Posted by Ztream Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:28:00 GMT
Wow, I really suck at updating this blog, don't I?
Anyway, I've hacked together a small site showcasing some (unfinished) programming projects I've done. Boy, was writing all that text more time-consuming than I had anticipated! I was also forced to fix some of the most user-unfriendly parts of those projects that are downloadable, which is probably a good thing. Anyway, knock yourself out:
Posted by Ztream Sun, 02 May 2010 19:20:00 GMT
I got a very good 30:th birthday present a little while back: a Lego Mindstorms kit. For those unfamiliar, it is basically programmable, robotic Lego with a central processing block, motors, and sensors, in addition to normal Lego Technic parts. I believe it is some kind of joint venture with MIT Media Labs. This is the short tale of me falling in and out of love with the pbLua programming environment for Lego Mindstorm, and some code attached.
Read more...Posted by Ztream Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:08:00 GMT
... I really should write here more.Posted by Ztream Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:30:00 GMT
During the Bush/Kerry presidential race, there was a lot of talk about "flip-flopping", the derogatory term for changing ones opinions on important matters. At this time, I remember some random person on Slashdot arguing about the stupidity of having opinions set in stone, and someone replied (and I'm paraphrasing here):
Posted by Ztream Sun, 16 Aug 2009 08:24:00 GMT
As the years go by for me, one realization about human affairs stands out and becomes ever stronger: things are complex. Issues are seldom possible to distill into a few simple facts, bullet points, or divisions of good and evil. Yet people never seem to tire of representing them in this overly simplistic way, usually as a way to further their own preconceived ideas or agendas. This is not only silly but dangerous if we want to understand and above all influence events for the better. Read more...Posted by Ztream Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:59:00 GMT
Or as I would say: Glad Sol ;)Posted by Ztream Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:00:00 GMT
This is the first programming project I've ever posted online. It is simplistic and unpolished, but I believe it to be very useful. I hereby release it under the MIT License (since that's what Ruby on Rails uses)
Update: DBBrowser is now hosted on my Project site. It includes a live online demonstration application, a tutorial, setup instructions, and download links. Also, DBBrowser now uses the normal Ruby on Rails way of accessing the database, so installing the required libraries should be much easier, or at least much more conventional.
Read more...Posted by Ztream Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:25:00 GMT
If you're reading this, perhaps you want to read my two earlier quick looks at the Persian language: Looking at Persian and The Sounds of Persian.
This post is about the writing system used to write Persian. As I have far from mastered it, this will just be an overview for those who know nothing of it. At the end I will give links to much, much better resources. As usual: I don't know Persian! I'm just prodding it a bit.
Read more...Posted by Ztream Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:27:00 GMT
A short post; I just have to get something off my chest that's been bothering me for a few years.
There are two common design decision in many Windows programs that should really be banned in some sort of addendum to the Geneva Convention. Both of them are related to the act of closing a program.
Read more...Posted by Ztream Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:13:00 GMT
Continuing from my last post, I'm going to jot down some observations on learning to pronounce Persian, and on learning pronunciation in general. Once again, I don't know Persian. Whatever I say here may be completely wrong. I'm merely trying to document my own small exploration of the language.
When learning a new language, there are two obstacles to overcome with pronunciation - a major one and a minor one. The major obstacle is the sounds that you've never learned to form; those that are not part of the languages you already speak with some proficiency. Most of us would have troubles with the click sounds in some African languages, for example. The minor, more subtle obstacle is that even if you know the sounds used by the new language, they are probably pronounced slightly different from what you are accustomed to, even if they are by classification the same sounds. This goes for both vowels and consonants, and is what gives you that accent that just won't go away. For the most part though you will still be fully intelligible as long as you overcome the major obstacle.
The sounds used by a language is called the phonology of that language. So how does Persian sound?
Read more...Older posts: 1 2
