I’ve begun messing around with Node.js in my spare time. I don’t really have a normal project idea in mind per se, but I have started to upload some of the examples and other small applications I’ve been creating. I’m still learning more about the Node.js JavaScript event-driven I/O framework and I will continue posting more examples/apps as I go along. It seems like a really interesting concept and this is the first time I’ve done actual server-side JavaScript development. There is much potential in Node.js; it’s become a huge trend in the JavaScript community as of late.

• Shwuzzle Labs - Node.js Playground
• github.com/darkmuck/NodeJS-Playground

I’ve just recently created and posted a few things on my GitHub page (github.com/darkmuck) and one of the projects posted is VIMS (Voyager Incident Management System). VIMS is a simple incident management/help desk web application. I’ve decided that it might be worthwhile to open source this application as it’s been sitting dormant on my machine for quite some time. Feel free to check it out on the VIMS GitHub page and also check out my profile on GitHub for other projects.

Are you occasionally stuck on a really hard programming task where you’re not sure how to proceed and you end up being unproductive (procrastinating)? This article (softwarecreation.org) describes in detail an effective method of breaking down difficult tasks to make them easier to approach and conquer. Below is a quick outline of the process described in the article:

Initial 25 minute burst - Just sit down and at least get started writing code, this initial step will help you get started in a productive state.

Pick the Low Hanging Fruit First - Try to complete the (easier?) tasks that you know how to implement first -- the things that are clearer to you.

Copy and Paste - This is usually really bad practice and I personally do not condone it, but it came help you get off to a good start. You can usually find code similar to what you are trying to accomplish and you can usually learn a lot from it.

Offensive Reconnaissance - Avoid potential roadblocks as early as possible. This will help you more clearly estimate the time for development and roadmap for the project.

Are you ready? - Break down the task early and ask for help as early as possible! Don't put yourself into an overly stressful situation where you get stuck.

Stuck on a Big Hard Programming Task? Read This! (via softwarecreation.org)

I’ve added two new pages to the gaming section of the website! Lately I’ve been trying to play through these two games again and enjoy as much of the small details as possible. There are so many things that you miss when you play the first time or two. The post-apocalyptic genre of games, movies, books, etc. is just about my favorite! Fallout is especially awesome because of how they infuse the retro-futurism with a post-apocalyptic (post-nuclear war) world.

• Fallout (1997) - A computer role-playing game with a post-apocalyptic setting in the mid-22nd century, featuring an alternate history which deviates some time after World War II, where technology, politics and culture followed a different course.
• Wasteland (1988) - A post-apocalyptic computer role-playing game, and precursor to the Fallout series. It’s set in the middle of the 21st century, following a nuclear war between the USA and Soviet Union.

Here is an extremely interesting overview/review of the original Doom Engine source code. This page discusses the engine in much detail, discussing map design, view points, wall sructure, etc. It’s a really interesting read if you’re into learning more about older 3D video game engines. via Doom Engine source code review (fabiensanglard.net)

I’ve decided to expand upon the original premise of Shwuzzle and include additional topics of interest… most of it will probably be mostly useless ramblings about things that I enjoy. The first of these things is Video Games! I’ve added a new section just for this topic. Lately I’ve been really into some of the older CRPGs and find it hard to obtain useful information on the internet. I figured that I could maybe aggregate and share some of the information that I come across. Head over the the Gaming section of the site to check out some of the things I’ve added so far. You may want to check back regularly as I will be adding content periodically/randomly as I come across interesting and useful things.

So it appears that the next iteration of C++ has officially been dubbed C++11 and has been approved by the technical standards committee. This is the next official iteration of the C++ programming language. The standardization of the language allows it to be used on virtually every machine from every implementation provider. The standardization usually occurs about every 10 years and the original creator of C++, Bjarne Stroustrup, is usually always involved. For more information and a fairly good overview of this new iteration of C++ check out the links below.

• Introducing C++11 (cs.tamu.edu)
• Bjarne Stroustrup (wikipedia.org)
• C++ Programming Language(wikipedia.org)

Microsoft has published a scientific research paper ([PDF] Real-Time Human Pose Recognition in Parts from Single Depth Images (Microsoft Research)) detailing how Microsoft Kinect’s body tracking algorithm works. There is also a video (Kinect Research (youtube.com)) to go along with it. Also, I came across a separate article (Kinect’s AI breakthrough explained (I-Programmer.info)) which summaries how the algorithm works. Here is a small quote from that article:

It’s (almost) time for the Google A.I. Challenge for 2011 already! Check out the official github page for detailed information on the contest, examples, forums, and more. The 2011 Challenge is about ants looking for food on a map and fighting against ants by the opponent. The contest hasn’t started quite yet, but you can get a head start on it by reading up at the official github page and maybe getting started early.

SVN (Apache Subversion) has been around for about 11 years now (initial release: October 20, 2000). It was originally meant to be mostly compatible with and a successor to CVS (Concurrent Versions System). It has succeed as such and is one of the most widely used software version control systems in existence.