Plenty of software vendors do offer free upgrades to new versions for customers who purchased the older version within a certain period of the new version being released. Just how long such a period should be is open to debate and there is nothing to force vendors to do this at all, but it would be a good way of treating customers!

I've bought software on more than one occasion where the vendor stated up front that because a new version was soon to be released that I would get the newer version free of charge when it became available.

Pi dish

You have to love this - http://www.break.com/index/parking-spot-revenge.html

YouTube video of snow in New York - so simple, but utterly brilliant. Don't miss it.

http://www.good.is/post/is-this-the-first-oscar-nominated-youtube-video/

Excellent free resource for textures and material references - http://www.grungetextures.com/gallery/

Really looking good. Lighting spot on. Just a little bit of dirt (especially to the road and footpath) and you'd have nailed it totally.

...and when I left it on the cliff tops at Flamborough Head, my next camera was one of these -

My first camera was one of these ...

I get the highly appropriate NARROW JOB HUNT

The "Big Thing" competition has been running as part of tourist promotion for Queensland for a few weeks. It ends on Nov 25th I believe.

I've started my entry and currently I am ranked about 35th. The entry with the largest "Big Thing" wins. At somewhere over 750ft I still have a long way to go - the current leader has an entry over 2000ft !!

Anyway, I'd appreciate if you guys could stop buy and click the Like link on my details page to help me add some height to this thing! You could even sign up and enter yourself. From the start up page, after the app has loaded, you'll need to click BEGIN first.

(www.bigqueensland.com)

Thanks if you help! (Yes I know that I spelt my entry name incorrectly - I must be a dyslexic typist.)

Stunning, absolutely stunning.

Don't know if this is for real, but it IS funny: http://www.break.com/longtail-content/smoker-owned-by-coworker.html

Loving this WIP - but check your night renders - the combination of lights needs to be sorted out!

Illustrated Navigation Lights

Do you love sailing? Tall Ships? nautical antiques? If you do then this site was made for you! - Join over one thousand nautica lovers from across the globe an experience over a decade of experience collected together on a single site.

The Bosun's Mate (www.bosunsmate.org)

With the gear stowed, as per your model, only normal power driven vessel navigation lights would be displayed.

I moved host twice in my on-line lifetime.

The first time was a disaster, but taught me a lot about the process!

The second time was, by contrast, a much smoother process.

The painless way seems to be to find a new host and set up a dummy domain there to get everything working.

Next, you have to go through the process of migrating your domain. Your new host should have full instructions on how to do this. There are restrictions - the transfer may not be immediately possible if you are close to the domain renewal date, for example. Some security measure to prevent the domain being hijacked, I think.

As soon as the transfer is complete, you can upload your website content and set up your mail boxes. There may be a period when your site and email are unavailable as it can take time for the new domain registration to be recognised across the Internet, but I did not find this to be an issue.

As a backup I use ContactOffice - a wonderful tool that allows me to manage multiple email accounts from a single login (and also manages to cicrcumvent webmail blocking that some companies implement.) There are various plans, including a free account, and you get another email address that can be your backup.

I have a reluctant external HDD and found that the problem was the USB port on the HDD was slightly loose in the case. The case surrounding the port was stopping the USB cable plug going fully home.

I removed the case and the USB cable now goes fully home every time and the HDD works every time.

Just got to figure out how to get the socket to sit far enough forward in the case ....

I remember downloading a professional services agreement template a while ago. It was for 3D vis services, but it could be adaptable for your purposes. It took a bit of digging around my hard drives, but I managed to get the source - it is on the http://3dats.com/tutorials.asp site in their tutorials section. Scroll down to the Week 4 item.

@solo said:

Another example, lets say I have a very small manufacturing business and I need unskilled workers to do a boring repetative job of labeling boxes. The job does not have any requirements that would exclude anyone, however a disabled person applys for the position and can do the job physically so I cannot discriminate on those grounds but I now have a problem as my facilities are not wheelchair friendly nor do I have an oversized toilet with the required setup for a person wheelchair bound. So I'm in a tough spot as I cannot reject this person as they are capable of doing job but in order to employ this person I need to widen all access doors, add ramps, allocate a disabled parking space and renovate the toilet facilities which will cost a fortune and being a very small business I cannot afford this, but if I reject the applicant I am faced with serious legal action.

What now?

Well, in the UK NOT having those facilities would be illegal. DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) requirements. In my region, a bank has had to go to the lengths of installing a lift because they have just one disabled customer - he complained and took them to court over the issue, and won. The building happened to be old and traditional and built on a hill and he did not like the fact that staff had to come out to deal with him - he wanted to go to the counter like every other customer.

The same rules are being extended and it will soon be a legal requirement for housing to have level access to all facilities - in other words, every house will have to have a lounge, kitchen, toilet, bathroom, and bedroom on the ground floor. There will be no more town houses built (unless we install huge lifts to put the cars on the upper floor.)

A novel, even disturbing, approach to glassware design. I love it!

Glass Half Full…Always - Yanko Design

Did you ever contemplate whether your glass was half empty or half full? Thank heavens designer Alissia Melka-Teichroew did some thinking, and came up with these really classy InsideOut series. Martini Glasses and Champagne Flutes made out of hand-blown borosilicate glass. It has the advantage of double-walled glass, which provides insulation, thus keeping your drink

Yanko Design - Modern Industrial Design News (www.yankodesign.com)

Talking about older wooded boats, here is my favourite old girl - that's me on the T'gallant yard in the third picture (about 36m above the deck.)

I'm jealous. Owning a boat seems a very long way off for me indeed. I harbouring a distant hope that I may make it on to Endeavour for at least one leg of her Australian circumnavigation in 2011-2012, though.