Archive for the ‘Free Software’ Category

b00tl3g kr3w is a free game about pirating software in the ’90s – PC Gamer

When my family first got a modem for our 486 it took us a while to figure out that, with this modem, it was possible to acquire software for free. But once we made this discovery, we went at it hard: setting up downloads that could sometimes take weeks in order to get our hands on [redacted]. The fact that, most of the time, these downloads wouldn't work, or they'd be riddled with viruses, was almost part of the fun.

Anyway, this free itch.io game b00tl3g kr3w is a harkening back to that era. You play as a pirate and must collaborate with other pirates in order to upload cracked games including riffs on Mario and Sonic. It's not a long game, but it's a nice little period piece and it's created by the guy behind Shower With Your Dad Simulator. So you know it's going to be good. It's very funny.

The game was made as part of the Awful Summer Jam 2017, which had the theme "bootleg". Check the game out over here. Cheers, Rock Paper Shotgun.

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b00tl3g kr3w is a free game about pirating software in the '90s - PC Gamer

Schools to get free creative coding software | Tes – TES News

More than 1,000 pupils have taken part in a six-week pilot of what is claimed to be the UKs first creative codingsoftware platform aligned to the national computing curriculum.

The free learning-to-code platform, which was developed by Turinglab, an education technology organisation, uses a mix of gamification and creative project-based software tools.

It is aimed at key stage 3 and key stage 4 pupils, and had supportive funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Using theplatform, pupils learn and practise a set of core coding skills, which they then employ to create a project of their own, typically a game or application, to reinforce their learning by applying it directly to a problem.

Its creators said it had been designed with the teacher in mind, and was to be used in conjunction with traditional teaching methods.

It aims to help to improve digital teaching standards and open up future technology career and apprenticeship opportunities.

The pilot, carried out over the summer,involved 30 schools, and the platform will be made available to schools across the UK after feedback from the pilot has been considered.

Cris Baptiste, ICT and computing teacher at Saint Gabriels College in Camberwell, South London, said:In the short time my students have taken part in the Turinglab pilot, general interest in computer science has grown, with several asking for the pilot to continue after the summer holiday.

The platform has a lot to offer from colourful drawings and interactive animations to programming exercises and online quizzes bringing computer science theory to life.

The great news for me has been an increase in the number of girls now showing interest, andthe programming languages used by Turinglab, being Python and JavaScript, fit in perfectly with the next phase of studies at GCSE level.

Turinglab worked on the project in partnership with Ada, National College for Digital Skills in Tottenham Hale, North London. They were supported by IT consultancy BJSS.

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Schools to get free creative coding software | Tes - TES News

Vernier Software & Technology to Host 31 Free Data-Collection Workshops this Fall – Markets Insider

BEAVERTON, Ore., Aug. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This fall, Vernier Software & Technology will host 31 free, hands-on workshops around the country to help science educators integrate data-collection technology into their curriculum. Each four-hour workshop will be led by a knowledgeable training specialist who will work alongside educators as they explore classroom-ready labs that incorporate the award-winning line of data-collection technology from Vernier.

"Our data-collection workshops provide educators at all levels with a great hands-on professional learning opportunity," said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology. "Whether they are new to probeware or just looking to hone their skills, educators will learn helpful techniques and best practices for using data-collection technology in new and innovative ways with their students."

During the workshops, educators will learn important skills and strategies for integrating data-collection technology into their physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental/Earth Science lessons to help meet the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). After an overview of the technology, educators will have the opportunity to explore popular experiments across a wide variety of grade levels and science disciplines.

In addition to the training, each workshop includes a light meal and a downloadable Workshop Training Manual, which includes ready-to-use lab handouts for all science disciplines. Interested educators can select dates from the schedule below.

September 2017 Workshop Dates and Locations

September 13: Houston, TX

September 14: Houston, TX

September 16: San Antonio, TX

September 18: Austin, TX

September 19: Ft. Worth, TX

September 19: St. Louis, MO

September 20: Dallas, TX

September 20: Evansville, IN

September 21: Louisville, KY

September 23: Oklahoma City, OK

September 23: Lexington, KY

September 25: Cincinnati, OH

September 25: Tulsa, OK

September 26: Indianapolis, IN

September 26: Wichita, KS

September 27: Kansas City, MO

September 28: Omaha, NE

September 28: Chicago, IL

September 30: Des Moines, IA

September 30: Chicago, IL

October 2017 Workshop Dates and Locations

October 2: Milwaukee, WI

October 2: Minneapolis, MN

October 3: Madison, WI

October 12: Grand Rapids, MI

October 14: Detroit, MI

October 14: Albany, NY

October 16: Cleveland, OH

October 16: Providence, RI

October 17: Pittsburgh, PA

October 17: Boston, MA

October 18: Nashua, NH

For complete details and to register for a Vernier workshop closest to you, visit https://www.vernier.com/training/workshops/.

About Vernier Software & Technology

Vernier Software & Technology has led the innovation of scientific data-collection technology for 36 years. Vernier was founded by a former physics teacher and employs educators at all levels of the organization. The company is committed to teachers and to developing creative ways to teach and learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) using hands-on science. Vernier creates easy-to-use and affordable science interfaces, sensors, and graphing/analysis software. With worldwide distribution to over 140 countries, Vernier data loggers are used by educators and students from elementary school to university. Vernier technology-based solutions enhance STEM education, increase learning, build students' critical thinking skills, and support the science and engineering practices detailed in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The Vernier business culture is grounded in Earth-friendly policies and practices, and the company provides a family-friendly workplace. For more information, visit https://www.vernier.com.

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SOURCE Vernier Software & Technology

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Vernier Software & Technology to Host 31 Free Data-Collection Workshops this Fall - Markets Insider

Hollywood’s favorite video-editing tools arrive in a free app – Engadget – Engadget

Avid's Media Composer was the first widely-used "nonlinear" editing system that let you make video edits instantly and nondestructively. To suit its original feature-film and TV market, Avid developed it to be fast for cutting and allow for powerful footage organization. Nowadays, it's a complete tool for finished effects, color correction, titles and audio, as Avid also owns Pro Tools, the standard for professional audio production.

The new free version, Media Composer First, mirrors Avid's expensive software in most ways that count. "We've been showing Media Composer First to Hollywood film and TV editors, and they all asked the same question: 'What isn't in Media Composer First? This works just like my Media Composer,'" Avid's Matt Feury told No Film School.

However, it has limitations that could give you pause, especially if you work with high-res video or a lot of video and audio tracks. You've got just five bins, four video tracks and eight audio tracks to work with, and exports are limited to Quicktime H.264 or DNxHD (an Avid format) at 1080p 59.94 fps max -- so no 4K. Almost any type of input footage, including 4K or UltraHD is allowed, however.

Avid MC First has powerful bins and editing tools, but a steep learning curve (Avid)

Some users have also reported that Avid MC First can barely chug along on older computers, so you may have to adjust the settings for your machine. Another annoyance is that you must log into the Avid Application Manager each time you start up your PC.

Avid MC First, like Adobe Premiere, is Mac- and PC-agnostic, whereas FCPX requires a Mac. Unlike Premiere Pro CC and FCPX, though, Avid's video editor is not exactly intuitive to learn.

With projects, sequences and bins, the overall workflow is similar to other systems. However, menus are often buried, making it tricky to figure out how to do simple things like rename bins without checking the 1,700-page PDF guide. For instance, I couldn't figure out how to set the project resolution and frame-rate until I realized it's done automatically when you drop your first clip into the timeline.

The editing logic is also quite different from Premiere Pro and FCPX (which themselves are much different from each other). On the one hand, you have the drag-and-drop style of Premiere Pro and equally visual "magnetic timeline" of FCPX. Avid, however, leans heavily on keyboard shortcuts and powerful but tricky-to-learn techniques. Those include split edits (editing audio and video separately), match frame cuts and "slipping and sliding" -- a way to quickly adjust the head and tail or position of a clip.

One of MC First's strongest point is its bins, which help you organize complex projects with lots of media. While that makes it great for documentaries, TV shows or films, it's overkill for personal, business or YouTube videos.

Effects-wise, MC First has nearly everything the big program has. That includes one of the better color correctors out there (Finesse, above), audio tools and effects, time-warp slo-mo control, a stabilizer, multicam editing, titles, plugins and more. However, each of those is missing some settings and features compared to the paid version, unsurprisingly -- for instance, there are no curves or channels available for color correction and no fluid motion time warp, which is a bummer.

So who needs this? If you're serious about editing, have lots of footage, and don't need more than four video channels, Avid is worth a try. Once you grasp them, the editing tools make a lot of sense, and it's easier to keep your media organized than with other apps. As it's been on the market for over 20 years, Media Composer also has a reputation for being stable and relatively crash-free.

If you're a film student or enthusiast and thinking about becoming a professional film editor, then you really need to consider getting MC First. With few exceptions, most film and television shows are cut on Avid because it can easily handle and share complex video and audio assets and even sync up scenes with lines in a script (the latter option isn't available in MC First).

In my estimation, anyone that masters Avid's free editor will have a very short learning curve to the paid app. Learning FCPX and Premiere Pro CC is also nice, but Apple, and to a lesser extent Adobe, aren't really interested in the high-end post-production market, and their apps aren't widely used there. So, only knowing FCPX or Premiere Pro CC won't likely get you a gig editing for Scorcese or Nolan.

If the average consumer downloads Avid's MC First, he may get discouraged with the learning curve and give up quickly. That's too bad, because it is a powerful, stable editor. In any case, Avid may not care about mom-and-pop video makers -- instead, it is pursuing serious folks looking at a future film career, in the hopes of not losing future market share to Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro X. With a free and relatively powerful version of its big software, it should at least grab your attention.

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Hollywood's favorite video-editing tools arrive in a free app - Engadget - Engadget

German auto industry to give 5 million diesels new software – Sacramento Bee


Sacramento Bee
German auto industry to give 5 million diesels new software
Sacramento Bee
German automakers are offering to fit over 5 million diesel cars in the country with updated software to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, an industry group said Wednesday after meeting ministers and state governors. The figure given by the VDA group ...

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German auto industry to give 5 million diesels new software - Sacramento Bee