Share & Discuss Recent Accomplishments

[collinsmark]

This thread is about accomplishments. Feel free to post about and discuss any recent accomplishment that you have made.

Accomplishments can be as mundane as getting out of the bed during a bad week, all the way up to life changing ones such as graduation, getting married, landing a new job, etc.

"Today" doesn't strictly need to be today; anything mildly recent is fine.

 

[collinsmark]

Today I accomplished releasing my first app! Fish Sim for Cats is officially available on iOS (for Apple iPad and iPhone products), Android (all Android devices with a touchscreen) and Amazon (Kindle Fire and Amazon fire devices).

Here's a video of it:



It's a free app. I'm not making any money on this. It's for the cats! (And for my own learning experience.)

----

The project started about a year ago. My sister, who is a veterinarian, suggested that I write an app for cats. The idea isn't wholly new; there are apps for cats that already exist, even ones involving fish. My app is an attempt to improve upon an existing genera.

It took me a little more than month or so to learn the tools, model up the fish and program up the code. Then about another month of testing and fine tuning. By the way, if you're curious, each fish is given a small amount of artificial intelligence (AI) and the fundamental key of the AI revolves around vector cross products. Other than that, the AI is pretty straightforward and simple.

They say that when designing your first game,

• Keep it simple.
• Focus on getting the game released.

That's because the vast, vast majority of games never reach completion. If the original goals are too ambitious the game inevitably becomes too overwhelming and is abandoned long before release. So my game is intentionally simple. That's okay with me; I figure cats prefer it that way.

So once the game was written, I needed some promotional materials to go along with it (screenshots and a video). That's not my strong-suit (as is evident by the YouTube video. Ha!). I'd rather be coding up the fish AI and water ripples than editing video. So I spent the better part of the year procrastinating the marketing materials.

One thing I did like is the music for the video though. I don't consider myself much of a songwriter, but I think it came out okay. "Sleeps With the Fishes" is a song inspired in part by a dream that @OmCheeto had where he met @Borek in a pet fish shop. @Silicon Waffle fits in there somehow or another too. I promised to explain myself back in the very first page of this thread:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/random-thoughts-part-5.851969/#post-5343688

So that's what that was all about.

So finally, within the last several weeks I learned the ins and outs of how to post an app to the Apple Apps Store, Google Play and Amazon. I guess the process isn't as complex as I feared. It all went pretty smoothly.

I'm looking forward to starting something new now!

Anyway, here are the links to download it if you are interested:

Apple (iPad, iPhone and iPod touch):
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fish-sim-for-cats/id1130471436?mt=8

Google Play (for Android devices):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ShadyCrypt.FishSimForCats&hl=en

Amazon (supports most Kindle Fire and Amazon Fire devices)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HX1JATK/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[Mondayman]

Today I got out of bed at 5AM, completed a full workout, went on a serious job hunt, and potentially helped solve a case involving an armed robbery that occurred last week. I also got my finals marked and returned: did well enough to get A's in all three classes.

This is far from an ordinary day for me so I thought I'd share it (as my name indicates, I'm more of a Monday person).

 

[collinsmark]

Today I finally accomplished putting a link to Physics Forums in my website. (Sorry Greg, I should have done that long ago. )

 

[Mondayman]

Today I topped 30000 steps on my fitbit.

 

[thedailyshoe]

I d

Today I accomplished releasing my first app! Fish Sim for Cats is officially available on iOS (for Apple iPad and iPhone products), Android (all Android devices with a touchscreen) and Amazon (Kindle Fire and Amazon fire devices).

Here's a video of it:



It's a free app. I'm not making any money on this. It's for the cats! (And for my own learning experience.)

----

The project started about a year ago. My sister, who is a veterinarian, suggested that I write an app for cats. The idea isn't wholly new; there are apps for cats that already exist, even ones involving fish. My app is an attempt to improve upon an existing genera.

It took me a little more than month or so to learn the tools, model up the fish and program up the code. Then about another month of testing and fine tuning. By the way, if you're curious, each fish is given a small amount of artificial intelligence (AI) and the fundamental key of the AI revolves around vector cross products. Other than that, the AI is pretty straightforward and simple.

They say that when designing your first game,

• Keep it simple.
• Focus on getting the game released.

That's because the vast, vast majority of games never reach completion. If the original goals are too ambitious the game inevitably becomes too overwhelming and is abandoned long before release. So my game is intentionally simple. That's okay with me; I figure cats prefer it that way.

So once the game was written, I needed some promotional materials to go along with it (screenshots and a video). That's not my strong-suit (as is evident by the YouTube video. Ha!). I'd rather be coding up the fish AI and water ripples than editing video. So I spent the better part of the year procrastinating the marketing materials.

One thing I did like is the music for the video though. I don't consider myself much of a songwriter, but I think it came out okay. "Sleeps With the Fishes" is a song inspired in part by a dream that @OmCheeto had where he met @Borek in a pet fish shop. @Silicon Waffle fits in there somehow or another too. I promised to explain myself back in the very first page of this thread:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/random-thoughts-part-5.851969/#post-5343688

So that's what that was all about.

So finally, within the last several weeks I learned the ins and outs of how to post an app to the Apple Apps Store, Google Play and Amazon. I guess the process isn't as complex as I feared. It all went pretty smoothly.

I'm looking forward to starting something new now!

Anyway, here are the links to download it if you are interested:

Apple (iPad, iPhone and iPod touch):
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fish-sim-for-cats/id1130471436?mt=8

Google Play (for Android devices):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ShadyCrypt.FishSimForCats&hl=en

Amazon (supports most Kindle Fire and Amazon Fire devices)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HX1JATK/?tag=pfamazon01-20

so i downloaded your app.
It's definitely not competitive or unique, as you said; but for a first-timer job well done! What software did you use to make this and what code language?

 

[collinsmark]

so i downloaded your app.
It's definitely not competitive or unique, as you said; but for a first-timer job well done! What software did you use to make this and what code language?

I modeled the fish up (including fin and body animations) using Blender. The textures (fish scales, fins and such) were handmade in Photoshop. The game engine used was Unity. All the code (programming) was written in C#.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I just adjusted the drum brakes on my Beetle. They feel great right after you've adjusted them, more solid than ever, but it seems to only take a month for them to feel they need to be adjusted again.

 

[jtbell]

Wow, that takes me back to the Beetle that I owned 1981-89. It was my first car, a hand-me-down from my parents a couple years before finishing grad school. I don't remember ever adjusting the brakes, but I did change the oil and spark plugs, and adjust the timing, and maybe some other things, using this book as my Bible:

 

[jtbell]

I did in fact accomplish something today, just a few minutes ago in fact, which led me to this thread in the first place...

I finally set up a login account with OnStar, the communication/diagnostics/navigation/security system that our three-year-old car uses, and switched to a service plan that costs less per month.

When we bought the car, the dealer walked us through the setup while we were sitting in the car. We had a free trial period, and then the monthly payments kicked in. We used the turn-by-turn directions a couple of times, and then we got a free Garmin unit as a hand-me-down from one of my wife's former colleagues. We prefer the Garmin because it displays a map, whereas the OnStar display in our car doesn't. And we have no need for hands-off phone calling because I'm hearing-impaired and my wife can use her cell phone when she's in the passenger seat.

But I never got around to adjusting our plan until just now, after OnStar sent an e-mail reminding me to check our billing details in case we need to change the credit card.

I still remember the first time we used the turn-by-turn navigation, as we were driving home from the car dealer. It started giving us directions for the familiar route home. Then we decided that we needed to stop for groceries, so we turned off the route, and OnStar started nagging us (vocally) to turn around and get back on the highway.

 

[Mondayman]

Today I accomplished absolutely nothing.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Wow, that takes me back to the Beetle that I owned 1981-89. It was my first car, a hand-me-down from my parents a couple years before finishing grad school. I don't remember ever adjusting the brakes, but I did change the oil and spark plugs, and adjust the timing, and maybe some other things, using this book as my Bible:

I believe that book is the main reason there are so many air-cooled Volkswagens still around today. Muir managed to create the impression it was the perfect car for the shade-tree mechanic, that anyone could master a Volkswagen.

 

[OmCheeto]

I believe that book is the main reason there are so many air-cooled Volkswagens still around today. Muir managed to create the impression it was the perfect car for the shade-tree mechanic, that anyone could master a Volkswagen.

I did it at 16, so, yah.

ps. Ok. So I ended up with a coffee can full of spare nuts and bolts, and it had 4 reverse gears, and only one forward gear, when the project was finished... but... "Damn it Jim! I'm 16! I'm not an auto-mechanic!"

pps. Today I accomplished, reconnecting with one of my first mentors: Jacob Bronowski;

"Science is a very human form of knowledge. We are always at the brink of the known; we always feel forward for what is to be hoped. Every judgment in science stands on the edge of error and is personal. Science is a tribute to what we can know although we are fallible. In the end, the words were said by Oliver Cromwell: "I beseech you in the bowels of Christ: Think it possible you may be mistaken."​

I am often, mistaken.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Today I tackled a stupid chore I've been putting off for months. Over the years it seems about a thousand different curtain rod mounting systems must have been put over my kitchen window. The last handyman to put his mind to this covered all the previous holes by creating an unsightly mound of plaster and painting over it. I scraped all that plaster away, filled the holes properly, and sanded it flush with the rest of the wall.

 

[Borg]

Today I accomplished writing a script to remove unwanted links to non-existant accounts from my 401K page. Some background - my company recently changed from Charles Schwab to Fidelity for handling their 401K accounts for their employees. From the very beginning, the Fidelity page has had not only my 401K but also links to non-existant accounts for nearly every company that I've worked for over the last 30 years. They keep claiming that they get the information from the companies but one of them had a fire in the 80's and they have no record that I ever worked for them. Fidelity got rid of most of the links but no matter how many times they remove it, one company's empty 401K plan keeps showing up on the page. Today, after months of this, I finally got fed up enough to write a simple GreaseMonkey script to rip out the offending account along with various ads to over-priced account consulting services.

 

[Aufbauwerk 2045]

I think this is a good thread. I wish more people would contribute. What follows is my 2 cents worth in order to try to keep it going.

I figured out an alternative to self-driving cars!

Here is my reasoning. We would like a transportation system that is safe, reliable, inexpensive, and green. It should allow us to get rid of the ugly, inefficient, and dangerous highway system. No more worries about automobile accidents. No more traffic jams. No more pollution-spewing internal combustion engines. No more auto insurance. No more costly maintenance.

It should be able to operate day or night. No worries about driving when it's raining or on icy roads. No worries about potholes, detours, or traffic cones.

Of course we would not be required to drive at all. We would not need a license. We could relax or even sleep while on our way to our destination. There could be a built-in alarm to wake us up when we arrive. There would be numerous stops on some of the routes, so we would not be locked into a long trip. There would be ample room for luggage. There could even be assistants to help with bags when needed.

What I picture is something like this. We have a sort of metallic road consisting of two parallel rails. The vehicle would have special wheels, enabling it to travel along these double rails. Each vehicle could carry many people at one time. Of courses it would be enclosed, but it would have windows just like an automobile. They could board using what I have named a "ticket" after the tickets you purchase to gain entry to a theater.

I haven't worked out details of the power system. I leave that to the mechanics.

I think this idea would revolutionize transportation in so many ways. It's such an improvement over our insane system of automobiles. In fact, I'm surprised no one else has thought of it.

I'm still working on the name for this system.

Now I just need a venture capital group to back me.

 

[late347]

I refreshed my memory about trig equations and did homework. I was rather proud of my information-seeking and self- learning efficiency because our class went quite fast through trig equations. But during the weekend I managed to do all my homework. So that was something I accomplished yesterday rather than today but there you go.for new goals for today, I will have to do some java coding

 

[Dembadon]

Last night, I figured out why a certain distribution circuit in our region's grid was experiencing voltage flicker. It wasn't the usual case of someone failing to properly size a transformer; it was a case of a failed component that lead to a voltage divider on the circuit, which cut its potential in half. A simple fix, but a difficult problem to track down due to the lack of information available from the local utility company, and the finger-pointing that ensues when certain issues are brought to light. We've made our recommendation, now let's hope they resolve the issue in a timely manner.

 

[Andy SV]

Today I accomplished day three in bed
of the flu

 

[ironidas]

Today I accomplished day three in bed
of the flu

Ahahaha well done. Congratulation I wish I will do better.

 

[phinds]

Today I finished the first stage of the first major revamp of my wood identification website in many years. Up to now, each wood page has just given the name(s) of the wood and jumped right into a display of images of the wood. Now I've added, for the 60+ woods for which I have done "fact sheets", a new section up front that shows representative views and some info on distinguishing characteristics to allow folks to make a quick determination as to whether or not this is the wood they are looking for. Now I just have to do the same thing for another 300+ woods