My Blog has be recieving SPAM comments

Lately my blog has been receiving SPAM comments so i have had to turn on word verification. If it happens to be a bot doing the SPAMing then it will stop it otherwise i will have to turn on comment moderation :( I do not want it to come to this but it might if SPAM comments keep on being posted. So if anybody is doing this please stop, and if a bot is then it isn't going to work anymore :)

My Grade 12 Computer Engineering

A little while ago i said i was going to let readers know what i am up to in my grade 12 Computer Engineering class (Note that i am in Grade 11 but have skipped a year in Computer Engineering and in computer science but unfortunately the class was canceled because of the lack of student interest). This year in computer engineering i am making a robot that works in a real world simulation modeled like a house fire. A candle in a a maze simulates the fire and the objective of the robot is to extinguish the flame. So far i have been learning C++ and am planning to transition to C so i can code the PIC chip we are using (PIC 16F877). I am using SDCC (Small Device C Compiler) to compile (it is of course Open-source). So far we have completed out main board, have a body complete, schematic design done (maybe a little tweaking yet) and i have a more to learn when it comes to programming (SDCC, C). I am managing a group with two other members. We hope to go to a competition later on in the year if we get the robot done in time. Anyways i have more homework to attend to. Thanks for reading.

Learning - another entry on endless information

I have blogged a couple times on the idea of "endless information" although i have specifically looked at computer topics. Today in my grade 11 university physics class my interest was sparked when we where looking at motion. I was thinking away and then the idea of time travel came to my mind. I knew that Einstein has a theory on the topic so i asked my teacher about Einstein's theory of time travel. He explained to me and i was intrigued and wanted to learn more. I started with google and wikipedia and have found some very interesting, very very abstract theories and ideas (i provide the links at the end of this entry). I am very interested so i am going to look into it more. Specifically i like to see how the future might be when it comes to computers and technology. I was thinking out of the box and thaught of some things i would like to see in the far future; they include:

• Life synthesis on other planets
• Teleportation
• Computers that can be controlled with the mind
• Robotics that can make decisions as if it had a human mind
• Holographic computer monitors
• Time travel
• Perpetual motion
  

At the end of the list readers must be thinking i am crazy; like i said i was just thinking out of the box although i think that every one of the items on the list is attainable. We will see what the future brings.

For your reading pleasure:
Time Travel --> Special Relativity, General Relativity, Grandfather paradox
Teleportation --> Quantum Entanglement, Quantum Measurement, Quantum Teleportation, Quantum feedback

Feisty Fawn Spec and What is to Come 2006

I have been looking over the Feisty Fawn Spec (the next version of ubuntu due 04/2007). There are some pretty impressive goals which i can't wait to see implemented. Because i have a ATI video card i am especially interested in the ATI driver fglrx development and it possibly being open sourced along with the hope of it supporting texture-from-pixmap and the composite extension. The open source driver supports AIGLX but it really slow and only gives 3D acceleration for some cards. Check out the Accelerated X spec and the Binary Driver Education Spec. I some what disagree with having binary drivers from ATI and nvidia enabled by default but the choice is given...i would really like to see the ATI driver open sourced so development will be quicker and updates on time along with support for AIGLX. I also like what i see in the Bullet Proof X Spec. It looks like a lot of work is going to be done with the UI of Ubuntu. Check out the Composite By Default Spec, and the specs i mentioned above having to do with Accelerated X Spec and Binary Driver Education Spec. As for the Composite by Default spec i hope Beryl is chosen over compiz because i prefer it...although both are good. So for your reading pleasure, i picked out my favorite specs:
USplash Fsck Progress
Easy Codec Installation
Binary Driver Education
Composite by Default
Bullet Proof X
Accelerated X

Also if anybody didn't notice Java was open sourced under the GPL v.2 :) Specifically the JDK including J2ME (CLDC, CDC) and J2EE.

Anyways it is getting late and i have to go to bed...keeping busy with school.

Netbeans and C/C++

I have been learning about C/C++ and (of course) downloaded NetBeans 5.5 and all of its packs the day they were released...one of the first things i looked at was the C/C++ support...i absolutely love use NetBeans as an IDE because of its amazing functionality and other features i have mentioned before; but most of the feature i talked about were java specific. Now that i am learning and needing C/C++ i went looking for a C/C++ IDE. I tried a couple linux specific ones but at the release of NetBeans 5.5 C/C++ pack i came back and gave it a try...i loved it!! Although there are some things i would like to see added like support for:
autoconf and automake
scons
doxygen
linux project support (templates for gnome, KDE, and other)
gtk+ and gtkmm project support
two way UML modelling

Sure there are things that NetBeans 5.5 C/C++ pack needs but it is well on its way to becoming the best C/C++ IDE. Where will NetBeans Stop?