Archive for 2007

Season’s Greetings from Outing, Minnesota – Virtual Postcard

Monday, December 31st, 2007

I spent a good portion of my holiday weekend sifting through the documentation for Papervision3D (let this load, it’s worth the wait!). Papervision3D is robust, open source ActionScript class library that aims to simplify the process of creating and animating 3D objects and effects in Flash.

Virtual Postcard (Front)

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Why My Mom Loves Guitar Hero

Monday, December 31st, 2007

This year for Thanksgiving, I brought home a Wii, including the never-opened, much buzzed-about Guitar Hero III.

My family, particularly my mom (who is decidedly not a gamer), took to it immediately. Mom’s unexpected enthusiasm and enjoyment of the Wii prompted my Dad to make seven trips to Target in a quest to bring back the holy grail of gaming consoles for the holidays. Lo and behold, Christmas morning, Santa had placed a Wii under the trii, and fun was had by all.

Why — when no other gaming system has come close to tempting her — does my mom like rockin’ out on the fake guitar till her fingers are sore and smashing my dad to pieces with her speed-of-light serves in Wii Sports tennis?

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Books May Be Out, But Libraries Are Definitely In

Monday, December 31st, 2007

According to a recent published study, libraries are apparently cool again, and the biggest user demographic is the Y Generation. The credit goes to technology — visitors prefer to get their information via computers rather than old-fashioned books, and libraries today provide easy access to ample digital resources.

That reminded me of this funny video, How to Open A Book

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Now YOU Can Buy Time Travel Theory for the Low, Low Price of $10,000,000

Monday, December 31st, 2007

And you can get it on eBay.

In case you are worried about imminent rifts in the space-time continuum, listen to the seller’s reassurances:

Please do not be alarmed, and we hope not to alarm anyone… But the Possibility of Time Travel Truly Exists…This is a True, Real, and Viable Time Travel Theory & Project. Logistics, Mapping and Methodology.Complete with Illustrations.

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Do you think it’s a joke, or is this guy serious?
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Mosaic Creator extends Grid Maker

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Just as promised, I have a more exciting experiment that makes use of the Grid Maker from my previous post. For those who caught the OOP reference in the title, the Mosaic Creator is actually not a subclass of the Grid Maker… although it probably should be.

After about $15 worth of Vanilla Lattes (which, sadly, is probably only 3), I’m pleased to introduce my Mosaic Creator – and AcionScript 3.0 experiment that dynamically creates a mosaic based on a few variables – photo, tile/cell size etc. (more…)

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Dynamic (exploding!) Grid Maker

Saturday, December 29th, 2007

I realize how potentially boring a ‘Dynamic Grid Maker’ might sound, but it is mainly a precursor to some more exciting experiments (some of which are done but are awaiting an official Technology Translated introduction). And just to keep your attention, I’ve added a function that allows you to ‘explode’ the grid. (more…)

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Christmas Eve Lites… an AS3 Class!

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, just my keyboard was stirring, along side the mouse … (more…)

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A New Perspective on Web Browsing. Literally.

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

Have you grown tired of the same old two-dimensional web browsing? If so, this should really pique your interest. If not, I think you’ll be equally impressed. (more…)

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Most Memorable Quote of ‘07: “Don’t tase me, bro!”

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

If you’re not already familiar with the infamous scene involving one bro, one John Kerry, and a gang of taser-wielding campus police, check out the video — and listen closely for the quote of the year. (Note: if you’re squeamish, skip it.)

I’m not sure how the Quote Patrol decides which quote is “most memorable,” but no doubt it has something to do with being one of the top quote queries on Google and one of the most popular videos on the web. And now it’s official: “Don’t tase me, bro!” has become the most memorable quote of the year according to the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations.

What makes the video and quote so popular? It’s that special somethin’ — the word “bro.”

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About that email: Keep it simple, stupid

Friday, December 14th, 2007

Are you guilty of writing florid, lengthy emails in your work life? It might be time to meditate on the five-sentences-or-less philosophy espoused in the signatures of some people’s emails. I’m not sure I can totally jump on this bandwagon, but maybe that’s just my love of my own words getting in the way.

The website appropriately details the philosophy in five sentences (not including the footer).

If you’re a believer, add it to your sig: http://five.sentenc.es/

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