Tonight I learned how to format lines (color, thickness, dashed, dotted) and use them within a Windows application.  I also learned how to format "bushes" which is what fills a shape when it is drawn in Windows applications.  Brushes can be solid, hashed or crossed.  Fun stuff!

However, it is all leading up to my first windows application.  Later this week I will be making a low-level graphics program.  The functionality of the program will allow the user to select whether to draw a line, rectangle or square, and the styles of the pen and brush used to draw the item.

As simple as it sounds, the exercise will bring together all the concepts I've learned in C++ and Windows programming.  It is a launching pad into making my first 2D game from the ground up.  Should be fun.

While not a major breakthrough on the path to making video games, I'm getting into some fun stuff.  Yesterday and today, I learned how to:

1. Create a very basic Windows message application.
2. Create more complex Windows (Win32) applications with Windows message handling. (Keyboard and mouse input.)
3. Create even more complex Windows (Win32) applications that could place text and draw lines, rectangles and ellipses.

Or...XP. That's the news the past couple days. Okay...I'm talking about Windows XP, not your ex peeing. That was just a play on words and acronyms.

If you've been paying attention, you'll notice all the stories about Microsoft officially stopping sales on all Windows XP versions as of yesterday. However, Microsoft has gone back on the terrible decision to stop supporting XP. Apparently the company is dedicating XP-specific support for the next seven years.

As for PC gaming, the jury is still out. Games built for Vista seem to run fine. Games built for XP, especially MMOs that still run on original software structures, still suffer some performance issues. Also, there are games that were recently released or in development that began with the notion a majority of their players would have XP systems. Still, upgrading your hardware to run Vista seems to be the key. Some things still aren't compatible. I don't exactly like being forced to upgrade hardware to make software work. That should work the other way around.

Not only will we have to contend with XP and Vista, Microsoft has another edition of Windows in the works called Windows 7. Where will video game design go then? Who knows? It will be interesting to learn, that's for sure. Anyhoo...I've rambled long enough. Here are a few sources where people who know what they are talking about can give you more information:

Lance Ulanoff Breaks it Down for PC Mag

Roger Andre Shares the Official Word over on ZDNet

...and other such words that I thought were lost to me are back in my vocabulary.  Well, not my everyday vocab, but I'll at least think them.  Yesterday was National Go Skateboard Day.  A local skate shop, Suburban Blend, hosted a Block Rock and Session on Third Street in Jamestown.  For a slide show of the event, go here.  I want to thank those guys for bringing a cool event downtown.  I hope it becomes a staple.

Muze and I left Rochester early in the morning to catch some of the fun.  Unfortunately, when we got downtown by about 1 p.m., it was raining and the action had ground to a halt.  Of course, some of the skaters wouldn't let the rain ruin their day and made due with the conditions.  I don't think anyone really got hurt.

Later at night, Muze and I went to a local pizza shop for dinner.  After a very tasty white pizza, it was then that I grabbed my board out of the backseat of the car and pushed a few laps around an empty parking lot...

Well...now I have the bug.  A school in our neighborhood just laid a new parking lot.  It's perfect!  I skated for about an hour and a half.  Just getting the legs back, so to speak.  Worked on getting comfortable with ollies again and even threw a traffic cone down on its side so I could practice flopping over something.  No burns, if you can believe it.

However, we'll see what kind of pain I feel in the morning.

Has music become so readily accessible that it has lost its significance?

Has setting up a music-downloading-method-of-choice become too much "work" and has it caused a lot of people to lose interest in music?  Is that why the industry is suffering?

Is the norm today that you need to listen to music on your favorite MP3 player, or you're not just not listening for real?

Just a few thoughts I think about tonight as I set up my V-Cast MP3 account on my new computer.  Believe me...there are more things rolling around in my head, but those are the main points.

I'm downloading R.E.M.'s new "album" - do people still call them albums?  R.E.M.'s Greenwas one of the first CDs I bought back in the early 90's.  As I have the complete version of Accelerate downloaded to my computer in less than 30 seconds, I can't help but wax nostalgic tonight.

It's been about three weeks since I've said to myself, "Oh man, I need to install V-Cast to my new machine and get going on updating my MP3 playlist."

Well, tonight the opportunity presented itself.  And I asked myself, "What the hell did I do when I had to go to the "record store" and actually buy a physical CD of the latest music I wanted?"

Then it hit me.  Since music went digital.  Since I stopped going to the "record store".  Since I no longer have to drop a CD into the player.  Music doesn't mean as much to me.

Am I the only one who feels this way?  Is it this same apathy that has led others to feel the same way?  Is it this apathy that keeps people from the "record" stores?  Is it this apathy that makes people put off downloading new music three weeks from now?

Tonight when I downloaded an entire CD of new music in 30 seconds, I actually missed getting in the car...going into the mall...walking 400 feet to the "record" store...walking up and down the isles...flipping through CD packs...looking at cover art...finding sample stations...listening just to be sure...buying the CDs...driving home...firing up the CD player...

...spending hours listening to new music.

I spent the evening tonight recovering from Monday through Wednesday.  Here's what went down:

Monday night, after work, I met up with some high school friends.  Dave, who lives in Colorado, is to thank for it because he was in New York on vacation.  He set up a night at the Cherry with Justin, who I haven't seen since a year or two after high school.  That was hurmblefurf years ago.  To my surprise, Justin is dating Shauna again.  They had dated early in high school, but had broken up later in Justin's Junior or Senior year.  So she joined us as well.  Dave also managed to get a hold of Mr. Perma Grin Dan, who I hadn't seen in about 10 years or so.

The evening was a trip.  We all felt we should have been steeling something or skating or driving somewhere.  Instead, we settled for chilling at a table at the Cherry with many beers while reminiscing and updating each other on what we've been doing the last hurmblefurf years.  It was a great time.  Here's a shout out to Dave for getting us all together again!  Cheers!

I had been wise to take a vacation day on Tuesday, for obvious reasons.  But I also spent the day cleaning our home office, which fell into dismay slowly since we moved into the house.  After all...I was taking delivery on the new baby on Wednesday...

Welcome to my new computer!  I spent the day at Richard and Steve's computer tech and wonders shop called Double Click Technologies.  Richard had put together the new addition to the family during the past weekend.  He had me up to the shop to install old and new software and transfer data from the old computer so he could supervise.  We hardly get to hang out anymore, so it was cool to be able to take the time off and chill over some gigabytes.  It was a fun, but a mentally tiring day.  However, it confirmed how much I love doing that shit.  Now I have a decent system for working on game design...and...of course...playing games.  Thanks to Double Click Technologies for a great time!!!  If you need a system or web hosting, give them a call.

Note: I'm not listing the specs of my new computer in this post.  But I will talk about it in a day or so.

It's time for some spring cleaning! Don't get all silly, Julia. I meant in my office. I promised myself when election time was over this past November that I would spruce up my professional digs. Well, the time has come. Just look at this place...

Date Night Creates Stir

With everything going on in our lives, Julia and I pretty much have to schedule everything we do.  One important thing that we schedule is time for each other.  So, we decided to work "date night" into our lives a few months ago.  Every Friday night is "date night".  It's the night we set aside for the two of us.   It can be anything we agree on doing.  It can also be spur of the moment...which is even more fun.  This past Friday, we decided to go out to a new restaurant we've been meaning to try - The Brick Room in Fredonia.

Lately, we've had to tell people things like, "Well, we're kind of on our date night," or "Friday is "date night", so I can't do this or that."

We thought this would be met with some form of grief.  Instead, it's been well received by friends and family as a great idea.  They seem to understand.  Many say it's a great idea and they wish they had a date night.  My advice to them is, just do it.  Work it in to your schedule.

Julia and I both agreed yesterday that during the last couple of months, we've been able to handle our busy lives simply because we have "date night" to look forward to.

One Sixteenth Complete

A big part of busy time lately has been school.  This weekend I was able to finish Mod I of Applied C++ for Game Developers.  I take the final this week as soon as I'm ready.  It's one of the most challenging things I've done in years.  I'm just now starting to get comfortable programming in C++.  I'm used to managed code languages like Java, Python, JavaScript, PHP and so on.  But I'm looking forward to Mod II where we learn to build windows apps and create our first game.

Biking on Hold

Haven't been able to ride a lot lately due to the weather.  I still do some weight training to clear my head between learning concepts in C++.   I've been eating really healthy, and  have surprised myself there.  I've also lost a few pounds, so that's good.

Vacation, Not Me

For some reason I forgot to look at the schedule and plan any kind of time off for Spring Break.  It seems all of City Hall is deserted.  I won't let this happen again next year!

I really need to update my MP3 player.  Here is the list that played while I was biking today:

1.  Tell Me Baby - Red Hot Chili Peppers
2.  Sorrow - Bad Religion
3.  The Lonely End of the Rink - The Tragically Hip
4.  This Ain’t a Scene... - Fall Out Boy
5.  Linoleum - NOFX
6.  Hump De Bump - Red Hot Chili Peppers
7.  Out of Sight - Uncut
8.  Through Glass - Stone Sour
9.  Pretty Vacant - Sex Pistols
10.  Ring of Fire - Social Distortion
11.  Snow (Hey Oh!) - Red Hot Chili Peppers
12.  In View - The Tragically Hip
13.  Dance Floor Anthem - Good Charlotte
14.  Yer Not the Ocean - Tragically Hip

Ah well...just the luck of the draw...but some new music is in order I think.