Tools

This is the last week fellas, and here I am to talk about our final topic: Tool.

Tool is a progressive rock band based out of Los Angeles with a huge following. Their best album by far is Aenima, followed by Lateralus, 10,000 Days and finally Undertow. I got to see them live once and it was alright. Anyway, tool is also known for...wait, we're supposed to talk about TOOLS!? Dang nabit, alright alright.

This is the last week fellas, and here I am to talk about our final topic: TOOLSSSSSSSSSSSSs.

What sort of tools you might ask? It's obviously going to be software tools, this is a cs blog after all. Anyway, tools are what separates humans from animals. For a computer scientist, we are dependent on so many pieces of software, it isn't even funny. Heck, without electrical engineers creating the hardware, we wouldn't even exist!

So what is the most important tool for any computer scientist? Well, since I clearly represent all computer scientist in the world, the one tool I use every single time are IDEs. (Integrated Development Environment)
Oh ho ho ho, what is an IDE you might ask? Was hoping you would say that. An IDE is a piece of software that helps programmers, well, program. It allows us to edit source code, compile programs, debug our programs, and even interpret them without having use translate it into machine code. They're the every day man's tool box for computer scientist. I will go into detail about two IDEs that I have used in the past/

The first is Blue J! Don't use it, it sucks.

The second is Eclipse! This bad boy not only allows me to write my source code in a clean and slick looking environment, but makes it so much easier to just type code, see what methods a specific object has, and auto corrects any error in my code! How cool is that! Now I'm not a seasoned enough engineer to detail the details as to what makes eclipse shine, but do know that it can program in multiple languages using simple plug ins. So if you're ever thinking of becoming a computer scientist or want to give your own shot at programming, use eclipse! It's great!

And remember, AVOID BLUE J! It sucks almost as bad as the Toronto Blue Jays and Jose Bautista bribing twitter followers.

Tee, J. (n.d.). What's the big IDE? Comparing Eclipse and NetBeans. What's the big IDE? Comparing Eclipse and NetBeans. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from http://www.theserverside.com/feature/Whats-the-Big-IDE-Comparing-Eclipse-vs-NetBeans

Viswanathan, P. (2014, February 24). Comparing Java IDEs: Eclipse vs. NetBeans vs. IntelliJ. About.com Mobile Devices. Retrieved May 17, 2014, from http://mobiledevices.about.com/od/additionalresources/fl/Comparing-Java-IDEs-Eclipse-vs-NetBeans-vs-IntelliJ.htm

Thompson, G. (2008, June 26). A Discussion of the BlueJ IDE with Two of Its Developers: Michael Kölling and Ian Utting. Java.net. Retrieved May 16, 2014, from https://today.java.net/pub/a/today/2008/06/26/bluej-interview.html

Computer Science in Sports

There are two things I like in this world.

1. Technology.

2...SPORTS!

That's right, this bad boy computer science nerd here is a huge sports fan! Representing the Oakland teams baby! Let's go Athletics, Raiders and Warriors!

You're probably asking yourself, "UGH SPORTS IN MY CS BLOG?"
Well before you alt-f4, let me tell you that computer science and sports are related!!!!!!!!!

No that was not a joke. The subject of computer science is actually applicable to the sporting world today. The usage of analytics in sports have been on the up and up. Pioneered by the Oakland Athletics and their "money ball" theory, the usage of statistical data and programs to calculate that data has spread throughout all the different sports. Almost every baseball team uses saber metrics. Even basketball teams, such as the Memphis Grizzlies, are known to adopt the science and strategies or statistics and data into their scouting decisions.

Computer science is the discipline that gives these scouts and general managers the tools to record and analyze this data. Software must be built to capture the motion of an athlete, points of contacts and position relative to other players. Software must also be used to gather all the current statistics occurring from everyday games and are compiled into one huge database that every team has access too. Without computer science, baseball today would still have been run by the highest paying teams, like the Yankees or Red Soxs. Teams with a small market, such as my Oakland Athletics or the Tampa Bay Rays, wouldn't know how to exploit market inefficiencies and would have to scout out every player by eye.

So thank you computer science, you've allowed my Oakland Athletics to be a competitive team in a game where the highest bidder usual wins. (Stupid Yankees and Giants.)

Demaj, D. (n.d.). Demaj: Using GIS Software for Sports Analytics. MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Retrieved May 16, 2014, from http://www.sloansportsconference.com/?p=8387

Narducci, M. (2013, January 30). Memphis committed to analytics.HoopsHype -. Retrieved May 16, 2014, from http://hoopshype.com/articles/narducci/memphis-committed-to-analytics

What is Sports Engineering?. (n.d.).International Sports Engineering Association. Retrieved May 16, 2014, from http://www.sportsengineering.co.uk/students/what-is-sports-engineering/

Videogame Beta Testing

Do you like video games? No? Too bad, this blog post is about video games.
Did you ever wanted to play a game before it came out? No? Then you're probably playing the wii.
Did you want to make a living play testing video games? Yes? Then prepare yourself for some two-tailing action from misery and poverty.

Beta testing is usually after alpha testing when the product and program has already been internally testing. Usually in a beta test, the product is thrown to the wilds for the consumers to give a more realistic test of the product. It is unlikely that the test will force any changes. The best use for beta testing is to test multi-player servers in video games and to test the stress levels of those servers.

So why is being a professional beta tester so bad? Well for one thing, you aren't playing these games for fun, you are playing these games to look for bugs. So that means repeating very minute and trivial things multiple times to see if the game breaks or explodes. Also, you are working with a very early build of the game. This means you don't get cool death animations, crazy explosions, pumping electronic music or even voice acting. It's a lonely and soulless position to be in when you're a "true" beta tester.

Morrison, B. (n.d.). Gamasutra: Brice Morrison's Blog - The Truth about Being a Beta Tester. Gamasutra Article. Retrieved May 16, 2014, from http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BriceMorrison/20130514/192197/The_Truth_about_Being_a_Beta_Tester.php

Centercode for Video Game Betas. (n.d.).Centercode Beta Blog. Retrieved May 16, 2014, from http://www.centercode.com/beta/types/games/