Archive for category Misc
Making an iPad app with JavaScript
Posted by Kelly Martinez in Blog, Computers, Misc, Twitter on May 16, 2013
So recently at work I’ve gotten tasked with making a kids/educational game for the iPad.
At the time of the project inception I hadn’t had the mobile training that I received up to this point. So, being a good web developer and JavaScript aficionado I chose a JS/HTML approach.
The Framework
Rather than re-invent the wheel I choose to go with a nice little app called Kiosk Pro (http://www.kioskproapp.com/). This app handles all the heavy lifting as far as locking users into the application and is able to run a nice little local web server (no WiFi needed). We went ahead and spent the $5 and went with Pro (as we didn’t need all the remote updating capability with Plus). An additional feature is you can drop the files right into the app with the free version of DiskAid (Mac).
The JavaScript Libraries
I used the following libraries to give it some zing:
jQuery – used this for fast development, but if performance becomes an issue I can probably switch this out for Vanilla JS
HammerJS – (don’t hurt ‘em) this library is a nice library for multi-touch and gestures (think swiping and tapping) http://eightmedia.github.io/hammer.js/
iOS Overlay – neat little library to display iOS style alerts. http://taitems.github.io/iOS-Overlay/
Move.js – for CSS3 animations. This works well to animate the HammerJS gestures. Swipe left and make the screen move left. If done right it can emulate native iPad transitions. http://visionmedia.github.io/move.js/
AudioFX – JS library for sound. https://github.com/jakesgordon/javascript-audio-fx/
Final Result
The final result is a simple kids game running totally on JavaScript and HTML without having to learn Objective-C. Admittedly, probably not as performant(sp) as native, but the user experience is perfectly fine.
I look forward to seeing how the kids interact with the game.
JS iPad Game
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Colorado GiveCamp: It’s A Wrap!
Posted by Kelly Martinez in Blog, Computers, Misc, Twitter on November 7, 2012
Give Camp Fall 2012 Voluteers
A couple weekends ago another Colorado Give Camp was brought to a close, this time in the picturesque town of Colorado Springs.
If you haven’t ever participated in a Give Camp the basic premise is a bunch of developers, project managers, and designers show up, are assigned to a non-profit charity, then spend the entire weekend building a (sometimes custom) solution for them. At the end all work is turned over to the charity at no cost to the charity.
Give Camp is a great way to network, learn something new, and just have fun working on a project that you can feel all warm and fuzzy about.
At the end there were also several awesome prize giveaways including a year free of PluralSight training, books, Git/GitHub training, and free software.
This was my third Give Camp event and they just keep getting better and better. As a developer pulling marathon coding and designing sessions are exactly my cup of tea.
Here’s a list of charities we helped over the course of the weekend:
First Congregational Church PreSchool: a non-profit that provides low cost high quality early childhood education to kids between three and six.
Stepping Stones of Windsor: a non-profit that provides emergency monetary assistance to people who have a notice of eviction or utility shutoff.
Mile High Weimaraner Rescue: a non-profit organization operated solely by volunteers dedicated to the welfare of the Weimaraner breed.
Pikes Peak Children’s Museum: non-profit group founding a new children’s museum to open in Colorado Springs with a goal open date of December 31, 2014
There were a lot of familiar faces and some new.
If you’re thinking about volunteering another camp is slated to happen in Spring 2013, location TBA.
Be sure to follow @COgivecamp on twitter check the website at coloradogivecamp.org.
See you next time!
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