Comic scripts are laid out much like film scripts.

There are many ways to script a comic but we’re going to discuss the style I picked up when first starting out in comics. It’s a modified version of the style Neil Gaiman uses, which is apparently a modified version of the style Alan Moore uses so you know it’s a scripting style that works.

A comic script is laid out in two main sections: description and dialogue. You start with a line explaining which page and which panel you are discussing, followed by the description on the next line down. If you have a particular panel layout in mind, you can start with a line saying Page One (or whatever page it is) followed by a quick description of the preferred panel layout on the next line. Then you’d go to the page X, panel Y line and, after that, the panel description.

When scripting a comic it’s important to not overwrite the description of what you want shown in each panel. The exact amount of detail you send to your artist varies based on you and your artist’s level of understanding of the story and the characters you’re using. So with an artist that’s new to the comic you might prefer to add more information about who everyone is, and the way they usually act in the given circumstances.

For example, if you have a gruff war hero character like Captain Jawbone, veteran of the 5th interstellar war, you may describe to a new artist his tendency to show no emotion around people he does not know well. This ensures the artist won’t think the Captain would smile a lot, or be seen laughing at a stranger’s jokes.

You could leave that out with an artist who has been drawing the character for years, because it’s fair to say they already know this stuff. For a veteran artist it’s usually enough to say what each character is doing in a particular frame, and let them decide how best to draw the scene based on that.

Beneath the panel description is the dialogue section. This is laid out in a similar style to a film script: dialogue is centred, to make it instantly clear that we’re not looking at description any more. That is especially important for your letterer, as they can spot which parts of the script they need to concentrate on.

The first line of your dialogue should be the name of the character who is speaking. If you’re writing a caption rather than a character, simply write “Caption” here instead of a name. Drop to a new line and begin writing your dialogue, or the contents of your caption.

All dialogue and caption text should be written in All Caps. Again, this differentiates the dialogue section from the description. If any part of the dialogue should be in bold or italics, make sure it’s emboldened or italicised in your script.

Continue with your dialogue in this same format until everything is said that needs to be said. Then rinse and repeat with the other panels and other pages, until your script is complete. That’s really all there is to it.

LibreOffice running on Chrome

A ChromeBook is a small, lightweight and fast computer for people who need something more than a standard tablet, but don’t need everything that comes with a full-blown laptop. It’s for people who want to work on the move, or who need a computer that can use the Internet as well as basic office software but who don’t need to be able to install software from a CD.

The problem is, ChromeBooks come with Google Docs as their standard document-editing facility. This means some compatibility is lost between ChromeBook users and users of other computers. Either you create a document in Google Docs and you share it with other Google Docs users, or you risk conversion problems when you send the document to someone else and they download it coverted to their own format.

The solution is to bypass Google Docs and run a fully standards-compatible office program instead – but how do you do this on a system that is designed to not install normal software? The key is to use a copy of LibreOffice that has been built to run inside the Google Chrome web browser.

You Will Need

• A ChromeBook, or a computer running the Google Chrome web browser
• An Internet connection

How to Run LibreOffice on Chrome OS

1. Open the Google Chrome Web Store. You can do this either by running the Web Store application on your ChromeBook, or browsing to http://chrome.google.com/webstore
2. Search for “InstallFree Nexus with LibreOffice”. This is the LibreOffice software converted to run in Chrome.
3. Click on the “Add to Chrome” button on the “InstallFree Nexus with LibreOffice” bar in the search results.
4. LibreOffice will now install itself on your ChromeBook or into your Chrome browser.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up LibreOffice to work with your Google Docs and Google Drive accounts. This ensures that you can now use a fully-fledged office program for all your word processing, spreadsheet and other office document work.

LibreOffice is a variant of OpenOffice, one of the most popular open source office programs around. It is fully compatible with Microsoft Office and can open all MS Office documents; including the new .docx format that is now gaining popularity. With LibreOffice installed on your ChromeBook, or into your Google Chrome browser, you can work with Google Docs and Google Drive just as you did before, but now you will be safe in the knowledge that what you produce can be seen by others in exactly the way you intended.

Gas bills follow a simple formula, making calculation straightforward.

The first step in being able to take control of your finances is knowing how much you can expect to have to pay out in household bills. When it comes to gas and electricity bills, this involves a little bit of number crunching but the results are worth the effort. Being able to calculate your British Gas bill can mean the difference between planning for the future and getting a nasty shock when the bill arrives.

You Will Need

• Pen and paper
• Calculator
• Electricity meter readings
• Gas meter readings
• Previous British Gas bill

How to Calculate Your Gas Bill

1. Note down the current reading on your electricity meter. The figures you require are the large set of numbers, usually behind a clear plastic panel.
2. Ignore any figures either marked in red or to the right of a decimal point; depending on your model of electricity meter.
3. Subtract the previous set of electricity meter figures recorded on your last British Gas bill.
4. Note down the current reading on your gas meter.
5. Again, ignore any figures in red or to the right of a decimal point. The figures you require are large, black and often behind a clear plastic panel.
6. Subtract the previous gas meter reading figures on your last British Gas bill.
7. Note the unit rates on your previous bill.
8. If you used over 125 kWh of electricity, multiply 125 by your tier 1 electricity unit rate and the remaining kWh by the tier 2 rate.
9. The sum of the two is your electricity bill.
10. If you used over 670 kWh of gas, multiply 670 by your tier 1 gas unit rate and multiply the remainder by the tier 2 rate.
11. The sum is your gas bill.

Top Tip

If you regularly calculate your bills to keep on top of your finances, consider creating a spreadsheet to do the calculations for you. This way you can simply enter your current meter readings and the computer will be able to do all the number crunching on your behalf.

Please Note

Some tariffs vary the amount of gas and electricity charged at the higher unit 1 rate depending on the time of year. This will have an effect on the size of your quarterly bill compared with your estimates. Check the terms of your contract to see if you are on a tariff of this sort.

Further Reading

• Money Saving Expert: How do I calculate my gas bill?

Favicons let you customise your website so it stands out from the rest.

Favicons are the small 16×16 pixel icons used to add an extra level of branding or customisation to a website. Any site can have a favicon added to it at any time, using a couple of lines of code.

You Will Need

• A 16×16 pixel .ICO format image
• A text editor
• An FTP program

How to Add A Favicon to Your Site

1. Open your FTP software, such as CuteFTP or the open source (free) FileZilla.
2. Connect to your website using the FTP software. For most sites this involves giving the software the FTP URL, your FTP username and your FTP password. Follow the instructions provided by your web host or site hosting company for the exact details on how to connect.
3. Upload the .ICO file to the root directory of your website. For most sites this will be the “public_html” folder on your web server. Again, check the instructions on your web host for clarification.
4. Download your index.html file.
5. Open the index.html file in your text editor.
6. Add the following code to the index.html file anywhere before the “</head>” code:
   <link rel=”icon” type=”image/vnd.microsoft.icon” href=”http://website.address/favicon.ico”>
   <link rel=”SHORTCUT ICON” href=”http://website.address/favicon.ico”/>
   Where “website.address” is the URL of your website.
7. Save the index.html file.
8. Upload the index.html file to your website again, replacing the copy that is already on the site.

Top Tip

Icon files (the .ICO format) can hold multiple small images in one file, which makes them perfect for displaying different size icons at different times (such as a large icon when in the Favourites folder on a user’s Start Menu and a small icon when in the bookmarks on a web browser). You should therefore consider creating 16×16, 32×32, 48×48 and 64×64 pixel versions of your icon. Use Icon creation software to store all four sizes in one .ico file and upload this to your website. The computer accessing the file will then use the most appropriate size icon for each task.

Warning

Remember to use both lines of code on your site, rather than just picking one line. The first line is there to make sure Internet Explorer recognises your favicon, while the second line is for every other browser. Internet Explorer uses a different standard of code to all other browsers but designing your site just for IE (or designing it for “standard browsers”) means you are alienating a potentially rather large section of your audience. It’s best to just use both lines of code so you can reach as many people as possible – it’s not like it bulks up your files that much anyway.

]]> http://www.hownabout.com/2012/how/how-to-add-a-favicon-to-your-website/feed 0 http://www.hownabout.com/2012/how/how-to-add-a-favicon-to-your-website http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HownAbout/~3/VfmoQkGLoDs/how-to-save-your-game-in-lego-star-wars http://www.hownabout.com/2012/how/how-to-save-your-game-in-lego-star-wars#comments Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:36:33 +0000 Zoë Kirk-Robinson http://www.hownabout.com/?p=338

LEGO Star Wars uses auto saves rather than traditional save points.

Unlike many other modern video games, LEGO Star Wars contains no traditional “save game” option. The save game system in LEGO Star Wars instead relies heavily on auto saving at key points during play. In addition to reaching these points, there are some workarounds that allow a game to be saved. These workarounds are essential if you want to be able to guarantee your game is saved at any given point.

Things You Will Need

• LEGO Star Wars

Ways to Force A Game Save in Lego Star Wars

1. Turn on the auto save function in the options menu. Without autosaving, you will be required to save the game manually each time a mission is completed or any function is triggered that requires the game to be saved. Auto saving will save you a lot of hassle.
2. Complete a mission. LEGO Star Wars saves your game after each mission is completed, but not during a mission. Each save game is tied to your profile for the character you are using so it is possible to have multiple save games with different characters but each character must start playing from the start of any mission.
3. Change costumes. Visiting the Cantina in the Original Trilogy or Complete Saga versions of LEGO Star Wars allows you to change your character’s costumes (if you have costumes unlocked and available at the time). This will trigger an auto save of your game and thereby bypass the usual restriction on saving the game. The same happens if you purchase something in the Cantina.

Top Tip

Keep a backup of your save game on another memory card, or your computer (if possible with your current setup). This will allow you to return to a backup save game if you find you have made an error and need to retrace your steps, or if the copy of the save game you have been using becomes damaged or otherwise inaccessible.

Please Note

It is not possible to save the game during a mission, only at the end of a mission that has been completed successfully. You should therefore set aside enough time to complete a mission before setting out in order to avoid losing any progress by having to shut down the machine before you have completed whatever tasks the game has set you.

Further Reading

• GameSpot UK: How to Save a Game in Progress

Electric guitars are easy to tune when you know the right pitch to aim for.

When you are just starting out, knowing when your guitar is out of tune can be difficult. If you have yet to develop “an ear” for the instrument, it is easy to play out of tune. There are many devices available that will tell you when your guitar is out of tune but these can be expensive. Knowing how to tune an electric guitar for free using your computer will solve your problems.

Things You Will Need

• Internet connection
• Sound card
• Speakers
• Electric Guitar

How to Tune a Guitar

1. Visit an online guitar tuner website such as “Gieson Guitar Tuner” or “Electric Guitars Guide”.
2. Click on the sound effect for Top E. Play an open note on Top E (the string furthest from you when looking down) on your guitar.
   1. If your string is too highly-pitched compared to the computer, loosen the string by turning its tuning key toward you.
   2. If lower, turn the key away from you to tighten the string.
3. Compare Top E on your guitar with Top E on the computer.
4. Keep adjusting the tuning key until your guitar sounds like the computer. Play the sound file for A (the next string up from Top E).
5. Play an open note on A on your guitar.
6. Adjust the tuning key for the A string until the guitar sounds like the computer.
7. Compare the sound file for D with your guitar and adjust the string accordingly.
8. Keep referring back to the sound file for guidance as you go.
9. Compare G with its corresponding sound file, and adjust the string to match.
10. Repeat for the B string.
11. Finally, move on to Bottom E and compare that with its corresponding sound file; adjusting as necessary.

Your guitar is now tuned.

Top Tip
Many websites allow you to download the sound files they use to help you tune your guitar. This will allow you to keep them readily at hand for use whenever you need them, or even burn the files out to a CD so you can take the sounds with you wherever you travel.

Please Note

The exact sound you hear when using a computer sound file will depend on many variables, including: the quality of the original recording; the compression algorithm used to produce the sound file; and the quality of your speakers. It is therefore possible to tune your guitar incorrectly if you are using a bad set of files. Compare sounds from different websites to make sure you hit the right notes.

Further Reading
Electric Guitars Guide: How to tune electric guitars
Gieson: Online Guitar Tuner

Although it looks complex to the uninitiated, HTML quickly becomes easy to read.

HTML is the language of the Internet. It tells your web browser how to lay out websites. It explains how and when the browser should display both text and images, so what you see is what the site’s creator intended. Although it has developed over the years, the basics of HTML remain simple enough to pick up in under an hour.

What You Will Need

• Computer
• Web browser
• Textbook or Internet connection
• Text editing program

6 Steps to Learning HTML

1. Visit one of the many HTML tutorial websites or buy a teach yourself HTML book (or borrow one from your local library since you will only need it once). These provide a step-by-step guide to what HTML is and how to use it; plus many examples you can use to develop your knowledge.
2. Work through the lessons in the book or website.
3. Work through each example given by the site or book and try to replicate the same effects you are being taught on a site of your own. This site need not be hosted online but can be simply stored on your hard drive and accessed only by you, if you prefer.
4. Visit websites you like and view their HTML code to see how they achieve the design tricks they use to look good.
5. How to do this will vary depending on your browser but will often come down to clicking on the “View” menu and selecting “View page Source”.
6. Your browser will then display the HTML code of the site you are looking at.

Top Tip

The majority of website design comes down to a few basic codes that you can learn in under an hour. However, while working through your chosen tutorial, it can be advantageous to keep a notepad and pen by your computer, so you can jot down notes and reminders in your own words. You can then read through these later, to make learning HTML easier for yourself.

Please Note

When starting to learn HTML, it can be tempting to use a web page design program such as iWeb, Frontpage or Dreamweaver to generate your code for you; usually on the basis that you can then have a look at the finished product to learn how the code works. While fine in theory, auto-generation programs create messy and over-complex code that will be confusing. Save yourself the hassle and stick to a text editor.

Further Reading

• HTML.net: HTML Tutorial
• Douglas Carnall: How to learn HTML

that there will be a mishap here and there. One of the most common errors is presented when you leave yourself logged into Facebook but close the site down. When returning to Facebook, you may be presented with this error message:

Accounts are temporarily unavailable when cookies are corrupted.

“Your account is temporarily unavailable due to a site issue…”

Thankfully this is a simple error to correct. What has actually happened here is that the cookie on your computer (a small file in a folder used by your web browser to keep information websites need in order to run properly) has become either corrupted or out of date.

When things are running normally, the browser reads the cookie and sends data to the website, which the site then processes and sends you the data you expect to see (in this case, your Facebook news page). When it does work, the browser sends the wrong information and the website gets confused.

The solution is to clear your browser’s cookies. This has the effect of logging you out of every website, so it’s best to make sure you have all your usernames and passwords written down before you do this. Once you have all the information you will need to get you back up and running, clear your cookies then go back to Facebook.com and log in again.

Hey presto, the “account temporarily unavailable” error will have cleared itself.

Seaweed is an excellent source of nutrients.

Seaweed is an abundant source of minerals and nutrients that will feed plants and, when mixed with earth, replenish tired soil. As creating a seaweed solution for plants is a relatively simple process that is inexpensive, knowing how to do it is an important tool for any gardener with access to the sea.

You Will Need

• Seaweed
• 1 bin or barrel
• Water
• 1 long mixing spoon
• 2 bricks
• Thin wooden slats
• Barrel tap

How to Make Seaweed Fertiliser

1. Collect some seaweed. The precise amount to collect will depend on the size of the bin or barrel you intend to use to make your solution. You should collect enough seaweed to approximately half fill the barrel.
2. Wash the seaweed thoroughly in fresh water to remove excess salt and debris, as this will pollute your seaweed solution.
3. Place the bricks in the bottom of your bin or barrel and cover them with the slats to form a raised level in the bottom of the container beneath which liquid can collect
4.  The slats should not be tightly together, as fluid needs to be able to seep through as the seaweed solution forms.
5. Place the seaweed into the bin or barrel until it is approximately half full.
6. Top the barrel off with water.
7. Allow the container to stand for eight weeks without a lid or covering on it.
8. Stir the contents thoroughly every other day, making sure that you get right down to the wooden slats, as it is important that the material circulate.
9. After eight weeks, fit a barrel tap to the bottom of the container and drain out the liquid.
10. Create a solution of 1 part seaweed liquid, 80 parts water.

Top Tip: Don’t simply throw out the contents of the barrel once you have made your seaweed solution. The decomposing seaweed matter left in the barrel after you tap it can be mixed with soil to make an effective compost. You can then use this to replenish tired soil, or nourish your indoor plants.

Please Note: When seaweed decomposes to create the fluid you then mix with water, it will smell very bad. You should therefore keep this in mind when deciding where to place your barrel for two months, as if it is too near your house it will create an unbearable stench. Also consider your neighbors, so you avoid making a nuisance.

References

• Ygoy: Seaweed Fertilizer
• My Garden Tips: Seaweed Fertilizer
• Backwoods Home Magazine: You Can Make Your Own Fertilizer

Photograph courtesy of Mike Pennington. Used under a Creative Commons licence.

Always ensure the car is safely jacked before replacing the tyre.

The following steps are basic and apply to most types of car or truck.

You will need

• A car jack rated to take the weight of your vehicle.
• A set of gloves can be helpful, though are not essential.
• A correct-sized socket and bracing bar to be able to undo and tighten the wheel nuts on your vehicle.
• A lever to remove hubcaps (if fitted). Something as simple as a flathead screwdriver will do this job.
• A locking nut remover to remover a locking nut (only necessary if your vehicle is fitted with these). A locking nut is simply an anti-theft device to stop some-one easily pinching the wheels off your vehicle. A lot of vehicles are not fitted with them.
• You will, of course, need a spare wheel. Most vehicles have these either attached in a cradle on the underside or in a well beneath the boot carpet.

SEVERE INJURY CAN RESULT IF YOU ATTEMPT TO GO UNDER AN UNSUPPORTED VEHICLE ON A JACK OR FAIL TO CHOCK THE VEHICLE TO PREVENT IT FROM ROLLING WHEN JACKED.

It is important when setting out on a journey to check the condition of your spare wheel at the same time that you check the condition of the other road wheels. It is all too easy to neglect the spare and find that the tyre is flat on it in the moment of need!

STEP ONE

Park the vehicle on a hard surface, preferably away from traffic. Avoid carrying out a wheel change on ground that slopes if at all possible and chock the vehicle using pieces of wood, bricks or suitable rocks to stop it from moving when on the jack. Apply the parking brake. Locate the jacking point and position the jack ready but do not begin jacking yet. The jack must be over a hard surface, or the weight of the vehicle will simply result in the jack sinking into the ground.

STEP TWO

Remove hubcap if fitted and if required to gain access to the wheel securing nuts. Using the socket and bracing bar to loosen all the nuts on the wheel to be removed. Do not remove them fully – simply to loosen them is enough. If a locking nut is fitted, this can be removed with the tool that came with the vehicle. This will look similar to an ordinary socket and will fit to the same bracing bar that the regular socket fits to.

STEP THREE

Begin jacking the vehicle until the wheel to be removed is just off the ground. Do not lift the vehicle any higher than you need to. Now you can finish removing the loosened wheel nuts and carefully remove the wheel. Careful as the wheel may be heavy. Take note of how the wheel is aligned to the hub. On most vehicles there will be a device to ensure the correct alignment of the wheel and this may be a lug or a pin. The spare wheel should be aligned to this to ensure that it matches up correctly to the hub.

STEP FOUR

Lift the spare wheel to the hub and align it. If the vehicle has bolts protruding from the hub it should be a simple task to line the wheel onto them then hand tighten the nuts. If the wheel is fastened via studs, it may require some careful alignment to match it to the hub and get the first stud into place. If necessary only partially tighten each nut/stud before applying the next one. Only once all are in place can you tighten them up. It may be helpful to wobble the wheel with your hands on the hub to ensure that is aligned centrally.

STEP FIVE

Tighten all the wheel securing nuts so that the wheel is secure to the vehicle. They do not have to be fully tightened yet. Lower the jack until the wheel is on the ground and taking some of the vehicle’s weight. You can now use the socket and bracing bar to fully tighten each nut. They need to be fairly tight to avoid them working loose when the vehicle is in motion. As a rough guide, it should take both hands and as much strength as you can reasonably apply to tighten each nut. Smaller people may find it useful to CAREFULLY apply their weight to tighten the nut by stepping with one foot on the bracing bar. If doing this method do not over tighten the nut and ensure that you support yourself against the vehicle in case the socket slips. Ensure at all times that the socket is FULLY INSERTED over the nut.

STEP SIX

Replace hubcap (if required) and remove jack from under the vehicle. You can also remove any and all chocks used. Make sure that you stow all your tools and the spare wheel back in your vehicle! It is easy to accidentally leave something at the roadside if not careful. You can now continue with your journey. Ensure that you get the flat tyre on the wheel you have changed repaired at the soonest convenience, as otherwise you will have no useable spare wheel the next time you get a flat tyre.

Photograph courtesy of Comedynose, via Flickr