20 iPad Applications for Freelancers & Webmasters

Since Apple unveiled the iPad back in 2010 it has been rapidly adopted by western culture. It appears that home computing is advancing into a new realm of mobility. Tablet PCs allow us to accomplish tasks more efficiently with less software and hassle in-between.

The App Store just adds a huge bonus where developers can build and submit their software. Freelancers and web designers alike can benefit from many of these apps. Below I’ve put together a collection of 20 wonderful iPad applications you should check out. These are handy for task management, communication, networking, designs, and a whole lot more!

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An Introduction To Digital Painting

Digital painting is an activity which can result in incredibly realistic and detailed artwork. If you would like to learn the basics, it is important to start by familiarizing yourself with an understanding of what is actually involved. Today, there is various software than can be used by professional designers, illustrators, and artists. The tools that are available allow for an artist to have incredible freedom of expression.

Unlike traditional art forms, with this medium there is no need to be concerned about running out of supplies or making a mess. It is a format which is very forgiving when making mistakes, no other medium would allow you to erase strokes over and over without damaging the canvas. You can produce print quality illustrations with efficiency.

In simple terms, digital painting involves creating art directly on your computer. Though there have been applications around for a considerable time that allow for such activity, over the last few years the scope and functionality of the software has improved massively. These days, you do not need a degree in computer illustration to create high quality images.

The foundation of this modern approach lies in traditional art skills. The process is straightforward, but it does require a broad understanding of the use of specific techniques, tools, and filters. Once the basics are mastered, there is almost no limit to the number of attractive images that can be created. Even with a simple paintbrush tool and digital eraser, interesting art can be made.

The software available for this activity is designed to mimic the use of traditional physical media through various paint effects and brushes. There are tools that are styled to represent the use of acrylic, oil, pastels, pen, air-brushing, and charcoal. Most of the applications also allow users to create their own brushes and styles using a combination of shape and texture.

There are many different styles of digital painting. This includes such forms as watercolor, realism, and impressionism. There are both detractors and advocates of this medium. While it allows an artist to work in an organized and mess free environment, some say that more control exists when holding an actual brush in the hand.

Digital painting techniques are often used in production art. People versed in this field can be found employed in the film, television, and video game industries. It is suggested that this is a medium which will become more accessible in the future with the introduction of more simplified software and tablet PCs.

With one simple click you can transform pictures into works of art with a easy-to-use digital painting software, there are a lot of things that you can do with this application. For more info click here

Create Your Own Leather Texture Using Adobe Illustrator

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a leather texture of different colors using Adobe Illustrator. This is a basic tutorial to follow and will take around thirty minutes to complete. You can use this vector texture in your artwork when you need to add a leather texture. Let’s get started.

Create a new document with File > New (Command + N).

Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a square with the settings shown below. Set the stroke to none, color it with RGB (R=255, B=255, G=255) and position it to center.

Go to Effect > Texture > Stained Glass…, a window opens and then click OK to apply it. Go to Object > Expand Appearance.

Go to Object > Live Trace > Make and Expand.

Right-click and Ungroup the layer.

Use Magic Wand Tools (Y), select the white colors and delete.

Color the layer with RGB (R=25, G=25, B=25), position it in the center of artboard, and modify the size to 300 px. Uncheck the constrain proportion.

Make a copy of the layer (Command + C) and paste in back (Command + B). Color the layer with RGB (R=65, G=65, B=65), and modify its position: transform x=301 and y=299.

Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a square with the following settings:

Color the layer with RGB (R=40, B=40, G=40), and modify its position in the center of artboard as x=300 and y=300. Move the order layer down as shown.

Make a copy of the layer (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). Keep the Command key pressed to select the layers in the image below.

Keep the Alt key pressed to select Intersect from the Pathfinder window and Expand.

Make a copy of the bottom layer (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). Select the layer you just copied and go to Object > Create Gradient Mesh. Enter the data shown in the following image and click OK.

Lock the top layers.

Now color the mesh points with the following colors:

Now after you have finished coloring you can unlock the layers. Select the Ellipse Tool and click on the artboard to create a circle with the following settings:

Color the circle with the Gradient Tool (G), using the following colors: RGB (R=255, G=255, B=255) and RGB (R=150, G=150, B=150) with a type of Radial. Modify its position in the center of artboard x=300 and y=300, then select Overly from the Transparency window.

Use the Rectangle Tool (M) to create a square with the following settings: x=300 and y=300, then modify its position in the center of the artboard: x=300 and y=300.

Select the first two layers you just created and Right-click > Make Clipping Mask. Select all the layers and group them (Command + A > Command + G).

Modify its position in the top right corner of artboard: x=150 and y=150.

Make a copy of the group layer (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). Modify its position in the top left corner of the artboard: x=450 and y=150.

Open the group and make a copy of the square for the bottom layer (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). Color the layer with RGB (R=75, G=175, B=255), select Overly in the Transparency window, and move up the layer to the second from the group, then close the group.

Make a copy of the group layer (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). Modify its position in the bottom right corner of the artboard: x=150 and y=450. Change the RGB color (R=75, G=175, B=255) and layer of the group to a RGB color (R=255, G=75, B=75).

Make a copy of the group layer (Command + C) and Paste in Front (Command + F). Modify its position in the bottom left corner of the artboard: x=450 and y=450. Change the RGB color (R=255, G=75, B=75) and layer of the group to RGB (R=175, G=125, B=75).

Now your leather texture with different colors is done. I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial.

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Is it Really the Brush? Odd Expressions in English

We've all heard the expression. Someone criticises a particular group of people - be they immigrants, fast food employees, stock brokers, bankers, or fighter pilots - and someone else will say, "You shouldn't tar them all with the same brush."

The expression, of course, comes from the days when the populace occasionally illustrated their displeasure with someone by coating them in tar and dumping feathers on them. Never an authorised punishment in the New World, it did have some degree of official sanction in England, the earliest recorded instance being found in the orders issued by Richard I to his navy as they headed for the Holy Land in 1191. By Richard's command, any "theife or felon," after being lawfully convicted, was to "have his head shorne, and boyling pitch poured upon his head, and feathers or downe strawed upon the same whereby he may be knowen." In the United States, the practice was especially popular when dealing with the British Customs service and its informers (1).

Of course, the idea behind the expression is that just because someone belongs to the same group as a person who has given offence, you shouldn't judge them solely on the basis of it. As a piece of advice, I can't help but to agree.

It's the expression itself that puzzles me.

Suppose I've been rounded up along with someone who has sinned against the community and they've decided the only proper punishment is a good old tarring and feathering. Is it really the use of the same brush that I'm going to find objectionable?

Another puzzling expression arises when we dismiss someone's abilities by saying that they "don't cut the mustard." While someone incapable of performing the simple task of cutting mustard is admittedly not very skillful, holding this criterion up as a standard of competence doesn't seem to be setting the bar particularly high.

The origins of this particular phrase are long obscured. Some believe it is a corruption of "muster," as in the ability to "pass muster" or to pass inspection as in a muster of troops. Others hold that it refers to the addition of vinegar to the mustard seed as a means of "cutting" its bitterness.

While some authorities claim that the first recorded instance of this expression, which seems to be American in origin, is to be found in a 1902 story by O. Henry, Gary Martin at The Phrasefinder has turned up an earlier example (1897) from The Iowa State Reporter in which a headline about the rivalry between two towns reads: "Dubuque had the crowds, but Waterloo 'Cut the Mustard.'" As they point out, the quotations around the words, along with a complete lack of explanation, strongly indicates that readers probably were already acquainted with the phrase(2).

Whatever the ultimate origin, I'm not about to bend over backwards trying to find out.

Not that I have any idea how such an awkward position could possibly help.

------- References ---------

1. Wikipedia Author. "Tarring and feathering." Wikipedia. 2009. Wikimedia Foundation. Web.10 Aug. 2009.

2. Martin, Gary. "Cut the mustard." The Phrase Finder. 2009. The Phrase Finder. Web.10 Aug. 2009.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christopher Simpson is an editor and marketing image consultant who teaches all levels of English at a major Toronto college.

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Digital Art: Explore Illustration

Digital illustration is big business these days. A quick look at roadside billboards, club flyers or magazine covers should be enough to convince anyone that the art of the digital designer has never been in higher demand, and its popularity just keeps on growing.

But defining exactly what digital illustration is proves tricky. We all know what the words mean, yet the myriad of ways in which illustration can be applied makes it one of the most versatile of the creative arts and as such, it's pretty difficult to pin down.

With a strong creative vision and the right software, concepts can be articulated in limitless ways; each style opening new doors for expression. The one crucial skill that ties it all together is the need for some innate artistic ability. You don't need to be a virtuoso with a pencil to be good at computer art, but there's no doubt that most professional illustrators are proficient with traditional art techniques.

The basics of image structure are the same across mediums, after all, and with software increasingly able to mimic traditional drawing methods, the transition to digital has become almost seamless. Let's take a closer look at the main branches of digital illustration and discover a little more about how the experts put them together.

Vector art

It's no great accident that vector illustration is currently one of the trendiest and easily recognisable of the digital art disciplines. The signature flat colours and clean lines are easy to spot and quick to grab attention, which of course makes the style hugely popular with advertisers looking to catch the eye of potential consumers. In addition, their reduced colour palettes and scalable technology means they are perfect when it comes to artwork for the Web.

Created with precision by manipulating Bezier paths, the mechanics of vectors are based on mathematic principles that make them infinitely scalable without suffering degradation. This trait is extremely attractive to illustrators because it means images can be shrunk to a stamp or stretched to a billboard, without having to be redone. Paths are also easy to edit at a later stage, making vector images quick to tweak and rearrange if need be.

Vector shapes are often produced with photographs or hand drawn scans as templates, digitally tracing as much of the outline and detail as needed. Programs such as Flash can even create vectors automatically by tracing over photographic or pre sketched material, allowing picture elements to be created quickly and with little effort. However, the real artistry comes when choosing which elements to take to the digital image, and knowing how to colour and arrange the final illustration.

Keeping up to date is crucial and, since digital artists typically spend hours in front of a screen involved in their masterpieces, it's all too easy to become isolated from what's going on around you. Styles ace constantly changing and trends can come and go at great speed, so keeping your finger on the industry pulse is vital. Not only does it make good commercial sense, but it can also act as a rich muse from which to draw ideas

Mixing media

While vector art focuses on clean shapes, simple forms and bold chunks of colour, other digital illustration techniques take things in the opposite direction. Since the arrival of Photoshop in 1990, artists have been able to digitally manipulate photographic material and combine it with other visual ingredients, and when layers arrived with Photoshop 3.0 five years later, the stage was set for a new form of digital image. In 1995, digital photo illustration was born.

Based on the traditional method of using scissors and glue to cut and paste photos and artwork together in new arrangements, it's a technique that has always been popular with children but has now become the favoured strategy of many an adult illustrator. This is primarily due to Photoshop's specialised, yet accessible and intuitive, toolset, but also reflects the success the strategy can have when attempting to convey a complicated collection of ideas.

Sketching toons

While everyone knows that Photoshop is the king of detailed mixed media illustration, less well known is the fact that it's also astonishingly good at producing line and comic style artwork. Deftly sidestepping the need to use intricate filters and effects, the hand drawn, hand coloured look is gaining favour with artists and art directors alike.

Because of the time saving tools that Photoshop offers, professional comic book artists are beginning to use the software to colour their hand drawn sketches and are taking digital art into previously unexplored areas. Using a mixture of both hand drawn and digital painting, new styles are surfacing that are making a massive impact on the established illustration industry.

Realer than real?

But for many artists, the Holy Grail of computer art is realism. Recent advances in graphics technology have enabled software developers to accurately simulate

real world drawing and painting tools by modelling how inks, chalks, oils and paints behave when they are applied to different surfaces. Using random particles to create natural looking strokes on simulated materials, you can now produce painted images that are all but indistinguishable from their hand made equivalents.

Since you can also grab a graphics tablet and paint directly onto your digital canvas, digital painting is less a description of an illustration style and more a literal possibility. As well as further mimicking the traditional within the digital arena, it's also easy to pick up and get started. To this end, having some experience with real world painting is a definite advantage.

Because the technology behind natural media is so intricate, there are only a handful of programs that can actually achieve believable results. The most specialised is Corel Painter, which takes the possibilities to extremes by providing an array of simulated traditional drawing and painting tools. It even goes so far as to model the way that watercolour Paints behave when wet, with drips, runs and splashes. However, with some crafty brush creation and expert manipulation of layers, equally exciting effects can be replicated in your humble copy of Photoshop.

Pixel power

But although illustration software is advancing, it would be a mistake to think that the industry is focussing purely on pushing the undiscovered boundaries of digital imaging. In among the simulated paintings, clean vectors and intricate photo collages, a resurgence of old school pixel techniques is proudly celebrating the humble beginnings of computer art.

Pixel illustration is arguably where the whole digital illustration shebang began, back in the days when computer screens could only display a small number of colours at a low resolution. But, like so many limitations, this situation forced creativity and produced a unique style that's now being snapped up in an industry that's constantly on the lookout for something different.

Because low resolutions mean large pixel sizes, pixel art uses geometric rules that ensure perspectives are correctly maintained . A by product of this is the familiar isometric view that's so common in this style of illustration, yet it does lend itself surprisingly well to conceptual art.

Pixel art continues to gain momentum, with increasing numbers of advertising and editorial commissioners looking to capitalise on its retro style designs. The bold use of colour and scrutinising detail also make it ideal for clients wishing to attract close attention and its popularity shows no signs of slowing.

Make it yours

With so many creative styles to work with, there are many entry points into the world of digital illustration. If you already own an imaging package, then you've got all the tools you need to get started. The disciplines we've delved into cover the majority of styles that are suited to computer art, but who knows what some hot new illustrator will come up with tomorrow. The range of software available combined with the sheer diversity of human experience, means that there is unlimited opportunity for individual expression.

So if you think you could be the next big thing then don't delay because, whatever your style, now is your chance. The hipness of digital illustration is just beginning to break into the consciousness of the mainstream and there's never been a better time to explore your creative potential.

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Chimpanzees - Towards Human and Associated Protections

As scientists amass data, chimpanzees are moving closer towards human. They are sentient, self-aware beings with strong cognitive skills and a proven ability to communicate, reason, express emotions, adapt, and even manipulate and deceive. With genetic material 98.5% identical to that of humans, chimpanzees are more similar to people than gorillas. Consequently, serious ethical implications exist regarding chimpanzee captivity and use in laboratory experiments. Below is a close examination of chimpanzees:

Chimpanzees live in areas comprising 21 African countries that encompass grasslands, dry savannah and rainforests. They often live in communities that range from 20-100 members. Two species of chimpanzee exist - the common chimpanzee (which has four subspecies) and the Bonobo (also known as the "pygmy chimpanzee") The former subsists on a diet of fruit and meat, the latter solely on fruit. Their average life span ranges from 40-50 years. Chimpanzees are currently listed as endangered primarily due to deforestation and poaching.

I. Brain Size/Structure/Nervous System:

Chimpanzees have a brain and nervous system comparable to that of a human. They learn extremely quickly, possess the ability to produce creative responses, express emotions (through sounds, gestures and facial expressions), influence their surroundings, and share the same qualitative experience in pain despite a cerebral cortex that is about 1/3 the size of that in humans.

The average chimpanzee brain weighs 437 g versus 1.3 kg for the average human. When comparing brain size to body size - the Encephalization Quotient (EQ), the average chimpanzee brain registers about 2.49 (third to the 7.44 and 5.31 EQ of the average human and dolphin; the Rhesus Monkey comes in fourth at 2.09). This indicates a high-level of cognitive ability.

Both humans and chimpanzees engage in the same sleep patterns. This includes the stages of rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, indicating both are likely capable of dreaming.

II. Social Setting:

Chimpanzees are exceptionally social, consistent with humans, other great apes, dolphins and other creatures displaying high levels of intelligence.

They spend equal amounts of time on land and in trees (where they build nests to sleep, though some chimpanzees in the Fongoli savannah in southeast Senegal spend time in caves) and move from territory to territory foraging for food. Although a typical community can number up to 100, chimpanzees often spend time in smaller parties; mothers and their dependent children, though refuse to separate. Each chimpanzee family (to which individuals have strong bonds) is headed by an alpha or dominant male (bonobos, though are led by females) that leads them in hunting, territorial protection, and war. Each community is hierarchical in nature where strength and intelligence bring added respect. Females are the only gender that move freely between communities.

Chimpanzees enjoy prefer sharing rewards with a companion. A study by Alicia Melis at the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda documented in Altruism 'in-built' in humans by Helen Briggs (BBC News, 3 March 2006) found that chimpanzees recognize and value the importance of collaboration. When such collaboration was necessary in an experiment that required the simultaneous pulling of two ends of a rope to obtain a tray of food, chimpanzees consistently selected the optimal partner, which in Melis' words "was a level of understanding [only seen in] humans."

Within their communities, chimpanzees maintain intricate social networks where touching, grooming (which creates calm and strengthens friendships), and embracing are important aspects in preserving cohesiveness. Play is also an important part of a chimpanzee's life, especially among males when they are young.

Chimpanzees are among the few species that teach their young skills and culture (which is transferred between communities by females relocating between groups). Young chimpanzees between 6 and 8 years of age (primarily taught by their mothers) spend much of their time learning the social skills, community's culture, and tool making through observation, imitation, and repetitious practice. At the same time, though, studies per Recent studies illustrate which traits humans and apes have in common - and which they don't (Anne Casselman, Smithsonian.com, 11 October 2007) indicate "human children have much more sophisticated skills... dealing with imitating another's solution to a problem, communicating non-verbally and reading the intentions [of] others."

The typical chimpanzee pregnancy lasts 8 months. Young chimpanzees are weaned from their mothers by three years of age, and reach puberty threes years later. For chimpanzees, puberty lasts three years.

When it comes to treatment of their dead, chimpanzees often pay frequent visits to view and grieve over the deceased's body. Afterwards, they cover it with leaves and branches before moving on.

III. Multi-modal Sensory Perception:

Chimpanzees and humans utilize five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) to perceive the world around them. Sight and smell, two critical senses utilized by chimpanzees are discussed below.

The morphological and anatomical structure of a chimpanzee's eye is similar to that of humans. Likewise their vision is also similar. As a result, unlike most non-primate mammals that are dicromats (their color vision is based on two colors), primates (including chimpanzees and humans), are trichromatic. When their retinal nerves capture light, their brain utilizes three fixed wavelengths/colors to create a rich, colored environment. As a consequence for their similar morphological and anatomical eye structure and visual processing, chimpanzees can suffer from some of the same impairments as humans (e.g. Lucky, a male chimpanzee in Japan suffers from color blindness).

Chimpanzees have an excellent sense of smell, which plays a critical role in their social interactions. Aside from facial recognition, chimpanzees use smell to identify each other and enhance their understanding of another's mood since each emits a distinctive odor based on pheromones that can be found in their feces, urine, and glandular secretions.

Aside from sight and smell, chimpanzees also rely on hearing (utilizing a similar auditory range as humans), and to a lesser extent, touch and taste. It should be noted that chimpanzees, like humans, if given a choice, prefer sweets.

IV. Shape Recognition:

Studies have shown chimpanzees, like humans are "more sensitive to concave deformation (important for constructing three-dimensional objects) than convex deformation." They also view shapes and mentally process two-dimensional objects in the same manner as humans.[1]

Based on this similarity and the similar structure of their eye and visual processing abilities, it is likely chimpanzees can match simple and complex shapes. More research, though, needs to be done in this area.

V. Mirror Self Recognition (MSR):

The ability to possess sentience/self-awareness (to think about oneself in the physical and mental realms) illustrates a complex level of abstract thinking that uncommon among animals. Chimpanzees possess this self-awareness and are capable of symbolic thought.

Studies have shown chimpanzees can recognize themselves in a mirror and are aware of their own behavior and body. During MSR tests, chimpanzees showed they possess selective attention (they can pay attention to themselves in a mirror, aware they are viewing themselves instead of another animal). When chimpanzees were marked with non-toxic odorless red dye on one eyebrow and the opposite ear, they went to a mirror and carefully examined the markings on their bodies. Scientific evidence also indicates that chimpanzees and other great apes possess to some degree, "theory of other minds," in which they recognize individuals have their own beliefs. It is also highly probable that chimpanzees like dolphins and humans, can discern the difference between reality and television.

VI. Language/Communication and Emotions:

Although chimpanzees lack the vocal cords, ability to talk and make a sound for every object as humans, they communicate through sounds (e.g. barking, hooting, screaming, etc.), facial expressions (which require extensive attention to detail or viewing more than one aspect of a facial expression so that subtleties of meaning, which are not always obvious, are interpreted correctly), posturing, and gestures (with hands, feet, and limbs). Although the majority of chimpanzee sounds are related to a specific emotion, some can be associated with more than one emotion. In addition, each chimpanzee, for identification reasons, has its own distinct calls consistent with humans and dolphins having their own distinct voices and sounds, respectively.

Chimpanzees utilize intentional communication to meet individual and group needs and to convey their feelings, which are an essential part of their social behavior. Certain communication behaviors are passed down through generations.

A brief summary of several chimpanzee emotions and their associated sounds is listed below:

1. Anger: Waa (bark)
2. Distress: Hoo
3. Enjoyment of body contact: Lip smack
4. Enjoyment of food: Aah
5. Enjoyment/Excitement: Pant (hoot)
6. Fear: Wraa or Pant (bark)
7. Hostility: Screaming

A brief summary of chimpanzee emotions and their associated facial expressions is also listed below:

1. Aggression: Display of teeth in a wide open mouth with erect facial hairs
2. Fear/Distress: Display of teeth with lips pulled back horizontally
3. Intense Fear: Full open grin
4. Playful: Slightly open mouth in a relaxed position
5. Pouting/Begging: Puckered lips as if offering a kiss
6. Submission: Horizontal puckered lips

Chimpanzees communicate about "what," "where," and "who" but the past or the future. Their communication is instantaneous based on the present. However, per Deborah Fouts, co-director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute reported by Brandon Keim, Chimps: Not Human, But Are They People? (Wired Science, 14 October 2008), "They do remember the past [and can] understand the concept that something will happen later."

Chimpanzees are also capable of understanding American Sign Language (ASL) gestures, and can learn associations between symbols, sounds, and objects without specific reinforcement or direct intervention. In the early 1970s, Washoe, a female chimpanzee followed by four other chimpanzees learned 100+ signs. Presently, Washoe can use up to 240 signs and even taught her adopted son ASL without human intervention.

Another female chimpanzee, Lucy, even recognized that word order makes a difference when her trainer signed to tickle him, instead following her request to tickle her. However, it is unlikely that chimpanzees can conceptualize virtual reality from sounds and symbols as people do.

However, per Valerie A. Kuhlmeier and Sarah T. Boysen, Chimpanzees Recognize Spatial and Object Correspondences Between a Scale Model and Its Referent (Psychological Science, Vol. 13, Issue 1, 19 March 2002), chimpanzees like young children, "are sensitive to both object and spatial-relational correspondences between a model and its referent (a person or thing to which a linguistic expression (e.g. word, symbol) refers)."

Facial recognition is another important part of communication. Consistent with humans, chimpanzees exhibit species-specific face recognition, more readily discriminating between chimpanzee faces than those of other species. However, chimpanzee infants that receive significant exposure to human faces are better at discriminating between human faces. Per Julie Martin-Malivel and Kazunori Okada in Human and chimpanzee face recognition in chimpanzees: Role of exposure and impact on categorical perception (Psycnet, American Psychological Association, December 2007) "exposure is a critical determinant in conspecific and nonconspecific face recognition. Furthermore, per Development of face recognition in infant chimpanzees (Masako Myowa-Yamakoshi, et. al. Science Direct. 20 December 2005) chimpanzee babies, consistent with human newborns, prefer to study facial patterns over non-facial patterns as they develop during their earliest days.

Chimpanzees are generally affectionate creatures that show emotions towards their own as well as other species. They show concern for ill or injured members, mourn the deceased (to the point that a healthy young male died of a broken heart a few weeks after the death of his mother), show excitement and joy when playing, as well as fear and concern. Consistent with humans, chimpanzees possess emotions that last for a short duration and moods that can last for longer durations. Furthermore, studies show baby chimpanzees have the same emotional range as human babies, but better self-control when it comes to uncontrollable crying. The only human emotion chimpanzees do not appear to possess is spite.

VII. Memory:

Chimpanzees have excellent memory systems. They can memorize faces, symbols and numbers, and learn specific behaviors that can result in either adverse or rewarding experiences.

Consistent with humans, chimpanzees retain a better memory of events that elicit emotions than those, which are neutral.

Chimpanzees also possess exceptional spatial memory, which per Chimps mentally map fruit trees (Matt Walker, BBC News, 6 August 2009) enables them to remember the exact location of "a single tree among more than 12,000 others within a patch of forest." Per Forest chimpanzees remember the location of numerous fruit trees (Emmanuelle Normant, Simone Dagui Ban, and Christophe Boesch, Animal Cognition, 31 May 2009) such spatial memory "allows [chimpanzees] to remember the location of numerous resources and use this information to select the most attractive resources."

In addition, chimpanzees can also make plans (debunking earlier thoughts that only humans are capable such future planning). Since 1997, Santino, a male chimp at a zoo north of Stockholm, Sweden, while calm, has repeatedly created arsenals of stones to throw at spectators for a future "dominance display." More impressively, he even figured out how to detect and break off weak pieces of concrete in his enclosure to add to his cache.

VIII. Tools and Problem Solving:

Chimpanzees and other great apes are effective users of crude tools (e.g Fongoli savannah chimpanzees use spears to hunt and kill bushbabies (a nocturnal primate), Congo chimpanzees use a toolkit comprised of thin "brush-tipped" sticks and leaf blades to "fish" for termites, and large clubs to break open bee hives to attain honey, Nimba Mountain (Guinea) chimpanzees use wooden cleavers, stabilizing wedges and stone anvils to crack open and chop up Treculia fruits; all utilize crumpled leaves as sponges to soak drinking water from tree hollows). In fact they have been using tools for more than 4300 years based on a discovery of stone tools (similar in size and dimension to tools used by today's chimpanzees) utilized to smash nuts (linked to species eaten by modern chimpanzees) in Tai National Park, Ivory Coast. Furthermore, ill or injured chimpanzees often rely on medicinal or herbal plants as a remedy for healing and/or to alleviate their pain and suffering.

Analogous with tool use, chimpanzees can also reason and solve problems. Through the use of abstract reasoning, they, like humans can solve problems without training (e.g. retrieve bananas that are out of reach through purposeful logic).

When it comes to mathematics, specifically remembering numbers, young chimpanzees have outperformed college students (when the numbers stayed on a screen for.4 of a second versus.7 of second when both performed comparably) and a British memory champion, Ben Pridmore. Based on I'm the champion! Ape trounces the best of the human world in memory competition (Fiona Macrae, Mail Online, 26 January 2008), Amyumu, a 7 year-old male chimpanzee in Japan performed three times as well as Pridmore when it came to remembering the positions of numbers on a computer screen.

IX. Art and Culture:

When given the proper tools (e.g. paint, paint brushes, and canvas) chimpanzees possess the talent to be exceptional artists whose abstract paintings rival some of the masters. Congo (1954-1964), a male chimpanzee painted over 400 abstracts from the age of 2 to 4 years, after picking up a pencil and drawing a line without human prodding. During a 2005 auction, three of Congo's paintings went for £14,400 while a painting by Andy Warhol (1928-1987) and a small sculpture by French Master Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) generated insufficient interest and were withdrawn.[2] Since Congo, other chimpanzees have followed, producing equally impressive works (e.g. a female chimpanzee, Melody, creates paintings that sell for between $1000 for individuals and $7500 for triptychs and a notable three year-old female chimpanzee, Asuka, has already created 90 paintings, some of which have been exhibited in Tokyo galleries).

Chimpanzees have an innate ability to discern and enjoy music. Based on scientific studies involving infant chimpanzees (reported by the BBC on July 30, 2009), they, like humans, prefer consonant over dissonant music. Furthermore, when music was played to lift the spirits of chimpanzees at Mysore zoo in southern India, one who had previously performed at a circus, was observed dancing.

Chimpanzees also have preferences for television. Per Kate Baker, enrichment coordinator at the Yerkes Regional Primate Center, Atlanta, GA, as recounted in Unneeded Lab Chimps Face Hazy Future (David Berreby, The New York Times, 4 February 1997), they enjoy National Geographic shows, programs about chimpanzees and the use of tools, and shows featuring people arguing.

X. Altruism/Morality:

Chimpanzees and other great apes possess a sense of morality and fairness, despite acts of barbarism during combat. Per Monkeys and apes know right from wrong, scientists say (Daily Mail Reporter, 15 February 2009) they "offer selfless help and empathize with fellow animals in times of trouble [and] even appear to have consciences and the ability to feel a sense of obligation." Consistent with this empathy and selflessness, female chimpanzees mirror human behavior, playing an integral role to mediate conflicts; if two male combatants cannot resolve their differences, the females often step in and remove rocks from their hands - likely to strengthen their community since division and discord bring weakness and vulnerability.

Per Emory University, Atlanta, GA studies, chimpanzees also expect equal rewards for performing the same tasks (they sulked and refused to participate any further when others received greater rewards), indicative of a sense of justice and fairness. Furthermore, they were often willing to assist others (including humans) even when there was no reward.

When a chimpanzee deviates from the community's social code of conduct it is punished collectively by the group (as illustrated by a group of chimpanzees at the Arnhem Zoo in the Netherlands that punished chimpanzees that showed up late for dinner since none ate until all were present).

In addition, similar to humans, chimpanzees remember who did them favors (e.g. groomed them) and who did them wrong. They are more likely to share food with the former. At the same time, chimpanzees possess the ability to forgive as described in a passage in Frans de Waal's book, Peacemaking among Primates (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1990) - "Nikki, the leader of the group, has slapped Hennie during a passing charge. Hennie, a young adult female of nine years, sits apart for a while feeling with her hand the spot on the back of the neck where Nikkie hit her. Then she seems to forget about the incident; she lies down in the grass, staring in the distance. More than 15 minutes later, Hennie slowly gets up and walks straight to a group that includes Nikkie... [and] approaches Nikkie with a series of soft pant grunts. Then she stretches out her arm to offer Nikkie the back of her hand for a kiss. Nikkie's hand-kiss consists of taking Hennie's whole hand rather unceremoniously into his mouth. This contact is followed by a mouth-to-mouth kiss."

Furthermore, chimpanzees also have the ability to perform altruistic acts even if most are limited to cases where another actively seeks help. Examples are as follows:

1. When Knuckles who was born in 1999 with cerebral palsy, a debilitating condition (that afflicts 5,000-10,000 babies per year in the United States) that impairs mobility (prior to therapy, he would sit in place and only eat when fed), was introduced to other chimpanzees housed at the Center for Great Apes, Wauchula, FL, a sanctuary for orangutans and chimpanzees, they were cognizant of his condition. They consistently treated him with kindness and gentleness (e.g. spending time sitting with him, playing with him, and grooming him).

2. Per Scientist Finds the Beginnings of Morality in Primate Behavior by Nicholas Wade (The New York Times, 20 March 2007), "Chimpanzees, who cannot swim, have drowned in zoo moats trying to save others," and often "console the loser" after a fight between two combatants.

3. A study by Felix Warneken and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany published in the June 27, 2007 issue of New Scientist (Chimps may display genuine altruism by Nora Schultz) found that 67% of semi-wild chimpanzees altruistically assisted an unfamiliar human who had been struggling to reach a stick even though they had to climb a 2½-meter rope with no reward. In addition, another group of chimpanzees, taught to unpeg a chain and open a door, consistently did so for chimpanzees whom they were unfamiliar with, when they attempted to open the door without success.

4. A study by Japanese researchers at Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute (Kyoto, Japan) published in National Geographic (Chimps Display Humanlike Good Will, 19 October 2009) found that chimpanzees trained to use sticks to retrieve straws (to drink juice) that were out of reach, utilized their training to assist others that had not been trained 75% of the time when these chimpanzees, whom they were unfamiliar with, appeared to request assistance.

XI. Warfare:

Consistent with human behavior, chimpanzees (with the exception of bonobos) are fiercely territorial and may engage in war albeit primitive combat analogous to prehistoric man. Even though chimpanzees use rocks or their hands and feet in raw combat, the day of using spears and other crude weapons may not be far behind. At isolated times, chimpanzees have also displayed the same tendencies as humans for hate, rape, torture, mutilation, and genocide (documented in two certified cases).

The longest Chimpanzee war - the Gombe War (1974-1977), which originated when the Kasekela Community split into two groups (with the new group, the Kahama community, moving into a new valley in 1972) and ended in genocide was documented by Jane Goodall in The Chimpanzees of Gombe (Belknap Press, 1986). Starting in 1974, the Kasekela males formed a group and advanced into Kahama territory. Once there, they initiated violent aggression against the Kahama chimpanzees with the intent to kill since bodily assaults did not cease until their victims were completely incapacitated and mortally injured. During the attacks that lasted into 1977, the Kasekela males displayed "considerable excitement and enjoyment" as they anticipated capturing and actively killed their victims (who were mutilated and cannibalistically eaten or partially eaten). The Gombe War only ended when the Kahama community was completely exterminated and their lands taken over by the Kasekela community.

Per Wired for war? (World Science, February 2005), in August 1998 "researchers in Uganda [observed] a group of male chimpanzees beating on and swaggering around another male chimp's freshly killed body. Its windpipe, fingernails, [toenails] and testicles were torn out." Per Apes of war... is it in our genes? the dead chimpanzee "was [also] covered with 30 or 40 puncture wounds and lacerations [with its] ribs sticking up out of the rib cage." Based on the deceased's injuries, it "was clear that some of the males had held him down, while the others attacked."

Generally when chimpanzees engage in war, a group of males sneak into the territory of another community and seek isolated males or older females (and sometimes their young) to attack. Consistent with human hunter-gatherer societies (of which war is endemic with 64% engaging in fighting every two years per Apes of war... is it in our genes?) chimpanzees often fight over resources such as food and females - often exploiting and plundering captured territory. Ironically, human activities such as logging, as reported in the May 13, 1997 edition of The New York Times are also contributing to chimpanzee wars as their habitats are taken away forcing communities to retreat into the territory of other communities.

XII. Lab Research and Ethical Implications:

With conclusive proof that chimpanzees and other great apes are sentient beings (which enhance adaptability and survival) possessing human traits (e.g. emotions such as stress and fear), similar nervous systems (that enable them to experience the same qualitative pain and suffering), and greater than 90% identical genetic code, ethical factors dictate that lab research, which forcibly utilizes them as unconsenting test subjects be banned, especially since such experiments have yielded few, if any tangible benefits.

A review of 749 published experiments involving chimpanzees over a ten year period from 1995-2004 as stated in Chimpanzee experiments: Questionable contributions to biomedical progress by Andrew Knight (AATEX, 6th World Congress on Alternatives & Animal Use in the Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan, 21-25 August 2007) found that only 14.7% of such experiments utilized "well developed methods for combating human diseases" and most notably, "no chimpanzee study made an essential contribution, or in most cases, a significant contribution of any kind."

Per Non-Human Primates in Medical Research: Sensible or Dispensible by Jarrod Bailey, Ph.D. (September 2006), "every area of [non-human primate (NPH)] research provides evidence against its utility" based on the below scientific evidence:

1. NHPs do not develop AIDS when infected with HIV; experimental results cannot be confidently extrapolated to humans [and] none of NHP-tested vaccines succeeded in humans [despite billions of dollars in expenses].

2. NHP experiments have failed to contribute to [understand] the Hepatitis (HPV) infection, [create vaccines], and understand hepatocellular damage.

3. NHP models have failed to inform us of Alzheimer's disease pathology [since they do not get Alzheimer's].

4. Fundamental differences in the symptoms and pathology of Parkinson's Disease exist between humans and NHPs.

5. Of approximately 150 drugs for strokes found successful in animals (often NHPs), none have been successful in humans.

6. Hormone replacement therapy found effective against heart disease and strokes in NHPs increased the risk in humans.

7. Significant differences exist in viral infection and disease between humans and NHPs.

8. Genetic expression when it comes to disease (e.g. 20 out of 333 genes implicated in human cancer are different in NHPs) is too dissimilar with commonality found in only 20% of proteins between humans and NHPs.

Although research on chimpanzees and other great apes is banned in many countries, it is still carried out in the United States, despite protections under the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and Protection Act.

Perhaps the most compelling argument for banning the use of chimpanzees as test subjects in laboratories is a study that found that surviving lab chimpanzees suffered from similar levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (which can be long-lasting and whose symptoms include but are not limited to anger, fear, depression, anxiety, etc.) as human torture victims. Lab confined chimpanzees (often held in caged, isolated, unpredictable environments over which they have no control) have engaged in self-mutilation due to the severe physical and mental distress they are forced to endure. Per Undercover Investigation Reveals Cruelty to Chimps at Research Lab (The Humane Society of the United States, 4 March 2009), "infant monkeys scream as they are forcibly removed from their mothers... chimpanzees exhibit intense fear... when forced to move toward [a needle] in their squeeze cages [and one chimpanzee, Siafu even] attempted to plead with staff [using] crude begging gestures."

When the British Government banned the use of chimpanzees for research in 1986, recounted by Steve Connor, Science Editor for The Independent in Shut chimpanzee research center, say scientists (27 March 2001), it was cited as "a matter of morality. The cognitive and behavioural [sic] characteristics and qualities of these animals mean it is unethical to treat them as expendable for research." Not surprisingly, the European Union is moving towards banning the use of chimpanzees in labs.

Per Connor, "the development of new techniques in genetic engineering, which has allowed many 'models' of human diseases to be created using [genetically-manipulated] rats and mice, has undermined the case of using chimps in medical research" as has the high cost in terms of dollars, pain and suffering, and ethics.

XIII. Legal Precedents towards Species-Practical Human Rights:

As calls for banning chimpanzee research broaden, governments and courts are also establishing legal precedents to recognize their special status primarily because of their self-awareness and ability to think about oneself in the physical and mental realms, which illustrate a complex level of abstract thinking found most notably in humans.

In 1986, Britain became the first country to ban experimentation on chimpanzees and other great apes. New Zealand's parliament followed in 1999 with the Netherlands and Australia doing likewise in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

In September 2005, a Bahia, Brazil court presided by Judge Edmundo Lúcio da Cruz granted Habeas Corpus protection to a 23 year-old chimpanzee, Suiça so that she could be transferred from confinement in a zoo's cage with little intellectual stimulation to a sanctuary where she could enjoy a social life (with 35 other chimpanzees), the possibility of raising a family, and open spaces. In doing so, Suiça, who never made it to the sanctuary, having died unexpectedly, became the first animal recognized as a legal subject.

In June 2008, Spain's parliament passed a precedent-setting resolution granting human rights to chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans stating that these non-human hominids should enjoy the right to life, freedom and that their bodily integrity be protected against torture.

In December 2009 as reported by University World News (20 December 2009), "a ban on using great apes such as chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orang-utans for scientific testing [was] broadly accepted" by the European Parliament and EU Council of Ministers subject to minor changes in text for final approval.

XIV. Conclusion:

Based on the remarkable cognitive abilities of chimpanzees, the fact that they exceptionally close to human and drawing nearer as scientific evidence mounts, it is critical that they and other sentient creatures (e.g. great apes, dolphins) be afforded protections to recognize their special status - namely that captivity is only used to conserve the species. When such captivity is necessary, it is imperative that they be given the respect and intellectual stimulation they deserve, their individuality is honored, and most importantly, laws be enacted to prohibit their use as unconsenting guinea pigs subjected to unnecessary torture, pain, and suffering.

_______

[1] T. Matsuno and M. Tomonaga. An advantage for concavities in shape perception by chimpanzees. (Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. 3 March 2007).

[2] Chimpanzees as Artists. Artists Ezine. 29 December 2009. http://www.artistsezine.com/WhyChimp.htm

Additional Reference:

Chimpanzees. Global Action Network. (Montreal, Canada. 2005). 26 December 2009. http://www.gan.ca/animals/chimpanzees.en.html

William Sutherland is a published poet and writer. He is the author of three books, "Poetry, Prayers & Haiku" (1999), "Russian Spring" (2003) and "Aaliyah Remembered: Her Life & The Person behind the Mystique" (2005) and has been published in poetry anthologies around the world. He has been featured in "Who's Who in New Poets" (1996), "The International Who's Who in Poetry" (2004), and is a member of the "International Poetry Hall of Fame." He is also a contributor to Wikipedia, the number one online encyclopedia and has had an article featured in "Genetic Disorders" Greenhaven Press (2009).

Princess Baby Night-Night By Karen Katz, Author-Illustrator - A Review

This is a story for children and parents alike. The children will instantly be enchanted by the adorable baby in the story and the fact that she is a princess. The story will be a favorite of parents as it will help to get their child to sleep at night. This light and happy story will captivate especially young princesses everywhere.

In the story, Princess Baby is not ready for bedtime and she isn't sleepy. This will sound familiar to parents of children with their "just a few more minutes" at bedtime every night. Little Princess has so much to do. She has to put on her pajamas and put her toys away. There has to be a book chosen for her bedtime story and of course, there is the brushing of the baby's teeth. As Princess Baby carries out what she considers her royal duties before she can go to sleep even including acting out all of these activities with her stuffed animals, little ones will be delighted. Finally, when she is asked if she is ready for her good night kiss, there is no answer because she has worn herself out and is fast asleep!

The charming illustrations will captivate the littlest readers especially with their gold attention getting glittery look, and by the time the little Princess in the story is ready for bed, the child will be as well. Where so many parents find themselves negotiating to get their children to bed, they will chuckle at the ones in this story and most probably recognize them. Meanwhile, the little ones will find they make sense and when they are all used up, it will be their bed time as well.

Karen D. Haney, Author/Developer of BOOKIN' WITH BINGO (http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com), reviews books and interviews authors for her book blog. Reading and writing are her passion.

Write Without Visual Aid

If one engages in Blog, article writing, write a book, just simply keep a diary or anything to write regularly, he may have the same experience this article discusses. There is a Japanese News Site, which does not allow writers to use any illustration, pictures, videos, or images. The advanced Internet capability of handling images and motion pictures spoils writers writing their articles without visual aid. For example, it would be difficult to write about San Francisco 49 miles Scenic Drive, without using maps and pictures to visualize the drive. In the News Article, no writer can use visual aids.

This is particularly useful, however, to brush up writers' skill of describing and explaining things without visual aids like images. The writer needs to visualize what he wants to say, and he hopes to convey his imagination to the readers. Then he would write down the image using the best words and sentences he could think of. Finally, he needs to proof read to make sure what he wrote makes sense. The writer must be aware to make his writing to be visual to people who read it. Sometimes the author is not sure if he correctly visualized what he wanted to write, so he asks his friend or family to read and explain what I wrote in their words.

It looks fairly easy to explain this way, but if a writer does not use any visual aid for an article, it takes him double the time or sometimes 3 times of time than he writes with visual aids. Some authors, professional writers, novelists are remarkably skillful at it. Orson Wells is proficient at it. Edgar Alan Poe is good at it. Some more English or Japanese authors are very good at it. What one visualizes may be different from others, but still people can clearly visualize the scene as if they are there watching it.

One of the advices of English teacher to nonnative speakers is to speak slowly. Even if one is a nonnative speaker of a language, if he speaks slowly, chances are he can convey his message, and he could make himself understood. A writer can apply the same principle in writing. The writer can try to use simpler, easier words, terms, and sentences to write in case one cannot use visual aids.

Having said that, people still like using visual aids. It is not only simpler to take images to show, but also make an article colorful or sometimes dynamic, even not directly showing what one is writing about. Illustrations or literally Image help writing articles! Only thing we should keep in mind is that images are "aids". If readers pay attention to only images that the writer uploaded, the one is not successful writer.

Shaw Funami is an owner of "zhen international, inc.", known as a mentor for cross cultural relationship called "Fill the Missing Link". You can learn about his profile in Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/shaw.funami. Please feel free to contact him at "hisashi.funami@zhenintl.ws" or visit his business website. http://webtraffictoolbox.com/

Best Image and Photo Editing Software Alternatives to Adobe Photoshop - My Reviews

"Photoshop" has gone beyond being merely a brand name to become a regular household word, a verb and a noun. However, Photoshop is really just a brand of fancy image editing software. Fancy, and expensive, image editing software. Adobe Illustrator is a standard vector graphics editor, and Adobe Photoshop is a standard photo editor for pretty much everything else. According to Adobe.com, Standard Adobe Photoshop (not the Extended Version) is $599 and Adobe Illustrator is $699. The Design Standard Suite is over $1,000. What are your options for photo editing software if you can't afford Adobe Photoshop?

Below is a list of my favorite image editing software, including a couple of online photo editors:

1. IrfanView

Experience Level Required: Novice

Pros: Fast, compact, uses minimal resources, many features (even more with plugins installed), many easy keyboard shortcuts available, functions as a viewer as well as a basic image editor, batch conversions, slideshow creation, precise cropping, variety of screen capture options, handles tons of file types, straight forward and easy to use.

Cons: Does not seem to do background saves (file saving requires overwriting the previously saved version every time), photo edits apply to entire image even if only one area is selected.

My Review:

IrfanView is far and wide my absolute favorite image viewer/editor. It is not for advanced edits but IrfanView has many useful features for basic and somewhat advanced editing. It's the most fast and efficient viewer I've seen or used, with the editing functionality that is lacking in many general image viewers. IrfanView is quick, compact, and not a resource hog. Rotating and flipping can be done with a single key.

IrfanView also offers a variety of screen capture options that prove very handy. The screen capture function gives you a choice of capture area (whole screen, current window, foreground area) as well as method of capture (timer, programmable hot-key). IrfanView gives you the option between capturing with or without the cursor. Screen capture and zoom are done with another tap of the key.

Editing in IrfanView is basic, but convenient. Rotate, flip, crop, brighten, sharpen, resize, simple bevels, saturation, hue, add text, etc. Basic editing is simple enough even for a novice to perform without reading a lengthy manual.

One of my favorite features is the crop tool. Unlike cropping in some Windows programs, IrfanView allows you to see the pixel size of the area you've selected. If you try to crop a selection and find out it's still too large, the Resize/Resample function allows you to size it down to the exact proportions you want. Resize/Resample also offers some popular preset size options to help you make your decision. The Resample option allows you to resize images without losing the image quality.

A unique feature in IrfanView I use very frequently is IrfanView's Batch Conversion/Batch Rename function. The Batch Conversion feature is invaluable for resizing multiple photos at once. Likewise, Batch Rename is great for organizing those large groups of camera-named images. IrfanView even an option to rename your converted files. This is exceptionally useful if you are trying to make a photo CD for someone and have folders full of high-resolution, 1MB+ sized images that need to be shrunk a bit.

All this packaged into one compact - FREE - little program

2. Inkscape

Experience Level Required: Intermediate to Advanced

Pros: Relatively easy to use, variety of in-depth editing features, supports a variety of input and output types including support for Adobe Illustrator.eps files, filters make professional looking edits with ease, many features are easily tweaked to accommodate your particular needs, many options for exporting bitmaps.

Cons: Some features are more technical than novices may be comfortable with (prior experience with Adobe Illustrator would likely be helpful), resource intensive program, viewing files at full size has to be done carefully to avoid locking up the program, cropping took some time to figure out.

My Review:

I'd like to start by saying that I'm still only a beginner with Inkscape. Yet despite of my lack of knowledge about vector graphic editors, and vector graphics in general, Inkscape is still a convenient and simple way to create professional, impressive looking logos and buttons with little technical expertise or knowledge of graphics editing software. The simplest way to do this is to use the text tool to type out what you want, choose a nice font, and then play around with the various filters until you get the effect you want.

One filter is nice, but multiple filters can make something even more impressive looking. The logo on my blog is a result of doing just that. The rainbow-swirled paint splash is actually the product of a square with a gradient and several different filters stacked on top of each other. You'd never know by looking at it that it started as a square (a gray square even, if I remember right). Working with text is pretty simple with Inkscape and you don't need to rasterize it to use the filters.

Filters are in abundance. Options include the very basic (lighten, darken, sharpen, blur, etc), textures, colorize, "non-realistic 3D shaders," overlays, materials, bevels, and more. Resizing and rotating individual components is a breeze, but cropping them can be a bit confusing. Cropping in Inkscape is actually called "clipping" and it doesn't function exactly the same as most cropping tools. I had to conduct a Google search to figure it out, and even then I only found one or two sites that explained it in a way that made sense. I have re-posted it on my blog for your convenience.

You also have to watch your actual file sizes in Inkscape. If you work without setting the canvas size and go mostly freeform, you can end up with a very large image file without realizing it. If you've done this and try to zoom in, Inkscape's performance reduces significantly, depending on your computer's technical specs. It corrects itself well, but you may have to give it awhile.

The most advanced part of Inkscape is working with paths and nodes. Admittedly I am not experienced with paths and nodes yet. I have used them a little in experimentation, but for the most part I can't give a good review on the usage of paths and nodes with Inkscape. Flattening layers is also something that I imagine is possible, but I have yet to figure it out exactly. That's where the "Advanced" recommendation comes in. If you are comfortable using Adobe Illustrator, figuring out paths and nodes in Inkscape should be simple. I never got comfortable enough with Adobe Illustrator to have a definite opinion on the paths and nodes functions in Inkscape (and have not had a reason to use them much in Inkscape, either).

3. GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)

Experience Level Required: Intermediate to Advanced

Pros: Great feature list, hover tips explain feature icons, supports a variety of input and output types including support for Adobe Photoshop.psd files, variety of filters for professional looking image edits, clean and efficient interface, generally faster load time than Adobe Photshop, many tweakable features for enhanced control, ability to easily reset defaults, supports a variety of keyboard shortcuts, results using GIMP are generally comparable to using Adobe Photoshop.

Cons: Lacks some features of Adobe Photoshop, certain functions take some getting used to, recreating some Adobe Photoshop type results may require additional steps.

My Review:

After familiarizing myself a bit with Adobe Photoshop, it took me a while to switch gears from Adobe Photoshop to GIMP, and a couple tools took me a little Google-searching to figure out. I can't say it's because GIMP is that hard to learn, but rather that I was frustrated and impatient.

Selection, crop, layers, filters, set the image size, etc. are all pretty easy. Gradient, fill (color and pattern options), clone, blur, smudge, airbrush, and various selection tools were also easy, but the clone and gradient tools took me some trial and error to figure out. The brush sizes also originally seemed to be lacking.

Once I experimented a little more, I was very pleasantly surprised with the ability to tweak the brush in a wide variety of ways. This helps greatly with pixel-by-pixel editing around curves and edges. You can tweak the hardness, opacity, angle, shape, aspect ratio and radius of the brush. GIMP even lets you add spikes and make uniquely shaped brushes. Editing the brush sizes and shapes proved to be an invaluable feature when using the clone tool to capture a very specific portion of an image. The brush editor allows you to create a brush up to a huge 1,000 pixels in size.

Another convenient feature of GIMP is the ability to open new images as layers, and open multiple images simultaneously. The locator icon (not sure its actual name) in the bottom right hand corner is also useful. If you zoom in too far on a given image and want to locate a specific portion, you can drag the cursor around the icon and go right to the desired spot in the image.

I didn't find as many filter options in GIMP as I did in Inkscape, or maybe they just weren't as cut-and-dry, but there are still a good range with many options. The real power to GIMP comes very similar to Adobe Photoshop. Layers and masks are allow you to create a wide variety of effects that are not necessarily built in.

Many of the realistic, elegant, or impressive effects can be created with layers. Just like using paths and nodes in Inkscape, layer and mask functions require a more advanced level of knowledge (layers and masks are present in Inkscape as well). You can use layers and masks to create more subtle effects than what I have had to use personally. Rays of sunlight, shiny and/or colored hair, realistic looking shadows and more can be created with these functions.

4. Pixlr - Online Photo Editing Software

Experience Level Required: Novice to Advanced

Pros: Offers 3 different types of editors - Pixlr O-Matic, Pixlr Express, and Pixlr Editor - ranging from novice level to advanced, creates beautiful photo effects without the hassle, allows you to save your files online, downloadable plug-in allows you to edit images "grabbed" off the web, variety of preset settings, lighting effects, frame effects, more advanced editing options available, allows you to edit images from anywhere, easy to use interface, many languages available, no registration required.

Cons: Pixlr Editor (advanced) and Pixlr Express (novice to intermediate) may run slowly when applying certain effects, functionality of Pixlr Editor is not as in-depth as GIMP or Adobe Photoshop, requires internet connection, may resize your original photo.

My Review:

Reviewing Pixlr is almost like reviewing 3 separate graphics editing software programs. I found and tested out Pixlr O-Matic first, which contains many preset settings for the photo style, then light effects on the photo, and finally a framed appearance around the photo. The photo styles all have interesting names, and some seem too unusual to be useful, such as having your entire photo in a double-vision appearance.

Using Pixlr O-Matic on a particular photo, I eventually decided on the "Melissa" setting, with a Vignette, and set the frame as "Cornered". Combined, the three effects made the person in the photo stand out with a hazy, dark background and a torn appearance around the edges of the photo. All in all, it gave it an elegant, aged appearance and all in only three quick steps.

Pixlr Express offers the same image effects, but allows you to edit them some. It offers basic image editing functions (rotate, crop, etc) and breaks down some of its other effects that are combined in Pixlr O-Matic. While Pixlr O-Matic is extremely fast, Pixlr Express may take a little longer to apply some of the effects to your image. Pixlr Express is still good for the novice user as it is quick, easy and very self-explanatory.

Pixlr Editor on the other hand resembles an online version of GIMP or Adobe Photoshop. There is a toolbox, layers, brush options. advanced editing, and more. It is not nearly as robust as GIMP, but just as with Pixlr O-Matic and Pixlr Express, its presets make more advanced editing possible in fewer steps. You can edit the brush, layers, masks, etc and also use the filters and other basic image editor functions.

As with Pixlr Express, Pixlr Editor ran slowly when applying effects, since it is an online editor. When I was testing each version out, Pixlr O-Matic had no delay, Pixlr Express had a delay while applying some effects (not others), and Pixlr Editor got held up a few times trying to make edits or test out various effects. When all is said and done, Pixlr can make time-consuming work into child's play.

The only issue I had with Pixlr was when it ended up shrinking my photo unexpectedly. It had been reduced in size by roughly 50%, maybe even more. I may have just overlooked an option to prevent that though, so I can't say that it would happen every time.

5. Picnik - Online Photo Editing Software

Experience Level Required: Novice to Intermediate

Pros: Easy to use even for a novice, basic editing options, lots of filter effects; ability to create collages, calendars, and other professional looking photo-imprinted items; no registration required, doesn't resize your photos by default, photos can be edited from any computer.

Cons: Many features and effects are not available unless you upgrade to a premium account, tweaking options may not be enough for advanced users, registered accounts only allow 5 photos to be saved.

My Review:

Aside from the landing page, Picnik looks and acts, in many ways, almost identical to Pixlr Express. The filter options are generally pretty similar, although Picnik has more framing effects. Some of the image effects are drastically different than those found in Pixlr Express. On the other hand, many fancy features require you to be a registered, paying user. Granted, registration doesn't exactly require a month's pay. Picnik's premium features are advertised at a price of "as little as $2.08 a month".

The feature list advertised (for Picnik Premium) sounds pretty robust, and the benefit is the additional features with the same ease of use. Picnik Premium includes more effects, collage styles, advanced editing tools, "stickers", frames, and more. Picnik Premium also lets you work without ads, and offers touch-up tools (burn, dodge, etc aren't included in Picnik by default), batch uploading, and special fonts. Prices start at $4.95 for one month, to $24.95 for 12 months (where the "$2.08 per month" pricing comes in). $19.95 for 6 months, if you want to get half a year less for the cost of one extra month. The 6 month plan almost sounds like an insult.

$25 a year isn't a lot if you're a novice user wanting to do a lot of photo edits. If you have more advanced skills, it may be worth it to you to minimize the amount of time you spend editing any one photo. Then again, if you are well versed in photo editing software, you may find Picnik's features to be too constrained and prefer more control over your images.

Overall, the basic free version of Picnik is an incredibly useful tool that anyone could use. If you don't want to register at all, you don't have to. You couldn't save your edited photos and edit history in Picnik, but you can always save your originals in one folder and then download your edited photos in another to maintain backups.

So which graphics editing software is really the best? You'll have to decide for yourself. Each of the ones I've listed (with the exception of Pixlr [Express] and Picnik [Free Version]) have their own defined purpose, and they all have their own unique qualities.

The best image editing software for you depends on your expertise, the amount of time you are comfortable spending, how often you'll need it, and what you'll typically use it for. Try each one and decide for yourself. Or better yet - use them all.

If you are looking for more tutorials, how-tos, and other troubleshooting help, be sure to check out Techie Beginners - a site made just for those who are just starting out in the techie world. Techie Beginners offers help with blogging, computing, and problems - like this one - that you might encounter.

Heather Bjorkman has worked with all walks of the techie life, from absolute beginners to those that are over her own head. She enjoys helping people better understand technology and sharing the information that she knows with other people.

Wrap 2D Images Onto a 3D Object Using Adobe Photoshop CS4

Adobe Illustrator is a vector-based drawing program created to assist any user in editing with greater effects for the image. Similar to Adobe's Photoshop, Illustrator uses a vector-based program instead of using a bitmap-based program such as Photoshop. Many users do not understand the difference between bitmap and a vector-based program, so here it is. A bitmap image-processing program is ideally used for creating, modifying, and then outputting digital images of any type of photography/ graphic.

Though Adobe Photoshop contains many tools and various abilities to create, edit, and output wonderful images, the tools are nothing compared to that of Illustrator's. Typically, users purchase Adobe Photoshop for digital photography editing while Illustrator is purchased for creating images and graphics. Both can be used for each other's purposes and will do each other's job; yet they are specified for their abilities. It is recommended to purchase both instead of using Photoshop for Illustrator's purposes. Top new features for the CS4 version of Illustrator include the new transparency in gradients. This feature gives the user the ability to reveal underlying objects and create a richer color and texture when mixing multiple layers then covering them up with fades.

Following this there is a Blob Brush tool which will allow you to sketch with a brush then allow it to generate a clean vector shape which will even show the overlapping strokes. This will allow a smoother finish towards the end of your project. Refined Graphic styles will allow you to combine styles for unique looks, which will not disturb the object's current experience. Through this you may use an In-Panel editing tool which will give you access to editing tools directly onto the appearance panel, eliminating the necessity of opening fill in/ stroking/ or other tools which require more RAM (Random Access Memory) for opening. Overall, that feature will give the user the ability to finish quicker and run Illustrator more efficiently.

- www.trialversiondownload.com

http://www.trialversiondownload.com

Giveaway: Win 250 Die Cut Business Cards From UPrinting

Hello everyone! Our friends from UPrinting have decided to sponsor yet another fantastic Colorburned giveaway. UPrinting knows how much you guys love and want Business Cards so they have decided to give away 250 Die Cut Business Cards to 1 lucky reader of this website.

Update: Congratulations to Selena Benally. You have won 250 business cards from UPrinting.

By now, most of you probably recognize UPrinting. UPrinting is an online printer that supports many popular design sites in the community, including this one. I’ve used UPrinting before and can vouch for the quality of their work. If you’re looking to print some business cards quickly and cheaply, you should definitely look into UPrinting’s services.

To win 250 Die Cut Business Cards of your own, leave a comment below and tell us what you would do with some free cards.

1.75" x 3.5", 2" x 3.5", or 2" x 2"; 2.5" Diameter (Circle) Rounded Corners, Leaf, Rounded Single-Corner, Half-Circle Side, or Circle.14pt Cardstock Gloss / Matte / High Gloss (UV), or 13pt Cardstock Uncoated.Leave a comment to enter. Tell us what you would do with some free cards.Only comment once.Tweet This giveaway to your followers! (Optional)Like UPrinting on Facebook (Optional)Please leave a valid email address so that we can contact you.Entries will be accepted until Friday, November 4, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST.6 Business Days TurnaroundLimited to US residents 18 years old and above only

This giveaway was sponsored by UPrinting.

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Mildew and Mustard

Imagination is precious. As children we play with the box the toy came in, long after the toy has been discarded. As we grow older the education system grinds this imagination down, adding pressure to succeed and taking the fun out of being young. Release from this is sought through computer games, but these are the creation of other peoples imagination.

I had a conversation with a teacher recently, who was complaining because her rigid instructions on what to put on a Mothers Day card hadn't been adhered to by one of her seven year old pupils. The little girl felt she'd somehow 'got it wrong', and ended up not giving the card to her mum because it wasn't like all the rest.

Everyone's imagination is vivid, but it can be shut down by adults who believe it's their job to control instead of guide their charges.

With this in mind I asked a couple of children to give me the subject for 'a story'. They looked at each other and gleefully decided on 'fish guts.

Then they chose the names of their characters. "Mildew' and Mustard" they said, and looked at me expectantly. "Don't look at me" I said. "It's your story."

This is what we came up with.

"Mildew is the smelliest brother in the world" thought Mustard. "His feet smell, especially when he sticks them in my face. And he hasn't had a bath since he started to walk!'

That was seven years ago.

Mildew sat in his room, counting his fish guts. He arranged them in smells. Smelly, very smelly, and drop dead smelly. He had plans for these guts, and kept them in a special 'gut box'. It had a glass lid so he could keep a check on their progress.

His sister would go off like a fruit bat when she found them in the hood of her jacket.

It does seem mean, but Mildew reckoned his sister deserved it.

Mustard loved hot food. That's why everyone called her Mustard. She put chili's on her corn flakes, pepper on her ice-cream and mustard on everything else. It wouldn't have bothered Mildew, except she put something red hot in HIS food when he wasn't looking.

Last night Mildew had a drink of black currant juice. He swallowed twice before his tongue did something completely new. It exploded and blew a hole in the roof of his mouth.

Mildew found his voice, hiding in the fridge rubbing itself frantically against a packet of frozen peas.

"MUSTARD!" He screamed.

"Yes Mildew" smiled Mustard sweetly. "Oh, I quite forgot! I juiced a hundred of those nice little Mexican chili's and poured them into your juice bottle. I hope you don't mind.

She feigned horror. "You didn't drink it did you Mildew?!"

"The hottest chili's in the world" she shouted after him, "Mum! Mildews been drinking my chilli juice ..... Tell him not to!"

Mildew's mouth was so hot his teeth rattled and his face was falling off. He looked at his 'gut box'.

But fish guts were bad. After watching them mutate over 5 days he'd had second thoughts. Worms were wriggling, and the guts had turned a dizzy green. He held his breath and opened the lid, collapsing on the floor gasping like a fly hit by a litre of bugs spray.

"That would make a dung beetle throw up" he said to his pale green reflection in the mirror. "Perhaps I shouldn't be so mean - she IS my sister"

Mildew thoughtfully squeezed a blob of toothpaste. He brushed his teeth hard, before noticing it tasted a bit funny. He didn't have time to wonder how Mustard had managed to squeeze chili seeds into his tube of toothpaste. His mum found him downstairs with his tongue stuck to the inside of the freezer. His eyes were wild, cross-eyed and popping.

She pulled Mildew away from the freezer with a gentle ripping sound

"Oh dear" she said, "I hope that wasn't your tongue Mildew."

"Of Courth idth my tong" he shouted, leaping around looking for something heavy to hit Mustard with. "It'th my nuthy thithter, she'th twying to kwill me. "I'm goin' du dwag her intho the garden by her pethky toe nails and pull her dorky legth off .... AND DON' YOU TWY AND THTOP ME!!!!"

Mildew wasn't worried anymore about putting fish guts into Mustard's hood but, as he awoke the next morning and heard his mother scream he knew the day had gone horribly wrong. Slowly he opened the curtains and peered out of the rain splattered window... Why on earth was she wearing Mustards Jacket.

Children should be seen, heard and allowed to let their imaginations run riot. Their future depends on it.

I am an Australian children's writer, presenter, motivator and freelance journalist. We run a company called Chocmint Ltd, committed to making a profound, positive, fundamental difference to the lives of young people.

We tour schools, theatres and youth facilities around the world presenting our Imagination Creation show to tens of thousands of young people every year. http://www.chocmint.com

The shows demonstrate and share powerful creative writing and cartooning techniques, and we take the fear away from children about looking bad, getting it wrong and making mistakes. We are all about demonstrating how young people can live the life of their dreams by doing what they love and have real passion for. For more, and bookings, please go to: http://www.chocmint.com

"Think it, Say it, Do it,
FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS,
LIVE YOUR PASSION,
LOVE YOUR LIFE.

Layering And Painting Techniques With Acrylic Paints

Here are some layering and painting techniques to help with acrylic layering of one color on top of another. To p illustrate these techniques I will use my recent painting to illustrate layering and painting with acrylic paints. Draw a renaissance figure with complete costume and join me.

I have completed working on an Italian Venice renaissance mask with its character dressed in a veiled headpiece and brocade fabric costume. A video illustrating what I am doing would be helpful.however, your interpretation of my instructions may help you to discover unique effects because of how you think I am doing it.

At a music concert the guitar player told us of how he was so poor he learned how to play the guitar by listening to his radio and doing what he thought the mentor of his time was doing. He practiced developing a unique style of picking a guitar which led him to become the famous Chet Atkins.

This painting is a festival where everyone is dressed in their finery. The illustration I am working on is a bronze mask with its costume made of heavy brocade fabric with lace strips and sheer veil fabric.

The mask is layered with shades of titanium white under the eyes, above the mouth and above the chin area. Apply a very light shade of bronze. Apply a thicker coat of bronze on the second layer and thicker coating on the third layer. Observe carefully how the bronze is appearing as a tin textured mask.

The eyes, outline of nose, and lips are painted a darker shade of bronze. Do not make the mistake of inserting eyebrows. This is a mask not a face.

Paint costume with your chosen color. This part is fun. Use a pearl metallic acrylic paint and mix with chosen color. Hint: wet-on-wet technique. The speckled color intensity when applied as a swivel pattern will give the sheen and the embossed appearance which labels the fabric as brocade.

If there is lace trim on your costume dabbing the pearl metallic acrylic will let the first color appear between the dabs giving the illusion of lace holes.

There is a veil covering starting from the very top of the headpiece to the hem of the dress or cloak at the ankle. To create the illusion of sheer fabric water down your hue.

Use a dot of color and lots of water until you see just a hint of hue to create transparency. Use the edge of the flat brush to indicate fold or gathering lines created by flowing fabric with a darker hue. Practice on another sheet before applying to the original painting to prevent brush stroke streaking.

One important key when painting is to know fabric. Paint in the direction of fabric grain.

Improve your layering and painting techniques with acrylic paints. Visit the hobbies section of Tricia Deed at http://www.infotrish.vpweb.com/ and review Learn Portrait Painting With Acrylic & Oil Paint.

Tricia Deed of http://www.Infotrish.vpweb.com/ brings you through internet marketing hobbies for your leisure and recreation and business hobbies to increase your household income. I invite you to my web pages to visit and review hobby companies of your choosing. Do take advantage of their free giveaway.

29 Exciting New Business Card Themes

The corporate world has been rapidly advancing along with numerous design schemes. Individuals are able to network like never before and it has created a heavy demand for local business. Thus business cards are still vitally important for sharing your information and building a respectable client base. Check out these 29 card themes and you may even come up with a fantastic idea of your own. Similarly you can share fresh business cards and concepts in the discussion area below.

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