something and then voting for the best one...isn't it really the SOTW contest? :?

Not really. It's just two people competing to see who makes a better image. It's more of a direct competition than SOTW.

[The_Lionhearted]

@darkshock's contest: PDN duel? If we have two people making a sig or something and then voting for the best one...isn't it really the SOTW contest? :?

Not really. It's just two people competing to see who makes a better image. It's more of a direct competition than SOTW.

Eh...still, I don't like the idea of competing directly against someone else. If I'm going to lose out to Ash, I'd rather lose out in a group of other people as well.

[ncfan51]

I have a proposal for you guys.

I'd like to start a fractaling competition here, but I saw some of your posts in another competition and was a bit dismayed as if I should post this or not.

We have a good deal of fractlers here, and it would be nice to have one, imo. I'd allow all fractal programs and limited use of raster editors to edit the fractal. The theme would be a feeling or emotion to go for.

Any takers?

Hmm...Fractals are..IMO...unrateable. What one might consider a good fractal, another might not, and vice versa. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, especially when it comes to such abstract forms of art like fractals.

[The_Lionhearted]

Hmm...Fractals are..IMO...unrateable. What one might consider a good fractal, another might not, and vice versa. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, especially when it comes to such abstract forms of art like fractals.

You could use that argument about any picture really.

And in unrelated news, I wonder where Bob is. He hasn't been around in a while.

[ncfan51]

Yes, but especially so in fractals. But I think Yata should make it though, so I can see about it.

I need help.

I'm trying to download Windows Movie Maker, but every time I do and the setup wizard says that it successfully downloaded it I can't find the program anywhere.

WMM is preinstalled. And there hasn't been an XP update since SP2. It's in your Accessories folder.

[DarkShock]

Hey guys. I took an algebra test on Thursday and I'll get the results tomorrow. How do you think it did?

A?

B?

C?

D?

F?

I think I got an A-

[DarkShock]

Yes, but especially so in fractals. But I think Yata should make it though, so I can see about it.

I need help.

I'm trying to download Windows Movie Maker, but every time I do and the setup wizard says that it successfully downloaded it I can't find the program anywhere.

WMM is preinstalled. And there hasn't been an XP update since SP2. It's in your Accessories folder.

It's not there. I can't find it anywhere. I thought it was pre-installed, but it was deleted since my computer got cleaned out.

[usedHONDA]

Fractals... they can be beautiful, but cheap at the same time. From what I've seen (and done), good looking fractals only take a few minutes to conceive, then hours to render. Not much to it. You play around with the triangles for 30 seconds, use a few scripts, mutate it, change the gradient, and let the fractal render while you go to work. When you come back from your job, resize and crop the image and post on dA, getting 1000+ hits after about a month. Heh.

@DarkShock: Same here. It was just about a week ago that I tried to find the Movie Maker, but it doesn't seem to be installed (it isn't even on the Add/Remove Programs list).

[MattBlackLamb]

More music theory...

Whilst I'm not surprised at the amount of music theory, I am surprised at the content of the theory. Pleasantly surprised, naturally.

Impressive stuff, Matt!

That stuff is grade 1 kinda level (8 is the highest grade you can get in any instrument just to give people some kind of perspective on things), that stuff isn't too hard once you've grasped it, although grasping it can (depending on the person & teacher) take 5 mins or 5 years.

You're surprised at the content of the theory? In what / which way?

@mattblacklamb: I play piano. Hooray theory!

Indeed that stuff is pretty much like riding a bike, you don't forget it & it's easy when you know how

[Myrddin]

You're surprised at the content of the theory? In what / which way?

For example...

There is a formula to make learning all the major scales easier, it may seem a little abstract at first but any music theory is a very abstract thing until you put it into practice on an instrument of some sort.

(T = tone ST = semitone, one T is equal to 2 ST) ...

To play a major scale you take a note & play:

T, T, ST, T, T, T, ST.

It seemed very clinical for an art. I understand why it's there, and essentially the concept of it, but I was surprised at first that it did exist at all.

I prefer to listen than play, and it has been many years since I was taught music, but even then it was not to this level; we were given sheet music and told to play, or told to create something of our own imagination along the lines of some theme. Nothing like this. Perhaps once, to think of it, but once in three years of compulsory music is not much. Having said that, I had heard of some of this being taught at GCSE where a more in-depth understanding of playing was clearly required.