Why do things always come in 3's...

[Leon]

1. The Pendraken van started making some funny noises around Salute time, so we got that checked and the gearbox is knackered.  It's down at the garage now getting a new gearbox fitted, just in time for Triples, but that's a bill we could have done without!

2.  Ian was happily casting away yesterday when suddenly all the power in the unit tripped out.  Looks like there's a short in the control box on that casting machine, so looks like we're going to have to get a new one fitted.  Down to two machines at one of the busiest times of the year... 

3.  Tried to log on to my laptop at home the other night, and got a 'User profile could not logon' error.  Turns out my Windows user profile is corrupt and I can't get into it.  I'm going to have to backup everything and make a new profile, but all my desktop layout, settings and Firefox browser bookmarks are probably lost.  Luckily I can still access all of the Pendraken stuff on there, but only through a second 'Parent Controlled' profile we set up for the eldest son a while back.


Loads of fun when we're so busy... 

[Techno]

 

Cheers - Phil

[Steve J]

Oh now that's not good .

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Ouch x 3!

[Zippee]

can't you just use a clone account. . . 

[Matt J]

Have you upset North Korea

[Luddite]

Nil desperandum.

[Orcs]

Thats a reall bugger.

My Aunt died and the funeral was a couple of weeks ago, thats wasn't so bad she was 97 and had Alzhiemers.  We arived home in the evening for MRS orcs to recieve an email that one of her old work Colleagues had died - Funeral this friday.

Meanwhile one of the guys at the Rifle club dies of Stomach cancer 6 weeks after diagnosis.  Funeral was last week.

So if things come in threes anyone who knows me should be alright for a while at least.

[Ithoriel]

Currently two down, one to go on that front Orcs. 

Given the state of my health, I like to check every morning that the third one wasn't me

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Leon - if its corrupted your password log on on another m/c and change it there.

IanS

[Leon]

Leon - if its corrupted your password log on on another m/c and change it there.

I wouldn't have thought that was possible?  It's the Windows user profile that's dodgy, so the login/password screen that comes up when I turn my laptop on?  Another machine wouldn't recognise my user profile. 

I've checked some online tutorials, and apparently I need to backup everything, then create a new user profile and make it 'Administrator'.  From there I can copy all the files in the broken profile and paste them into the new one.  I don't think there's any way of getting my bookmarks back though, which is a bit of a nuisance.  We had all sorts saved on there, including all the sites/forums I use to promote Battleground.  Plus my desktop layout, which I'm quite particular about!

[Ithoriel]

Firefox favourites are held in a separate file (or set of files, can't remember which) and can be retrieved. Did it a couple of times myself a few months ago when three PCs failed one after another ... see, threes!!

There are instructions on the Mozilla website which, of course, I didn't bookmark!

Worth a look.

[John Cook]

Loads of fun when we're so busy... 

I'll bet Leon.  You know that all machines, car, computers, all of them, are female don't you?  It tends to explain quite a lot, in my view.

Anyway, speaking of 3, and in more constructive vein, have you been watching to increase of plastic 3D printed stuff?  I have bought quite a bit over the last year, mainly aircraft and 1:144/N Gauge railway kit, including civilian figures, mainly from Shapeway.  They are remarkable if a bit on the pricey side at present. Customers can already design their own stuff using 3D software and Shapeway will produce it.  Can you imagine that!   

No idea what the cost is though but I wouldn't mind betting that in ten years, or so, white metal wargames figures and vehicles might be a thing of the past.  The possibilities seem extraordinary.  What do you think.

[petercooman]

No idea what the cost is though but I wouldn't mind betting that in ten years, or so, white metal wargames figures and vehicles might be a thing of the past.

No no and no 

[paulr]

No idea what the cost is though but I wouldn't mind betting that in ten years, or so, white metal wargames figures and vehicles might be a thing of the past.  The possibilities seem extraordinary.  What do you think.

There have been a few discussions on this in various threads

I think the consensus seems to be, good if you want a few of something e.g. Ships, not as economic as casting if you want lots e.g. Figures

The definition of lots will increase as the materials tech becomes more mainstream

[Ithoriel]

They are remarkable if a bit on the pricey side at present

Pricey!!?? To date, everything I've seen on Shapeway has been an item I didn't want at a price I would never pay even if I did want it!!

Also, I don't really want to have to design my own stuff.

Currently I see it as similar to 3D films ... a cure looking for a disease!

Laser-cut MDF terrain on the other hand has been a materials revolution I can relate to.

[Leon]

We keep an eye on the 3D tech, but I don't see it becoming competitively priced for a long time yet.  I see a lot of comparisons with desktop printers or digital cameras, but both of those have a mugh higher level of demand than 3D prints, so the price of them has come down a huge amount since they first appeared.  3D printing isn't something every household requires, so although the pricing will come down over time, it will level out at a much higher point than a printer/camera/scanner, etc.

I had a 28mm vehicle designed and printed last year, and it was a little over £500 all-in, which is very competitive.  However for the same vehicle in 10mm, we'd be looking at £250-£300 which is nowhere near viable for us.

[clibinarium]

Well, I've just got my first 3D prints back from shapeways and I gotta say I'm impressed with the potential. I have some doubts its economical or desirable for everyone to engage in (I could bake my own bread, but its too much hassle to learn and to time consuming to bother). But it terms of producing master figures I do reckon it will come to dominate.
I have never been able to produce "straight line" work, but was faced with a job where I had to learn, so I thought the time would be better spent learning some 3d design as I had that on my "to do " list. So I taught myself some basics and got the hang of it in a couple of weeks, and its really growing on me. Its not so straightforward that everyone will take to it. I imagine a lot of people who use CAD in their regular work can pick it up fast, but for the average person it takes a bit of patience and head-scratching.
For organic sculpting a much higher level of skill is required, I don't see myself getting the hang of that for some time, but for cannons, weapons etc its great; superb accuracy and the ability to make things that would be extremely difficult to do by hand. I've made some helmets, weapon heads/blades and a French Napoleonic 4pdr in 28mm do far. My next intended experiment in shrinking the gun down to 10mm to see how that turns out (very delicate is my guess).
The downside is the wait time between sending for printing and the arrival of the print, only then do you really see whats too thin, not angled right etc, which are immediately detectable when made by hand.

[John Cook]

Pricey!!?? To date, everything I've seen on Shapeway has been an item I didn't want at a price I would never pay even if I did want it!!

Also, I don't really want to have to design my own stuff.

Currently I see it as similar to 3D films ... a cure looking for a disease!

Laser-cut MDF terrain on the other hand has been a materials revolution I can relate to.

I disagree, approximately E7 or £5 for a 1:144 plane that isn't available anywhere else is not pricey in my book.  I've paid more for white metal and resin.  I admit though that there doesn't seem to be a common standard for pricing and some things are expensive, it's true.  The price will come down, it's bound to - all new technology does.
I remember people saying much the same about CDs and DVDs, mobile phones, PC's, you name it, when they first appeared.   As for designing your own stuff, well that's not mandatory for sure.  I'll bet my three pensions 3D printing will be the norm in a decade or so. 

[Ithoriel]

I disagree, approximately E7 or £5 for a 1:144 plane that isn't available anywhere else is not pricey in my book.  I've paid more for white metal and resin.  I admit though that there doesn't seem to be a common standard for pricing and some things are expensive, it's true.  The price will come down, it's bound to - all new technology does.
I remember people saying much the same about CDs and DVDs, mobile phones, PC's, you name it, when they first appeared.   As for designing your own stuff, well that's not mandatory for sure.  I'll bet my three pensions 3D printing will be the norm in a decade or so. 

Depends what you're after, of course, but £5 for a 10mm scale plane sounds pricey to me but then I'm not after anything out of the ordinary. The aircraft I have have all been half that and frankly £5 sounds low for stuff from Shapeway, at least for the stuff I've looked at.

I was enthusiastic about CDs, DVDs, mobile phones (when they came in a suitcase!) and personal computers (when they came in a suitcase too ) from the get go but home 3D printing still feels to me like a solution looking for a problem. Industrial use I see being increasingly widely used. 3D printers seem more like home bread makers to me, used regularly 'til the novelty wears off then more ornament and lifestyle statement than tool.

I may well be wrong ... wouldn't be the first time