digiKam and Vignetting tool

The new Vignetting tool in digiKam is really cool but I have some issues with it.
The most irritating one is the fact that digiKam not only adds a dark oval around the image - but also lightens the centre of the image.
See below:
Unmodified - (PNG):

With Added Vignette (PNG):

See the nose?
It's much lighter. How much exactly?
I loaded both photos to the GIMP and measured the colour of the same pixel.

Pixel coordinates: X: 235 , Y: 351
ORIGINAL: 
Colour: Red: 197, Green: 191, Blue: 198

VIGNETTE ADDED IN:
Colour: Red: 234, Green: 227, Blue: 236

30+ Awesome Free and Open Source Audio Applications List

http://open-tube.com/15-awesome-free-and-open-source-audio-applications-list

Ubuntu Tweak

Any Ubuntu fans out there?
There's a nice little utility that can make your life a bit easier.
http://my.opera.com/ubuntunerd1/blog/h-4

Artificially sweetened drinks kill you slowly

Found on Internets:

A diet high in salt or artificially sweetened drinks increases the risk of kidney function decline, two studies show.

The researchers found an association between two or more servings per day of artificially sweetened soda and a two-fold increased risk of faster kidney function decline. There was no connection between sugar-sweetened beverages and kidney function decline.

more:
http://www.empowher.com/news/2009/11/02/diet-soda-sodium-tied-kidney-trouble-studies

Rise from the dead

Hello,
I think it's time to revive this old blog of mine!

Barcelona

We visited Barcelona for a few days. It is a wonderful city, full of surprises at every step.
We were fortunate because the weather was very nice and the air temperature reached 18 degrees at one moment allowing me to walk around in a T-shirt. ;)
Pyrenees from the plane's window:

The middle of the Born district.


Famous Sagrada Familia - still under construction. How many years now?


Parc Guell in the sunset.


Somewhere in Montjuic district.

Winter

A real winter has finally visited Dublin. The whole city has been covered with a white veil of snow.
We went for a walk in the neighborhood and made a medium-sized snowman. Eyes out of olives, nose out of a carrot and mouth out of a pepper. :)
Somebody elses snowman:


Even cats were confused with this white thing on the ground.


Lili and our snowman (hairdressing is my design ;)


Me and our snowman.