This is what I learned today..............

[fugitive]

I'm greatful for this day because I not only got the tomatos planted, I learned new graphics stuff, which after all is my reason for living, the last few yrs.
I learned more about masks from Vikki and Jac. I did a pretty complicated hair mask/extract job. Plus, I got the Color schemer, which could help me with bg colors.
Wanna know what my goal is. This may sound quite egosentric but I want to make a painting so captivating that one is compelled to step inside and explore the scene. The one that comes to mind is the Mona Lisa, because ever since I was a kid I have done just that in my imagination. Of course mine won't ever acheave that perfecton, but it hopefully won't take my seven years either.

So.......what did you learn today?

greg

[BigAl]

I learnt a whole lot about nebulae, globular clusters and the origins of the universe...

Is there more

[DannyRaphael]

I (re)learned how to put 35mm film into very inexpensive cameras for my 4 and (soon to be) 6-year olds via the "thread it through the takeup spool and manually wind it" method. Hadn't done it this way for about 40 years.

It took several failed tries and finally a visit to the instructions. I guess I've been taking autoload for granted.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

While at the bank untangling a statement problem, my wife and I were informed that if one opened, say, a 5-year CD for $1000 at 6.5% two years ago, you can further contribute at anytime during the life of the CD up to the initial amount, thereby increasing your return. This may not be true at all financial institutions, but it is at Washington Mutual.

In these days of skimpy interest returns it might be worth a phone call.

[Ed_L]

I learned that Greg could make a great mask for whispy hair. So that gives me incentive to make another effort at it. (How about a turorial Greg?)

Danny brought up the financial concerns. Here's one I learned a few years ago that I'll pass on so you can learn something else today! Someone told me that if you have a car loan, or other secured loan, you could call the bank after you've made payments for a year to ask for a better interest rate. At the time I had a pickup truck financed through our local bank. So I thought I'd give it a try. I called the bank, explaining that I had the loan, and I was not late on any payment in the year that I've had the loan. I asked for a better interest rate. To my surprise, the loan officer took a couple of minutes to check my records. He told me to come in, and he would give me a better rate (I think it was 1.5% less). When I got to the bank, all papers were ready, I signed on the dotted line, and walked out with a better deal in about 5 minutes! No extra charge either. I'm not sure if it would work with other types of loans or not, but it's worth a try. It's still hard to believe since they already had a signed contract.

Ed

[fugitive]

Ed, you talkin to me? I don't do tuts, although I will give an explanation.

I used the PS7 extraction tool, which I didn't think would work because I had use it before and thought it was just for outlining a subject from a background and that's all.
But what I learned is that you can coat areas of transition i.e. flyaway hair, and the filter can isolate them fairly good, depending on the job. As I did not get the results I wanted first time, I redid it 2 more times and merged them. As being human, each time I did it, I was applying the brush a little differently, the 3 trys were not the same, result, better than doing it once. Now if this were my image and it was important to me, I wouldn't hesitate to do it ten times.
forgot something.......this filter allows you to select areas the filter missed by painting with white or black, which lets you fine tune the process. I did this on all three tries.
greg

[Ed_L]

Cool! Thanks.

Ed

[winwintoo]

I learned today that 5 years olds are way smart!!

My grandson called and asked if he could borrow my digital camera - sure I said so I took it over. He had is brother's Lego Soccar game set up and he took a series of digital shots of the different players (about 150 shots) and then transfered them to VHS tape to make a video of the soccar game he played.

It was all his idea - he even thought to take a picture of himself first so there would be no mistaking who make the video and he made a "The End" poster to show that is was over.

I don't think I could have developed the idea for a video and then went ahead and made it at age 5 (even if there were the tools available to make that possible)

Margaret

[Jakaleena]

I learned that it is easy to coax a hummingbird to perch on your hand if they know you are the one who fills up their feeders...

[CJ Swartz]

Margaret -- your grandson is impressive!! I've known 5 year olds who can program the VCR for their parents, but to arrange a movie set, take stills and create a video -- Super WOW!! 20 years from now, this may make a great story -- to tell the reporters, after his first hit movie.

Oh, to make this a legal posting for this thread, I'll add what I learned today, so far -- mama cats, under certain circumstances, will nurse and care for other queens kittens -- I've experienced this, and today talked to a lady who rescued two pregnant cats who gave birth about the same time and cared equally for each others' kittens -- even after a virus struck and killed all of one mama's litter and part of the other mama's litter. BUT, when the kittens were weaned, the baby-sitting mama would no longer have anything to do with the kittens -- "not my job anymore!"

Also - I learned, once again, that some things are meant to be -- two tykes came to my door asking if I had found their dog, Danny. They told me what he looked like, and I sent them home to check with mom's progress in finding them and to make a "Lost Dog" flyer. I went out driving around to look for him and then came back home -- just in time for the neighbor girl across the street to come over -- with a Danny-looking dog, to ask me if I knew where his owner lived. We walked down the street and found the owner -- as it was meant to happen -- one girl finds a lost dog but doesn't know where he lives, meets a lady who knows who's lost the dog = happy reunion for all.

[fugitive]

Wow, a bird in the hand. I'm impressed, as I love birds, and have gone out just to see a bald eagle. So far the only one I've seen was quite far away. Saw a golden though. I have a seed feeder in the yard, but haven't got one for hummers yet, they are so cute.

Five yr old movie mogol, I was so impressed with that, I sent it to my son, who has 2 sons.

You know Steven Spielberg started out with a movie camera at eight, filming pots and pans moving around the kitchen with stop motion.

[Jakaleena]

I like birds too, Greg. Our place has become quite a bird sanctuary!

A very pretty pair of swallows have nested over my bedroom window, I'm filling up the H-bird feeders twice a day now as there are usually 20-30 of them buzzing around them at any time... And the baby robins & sparrows are fledging. The other day, one landed on the porch banister and allowed me to pet him for a long time before his mother came and yelled at him. At Wal-mart a couple of days ago, a baby sparrow landed on my van door in the open window and sat there chirping.

I guess they must be able to tell that I like them.

Here's a pic of 2 of my "pals"

(Have you tried looking at eagles on Sauvie's Island - that's where I used to go to watch them. Some were very close...)

[fugitive]

Which fledge? The Robin? I have those too, and also bluejays. Something I learnd this yr. I always thought all bird seeds were similar. No their not. I had a finch seed, and the jays were not interested, but the finches came out of the woodwork. Now I have a different one and the finches are gone.
Haven't been to the Island yet.

[Jakaleena]

It was a fledgling robin on the porch bannister that I was petting.

I used to have birds of all kinds - finch, canary, parrot, cockateil, etc. The seeds are different mixes depending on the shape of the bill and what the it is designed to do...

[winwintoo]

I didn't learn this today, but I remembered it from a while ago.

If you're trying to learn how to control the mouse better, try this:

lay a sheet of plastic wrap over a picture in a kids coloring book (neat line drawings but you can use whatever you want) Trace the picture on the plastic wrap and then take the wrap and "cling" it to the monitor. Now trace the lines with the mouse.

For those of you with bored kids around, it's something to keep them busy and entertained for a while.

Margaret