50 Shades of Grey for Android

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This week I’m doing Technocamps work with AppInventor (a visual programming tool for Android development) at Coleg Ceredigion.

I’ve been playing around with some simple demo apps to introduce ideas and really wanted one that had swiping actions. So I made 50 shades of grey.

When you swipe left or right, the app increments or decrements the intensity of grey – providing 50 distinct shades of grey.

Alt42 50 shades for android

Alt42 50 shades for android

I’m not adding it to Google play, but you can download the source code here and the apk here.

Simply upload the .zip file from the “My Projects” page of AppInventor. Find more about AppInventor, and get started, here: http://appinventor.mit.edu/ I have some professional concerns about AppInventor as a viable development platform, I also dislike the term “app”. Nevertheless, it is certainly fun.

You need to enable USB dev mode on your android device (under settings, varies slightly for phones/tablets) If you’ve got an HTC make sure you install HTC Sync, for a Nexus install the Nexus drivers. Avoid using the emulator unless your computer is fast (you might need to increase memory allocation to the JVM).

Alt42 50 shades for android

Alt42 50 shades for android

I hope it’s a nice simple example for anyone looking to integrate swiping action into their apps. Here’s a few other quick ones:

Sarcastic 8 ball:
    

Coin Toss:
    

Homework Excuse Generator:

Totally Messed Up

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So, I recently discovered kickstarter. Sure I’ve seen it before when astronomical projects like Ouya, Oculus and Pebble hit the news, but I’ve never looked into the other projects. Yesterday I discovered a fantastic section devoted to comicbook projects. As someone with their own ideas and plans for a comicbook series, I adored seeing all of the projects there.

I also found a really remarkable one. I love my comics and look after them with great care. I take a while to choose variants and love special covers. Totally Messed Up have got some fantastic special edition covers that not only reflect the characters and art inside, but look bad ass with three-dimensional characteristics that draw your attention. They even have one carved out of wood. You get a real sense of the dedication and inspiration of these guys.

Their artwork and story writing looks great and the kickstarter page is slick. I’m really excited to see this project succeed and get a copy of the printed comicbook.

So check out their kickstarter here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fantomzero/totally-messed-up-the-graphic-novel-and-art-toys

Student Recipe for Gazpacho Soup

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I recently returned from a short stay in Malaga where I discovered a fondness for Gazpacho soup. Since the weather is still plenty hot here in Aberystwyth I decided more Gazpacho soup would be nice. Unfortunately none of the shops seem to sell it, and the only place I could find online is Waitrose, so I decided to make it myself, with the ingredients I have at hand.

I don’t do much “cooking”, mostly just heating. So I don’t have a vast array of ingredients, fortunately the recipe for Gazpacho varies and is quite flexible. Here’s what you need for some pretty tasty, if slightly inauthentic Gazpacho:

  • 1 Morrison’s cup-a-soup (tomato)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree (gives us a better tomato taste and consistency)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup (makes it slightly sweeter)
  • pinch of salt (all recipes have a pinch of salt for some reason)
  • 1 tablespoon mint sauce
  • 2 drops of Z Nothing Beyond hot sauce
  • cheese
  • bread

Don’t worry about the measurements too much, I made them up as I was just throwing things in without paying much attention.

Make the cup-a-soup, place it in a bowl, add all ingredients apart from the cheese and bread. Add chilled water (and/or additional puree) until desired thickness and flavour is achieved. Place in fridge.

Once it’s chilled, dice the cheese and prepare the bread per your preference for dipping. Scatter the cheese on the soup and serve.

The two important things about this recipe are the Z sauce and the mint sauce. Z sauce has a fantastically fruity flavour as well as some heat. The mint sauce will cool it down quite a lot and the two work well together. Get the hot sauce here: http://www.hotsauceemporium.co.uk/detailBrand.php?prodID=32

I also invented a new cocktail which looks quite colourful. Watermelon juice, mango absolut and blue curacao:

I’m not a robot. I am a unicorn.

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A couple of weeks ago I was asked to deliver a cut-down version of a new Technocamps Aberystwyth module on artificial intelligence to a group of year 9 girls. It was good fun, and since the session (which I gave 8 times in 2 days!) was short (30-45 minutes) everyone stayed focussed on the subject matter and I think it was well received.

I found a useful video to show that sums up the Chinese Room and Turing test in 60 seconds. It’s from the open university, voiced by David Mitchell and on youtube:

After a few moments discussing the concept of intelligent computers, I set them loose to play with chatbots like Cleverbot and Jabberwacky (though it would have been nice to have the Loebner winning Rosette).

There was lots of good stuff, cleverbot began to respond to ‘bore da’ and ‘shw mae’. Some students entered extremely philosophical (and in my mind, dangerous) trains of though – it was nice to see that enthusiasm.

Sometimes these chatbots are quite good.. but often they become wildly absurd for no particular reason:

User: Have you been on a stem course before?
Cleverbot: No.
User: Oh #.
Cleverbot: You really bot? Or you person who write thise.
User: What?????????/.
Cleverbot: You ever danced with the devil in the pale moon night?

Othertimes it works quite well, I’m impressed it recognised this joke:

User: Why did the hedgehog cross the road?
Cleverbot: I don’t know.
User: To see his FLAT MATE :D :D:D.
Cleverbot: Tell me another joke.

And of course, there are always users who get distracted from the point of the exercise.. cleverbot doesn’t usually understand though:

User: Do u have nipple erections.
Cleverbot: Yes.
User: Have you been on embarasing bodies about that.
Cleverbot: No.
User: You should.
Cleverbot: Why?
User: To stop your nipple erections.
Cleverbot: Don’t play silly games if you want me to talk sensibly to you.
User: I wanna talk dirty;).
Cleverbot: I don’t understand persian.

I enjoyed the sessions and think the new artificial intelligence module is nice and flexible. Unlike other modules it introduces real computer science concepts, but doesn’t necessitate programming, a task that can be arduous for a lot of students.

This is what figurines should look like

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I got an Ezio figurine today.. it’s epic.

Absolutely no movement, just an awesome pose and fantastic detail.

I have very few figurines.. they seem to be much less common and are generally prohibitively expensive. In contrast, I have quite a few action figures.. they’re just not as good. Whilst they tout the various posable limbs and accessories, this typically leads to unnatural poses that just don’t look right, which is a real shame.

Batman has to lean against a wall. Catwoman looks uncomfortable. Harley Quinn looks alright, but only because she clips onto a base.

I’m really pleased with this new Ezio figure, much cheaper than typical figurines like my Mystique and looks great on the shelf.

Backstage with SuperTed!

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So today whilst looking for food at the Urdd Eisteddfod, I saw a distinctive cape whisk through a doorway. Intrigued, I entered the S4C tent and enquired – was it true? Was SuperTed here today?!

As it transpired, yes, he was! But I would have to return later for the song and dance session.

Unfortunately the place was littered with small ones. I waited patiently and defiantly in the rain, watching strange people, giant eggs and Postman Pat. After some shoulder barges and toe stepping I got to the front, but my path was still blocked my children and my cries out for a hug from SuperTed were drowned by the noise of mothers telling their children to put their coats on.

However, my luck change when I pestered the S4C staff just as SuperTed ran away again. One lovely woman grabbed me and ran me backstage where I got to have my picture taken with SuperTed! The magic was briefly spoilt as SuperTed had just removed her(!) head, but I try not to think about that.

SuperTed was a bit bewildered as I went into full fan boy mode, but he did well and we posed whilst the helful S4C folks took pictures. Thanks all! SuperTed is my favourite childhood show and means a lot to me.

Also, I did Technocamps stuff (that’s why I was there in the first place). Unfortunately most of the Technocamps material doesn’t work well in these situations – it’s hard to draw people in quickly. The demobots previously mentioned work well, but we’re getting more robots for tomorrow. I’m also going to flirt with Peppa Pig (I make a tremendous pig snort sound) to help grab us some attention.




I schooled Techniquest on why their Towers of Brahma, aka Towers of Hanoi was used in early computer science to teach the fundamental concept of recursion.

Some New Figurines

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So, as well as tinkering, coin collecting and kite-flying, my other fantastically geeky hobby is collecting awesome figurines. With the recent discovery that I am not at an age where I own my own vacuum cleaner I went looking for some new toys to compensate. These new acquisitions made a good excuse to exercise my new nifty fifty

 

Probably my favourite. An awesome scrap metal Dalek that my girlfriend's parents got me. This thing is amazingly detailed considering what it's made from!

Scrap metal Dalek could easily take on the officially licensed patrol Dalek.

The Bishoujo comicbook Mystique. One of the better Marvel characters.

A pretty cool Black Rock Shooter model that looks great and was incredibly cheap - from deal extreme! Not the usual place to get them but it's got a cool "tearing the earth in two" pose. They had a similar one with the actual gun, but this one looked cooler.

I pre-ordered Harley Quinn and Catwoman after completing Arkham City. I'm a bit disappointed with how poor the facial detail is. Harley's makeup is OTT and Catwoman's eyes are just unnatural.

Catwoman really doesn't look as good as she does in the game, but still, she goes well with Harley Quinn.

Another view.

Ghost in the Shell is my favourite anime. Although it's awfully small and lacks detail, the pose is a brilliant one for Motoko.

GITS Tank

These small die-cast Tron models look great. Not movable but nice little items.

Quora's car.

Draw Me A Robot

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I’ve led and demonstrated the Technocamps Robot Programming workshop several times now, and my favourite bit is always the same. It’s the bit where you ask the class to draw a robot.

It’s not a question people think about often, but when they do, they all get a very similar picture in mind.

The criteria Aberystwyth robotocists use for “is it a robot?” are

  1. It’s programmable
  2. It senses its environment
  3. It acts on its environment

Under those rules, many many things could be considered robotic, such as state-of-the-art, load managing washing machines. Today in the workshop we had a new one – a robotic toothbrush? Certainly, high end toothbrushes can be programmed to a certain regime, know if the brush head is wet or if pressure is applied and feedback to the user. So in a bizarre way, a toothbrush could be considered a robot.

Lightsabers aren’t robotic however.. some ipod models might be though.

Anyway, it’s always fun to see what the class comes up with, and often there’s plenty of chance to argue over the validitity of things.


Technocamps Beach Lab: I’m making a note, huge success

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Saturday was an exhausting but extremely fulfilling day of sun, technology and inquisitive youth. Best of all, I got to wear my sexy and luminous Technocamps t-shirt.

Technocamps is an outreach project I’ve been involved with since December. Primarily we visit schools to run computer science workshops. Initially providing demonstrator support, I have started to lead workshops and was recently asked to create some small robots to demonstrate arduino technology.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though workshops aren’t the only engagement. Today we had the Beach Lab, occupying the bandstand in Aberystwyth we had everything from chatbots to textile electronics to aerial photography; engaging with multiple groups from within the University.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I myself managed a couple of robots – photophobic and photophillic, using torches to manipulate them which kids really seemed to enjoy. Though worried this might not be entertaining enough, I provided an arduino and breadboard with a variety of sensors and a multimeter for more curious minds.

 

 

I found the enthusiasm from the children extremely encouraging and not only was interacting with them fulfilling, but I am confident that the next generation will be filled with some excellent computer scientists.

This has been one of my favourite engagements with Technocamps so far; I can’t wait for the next one.

I’ve got more photos on facebook, here.