Sometimes a beautiful view is all you need.
Ghost Ranch with a light dusting of snow ~ Image by Robert Collins, Jr.
iMac + Inkscape = Learning Opportunities
My Desk - 2010 MacBook Pro & 2019 iMac (and a Cat Mom tea cup)
Last month we purchased an iMac, my MacBook Pro was sorely out of date (c. 2010) and needed updating. All of the graphic applications from the Creative Cloud to OpenSource required new hardware and software.
At the top of my list of things I needed to install was the open source program Inkscape, a vector graphics editor. My intent is to use it to create Material Design icons for our various products - and get a little branding in too.
Easy, Yes?
Getting Inkscape up and running for Material Design work was more like Sisyphus and his rock.
First - Inkscape needs the iOS dev app Xcode to run (no problem needed that anyway), then it needed MacPorts - okay found that and now I needed something called Xorg. MacPorts was the recommended source for Xorg (careful here, they mention there are outdated versions and recommend going through MacPorts to get the most updated version).
Then back to Inkscape to see how all this fit together - Xcode was the only thing I installed that went though the normal “plug and play” routine - and that I could see in Applications. Everything else was a black box.
Back to Inkscape to see what I needed to do next…. Terminal?
Terminal, for those who don’t know, is a way of accessing the Mac operating system. It works with command line code. You can find Terminal by going to Launchpad > Other > Terminal
We needed to install both Inkscape and xorg-server from the Terminal using the command line:
sudo port install inkscape sudo port install xorg-server
…and if we wanted to see Inkscape as a link in the Applications section we needed a little bit more code to make that happen.
ln -s /opt/local/bin/inkscape /Applications/Inkscape
If, like me, you’ve never used the Terminal on your Mac or command line - here is enough to get you to your installation. Terminal will pop up with last login, the name of your Mac, and the log on followed by a $. You will be asked your computer login (caps matter)
Last login: Thu Jul 4 08:59:18 on ttys000 TandR-iMac:~ tess.robert$ sudo port install inkscape << there will be a passowrd request and lots of code will run - I mean LOTS of Code, just chill and let it work>> sudo port install xorg-server << another password request and more code will run, if AM - go maake a cup of coffe, if PM - I'd go for a beer>> ((Finally)) ln -s /opt/local/bin/inkscape /Applications/Inkscape
Sisyphus by Titian 1549, Source Wiki Commons Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain
Okay - Good to go, part one is done…
Now, to prep for Material Design.
… and the rock rolls down hill, again
~ T
In memoriam of dark-ish skies
When we first moved to Happy Valley two years ago, the last thing we expected was the ability to do astrophotography in the back yard. Everything was against us - our postage stamp yard, the roofline blocking the south, neighboring trees and the ambient light pollution. But to our amazement, we were in luck. A confluence of weather and targets allowed Robert to get some stunning images - no RGB of course, but some brilliant narrow band.
It wasn’t easy. There was the door to the garage that was opened to create a light shield, soon followed by tarps on the inside of the fences, culminating in an extensive tarp to prevent bleed from some festive outdoor lights a neighbor two houses over strung under a patio cover and were set on a timer. The timer only turned the lights off few hours in the middle of the night, decreasing the already narrow window he was working with.
On clear nights, equipment was set, tarps where hung, and beverages consumed - waiting for those few hours of clear skies and darkness.
The first image captured was the Eastern Veil —
Eastern Veil - Robert Collins, Jr.
The last image captured was the Wizard Nebula.
The Wizard Nebula - Robert Collins, Jr.
This winter we discovered the run of luck was over.
A letter went out to the neighborhood regarding a number of lights in the alley behind our homes, that were burned out. Our neighbors replaced the dead lights with bright full spectrum LEDs that shine into our backyard and home. They are so bright we can read by them.
This week there were some lovely clear skies - but no longer much seeing for us. We never thought it was possible so we enjoyed it while it lasted, and mourn it now it is gone.
Dark-ish skies… you will be missed.
T & R
Can I actually post in the past?
Looks like I’m going to have to manually move my blog from Wordpress to here… it is just a wordpress.com site and i haven’t found an app for that. so I’m exploring if I can put things in the past….
Wish me luck!
~ T