This raccoon shelf is not large. The shelf is 10.25" long and 3.5". Feel free to make the shelf deeper if you need more usable shelf space. You will need 1/4" and 1/2" thick wood. It could be used in a child's room or if you have a cabin. The build is mostly glued slots and tabs but you will need some screws for the brackets.
Not Scroll Saw Related
I received a few emails asking about the talking robot head that introduced my blog in yesterday's post. I have a conversation going on with a few of my blog subscribers about AI. I know that most of you are not that interested in the subject so feel free to skip this section. I posted it for the folks I am in the conversation with.
I am investing large amounts of time trying to learn as much as possible about the AI tools that are on the market. I use AI for both the work on the blog and for entertainment. AI is allowing me to nearly double my pattern production. Here is how that works.
When I design a pattern with artwork like the raccoon in today's pattern I need reference material. Not only do I need reference material but I have to make sure it is in the public domain so I can freely use it. The process of searching the web for that artwork can take hours sometimes.
Now I can generate much of the work using AI image generators. The generators will not make the image usable as a scroll saw pattern so I have to edit and redraw most of them but that still saves me tons of time. I still have to manually put the pdf together and render the 3D images of the project but I have always had to do that part anyway.
The reason I can produce two patterns most days is because of the help of AI.
I also use AI for entertainment. I make coloring book pages for the kids in the family. I can produce songs with full music arrangements about any subject I like. It will write the lyrics, produce the music, and even sing the song. These are not, as most people think just copies of online music they are created by the models using pattern recognition from thousands of songs.
The following video was entirely produced from a single photo of me. It was a photo, not a video. AI produced all the lipsync and animation. It also wrote the lyrics about my favorite UK basketball team.
These are just for fun and really silly but I'm a nerd so it works for me. Imagine me rapping. That is a big stretch but AI can make it happen. If you hate RAP then the second video is a blues song. The third video is country.
Silly RAP sone about UK basketball
I sing the blues.
I like country music
The following image was generated by AI after I gave it a prompt to create an image of a rabbit shooting a basketball. This is how I get my source material. Ie image is not scroll-saw-ready but it gets me close enough. The key is writing a prompt to the AI that produces what you need. The prompt for this image took me a few weeks to create. Now that I have the generic prompt I can use it for any subject. The image below is not a copy from the web. It was created by AI. There is no trademark or copyright so that is much more comfortable for me to use.
When I was working on creating the original prompt, the difficulty was getting it to generate something that I could easily trace and edit.
Another useful AI tool is writing proper English. My writing skills are very poor. Luckily most of you accept that and overlook my errors.
Here is the prompt to improve the paragraph above.
Rewrite this for better English on a normal reading level.
Here is how it rewrote it. As you see it improved my writing. It is a bit formal so I normally ask it to be more casual.
The image you see below is the result of an AI’s creative process, which was initiated by a prompt I provided. The prompt was to create an image of a rabbit shooting a basketball. This image serves as the foundation for my work. Although it’s not ready for scroll-sawing as is, it’s a good starting point.
The key to this process is crafting a prompt that guides the AI to produce the desired output. It took me several weeks to refine the prompt for this image. Now that I have a generic prompt, I can adapt it to any subject matter.
This image is not a mere copy from the internet; it’s an original creation by the AI. The absence of any trademark or copyright issues makes it much more comfortable for me to use.
The main challenge I faced while creating the original prompt was to get the AI to generate an image that I could easily trace and edit.
Here is the same text converted to a more casual style.
Check out this cool image of a rabbit shooting a basketball. It’s not something I found on the web, but something an AI whipped up for me. I just gave it a prompt and voila! It’s not exactly ready for scroll-sawing, but it’s a good start.
The trick is to give the AI a prompt that gets you what you want. It took me a few weeks to nail this one, but now I can use it for any subject. And the best part? Since the AI made it, there’s no copyright or trademark issues, so I can use it without any worries.
The tough part was getting the AI to create something I could easily trace and edit when I was working on the original prompt. But hey, no pain, no gain, right?
Now how about rewriting it in the style of Dr. Seuss?
In a world where AI’s the new Picasso, I asked it to draw, and it said “Here we go!” A rabbit shooting hoops, oh what a sight, Not ready for scroll-saw, but it’s quite alright.
The secret, you see, is in the prompt you feed, It took weeks to perfect, but I’ve got what I need. Now any subject, big or small, With my trusty prompt, I can draw them all!
This image, my friend, is fresh and new, Not a web copy, but an AI brew. No trademark, no copyright, it’s free to use, Just like a Dr. Seuss muse.
The challenge, of course, was in the creation, Getting an image for easy trace and modification. But with some work and a bit of fun, The task was done, and the game was won!
So that is probably more than you want to know about AI but it is changing the world. The automation alone is going to be a multi-billion-dollar business. If you are young and work in a capacity where AI will be a factor you will interface with it soon.
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