#technicalthursday

[alonbj]

It is that kind of a day! It’s #TechnicalThursday 🎉 Did you know this calendar is mechanically programmed up to the year 2500 (yes, 481 more year)! #IWC (at Ace Photo Studio)

[v2infotechofficial]

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contact us: +91-8750160606

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[toodx-blog1]

Technical Thursday - 10.3.13

What's up, Kuma here because the A-man is busy to the em ay ex MAX! 

Assets and game dev: our thoughts in brief.

Build things that you can use repeatably. The core benefit to working with the same "engine" is that you don't have to rebuild it every time you make a game. Knowing the code inside and out allows you to expand beyond the basics in your "engine" to handle all the fine details while leaving the bulk work done by that "engine". I'm using "engine" loosely because I'm not necessarily talking about, say, the Unreal engine or w/e. I'm referring to any block of code you would reuse as either a standalone item or as the building block for more complex code.

Also, be multi-talented and interested in all aspects of game development. It helps in so many ways. Be artists, designers, sound/audio and videographers/choreographers. Even if you don't use those skills on every game at the very least they will make communication between you and other workers much easier. Plus, if you ever go solo on projects, you can rely on yourself to do w/e it is you need doing!

Alrighty - Auston may pop on and correct me if he has a few moments, since I'm sure he probably wouldn't phrase it that way. Got any comments, questions or concerns, hit us up at either Questions@toodx.com or our facebook page www.facebook.com/bossesforever

[alonbj]

Excited for tonight as I am hosting our valued Ace Ambassadors for a private pre-launch party of Ulysse Nardin on this #TechnicalThursday & #TourbillonThursday ⚙️ (at Ace & Spyer Jewelers)

[alonbj]

On #TechnicalThursday we combine black ceramic cases and open worked dials 👌🏼 #TAGHeuer (at Ace Photo Studio) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnqBt8Bi73T/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1a41oma0ofl4b

[alonbj]

It’s #TechnicalThursday and Dale is rockin’ the #Zenith Defy 😍 (at Ace Photo Studio) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnX-wf6HjsW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=npt7fwrf4o7v

[alonbj]

On this #TechnicalThursday I love to highlight another exotic white beauty for him and/or her, this time by #FranckMuller 🌺 (at Miss Ace Jewelers)

[alonbj]

It is #TechnicalThursday and who says it is exclusive for him?! ⚙️ Today we celebrate her! 🎉 Our @missacejewelers shot this very technical & very sexy #BVLGARI LVCEA 💎⌚️ (at Miss Ace Jewelers)

[toodx-blog1]

Technical Thursday - 9.26

Gah. I'm incompetent at life apparently. Kuma here, late, no excuses other than forgetfulness and no computer on Monday. But I want to follow the form, so four Thursday posts it is! 

Community - Part 4/4

So. I've got nothing really. No coding advice other than read through carefully. No life advice other than the be adventurous without being reckless. I could talk web design or appropriate design but I don't want to. 

Instead I'm gonna talk about giving back to the community, how to do it, and how to not be a jerk about it.

I hate charities. I hate them because all of the not-for-profit work and research I did when learning how to be an accountant made me see how grossly they misspend donations. It is sickening.

Conversely I was a Lion's club assistant for 10 years, I've done four builds with Habitat for Humanity, I've helped build "Community" gardens in three different areas and I like donating my time and skills to appropriate causes. I've done walks as well but only to represent other interests so I can't say much about that. 

I understand that time is precious. I understand that there are times when you can't give your skills or your time to do something for a charity. It is very, very, very time consuming. Rewarding, yes, but a massive and inconvenient time sink.

Fair enough. Here are some things I, Kuma, think that everyone should do before they throw money at something.

Do some research. Grab the financials for your not-for-profit of your choice, and check how much is spent on administrative vs programming and check the notes to see if they have explanations as to why. If 80% of their donations go to administrative.... I'd think twice about giving them money.

Do your research. Not all organizations presenting themselves as charities are not-for-profit. That is a Iegal definition with a very specific set of requirements. I can call myself a charity, but that doesn't mean I'm a not-for-profit. I'm not going to name names, because this isn't the venue, but a little digging is all you need. Ask a manager, or check their filings (public! not-for-profits have to file a specific type of tax filings)

Look on the internet for a way to donate your skills in other ways. I was on reddit a while back (I have to stay away or I get sucked in, I'm weak ; ; ) in the DIY/Woodworking sections and one of the new posts was a man in Africa talking about building an amphitheater. I've never built an amphitheater but I worked in theatrical productions, I'm pretty good with tools, I understand the concepts involved in large outdoor construction projects and I have a firm grasp on managerial concepts. I also was interested. I wrote him a rather lengthy response and he was very grateful for my assistance. There are all kinds of people around who want advice on something and the internet makes it so damn easy. Sure, I don't get a tax writeoff for it but w/e. That's not what giving is about.

Start in your backyard. That's a personal preference but really....it was hard for me to walk through the ghettos in NYC and reconcile some of my charity work with the shit that was in those areas - and I lived three blocks away with my affluent, if distant, father. I could have done better. We could have done better. I will remember until my dying day that shithole. I will remember until my dying day the legless vietnam vet begging for food outside of a Borders who was gone when I came back from the grocery store with a loaf of bread - too slow. I am displeased with my efforts in both of those cases, so now I try to do better when I can. Working in a church garden was far more satisfying for me, personally, than doing hours of clerical work for HfH in Florida.

Get organized or look for organizations. My college sponsored students on a trip to do HfH builds in rural as fuck Kentucky. Every student who went had an amazing time and they did good work, for people who needed help. That trip needed advisors and supervisors as well, and most likely the community members could have joined in on that and tagged along. It wasn't about the school, it was about doing some good works.

Alright. Sorry if that was preachy and you didn't like it. Sorry if I offended you, it wasn't my intent. I have a complicated relationship with charities, but doing good is never bad. I'm proud of everyone who can give up something of theirs for no reward. That is truly, in my eyes, one of the most honorable things you can do. 

Volunteer. Donate responsibly, smartly. Give freely your knowledge to those who need it. Make the world better. I believe we can do it.

Edit:

Couple of quick notes. This is general advice mixed with personal opinion. Please don't spam me with things saying I'm wrong. That's counterproductive and I don't really care. Second, I know and love some people from Kentucky. That doesn't mean that there aren't some serious backwoods areas there. Not slamming the state or rural areas - I (Kuma, AKA Ned) lived most of my life in the sticks. Similarly, I've had lots of great experiences in NYC and other cities. Finally, if all you can do is donate money, that's fine. I'm not denigrating that. I don't do it personally, but that's my opinion. Do what you can. I do recommend some very basic detective work on bookkeeping. If you want more specific details on how to do that, I'll write about it for another Technical Thursday and outline the steps. Let me know at ned@toodx.com if that is a topic that interests you.

Oh, also, Auston had no input on what I said here and this is NOT INDICATIVE OF AUSTON'S OPINION. I don't know what he believes. Charity is personal and we haven't talked about it. I don't have a stance on corporate charity, I don't think he does and Too DX as a company doesn't have one. That is all. Keep any disagreements leveled at me please. Thank you kindly. 

[toodx-blog1]

This week is on hold

This week is on hold due to other awesome things going on. Two good friends of ours our getting married Friday. We're busy with stuff.

This week will officially be next week, when next week rolls around. Anyone with temporal problems report to the back of the line, in room 36C, on the Thursday of your choice, unless that Thursday is reserved for tea and scones.

Thank you and have a nice day.

[toodx-blog1]

Technical Thursday - September 5

When I first started coding I had a pretty strong aversion to using code that other people wrote. Beyond the irony of working in game engines which were, get this, tools that other people wrote with code, it stunted my growth as a disciplined programmer.

  Sometimes it's appropriate to do things on your own. Making mistakes is a great method for learning. Having to write your own asset loader or collision system gives you a strong appreciation for all the work that goes into a robust library for such features. But you don't want to always reinvent the wheel. If your goal is to make a game, then programming is just a path to get to that goal. Of course, if you're interested in coding, then these exercises in building your own systems will help you improve your skills. But, at some point you need guidance. Without knowing a better way, you can end up making the same mistakes over and over again.

  There is a certain threshold in being able to understand code. When starting out it's hard to wrap your mind around all the advanced language features a solid library or class may be taking advantage of. But as you get more familiar with basic coding functions, looking at well written code is a great way to understand how to improve your own work. It's like having a teacher provide an example in class. If you were to study a martial art, but only learned by getting into fights, you might have an effective, but loose or inefficient style. Having a teacher, someone who's already made all the mistakes, pass down their successes or failures vastly increases the rate at which you can progress.

  So how do you go about learning from existing code. It's so easy these days to go onto stack overflow, find your exact issue solved, and copy paste. This is how I start learning new things. But eventually you'll get to more complicated aspects,or the code won't work exactly how you need it. Here is where you should at least start reading through the code.

  Ask yourself:

  Why are certain variables public or private?

What functions are included inside each class?

Why were the classes split up this way?

Are there any pieces of functionality missing?

What would it take to implement such needed functions?

  After running through these questions, start experimenting with the code. Run it's functions, and create test projects that exemplify the capabilities. That familiarity with a piece of code will take the stress out later. How could you improve it? Or better yet, how does this work better than code you've written? What does it lack? Ask Questions. By asking and providing answers, you have to actually understand what's going on.

  This will give you little solutions, as well as specific answers to the problems the code solves. Later, when you're writing your own code, you'll remember how that person sorted a list, passed a callback, stored data, or timed server calls. Each of these little bits become a tool in your programmer belt. A reference to look up when you encounter similar problems, or have to create a complicated feature that can be broken down into many small solutions. Get influenced by programmers who are better than you. Spending all that time around people with skill will not only teach you their tricks, but also give you a higher threshold of quality for your own code.