You type the left-side letters (QWERT, etc) as normal but to type the right-side letters (YUIOP, etc), you hold down the spacebar with your thumb and you tap the left keys corresponding mirror-wise to the right keys, so ‘P’ is space-Q, ‘O’ is space-W, etc. Why mirror the right keys (so you get POIUY) rather than directly overlaying the keys (so you’d get YUIOP)? This mirroring works best, esp. with touch-typists (What? You haven’t learnt to touch-type? Hmmph, I don’t wanna hear about it!). This is due to how our brains work. Subconciously, most people can much easier do with their left little finger what their right little finger would do. Won’t using the spacebar as a sort-of shift key simply produce a lot of unwanted spaces in my typing? The keyboard’s intelligent enough to know that if you want a space, you’d simply be tapping it, and if you want to use it as a sort-of shift key, you’d hold it down to type the corresponding key .. the keyboard knows!

What about those who want/need the right-handed version? No worries, there’s one where QWERT is mirrored (so you get TREWQ) and mapped onto YUIOP.

Needless to say (<-- strange terminology 'cos I'm gonna say it anyway) this keyboard is terrific for the handicapped with use of only one hand.

That all said, I believe this half-QWERTY keyboard technique is patented by Matias and there are those who've received warnings of legal action for even providing software that turns normal a keyboard into something similar to that!

Anyway, you can find out more about this keyboard plus Matias' other products (including a foldable keyboard) via their website. You can also experience the use of the Matias Half-QWERTY Keyboard by this flash demo.

Hurry and save! Until July 1st, there’s a 30%-off sale on Carrara 8 Video Training, available as digital download!

And, don’t forget – if you haven’t got Carrara 8 yet, it’s still on a huge sale until June 30th! 50% off for visitors to DAZ 3D and 65% off for Platinum Club members! Click the following logo to go there!

By 1st place winner, pscammp:

By 2nd place winner, DimensionTheory:

And, by 3rd place winner, 3DLust:

Congrats, to those three! Very deserving of your winning positions!

Checkout all entries on DAZ’s forum!

So, Borders has recently released the Kobo eReader, a light-weight, battery-powered device that lets you store digital books and read them on its 6 inch display. Its 1GB in-built storage can hold about 1000 books, plus you can add memory via its SD card slot. You can communicate and synch with other devices, including your computer, via its Bluetooth and USB connections. I guess it’s Borders’ answer to Amazon’s Kindle… Well, at this stage it’s really the Kobo vs Kindle vs iPad vs iPapyrus vs Nook vs Boox vs PocketBook vs Cybook vs .. well, I could go on really, but you get the idea.

What you really need is a good guide that summarises a whole load of these into an easy-to-follow table that doesn’t overload you with brain-fogging words instead, so you can match what you really need with what features each of them has. Check out Wikipedia’s Comparison of e-book readers.

From what I’ve heard, one of the Kobo’s most attractive factors is its low cost (US$150, AU$199), given the features that it has. As of this writing, I’ve noticed both Borders International and Borders Australia are reporting “out of stock” – sold out of eReaders – so they must be doing something right.

For more, visit the Kobo page on Borders’ International website or the one on the Australian Borders website.

Wait, didn’t I hear about a talking one that gives you invaluable tips on travelling across the galaxy? Maybe I should hang out for one of those? And maybe a babelfish to stick in my ear …

Didn’t I hear Hollywood’s in talks to make a WP movie?

Some new features and improvements include: Bullet Physics, God Rays & Barn Doors, improved network render farming, improved data exchange with other major 3D applications.

Click here to read what else I have to say about DAZ & their products, or click here to find more about Carrara 8 and Carrara 8 Pro.

You can get one from City Software in Australia.

Rothemund’s DNA Origami is so versatile that complex structures can be built to cater for a broad range of nano-scale applications.  His development can be adapted to create nano-computers, new drug delivery systems or even molecular-scale chemical factories, says experts.  According to Lloyd Smith, a chemist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, “We are arriving at a new frontier in our pursuit of ever-smaller structures”.

What’s more, Rothemund says that the process so simple that the woven DNA patterns can be designed by high school students.

Click here to read the MSNBC.com article ‘DNA folded into a world of patterns