Agreed. The biggest thing I see is that tools reserved for pros keep filtering their way down, and new tools keep helping people expand their abilities in surprising ways. Back in the day, clear video with interchangeable lenses was a studio-only gig. Now you can buy a RED-ONE camera ($14K) as top gear (heh... doubles as a 16 MP camera - 4k x 4k!), or use something as lowly as a Kodak 1085is (eBay $50) with surprisingly decent results. Cutting was reserved for specialized machines... now you have Final Cut / Sony Vegas / Lightwave (coming soon). Even better, people are collaborating online about video cutting; some software lets people share the "cut info" across the net while keeping the video files duplicated across sites -- client server collaborative at its best (pushing the videos out is annoying on less than a fiber!). And that's just video; see the nifty stuff that's been happening with still pictures, or some people using iPads as music devices. As far as "lack of universal applications", I think that's because we all want to go someplace different, and nowadays -- we can! I like words/videos, but can't carry a tune. Mac is a singer, but words are a necessary evil (poetry good. technical manuals bad). Ginny is a photographer and would rather play with light setups and music to move the models than scripted words. And now, even "word processing" is moving around a bit as people pursue their interests -- why have a "word processor" when you can have a "script editor" (keeps track of sequences, actors and scenes) or even a "lyric processor" (keeps track of syllables, rhythyms and beats), or a "recipe studio" (keeps track of meals, ingredients, and variations)?

Digital Thunder wrote:

His theory was, that if you kept adding one to a number you would eventually go full circle and end up at zero. Weird or what?

When I do that, I get negative numbers first. I suppose I should use Unsigned types.

Or not. 500K max. Nuts.

How about something like dman nfo viewer? I haven't tried loading large things with it, but it might fit your bill.

I haven't like those since Connections. At least with Connections, the story was a insight to the mind of those at the time. Some of the new "historical documentary" stuff is really bogus.

My only problem with them is the "binaryness" of their show - Busted / Plausible / Confirmed. I like that they test things, but to say something is Busted without really knowing the subject matter is a mistake. Then again, you get weird "Plausible" results as well... So, in particular, I have an issue with this concrete truck: If you want to split stone, you have to bore a hole in it and put the charge in the hole. You should know this from How It's Made or even Deep Impact. Putting a stick of dynamite on top of a concrete pad won't do anything except make noise. :doh: OTOH, I taugh my son the difference between a high explosive and a low-speed explosive from this episode, so it wasn't a total loss. Having to explain that to his 3rd grade teacher was awkward. :) But, there's a lot to be learned about test design, construction, and properties you wouldn't normally think about on the show. Where else would you try to walk on oobleck?

Though not "CAD/CAM", you also might try looking at DAZ3D. www.daz3d.com It's more artist-oriented, but the 3D tools and such really try to get out of your way, and the inverse-kinematics (IK) are not found in most "CAD" tools. But you have to conver Pixels to Inches yourself. That said, there is a "free-beerish" version of "SolidWorks for displaced workers." For real CAD/CAM, I've found no subtitute: 1. Everything is done parametrically / IK - put a hole down (anywhere) drop your dimensioning lines -- hole moves to where you dimensioned it to. 2. Has a limited version of Cosmos built in for stress/flows/motions. 3. Draw a hexapod, but only put in 5 legs. You can drag the model about to see the missing constraint. As soon as you drop the final leg in, the model snaps and becomes "fixed." and more stuff. But not Free, and definitely not cheap (I think a seat runs $10K? and they nickel/dime you for additional features [and the nickels are in terms of a nickelbag]). But definitely awesome.

My friend has gotten excellent results by roasting in a *pop-secret* air popcorn popper just before grinding and serving...