C++: dot vs arrow

What's the difference?

Basically,

a->b 

is

(a*).b

Dot (.)

1. can't be overloaded (I'll figure out what that means later)
2. used to access a member within a derefenced pointer (so, it's pretty much outdated when it comes to pointers)

Arrow (->)

1. CAN be overloaded (yay)
2. used to access a member within a pointer

source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1238613/what-is-the-difference-between-the-dot-operator-and-in-c

searches:

c++ dot versus arrow

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Java: smoother rendering in swing

It took me 3 projects but I finally realized why my Java swing animations look choppy and stuttery. I was using swing's paint() method.

If this is as simple as a JFrame (swing) application gets:

public class Main extends JFrame
{
    public Main()
    {
        setSize(640, 480);
    }

    @Override
    public void paint(Graphics g) 
    {
        g.setColor(new Color( (int) System.currentTimeMillis() % 255 ));
        g.fillRect(0, 0, 640, 480);
    }
    
    public static void main(String args[]) 
    {
        Main launcher = new Main();
        launcher.setVisible(true);
        while(true)
        {
            launcher.repaint();
        }
    }
}

This will do the same thing but more consistently and smoothly:

public class Main extends JFrame
{
    public Main()
    {
        setSize(640, 480);
    }
    
    public static void main(String args[]) 
    {
        Main launcher = new Main();
        launcher.setVisible(true);
        while(true)
        {
            Graphics g = launcher.getGraphics();
            g.setColor(new Color( (int) System.currentTimeMillis() % 255 ));
            g.fillRect(0, 0, 640, 480);
        }
    }
}

Swing's repaint() system does extra things every so often, and it visibly trips up animation, especially motion animation.

Don't override swing's paint() method. Manually grab the canvas and draw to it when you want to

searches:
java animation stuttering
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smooth rendering in swing

Windows: cd/dvd drive doesn't work (error code 19)

Your CD/DVD drive isn't working (not showing up in My Computer)? You got the following error:

"Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)"

? If you right click My Computer, click manage, and click device manager, your CD/DVD entry should have a yield sign over it

There's a good chance you can fix it by deleting the UpperFilters and LowerFilters registries in regedit.

1) Run regedit.exe: open Run (Windows Key+R), type regedit, hit enter.
PS, "Windows Key" is also known as "Meta"

2) In regedit's tree (the left panel), navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class. Do this by highlighting HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and pressing right to expand the tree, etc.

3) Once you get to Class, find this specific Key: {4d36e965-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}. It should say "CDROM" in the right panel

4) Delete the LowerFilters and UpperFilters registry values (highlight them and press delete)

5) Restart your computer

source: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/findbyerrormessage/a/code-19-error.htm

searches:
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Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)

End of the world photoshoot

I'll start out with something I'm proud of:

I took this photo and was immediately proud of it. I knew it was going to look good on a bigger screen like photos typically don't. It's a self-portrait. I had 10 seconds to freerun through the seacliff

As for this, why did I even do this:

This came out nothing like I thought it would. I took the photo and thought it had potential. In photoshop I spent maybe half an hour tweaking HDR settings. At one point I stopped and audibly said "whoa, that looks good." That's what I ended up with.

It's not terrible, it's just not HDR-quality. The point of HDR is to make the photo look really close to how you saw it (because cameras can only see a fraction of the light we see). The sky wasn't so yellow, the rock should have more dynamic detail. It's bright and flat.

It's not like these three photos. These three photos are my pride and joy of HDR:

To me, all three capture how I felt when I took them. The first captures the harsh sun lighting the landscape. The second captures the warmth of the fireplace on Thanksgiving. The third captures the grandeur of the land and the texture of the bench.

This new photo is bland; there's a film over the photo I haven't scraped through. I guess I assumed that photoshop's HDR tool would take care of that for me, but I obviously need to work on it until it gets closer to how I remember it. I usually use Dynamic-HDR but I need to reinstall it.

HDR is difficult, I don't understand its plethora of functions yet. I just need to clean up and try again. I can do that because the world didn't end today

Photoshop: straighten tool

Photoshop Elements 8 had a tool to draw a line and straighten your image

Photoshop CS6 misplaced that tool (it was me, I'm like 7 versions behind)

1) Turns out the straighten tool has become the Ruler Tool. Right click on the eyedropper  and click the ruler  from the menu. Or just keep pressing (SHIFT+I) until the picture matches a ruler 

2) Draw your line (using the ruler tool) across crooked line you want to be straight, then click "Straighten"

Interestingly, if you draw the line and switch to another tool, but then switch back to the ruler, it remembers your line. What a sweet lad

searches:
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Cogsworks -- blog editor added

My baby~!

It has an editor now! For its blog!

Check out that elegant UI! I designed it myself! :'D

Cogsworks.com is powered by WolfCMS. I wrote the theme (designed by the members in the site's members section) in HTML/CSS. This newly added blog editor was written in PHP/mySQL. WolfCMS' database is so clean, and its content and snippet mechanics are so beautiful. It made writing this super easy

Its login system is awesome too (you can only access the editor if you're a logged-in member).

So what is this for? This site represents Cogswell Polytechnical College's animation club (Cogsworks). Soon enough there'll be content and everything

Netbeans 7: change author

I made a new project in Netbeans 7.x.x but my name is lame

I want to change what @author reads by default

1) Go to Tools > Templates

2) Completely ignore the template folders, much unlike what you'd do with previous version of Netbeans. Click Settings instead

3) This bring up User.properties. Uncomment the "user=Your Name" line and write your actual name and email instead. Also don't be a chum: put your email in angle brackets. And then save

Screenshot comments are hard without a tablet pen

searches:
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netbeans 7 @author
netbeans change default author