Learning Blog Post #19

Well, 3D modeling was at first kind of boring, going through that stupid tutorial, so I tried the snowman tutorial this class. It was definately a lot more interesting. I have yet to texture it, but I made my basic snowman. Gave him a top hat and all, and even gave him pupils. I plan to make this a living snowman. This will most certainly give me the practice I need to attempt that sword modeling activity. My sword will be rad! In fact, I might actually make the Great Knife, which only the mighty Pyramid Head is found dragging around behind him. It looks wicked heavy, and that rusty texture just looks amazing. I'll probably end up making a more modern version of it, but the magic behind it can be indestructibility. I mean, who could break that thing anyways? Anyways, I'm getting a lot more excited about this class. Modeling is slowly progressing, and soon to be game making! Oh, and I made a few sprites. Surprised? You SHOULD be!

I actually already have a game idea called, "Hungry, Hungry Fel Hound", but I'm not sure if I'll carry out with it. I'll probably end up going with this wolf idea that I had, but whatever. We'll see when the time comes. But that's all for now.

Sincerely,
Bleed.

Learning Blog Post #18

Watching a video on virtual reality is mildly interesting, but so is sitting in front of the computer, starving - feeling as if your stomache is collapsing by the minute. I think our presentation is ready for monday, so hopefully that will be a success. I also made two more sprites. What a shock! I personally like these sprites, but whatever. Can't wait for modeling.

Farewell,

Bleed.

Learning Blog Post #17

Well, I made decent progress with the powerpoint that Claire and I are working on, despite the fact she wasn't present today, but that's okay. And on top of that, I made an interesting new sprite. As Mr. Powell has said, 3D modeling is our next unit, and I'm quite excited for it. Oh, the devious and mischievous creations I'd love to birth. Perhaps I'll be able to bring some of my sprites to a more three-dimensional life. I don't know. But here's my new sprite.

Sincerely,

Bleed.

Learning Blog Post #16

The most I accomplished this class was giving Claire a link to finding Tux the penguin on Google, as well as reading about 50 pages of MLIA (My Life Is Average, in case you didn't know). As so many have posted on the site, "I felt I made the right choice."

And here is my new sprite.

Sincerely,
Bleed.

Sprites Update

And here are my most recent sprite creations.

Sincerely,

Bleed.

Digital Nation - Thoughts

I found it interesting that Koreans actually have internet cafes. I never knew of such places! And the time they devote to such collaborations are just shocking. Two reported deaths? Holy crap. And on that note, that is what makes internet addictions such a problem. I wrote out a note on World of Warcraft on my Facebook, basically ranting about a part of this matter and what it takes to be a WoW player, and it's just amazing how deeply committed you have to be to play. I love the idea of Blizzcon, and I honestly want to attend one some day. But I don't have the money or the connections to go. Anyways, I'm running out of time to post this, so I'll post more later.

By the way, I salvaged the color of my Quagsire and made a couple new sprites. I'll post them later.

Farewell,
Bleed.

A Single Breath I Could Take

One of my all-time favorite songs. "Laid to Rest", by Lamb of God.
Caution: Video contains course language. I only post the song because it is optional to the user to click and listen. If this is still a problem, please tell me and I will stray away from posting these songs as well.

I also have a couple sprites I made yesterday. One was requested from my beloved Dan Johnson (the pink overly-happy one), and happens to be one of my favorites.

Great... I just noticed I failed upon saving that sprite. The only sprite I would save from such a catastrophe, and it reverts to a monochromatic form. How lovely.

Operating Systems

1. What is an operating system and what is its purpose?

Software that controls the execution of computer programs and may provide various services.
2. What operating system do most computers come preloaded with?

Windows?
3. Besides personal computers, what other devices have operating systems?

Xbox 360!
4. Do all computers have operating systems? Explain

Well, all computers must have an operating system - otherwise, "Simply put, your computer would be useless without an operating system!"
5. What are the three most common operating systems? Are there other operating systems? Explain.

Probably the most common operating systems, known by myself, are Windows, Macintosh and Linux. I'm sure there are several more types of operating systems though, such as the one that my xbox 360 runs on. Mr. Powell also has a few listen on his website.
6. What is one reason why operating systems are coded rather than physical circuits?

Perhaps this way, it is easy to advance operating system functions and efficiency, as opposed to always physically changing the system.
7. What are the two main functions of an operating system?

Managing the basic hardware operations, such as the control of input and output, storage space, etc. Another function would be the management and interaction with applications software, such as printing and saving data.
8. What are the four types of operating systems?

Real-time operating system / single-user, single task / single-user, multi-tasking / multi-user
9. What are the first actions the computer takes when you power it on?
10. What is the bootstrap loader? What is its function?

A small program at the end of the boot record that can be used to boot an OS from the disk or logical drive.
11. How does the OS manage the processor?
12. What does an operating system do when two processes are multi-tasking?
13. What is thrashing?

In computer science, thrash (verb) is the term used to describe a degenerate situation on a computer where increasing resources are used to do a decreasing amount of work.
14. What is virtual memory management?
15. What is a driver?

An electrical circuit or other electronic component used to control another circuit or other component.
16. How can input/output capabilities of a system be enhanced?
17. How do application program interfaces make it easier for programmers?
18. What is a UI and GUI?
19. Why is Linux being open source significant?
20. What are some other devices that run on Linux?
21. What are 3 things you found interesting about operating systems that you did not know before?

One, they run in my game consoles! Two, I'm not sure. Three, that users can edit the coding to Linux. I had no idea.
22. What is a question that you still have about operating systems?

The Bottom of Network's Trench

Peer-to-Peer: "Allows users to share resources and files located on their computers and to access shared resources found on other computers." AppleShare is an example.

Advantages - Less expense. Does not require a dedicated server.
- May only need to be reconfigured for peer-to-peer operations.
Disadvantages - There is no central source for files and applications.
- Fails to possess any form of security.

Client/Server: "Allow the network to centralize functions and applications in one or more dedicated file servers." Novell Netware is an example.

Advantages - Resources and data security are controleld through the server.
- Any or all elements can be replaced individually as needs increase.
- New technology can be easily integrated into system.
- All components work together.
- Server can be accessed remotely and across multiple platforms.
Disadvantages - Quite expensive.
- Requires a staff of some form to ensure efficient operation.
- When the server goes down, operations will cease across the network.

I think I personally prefer the clien/server, seeing how it seems a lot more dependable to transmit information quickly and efficiently, despite its expense and required attention.

Sincerely,
Bleed.

Deeper Into The Abyss of Networking

Router: A device that basically transfers any type of data from a network to a system. Example: Downloading Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers off of the internet onto your computer. Example 2: Downloading the Dead Space theme from the marketplace onto your Xbox 360. Example 3: Streaming a YouTube video off of the internet onto your Playstation 3.

Bridge: Basically a device that divides a network into two smaller, but apparently more efficient, networks.

Switch: A central connection point for cables from workstations, servers and peripherals.

LAN and WAN

Local Area Network - A small network that may connect two or more systems together on a personal network connection. An example would be an internet modem connected to a wireless router. This router can send signals to any system within the designated proximity (Lets say 50 feet for example). My LAN at home is used for my Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Playstation 3, my desktop computer and my Xbox 360. I have a wireless router, which grants my DS, Wii and PS3 the ability to connect without physical burden.

Wide Area Network - A vast network that may connect hundreds or even thousands of systems together on a more public network connection. An example, as Mr. Powell has described, would be the network hosted and provided by the government, shared with our school district.

This is all that was asked, so I will conclude this post.

Sincerely,
Bleed

Blog Activity Update

I may or may not post a few extra things upon here that may or may not strike my interest. Images, videos, articles, etc.
Don't be surprised if I throw a few music videos up here.
Speaking of, the first music video I may post resides below:

Comments are welcome and encouraged. Smiley face.

Note to self: YouTube video dimensions will be 400x318.

Farewell,
Bleed.

Mario Text Adventure

Oh, and something I thought was kind of neat was something I found on www.ign.com.
It's just a post of this text-based game that only lasts for one level. Really simple, and quite interesting. Here is the link if you wish to try it:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/106/1067185p1.html

I passed on my first try, but the friends I sent the link to all died by the hands of the maniacal goombas! Muahaha!

Yours truely,
Bleed.

Learning Blog Post #15

Alright, so, I am EXTREMELY tired. I don't know why. Feel like I could sleep for years on end. Oh, and while it's on my mind, I apologize for any unnecessary coarse language I may have let loose in any previous post. I personally try to keep to a minimum, but obviously even such discipline is not enough for a school environment, so I will refrain from ANY coarse language.
Anyways, I took a peek at our next general unit and am highly anticipating 3D modeling. My brother does it on a regular basis for Halo Custom Edition, making maps, characters, weaponry and many other elements. He also is really good at making textures - mainly environmental. I was always interested, just didn't bother to put my time towards a game I despise with a passion (And I own Halo 3... ironic). So, yeah. I'm hoping I will learn about modeling to the extent I will be able to, lets say, forge models for Warcraft III. I'm not sure if you knew or not, but custom models can be imported into the Warcraft III World Editor, as well as various other elements. So, I was hoping I could learn to create models for Warcraft III in order to work towards custom maps I tend to occasionally work on. The model file formats are .mdx and .mdl - and I have noticed that for the original models of, for example, a footmen and a grunt, are stored in an .mpq archive file. Just thought this could be useful information. Anyways, that's what I was hoping to accomplish with the 3D modeling unit. Of course, I'd also need to learn how to texture those models, but just in case I can't get too in depth in that area, I could try to get my brother to texture my models. Anyways, I also had the idea, as you suggested in one of your comments, to make a small Pokemon game for the game making unit. Pokemon does require A LOT of work to create, and I'm not sure Gamemaker would be able to actually work everything out, such as wild Pokemon encounters, battles, item useage, evolution, gym progression, etc. I just don't know, and you obviously do. So, please give me feedback or suggestions on what I could do instead, in case this isn't possible. Anyways, I probably should get back to the computer speculating. Computer sockets, memory and hard drive. Must keep note of those.
That's all for now.

Sincerely,
Bleed.