2/25/11

My site is finally starting to look like an actual site. I've drawn some crude backgrounds, and a site header. Next week I'll add some buttons and other things.
http://students.gctaa.net/~dmitchell/

2/24/11

I added some css code to the page, and drew a background image in Inkscape. LINK
The background image is centered, and the css makes the links turn different colors.

2/18/11

I'm sorry, but I thought I posted this last Friday:
I have posted the pumpkin here.

2/17/11

I have completed the pumpkin drawing. I'm starting to get the feel of inkscape. It feels complicated at the beginning, but the more and more I work with it, the more comfortable I feel with it. However, I do not know how to display .svg files as pictures.  link

2/15/11

Star Game
Today I wasn't able to come to the Career Center because an English test I was taking took too long, and I missed the bus. However, I have been doing some Actionscript with Adobe Flash, and I have built a star field simulator. The illusion of the stars going past the ship was achieved by increasing the width and height of the group of stars. To control the  "movement past" stars and planets and give an illusion of depth, I used code like this:
onClipEvent(load){
 thrust = 0;                // stars start out not moving.
}

onClipEvent (enterFrame) {

 approachSpeed = (.3 * thrust);              // Speed a function of width

 this._height+=approachSpeed;
 this._width+=approachSpeed;

 if (Key.isDown(Key.SPACE)) {     // Pressing space gives illusion of acceleration
  if (thrust <=9)
  {
   thrust+=1;
  }
 }

 if (Key.isDown(Key.CONTROL))                //CTRL is the brakes
 {
  if (thrust >= -12)
  {
   thrust-=1;
  }
 }

}


Planets, however, work differently. The rate of the increasing of the"approachSpeed" is controlled by how large the planet appears to be. As the planet gets larger, it gets larger quicker.

onClipEvent(load){

 this._height = 3;                //defines size of planet
 this._width = 3;

 this._x = 205;                   //defines placement
 this._y = 105;

 thrust = 0;                           //begins steady

 this.swapDepths( _root.player1 );

}

onClipEvent (enterFrame) {

 if (this.hitTest(_root.player1))                     //if this hits the crosshairs
 {
  _root.description = "Targeting: Planet Isoya";    //display "Targeting Planet Isoya"
  this._x+=approachSpeed;           //Now the planet approaches the player instead
  this._y+=approachSpeed;                               // just flying by like the stars

}
 else
 {
  _root.description = "";
 }

 if (this._width <= 10)                     // these lines of code control how fast the planet
 {                                                     // is coming at you, based on how big the planet
  approachSpeed = (.01 * thrust);        // already is
 }
 else if (this._width <=25)
 {
  approachSpeed = (.012 * thrust);
 }
 else if (this._width <=45)
 {
  approachSpeed = (.023 * thrust);
 }
 else
 {
  approachSpeed = (.035 * thrust);
 }


 this._height+=approachSpeed;              // makes the speed of the planet a function of its size
 this._width+=approachSpeed;
 this._x-=approachSpeed;
 this._y-=approachSpeed;


 if (Key.isDown(Key.SPACE))
 {
  if (thrust <= 9)
  {
   thrust+=1;
  }
 }

 if (Key.isDown(Key.CONTROL))
 {
  if (thrust >= -12)
  {
   thrust-=1;
  }
 }



}

2/14/11

Working on learning Inkscape. its a little different from Illustrator, but its basically the same kind of program. Heres a picture of a pumpking i was working on today.

it doesn't look as good, because this blog doesn't allow for .svg files.

2/11/11

I have been learning to use Vim, and some basic html. I've thrown together a simple site-design at my site. As you can notice, all of the image links are broken. next week, i'll finish out the web design with some nice button images. I've set up some tables in the html that will prove useful when I upload the images.

2/4/11

Finished Unix tutorial, and Vim tutor. Next I am going through the Vim user manual. I feel pretty comfortable with Unix and Vim now.

2/1/11

This week I am learning the basics of UNIX. There are eight tutorials on the site I found. I should be done learning the basics by the end of this week.