steve dunstan.com

I found this new “web site” on the Internet yesterday. If you would like to check it out yourself, the URI is http://www.facebook.com.  Apparently, the idea is to make virtual friends and to expand your “social network”. 

I think these guys are on to something.

Previously, I thought I was too old for Facebook. It turns out, there are people even older than me friending, etc.  I can’t wait to get back in touch with all my Snobson High friends again so they can give me virtual wedgies in the locker room. I will reciprocate by virtually looking down and muttering to myself. Maybe I’ll be allowed to enter the virtual smoking area for some quality time with the stoners. 

For me, Facebook is a healthy dose of fresh shame.  Next week: MySpace.

Here is the #2 camera in all of Japan: http://technabob.com/blog/2008/12/22/takara-tomy-xiao-camera-poops-pictures/

(YAPAP=Yet Another Post About Poop)

Someday, alien archeologists will look back at my blog and marvel at what a dipshit I was. Yep, good times.

I am writing an xml style sheet that transforms a COLLADA description of a 3D model into Apple plist XML.  I can then write an Objective-C utility class that factories all my OpenGL geometry.  This makes me feel less depressed about aliens from the future mocking me.

http://www.27bslash6.com/scanningfineart.html

Unbelievably, I think I am on the right track with my 3D application development workflow. I can’t believe people actually write software like this!  It seems so archaic and inelegant.  You literally need to list all the vertices for every 3D object in your program.  There seems to be a minimum of three different parts: your wireframe (or vertices), “normals” that help define curved surfaces, and textures.

I am beginning to do some 3D game programming for the iPhone.

The iPhone uses the OpenGL ES platform for 3D graphics.  It works across most other operating systems and graphics hardware implementations.  The API has a little learning curve and, it seems, enough subtleties to drive people a little nuts.  The hardest part seems to be coming up with all the little virticies that make up your 3D model.

I can’t be sure yet, but I think many people use modeling tools like Maya for the purpose of 3D modeling.  Maya is very expensive (thousands of dollars.)  Blender seems to do the same thing and is open source.  I plugged in a Python script for saving my Blender model as a header file and I nearly had a workflow for writing 3D games for the iPhone.

Tomorrow, I am going to an iPhone developer mini-conference hosted by Apple. I’ll get the real scoop and report back…