Seriously off-topic, not Joomla - but if you like steampunk?

[beededea]

I know this is seriously off-topic, but if you like steampunk then you might like this desktop widget that I wrote using javascript/XML and designed using photoshop CS.



It sits on your desktop, it chimes, ticks and does all the things that you'd expect a steampunk gadget to do. You need the Yahoo widget engine to run it but that is fine because the engine is uber-useful when you see what it can do.

The widget can be downloaded here:

http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/steamp ... k-calendar

- and of course it is free. If you like it please leave positive feedback. The version on Yahoo is the MkI version, the MkII is underway and will allow resizing plus some other stuff.

Finally I have a new widget under development:



Your feedback is appreciated! Joomla people are normally open to new things, these are new old-things, if you get my drift?

I'm giving these away to everyone as a little bit of payback for all the good that open source software like Joomla has given me. I do hope you enjoy them.

[Webdongle]

Want one in .deb format please

[beededea]

"Yahoo widgets is available for Windows and Macs but it won't ever be
available for Linux. I use Linux (Slax) for one or two of my older laptops, it
runs quickly and works well, the thing is, the only gadgets that run are
a tadge old and the choice is limited. None of my Yahoo widgets can be
made to run on Linux without a complete rewrite.

There is a possible solution though, Kludgets engine already runs in
beta on Ubuntu. The Kludgets engine also promises to have limited yahoo
widget support on it's future roadmap. So, there is the possibility my
yahoo widgets will work some time in the future on Linux - but not just
yet. Personally, I am desperately keen on seeing my steampunk
clock/calendar Yahoo widget running on an alternative multi-platform
widget engine. It has always galled me that yahoo widgets is available
for Windows and OS/X but not linux. Keep an eye on Kludgets and give the
developer your support. Kudgets is Apple Dashboard compatible,
Webkit-based, Nokia QT-based (multi-platform), Yahoo Widget Engine
inspired and best of all is open sourced."

[beededea]

And another off-topic Steampunk widget that you might find interesting if not useful in the Joomla sense.



It is available for download here:

http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/steamp ... tube-clock

One on-topic point to make is that I find that building these widgets a very useful method for learning javascript.

[beededea]

New version of the Steampunk thermometer yahoo widget has just been created (0.19) and will be released shortly, making it more steampunk than ever. What we need to do now is to make it work as a Joomla component, now that is a challenge, who wants to take that on? Not sure I do.



Wait for a while before you try to download 0.19 as it is not quite ready, a few more things to do yet. As per the others this will be a free download (all GPL) with no strings attached, I do hope you like it.

[beededea]

and in 3D?



and if you can think of a use for this I am open to suggestions.

[beededea]

And I have another one on the go.

[beededea]

The steampunk Weather widget pictured above is now available for download. It gets the current weather from internet weather sources, providing temperature, humidity levels, local air pressure, as well as the general weather outlook in hundreds of cities around the world.

It is free and has no strings attached and is offered under the GPL licence in return for all the open source code that I have used over the years. It is available for download here:

http://lightquick.co.uk/jdownloads/stea ... idget.html

You are getting it prior to the full release. It has been fully tested but it may not yet be perfect. Please feel free to test it and report any faults and I will fix them. When it is fixed I will submit it to the Yahoo Widget Gallery. Thanks for your help in this!

It will make your desktop quite a bit more steampunk and it is useful too especially here in England where the weather is really rather variable.

[beededea]

Glad you like it, I appreciate the feedback,not many people even comment though tens of thousands have downloaded them. Occasionally I see one of them loaded on someone's desktop as I pass, a nice feeling.

They are all beta as I have plenty of work to do to complete. Resizing is the most important. I will do it!

[beededea]

You have to download them, and you download the widgets from the link at the bottom of this post. But first you must have the Yahoo widget runtime engine to run them.

This is the runtime engine download link pasted from yahoo widgets. (It is a Windows exe though there is a MAC version too).

You can get it here:

http://desktopwidgets.zenfs.com/4.5.2x1 ... _setup.exe

Run the exe first, when yahoo widgets is installed, download the widgets and you are done.

My steampunk widgets are here:
http://widgets.yahoo.com/authors/Yereverluvinunclebert

There are thousands more but I only do steampunk!

[mschmoldt]

Wow man. Look at you go. I am blown away with the updates and new projects you are doing. Well done, these steampunk widgets look nice and are fun! Kudos yo!

[beededea]

Thanks for that, really appreciated!

[johher]

Looks cool to me.Though I have to agree that the compatibility issues with not being to run on Linux would really be detrimental.

Though with the uprising brought about by Kludgets, it will make sure that it would be able to reach more.

The (0.19) version seems to offer more but it does not look that much clear, the numbers to say the least.

[beededea]

I am in touch with Marvin, the developer of Kludgets and he has just told me he is going to make a serious effort into making it provide support for Yahoo widgets. Here's hoping... If he does then it will provide a uniquely multi-platform engine.

Yahoo widgets run on TVs too and have the potential for being so much more...

Re: 0.19 - I assume you are talking about the steampunk thermometer widget gauges? The problem with working with high-detail components on pixel based displays is that you only have so many pixels to play with. The gauges are individual PNG files so they are already high quality, it is merely the reduction in size (they are created in much larger originals and then shrunk in order to look realistic) and the restriction of the number of pixels available on a standard monitor that causes the clarity issues. The gauges or text really need to be bigger in order to be clearer and they aren't the main purpose of the widget. As screens grow in size and resolution so can the widget. The other problem is that the gauge digits are on a curve and the font is a curved one too. As you know computers don't do curves, instead using polygons, as soon as you introduce curves you get a problem with inaccurate representation and clarity is lost.

There is no easy magic solution except growth of something, gauges or text but as the gauges run from 0-100% it should be clear as to to what they are indicating merely by position. I could easily add a mouseover giving the current values in a pop up. - In fact I just checked, I already have!

[beededea]

You stated, "with the uprising brought about by Kludgets" - is this correct, is there an uprising? I'm not aware that this was the case (thrilled that there is though). Can you enlighten me further?

[Jim Anderson]

beededea,

You sir, have some talent. The graphics are beautiful and I can't wait to try these out on my home pc (frowned on in the office).

Jim

[beededea]

Mr Anderson, I am pleased that you like them. By all means do put them on your PC. I also have something else that might be of interest. Some steampunk icons?

http://lightquick.co.uk/steampunk-rocke ... lable.html

These go with a tool called rocketdock which allows you to replace that awful Windows task bar with one that is customisable and graphically matched to your requirements. They do work however with any other number of tools that can handle a windows .ico file.



I will bundle the PNG versions too as they are higher resolution but haven't yet got around to doing this quite yet. The above is an example of a PNG version of one of the icons.

[beededea]

The icons are now downloadable from rocketdock

http://rocketdock.com/addon/icons/38398

[beededea]

Not so off-topic any more, I've just started hacking a steampunk theme for Joomla 1.5, just the front end icons at the moment, starting with the 48bit icons first, then the 32 bit ones &c.



Feel free to comment! If you'd like the administrator template then let me know here and I'll make it available.



I've modified the top image to look a little more steampunk.

[Webdongle]

That's great now some for 1.7 then put in the Tools section of JED ?

[beededea]

will do!

[Jay44]

HI beededea,

these are awesome!

keep 'em coming!

J

[beededea]

I will make it available on the JED, I wonder if they'll accept my little hack? I can but try.

[beededea]

I have just completed the 48 and 32 bit icons, now working on the 16 bit icons as used by the menus. Will then release it for testing. I'll do a 1.7 version if anyone else is really keen?

I've updated those two photos above.

[beededea]

I have released the beta version of the steampunk administrator template just here:

http://lightquick.co.uk/jdownloads/stea ... -j1.5.html

It is beta and incomplete but getting there. Have some 16 bit icons to do, some more css layout changes and some more prettiness in mind.

It is a Joomla 1.5 template.

If you do like it/hate it/use it will you please leave feedback, either really appreciated. You can do so on the download itself.

[EmmaViolet]

these are great! thanks!

[beededea]

Thanks Emma! A compliment is worth £20 every time.

[Webdongle]

...A compliment is worth £20 every time.

If you are paying £20 for a compliment here are two.
I like the css styling
I like the images.

[beededea]

That's £40 then! But actually that is the level of happiness I feel... it is like someone just giving me £20. I must be clearer next time.

[beededea]

The updated version has been completed, all the 16 bit icons have been completed and I've bundled in a new quick icon module that allows the display of a few more icons than the standard mod_quickicons.