The American Entertainer 20 Feb 2025 A few days ago, the US vice-president made a speech at the Munich Security Conference. The US vice-president... "JP, right? JD Mandel?" No, that was his name until recently when they changed it and now they call him JD Vance. Anyway, this guy from America, who apparently doesn't have a clue what the word "demos" means, decided to give a lecture based on some twisted ideas about defending the freedom of populist propaganda by extremist groups. At first, it all sounded like some inept joke coming from a "Trump University" graduate but then the clown removed his makeup and joined the leader of the German far-right AfD party for a private talk. It seems that after "Optimusk Inutilis" recent interference in Germany's federal election we also have this Peter Thiel puppet trying to upset the balance of power in european politics. At one point, the Thiel minion said: "If you’re running in fear of your...

Lucky Loser or Crafty Winner? 06 Nov 2024 The 2024 US presidential election is over and Trump won it, convincingly. America has spoken and this time there are no excuses for the majority who voted for Trump. They knew exactly who the man is and what he stands for! Or did they? Some will say that the mainstream media were biased in their portrayal of the two candidates or that the campaign of the Democratic Party was not forceful enough or even that there was foreign interference. I don't buy any of those arguments. In my opinion, it was all about immigration and the economy and how the Trump team twisted and merged the two into a single issue which they could then sell to a largely uneducated electorate in remote areas. Another important influence among less educated voters was the preconceived notion that a male leader is more effective. Finally, I would also consider the fact which emerged live on our screens courtesy of Elon's wit... Apparently, you can easily buy...

Pop Mesh 2.4 2 Feb 2024 A new version of PopMesh 2.4 is now available for download. Get it HERE If you have installed PopMesh 1.0, don’t forget to remove it before installing the new version. PopMesh 2.4 features: - several code optimizations - compact and ergonomic interface - more path and profile presets - new design and animation options - over 30 sample-settings files - comprehensive User Guide I hope you enjoy this new release

Blender Python Script - Bevel2D Function 8 Sep 2023 This is the second installment of my Blender Python Script series, a compilation of python scripts for Blender that I have written in the last few years. All the scripts are fully commented and the functions are easily customizable for use in different scenarios. In this episode, I share with you the "bevel2d" function which is a simple implementation of a bevel algorithm. I have also included a demo module that you can run in Blender to see the effect of the function in real time. Code Download Page Video Presentation

Blender Python Script - Enumerator Property Examples 21 Aug 2023 Over the last month I have been going through blender python code I have written in the last couple of years in an effort to compile a list with interesting and reusable scripts which I should store for future reference and which will probably be useful to other developers as well. So far, I have selected about twelve scripts and I’m sure there will be more that I would like to share with others. Of course, I will have to tidy up the code first and add comprehensive comments before uploading. I also think the examples should be accompanied by video presentations. Today, I uploaded the first one with examples using the Enumerator property. Code Download Page Video Presentation

Delta Data  -  Pan Thistle, 2016 Walking with you Running through the park side by side with you I'm walking, talking like you I can fool around, bite my lips and frown Just like you   Of every day and every night I get my share They tell me that I'm not a part of humankind but I don't care No I don't   Cos I'm walking with you Running through the park side by side with you I'm walking, talking like you I was made to serve, made to suffer Just like you   Of every day and every night I get my share They tell me that I'm not a part of humankind and I don't care

The A.I. Threat Palaver 19 July 2023 When the marketing channels of social media vibrate on the same frequency, the resulting resonance is felt throughout the web. A few months ago, that frequency was "the effect of AI on society". Within hours, you had all sorts of channels talking about AI, pictures with human-robot heads, video interviews with scientists, narratives on how AI controls our lives and so on... There were doomsday fearmongers going "AI gon' whoop yo' ass", silly vanilli influencers prompting you to ask AI for help on how to win the affections of that girl you fancy and YouTube "professors" offering tutorials on the effective use of ChatGPT. The comments were hilarious! Some were even asking if technology will destroy our civilization. I mean, is this the 21st century? Do people know the meaning of that word? If they don't, surely they can look it up? Here is a definition from the Oxford Dictionary.   technology (noun): the ap...

Pop Mesh 8 Jul 2023 Pop Mesh is a free mesh generator addon for Blender 3D software, based on a custom implementation of the age-old technique known as path extrusion, sweep mesh, sweep surface, and so on… The idea is that we generate a 3D mesh by sweeping a 2D path (a shape on a plane) along another path in 3D space such that the normal vector of the 2D path corresponds to the tangent vector at each point of the 3D path. Hence the acronym pop , short for path-on-path. To avoid confusion, Pop Mesh uses the name profile to refer to the 2D path. Now, by changing the original profile shape and by blending two or more profiles along a path the addon can generate a large number of variations in the resulting mesh. A few preset paths/profiles are provided and the addon allows you to select your own custom data. The requirement here is that your profile should be a 2D (flat) path on the XY plane. In addition, you can generate animated sequences between different states of the mesh when ...

F.M.Q. 8 Jul 2023 Forward Music Quintet formed in the summer of 1981...

Losing Control Again  -  Pan Thistle, 2025 Losing my mind, losing my soul Ain't no way out of this man made hole Go round in circles, off the deep end Losing control again   Envelope face, envelope noise Rolling and shaking broken toys A Justice failed their own polygraph test Losing control again   And I would if you let me But you won't forget me   Smiling dictator, warfare state Men of the hour, iniquity gains Gaping loopholes in ethical traits I'm losing control again   Testing my faith, a deal with pain Tables are turned, I'm losing anyway A campaign of fear, sponsored by the state Losing control again   And I would if you let me But you won't forget me There! They are selling again The same Patent Fake concern They drive me round the bend   Weathering vessel caught in a storm - with no end We are unable to hold a course - Captain Where? Lightning stabs out of dark clouds - boiling overhead And I'm losing control again   Fine Nereides ...

Rules of the game  -  Pan Thistle, 2021 There are things you forget, things you remember walking along a wind-battered pier As you try to explain the Ides of September you're slipping away, Winter Twilight You wish father were here, a few tricks and a fable the heart-warming smile made everything alright And if the rain tells you about a ship that sailed, you won't be angry or confused Latent dues manifest in pain Rule of the game Win or lose, it's a passing phase Rule of the game Ain't no sad, no happy ending Rule of the game Tears in your eyes were desecrated cancelled by the wounds you have inflicted on the Earth Hot summer night, intoxicated wild creature pack and jasmine in the air when you joined the game... but there are things I forget

The Forest  -  Pan Thistle, 2020 Back before the days of glory we were crazy and divine in the forest we ran with the wild and the holy and the big wheel, the big wheel, it kept on turning the truth before our eyes, it was like a dream in the night, it blew our mind until the day came and we believed the only way for us was in the forest Come the day of wine and roses something broke down in our heart deep inside the joy was gone we'd left the forest and the balance wheel, the balance wheel, it kept on going back and forth and back again, forever blind and we make new plans for a better world, times are changing but you know, I'd give it all up for just one day back in the forest I shouldn't let it bring me down for the mind will take me there and the view will be the same At the next turn of the wheel the path is straight ahead and it leads right back into the forest

Nothing  -  Pan Thistle, 2020 Nothing is bigger than nothing but nothing Nothing is deeper than nothing but nothing Nothing is darker than nothing but nothing Nothing is stronger than nothing, just nothing So don't disturb my circles Random clocks, bio-synthetic clones you can't touch my code Don't disturb my circles Confidence plots cooked up in private clubs you're a calabash gourd Don't disturb my circles Bleepy clods, clinging to virtual trash what a waste of space Don't disturb my circles Sombre masks are just flaky paint in the real world Nothing at all Nothing is bigger than nothing but nothing Nothing is deeper than nothing, just nothing Sliding down a neon tube Life flashed before my eyes Enigma smile A tiny shell to port my soul much like the simple desk where I write these words I call it home, a comforting thought Just the one time, yeah!!!

She ate cake (for Maria)  -  Pan Thistle, 2019 No I won't even try to find out why she ate cake And I don't ever care about the reason why she ate cake she ate cake Maria ate cake she ate cake she ate cake Maria ate cake She said she couldn't go back her mind went blank and she ate cake She said it was a big deal and she lost her head because she ate cake She ate cake Maria ate cake because she ate cake she ate cake Maria ate cake She said that simply happened and it was not intentional and if she had another chance... But the worms rolled inside her to reminder her she was going to die because she ate cake she ate cake because she ate cake Maria ate cake she ate cake because she ate cake

Lethe Wings  -  Pan Thistle, 2018  In the darkest depths, Lo Manthang caves The ghost of ages lost in a daze Clouds of illusion dance in waves Fire and water Let there be Light Stories of light on the red plateau Over the Himalaya Air is thin Standing at the end Lethe Winds Precipice in life Truth lies within Standing at the end Lethe Wings Wandering monk, keeping the faith Paul had a dream, Peter had a blade Going with the wind, anywhere is home No matter the people, weather or alone The posturing of kings, the craftiness of thieves if and might have been a tyrant or a creep Forbidden thoughts and Thought Police crumble instantly Aimless Days Lethe Winds Lethe Wings A reflection of the moonlit spring Who's there? Nobody, no title or name but I see your horse is tired, your face looks drawn... Need fresh water, fill your flask for the road There's a wedding in the village Lo New life, new hope, promise of a better world And more... Stories of Light

Absent Friends  -  Pan Thistle, 2018 Loaded, the Mad Trip of our youth we set sail for worlds that never were The parting of the waves came all too soon It seemed wicked and unfair You go out on Friday night Snowball is out of sight The Cult is gone, truths you can't avoid There will never be another Paranoid Absent friends will be there, tonight a few jokes, a bottle of wine, yeah! Just like old times While some of us are still around and others have already found the worlds that never were vivid memories are there The old Quinta flame Shock Waves in the sun.. Absent friends will be there, tonight a few laughs, a bottle of wine They will ease your mind Slowly, a tense and bitter noon gave way the wisdom of the smiling dusk Raise a glass to absent friends and celebrate the moments that never fade Want to go for a wild ride, tonight get into high gear, it's gonna be alright! Just like old times

Half Moon Theme (The Turnaround)  -  Pan Thistle, 2017 A faceprint on the Delta Drive GAI, well I have bigger fish to fry The Sat-1 Beam pulled the pundits in Yeah the games begin at Comanet.yo Lava bubbles stain the ice One more time, do they ever learn? Almabots scan the waves for the raw code to break in  your Live.haunt Eyes in the wall, relentless stare The lizard tongue, prowling ticket tout They snake-danced all night in a pool of milk and blood Green scales and fairy tails  gather in the lair Over there, for a dare The shadows on the screen plot against the light in your life Those few moments in time All the things worth waiting for The Turnaround The Turnaround - going down, face on the ground The Turnaround - bunch of clowns gather all around The Turnaround - chips are down, the talk of the town The Turnaround - bunch of clowns gathering all around now Flesh without bones - The Turnaround Clock without hands - The Turnaround Shape without form - The Turn...

Reverie  -  Pan Thistle, 2017 All the lilac clouds wait on the sundown and you sign your name in rings of smoke you stop the clock In a wispy dream, right before the credits scene you take the palette of the autumn dawn and paint the day in the key of May Reverie iris open and you're here with me they tell me all your secrets a wall of fantasy Reverie watching tango dancers in a scarlet sea of wild pride passion drowns sanity I know there have been times we would meet in nightmares the crash, the earthquake sirens wailing in the night then we would sail far beyond the sunset to a place where wounded angels go to mend in light and sound Reverie dark, hazel eyes never lie to me your cosmic grace vagrant galaxy The way she held my hand, walking down the aisle fire in her eyes, war inside her head Gold-plated kiss, puzzled smile November of the Pig drag me down again Reverie Now the lights are out, the circus left town the show is over and that fair quest was never meant to be m...

Full Empty  -  Pan Thistle, 2015          music video * based on the novel "Roadside Picnic" by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, 1971 The china bowl preyed on your mind a wild flame in your heart The car tossed and turned onto Western Highway the dummy tank full of swag The air turned hard let the blood drip down your marble face and drop by the outpost where the Blues hug the fireplace Were it just the greenbacks, a death-defying legend, noble cause or treason? The same voice, the evening rain Casual dreamer - falling down again Everyday schemer - freedom on a verse Caught inside your web, you bend the rules Blind faith dealer "Millions upon millions of people knew nothing! It was what they wanted! To know nothing and.. even if they found out, they'd probably ooh and aah for five minutes.. then go back to their own routines" Casual dreamer Everyday schemer Caught inside this magnetic trap "so-so" dealer Pull back the night - got to k...

PARTHENOGENESIS 4 July 2023 Parthenogenesis was born in the fall of 1978, but the story begins at a disco-club in Ilioupolis, Kanaria Sq. about a year earlier. At the time, it was normal practice for club owners to have one or more live rock nights during the week as the disco boys and girls went dancing on Fridays and Saturdays. It was on one of those week nights that I first met Alberto and George. Their group was called 'Airborne' and mine was 'Crystal Faces'. We had a good chat over a few beers and about a month later, I decided to leave 'Crystal Faces' and join 'Airborne'. For almost a year, we played mostly covers of popular rock songs. We also tried to write some prog-rock stuff of our own, we were all big 'Pink Floyd' fans, but it was not really working. Then, in the summer of 1978, after a falling out with the guitarist of the group, the three remaining members Alberto Levis, George Makridis, and myself (then, Takis Polychronopoulos...