BenWoodall(dot)Com » Geekery

My Dream.In.Code blog: 1-2-3-A-B-C++

Ben — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:33:15 +0000

I’ve decided to start a new programming blog on Dream.in.Code. The reason i’m not writing it here is because I want (need) a larger community following, and their’s is awesome. I’ve been visiting DiC for a while now, and I think I can learn a lot by using the forums there.

I know PHP, Javascript, and some Java from college, but I’ve never really gotten far in C++. I’ve owned a few books and tried to learn a few times, but I couldn’t get very far before quitting. This time, it’ll be different.

I picked up a book, Beginning C++ through Game Programming. It’s not to teach you how to write games, it’s written to explain C++ through game programming analogues. I’ve gone through the first 6 chapters, and it’s working pretty well. Between this book and the community on Dream in Code, I think I’ll have a better chance of learning this amazing language.

The blog is 1-2-3-A-B-C++

Join me if you want!

My First Google AppInventor App: SocialBen

Ben — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:40:12 +0000

Edit: New Version 2.0 with vibraty things and live action voices!

I don’t even remember signing up for the beta, but I got my Google AppInventor invitation this morning and figured I’d play around with it.

It’s pretty basic: it’s just an app that opens this blog, my twitter feed, and my photo gallery. I think there could be a lot of fun with this. There are still a few bugs for Google to work out with it.

Here’s the barcode link to install it on your Android phone.

Build a Rectangle – C++

Ben — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:54:20 +0000

So I’ve been using this Learn C++ book for a while and I’ve pretty much been sticking to the programs they teach you. So here’s one of my first branching out programs.

It’s pretty simple. Just uses for loops to build a square with dimensions you give it and gives you the area. This is version 1.0. I’m working on another one that uses vectors for 2.0

Download the bin and source here.

Guess Your Number C++

Ben — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 22:34:24 +0000

So, I learned the basics of programming in Java at Louisiana Tech University but never really did much with it. Maybe because Java isn’t a language I was ever interested in. I’ve bought a lot of books on learning C++, but never really got into many of them. I picked up “Beginning C++ through Game Programming, 2nd Edition” last week and it’s working pretty well. It teaches you to program C++ by teaching basic game code. I’m only on Chapter 2 so far. The end of the chapter asks to make a program where the user enters a number and has the computer try to guess it. It took about an hour, but I got it out. It’s pretty basic, but the book really makes learning interesting.

Click here to download source and binary.


// Guess My Number

// Have the computer guess your number
#include 

#include 

#include 
using namespace std;
int main()

{

    srand(time(0));  // seed random number generator

    int tries = 1;   // set initial number of tries to 0

    int lowRange = 1;

    int highRange = 100;

    int myNumber;

    int theGuess = rand() % 101 + 1;     // random number between 1 & 100   
    system("cls"); // clears the terminal screen
    cout << "\tWelcome to Guess My Number\n\n";

    cout << "\tType in a number between 1 and 100: ";

    cin >> myNumber;
    // Next bit of code tests if your number is greater than 100.

    // Still runs, but ends at the end with zero guesses.

    // I'll work on a better way to restart the do loop if it is > 100.

    if (myNumber >= 101)

        cout << "\tYou entered a number out of range (1-100).\n";

    else
    do

    {

        int range = (highRange - lowRange) + 1;
        cout << "\tHighest Guess: " << highRange << ". ";

        cout << "Lowest Guess: " << lowRange << ". ";

        cout << "My guess is: " << theGuess << "\n\n";

        ++tries;

        cin.get();
         if (theGuess > myNumber)

         {

            cout << "\tToo High!\n\n";

            highRange = theGuess;

            // Sets theGuess to a random number between the highest guess and the lowest guess

            theGuess = rand() % (highRange - lowRange) + lowRange;

            }
         else if (theGuess < myNumber)

         {

            cout << "\tToo Low!\n\n";

            lowRange = theGuess;

            // Sets theGuess to a random number between the highest guess and the lowest guess

            theGuess = rand() % (highRange - lowRange) + lowRange;

            if(theGuess == lowRange)       // Increment theGuess if it's equal to the last lowest number

            ++theGuess;

            }
            }while (theGuess != myNumber);

cout << "\tHighest Guess: " << highRange << ". "; cout << "Lowest Guess: " << lowRange << ". "; cout << "My guess is: " << theGuess << "\n\n"; cout << "\tThat's it! Your number was " << myNumber << " and I guessed it in " << tries << " tries!\n\n"; cout << "\tPress enter to continue..."; cin.get(); return 0; }

Finally Joined LinkedIn

Ben — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:36:40 +0000

Click here to add me as a connection

After months of deliberation, my work recruiter finally talked me into getting an account.

Kombucha!

Ben — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 03:22:51 +0000

So this is the result of a week and a half of kombucha fermenting. First pic is the mother and resultant baby scoby.

Last pic is the kombucha tea. MAKE YOU STRONG LIKE BULL!

Officially CompTIA A+ Certified!

Ben — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:46:08 +0000

It’s official! I took my CompTIA A+ certs this morning and passed ACED them! Got an 875 on the 701 exam and an 840 on the 702!

Here’s a lit of resources I used:

Professor Messer: The BEST video guides and user forum

CompTIA A+ Complete Review Guide from Sybex: Gives a great general idea on Objectives.

and I have a Tag series of my own CompTIA material @ http://benwoodall.com/tag/comptia/

Woot!

~Ben

CompTIA: Laser Printing Process

Ben — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:23:12 +0000

Cleaning – The Rubber Blade removes any excess toner which drops into the debris cavity. The eraser lamp that removes any excess charge off the photosensitive drum. This leaves the drum with a charge of 0 Volts

Conditioning – The primary corona (High Voltage Wire) adds a negative charge of around -600 volts to – 1000 volts

Writing – The laser light hits the photosensitive drum, where the light hits the drum it dissapates the negative charge to the centre of the drum which is grounded. This then leaves sections of the drum with a voltage of -100 volts

Developing – The drum rolls through a supply of negativly charged toner particles (Particles are -200 Volts to -500 Volts)

Where the drum hasnt been touched by the laser light a lower negative charge is still there, so the particles are not attracted to this section of the photosensitive drum.

Transfer – A strong positive charge is applied the the paper, the particles of toner are attracted to the paper.

Fusing – The toner that is on the paper is heated and pressurised, the toner becomes bonded to the paper.

Mnemonic to remember:

Cool Cowboys Will Drive Their Fords

via http://www.proprofs.com/forums/index.php?cmd=showentry&eid=30&blogid=1&autocom=blog

CompTIA: Monitor Resolutions

Ben — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:06:25 +0000

Name	X Pixels Wide	Y Pixels Wide
VGA	640	480
SVGA	800	600
XGA	1024	768
XGA+	1152	864
SXGA	1280	1024
SXGA+	1400	1050
UXGA	1600	1200
QXGA	2048	1536

via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vector_Video_Standards2.svg

Gowalla vs Foursquare

Ben — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:57:45 +0000

The official Gowalla app finally came out for the Android operating system yesterday and I’ve been waiting to write a Gowalla vs Foursquare post for a while now. However, after using the Gowalla app for a day, I’ve decided I can’t REALLY write anything on it because it sucks so horribly bad. I hate that too. I’ve been rooting for the Gowalla app team for a while now and every now and then, I’ll even use the mobile site, m.gowalla.com. Their design is a lot cleaner than Foursquare and I like the way it shows local venues.

But… The Gowalla app has COMPLETELY locked up my Droid 3 times now. The whole thing just shuts down and I have to do a battery removal. Also, Auto Wi-Fi use. Why can’t it just use the GPS system like EVERY OTHER APP ON THE MARKET? For some reason, it turns on my Wi-Fi connection in an attempt to better find my location. This was probably my biggest irk for the Gowalla app. I won’t write an official VS post until a newer app comes out…it’s just not a fair fight.

In the mean time…here are some Gowalla Mobile vs Foursquare pics.