Brandon Adamson’s Skytrain to Nowhere is an 80-page book of what he calls “free-form poetry.” If that term usually causes you to run very fast in the opposite direction, don’t worry. To be sure the writing is carefully crafted in poetry style, but never overwrought or incomprehensible. Indeed most poems would pass as (very) short … Continue reading “Skytrain to Nowhere”
Oppo Obituary
After almost exactly 4.5 years, my Oppo BDP-105D (a monumental audiophile Blu-ray player) has died a heat death. The player would shut off spontaneously after about two hours of operation, then when turned back on would shut off again after only 15 minutes or so, unless it got enough time to cool off. Disappointing for … Continue reading “Oppo Obituary”
Algorithms for Computer Games
Algorithms and Networking for Computer Games — Jouni Smed & Harri Hakonen, Wiley 2017 (2nd ed.), ISBN 978-1-119-25976-3 As the title indicates this book comprises two major parts, with about 220 pages presenting a broad variety of general algorithms, and another 70 pages on architecture and algorithms for networked games. The first part covers just … Continue reading “Algorithms for Computer Games”
Messe München-Riem
Last year I posted a gallery on the peculiar geometrical horrors of Munich’s Messestadt Riem. As noted there the Messestadt got its name from the nearby trade fair (Messe München). While also modern, the grand spacious architecture of the main Messe entrance around its artificial lake (Messesee) is much more impressive than Messestadt’s endless rows … Continue reading “Messe München-Riem”
Schloss Nymphenburg
Schloss Nymphenburg (more details) is a vast Wittelsbach palace and park complex in Munich. Completed in 1675, the palace was originally situated some distance from the city but today is wholly engulfed by it. I always wanted to post a gallery of it, and since I somewhat botched my first gallery with the Sony DSC-HX90 … Continue reading “Schloss Nymphenburg”
Aying: Beer & Architecture
If extinct Prussia was an army that had a state, Aying is the Bavarian equivalent: a brewery that has a village. In ascending order of importance, Aying refers to a spacious municipality to the southeast of Munich, with a total population of 5200 resulting in a density that rivals Antarctica; next, the chief village of … Continue reading “Aying: Beer & Architecture”
Sony DSC-HX90: Pocket Ultrazoom
Having concluded that long telephotos on a full-frame camera are really quite awkward, I decided to check out current offerings in the small-sensor market. Some models can achieve a full-frame equivalent zoom of nearly 1000 mm, as the small sensor effectively crops out the center of an imaginary full-frame shot. Many compact cameras look and … Continue reading “Sony DSC-HX90: Pocket Ultrazoom”
Tierpark Hellabrunn with SEL-70300 and Minadax
Some years ago I got a Minadax 1.7× teleconverter of the front-mounted persuasion. In my first Hellabrunn zoo gallery you can see it in action on my Sony A7R II with the SEL-70200G f/4 lens, achieving a total effective focal length of nearly 340 mm. That’s good but since then I discovered the SEL-24240 lens … Continue reading “Tierpark Hellabrunn with SEL-70300 and Minadax”
3DViewer: Better 3D for JavaFX
JavaFX has long had basic 3D capabilities, although you might not guess it as some outdated package descriptions still only speak of “two-dimensional geometry.” Oracle offers an online tutorial for JavaFX 3D, and JavaFX by Example devotes a chapter to it. Here’s a brief overview: Package javafx.geometry defines a 3D bounding box and a fairly … Continue reading “3DViewer: Better 3D for JavaFX”
Java SE 10: C# Porting Release
Oracle has recently released Java SE 10, and as usual you can find all the requisite information and links on their overview page. This is the first version that follows last year’s accelerated release scheme, with a new major version dropping every six months. Looking at the final specifications you might well wonder what’s so … Continue reading “Java SE 10: C# Porting Release”