[{"content":"\nReading is not writing. If you just want to look up a note, skim a document or view a .md file someone sent you, you don\u0026rsquo;t need an editor with plugins, vaults and sync. You need a program that starts instantly, shows the file and then stays out of the way.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s exactly what I built mdVü for. It has been on GitHub as a public beta for a few days now, and the most important thing is still missing: people who try it out.\nI use Obsidian very heavily. My main vault keeps growing and now has more than 5000 pages. Obsidian is still damn fast for everything it does, but starting the program takes ages. That\u0026rsquo;s certainly also down to the many plugins. When you just want to look something up quickly, it gets a bit annoying. And conceptually Obsidian is built around vaults, so you can\u0026rsquo;t simply open an arbitrary Markdown file.\nWhy yet another Markdown program? Most Markdown tools are editors, and many of them ship a complete web browser. That\u0026rsquo;s perfectly fine for writing; Obsidian, Typora and VS Code are great programs. But just to view a file, they carry a lot of weight around: startup time, memory, background processes.\nmdVü isn\u0026rsquo;t meant to replace these programs but to complement them. It\u0026rsquo;s the tool for a quick look: double-click in Explorer, read, done.\nSmall, fast and frugal A single EXE of about 15 MB. No installer, no .NET, no runtime, no browser engine. Copy the file anywhere and run it. Native and fast. mdVü is a real Windows application with its own layout engine. Even large documents open without noticeable delay. Little memory. Without Chromium under the hood, mdVü needs only a fraction of what browser-based editors take up. With a 300 KB test file (about 70 pages printed), mdVü uses just 40.5 MB of RAM according to Task Manager. The heart of it: printing and PDF This is what I\u0026rsquo;m proudest of. Getting Markdown onto paper cleanly is surprisingly often a detour via the browser or a PDF printer driver, and the result rarely looks good.\nIn mdVü, the print preview for a hundred-page document is there practically instantly. Wide tables are automatically fitted to the page width, and page breaks avoid orphaned headings. Since version 0.9 there is a page setup right in the preview: printer, paper size (A3 to A6, Letter, Legal) and portrait or landscape. Preview, printout and PDF always show exactly the same thing.\nThe PDF export creates a real vector PDF with selectable text and a bookmark tree built from the document\u0026rsquo;s headings, straight from the program, no detours.\nWhat else is in there Formats GitHub Flavored Markdown, plus Obsidian callouts, wikilinks and image embeds Folder view Tree of the current folder with live updates and filter-as-you-type Outline All headings as a tree, one click jumps to the spot Navigation Back/forward like in a browser, clickable path bar, working links between documents Dark mode For the interface and the document; print and PDF deliberately stay light Custom look A user.css is layered over the built-in stylesheet Auto-reload If another program changes the open file, mdVü reloads it and keeps the scroll position Offline and quiet mdVü contains no network code whatsoever. No telemetry, no update checks, no account. Your documents never leave your computer.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s not just a promise: before every release, a script checks the EXE\u0026rsquo;s DLL imports against a versioned list. If a network DLL ever sneaked in unnoticed through a new library, it would be caught before signing. Every published EXE is code-signed, and each release page lists the SHA-256 checksum and the VirusTotal report.\nA note on Windows SmartScreen: for a freshly released program, a warning may still appear despite a valid signature. It only goes away once the signature has collected enough downloads and thus \u0026ldquo;reputation\u0026rdquo;. Every tester helps with that, too.\nI\u0026rsquo;m looking for beta testers mdVü is free and has already been through a lot of internal testing. But I know my own files, and that\u0026rsquo;s exactly why I need yours:\nDownload the current version from the release page on GitHub. Try it with your own Markdown files: notes, documentation, long texts, tables, everything. Report whatever gets stuck, is missing or feels wrong as an issue on GitHub. For crash logs or anything that shouldn\u0026rsquo;t be public, you can also send an email to mdView@outlook.de. You need Windows 10 or 11. The manual is built into the program (F1) and is available in more detail in the repository.\nI\u0026rsquo;m happy about any feedback, especially now, while everything is still easy to change.\n","permalink":"https://m3blog.de/en/posts/mdvu-markdown-reader/","summary":"A lean, fast Markdown viewer for Windows with real print and PDF output. Now available as a free beta, and I am looking for testers.","title":"mdVü: a Markdown reader that only wants to read"},{"content":"My most successful model on Printables is, of all things, my simplest one. Designed in maybe five minutes, it now has more than 270 likes and over 1,500 downloads, and 35 people have printed it and uploaded a photo. Sometimes there\u0026rsquo;s no understanding the internet.\nBoth parts here were made for my better half.\nStitch markers When knitting, you hang stitch markers between two stitches, for example at the start of a round or where you increase or decrease. That way you keep track while counting. You can buy them, of course, but printed ones are done in a few minutes and come in any colour.\nThe verdict from the person who uses them: works well. I printed them in PLA, no supports needed.\nUpdate: I\u0026rsquo;ve had to reprint them quite a few times over the past few years, \u0026hellip;\nDownload: Knitting Stitch Marker on Printables\nHeart-shaped needle gauge A good two months later, the second part followed: a template for measuring the diameter of knitting needles. Especially with older needles or circular needles, the size often can\u0026rsquo;t be read anymore. Since this was for my better half again, it\u0026rsquo;s shaped like a heart.\nThe holes cover 2 to 6 mm in half-millimetre steps, plus 7, 8 and 10 mm. Each hole is 0.15 mm larger than its nominal size so the needles don\u0026rsquo;t jam. From 3 mm up, I checked every hole with metal drill bits; unfortunately I didn\u0026rsquo;t have bits for 2 and 2.5 mm.\nThe heart is about 60 × 50 mm and 5 mm thick. I printed it in white PLA with a 0.2 mm layer height (\u0026ldquo;Quality\u0026rdquo; profile in PrusaSlicer). For the top layer with the lettering I switched to black PLA, so the text is readable without any post-processing.\nDownload: Knitting Needle Gauge Heart Shape on Printables\n","permalink":"https://m3blog.de/en/posts/knitting-accessories/","summary":"Two little helpers for my better half. One of them is my simplest model and at the same time my most successful one.","title":"Knitting accessories from the printer: stitch markers and needle gauge (3D models)"},{"content":"We got properly hooked on Qwirkle. A game takes about half an hour and demands quite a lot of concentration the whole time. Over the years our playing style has changed: at first everyone neatly laid their tiles where they fitted nicely. Today it\u0026rsquo;s cut-throat competition, and every move is mainly about wrecking the game for the others. Always at the risk of sabotaging your own future options in the process. But still better than handing your opponent a Qwirkle and with it 12 points.\nQwirkle is a lovely tile-laying game, and the travel edition comes compactly in a bag. What it lacks is somewhere to put your tiles. Without it, each player\u0026rsquo;s six tiles lie flat on the table in front of them, and the other players can see everything.\nEach rack holds exactly six tiles. A narrow rim all around keeps them from falling off too easily. Several racks can be stacked and so fit into the game\u0026rsquo;s bag as well.\nOne side is closed so that the rack can be printed upright without supports. I still used a bit of glue. Printed in PLA in draft mode, it takes a good two hours on my Prusa Mini+.\nDownload: Game Tile Rack on Printables\nQwirkle is a trademark of MindWare. The rack is not official merchandise but my own design.\n","permalink":"https://m3blog.de/en/posts/qwirkle-tile-rack/","summary":"A stackable rack for six tiles that fits into the bag of the travel edition.","title":"Tile racks for Qwirkle – travel edition (3D model)"},{"content":"An old wardrobe had reached the end of its days, but the mirror door was too good to throw away. After all, it works just as well as a wall mirror. The only question was how to get a wardrobe door onto the wall properly.\nUpdate: the mirror really is still hanging in the hallway today.\nThe idea: use the hinge hole Wardrobe doors almost always hang on concealed cup hinges. Unscrew them, and round holes remain in the door, 35 mm in diameter and about 12 mm deep. That\u0026rsquo;s exactly what I used: a printed insert goes into the hole, and it sits on a printed hook on the wall.\nThe hook is oval. With two hooks, as in my case, this lets you compensate for one or two millimetres of height difference: simply turn one of them by 180 degrees. That only works if it doesn\u0026rsquo;t sit too tightly on the screw, though. So measuring carefully beforehand saves work.\nThe inserts sit very firmly in the hole even without screws. If you want to be on the safe side, you can screw them in as well.\nA hook for everything A groove runs all the way around the hook. So it doesn\u0026rsquo;t just carry the mirror door, but anything hanging from a string, a small chain or picture wire, for example an IKEA picture frame.\nDownload: Hook and inlet on Printables\nThe drilling template A day later I published a second model that also revolves around the 35 mm hole, this time in the other direction: a template for marking out the holes for a cup hinge.\nSmall notches on the edge help you draw the centre line and the line for the screws. That way you can see where the hole will end up before you drill.\nPrinted in PLA with a 0.2 mm layer height (\u0026ldquo;Quality\u0026rdquo; profile in PrusaSlicer), no supports needed.\nDownload: Drill stencil for cabinet door hinges on Printables\n","permalink":"https://m3blog.de/en/posts/mirror-door-upcycling/","summary":"Wall hooks for a retired wardrobe door that reuse the old hinge holes, and a drilling template for concealed cabinet hinges.","title":"An old mirror door gets a second life (3D models)"},{"content":"Fresh pasta needs to hang somewhere after cutting, and a dedicated pasta drying rack is one of those kitchen gadgets that mostly just takes up space. So instead I repurposed the IKEA Tornviken kitchen shelf.\nTwo printed clips hook onto the shelf board and hold up to two round rods 8 mm in diameter. I used beech dowels from the hardware store, which cost about one euro.\nBe a little careful when hooking them on: hook the clips in at the top and then bend them open slightly, otherwise you\u0026rsquo;ll scratch the underside of the shelf board.\nSo the rods don\u0026rsquo;t lie around when there\u0026rsquo;s no pasta drying, there\u0026rsquo;s also a small clip that holds both of them together. With it, they hang from a nail on the wall.\nAll parts print in PLA without supports.\nDownload: Pasta drying rack for IKEA Tornviken on Printables\n","permalink":"https://m3blog.de/en/posts/pasta-drying-rack-ikea/","summary":"Two clips turn the Tornviken shelf into a pasta drying rack, plus a holder to put the rods away.","title":"Drying pasta on an IKEA kitchen shelf (3D model)"},{"content":" Brown knapweed (Centaurea jacea) (identification uncertain)Pentax K-70 · Sigma Lens · 133 mm · f/5.6 · 1/640 s · ISO 200 Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) with a common red soldier beetlePentax K-70 · Sigma Lens · 200 mm · f/6.7 · 1/640 s · ISO 200 Bud of field scabious (Knautia arvensis) (identification uncertain)Pentax K-70 · Sigma Lens · 200 mm · f/6.7 · 1/640 s · ISO 200 Field scabious (Knautia arvensis)Pentax K-70 · Sigma Lens · 200 mm · f/6.7 · 1/640 s · ISO 400 Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)Panasonic Lumix GX80 · Lumix G Macro 30 mm f/2.8 · 30 mm · f/4.5 · 1/250 s · ISO 200 Photos: © Martin · CC BY-NC 4.0 · Usage and larger versions What\u0026rsquo;s in bloom Brown knapweed (Centaurea jacea) (identification uncertain) Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), with a common red soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) on it Field scabious (Knautia arvensis), once in full bloom, once as a bud (identification uncertain) Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) ","permalink":"https://m3blog.de/en/fotos/wildflowers-by-the-lahn/","summary":"Flowers in a meadow by the river Lahn near Fachingen, photographed on two summer evenings in July 2021.","title":"Wildflowers by the Lahn"},{"content":"May 2018: I had just got the Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95, a fully manual prime lens, and needed something to try it out on. It turned out to be my old Pfaff sewing machine, fully working, in different light.\nThe Lumix G3 is a bit noisy on its own. The grain in these pictures is intentional, though: it was added in Lightroom to give the shots an old look.\nPanasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Presser foot in lamplightPanasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Panasonic Lumix G3 · Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95 · 25 mm Photos: © Martin · CC BY-NC 4.0 · Usage and larger versions Ten euros and a speeding ticket I got the machine itself on eBay, for ten euros. Nobody else had bid, and pick-up only was a must. The owner was really nice, and ten euros for a piece like that felt almost dubious to me, so I added a bottle of wine.\nI picked up the Pfaff together with my son. On the way back a speed camera flashed, and at home the two of us still had to haul the cast-iron heavyweight up to my attic flat at the time. All things considered, the fine was more expensive than the sewing machine.\nI only really understood later what I had got for ten euros. The Pfaff 130 came onto the market from Kaiserslautern in the early 1930s and was one of the first household sewing machines that could sew zigzag in addition to straight stitch. It was built until the 1950s, around three million of them in total. It is made almost entirely of cast iron and steel, and that is exactly what makes it so durable: with a little oil it still sews reliably after many decades, even through thick fabrics like denim or leather. Among collectors and anyone who mends their own sails or tarpaulins, it still has a very good reputation.\n","permalink":"https://m3blog.de/en/fotos/pfaff-130/","summary":"My old Pfaff sewing machine in different light, shot while testing the Mitakon 25 mm f/0.95.","title":"Pfaff 130"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m Martin, and this is my workbench in text form.\nI like making things myself, usually more of them than I can finish at once. I write software, mostly in Delphi, there\u0026rsquo;s a homelab at home with everything that goes with it, and the 3D printer prints whatever everyday life happens to be missing. And I take photos, mostly nature, and in recent years more and more often at weddings.\nThis is where the results end up: projects that worked, solutions I\u0026rsquo;d otherwise have to look up again next time, and now and then the story behind them. Kept short, without tracking and without a cookie banner.\nQuestions, hints, or found a mistake? My contact details are in the imprint (German). The photos may be used under the terms on the license page.\n","permalink":"https://m3blog.de/en/about/","summary":"Who writes here","title":"About"},{"content":"The photographs in the Photos section are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).\nWhat you may do You may copy, share and adapt the photos in the version published here, as long as\nthe use is non-commercial and you credit me as the author. This refers to the version available through the full-size view (at most 2000 pixels on the long edge). The thumbnails are the same photos at a smaller size.\nHow to credit me Photo: Martin (m3blog.de), CC BY-NC 4.0\nIf possible, with a link to the photo\u0026rsquo;s page. If you edited the image, please say so (\u0026ldquo;edited\u0026rdquo;). Author and license are also stored in the metadata of every image file.\nWhat needs a request Commercial use, for example in advertising, on products or in paid publications Larger versions, for example for prints Just get in touch, my contact details are in the imprint (German).\nWhat this license does not cover Texts and all other images on this blog, including photos in the regular posts. I reserve all rights to those unless stated otherwise. Third-party rights. If people, trademarks or protected works can be recognized in a photo, I can only grant you my own rights. Whether you also need their consent is up to you to check. The license is irrevocable: whatever you have used under these terms, you may keep using that way.\n","permalink":"https://m3blog.de/en/license/","summary":"\u003cp\u003eThe photographs in the \u003ca href=\"/en/fotos/\"\u003ePhotos\u003c/a\u003e section are licensed under \u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.en\"\u003eCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-you-may-do\"\u003eWhat you may do\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou may copy, share and adapt the photos in the version published here, as long as\u003c/p\u003e","title":"Photo License"}]