Yeah, That Floating planet really stands out in the room !! haha
When using as a 360 Panorama Viewer the Earth and Moon scale can be reduced to their smallest value so as to hide them. the Dragon Rock image is the best demonstration when used as a viewer, the image is seamless and smooth.  This first go around with a 24 section,  528 poly sphere wasn't detailed enough so I upgraded.  I am currently using a 48 section model with a 2208 poly sphere and mapping image resolutions that are 2x of these.  the outcome is of game quality. thanks for the comments and checking it out !
DB

More Polar Compressed Projections.

Hello! I am posting this because I saw some discussion regarding the process of wrapping images around a sphere.
I created this program about three years ago, It uses a 528 Poly sphere to display a space background, Earth and Moon.
I have since upgraded to a 2,208 poly sphere (which has a much 'rounder' appearance due to more polys) for projects I'm currently working on,  but this is a very good starting point for those looking for more understanding. Please see the included .pdf that describes how the Equirectangular Projections are converted into Polar Compressed map projections and then mapped onto the sphere.
The models are fully rotatable and scalable with many options. the Earth, Moon and distance between them is to scale making it hard to always get both in view at the same time...so I added an 'Exaggerate' option for both of them, check it out !
This program is also useful as a 360 Panoramic Viewer when you replace the space background with other images. After the initial posting I will add other planets and images that have already been prepared as Polar Compressed Projections.  BE SURE to download and try the image "Dragon Rock Projection24.jpg' found in a separate post below!!! Awesome.
 

NOVARSEG, same here, after saving code and data to a cassette for so long the 5 1/4" was a game changer, I  used 8" floppy's on IBM mainframe systems which I thought were a bit silly.

Yep, Timex Sinclair, Texas Instruments, Atari and all those from that time period. my second computer job in Vegas ('84) was as a salesmen selling the new AT&T PC 6300 was in fact an Olivetti M24 sold under the ATT brand. They introduced GWbasic with that model which I programmed in for a good while. (POS)
so, how long have you and B+ been married? he seems to complete you...

I was only saying that I was done with this particular program thread , not with this forum. from the comments I've seen so far I think I have found a new home! my wit is much the same as you guys (poor bastards) and humor is the basis of my existence although I'm still waiting to find some out here!

And since the question was posed:
I was born in Florida but moved through much of my youth attending 15 different schools before graduating in 1982 from Western High School, Las Vegas, NV.
I started coding at the age of 14 when Intel first introduced their new 8086 architecture and Apple introduced their Apple DOS 3.1 their Disk II 5 1/4" floppy diskette drive for the Apple II home computer. my first computers were the TRS80 Color Computer and the Commodore. I've always been more of a PC guy then MAC.

I graduated from Education Dynamics Institute in Las Vegas in 1984 (now de funked) where I learned to code in Basic, RPG, FORTRAN and COBOL although once I started attending I found that I had already become proficient in basic (of that time) so they used me as an aid to teach other students. after graduating EDI a took a job with Centex Homes in Fla as administrator of their data processing department and creating custom construction programs (using IBM Mainframes Sys34/36/38 and AS400). I moved on to work for Certainteed Corp as manager of their Mainframe data processing dept then worked for many years as a field tech building and upgrading computers and networks for large businesses.

the big picture is I've been building and programming computers most of my life although I have served as a commercial graphic artist for the past 20+ years. I create and design scale drawings of electronic signs of all types for malls and businesses. I am a master of photo manipulation and Vector graphics of all kinds and use Corel Draw as my main design tool. I think it is the combination of programming and art that keeps me interested in tinkering with programming. I like game development though I've never been much of a gamer, I was always more interested in 'How it works' than playing; unlike some, I was actually able to reassemble all those radios I disassembled back then! I have also been an amateur archeologist for almost 30 years now and have been playing saxophone and other woodwinds since my Las Vegas days. I am semi-retired and spend much of my time at my property in New Mexico and Fla... WHEW ! (you asked!)

Now that I've dusted off this old program I couldn't resist making another Image to demo.
Either rename this attachment to 'skull.com' or change the code to substitute the file name 'Flying Saucer.png'

Actually, since the attached Saucer pattern does not change from frame to frame it could be reproduced with only ONE frame instead of 72 by not advancing the image pointers.

This was fun but NOW I'm done.  I challenge all to find ways to have fun with this !