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  • Typing tutor games with good playablity

    - by matt wilkie
    Are there any linux typing tutor games which are enjoyable games in their own right? I'm a computer professional, but have never learned to type properly. I also don't want my kids to pick up my bad habits! The kids are okay with TuxTyping, for a time. Something like Typing of the Dead sounds great, but is Windows only, and as far as I can tell one of a kind. I also don't want the young'uns hooked on first person shooters just yet. So are there any quality typing games for a range of ages?

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  • Updated the Whiteboard Demo

    - by Bobby Diaz
    Just a quick update to let everyone know that I have updated the Whiteboard demo application.  I added a few options to make it more interesting to use!  I showed it to the kids and they loved it (even though they kept asking ME to draw pictures for them)!   Here is a list of available options: Color Picker for line color Slider for line thickness Save to XML file Open saved drawing Clear whiteboard Hold down ESC key to erase And here is a screenshot of my beautiful artwork! :) So what are you waiting for?  Go play with the Live Demo (and be sure to share with the kids) or download the source code. Enjoy!

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  • Phones, Nokia, Microsoft and More

    - by Bill Evjen
    The phone revolution that is under way at the moment is insanely interesting and continuously full of buzz about directions, failures, and promises. The movement started with Apple completely reinventing what a smart phone was all about and now we have the followers. Though – don’t dismiss the followers, they are usually the ones that come out with the leap frog products when most of the world is thinking about jumping on. Remember the often used analogy – the USA invented the TV – but it was Japan that took it to the next level and now all TVs are from somewhere else other than the USA. Really there are two camps for the phones – the Cool Kids and other kids that no one wants to hang out with anymore. When it comes to cool – for some reason, the phone is an important part of that factor. Everyone wants to show their phone and its configuration (apps installed, etc) to their friends as a sign of (1) “I have money” and (2) I have smarts/tastes/style/etc when it comes to my applications that are on my phone. For those that don’t know – the Cool Kids include: Apple – this is quite obvious as everything Apple produces is in the cool camp. Just having an Apple product on your person means you can dance. Google – this is one of the more interesting releases as they have created something called Android (which in it’s own right is a major brand in itself). Microsoft – you might be saying “Really, Microsoft is cool?”. I would argue that they are indeed cool as it is now associated with XBOX 360, Kinect, and Windows 7. Gone are the days of Bob and that silly paperclip. Well – that’s it. There is nobody else I would stick in that camp. The other kids that weren’t picked for that dodgeball team include: Nokia Motorola Palm Blackberry and many many more The sad part of all this is that no matter what this second camp does now, it won’t be able to get out of this bucket easily. They will always be associated as yesterday’s technology and that association will drive the sales of the phone purchasers of the world. For those in that group, the only possible way out is to get invited to the cool club by one of the cool club members in the hope that their coolness somehow rubs off. To me, this is the move that Nokia is making. They are at this point where they have realized that they don’t have the full scope of the required end to end solution to make this all work. They have the plants to build the phones and the reach of the retailers that sell what they have. What they are missing is the proper operating system for the new world of multi-touch form factor phones. Even the companies that come up with some sort of new operating system for this type of new device, they are still associated with the yesterday and lack the developer community behind them to be the real wave of adoption that this market needs. Think about that – this is a major different between Nokia/Blackberry when you compare it to the likes of Apple, Google, and Microsoft. These three powerhouses having a very large and strong development community that will eagerly take on new initiatives using the skillsets that they have already cultivated over the years of already working with the company. This then results in a plethora of applications that are then placed on an app store of some kind. The developer gets a cut and then Apple/Google/Microsoft then get their cut. It is definitely a win-win. None of the other phone companies and wannabies can provide the same results. What Microsoft was missing was the major phone manufactures coming on board to create and push forward with the phones that are required to start the wave. This is where Nokia can come in and help Microsoft. They have the ability to promote the Windows Phone operating system on a new wave of phones. This does mean that Nokia will sell phones, but they lose out on the application store that they might have been thinking about making some money on as well as controlling the end to end solution. What is interesting is in questioning to oneself if Microsoft will purchase Nokia. It really depends upon how they want to compete and with whom Microsoft views as the major competitor. For instance, they can purchase Nokia and have their own hardware company and distribution network for phones – thereby taking on a model that is quite similar to Apple. On the other hand, they could just leave it up to the phone hardware companies such as Nokia and others to build and promote phones in a model that is similar to Google. Both ways have pluses and minuses. If they own the phone manufacturer, they really can put some thought into the design and technical specifications of the phone that is really designed to exactly how they want it. Microsoft has shown that they have this ability – especially with the XBOX initiative they have done over the years. Think about how good and powerful they have moved forward with XBOX – and I am not talking about just copying what others are doing, but coming up with leapfrog products that are steps ahead of everyone else. Though, if they didn’t do it themselves, they could then leave it up to the phone manufacturers to drive each other to build better and better phones that run the Microsoft OS – competition drives better products. We have seen this with the Android line of phones that are out there on the market. I have read a lot about Nokia investors really upset about the new Microsoft relationship – but really, this is a great thing. I for one am a fan of this relationship (I am also a Nokia stock holder btw). This will mean better days for Nokia.

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  • Unity does not use the categories from the .desktop files

    - by Melissa Newman
    I installed the educational version of Ubuntu with Unity. This is for kids. The most important applications are the ones that the descriptions says are specially added for kids. Trying to find them is a pain in the applications directory. They are organized in the main menu, but Unity does not use the main menu information for anything. Bottom line, I am now going to reinstall Ubuntu and NOT include Unity. The panels feature is nice, but there needs to some ability to organize the applications -- either with a menu or a directory structure that is read. The .desktop files indicate categories ... like education. Why does Unity not use this information?

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  • The death of Kodak digital

    - by Ken Hortsch
    Months ago Kodak announced that it was discontinuing its digital video to focus on “significant opportunities for profitable growth”.  Three years ago I picked up the little Kodak Zi6 (pronounced Zix) for the kids for Christmas.  It is an HD pocket video camera with a nice 3” LCD all built into a something a bit longer than an deck of cards.  It is low tech and great!  The kids have had a ball with it, and for around $100 it was perfect.  It comes with 2 AA rechargeable batteries and the recharger.  You can add an SD card, but don’t need to, and the USB is not a cable but a pop-out dongle so everything is right in the one package.  Too many companies look for the next big thing and fail to see the stuff that is good enough, and right in front of their eyes.

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  • Node Serialization in NetBeans Platform 7.0

    - by Geertjan
    Node serialization makes sense when you're not interested in the data (since that should be serialized to a database), but in the state of the application. For example, when the application restarts, you want the last selected node to automatically be selected again. That's not the kind of information you'll want to store in a database, hence node serialization is not about data serialization but about application state serialization. I've written about this topic in October 2008, here and here, but want to show how to do this again, using NetBeans Platform 7.0. Somewhere I remember reading that this can't be done anymore and that's typically the best motivation for me, i.e., to prove that it can be done after all. Anyway, in a standard POJO/Node/BeanTreeView scenario, do the following: Remove the "@ConvertAsProperties" annotation at the top of the class, which you'll find there if you used the Window Component wizard. We're not going to use property-file based serialization, but plain old java.io.Serializable  instead. In the TopComponent, assuming it is named "UserExplorerTopComponent", typically at the end of the file, add the following: @Override public Object writeReplace() { //We want to work with one selected item only //and thanks to BeanTreeView.setSelectionMode, //only one node can be selected anyway: Handle handle = NodeOp.toHandles(em.getSelectedNodes())[0]; return new ResolvableHelper(handle); } public final static class ResolvableHelper implements Serializable { private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; public Handle selectedHandle; private ResolvableHelper(Handle selectedHandle) { this.selectedHandle = selectedHandle; } public Object readResolve() { WindowManager.getDefault().invokeWhenUIReady(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { try { //Get the TopComponent: UserExplorerTopComponent tc = (UserExplorerTopComponent) WindowManager.getDefault().findTopComponent("UserExplorerTopComponent"); //Get the display text to search for: String selectedDisplayName = selectedHandle.getNode().getDisplayName(); //Get the root, which is the parent of the node we want: Node root = tc.getExplorerManager().getRootContext(); //Find the node, by passing in the root with the display text: Node selectedNode = NodeOp.findPath(root, new String[]{selectedDisplayName}); //Set the explorer manager's selected node: tc.getExplorerManager().setSelectedNodes(new Node[]{selectedNode}); } catch (PropertyVetoException ex) { Exceptions.printStackTrace(ex); } catch (IOException ex) { Exceptions.printStackTrace(ex); } } }); return null; } } Assuming you have a node named "UserNode" for a type named "User" containing a property named "type", add the bits in bold below to your "UserNode": public class UserNode extends AbstractNode implements Serializable { static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; public UserNode(User key) { super(Children.LEAF); setName(key.getType()); } @Override public Handle getHandle() { return new CustomHandle(this, getName()); } public class CustomHandle implements Node.Handle { static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; private AbstractNode node = null; private final String searchString; public CustomHandle(AbstractNode node, String searchString) { this.node = node; this.searchString = searchString; } @Override public Node getNode() { node.setName(searchString); return node; } } } Run the application and select one of the user nodes. Close the application. Start it up again. The user node is not automatically selected, in fact, the window does not open, and you will see this in the output: Caused: java.io.InvalidClassException: org.serialization.sample.UserNode; no valid constructor Read this article and then you'll understand the need for this class: public class BaseNode extends AbstractNode { public BaseNode() { super(Children.LEAF); } public BaseNode(Children kids) { super(kids); } public BaseNode(Children kids, Lookup lkp) { super(kids, lkp); } } Now, instead of extending AbstractNode in your UserNode, extend BaseNode. Then the first non-serializable superclass of the UserNode has an explicitly declared no-args constructor, Do the same as the above for each node in the hierarchy that needs to be serialized. If you have multiple nodes needing serialization, you can share the "CustomHandle" inner class above between all the other nodes, while all the other nodes will also need to extend BaseNode (or provide their own non-serializable super class that explicitly declares a no-args constructor). Now, when I run the application, I select a node, then I close the application, restart it, and the previously selected node is automatically selected when the application has restarted.

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  • What Counts for a DBA: Passion

    - by drsql
    One of my first questions, when interviewing for a DBA/Programmer position, is always: “Why do you want this job?” The answers I receive range from cheesy hyperbole (“I want to enhance your services with my vast knowledge”) to deadpan realism (“I have N kids who all have a hole in the front of their face where food goes"). Both answers are fine in their own way, at least displaying some self-confidence, humour and honesty, but once in a while, I'll hear the answer that is music to me ears... “I LOVE DATABASES!” Whenever I hear it, my nerves tingle in hopeful anticipation; have I found someone for whom working with database isn't just a job, but a passion? Inevitably, I'm often disappointed. What initially seemed like passion turns out to be rather shallow enthusiasm; the person is enthusiastic about working with databases in the same way he or she might be about eating a bag of Cajun spiced kettle chips; enjoyable, but not something to think about too deeply or take too seriously. Enthusiasm comes, and enthusiasm goes. I've seen countless technical forum users burst onto the scene in a blaze of frantic question-answering, only to fade away within days, never to be heard from again. Passion, however, is more of a longstanding commitment. The biographies of the great technologists and authors of the recent past are full of the sort of passion and engrossment that lead a person to write a novel non-stop for a fortnight with no sleep and only dog food to eat (Philip K. Dick), or refuse to leave the works of the first tunnel under the Thames, even though it was flooded (Brunel). In a similar (though more modest) way, my passion for working with databases has led me to acts that might cause someone for whom it was "just a job" to roll their eyes in disbelief. Most evenings you're more likely to find me reading a database book than watching TV. I've spent hundreds of hours of my spare time writing blogs and articles (some of which are only read by tens of people); I've spent hundreds of dollars travelling to conferences, paying my own flight and hotel expenses, so that I can share a little of what I know, and mix with some like-minded people. And I know I'm far from alone in this, in the SQL Server community. Passion isn't everything, of course, and it isn't always accompanied by any great skill, but in almost every case, that skill can be cultivated over time. If you are doing what you are passionate about, work turns into more than just a way to feed your kids; it becomes your hobby, entertainment, and preoccupation. And it is this passion that gives a DBA the obsessive stubbornness, the refusal to be beaten by even the most difficult problem, which is often so crucial. A final word of warning though: passion without limits can turn weird. Never let it get in the way of your wife, kids, bills, or personal hygiene.

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  • OpenWonderland goes to Europe

    - by user12652314
    Past my day job, I also have the privilege of being Vice President and Member of the Board of the OpenWonderland Foundation (Formerly Project Wonderland for ex-Sun folks). It's great to see the progress Wonderland is making as the platform-of-choice for open source collaborative 3-D virtual worlds built in Java. The upcoming and first european IE Summit in Madrid will show a number of projects and innovations for virtual and game-based learning. I also dropped Ultan a note after learning about the Gamification of Oracle Apps to see if collaborating with kids and schools is an area we can work together on to improve kids engagement and learning experiences online. Stay tuned.

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  • Finding out whether an object exists within a plist?

    - by cannyboy
    If I have a plist which I have put into and array, which looks something like this -Root -Item 0 Dictionary Name String Henry Kids Array -Item 0 String Lindy -Item 1 String Paul -Item 1 Dictionary Name String Janet Pets Array -Item 0 String Snoopy -Item 1 String Pebbles How can find out whether each person has kids or pets?

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  • Career day in kindergarten

    - by Péter Török
    I was invited to the kindergarten group of my elder daughter to talk and answer the kids' questions about my profession. There are 26 kids of age 4-6 in the group, plus 3 teachers who are fairly scared of anything related to programming and IT themselves, but bold enough to learn new tricks. I would have about 20-30 minutes, without projector or anything. They have an old computer though, which by its look may be a 486, and I am not even sure if it's functioning. My research turned up excellent earlier threads, with lots of good tips: How would you explain your job to a 5-year old? Career Day: how do I make “computer programmer” sound cool to 8 year olds? What things can I teach a group of children about programming in one day? My situation is different from each of the above though: the latter ones are concerned with older children, while the first one is about talking to a single kid (or elder person)—a group of 20 is a whole different challenge. How can I teach the kids and their teachers about programming in a fun way?

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  • CodePlex Daily Summary for Saturday, May 01, 2010

    CodePlex Daily Summary for Saturday, May 01, 2010New ProjectsAjaxControlToolkit additional extenders: AjaxControlToolkit based additionals extenders. Now it contains BreadCrumbsExtender and UpdatePanelExtender for long opertions using Comet. It's d...Data Ductus Malmö Utilities: This is a collection of various utilities used / may be used by Data Ductus Malmö. Utilities ranges from postsharp aspects, WCF utils both inhouse ...DestinationPDF a PDF exporter that works from the browser: Generate a PDF document from your webpage, selecting the HTML portions you want to add. DynamicJson: dynamic json structure for C# 4.0. Event-Based Components Tooling: Event-Based Components (EBC) bring software development on par with mechanical engineering and electrical engineering in that they describe how sof...Find diff of two text or xml files. Transform from one to another.: An algorithm to diff two strings or XElements. Not only get the diff, but also get how to transform one string to another. Two methods are provid...Fireworks: Fireworks is an extensible application framework designed to create custom tools for managing XML (XSD only) documents. Fireworks is especially us...General Ontology & Text Engineering Architecture for .NET: GOTA is an OpenSource online & collaborative text engineering development environment for .NET. GOTA aims to simplify and parallelize the developme...IsWiX: IsWiX is a Windows Installer XML ( WiX ) document editor based on the Fireworks Application Framework. Is WiX enables non-setup developers to colla...kp.net: Managed ADO.Net provider for kdb+ database.LinqToTextures: A node-based editor for creating procedural textures and HLSL shaders. Developed in C#. Can export PNG images, .fx files for HLSL, or XML that can ...MTG Match Counter: MTG Match Counter is a simple life\match counter, designed for Magic: The Gathering players.MVP Passive View Control Model Framework: Framework that builds on the power of my view on the Passive View pattern which I call the Passive Ciew Control Model. This framework is my impleme...My Notepad: Get an all-tabbed, free floating type of a notepad - a perfect replacement for the current notepad for a normal computer user. You no longer have t...NerdDinnerAddons: Add-ons for ASP.NET MVC NerdDinner ApplicationrITIko: Questo progetto è stato creato come esperimento dalla classe 4G dell'ITIS B. Pascal di Cesena. Serve (per ora) solo per testate il funzionamento d...Semester Manager: CVUT Semester ManagerSharePoint 2010 PowerShell Scripts & Utilities: A collection of PowerShell modules / scirpts for managing SharePoint 2010 deployments and product releated featuresSmartBot: Irc client for searching information.StackOverflow Desktop Client in C# and WPF: StackOverflow client written in WPF and C# that can notify you of new posts for tags that you've marked interesting on the actual website. Works...TimeSaver - virtual worlds at the service of e-Gov: TimeSaver aims at the construction of tools to build specialized virtual worlds for the provision of services for e-Gov. TimeSaver has received fin...TinyProject: This is a tiny project developing code.Turtle Logo (programming language) for Kids: Turtle Logo for Kids teaches kids step by step the basic of computers programmong. LOGO is a computer programming language used for functional prog...UITH- Hospital Manaegment: A simple hospital or clinic management softwareUniHelper: UniHelper is a tool to help simplify .NET development with UniData/UniVerse database servers.Value Injecter: useful for filling/reading forms (asp.net-mvc views, webforms, winforms, any object) with data from another (or more) object(s) and after you can g...Vortex2D.NET Game Engine: Easy to use 2D game engine for Windows based on .NET and Direct3D9Yame Sample Project: 这个是学习项目,可能用内容:ExtJs,VS2010,Enterprise Library 5,Unity 2New ReleasesAll-In-One Code Framework: All-In-One Code Framework 2010-04-30: Improved and Newly Added Examples:For an up-to-date list, please refer to All-In-One Code Framework Sample Catalog. Samples for ASP.NET Name D...C#Mail: Higuchi.Mail.dll (2010.4.30 ver): Higuchi.Mail.dll at 2010-3-30 version.CycleMania Starter Kit EAP - ASP.NET 4 Problem - Design - Solution: Cyclemania 0.08.66: see Source Code tab for recent change historyDestinationPDF a PDF exporter that works from the browser: Initial release: DestinationPDF library DestinationPDF javascript helper functions Sample htmlDotNetNuke 5 Thai Language Pack: Resource Pack Core: Bata Released for DNN Core & Module Thai LanuageDotNetNuke Skins Pack: DNN 80 Skins Pack.: This released is the first for DNN 4 & 5 with Skin Token Design (legacy skin support on DNN 4 & 5)DynamicJson: Release 1.0.0.0: 1st ReleaseFamAccountor: 家庭账薄 预览版v0.0.3: 家庭账薄 预览版v0.0.3 该版本提供基本功能,还有待扩展! Feature: 完成【系统管理】下【注销用户】、【重新记账】功能。 添加导出EXCEL功能。Feed Viewer: 3.7.0.0: new tray icon better fitting with Windows 7 and Vista tray icons style bugfixesFind diff of two text or xml files. Transform from one to another.: Beta1 Release Source Code and Sample App: This is the first release. The source code compiled on VS2010 DotNET4.0. The Sample App EXE and DLL require DotNET4.0 I did not use any new featu...Fireworks: Fireworks 1.0.264.0: Build 1.0.264.0 - Internal TFS Changeset 815 Fireworks.msi - Integrated Fireworks Application example packaged with Windows Installer. FireworksM...Free Silverlight & WPF Chart Control - Visifire: Visifire SL and WPF Charts v3.0.9 beta Released: Hi, This release contains the following enhancements: 1) Multilevel property path in DataBinding- Now onwards you will be able to work with multi...Free Silverlight & WPF Chart Control - Visifire: Visifire SL and WPF Charts v3.5.2 beta Released: Hi, This release contains the following enhancements: 1) Multilevel property path in DataBinding- Now onwards you will be able to work with multi...General Ontology & Text Engineering Architecture for .NET: GOTA Server Types: This document shows current GOTA Server TypesHammock for REST: Hammock v1.0.2: v1.0.2 Changes.NET 4.0 and Client Profile security model fix Fixes for OAuth access tokens and verifiers Silverlight proxy values are now surfa...Industrial Dashboard: ID 3.0: Added Example with IndustrialGrid. Added Example with SidebarAccordionMenu.IsWiX: IsWiX 1.0.258.0: Build 1.0.258.0 built against Fireworks 1.0.264.0JpAccountingBeta: JpBeta: This is A testNerdDinnerAddons: NerdDinnerAddons: Add-ons for ASP.NET MVC NerdDinner Applicationopen gaze and mouse analyzer: Ogama 3.2: This release was published on 30.04.2010 and is mainly a bugfix release on improving the interface to the ITU GazeTracker. For the list of changes ...Perspective - Easy 2D and 3D programming with WPF: Perspective 2.0 beta: A .NET 4.0 version of Perspective with many improvements : New panels (see also Silverlight version) : BeePanel : a honeycomb layout wrap panel. ...Protoforma | Tactica Adversa: Skilful 0.3.5.562 RC2: RC2 MD5 checksum: 95703dcd6085f0872e9b34c2e1a8337d SHA-1 checksum: 8e63f6fe7e3a01e7e47bc2cbf20210725ddd11cfRule 18 - Love your clipboard: Rule 18 - version 1.2: This is the forth public release for Rule 18 and includes a bunch of bug fixes and tweaks to the tool. The tool has extensive usage in the field an...Sharp DOM: Sharp DOM 1.0: This is the first release of Sharp DOM project. It includes the major features needed for stronly typed HTML code development, including support fo...sMAPedit: sMAPedit v0.7: Added: segment visualization Added: remove & create paths, points, segments Added: saving file function Added: editing of fields in points an...sTASKedit: sTASKedit v0.7b (Alpha): Fixed: leave focus when saving to avoid missing change of last edited field Fixed: when changing task id, all cryptkeys are changed and all texts...TidyTinyPics: TidyTinyPics 0.13: We can avoid to have the renaming done automatically.TimeSaver - virtual worlds at the service of e-Gov: JamSession4TimeSaver: JamSession v0.9 - this is the first draft source code for the JamSession orchestration language, which shall be used in TimeSaver. Future versions...Tribe.Cache: Tribe.Cache 1.0: Release 1.0Turtle Logo (programming language) for Kids: Logo: Source code in C# on Silverlight using Visual Studio 2010UITH- Hospital Manaegment: UITH-Hospital: A simple hospital management system. to use the program you need to install sql express server 2005 .net framework 3.5VCC: Latest build, v2.1.30430.0: Automatic drop of latest buildVisual Studio 2010 AutoScroller Extension: AutoScroller v0.2: A Visual studio 2010 auto-scroller extension. Simply hold down your middle mouse button and drag the mouse in the direction you wish to scroll, fu...Most Popular ProjectsRawrWBFS ManagerAJAX Control Toolkitpatterns & practices – Enterprise LibraryMicrosoft SQL Server Product Samples: DatabaseSilverlight ToolkitWindows Presentation Foundation (WPF)iTuner - The iTunes CompanionASP.NETDotNetNuke® Community EditionMost Active Projectspatterns & practices – Enterprise LibraryRawrIonics Isapi Rewrite FilterHydroServer - CUAHSI Hydrologic Information System Serverpatterns & practices: Azure Security GuidanceGMap.NET - Great Maps for Windows Forms & PresentationTinyProjectSqlDiffFramework-A Visual Differencing Engine for Dissimilar Data SourcesFarseer Physics EngineNB_Store - Free DotNetNuke Ecommerce Catalog Module

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  • Making of Amar Chitra Katha Comics – Behind The Scenes

    - by Gopinath
    Couple of days ago there was a book fair at our work place and found very interesting comic books for children in a crowded stall. The comic are mostly based on Indian mythologies, historians and the legends who inspired the generations. By flicking couple of book pages I fell in love with them and decided that my next gifts I’m going to buy for kids is going to be one of these comic books. After speaking to the sales men, I came to know that these comic books are very popular in among the kids and elders by the name, Amar Chitra Katha. I found myself ashamed of being ignorant about these popular books and started doing a bit of research. The Amar Chitra Katha comics is started in 1967 by Anant Pai, who was recently honoured by Google India with a doodle. The comic books are published in 20 Indian languages, 440+ titles are released so far and over a million copies are sold since the inception. Here is an interesting video i found on labnol blog that takes us through the journey of behind the scenes making Amar Chitra Katha comics You can browse through the collection of comics on their website amarchitrakatha.com and place orders for free shipping around the globe. For those who care to teach children about the history and great leaders of India, I strongly recommend them to gift of Amar Chitra Katha. This article titled,Making of Amar Chitra Katha Comics – Behind The Scenes, was originally published at Tech Dreams. Grab our rss feed or fan us on Facebook to get updates from us.

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  • Learning Objective-C for iPad/iPhone/iPod Development

    - by Jeff Julian
    I am learning how to write apps for the iPad/iPhone/iPod!  Why, well several reasons.  One reason, I have 5 devices in my house on the platform.  I had an iPad and iPhone, Michelle has an iPhone, and each of the kids have iPod Touches.  They are excellent devices for life management, entertainment, and learning.  I am amazed at how well the kids pick up on it and how much it effects the way they learn.  My two year old knows how to use it better than any other device we own and she is learning new words and letters so quickly. Because of this saturation at home, it would be fun to write some apps my family could use.  Some games to bring the hobby of development back into my life.  Second reason is we want to have a Geekswithblogs app for the iPhone and iPad.  We are not sure if it is purely informational (blog posts and tweets) or if members want to be able to publish from the app.  Creating a blog editor would be tough stuff, but could be just the right challenge. There are so many more reasons, but the last one that really makes me excited is that it is a new domain of development where I get excited when I think about writing apps.  That excitement level where I want to see if there are User Groups and if we are just watching TV, to break out the MBP and start working on it.  That excitement level where I could really read a development book cover to cover and not just use as a reference.  I really do like this feeling. Who knows how long this will last and I am definitely not leaving .NET.  Microsoft software will always be my main focus, but for the time, my hobby is changing and I am getting excited about development again.   Technorati Tags: Apple,iPad Development,Objective-C,New Frontiers Image: Courtesy of Apple

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  • High load (and high temp) with idle processes

    - by Nanne
    I've got a semi-old laptop (toshiba satellite a110-228), that's appointed 'laptop for the kids' by my sister. I've installed ubuntu netbook (10.10) on it because of the lack-of memory and it seems to work fine, accept from some heat-issues. These where never a problem under windows. It looks like I've got something similar to this problem: Load is generally 1 or higher, sometimes its stuck at 0.80, but its way to high. Top/htop only show a couple of percentage CPU use (which isn't too shocking, as i'm not doing anything). At this point all the software is stock, and i'd like to keep it that way because its supposed to be the easy-to-maintain kids computer. Now I'd like to find out: What could be the cause of the high load? Could it be as this thread implies, some driver, are there other options to check? How could I see what is really keeping the system hot and bothered? How to check what runs, etc etc? I'd like to pinpoint the culprint. further steps to take for debugging? The big bad internet leads me to believe that it might be the graphics drivers. The laptop has an Intel 945M chipset, but that doesn't seem to be one of the problem childs in this manner (I read a lot abotu ATI drivers that need special isntall). I'd not only welcome hints to directly solve this (duh) but also help in starting to debug what is going on. I am really hesitant in installing an older kernel, as I want it to be stock, and easy upgradeable (because I don't live near it, it should run without me ;) ) As an afterthought: to keep the whole thing cooler, can I 'amp up' the fancontrol? Its only going "airplane" mode when the computer is 95 Celcius, which is a tad late for my taste. Top: powertop:

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  • Teach Your Kid to Code (&hellip;and Vote early!)

    - by Steve Michelotti
    Next Tuesday I will be at the CMAP main meeting presenting Teach Your Kid to Code. Next Tuesday is of course Election Day so you have to make sure you vote early in order to get over to CMAP for the 7:00PM presentation. I will be co-presenting this talk with my 5th grade son. Here is the abstract: Have you ever wanted a way to teach your kid to code? For that matter, have you ever wanted to simply be able to explain to your kid what you do for a living? Putting things in a context that a kid can understand is not as easy as it sounds. If you are someone curious about these concepts, this is a “can’t miss” presentation that will be co-presented by Justin Michelotti (5th grader) and his father. Bring your kid with you to CMAP for this fun and educational session. We will show tools you may not have been aware of like SmallBasic and Kodu – we’ll even throw in a little Visual Studio and Windows 8! Concepts such as variables, conditionals, loops, and functions will be covered while we introduce object oriented concepts without any of the confusing words. Kids are not required for entry! I promise this will be an entertaining presentation! We hope to see you (and your kids) there. Click here for details.

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  • Resolution Independence in libGDX

    - by ashes999
    How do I make my libGDX game resolution/density independent? Is there a way to specify image sizes as "absolute" regardless of the underlying density? I'm making a very simple kids game; just a bunch of sprites displayed on-screen, and some text for menus (options menu primarily). What I want to know is: how do I make my sprites/fonts resolution independent? (I have wrapped them in my own classes to make things easier.) Since it's a simple kids game, I don't need to worry about the "playable area" of the game; I want to use as much of the screen space as possible. What I'm doing right now, which seems super incorrect, is to simply create images suitable for large resolutions, and then scale down (or rarely, up) to fit the screen size. This seems to work okay (in the desktop version), even with linear mapping on my textures, but the smaller resolutions look ugly. Also, this seems to fly in the face of Android's "device independent pixels" (DPs). Or maybe I'm missing something and libGDX already takes care of this somehow? What's the best way to tackle this? I found this link; is this a good way of solving the problem?: http://www.dandeliongamestudio.com/2011/09/12/android-fragmentation-density-independent-pixel-dip/ It mentions how to control the images, but it doesn't mention how to specify font/image sizes regardless of density.

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  • alot questings since i wanted to make a new SSB game or mario game(that use 3d models) [closed]

    - by user20465
    i have just started to study programming and i know already ppl will say why make a so big project like as a SSB game for a noob game development? cuz i always wanted a SSB engine like as Mugen is a fighter game engine but is not like as SSB´s gameplay + is not using 3d models too so i will call it SSBmugen(until i find a better title for it i got afew ideas for titles) also i wanted to make this game so it can use SSBbrawl files(models+animations mainly) the moveset+Stage coding files i wanted to redo cuz so anything can be possible like make a teleporter or a pipe teleporter(like as Super mario bros game) on a stag e or make some stuff there is impossible in SSBbrawl for moveset coding but is not in SSBmugen like make so a char. summon a Clone and the clone will do a attack and then is gone or some attacks/moves also i will make a moveset/stage Coding editor so it will be really easy to make moveset/stages coding for yours 3d models/animations moveset+stage Coding i mean: hitboxes/hurtboxes/moving Stuff/moving bones like cape or hair bones that is moving by wind effects or falling or other stuff like that/other stuff that needed to be coded i have planed to make a editor(for moveset/char. coding) or add the editor in brawlbox for my game so other ppl can easy make moveset/stages Coding to they´s models/animations so it will be easy so even kids can make a custom movesets/stages why using SSBbrawl files?: cuz ppl have made alot of models or textures/custom movesets/custom stages like goku/other anime/not brawl stuff for super smash bros brawl hacking(a.k.a modding) so ppl dont have to redo anything if they wanted to have the custom models or textures/custom movesets/custom stages from SSBbrawl to SSBmugen +there is the program named brawlbox that can open brawl files like model/animations and can edit models or animations and import models from 3ds max to be the right model format for SSBbrawl and i also wanted it so easy to add(a.k.a installer) Recolours or alt. models(like as oneslot doctor mario model over mario´s boneset) or textures/Movesets/new char. slots/new stages so easy so you only needing to download themplace them in right foldername them the right nameStart the gameRecolours or alt. models or textures/Movesets/new char. slots/new stages works an loading right so you wont needing to edit any files for add something so kids/not so smart ppl can easy use the mods other ppl is making/uploading for this game here is the file format i wanted to know if they can be readed/opened if making a game that use these files: .mld0(brawl model file) .chr0(model animation for moving/scale/rota the bones) .srt0(animations for texture like moving eyes or blinking) .vis0(Animations for get polygons to hide/show with visibilitybones on the model there is also some polygons there ) .brres(a file format where stuff like model files or textures or animations is inside) .pac(a file format where the .brres is inside to keep model+textures+model for the shadow in 1 file) .wav (for SoundFX effects or voices to char. or stages) i am sure that one is possible the .wav files is inside a other file format for brawl but that file can´t you add more .wav files inside only replace so i wanted the .wav files outside so its easy to add/replace/remove SoundFX effects or voices to char. or stages .brstm(brawl music file so the music is looped perfect so it loop in middel of the music and not start over again then the music is done) afew more file formats (mainly for the Graphics effects like fire/aura/hit effects if not needing to redo them)so only coding in the editor i will make is needed to be done for port a SSBB hack(a.k.a mod)(moveset/stage coding) to this game wanted the game to be able to load these files and load them right like if loading wait1.chr0(idle animation) it will also load at same time wait1.srt0/wait1.vis0 and all kinda of animations is inside the same .brres file i am needing since it to be able to load the file format i wanted cuz: -the animations can´t be converted to any other animation file format and i dont think ppl want to redo these animations(inc. me for Goku to SSBbrawl) -models can be converted but then they lose all the shader/materials stuff like a shine effect or lighting on the model -.brstm can be converted to .wav but then there will be no loop so i prefer it can load this file format too for the music to stage/menu -brawlbox is really easy to use for make animation for the char. and import models from 3ds max so even around "not too stupid" 10 year kids can make SSBB mods(not try to be rude but to say how easy it is) also i wanted the folder setup for characters/stages/moveset/other stuff to be like this: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2oolm5z5ri234tz/SSBmugen%20Folder%20setup.txt just uploaded a txt file since it is a wall of text and this post is already a wall of test so it easy to place stuff (if not i do a program for to that so it auto place the stuff on right place) not 100% sure what to use of game engine to make this possible but i got a dll file from that brawlbox program that can open/read/edit these file formats if that helps i also got open source of brawlbox i have kinda learned programming(since its kinda the same thing but still not 100% same) from Super smash bros modding/hacking like coding a moveset for the new animations/models + have readed alittle about it but i am soon starting for real to study it for ppl who is alittle confuse for what i am asking for here is the list: -what game engine should i use to make a SSB clone? but at same time to make all this stuff i just said possible so ppl can make they own mods and share them and use the already made mods from SSBbrawl? and easy to use aswell so noob programmors can use it? -where to learning programming on internet to be even more ready to make a game like this? and dont wanted to start in the small like making small boring 2d games that no one care about anyway ps. i am also planing a other project like as SSBmugen but it will be Super mario bros open (again tittle unsure but open means open source) i will make a Mario game engine that also use 3d models and can have 2d or 3d gameplay with any mario powerups/gameplay(from any mario platform games) there is ever made multiplayer like as in New super mario bros wii maybe multiplay over lan or online but for now over 1 PC also alittle planed for that to my SSBmugen a Level/world map editor for it too(easy to use so even kids can use it and make levels for it) so it just place the objects/enemies and options for them enemies since they are not 100% same AI in all mario game like to choose a goomba have AI from SM64 the Editor will be able to change the gameplay on a level while have a other gameplay on a other level like this: 1 level have Super mario bros 3 gameplay (then it will be a 3d model remake) a other level have super mario galaxy gameplay but in a Super mario 3d land level yet a other level have super mario 64 gameplay but with powerups from a other mario game like powerups from mario 3d land or can ride on Yoshi so you can easy remake your fav. level from a old mario game in this mario engine/editor or just make a custom one with yours fav. mario gameplay/powerups so it will be like turn off/on: walljump/triple jump/other kinda or jumps/2x punch and 1 kick+Air kick/SMG spin attack/Fludd/other stuff like that so you can make the gameplay from the first mario game to the newest or make custom gameplay on a level also the star(from 64/sunshine/galaxy) will be replaced with the flag from new super mario bros/mario 3d land since the game is not so much about getting stars its more about making/download the levels you wanted and share them to other ppl and play these level so after have killed like the boss from SM64 bomb omb field(if one have made that) you will get the flag instead of star since i wanted it to be simple to make levels in the editor to make the bosses/new enemies/new powerups/custom char. idk what to do to make that simple yet also thinking the mario game will use brawl files since it almost already got all needed animations/models for this since i dont wanted to redo animations/models and if needing more animations i can just make them easy in brawlbox since thats the program i am most used to make animations but that will be after my SSBmugen project if not this game will be easyer then SSBmugen to make since i am planing then 1 of them is done i use the that game as base to make the other (since both is kinda platfrom games and possible using same file format for both) also wanted to ask what is best to start with out of these 2 games? also will maybe make a DLC site(or ingame) for both of these games if they get done so it wont end up like as Mugen where you needing to look all over the internet to find the stuff you wanted but for my game all the mods for my game is on same place not sure about online mode for SSBmugen or super mario bros open but i can always add that then i get better at programming both games also need to have options on controls/if using joystick also that i have planed these game for a long time and got even more ideas for them but first i wanted to get them to work so i can add the other stuff later(like DLC or online mode or some other stuff later) right now i know 0,0001% to programming(in my option) maybe i know more then that since i have been study it alittle but i learning while making stuff like this that was also my plan for make these game learn while making them and get better to programming so again i say it i kinda dont want to hear dont do these projects cuz i already know it will be hard so dont wanted so much to heard stuff like: you can´t do it since you just started learning programming or this project will fail since somewhere i needing to get started with programming and this is where i want to start to make my dream games(possible other´s dream games too) and i dont think this project will fail if i work hard on it (as i possible will) and ppl will maybe help i think this was all my questing/ideas for now (sorry for it sounds more like ideas then questings) but i needing to say my ideas so you ppl can see what i needing to use for make this possible

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  • Repurpose Old Phones As Intercoms

    - by Jason Fitzpatrick
    If you’ve got some old wired telephones laying around for want of a project, this simple hack turns two wired phones into an intercom. Over at Hack A Day, Caleb Kraft shares his simple phone hack inspired by his VW bus. He writes: In case you haven’t noticed from my many comments on the subject, I drive a VW bus. It is a 1976 Westfalia camper with sage green paint and green plaid upholstery. I absolutely love it and so does the rest of my family. We go for drives in the country as well as camping regularly. We have found that the kids have a hard time communicating with us while we’re going higher speeds. These things aren’t the quietest automobiles in the world. Pushing this bread loaf shaped hunk of steel down the road with an engine that might top out at 75hp results in wind noise, engine noise, and of course, vibration. I decided to employ a really old hack to put two functional telephones in the bus so my kids can talk to my wife (or whoever the passenger is) without screaming quite so loud. This hack is extremely easy, fairly cheap, and can be done in just a few minutes. The result is a functional intercom that you could use pretty much anywhere! For more pics of his setup (and a neat video of his rather retro ride), check out the link below. Hack Your Kindle for Easy Font Customization HTG Explains: What Is RSS and How Can I Benefit From Using It? HTG Explains: Why You Only Have to Wipe a Disk Once to Erase It

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  • Virtualization Solution for Family Use

    - by Dave Potts
    I'm trying to put together a solution for my family (wife + three kids). At the moment I have one newish desktop and a couple of aging laptops. There are always arguments over who should have the fast desktop. I'm thinking I would like to invest in a new powerful server and then run virtual desktops for each user off the server so that each user would have the same experience regardless of which actual PC they were using. I would like to use just a Linux based desktop, but unfortunately I need to support some Windows games for the kids. I've not tried wine for the games but would be willing to give it a try. Any advice on what the setup should be would be most appreciated.

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  • Is full partition encryption the only sure way to make Ubuntu safe from external access?

    - by fred.bear
    (By "external access", I mean eg. via a Live CD, or another OS on the same dual-boot machine) A friend wants to try Ubuntu. He's fed up with Vista grinding to a crawl (the kids? :), so he likes the "potential" security offered by Ubuntu, but because the computer will be multi-booting Ubuntu (primary) and 2 Vistas (one for him, if he ever needs it again, and the other one for the kids to screw up (again). However, he is concerned about any non-Ubuntu access to the Ubuntu partitions (and also to his Vista partition)... I believe TrueCrypt will do the job for his Vista, but I'd like to know what the best encryption system for Ubuntu is... If TrueCrypt works for Ubuntu, it may be the best option for him, as it would be the same look and feel for both. Ubuntu will be installed with 3 partitions; 1) root 2) home 3) swap.. Will Ubuntu's boot loader clash with TrueCrypt's encrypted partition? PS.. Is encryption a suitable solution?

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  • What features are important in a programming language for young beginners?

    - by NoMoreZealots
    I was talking with some of the mentors in a local robotics competition for 7th and 8th level kids. The robot was using PBASIC and the parallax Basic Stamp. One of the major issues was this was short term project that required building the robot, teaching them to program in PBASIC and having them program the robot. All in only 2 hours or so a week over a couple months. PBASIC is kinda nice in that it has built in features to do everything, but information overload is possible to due this. My thought are simplicity is key. When you have kids struggling to grasp: if X>10 then <DOSOMETHING> There is not much point in throwing "proper" object oriented programming at them. What are the essentials needed to foster an interest in programming?

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  • What features are important in a programming language for beginners?

    - by NoMoreZealots
    I was talking with some of the mentors in a local robotics competition for 7th and 8th level kids. The robot was using PBASIC and the parallax Basic Stamp. One of the major issues was this was short term project that required building the robot, teaching them to program in PBASIC and having them program the robot. All in only 2 hours or so a week over a couple months. PBASIC is kinda nice in that it has built in features to do everything, but information overload is possible to due this. My thought are simplicity is key. When you have kids struggling to grasp: if X10 then There is not much point in throwing "proper" object oriented programming at them. What are the essentials needed to foster an interest in programming?

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  • How to create a language these days?

    - by Mike
    I need to get around to writing that programming language I've been meaning to write. How do you kids do it these days? I've been out of the loop for over a decade; are you doing it any differently now than we did back in the pre-internet, pre-windows days? You know, back when "real" coders coded in C, used the command line, and quibbled over which shell was superior? Just to clarify, I mean, not how do you DESIGN a language (that I can figure out fairly easily) but how do you build the compiler and standard libraries and so forth? What tools do you kids use these days?

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  • What traits can hint a teenager he should pursue software development career?

    - by sharptooth
    We're gonna have a day when employees' kids will visit our company office. The idea is that they will come see "how parents work", "how cool stuff is done", have fun, etc. Kids will be up to 17 years old. Now I suppose some of the teenagers already think of what they wanna do when they finally grow up and will ask questions like "how can I tell I should get a degree in software engineering and not in logistics/finances/whatever?" So I think we better be prepared and ready to answer those questions so that those who really fit don't waste time but use their potential to the full. What traits that already emerge in teenage years indicate that a person could become a very good software developer?

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