Games. Try to make one.

They say that sometimes it is hard to make a game. It takes a lot of time and effort just to make one. The game programmer must consider all the possibilities from gameplay up to the cheats on how to kill the AI (artificial intelligence) in 3 seconds or so. Now why did I brought this subject up? For the past 2 weeks my programming professor ask our class to make a Console Pokemon Game by using the console application of C#. I have to admit it even though it was just a simple console game it gave me a hard time just to debug the codes especially the loops for the battle. Right now I know you're thinking that I am a rookie. Well you're right. Let me share my fun experience and lessons learned in making a simple game for the past two weeks.

1. Concept Making. It is the simplest but yet the most delicate part of the project. The gameplay and designs will always depend on how you and your team will agree on what will be the main concept of your game. Sometimes the concepts will change it depends if the changes will be good for the improvement of the game but it is ok as long as you already know on how will you start the said project.

2. Writing the CODES. If you are already familiar on the programming language that you will be using I think this will be the easiest part of journey in making a game. If you fully understand the concept then it will be easier for you to write down all the necessary codes needed. During this phase I felt that I was already playing the game inside of my head. I got the feeling of excitement that I want to finish the program  as soon as possible.

3. DEBUGGING. The hardest part. That's all I can say. Well let's say that there are no errors on your codes. So normally you are now excited and relief that your job is done. Then once you play the game you will realize that game is not responding or not meeting the expectations that you expect on the concept making. Like if the health of AI is not going down after you make a hit or sometimes the AI will give you a one hit K.O or the other way around that your character is in GOD MODE. Of course you will think that "What is wrong?". I tell you, this part gave the sleepless nights that I don't want to encounter again for the rest of the year.

4. Playing your own GAME. The part that will put a smile on your face. It feels that all those nights in exchange for the game are worth it and will make you proud that you will say "I was a part of the team who made this game and I am proud."

The main lesson that I learned in this is "TEAMWORK". Having a group or team member that will assist you makes you feel that the pressure of making a game has lessen because you know that there are people that are willing to help in order to have a job well done. Also having a team member makes the completion of the job faster.

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Joli OS: The Web based operating system

An Ubuntu based operating system. This system was once called as Jolicloud but when they released the version 1.2 they changed it to Joli OS and when you say Jolicloud you are referring to the cloud desktop that manages the web apps, files, and services. Joli OS was tweaked for the computers does have a limited space of disk storage and memory like netbooks, so even your 10 year old desktop can still use this OS and it will be useful just like before. It is like a combined version of a social network site and an operating system.

It has a simple and friendly user interface, re-organizing the web apps was made easy because it was all made on HTML 5. You can change the background of your Joli OS just click the button on the lower right to select on the list of pictures that Joli OS have in its system or you can upload your own picture to use it as your own wallpaper.

On the upper left corner there is an icon of a satellite dish. That is your dashboard/wall tab which they called "Stream". You can see the current events of your friends and you will also see who are you following and who are your followers as well. It has a Dropbox similar to the Windows Live's sky drive where you can place your files, well for me it is very convenient because I can have access on my important files wherever I am and you can also have access on your Google Docs. There is also an application tab section where you can add your web apps well the great thing here is that all of these apps are already installed and they are just waiting for you to add them on your device. This operating system also grants you to add a new web app.

Overall, This is an amazing OS very simple yet very user-friendly. You can have access on your account wherever you are even if you don't have your netbook at your side. Just log in to your account and there you have it you already accessed your account on Jolicloud. The downside of this would be the dependent of the system to the internet. It is totally built for web usages so when you need an important file and there is no wi-fi on the area you really have to do something in order to connect to the web and get the file that you want on your account.

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Tablets:The pros and cons of giving you the all in one entertainment

Tablets these days are making a huge noise especially on the market. Everyone is desiring to have one,or atleast one, for so many reasons. Despite of the reasons it is indeed that these gadgets gives us entertainment. Wi-Fi, music, video, games, e-book reader, camera, and high performance processors, graphics card and memory. If two or three of these superb features are missing then it is well concluded that your tablet can be outrun by other tablets in a matter of time.

Now let me give you the pros and cons of these Tablets.

Pros:

1. Ease of communication. Aside from the texts and calls that the Tablets (just like the Samsung Tablets) can give there are also Wi-Fi that you can get and it makes you to connect easily on the internet and enables you to be online 24/7.

2. Very Handy. These things can be at your side anytime and anywhere especially when you are the type of person whose always on the go.

3. App Stores. I only know two companies who has their app stores on their tablets. The Apple for iPad  and Samsung for the Galaxy tab. It is very convenient to have an app store on your device because you don't have  to go on their local stores just to buy/download their games, music and other bi-products specified for your tab. It is like a virtual store right into your hands.

4. Entertainment. Yes. This thing can you save you from boredom. music, camera and especially games. I was surprised that even some of my hard core gamer friends are having fun and enjoying the games that they installed on their tabs. Even the games are just simple they are still an eye catcher on the gamers out there.

Cons:

1.Non Up-gradable. Unlike the desktop computers this one can not be upgraded anymore once it is released on the market. Maybe now your tablet will be the most powerful one but sooner or later other tablet will outrun your tablet, that goes the same on the other tablets.

2. Graphics Card. Some tablets have a great processor inside them but sometimes they lack on the graphics card. We must remember that this card has a good role in order for the tablet to be a hit on the market. I don't say that the company makers of tablet should acquire the same level of graphics card as the desktop and laptop computer but what I am trying to say is that if the tablet has a low graphics card there might be a tendency that the tablet will cause a late response time on the user.

3. Distraction. During our summer class (which is very boring and depriving) most of my classmates often bring their tablets with them. They almost pay attention on their tabs the whole time rather than paying attention to our professor. We can not blame those kind of people because all we wanted is to have fun but it is better to do it on the right place and on the right time.

4. All in one. Like I said it is almost an all in one device. You have an MP3 player, Digital Camera, Cellphone, and a Computer all inside on that tablet. The dilemma is that just in case you accidentally lost it (hope not) you also lost  an MP3 player, Digital Camera, Cellphone, and a Computer.

Tablets are great. Someway, Somehow and Someday this gadget will be more fantastic than the ones that we have today. But as of today if you are really sure on investing to this stuff  make sure to know the pros and cons of this gadget.

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Angry Birds Live

Want to see a real live action Angry Birds? With all of those real shooting birds, pig explosion and music? Well T-mobile held this event on Barcelona, Spain where the people will use the smartphone in order to play then there is a big screen on their side for others to see the game and then when the person released the bird, a big stuffed bird will come out heading to the pig's site on the other side of the stage. If the pig has been killed the pig will explode just like on the game. There was also a musical band that played the famous Angry Birds song.

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Mass Effect 3: Fall of Earth

Bioware released the new trailer for the new game on the Mass Effect series. The story revolves on the Reapers launched on their all out invasion on the galaxy leaving nothing but only destructed planets and the Earth will be their next target. You as Commander Shepard will lead the counter assault to take it back. The plan will be either you fight or you die. Death will the be price of failure to save not only the Earth but also the whole galaxy itself.

During the E3 conference they showed the gameplay of the Mass Effect 3 on Xbox 360 and they proudly announced that Mass Effect 3 can be played on the Xbox Kinect. This will level up the gaming experience of each Mass Effect fans. By the use of voice recognition the player will have the feeling that he/she is talking to the other characters of the game and by the use of the voice recognition the player can use it on setting up strategies on every fight. And their will also be new weapons such as the Omni Knife(don't know if I'm correct) for short range combat. And I believe that you can also incorporate your saved game on the Mass Effect 2 on the Mass Effect 3. The game will be released on the 3/9/2012.

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iShuttr

Ever imagine of using your iPhone 4 into a point and shoot camera? With all those external buttons a LED flash similar size to the flash of digital cameras today. Well here is the answer, iShuttr Camera Case. This camera case will turn your iPhone 4 into a fully functional point and shoot camera. This case has a camera grip(just like on the DSLRs), a shutter button on the top of the case, a zoom in and out buttons which can also be found on the top of the case, a LED flash and lastly a tripod mount at the bottom of the case.

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Play Station Vita

Last January Sony releases its new gaming console for the Play Station Portable line. They named it NGP (New Generation Portable) but yesterday they gave this console its new and finalized name the Play Station Vita. Vita, in Latin which means "Life" will be expected to give a new experience on the gamers lives due to its new way of gaming style and the connectivity of each gamers around the world.

The PS Vita will have a two analog sticks, a front and rear camera, a 5-inch high-res OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen which is also a touch screen and also it has a track pad on the back of the console which has the design of the famous Play Station buttons the triangle,square,circle and x, and last they introduce to SIXAXIS motion technology.

There are also special features that the Sony introduced during that night. These are the Cloud-base Saving where you can start your game on the PS Vita and you can continue the game on your PS3 and the Cross Play in which you use your PS Vita while your opponent is using his/her PS3.

The PS Vita will be available on 3G and WIFI and will be available on the market 2011 holiday season.

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Nike + GPS Application for Ipod touch

For the Ipod touch users there is a new way in order for you to use the Nike application without buying the sensor on the Nike Stores. Let me introduce to you the Nike + GPS. This application can be used without the help of the sensor attached on to your shoe. How? The calculations will be based on the  swings of your Ipod touch. So it is advisable for the user to put the Ipod touch on the pocket of your jogging pants in order to have an accurate calculation at the end of your daily run. I tried this application once and I can say that it is indeed very useful. The only problem with this application is that the GPS is not working because this application is originally created for the Iphone. Since the GPS of the Ipod touch and Iphone has a little bit difference then there is no way in order for you to use the map. On the brighter side if you always follow on the same route everyday then why do need the GPS to guide you?  But in general this application is great at the end of your run it will indicate to you the estimated amount of calorie that you burn, how long did you run and your average speed on the whole set.
You can even post it on your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Then there is the History page where you can see the results of your previous runs so you can determine if you are progressing or not. You can get this applications on Itunes and the current version available is 3.1 in order to get this your iOs version is iOs 4 or later. Grab it and have fun running.

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Aerocool PGS Vs-9

Aerocool Vs-9 one of the best mid tower gaming rig made by Aerocool. I personally use this product right now. With its superpb cooling process your computer will never get hot just by using fans. Talking about the airflow of this product when I looked on their site they wrote that the user can install 7 fans(the most number of fans that you can install in this product.) but as I look on the product when I bought it. I realized that I can install 10 fans(yeah I can insert 3 extra fan). Just by inserting 2 12cm fan on the top, bottom and side of the case. Three fans on the front of the case and the last one would be placed on the back of the case. The picture below illustrates the airflow if you are using only 7 fans. The only difference if you add the extra 3 is that it gives you more cooling satisfaction.

For the water cooling system enthusiast out there you can still install the water cooling system on this rig because of its 2 pre-drilled holes on the rear of the case. They are just waiting for you to install the system. 

These are the other specifications of the Aerocool PGS Vs-9

1.             High performance "Mid-Tower" for gamers and enthusiast.

2.     Solidly constructed "ALL BLACK" chassis – 0.6mm SECC Japanese Steel and beautifully finished ALL BLACK interior.

3.     High-end Graphic card Support – Supports longer high-end VGA cards up to 295 mm.

4.     High Expandability – Supports 9 x 5 1/4" bays and maximum 5 x 3.5" HDDs (internal) with HDD convertor brackets.

5.     Superb HDD Cooling capability – Each HDD bracket has pre-drilled fan holes to mount a 12cm fan to cool each HDD individually.

6.     Ease of Installation – New "Easy-install" screw-less kits are included for the 5 1/4" devices and PCI slot.

7.     Easy Access Front I/O ports – 2 x USBs and Audio/Mic ports are easily accessible from the front panel.

8.     Smart Cable Management – Cable routing clips are pre-mounted on the MB so users can arrange the cables inside the chassis neatly.

9.     CPU holes is pre-drilled on the MB plate for ease of CPU cooler assembly Superb Cooling – Users can install up to 7 fans - 3 x 12cm front intake fans (optional), 2 x 12cm/14cm intake side panel fans (optional), 1 x 12cm back exhaust fan (included) and 1 x 12cm intake bottom fan (optional).

10.   Un-rival Airflow – The front "Mesh" front bay cover design allows max intake of cold air. The top chassis vent holes enable the hot air inside the chassis to exist easily. Users also have the option to install up to 2 x 12cm/14cm on the top panel if there is sufficient space inside the chassis.

11.   TAC 2.0 compatible Side Panel

12.   Bottom PSU position – the bottom PSU location enables PSUs to suck in cold air and provides better air flow for your system.

13.   Water-cooling Support – water-cooling holes are pre-drilled to support water-cooling systems!!

On the top of that you can get this product for almost Php 2000.00. With all the specifications that this product can give to you for me the price that I paid with this product gave me a satisfied feeling.

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