2015-10 summary

Content from October 2015 spans travel (a Norway walking vlog and a Heathrow pod ride), grocery shopping in Canada, extensive iOS/Xcode game development across several projects, hardware unboxings (ASUS Transformer, MacBook Air), commentary on Star Wars trivia and PewDiePie's subscriber statistics, an introvert-themed doorbell skit, and a webcomics monetization guide.

Daniel builds a Flappy Bird-style game in Xcode using YouTube tutorials with partial understanding of the code, implementing a main menu, tap-based bird movement, and testing on an iPhone 6 simulator, with plans for pipe obstacles and a high-score system.

Bug fixes in another game project address monster hit detection, duplicate corpse-block spawning (resolved via a boolean flag), and monsters dying unexpectedly due to a hidden bullet's resting position, corrected by repositioning the bullet off-screen and fixing code syntax.

A MacBook Air is unboxed and set up, including Apple ID creation after forgotten credentials and a slow El Capitan update over weak Wi-Fi; performance is compared favorably to a Chromebook, with Daniel noting he now owns too many computers, while a neighbor is heard directing builders outside.

Daniel follows a Matt Healy Apps tutorial to build a Space Invaders-style game in Xcode, replacing placeholder graphics with pixel art for ship, projectile, and background, tuning projectile spawn position and speed, and working through Interface Builder layering and button relinking issues, having started with Xcode about a week earlier.

Daniel explains how to monetize webcomics via comicfury.com and Smack Jeeves, describing account setup, front-page visibility, subscriptions, and Google Ads via HTML editing, while showcasing his own comics The Shoplifter and the unfinished Hazel's Planet of Ice, which has an oversized page 46 image needing resizing.

Travel vlogging in Stavanger, Norway, including sightseeing, a missed fjord boat tour, and food notes.

Riding the automated Heathrow pod transit network.

Grocery shopping for crabs, durian, and other items at an Asian supermarket, with legal and preparation considerations.

Unboxing and setting up an ASUS Transformer Book Flip laptop with Windows 10 and touchscreen testing.

Unboxing and initial setup of a MacBook Air, including OS updates and hardware comparisons.

Iterative iOS game development in Xcode across multiple projects, covering zombie shooter mechanics, a Flappy Bird clone, and a Space Invaders remake, with asset imports, bug fixes, and animation and gameplay balancing.

Star Wars production trivia, including cast contracts, injuries, and set design.

Unverified claims about the destruction of Star Wars film sets in Tunisia.

A dramatized introvert scenario involving refusal to answer the door.

Analysis of PewDiePie's subscriber count versus actual viewership and its relevance to monetization.

Guidance on monetizing webcomics through platforms like Comic Fury and Smack Jeeves.

Walking around Stavanger, Norway, Daniel explores a quiet road, spots a large wooden ship labeled Noah's Ark, discovers the fjord boat tour does not run on the intended day (operating only Wednesday to Friday), and visits a shoemaker, noting food items like a bacon and egg sandwich and pasta and a road sign guessed to warn about children playing football.

An ASUS Transformer Book Flip laptop is unboxed and set up, including Wi-Fi and Microsoft account configuration, a Windows 10 upgrade amid many pending updates, and touchscreen testing in Fresh Paint that reveals flickering; a cat named Mr. Toffee comes in wet and settles on a chair.

A trip to Wing Yip Asian supermarket involves buying crabs, durian, chicken feet, chicken hearts, drinks, and ice cream, alongside discussion of legal considerations for keeping live crabs in Canada, preparing them, and boiling them upside down, with several points left unexplained.

Daniel works on a shooting game in Xcode, importing a hand-drawn zombie PNG to replace alien enemies, resizing and testing enemy respawn and shooting behavior after earlier bug fixes, and identifying needed changes such as a blockier art style, single-target bullets, walking animations, and a scoring system, while remaining unsure about animation implementation and a recurring gun bug.

Star Wars behind-the-scenes facts cover Alec Guinness's contract and later disgruntlement, Mark Hamill's on-set injuries later folded into the Wampa attack scene, and other production, costume, and casting details.

An unverified report claims Islamic State militants destroyed Star Wars film sets in Tunisia, though their actual status is unconfirmed.

An unidentified visitor repeatedly rings Daniel's doorbell; Daniel, noting he has no friends, ignores them and demands they leave.

The identity of the person ringing Daniel's doorbell is never determined.

Game development continues with walking animations, a buggy restart button, a Tank Runover mechanic using an invisible ImageView, new zombie sprite imports with fixes for disappearing sprites, and hardware transition from a struggling MacBook Air to a newly arrived MacBook Pro installing Xcode.

Daniel remains unsure how to reduce tank speed, implement explosion animations or sound effects, whether recording sound from YouTube is legal, and whether the projectile should stay a fireball or become a cannonball.

A ride on the Heathrow pod network from Terminal 5 to Business Parking Station B includes automated announcements, noticeable shaking, a brief wait for an available bay, and automated exit instructions.

Daniel analyzes PewDiePie's subscriber-to-view ratio, estimating only about 5% of his 40 million subscribers actively watch videos, comparing this to smaller channels and questioning subscriber counts as a revenue metric, citing possible dead, incarcerated, or disengaged subscribers.

A road sign's meaning and the exact cost of food items in Norway are guessed rather than confirmed.

Several points about a supermarket trip remain unexplained, including why an item is called scotty, why so much was bought despite not eating it, how to kill or prepare a live animal, and someone's age.

Uncertainty remains about whether the ASUS laptop's keyboard deactivates when flipped and whether it uses an SSD or HDD.

Uncertainty remains in game development about image quality adequacy, implementing walking animations or blood-pool effects, and the cause of a recurring gun bug.

The fate of Star Wars film sets in Tunisia is unverified, based on an unconfirmed report about Islamic State militants.

The identity of the person persistently ringing Daniel's doorbell is unknown.

Uncertainty remains about reducing tank speed, implementing explosions and sound effects, the legality of recording sound from YouTube, and choosing a projectile visual style.

Uncertainty remains over whether smaller channels are more successful than PewDiePie, whether subscriber count matters for revenue, and the exact proportions of his subscriber base that are alive, imprisoned, or otherwise inactive.

The exact proportion of tutorial code Daniel understands is only roughly estimated at around 40 percent.

Confusion persisted over how a monsterHit flag functioned without visible related code, and why monsters initially died without player shots.

Uncertainty remains about an included plug adapter's purpose, why two charging cables were supplied, the Chromebook's exact processor, and new El Capitan features.

The legality of using search-engine images for game assets and the standard method to send a background image behind other Xcode storyboard elements remain uncertain.