February 2011
1 post
8 tags
Saturation and Gamma Correction formulas
Here’s a copy of a post I placed back on 31MAY08 for my “final project” at Full Sail University…
So I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my shaders to implement gamma corrections and saturation modification. This may not seem like a big deal but truth be told, if you’re using a pretty crappy monitor, these features can make or break a game.
After toiling on the...
January 2011
1 post
Leaving NYC...
moving to little falls…
December 2010
2 posts
Android must have apps for root →
Pretty sweet
Pro-WikiLeaks cyber army gains strength; thousands... →
Time for the silent minority to be heard… :-)
September 2010
1 post
Just a test
Want to see if this Android app is working…
May 2010
4 posts
Chrome to Open an App Store - PCWorld →
This could be the spark that makes traditional application creation and distribution obsolete…
AppleInsider | Google compares Apple to 'Big... →
You know what? The comparison is accurate. The tables seem to have turned as Apple takes the mantle once held by the former champions that it stood before in the company’s infancy (IBM, etc). I’ve felt this way for years but there is one good piece of insight from all this: the drones in the commercial weren’t dragged there, they were happy to be there and they were convinced...
Installable Web Apps - Google Code →
Just a heads up folks but this could be the future of how applications are released. An alternative to the iTunes Store that doesn’t care where you are or what you’re running…
8 tags
Ass-kissing Parade - Opinion piece on dumb media
So I was walking through a pharmacy the other day when I saw the Time magazine issue “Top 100 influential people” where I saw Madonna (who turned out to be Lady Gaga) and Bill Clinton standing side by side. I was curious so I opened up the magazine and checked it out. Then I almost started vomiting.
I’m not saying that I was going to blow chunks on my shoes because of their...
April 2010
13 posts
3 tags
Technology and Intellect (A Chat With Curtis)
MikeV: heh, cool thing I just thought of... (and a bit of why I always go to the "tougher side" of the street with development)
MikeV: in this culture we've become so fascinated with making better tools that we no longer care for the quality of the craftsman, surrounded by hacks posing as prophets. However, the hacks now outproduce the dedicated among us... so who should we take inspiration from? This isn't to say that those who outproduce are all hacks but in general as a society we admire those who live by shortcuts just as much as those who toil for the fruits of their labor. Finally I ask, what is more important: the ends or the means?
MikeV: or am I full of shit?
MikeV: :-\
CurtisS: no.. i would say alot of american deveelopers would be considered hacks.. but the sad thing is that alot of them are forced to produce.. hacked things cause no time to preplan.. and no time to test.. and well.. shit gets thrown together as ur using it.
CurtisS: as far as what matters most.. that i cant ans for u
CurtisS: for me i would say it depends on what ur working towards
MikeV: yeah, in the end the paradox of the human intellect is that it comes to realize value in things beyond the realm of nature but it is only the realm of nature that truly matters. Love (as an intellectual construct) is less important than the breeze and sex (a natural construct) is the core of our existence
MikeV: our intellect is a feedback loop with little purpose other than to keep running until we are gone
CurtisS: sadly most wont admit it
MikeV: nature can only stare at us like a crowd surrounding a street performer
MikeV: I got to put this stuff down
MikeV: masturbate someone else's waste of time
MikeV: :-P
MikeV: "if there's one thing that I'll miss about Mike it's that he made wasting time so interesting"
MikeV: /facepalm
CurtisS: lol who said that one?
MikeV: i did... imagining what I'm leaving in my wake
CurtisS: how would one actually think u ever waisted time
MikeV: If the only point is to be like nature and dominate then we have little purpose for technology because it only ups the ante until we all lose everything so in the long run technology is a bad investment over time
CurtisS: ha
CurtisS: unless it puts us in the matrix
MikeV: but if we are to be like the imaginary ideal of our intellects and be "good" then technology is crucial because it is the only asset that can bring us to a better tomorrow; the only requirement is that people remain good
MikeV: man... maybe I should see if there's any money in philosophy
MikeV: would you mind if I put this in my blog?
CurtisS: mind what
CurtisS: no not at all
MikeV: technology is a scalar modifier on ones intent. if someone wanted to use a hammer for good or bad then there's a limit to the scope of whatever is in their reach. if someone could use a wish to make anything they desired possible then all existence would be at their whim for better or for worse
CurtisS: i get ya
CurtisS: but if u could wish
CurtisS: that tool is only limited to ur imagineation
CurtisS: wich is not everything
MikeV: and yet again, there is our intellect and technology as bedfellows expanding on each other
MikeV: our intellect expand our imaginations that lead us to aspire to uncover new technology which expands our capabilities which facilitates (repeat this sentence for the core of why we have evolved beyond all other animals in the jungle)
MikeV: I have to work on the grammar but that's it basically
CurtisS: therefor technology is important caue it will oneday lead us to a point where we dont just consume and destroy... well as a frame of mind..
MikeV: yep... so technology is either the facilitator of our destruction in the hands of civilized people acting like animals or the provider of hope to animals trying to act like civilized people
MikeV: to think that for all other animals it is really just a matter of chance
MikeV: animals = food + sex + shelter
MikeV: humanity = (food + sex + shelter) * (technology + intellect)
MikeV: which is funny because
MikeV: technology = knowledge * creativity
MikeV: creativity = knowledge * technology
MikeV: knowledge = creativity * technology
MikeV: well, not too sure about that last part (after "which is funny...") but the first part is solid I think
CurtisS: lol
CurtisS: i get ur drift
CurtisS: knowledge = pancake
MikeV: cake = lie
CurtisS: lol
MikeV: you = gay
MikeV: ;-)
MikeV: X-D
CurtisS: lol
MikeV: well, I'm gonna stop wasting your time but I'm gonna save this... it's good stuff
5 tags
Why Facebook? (Lazy syndrome)
In the ivory towers of imagination we can think that by facilitating a means to an end then the ends should be both clearer and nearly inevitable. However, it would seem that there are cases where this is not so!
Facebook has managed to evolve into a system where nearly all the functions found on the internet already have been combined. Here is a list of features that you can get access to via...
The "Abstain" & "Removal" Vote
Being completely terrified by the prospect of having either Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin become president in 2012 I’ve come up with something that can change everything: the “abstain” or “no change” vote and the “removal” vote. So far we’ve been forced as a culture to pick between new candidates and the previous. What if we didn’t like any...
2 tags
Working Solo
Today I want to comment on the pros and cons to working on your own (self-employment).
The best part about being self-employed is that you’re in charge of everything. No boss to blame, no investors to botch up your vision… just you and your opinion of how to run your life.
The bad part about being self-employed however (and this is primarily for one person shops such as my own)...
2 tags
On the Apple phenomenon
Firstly, let me say that I don’t hate Apple or it’s products. I dislike them and how they’re all so meshed together and the fact that they scoff in the general direction of Linux doesn’t help them much either… but I don’t hate the company. Their users (or at least the more vocal ones) on the other hand can burn in a fiery blaze with every other fanboy out...
You Are What You Do (Whether You Like It Or Not)
I spent most of my time in junior high school and high school working on computers. No programming, just tinkering, reinstalling the OS, adding parts here, troubleshooting there. I did it mostly because I liked making a machine that worked and once I figured that part out I grew to want to make it work better. I didn’t care, it wasn’t work, it was just what I did.
After high...
3 tags
Hard Times Separate the Shepards from the Sheep
So it’s been close to 9 months since I’ve left my previous job and came back to NYC. It’s been just as long that I’ve searched high and low for work. Now I’m done with work. I’m done with a good deal of distractions at this point. No more seeking pleasures, no more seeking comfort. The time has come to rise or at least go out in a blaze trying.
Most folks...
March 2010
9 posts
1 tag
The Linux Paradox
Linux came from the efforts of selfless programmers for many different reasons. I personally support it because I admire this achievement which is, in my opinion, a testament to cooperation between people.
However, because the core of Linux development has been from hackers and academia much of the culture around Linux gives the air of freedom in ways that repels assistance from the private...
2 tags
The Debacle (or Just Ask Her)
OK, this entry has little to nothing to do with technical stuff but I thought I would bring it up…
So this weekend I was away at the PAX East 2010 helping my fellow Binary Takeover buddy Keith Morgado promote his game Turba. The first day was a cluster fuck of madness but there was ONE major observation I made: Boston is filled with red heads. For a guy who’s been loving red heads...
7 tags
Looking back - PAX East 2010 - Being Prepared
So this weekend the folks of Binary Takeover came together in Boston to help out one of our founding members, Keith Morgado, with his game Turba which had won the Penny Arcade Eastern Region competition earning him a slot in the Boston Indie Showcase @ PAX.
The weekend was a great experience though certainly not without its share of hurdles to get passed. That’s what this particular entry...
9 tags
Android Initiative - Goals for today
Today I hope to get a general idea of how I would like to design this application. It’s important at this initial stage in the game to know the general “lay of the land” that I intend to construct. There are a big pile of features I would like to eventually implement but considering that I have literally a week before I have to go to PAX (and I want something to show by then)...
Issue Resolved - findViewByID() returned null
So I was trying to figure out how to get my custom SurfaceView object integrated into the layout XML file of my Android project but no matter how many times I went over the syntax the app would hang. If I hard coded the object into the Activity then there were no problems but XML was a no go. I discovered that in order to properly initialize an View type object via “findViewById()” I...
4 tags
Android Initiative: A small victory!
WARNING: This blog will give you some insights into writing a game loop in Android but this is by no means a tutorial!
My first android application has been a good deal like my break into web development; plenty of dead ends (often revisited). Teaching yourself a technology is much like mapping out a room in the dark in hopes of finding something. The strangeness of working with an...
Operation Web Presence (update)
Wow… so I’ve finally finished putting together my website. It is by no means completed but I think that the word “completed” is an unattainable goal for any developer. At least now my website is a dynamic, ever present extension of my resume and over time I will continue to update it. In time I will add other enhancements (such as detailed descriptions of each project)...
Hulu - Archer: Diversity Hire →
This is so awesome…
Operation Web Presence (update)
YAY! I’ve got myself a website that looks (for the most part) professional. The trick was borrowing inspiration from the already available, free templates available online. A little bit of love with the GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) and some elbow grease and VIOLA! Website!
Granted, only the main page that is fully completed but the rest shouldn’t be so bad. Either...
February 2010
5 posts
12 tags
Action Item List - Operation Web Presence
OK, well first I’m gonna get a basic site up with my info in straight up HTML and then start having fun tinkering with CSS. Seems that the biggest problem with teaching yourself is that you don’t have the more educated mind telling you which bullshit to cut out; doesn’t mean I know which bullshit to cut out yet, but at least I got a better idea of what I’m doing. ...
ACLU sues over patents on breast cancer genes -... →
::sigh:: I guess the real issue is one of “good for me” vs. “good for everyone”
Robot Unicorn Attack - A Free Game From Adult Swim →
Dude, just love it… :-)
Partnership for a Drug-Free America takes money... →
DON’T USE DRUGS! JUST OUR DRUGS!
Weather Channel distributes Android app via... →
Wow… advertising reaches a new level!
January 2010
31 posts
Swiss computing lab offers free bug-immunity tool... →
And the paradigm of programming changes yet again…
xkcd - encryption comic from two perspectives →
Sigh… funny because it’s true.
Listen
5 tags
advice - be nice
The most important thing a person can strive to succeed at in their life is following their own path. Being one’s self is redundant because it is inevitable. Even a person who poses as another person or spends their life emulating the behaviors of others is essentially being themselves, granted they are very unoriginal but that is no sin. However it is necessary for an individual to...
8 tags
games - the greatest teaching tool
To learn something requires repetition. Doesn’t matter if the lesson is correct, only that the lesson is repeated. The trick is wanting to repeat the task, that’s why physical fitness eludes so many of us. The trick is to make the task enjoyable. If learning a new language or working out was as enjoyable as masterbation humanity would find itself making up languages just to keep...
7 tags
Music - The Times, They Are A Changin'
Once upon a time music wasn’t a thing. You couldn’t have a music collection; saying you had a music collection would be like saying you have a memory collection. You couldn’t tell someone to stop singing your song because it was yours. You couldn’t hear a song unless you had the talent to reproduce it yourself or knew someone who did.
Music was a reflection of the...
9 tags
Technology - HTML5 and the Google Web Toolkit
When the internet first came out there were few standards. You didn’t need some product to get on it and represent whatever you liked, just text editor and some basic knowledge of HTML and how browsers worked. Eventually CSS and Javascript helped to make pages pretty impressive and interactive. However, the lack of consistency between browsers made consistency and visual appeal an...
7 tags
Programming - Design Patterns
Learning to program is much more than learning a programming language. Having command over a programming language is only the beginning. Once you learn to program in any language you will then discover a new set of problems similiar to a technical Pandora’s Box.
Consider your first grasps at understanding programming as being similar to how a child develops language: at first it is a...
Importance of Net Neutrality →
Please watch this if you have the time. The freedom of humanity hangs on this issue.
7 tags
Social Commentary - Freedom, Democracy and...
Freedom is the only hope for a better tomorrow as without it humanity is doomed to stagnation and suffering. Freedom is the bestowed upon every concious creature that exists and yet the human race has discovered through its own intellect traps which are designed to limit or destroy this endowment. As we advance it is important that we encourage every factor that helps preserve this wonderful gift...
Chrome Experiments - Detail - Monster →
This is what HTML5 is capable of and this means that the days of being locked to a proprietary format to do amazing things are limited. Schools won’t have to rely on the generosity of corporations in order to empower the people with amazing ways of expressing themselves (and in turn the human experience in general).
NOTE: Firefox runs this kinda slow but Google Chrome runs it awesome...
10 tags
Creative - An Eternal Struggle
I stumbled into a conflict between two warriors while walking through a dark mist. They were both equal in stature and their features similiar to a point of indicating kinship, perhaps even sharing the same mother though to see how differently they were garbed led me to believe that they were certainly not raised as equals. One was garbed in humble and clean robes with a gentle face consumed by...
11 tags
Advice - When Coming Out of High School...
To the young adults coming out of high school I suggest you consider not going directly into college if your only access to higher education is through massive student loans. The current state of the education system fails to provide young adults with the experience necessary to understand themselves and the world they will be entering while encouraging them to make financially risky decisions...