Devon Baumgarten
Pictures. Code. Geek Stuff.
#QuickSketch365
http://apps.devonbaumgarten.com/qstSite/
I wrote a django site that tracks sketches uploaded to Twitter with the tag #QuickSketch365
Check it out!
Twine Online
I’ve started Twine Online. It’s still in the proof-of-concept stage, but I plan for it to become a free (donate if bandwidth ever becomes an issue) HTML5 web application that can be used just like the Windows executable with the ability to save your projects online, import, and export Twine stories. Check out the link if you want to know more or lend a hand. 
Chakra Linux, Old Computer
![Foreman_11593946_4962_chakra01_540x405[1]](http://blog.devonbaumgarten.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Foreman_11593946_4962_chakra01_540x4051-e1350881995588.png)
Sister-in-law gave us a Gateway Profile 5 which had previously been sad and alone in their basement. She tried to give it away on craigslist, but nobody would take it. Continue reading
HTML5 Canvas for Games
I’ve checked out HTML5′s Canvas before, but I’ve never had a project that made good use of it until this.
I’ve been interested in making games for a long time, but I always ended up getting stuck on story, art, or the technology I needed to make it work. I’ve used Allegro, and I’m learning LWJGL, but I wanted something a bit simpler for starting out that would hopefully also work on the web.
Here’s the resulting game: a simple pong-ish thinger. To play, you’ll need arrow keys and a browser that supports Canvas. There is also a link to it on the home page. I hope to put more sophisticated games up there in the future as well. If you have suggestions, please leave a comment. I may or may not include them in this game, but they might influence decisions in my next games.
Explanation of the dependencies and the basics of HTML5 games can be found in this extremely helpful article.
Indexing Textfiles.com categories with Lucene.NET
At work, I’m responsible for a project involving a 600+GB SQL Server database of government data. It’s something like 30 times larger than our next largest database. And it needs to be searched. SQL Server’s Full-Text Search features can’t handle the requirements, so I had the opportunity to track down other technologies that could. Continue reading
.NET talks to Arduino
I’m pretty new to Arduino. When I first heard of it, I thought, “It’s like Wiremod, but real life!”
Wiremod was the reason I played Garry’s Mod as long as I did. It allowed me to use programming knowledge to make myself better at whatever arbitrary games the other players and I made up. The Wiremod expression chip allows you to define inputs, outputs and behavior. It was the core of many of my favorite contraptions: fire-seeking extinguisher robots, wall-climbing vehicles, anti-missile lasers, and security systems. Continue reading
Fingerpainting
I haven’t fingerpainted since the preschool teacher wheeled that giant spool of thin paper into class. Then came a long period of time without chocolate milk and naps in the middle of the day. Since I am an adult now, I see no reason not to resume these old traditions. I can have as much chocolate milk as I want, and I have my own office so sometimes over lunch I’ll shut the door, pull the blanket out of my file cabinet and take a nap with my monitor backlight on so I don’t hit my head on my desk again.
I still hadn’t tried fingerpainting since the room full of bins of plastic dinosaurs and magnetic marbles. I couldn’t possibly be as good at it as I was then– my fingers were much larger. Plus it would be really messy, a– hey.Wait. Ok. I’m doing this.
It was terrific fun. Before long, my hands were coated in dried acrylic. They looked like Darth Maul’s face. I even got some paint on the carpet. I was worried for a bit, but eh, It was worth it. Plus, the last guy left his garbage all over the place, all his stuff was still in the bathroom, and there was a footprint or some shit on the wall. Management didn’t care until we complained. At least this carpet spot will have a chance of being identified as paint or at least being mistaken for something exciting like blood instead of your run-of-the-mill probably-vomit stains and the places where I am assuming the last guy dropped his joint when he passed out.
Maybe I should just paint the carpet next time.