Songbird ReMiix eNews November 2007

Finally, a Turkey is available for the Poser and DS worlds. While the turkey will be sold as a standalone model, those familiar with the Songbird ReMix series will recognize that it borrows much from the series. The key differences between the normal SBRM model and the Turkey model is the Turkey's 9 part neck; the Songbird ReMix model only has one neck section. The Turkey also has limited morphs abilities, meaning there's not much room for deviating from a turkey with the morphs. The exciting news is what will come eventually from this turkey model-- with the full arsenal of Songbird ReMix morphs and a few additional ones, Ken believes that realistic geese, ducks, chicken, swans, egrets and vultures will be possible in future volumes. The Wild Turkey is on sale at DAZ at 30% off until November 21st.

What's New in Downloads at SBRM Central

The biggest News is the release of the v2.8 engine for the ReMix series. 2.8 is a small jump from 2.7 correcting a tear in the geometry of the rear part of the wings which is sometimes visible in extreme positions. Of course, 2,7 corrected those Triangles that appeared sometimes when the wings were folded. v2.8 is available in Poser 5+ and DAZ|Studio formats at http://www.empken.com/downloads/downloads2.html.

The other big news is the updating of the entire series to be Poser 5+ compatible and v2.8 hard-coded into all native DS versions. The first update is available now... and that being, of course, the original Songbird ReMix Package. The rest of the Updates will follow sequentially over the next few months.

NEW FREE BIRDS:
Look in Pet Shop for a Yellow Cockatiel
Look in Parrots for the Golden Conure
Look in Cool & Unusual 2 for the Amahiki, Kawahie and Lesser Goldfinch

OTHER FREE STUFF:
Look in Wild Turkey for Mimic Configuration File to make your Turkey Talk and 5 Additional Poses.

What's Next in the Songbird ReMix World

Ken is currently planning a bird package dealing with the birds of Central America. The proposed list includes;

Status	Common Name	Scientific Name	Region
Vulnerable	Royal Flycatcher	Onychorhynchus coronatus	Yucatan
Near-Threatened	Resplendent Quetzal	Pharomachrus mocinno	Yucatan
	Black-throated Magpie-Jay	Calocitta formosa colliei	Yucatan
	Mangrove Swallow	Tachycineta albilinea	Yucatan
	White-collared Manakin	Manacus candei	Yucatan
	Chestnut-colored Woodpecker	Celeus castaneus	Yucatan
	Pygmy Kingfisher	Chloroceryle aenea stictoptera	Yucatan
	Blue-crowned Motmot	Momotus momota	Yucatan
	Elegant Trogon	Trogon elegans ambiguus	Yucatan
	Yucatan Jay	Cissilopha yucatanicus	Yucatan
	Tropical Parula	Parula pitiayumi nigrilora	Yucatan
	Bar-winged Oriole	Icterus maculialatus	Yucatan
Endangered	Cozumel Thrasher	Toxostoma guttatum	Yucatan
	Gray-throated Chat	Granatellus sallaei boucardi	Yucatan

Ken also is planning 2 possible tie-in packages to be released with Songbird ReMix Yucatan. One will be an Aracari as a stand-alone bird similar to the turkey format (An Aracari is a medium size Toucan found in Central America). The other package will be a Mayan city (much like Seashore House in detail and features).

Real Birds: Audubon Alerts
Congress Enacts Ecosystems Law In Historic Veto Override

More than five years in the making, the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which contains billions in funding to restore ecosystems became law after Congress overrode President Bush's veto by a staggering margin. Two-thirds of the House and Senate must vote to override a veto and WRDA drew a bipartisan vote of 361-54 in the House and 79-14 in the Senate. A longtime Audubon priority, the bill provides unprecedented ecosystem restoration funding authority in areas like the Everglades, the Great Lakes, coastal Louisiana, and the Mississippi River. Audubon activists from around the country have been aggressively lobbying in favor of the bill, particularly in recent months. In total, the $23 billion piece of legislation authorizes funding for navigation, flood protection, and $6 billion in ecosystem restoration. This is the first veto override of the Bush presidency. The law authorizes funding for the projects, and the funding must be approved in the 2009 appropriations process.

If your Congressman or Senator voted for this, thank them now. Hearing from you now will help ensure they vote for more environmental protections in the future.