I had a need to set up a computer (running OSX 10.8.3 Mountain Lion) as an automated fullscreen video player for an art exhibition. I made a simple AppleScript application to automatically launch VLC fullscreen and run a looping video. Here’s the code:
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Recently I encountered a bear of an issue with trying to get videos to play fullscreen over two monitors. For some reason many operating systems & video players do not allow this, and it’s a pain in the butt. I whipped up a little Processing app that will play one video stretched over two monitors (you could easily adapt it for multiple videos, eg one-per-monitor). It can also handle masking and projector alignment. Here’s the code:
https://github.com/rainbow-lazer/dual-monitor-fullscreen-video
Certified Food Color Makes Brightly Colored Wood Stain
I’ve been researching lately on ways to make brightly-colored wood stains or dyes that are also food-safe and non-toxic. Colored wood stains like analine dyes provide the bright color I want, but are definitely not food-safe. There are some existing commercially available food-safe dye stains, but I really wanted some crazy bright colors.
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The Materials: Beeswax and Mineral Oil
Here’s a recipe for a natural, food-safe wood finish that’s easy to make & use. It uses only beeswax and mineral oil which are non-toxic and edible, making this finish a perfect solution for wooden utensils, cutting boards, children’s toys, or anything that could go into mouths or into contact with food. The finish color is subtle, and depends on the color of beeswax used.
Recipe:
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Taming Macbook Pro’s Trackpad in Ubuntu Linux
I’ve been working much more in Ubuntu Linux lately on my 2011 Macbook Pro, and the lack of integration for the trackpad has really been driving me crazy. The default synaptics driver does an ok job, but when it comes to things like gestures, the details make all the difference.
I tried BlueDragon’s xf86-input-mtrack, an Xorg driver for multitouch trackpads. It seems to act more like a mouse emulator and offers some options for control via gestures. The most important options for me were the ability to ignore a thumb as it rests on the trackpad, as well as being able to map three-fingered swiping gestures for web navigation.
After a bit of tuning, here’s the configuration I found came the closest to what I was used to in OSX. Still not perfect, but serviceable:
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