Right now through the close of business on January 13, 2009 WYSIWYG Members can renew for 25% off the regular price!  Folks, this is a good time to get WYSIWYG if you don’t have it.  It has changed the way I design shows.  I highly recommend it - and I have AutoCAD and Vectorworks 2008 as well as WYSIWYG R22.

From the site:

CAST Software recognizes the challenging nature of today’s economy and for the first time ever, we are offering a 25% discount off all wysiwyg Membership Renewals. But you must act quickly to take advantage of this limited time offer.

Now, more than ever, professionals like you need to make sure you have the tools to conduct your business efficiently and effectively and to power ahead of the creative curve. wysiwyg’s latest suite of products allow you to create even more lifelike photographic quality images to help you sell your ideas and win more contracts. Break -through enhancements such as new 3D beams with a more realistic look, stunning color mixing and animated smoke are just a few of the major improvements featured in R22.

Go here to get more info on this deal.  Email Michell Perez or call 1.416.597.2278 ext 221.

I hope that 2009 brings you everything you need and want - and hopefully some better politics, because America needs them!

I will continue to write, and love every minute of it - sign up for my RSS feed, won’t you?  It’s in the top right!  The orange button!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  And remember - eat some crackers, bread, or something that will soak up what’s left in your stomach.  Starting a new year with a hangover SUCKS!

Do you see up there below the title, the black space with Contact, Recommended Reading, and now Resources?  That’s the new home of JimOnLight’s Resources section!  I am going to archive important operators’ manuals, console software, offline editor software, and anything that the industry feels is important to have in one place.

Keep in mind, it’s a work in progress.  I have only a few files up right now, but I am adding as I go, and taking suggestions from you, the readers!  Check it out!  Click the Resources button up top, or go to http://www.jimonlight.com/resources/ to see the files.

As you drift off to sleep dreaming of sugar plum fairies and all that stuff (or in an alcoholic coma from all of the egg nog you drank at the office holiday party or family party), I just want to say thank you for reading JimOnLight.com.  I hope everyone who reads my little blog knows how much I appreciate your readership…

…and I hope that you all get that new console, moving light, media server, cable package, research and development grant, or market share that you wrote Santa about months ago!

Happy Holidays!  Leave Santa some Woodford Reserve and a nice plate of cookies!

Check out December’s top posts to date - lots of changes since last month!

NYC’sEmpire State Building Lit for the 2008 Presidential Election

Oh No They Didn’t:  Christmas Lighting Controller

What Seems Like Ancient History:  The Timberlake/Aguillera Truss Collapse

Weekly WYSIWYG Posts

LIFI: Lumens Per Watt of the Future

Sorry folks, posts are going to be a little light for today…  I just got to Peoria, IL and am visiting my father, whom I haven’t seen in a year and a half.  I’ll catch up tomorrow.

Quartier des spectacles Partnership, the Gesù Theatre, and the City of Montreal’s Design Montréal agency has invited designers and “creators” to submit lighting, architecture and scenographic propositions for a revamp of the architectural lighting and design for the Gesù.

Apparently, there are prizes too!  According to the project’s site, which is in French, there are monetary prizes for those chosen for their ideas:

Grand prix du jury: 10 000$
Deuxième prix : 5 000$
Troisième prix : 3 000$
Prix du public : 2 000$

which translates to:

Grand Prix of the jury: 10.000$
Second price: 5.000$
Third price: 3.000$
Price of the public: 2.000$

If you’re interested in entering, the information is here, in French.  For an English translation, here’s a link to Babelfish for the article.  All images, contest materials, and all relevant docs are there, in PDF and JPEG.

LEDs Mag has an article about Denver’s Botanical Gardens, and their enormous display of lights.  LED lighting, to be specific - their people have installed over 500,000 LED sources in their Christmas display.  The gardens apparently has over a million sources in their display, but only half of them are LED.

I live here in Denver, which is why this is news.  But also - in a place like Denver, why aren’t all of them LED?  If Columbus, OH can do it, why can’t we?

I also used to live in Columbus.  Really - if Columbus can do it, Denver can adapt.

Wanna go see the beautiful display?

Contact:
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
8500 Deer Creek Canyon Road
Littleton, Colorado, USA

E-mail: JonesW@botanicgardens.org

Web Site: www.botanicgardens.org

I love looking at the analytics of JimOnLight.  One of the most interesting statistics is the popularity of pages over a month’s span.  Here’s November 2008:

1.  The Empire State Building Lit for Elections

2.  Madonna Roof Collapse, Continued

3.  PRG’s Bad Boy

4.  The Timerlake/Aguilera Truss Collapse

5.  The Philips Living Color Lamp

Prepare for Turkey Day - if you have a recipe that rocks the casbah, then obviously don’t change it!  However, if you’re looking for something awesome, check out Elise’s recipe for Roast Turkey.  Elise runs one of my most favorite non-lighting blogs, Simply Recipes.  She puts so much awesome stuff on there, and all of it looks good, all the time.

Thanks for the recipe, Elise!

Elise’s Mom’s Roast Turkey Recipe

Roast Turkey