Before and After

The main reason for this update is to show how dramatic of a change I have made to my SHIVU. However, before I get to that I would like to say that Val and I are very happy to be going home for the holidays! Can't wait to see everyone when we get there!

Anyways, here's the before and after of my SHIVU bot.

Here's the before....

and the after!

I think it's a pretty big improvement. That's all for that. Got some other projects in the works and I'm still working on this one as well.

SHIVU Pr0ject Re1n1tializing.....

So, I've started up my SHIVU (Simulated Human IntraVenous Unit) project again. I looked up some awesome tutorials and found out how to make some awesome reflections on my robot. Check it out.

(SHIVU and background)

I'm very happy with how the rendered image came out. I discovered a bunch of new techniques along the way and know a BUNCH more about scenes, rendering and how everything works in general. Great stuff!

For anyone who's interested this is the site that I found the tutorials on. VERY good information: 3d tutorials

Fall Break: Auschwitz

So, needless to say, this post is about visiting Auschwitz. It was a very interesting learning experience and I now know more about the Holocaust than I ever did. I think that you don't truly understand what happened until you see these things in person. However, the scale of these horrible events can never truly be comprehended. I still find it hard to actually comprehend that the belongings, collected after the liberation of Auschwitz, were only those of 2% of all of those that were killed in the camp. The camp still has a very eerie feel to it and it's hard to understand everything. Here's the video:

(Work makes you free) were the first words that people saw as they entered Auschwitz. It's rather sick, especially considering the fact that people were worked to death. It almost seems as if it was saying that working to death, or rather just death, was the only way to escape the camp. Unfortunatelly, this was true for most people.

These were some of the crystals and their containers that were used in the gas chambers in the camps. I remember that they said that one canaster could kill roughly 2000 people.

The following videos are of the belongings of ONLY the last 2% of the people that were brought to the camps. In actuality, the amount of objects taken from those killed was much higher. So much higher that it seems impossible to comprehend.

It's pretty horrible to see on film but when you see it in person it affects you tremendously. Another collection was the hair that was taken from people to make clothing for the Nazi army as well as for German citizens. I have a hard time trying to comprehend how these people were turned into nothing more than supplies. Their clothing, belongings, and even their bodies were turned into nothing more than supplies for the Nazi regime. Truly sickening, even now when I think about it I can't help but feel naseous.

The last part of Auschwitz was the gas chamber. You can see in this video the hole where they put the gas into. Out of this entire trip, I felt that this room was the saddest. You can almost feel the hope. Many people came into this room, believing that they were going to get a shower. I'm sure many believed that they would be able to survive the Holocaust, but once they were in this room, there was no chance that they would survive.

I'm sorry to have such a sad post but I think this is something that everyone should see at least once in their lives. Without seeing this you can't fully understand what happened. I hope those that died can rest in peace.

Fall Break part 2

Bwah! It's been crazy since we got back. Lot's of working and trying to get back into the swing of things but it's now time for more videos! The first 3 are from Cesky Krumlow.

This was the torture museum. We had a lot of fun inside and Jake scared Val and Jamie pretty badly..... lol.

After that we went to the wax museum..... equally as frightening.

Next up was the marionette museum, which was my personal favorite :D.

Our next stop was the bone church just outside of Prague. It was even more amazing than I thought it would be. Also worth mentioning is that it was all done by a half blind monk from a long time ago.

This is the Coat of Arms made out of bones!

The Trip

I'm a little tired so I can't really write too much but here's a bunch of videos!

This door was open on the train! We couldn't believe it!

It was also nice to see fog on the train, on the way to Cesky Krumlov!

Cesky Krumlov was a really beautiful place.

I'll post some more videos in my next post..... (To Be Continued)

Post trip

Just got back from our trip. It was really fun. We did a LOT of stuff over the course of this past week. LOTS of videos too! I'll start posting them after we get groceries!