Stuff of za day

Huemint

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 10:31:00 +0000

Huemint is a machine-learning system for generating colors based on context.

ASCIIFlow

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 05:37:00 +0000

ASCIIFlow is an online tool to design online text diagrams that you can export with ASCII Characters. It's ideal for source code comments: asciiflow.com.

Excalidraw

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 05:24:00 +0000

Hand-drawn-looking diagrams: excalidraw.com.

NimbleText

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 06:50:00 +0000

NimbleText is a text manipulation and code generation tool available online as well: https://nimbletext.com/Live.

Smithsonian Open Access

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 14:25:00 +0000

si.edu/openaccess

Brooks's law

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Fri, 07 May 2021 14:01:00 +0000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks%27s_law:

Brooks's law is an observation about software project management according to which "adding manpower to a late software project makes it later"

Free remakes of old classic games

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 10:20:00 +0000

Click on the names of the games to go to their websites.

OpenRA

Red Alert, Command & Conquer, Dune 2000's remake

FreeCol

Sid Meyer's Colonization remake

Widelands

Settlers 2 remake

OpenTTD

"OpenTTD is an open source simulation game based upon the popular Microprose game "Transport Tycoon Deluxe", written by Chris Sawyer. It attempts to mimic the original game as closely as possible while extending it with new features."

This game has a 27+ year legacy.

Single HTML webpage without JavaScript

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 19:30:00 +0000

I really like this concept of having all the content in a single HTML page and show/hide the sections using CSS. I would like to use it in some future project.

For me the interesting- and new part is the following CSS

/* ------- Sections ------- */

section {
  padding: calc(6em + 5vw) 5vw 8vw 5vw;
  /* ! Everything below is needed ! */
  display: none;
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  min-height: 100vh;
  width: 100%;
  background: var(--bgcolor);
}

section:target { /* Show section */
  display: block;
}

section#home { /* Show #home by default */
  display: block;
}

The Modern JavaScript Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 15:09:00 +0000

The Modern JavaScript Tutorial is a collection of very detailed articles explaining JavaScript from the basics to advanced topics.

The GitHub repo has 12k+ stars.

Create slideshows from MarkDown, using Pandoc

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 07:33:00 +0000

You can use Pandoc to produce an HTML + JavaScript slide presentation that can be viewed via a web browser. I am planning on presenting my slideshows in the future using revealjs so this is perfect for me. I am a big fan of MarkDown.

I am also planning on rewriting my localization converter into something like Pandoc, so that it can be used from command line.

How to train above level 30 in "Yendorian Tales 3 - The Tyrants of Thaine"?

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 22 Nov 2020 10:34:00 +0000

Problem

In Yendorian Tales 3, The Tyrants of Thaine I cannot train above level 30. The only potential trainer seems to be the one in the keep, but he does not yet accept me.

Solution

I went through the following steps

Opened the save file with a hex editor
Searched for "1E" hex value (meaning 30 in decimal, as in level 30 of one character), changed it to "1F" (decimal 31)
This increased the level of one of the characters to 31 (mine was the 4th character)
Loaded up the save-game, went to the trainer in the keep. The trainer unlocked something, because I could trained one of the level 30 guys to 31 (in my case the 1st character), then saved
With the editor I decreased the artificially increased level of the 4th character back to 30. Loaded up the game and proceeded normally

Source

I am not sure, but I might have downloaded the game from DOS Games Archive.

Before you play this, you should definitely check out Yendor 2

Dotgrid - grid-based vector drawing software

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 10:16:00 +0000

Dotgrid is a grid-based vector drawing software designed to create logos, icons and type. It supports layers, the full SVG specs and additional effects such as mirroring and radial drawing.

Super Tiny Icons of popular services

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 10:11:00 +0000

SuperTinyIcons GitHub project is a collection of minuscule SVG versions of popular logos.

Concurrent .Net code testing framework: Coyote

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 18:34:00 +0000

"Coyote is a set of .NET libraries and tools designed to help ensure that your code is free of bugs. Too often developers are drowning in the complexity of their own code and many hours are wasted trying to track down impossible-to-find bugs, especially when dealing with concurrent code or various other sources of non-determinism (like message ordering, failures, timeouts and so on)."

Link to Coyote homepage

Goodhart's law

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 17:30:00 +0000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law:

'"When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure."

One way in which this can occur is individuals trying to anticipate the effect of a policy and then taking actions that alter its outcome.'

System UIcons

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 18:59:00 +0000

Collection of free icons with no attribution required: systemuicons.com

The "Chesterton's fence" principle

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 18:53:00 +0000

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._K._Chesterton#Chesterton's_fence:

In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, 'I don't see the use of this; let us clear it away.' To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: 'If you don't see the use of it, I certainly won't let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.'

Get the ASCII code of characters from an SQL SERVER NVARCHAR field

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 10:53:00 +0000

Found a very useful piece of code, How to find a hidden unicode character using SQL Server, that obtains the ASCII code of characters from an SQL SERVER NVARCHAR field.

New Blogger editor

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 19:43:00 +0000

Blogger editor got a new redesign. I really like it!

Two design tip collections

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 19:38:00 +0000

Grid.js JavaScript grid library

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 18:41:00 +0000

Grid Js is an HTML table plugin written in TypeScript.

Wikimedia commons "Line drawings of steam locomotives" category

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 19:29:00 +0000

Wikimedia commons has a "Line drawings of steam locomotives" category.

Scale Train Drawings

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 19:13:00 +0000

Scale Train Drawings, a large collection of thin-lined, realistic PNG train and carriage drawings.

Historical Railway Images, train and train-related photos

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 19:02:00 +0000

Historical Railway Images flickr user has an amazing collection of train and train-related photos.

CleanPng, transparent PNG art

noreply@blogger.com (Venci) — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 12:03:00 +0000

cleanpng.com