MXD 1.7.0 is out, with a new Macro section to record parameter changes so you can recall complex dial movements, pitch bend, modulation, and expression. Record notes with parameter changes, and play them with any program or bounce them to audio and add them to the Session Grid, then trigger macros or audio patches from pads, a split keyboard or any MIDI CC number. MXD V1.7.0 takes music production and performance with the KORG Minilogue XD to a completely different level! Check it out here: fictionloom.com/mxd

After promising this for years, I finally released Photographer's Friend for Android! What's more, this is version 4.0, now with a focus stack calculator, along with the original Depth of Field, ND, and Exposure Value calculators! mbp.ac/phfandroid

Last night, the first clear night in months, I finished a 2 x 2 mosaic of the Veil Nebula (NGC 6960). I shot 12 x 6-minute frames for each panel on July 22, then finished with 6 more frames for each panel on Oct 7, 2026. With a 240-megabyte original, 52k stars, and the beautiful structure of the East and West Veil Nebulae, I'm relatively pleased with this. I also hung this at 3 meters wide in my Frame Weaver Pro Immersive Gallery. Have a walk around here: gallery.fictionloom.com/mbp/…

Before I knew it, we pushed MXD, my remote control and performance panel for the KORG Minilogue XD synthesizer, to version 1.5.0, with a new look to the user interface and a light theme to complement the dark theme, and we fixed an issue with the Local Libraries feature that prevented ownership from being transferred between tracks in a DAW, and numerous other improvements. To mark the occasion, I made a video to introduce you to MXD. Check it out here: youtu.be/GhVCaq-2POc

Frame Weaver made it through its first Apple App Store Review, completing the purchase options, including direct and Google Play Store: fictionloom.com/frame-weaver…

Learn the basics of Note Weaver, including importing notes from Obsidian, Bear, and OneNote, using our color-coded tags to organize your notes, and onboarding new devices. One license authorizes up to five devices on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. Check out the video here: youtu.be/tQXbI2vccQo

Do you take notes? I have been taking notes digitally for years. I have used many major note-taking applications and found that none of them fully met my needs. Every time I moved on, I struggled to find an easy way to migrate my notes from the previous app, and sometimes found myself left with hundreds of notes to organize and no tools to help me. Then, a few months ago, I was working on finishing up our first Fiction Loom product, MXD, and I needed to take a note, but when I opened up my notes application, I was confronted with a convoluted user experience, and notes were still unorganized because it was such a challenge to work through them all. That was the last note I made in that program. I sat for a day and wrote a plan for a new note-taking application that was everything I wanted, and I proceeded to tick off all the boxes. ✅ It has to look great! ✅ I need the freedom to write in Markdown for fast formatting without the mouse ✅ I can select where I store the notes on my desktop computer ✅ Does not rely on Cloud storage for synchronization ✅ Uses secure relay with nothing saved on the servers, or LAN sync when I’m at home ✅ It provides import tools for Obsidian, Bear, and OneNote ✅ Organize by folders & tags, with color coding to aid in organization, especially after import ✅ I have to be able to export my notes as PDF, print my notes, and export markdown documents ✅ I can use one license to activate up to 5 devices, on Mac, Windows, iOS, or Android ✅ Images can be left, right, or center aligned, and even pinned to the outer edge of the page ✅ Includes a clean reading mode to remove clutter with the click of a single button ✅ Needs easily accessible toolbars and icons without clutter ✅ I can pin notes to the top of the present folder ✅ Oh, and did I mention, it has to look great! Welcome to Note Weaver, the answer to my note-taking dreams fictionloom.com/note-weaver/

I've started working on an Astrophotography page on my website on which I write about my adventures in astrophotography, from both the technical and creative sides. It will become the hub for more content as time allows, but for now, I'm happy with how the page is turning out. Check it out if you are interested: mbp.ac/astro

The Horse Head Nebula (IC434) shot with an Optolong L-Ultimate Ha + OIII filter. Hydrogen alpha is the red light, and Oxygen III is the greenish-blue light towards the top of the image. Heading into spring now, Orion goes behind a neighbour's roof at around 11 pm, so I only have a few hours' window to capture it. On Friday evening, the clouds cleared in time for me to get 5 x 7-minute exposures, then last night, I had just over two hours before it clouded over again, so this is a total of 25 x 7 minutes for a 2-hour 55-min integration, making this my first multi-night image.

A word of warning. If you have an X Premium+ subscription renewing soon, you may be in for a surprise. I was charged 3X my first payment, with no notification, and I was refused a refund. I just downgraded to just Premium, which I would have done before my previous payment if X had the decency to tell me about the upcoming payment.

The Steller's Sea Eagle Butt Shot to beat them all. I shot this over the harbour wall in the Rausu Fishing Port during my first winter wildlife tour of the season. #Hokkaido #Rausu #StellersSeaEagle #Raptor #Eagle

A Mature Stellar's Sea Eagle takes the fish as a juvenile Stellar's Sea Eagle watches. These birds have a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters. #Hokkaido #Rausu #Japan #Wildlife #SeaEagle #StellarsSeaEagle

I don't shoot many small birds, but the Harlequin Duck in the right conditions simply demands to be photographed. #Hokkaido #HarlequinDuck #Japan #Wildlife #Rausu

This Ezo Deer was rubbing his horns against the twigs, then finishing them off by polishing them with the fur on his back, as seen in this photo. #Hokkaido #Notsuke #Wildlife #Japan #EzoDeer

The Stellar's Sea Eagle is one of the most magnificent birds on the planet. Even after more than twenty years, I never get tired of being in their presence. #Rausu #Hokkaido #Wildlife #Japan #StellarsSeaEagles

Just look at the shape of those feathers as the Short-Eared Owl hovers. These are such amazing birds! Shot on the Notsuke Peninsula in Hokkaido this afternoon. #Notsuke #Hokkaido #Wildlife #Japan #Owls

The Short-Eared Owl with the disputed Kuril Islands in the Background - Today was amazing! We started photographing the Sea Eagles from a chartered boat in Rausu, and moved over to Notsuke Peninsula in the afternoon, and had several encounters with this amazing owl. #Notsuke #Hokkaido #Wildlife #Japan #Owls

Lone Whooper Swan in the Mist - Kussharo Lake freezes less often now, but a mist like this makes up for it when it happens. #Hokkaido #KussharoLake #Sunayu #Japan #Wildlife

Ezo Deer Crossing the Setsuri River - The heads popping up everywhere are the Japanese Red-Crowned Cranes that roost here #Hokkaido #Japan #wildlife #RedCrownedCranes

Red-Crowned Cranes Taking Flight at the Ito Crane Sanctuary in Tsurui Village, Hokkaido, during my first winter wildlife tour of the season. #Hokkaido #Japan #Wildlife