Make programming your hobby this summer

Learning a programming language is one of the things that is must-do these days. Even if you are not into computers and techy stuff, basic understanding of programming languages and the way they work is a must.

While standard school courses may fulfill this requirement, what is taught in such courses is not nearly enough to bring out the full potential in the aspiring programmers among us.

Programming is a great hobby to take up during this summer that allows you to unleash your creativity and sharpen your mental capability to a razor sharp point. For all you know, you could end up publishing a game that goes viral on the internet, earning you money and fame.

But the problem most young coders face is the lack of a starting point for their dreams. Many believe it is necessary to take a coaching course to get a real grasp of programming. While such a course will definitely help, it is perfectly possible to learn programming online, thanks to the sheer number of free tutorials floating around, at your own pace and time while not wasting any resources on a summer course. 

If learning programming appeals to you, few websites offer a good starting point as www.javatpoint.com , which has tutorials on nearly every major programming language in an easy and simple to understand format filled with ready-to-run examples and online shells for executing your code.

www.w3schools.com is the ultimate website to learn everything (and by that, I mean EVERYTHING.) regarding all aspects of web development.

Many such websites can be easily found online, and is just a google search away. 

In the coming weeks, I hope to introduce more such websites and a give a few simple tutorials myself! 

The science of standing in queues..

Interesting infographic indeed...thanks to ScienceDump for creating such informative as well as inquisitive articles on science in our everyday lives.

http://www.sciencedump.com/content/science-standing-around-lines-infographic

Want a typing race? Look no further than TypeRacer!

A few weeks back, an I introduced you to NitroType, a high quality website that literally allows you to race online by speed typing. Now I shall introduce you to another popular website that allows you to do the exact same thing, but with a touch of more casualness: TypeRacer.

http://play.typeracer.com/

I would like to describe TypeRacer as a more low-key NitroType. It lacks the polish, sound effects and the huge options that make it NitroType more of an online game than a typing trainer. But it gives you want you essentially want from typing races : Race with random users from all over the world and out-type them to cross the finish line first. This website also allows you to make an account to save your high scores and unlock more options like competing for a spot in the leaderboard and customizing your car.

A practice mode that takes off the pressure of competition and the option to race with your own speed comes in really handy.

All in all, this website is a must for those who like speed typing!

Take look at these (fictional) rides!

The Saints Row series is an often under appreciated game series labelled as a 'GTA clone' by many. But the release Saints Row 4 gave GTA a run for it's money, and caused the series to explode in popularity all over the world.

This is because most games give you the coolest powers after you've finished all the missions you could probably use it for, while Saints Row 4 gives you everything you could ever ask for (except Dragons and FusRoDah of course, but that won't be necessary...) and puts you in the shoes of a gangster-turned US President-turned badass alien zapper.

What's the excuse for all these powers?
You're trapped in a computer simulation. And your friend and fellow gangster is hacking the simulation, constantly upgrading your powers. The result?
Jump higher than buildings, run faster than cars, just save any car you like and teleport it near you whenever you feel like it, instead of taking the long ride to the garage, pilot Alien UFO's packing insane firepower, and much, much more.

Seriously, just take a look them vehicles :

http://saintsrow.wikia.com/Vehicles_in_Saints_Row_IV

Have your daily fill of LOL's with XKCD

It's the 21st century. In fact, it's 2015.If you still haven't read webcomics, you really haven't used the internet.

Anyways, this post introduces one of the most famous webcomics out there, with thousands of worldwide readers : XKCD comics. Updated every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, this webcomic founded and run by Randall Munroe since 2005 laughs at you, politics, science, maths, and the world in general. The sarcasm filled lines uttered by it's cast of stickman characters is guaranteed to leave you grinning, while rewiring your perspective of life behind your head.

And if you feel like getting maximum LOL's out in the shortest time, take a look at one of the many best of XKCD collections strewn across the internet:

http://www.attendly.com/38-of-the-best-xkcd-comics-about-the-internet-computers-and-programming/

http://www.bitrebels.com/entertainment/best-of-xkcd-the-greatest-nerd-webcomic/

Don't Panic : Have you got what it takes?

In this post I shall introduce you to a game that everyone who has ever read the infamous Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -MUST- try.

Don't know what is "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" ? (Have you been living under a rock? )
Well, it is a rather aptly described 'trilogy of five books' by Douglas Adams that takes you through a humor filled universe as you follow Arthur Dent as he is dragged across the space time continuum by fate, bad luck and a friend somewhere from the vicinity of Betelgeuse intent on seeing the marvels of the universe at 30 Altarian dollars, shortly after Earth is demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass.

But what this post is about, is not the book, but the text adventure game inspired by it. The original game is totally outdated, but the folks at the BBC built a revamped 30th anniversary edition for the Hitchhikers to play around. The game is a text-based game, which means you will have to type out your actions, which in turn makes for a lot of unexpected combinations. (Try asking random people about digital watches and giving sandwitches to stray dogs..)

And as the game's description warns you, you will die. A lot. Be prepared for plenty of grinding and unleashing you imagination to be as crazy as possible, because otherwise, well, you'll die even more.

And the best advice for playing this game is given right on the loading screen :Don't Panic!

Simulate physics with Powder Toy

How many of you want to be able to build a nuclear reactor and watch it have a meltdown (Without jeopardizing the existence of your neighborhood) , and start over from scratch?
How many of you want to make a futuristic city and blow it up in a shower of molten mercury?
How many of you want to make a complicated calculator working on logic gates and half adders?

The Powder Toy is a great physics simulator available in the web, which lets you achieve this and much more.

You can choose from tons of 'elements' and draw them on the screen for endless fun. From simply spamming dust all over the place as you watch a stickman get chased by 'fighters', to boiling water in a pot, to build a realistic arithmetic and logic unit capable of being programmed to process information (Well, that escalated quickly...) , Powder Toy forms a great sandbox where you can unleash your imagination unrestricted.

The elements come in every kind and type, ranging from subatomic particles (Complete with particle accelerators) to the insulators, electricity and wires to help electronics, the indestructible diamond, volatile materials like deuterium and plutonium, life elements that expand based on an algorithm, and pistons to move stuff around.

The download file is a mere 3.79 megabytes in size, and  runs right off the bat, without a needlessly complicated installation process. No online version is available at the moment. The program is totally free, and the source code is available in GitHub for aspiring programmers to contribute to the project.

The official website also has a friendly forum where anyone can ask help about anything regarding the game. The Powder Toy has a huge community that constantly makes and uploads saves that can browsed and opened by all users. You can upload your own saves after creating an account. Offline saving allows work in progress projects to be saved and back upped in case a circuit decides to have a meltdown, or a bomb explodes earlier than you intended. With more features like heat and velocity grids, stamp saving and lua support for scripts, there is little you will not find in it.

All this makes Powder Toy a wonderful little software to play around with, and is recommended for everyone to boost their imagination and bolster their understanding of scientific concepts.

Pokemon type coverage calculator

This one is for the Pokemon players out there ( Hey guys, I'm a pokemon player too!)

Especially in competitive battling, determining the 4 moves that will strike out the most opposing Pokemon is crucial to any strategy. And when determining type coverage, no tool is more efficient than PokemonDB's type coverage calculator.

You choose a maximum 4 types from the 18 available ones, and it immediately gives you the Pokemon that are immune, resistant, neutrally hit, and take super effective damage from those 4 moves. Efficient, isn't it?

Reasons to retain faith in humanity..

So what does a meme page usually carry? Bawdy jokes that cannot be cracked without insulting someone or the other? Criticizing flaws in everything from politics to video games?

Perhaps a touching post giving reasons to retain faith in humanity...
Wait..what?

http://www.memecenter.com/fun/4849905/faith-in-humanity-100

Like the page 'Vlad of Memecenter' in Facebook for more such posts!

Siri vs Cortana vs Google Now

Here is an interesting article that pits the 3 greatest personnel assistants on the planet against each other: Google's Google Now, Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana. Who will emerge victorious? Find out: https://www.stonetemple.com/great-knowledge-box-showdown/