Thanks to an article in Tech Advisor  I found out how to change my skin in Minecraft. Turns out that there is a place called Skindex that has a free skin editor.  FREE!  Another site, " How To Gurus " has a video on how to use Skindex and how to transfer it to the game. I dyed a sheep to match my new outfit. I had several false starts - at one point I thought I was finished and found I had put the face on the back of my head - I'm hoping to do better in the future.

 I just downloaded the 'Java' version of Minecraft. I had been using the Bedrock version on Switch,  but I wanted to try to get Achievements and they weren't available for Switch Minecraft without significant hoop-jumping. Things are very different.   What were 'Achievements' in Bedrock are now called 'Advancements' in Java. I started a New World without cheats and it was a big shift. I hadn't realized how using the "keep inventory" cheat had made things easy, and it was discouraging to build up XP points and inventory and then die and lose everything.  Added 10-30-2021. I started a new world in Java and found that I could get Advancements while using "keep inventory." On Switch, I was finally able to access the Microsoft website and get 'Achievements' there. I'm also having to learn keyboard commands - I died the second day after accidentally hitting the Trader and having his llamas spit at me and knock me back into a hol

(Below - supplies for the journey)  I finally found a Village Cartographer who had a Woodland Explorer Map for sale.  I wanted to make a Map Wall of the journey, so I packed supplies to make maps as I traveled.  I put the Woodland Explorer Map in my shield spot, and created new maps in the other hand - starting with a basic blank map that could be expanded to 4x4 size on the craft table. When the marker indicated I had 'walked off the map' I started a new map. Woodland Explorer Map on left, 0/4 map on right. It was a long journey. It took me fifteen Minecraft days. I passed near six villages, and a ruined portal. I had to detour several times to avoid things like a pillager tower and rugged terrain. I crossed plains, savannas, swamps, deserts, mountains, and a bit of badlands. Every time I went through a forest I wondered if this was where I would find the Woodland Mansion, since you can only find them in the thickest woods. The map gives no indication of the distance still to

Minecraft is a popular game that has been out for a long time, has been updated multiple times, and is on several versions on at least nine different platforms.  For this reason, when you try to make "an easy build" that you read about in an article or viewed on a video it might not work for you. Here are some things that I was able to make on Minecraft Switch Bedrock: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeb Door: The classic door is a 2x2 block door that is hidden when closed and sits flush with the wall. When activated, it slides across to reveal a secret passageway. I got the directions for my Jeb door at Skippy 6 Gaming . Jeb Door - Closed (Lever is at top left - could be hidden better) Jeb Door - Open - Showing back wall of secret chamber ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Automated Sugarcane Farm  I got direc

Before After MCPE-21416  There is a horrible  bug in Minecraft that causes mobs and entities to despawn at random. Minecraft (Bedrock codebase) MCPE-21416 Mobs and Entities can despawn randomly What is an entity?  An entity is an object in Minecraft that moves or can be moved.  It includes a long list of inanimate objects like armor stands, paintings, and item frames that can be moved or dropped as an item.  'Mobs' , are"mobile entities" that are AI-driven to resemble a living creature like a cat or a villager.  I found out about this the hard way when my armor stands (and the displayed armor) disappeared.  I had previously lost pets and villagers, and blamed that on the fact that I was teleporting, but losing my displayed armor was devastating. Reading through the JIRA these disappearances may be caused when: Mobs cross  chunk borders between saves. You change your spawn location (i.e., your bed) You play for a long time without saving. You teleport or travel long d

(Above - Zombie Villager at Welcome Desk) In my Minecraft world, the nearest naturally-spawned village is a good distance away. I decided to make my own village.  I took materials from a deserted village and used them to make new buildings at a site closer to base. Then I enclosed the new village with a high wall. I put a row of sweet berry bushes outside the wall. Sheep were being killed by brushing against the bushes so I put another fence around the bushes that were around the wall. I lit the village with torches and Redstone lamps with daylight sensors. I built gardens with beets, carrots, potatoes, and wheat. I also put in some melons, pumpkins, and sugar cane. My Little Village When I felt the village was ready I looked for villagers. The nearest populated village was an overnight trip away, so I decided kidnapping distant villagers to bring them to my village would not be practical. I decided to get new villagers by luring zombie villagers to a safe place where they couldn't