Free Tablet Software Now available!

If you have ever been in a meeting, and wanted a way to interact with someone on the whiteboard, then this program is for you. Thinksmart Software/GetMyTablet.com has released a new software platform that will allow you to collaborate with everyone in a meeting instantly. In fact, you don't even have to be in the room to write onto the whiteboard... You can be in another city, and still interact with everyone who is writing on the board.

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Useful Resources

Useful web resources:

I did want to add that there are so many resources that you can find out about things over the internet. It's more than just playing video games (although they can be just as educational for a computer programmer). We can actually learn so much about the world and how it is focused, and through our interactions with people, we understand why there is such a need for technology and invent more ways to improve our lives in the process.

List of helpful websites on various topics.
2d arrays: http://www.fredosaurus.com/notes-cpp/arrayptr/22twodim.html (remember that tic tac toe game that I told you about in previous posts?)
Iterative programming (this is just basically the process of figuring out something bit by bit): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iteration
Exception handling in csharp: http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadFile/rajeshvs/ExceptionHandlinginCSharp11282005051444AM/ExceptionHandlinginCSharp.aspx
10 Programming Languages to Learn: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Management/10-Programming-Languages-You-Should-Learn-Right-Now/
Programming Dictionary (words you need to know when doing programming): http://www.webopedia.com/Programming/

Artificial Intelligence

I hope you have enjoyed the varying posts of my random thoughts on mobile application development and programming. Based on the number of views, it seems as though some of these topics have been reviewed several times. I'm happy for the feedback, and thanks to everyone that has helped in this blog. My last thing to ponder about programming is dealing with artificial intelligence: how do computers communicate with each other, and do they truly have sentience, as we know it? There have been plenty of people who have simulated what they thought of as thought patterns for human brains. I can also recall watching one of my favorite shows, Star Trek Next Generation, and there is an Android, called Data. Do you think that these things can actually exist? Some people say no, because a machine can't have emotions or experience pain. But isn't physical pain just a response to a stimulus? Nerves that let us know that something has come into direct contact with our body? That's just what a neural network is in a computer system, a set of electronic impulses let the computer know that there is some event happening. Interesting huh?

Programmers Burnout?

Is there anything that you can do when you are completely burnt out when trying to do progamming? I know that some people like to do something totally different, like work out in the gym or cook something delicious. I prefer the latter. I love to eat, and I love trying to cook some dishes that I never have before. One thing to remember is to make sure that you don't forget all about your programming. Sounds odd, doesn't it? When you are trying to figure out a problem, the thing that works for me is to not completely forget about it, but rather try to come up with something in a new way. The point for me is to just get rid of the frustration, and then come back to it in about 4 hours, and not a minute before. What method works for you?

Mastermind-Understanding Logic

There is an important thing to remember in programming whenever creating a game, a device enhancement, a database, or whatever. You have to remember logic! I'll use the example of mastermind. Here are the rules to the game

Mastermind Rules
Object of the Game
The computer picks a sequence of 4 pegs, each one being one of any of six colors.
The object of the game is to guess the exact positions of the colors in the computer's sequence in as few guesses as possible. After each guess, the computer gives you a score of exact and partial matches.
Use Logic…Not Regular Expressions


Rules
1. The sequence can contain pegs of colors: red, yellow, green, blue, white, black
2. A color can be used any number of times in the sequence.
3. All four pegs of the secret sequence will contain a color - no blanks/empties are allowed.
4. Each guess must consist of 4 peg colors - no blanks.
5. You have 8 guesses to find the secret sequence.


Just say you wanted to write a program for this game, instead of worrying about what the graphics and forms look like, work on the logic of the game first. The gui can always be programmed later.

Go to this page for more hints on how to do your algorithm:
The link is http://www.uthinksmart.com/mastermind.htm

Gadgets

I have a phone, called the Motorola i290. I simply love it, and it was only $30! There are so many people who are into phones and all other types of mobile devices. I guess as a computer programmer who looks at code all day, the last thing that I want to do when I get home is to play with all of my gadgets that I have bought. There are so many people who do love the devices, and they talk about all of the apps that they can download, and all the things that they can do. Well how about this: I don't need an iphone play games. That's why I have a computer or a gamecube (and yes, I know it's old, but I still love my XMEN fighting game). I like to only buy items that can end up making me money or help me improve on some other things in my life. If it happens to be a fun little device, that is just icing on the cake. I'll try to talk about one of my fun gadgets in another post.

Iphones, Perls, Oh my!

There so much to remember when programming mobile devices. When you write a game or application for the mobile devices, it is very good to try to remember all of the rules and quirks. For instance, you need to remember the screen size of the mobile device that you are programming. You have to remember the speed in which the device can access the internet. You have to remember so many more things, such as can it access things wirelessly, if the phone has a touchpad, a stylus, or if it has touchscreen capability. You also have to use the drivers that are supplied with the devices, and rememer which device you are programming for. The interface for an Apple Iphone is completely different from a Blackberry Pearl.