Mass Effect 3 - Retina iPad Wallpaper
After getting my new iPad, I immediately needed a cool wallpaper. I didn’t find much I was thrilled about online so I set out to make my own. I decided on making a Mass Effect 3 wallpaper since I’m playing it now and love the series.
Finding art in the right resolution wasn’t as tough as I thought, but finding the right art was. Essentially the original version of the art had a giant logo which I wanted to nix, and the other version cut off right on top of his head. I wanted to see the grand background art with Reapers flying down to Earth and the stars in the distance, so I set off combining the two pieces. I also had to recreate an additional portion of Earth, and more stars, Reaper trails, etc.
Altogether, the wallpaper consists of four different sources all merged together into one, including some painted in colors. Click on the thumbnail above to see a larger version of the progress shot, and the link below to download the final wallpaper.
I think it turned out sweet, and it looks amazing on the iPad’s gorgeous new screen. Enjoy!
Garage Sale, Round 1.5 - MacBook Pro!
Hey there everyone! I’m selling my 17” MacBook Pro! It’s awesome and in perfect condition. There isn’t a single scratch or dent or even a speck of dirt. It’s like the damn thing is brand new.
It has the latest version of OSX Lion installed (10.7.3) and has been freshly wiped and formatted for sale.
All the original packaging is included, along with the original charger and documentation. Also included is a custom fitted black sleeve by Radtech and a Clear Speck SeeThru protective case.
I’d love to sell it for $1,000 but I’ll listen to offers.
Twitterrific 4 Initial Reactions
Having used the new version of Twitterrific for a few hours, I have a few immediate reactions that I’d like to point out. Overall, I’m very impressed with the new version. There are some weird choices IMO, the sidebar being one of them. The fact that Trends and Lists aren’t collapsable is odd.
However, the weirdest things are things that Iconfactory “intentionally” do, at least according to their twitter.
1. Sub Pixel Anti-Aliasing: This might sound nitpicky, but looking at this screenshot can show you just how bad text can look in the app: http://cl.ly/0W2m3w1x3D1T2N3P2d2t (Note: According to IF, this “will improve over time”).
2. Jagged scrolling: When scrolling up and down in the tweets window, it’s extremely jaggy when you’re scrolling slowly. This is totally disorienting to my eyes and looks nothing like any other app I’ve scrolled in: http://cl.ly/3H0u0A3O202K2b3K3v1W (Note: IF “…snap to pixels when we scroll. By design”. Another odd intentional decision. Why would you intentionally design a scroll that looks bad?)
3. No Retweet option in any contextual menus: Self explanatory…how was this not included?
4. No trackpad gestures. More and more apps are supporting gestures due to Apple’s migration to touch based control. Not having these sucks!
5. Inability to drag an image into the compose window: A minor oversight, but one I’ve seen included in every Twitter app I’ve used other than Twitterrific. It’s just convenience.
6. No conversation view for DMs! I know this is just IF’s preference, but it’s just inane that there’s no conversation view for DMs. I mean…seriously?
I understand the app just launched, and that obviously means things will change. However, this app has been in development for quite a long time, and has been in testers’ hands for an equally long amount of time. How did these simple usability and interaction elements not get flagged? And if they were, why weren’t they addressed?
I just find it crazy that simple simple stuff is what’s turning me off from this app so much. I’ve bought it, like I’ve bought every other Iconfactory app, but these things are just disappointing and odd choices. Let’s hope they change a bit.
Dead Space for iPhone 4
When Alex Griendling (@GravityBomb) shared his amazing looking tribal Isaac Clarke mask, I was instantly interested in making his traditional inspired take into a modern sci-fi look. It’s like modernizing a demake of a modern piece. Confusing, I know.
I did two mashups, one with a derivative of Louie Mantia’s most recent Battlestar wallpaper, and another in space. I assume no credit for Mantia’s awesome background, or Alex’s awesome mask. All I did was make two great tastes taste great together…and add tons of effects.
Enjoy!
Get this Phoney Todolicious icon DONE!
Todolicious is a great lightweight GTD app for Mac (and soon for iOS!). It’s a project by Steve Streza, and is currently exclusive to the Mac AppStore. Get it now!
Enjoy!
Phoney for Twitter for Mac
With the launch of the Mac App Store today, Twitter for Mac launched as well. It’s a fantastic update/replacement for Tweetie Mac. Loren & Co. have hit it out of the park, and as usual, I want to compliment their work with a piece of my own.
I present to you a Twitter for Mac Phoney icon. Created with Twitter’s strict guidelines in mind ;-)
Enjoy!
Christmas Spirit
This was the first Christmas that I’ve ever spent without some semblance of family. Spending it with both my parents was infrequent, but I spent Christmas with my Mom every single year. With my life changing after moving to San Francisco, the holiday is a bit…lonelier.
Thankfully my Mom and I got to exchange gifts via the iPhone 4’s FaceTime feature. I bought her an iPod touch when I moved and we spent our Christmas Eve video chatting and I opened the gifts she sent me. The best of which is this amazing Captain Rex helmet from The Clone Wars!
My Dad got me a couple of nice scarves, but the Captain Rex helmet blows any other gift away! I still have to get him an iPod touch so we can FaceTime too. Maybe for his birthday! :)
Sweet!
Reeder for Mac Phoney icon!
Since Reeder for Mac’s beta is now public (and really kickass), I obviously needed a Phoney icon. Hell, I didn’t even realize it was out until Josh Bryant asked me for a custom icon!
Well I’m glad he asked, because now I’m using the nicest RSS reader I’ve played with. And I’ve made a cool looking icon!
Enjoy,
M
TRON Legacy Wallpaper Collection
It’s no secret that I’m a huge TRON fan, and that I’m eagerly awaiting TRON LEGACY this December. Due to my obsessions, I’ve been enjoying the various teaser images (most very difficult to find in high resolution) and putting them to use. I’ve made several TRON LEGACY wallpapers for iPhone 4 (or other portable devices) and I’m offering them here for download. I’ve put a significant amount of work into these, including removing tons of text from these images.
I hope you enjoy the work I’ve put into these, and I hope even more that you enjoy them on your devices. They look great on the retina display!
Feel free to download the entire collection in a zip file here, or click each individual wallpaper to download the full resolution version.
Enjoy! And tips welcome ;)
TRON LEGACY IPHONE 4 WALLPAPERS
Here I have for you a new TRON Legacy iPhone 4 wallpaper! This was taken from one of the original teaser posters, but I’ve recoloured it a bit to match the final colour schemes in the film. I hope you enjoy them!
And if you haven’t seen them before, take a look at my TRON Legacy Icon set, and TRON Legacy Wallpaper set too!
