Teaching Programming to Kids

Just the other day, it just popped into my head that perhaps I should teach Chloe, who is now 6 years and 7 months old, programming.

After looking around, I have finally decided to go with FMSLogo. It’s visual, interpreted and simple enough for kids. In addition, I also vaguely remember that I had also used Logo long ago when I started my association with programming as well.

It definitely helps that there are online resources that give additional guidance on how to make this work with kids. Given my lack of time, the availability of such material as the Logo Workshop Homepage really makes it so much easier.

Since my sister’s also has 2 kids in the same age range, I extended the offer to teach them together. Hope that works out and doesn’t become a nightmare!

Well, planning to start either next weekend or the following one and it should be a weekly session. Updates once we get going.

Additional resources for those interested in using Logo for teaching kids programming: MSWLogo Homepage and its links to many more resources.

Filed under: Family, Happenings, IT Architecture, Design and Programming, Notes

Designer Boardgames

I’ve always been interested in games – all sorts and all mediums. I even had a hand in “designing” games during my Secondary School days to play in class with my friends. And of course, we come up with our own rules for games that totally changed the original gameplay. Then of course there were the PC games that brought me into world of IT.

And last year a friend who came back from overseas re-ignited my interest in boardgames. He bought a designer boardgame (Heroscape) and asked me to read up about it.

And that led me to the BoardGameGeek website and the world of designer boardgames. And a few months after that, I bought the following games:

Citadels

Gulo Gulo

Race for the Galaxy

Wasabi!

Once Upon a Time

And I am still thinking of buying more! :p

My list of games owned can be found here. Look for for the reviews on the games – you should not need to wait more than a year for them!

Filed under: Games, Happenings

It’s about time

Time flew past and it’s been more than a year since my last post.

Last year was an extremely hectic year for me… so what had happened?

My project at work finally went live this January! That’s the main reason there’s some room to catch a breath. Also, Chloe’s in Primary 1 now at Radin Mas Primary School and Kayden’s just started full day childcare. Erica has also changed jobs and is now currently employed by NUS’s Denistry Department.

What else happened? Seems like an old friend might drop out from our circle as he seems to no longer have time for us. Hopefully he will bounce back in sometime soon and we will still be around to welcome him back.

Reunited with another old friend who came back from an overseas assignment. And with that, I was also introduced to the wide world of designer boardgames.

Have also stopped playing online – both gameknot and conquerclub. And I’ve also given away my Magic the Gathering cards (except for 3 decks) to my cousin’s son, Benjamin. Will probably pass the other decks over sometime later.

Filed under: Family, Happenings

It’s all about time

Time seems to be constantly in short supply and with my work buzzing up and not being able to really sit down and write… it’s been quite a while since my last post.

Hopefully I will be able to find some time soon to do a more meaningful post.

So what have I been up to recently? I’ve been getting acquainted with TIBCO General Interface – an opensource toolkit for AJAX development. It has it quirks and issues but overall it’s quite an impressive and useful tool to consider if you are planning to do some AJAX applications. Once I can find more time, I’ll probably share more of my thoughts on it.

I’ve also been introduced to Conquer Club. It’s an online game that is somewhat similar to the boardgame RISK but with lots of different maps and variations. Each player is allowed 24 hours for a move in the normal games, speed games are available for paid members.

Until next time then. Bye!

Filed under: Games, Happenings, IT Architecture, Design and Programming, Internet, Software

The difference between knowing and doing

Always back up all our precious data.

That’s one of the very first rules we learn, and one we keep delaying for one reason or another.

In my case, I did back up my data (more than 5 years worth of family photos). It was in my aging home PC and in my laptop, and I thought I burnt it into a CDROM too.

However, if you cannot find your backup, it is as good as not having done a backup. Similarly if you cannot access your backup which can happen.

In my case, I cannot locate the CDROM (now I am not even sure if I did burn it). And my laptop was returned to my previous employer when I changed jobs earlier this year so the photos were on my PC hard disk.

When my brother offered me his old PC (still newer than mine), I shut down my PC to do a re-installation and move my stuff over later when I find the time.

When I finally tried to start my PC 2 months later, it refused. My hard disks crashed and along with it went all my precious photos.

Refusing to panic, I moved the hard disks to my newer PC and tried to see if I can boot it up. It failed.

Next up, search the internet for hard disk data recovery services. I found quite a few and chose one. After a few days, the evaluation report came back – read/write head electrical damage and severe damage to the platter. All of which means it requires major surgery and major costs with no guarantee that all the data will be recovered. I am still agonizing over whether to proceed due to the costs involved.

And hoping that some contacts can provide a less costly alternative.

So, don’t wait to do your backups. In a way, backups are very similar to insurance policies, you don’t want to use it but you should at least have sufficient coverage.

BACK UP YOUR DATA TODAY!

If you can help me, please contact me NOW- you can do it while your data is being backed up.

Also share how you do your backup. I am setting up my backup solution soon.

Filed under: Family, Happenings, Hardware, Notes

Good company, ok food, lousy service

Where: Cafe Cartel at Raffles City
When: 19 Jun 2007 Lunchtime

I met up with some friends for lunch today, so what’s the deal?

Everything started fine as we were all chatting away, catching up with each other. But being lunchtime and with the food missing in action after having placed the order for more than half an hour, our stomachs started growling.

So we asked for a status check.

The manager then told us they ran out of chicken sausages for the mixed grill set lunch that 3 of my friends had ordered. He offered to give them another egg (already one in the set) or more fries or additional vegetables as replacement.

It felt kind of unfair so we asked them to give us other sausages instead. The manager flatly refused saying those other sausages are not meant for set meals.

Left with no other choice, we chose to make do with the replacement vegetables.It would probably have been fine if they had made the offer moments after we ordered instead of half an hour later.

Running out of sausages is solely the restaurant’s fault and offering up poor substitutes and options are really lousy ways to treat customers.

By the way, the service was rather slow too.

Luckily the company was good and my food was ok – my pasta set meal still came with its chicken sausage. Maybe different kind from those they are using for the mixed grill set!

But probably because my spicy chicken sausage pasta would become:

1. just spicy pasta or
2. spicy egg pasta or
3. spicy pasta with fries or
4. spicy vegetarian pasta

So what would you choose?!

Filed under: Food, Happenings, Notes

My son and his once long curly hair

After almost a year, Kayden’s hair is a mess of curls. But they do make him look so cute! The many “so cute” comments directed at him certainly proved that. But then the comments also usually tags him as her.

So it was time for the designated family barber for the kids (i.e. me) to straighten it out. I had spotted a barber set on sale ($12.90) at Carrefour some days ago and just in time too.

It comes with a year of warranty as well… but that I had thrown the receipt away already by the time I opened the box and saw the warranty card.

It was a warm Sunday afternoon and it started well enough. Soon though, he was screaming as his fallen hair and the humid weather conspired to make him sticky and itchy and “hairy” uncomfortable.

It took 2 baths for him and lots of vacuuming and cleaning up but finally, it was over.

My wife’s first comment was that he doesn’t look as cute as before.

My mom then told me to leave his hair alone next time after she saw him that night.

My mom-in-law had a good laugh at his hair style (or lack of).

He sure looks different, differently adorable, and definitely more mischievous and cheeky. I would say I didn’t do too bad a job… hopefully the next time it will turn out better though. Probably need to add some style and leave more of his hair on top, I suppose.

Filed under: Family, Happenings