AceOfSpider

Daniel Ward - Personal Website

Fri, 24 May 2013 22:23:00 +0100

Hey all, this blog has been abandoned for quite some time, that’s because of a lot of important things like education and life stuff. Well I’ve returned to say I wont be returning to Tumblr for quite some time.

So for future reference, my life will be redirected to DJAWdesigns.com hope to see you there soon, thanks for reading :)

Daniel..Ward’s photostream on Flickr.Here are some long...

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 17:47:44 +0000

Daniel..Ward’s photostream on Flickr.

Here are some long exposure led shots I did over winter break

Hey Xbox, you know your apps....

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:12:48 +0100

Xbox 360 in the recent years has developed into more of an entertainment platform then a gaming platform. With the introduction of Twitter, Facebook and Youtube being the most popular social apps. All this is awesome, except they are all alone.

Their are two parts to “Social Media”, Social; the exchange of updates from your friends and Media; the method of social exchange be that images, audio or videos. I look down my Twitter feed on my console and see updates containing links to images and videos which I just can’t access via the Twitter app but if I were to open Youtube and type in the link I could view the videos.

What I’m getting at here is that alone the apps are only 50% as good as the original. What we need to have is something which exists on almost every other device except consoles.

We need app/game multitasking on Xbox 360.

Links from Twitter and Facebook open videos in the Youtube app. Updating status mid-game and changing tracks on Last.fm while playing some halo! How about getting notifications mid game aswell which would be presented in the same style as the xbox notification but slightly different, like the one below which I just made?

Of course you may say, well soon we’ll have the console web browser to do that..but wont that then further kill the Xbox apps?

Thanks for listening

Xbox 360 notification creation: http://thetural.com/360/

Image hosting: http://imgur.com/

glennz: Arch Enemies - Tshirt Now Available Visit Glennz Tees ...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 11:21:08 +0100

glennz:

Arch Enemies - Tshirt Now Available
Visit Glennz Tees | Twitter | Facebook | Flickr | Behance | Dribbble

Yes, Happy weekend to all!

Minecraft on Xbox - Review

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:54:24 +0100

You may have already played the most popular indie game of all time on the PC. Minecraft is also available on Xbox 360 in the form of Minecraft: Xbox 360 edition. I bought it on release day and have been playing it every week since, the following is a summary of how I have felt about the game so far.

I didn’t actually intend on purchasing the Xbox version up until my Java broke on my laptop (and for reasons that evade me, it has been for some time). With my previous method of exercising my Minecraft addiction impossible, I turned to Minecraft on the Xbox. For those few who have not yet discovered Minecraft I urge them to give it a try at Minecraft.net or the demo of Minecraft Xbox 360 edition each method free.

I loaded up a game and walked through the slow non-linear tutorial until allowed to leave the tutorial pit and explore the pre-made tutorial map (well designed but a lot of useless areas for show). I generated a new map that I intend to keep hold of for as long as I play the game. Over the past months that the game has been out I have built myself an efficient cobblestone home with tree farm, bedroom, storage room and mob grinder and I have plans for elements such as crop and animal farms.

So here is the summary of my thoughts on the game and some of the differences between the PC and the Xbox version.

The map size is limited to 1024x1024 blocks whereas in Minecraft PC has infinite terrain generator. I believe this is a limitation that Microsoft has imposed upon 4J Studios (developers of the Minecraft Xbox Edition). Although this limits how much space you have to build upon and explore, I don’t really go far from spawn and prefer maps that are concentrated with content. I also understand that Microsoft had to impose the limit as they don’t customers complaining their hard disc was full of massive Minecraft maps.

Minecraft on PC at the time of this post is currently at Release version 1.2.5 whereas Minecraft: Xbox Edition is currently as Beta version 1.6.6. It’s a tad behind but then again Notch and Mojang had more than a years head start.

The simplified crafting system is very suitable for the console’s gamepad; instead of having to position all the elements of a craft on the crafting grid you can make a block by selecting it, if you have the resources for the shown crafting recipe if will process the craft. Interfaces can be navigated using a joystick or using the directional pad buttons. As of the most recent update you can now adjust the once annoying movement speed of the cursor.

Being that the game has been specifically optimised for the console, there is very little to none visual lag when playing. This is very welcome if your computer is like mine, lacking in good graphics or processor power.

Console gaming comes with the usual accompaniment of comfort being that you can mine and craft from your living room sofa. It’s much better than being hunched over a PC with a gaming claw for a hand.

All in all, I love Minecraft: Xbox Edition because it is fast and comfortable to play.

4J Studios are following the development schedule set down by Mojang. We are currently in Beta 1.6.6, there has already been an update with loads of bug fixes from initial launch which went live 15th June and was confirmed by playxbla.com.

Update to 1.7.3 has been confirmed for mid-July.

What's IE?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:56:00 +0100

Non- techy Friend: What does Internet Explorer do exactly?

Me: It let’s you download better web browsers such as Google Chrome and FireFox.

Have a great weekend :D

Most hilarious cat fail of the week!

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:17:00 +0100

Less RAM = More Productivity?

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:01:09 +0100

A theory sparked while listening to one of Stever Robins Get It Done podcasts.

If you had less memory in your PC, would you work more as a result of more demanding processes, such as gaming being unable to run?

If your not good at managing distractions (and a pc is distraction central) then perhaps getting a PC with less memory would be beneficial for you.

You don’t need more than a gig of ram to run word processing, spreadsheet software and you’d save a lot of money too.

Thanks for Reading :)

Please let me know your thoughts on this in the reply section below.

cuteawesome1: Flying camel = AWESOME [via] I’ve got no...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:57:58 +0100

cuteawesome1:

Flying camel = AWESOME [via]

I’ve got no post for you this week, but here is something funny :P

Mini Live Editor - Update v1.2 - Dynamic Refreshments

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:56:39 +0100

Nope this project’s not dead … here is update v1.2… (and if you have no idea what Mini Live Editor is, please check out the first post here).

Where can I get it?

You can grab the latest version of Mini Live Editor from these links:

Preferred Advert supported link: Download here
Direct Link: Download here

What’s New in v1.2:

+Dynamic refreshing Instead of refreshing every second (causing bugs and useless memory usage), the preview window now updates every time you stop typing.
+Tag inserts are now available; instead of having to type out things like hyperlinks, you van use input forms which reduce the change of syntax errors.
-Removed refreshing controls now that refreshing is fully automatic they are not needed (they may return in the form of settings).
*Fixed blank start-up bug that was quiet rare but rather annoying.
*Tweaked previewer behaviour slightly, see if you can find out what I did :P

The most noticeable part of this update will be the insert tool windows found under the insert menu button, here are a few. Have fun :)

Thanks for Reading :)

laughingsquid: 8-bit Version of Google Maps

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 10:11:10 +0100

laughingsquid:

8-bit Version of Google Maps

A good infection of data?

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:27:00 +0100

Today I was talking with my friend (Robohedgehog) just after our programming lecture about an idea for a mobile app which spread to other phones in order to simulate the infection rate of an airborne biological virus.

Initially one phone would be “infected” and for every phone that passes within it’s wireless range would have a chance of becoming infected (based on real-time data such as distance between phones and environmental conditions), the process would continue with that newly infected phone. In real-time (or every hour (and delayed for slight security) ) the location of the infected handsets would be uploaded to a data centre that distributed the information to a website and also back to the infection application.

The functionality of the app could be furthered with the use of counters providing statistics such as how many people you have infected. I’m thinking leaderboards against your friends, or even leaderboards between countries! You could add conditions to simulate different kinds of viruses such as death rate (how long after you catch the infection that it is cured) ooo and maybe a way to infect ISP and WIFI hotspots :P

So to actually make this happen, we would have to have a version of the application installed already on phones, which would “mutate” when the infection was contracted. Bluetooth would be used for the transfers even though not all phones support it (or turn it on). Personal data would never be transferred or accessed, as the quantity of phones worldwide is in the billions, no one could locate any one person though it.

Even though this information could be vital to medical or hygiene awareness companies there a lot of set backs.

Not many people would download it unless there were some incentives (which usually cost quite a bit)
A lot of companies wouldn’t allow software which acted in the same way as an actual virus in that it “spreads” and sends data to a server (again it’s impersonal data)
I don’t own a server capable of managing the data of 5.6 billion phones worldwide
As yet I am unable to develop mobile applications

I think it’s a cool project which would provide interesting data and anyone is welcome to give it a try.

Thanks for reading, the infection is coming soon :P

Edit: I have had another talk with Robohedgehog and he has presented a more plausible alternative to this system, more details in the next post!

Secured - Part 2 Planning

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Secured (Simple encryption freeware app)

If you missed part 1 the introduction, you can check it out by clicking here. This week I am getting the concept together, the basic plan of the program.

Back to the goal of this project.

So the main goal is to create an encryption program. It must be able to encrypt any kind of text of any size with a key of any kind and any size. So if you wanted to you could encrypt the entire works of Shakespeare using the key “nyan cat”.

It should have some kind of simple and straightforward interface so people can instantly understand how to use it (This is something that has failed slightly in my previous products).

As an added bonus I wish to add the random key generator used in my previous project Password Generator.

What will be the main features of this product?

The product backlog; a list of features I wish to include in the product.

Encrypt/decrypt using the number translation thingy explained in the previous post.

A key that influences the encryption/decryption method.
Basic cut/copy/paste/select all to make text processing easier
Open and Save text files
Add random key generation system

User interface (UI) designs?

So I want this to be simple and straightforward to use. I want random people who see it for the first time and go “Right I put text here, type something here and tada” without the hassle of reading a manual. Below is a plan.

Up Next

The next post in this series will be “Development”, this part will be about actually making the product, implementing the form design and the features listed above.

Thanks for reading :3

If you have a program idea or wish to give me feedback, you may do so at this web form—-> Click Here.

Secured - Part 1 Introduction

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Secured (Simple encryption freeware app)

Over the next couple of weeks I aim to make an easy to use security program which encrypts text. The freeware application will be able to encrypt anything using a key or passphrase.

What is encryption?

Encryption is the activity of converting information into unreadable information.

In the olden days, encryption was invented when the military wanted to communicate secret information but didn’t want the enemy to understand it. A system was devised whereby letters were changed via a pattern. For example if letters are shifted one place to the right on the alphabetic scale, then “a” to “b” and “c” to “d” so “aceofspider” would become “bdfpgtqjefs”.

It was a start but the process could soon be worked out. This is where “keys” come in. A key is a word or phrase which is used to encrypt the information. The idea is that you allow a person the ability to read the information by giving them the key so they may decrypt it.

How will it work?

The diagram below roughly explains how keys work.

So now to explain it technically, the text (information that we are encrypting) and the key are divided into their individual characters.

Then all of the characters are transferred to their number value. 0-9 will be represented as 0-9, a-z will be 10-36, A-Z will be 37-63 and space will be 64. (For simplicity I will not be encrypting punctuation, it would take too long).

Ok so here is where it may get a little confusing, we take the first number of the text and add it to the first number of the key. The result is then stored for later use. The second numbers are then added together. This process is repeated until we get to the end of the key. At this point the key starts again at the first number. Once every number in the text has been added we move on.

Ok so now we have a bunch of numbers, each number is then processed; if the number is greater than 64 (our character range), 64 is subtracted (this is repeated until it is within the range).

Each number is then converted into its character and the encrypted text is formed.

(To decrypt instead of add we subtract and we reverse the earlier process by adding 64 if the value is less than 0)

Why am I doing this project?

Well I like making tools for people to use that can help save time. This could be used to secure all types of information. Click here to see other products I have made.

Up Next

The next post in this series will be “Getting the concept”, where I will be forming the idea and requirements of the program, as well as do some rough interface designs.

If you have a program idea or wish to give me feedback, you may do so at this web form—-> Click Here.

Game going bust, not surprised

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:30:05 +0000

GAME, the electronics entertainment company founded in 1991, as of November 2011 GAME had 1.2k stores worldwide. Earlier in the week it was announced that the company is going out of business putting 10,000 jobs at risk. And more recently it is said that the company must gather £180 million to stay afloat in the market.

This is no surprise to me. Every time I go to buy games, I always choose online because its often a lot cheaper than in store. I compare well known companies Play.com, Amazon.co.uk, HMV.com, Game.co.uk and Steam for the best price. I’m pretty sure most people do the same as online shopping is becoming more and more popular in recent years.

Whenever I check Game.co.uk for a product, it’s either ‘out of stock’ or the price is the same as when it originally retailed. How can this possibly compete with systems like Steam which often have deals of up-to 75% off major games.

Growing up I loved GAME, but only because it was my only source of games. If you want to stay in the market you’ve got to stay competitive.

Cooking level: college student

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:26:58 +0000

Cooking level: college student

Two Monkeys Die At Harvard University Research Center

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 11:39:34 +0000

Two Monkeys Die At Harvard University Research Center:

teenytinyfootprints:

socialismartnature:

Harvard University has killed an average of 1 monkey every 4 months over the past year and a half (sometimes in brutal ways, as in the case of the monkey that died when its cage was put through an industrial cage-cleaner with the monkey still inside).

This needs to stop.

===

Two monkeys have died at the Harvard Medical School’s New England Primate Research Center in the past three months, resulting in the suspension of all new experiments at the Center indefinitely.

These most recent deaths boosted the total number of primates deaths in Harvard research facilities to five in the past 19 months, leading Dean of the Medical School Jeffrey S. Flier to halt experimentation at NEPRC.

A cotton-top tamarin monkey died Sunday at the NEPRC, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday. The cause of death is under investigation. According to the Boston Globe, the monkey did not have a water bottle in its cage, which may have been a factor in its death.

In December, a squirrel monkey died from dehydration at the NEPRC, located in Southborough. In response to the squirrel monkey’s death, the United States Department of Agriculture cited the Medical School in a Feb. 3 report for failing to adhere to the Animal Welfare Act.

The report states that an additional monkey was also dehydrated but responded to treatment and recovered.

Harvard University … ‘the oldest institution of higher education in the United States’ … surely you should know better being so highly educated!!!! You should all be ashamed of yourselves for thinking this is acceptable behaviour in todays society!!! It made me sick to my stomach when I read this - absolute vile human beings for torturing living creatures!!!

Mini Live Editor - Update v1.1

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:29:00 +0000

The first update for Mini Live Editor … here is update v1.1… (and if you have no idea what Mini Live Editor is, please check out the first post here)

Where can I get it?

You can grab the latest version of Mini Live Editor from these links:

Preferred Advert supported link: Download here
Direct Link: Download here

What’s New in v1.1:

Changed temporary file location Now having images and another things that make websites interesting now works correctly
Fixed a scrolling jolt bug on the previewer Now when you leave the code, updating is paused so you can browse the website
Dynamic window name based on unsaved information It is now easier to see when you have and have not saved.
Fixed a few bugs which were sneaking around the file management variables
Increased visibility of version number it’s now on the about page (hit F1 to view)
Help page temporarily hidden until release when it will actually have a decent amount of content on it

Beards = Heat sinks

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:30:06 +0000

I am the proud owner of a piece of facial hair which is a cross between a miniature Goatee and The Zappa. (For your beard guide, click here)

People who lack it would probably think that facial fuzz keeps your chin warm in the winter weather. In fact, as I have experienced in this cold time, it does the exact opposite.

It acts somewhat like a computer Heat sink keeping computer systems cool. My facial heat moves to the hairs on my chin, with their greater surface area, the hairs pass the heat to the wind blowing in my face, the cycle repeats slowly draining my face of all warmth and glow.

I like my Mini Goatee/Zappa, but there is no way I’ll wear one of these out in public….

Find more Beardheads at http://beardhead.com

Question of the week: What beard do you have/wish to have?

Thanks for reading :D

Simple Break Manager - Update v1.2

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Yes, I’m not bluffing, there is actually an update for something I’ve made. It has been a while in the pipeline, but here is update v1.2… (and if you have no idea what SBM is, check out the first post here)

Where can I get it?

You can grab the latest version of Simple Break Manager from these links:

Preferred Advert supported link: Download here
Direct Link: Download here

What’s New in v1.2:

An automatic update checking system
More info and connectivity (I’ve added an author page which has links to my stuff and also there is a feedback form link so I can get your input)
Files moved behind the curtain (files like that setting.dat and the new v.txt (handling the update checking) have been moved to appdata so less clutter is scattered about)
Time Periods saved from last session (now SBM will save your previous time periods if you are a person who just uses 45/15 mins every time like me)

What does the future hold for SBM?

I’ll keep updating it as long as people keep using it, I’ll always reply to user suggestions at my feedback form so please do feel free to ask/request anything.