Andy Balaam’s BlogI really must get BashPodder working, not only to download my two favourite Linux shows TLLTS and LugRadio but also because Radio 4 has started making Today and the best radio programme out there, From Our Own Correspondent available for podcast download.
Sometime I find myself thinking in Python. Or, accurately, wistfully thinking of Python. Raw C++ is completely hamstrung when it comes to simple concepts like handling strings or dealing with lists (maybe BOOST is better?). Why can’t I just do this:
remaining_args = sys.argv[3:7]
I don’t even mind if it looks like this:
PyList argv = new PyList( argv, argc );
PyList remaining_args = argv.slice( 3, 7 );
Is this kind of thing possible? If not, someone really should package up the Python library in such a way that it is.
Of course, I’m speaking from a position of total ignorance here: maybe someone has done what I’m talking about with the Python stuff. After a brief look at BOOST, I can say for sure that it continues the STL’s tactic of “under-use through obscurity” and “surprisingly missing all the useful features”. No slice operator, anyway…
If they have done/do do the Python thing, the most frustrating part then is going to be wishing you could have all the bits of the Python library that are written in Python. Does anyone fancy starting the “GCP” project?
I’m now thing of moving off Fedora Core 3 (probably to Ubuntu, or maybe FC4 for the Java stuff) and it turns out I’ve never written a CD from it, because when I tried it didn’t work: I kept getting the message “cdrecord: Success. Cannot open SCSI driver.” I finally managed to find a solution. For some reason I need to do this:
cdrecord dev=ATA:1,1,0 -eject -v speed=2 ubuntu-5.04-live-i386.iso
Note the ATA: in the dev bit. No idea why.
arrived through the post from ebay yesterday. It is superb. Exactly my kind of game, and with loads of features from the old game (one of my favourites of all time), all updated and made even more beautiful. It is incredibly atmospheric, and so far the gameplay has been utterly compelling. Am I more excited about this than the pervious post? Surely not.
…and I am not a big fan of pictures in blogs, but this is a special occasion:
World domination is nigh. Soon we shall all be Balaams.
I have requested a Sourceforge project for DIYBlog, and it just struck me again how utterly fantastic Sourceforge is. What would the Free and Open Source Software world be like now without Sourceforge? A lot poorer, I reckon.
I’m desperately trying to find time to test FreeGuide for a 0.10.2 release. So far it looks like although my favourites have been imported, they are not working. In fact, when I create a new favourite it works for that run but when I restart the program they are not highlighted. Hmm.
London is a little quieter than normal this morning, but still pretty busy. It seems like most people are going to work, although some are having to walk. There are definitely fewer tourists on the streets.
As a largely unmilitarised country, Britain (like many other Western countries) is a soft target for terrorists. But that very softness makes attacking us in this way pointless: it’s like punching a sponge. We won’t change – we like our country how it is.
It’s possible that by drawing attention to themselves, the people who did this may have changed some aspect of the world, but as for advancing their cause – how can they when the only discernable motive they have is hatred? Does murder really win them support at home? I doubt it.
We in Britain have done and continue to do some terrible things. I wish we would stop, but today isn’t going to make any difference either way.
If you or anyone you know was hurt today, I’m sorry.
I was speaking to someone over the weekend who works in HR and has been enjoying making various Microsoft Access databases to do useful things for work. I warned her she might get the programming bug and then never be able to stop. Then I realised she already had it when she summed it up beautifully:
“You can make it do things.”
I love coding.
For my train journey, I ended up downloading a few emulators that didn’t work, and a few games that didn’t work, but what did work was the PC version of Prince of Persia, and the PC version of Cannon Fodder, both of which were very enjoyable.
Especially good were some new levels someone had created for PoP – a lot harder than the original ones! It did show how much work went into creating games, even back then, though, since there were a couple of subtle bugs in the new levels that led to you getting trapped with no means of killing yourself, which means your entire game is over and you have to start again, which is quite frustrating.
I did dig out the code for my track and field game, but when it appeared all on one line with weird symbols for the carriage returns, and I contemplated the idea of fixing this (and coding generally) in notepad, I decided to go back to PoP instead.
More on the track and field game later. It’s in Python…