Yet another small app developed in c# that works on windows mobile and pc.

The game is pretty simple and the AI is pretty dumb at this moment

The game starts on an empty field of (usually) 8×10 boxes, with goals of two boxes wide as shown in the picture. In the beginning, a ball is drawn in the center of the field, on the crossing of the paper lines. Players move the ball in turns and aim to place it in the opponent’s goal.

In one turn, the ball may be moved into one of the eight paper line crossings around it (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) and a segment from the original position to the new one is drawn to mark the move. The ball may move neither on the game field border nor on the segments marking the previous moves – instead, it “bounces” from them, and a player who moves the ball into a position where there is already an end of a segment or a game field border gets another turn.

The first player to place the ball in the opponents goal wins the game. The game may also end when a player does not have a valid move, in which case that player loses.

Download link: Paper Soccer 0.1.1 - , 239 Downloads

• Category: Hobbies, PC Games, Programming
• Comments: None

Wanting to learn a bit more about c# I continued working on this little program.

Changes from the previous version:

- changed the way data is displayed, easier to read and use i think

- added the posibility to see pressure in inHg.

- added the ability to fetch and display raw TAF data (no decoding)

- fixed a few bugs introduced along the way

- made the filesize bigger:)

Tested on WM 6.5 and XP.

Download link: Metar Mobile 0.4.2.38 - , 168 Downloads

Please let me know if you find this small app usefull , or if you need some custom changes.

• Category: Hobbies, Programming
• Comments: 3

Wanting to learn a bit more about c# I continued working on this little program.

Changes from the previous version:

- added the ability to fetch raw METAR data and (try) to decode locally (not yet complete)

- changed the way results are displayed.

- fixed a few bugs introduced along the way

Tested on WM 6 and XP.

Download link: Metar Mobile 0.3 - , 241 Downloads

Please let me know if you find this small app usefull , or if you need some custom changes.

• Category: Hobbies, Programming
• Comments: 8

The only ‘big’ modification from V0.1 is the possibility to add multiple stations.

Added an option the download METAR data via ftp or http (default).

If there is an error with the update process, it will show the previous data.

Also changed the background color, as it was hard to read under bright sun.

Download link : Metar Mobile 0.2.1 - , 204 Downloads

• Category: Hobbies, Programming
• Comments: None

Was looking for a time now for a small application to display METAR data, as a way to get near real-time weather update.

This weekend i had a bit more time at disposal and tried my luck with c# and this is what i made so far.

This is an alpha release (it may be the last one if I will be satisfied with what it makes so far )

It’s very simple.  It may download decoded data, or raw METAR (saves expensive bytes:) ) if you know how to read them. And you can get those updates at a regular time (1,5,15 or 30 minutes).

It’s been tested only on XP and WM 5.0 and 6.0 and i found no bugs so far.

If there are some future requests please leave a comment.

And the download link for the brave hearted :  Metar Mobile 0.1 - First alpha release, 102 Downloads

• Category: Hobbies
• Comments: 4

Not long ago, I discovered, in a local grocery shop an instant product for the preparation of Muffins. It was called Muffin Mix. Inside the box, I discovered, besides the obvious dust used for the preparation, 10 shapes made out of cooking paper, which I used for the composition. The idea of a muffin looked positively charming to me, especially since I hadn’t eaten any, by that moment. For this reason, I began the search for a cooking pan, with individual shapes for the muffins. After having discovered it, I began documenting for a home-made composition, and soon got to the conclusion that the one I am about to describe here is the fittest, fastest and cheapest:

You have to mix 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3 and a half teaspoons of baking powder, half a teaspoon of salt, half a cup sugar, half a teaspoon lemon peal, and half a teaspoon cinnamon. Separately, in an individual bowl, we mix the moist ingredients: 1 egg, 1 cup milk, one third cup oil and a half or a total teaspoon of rum or vanilla essence. The moist part has to be gradually incorporated inside the dry one, until you notice the formation of a homogenous paste. You can also add a cup of small cut fruit, but you should use the ones less susceptible for moisting the inside of the crust: apples, prunes, cherries. You can also use frozen fruit, but I recommend you to put it on the top of the crust, after you have already added the crust inside the shape. You bake them for 15 or 20 minutes, depending on the quantity of baking powder you used.

The main advantage of home-made muffins is that you can generally consider them organic. You get to participate directly to their preparation, and you know your ingredients are conservatives-free. Also, the entire “making of the muffin” part is quick, simple and quite economic. The only downfall, of course, is that you have to use a couple of your minutes to sit inside the kitchen and prepare them. However, the taste is more than satisfying and worth all the effort.

• Category: Food, Hobbies
• Comments: None

A Room with A View is a novel by E.M. Forster, published in 1908, which I personally enjoyed very much and recently finished reading. Actually, truthfully, it wasn’t exactly reading what I did, since I found the free audiobook on a site, http://www.librivox.org, and I listened to it while travelling daily to school.

The novel is about a love story set in an Edwardian landscape and on the hillsides of Italy. Lucy Honeychurch is the descendent of a rich family, and she travels, along with her cousin Charlotte to Italy. They stay at a small pension, where they meet an odd family consisting of two men, father and son, the Emersons. Because I do not want to spoil the surprise for anyone who decides to read the book or watch the movie, I will only mention a couple of major details. During a trip on the hills, young George Emerson fugitively kisses Lucy, and this event is seen by her cousin and chaperone Charlotte, that immediately decides, that estrangement is necessary for the both of them.

At home, Lucy is engaged to an exaggerated and snobbish man, Cecil Vyse. Nothing out of the ordinary seems to be happening in the life of the young girl until the Emersons rent a small villa nearby. The meeting between the two becomes inevitable, and George takes the chance once again to kiss and express his feelings for Lucy. However, she decides she will not have him, basically because of her engagement with Cecil. The part that follows, both in the book and motion picture is quite interesting and captivating and I warmly invite you to read the book or even view the film.

The movie has quite an exceptional cast, the roles of Lucy and George being played by Helena Bonham-Carter and Julian Sands, and in some other parts you might recognize Maggie Smith of Judy Dench, two actresses of great value and talent.

Some quotations:

Mr. Emerson: I don’t care what I see outside. My vision is within! Here is where the birds sing! Here is where the sky is blue!

The Reverend Mr. Eager: Remember the facts about this church of Santa Croce; how it was built by faith in the full fervour of medievalism.
Mr. Emerson: Built by faith indeed! That simply means the workers weren’t paid properly.

Charlotte Bartlett: I shall never forgive myself.
Lucy Honeychurch: You always say that, Charlotte. And then you always do forgive yourself.

• Category: Books, Hobbies
• Comments: 1

Star Trek Deep Space Nine -- Twist of Faith is a collection of novels that continue the story behind the tv show with the same name, Star Trek Deep Space Nine. I don’t know how many of you are fans of science fiction in general and, in particular, of Star Trek, but I have found myself embezzled with enthusiasm when I first saw my first episode of DS9.

With an intriguing story and interesting characters, the tv show never lets you down, analysing both the nature of mankind in war, romance, or general social relations. I have very much enjoyed each and every one of the episodes, and there are 7 seasons in total, so you will have something to watch.

The story is rather simple. Benjamin Sisko has just been assigned to be the captain of what was Terok-Nor, a space station that was used by the Cardassians, an evil people, as a labor camp for the Bajorans, the living humanoids from the nearest planet, Bajor. His main objective is to guide relations between StarFleet and Bajor, preparing the latter for joining the Federation. However, during his stay on Deep Space Nine [the new name for Terok-Nor], the captain receives spiritual information from the aliens in a wormhole nearby, considered by the people of Bajor to be “the prophets”. Shortly after his spiritual contacts with these creatures, he becomes known as The Emissary, a sort of a contact person between the Bajorans and their gods. 

The main intrigue really begins when a war between a people living on the other side of the wormhole, called The Founders, which are shapeshifters and the Federation is started, which lasts for about 2 and a half seasons. At the end of the war, which is won by the good guys, Captain Sisko is, in a way, abducted by the prophets and held in the wormhole for a spiritual cleansing period, leaving behind his 20 something year old son Jake and his newly pregnant wife, Cassidy Yates.

For this reason, the tv show ends in a pecculiar manner, leaving many possibilities of continuation.

This book, Twist of Faith, deals about the struggle that the people of Bajor have to face after a seemingly never-ending war, the reconstruction of the space station and also, a couple of new attacks from the ex-enemies. On the planet, Captain Sisko’s son, Jake, during his work on an archaeologic site, discovers a book with a series of prophecies that later on encourage him to take a small vessel and travel into the wormhole, in search of his father.

I have only read the first 200 pages of it. It is quite interesting and intriguing and the narrative style ressembles the whole picture and air of the tv show.

In conclusion, if you are into science fiction and are generally a fan of Star Trek, this book will not, by all means, let you down.

• Category: Books, Hobbies
• Comments: 1

I’m sure everybody did.

Flying is not cheap, but there are some other means to somehow satisfy your dream.

Last year i came across a simulator that does this for me, and it does a great job.

Condor: The Competition Soaring Simulator is designed to recreate the ultimate experience of competition soaring on your PC.
A lot of attention was put in to create an environment which would create an immersion of real competition flying. This means that the aerodynamics and weather physics were in focus of the development. The result is amazingly real feel of flight in all flight regimes and weather conditions which challenges a real soaring pilot on a competition day.

From the blazing speed of ridge racing to slow pacing thermal races the experience is awsome. I have about 200h of online racing and i can’t get enough of it

Of course, i still wish for the real deal …

A common quote sais:

If flying were the language of man, soaring would be its poetry

I’ll let you ‘read’ it for yourselves.

Enjoy!

Nice isn’t it?

Now let’s see some action:

• Category: Hobbies, PC Games
• Comments: None