Amp's blog

The Return...

I figure since somebody may eventually ask what prompted my return to SoldierX, I may as well cover it here and now. In a earlier "Amp Blasts" post, I voiced my legitimate displeasure with the complacency and apathy that I observed from crew members. One reason for this was the cancellation of the tutorial contest due to lack of entries. Another was due to Grey being forced into retirement due to his failure to produce content. Along with seeing that not much had happened with some other projects and a supposed return by another member that eventually fell apart it started to bother me. Another thing that was bothersome were all of these IT goons with giant fucking hardons for MRI coming on the site without an intent to legitimately further their knowledge. The straw that broke the camel's back though and prompted that post was that RaT brought it to my attention that I was contributing more than many crew members.

Upcoming Guide specifications

Ok, now that I have some free time, I figure that I should answer a question that was risen concerning my guides. I was recently asked by some members what programming language I would focus on. One of the intentions of the guide is for me to try to make it somewhat generalized so that it can be applied to some extent with other languages. However, I will state that once I start giving specific programming examples, they will be in Java. Should anybody wish to provide the same example in other languages though I will be glad to add them in and credit them for it.

Programming Tip of the Week

I figure since I don't have much time this week, I'd give a quick tip to new programmers based on something I saw today. One thing to focus on when programming something for a course or for a job is to make sure that it can perform all expected functions. A fancy GUI is nice and all, but it's worthless if the program doesn't meet the criteria required for a project. I know this may seem like a no duh statement, but I have seen enough cases of this where I feel it should be stated.

Amp Blasts: Collegiate Math textbooks

Ok, when it comes to textbooks, they really should focus on the goal of somebody being able to utilize them whether they are in an actual classroom or not. Now, for many CS books, it isn't too difficult to do so, (I will state though having an instructor explain some of the concepts does make life much easier sometimes) but unfortunately not all Collegiate level textbooks are like this. I've seen textbooks from several departments that fail in this regard, but I have seen only one department that really fails in this respect. With that in mind, I want to draw special attention on textbooks made to focus on Math.

Basic Programming Concepts 1: The basics of Variables and Arrays (Updated on July 24th)

Due to the positive feedback I've received on the initial programming writings I've done, I've decided to move forward with the basic programming guide that I have started with.

In computer programs, we can figure out something simple like what 50*49 is. We can also enter in something more detailed such as a bank account information. However, if we cannot store this information, then doing these tasks are essentially worthless. To store and recall information, a variable is used as a reference to the space in memory where the information in question is stored.

Why steam is better than Xbox Live.

Ok, I'm going to say it here and now, I hated Steam when it first came out. However, since it's initial missteps Valve has really turned it around for Steam and turned it into a great platform for getting games. At the same time, Xbox Live has some good ideas, but it has some huge issues. With that in mind, I wish to talk about the reasons why I consider Steam to be superior to Xbox Live.

First, there's the matter of the setup. Both services have an online storefront, but Steam's storefront is easier to navigate. In addition, they are more upfront about game details than Xbox Live. Also, Steam offers better gaming previews with footage of almost all of the games whereas Xbox Live only does this for select titles.

A brief introduction to programming concepts

Forenote: The following is the first of what may become a series of posts about introductory and basic programming concepts. I would like to continue with more posts over time, but before I do make any commitment I wish to see if there would be enough demand for a series of writings such as this. If anybody feels there are some improvements that could be made on these writings, feel free to comment on them.

What is Computer Science?

The term ‘Computer Science’ actually can be somewhat deceiving, at least from my point of view. One of the best explanations that I have heard is that Computer Science is actually a study of various processes that achieve a useful result. For example, running a web browser actually utilizes numerous processes to achieve the useful result of being able to visit websites.

In its simplest form, what is a program?

Finding Mr. Fibonacci: An Introduction to Recursion

This is going to be a bit of a change from my normal rants on here, but I figure that I should give a prelude to some future guides I may be doing. Also, I strong recommend having some basic knowledge of high level programming for this guide.

Amp Blasts: Halo

Disclaimer: The following are the opinions of only Amp. By reading this, you agree to not hold him responsible for the content in this blog as per this site's user agreement.

After Microsoft's E3 press conference, I think it's time I finally go after this topic. We all know about the large amount of sales that Halo got and the fact that many consider it to be one of the few saving graces of the original Xbox. We all know about the various stereotypes in terms of who usually plays Halo. Well, I'm not going to cover that, instead I'm going to cover the content in the game series.

Amp Blasts: PepsiCo, Inc.

Disclaimer: The following are the opinions of only Amp. By reading this, you agree to not hold him responsible for the content in this blog as per this site's user agreement.

Lately, I don't know what the hell is the deal with PepsiCo, Inc. While I don't drink Pepsi, the company are suppliers of Mountain Dew Code Red and was the supplier for No Fear Energy Drinks. Also, it seemed like they were more open to making true sugar versions of Pepsi and Mountain Dew available in the US unlike Coca Cola which is resorting to gouging people by selling 12 oz bottles of "Mexican Coke" for $1.10 each in the US. However, their recent actions have reeked of total bullshit.

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