New blog site

My blog has transfered to http://johnjillnavarro.com

Counting Steps

Taken from our second floor window. The lines you see are the cables in front of our house.

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Online 3D game for free.

http://www.instantaction.com

This site is fun. Test your skills against other players in an online 3D game! Sadly, it only works on Windows. :(

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Seeing Motion

Photography has its limits.  I bought a couple of Q Steer RC cars.  These toys are really small and are fun to play with (I'm young at heart :) ).  I want to take a picture of them while in motion.  Unfortunately, with the equipment I have, it's impossible.  The only solution left is to do a digital post edit using Photoshop.  I used radial blur and motion blur filters. After some manual editing I was able to achieve the effect I want.  

EDITED PICTURE:

ORIGINAL PICTURE:

Just in case you're wondering I used the pencil to create the "centrifugal force" effect as the car turns to its left.

It's a Virtual Whiteboard!

I came across this website: http://www.twiddle.com. It's pretty neat and it's like having a virtual whiteboard. If you need to discuss things like graphic design, web design etc... it's always useful to illustrate it while saying it. Twiddle allows sharing of notes or scribbles over an image or website. It supports online chat and audio. It's currently free, no setup needed, and is web-based.


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Java or Rails

One of the hot topics I encountered at work was the debate on which is better Java or Ruby Rails. This caught my attention a year ago when my colleague told me that the popularity of Ruby Rails is picking up. It also seems that many Java programmers are switching to Ruby Rails. I really didn’t go deep into this; I stopped with the thought that somehow Ruby Rails is easier and is much better than Java. Then a just a few days ago, I watched an interview with Cay Hortsmann, author of the book titled "Core Java". He talked about where does Ruby on Rails have edge over Java. His blunt answer was it does not have an edge at all. Here are some of his points:
- Ruby is easier to code but would be difficult to debug later on.
- Ruby has dynamic nature that enables one to do database introspection, but argued that this can be also be done in Java.
Personally, I think it’s really a personal preference. If you like something with more control, choose Java. If you like something easier to use, then choose Rails. I really don’t think one is better than the other. Rails is good at some point and Java is good in others.

For now, I would stick to Java, as there’s still a lot to learn and it is still growing. I have made my decision, what is yours?


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Touched by iPod Touch

Just a few weeks ago, I was able to acquire a second hand 16GB iPod Touch. Although it’s not new, it cost me more compared to buying a new PSP. Yet, I had no regrets on having iPod over PSP.

One thing I like most about iPod is the vast selection of podcasts available for free.
Here are some of my favorites:
- OnSoftware (video)
- OnOpenSource
- Java Deep Dive
- Discovery Channel Video Podcasts
- National Geographic’s Wild Life
- Cinematech Video Podcast
- Attack of the Show’s Daily Video Podcast

One advantage of having PSP is of course playing video games. It comes very handy especially while waiting for our turn during doctors appointments. Most of the time I just sat down, doing nothing for hours….waiting. Time would fly-by fast if one is occupied with something. Sure, playing games is one of them. However, that no longer works for me. Gone were the days when I spend hours playing games. 3D games that are popular these days, they would have easily earned my interest but then, my head would start spinning if I play more than 30 minutes. Now I kill time by watching my favorite podcasts on my itouch.

I’m just glad I chose an old iPod over a new PSP.

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