Month: September 2008

  • September 28, 2008

    The Force Unleashed

    Yesterday I beat The Force Unleashed for Xbox 360. This was a game I had been looking forward to as a Star Wars fan and as a programmer. A few months ago I saw the type of work they were doing to make this world seem more realistic- better physics engines, smarter AI, etc.- and got pretty excited to see how well it worked. After playing the game through, I wasn’t disappointed.

    First I’d like to point out that the story line at times seemed to have better continuity than the prequels. The Force Unleashed takes place between Episodes III and IV, and is about a secret apprentice that Darth Vader takes on to kill any remaining Jedi. The story progressed in true cinematic fashion and had some pretty great twists/surprises in it. It little sappy, but the fact that you can see why some things in the original trilogy happened is really cool.

    Now, onto the game play. I’ve read and been told by a few people that they think the game gets repetitive. While that is true, I still think it is awesome. In my mind, there is nothing better than force gripping a storm trooper and throwing him into a wall or whatever fatal structures there are in the level. I held one in front of a beam and waited for it to fire, incinerating the trooper. Also, shocking a jawa is fun. It’s a little RPG-ish in the fact that you pick and choose which skills, abilities, and force powers you want to hone, and it definitely effects game play; my friend and I played it at the same time and had different trouble points due to the skills we each chose.

    The game is also a little buggy. While it did cause me to restart twice, I’m willing to overlook that due to the sheer power of the physics engine it uses. The events in this game are truly non-deterministic, meaning you can do the same thing over and over again and get completely different results based on probably hundreds of different variables. The AI in enemies is smart enough that they try and grab onto things as you throw them.

    There is very seldom a game that I will beat and then go back and play levels just for the sake of playing them and I find myself doing that with The Force Unleashed. It’s a lot of fun, well thought out, and a must for any Star Wars or gaming fan (but especially Star Wars fans).

  • September 20, 2008

    Apps You Should Follow on Twitter

    Over the last few months I’ve been using Twitter a lot more to get updates from people and fill others in on stuff I’m working on. The best possible thing I think Twitter did was open up the API for others to integrate it. Here are a few things that have made my life easier because they use Twitter.

    • woot: woot.com is a website that offers you a deal a day. By following it on Twitter I don’t have to worry about checking the site daily- I’ll get the update as soon as the post it. Since following woot, I got an 8GB USB Drive for $20 (!) and a pretty sweet pen set for $5.
    • amazonmp3: A few weeks ago, I wrote about how great Amazon Mp3 is. By following it on Twitter, you can get their Daily Deals, which can save you a ton of money on great music. I’ve gotten Patton Oswalt, Dragonforce, and Rod Stewart for $2.99, just to name a few.
    • cnnbrk: Follow cnnbrk, get breaking news to your phone. I find their updates just right, where Fox News’s twitter service updates way too much.
    • rtm: My favorite tasks application Remember The Milk has Twitter integration that allows you to tweet tasks to RTM and get reminder tweets.
    • twanslate: twanslate allows you to send a language and a phrase you want translated into that language. How cool is that?

    Twitter has literally hundreds of other websites integrating it, other apps to use it, and plenty of hacks if you’re creative. It helps you stay updated and stay productive- wherever you are. So what do you use Twitter for?

  • September 17, 2008

    Have a Business Plan

    Businessing

    Since August I’ve come up with or have launched a number of side projects in hopes of increasing revenue streams so I’m not as busy during the school year. Unfortunately, I’ve left out one “minor” detail with these- a business plan. This doesn’t have to be in the form of an official, written plan that you’d submit for funding (but I’m sure that helps). It’s more about making a plan and giving your side project some direction as opposed to just slapping together something and releasing it to the world.

    I’m currently working on a presentation for one of my SE classes about Trade-off Analysis in Web Development. It mentions that a lot of web apps are rushed to the market with not quite perfect but present features, and that’s what’s more important. However, I’m the lone developer on most of these projects and that’s not necessarily the best course of action for me. For one, I don’t have a huge user base of people ready and willing to test for me. Second, while I usually come up with an idea, I don’t have foresight as to where the project would and could go. This is something I need to think about. And third, something I am going to elaborate on in another post, I don’t have the capital for marketing. So what do I do?

    Well, I do have the advantage of being in an academic environment. I know a lot of people who are willing to connect me with the people I need to talk to. However, when I meet with those people I need to be ready and tell them what my idea is, how it will start, how it will make money, and where I want it to go 6 months, 1 year, 3 years down the road. It shows not only that I’m serious about pursuing the idea (as in I’m willing to invest that kind of time into it), but that I’ve taken the idea past the whimsical, “Hey, I wonder if this would work” phase.

    So right now, some of my projects are in limbo until I can get them on an actual track. It’s a minor set back, but it’s something I’m glad I learned now, as opposed to when I am out of school and have so much more to lose.

  • September 12, 2008

    Tech Lust

    Hi. My name is Joe Casabona, and I have an technology addiction. Over that last few weeks I’ve been accumulating a list of tech stuff I really want, and subsequently try to justify buying. Of course, money is also a contributing factor, but I can probably move some funds around, right?

    The short list of stuff includes:

    • The Dell Mini PC– This one I think I can justify buying because it’s a cheap laptop that runs Windows, an OS I currently lack. I have reservations about dual booting my Mac or running a program like parallels. I want to keep the two separate and run them simultaneously. This would allow me to browser test in IE, as well as do somethings I can’t do (or do well) on my Mac (I’m talking to you, Blackberry). Speaking of…
    • The Blackberry Bold– I am waiting on baited breath for the day this phone comes to Verizon Wireless users. This phone has literally everything my Blackberry does not- better (full) browser, updated OS, camera, WiFi, regular sized headphone jack. I cannot wait for this one.
    • Sega Dreamcast– I was in my local video game shop the other day, reserving The Force Unleashed, which I got a feeling of nostalgia for the great but underrated gaming console. Looks like I’ll be scouring ebay soon.

    Of course, there are plenty of other things, like a bluetooth receiver for my iPod Touch, etc, etc. Those things I can probably buy on a whim depending on how good I fee. And what, might I ask, are the tech things you really want to buy?

  • September 5, 2008

    Take Advantage of Being a Student Business Owner

    As I continue to earn my business chops while still enjoying the luxury of being a student, I’ve realized some ways to really take advantage of being both.

    Make Student Expenses Business Expenses
    As long as you are in the same field for both your business and your major, any school expenses can be considered business expenses- tuition, books, supplies, etc. This might help soften the blow around tax time.
    Student Discounts = Cheap Business Expenses
    Over the summer, I attended Google I/O, Google’s two day developers’ conference. The going rate for it was over $400. However, they offered a student discount of $50. As in, over $350 off the normal price. WordCamp NY is offering a 50% discount to students. Usually all it takes is a student ID or email address and you can get significant discounts on things that can help you further your business simply because you are also a student. They are also business expenses and can be written off. Things like software can get dicey however, because normally they stipulate that if you are using a student discount, it cannot be used commercially. You might want to read the terms of service if you’re going to do something like that.
    Access to Academia and Resources
    As a student you have a number of people and resources at your finger tips. My school even has a small business center. Aside from that, you have professors who might have some experience in what you’re trying to do, or know people that can help you out. In Scranton, there are also organizations and contests specifically for student entrepreneurs, including one that can get you $25,000 in start-up capital.
    Make School Work Business Work
    As a student, you will inevitably get assignments to give you experience in whatever it is you want to do. If given the opportunity to choose what kind of project or assignment you can do, why not make it something you could also do for your business. I’ve made several school projects side projects. That will give you an excuse to work on side projects- plus you’ll get graded on something you can potentially commercialize.
    Schools are Usually Willing to Help
    Most schools like to see their students succeed, and are willing to help out the young entrepreneurs. Stanford even has its own patent office for students working on exceptional things. Check out your school and see what kind of resources they can offer you as a student. I’ve gotten free legal advice through my school, which is great when working on a good contract.

    These are just things I’ve come across in my experience. I’m sure there a lot more things I am overlooking- the important part is to look for what’s out there because it could save you some time and money. Student business owners are given a lot of a chances to establish themselves before entering the real world, which is important if you don’t want to work a 9-5 right out of school.

  • September 2, 2008

    Google Chrome

    I wasn’t going to formulate any real thoughts on this. I am solely a Mac user so I have to wait a little longer to use Google Chrome, but after reading this helpful comic and giving it some thought, I can make some speculations as to what Google Chrome means for Google, and browsing in general.

    First, Chrome is a lot like an operating system in a lot of ways. Multi-threads, each tab has its own process, a javascript virtual machine with better garbage collection (among other things), and its own task manager. Over the years there has been a lot of speculation of a Google OS and this I think, brings us one step closer to that. I can easily see it having better integration for Google Products and for core Google users, that would be clutch.

    Also, it has better Gears integration. Now this one is a more whimsical thought, however with the advent of Gears and being able to browse offline, there might be some intention to allow for offline browsing of any site you’ve visited. This would be especially useful for those of use who rely on web apps on a regular basis and may be stuck without an internet connection.

    I only know this for certain- everything Google does is a measure and calculated act. Especially considering their great relationship with Mozilla, there is a lot of motive behind Google Chrome and I think we will begin to see what it is in the coming months.