HTML5 & Javascript Tutorials - Web Development Articles

HTML5 WebSocket Server in PHP

2011-07-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

This is a video demo of my Javascript stock exchange simulator programmed in HTML5 and PHP. I'm running my websocket server using WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP). Let me know if you have any questions or comments about any of this.

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How to run PHP sockets in WAMP

2011-07-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been playing around with HTML5 Web Sockets. This has been pretty fun and educational. Especially since I've ran into a few problems, and very little documentation is available on it. After resisting the temptation of pulling my hair out (since I don't have a whole lot of it left, anyways), and focusing on finding answers to these problems, I was rewarded by a generous universe, who revealed me all the answers I needed. This post will cover 3 ways to help you solve the common error you may run into when attempting to create sockets in PHP using WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP). This error message says Call to undefined function socket_create().

How to fix Call to undefined function socket_create()

If you're running WAMP, there are two basic ways to fix this. This error is caused by a simple WAMP/PHP configuration that you left out. What you want to do is pretty simple. Simply enable sockets in PHP. To do so, you must:

Click the WAMP icon
Select PHP
Select PHP Extensions
Enable the php_sockets extension

Now try restarting all services in your WAMP, and see if the sockets work now. This should solve the problem 9/10 times. However, there are some situations when you will do just what I described above, and your PHP sockets will still return that undefined function socket_create(), which will be frustrating. However, here are some other things that will fix this problem:

Set up your environment variables to run PHP from the command line

A few weeks ago I posted a tutorial on how to run Python from the command line, where I describe how to set up the environment variables in Python. The exact same process is used for PHP and WAMP, so you can use that as a reference. The steps are simple:

Click the WAMP icon
Select www directory
This will take you to the directory where WAMP is installed. Go up one directory level from the www folder, and select the bin directory. Inside bin you will see a PHP directory, inside of which there will be a PHP5.3.4 (whatever version of PHP you happen to have installed). Follow this directory path until you find the one that has a file named php.exe
Copy the complete path to this directory
In your environment variables window (follow the Python article on the specifics on how to get there), edit the PATH variable, and paste this path to your PHP.exe (the PHP interpreter) file that you copied in the previous step

Now you should be able to go do a DOS window and type in a command like:

php file.php

(assuming that you're in a directory that has a file named file.php, of course)

This will execute your script right in the command window. If you're trying to run a PHP socket server so clients can connect to it, you will need to run it from a terminal (command line), and this is how you set it up.

However, there are 2 more ways to solve the socket problem ("undefined function socket_create()"). They're both pretty similar, although the second one is less obvious.

Method #1: Edit your php.ini file

This basically accomplishes the exact same thing you did in the fist thing I suggested earlier in this PHP tutorial. What you need to do is:

Click the WAMP icon
Select PHP
Select php.ini
Search your php.ini file for the following line:
;extension=php_sockets.dll
This line has a semi-column at the beginning, meaning that the sockets extension is disabled. To fix this, simply uncomment the statement, and save the php.ini file. To uncomment this line of code, simply delete the semi-column, changing the line to this:
extension=php_sockets.dll

Again, after restarting all WAMP services, try running your PHP script with the create_socket() function call, and things should work out just fine now.

Method #2: Edit the other php.ini file

Sometimes your WAMP will install weird, and the PHP will point to a different php.ini file than the one you can access through the WAMP icon. I'm not sure how this can happen, but without using the technique I'll show here, the problem with the sockets will never go away. I came across this problem when I installed WAMP in a virtual machine running Ubuntu (the virtual machine had Windows XP installed in it). To find out what php.ini your PHP is looking at, go to a command line and type in the following PHP command:

php --ini

This will list the information (file paths) about the configuration of your PHP that you need to edit. The second line of the output you get from this step shows where the true php.ini file is located. Go to that path and uncomment the line that points to the sockets.dll file as described in the previous step.

The output from the php --ini command will look something like this:

C:\Users\Rodrixar>php --ini
Configuration File (php.ini) Path: C:\Windoows
Loaded Configuration File: C:\wamp\bin\php\php5.3.4\php.ini
Scan for additional .ini files in: (none)
Additional .ini files parsed: (none)

Notice how in this case the .ini file is located within my WAMP folder, which is why the other steps shown in this tutorial worked. But some times this location will be different from the WAMP install location, and by changing that php.ini file you will be able to truly enable and use those desired PHP sockets.

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HTML5 Canvas Animation Tutorial with Nintendo Battletoads

2011-07-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been playing around with 2D animations in the canvas element. I know that 3D WebGL is the cool thing nowadays, but for now, I'd like to get pretty good with regular, 2 dimensional animations with the boring, old canvas. Below is a demo of what I've come up with so far. Use the right and left arrow on the key board to more Pimple around (actually, I'm not sure if that's Rash or Zits from the original Nintendo game Battletoads...

Sprite animation in the HTML5 canvas

While this is a tutorial, and you've probably come to this article in an attempt to learn how to animate your own canvas and make cool 2D games in HTML5 and Javascript that can be played on the browser, the main reason I'm posting this is because I'd like to learn more about canvas animation myself. Right now I'm just doing things in a way that makes sense to me, but most likely doesn't follow 2D tile-based sidescroller games best practices. So I guess we'll learn together...

To start out, here's the sprite image I'm animating in this HTML5 demo:

I just found this online, in case you wonder... But what I do is pretty simple, as described in this pseudo-code:

Make an *array with the location of each animation frame
Make a variable that keeps track of the current frame being printed from the sprite sheet
Load the sprite sheet image
Draw a portion of the sprite sheet into the canvas. This is where the array created in step 1 comes in
Increment the frame variable using **modular math
If before drawing the next frame (this should be step 4, but makes sense to explain it here), clear the part of the canvas context where the current sprite frame is drawn

* This is an array of objects, each with the (x,y) position of where each animation frame is located within the sprite sheet, plus a (w,h) pair representing the frame's width and height:

var spriteFrames = [
   {x: 0,  y: 0, w: 32, h: 30},
   {x: 33, y: 3, w: 42, h: 27},
   {x: 78, y: 5, w: 30, h: 33}
];

Something like that. Note that each frame can have its own dimensions. The image will still be drawn properly (lined up with the previous and next frames) this way, even if the frame is shorter or wider.

** By modular math I mean that you should increment the variable that keeps track of the current frame using the modulus operator. This way you don't have to worry about going out of bounds in your array, like such:

// a lot of people do this:
currentFrame++;
if( currentFrame > totalFrames - 1)
  currentFrame = 0;

/*** WHAT A WASTE OF BYTES! ***/

// this is how you should increment your current frame index:
currentFrame = (currentFrame + 1) % totalFrames;

/**********************************
 *
   WHAT? but why do that?
   well... follow the math. If you're not familiar the % (MOD) operator,
   it simply performs division, then returns the remainder, which is never
   greater than the number being divided by, which means you always stay
   within the array bounds.

   var totalFrames = 3;
   var currentFrame = 0;

   currentFrame = (currentFrame + 1) % totalFrames;
   -> currentFrame = (0 + 1) % 3 = 1 % 3 = 1

   currentFrame = (currentFrame + 1) % totalFrames;
   -> currentFrame = (1 + 1) % 3 = 2 % 3 = 2

   currentFrame = (currentFrame + 1) % totalFrames;
   -> currentFrame = (2 + 1) % 3 = 3 % 3 = 0

   currentFrame = (currentFrame + 1) % totalFrames;
   -> currentFrame = (0 + 1) % 3 = 1 % 3 = 1
 *
 ***********************************/

Clearly, incrementing the frame pointer with one operation is better in most cases, but I'm sure there might be cases where something more verbose might be needed, but for the most part, using the MOD operator will save you time and space.

Other than that, I think I need to research this some more and practice what I learn. As you can see in the demo, the animation only works one way. That is because the original image (the sprite sheet) is drawn like that. There is a simple way to flip the image resource being drawn onto the canvas, but that sort of sounds like it takes a more computations than needed. I'm thinking just having a second sprite sheet with the images mirrored should do the trick. It'll take more space in memory, but once loaded, the animation can run without costing CPU power forever.

Also, my animation doesn't quite seem very smooth. This is not because of the strategy used to animate the canvas, but because the sprite sheet is probably not right. One thing I do have in this demo is that every so many milliseconds the timer is fired, the frame pointer is updated, the (x,y) coordinates of the Nintendo character is updated, and the image is redrawn. However, the animation only takes place if at least so many milliseconds have elapsed since the previous animation frame was updated:

// function drawCharacter() { canvasContext.drawCharacter( frame, x, y ); }

// our main Player object has an attribute frameUpdated, 
// which is the time it was last updated (in milliseconds)
function updateAnimationFrame()
{
  if( Date.now() - Player.frameUpdated > 70 )
  {
    Player.currentFrame = (Player.currentFrame + 1) % Player.totalFrames;

    // update time frame was animated
    Player.frameUpdated = Date.now();
}

Anyway, post your questions, comments, and suggestions.

Thanks, and enjoy!

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Cool CSS3 Tip: Text-Overflow = Ellipsis

2011-07-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

You don't have to use lots of Javascript or server-side voodoo coding to get overflowing text to look good. With the new CSS3 feature, you can set the text-overflow property of your text to ellipsis, thus letting the browser handle this so-needed task for you.

CSS3 text-overflow: ellipsis DEMO

Dummy text. Move the slider below to change the width of this text and see how this works.

Width = 100%

The CSS Code

While this is a very simple attribute, getting this to work just the way you expect it can be somewhat tricky. All you have to keep in mind is that while the text-overflow attribute is what controls the ellipsis effect, just setting this one attribute by itself isn't enough.

<style>
.elip { 
  text-overflow: ellipsis;
  overflow: hidden; 
  white-space: nowrap; 
  width: 100%; 
}
</style>

<p class="elip">Some text to be wrapped by the CSS3 ellipsis attribute<p>

Notice that along with the text-overflow, you also need to make sure you specify two other properties: white-space (keeping the text from wrapping into multiple lines), and overflow (which keeps the text from bleeding through its container).

Other than that, this is pretty simple. Try out different ways to use this and see how it works for yourself. One thing I did notice is that if you use this property with a big paragraph that takes up multiple lines, instead of only applying the ellipsis to the last word or whatever, every line that has a break (either through a br tag or a new paragraph) will be ellipsed. Lines of text that expand beyond the one line will not wrap (due to the white-space property). So I think this will be for useful in situations where the ellipsis is applied to a header or title type text. Anything beyond a line (such as a summary) might not work so well, or at least I haven't figured out how to make it work right with a block of text. But that's CSS3 for you... enjoy!

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How to run Python CGI in WAMP

2011-06-26T22:49:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people ask me how to install Python in WAMP (Windows Apache MySQL and PHP), so here's a quick tutorial on how to set that up on your WAMP server. What I'll do is assume you already have both WAMP and Python installed, explain how to run your Python .py scripts through WAMP, then I'll have a quick tutorial explaining how to download and install both Python and WAMP individually.

Writing your first Python cgi script

Before you can run your Python scripts on the browsers, you'll need to write a .py script. Here's a quick one just to illustrate the point. Type this in Notepad and save the file as hello.py:

#!python

print "Content-type: text/html"
print ""

print "Hello, World"

Now click the WAMP icon on your system tray, find the Apache option, then select the modules option. Make sure there's a check mark next to cgi_module. If there isn't a check mark next to cgi_module, go ahead and click it. This will enable the module and restart your WAMP Apache server. Now, go back to Notepad and save your hello.py file in the right cgi-bin directory. The precise path to this folder is probably different on each system, but is found inside the WAMP directory, then inside the bin directory, inside Apache. On my system, the path to the cgi-bin directory is

C:\wamp\bin\apache\Apache2.2.17\cgi-bin

Once your Python script file is saved, go to your browser and access the script by going to

http://localhost/cgi-bin/hello.py

That's it. No need to install extra modules or a whole different server altogether. Now to a brief tutorial on installing WAMP and Python on Windows.

How to install WAMP

In this tutorial I'll assume you already have WAMP downloaded and installed. If you don't, click the link above and download the WAMP server. Installing it is really simple (click and follow the prompts), but I'll save the details to another tutorial if the need for it arrises.

How to install Python on Windows

Once you have WAMP installed, the next thing you'll need to do is to install Python. Again, this should be pretty straight forward. Click the buttons and follow the few prompts. Once the installation concludes, you should be able to open a terminal (DOS) window and verify that the installation was successful. Try typing the following command in DOS:

python

If you see a response that says something like Python 2.7.2 (or whatever version you installed), then the installation was successful. If this is the case, you'll see the three >>> indicating that you can start typing Python code and run it right there. If, on the other hand, you get an error message from Windows, then this means you'll need to set up a system variable with the path to your Python install. This is really simple:

How to set up Python environment variable Path on Windows

What you'll do is tell Windows to run a program called python.exe located at a certain directory whenever Windows get a request to run python. To do this, open up your Control Panel and run a search on that window for environment. Windows XP and up (Vista and Windows 7) will bring up a link that says Edit the System Environment Variables. Click that, then click the button that's labeled Environment Variables...

Next, open up a Windows Explorer window and go to the location where you have installed Python. As this could be different for different folks, you'll just have to find where you installed your own. On my home system, I installed Python at

C:\Python

Once you have located your main Python folder, copy the folder path and go back to the Environment Variables window. Under System variables, find the one that's labeled Path, select it, and click Edit. Now go to the Variable value field, and be sure you don't erase anything from this field. Simply go to the end of the field, place a semicolon at the end of the list, and paste the path to your main Python folder. Click OK to save this, and you're done! Now you can open up a DOS window and type in Python, and start coding to your heart's content.

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jQuery Slideshow - HTTP Efficient

2011-03-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Why another jQuery Slideshow Tutorial ?

A while ago I posted a tutorial on a Javascript slideshow implemented in Prototype. That was all nice and well, since there weren't a whole lot of Prototype tutorials out there. But also, the specific implementation I did was especially powerful because it had HTTP requests in mind. So now we have a version of that same slideshow in jQuery.

Live Demo:

Here's the logic behind my slideshow is simple

The usual slideshow requires that you list all of the images you want sliding in some sort of list. Then the images, through CSS, are all stacked on top of each other so only the top-most image is visible. Then, every so often the top image fades out, revealing the next one. My issue with this approach is that, suppose you have 10 images in the slideshow, all 10 images are downloaded (10 HTTP requests, bandwidth, latency, etc). Worse yet, what if the user only stays on the page long enough that only the first two images are shown?! You wasted bandwidth and loading time for the other 8 images. Not to mention if you want 100 images in the slideshow...

My approach:

I only list two images at a time. One is the top-most image (the one that's visible), and the one immediately behind it. Then, when the timer fires (the image slides), I fade the top image, reveal the back image, and wait for the next timer event to fire. When the timer gets ready to fire again, I download the next image, place it behind the current top-most image, and repeat the process. Now if the user only views my site long enough that 5 images are rotated through the slideshow, I don't have to download the remaining 95 images I wanted to display.

The Code

As this slideshow is using jQuery, the first thing we do is import the jQuery library:

Now we define the basic CSS so the images are self-contained:

The CSS

Then we set up the HTML where the images will be displayed:

The HTML

It's very important that you keep the ID attributes of those three HTML tags as they are. If you do decide to change them, change them also in the following Javascript.

The Javascript

// keeps track of what image to display next
var i = 0;

// the time each image will display before it fades out
var delay = 3000;

// the time it will take to fade each image
var fadeDelay = 150;

// the filename for each image. Don't include the .jpg extension
var iSlides = new Array("image1", "image2", "image3", "image4", "image5");

// This is where the magic happens
function rigoSlide()
{
// show the top image
$('#front-image').show();

// make the bottom image visible
$('#back-image').show();

// after the image finishes fading, bring the back image to the front
$('#front-image').fadeOut(fadeDelay, function(){
$('#front-image').attr('src', $('#back-image').attr('src'));
});

// increment the array index, but never go beyond the array boundaries
i = (i + 1) % iSlides.length;

// now load the next image behind the image currently showing
$('#back-image').attr('src', iSlides[i] + ".jpg");

// start process over again...
setTimeout(rigoSlide, delay);

}

// call the slideshow when the page finishes loading
$(document).ready(function(){ rigoSlide(); });

Cut and Paste

Now, I realize some of you might not be able to put the above steps together all by yourself... so if that applies to you, just go ahead and paste the following block of code in your website where you want the slideshow to appear. Just make sure to replace the bold text with the names of the actual images you'll be using for your own slideshow:

<div id="jq_rigo_slide" style="width:994px; height: 300px; position: relative; top: 0; left: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0; overflow: hidden;">
<img id="jq_b" src="img1" style="position: absolute; display: block;" />
<img id="jq_f" src="img2" style="position: absolute; display: block;" />
</div>
<script src='http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.3.2/jquery.min.js' type='text/javascript'></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var i = 0;
var delay = 3000;
var fadeDelay = 150;
var iSlides = new Array("img1", "img2", "img3", "img4", "img5");

function rigoSlide()
{
$('#jq_f').show();
$('#jq_b').show();
$('#jq_f').fadeOut(fadeDelay, function(){
$('#jq_f').attr('src', $('#jq_b').attr('src'));
});
i = (i + 1) % iSlides.length;
$('#jq_b').attr('src', iSlides[i] + ".jpg");
setTimeout(rigoSlide, delay);
}
rigoSlide();
</script>

Conclusion

So there you have it. I'd recommend you save the Javascript externally and include it the same way you're including the jQuery Library, but that's not required for this to work.

Post your questions, comments, or concerns below.

Thanks,

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Weird CSS3 Demo & Tutorial

2011-01-02T15:33:00.000-08:00

Below is a form with some weird CSS3 effects that you may not know about. But keep in mind this one principle I've learned earlier in my career, and it has served me very, very well:

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should

Just because something in possible, don't be in a hurry to use it or do it. Keyword here is: HTML Marquee and Blink tags

CSS3 Demo Form
Enter your name:
Enter your e-mail:
Enter your phone number:

CSS3 » Outline

The outline attribute is like a border, but is drawn outside the actual border of the element. According to the W3Schools, the purpose of this property is to make an element "stand out". You may have noticed this in Chrome. I personally find it annoying because in Chrome, when you enter an input element (in a form), Chrome draws a yellow line around the box (input box). This is the outline property kicking in.

You can set the outline just like you do a border:

outline: 1px solid #c00

or you can turn it off by either setting it to 0 or none:

outline: 0;
outline: none;

If you look at the source code in Google's main page, they use both the number zero and the value 'none' when setting the outline of elements to nothing.

CSS3 » Zoom

The zoom attribute is a dangerous property, because some people think it's so cool, and therefore they over use it in horrible ways. Basically this works similar to how your browser would zoom in and out of your page when you use the magnification features in it. If you set an object's zoom to 100% (or 1.0), then it will look 'normal'. However, if you set it to something greater than that, the object will scale like it would when you zoom in it. Pretty self explanatory.

Some people used to add hovering effects by changing the text's font-size for the hovered state, but now you can set its zoom to something and affect not only text and the box around it, but also images! This is that terrible two-wedge sword. Could be a great help, or a sure way to flood the web with ugly zooming effects:

.link { font-size: 1.25em; }
.link:hover { zoom: 200%; }

CSS3 » Transformation

The transformation attribute is part of the webkit library. You can use it in Mozilla Firefox using they -moz counterpart. What a lot of people are doing is setting the same property they set to -webkit (which works fine in Google Chrome and Safari browsers, as well as the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and the Android systems) set it to -moz, -o (for Opera), -ie (Internet Explorer), and then just list the property with no prefix for the day it becomes a standard. I don't necessarily recommend this, especially if the library you're specifying doesn't support the property (like -ie-transition), but it doesn't hurt. Besides, if a lot of people are doing it, you might not look like a fool doing it too...

To use transformations, you specify the transformation desired, the value, and a unit to go along with it:

-webkit-transformation: rotate(-25deg);

CSS3 » Transition

Finally, transitions are awesome things that happen between the beginning and the end of an attribute change. For instance, when you set a font color, then a different font color for that same text when it get hovered, then you only see the first color, then the end color when teh text is hovered. With transitions (also part of -webkit), you can specify what happens during that change. If you've ever worked with Flash, this should be natural. With CSS3 you specify how slow that transition happens. In the form example above, I specified the transition to take half a second:

-webkit-transition: all 0.5s linear;

Here I was a bit lazy because I didn't want to specify a transition speed for zoom and rotate, so I used the keyword 'all'. the keyword 'linear' specifies how that transition takes place. Other acceptable values include:

linear - constant speed
ease - gradual slowdown
ease-in - speed up
ease-out - slow down
ease-in-out -speed up then slow down

So there you have it. I hope this helps, but please, use these things for the good of the web =)

Feel free to post any questions you may have or email me directly.

About the author

Java Applet Tutorial

2010-10-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

How to create a Java Online Game

Overview

In this simple introductory Java Applet tutorial, we’ll build a straightforward Super Mario Brother online. We’ll actually just animate Luigi running around the screen and responding to user input. The controls will be very basic: move Luigi using the left and right arrow keys (← to move him to the left, and → to move him to the right), and change the speed at which he moves by pressing the up and down keys. The controls are shown on the screen and are indicated by the "thread break" marker.

For a quick demo of the final product, checkout the box below:

Also, be sure to grab some sprite images for your game:

The Set Up: Intro to Java Applets

Probably the first thing you’ll notice about Java Applets is the fact that they don’t have a main() method like all other Java programs do. Instead, Java Applets will have an init() method, which must be a public, void returning method (similar to the standard main).
Also, Java applets are meant to be viewed through a browser, so be sure to create an HTML file to run your app in. I will show you how to do that when we get to that point.
Finally, I will show you the libraries we’ll be working with, and therefore will need to import.

The Java.Applet Library

In order to create our demo applet, go ahead and import the following libraries to your Luigi.java file. This will be the file we’ll build for this tutorial.

import java.applet.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.net.*;

Those libraries take care of making our applet, loading files from a web server, and listening and responding to user input events.

Sprite Animation in Java

In order to simplify this tutorial, and yet make this code somewhat more portable and expandable, let’s create a class that will handle the individual sprite animations that we’ll use. Actually, let’s create a class to represent Luigi, who will be our hero in this case. This class will basically have the following member variables:

private int x; // Luigi’s on screen x-coordinate
private int y; // Luigi’s on screen y-coordinate
private int dtX; // The delta-x; the amount of units to move Luigi horizontally each time he moves
private int pos; // To keep track of when Luigi moves outside the screen
private String name; // Represents the name of our character
private boolean K_RIGHT; // Is the user pressing the right key
private boolean K_LEFT; // Is the user pressing the left key
Image[] src; // An array to keep all the sprite images used in the game

That’s pretty simple stuff. We can initialize those variables right on our constructor. I’ve found it helpful to offer at least a couple of choices to the programmer using your code, so in this tutorial, we’ll create two constructors for this Sprite class: one with parameters to initialize a Sprite object (a character for your game), and one that takes no parameters. This second constructor will actually just call the first-mentioned constructor with some default values. This way we have two methods doing the same thing, but not duplicating hardly any code at all. So here are the constructors:

public Sprite(String pName, int pX, int pY)
{
name = pName;
x = pX;
y = pY;
dtX = 10;
pos = 0;
src = new Image[8];
K_RIGHT = false;
K_LEFT = false;
}

public Sprite()
{
this("Tupac", 10, 10); // The name and starting position of our default character
}

And in order to keep this class simple, yet functional, let’s add a few methods:

public int x() // returns the x position of your character
public int y() // returns the y position of your character
public void walk(String dir) // moves your character horizontally
public void stand(String dir) // changes the character’s sprite image if he’s not moving
public int pos() // returns the x position of the character
public boolean K_LEFT() // tell us if the user is pressing the right key
public boolean K_RIGHT() // tell us if the user is pressing the right key
public void setKey(String dir, boolean state) // respond to the user pressing the right or left key

You will notice that our Sprite class could have used less methods, had only the member states been more accessible. It is good practice, however, to restrict member states as much as reasonably possible, and create good ol’ getters and setters. Yes, the Java likes programmers that use a getter and setter whenever possible.

Sprite Class Code

Most methods should be pretty self-explanatory and easy to follow… For the most part we just check for the current state of our character, increment his x-position by a uniform amount (determined by delta-X), and make sure he is never displayed outside the screen boundaries.

class Sprite
{
private int x;
private int y;
private int dtX;
private int pos;
private String name;
private boolean K_RIGHT;
private boolean K_LEFT;
Image[] src;

public Sprite(String pName, int pX, int pY)
{
name = pName;
x = pX;
y = pY;
dtX = 10;
pos = 0;
src = new Image[8];
K_RIGHT = false;
K_LEFT = false;
}

public Sprite()
{
this("Tupac", 10, 10);
}

public int x()
{
return x;
}

public int y()
{
return y;
}

public void walk(String dir)
{
if (dir == "left")
{
x -= dtX;
if (pos < pos =" 5;"> 7)
pos = 5;

if (x < -50) x = 450; } else if (dir == "right") { x += dtX; if (pos > 3)
pos = 1;
if (pos <> 3)
pos = 1;

if (x > 450)
x = -50;
}
}

public void stand(String dir)
{
if (dir == "left")
{
pos = 4;
}
else if (dir == "right")
{
pos = 0;
}
}

public int pos()
{
return pos;
}

public boolean K_LEFT()
{
return K_LEFT;
}

public boolean K_RIGHT()
{
return K_RIGHT;
}

public void setKey(String dir, boolean state)
{
if (dir == "right")
K_RIGHT = state;
if (dir == "left")
K_LEFT = state;
}
}

Java Applet’s Main()
As mentioned earlier, the method main() is not used in applets like in regular java apps. Here we use the method init(). In our case, we’ll be extending the class Applet (all applets will), and we’ll implement the following classes and interfaces: ActionListener (for general event listening), KeyListener (for specific keyboard events), and Runnable (to create threads!).
Once inside your main game class, just do what you would in any other class, but keep in mind that the program will enter in through init(). In this tutorial, we’ll create the following state variables:

final static int WIDTH = 500; // the width of our screen area
final static int HEIGHT = 200; // the height of our screen area
private int FPS; // not really the framerate, just a way to keep the animation constant
private String TSE; // phrase to display if we get an Interrupted Exception while trying to put our animation thread to sleep for FPS milliseconds
Thread runner; // where we’ll keep Luigi
Image image; // this is how we’ll add a double buffer to our app
Graphics graphics; // this is also part of the double buffer method we’re using.
Sprite hero; // the manifestation of our Sprite class

As far as the methods we’ll use to control our awesome Super Mario Brother Online game, featuring Luigi, we’ll keep it simple. Most methods are defined because we’re implementing interfaces that require us to define them, even if we make them blank. This is a key feature of the Java Language. Be sure to understand Java’s polymorphism, inheritance, interfaces, and abstract classes if this confuses you. In case you don’t know what any of that means, it might sound like a lot of new stuff to learn, but really, it’s just one single concept, which is not really very complicated to understand. But it is very fundamental that you at least have a general idea about those topics if you want to become a decent Java Game Programmer…

public void paint(final Graphics g)
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
public void keyTyped(KeyEvent key) {}
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent key) {
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent key)
public void start()
public void stop()
public void run()
public void update(Graphics g)

The main meat of the code takes place inside the run method of our runner thread. You can think of this as the Luigi thread. Basically, we check for the current state of the app. If the user is pressing a key, for example, that will be a different state than the app would be in if no keys were being pressed at the time the thread performs this checks. The thread basically checks for those states constantly… If the right or left key is in fact being pressed, he call Luigi’s move method and moving to the right or left based on the app state. We then tell the app to refresh the screen images, and we tell the thread (just Luigi’s thread) to sleep() for a brief amount of time. If we don’t do this crucial step, the thread will run as fast as it can. This would mean the thread would run faster/slower depending on the computer running the app. Adding the call to sleep() makes our app constant across different computers.

In case you don’t know much about threads, what happens is that our app will do various things in different threads, but all at the same time. It would be weird to check first if there are keys being pressed, then if so, tell Luigi to move, then redraw his image on the screen, then make sure he’s not outside the screen, etc… through threads we can check on a key being pressed on the keyboard, while at the same time we can be redrawing the screen, and at the same time we can be performing a calculating to see where Luigi is positioned.

public class Luigi extends Applet implements ActionListener, KeyListener, Runnable
{
/**
*
*/
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

final static int WIDTH = 500;
final static int HEIGHT = 200;
private int FPS;
private String TSE;
Thread runner;
Image image;
Graphics graphics;
Sprite hero;

public void init()
{
image = createImage(WIDTH, HEIGHT);
graphics = image.getGraphics();
FPS = 100;

resize(WIDTH, HEIGHT);
hero = new Sprite("Luigi", 20, 50);

addKeyListener(this);

setLayout(new FlowLayout());
setBackground(Color.white);

/***
* Here we’re loading the images from a sub-directory called "luigi_img" where the images are stored. Since we’re using the java.net library, we can actually load the images straight from a web server (like "http://www.rodrigo-silveira.com/dharma/cs246/img/luigi.png").
*
***/
hero.src[0] = getImage(getDocumentBase(), "luigi_img/luigi,0r.gif");
hero.src[1] = getImage(getDocumentBase(), "luigi_img/luigi,1r.gif");
hero.src[3] = getImage(getDocumentBase(), "luigi_img/luigi,2r.gif");
hero.src[2] = getImage(getDocumentBase(), "luigi_img/luigi,3r.gif");
hero.src[4] = getImage(getDocumentBase(), "luigi_img/luigi,0l.gif");
hero.src[5] = getImage(getDocumentBase(), "luigi_img/luigi,1l.gif");
hero.src[7] = getImage(getDocumentBase(), "luigi_img/luigi,2l.gif");
hero.src[6] = getImage(getDocumentBase(), "luigi_img/luigi,3l.gif");
}

public void paint(final Graphics g)
{
update(g);
}

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{
repaint();
}

public void keyTyped(KeyEvent key) {}
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent key) {
if (key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT)
{
hero.setKey("right", false);
hero.stand("right");
}
else if (key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_LEFT)
{
hero.setKey("left", false);
hero.stand("left");
}

else if (key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_UP)
{
FPS++;
}
else if (key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_DOWN)
{
FPS--;
}
}

public void keyPressed(KeyEvent key)
{
if (key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT)
{
hero.setKey("left", false);
hero.setKey("right", true);
}
else if (key.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_LEFT)
{
hero.setKey("right", false);
hero.setKey("left", true);
}
repaint();
}

public void start()
{
if (runner == null)
{
runner = new Thread(this);
runner.start();
}
}

public void stop(){}

public void run()
{
while (runner != null)
{
repaint();

try
{
Thread.sleep(FPS);
if (hero.K_LEFT())
{
hero.walk("left");
}
else if (hero.K_RIGHT())
{
hero.walk("right");
}
}
catch(InterruptedException e)
{
TSE = "Exception caught while trying to put thread to sleep...";
}
}
}

public void update(Graphics g)
{
g.drawImage(image, 0, 0, this);
g.drawImage(hero.src[hero.pos()],hero.x(),hero.y(),this);

g.setColor(Color.red);
g.drawString("Luigi (" + hero.x() + ", " + hero.y() + ")", 10, 10);
g.setColor(Color.black);
g.drawString("Thread break = " + FPS, 10, 25);

// Display errors
if (TSE != null)
g.drawString("Thread Sleep Error: " + TSE, 10, 40);
}
}

Conclusion

While this Java Applet tutorial was almost overly simplistic, the concepts we covered are pretty important. In case you don’t quite understand the way threads work, or how we can implement interfaces in Java, this would be a recommended subject to learn next. If you did follow the code without much confusion, then the challenge would be for you to try to improve on it. You will notice that by pressing the up/down arrow keys you can dynamically change the value of FPS, which will tell the thread to do what it does more times per second. Right now the FPS speed controls both the animation speed (how fast we change the image frames), and how fast Luigi moves. Can you think of a better way to do this? What if we want to move Luigi faster, but keep the animation as smooth? Try implementing different things, but be sure to check back soon for my follow up tutorial, where we’ll be adding more physics to Luigi. We’ll make him slide (like if he is running on ice), and jump. We’ll also add some background imagery to make the level prettier to look at.

About the author

JS Prototype Tutorial

2010-08-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

5 Ways to Speed up Javascript

One big problem the entire internet suffered from when Macromedia Flash became popular, was that people were overusing this new exciting technology, and the overall performance of their site was far too poor. Sadly, we are starting to see a similar pattern as Javascript libraries like Prototype, JQuery, MooTools, Scriptaculous, etc. Sites are looking great, but the effects, though relatively light-weight, are getting cluttered, which slow down the page load, and the results are at times counter-productive.

In this JS tutorial, we’ll talk about a needed subject, which will benefit both the site owner and users. This subject is Javascript Speed up techniques.

1. External File Cache

The first thing I have seen many programmers take for granted is the browser’s ability to cache code for them. Caching code has many benefits that some people don’t realize. For one thing, if you store your Javascript on your user’s machine, you don’t have to download it every time the user requests it. If the user doesn’t have to download something, the page load will be faster – obvious. The down side of this could be the fact that if you change the code too often, then the Javascript your user has cached will be different. This is especially bad if the cached js has bugs in it, and the new code you deploy is a patch to it.

Overall, caching your Javascript is a best-practice to be observed. The way you cache your scripts is to store it in an external file and link it in to your main HTML file by using the following syntax:

Make sure you place this line of code inside the head of your HTML document. If this code is not placed within your <head> and </head> tags, the document will not validate with the W3C. This takes us to the next tip to help you speed up your javascript.

2. Code Placement

Some people have suggested that a good way to speed up your code is to place it at the end of your HTML document. This makes some sense, and can be confusing since Google specifically instructs webmasters to place the Google Analytics code just before the closing </body> tag. The reasoning behind adding Javascript to the end of your file is that everything else (images, CSS, text, etc.) can load first, so while the js script is loading, the user can still see everything else on the page (the main reason they visit your site for). However, placing the code at the end of your file won’t allow you to cache the file.

The solution is to add the code to the <head> portion of your file through an external file. If the script loading interrupts the rest of the page load, you may need to change your design structure. Abstracting your code into classes and functions will keep the code from loading unless you tell it to. Any code that you do need loaded automatically can be called on your document’s onload event. This way the code will be loaded only after the rest of the file is loaded, and it will still be cached. In libraries like Prototype or JQuery, you can use the document.ready() function.

3. Reduce HTTP Requests

A simple analysis of a regular page load reveals that most of the loading time of a web page is spent sending and receiving HTTP requests to and from the server. The immediate solution to this, simply enough, is to reduce the number of requests you make to your server. One way to do this with your Javascript is to include all of your js code on a single file (so only one HTTP request is necessary to load it), then cache the file so it doesn’t need to be downloaded again. In CSS, as a side note, a common technique is called Image Spriting, where all of the images referenced in your CSS are combined into one single, larger image file, so only one HTTP request is necessary to pull all those images from the server.

4. Inline your functions

A tedious, yet masterful habit to pick up is to have two versions of your scripts. One version is well commented, well designed and coded, and carefully structured, while the other version – the version you deploy, is highly optimized. This will be covered more in-depth in the next section, but in short, a main way to speed up your js is to avoid the overhead involved in calling functions. The easiest way to accomplish this is to inline each and every function call in your code. Javascript doesn’t have an “inline” function definition like C++, so the way you do this is to physically paste the entire function every time it is called. This will greatly speed up your code execution.

5. Compress your Code

Finally, after you optimize your code and inline your functions, the final thing to do to get the most out of your script, is to compress your code. Some people prefer to obfuscate their code to discourage people to straight copy their own code. Google offers a great tool known as the Closure Compiler, which compiles your Javascript code into very compact, optimized code. This extra step definitely takes extra work, but is an absolute must have for anyone wanting to speed up their javascript libraries.

About the author

Home is Where Your Destiny is

2010-08-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

The sun still laid low behind the rising mountains. The thin, cold rain bathed his car as he sat in silence driving southward. The flat road vanished to a far away point straight in front of him, leveled with his eyes. In his mind's eye the memories were vivid and fresh, and the time that had passed since he'd last been home seemed to be less than it really had. After his many travels, the traveler was anxious to be back, and curious to see his dear family again. The stores he'd heard over the years told him of little change, and the traveler wondered what he'd find. Through the many layers of uncertainty, insecurity, and the fear of disappointing his family, deep inside, the traveler was glad to be coming home.

As he entered the small town of Kibou, Tabi, as he was known as a child, noticed how much things had remain the same. There were new additions to the town, of course, such as the two-story Walmart that could be seen from the distance, a new IMax theater was built to entertain the mind, high buildings sophisticated the market place, an international airport facilitated transportation, and the few middle schools, high schools, and the community college had been rebuilt in order to accomodate the eager seekers of knowledge. As Tabi looked around him, it was clear that Kibou had merely kept up with times.

The street where his parents lived had seen busy days before. Weekend gatherings were common place back in the day. Today was no exception. Pound after pound of fresh-cut meat was leveled against the grill, the children ran around the Haytae backyard, the women sat around wearing their sun dress talking about the latest topics that went around town, while the men spoke of recent sporting outcomes, business events, and other such subjects.

About the author

How to JavaScript: Prototype Slideshow Tutorial

2010-04-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

Javascript Slideshow: A Web 2.0 Tutorial (a prototype tutorial)

Here's a quick Prototype tutorial for those looking for a simple javascript slideshow. This is not intended to be a JQuery discussion or tutorial, but a quick prototype tutorial. The desired result is an efficient, useful javascript slideshow coded in prototype js.

Before we get started, be sure to download the external Prototype files. In this amazing web 2.0 tutorial we'll use the effects.js and prototype.js files. In addition to this prototype tutorial, visit the official site of Prototype or learn more about Javascript .

Demo

For a quick demo on what the final product of this prototype tutorial is to look like, please refer to the header of this very blog (Rodrixar). Image changes after 3.5 seconds.

1. The goal

Our goal in this prototype tutorial is to come up with a javascript slideshow. The way it will work is that you'll have one image displaying, then after a predetermined amount of time (4 seconds in my example) the image will fade out and a different image will be showing behind it, and after another 4 seconds that image will fade out and a new one will display behind it. Then when the last image fades out, the first image will display.

The code design will be as follows:

An array will hold the filename for each image to be displayed
There will be 2 image elements on screen at all times, both stacked atop each other
A timer will call our main function every 4 seconds
This function perform the following tasks:
1. Fade the top image so the image behind it will display
2. After the fading effect is done, the front image will be the same as the back image (his step will be invisible to the human eye)
3. Then the back image will be assigned a different value (it will display the next image in the array)
4. Lastly, we'll check if we've hit the end of the array. If so have, we'll be sure the back image displays the first image of the array so the loop continues forever and ever (or until the person viewing your slideshow clicks away from your page)
The function will set the timer to come back in another 4 seconds

2. The setup

First thing we'll do is set up the HTML file. Though this is a prototype tutorial and a web 2.0 tutorial, I'll assume you could use the extra explanation. So open up your favorite text editor and be sure to have the following lines of code:

<html>
<head>

<script type="text/javascript" src="prototype.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="effects.js"></script>

<script type="text/javascript">

</script>

<style type="text/css">
#iSlideShell { width: 250px; height: 250px; position: relative; }
#iSlideShell img { position: absolute; }
</style>

</head>

<body>

<div id="iSlideShell">
<img id="iSlideBack" src="img1.jpg"/>
<img id="iSlideFront" src="img1.jpg"/>
</div>

</body>
</html>

This is our basic HTML setup. Be sure the external javascript files are referenced right (that the link points to the right directory where you have the files saved). Also, be sure the the images in the <img> tags point to first 2 images you'd like displayed. Note that the top image (the one that will show first) is the one in the second <img> tag (since they're stacked through the css position absolute command). Make sure also that the <div> has the same height and width as the images in your slideshow. If the images you use aren't the same dimension we'll need to make a few slight adjustments to the <div> but this won't be covered in this prototype tutorial.

Now we'll set up the images we'll be using in our slideshow.

3. The Javascript

Inside the Javascript tags in the HTML code we'll set up the following variables:

var i = 0;
var iSlides = new Array("img1", "img2", "img3", "img4", "img5");

These will be our variables. The i will keep track of where we are as we loop through the array (iSlides), which is a list of all the images we want to display. Note that you don't include the file extension in the array, but only the filename. For this javascript tutorial you will need to use images of the same file type.

Next we'll add our function, which I'll call iAnimate. I'm not sure why I have the tendency of adding the letter "i" to the front of my variables and function. Maybe it's because iLike it :)

function r$(id) { return document.getElementById(id); }

function iAnimate()
{

r$('iSlideFront').show();
r$('iSlideBack').show();
r$('iSlideFront').fade();
r$("iSlideFront").src = r$("iSlideBack").src;

i == (iSlides.length - 1) ? i = 0 : i++;
r$("iSlideBack").src = "img/" + iSlides[i] + ".jpg";

setTimeout('iAnimate()', 4000);
}

window.onload = iAnimate;

The function "r$" may look like Prototype and/or JQuery, but all it is is a shortcut function I created so I don't have to type "document.getElementById()" over and over...

The first thing the function does is be sure both images are showing. In Prototype (and in JQuery), when you "hide" or "fade" (or "fadeOut") and element, that elements changes opacity gradually and finally has its css attribute "display" set to "none". By calling the show() function, we make sure the display for both images is set to "block". Once that's done, we fade the front image.

Then we make sure the front image is the same as the back image. This may seem pointless the very first time the function is called, since no visible change takes place, but once the first image fades, this is important.

The next step is to find out what the next image is in the array, and assign that to the back image. The conditional statements ? : checks if the variable i is equal to the total amount of images in the array minus 1. The reason it's (length - 1) is because the first image in the array is represented by iSlides[0] (zero is the first element in an array in Javascript). If this statement returns true, that means we've displayed the last image in the array, so now we must display the first one. That's when the assignment i = 0 gets called. If the statement returns false, we increment i by 1.

The back image (iSlideBackthen gets assigned the next image of the array, and the timer is set to explode in 4000 milliseconds, or 4 whole seconds. Once those 4 seconds are counted by the computer's clock, iAnimate() is called again, and the fun starts all over!

4. Conclusion

This is all there is to it. My goal was to make this as simple as possible, but making this javascript slideshow more robust shouldn't be too difficult with some basic understanding of javascript, prototype, html, or css.

One of the main benefits the code provided in this javascript slideshow (other than, but because of its simplicity) is the fact that the only images loaded are the ones currently displayed. Most prototype tutorials and JQuery tutorials I've seen load all images as the page loads (longer loading times), then they do what they must. In this javascript slideshow, if the user leaves the page after only 3 images have loaded, that's all the loading the code will do. This will save you resources and loading time.

Any questions, feel free to post in this prototype tutorial.

5. The Code

Here's the complete code for those of you reading my prototype tutorial that are mindful of the mileage on your mouse and your daily keystroke allowance:

<html>
<head>

<script type="text/javascript" src="prototype.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="effects.js"></script>

<script type="text/javascript">
var i = 0;
var iSlides = new Array("img1", "img2", "img3", "img4", "img5");

function r$(id) { return document.getElementById(id); }

function iAnimate()
{
r$('iSlideFront').show();
r$('iSlideBack').show();
r$('iSlideFront').fade();
r$("iSlideFront").src = r$("iSlideBack").src;

i == (iSlides.length - 1) ? i = 0 : i++;
r$("iSlideBack").src = "img/" + iSlides[i] + ".jpg";

setTimeout('iAnimate()', 4000);
}

window.onload = iAnimate;
</script>

<style type="text/css">
#iSlideShell { width: 250px; height: 250px; position: relative; }
#iSlideShell img { position: absolute; }
</style>

</head>

<body>

<div id="iSlideShell">
<img id="iSlideBack" src="img1.jpg"/>
<img id="iSlideFront" src="img1.jpg"/>
</div>

</body>
</html>

About the author

Chinese Proverbs & Chinese Sayings

2010-04-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

Chinese Proverbs

A lot of people have been asking me why I haven't posted ancient Chinese proverbs lately, especailly after posting about the journey of a thousand miles . So here are some of my favorite Chinese proverbs.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer; but because it has a song

My thoughts on it can be answered with the not-so-popular,

Not everything that's doable is worth doing; but whatever is done must be done well

Actually, I made up this and other nice proverbs from other Chinese proverbs. Nevertheless, let us not forget that,

He who cannot but does is better than he who can but won't

At the beginning of a new phase in my life, I take comfort in knowing that,

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step

It was pointed out last week that because a journey of a thousand miles does begin with the first step, we must watch our step! Remember also that

When ten hours is given you to cut down a tree, spend the first eight sharpening your ax.

Again, not from real Chinese Proverbs, but a good thought nontheless. On a more realistic note, since this collection of Chinese Proverbs is so popular, let me post a few legit Chinese Proverbs:

When you drink the water, remember the spring
Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve
He who strikes the first blow admits he's lost the argument
Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet
If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it
An ant may well destroy a whole dam
Don't use a cannon to kill a mosquito
Dismantle the bridge shortly after crossing it
Dream different dreams while on the same bed
Do not employ handsome servants
Crows everywhere are equally black
To believe in one's dreams is to spend all of one's life asleep
He who treads softly goes far

The journey is the reward

In sharing Chinese Proverbs I like the philosophy they help us keep in perspective. A wise student of Chinese proverbs ponders them but remembers them. Here are a few that I've heard around the office this week:

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere
A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home
A truly great man never puts away the simplicity of a child
One step at a time is good walking
To be uncertain is to be uncomfortable, but to be certain is to be ridiculous
Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger but a heart as soft as tofu
Once on a tiger's back, it is hard to alight
Shed no tears until seeing the coffin
Waiting for a rabbit to hit upon a tree and be killed in order to catch it
Only when all contribute their firewood can they build up a strong fire

About the author

Motivation at Work | Staying Motivated about your Job | Motivate yourself today!

2010-02-21T02:18:00.000-08:00

Secret of Success:

Motivation at Work

by Rodrigo Silveira

This 3 part series will cover ways to find motivation at work. As I notice my own co-workers get more frustrated each day in the office, I can’t help but notice the one key factor they all share: staying motivated at work.

By definition, the word motivation refers to a state of being, an act or a process. So staying motivated is something that requires work and conscious attention. Much like working to maintain a healthy body, there are things you must understand and do to motivate yourself and sustain the attitude. Below are three tips that to staying motivated at work.

Be passionate about your job

This is one of the great secrets of success and finding motivation at work. A common answer that millionaires give as to the key reason to their success is that they make a profession out of their passion. When you are in love with your job it’s much easier to find motivation to work and stay motivated.

Set goals to improve your performance

Visualize yourself a year from now. What is different about your job? Are you still doing the same thing, the same way? What if you could be earning twice as much as you do today? If you set a goal to achieve something in your career, then find ways to accomplish that, how can you lose your motivation as your work every day?

Take some time off

When you’re at work be sure to work. When you go play be sure to play. But never work while you play, and under no circumstances play at work. However, one of the fastest ways to motivation at work is to take the time to get away from work. When you do, leave your work in the office. Take your mind completely out of your career and enjoy some quality time with your loved ones doing things together that makes you happy. Then when you get back to the office focus on your important tasks and be your best motivator. Diversifying your activities will keep you motivated and looking forward to your next break with your family.

Rodrigo Silveira

Motivation at work: The key to faster, more frequent promotions is motivation at work. Don't wait until a co-worker motivates you, be proactive in motivating yourself at work.

About the author

Motivational Stories | A Heart of Peace

2010-02-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

A Heart of Peace
by Rodrigo Silveira

Today's Motivational Short Story by Rodrigo Silveira is a true story I heard from a good friend of mine. The person that shared this experience with me is a very successful business man from Utah. The subject of this motivational story is his partner, whose name is Alvin Sorano from El Salvador.

Back in the 60s, somewhere in El Salvador, Alvin's father (whose name I do not know, but will refer to from this point on as Richard) was a body guard to the President of El Salvador. One day, however, Mr. Sorano father was involved in some sort of accident and broke his back. Due to the circumstance, the President decided to release Richard of his duties. Sadly, the President also decided that Richard knew too much information. For this reason he demanded that Richard be killed.

As the President's servants made their way to Alvin's home in order to get rid of his father, Richard was tipped off about the situation. He then put Alvin (who was 10 years old at the time) and his little sister (age 11) atop a horse and told them to hide at a certain place and return in two weeks, by which time a plan would be put in place to move the two of them to the United States. Shortly thereafter Richard was captured and shot nine times before he was left for dead.

Miraculously, someone found Richard's body and rushed him to the nearest hospital as he struggled for his live. As the President received news that Richard was still breathing, he sent out his servants to the hospital and ordered them to stay there until Richard was dead. Not long afterwards the line went flat, and Richard departed this world.

Two weeks later, Alvin and his sister returned home, and as arranged, were moved to the States. Their mother had been moved earlier, and soon the three of them were together in Southern California. Alvin and his family was also joined by two of his older brothers.

At the age of 16, on a nice spring day, Alvin decided for the first time to skip class and come home in the middle of the day. As he sat on his living room at 12:00 p.m. that day, a couple of Christian missionaries knocked on his door wanting to share the Good Word with Alvin. He asked that the missionaries come back that evening, so Alvin, his mother, and the rest of the family could hear the message. The missionaries came back as agreed, and soon after Alvin and his mother were converted to this new religion. Alvin says joining this new faith was the day his live turned around for the better.

Seven months after his baptism, as Alvin was now 17 years old, his two older brothers came to him with automatic guns and a message for him. They said that the man living just a few blocks up the street was the man that had coldly murdered their father all those years ago, and they should now to take his life in revenge. A good detail to be added to the plot at this point is that when Alvin was just a little kid and Richard was still working for the government, for whatever reason, Richard gathered the family together one evening and made the announcement that all major decisions were to go through Alvin. His word would be the final saying on any specific matter. So this was the reason the two older brothers came to 17 year old Alvin before shooting the man who'd taken their father about a decade before.

Alvin told his brothers to stay put. He walked to the man's house on his own, no guns in hand. The door received three brief knocks. The man answered and was greeted by Alvin. They shook hands. Alvin introduced himself and let the man know he was the son of the Richard Sorano, the former bodyguard to the President, whom he had killed. Alvin then said the following words:

I forgive you. My family and I hold no bad feelings towards you. I forgive you.

He then turned around and left the house.

Walking up to his brothers (who were 21 and 25 years of age) and say:

It's over. We kill him and this will go on from generation to generation. The hatred must stop here. We must break the cycle.

The brothers were obedient to Alvin's instructions.

Several years went by and one day Alvin discovered a surprising truth. The man whom he had forgiven, the man who had murdered his father, he was also a government agent back in the 1960s. When the President had ordered him to kill Richard, this man actually refused to do so. He told the President he was no murderer and that he could not do this. The President then firmly told this gentleman that if he would not kill Richard, then he would have him killed for not following his orders. Not only that, the President told this man that he would also kill the man's wife, all his sons, all his daughters, and then all his relatives. What a situation! What would you do?

The man, in an attempt to save his family, went through and shot Richard as commanded by the evil President. Since that day, he exiled himself to the United States, living in hell for the thing he had done. His live had been so miserable ever since. Then one day he was visited at home by non other than the teenage son of the very person he'd murdered. This was the day Alvin told him he was forgiven. WOW! How do you think Alvin's words made this man feel?

Alvin had a heart of peace.

Rodrigo Silveira

Motivational Short Stories by Rodrigo Silveira is dedicated to motivate, inspire, educate, uplift, and convince people that self-motivation, self-development, and inspiration through stories is the key to success. The motivational short stories found here are written by Rodrigo Silveira unless otherwise indicated. Rodrigo Silveira has been inspiring and motivating people through story telling since 2007. Follow Rodrigo Silveira on Twitter and receive motivational short stories updates on your phone.

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Inspiring Stories | The Toughest Step to Take is the Last Step to be Taken

2010-02-11T12:08:00.000-08:00

Motivational Short Stories by Rodrigo Silveira

I really like the above video. From the title of it you might think it's a "funny" video. It isn't. Well, maybe it is, what can I say. The point is that there is a priceless lesson to learn from this gentleman's distraction. Today's Motivational Short Stories by Rodrigo Silveira we'll talk about ways to start and finish strong. I believe of all things in life, this is one of the great secrets of success.

It's not over until it's over

Sometimes we get to a point where we think we're doing pretty good. This sometimes happens at work, at play, at life, at school, or at whatever else matters. This is a good thing. A lot of times we can see great results, too, which only inspires us to stay motivated and do even more of what we're currently doing. The danger lies when we stop seeing people following after us. When we get to the point where we think we're doing so good that nobody can stop us. Then we stop working as hard, we no longer pay attention to the important details that brought us to that point. This is the beginning of our painful downfall.

When we get to the last stretch of anything worthwhile, the arduous work that took us to that point usually leaves us tired, gasping for air, and looking for the next resting area. When running the race of life and your legs are about to give out, your lungs are in the verge of implosion, and you can hardly think straight, why not keep going for just a little longer? Once the finish line has been crossed and your triumph secured, what else should matter?

Focus on what's most important

A great soccer player of the past, who happens to be a great source of inspiration to me, once said that, "you don't have to always be important, only when it's necessary." Not everything we do is important. Different things have different levels of importance. The goal of a champion is to discern what is important and what is not, and what is a greater priority over what needs to be done at the moment. The trick is to take a step back and see the few things that, if done well, would really make a significant difference. Some people call this the 80/20 rule. There are basic things we do that only make up some 20% of the overall process, but those tasks that amount to 20% of the work done contribute to 80% of the results.

Usually the first 5%, the 15% in the middle, and the last 5% of an operation make up the key areas of importance. If you focus on getting started well, then staying motivated and keeping the energy levels high, then giving it your all on the last 5% of a task, that usually makes a very profound difference.

Start with the end in mind

A famous motivational speaker once asked the question: When should you start building a house? His answer: As soon as it's finished. This is wise counsel. I know people that give up half way through something, while others call it quits before they even get started. There are always reasons, of course - the negative relatives, the up-hill journey that seems too challenging, the obstacles are too much to handle, etc. You've all seen that before.

If you are able to paint a colorful picture of your desired goal, then you have a decent foundation to get started, and a source of inspiration to remind you of what is important to you.

In summary, as you start your next project or as you continue an existing one, remember to:

Start with the end in mind
Focus on what's most important - and don't get distracted by things not important
It's not over until it's over - even when the odds are against you

Rodrigo Silveira

Rodrigo Silveira started Motivational Short Stories in 2007. His short stories are told with the purpose of providing inspiration, motivation, and uplifting those who can affored to get inspired and motivated. Rodrigo started out on his own, and through the help of some key people, Rodrigo has been able to acheive great success. He now dedicates his time sharing his motivation through short motivational stories so others may find success in their lives as Rodrigo has been successful in his.

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Short Motivational Stories by Rodrigo Silveira : Now on Twitter

2010-02-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

Follow Rodrigo Silveira on Twitter
Here's a true Motivational Short Story for all of you living both in the 21st century and on a budget. I realize that a lot of people are now carrying very nice phones these days, but there are a lot of people confused about who's map is better - Verizon or AT&T. A lot of us don't know what our phone can do, what it should do, and how much we're being charged for holding the phone to our ear a few times a day. With that, I thought it would be nice to offer you fine people a free service that is indeed useful.

Behold, Twitter! Most of you have probably heard of it, but I'm not sure that a lot of us care about it that much. Twitter is the 12th most visited site in the internet today. The main thing about it is that people can post whatever they wish as long as their post has no more than 140 characters. While a lot of people constantly say what they do ("just got done brushing my teeth", "ordering a double quarter pounder at 12th south state street with my friends", etc), and others spam the service with pointless advertising ("visit the best site in the web: www.(...).com"), Twitter can be used for good. It actually can be a great resource for anyone looking for a handy short motivational story. Here's why and how:

1) You can access Twitter from your phone - not having to have a $30+/month for mobile internet service. You can access people's Tweets through your regular unlimited text messaging service.

2) You can post your own Tweets right from your phone.

The text messaging commands for Twitter are as follows (remember, these commands are especially designed for Tweets from Motivational Short Stories by Rodrigo Silveira):

(These commands are entered as the content of your text messages, sent to the phone number 40404)

ON motivationstory - This command turns on notifications from the user MotivationStory (Rodrigo Silveira).

FOLLOW motivationstory - This command registers you as a follower of Rodrigo Silveira.

GET motivationstory - Get the latest update from Rodrigo Silveira

@motivationstory + message - This sends a message to Rodrigo Silveira and saves it in his replies tab. Remember, the message must be less than 140 characters in length.

Motivational Short Stories by Rodrigo Silveira - on your phone, anywhere, any time

Now you can register an account with Twitter and receive our updates daily, straight on your phone. Get daily tips for success, short motivation stories, inspiration quotes, motivational short stories, and much more.

About the author

Motivation Stories | Daily Inspirational quotes

2010-02-02T00:02:00.000-08:00

Stories to inspire, motivate, and uplift

by Rodrigo Silveira

Today was a good day to start the week. I'm excited for this week because of what happened today. If you could use some motivation, here's a good motivational short story told by Rodrigo Silveira...

Motivational Short Story - Pain Helps to Heal

My good co-worker left the office last Thursday with a big smiling silly. He was going to spend that night by himself playing video games, then the next morning he'd be flying down to San Diego where he was to be married a few hours later. Today I sent him a text message to see how he was doing. He replied positively.

To contrast, I have another good friend that I met through work who is in a similar situation. He, as recently as when the sun last rose, is engaged to a girl he's known for some time, but not quite 300 days, I don't think. I'm not sure what the deal is in that relationship, but they seem to always be walking on thin, slippery ground. Plus the ground they walk on looks cracked and built on a layer of sand or something.

If there's a lesson I can draw from the experience of my second friend, here's the message I'd deliver for this week's motivational short stories:

Allow yourself to cry

Before letting all emotions drive you toward the dark, dangerous road of a terrible decision, I would recommend you to take a step back, find a comfortable place and allow yourself to cry. Let all those emotions out. Forget about the chaos around you, and just let it all out. Be loud if you must. Then lay your wet head down and close your eyes. Let the darkness of the night calmly surround you as you embrace the sorrows of the soul.

Awake and Arise

Next thing you do is get up the next day and bring yourself together. Whether you're the man or the woman, you must be strong. You must be your strongest support system. Nobody should motivate you more than yourself. This is the key to the happy ending of your story. Forget the waters below, and focus on building a bridge on which to cross the raging waters. Now that you're more calm and rested, focus on that day's worries. Take some time to think clearly and decide what you need to do. Seriously and thoroughly analyze the situation, and weight the proposition. It's best rip the bandaid all at once, if that's the conclusion of your studies of your wound. Be strong, be motivated to stay strong, and keep your head up.

Write your Lessons Down

Now the only two things you will have left are a stronger character, and a lesson to guide you through until next time. The best thing to do is keep this lesson (the abstract concept) alive. Some people find that expressing the lesson through creativity helps them understand it further, express it more clearly, and remember it in the future. This is how a lot of the inspiring music, moving poetry, memorable movies, and the greatest motivational short stories are generated.

Remember, birds do sing after the storm. A broken heart will heal, but a reckless decision to stay in a bad situation will kill. Sometimes it doesn't rain on a lot of people, but the sun does shine on us all. Every problem usually has a pretty simple solution, but sometimes we lack the brains to find it, and the back to go through with it.

Ask not for less problems, but ask for more wisdom. Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better.

Rodrigo Silveira

For more Motivational Short Stories, Inspiring Stories, motivational quotes, motivational lines, or my favorite motivational short story, check back often. You can read more motivational short stories on my blog. Check out our archived Motivational Short Stories section. Thanks, Rodrigo Silveira!

About the author

Rodrigo Silveira: The Official Blog

2010-01-30T03:33:00.000-08:00

It's late. I'm sure I'll be reading this in a few weeks and I'll wonder if I should continue to bring work home and program until 3 in the morning. Maybe playing old NES games in my Wii, playing GTA3, watching 24, or just plain going to bed with my dear wife whenever she got tired and clocked out for the day would have been more productive.

Lately I've been thinking up of some really clever stuff... A lot of it has to do with turning clever programming into profitable endeavors, but a lot of it also has to do with improving existing projects and making things more efficient. One goal that I've had, though this specific goal's priority level, in my mind, was a low 2 or 3... This goal, as challenged by a fellow business partner, is to rank an uncontested number 1 in Google, Bing, and Yahoo! for my own name. Turns out that your mother wasn't all that creative when she chose your very unique name. If you do a Google Search for your own name, chances are there already are a few people with the same name. Yes, there are other Rodrigo Silveiras out there. I call them "the others." So my goal is to SEO a few pages here and there and outrank the others. I'm the only Rodrigo Silveira that can be on the web!

Anyhow, as I was working for the last few hours listening to some random music I had saved on an old CD I had burned when I was in High School, this song started playing that made my mind wander... I managed to complete the site I was working on then, but I replayed the song a few times. My mind is still wandering... Here's the song for those of you wondering what it was:

Usually I don't listen to this type of music, but as I hinted earlier, it's really late and I've been programming most of today. I think I've programmed close to 450 hours so far this year (last 30 days). That's actually something like 62% of the month (720 hours) spent programming.

Anyhow, so this song has always made me think of one of my best friends growing up. Usually there were different feelings that this song made me feel... But for some reason today it was different. I miss my friend. As a matter of fact, I miss all my friends from that period of my life. This friend that I always think about when I listen to this song..., he was the smart one in our group. He was probably the most talented of us all. He was good at everything. He always supported me in the things I attempted, and he'd take the time to teach me how to be better. During the first two years that I had moved to a different country, we managed to keep in touch somewhat. I wrote him a few times, but it wasn't until the 10th or 15th month that he responded to my first letter. Then one day there was a second letter from him. He seemed happy. He mentioned how his father, a man whom I had never met (as his parents were divorced since before we met) was about to be a father for the third time. His sister was doing good too, he mentioned, and he concluded saying that he missed me and wished me good luck. Less than two weeks later a different friend of mine emailed me saying this good friend of mine, the one that had written me the letters, had been murdered.

The story is still somewhat of a mystery to me as nobody has given me a lot of details and I haven't had the contacts to ask for any. But from what I've been told, he had been using some hardcore drugs pretty heavily. One day, as he went about to handle a situation with some people at around 2 or 3 in the morning, a car that had been parked (probably waiting for him) drove by and ran him over and drove away. Some lady that was near by saw him and called the ambulance, but the cocaine overdose kicked in, he started to seizure, and from there not even the medics were able to keep him with us. At his funeral all our friends signed a big flag of his favorite soccer team and laid it on top of his coffin, which they carried to his graveside while chanting this soccer team's main song. Apparently this was a sock to a lot more people than just me, as I wasn't the only know aware of his pain.

That is how loneliness can kill a man. At first nobody can really tell how much a man hurts. Each man's face expresses it differently. Each man's eyes see it differently, but when wet, they all feel the same. I think this is what makes the mystery and journey of life so special. Being able to remember something that is good, that once was real, and that now only exists internally. Being able to nourish and cultivate a reality that no longer matters, gaining strength from something as irrelevant and useless to our future as something that we will never be able to touch again, this, I believe, is the root of a good life.

Life is a great school. And I believe any great lesson is worth writing down. This is the purpose of my blog. And I think just as the universe would be a terrible waste of space if we were the only ones using it, so would these life's little lessons be if nobody knew about them. I know our lives can all be summarized in the same sentence, but as I take the time to relearn from mine as I write it down, why not do my best to expose my stories to as many people as will take the time to read them?! Thank you, SEO for making this possible...

Thank you for reading, and keep your head up. Because it doesn't matter where the sun goes during the night because when the morning comes, so does the sun. Life experiences are something worth treasuring.

About the author

Funny Mike Tyson Interview

2010-01-18T15:33:00.000-08:00

Interviewing Tyson Post Match

Showtime interviewer Jim Gray tried to interview the heavy weight champion of the world, but it was hard for him to get 3 coherent words out of Mike Tyson's mouth. The fighter kept saying that Allah is blessing the people and all praise is due to him... But Tyson would also say that he wanted to kill Lenox Lewis and his children... No wonder people think Mike Tyson is an animal - a "brutal, vicious, and ruthless" animal.

Check out my YouTube channel for more Funny Videos.

Thanks!

Rolled up layers of self

2009-11-25T15:33:00.000-08:00

It is estimated that 98% of all websites never get visited. That's not bad, seeing that once you find out how to get frequent new visits to your site, you only have 2% of all websites to compete against for all of our clicks. Now, seeing as I've been working for the last several months for one of the top Search Engine Optimization companies in the world, I thought I'd use what I've been learning there and expand my bi-annual fiffy-gee cashflow.

Lately I've been looking for supplier for different products I'd like to market online and sell lots and lots of through my super SEO skills. While my preparations continue to roll forth, I thought I'd take some time and toss my two coins in the direction of my wife's bucket and help her generate her visitor flow so more people can read about her journey toward success.

One of the most powerful forces that I know of is the way an idea can inspire a person to move to action. Today there was such an idea going through Luci's head and she decided to write a blog to document her latest goal - to get in better physical shape. When something like this happens there's not much you can do to avoid being put in the middle of the floor and dancing.

As I laid in bed next to her this evening reading the news from her Blackberry, she suddenly pulled by the arm and told me we were going to the gym. Next thing I know I was spotting her as she bench pressed half her body weight. This was the first time she ever touched a barbell, and she was pushing maximum weight from the beginning... We literally had to cut our run short because the gym was closing and the lights were being turned off on us. We came home, took some before pictures, fried some omelets, and sat down as we toasted our protein shakes to her new endeavor. This is when I noticed myself sitting down toplessly with 50% of my belly folded over itself. I had to double check the picture she had just taken of me to make sure I really was this out of shape. Not bad, though, because at least now I know where my missing money has gone. And there I was thinking Taco Bell had stolen my wallet...

Now, to summarize today's events, stop searching for the link to the best blog in the internet! I'll tell you where that is and why:

Where - http://lucisilveira.blogspot.com

Why - click, read, and learn

About the author

Those who do not read are no better off than those who cannot.

2009-07-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

Short Stories

by Rodrigo Silveira

Once upon a time, in a familiar land not very far at all, there used to be a very wise man. In fact, there was a very wise woman, too, and they were both actually married. Come to think of it, this wise couple was really good friends with another highly wise, sophisticated couple, whose inner-circle was composed of other wise people like themselves.

Time went on; the seasons passed by; the grains of sand made their way steadily to the bottom triangle, never to return again. Now this wise people only seemed to have accumulated more and more wisdom. Their friends, now with new faces, new names, and new ideas, appeared as wise as anybody could be. Their evenings were, so the storyteller relates, spent with laughter, clever jokes, and lots and lots of tea.

One day, however, a certain traveller showed up suddenly, unannounced. He came from a land unknown to the rest of the people. His name was hard to pronounce, and his words hard to understand. This unnoticed traveller quickly noticed how foolish he was. The locals had such a practicle and curious way of seeing things. Everything the traveller did was done in the least effective way possible...

Information, the traveller noticed, was a valuable tool. One to be handled with care... The less information one shares, the more power he retained; the more information you collected, the more power you consumed. Under a fruitful apple tree sat the traveller, who often thought to himself such mysteries as, "What would one need so much power for?"

Upon closer examination of his situation, the traveller noticed that his ever-learning, wise critiques had funny feet. Their toes came out of the back of their feet. Their shoes, instead of Nike, was made by companies like Ekin, Onuzim, Amup, Alif, Scisa, and Iccug. How peculiar...

Under that apple tree he further realized that these people constantly told him how to gain large amounts of gold coins, though they all seemed to always be in need of the money themselves. They taught him the true way of fashion, though they always wore the silliest of clothes. They mocked him because of the way he spoke, though none of them mastered their own language. They persecuted him because of his believes, though they walked contrary to their own faith.

Near the end of his life, many years after his arrival, the traveller took a good look in the glass and realized he had become a wise man. His friends had been a great influence and a good support system for him. They'd educated him in all that he needed to know in order to lead a successful life, which now seemed to be drawing near its end.

The traveller then closed his eyes tightly, put his head down in shame and shook it from side to side with some degree of vigor, and emptied his lungs at once, in an instant. He then took a good look at his image on the wall, squinted his brown eyes slowly, turned his back against the city that had fathered for so long, and never looked back. Years later, during an occasional celebration at the town where the wise lived, a young girl mentioned the traveller, enquiring if anyone knew of his whereabouts. To her surprise, nobody remembered who he was.

-The End

About the author

Chinese Proverb | The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step

2009-07-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

Ancient Chinese Proverbs

from my list of Chinese Proverbs

Guess who is back?!

It's been a long time since I last wrote. Since my last post I have experienced a few things that made me appreciate life so much more. I've learned a few lessons about the power of gratitude, and the powerful things that can come out of enduring things.

After a large count of years, I have finally been given an opportunity in the fast-paced corporate world of America. I know sit in a cubicle and program a Microsoft Windows machine for some 10 hours a day, five and a half days a week. It's everything I've always wanted! The good news is that I haven't [yet] had a case of the Mondays. My department refers to me as "the coder." I love it!

Now, while my laundery dries, and while my wife surfs the web looking for apartments and expensive furniture, I thought I'd post something here so the lost children of the world won't go hungry for wisdom from Chinese Proverbs.

In my daily commutes to work, I've started listening to an audio book by Robert Greene titled, "The 48 laws of power." One of the laws states that one's absense is more valuable than his or her presence. Now that I've been gone from the web, let's try out that law and see if people go crazy when I return as the world did after Michael Jackson died his lonely death last week...

Anyway, to be hosnest with you, I just wanted to comment on one of my favorite ancient Chinese proverbs. The proverb says that,

The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

Well, that sounds fairly nice, however, the conventional wisdom that goes along with that is this:

"Sometimes...

the journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very badly.

Peace!

About the author

If you try long enough you can't fail - every last time

2009-05-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

Daily Inspirational Stories

by Rodrigo Silveira

I once heard a very wise manb talk about what he called the law of averages. He said that once you do something long enough you'll start seeing ratios. Then with that, say for instance, that if you do something ten times you succeed once, then if you want to succeed three times all you'd have to do is try thirty times. Well, this last week I saw two powerful examples of that and that's what I'd like to bloggify about.

First, I'm writing this as a result of several requests from my die-hard readers. So lesson number one today is this: if you ask somebody to do something enough times, you'll eventually get it. Nice job, people!

Lesson two is this: Two weeks ago I determined to get a job. I wasn't particularly planning on it, but my wife, who was working 42 to 108 hours a week, cleaning the house, cooking, and driving me around (she even gave me 4 sponge baths in the course of the month we've been married, but I don't like taking baths or showering either, so she stopped), she eventually got sick of having me walking around on my super-man boxers and sleeping half the time and playing Silent Hill 2 the other half. So yeah, don't let women tell you what to do and boss you around. You should follow your dreams and enjoy your freedom!

Anyways, with that, I then applied for nearly 23 jobs in two fields I was confident to be successful in. From those applications I was invited to some 8 interviews. Three of them were with huge companies in the financial world, 4 were in other types of sales. The last one I was scheduled to interview with was iMergent Inc. down in Orem. All my interviews up to that one averaged 45 minutes. The first one I had was with Modern Woodmen, which took just under two hours. Anyways, my interview with iMergent was only some half-hour or so, during which time I spoke most of the time. I thought things were going fine. At the very end, after answering some 15 or 16 questions, we had a dialogue that went something like this:

"Mr. Silveira, you sound like a nice guy. However, most people come here and interview and talk really smooth. Then they get the position and work really hard and professional - for a week or so, then they go back to their normal self and slack off and do nothing...

"What can you tell me about yourself to show me you're not like that?"

"Well... [eye-ball-to-eye-ball, followed by a brief mysterious silence] Mr. Buttler, I'd like to answer this question with a letter from my last boss. I think her perspective of my work ethics, based on her experience and observation, is more valuable than anything I could tell you."

[hand-over-letter]

[letter-is-read-in-profound-silence]

Dome! I got the job my friends! I think I can attribute my success up to now to three things that I believe summarize our opportunities:

1. If you apply to enough jobs you'll get some interviews, and if you interview enough times you will get some offers.

2. Though I have yet to take a real class on computer programming, I have dedicated easily over 1000 hours of my life to searching knowledge on the subject. Just last week alone I read 4 books on the subject of CSS programming.

3. I took advantage of past opportunities I have had so new ones (and even greater ones) have been made manifest before me. Thank you, Louise!

So to conclude, everyone should go to my new website: http://www.rodrigo349.info

About the author

Business at the BC Movie

2009-03-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Watch Business at the BC, a series of short videos about LDS Business College (Salt Lake City, Utah). The movie gets good beginning on minute 6:01 to about 8:10 or so... Watch now, Business at the BC, part 1 of episode 3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2paeCHRyGOI

About the author

The Never Ending Story Movie | It Ends Tonight

2009-02-27T15:33:00.000-08:00

Everyday Short Stories

by Rodrigo Silveira

Wow, talk about weird...

Last December, for Christmas, I got a very thoughtful gift from my brother. Somehow he managed to find a special edition of a DVD from a show I used to watch back in the late 1980s. This movie, to those of you not from that era, is the classic The Never Ending Story.

Anyhow, tonight for the first time since I got the movie, I decided to watch it with my young little princess as we sat on our new couch. I had some good flashbacks from back in the day, Luci thought the movie was cool, and I enjoyed a couple of shots of Jolt.

Here's what's weird about it... a few nights ago, as I was researching something, I came across a completely random Masonic documentary that I didn't care to watch. Except that being so curious (by that I probably mean bored), I clicked the video and clicked the timeline somewhere in the middle because I didn't feel like watching the whole thing. The one part this Masonic video stoped at was where they were talking about the pillars from Salomon's temple that are very meaningful to the Masons (Boaz and Jachin, 1 Kings 7:21). Well, they were showing examples of Masonic influence in the media, and for some reason known only to the Cosmics, they showed a clip from... The Never Ending Story where they symbolically show the two pillars and their meaning. Up until I shaw that 30 second cilp, I had forgotten I own the movie.

So as I watched it tonight with Luci, I remembered the Masonic documentary... But then... after I got home, I decided to check my internet life really quick and make sure everything was still spinning... I responded to some emails and things like that..., then I checked my RSS updates... and here's what I got from my Movies News channel:

http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEjqknjl5SOsmo

As we were watching the movie, Luci told me it'd be really cool if they remade the movie... Then lo-and-behold, they are remaking the doggone movie... Maybe this is another sign derived from the Vanezetti equation, who knows...

About the author

HTML5 & Javascript Tutorials - Web Development Articles

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HTML5 Canvas Animation Tutorial with Nintendo Battletoads

Sprite animation in the HTML5 canvas

Cool CSS3 Tip: Text-Overflow = Ellipsis

CSS3 text-overflow: ellipsis DEMO

The CSS Code

How to run Python CGI in WAMP

Writing your first Python cgi script

How to install WAMP

How to set up Python environment variable Path on Windows

jQuery Slideshow - HTTP Efficient

Why another jQuery Slideshow Tutorial ?

Live Demo:

Here's the logic behind my slideshow is simple

My approach:

The Code

Cut and Paste

Conclusion

Weird CSS3 Demo & Tutorial

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should

CSS3 Demo Form

CSS3 » Outline

CSS3 » Zoom

CSS3 » Transformation

CSS3 » Transition

Java Applet Tutorial

How to create a Java Online Game

Overview

The Set Up: Intro to Java Applets

The Java.Applet Library

Sprite Animation in Java

Sprite Class Code

Conclusion

JS Prototype Tutorial

5 Ways to Speed up Javascript

1. External File Cache

2. Code Placement

3. Reduce HTTP Requests

4. Inline your functions

5. Compress your Code

Home is Where Your Destiny is

How to JavaScript: Prototype Slideshow Tutorial

Javascript Slideshow: A Web 2.0 Tutorial (a prototype tutorial)

Demo

1. The goal

2. The setup

3. The Javascript

4. Conclusion

5. The Code

Chinese Proverbs & Chinese Sayings

Chinese Proverbs

A bird does not sing because it has an answer; but because it has a song

Not everything that's doable is worth doing; but whatever is done must be done well

He who cannot but does is better than he who can but won't

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step

When ten hours is given you to cut down a tree, spend the first eight sharpening your ax.

When you drink the water, remember the spring

Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve

He who strikes the first blow admits he's lost the argument

Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet

If you don't want anyone to know, don't do it

An ant may well destroy a whole dam

Don't use a cannon to kill a mosquito

Dismantle the bridge shortly after crossing it

Dream different dreams while on the same bed

Do not employ handsome servants

Crows everywhere are equally black

To believe in one's dreams is to spend all of one's life asleep

He who treads softly goes far

The journey is the reward

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere

A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home

A Heart of Peace
by Rodrigo Silveira

Stories to inspire, motivate, and uplift

by Rodrigo Silveira

Short Stories

by Rodrigo Silveira

Daily Inspirational Stories

by Rodrigo Silveira

Everyday Short Stories

by Rodrigo Silveira