Author: Robert

“Why I Take All My First Dates to Olive Garden”

Boing Boing

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At Bon Appetit, Kristen Arnett wrote a very funny appreciation of Olive Garden as the perfect place for her to take first dates. From Bon Appetit:

The right kind of woman for me is someone who won’t give me a hard time about the things I like. The kind of woman who will let me pocket all the leftover breadsticks and doesn’t care if we only discuss our favorite sexual positions and what kind of appetizers look best off the limited-time-only menu. We’re at Olive Garden because it’s kitschy and cute. Nothing that happens needs to be a serious thing. It’s no big deal…

Two people eating means you get three sticks total. I like to think Olive Garden did that on purpose, so that you’re forced to break bread with your date. You must share with each other, touch hands. It’s all very romantic, if romance is deciding who gets to take the bigger share of the carbs.

“Why I Take All My First Dates to Olive Garden”
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Simplest Way to Add Stored Property to Swift Extension

DZone Python

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class ExampleClass {}

fileprivate var storedProperty_FILEPRIVATE = 1
extension ExampleClass {
    var storedProperty: Int {
        get {return storedProperty_FILEPRIVATE}
        set {storedProperty_FILEPRIVATE = newValue}
    }
}

print(ExampleClass().storedProperty)  //1
ExampleClass().storedProperty = 2
print(ExampleClass().storedProperty)  //2

That’s it. Now you can keep the variable definition close to where it’s used (in the extension, instead of in the class definition).

You just add a fileprivate variable or constant, and access it in the extension using the computed variable.

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How to declutter your inbox and unsubscribe from unwanted emails

The Verge

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Your email inbox is like a virtual home — after all, that’s where all your first official points of contacts go when you sign up for a new service, apply for jobs, buy stuff online, etc. And just like your physical home, letting your inbox get cluttered can feel chaotic, with most of that mess stemming from marketing or newsletter emails.

These unwanted types of emails can end up in your inbox in all sorts of ways. For example, when you buy something online, you may have inadvertently given the company permission to send you more promotional materials, or a company may have sold your email as part of a list, paving ways for you to become spammed by marketers.

So here are a few ways to make your inbox more peaceful.

Manually unsubscribe

S…

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Super Mario Bros. released for C64

Boing Boing

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A pixel-perfect implementation of Super Mario Bros. is now available for the Commodore 64, a good three decades after that computer’s (and the Nintendo Entertainment System’s) heydey.

This is a Commodore 64 port of the 1985 game SUPER MARIO BROS. for the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System. It contains the original version that was released in Japan and United States, as well as the European version. It also detects and supports a handful of turbo functionalities, and has 2 SID support.

Home computers of the era typically saw sub-par conversions of console hits, even when there was no real technical reason. Below, see Super Mario Bros. as originally released on 8-bit computer platforms; quite a disaster.

The Great Giana Sisters was a more accurate unofficial port that, for obvious reasons, displeased Nintendo and led to “pressure” that saw it withdrawn from sale (though it did not, per gamer legend, file a lawsuit). It ultimately became a franchise in its own right.

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Chipzel has spent a decade making incredible music with Game Boys

The Verge

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Chipzel at Blip Fest in 2011.

When Niamh Houston was around four years old, she and her sister received a Game Boy and a copy of Super Mario Land for Christmas. Along with the game and handheld, they also had a tiny speaker that plugged into the Game Boy’s headphone jack, amplifying the sound. For Houston, her earliest memories aren’t of collecting coins in the game or exploring the Mushroom Kingdom. “I remember the music the most,” she says. “It was really raw and beautiful, and unlike anything else that you’d hear.”

That little speaker would have a big impact on her. Today, Houston is better known by her stage name Chipzel; she’s one of the most iconic performers in the chiptune scene, where musicians make new songs using old video game hardware. Today she travels…

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Get free HDTV the old school way with this indoor antenna

Boing Boing

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The digital age is well and truly upon us, but let’s not forget there’s a load of free TV content floating literally over our heads. No, we’re not talking about the internet. Signals from major broadcast networks are still gratis for anyone who can pick them up with an antenna. And before you envision those ugly metal “rabbit ears” above your TV set, get a load of the ANTOP Paper Thin 30-Mile AT-105 Indoor HDTV Antenna.

As advertised, it picks up signals within approximately 30 miles of the broadcast area, unaffected by windy or rainy days. That’s shows from ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox, Univision and more, relayed with support for HD and Ultra 4K content. At a mere .02 inches thick, it comes with a kit for mounting discreetly indoors and is fully compatible with existing digital TVs and converter boxes.

Right now, the ANTOP Paper Thin 30-Mile AT-105 Indoor HDTV Antenna is more than 50% off at $16.99. Read the rest

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Swift Class Disassembly

DZone Python

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In a previous article, we looked at the disassembly of class creation and program semantics for a simple program that prints a string. It did expose how classes are defined and how objects are reference counted however, as simple as that example was. Now we’re going to look at an equivalent Swift program

This swift program is equivalent to the Objective-C program, right down to the method names:

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Real-Time Interaction With HERE Maps Between Android and JavaScript With Socket.io

DZone Python

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If you’ve been keeping up with my content, you might remember that about a week ago I had written a tutorial around real-time interaction using Socket.io and a HERE map. This tutorial titled, Real-Time Interaction Between Maps with Socket.io and JavaScript, demonstrated how Socket.io could be used to send client interactions with a map to a server and then broadcasted in real-time to all other connected clients, showing the results on the screen.

We’re going to take things a step further in this tutorial. Instead of web browser to web browser communication, we’re going to introduce Android communication so that way as a user interacts with a map, whether it be in a web browser or on an Android device, those interactions get broadcasted to all similar platforms.

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HP’s first 15-inch Chromebook features a full-size keyboard and IPS touchscreen for $449

The Verge

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Chromebooks continue to impress in the price-for-quality department, and the HP Chromebook 15 is no exception. The first ever 15-inch HP Chromebook (15.6 inches to be exact) comes not only with a full-sized keyboard and number pad, but also a blacklit IPS touchscreen and 64GB of base flash storage.

That model starts at $449, and you can pay extra for double the eMMC storage and a faster Intel Core i5 processor, but the company isn’t yet saying how much that will cost.

HP says the device starts shipping today from its online store, but the listing for the HP Chromebook 15 still says “coming soon,” for whatever reason. That said, the device has some impressive specs for…

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‘Child’s Play’ trailer gets a smart home makeover, giving a Chucky control over connected devices

TechCrunch

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Oh golly does the new trailer for “Child’s Play” look good. Not only does it have appearances by Aubrey Plaza, Mark Hamill (as the voice of Chucky) and Bryan Tyree Henry (who’s awesome in Atlanta), but it’s giving Chucky a smart home makeover. The demonically possessed doll now has the power to control networked devices […]

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This $2,799 emulator is the fanciest retro game console around

The Verge

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Retro games keep resurfacing in all types of emulators, but Swedish artist and craftsman Love Hultén has created one that goes the extra mile if you really want a full, nostalgia-fueled experience. His newest design, called Yesterday Vision, is a handmade midcentury-inspired monitor enclosure that can play games from classic systems.

The Yesterday Vision contains a 19-inch 4:3 monitor that’s designed to have the curvature distortion of an old CRT monitor. It also has full-range loudspeakers and a built-in Raspberry Pi computer that emulates gaming systems like the SNES, NES, Genesis, NeoGeo, MAME, Atari 2600, N64, and PSX. You can also play modern games or connect your laptop to Yesterday Vision via an HDMI input on the back. It can also…

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Turn your LEGO® characters into pilots with this DIY drone kit

Boing Boing

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Who said LEGO® had to be ground bound? With The Force Flyers DIY Building Block Fly ‘n Drive Drone, you can turn LEGO® and other building-block creations into fully-functional flying machines. It’s available now in the Boing Boing Store for $39.99.

This kit comes with everything you need for remote-controlled long distance flight, including a 6-axis gyroscope, a 2.4 GHz wireless transmitter, and extra rotors for when you inevitably crash. Its plastic frame is covered in studs that are compatible with most brick-building toys, so you can get creative with your quadcopter’s design. Once assembled, you can precisely pilot your flyer through all kinds of tight spaces with the bundled digital proportional controller.

Children of all ages will have fun learning about the physics of flight with this hands-on project. Pick up the Force Flyers DIY Building Block Fly ‘n Drive Drone here for $39.99. Read the rest

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