The Ink Spot

8:25 AM

@Alin I do think so

@Alin checks Nope, not that I can find. Your profile is the only place you are actually allowed to advertise. Although I'd admit this is a corner case, I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt.

If they start posting spammy answers or questions, hit me again! :)

johnp

mornin Vincent

PieBie

hey room!

Vincent

hey it's team Western Europe!

johnp

mornin @PieBie wasn't sure if you were lurking or online :P

lol

PieBie

I'm mostly in between the two states

johnp

8:34 AM

Team EU minus joojaa

correction, Finland is in the EU. I'm a night worker so I just assumed

PieBie

so much spam these last few days...

Vincent

^^

I hope the anti-spam bots catch on soon

keep on flaggin' I'd say :)

ah. Community bot is at least deleting some posts

johnp

community bot reminds me of those vacuum robots or self-mowing lawnmowers

it'll prob get round to it...eventually :P

Vincent

it may sometimes be annoying, bumping unanswered Qs, but is is also mighty helpful

PieBie

I fear the day Community bot will take over the world

johnp

8:48 AM

They say the Community bot failed the Turing test on purpose 😱

Vincent

lol

PieBie

this is what actually happened to Community bot:

Vincent

Alin

Good morning guys :) thanks for the answer @Vincent

Vincent

mornin' @Alin

johnp

8:54 AM

lol. good moaning, Alin

PieBie

@Vincent there is literally an XKCD for every possible event in one's life... maybe Randal should make a comic about that :D

Vincent

He is the meme

johnp

i have to stop using this reference, it's way too obscure lol youtube.com/watch?v=zGNVU5ZjlgA

Vincent

Oh my god, how badly does a laugh track age a sitcom...

johnp

where you from, @Alin ? and yes it does lol

Alin

8:56 AM

Me, Romania, still EU if that's what you want to know

johnp

ah cool, we're keeping it EU this morning so far!

Vincent

lol

Alin

Yeah, i've seen the previous msg about team EU and I figured

PieBie

funny, joojaa just popped in and out of existence in the room

Alin

Well, I just dropped by to say hello and wish you guys a good day. I'm gonna go outside for my coffee now and get to work

RO, out!

johnp

9:01 AM

have a good one @Alin

Vincent

@Alin wave

joojaa

Hi just the man i wanted to see

@Vincent what do you think of

-1

A: Mathematically calculating visual balance

Due to the nature of the origins of StackOverflow, this sort of desire to reduce design to algorithms based on quack-like research analysis appears from time to time. TRENDS exist in ALL THINGS SUBJECTIVE. From "chaos theory" onwards, scientism has posited it's only a matter of time until all e...

Vincent

geez, what's the tl;dr? :P

@joojaa although the tone could be a bit friendlier, I think it is a relevant anwer.

If it were friendlier and a bit shorter / more to the point, I'd upvote it.

PieBie

^^ agreed

Vincent

I am actually happy to see that Confused took our criticism and is being a way more constructive contributor

johnp

9:10 AM

read that q earlier @joojaa But if you were to ask me "balance" itself is a kind of catharsis - an emotional feeling or response to a design. What are your thoughts?

Vincent

Not what you wanted to hear, @joojaa? :) I know you are on the extreme mathematical spectrum in design.

joojaa

no i feel that half of the post is extra and a bit unreadable

Vincent

I agree with that

joojaa

But i dont really believe its true.

Vincent

I do :)

joojaa

9:13 AM

There are systems that do automatic keerning, if you use the optical mode in indesign your using one.

So that means that it is possible to do this.

Its just not very simple

Vincent

Then I'd say, post an answer and enter the discussion. Stack is open to opinions and different points of view

PieBie

I think sometimes an 'unbalanced' design is more visually appealing and invigorating and thus the better design, even if the math is off...

joojaa

yes, but i dont want to get into a discussion about this

Vincent

I see it in colour theory regularly. When I mathematically construct a perfectly symmetrical palette, it sometimes looks off and I end up modifying a colour or dropping it entirely

@joojaa Ok, then what is your point? :)

joojaa

the problem is that poeple see the math- nomath divide way too strongly

I mean sometimes people react to this like no you can not do it enough said

PieBie

9:18 AM

@joojaa but just because it's possible doesn't mean you should

joojaa

but in reality that is not true like at all. Its just that doing in the way its been done manually.

I think people get scared that hey ill lose their job if i admit that it might be possible

johnp

yeah @Vincent the Contrast of Extension is interesting for balance...the amount/area of a colour vs another colour makes balance trickier to calculate....add transparency layers and other elements to that and I imagine it gets very murky indeed as far as math goes

joojaa

However like @PieBie i agree that the fact that something can be done is not that it should be done

Vincent

@joojaa I think the point you are making here would make an excellent counter-answer

that is, if you are up to Confused possibly wanting to have a discussion with you

joojaa

However, whet im saying is that we are dealing with stuff hat is not simple. For small volumes of stuff its actually easier to have the designer do it

So the answer is pragmatically No, but its still possible that it could be done. Good luck with finding the people who do know.

Cai

9:22 AM

@joojaa you're right of course, but only to an extent. It's like that optical illusion with color perception. It's too much dependant on context. The amount of variables that affect balance isn't something you can practically account for so you'd need a new method for every situation.

and hey everyone btw

o/

johnp

You mentioned frequencies in your comment @joojaa Were you talking about spatial frequencies?

Vincent

hey @Cai

joojaa

@Cai well at some poingt a model could be good enough

johnp

hello @Cai

joojaa

But if we never start building it we can never reach it.

But yes what im saying is its not worth it as a singular goal of doing it now.

Its a worthy gol scientifically.

Cai

9:24 AM

@joojaa agreed :)

joojaa

Also we don't need to be perfect. If we can do it good for 90% of cases that is already better than nothing

Cai

it's possible (at least to a certain extent), but not practical for any single designer to attempt

joojaa

Hell even 50% would be a improvement on things

Cai

true

joojaa

@johnp yes

data is data all data axes can be converted to frequency domain, which is sometimes better when you filter stuff.

Vincent

9:26 AM

I think your point of the automated kerning is a very strong one, @joojaa. I'd love to see your answer on the Q besides your comment :)

johnp

Ah interesting. I posted a link on type and spatial frequencies a while back...Sometimes I come back to that when considering pace or distance for headlines

I think Macro vs Micro perspectives are very helpful when thinking about a design layout as far as frequencies go

Cai

Anyone got any views on this: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/286032/…

In context of this: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/285889/…

johnp

@joojaa blog.justanotherfoundry.com/2014/06/…

Vincent

@Cai excellent idea. +1'd.

Cai

@Vincent diolch :)

johnp

9:32 AM

Could grey out the Post Question button till they're all ticked :P

Vincent

@Cai that is officially the first Welsh word I learned, ever, just now :)

Cai

@Vincent :)

just make sure you pronounce the "ch" correctly

Vincent

@Cai how would that be?

Cai

um...

Don't know how to explain so....

Diolch (Welsh)

►

that

PieBie

alternatively you can type it into Google translate then click 'listen' at the bottom left

johnp

9:42 AM

hahaha that chhhh choking sound is common in Irish too

Cai

@PieBie hahaha didn't know you could do that so I tried it.... it was terrible

johnp

I feel like I'm getting tonsillitis listening to Irish weather or sport

I remember trying to pronounce train for my Irish oral exam...."an tsraein"...the tsr- is crazy

Cai

flag this as spam please peeople: graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/79007/…

Vincent

@Cai ah hard g.

I know that one

@Cai too laaaate

PieBie

10:00 AM

@Vincent I told you so, Community bot is taking over, soon mods will be obsolete

Vincent

shrugs leaves me more time to doodle

PieBie

lol

johnp

It's only a matter of time.

Cai

So. I booked a holiday to Budapest....

on my sons birthday

(were going without the kids)

I am an idiot

Vincent

...ouch

how old is he?

johnp

10:09 AM

You can gimme your ticket if you like 👼

Cai

He'll be 2

so he won't really care

Vincent

better than 7 or something

@johnp that one really merits a use of :3

Cai

Yeh he won't care or remember... but my wife does

Shes not very happy with me

to say the least

johnp

Mustachio...it's almost that time of year.

Cai

oooops

Vincent

10:16 AM

@johnp Movember?

johnp

Remember, remember ;)

Vincent

I'm not going to shave off my mustache just to regrow it again :P

johnp

I feel undressed without my facial hair

Vincent

^^

that, so much

I haven't gone without any for at least 10 years

johnp

haha well I look like a thumb without it

Vincent

10:27 AM

I remember seeing a pic of you without any

used to be your av :P

johnp

that was when I was in my prime

1st year of college xD how little I knew of what was to come

Vincent

10:50 AM

young and undamaged

johnp

11:00 AM

with a spotless mind ;(

Vincent

now where is the matching eternal sunshine?

johnp

lol Ted has agreed to model for my avatar when/if my phone arrives

Vincent

Ted?

johnp

my furry sidekick...dog

Vincent

lol

johnp

11:07 AM

hehe it's weird, he's become such a part of the family I'm reluctant to call him a "dog"

joojaa

@Vincent no it would not give rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.3

Vincent

Ok

joojaa

@Cai i coulnst for earth of me understand what the problem with the precomp thing was.

easest 100 points in existence

Cai

@joojaa haha yep

joojaa

11:22 AM

turn out there WAS no problem

Cai

Well, human error is a problem :)

We all do it

johnp

huh? graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/79013/…

spam is gone to pot all of a sudden

PieBie

that was the funniest thing I've read all week :D

johnp

11:39 AM

That chat bot is having an existential crisis xD "Don't you have questions?", it asks itself - on a Q&A website. Too many self aware bots today, @PieBie !

PieBie

I think bots have been self-aware for a long long time and have just been trolling us the whole time

johnp

Dark circles under eyes may be dangerous xD I kinda wanna upvote it

PieBie

The Hive Mind is just constantly laughing it's *ss off

johnp

the ghost in the machine

PieBie

"Do you have trouble occasionally understanding when compatriots talk in connection with cosmetics? " ... actually, I do, especially with female compatriots

johnp

11:42 AM

You have to enjoy what you do because there are a slew of visitors who will be pleased to read this. Aren't you worried?

I'm very pleased to read this; that's what worries me xD

joojaa

@johnp killed

johnp

this bot knows what cognitive dissonance is lol

joojaa

have you guys tried using artificial neural networks

they are funny as hell

johnp

I haven't but I know of them. Supposedly it's possible to write those kinda low-brow self help books coherently with em these days!

joojaa

yeah i used one to make a report for a magazine

johnp

11:49 AM

how did that go

Vincent

12:06 PM

keep on flaggin' guys

PieBie

12:19 PM

is there anywhere where you can see statistics on spam?

joojaa

@johnp it did a great job

Ryan

1:22 PM

Not sure if anyone here is really using it exclusively yet but good to know this exists anyways: Affinity Designer Official Workbook -- affinity.serif.com/en-us/designer/workbook

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

1:35 PM

thoughts on this Q&A?

-1

Q: Best prototyping tool for WebDesign

up until this day I created static mockups of websites using only PS. Now I would like to go for the next level and make my mockups come to life using some prototyping software. Which would be best suited (most intuitive) for me as an Adobe bundle user? I researched a bit and found lots and lot...

I'm for nuking the whole Q&A as it seems to be spam and only to promote UXPin

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

1:49 PM

vader has spoken. . . and no one is home, lol

johnp

lol definitely @DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

although, he has a question history...

there were some fun spam bots earlier ^^

PieBie

3:04 PM

@DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ +1 nuke it out of existence

Ryan

Nintendo Switch revealed. Looks interesting and has Bethesda support

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

ok, I'll wait 24 hours to see if the OP deletes it and gets the idea, as his comment makes me think he doesn't understand what the site is about per a comment. He may likely delete it on his own

@Ryan I saw that, i think that is awesome but wish it had more than 30 games. However, I still have my old nintendo.

Ryan

@DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ given his record --- he definitely doesnt grasp the site. But he seems to be trying. Not sure what his first language is or age to figure out WHY he's not getting it

Unless he's just a lazy troll :\

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

@Ryan that is an option, lol.

johnp

@Ryan the multiplayer thing is cute xD dunno if it would catch on like that though but it's a nice idea

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

3:19 PM

and as stated, GD.SE has become a tutorial board: graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/78319/…

Ryan

3:35 PM

yeah questions have been lacking lately. I haven't done much to help - been busy. Probably going to be busy through the end of the year now as I just got more work passed to me and an unqualified assistant that I have to find busy work for

johnp

Robert Bringhurst is so sassy -describing contents page dot leaders like a prisoner being escorted back to his cell

Ryan

3:58 PM

@DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ I don't know what you are insinuating with lift-a-lot at the end of that comment

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

it's a memory, lol

johnp

4:55 PM

not much detail on specs but it might be worth following @Ryan itsnicethat.com/news/…

Ryan

oooh pretty. This article is better: theverge.com/2016/10/20/13333632/kodak-phone-ektra-bullitt

johnp

it's the kind of cam/phone i was lookin for but meh, cant afford it new anyway

surprised it's the same sensor as the z3+ s. For video detail they didnt compare well with others on gsmarena's tests...

was hoping it'd be shmancier

the lens looks better though

Zachiel

5:18 PM

Heya. Is Scott ever in chat?

I've got some thanks from a coworker to deliver

PieBie

6:15 PM

Hi @Zachiel, I'm afraid not.

But if you leave a comment to the relevant answer he's sure to get it

@Ryan: you here?

Ryan

6:39 PM

What's up?

@PieBie

PieBie

0

A: Mathematically calculating visual balance

Due to the nature of the origins of StackOverflow, this sort of desire to reduce design to algorithms based on quack-like research analysis appears from time to time. TRENDS exist in ALL THINGS SUBJECTIVE. From "chaos theory" onwards, scientism has posited it's only a matter of time until all e...

Your take?

Ryan

ah fun. I do love dealing with moderation issues -.- give me a few to read the wall

PieBie

np

Ryan

7:11 PM

@PieBie dealt with. Next time just flag it as rude/offensive and comment if possible the part that is (if its not all of it). Us Moderators can't, if I flag it as Rude/Offensive than it deletes the whole thing

PieBie

7:33 PM

Okido, thanks. I'll keep that in mind

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

mods! I asked, FYI:

4

Q: Change moderator convert to comment from input text to select option

It's common to run across an answer as a comment by a new user and moderators have the option to delete the answer or move the answer comment with the radio selection convert to comment. However, not all answers are needed for the question, which is the default option for the moderator: If a ...

feature-request comments flags moderator-tools

PieBie

I first tried to flag it btw, but couldn't figure out hide to do it on mobile. Maybe you can in the app?

DᴀʀᴛʜVᴀᴅᴇʀ

you're limited in the mobile app.

PieBie

I know, that's why I usually use the website, but I couldn't find it, so I came straight to the mods :)

Ryan

its not a huge deal, just helps it not look like we're playing favorites should anything escalate

PieBie

7:42 PM

Yeah, I understand. That's why I didn't directly ask for you to do anything, just for your opinion

Ryan

@PieBie hey does this read okay to you?

0

A: Aperture vs Affinity

Affinity Photo is much more powerful than Apple's Aperture but its designed to work on a single photo at a time. It is a very, very nice piece of software though. They're "Developer Module" (meaning Photo Developing) is fantastic design and usability for photographers. They have a Trial Period,...

PieBie

8:01 PM

Except for the they're/their error it looks like a good answer to me

Ryan

Thanks. Wondering why once again a high rep member there didn't upvote I asked in chat if it answered the question. The person replied, "The first paragraph does. The rest feels a bit like an advert for Affinity and a dig at Adobe"

I really try to not be biased so not really sure where that impression is coming from

PieBie

Me neither, the answer seems pretty balanced to me. You even say PS is better for batch jobs, so how is that a dig at Adobe?

Sometimes I wonder why you even still bother with the photo stack, it seems to be giving you nothing but heartache

Ryan

8:17 PM

I quit for a while. I mostly contribute because I'm working on tutorials and a book and want to be able to promote it as best I can when its complete

and boredom :\

PieBie

In that case, why worry about what other think about your answers ;)

Ryan

Want to know if my answer did sound biased so I could improve my writing and delivery

I asked the person who said it but haven't gotten a reply yet

PieBie

Okay, fair enough.

To me, it seemed unbiased and well-informed

johnp

8:40 PM

ermagherd my phone arrived

i feel so out of touch...can barely use it lol

PieBie

@johnp what did you get again?

johnp

an lg g5

it's been years since i had an android, i have no idea what apps are out there now...

PieBie

Oh yeah.

How's first impression?

johnp

still messing with it but happy so far :) the camera seems pretty good

the fast charge feature is great too

PieBie

A good camera is a great thing to have on a phone

Is it stock Android?

johnp

8:51 PM

yeah it's the main thing I wanted really...the gsmarena tests must be fairly accurate

i have no idea lol

there are lg apps...

but i think this was the first phone to have the nougat beta so im hoping they roll it out soon

or maybe it was a different lg i read about

PieBie

Looks like it is. Really, that was by far the biggest improvement for me going from Samsung to Motorola: no more bloatware

I hope you enjoy it. And do let us know what you think of the camera once you've taken it out for a spin

johnp

thanks :) will do. mainly looking forward to timelapse drawings..but we shall see

PieBie

It's mind-boggling how far photo editing apps have come. The sheer calculation power they can now employ as opposed to a few years ago...

But anyway, it's time for my power nap. Cheers and good night!

johnp

9:06 PM

yeah it's mad. things are becoming so automated now too. sleep well :) chat soon

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