Noniewicz.com

2013-12-25

New stuff is out!

Yet another clone of Burmese Syllables - Japanese Hiragana syllables.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noniewicz.japanese1

2013-11-27

I decide to install some Linux box on a spare, old PC I've found standing useless. Its main purpose: to install Lazarus and compile ZenGL to see if I can build Linux versions of my games. After all expanding user base is always a good idea.

I consider myself quite familiar with all sorts on unix-like systems. I had a lot of experience back in my days as an admin (ca 1995-2003). And here I am... It is the 4th day of my still failed efforts to install somy/any Linux.

The hadrware: Celeron 433MHz, 512 MB RAM, 8 GB HDD, 128MB Radeon 9200 AGP VGA. As I said, old and weak, but should be satisfactory anyway.

Short history of failed installations:

1. CentOS 6.3 - failed because: not enought RAM.

2. Ubuntu 12.04.3 - failed because: needed 8.06 GB(or was it 8.6) disk, also does not detect that the network is connected (while it also says IT IS connected), so "continue" button stays inactive. Why did it say "for best results..." net/disk is needed then?

3. Fedora 4 - actually succeded, but too old to use

4. Fedora 19 (netinstall CD) - failed because: after installation and reboot the system is not bootable (!). Stupid grub2. I need to mention here, that it took hours to download the system from "nearest" source, and that it hungs on Libreoffice download. I tried several times, starting from clean DOS fdisk to remove partitions for sure. I've also read a lot about how to fix grub2 booting and what to do when grub rescue "console" is showing up. No success.... What were they thinking (the authors of F19) creating a system that by default does not boot after first, clean install? If I've ever created such a lame software solution I'd have to live under the bridge...

5. Mandrake 9.2 - failed because: apparently it takes more than the one CD I have, and no spare CDR-s at the moment.

6. Slackware 9.1 - failed because: same reason as above, need more media to complete installation.

7. Slackware 8 - failed because: during network config at the end of the installation I accidentally pressed something and # shell appeared, but unresponsive. After reboot, it seemed OK for a while, but then login as root was not possible because of some lacking /dev/tty* or sth. Fdisk-ed the crap.

I'm now installing Mandriva 2007 - apparently old, probably will fail too.

Yet up my sleeve - Red Hat 9 - will it be too old?

If it fails I will have to aquire some DVDR-s and get me yet another distro...

update:

Mandriva got installed, but it seems pretty old, and now I can't manually compile the damp RPM to the version required by fpc.
And why is it that every problem I encounter has "resolution set to wontfix" ?! Like here http://www.rpm.org/ticket/61.

2013-07-31

YAP PUZZLE

Also YAP Puzzle (Yet Another Puzzle) is finally published.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noniewicz.puzzle1

RUSSIAN ALPHABET

An unexpected offspring...

Burmese Syllables inspired me to create its clone. This time with Russian alphabet.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noniewicz.russian1

2013-05-25

NUMBERS, DISTANCE AND SPACE

> Assume there are 7 billion (7*10^9 = 7000000000) people on Earth.

Assumption entered.

> Assume the distance between Earth and the Moon to be 384400 km.

Assumption entered.

> Assume every human is exactly 1.5 m long with arms fully extended.

Assumption entered.

> Calculate, how many times would a "chain of humans" 
suprass the distance to the Moon?

Working....

A chain of humans would measure 1.5*7*1e9 = 10500000000 meters,

which is 10500000000/1000 = 10500000 km,

so it would be 10500000/384400 = 27.315296566077 times

The answer to your inquiry is:

If every human 1.5 m long kept each other at arms full length 
in a chain, the length of that chain would be equal to a little 
more than 27 times the distance form Earth to the Moon.

2013-05-07

BUBBLE TAP

Blue Cat Factory is quick!

This time I present: Bubble Tap, which is already available at Google Play:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noniewicz.bubble1

2013-05-06

BURMESE SYLLABLES

Blue Cat Factory presents: Burmese Syllables!

My new quiz-like education game is out:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noniewicz.burmese1

2013-05-04

BLUE CAT FACTORY GAMES - updated update

updated again

My first game (more of a virtual toy for small kids that an actual game) Blocks For Kids is out! It is the 7th from the 8 I started coding in last 8 months, but the first to see the light of the day.

see game trailer video

2013-04-14

ARDUINO

Seems I must be a geek. For my 40th birthday I got Arduino Uno kit with some extras like cool LCD display. It was already preloaded with a DEMO (old style) with greetings and wishes in scroll. :)

This my own (first ever) play with the device (apparently the RGB LED is too bright):

and source (it is newer than what the video shows):

/*
GDC TEST 20130414
*/

// Pin 13 has an LED connected on most Arduino boards.
const int led = 13;
const int led12 = 12;
const int led11 = 11;
const int led10 = 10;

const int greenLEDPin = 7;
const int redLEDPin = 6;
const int blueLEDPin = 5;

// the setup routine runs once when you press reset:
void setup() {
pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
pinMode(led12, OUTPUT);
pinMode(led11, OUTPUT);
pinMode(led10, OUTPUT);
pinMode(greenLEDPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(redLEDPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(blueLEDPin, OUTPUT);
}

void Blink(int l, int d)
{
digitalWrite(l, HIGH);
delay(d);
digitalWrite(l, LOW);
delay(d);
}

void RGB(unsigned char r, unsigned char g, unsigned char b, int d)
{
analogWrite(redLEDPin, r);
analogWrite(greenLEDPin, g);
analogWrite(blueLEDPin, b);
delay(d);
}

// the loop routine runs over and over again forever:
void loop() {
int i;
for(i=1;i<8;i++) Blink(led, 150);
RGB(255, 0, 0, 700);
RGB(0, 255, 0, 700);
RGB(0, 0, 255, 700);
RGB(255, 255, 0, 700);
RGB(255, 0, 255, 700);
RGB(255, 64, 8, 700);
RGB(0, 200, 255, 700);
RGB(255, 255, 255, 700);
for(i=0;i<256;i++) RGB(i, 0, 0, 10);
for(i=0;i<256;i++) RGB(255-i, 0, 0, 10);
RGB(0, 0, 0, 0);
for(i=0;i<6;i++)
{
    Blink(led12, 500-i*100);
    Blink(led11, 500-i*100);
    Blink(led10, 500-i*100);
}
}

2013-04-12

BLUE CAT FACTORY

Blue Cat Factory is now officially on!

http://noniewicz.com/bcf/

I hope to finish and publish a few casual games soon.