So I've decided to buy an x61 tablet.  I've used it for a little over a month now and here is what I think about it so far...

Pros:
- the tablet is easy to write on with the included WACOM pen.
- it's fast! it is as fast as most new desktops today - although you won't be able to play 3D graphic intensive games on it.
- it's very light.

Cons:
- the screen may take a little time to get used to.  If you get the 1400 resolution version, the resolution may be too small for your eyes - and it may take some time before you can get used to seeing small fonts.
- IBM takes way too long to ship the laptop - it took about 1 month for me to receive it from the time I ordered it.
- screen easily get's smudges on it.

Overall, this laptop is worth it.  If you're thinking about shelling out about 2k for one of these, then go ahead, you won't be disappointed.

I just came back from a two-week vacation in Tahiti, and I tell you, I wish I was still there...

For those who don't know where Tahiti is, it is part of the French Polynesian islands. Tahiti is the most well known island of them all, and it is also where you will land if you are coming from an international flight.

In this trip, we saw the following islands:
Maupiti
Bora Bora
Raiatea
Papeete
Moorea
Tahiti

Each of the islands we visited is surrounded by a ring of coral. The ring of coral shields the island from the ocean waves so that there is a lagoon between the point where the waves crash against the coral and the beach. This lagoon extends to sometimes over 1 mile long! In this lagoon, you can see plenty of fishes and lots of coral. You can safely swim, snorkel, kayak, and do just about anything you want in the water without worrying about sharks or being pulled into the deep sea.

Check out these pictures!
check back in the next few days for more...

Probably one of the most basic forms of encryption is the Caesar cipher - named after of course, Julius Caesar himself!

The Caesar cipher works by substituting a character with another character.

Ex. If we want to encrypt the word "hello", we can create a substitution table like:
h-> 1
e-> %
l -> k
o-> $

So when we encrypt hello, it will look like:
1%kk$

It's that simple!

The attached java source code is a more complex encryption algorithm in which it uses a 56bit key to scramble a message. You can learn more about it here.

Ever wonder how 3D games work? This simple program uses the power of Open GL to generate a Jack in the Box picture in space. A moon orbits the Jack in the Box and that moon is orbited by a smaller moon. 

Download glut32.dll and jack.exe to your local machine - make sure you place them under the same directory - then double click on jack.exe.

Use your up, down, left, right arrows to spin Jack.

The entire code for this program is attached in GLSource.cpp - you'll need a c++ compiler to compile it into an exe.

Software development is tricky business. One second too long in your program and you can lose your user’s patience. One penny too short in your accounting software and you can lose your user’s confidence. Improving your software development process can prevent these mishaps. From my academic experience in computer science and my experience as a software developer specializing in collaboration tools, I have identified 4 simple ways to improve your software development process and make your users happy.