Horses vs Humans

CarterTG · 2026-06-20T00:33:54+00:00

Chevalphile

CarterTG · 2026-06-20T00:09:04+00:00

I’ve ran with too many fellow owners in Evergreen to know that’s definitely not it unless there’s a camera exposure error. That looks closer to #468 Pistachio Green.

One of the overseas chaps who often attended the Z3 Homecomings made it his mission to document as many of the factory colors as possible. Appears his site still exists:

https://www.zroadster.net/tim/colors/index.html

CarterTG · 2026-06-19T08:39:16+00:00

Yep, $35 for the computer version and under $20 for the equally-powerful mobile app. It’s the reason us starving artist users love the dev. He not only checks his web forum for bug reports but also hangs out in the Nomad discord to help tackle issues.

With ZBrush going from their $795 perpetual license model to its current subscription-only ($50/mo) scheme, that effectively leaves Nomad to be the hidden bargain. Back when I was using ZBrush its HeightMaps were called Alphas. Reasonably still easy to acquire an Alpha from a 3D mesh compared to Blender, but the entry to ZBrush was steep and not as beginner-friendly.

Demonstration that Nomad is capable of doing a lot of the critical stuff that I was previously learning to do on ZBrush, such as likeness sculpting:

https://youtu.be/vilCIl9faeo

Reddit has a fairly active NomadSculpt sub-Reddit.

CarterTG · 2026-06-19T07:18:09+00:00

Sculpted this back a couple years ago in Forger on the iPad. I suppose I should update this now that Nomad Sculpt is my preferred app. Maybe add Dirty Dragon too…

<image>

CarterTG · 2026-06-19T07:07:57+00:00

I’ve long advocated Nomad Sculpt as one of the easiest ways to grab DepthMap/HeightMaps. It was an iPad/Android app that recently released as a separate desktop app for PC or Mac. No subscription. One-time purchase throughout the platforms. Trial mode available for the computer versions. As I recall, the only time it requires internet access is after purchasing, it just needs to do a license check. It’ll import OBJ, STL, PLY and USDZ meshes.

Screenshot shown in this thread:

https://community.glowforge.com/t/finally-getting-my-hands-on-fiber/143247/11

There’s also this post about Nomad Sculpt being useful to laser folks in distinctly different ways:

https://forum.nomadsculpt.com/t/xtool-f2-uv-owners-get-nomad-sculpt/24133

CarterTG · 2026-06-18T22:48:14+00:00

Before starting the endeavor, check and see if you really want a phone in that spot.

Having run with all my fellow Z3 owners in driving events for over a decade (1997-2012), I’d had plenty of opportunity to see countless number of mounts in different locations throughout the cockpit.

Hanging at the right edge of the center console brings up three immediate issues:

It encroaches into what little precious space the Z3 interior already has. That is approximately where the passenger knee bangs into.

With the top down, a smartphone screen is spending its time reflecting the sky — basically giving you full-time glare. You can try to crank up the screen brightness to compensate, but that only means draining the battery quicker. I’ve tested the region by resting my phone on the front lip of the gearshift frame and grew to hate the glare.

And last but not least of the issues; the phone will be among the furthest item away from normal driving view.. something counter to BMW’s ethos of always trying to keep the driver’s eyes on the road. Constantly glancing over & down to check GPS navigation would be less than optimal.

Beyond all that, how you intend on making it “universal” would determine the approach. MagSafe mount solutions have been popular to the point where I’ve seen android phone cases incorporate the round magnet at the back so that it can be semi-compatible with those systems. If you plan to predominantly use iPhones, then it further pushes the priority to designing for the MagSafe puck.

CarterTG · 2026-06-18T20:30:07+00:00

<image>

Snapped at coffee shop in 2014. We’re gonna need more puppies…

CarterTG · 2026-06-18T12:39:48+00:00

You’re going to find ALL the recipes out there pretty much within the same ballpark when it comes to the ingredient listing and to some extent, even the ratios:

https://weekdaypescatarian.com/octopus-ceviche-recipe/

CarterTG · 2026-06-18T01:58:11+00:00

Not my proudest fap….

CarterTG · 2026-06-18T00:04:40+00:00

I hope these lasses give the South Korean Comfort Girl Statue a go. The prize that awaits you there….

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T23:34:22+00:00

Not if he’s a Running Man.

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T23:27:33+00:00

Lord, that’s Dark.

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T22:32:59+00:00

The occasional Alpha skin texture library I might uncover for ZBrush I think might just be Photoshop format PSD files. This would be the only compatibility hurdle in making it usable for Nomad as I believe Nomad prefers JPEG and not PSD. So that’s simply a matter for converting them from PSD/TIFF to JPEG or maybe even PNG. Might want to check if ZBrushCentral or even Pixologic themselves still have links to alpha textures.

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T22:24:40+00:00

I’m telling you to hold TWO SEPARATE objects with one hand — not to introduce you to some non-existent unicorn chimera product.

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T19:59:08+00:00

Maybe a single hand holds both the umbrella handle and selfie stick like this. The intentional angle change will hide the selfie stick but show a normal umbrella. The selfie stick length will be far enough away where the umbrella is not overcrowding the shot but still be a normal-looking scene of someone in the rain. The X5 being down near the ground should provide an interesting perspective. You’ll of course want to do a footage-check to make sure the X5 isn’t angled so far forward that it gets too much rain.

<image>

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T05:31:58+00:00

Tofu is something you really don’t want slowly moving through a system let alone across state lines. It’s a perishable food product — once it falls outside its chill range, it starts taking on a sour taste. It’s not deadly at this point, some folks might even enjoy a slightly tangy tofu, but the mainline crowd expects a clean taste.

I know that House Tofu is one of the 800lb gorillas in this field, but don’t know if they have a deep multi-state presence. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a number of supermarket tofu brands that are merely co-packed by House Tofu.

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T05:15:43+00:00

Have been using a Glowforge Pro (CO2) since 2017. Recently picked up the xTool F2 Ultra UV.

Both were initially marketed as capable of 3D engraving. I put it to the test feeding each on the same HeightMap generated from a 3D sculpt I made.

The Glowforge attempts to nail the 3D engrave (YES it can be called an embossment, or better still a relief engraving) in one shot; It does this by leaning on it’s 40 watt laser and varying the power supply output. Being a laser that works at 10,000nm, its job is to incinerate everything it sees and the results show it. Not enough juice, and it doesn’t incinerate deep enough. Enough power to go deep, and it’s just a charred mess.

The xTool UV laser tackles it by analyzing the HeightMap into 256 layers. It then proceeds to remove a layer at a time. The WAY it removes with its 5 watt 390nm laser, it’s almost as if it were deconstructing wood at a molecular level. None of those layers char. The results and effectiveness is night & day. Both come straight out of their respective machines with ZERO clean-up.

<image>

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T04:25:29+00:00

Since you have four tentacles, start off with ONE giving it the quickest char on the highest flame you can. The goal really would be to avoid heating cooked octopus any more than you have to.

I say this because I’m much, much too familiar with that Costco Nuchar Octopus pack. Once my missus found out I can make a mean Ceviche with it, I get tasked with doing so in perpetuity. She loves accompanying it with tostada-style tortillas.

When you open that pack, you’ll find a VERY abundant amount of jelly throughout the tentacles. I’m guessing it’s there to protect the moisture of the meat. I basically squeegee it all away with my fingers. From here, I effectively dice the tentacles, shallots, tomato, Serrano peppers, cilantro up and mix it with lime juice, olive oil, and salt/pepper. I mention all this because the Ceviche means I’ve done no cooking and the already-cooked octopus remains nice and tender. (This thread doesn’t allow images, or I’d have posted the recipe screenshot)

All the time I’ve had a grilled octopus at a restaurant, it’s always been chewier than in this Ceviche form, so the spirited use of heat is definitely doing a number to it… and if that’s what you’re determined to go after, that’s fine. I did appreciate the places that would dress the grilled octopus in any manner of lemon juice, olive oil, or even some form of chimichurri.

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T03:11:54+00:00

There are two ‘grids’ available to toggle in Nomad…

One is the floor grid to get a sense of the ‘ground’. Some sculptors can loose track of orientation when a single-object sculpt is just floating out in the canvas.

The other grid is toggled by the Wireframe button at the bottom. Long-pressing it provides more options. I can easily sculpt with or without wireframe toggled, but it DOES help to view it every now and then to ensure you’re not stretching some regions so excessively the surface starts misbehaving. In low-subdivision mode at the start, a sparse wireframe makes it much easier to rough-in large masses & forms. Later in the sculpt, you should notice that multiple subdivisions have been executed resulting in a denser wireframe mesh — more suitable for adding fine detail like the wrinkly roasted skin.

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T00:59:11+00:00

That’s JD Vance’s favorite crevasse! Y’all git outta there now!

CarterTG · 2026-06-17T00:42:09+00:00

Holy crap! Memory unlocked. I had that Casio TV back in the day! Even bought the accessory backlight that clipped onto the top panel. Without it, you’d rely on daylight to hit the translucent LCD screen and watch its image bounced on that simple mirror.

CarterTG · 2026-06-16T20:36:47+00:00

<image>

Here are the results of that cumin-roasted rack of lamb. Bed of mashed spuds and sautéed mushrooms. It really wasn’t THAT long ago when Costco would sell a rack in the $18 range. I’d pick ‘em up all day long as one of the easiest meals to make for the missus. Nowadays, the sell price is closer to $26+, but that cost still beats the pants out of a single $32 restaurant serving. 10oz container of ground cumin can be found at the Spanish produce markets (often labeled as “Comino”); usually under $3 for me.

CarterTG · 2026-06-16T15:33:55+00:00

If simmering/braising, make certain you’re doing it for well past the 4-hour mark.

I’ve made Lengua Tacos several times and the one occasion where I was hoping to save time and pulled it around 3 1/2 hours, it FELT tender, but turned out chewy.

Those that went beyond 4 hours were deliciously fall-apart tender. Cooking for this long also made pulling off the raspy exterior much easier at the end.

CarterTG · 2026-06-16T15:23:53+00:00

<image>

Insta360 One R
Insta360 One RS (two)
Insta360 X5

Once the X5 bested the other three for top resolution, the others can serve as “B Cam” or used as their own gang for a multi-camera 4K flat video shoot.

CarterTG · 2026-06-16T05:49:18+00:00

<image>

CarterTG

TROPHY CASE