OsXs 1.1 Update Out

Apple just approved the first update I submitted of Frosty Badger’s iOS game, OsXs.

Version 1.1 is now a “Universal” app which means it works on iPhone, iPod Touch and… (drum roll)… iPad! On top of that, we’re still managing to maintain backward compatibility with earlier versions of iOS (as far back as 3.1.3). Which means those with earlier generation iPod Touches (or those not wishing to update their iPhone 3g to iOS 4) will still be able to enjoy the new features.

The biggest addition, besides retina and HD versions of all existing graphics, is the new “Blueprint” theme (awesome work Anton). And Paul recorded some appropriate stationary sounds to accompany it (pencil scribbles and rubber effects) – they give it an authentic “architect at his desk” feel.

Frosty Badger has some other more ambitious projects in the pipeline which I hope will see the light of day soon. It’s tough doing all this as a hobby in our spare time, but I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished so far (and there in lies the reward).

Link: http://www.frostybadger.com/osxs/

T\C Archive

Back in 2007 I started to keep a record of all the amazing creative and/or technology-focused inventions/art/projects I kept coming across on my browsing travels. I published many of them on a blog, titled “Technology\Creativity”(.com). That blog has since joined my project scrapheap but I was just going through my archives and came across the WordPress database. I’ve just imported the posts across to here.

You can find them all under the “T\C” category.

Charles Manley, My Son

This is Charles Manley, my son. He was born on the 22nd November 2010 at 6:19pm (Perth time). It was one of the happiest and most amazing events of my life.

Firefox Sync and Home

Until recently, I stored all my bookmarked links in a widget on my Netvibes homepage – using my very own SS Bookmarks script. My browser’s bookmarks (or “favourites”) menu has always been empty. I did this to keep things centralised so whether I’m at work, at home, or on my iPhone/iPad I can always access one of my links. I also liked having them hosted on my own web space where I have full control and the data is entirely mine.

It has worked well but there were a few downsides and now I’ve switched to Mozilla’s Firefox Sync (for Mac/PC) and Firefox Home (for iPhone/iPad).

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Work in Progress: Squirml

This is Squirml, a game I’m working on for the iPhone under the Frosty Badger banner. It’s still in the very early stages but I thought I’d start a diary of development to help motivate me through to completion (I’m wavering a little lately).

Squirml is inspired by an awesome little HTML5 game I came across developed by a clever chappy, Hakim El Hattab. “Sinuous“, meaning “having many curves and turns” is simple and addictive and involves guiding a little cell with a tail on it (looks a bit like a sperm) through a tide of red cells flowing in a diagonal direction against you. At its heart, it’s a simple game of dodge but the movement of your cell is very appealing (in an almost calming way) – it feels great to weave your way in and out and around the other cells. I thought it’d make a great game for the iPhone because it’s so easy to pick up and play in small doses, yet it’s quite catchy for lengthier sessions and has that whole “just one more go” thing. Especially if I could work in Game Center support for high distance scores.

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I May Have Neurophobia

I’ve been noticing a pattern in the feeds lately. There seems to be an increasing occurrence of breakthrough advances in neuroscience. It seems scientists are better understanding the brain these days and are developing more and more sophisticated methods and tools for analysing its complexities. This troubles me. Actually, it goes further than that… when reading about such things, especially when really thinking about them, I experience an uncomfortable anxiety. Why? “Neurophobia”.

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Please Leave 64 Wood in the Toll Box

Welcome to Dom Island

This is “Dom Island”, my island, crafted from ugly 16-bit looking terrain blocks of earth, sand, wood and rock. It has a beach all the way around its perimeter, a small cave looking out to sea, a natural spa, and of course, an obligatory Hollywood-esque sign of my name towering over all. It’ll cost you 64 wood to visit (I need it – few trees grow there) . Please leave the toll in the chest provided.

If you’ve missed the boat on the phenomenon that is Minecraft, let me educate you. It’s a small indy game(ish) developed by a clever chap called Notch. I use the label “game” with caution because currently, there’s not much structure to it. It’s all very work in progress still as its “Alpha” version implies. However, already it’s an astonishingly fun sandbox for creativity…

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Things I Prefer on iOS (Compared to Android)

agghhh

I’ll come right out and say it. Overall, in my opinion, Android just isn’t as good as iOS. By a lot. To be more precise: version 2.1 of Android isn’t as good as iOS 3.x. Granted, they are both kinda last-gen versions now. However, I’m fairly sure Android 2.2 (even with Flash) won’t compare to iOS4 either, given how vast the gap already is/was. Perhaps it’ll close that gap a little, and perhaps eventually Android 3.0, which will focus more on “user experience“, will bring them even more in line (if Apple sits on its laurels meanwhile – unlikely) but until then, I consider you a crazy anti-Apple fanatic if you think otherwise. And I’ve been in both camps now.

Let me back up the above by explaining the long list of things I prefer on iOS. This is a personal list and may not match all the things that are important to you. Regardless, I have a hard time believing anyone but ultra-geeks intent on fine-tuning every aspect of their phone OS would opt for Android if they were fully informed. Even then, I consider myself an ultra-geek and I don’t want to go to all that effort… not on a phone… not after the first week subsides and the novelty wears off. By then, I just want it to work. I just want to use it. I don’t want to have to keep tinkering/battling with the OS to maintain performance and stability.

Before I start, if you want some balance and haven’t already read it, checkout my prior post on things I prefer on Android. The rest of this post may continue to get a little anti-Android as I vent all my frustrations. You have been warned :)

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Things I Prefer on Android (Compared to iOS)

Android or iOS? (It can turn you boggle eyed.)

I’ve been using Samsung’s latest Android phone, the Galaxy S, extensively for a few weeks now. Before it, I had an iPhone 3G for about 2 years. There are already some obvious things I prefer about Android and some other things that I don’t. Here are the big positives…

Notifications

Absolutely top of the list is how Android handles notifications. It is light years ahead of iOS on this front. At any time, you simply drag down from the top status bar to see your notifications “feed” which is populated by items that have been added by apps since you last checked. My e-mails, Remember the Milk to-do list items, calendar events all trickle in nicely in the background. When they arrive they each make a distinct sound and the app’s icon gets added to the status bar so you can see, at a glance, that something new is in there.

There is no single-modal limitations like there are in iOS where if two notifications arrive at the same time, only one is shown! And the alerts don’t take over the screen and demand your attention straight away like they do on iOS.

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