BUGS @ Software Freedom Day 2009

Public Exhibits @ National Library HQ (Image Courtesy of Chua Ruiwen)

Software Freedom Day 2009 is a blast. I was present on both days. Day 1 (18^th of September) is an overview of commercial open source vendor and vendors who is trying to build a business around open source software. As a solution architect, I was interested to see how businesses has taken advantage of Open Source Software and build commercial products and services around it. Learned quite a few things about cloud and VoIP but none is exciting as what happens the next day……

Official Logo of Blender User Group of Singapore. Design by BUGS member, Chin Ching Ling.

19^th of September is also the day we unveiled the Blender User Group of Singapore Official Logo (The text design is not final but the graphic is frozen solid). Chin Ching Ling who designed the logo morphed the Merlion symbol, a very identifiable icon in Singapore, together with the Blender logo. BUGS member zahid mohamad coined the term “Merlender” in the BUGS mailing list and I just pretty much used it to introduced it to everyone else.

Blender Booth Table

A BIG THANK YOU to Weelian and Sacha for doing all the demo. They were even invited to another booth test their ultra bleeding edge hardware with Blender 2.50. According to Weelian and Sacha, the playback of the new effects and particles is real-time on that machine!! Weelian pretty much brought almost everything he owns there including power sockets which is a life saver. Sacha demoed 2.50 with old and new stuff he had together with some game-engine stuff he is having way too much fun with while demoing it to the public. Speed modeler Weelian did a few live demo plus texturing to the public and gave a “wowing” experience to all that is there. Ching Ling, Sim and Daniel Hand was there to show their support and Sim also man the booth for a while while Weelian and I went to get lunch (we were so engross we forget its lunch time until about 14:30hr).

Sacha, Victor, Weelian getting things setup. OpenSUSE came to check us out as we get things setup. (Image Courtesy of Free and Open Source Alliance (Singapore))

Sacha preparing another demo for 2.50 while Weelian is showcasing his speed modeling skills with Blender to the General Public. The lady that Victor is talking to is Chin Ching Ling, the designer who came up with the "Merlender" logo for the BUGS. (Image Courtesy of Free and Open Source Alliance (Singapore))

For those not there, I sincerely hope you could be present at the next event. On another note, our logo designed by Ching Ling is very well received and I might add some other booths were hoping it was their logo instead (^_^).

For more photos, visit http://foss-alliance.sg/node/61

Its been a great day!!

Once again, thank you all!!

Lack of updates on the Blog but lots of things going on……

Since meeting #3 on 15th of August, quite a few things happen and some unexpected. If you are on the mailing list, you would be updated on quite a few things but here’s a summary……

Let’s start with some BUGS meeting #3. Our 3rd meeting talked about our next workshop and our BUGS’s Logo. The BUGS have been holding back our own workshop with the news that a major a Linux vendor and a local University wanting to engage the BUGS to do workshop training to participants of a Blender Competition they are organizing. However, due to series of logistics and legal issues, the workshops have been delayed indefinitely. Hence, we decided to go ahead and schedule one of our own workshops to the public on the 19th of September. Next, we talked about getting ourselves a logo. Its decided last meeting that BUGS members should submit a logo design and do a show and tell in this meeting. Weelian, Sim, Chingling, and I showed our design to one another and have fun telling how we got our inspiration. We also showed each other how we created a 3D version of our logo. As we have only 4 design, the BUGS members present that day agreed to extend the “competition” for a little longer. We later have Sacha submitted his design as well about a week or two later and the stage is set for voting in the mailing list.

Around August 27th, Weelian sent email to the BUGS saying that a Darrel Chua is organizing Software Freedom Day in Singapore at the National Library Head Quarter and has contacted him to have a Blender presence during Software Freedom Day. With that news, I went ahead and contacted Darrel for booth to showcase Blender to the public on Software Freedom Day which coincidentally happens on Sept 19th as well. As one of the goals of the BUGS is to promote Blender locally, the workshop on the 19th is postpone and all efforts is set on promoting Blender on Software Freedom Day (SFD). It is the BUGS first marketing attempt!! In the mailing list I even suggested we put the BUGS’s logo to a public vote! But that did not happen as a few days before SFD, it is very clear which logo is a favorite among the members. With our Logo at hand, we set sail for SFD 2009 with Weelian, Sacha and me. What happen at SFD 2009? Read the next blog……

Blender User Group of Singapore Meeting #3

Date:   Saturday, 15th August 2009
Time:   1000hr (a.k.a. 10:00am)
Venue:  50 Bukit Batok Street 23
        #04-10 Midview Building
        Singapore 659578

Agenda:  Show & Tell --- BUGS Logo

B.U.G.S. Meeting #2 report

Firstly, I would like to welcome two new members, Chin Ching Ling and Bryant.

We are looking at trying free mailing list, most of which introduced by Sim. Then there is commercial request for BUGS to give workshops which the BUGS has pretty much decided on who will be teaching it and further information will be available later. Last but not least, to get the BUGS something fun to look forward to, we have decided on a small activity to design the BUGS logo and render it in 3D.  The deadline is by the next meeting for a show and tell.  It will be a fun meeting next time.

Though the meeting is not short, but it is surely a sweet one.  Thanks Blenderers!!

Until Next Time … …

Blender User Group of Singapore Meeting #2

Date:   Saturday, 4th July 2009
Time:   1000hr (a.k.a. 10:00am)
Venue: 50 Bukit Batok Street 23
       #04-10 Midview Building
       Singapore 659578

Agenda:  1) Communications
         2) more Workshops.