Kristoff - did you see the movie 'Supersize Me'? If not rent the dvd.

Before I moved to the country and started working from home I had an office job. Almost next door to my office was an A&W fast food restaurant. I got in the bad habit of eating there almost daily. Between that and gradually drinking more booze, that's probably why I ended up gaining about 65 pounds more than I should have. Be careful with the fast food. Even if you are thin now, with that kind of food in your diet it will grab hold of you and not let go. It can take years but it will happen. I slowly gained that 65 extra pounds over a period of 20 adult years.

Regards, Ross

I never used to be a big breakfast eater. I'd often not eat anything all morning, just drink coffee. When I started my diet I realized that overall I'd be eating less calories so I thought maybe I'd better eat some breakfast to lessen any potential of feeling hungry. Of course I'd always heard how it is 'the most important meal of the day'.

What I've found is now I really enjoy having some breakfast. Between that and drinking no caffeine I now find I have much more energy in the morning. Even before breakfast I have more energy -- no longer any trouble getting out of bed and starting the day. Its like my body knows some nourishment is coming!

What I've been enjoying for breakfast is a small bowl of organic flakes cereal with a few organic raisins added and a spoonful of psyllium husks fibre. I eat the bowl with fat-free soy milk. The brand of flakes I've been eating are 'Organic Millet Rice Oatbran Flakes' by Nature's Path. The flakes have some sweetness via grape juice that's one of the ingredients. I find no need to add any sweetener. The texture, crunch, and taste of this breakfast are still satisfying even after a month of eating it everyday.

After my bowl of cereal I typicaly eat two or three slices of thin deli style black forest ham or turkey. I like that it gives me some very satisfying protein with low fat and surprisingly few calories.

What do you eat for a healthy breakfast?

Regards, Ross

I too don't think it is practical to have a course to teach someone to design. We all have told others about SketchUp thinking how good it would be for them in their work. Most of us know the meaning of the blank stare - the eyes vacant of any interest. I suspect many of the people signing up for introductory courses are just a few synapses more interested than those other folks. The course is a chance to get out of the office and to really spark these folks into a new state of enthusiasm isn't easy. I think the CAD-literate folks easily 'get it' seeing how much more 'fun' SketchUp is than what they usually do. The 'senior designers/project manager' types who have resisted computerization are likely the harder sell. I suspect they are the ones not getting 'it'. A course geared towards showing what the tools do unfortunately isn't enough for some to make the leap of imagination needed to see how they could use the tool. They may leave the course thinking its a good tool for the CAD guy. Or they may sense maybe there's some potential for themselves but want it all spelled out...

I'm not so sure the people are seeking 'what to design'. Back when the @Last started the Gallery Forum it became obvious to me from the postings that users were very much split among two very different ways of using SketchUp. If you think about it I'm sure the same differences are still apparent today...

First there are the users who use SketchUp to model something already designed. They are using it to 'illustrate' or create visuals. Then there are other users who use SketchUp to design -- using modelling not as 'proof of concept' visualizations but to explore and develop ideas not preconceived. Of course many users do both approaches depending on the project. Its not about one use of SketchUp being better than another.

I think the new users of SketchUp from a CAD or illustration background are likely to be quite comfortable with a teaching approach that focuses on building a visualization of an existing design. In contrast those who want to understand how they can use the tool to 'design' better, faster, etc. might find that visualization approach lacking. Sure they are seeing how the tools work but they may not really be 'getting it' with regards to how they could be using it. Of course the tools do work the same way for both kinds of users. I really don't think it would take much to help those users get more from a course...

I don't know how courses in SketchUp are typically taught so maybe my ideas that follow are already par for the course. Perhaps a course should always start with a slide-show of how others are using SketchUp. With images from the Gallery here or from the case studies at the SketchUp site, it could highlight for the new user what other people using SketchUp do with it and the diversity possible. Having such a show right upfront establishes a few things. It makes clear it is ultimately a flexible tool and that there isn't just one sketchup 'style'. It can help establish the 'goal' of being accomplished enough to be able to communicate effectively using 3d. It can show them the fun that is possible. It can show that it can be used to explore and develop ideas, basic or complex, or as an illustration tool as loose or as detailed as may be desired. I remember the DVD presentation that Paul Miller put together to show his coworkers the potential of SketchUp. It was such a slide-show that very much communicated that SketchUp very much could be a tool for personal expression - a creative tool.

I also think a course could include some design-oriented tasks that would help participants see first-hand how it could be used for massing studies, or other form of exploration. What some participant's will 'get' from this is that SU really is a tool they can use even if they never see themselves developing a detailed model.

Regards, Ross

Jeff - unfortunately that tea-related link is dead.

It is the tannins in regular black tea that have been linked with interference with iron absorption. Rooibos and the other South African tea called Honeybush both feature extremely low levels of tannins and so should have no negative impact on iron absorption. By the way coffee is also known to interfere with iron absorption.

Regards, Ross

That's great news Eric! Please stop drinking the diet sodas. You don't need them and their chemical cocktail can't be good for you. Celestial Seasonings make lots of good fruity herbal teas -- they all make very enjoyable ice teas without any sugar.

Regards, Ross

You can do it thoscon! Great to hear you have a buddy to walk with -- it will make it easier to get motivated and more enjoyable. Since you are just starting one thing you can do is mark the distances on a calendar or a log book. Soon you will get enjoyment in totalling the distances up. Seeing the totals can be motivating too -- allowing you to set goals. You can match your total distance goals to things like the distance across Texas, or the length of the Nile if you get really ambitious. Have fun & think of ways to stay motivated.

Those little step counters can be motivating too.

Regards, Ross

Like Stu I work from home. My wife does too. We find it pretty easy to go out for a 40 minute (3km) walk in the morning after the boys get on their school buses. When our oldest son (13 years) gets home from school I get him to come with me for a walk up to the community mail boxes (we don't get home delivery here in my semi-rural area). We make the same 3km walk of it. Its a good chance to talk with him. The other thing that makes going for walks easy is we have a very enthusiastic little Westie named Dixie. She loves to go for walks and drags me along.

Eric -- Have your whole family go out for a stroll. Make it a habit, say, right after supper. Start with 20 minutes. You'll find it is a great time to talk with your wife. You'll also really get to experience your neighbourhood and that will enhance your appreciation of it. It will also help your daughter -- even if she's in a stroller -- to get to know her neighbourhood. It is also likely that you'll meet other neighbours sharing the same activity.

If you go for a walk by yourself having some music can be very enjoyable and takes your mind off distances and time. With music it is easy to walk further.

Regards, Ross

Like others have mentioned, I too typically have the sky on for the visual orientation clues it provides.

When I model I frequently take breaks to orbit around the model and just think about it. When I do that I'll often adjust the sky colour as I find colour does affect what I think about it. In the same way I also adjust FOV just to spur "seeing" different thoughts about what I'm doing. I think these techniques relate back to when I used to hand render/design. I used to resist taping down drawings because I used to like to turn them as I worked/thought, finding such changes would help provide me greater insights into what I was doing.

Regards, Ross

Many diets rely on the glycemic index as the basis of planning what carbohydrates should be eaten. Perhaps the most famous diet using it is 'The Zone' diet but it is also the basis of most diets associated with controlling diabetes. There is lots of scientific basis to the glycemic index so even people not following a particular 'diet' can get good nutritional info by studying the index and associated information.

The University of Sydney has put together a good site with lots of info about the glycemic index. You can find it here.

Regards, Ross

Phil -- do you know how that Googlefight works? I'm guessing it is related to straightforward search 'hits' but it is hard to tell. I ran my own, largely abandoned, DesignStop against SketchUcation and was surprised by the results. It gives a different result if the ".com" is included on both.

Regards, Ross

The lightbulb above Tobobo's yellow head lit up as a math equation entered his head. Franziska + Tobobo = Kevin? He wondered could his on / off relationship with Franziska over all those years past have resulted in a "Kevin"? He thought back to the last times he and Franziska's lives had come together. He recalled the reluctance she had in updating him on the things that had been happening in her life. Now he found himself wondering if Franziska had been hiding the existence of a son. His son!

Just then Franziska replied to Kevin...

Thanks John. That was interesting. I'd bet William doesn't snore.

Regards, Ross

Ivica (the FormFonts artist and member here) and his brother make didgeridoos. I'm thinking the recent press coverage about how playing one can stop snoring and sleep apnea might be really useful for Ivica in marketing the instruments. I saw a story about it on TV and it really does work. Playing one strengthens muscles in your throat and they prevent snoring and the most common cause of apnea's. Even blowing on a plastic pipe, making the distinctive low-frequency didgeridoo sounds, is enough to strengthen the muscles.

Here's an article about it:
http://www.laoutback.com/images/parts/SnoringPopUp.html

A Google search of 'snoring + didgeridoo' will turn up lots of links.

Regards, Ross

He could see German agent Franziska Loewenkatze in the background and she was chowing down on what looked like a deep-fried turkey drumstick! Tobobo was astounded. Not at the size of the huge drumstick or her gusto in eating it, but that she was there at all. What the hell was his old flame Franziska doing there with Kevin? The Argentina Incident of 1999 was the last time Tobobo had seen Franziska. She had double-crossed him and broken his heart.

As the emotions bubbled back up to the surface and a few tears formed in Tobobo's eyes, he could hear Kevin the Tea Boy saying to Franziska...

Thanks Csaba.

Was the model originally created by you in SketchUp or is it imported?

Stunning!

Do you have any pics of the built project?

Regards, Ross

I spent a while browsing trying to find if the 'waybe' script was available somewhere. I think I found the blog of its creator (same name, same age, clearly smart enough) but I can't be sure. No mention of SkechUp, Ruby, 3d, or 'Waybe' on his blog.

If you'd like to see this script surface the best bet is probably to leave a comment at the YouTube videos.

Regards, Ross

@remus said:

How come you moved to a new forum?

These forums that we are now at are unofficial forums created by Coen and his team for the benefit of all of us. These forums are relatively recent but they carry on where other forums left off. You may have seen postings about 'transfers'. Those are recent transfers from the initial version of these same forums.

The brief history of the SketchUp Forums is as follows: @Last, the original developers of SketchUp, only sold SketchUp online and at trade shows. They created a very basic forum to allow users to help each other and share ideas about SketchUp. That started back with SU version one just before version two was released. Those forums had steady growth corresponding with the growing popularity of SketchUp. Over time several sub-forums were added including a Gallery allowing users to share their work. @Last intentionally kept the forum features very minimal and it did seem to make it easy for new visitors. Initially there wasn't even a registration requirement. For the first couple of years there was no moderation either. As the popularity of SU grew it got to the point that @Last realized the 'community' that had developed could look after itself. Several active users (myself included) became moderators but the reality was not much moderation was needed. At one point some users broke off and created their own more moderated forum. That was the Push/Pull Bar forums. It originated to have more design-oriented forum. Its founders had been critical that at the official forums everyone was too 'nice' and that the level of discourse on the designs behind the SketchUp images was almost non-existent. They created an alternate community to suit their needs while the original forums continued on meeting the needs of the rest of us who participated.

After Google acquired @Last the old forums had to migrate to a new server and upgraded forum software. That change lost most of the old stuff or at least linkages were broken. Registration became a requirement too. Life went on. The big hiccup came when Google released the free version of SketchUp. That really bothered many forum users and some decided they didn't want to participate any more. Their fear was that the community would get swamped with thousands of new 'free' version users. They thought we'd get buried in 'How do I make a box' question. It never happened. Membership did grow but it seemed most new sign-ups were more interested in reading the tips and getting inspired than actually participating.

The next big change was Google eventually decided that they should migrate the forums over to their Google Groups system. That was a shocker for many. Most users who had grown used to 'forum' systems found the idea of switching over to the 'Groups' approach a big step backwards. Some users felt it was time to say goodbye, some were willing to give Groups a chance, and others like Coen said some alternative was necessary. Coen created the forums here at his SketchUcation.com website. Many of the old forum users made the leap and the community started over. This new SketchUp user's community has continued to grow. We have also been seeing the gradual participation of more Google employees. They recognize the importance of this community.

Regards, Ross