Make a perfect hollow sphere in Minecraft with MCEdit

(Many thanks to CJN85 for helping me with this)

Get MCEdit here. I am going to build a 21-block diameter hollow sphere. This method only works if the diameter is an odd-number.

1. Make a column, this one is 31 blocks tall.

2. The insertion point for your round brush, set to 21 blocks and with a different material than the column, is the next empty block above of the column.

3. Here's your 21-block solid sphere with its center one block above the original column.

4. I have extended the original column so it punches through the sphere. I also added two more columns through the centers so I have three columns that cross at the center of the sphere. This is why I picked an odd number for the diameter. These are also handy for moving it around later.

5. The center of the sphere, with the three columns touching.

6. I have deleted the center block and one above it.

7. This is the anchor point for my second sphere. Notice that the brush is now 19 instead of 21, which is the next smaller size. Also, I am using air for this brush.

8. My 21-block cobblestone sphere now has a 19-block air sphere inside, perfectly aligned. Notice each of the faces still show the rock columns.

9. The sphere, with the columns removed. I don’t recommend this since these are nice as guides if you are moving things around.

10. The inside of my sphere, with the columns removed.

The cool thing about this is that as long as you find the center of the first sphere, the second sphere, next odd number smaller, will make sure you get a perfect hollow shape. Since you have those nice columns protruding, it is very easy to pick half or a quadrant for cutting and pasting purposes. You could also use this to make cylinders, since all you have to do is cut one block above and bellow of one of the planes where two of the columns cross.

On sleep deprivation and Incan Monkey Gods

From: Dilbert comic strip for 08/03/1992 from the official Dilbert comic strips archive. I was trying to show this strip to a coworker who is dangerously toying with the harsh mistress that is Insomnia. What shocked me is how quickly I was able to look up the strip, which was published when he was just 11 years old, and two weeks before my just-out-of-college ass shipped out to US Army Basic Training.

The Black Hole

If this was a minigolf hole, you can't reach B from A. Ever. If this was a room lined with mirrors, and you lit a candle at point A, you can't see it from B, not even reflected. Update: I guess I didn't explain this all the way through. You can't reach B from A with just one stroke, there's no direct line between them, and there is no way to bounce the ball (assuming perfect conditions). Thanks to Ben for pointing this obvious error.

Add custom speed settings to your ifit map workout

Ifit.com allows you to build a workout walk/race/bike route simply by clicking on a Google Maps interface. You can then use a compatible ifit-enabled workout machine to recreate the route automatically. The problem is that the user interface still isn't final, so there are features in place that aren't exactly obvious. For example, if you create a workout your machine starts at 1 MPH, because that's the default. But how to set it to start at say, 3 MPH? Easy, just switch from map view to graph view: That button switches from the Google Maps interface to a chart that allows you to visualize and control effort: You can't change the elevation, this is fixed due to the geography that you selected. But you can drag the yellow (speed line) to change the speed of your device. What if you want to have segments at different speeds? Easy, just click and drag and it will break the line, and you can drag each segment of the line independently: ...

The Insomniac Coder

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