I'm actually not working on any games right now. My current project is a solar-powered water desalinization system. I have an idea for how to build paraboloid mirrors and sun-tracking systems very cheaply, so I will be trying it out pretty soon (i.e. as soon as I get my first pay check at my new job so I can buy supplies).

Cool! Besides that, are you still pushing the BAR thing?

A network distributed path tracer. For updates check this: http://blog.0x3a.com/

Basically aiming for a cross platform version, at the moment the server syncs with all the clients and has control over them. There's a hardcoded max of 256 clients but that can be expanded of course. I Do need to find the goldy lock zone for synchronization and network lag.

I'm working on a manual for my CNC file editor, and I'm planning to continue my paper modeler program.

I'm working on a manual for my CNC file editor, and I'm planning to continue my paper modeler program.

And adding a new set of features to the CNC editor. Hopefully I'll be done with it in 8-10 horus.

[quote name='capn_midnight' timestamp='1304913284' post='4808365']
I'm actually not working on any games right now. My current project is a solar-powered water desalinization system. I have an idea for how to build paraboloid mirrors and sun-tracking systems very cheaply, so I will be trying it out pretty soon (i.e. as soon as I get my first pay check at my new job so I can buy supplies).

Cool! Besides that, are you still pushing the BAR thing?
[/quote]

Yeah, I'm still brewing, I'm still learning more about the food industry, I just can't do it until I have more funds and a proper partner. Turns out my friend who said he wanted to sell me his bar was full of shit. I knew he was lazy, but I didn't realize he just straight up bullshits all the time. Apparently, he had just been telling people he wanted to sell to drum up interest in the place. I don't really know why he thought attracting potential investors would attract new customers, but he's has a lot of strange ideas anyway. Anyway, at least I didn't learn the hard way that he'd make a bad business partner.

I'm trying to focus a lot more on small, obtainable projects these days. The solar-death-ray-cum-water-purifier is something were there are no original parts, just an original combination. I have a second project that is super-secret (I can say that it's a music toy, I'm trying to get this one patented), I have all the parts to build it, I've done some simple prototypes, I just need to put soldering iron to PCB. I recently posted about a Tetris game I wrote where two players competed against each other by arm wrestling, that was a fun build and a very good mix of 80% things I know and 20% new things to learn, instead of more like 50/50 on previous projects. Seems to be working out well.

I'm actually not working on any games right now. My current project is a solar-powered water desalinization system. I have an idea for how to build paraboloid mirrors and sun-tracking systems very cheaply, so I will be trying it out pretty soon (i.e. as soon as I get my first pay check at my new job so I can buy supplies).

Desalinization by evaporation and condensing? What methods are you using for condensation collection? And is this an open project, or are you doing this as a start up venture?

Now I need to dig up the pages of math I did back in high school for fixed mirror with moving heat collector for such a system. Offered the chance of having far fewer things go wrong, and a system that was easier to operate in fully manual mode. I just can't remember if I ever got the numbers to work out or not. (I know I put it aside for a reason, I just don't remember what that reason was.)

Creating a generalized state machine for Unity3D, with visual editor for states/links. Should help with rapid prototyping, and for teaching my classes.

[quote name='capn_midnight' timestamp='1304913284' post='4808365']
I'm actually not working on any games right now. My current project is a solar-powered water desalinization system. I have an idea for how to build paraboloid mirrors and sun-tracking systems very cheaply, so I will be trying it out pretty soon (i.e. as soon as I get my first pay check at my new job so I can buy supplies).

Desalinization by evaporation and condensing? What methods are you using for condensation collection? And is this an open project, or are you doing this as a start up venture?

Now I need to dig up the pages of math I did back in high school for fixed mirror with moving heat collector for such a system. Offered the chance of having far fewer things go wrong, and a system that was easier to operate in fully manual mode. I just can't remember if I ever got the numbers to work out or not. (I know I put it aside for a reason, I just don't remember what that reason was.)
[/quote]

Yes, using the parabolic mirror, similar to what you would find in a large reflector telescope, to boil a container of water and some sort of fractionating column to condense the water separate from other liquids that might be in the water (i.e. certain hydrocarbons). I haven't gotten to the condensing part yet, I reckon I can figure that out after I get a pot of water boiling. I haven't decided if this will be an open project or not, so for now it is not (though I haven't built anything to worry about yet). I have a friend who has done some varied experimentation with Fresnel lenses (scavenged from rear projection TVs), Fresnel mirrors (hand made), and parabolic trough mirrors (i.e. parabolic in one axis, linear in the other; also hand made), so we're working together to try to figure out ways to build full parabolic mirrors. I have two ideas for techniques that should make a "good enough" mirror, since I won't be using it for imaging.

[quote name='owl' timestamp='1304914266' post='4808368']
[quote name='capn_midnight' timestamp='1304913284' post='4808365']
I'm actually not working on any games right now. My current project is a solar-powered water desalinization system. I have an idea for how to build paraboloid mirrors and sun-tracking systems very cheaply, so I will be trying it out pretty soon (i.e. as soon as I get my first pay check at my new job so I can buy supplies).

Cool! Besides that, are you still pushing the BAR thing?
[/quote]

Yeah, I'm still brewing, I'm still learning more about the food industry, I just can't do it until I have more funds and a proper partner. Turns out my friend who said he wanted to sell me his bar was full of shit. I knew he was lazy, but I didn't realize he just straight up bullshits all the time. Apparently, he had just been telling people he wanted to sell to drum up interest in the place. I don't really know why he thought attracting potential investors would attract new customers, but he's has a lot of strange ideas anyway. Anyway, at least I didn't learn the hard way that he'd make a bad business partner.

I'm trying to focus a lot more on small, obtainable projects these days. The solar-death-ray-cum-water-purifier is something were there are no original parts, just an original combination. I have a second project that is super-secret (I can say that it's a music toy, I'm trying to get this one patented), I have all the parts to build it, I've done some simple prototypes, I just need to put soldering iron to PCB. I recently posted about a Tetris game I wrote where two players competed against each other by arm wrestling, that was a fun build and a very good mix of 80% things I know and 20% new things to learn, instead of more like 50/50 on previous projects. Seems to be working out well.
[/quote]

Yeah. The initial investment is the hardest part of opening such a business. For the water purifier are you going to use one of these?