Semester One Almost Complete

Semester One of the very first class in Entertainment Systems is almost over - just the small matter of EXAMS to sort out!

Pictured are the combined class of Entertainment Systems, Computer Forensics, Physics w/ Computing and Applied Computing - well those who were in for first class on Friday morning that is!

The creative programming sketchbook Processing is out of Beta and version 1.0 has been released. Looking forward to getting stuck into this package as its development has been mightily impressive. For the uninitiated:

"Processing is a programming language, development environment, and online community that since 2001 has promoted software literacy within the visual arts. Initially created to serve as a software sketchbook and to teach fundamentals of computer programming within a visual context, Processing quickly developed into a tool for creating finished professional work as well."

I've heard that Processing integrates very nicely with audio packages so one could develop an audio engine in SuperCollider and then do a funky front end in Processing. Music technology students can expect to be seeing these packages in future modules!

Morgan Stanley Programming Challenge

Are you ready for the challenge?

This autumn Morgan Stanley's Technology Division have launched the 2nd Morgan Stanley Student Programming Contest and this season the contest is open to students from all across Europe.

The contest is an online programming competition, designed internally by a team of Morgan Stanley Technologists to challenge students to implement a set of programs that solve exciting algorithmic problems.

This years prizes include a Dell XPS M1710 Gaming Laptop, an XBOX 360 Elite, an iPod Nano and a debugger prize of an Iomega Prestige Portable 500 GB Hard Drive.

Visit the Morgan Stanley Pro Contest Website for more information and to register.

Irish middleware company Havok and Intel have launched a worldwide competition with a cash prize of US$40,000 to find the “next big thing” in video game development. Entitled the Havok Physics Innovation Contest, amateur game developers are being asked to create an inventive, playable PC game demo using the Intel sponsored no-charge PC version of the Emmy award-winning Havok Physics software. Supporting the growth of future video game developers, Havok’s goal is to drive innovation and creativity for the use of physics in game developing worldwide.

Read more about the Havok Physics Innovation Contest

Semester 1 Exam Timetable

The timetable for Semester 1 exams has been published. Put these dates in your diary:

• 15 Dec. 9.15: Computing Essentials (Main Hall)
• 17 Dec. 9.15: Discrete Mathematics (F06,F08,F09)
• 19 Dec. 11.45: Software Development Lifecycle (E19A,E19B,E15)
• 22 Dec. 11.45: The Entertainment Industry (Main Hall)

They've also been added to the Entertainment Systems Google Calendar.

Alas Poor Blu-Ray, We Hardly Knew Ye ...

Analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates has stated the current economic climate will have a negative impact on Blu-Ray adoption this Christmas. He claims that people just don't have the cash to go upgrading their home entertainment systems. In reference to internet-based video-on-demand services, he also notes:

If you can get movies over the wire on demand and have an entire library at your disposal on the screen, that's the way you're going to go.

When it comes to Blu-Ray, I really don't see what the fuss is all about. I believe that the general public does not need to watch everything in full-HD, certainly not having recently only upgraded from VHS to DVD. DVD brought a wow-factor picture and sound quality, as well as being much more convenient than VHS. However, blu-ray doesn't really offer all that more, certainly not enough to justify a new player costing €300 and discs that start at €25. Also, viewers need to have a full HD TV set on top of the player and despite what the media may have reported, not everyone has a giant flatscreen at home.

I predict that blu-ray will sell poorly this Christmas and next year, the price of players and discs will halve. I still don't think this will generate the sales numbers the industry hopes. Meanwhile, the installation of media-centres will increase and (mostly illegal) video downloads will shoot through the roof. The industry will move to more convenient video download services by next year, with the iTunes store being made available in more countries.

That's my €0.02 anyway. What do you think?

Atari and Ireland

You'd be forgiven for believing that the games industry was relatively new to Ireland. However, Jamie McCormick has a great article over on gamedevelopers.ie about how Atari once had a development division in Ardfinnan (Co. Tipperary) in the 1970s, employing over 200 people at its height.

Read Atari and Ireland

Multimedia Jobs in Ireland

Multimediajobs.ie is a website that is dedicated to posting vacancies in the Irish multimedia domain. The current crop of Entertainment Systems students haven't even completed Semester 1, but it's worth keeping an eye on the jobs market (and the salaries!) all the same.

Current vacancies include an Audio Visual Manager (¢40-60k), Digital Media Planner (negotiable salary) and various development roles (all around ¢50k).

Are You a PC or a Mac

If you're thinking of buying a new computer and can't decide between a PC or a Mac, the following guide from switched.com might be of assistance. It breaks the argument down to a number under a number of categories: ease of use, media, performance, hardware, accessories, software, security, gaming, battery life (for laptops), support and cost.

Mac vs PC - Which is for You?