I've had several people ask me about how well I optimize Correlation, since programmers using it for Ti-Basic programs try really hard to get the most out of their Ti-Basic programs.  Although I carry out as many optimizations as I can, I've only programed in ASM for 1.5 years, and therefore I'm not the greatest optimizer on this website.  Nonetheless,  Correlation displays text faster than Output( and Text( do.

And just like Correlation, ASM programs always run faster than Ti-Basic programs do, even if you're a beginner.  So don't feel bad if you don't know how to make your program the fastest it can be.  It will still run great, it will still run FAST.  Optimization takes practice.

We may offer optimization suggestions, but it's never to critisize...it's to help you get better.  So be proud of yourself for writing an already-fast program.

I am going to make a long story short, and if you'd like to read my full argument, please read the gray box with the small text further down.

I want to start by reminding everyone that at Omnimaga, we strive to create an environment where people are welcome no matter the programming language/software used or the skill level the programmer has.  We also believe that every calculator site has the right to be respected no matter their mentality or policies, and as such we always do our best to make sure that any form of site bashing is prevented.  We also want people to remember that each site has rules, so it's only fair that by becoming a member of another site you should abide by the site's rules.

With that said, if you're a Omnimaga user who likes to visit #cemetch, please set a good example so that visitors will continue to join our website knowing that we are caring people who welcome all promising contributions.  I think we have generally done a great job with this so far when talking on #cemetech, and there's no reason to quit.  If someone on #cemetech is insulting you or Omnimaga itself, speak softly.  If you don't think you can do that, help us out by just leaving the #cemetech channel.  A bull-fight and counterattack on #cemetech is only going to make things worse for our community.

FULL ARGUMENT:

Discussion can be a wonderful thing on IRC channels.  I speak on IRC all the time to find solutions to problems, help someone write a program and talk with people who need a friend.  If there is a programmer who doesn't like what I do, IRC gives me a chance to ask what went wrong, and how I could do better.  If someone on #omnimaga dislikes Cemetech, a cemetech user has a good chance to defend Cemetech, and the same thing with someone on #cemetech disliking Omnimaga.

But there are people on #cemetech who are just not going to like Omnimaga.  You can make some excellent arguments, talk as wise as an owl and show caring feelings.  Yet these people are not going to change, even if you speak softly.

What's the solution?  Yelling, swearing or calling names is not going to change the person's feelings, nor is it going to help.  In fact, he's going to cling even more to his opinion, because we are only helping to prove his point.  Suppose someone hated me because I lost my temper easily.  What happens when I yell at him for a comment like that?  I just lost my temper again!  He has all the more reason to believe that I lose my temper easily.

So if you kindly defend yourself, your friends or omnimaga to no avail, you don't HAVE to be on #cemetech.  If you're not on #cemetech, you don't hear all these insults and they can only make fun of us to each other.  But fighting is only going to strengthen any bad opinions a person may have about us.

And thus, our insults and fights will only give us a bad name.  Do you not believe it?  I can name an example where it happened to Cemetech, and there's no reason it won't happen to us as well.  

Take a look at me.  I posted projects on Cemetech, with people eager to see more progress and offer constructive critisism.  But as much as I like Cemetech, I have a lot of friends on Omnimaga, and I LOVE Omnimaga.  For goodness sake I'm a manager!  So what happens?  People insult our website and the users.  Furthermore, four good friends of mine are attacked by the same people who want me posting on Cemetech.  (You can hurt me, but leave my friends alone!)  So how likely is it that I'll show up on Cemetech again?  I don't want to have to see or be a part of this kind of thing.  I don't want to give pleasure to those who hurt people I'm fond of.  And thus I avoid the pain by simply not going to Cemetech, whether they like it or not.

If #cemetech can get away with this, it's their website, let them do what they want.  But let's not let Omnimaga turn into this.  IRC is where people will see us for who we are.  Let's give people something that we can be proud of.  If you can't do that, please don't harm us by making things on #cemetech worse.  

I promise this will be in the news only once.  I apologize to those of you who find this article to be annoying.

To Correlation Testers:

It is my goal to make this period of testing as easy and as fun for you as possible.  If you might require more time because you're having trouble, I have no issues being flexible.  To that end, I would like each of you to report how you are doing.  How is your game or test program coming?  Are you finding Correlation easy to use?  Am I doing well fixing things in a timely manner?  Is there a bug I have not found that is really "bugging" you?  Is there anything that you don't understand?  How can I help?  For this week only, please tell me in this news article, and in the future I will have topics for you to reply on.

Also a reminder:  Under "Our Projects/Correlation", you will find a place to report bugs, as well as the topic "Correlation Beta Builds," where you will find Correlation with some bugs that I have fixed.  Please check often, even once every two days.  If you have questions concerning Correlation, please start a topic with your question in that subforum as well.

And again, a big thank you for helping me to make Correlation one of the best programs for making Ti-Basic games!

This is my entry for the Contest "New Threats to Freedom," referencing the youtube video "Michael Goodwin on the loss of the freedom to fail."  

I am required to post this essay on a site that is visible to the public eye.  Please feel free to discuss this topic and agree or disagree with me, but do not edit it in any way, shape or form.


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On Losing Our Freedom To Fail


One will not find it difficult to believe that social promotion protects the self esteem of students in school.  A scholar who passes a class feels pleased with himself, and without a doubt is more confident about his upcoming year, certain that he possesses the qualities needed to pass yet another class.

It is impossible, however, to rid our world of failure entirely.  Sooner or later every one of us reaches a situation in which we mess up.  Whether we like it or not, none of us are going to live an absolutely perfect, carefree life.  This does not necessarily mean failure is bad.  Indeed, we are provided with knowledge such what to avoid, how to better ourselves, who to trust and how to find a good job.  Through failure, we find our mistakes and learn how to keep from making them again.  

Considering that every mistake helps us for the future, we must note that failures in small areas keep us from experiencing a tremendous blow to our lives from failures in larger areas.  Football players always make mistakes when they practice their plays and technique.  In learning from their errors, the team is ready for its first game, a game that will reward the players with favorable odds.  Similarly, as a music composer I fail several times at writing a work that is memorable.  By correcting my mistakes and learning from them I can avoid the humiliation of premiering music that is despised by the audience.

What happens, then, if we are not allowed to learn from our mistakes?  What happens when we lose our freedom to fail?  We don’t have any experience to prevent us from making decisions that punish us more than simply affecting our self esteem.  We could have disappointments that affect our family, our emotions or even our lives.

Suppose, for example, that one enters a school that believes in social promotion and has incorporated it into practice.  The student, of course, will graduate with a high school diploma.  When the student enters college and requires remedial work, however, he is required to pay a tremendous amount of finances, perhaps enough to require the student to borrow money that he will have a hard time repaying.  To make matters worse, the student may not be able to stay in college, whether due to finances or the lack of knowledge.  In a society where one can scarcely get a job without a college degree, this proves to be troublesome for the student who could have used smaller failures to avoid larger ones.

In conclusion, we need the freedom to fail to prepare us for some of life’s greatest challenges.  As we learn how to better ourselves in smaller areas, we become better equipped to succeed in larger and more crucial situations.  We require accomplishment to function well in our society, and only when we learn from failure are we able to succeed.

I fixed a bug with abs( where Str0-Str9 would not work properly.  There was also a bug where Pause and Disp didn't work with abs( and temporary strings.

If you find a bug while testing the beta of Correlation, please report it here.  I will fix it as soon as I can.

There's nothing recent that caused me to post this, but I feel it needs to be said:

Many, many years ago came the first games for the Ti-83--not plus, not SE, just normal Ti-83.  Some were written in Ti-Basic, others in ASM.  Many of these games from both categories were quite excellent and rocked our world. 

Now, how were these games made?  Did we have Wabbitemu?  Spasm?  Ti-83+ Flash Debugger?  Na-uh.  These games had to be written and debugged either by hand (and calculator) or using primitive software.  But the fact remains that, thanks to the sweat and hard work of these game designers, we had awesome accomplishments.  But more importantly, there arose a community passionate about designing games.

If these programmers had been given wabbitemu, Brass, etc, I'm sure they would have used them.  However, what if they had been pressured for using the tools that were available to them?  What if people insulted them, told them to get a life, or showed rude shock at what they were using?  Do you think the creators would have continued?  Probably not: if you don't feel safe and comfortable using the only thing that's available to you, you can't really do anything else.  And then there's no games, nothing to help start a community.

So when I started work on S.A.D., I had only ZDS and TI-83+ Flash Debugger available to me.  I knew how to use them, I felt comfortable using them, and I was getting work done.  How do you think I felt a long time ago when somebody said "Wait, you're using Ti-83+ Flash Debugger??"  Yes, insulted.  I had a tool I LOVED using, and I was not paid to switch to something else.  I felt like I was an underdog for using something that I knew well, just because other people didn't use it.  Sure, there were better tools available to me, but I didn't know about them.  Instead of saying "You should try these instead," he said, "What, you're using this?" (As if to say *idiot*)

We all have tools we like to use.  And we are so comfortable with these tools, we can quickly and readily develop games that display our passion and keep our community going.  We use these WELL, whether they're easy or not.  (Come on now, Zeda programs in pure hex better than any of us!)  So if we find someone using something we consider "primitive," let's recommend something else, but at the same time remember that their software is not hurting anyone.  In fact, using those tools, that person is probably writing something that will change calculators forever.