Jimmy T Tran

July 4, 2024

London 2024

* London is an amazing city to bike around, but you don’t have to bring one, unless you plan on biking outside the central (your first trip to London, you will probably just be around the central). Biking around just made the city feel even smaller than it already does with the Underground. I had full access to London with the Undergro...
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April 13, 2024

Apple Fitness+

Laziness (and the curiosity that arises from it) led me to subscribe to Apple Fitness+ for the month. Low friction is what leads to a great exercise habit. The hurdle was seeing if my apartment gym has Wifi (it does), otherwise I would have been tethering it to my iPhone. I didn't want to use the iPhone because of the small screen (tho...
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March 24, 2024

My first unreal engine scene

Here is my first (chase) scene created in Unreal Engine. https://youtu.be/WNaV7o1ltpY Struggles in starting to learn Unreal Engine (by creating a chase scene): - Getting back to your project when Unreal Engine stalls or crashes (luckily I took notes on the pathway, to get back to projects) - Correcting key-animation trajectory of chara...
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February 19, 2024

Accidental Basketball

Saw a great meme from Kobe Bryant about "accidental basketball." What him and Phil Jackson were starting to see in the league were more players driving mindlessly to the rim, and when they suddenly realize that is the wrong idea, pass it out to somebody out on the 3-point line to shoot. Kobe didn't say "mindless" though implied. What I...
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January 6, 2024

A cautionary tale of injury

TLDR: 2 months ago, I tore my Achilles Tendon during a Pickleball game (though I do CrossFit 4 times a week as well). I finally got surgery on it today. Don't be a bonehead like me, and think it's not as serious as it actually is and get a doctor's diagnosis immediately after the injury. Mid-October: I go to pick up the pickleball duri...
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August 5, 2023

2 tech things I configured

Just got my Macbook serviced. The screen had to be replaced, which means my local data would get wiped. I love visiting websites for information, but find that websites are designed to suck you in for a long time. RSS feeds allow you to dip your toes in the stream, and dive deep at your leisure. My netnewswire feed got wiped so I had t...
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August 1, 2023

To install when I set up a new Mac

Install apps: -Hey -Beeper -Fantastical -Things Cloud -1Password -Chrome -BetterSnapTool -Highland 2 -Byword -Amphetamine -Effortless -Toothfairy -Front and Center -Mela Trying: -Arc -Warp Activate: -Tap to click -Three finger drag
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July 15, 2023

Oakland Airport

I booked an 8:45am flight to Las Vegas using the Oakland terminal. I usually book SFO because of the AMEX lounge, but Oakland Escape Lounge has a partnership with AMEX. I booked this later flight thinking it would give me enough time to get from Berkeley to Oakland Airport, but as I reasoned through the itinerary, BARTing from Berkeley...
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April 25, 2023

How to administer CAASPP

• Print out testing schedule • Get testing tote (clarify when I can get it) • Bookmark CAASPP • Re-register for User ID (First Time User? Request one now) • Write down path for all tests (ex. CAT ELA Grade 8/Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments/ELA/Grade 8 ELA CAT TEST) • Click on Test Administration Interface for all Online tests • ...
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March 25, 2023

Ben Brode at GDC

Really want to see this talk from Ben Brode at the GDC, but decent summary here. I like playing games where I also learn something. That's why I want to make/play a game about Southeast Asian history. Or a game about cooking. Update: Here is the link to the talk.
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March 20, 2023

Build a CCG?

- [ ] http://theliquidfire.com/2017/08/21/make-a-ccg-intro/ - [ ] YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOoQ0JTWjALQGkiDWw_ws21fanM2za02B - [ ] https://punkx.org/unix-pipe-game/ - [ ] https://dulst.com - [ ] https://www.galgagame.com - [ ] https://play.thespacewar.com - Star Realms - Star Wars (Deckbuilding) - Kards (WWII)
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March 14, 2023

Make a copy for each student in Google Classroom

You can only make a copy for each student in Google Classroom when you initially create the assignment.
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February 20, 2023

Betting

+100 means if I bet 1 dollar, I make 2 dollars -100 means if I bet 1 dollar, I make 50 cents The higher the plus, the less likely it will happen The more negative the minus, the more likely it will happen
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November 29, 2022

Marvel Snap stuff I learned about the hard way

* Spend your blue credits to upgrade your cards (faster upgrades from the shop are a ripoff) * Use your gold to buy daily mission refills * In the collection tab, cards that are upgradable (that have enough blue credits and boosters) will shimmer (you can also sort cards by clicking on that small left accordion tab on the lower left an...
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October 21, 2022

Millbrae

My dearest of friends are getting married. My flight is at 8:50am, boarding ending at 8:30am. Up until the week prior, I figured waking up early and taking the first BART to SFO would suffice. Then, I remembered one BART trip I took one morning to take my Police Academy physical test, which got delayed by a mentally ill passenger - how...
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July 3, 2022

Here's what I learned from playing 1 Year of Pickleball

It's just about 1 year of playing pickleball on a regular basis (3 days a week minimum for at least 2 hours, so 6 hours a week). But, if I do a true tally, it's more like 10 hours a week, now including Saturdays. Shout out to the Dars and where it all started: Booker T Anderson Park in Richmond. At first, of course I wasn't great. I do...
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March 20, 2022

The bug for moving platform

http://192.168.0.1/img/2022031918422800-1DC473CEFCA17AB42EE8681FFF996D70.jpg It matters that the invisible box is connected to the first input, the real box to the last
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March 12, 2022

Labo and Mario Kart Live

Going to experiment with 1 Mario Kart Live kit. Also going to buy a Vehicle Kit to see if we can print out replacement cardboard for the Labo.
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March 7, 2022

[Playdate Pulp] How to create a game with 4 rooms

• Click on Game • Click on the + icon (under Games) • Input a name for your game (that rhymes) • To make a Room: • Click on Room • Click on World • Design (with tiles) as you see fit • To make an exit to a Room • Click on Room • Under Layers, click on World • Click on the light gray tile under Tiles • Create a "hole" exit (design affor...
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March 6, 2022

Playdate Pulp 1

• All rooms have scripts (upper-right hand corner) • Events: the game loading, [the player] bumping into something, entering a new room • How to make Chiptune music • Pulp docs • Pulpscript docs • In documents, I copied Pulpscript's HTML, to use as a prototype for GBG • Under Games, click the New button (+) and enter a filename for you...
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March 1, 2022

Playdate SDK

It's out, and I don't want to deal with configuring Blot.
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February 22, 2022

[GBG] Mystery Room-Step 2-The Treasure Room

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February 22, 2022

[GBG] Mystery Room-Step 1: Peeking into 3 Dimensions

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January 23, 2022

Punching (GBG)

* Destroy objects Nodon (configure to the object you want to destroy, in this game's particular instance: sphere) * Connect it to the Person nodon (in settings, change the action to "Punch", so your person is facing forward) * Get a Button nodon, and connect it to the Person nodon
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January 23, 2022

Background music (GBG)

Connect a Constant value of 1 to Play BGM
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January 23, 2022

Teleporting on both sides

I made a bug when I overlaid the A and B Teleporation Entrances/Exits on top of each other. The bug makes sense. This was my solution, along with erecting a wall serving as a solution that draws the eye away from the teleporation points. I could refine, but this version 1 works. I also made both walls not solid so the moving platformer...
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January 18, 2022

How to add a moving platform (GBG)

• Counter needs to be adjusted to the dimensions of the game screen • Two boxes needs to be attached to the Free Slide Connector, one has to be switched off for visibility
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January 18, 2022

How to add a countdown timer (GBG)

- Get a *Number object* (Objects/Special objects/Number objects) - Get a *Counter object* (Middle/Flag-Counter-Random) * Change Mode to “Range”, Count range to 0-whatever max number you want, Count timing to “When not 0” [to count down]. * Connect it to the Number object - Get a *Constant object* (Input/Constant) * Change Output value ...
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January 15, 2022

Platformer

Platformer I've been obsessed with (developing for) Playdate, so much so, I have been looking at GB Studio (since Playdate's SDK isn't out yet). If I were to make a platformer, it would have to do with eggs, or food, and learning more about food (to help people become more educated about how to cook and be self-sustainable). Which remi...
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December 30, 2021

Workflow to Post Nintendo Switch posts (GBG)

The photos * Go to Photo Album in Nintendo Switch * Click on photo/video (you want to post) * Click "A" button and select "Send to Smartphone" [can do "one" or "batch"] * Scan the QR code 1 to generate QR code 2, which brings you to the local webpage on your phone, to download to your phone's gallery * On your selected photo(s), send t...
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