Sodaware
Joined 15 years ago
Karma
949
Submissions
140
Member since
Feb 1
Recent submissions
Comment · 1 year ago
I started with DarkBasic but moved to BlitzBasic after a few months. Wrote a couple of small games and really enjoyed just messing around with it - it felt just like when I started programming on my first computer.
I still use BlitzMax for game development (when I get time) - there's an updated version with some nice language additions support for more architectures, including the Raspberry Pi: https://blitzmax.org/
Comment · 5 years ago
I used to use Jekyll. I still do, but I used to, too.
Comment · 5 years ago
I grew up with an Atari ST and I've enjoyed revisiting it. Growing up I stuck to really simple stuff, so it's been fun to to learn more about how it all works. There's a library called Atari Game Tools (AGT) that can do some really impressive things even on a stock STFM. With cross-compilation tools it's possible to build software on a PC in a few seconds before testing in an emulator.
The VIC-20 is another fun machine to work with. There's not much memory and the way it handles graphics is quite interesting.
Comment · 5 years ago
I like the idea!
One small suggestion: if this is a free product I'd reword "Get started for free". That phrase makes me think I'll be signing up for a free trial.
Comment · 5 years ago
My new startup uses machine learning built on Quantum Blockchain technology (patent pending).
I'll take my VC money now, please.
Comment · 5 years ago
Privacy Badger: blocks a bunch of trackers - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/privacy-badge...
Privacy Possum: blocks additional trackers that Privacy Badger sometimes misses - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/privacy-possu...
Stylus: Let's me adjust the CSS of any website. I use this to tweak websites that have poor contrast or text that's too big/too small - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/styl-us/
Comment · 5 years ago
The experience reports on erowid.org make for some interesting reading.
Comment · 5 years ago
I don't at the moment, but I find I feel much better (more positive and a clearer head) when I write. I wrote daily for a while and it definitely helped.
Comment · 5 years ago
> But I'm sure heating can be accomplished without chopping down trees at all. Through solar, for instance.
In a perfect world, yes.
But this is the problem with conservation work in poor countries. 1.7% of US energy generation comes from solar [1], so going to Madagascar and saying "hey, you should be using solar instead of chopping down trees" rings a little hollow.
Comment · 5 years ago
> But whatever method we chose, it should not ignore the actual people living there, their intelligence comparable to our own and their fight for survival.
A couple of years ago I attended a talk on lemur conservation, and this was one of the key points they brought up. Habitat loss from slash-and-burn agriculture is a huge problem for lemur populations, but from a conservation point it's not effective to visit Madagascar and tell people not to do it. To the Malagasy you're just a rich tourist telling them off for living without offering any help.
So instead they focus on education. Two of the initiatives they mentioned were teaching people more effective methods of cultivating food (such as setting up fisheries), and providing them with plans for more efficient wood-burning stoves.
Comment · 6 years ago
A bit like how /r/unpopularopinion on Reddit ends up being full of popular sentiments.
Comment · 6 years ago
I've been using Beeminder for 8 years[1], and it is no exaggeration to say it has massively changed my life. It helped me run a marathon, procrastinate less, write more words, workout regularly, and a bunch of other stuff.
It's weird and it's not for everyone, but if it works for you then go for it. I'm not ashamed that I need to wear corrective lenses, and I'm not ashamed that I needed help to get my shit together.
Comment · 6 years ago
Interesting read! I'm not a particularly good writer, but I do find it useful to explore my thoughts through the written word.
I just finished an experiment where I wrote a blog article every day for 30 days (a more detailed summary is here https://www.philnewton.net/blog/30-day-blogging-summary/). I normally only write a few posts every year, so it was a pretty big increase for me. I don't think it improved my writing skills in any significant way, but it did bring out a lot of ideas that had been floating around in the back of my mind.
Outside of work I like to write games and libraries.
Links: https://about.sodaware.net
Feel free to get in touch with me - phil AT sodaware DOT net