Marco Islas Blog

Python mas Wiimote controlling a 15 tonnes arm

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:40:59 PDT

Wiimote is a very interesting controller, and thanks that it uses bluetooth you can extend its use beyond the Wii, in this vide you'll see what a team of 5 could do with it an the Python programming language. I will not use this wiimote to use that mechanical arm just because IMO is too risky just because the wiimote is not an industrial controller, but it could be a start :-)

Nice title for a dialog window

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:06:58 PDT

Nice title for a dialog window

Originally uploaded by markuz

I just notice the window title for the avira antivirus scan dialog, funny.

How addicted to Twitter are you?

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:13:21 PDT

Created by The Oatmeal

Christine PPA

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:14:29 PDT

For those using Ubuntu, you can use this ppa to install christine from the package manager:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/markuz/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/markuz/ppa/ubuntu jaunty main

You where copied and pasted

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:25:25 PDT

My daughter is just 3 months, she was born on April 2 (just to be sure she is not a joke), I love her and the most of my spare time I spend it now with my wife Cristina and Sofia, the other day Cristina and I went to the main park, just to walk and take sofia out of the house. While cristina was holding Sofia I took a couple of pictures, she made a funny face, this is it.

Now, looking at my old pictures when I was just a baby, I found a very similar face, not exactly the same, but very similar:

And now I know what to say to sofia when she ask to me why we are so similar:

Clever windows

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:42:16 PDT

Looks promising, but, to be honest, I don't like the way the appear, and the focus switch between windows is ugly. Anyway, it looks nice.

How many searchs do you do in google in a day?

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:58:26 PDT

Christine 0.4.0 screenshot

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:34:22 PDT

Christine with visualization enabled.

IronPython in Action

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:32:33 PDT

The people who knows me, know that I'm a fan of the Python programming language, and many of the stuff I do in my work is done with this fabulous tool, I have made work for services, where Python behave very very well, and applications for the Desktop, most of them run on the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Why do I choose Python instead C, C++, Java or C#?, well, I have to say that I was a PHP user before Python, that was the programming language where I start, and I thought that PHP was perfect, because I felt that PHP was so simple, easy to use because I didn't have to compile anything!. Then I meet Python and everything change.

I choose Python because it is ridiculously simple, easy to use and it have almost everything you need by default, the data types are more than enought to work and do amazing stuff, it was by the time I meet it a fully functional programming language.

By that time, I was also trying to learn something about Mono and the C# programming language, its obvious that I left C# in favor of Python, Why? just because Python is easier than C# (IMHO). And by the time, a lot of FUD was arround the mono framework about patents and possible Microsoft attacks which still exists, but by that time Mono was something new and everyone put their eyes on it.

Now, that I have learned Python and know much more about it, I want to try another developing platform, as I already said, I write programs that runs on the Microsoft Windows OS, and I'm trying to learn something that help me to develop stuff there, but also let me work on it in Linux. The answer IronPython an implementation of the Python programming language under .NET (something similar to Jython but for .NET)

Recently I receive a copy of the IronPython in Action by Michael J. Foord and Christian Muirhead. The book itself is very interesting, first, you'll see an introduction to IronPython, Python itself and the CLR then start the teaching about the .NET framework and how to write your programs using the .NET objects and IronPython, which is the reason of the book to exists. This is where the book shines, it will teach you how the core development techniques that will help you to write your applications in the IronPython way, using classes with XML, and agile testing.

Then, and advanced look to the .Net Framwork, using the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation, system administration with IronPython and combine IronPython with ASP.NET concluding with the Silverlight plugin, allowing you to create appliciations like Flash does.

Finally, something really really important, how to extend your IronPython applications using C#/VB.NET. We know that even when the programming language is very very powerfull we need tu help us with another programming language, This may be because it is simpler or easy to do in another language or just because you have to do it like that. Python let you extend your applications writing python modules with C, IronPython could not be the exception and allows you to write extensions using the C# and VB.NET languages. And in the same way you could extend Python/IronPython, you could use it to extend another application by embedding the IronPython engine into your applications.

Yes, the book is about Windows programming, Windows programmers will benefit from the book by learning how to write their applications using IronPython. No matter if they are beginners or experienced users. I think that using IronPython will help them a lot if they use it instead the C, or C++, because it is quick, it is simple, easy to read and more, but also, programmers that use another OS will benefit from it, by using the Mono Framework.

If you are looking a good book to learn .NET check the IronPython in Action, it's a very complete book.

Why you should use Gentoo on your servers

markuz@islascruz.org (Marco Antonio Islas Cruz) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:37:11 PDT

You should use Gentoo Linux to help make it the most popular server operating system out there. Once it becomes the most popular server OS, it will be the obvious choice to run Skynet on. If Skynet is running Gentoo, it will spend most of its time recompiling itself, which will give the human race plenty of time to defeat it.

Taken from blog, jurgen dot ca.