I’ve been looking for something to do in my free time that will be educational. I’ve got a few ideas.

• Use C and Allegro 5 to make a random / infinite world generator
• Use Java and libGDX to make a Grocery Simulator (Running a cash register?) and model it in UML
• Use Java and libGDX to make a Gambling Game and model it in UML
• Spend more time on Lynda.com: “Learning C” and “Design Patterns”

All of these will teach me one thing or another. The first idea will help my C skills and will make use of some new ideas I have for infinite worlds. The second and third ideas will refresh my Java skills, since I’ve spent so much time in Scala, and they will help me learn UML. The third idea in particular will help since this is what we are going to end up doing in my Object Oriented Programming and Software Engineering class. The fourth idea requires the least amount of work, but will be boring. The Learning C course starts at the beginning, teaching about variables and such. I’ve worked in C a lot, I’ve just never learned the finer points of it. The Design Patterns course looks interesting and will be helpful in many places. I’ve already watched a couple sections on it, so I may as well finish it.

I’d like to do all of these things soon, but there isn’t enough time in the day, and I’ve got assignments I could be working on. I have to work on my Platformer Lab for Game Programming 2, I’ve got to study for my 3D Game Programming class, we have a test Monday, and I’ve got an art project to be working on. It’s funny how I don’t consider my school assignments as educational. They honestly aren’t though. I’ve actually been doing the Compiler class’s labs for fun. It’s a spring semester senior level class. I’ve done the first two labs no problem. They were on creating a lexer to lex some simple code files into token streams. I can’t wait until the teacher for that class posts the labs to make our little lexer useful. Until next time!