Food for gameplay

Went out today and bought some cheese, tomatoes, a green pepper and a stick of bread. They are all going to star in Chapter 9 of the XNA book....

Where is Trip Hazard?

I'm very aware of the fact that I've not written another episode of Trip Hazard for ages. He's just shot the mayor, and things are not looking good. I must stress that the reason I've not done any more is not because I've written myself into a corner. Oh no. Does anyone want any more?

Ancient History

Whilst digging around on my hard disk for some files I came across the notes I wrote for my Workstation Technology course in 1995. I thought it might be fun to pdf them and put them on this site. You can find them here. It is interesting to read them and see how much has changed.

And how much hasn't...

And just to prove that I'm still working in the present, I've put up another chapter in the XNA book.

In Praise of Insomnia

I've started waking up in the night every now and then (last night it was easy because number one son and daughter got up at some ungodly hour to go to London). Quite often I find it hard to get back to sleep, but this is sometimes a bonus because I do have some of my better ideas at that time (or perhaps it is because my critical faculties are asleep at that time as well).

Anyhoo, last night I had a neat idea for the "Flashlight for the Fiftieth Century" (US version) or "Posh Torch" (UK version) that I'm developing as a worked example for the .NET Micro Framework book I'm presently writing. Yesterday I got a GPS interface sort of working. As I was lying in bed it occurred to me that it would be nice to add some mapping features to the software. So now I'm going to download some map images so that the device can have a "you are here" kind of display for certain areas. 

Micro Framework Sample Chapters

You may not know I'm writing a book (there must be some people left on the planet that I've not told yet). Anyhoo, I am. Writing a book. (makes a change from colouring them in I suppose)

The book is about embedded development using the .NET Micro Framework. This is something I'm very excited to be involved with. I reckon the framework could do wonderful things for the process of writing code for very small processors (the kind you find in remote controls and other small computer controlled devices). It makes embedded code more reliable and easier to write. Wonderful stuff.

If you want to read bits of the book before it gets printed, and even pass comment on them, you can take a look here.

How was your day?

Have you been shot at, gassed, beaten up, had your girlfriend kidnapped, been fitted with a TV camera and made to shoot the mayor?

Thought not.

Trip Hazard has. New installment coming soon.