For one, we always seem to get snowstorms about the same time of year in the late fall. One will come between Oct 1 – 15 and one around Thanksgiving. Then we usually get a big storm around Christmas and New Years, and then a couple in February, March, and April. The first storm I experienced after moving to Tahoe was over Thanksgiving in 2001. It snowed for three days without stopping. I remember I was living in Squaw Valley at the time and shoveled off my entire deck only to see it covered again with a foot of fresh snow in no less than an hour after finishing. I remember feeling seriously concerned that it was not going to stop snowing. That soon passed and I became quite custom to the bountiful precipitation. That year I remember it snowed about 6″ to 12″ every other day in December and late March and April deposited 3 five foot or better storms.

In the short time I have lived here I have also become well acquainted with as they say in Mexico, “El Niño”. The El Niño meaning the boy in spanish, in weather terms is an effect that occurs in the Pacific Ocean where it the water temperature measures .5 degrees Celsius warmer than average, when it’s .5 degrees colder, it’s La Nina. El Niño causes effects all over the world, but here it works to pull the jet stream further to the south drawing cold air and precipitation that would normally be hitting the Canadian coast down to the western United States… and Tahoe!

For years I have had speculation that El Niño occurs roughly every 10 years or so, but nobody has ever been able to offer any scientific proof… at least to me. So I have been speculating that one could theoretically predict what years would be good snow years by looking at three different aspects.

1. previous years with low temps
2. previous years with high precipitation
3. previous El Niño years

I am no Nostradamus, but I do understand one thing, history repeats itself and in my years of experience in the world of technology, the term algorithm has danced off the tip of my tongue more than once or twice. So this is my thought, “If you create an algorithm of the 3 aspects based on weather history and create a data map of likely future occurrences where all three match up, and then cross reference real-time weather patterns, you could effectively create a El Niño alert. So that is what I have set out to do. And I am gonna do it with an App!

Check back each week for updates to this multi-part blog “El Niño – Building Smart Mobile Apps for Your Own Pleasure” where I will cover the different aspects of designing a weather app from data research to design to user experience.

It was a beautiful day all in all. I kind of expected to run into a little more snow at the top, but there was only a few small patches that even ran 7″ deep. I took some pinhole pics along with the digital ones below. I will post them once I get the film developed.

Check it out!

1. Get a url when the button is clicked.

import flash.net.URLRequest;
import flash.net.URLLoader;
import flash.events.*;
// ADD EVENT LISTENER AND FUNCTION TO THE BUTTON
button_name.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, go);
function go(event:MouseEvent):void {
var url:String = "http://www.yourdomain.com";
var request:URLRequest = new URLRequest(url);
navigateToURL(request, '_self');
}


2. Import Data from a JSON Feed.

import flash.net.URLRequest;
import flash.net.URLLoader;
import flash.events.*;
import com.adobe.serialization.json.*;
// CREATE THE OBJECTS
var loader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
var request:URLRequest = new URLRequest();
// CONNECT TO AND LOAD THE DATA
request.url = "http://tahoedesigner.com/index.php?feed=json";
loader.load(request);
// ATTACH LISTENR TO LOADER OBJECT
loader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, decodeJSON) ;
// DECODE JSON
function decodeJSON(event:Event):void {
var loader:URLLoader = URLLoader(event.target) ;
var Blog:Array = JSON.decode(loader.data) ;
// TRACE JSON DATA
trace(Object[0].property);
// TRACE JSON DATA USING A LOOP
for (var key:Object in Blog) {
trace(Object[key].title) ;
trace(Object[key].excerpt) ;
trace(Object[key].date) ;
}
*/


3. Strip out characters or returns from a string.

var string:String = new String();
string = 'AS3 by Tahoe Designer \r\n AS3 is fun!';
string = string.split("\r").join("");
textBx.htmlText = string;


4. Load audio from an external mp3.

import flash.net.URLRequest ;
import flash.net.URLLoader ;
import flash.media.Sound;
import flash.media.SoundChannel;
import flash.media.SoundMixer;
var audio:Sound = new Sound(new URLRequest("http://yourdomain/audio.mp3"));
audio.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, doLoadComplete);
var audioChannel:SoundChannel = new SoundChannel();
audioChannel = audio.play();
audioChannel.addEventListener(Event.SOUND_COMPLETE, doSoundComplete);
function doLoadComplete($evt:Event):void
{
//trace("Song loaded.");
}
function doSoundComplete($evt:Event):void
{
//trace("Song done.");
}


5. Load audio from a mp3 in Flash library.

import flash.net.URLRequest ;
import flash.net.URLLoader ;
import flash.media.Sound;
import flash.media.SoundChannel;
import flash.media.SoundMixer;
var audio:audio_track;
audio=new audio_track();
var audioChannel:SoundChannel;
audioChannel = audio.play();
audioChannel.addEventListener(Event.SOUND_COMPLETE, doSoundComplete);
function doLoadComplete($evt:Event):void
{
trace("Song loaded.");
}
function doSoundComplete($evt:Event):void
{
trace("Song done.");
}


6. Set up a scrollbar for a textfield.

import flash.text.*;
import fl.controls.UIScrollBar;
import fl.controls.ScrollBarDirection;
// SET UP SCROLLBAR
var sb:UIScrollBar = new UIScrollBar();
sb.setSize(textBx.width, textBx.height);
sb.scrollTarget = textBx;
sb.x = textBx.x + textBx.width;
sb.y = textBx.y;
addChild(sb);
}

7. Set up CSS for a textfield.

import flash.text.*;
var style:StyleSheet = new StyleSheet();
textBx.styleSheet = style;
// CREATE THE OBJECT
var bold:Object = new Object();
bold.fontWeight = "bold";
bold.fontSize = 15;
bold.color = "#03aefe";
style.setStyle(".bold", bold);


Kellogg Co. is introducing new technology in the U.K. that allows it to burn its famous signature onto individual cereal flakes by using lasers.

Kellogg’s Corn Flakes with brandingEnlarge
The technology, which was developed in Britain, is being used in a trial to stamp out imitation cereals — which Kellogg calls “fake flakes” — by branding Corn Flakes with the company logo.

The news has caused quite a frenzy among U.K. outlets, with many wondering whether this was just Kellogg having some PR fun. But in a phone call the company confirmed that it possesses the technology to do the laser etching and that it’s planning a trial, though it clarified the illustration it supplied was a mock-up.

Kellogg makes 67 million boxes of Corn Flakes every year in the U.K., but the company struggles to get across the message that it doesn’t make cereals for anyone else, and it has lost ground to private-label imitations, or generics, in recent years.

Helen Lyons, lead food technologist at Kellogg, said in a statement, “There has been an increase in the number of [private labels] trying to capitalize on the popularity of Kellogg’s corn flakes. We want shoppers to be under absolutely no illusion that Kellogg’s does not make cereal for anyone else. We’re constantly looking at new ways to reaffirm this, and giving our golden flakes of corn an official stamp of approval could be the answer.”

Kellogg plans to produce a number of trial batches of the branded flakes to test the system. The company will then consider inserting a proportion of branded flakes into each box to guarantee the cereal’s origins and protect against imitation products. If the system is successful, it could be used on Kellogg’s other brands, including Frosties, Special K, Crunchy Nut and Bran Flakes.

The laser uses a concentrated beam of light that focuses the energy within the beam down to a very small spot on the corn flake. The energy density of the laser is enough to give the surface of the flake a darker, toasted appearance without changing the taste.

Ms. Lyons added, “We’ve established that it is possible to apply a logo or image onto food, now we need to see if there is a way of repeating it on large quantities of our cereal. We’re looking into it.”

The initiative comes despite Kellogg’s claim that sales of its Corn Flakes have risen this year, as shoppers with limited budgets opt for recognized, reliable brands. Its factory in Manchester, in the north of England, is the biggest Corn Flake production line in the world, churning out cereals 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Every year, 128 billion bowls of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes are eaten worldwide, in countries as far afield as Guatemala, Japan, Argentina and India.

via adage.com

For their experiment, described in full in an article in New Scientist this week, the researchers broke down Nintendo’s successful Super Mario Bros. in an
attempt to quantify what aspects made the game fun or frustrating for different
players. Some players, the researchers found, preferred fun tasks, such
as kicking turtle shells and acquiring coins, while others seemed to take more
pleasure in challenging tasks like clearing difficult jumps.

The research team has been presenting their preliminary data
at various computer intelligence conferences this fall. Their early results
suggest that controlling for certain features, such as reducing the number of
challenging jumps for fun-seeking players, improves players’ reception of the
game. But, for now, the researchers are still primarily focused on collecting and
analyzing player data. You can take theSuper Mario test yourself at this Web site (it requires a brief survey, then four rounds of a modified Super Mario level).

[Image from Pedersen, Togelius, Yannakakis 2009]

Case in point: Describe your idea of a good time,

A. Jumping off 40′ cliffs into 3 feet of fresh snow

B. Base Jumping from a 2500′ foot cliff in the Swiss Alps

C. Doing double gainers off 80′ cliffs into emerald pools of water

D. All of the above

If you are looking for E. None of the above, this might be a stretch for you to appreciate, but for many of my friends, local acquaintances and Squaw Valley fixture, J.T. Holmes the answer without reservation would be D. All of the above. I have to say that it must be something in the air around Tahoe because J. T. is considered by myself and most of the folks who know him to be just as normal as they come and just an all around talented good guy who enjoys pushing the envelope wherever it may be and having fun while doing so.

Whether you’re willing to stand side by side with J. T. or not you will definitely enjoy watching him show off his wing suit in this 60′ Minutes feature which aired last night:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

First chair of 2009/2010, baby! Literally. You can almost sense the stoke factor. Photo courtesy: Josh Duplechian.

It’s official, the 2009/2010 ski season has begun. Colorado’s Loveland Ski Resort switched on Chair 1 this morning around 9 a.m., becoming the very first mountain—Aristotle’s “primary mover”—to do so in North America. Thanks to a viral firestorm of Tweets, Facebook updates and video-blog announcements, a modest crowd and four local news crews were already gathered at the base at 8:30. The sun was out.

Now, make no mistake: Some opening days are more historic than others. And since this one is just getting underway, much remains to be seen … and skied. Therefore, some historical context is worth noting:

In Colorado particularly, claiming “first” is a big deal. It’s usually a battle of Loveland vs. Arapahoe Basin, two high-altitude neighbors along Colorado’s Continental Divide. Last year these resorts tied on Oct. 15. In 2007, A-Basin won, ending a 6-year streak for Loveland. Rivarly aside, today’s Oct. 7 opening date marks Loveland’s earliest opening in 40 years.

Opening days are always a celebration for dedicated skiers and riders, but it’s just the beginning. Consider Loveland’s offerings today: One run, one lift, one thousand feet of vertical, one rail (or box), and one slope-difficulty rating (green: Catwalk to Mambo to Home Run). The snow is mostly man-made and it’s laid 18 inches deep from “trees to trees” over a mile-plus long track, says Loveland’s marketing director, John Sellers.

“It’s not quite the so-called the White Ribbon of Death,” says Sellers. “Our snowmakers take a lot of pride in the work they do and they’ve been working hard to take back the title this year. But I also want to stress that [with respect to A-Basin] it is a friendly competition. They’re our neighbors across the pass.”

A-Basin, meanwhile, opens Friday.

It was only Tuesday that Loveland decided open this morning, and word spread quickly. “The decision was made around 1:00 p.m,” says Sellers. “It’s amazing the response we’ve gotten online.”

While Colorado began seeing early season snowstorms just over two weeks ago, Sellers credited the super early-bird opening to cold temperatures that were ideal snow-making conditions. “We started making snow September 1, which was three days earlier than last year. We did have some warm-ups, too, but when it was cold our guys were productive. And now we’re looking at opening a week earlier than last year,” says Sellers.

It’s always difficult to predict how many people will show up. Or what they’ll be wearing. “It’s hard to say with the crowds. How many people can get out of work on a Wednesday? But we’ll have hundreds, potentially a thousand. Being the first to open will definitely increase the crowd. We’re the only game in town,” says Sellers. There were around 40 enthusiastic skiers and riders lined up before the lift fired up, but the numbers will climb as the day goes on.

“It’s pretty exciting. You can feel it in the air. People get lined up early and they’ve got big smiles on their faces. It’s huge for Colorado to kick off the ski season for North America.”

Tickets to Loveland are $44 for adults and $21 for kids.

via EXPN

Dual-screen notebooks are out there, and while they may not look as cool as this Asus concept, they have some serious appeal to coders, designers, and other nerd-types who need pixel real-estate to go.

Want one? The company to see is Gscreen. Their Spacebook, due out very soon on Amazon.com, combines two 15.4-inch screens into one 8.7 pound notebook. The rest of the specs do the overkill justice: Core 2 Duo running at 2.8 or 2.53GHz, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, and a 512MB Nvidia 9800M GT graphics card to power the screens.

Lest you think this product a fluke, more dual-screen notebooks are on the way. Kohjinsha is packing two 10.1-inchers into one notebook too, as seen at CEATEC.

Lenovo also has their own version in the works.