Geeky fun: Mouse tracking
I admit it, I’m not easily amused. The things that do amuse me, are most often geeky stuff. This is no exception. The last few days my days have been enlightened by using a great mouse tracking software, IOGraphica, a free software which is just for fun. IOGraphica records your mouse movements and pointer stops, and if you let it record long enough, it produces pretty cool abstract images. Pointer stops are marked as dots, and the longer the pointer are left at the same spot, the larger the dot becomes.
I have only been using the software for a couple of days, and mostly in three different situations; scripting and testing a web-based game, using Photoshop with a mouse, and web development at work. It’s pretty cool to see the differences in mouse movements in each of the situations! (yep, I’m a geek) I have yet to try tracking my pointer movements when digitally painting using my tablet.
Check out the creator of IOGraphica’s Flickr set of his mouse trackings, and my (so far) mouse track images below:
The software is free, small and easy to understand. You can save the images as full-resolution PNG images so you can overlay them ontop of a desktop screenshot, like I’ve done in some of the images above. If you’re interested in trying it, just download it from here. Then you start the recording, forget about it, and after a few hours or so you have your very own image!
Print This Post
|
My favorite Android apps
HTC Desire, my new mobile phone toy
I recently got myself a brand new mobile phone, HTC Desire with Android 2.1. And (apologies to my bf) I’m in love. Not only with the phone itself, but the OS as well. I was sick of my previous phone which was, in more ways than one, like a piece of brick – a HTC Touch Pro with Windows Mobile 6.1. I wanted a smartphone with touch screen, possibility of installing additional software (apps) and a well-functioning way of syncing contacts, mail and calendar with my PC. The choice was between an iPhone or an Android-based phone. I’m not a fan of Apple and iPhones, so I decided to give the fairly new Android OS a shot. Almost immidiately after getting myself a Android phone, I see at least five things my phone can do that iPhone can’t.
A few days after I bought my HTC Desire, a bunch of friends also bought a HTC Desire saw how awesome HTC Desire really is that they bought it. Even my boyfriend. He who spent a few days defending his beloved and trusty HTC TyTNII, only to wake up one morning and totally fall in love with my phone. So to share my excitement for Android, support the expanding app market and to tell people which apps that would totally rock their world (well, at least the phone’s world), I’m listing my favorite Android apps in this post. The application market for Android is fairly new, but is expanding fast. There are already tons of applications that make your Android phone even more awesome.
Print This Post
|
AcornArtwork blog launched
AcornArtwork blog launched
<Shameless self-promotion> … Engage:
A couple of days ago I launched a new blog on my portfolio-domain, Acorn Artwork, integrated seamlessly with its design. I did this mainly to separate content and post topics, making it clearer and easier for visitors to one place or the other. This blog remains a more personal blog including gaming topics, while all artwork, design, portfolio and related topics are posted in my AcornArtwork blog. This way Acorn Artwork becomes a centralized place for showing off my work with related blog posts that may be interesting for portfolio-visitors.
Since I’ve recently completed a long education and am currently looking for a job, I finally have time to do what I love: drawing and designing. I also plan to dive back into the world of 3D modeling and texturing, but I’m currently focusing on developing my web design skills since I’m looking for a job within that field. At the moment I have several projects going to keep my brain busy, for example creating a Griddler game using PHP, JavaScript and jQuery.
And so, if some of my few readers are more interested in artwork and design related topics, stay tuned on my AcornArtwork blog. I have a strong feeling I’ll post more frequently at AcornArtwork than I do here.
</Shameless self-promotion>
Print This Post
|
Master’s thesis handed in, rest of life awaits
One phase in life goes out, a new one lies ahead. February 1st 2010 I finally handed in my Master’s thesis at the University of Oslo and said goodbye to a place I’ve been studying at for many years. The only thing that remains is an oral presentation of my thesis due mid-March, and I will then (hopefully) dive into the job market armed with a Master’s degree in Computer Science.
Finished Master’s thesis
My thesis is about computer games, more specifically to which degree a quest game with a linear story can support meaningful choices for players, using the Xbox 360-game Fable 2 as an example and subject for analysis. (One thing’s for sure, I will never play Fable 2 ever again!) It was quite a new experience writing a long theoretical analysis when I both am more practical and have studied in a much more practical way. I feel that most of the thesis’ work was done in the last few weeks, and that I could’ve done more. But I bet everybody who has written a thesis most likely feel the same way. I was lucky to have kind people to support me, proof read and in general calm my nerves. Especially Sindre has been remarkably patient with me and endured my stressful mood.
When the thesis’ hand-in day finally had passed, I was suddenly free to do (almost) anything I wanted. I spent some weeks catching up on sleep and life. I could finally dig up my dear Wacom tablet, which has been missing me so much that it whimpers for my attention hoping I’d surrender and scratch it behind its ear with the pen. It was a great feeling to finally have time to draw and design web sites again! I redesigned my (so far) modest and limited portfolio, AcornArtwork.com, and hope to expand it and improve my drawing skills. I also plan to teach myself more in web design, especially JavaScript, Ajax and perhaps .NET in order to get more meat on my bones when applying for a job.
I’m now in the process of looking for and applying for a job. A very exciting and unknown road lies ahead!
Print This Post
|
Be, simultaneously, a geek and a nerd
A most inspiring speech held by Jim Kakalios at the University of Minnesota (starts at 0:55). The video is subtitled, in English, luckily for us hard of hearing. Kakalios talks about how, and I quote, “You must be, simultaneously, a geek and a nerd” to be successful at the University and later on in life.
I almost wish I could attend the University of Minnesota, the University of Oslo is not half as inspiring.
Print This Post
|
New portfolio domain: Acorn Artwork
I have for some time now been slightly displeased by my nickname “Lillarosin”, which currently is my domain name for my CI blog, this blog and previously my portfolio. I acquired the nickname several years ago when playing World of Warcraft and was recognized by everyone as Lillarosin even though I had several characters and names in the game. Lillarosin translates as “purple raisin” in Norwegian and was actually a totally random name I came up when creating a new character I wasn’t really planning on playing. I created a purple night elf and while doing so I ate raisins. Thus Lillarosin was born and this character unexpectedly became my (first) main character in World of Warcraft. But as I quit playing World of Warcraft altogether several years ago, Lillarosin is not really “who I am” anymore. No one I come in contact these days know me from when I played World of Warcraft and Lillarosin now just strikes as a weird nick, both in Norwegian and in English. In Swedish also! I have received loads of comments from Swedes because Lillarosin means “little raisin” in Swedish.
Acorns, or oak nuts
Thus it was about time to get myself a new name to go by. I wanted a new domain for my portfolio, and needed a more professional name or label. After some doodling and thinking I arrived at “Acorn”. Acorn could simply mean the funny-looking nuts that grow of oak trees, but in my case there’s also a play on words. My first initial is A and my last name is Kern, which becomes “Akern” which is pronounced almost as “acorn”. So there it is. The domains “Acorn Design” and the like was already taken, so I decided for Acorn Artwork. I bought the domain, redesigned my portfolio, created a logo (yes, with an acorn in it) and moved it there. For now I plan to keep this blog and my CI blog at this domain, lillarosin.com.
Acorn Artwork logo (I predict it’ll be seriously
revamped in the future)
I’m also introducing web designs in my portfolio, after rediscovering website design a while ago. I have created web pages with HTML, PHP and CSS from the age of 14 or so, but lost interest a while. However in October I was asked to help design elements for Nesodden kommune (a municipality that lies south of Oslo) new web site. I gave some advice of design, and created the header image, portal buttons and digitalized the Nesodden logo. That reignited the old web design spark. With my current Photoshop skills creating web design became much more interesting. I have not done much web designs yet, especially original or noteworthy designs, but more to come when I have time.
Maybe one of you, my two blog readers, starts thinking: “hey, isn’t she supposed to finish her Master’s thesis, how come she spends time to do all this?” To answer that I do designs or draw in my breaks, inbetween writing, and little by little a little something emerges. My thesis is due February 1st 2010, but I am by no means relaxed about it or slacking. Currently I’m sitting at home with swine flu (oink oink), so spending my half-functioning brain and body on my new portfolio seemed like a good idea.
Print This Post
|
Jumped out of a heli with a parachute! due Spring 2010
For my birthday in October Sindre and some friends bought me a tandemjump from 10 000ft. from a helicopter with a parachute! That’s two things I always wanted to do: riding a helicopter and parachuting in free fall. I guess Sindre actually listened when we were watching TV of someone parachuting and I discreetly mentioned how badly I wanted to try that. 
That’s my good Yeti! Sindre had arranged with some parachuters in Trøgstad, 1 hour driving from Oslo, so I get to see my hometown and Oslofjorden from the air.
The jump was planned October 10th in the morning and we told our friends, a chauffeur was arranged, my parents calmed and my excitement built up. When the big day arrived, it rained. The jump was thus postponed to October 17th. Cue arranging, telling friends, calming down my folks and building up a greater load of excitement. To my delight that Saturday morning was a beautiful, sunny day with no visible clouds in the sky. I got up early (I hate that), did my morning routine, got dressed in warm clothes and a permanent grin started to develop on my face. Sindre made coffee to bring and packed his backpack with his camera to take pictures. About 20 minutes before our chauffeur, Kjell, was arriving we got a call. The jump was cancelled again because of too strong wind. *sigh*
Sad couple: Parachute jump cancelled again
We came to the conclusion that we had to postpone the jump to Spring next year, sometime during March or April. The winter’s coming in fast (well, it’s Norway) and it gets too cold to mess around at 10 000ft in November. But I am gonna get my jump!
People say a picture is saying more than 1 000 words. So here it is.
Print This Post
|
Recommendation: “Portal”
A typical level in Portal
The PC game “Portal”, developed by Valve software in 2007, is in my humble opinion one of the most ingenious game ever created. The concept is simple, but a bit hard to wrap your head around. You have device that can shoot (over distance) a portal entrance and a portal exit, but only on certain surfaces, be it walls, roof or floors. Once both portals have been placed you can walk through the portals either way, and physics count (e.g. “speedy thing goes in, speedy thing goes out”). You can only create two portal openings, and as you progress in the levels you need to figure out exactly how, where and when to place the portals in order to cross chasms, up or over obstacles, around automated turrets that fires at you, transport energy balls into their receivers and open doors by using certain cubes you can pick up in the game. It’s a game that requires thinking, and often challenges you to think completely outside the box.
Scribblings from previous test subjects: The cake is a lie
The gameplay itself makes a great game, even though the game is a bit short. But there’s more. Throughout the game you are accompanied by a computerized voice which speak to you (and watch you) as a “Aperture Science” test subject in “The Enrichment Center”. The voice comes with witty comments and statements which really gives the game personality.
Weighted Companion Cube
Throughout the levels you also encounter the “Weighted Companion Cube”, a cube with a heart, another bonus which adds to the game’s genius. You carry and use the cube while the computerized voice reminds you that it will never threaten to stab you, it cannot speak and in the event that it does speak, disregard its advice. In the end you are told that your beloved cube cannot accompany you through the rest of the tests and if it could speak it would tell you to go on without it because it would rather die in a fire than become a burden to you.
You are constantly being promised cake when you have completed all of the 19 levels. But once you reach there you are, apparently as every other test subjects, being terminated by transporting you into a pit of flames. But the game doesn’t end there. As you cleverly escape using portals, you navigate through the building to find the source: the computer that have been talking all along. While you find your way towards the computer voice, it inquires you to give up, come back for your cake, jokingly excuses for trying to kill you or lie to you and threatens to start cutting and eating the cake without you.
The computer (voice) behind it all
When you have reached the computer brain behind it all, you are engaged in an end boss fight while the voice constantly tries to discourage you with hilarious statements. Among others how unlikeable you are and that nobody would come to your party, or imitate how stupid you sound. I won’t reveal how the game ends, but after it’s finished you are played the infamous and witty song “I’m Alive”. You are also given the option of replaying some of the levels in advanced mode.
I recommend getting the game, it is included in Valve’s Orange box or can be bought singly through Steam. But if you are convinced it’s not worth buying, (you are totally missing out, fool!) there is a free online Flash-version of Portal. It contains no less than 40 challenging which features almost every feature the real game does. Personally I prefer the real thing. “Portal” and its “Weighted Companion Cube” will always have a special space in my heart.
Print This Post
|
Categories
- Gaming (8)
- lol and/or aww (5)
- Opinions & debate (1)
- Personal happenings (16)
- Tech talk (2)
Archives
Tags
