William Overington

Yesterday I produced two A3 size PDF documents of language-independent signs for art galleries. I am now considering how to proceed. I want to produce versions using a paper size used in the United States of America and a few other countries. The appropriate size that it appears to me at present to be most suitable is a size known as Ledger. I would also like to produce some other language-independent signs in the same and similar syles to be used within an art gallery I have previously produced other items in relation to this, though some things have changed as my research project has continued. Some of those changes are as a result of my thinking about my research. Some changes have been influenced by other things. For exampe, finding that i can get printed copies of A3 size artwork at reasonable cost by uploading a PDF document to an online virtual print house and the prints being delivered to me by Royal Mail. That has influenced me producing the signs being discussed in this thread. Here is a link to a PDF document that I produced in 2012. On the final pages are some designs for glyphs art gallery signs. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/locse027.pdf Please note how the designs used in the signs in this thread are to a modified design. I built this into a chapter of one of my novels. From a bit beyond halfway down page 2. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/localizable_sentences_the_novel_chapter_072.pdf The new designs are then used on pages 7 and 8 of Chapter 79. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/localizable_sentences_the_novel_chapter_079.pdf However, that novel was published in 2019 and since then I have decided that each localizable sentence should have a glyph. I am that for some of the signs three versions may be desirable, a sign much like those produced already, a sign that also has an arrow to the left, and a sign that has an arrow to the right. Also, I need to allocate code numbers for the other art gallery signs. If anyone is interested in the wider project, here are some links. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/localizable_sentences_research.htm In 2016 I felt that I was not making progress, so I decided to write a novel as if there were a research centre working on the project. I just started writing, with no idea of how the story would go, no overall plan, just publishing chapters as I completed them. I posted about the novel in the old Serif lounge. I received very helpful feedback from several people. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/novel_plus.htm I completed the novel in February 2016. I had intended the novel as complete in itself, but I missed writing it, so I started a sequel, publishing chapters as I completed them. The second novel is a work in progress though i have not added anythingto it for quite a while, yet about two-thirds of the intended number of chapters are wriiten and published. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/locse_novel2.htm William

Today I made two A3 size landscape signs using Affinity Designer. I produced a one-page PDF document for each of the signs. I also made two one-tenth scale png graphic files of the designs, as displayed in this post. I did the designing using pixels as the measurement units, so a one-tenth scale png graphic of the design was a convenient size to use. The upper one is to express Welcome. and the lower one is to express Thank you for visiting. in a language-independent manner. The idea is that a person may understand the meaning as expressed in his or her chosen language by knowing the meaning from previously, or the code number allows it to be looked up in a list. The QR code contains the same information as the code number so that automated look up could take place using a smartphone that has a camera and a suitable app. Using the exclamation mark before the digits is done so as the code number is not expressed in the same way as an actual number. At the time of starting this thread it may well be that only a very few people recognize the intended meaning from the glyph, the only decoding list is as far as I know for English, and as far as I know there is no smartphone app to do the decoding. Yet one needs to start somewhere, to take the early steps forward to try to achieve results in the future. I had produced the QR codes as FREE TEXT style QR codes at the following website. https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com/ In each of these QR codes there is encoded just the exclamation mark and the digits, there is not a return character included in the QR code. The downloaded QR code images are each 1012 pixels square (=23 times 44). There is a download arrow above the displayed QR code at the website. After I had produced the one-tenth scale png graphics of the signs I tested each of them at the following website and for each of them the text encoded in the QR code in that one-tenth scale image decoded successfully. https://products.aspose.app/barcode/recognize/qr I am hoping to obtain some hardcopy prints of the A3 size signs on 350 grammes per square metre paper from an ooline virtual print house. William

Thank you for your prompt reply. William

I like to obtain hardcopy prints of my artwork from an online print house, in fact Viking Virtual Print House. I am in England. I upload PDF documents. The virtual print house has the option to print on both sides of the paper. I am wanting to be able to obtain a hardcopy print of artwork that I produce using Affinity Designer, with printed on the reverse a small amount of text information, such as the title of the artwork, my name, the date, whatever I choose at the time. Thus I would upload a 2 page PDF document and then order several prints of the PDF document and select that it be printed on the two sides of one piece of paper. Can I produce such a PDF document in Affinity Designer please, or do I need to add the second page using Affinity Publisher, or something like that? William

> Various topics in this thread. > (1) Private code areas for specialised institutions. A "subject oriented community" would probably not need to communicate via LS's. An international institution or community would probably use English, as the most general language, and probably use plain text. > (2) Looking up a complete sentence in your code book would be fraught. It's bad enough when there are so many synonyms in English for the same thing, it's worse when you have to think "How would someone else ask the same question?" An example of the first problem could be trying to find an item in, say, ebay. I wanted fusible safety discs for a particular pressure cooker. There are quite a few different descriptions of the same item. As for the second problem, let's ask if it is sunny where you are? Does the sun shine, is the sun shining, is it sunny, is the weather sunny, Where you are, is the sun shining, is it ....... In an alphabetical list most of these are separated. In a topical list, it could be easier, but bulky. > (3) While nit-picking is in order, I repeat my contention that you are not fundamentally a researcher. You do your research, but most of the work you adduce is development/invention, and that's not meant to be demeaning. Look up the dictionary definition of researcher, and there is nary a word about invention. But researcher sound good, doesn't it. Regarding your (1) can you say to which post or posts you are referring please? Regarding your (2), I am suggesting a cascading menu system, so there would be a section about Weather in the top level menu. Clicking on that sction would show the available encoded sentences. Regarding your (3). Well, I am a researcher. William

This morning I was looking at a facility for printing A0 posters. I decided to try uploading an A0 document to have a look at a preview. I remembered that many years ago, as a learning experience, I had produced A0test.PDF using PagePlus on the then computer here and uploaded it to the web. So I went to the web page from which I knew it to be linked. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/library.htm and searched for A0 on the page. I was surprised to find 11 uses. So I decided to look at what they were. I found the following file. http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/view_from_an_art_gallery_foyer_a0.pdf Going up the page I found that this link was part of some notes from Thursday 28 August 2014. It seems that I used FontLab Pad to display a glyph from a colour font that I had made, the glyph being a picture that included a layer that had semi-transparent colour. The key part of all of this that is important here in this thread is that FontLab Pad was used to export a PDF document that displayed a colour font in vector form as a collection of layers and that it had been possible to import that PDF document into PagePlus and enlarge the image. So I am wondering if using a colour font in FontLab Pad and exporting a PDF from FontLab Pad and then inporting the PDF into Affinity Publisher will produce a workaround whereby colour fonts can be used in Affinity Designer together with other features of Affinity Designer such as the shape tools to produce artwork and the result exported as a vector PDF document from which high quality prints can be produced. https://www.fontlab.com/fontlab-pad/ William

You might like to have a look at the posts in a thread entitled Glasses emoji in https://corp.unicode.org/pipermail/unicode/2022-October/date.html The first post in that thread has a link to a video. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63229464 I hope this helps. William

Affinity Publisher has facilities for OpenType glyph substitution and Affinity Publisher can use Unicode characters from the higher planes of Unicode. So Affinity Publisher has the capability to test out a possibly new character encoding technique this morning. https://lists.aau.at/pipermail/mpeg-otspec/2022-October/002863.html William

Thank you for posting. The choice of web browser could be an issue. I had not taken the choice of browser into consideration until you mentioned it. I am using Microsoft Edge as I am running Windows 10S. On the Lenovo machine I was habitually using Google Chrome. As an update I have now got the .rtf file on my computer. I have no idea how. The webmail and browser together just kept opening it as an image and if I tried to save then the system kept offering me a .html file. But I found the .rtf filet in the downloads folder of the computer. Google Chrome used to offer a named file as a save option. So perhaps a bit wild. Though maybe not if by being asked for a download it had then just done it to the downloads folder using the file name of the attached file. William

I am using the BT webmail system as I am a BT broadband customer. BT is British Telecommunications. William.

A related problem has arisen. Before the problem arose with the Lenovo computer, I had been writing a document on the Lenovo computer using WordPad. I habitually use webmail, so emails are not on my computer. As I proceeded with the writing, as a precaution, I sent email to myself with the latest version of the Wordpad .rtf document as an attachment. I am on draft 7. So today, I tried to download a copy of that .rtf document to this Hewlett Packard computer so that I could continue to write it on this Hewlett Packard computer, which is running Windows 10S. But I cannot seem to be able to download the file from the webmail email to this computer. As I had often used that technique on the other computer, though not with a .rtf file, though I had with PDFs and a TTF, I am wondering why I cannot get it to work now. It seems to want to open it as an image in the browser. As a test, I tried to download a PDF from another email, and that won't work either. Does anyone recognize this problem please? Is it something to do with the S in Windows 10S? Can anyone suggest a solution please? William

An update. I am posting using the Lonovo 14 inch computer. I found some videos on YouTube. I watched them on the Hewlett Packard 11 inch Windows 10S computer. Here is a link to the part of one of the videos that has enabled me to get this computer started, as a workaround. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87c6M9ZRtu0&t=120s Now although it says that one can access the Bios and recovery mode I found that it also offers an ordinary start, in fact that is the default. So, although I could not find the unfolded paper clip that I have used on other things some time ago and that I thought was in a known place, I found a picture hanging kit that I got from Tesco some time ago and in it are several plastic topped pins, so I used one of them to press the Novo button and the computer started up and the panel became displayed on the screen. I then pressed Enter on the USB keyboard and the computer started up as if it had started with the power button being pressed. So at present hopefully I can use the Hewlett Packard computer for ordering groceries, watching movies on YouTube and BBC iplayer, and learning (some) Welsh and unrusting my French on Duolingo.com et cetera et cetera and only turning on this computer using the Novo button when I want to use Affinity software, PagePlus X7 or High-Logic FontCreator, perhaps only switching this computer on when I am going to have it switched on for several hours, even if I am not using it at times, such as for a meal break. The other day I had a good chat with a gentleman at Currys about what I wanted to do, within the constraints of me wanting a 14 inch Hewlett Packard laptop running Windows 10 and not needing fast graphics (as in game playing) and my limited budget and he suggested this one. https://www.currys.co.uk/products/hp-14sdq2502na-14-laptop-intel-pentium-gold-128-gb-ssd-silver-10222266.html?q=751120 I have not ordered it at this time, and the £159 one mentioned previously is not available for delivery at present. However, as it might be that I can continue to use this machine, then I might not need to buy another computer yet. In fact, when this computer did not start over a week ago, realizing that I then only had one computer available to order shopping I found that Currys had on offer at £128.97 a computer at £90 off the previous price a Hewlett Packard computer which I think is the same as the Hewlett Packard computer that I have here, and which cost £219 in March 2021, so i bought it and it arrived though i have not opened it yet (Covid quarantine precaution). I later learned that apparentky Curys price things at something and 97 pence when it is a clearance item. I bought this Lenovo computer in about June 2019, which was pre-Covid, as my then computer had broken down, so at that time I was able to telephone Currys, and a helpful lady asked me various questions such as whether I wanted a tower or a laptop, whether I wanted fast graphics for video games and so on and recommended this Lenovo machine and the lady placed the order for me. However, when this machine broke down in March 2021 due to Covid restrictions it was not possible to place an order over the telephone, only online. But I could not get online. The way I got a computer, the Hewlett Packard machine, is that when this Lenovo machine would start and could be used offline but would not connect to the internet, is that I telephoned a local self-employed electrician who had done some electrical work for me in 2018 and 2019 and he got online to Currys website, we discussed options over the telephone, he ordered a computer, had it delivered to him, then brought it to me and delivered it social distance style. He was very helpful, solved my problem and I paid him for the time he spent on sorting it all out for me. As it happened, after some helpful guidance on the now vanished Serif lounge forum, I was able to use the Hewlett Packard computer to get a new copy of the Lenovo wifi driver, presented within a .exe file, use a USB memory stick to copy it across to this Lenovo machine, run it and the Lenovo machine then connected to the internet again. William

Thank you. Oh, that is an education for me! 🙂 And there was me thinking that option 1 at £329 was expensive! Clearly I need to rethink given this information. Thus far, notwithstanding the keyboard issue and the trackpad click issue (for which issues I have workarounds with an USB full size keyboard and using mousekeys) the Lenovo computer seems to do all I need it to do as regards my need to use Affinity products, PagePlus X7 and High-Logic FontCreator. So something from Hewlett Packard of equivalent performance yet a better on-off switch might well suit me fine for my hobbyist level use. Though I recognize that it might well be inadequate for a professional artist or someone working. William

It may be impossible, but I am still wondering if I can fix the Lenovo. It did start up once after a bit of pressing of the on-off button, so it might 'just' be a faulty switch. But that is not 'just' it is FUNDAMENTAL! 🙂 William

Could you possibly say what you are suggesting to avoid please? For example, are you meaning the £159 computer that I am thinking about? William

Ah, so 'notebook' is a subset of 'laptop', not a synonym of 'laptop'. William

Is what is called a 'notebook' the same as what is called a 'laptop'? Perhaps a name change as the Hewlett Packard notes did say to use it on a solid surface. So maybe the term 'laptop' is being deprecated? But just wondering in case a 'notebook' is something different from a so-called 'laptop'. William

I am constrained to using a portable, laptop type system. I don't know if it makes any difference in relation to the processing power needed from a computer, but my use of Affinity Designer tends to be mostly (though not always) vector and fonts designs, typically Pen tool and the built-in shape tools (I still think of them as Quickshapes 🙂 ), rather than photograph-like bit pattern things, though I do export png and jpg images William

Yes, that is the computer to which I was referring. William

I have been thinking about this. There appeared yesterday to me to be three options. 1. Buy a computer at £329 that does not have its Windows system S-locked and download again Affinity products that I have already purchased. 2. Buy a computer at £159 that has its Windows system S-locked, then buy S-runnable versions of Affinity Publisher and Affinity Designer from the Microsoft store. 3. Buy a computer at £159 that that has its Windows system S-locked, un-S-lock it and download again Affinity products that I have already purchased. Having some years ago had a computer that was about £350 at the time, ethernet, built-in disc drive, and after some time it went wrong, I had decided to go over to a policy of getting a more basic lower cost machine and having an external USB disc drive so that if the computer went wrong then it was not such a big loss and I would still have the disc drive. So I am a bit reluctant to buy the £329 computer. Option 2 was beginning to look good, on the basis of why un-S-lock the computer, thouigh I did wonder if one can redownload Affinity products purchased from Microsoft Store if one needs to get another computer later, or if it would need a repurchase. However, upon further consideration, I have remembered that I also want to run High-Logic FontCreator, so it looks like an S-locked machine that is not un-S-locked is not compatible with that. So it looks like option 2 is out. So what I seek advice on please, is about unlocking an S-locked computer and then installing Affinity products purchsed directly from Serif on it. From what a gentleman at Currys told me it appears that unlocking slows down the system as it results in a bigger version of Windows, not just (in my words) switching off a binary flag. Also, the effect varies from computer system to computer system. So has anyone here any experience or knowledge of the implications of unlocking an S-locked Windows system and then using it with Affinity products purchased direct from Serif please? Also, is it still the case that, having purchased licences for the Serif Affinity products direct from Serif some time ago that one can still download a new copy without further charge please? William

I know that Affinity products to run on a Windows system are sold both directly by Serif and on Microsoft store. I know that Serif regards these as separate purchases. What I am wondering is why the version sold directly by Serif will not run under Windows 10S. Is there some reason why the version from either source could not be the same and thus the version bought directly from Serif would be able to be run under Windows 10S? William

I am considering getting a new computer to run Affinity products. I am thinking of doing this as I do not wish to potentially jeopardize my ability to order grocery deliveries by unlocking this one. I was considering buying a Hewlett Packard one from Currys at £159 https://www.currys.co.uk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp?searchTerm=hp%20laptop that I think has Windows 10S so it would need un-S-locking it so as to use the software that I have bought previously. But chatting to a helpful gentleman on Currys live chat it appears that unlocking a Windows 10S computer slows it down. That computer has a Celeron processor. He recommended an i3 machine, which is £329. https://www.currys.co.uk/products/hp-14sdq2507na-14-laptop-intel-core-i3-128-gb-ssd-silver-10222268.html I am wondering if it would be better to buy another copy of Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher from Microsoft store and run it on a Windows 10S computer and thus not un-S-locking it. I know that for the Affinity products that I have direct from Serif that I can get another copy free when I want it. Does that "get it again" apply with a version bought from Microsoft store please? The £159 computer has 64 gigabytes of storage. Is anyone running Affinity software on a lower cost Windows 10S computer please? If so, can you say something about your experiences please? William

Yes, this is off-topic, but it is about using Affinity products in that unless I can switch the computer on I cannot use them, so hopefully the moderator will allow this thread to continue please. I am writing this on my backup computer, which is an 11 inch Hewlett Packard laptop computer which runs Windows 10S and I don't want to un-S it as my critical use for a computer is ordering groceries. I have Affiinity Publisher, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Photo on my 13 inch Lenovo laptop. The computing part works fine, but I have had problems. The keyboard and the power switch are what appears to be a rubber sheet thing. It is supposed to have a small light in the on off switch but it has not worked for a long time. In fact, due to some keyboard letters not working properly and trackpad clicking beIng wonky I have for a long time used it by using the move about part of the trackpad, together with a pluged in full size USB keyboard and using mouse keys from the keyboard. In fact I have used the plugged in USB keyboard and mouse keys on this Hewlett Packard computer from as soon as I got it, and I find the full-size keyboard good and I am now very used to using mousekeys from the keyboard and I prefer to work that way. A few days ago the computer would not turn on, but after a few tries it did. Then it wouldn't. But the next day it would not at first, but eventually it did. I have wondered about whether it would be safe that if I can get it to switch on one more time to never turn it off, just to close the lid when not using it. Does anyone have any advice on whether this can be fixed in some way please? I do not carry the computer around, so if it means having an external switch that would not be an issue, but I would need to be able to set that up in the first place. I am wondering if the power switch can be bypassed in some way using the USB socket or something like that. Possibly just wishful thinking but an on-off switch failing might be a fairly common occurrence. Is there a way to turn the computer on independently of the switch? Ultimately I might need to buy another computer, and then decide to either un-S-lock it and add the software, which, thanks to Serif's policy that I can get another copy is possible, or leave it S-locked and buy the software from Microsoft store. so I can keep the computer S-locked. Any advice on this would be helpful please. William

William

This seventh image was produced by starting with a copy of the source file of the fifth image. In fact, this image is made up of two complete white hexagons, and two black half hexagons, all upon a grey background. Grey, white, black, white, black. William