http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca sgnewson Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:14:58 +0000 http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca en http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/go-camping http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/following/portfolio.scottnewson.ca/go-camping Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:14:58 +0000 sgnewson 2679924 Slideshow: <img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/DSC_1525_640.JPG" width="640" height="425" width_o="2048" height_o="1360" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/DSC_1525_o.JPG" data-mid="13581394" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/DSC_1708_640.JPG" width="640" height="425" width_o="2048" height_o="1360" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/DSC_1708_o.JPG" data-mid="13581396" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/away1_640.jpg" width="640" height="480" width_o="2048" height_o="1536" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/away1_o.jpg" data-mid="13581397" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/dscn0371_640.jpg" width="640" height="480" width_o="2048" height_o="1536" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/dscn0371_o.jpg" data-mid="13581399" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/DSC_1460_640.JPG" width="640" height="425" width_o="2048" height_o="1360" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/DSC_1460_o.JPG" data-mid="13581400" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/dscn0265.jpg" width="640" height="480" width_o="640" height_o="480" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/dscn0265_o.jpg" data-mid="13581401" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/DSC_1539_640.JPG" width="640" height="425" width_o="2048" height_o="1360" src_o="http://payload18.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2679924/DSC_1539_o.JPG" data-mid="13581402" border="0" align="left"/> When I get the chance, I like to go camping with friends and family. We pack what we can into a couple of inflatable dinghies and motor off up the coast to find sandy beaches. I'm sure I've picked up some marketable skills there, but mostly it's just fun - and I wanted to share a bit of that! http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/make-a-webapp http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/following/portfolio.scottnewson.ca/make-a-webapp Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:33:10 +0000 sgnewson 2659885 To raise awareness of sustainability-related locations and projects on campus, I built a scavenger hunt as a mobile web-app. Locations were geo-referenced, allowing users to checkin with a smartphone. After checkin, each location had a question related to the site and requiring research to answer. Built in collaboration with Brandon Yuh, a student of Computer Science at UBC. <img src="http://payload17.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2659885/scavenger-hunt-pic-1.jpg" width="517" height="387" width_o="517" height_o="387" src_o="http://payload17.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2659885/scavenger-hunt-pic-1_o.jpg" data-mid="13487424" border="0" align="left"/> Built in PHP, HTML, CSS, and a dash of Javascript - this app was a chance to get a complete understanding of how web technologies work in the context of a real project. At the beginning of the project I had minimal experience with these technologies, but I quickly picked them up - learning from my collaborator's expertise. Where Brandon provided expertise in PHP scripting and database use, I focused on interacting with the client and designing the user interface. I met with the client when necessary to discuss feature options and tradeoffs, and focused on making sure that the app met their needs and expecations. <img src="http://payload17.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2659885/A2.png" width="162" height="302" width_o="162" height_o="302" src_o="http://payload17.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2659885/A2_o.png" data-mid="13488863" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload17.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2659885/A.png" width="162" height="302" width_o="162" height_o="302" src_o="http://payload17.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2659885/A_o.png" data-mid="13488861" border="0" align="left"/><img src="http://payload17.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2659885/Screen shot 2012-01-23 at 2.30.03 PM.png" width="159" height="300" width_o="159" height_o="300" src_o="http://payload17.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2659885/Screen shot 2012-01-23 at 2.30.03 PM_o.png" data-mid="13489313" border="0" align="left"/> In January 2012, this app was incorporated into the curriculum of a course at UBC. It was used as a lab activity to help students get acquainted with each other and the university campus. It has been successfully used by the first 30-student cohort, and we are discussing how best to carry this app into future years. Built in collaboration with Brandon Yuh. Source code available on Google Code. Funded by the UBC AMS Sustainability Grant. In collaboration with the UBC Sustainability Teaching Office. http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/give-talks http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/following/portfolio.scottnewson.ca/give-talks Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:20:24 +0000 sgnewson 2563340 Fun with Non-Digital Solutions In 2011 I was invited to give a talk at the Interaction Design Association's annual conference - Interaction11. Hosted in Boulder, Colorado, the conference spanned three days with a variety of talks and workshops. My talk was titled 'Fun with Non-Digital Solutions' and was a light critique on the reliance on technological solutions in interaction design. I was able to draw on my experiences working with a variety of groups and projects to give examples of successful design solutions that were not built on computer technology. The goal was to show that such choices were viable alternatives when used appropriately, and to get designers thinking outside the modern box. http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/make-a-game-in-48-hours http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/following/portfolio.scottnewson.ca/make-a-game-in-48-hours Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:05:43 +0000 sgnewson 2563281 TeleSaur (2011) <img src="http://payload13.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2563281/screenshot_0.png" width="608" height="459" width_o="608" height_o="459" src_o="http://payload13.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2563281/screenshot_0_o.png" data-mid="12944706" border="0" align="left"/> The Global Game Jam is a weekend long blitz during which small groups make a game from scratch. In 2011 my team made TeleSaur, the story of the last telekinetic dinosaur. It is a single-player survival game using the mouse and keyboard. I contributed as a developer and project manager, doing the core system design and helping new participants get started. Play TeleSaur. Source Code. Sleuth (2010) <img src="http://payload13.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2563281/screenshot_640.jpeg" width="640" height="355" width_o="800" height_o="444" src_o="http://payload13.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2563281/screenshot_o.jpeg" data-mid="12944707" border="0" align="left"/> In 2010 we made Sleuth. Sleuth is a two-player game, one player is a punk hiding in a monastery, the second player is a detective trying to catch the punk. We used the Unity game development engine, though it was my first time working with it. As my first game jam, I spent a lot of time learning the Unity game engine and less time helping with the project. I did contribute as team organizer - pulling together assets and code - and conducting regular play-testing. Play Sleuth. Source code. http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/Scott-can http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/following/portfolio.scottnewson.ca/Scott-can Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:47:08 +0000 sgnewson 2563216 <img src="http://payload13.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2563216/scottgeoffreynewson.jpg" width="125" height="126" width_o="125" height_o="126" src_o="http://payload13.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2563216/scottgeoffreynewson_o.jpg" data-mid="12944652" border="0" align="left"/> A small portfolio. By: Scott Geoffrey Newson Resume: linkedin.com/in/scottnewson Email: scott@scottnewson.ca http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/talk-about-sustainable-housing http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/following/portfolio.scottnewson.ca/talk-about-sustainable-housing Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:13:20 +0000 sgnewson 2359091 In 2008 and 2009, I worked with an inter-university team of students to explore, research and discuss sustainable housing. Over the two years we engaged in a variety of projects. We put together entries to several design competitions for architects and urban designers, submitting ideas based on our research. These competitions forced us to visualise our work in a simple way, giving us a chance to use graphic design tools such as Google Sketchup and Adobe Illustrator. <img src="http://payload2.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2359091/Form_Shift2_1.jpg" width="402" height="569" width_o="402" height_o="569" src_o="http://payload2.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2359091/Form_Shift2_1_o.jpg" data-mid="13483686" border="0" align="left"/> We also hosted a workshop in a public gallery in Vancouver as part of the Living Density forum. This space was used by other urban designers and planners to present their work on the subject of sustainable housing in Vancouver, while we maintained a presence in the space to engage the public. For this project we planned and built a space to encourage interaction and learning - with display materials and furniture - and used that space for our research and work. <img src="http://payload2.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2359091/IMG_5704_640.JPG" width="640" height="480" width_o="2048" height_o="1536" src_o="http://payload2.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2359091/IMG_5704_o.JPG" data-mid="13580802" border="0" align="left"/> As a record of our research and work, we maintained a blog and a wiki. These used existing cloud services from supportive organisations, and allowed us to experiment with a variety of 'computer-supported collaborative work' setups. In collaboration with: Rachel Simpson, Lorea Sinclaire, Zack Marlow, and others. With support from WikiEducator and the Vancouver chapter of Architecture For Humanity. Blog Wiki http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/write-code http://portfolio.scottnewson.ca/following/portfolio.scottnewson.ca/write-code Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:44:43 +0000 sgnewson 2359038 Text Adventure, in Prolog <img src="http://payload2.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2359038/Screen shot 2012-01-25 at 2.56.22 PM_1.png" width="567" height="497" width_o="567" height_o="497" src_o="http://payload2.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2359038/Screen shot 2012-01-25 at 2.56.22 PM_1_o.png" data-mid="13571992" border="0" align="left"/> A short adventure game - you are Santa, and it's the night before Christmas! You've slept in, and need to get packed before heading out for the big night! Unfortunately there are some surprise disruptions that you'll have to work around! In collaboration with Sean Povill. Source code available on BitBucket. Huffman encoding, in Haskell <img src="http://payload2.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2359038/Screen shot 2012-01-25 at 3.05.17 PM.png" width="567" height="561" width_o="567" height_o="561" src_o="http://payload2.cargocollective.com/1/5/171805/2359038/Screen shot 2012-01-25 at 3.05.17 PM_o.png" data-mid="13572262" border="0" align="left"/> For an algorithms course I had an assignment to implement a program to compress text files. Specifically, I had to write a Huffman encoding algorithm in a language of my choice. As I was taking a functional languages course at the time, I decided to use Haskell. I found the Huffman algorithm easier in Haskell than I expected, but the tradeoff was that file I/O was much harder. In the end, it was easier to produce a tally of what the file-size would be than to actually write the file byte-by-byte. Source code and documentation available on BitBucket.