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Kostanstin Dmitriev isone of the pioneersmaking professional animation tools available for Linux users. His primary focus over the years has been the ongoing development of Synfig Studio, a 2D animation program. Konstantin has proven Synfig's power with the completion of his short film, "The Beautiful Queen Marya Morevna: Demo."

To help other artists and to promote his work, Kostanstin chronicled the progress of his animation on the Morevna Project.What started as a simple blog quickly evolved into a rich resource for anyone interested in using open source tools for animation.

The Beautiful Queen Marya Morevna: Demo |Morevna Project, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Recently, when I was visiting the Morevna Project, I discovered the Linux version of OpenToonzavailable for download. For those of you who don't know about OpenToonz, it's an open version of the software that Studio Ghibli co-developed with Digital Video and uses to create their breathtaking animations. In 2016, Dwango launched the OpenToonz project in cooperation with Digital Video and Studio Ghibli, opening up their code to users.

There was a lot of press and buzz on social media regarding OpenToonz in the animation community, soI was surprised and excited to see OpenToonz available to Linux users. Making high-end software like OpenToonz accessible to professionals and aspiring animators is exciting, but making that same software available on Linux makes even a stronger case for people to convert to an open system for their work.

I thought that I would reach out to Dmitriev and talk to him about his thoughts about supporting a Synfig competitor and what this means for Synfig's development in the coming year.

Photo of Kostanstin Dmitriev |Denis Kholodilin, CC BY 4.0.

Stephen Egts (SE): Are you still teaching animation? In the past, I know you have worked with young people, sharing your knowledge of animation, Synfig, and open source tools.

Kostanstin Dmitriev (KD): Yes, as part of my volunteer activities I am teaching offline animation classes at the local art school. This is a kind of testing ground for all free animation software developments made by my team. I have a group of 8 to 10 students ranging in age from 11 to 24 years old who are learning animation with free software. I provide free admission to the classes for everyone.

Kostanstin Dmitriev teaching a class. |Denis Kholodilin, CC BY 4.0.

SE: Being one of the lead developers of Synfig, why did you think properly porting OpenToonz to Linux was important?

KD: Well, first of all, let me clarify one thing: My team didn't actually "port" OpenToonzat least on a code level. The hard work of porting OpenToonz code was done by Campbell Barton (who is well known forhis contributions to Blender) and Franois Revol, with additional help from the community. Thanks to their efforts, it became possible to compile, and use, OpenToonz on Linux.

But when the actual porting was done there was only one way to run OpenToonz on Linuxto compile it from source. This is obviously not a comfortable option at all for many users. There were one or two custom binary packages, but they all were distribution specific (i.e., for specific version of Ubuntu or OpenSuse) and required to have particular libraries installed in your system.

So we decided to fill this gap and build a portable binary of OpenToonz capable of runningon any Linux distro. This is generally not a trivial task, but I already had experience on making such binaries for Synfig. Also, I wanted to make running with minimal efforts possible, so it was decided to deliver it as anAppImage package.

This is why I feel "port" is not really correct word here. What did our team actually do? We delivered OpenToonz to Linux users.

SE: Yes, the AppImage installation process for OpenToonz was seamless and very easy to install. Do you see that as a path Synfig is going to follow when it comes to future updates?

KD: Yes. Right now, we're almost done with rewriting Synfig packaging scripts, so the next update will be shipped as AppImage.

Synfig interface |Image and Artwork by Anastasia Majzhegisheva, CC BY 4.0.

SE: Let me rephrase my initial question then. Many people would wonder why you would contribute to software that may compete with Synfig. What would you say in response?

KD: To get a better understanding of my reasons it would be best to rewind eight years and remember my initial motivation of contributing to Synfig and how I ended up as its maintainer.

My involvement began in 2008, and was heavily influenced by the concepts of the free software movement and was inspired by the idea of open movies as introduced by Blender Foundation. I was looking for a way to make my own open movie. Since I was a fan of Japanese animation, I wanted it to be hand-drawn in anime style (i.e., "not 3D"), soI was looking for a free tool for 2D animation that wascapable of doingwhat I wanted.

I think it worth it to put a special emphasis heremy initial motivation was to create animation with free software.

So, I found Synfig. Of course, it was far from perfectit had a clumsy multi-window UI, lots of important features missing, and it crashedevery fiveminutes. But it had very good concept and according to my analysis, it was the most powerful open source tool for 2D animation. Back then I already had experience with commercial 2D animation software (Flash, Moho, Anime Studio, CreaToon), so I knew what was comparable. Instead of "just complaining" () about its imperfection, I started to do my own code tweaks, and this is how my contributions to Synfig started.

Marya Morevna, Episode 3.0.1 |Morevna Project, CC BY-SA 4.0

SE: Didn't you receive a grant from the Shuttleworth Foundation in 2013 Synfig's development?

KD: Although it was called a grant,it actually was more of a sponsorship,and I was free to use it for whatever I liked. At the time, my team was still suffering while working with the limited functionality of existing open source 2D animation tools, and it was holding my projects back. I then decided to hire a developer to work on Synfig. This is how Ivan Mahonin come to project.

Bringing Ivan onboard was a key decision. Thanks to this sponsorship and additional crowdfunding campaigns, with just one hired developer during 20132014, we made more progress than the previous seven years Synfig was open sourced. Working with Ivan made it possible to implement asingle-window mode, port GUI to Gtk3, finish the bone animation system (with the support for cutout animation, image distortions, and vector rigging), add some sound support via Sound Layer, and add many more features and fixes.

Synfig: Tool for cutout animation

Since then, I have been handling all funding responsibility and acting as Ivan's coordinator. For many people, I have become a stakeholder of Synfig or as some used to say, "the man of Synfig." In fact, the scope of my work was a bit broaderbesides my work with Synfig, I maintain the Papagayo fork and develop RenderChan, an automated build system for animation projects.

Synfig + Papagayo: A lip-sync tutorial

Managing animation projects with RenderChan

To sum up, my efforts were put into Synfig for one particular reason: I wanted a tool for 2D animation and Synfig was the most powerful and most promising open source software option. Period.

The key words here are it was. Since March 2016, we all have OpenToonz.

SE: Have you tried OpenToonz on projects with students yet? Has it been an easy learning curve? Do you have any examples?

KD: Usually, before I start teaching a tool to my students, I spend several months learning it and trying to use in my own projects. Right now, I am exactly at this stage. Still from time to time, I cannot hold myself back from sharing my discoveries, and some of my students have already tried the powerful vector drawing features of OpenToonz.

Drawings in OpenToonz | Anastasia Majzhegisheva, CC BY 4.0

SE: What would you like to see improved on OpenToonz?

KD: I haven't dug too deep, so I am apprehensive to complain about OpenToonz's existing shortcomings. Anyway, I will give it a tryit would be really awesome to improve bitmap drawing tools by integrating MyPaint brushes. There is even a bounty posted about that.

SE: Are you going to start developing OpenToonz for Linux or are you going to just be making AppImage updates that are pushed out for Mac and PC?

KD: It is possible that at some point my team will start contributing to OpenToonz code.At the moment, we have automatic builds that deliver all the latest changes from official OpenToonz code to Linux users. If at some moment we want to make some feature or fix, then our first step will be to submit a pull request back to the official OpenToonz code repository. However, as practice shows, merging pull requests can take weeks, even months. I can perfectly understand why, since I am managing the official repository of Synfig and deal with all these routines. While a pull request will be waiting for approval, we will ship a custom build of OpenToonz with our own fixes. That way Linux users will be able to test our changes before the pull request gets merged. This even can make the merging procedure faster. That's the plan.

Horizontal timeline in OpenToonz

Agnyy Ignatyev, Used with permission

SE: Do you think making OpenToonz available for Linux makes people think twice about adopting Linux as they operating system?

KD: I don't dare to make any bold statements here. Although I would say it another way: If a 2Dartist or animation studio decided to migrate to Linux, it would be much easier to do now.

I think in the first place itchanges the gameplay for the ones who already uses Linux; they have a really powerful animation tool now.

Before March2016 all Linux-based 2D animation artists were starving for good tools. Now, suddenly, they have plenty of choices. There is OpenToonz with its powerful toolkit. Synfig still has an appealing simplicity for motion graphics and a fast learning curve with rich multi-language educational resources. Since September 30, 2016, Blender has featured Grease Pencil as what itcalls its full 2D drawing and animation tool. And don't forget Krita, which is on its way to adding what it says are "interpolation and keyframing for layers and masks and their properties." For Krita this is surely a step beyond simple "frame-by-frame only animation" and should bring it on par with other full-featured animation tools.

Daniel M. Lara, Used with permission

Announcement of Grease Pencil on official Blender website.

Blender Foundation, CC BY-SA 3.0

As you can see, the competition in 2D animation software niche is getting stronger, and this is absolutely awesome to see.

Wolthera van Hvell tot Westerflier, CC BY-SA4.0

SE: 2015 saw Synfig 1.0 and in 2016 we've got integration with Papagayo and a rewritten rendering engine. What developments do you see for 2017?

KD: In the near future, I plan to release a new stable version with all our developments from the past months. After that, I am going to invest some time into Synfig infrastructure. We already redesigned the Synfig front page and you can expect more infrastructure changes soon. Also, putting our efforts into bug fixing and iron out the current feature set is important.

SE: How are fundraising efforts going to support Synfig's development?

KD: There is no fundraising in its traditional way planned for the nearest future. At the moment, we are trying to shift focus to funding development using "bounties" via the Bountysource platform.

The idea is that a user can place a small reward (or bounty) for a bug or issue he or she wants to see addressed. Then the user spreads a word about the bounty to convince other users to join in and pitch the amount. In turn, the bounties attract the attention of developers as "most demanded" issues, and they fix them for a given reward. You can think each bounty as micro-crowdfunding, originated and driven by users.

You can view active bounties and submit new ones on the Synfig page at Bountysource.

Image courtesy of Bountysource.com, Used with permission

SE: How dependent is Synfig on donations?

KD: I think past years have proventhat intensive development of Synfig is 100% dependent on donations. Right now, this is more true than ever. At the moment, we are completely without funds to handle an "on-staff" developer. This is why, starting in September 2016, all development activities of Synfig are Bounty-based.

To help Synfig development:

As part of our Patreon activities we are contributing not only to Synfig, but also to thePapagayo lip-sync software, RenderChan automatic build system, and now also OpenToonz. By contributing to our Patreon you can help us to make all them better.

Denis Kholodilin, CC BY 4.0

See the rest here:
OpenToonz: Making high-end animation software accessible - Opensource.com

Kodi -- a hot favourite (and free) media management software -- has just been updated to a shiny new version. Codenamed Krypton, it is available for Windows, Android, MacOS and iOS. Among its numerous enhancements there are improvements to video playback, music library management, audio on Android and several bug fixes and stability improvements.

The most visible change is the a new skin called Estuary, which is specially designed to make for easier and more intuitive browsing of your media library elements with a layout and elements that stand out clearly when viewed from your couch. Based on this updated theme is another new one built specifically for touchscreen devices.

This new version has an all-new video processing engine that makes for better audio/video synchronization and decoding/encoding on all platforms. On the music front, large libraries should now be quicker to browse, with support with better tag scraping when adding new music.

Kodi 17.0 on Android devices now features such home theater standards as DTS-HD, DTS-X, Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby ATMOS passthrough on hardware that supports it. Theres also support for 4K video output and the ability to decode video based on new video compression standards such as HEVC, VC-1 / WMV 9, and VP9.

This version also marks the first to be available on the Windows Store, but it can also be directly downloaded from the Kodi website for all platforms including Linux, Raspberry Pi etc. Head over to http://www.kodi.tv to know more.

Read more from the original source:
Free home theater software Kodi v17.0 now released, here's what's new - Daily News & Analysis

Mark L. Hopkins More Content Now

This is the second in a series of columns that relate to the purpose of the Second Amendment and the gun rights issue that continues to fester in our society. The first column pointed out the strong desire on the part of the leadership of the country to have a strong federal government. The focus here is in the feeling of necessity in the leadership to have a means to enforce federal law and to protect the government from citizen rebellions. The Second Amendment became the law of the land in 1791. Prior to that Daniel Shays, a former captain in the Continental Army, became the leader of a citizens rebellion in Massachusetts in response to what Shays and other farmers believed were high taxes and a government that was unresponsive to their grievances. In January 1787, they raided the arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts and continued their anti-government rebellions through the winter of that year. This was two years before the writing of the U.S. Bill of Rights with its all-important Second Amendment. Retired General George Washington was so upset by Shays Rebellion that he wrote three letters commenting on it. Excerpts from these letters follow: But for Gods sake tell me what is the cause of all these commotions. Do they proceed from licentiousness, British influence disseminated by Tories, or real grievances which admit of redress? In a second letter he worried that, Commotion of this sort, like snowballs, gather strength as they roll, if there is no opposition in the way to divide and crumble them. I am mortified beyond expression that in the moment of our acknowledged independence we should by our conduct verify the predictions of our transatlantic foe, and render ourselves ridiculous and contemptible in the eyes of all Europe. Later he wrote, If three years ago any person had told me that at this day I should see such a formidable rebellion against the laws and constitutions or our own making as now appears, I should have thought him a bedlamite, a fit subject for a mad house. Shays Rebellion was eventually put down when a group of wealthy merchants in Boston pooled their resources and created their own militia to quell the uprising. In the early 1790s, a second major rebellion began in Western Pennsylvania. It was called the Whiskey Rebellion and, again, was a revolt against taxes. Thus, the Second Amendment was written and signed into law in the shadow of these two major citizens rebellions. The U.S. Congress reacted to this second major rebellion by passing The Militia Act which gave teeth to the Second Amendment by requiring all military-age free adults to stand for service to enforce the laws of the Union, thereby insuring domestic tranquility. President Washington himself gave orders to form a militia of 13,000 men to put down the Whiskey Rebellion. His words later were ..this is how a well-regulated Militia should be used to serve the government in maintaining a strong security in each state, as the Second Amendment of The Bill of Rights intended. From the letters written by George Washington and the actions of Congress it is obvious that the purpose of the Second Amendment was to strengthen the Federal Government against rebellion and insurrection. It was not, as some contend, to equip the citizens to make war on the government. In fact, it was just the opposite. My first of the three gun rights columns focused on the desire of the U.S. leadership to have a strong central government and the means to protect that government from rebellion. In this column the focus has been on the like-minded efforts of both President George Washington and Congress to put teeth in the Second Amendment so security and an orderly society could be fostered. My third and final column on this subject will come next week.

Dr. Mark L. Hopkins writes for More Content Now and Scripps Newspapers. He is past president of colleges and universities in four states and currently serves as executive director of a higher-education consulting service. You will find Hopkins latest book, Journey to Gettysburg, on Amazon.com. Contact him at presnet@presnet.net.

View original post here:
Mark L. Hopkins: The Second Amendment and Shays' Rebellion - Wicked Local Wayland

PA

And British expat Eric Kempson, who is battling to save lives on the front line of Greeces refugee crisis, warns the problem is far from over.

The 61-year-old, originally from Hampshire, said even in winter the boats are still coming with refugees at risk of hypothermia and frostbite.

Artist Mr Kempson, who has lived on Lesbos for 16 years, said although there are at least 150,000 life jackets there, the number used to be double.

It looks impressive but before it was unbelievable. The majority of them are fake. They have normal sponge inside. If you jump in the water, it soaks the water up.

He said many more people would have survived if their life jackets had been real, with many of those making the dangerous four-and-a-half-mile crossing from Turkey forking out 85 for each buoyancy aid.

Eric Kempson

Gettty

REUTERS

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Migrants try to reach a rescue craft from their overcrowded raft, as lifeguards from the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms rescue all 112 on aboard

"Along with his wife Philippa, 44, and daughter Elleni, 18, Mr Kempson runs Project Hope, offering food, dry clothes and medical help to soaking wet migrants landing near their home on the north coast of the island.

Of the numbers arriving, he says: I think they are going to lift up again when the spring comes in.

He said the islands migrant camps were freezing and disgusting.

Read more:
Migrant Crisis: British expat shows mountain of 'fake' lifejackets on coastline - Express.co.uk

Last year more than 5,000 migrants and asylum seekers drowned attempting to reach Europe from Turkey and North Africa.

In an ongoing wave of migration across the Mediterranean, 2016 was the worst year for fatalities so far, with smugglers filling increasingly unseaworthy vessels far beyond capacity.

More than 250 people have been reported dead or missing in the first weeks of 2017.

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Mediterranean countries and local NGOs have rescued tens of thousands from the sea in recent years. Well over one million people have risked their lives.

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Migrants flail in the water seeking rescue from Proactiva Open Arms NGO 12 miles from Libya on 4/10/2016.

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3-year-old Idris, from Mali, sleeps next to his mother Aicha Keita on the deck of a Spanish rescue ship 13/1/2017.

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Ushman, 19, from Guinea, in a heating blanket after being rescued by members of Proactive Open Arms NGO, about 24 miles north of Libya, 27/1/2017.

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Cyprus police rescued 123 migrants, believed to be Syrians, left adrift off the island's northwest coast by a boatman who made off on a jet ski 10/11/2016.

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Migrants and refugees panic as they fall in water during a rescue operation run by Maltese NGO Moas and Italian Red Cross 3/11/2016.

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Hundreds of thousands of people risk their lives on the Mediterranean each year, with thousands drowning in unseaworthy, overcrowded vessels.

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A pacifier lies next to the body of a baby on a beach in Canakkale on 1/30/ 2016 after at least 33 migrants drowned crossing to Greece from Turkey.

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A Turkish gendarme carries the body of a child on a beach in Canakkale on 30/1/2016.

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Tombstones are placed on graves of unidentified 85 refugees, mostly women and children, who drowned at sea in an attempt to cross from Turkey 4/4/2016.

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Locals from coastal areas have made grizzly discoveries of wreckages, lifejackets and bodies washed ashore.

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A child wrapped in a survival blanket looks on as migrants and refugees arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing from Turkey 2/3/2016, in Mytilene.

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Sub-saharan migrants on a rescue ship after being rescued from a rubber boat sailing out of control about 21 miles north of Libya, on Friday, 3/2/2017.

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Two days after being rescued, migrants catch sight of the Italian coast for the first time, Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea, 23/8/2015.

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There are numerous migrant routes accross the Mediterranean from Egypt, Turkey, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco to Greece, Spain and Italy.

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Many of the boats are overcrowded, some are just inflatable rubber dinghies 27/1/2017.

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Women from Mali after being rescued about 20 miles north of Libya. Rescuers also retrieved several bodies from the water 13/1/2017.

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Spanish, Italian, Greek and Cypriot authorities work alongside NGOs to rescue as many migrants as possible, with thousands making the trip every week 14/1/2017.

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Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms assists migrants aboard a wooden boat sailing out of control off the coast of Libya 3/2/2017.

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A Syrian refugee child sleeps on his father's arms after arriving on a dinghy from the Turkish coast to the Lesbos, Greece Sunday, 4 /10/2015.

Originally posted here:
In photos: The ongoing Mediterranean migrant crisis - SBS