Android Chess Clock 1.0-b5 released

Written by Tom Hublek on February 18th, 2010

Today I released minor upgrade of Android Chess Clock. Major features implemented:

  • “Click” sound when players swapped
  • Application should be available also for devices like HTC Tattoo (explicit declaration of small screen support in AndroidManifest.xml)
  • Minor redesign of about screen
  • Updated Android Market text.
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Android Chess Clock 1.0-b4 released…

Written by Tom Hublek on February 15th, 2010

I’m happy to announce that next release of Android Chess Clock was released today. For me it is important release as this is first one that I tested on my own Android Phone. There are many new features.

Screenshots of new features

image image image
Selection of calculation
methods
Bronstein time control
configuration
New Icon

Full new features & bug fixes list

  • Bug fixes
    • Fixed issue with incorrect reset when coming back from Configuration screen via Cancel button
  • New features
    • New icon
    • Added new time control calculation methods:
      • Simple Delay
      • Fischer
      • Bronstein
    • Added button allowing bug report

Coming soon

  • Hourglass method
  • Support for Go & Scrabble time control approaches
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Android Chess Clock 1.0-b3 released today

Written by Tom Hublek on February 6th, 2010

I have released next version of Android Chess Clock. Major change is refactoring of calculation engine to support multiple calculation strategies in future. Although this change is not visible for user today it is investment for future.

Screenshots

acc-main acc-main-l

Major changes in this release

  • slight screen design graphic improvement
  • added different layout for landscape screens
  • when any player runs out of time application allows one click reset of time to start next game quickly
  • added feedback button to About screen
  • various small code improvements

Coming soon

  • additional time control algorithms
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Android Chess Clock 1.0-b2 released…

Written by Tom Hublek on January 31st, 2010

There is new version of Android Chess Clock available on Android Market.

New features:

  • application runs in full screen mode
  • added links for PayPal donation and feedback email
  • display dimes now when any player runs out of time
  • fixed issue with display rotation while countdown is running

Please let me know if you have any issue with application of you have any comment.

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Android Chess Clock 1.0-b1 released…

Written by Tom Hublek on January 30th, 2010

I’m happy to inform you that first beta version of Android Chess Clock was released to Android Market, filed under category Games/Brain and Puzzle.

Application is currently fairly simple (as you can see on screenshot) but works:

acc-main acc-config

Main features

  • supports Android 1.5+
  • players alternate by taping anywhere on the screen
  • supports small QVGA screens as well as HVGA
  • gently graphics without CPU (and energy) consuming animations
  • independent setting of time for every player

Application was tested on T-Mobile G1 (thanks to Honza) and Google Nexus One (thanks to Vindra) as I don’t have currently real Android device.

Known bugs & user requests

  • bugs
    • application resets countdown when you change orientation of screen from landscape to portrait
  • nice to have
    • missing icon
    • application does not run in full screen mode
    • time can be set only as hours and minutes but not seconds
    • sound when player runs out of time

Please write your feedback bellow the article.

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Památný dub – nová geocache pro Frenštát a Tichá…

Written by Tom Hublek on January 25th, 2010

pamatny-dub-v-tiche V pátek jsem publikoval další geocache ve Frenštátě, jmenuje se Památný dub v Tiché. Jedná se o microcache, ale téměř drive in, takže snadno k nalezení.

FTF bylo za chvilku, ale o to víc mě překvapuje, že na STF byla příležitost skoro dva dny. A to jsem tam mezitím (v tom mrazu) byl se svýma dcerama na obhlídce, vy lenoši ;-)

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How we spend Christmas in Czech Republic….

Written by Tom Hublek on January 18th, 2010

IMG_5592 I wrote this blog post primarily for my colleagues from ON Semi. Hope you will get closer to our Christmas habits and traditions. This article describes situation in my family but in majority of parts it is valid for whole Czech Republic too.

Christmas day

Contrary to US holidays main Christmas day here is December 24. It is called Generous day and it is the day when people give gifts to each other. To children we usually say that gifts was given by baby Jesus.

In some families children decorate the tree to mark place where gifts should be delivered.

In some families (including ours) Christmas tree is delivered together with gifts. This causes some logistic issues (tree is usually about 2 meters/7 ft tall and fully decorated with a lot of glass decorations;-)) but also some fun to parents as it forces them to be imaginative ;-)

Generous evening

Generous evening is most awaited part of the day (especially by children). Gifts are delivered after Generous day dinner that is usually between 4 or 5 pm (when sky becomes dark and there is first star).

When family finishes dinner everybody is waiting for sound of small bell from the room where gifts are expected to be delivered.

In our family we use trick with two cell phones. One has recorded sound of small bell as ringing tone and from the second one I’m calling from table. We have also remote controlled power outlet so the tree starts shining at this moment too. It looks like magic to children.

To make magic atmosphere for children during Christmas dinner adults also say:  “I saw something in the garden…  It’s not anymore there” or “There was some flash above the house of our neighbors” etc.

Generous day meals

For breakfast on generous day in our family there is served vánočka (Christmas cake plaited from dough) prepared by my wife.

Lunch is usually very light, usually some soup.

Main dish in generous day is dinner.

Most traditional meal for generous day dinner is fried carp and potato salad. There are two styles of potato salads: mayonnaise style (much more common) and vinegar style. Mayonnaise style is made from boiled potatoes with carrots, garden pea, celery and optionally (not everyone does) boiled eggs or apples.  Vinegar style is simpler. Just boiled potatoes with fresh onion in water + oil + vinegar dressing.

Alternative to carp is pork coated with breadcrumbs and eggs and flour. This was preferred in my family (when I was young) as we don’t like fish.

During the generous evening dinner we also eat Christmas wafer with honey as starter to be healthy.

Generous day traditions

As major part of Czech nation is atheistic most Christmas traditions is not related to church traditions and they are some kind of superstition:

Golden Pig

We say to children that when they will starve whole day until generous day dinner then they will see golden pig. Usually they don’t manage to starve whole day but when they do then we use flashlights and pig flashes for short time in the garden.

Kissing under mistletoe

Every girl and woman has to be kissed under mistletoe to be healthy next year. To have mistletoe in the house we cut it from the tree in the garden or we buy it and hang on chandelier.

Nobody can leave the the table during generous day dinner

There is superstition that nobody can leave the table during generous day dinner. Otherwise somebody from family will die next year.

Giving freedom to small carp

In some families (not ours) they buy two carps. They eat bigger one and smaller one gets freedom.

This is a bit controversial habit. It is because some animal protection activist sais that carp is extremely shocked by changes of temperature (from bathtub to river) and dies in the river.

Splitting the apple

Some people cut apple into two halves and in case that core has star shape then it is OK and in case that it has cross shape then the person that cut apple dies in next year.

Midnight mass

Even atheistic people goes to church on Generous day. There is so called midnight mass, that usually takes place close to midnight from Dec 24 to Dec 25.

Hopefully you had fun while reading this post and in case you have any questions or comments feel free to add them as comments bellow this article. You can also share link to this article with your friends.

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Jak nejrychleji navléct kondom? Pronto Condom

Written by Tom Hublek on January 13th, 2010

Docela by mě zajímalo, jestli by mu to tak šlo i jinam než na tu černou tyčku ;-)

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Vodafone Park – správná cesta? Updated!

Written by Tom Hublek on January 11th, 2010

image Před nedávnem jsem dostal pozvánku k testování Vodafone Parku (dále jen VP nebo VDP). Park používám už několik týdnů a v tomto článku bych chtěl shrnout svoje dosavadní dojmy…

Click to continue »

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Graf spotřeby plynu naší domácnosti…

Written by Tom Hublek on January 4th, 2010

Někteří moji kolegové se mě ptali, kolik teď po rekonstrukci protopíme. Abych nemusel odpovídat jednotlivě, napsal jsem tenhle post.

Na tomto grafu vidíte naši týdenní spotřebu v Kč (bere se v úvahu průměrná cena plynu cca 14 Kč za m3 zemního plynu)

Pokud chcete srovnávat s vaší spotřebou, tady jsou upřesňující parametry:

  • vytápěná plocha cca 140 m2
  • zeď plná cihla 60 cm, bez zateplení
  • nová euro okna
  • zateplená střecha 18 cm minerální vaty
  • plynový kotel Junkers o výkonu 22 kW a spotřebě cca 2,1 m3 zemního plynu na hodinu
  • kachlová kamna o výkonu cca 10 kW v centrální části domu provozu cca 12 až 14 hodin denně
  • plynový bojler na ohřev teplé vody o výkonu cca 10 kW
  • plyn se používá i k vaření
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