Would you apply the same terminology? 
Hari's Corner
Humour, comics, tech, law, software, reviews, essays, articles and HOWTOs intermingled with random philosophy now and thenThe Legalease - Episode 2
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The Legalease comic by
Hari
Posted on Mon, Jan 4, 2010 at 19:32 IST (last updated: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 @ 10:49 IST)
Would you apply the same terminology? And so my laptop takes another walk
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Life and Leisure by
Hari
Posted on Fri, Jan 1, 2010 at 08:59 IST (last updated: Sat, Jan 2, 2010 @ 22:17 IST)
As I write this, the new year has dawned, but my HP Pavilion laptop is back in the service center for one of its (now) periodic visits. This time, it's the display again. I am growing sick and tired of having these regular malfunctions.
It's just around two years old (purchased July 2007). Luckily the extended warranty is still valid, so I can get it serviced for free.
However, I'm planning to buy a new laptop soon. Hopefully not HP this time. I wouldn't recommend HP any more as I've encountered a few problems with it including fast diminishing battery life (as of now, battery doesn't even provide a back up of 35 minutes).
Could anybody suggest any other reliable brand/model where I can expect to use the laptop without malfunction for at least 3 years?
I am particularly looking for one with
- a decent battery life;
- reasonably powerful to handle hi-res image manipulation, audio and light video editing;
- a few games (not very intensive);
- pre-loaded OS is not a requirement.
Pros and cons of using a vector drawing package
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Software and Technology by
Hari
Posted on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 23:10 IST (last updated: Tue, Dec 29, 2009 @ 23:17 IST)
One of the things I've attempted recently is to switch from a raster-based image manipulation program to a vector drawing software to create my comics. Based on my own experience of using Inkscape, as opposed to the GIMP, I have compiled a short list of pros and cons of both approaches.
Obviously I am no guru at using any of these tools and I'm no expert artist either, so many of these points may not apply to the power users. Nevertheless, for what they're worth, I thought I'd share my thoughts on them.
First the pros:
- Extremely flexible drawing ability. Modifying line thickness is a breeze, as is adjusting contours and shapes. Small corrections which would involve considerably painful pixel manipulation in a raster tool can be achieved with ease in an vector drawing tool.
- A variety of pre-built shapes available (including stars and regular polygons).
- The ability to edit a picture does not diminish after saving and reloading a file from disk.
- The option of exporting the drawing as a bitmap at whatever resolution/DPI you wish without loss of quality. This makes it a great option to use as a source for both online and print publishing (printing requires a much higher DPI count for quality.)
- Finally makes it much easier to draw without an external pen/tablet as curves can be smoothened automatically at whatever level you wish. As a result, lines look much smoother than lines drawn in a raster image editor.
- Detailing the image requires more vector objects, adding complexity to the existing drawing and making it much more cumbersome to edit.
- Use of layering can be awkward and not always obvious. This might be specific to Inkscape, I suspect, but because of the complex relationship between objects which already have an existing Z-order, layer management is a tad cumbersome.
- Adding effects like gradients require more thought. Also it's not trivial (though possible) to add realistic shading, lighting and other special effects to a vector drawing.
- Too much flexibility in editing can actually turn out to be a drawback as you can keep on tweaking a picture to achieve perfection losing productivity in the process.
- Last but not least, the sheer enjoyment and fulfillment of drawing naturally will be missed.
The Legalease - Episode 1
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The Legalease comic by
Hari
Posted on Fri, Dec 25, 2009 at 21:31 IST (last updated: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 @ 15:51 IST)
Here's a brand new comic I'm testing the waters with. Named legalease - mis-spelt intentionally. Quite obviously it will incorporate a brand of legal humour (not the stale old lawyer lokes!)
Without further ado
This one I tried a new technique. Did the illustration and colouring in Inkscape and shaded with GIMP.
Hope you enjoy it. Please give me your feedback! I felt that "Cops and Slobs" was going nowhere and this comic probably has more potential to exploit humourous situations, besides being more in my professional line 
This one I tried a new technique. Did the illustration and colouring in Inkscape and shaded with GIMP.
Hope you enjoy it. Please give me your feedback! I felt that "Cops and Slobs" was going nowhere and this comic probably has more potential to exploit humourous situations, besides being more in my professional line Boxi's Asides - Present Tense
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Boxi and Panjo comic by
Hari
Posted on Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 21:15 IST (last updated: Tue, Dec 22, 2009 @ 21:15 IST)
Well, here's the completed version of the previous comic. This is my version, but I'm still open to ideas. In fact, I might even draw the alternate ending with due credits.
Hope you get your presents! Advanced season's greetings to all! 
Hope you get your presents! Advanced season's greetings to all! Boxi's Asides - Complete this comic
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Boxi and Panjo comic by
Hari
Posted on Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 21:39 IST (last updated: Wed, Dec 23, 2009 @ 09:26 IST)
Well, something new this time...
Can you complete this set up within a single panel? Try to describe the second panel in the comments section. I am eager and curious. Go ahead and try! (breaking the fourth wall allowed, but not preferred)
I'll complete the comic with my own finish in the next episode and duly credit the winner with the best alternative ending.
Update: My own finish
Can you complete this set up within a single panel? Try to describe the second panel in the comments section. I am eager and curious. Go ahead and try! (breaking the fourth wall allowed, but not preferred)
I'll complete the comic with my own finish in the next episode and duly credit the winner with the best alternative ending.
Update: My own finish