Introducing Getting Started with Processing and our new series, Codebox

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• Introducing Getting Started with Processing and our new series, Codebox
• Mozilla Labs Gaming launches, browser-based 'Open Web' games here we come
• They Finally Found Out We Like Our Computers
• Apples In Stereo man controls his Moog... with his mind! (and you can too)
• Splitsider, For Those Who Like Comedy [Adam Frucci]
• iPhone Game Center goes live for iOS 4.1 users
• $75,000 Is the "Perfect Salary for Happiness" [Money]
• A gravity-defying coffee cup for math lovers [Nerd Aesthetics]
• Print-cut-fold Google map envelope generator
• Toshiba AC100 smartbook preview: what were you expecting?

Introducing Getting Started with Processing and our new series, Codebox Posted: 07 Sep 2010 04:00 PM PDT Our latest member of the Make: Books family is Getting Started with Processing, written by the creators of Processing, Ben Fry and Casey Reas. When Casey and Ben approached me to write this book, they wanted to develop a Processing complement to Getting Started with Arduino, which is perfect, because one of the last things you do in the Arduino book is connect an Arduino to a Processing sketch. Although Getting Started with Processing is a bit bigger (208 pages as opposed to 128), it's every bit as simple and approachable. You'll start with the very basics and work your way up to making some very cool interactive graphics. And to maintain symmetry with its companion book, Getting Started with Processing wraps up with a Processing/Arduino project. A number of us here at O'Reilly Media use Processing for fun and to get our job done. Andrew Odewahn has been doing a lot of interesting things with it. In a series we're calling "Codebox," Andrew will share some projects with you to help you go a bit further with the Processing language. Using the examples in the book as building blocks, the series will cover topics like color tracking, augmented reality, and fun interactive graphics. In the first installment of "Codebox" (coming tomorrow), Andrew will kick things off by showing you how to create a physical "magic wand" that functions as a computer input device and can change on-screen colors on cue. This simple device opens up all sorts of possibilities which he'll explore throughout the series. In the Maker Shed: Getting Started with Processing Learn computer programming the easy way with Processing, a simple language that lets you use code to create drawings, animation, and interactive graphics. Programming courses usually start with theory, but this book lets you jump right into creative and fun projects. It's ideal for anyone who wants to learn basic programming, and serves as a simple introduction to graphics for people with some programming skills. Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » | Read more articles in Announcements | Digg this!

Mozilla Labs Gaming launches, browser-based 'Open Web' games here we come Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:40 PM PDT Filed under: Games, Mozilla, Browsers Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mozilla Labs Gaming. Now, don't make the same mistake I did: Mozilla isn't becoming a games studio. No, instead it will act as a catalyst -- an incubator -- for games built with 'Open Web' technologies. The Open Web is a new term that encompasses free, open-source tools that work across all platforms, and in theory across all next-generation Web browsers. The idea is that Web apps, like their open source, compiled cousins, can also be free. Rather than running to compiled cop-outs like Native Client, we should instead embrace JavaScript as the in-the-browser language of choice. To kick things off, Mozilla Labs Gaming is holding its first ever international gaming contest -- Game On 2010 -- at the end of September. I don't have any more information about the competition format, or indeed if there are any prizes, but I'll see what I can find out! Share Tweet Mozilla Labs Gaming launches, browser-based 'Open Web' games here we come originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Mozilla - Open source - JavaScript - Web browser - Native Client

They Finally Found Out We Like Our Computers Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:29 PM PDT I'm Not There (1956) writes "Sociologist Clifford Nass is talking about how people think of their computers as something like human beings. In one of his experiments, Nass found that people are more willing to 'help' computers when the computer helped them previously: 'When people were then asked to help optimize the screen resolution on a computer where the program had been "helpful," they were much more likely to do so than with the less helpful version.' He also found that people evaluating software's performance were more forgiving if the evaluation was done on the same computer the software was tested on. Nass has recently published the book The Man Who Lied to His Laptop, in which he 'uses our interactions with machines to investigate how human relationships could be improved.'" Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Apples In Stereo man controls his Moog... with his mind! (and you can too) Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:23 PM PDT We thought that our homemade Theremin was difficult to control, but this one is in a different league altogether! The, ahem, brainchild of Apples In Stereo's Robert Schneider, the Teletron takes a Mattel Mindflex game and uses it as a control voltage source for... well, any piece of musical equipment that has a CV input. In the video below, the musician / producer plugs it into a Moog analog synth and increases / decreases the pitch solely with his mind. At least the thing doesn't give you an electric shock when you hit the wrong note! But enough jabberjaw out of us -- see / hear it in action (and get some instructions, if you'd like to build your own) after the break. Continue reading Apples In Stereo man controls his Moog... with his mind! (and you can too) Apples In Stereo man controls his Moog... with his mind! (and you can too) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Boing Boing  |   | Email this | Comments

Splitsider, For Those Who Like Comedy [Adam Frucci] Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:22 PM PDT Now everyone can finally see what Adam Frucci's been up to since he left us: Starting a comedy blog. It's one of the few sites that I know of that is focused on the whole culture of comedy, rather than just focusing on the product of comedy—if you know what I mean. Being a guy who's experience in performing comedy as well as watching it, Frucci will take you through upcoming comedy shows, internet videos and general behind-the-scenes comedy info that you're not likely to find in one place. Also, he's got a podcast in the works too. More »

iPhone Game Center goes live for iOS 4.1 users Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:20 PM PDT Filed under: Games, Apple, iPhone Developers and others with early access to iOS 4.1 have noted that the iPhone's new Game Center is now live. Obviously, game developers have had access to a closed version of Game Center in order to test out multiplayer features, achievements, and other Game Center features, but now they're out of the sandbox. Pixelated Geek has screenshots of Game Center, including the setup screens, the player profile screen, and friend requests. The main new feature in this final version of Game Center is being able to add email addresses to your account (other than the one you use for the iTunes Store), and search for friends by email instead of just by username. The opening of Game Center all but officially confirms that the iOS 4.1 update is on the way this Wednesday, as rumored. Share Tweet iPhone Game Center goes live for iOS 4.1 users originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments iPhone - Apple - Game Center - Download Squad - Smartphone

$75,000 Is the "Perfect Salary for Happiness" [Money] Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT According to a study focusing on 450,000 Americans and how they evaluate their happiness, a salary of $75,000 a year is the magic number after which people's day-to-day happiness no longer improves. More »

A gravity-defying coffee cup for math lovers [Nerd Aesthetics] Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT There's no better way to enjoy your coffee than with this "zero gravity" cup, which stays balanced at a perfect angle when at rest. Plus, it includes a graph that demonstrates the exact trajectory of love. More »

Print-cut-fold Google map envelope generator Posted: 07 Sep 2010 03:00 PM PDT I actually had to send some snail-mail recently and remembered the clever Google map envelope trick from Beste Miray Dogan that made the rounds awhile back. Turns out, a friendly bloke named Stephen has created a handy generator website that lets you input your return address and then automagically creates a printable cut-and-fold pattern. More: AirMail: Felt / homemade Manila envelope laptop sleeve for MacBook Air The minimalistic no-cost iBook sleeve (it's an envelope too) Letters without envelopes, cutting or glue Envelope and Letter Folding Read the Full Story » | More on MAKE » | Comments » | Read more articles in Paper Crafts | Digg this!

Toshiba AC100 smartbook preview: what were you expecting? Posted: 07 Sep 2010 02:58 PM PDT Despite the downright sexy hardware, it was no surprise that the Toshiba AC100 (which has just been launched in the UK) didn't review very well: Android just isn't ready to give an enjoyable smartbook experience. Our hands-on experience with the laptop at IFA did nothing to disabuse us of this notion. Again, the hardware is pretty great, a nice order of magnitude thinner and lighter than most Atom netbooks, and despite the razor thin build, Toshiba still managed to put a pretty great keyboard and trackpad in here. Unfortunately, the software just isn't good. In fact, it isn't even "alright," since Toshiba has put a bunch of customizations on top of stock Android 2.1, including the same lame launcher we just saw on the Folio, and two extra browsers. We appreciate the effort, but if you're not prepared to go all-in, Samsung-style, recent history has shown that it's better to just leave well enough alone. Check out a quick video walkthrough after the break. Gallery: Toshiba AC100 smartbook preview Continue reading Toshiba AC100 smartbook preview: what were you expecting? Toshiba AC100 smartbook preview: what were you expecting? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

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