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Hi there

Here is my solution for the first practice exercise of Google Code Jam 2008, called Alien Numbers.
I haven’t had much time to code recently, due to exams, but didn’t resist and took a look at the first exercise
I did it in C.

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

//Constants
#define min_size_number 1
#define min_size_input_lang 2
#define min_size_target_lang 2
#define max_size_number 4
#define max_size_input_lang 10
#define max_size_target_lang 10

//Multiplies a number for itself e times
int exponent(int number, int e)
{
	int n=1;

	while (e>0)
	{
		n = n * number;
		e--;
	}

	return n;
}

//Converts a number in a given base, to base 10
int fromXto10(char * number, char * base)
{
	//Variables
	int i, j, n, decNumber=0, e, baseNumber = strlen(base); //Int variables

	//Get maximum exponent in number (0-n)
	e = strlen(number)-1;

	//Go through the number
	for (i=0;i<strlen(number);i++)
	{
		//Get the decimal number of the current symbol, using input base
		for (j=0;j<strlen(base);j++)
		{
			if (number[i]==base[j])
			{
				n = j;
				break;
			}
		}
		//Get decimal number
		decNumber += n * exponent(baseNumber, e);
		e--;
	}

	//Return decimal number
	return decNumber;
}

char * from10toX(int number, char * base)
{
	//Variables
	int i, divRes, rest, baseNumber = strlen(base); //Int variables
	char * Xnumber; //String variables

	//Calculate space needed for X number
	i=0;
	divRes = number;
	while (divRes>0)
	{
		divRes = divRes / baseNumber; //Divide
		i++;
	}

	//Allocate space for Xnumber (i=number of digits)
	Xnumber = (char*) malloc((sizeof(char)+1)*i);
	Xnumber[i] = '\0';

	//Go through the number
	divRes = number;
	while (divRes>0)
	{
		rest = divRes % baseNumber; //Get rest (last digit in target language)
		divRes = divRes / baseNumber; //Divide

		//Convert r to target digit, and put it in Xnumber (starts from the end)
		Xnumber[i-1] = base[rest];
		i--;
	}

	//Return X number
	return Xnumber;
}

int main()
{
	//Variables
	FILE * fin, * fout; //Input file
	int totalCases=0, i, dec; //Int variables
	char number[max_size_number], inputLang[max_size_input_lang], targetLang[max_size_target_lang], * targetNumber; //String variables

	//Open file for reading
	fin = fopen("A-small.in", "r");
	fout = fopen("output.in", "w");
	if (fin==NULL) return 0;

	//Get total numbers of cases
	fscanf(fin, "%d", &totalCases);

	//Go through all cases
	for (i=0;i<totalCases;i++)
	{
		//Get case
		fscanf(fin, "%s %s %s", number, inputLang, targetLang);
		//Convert from input to decimal
		dec = fromXto10(number, inputLang);
		//Convert from decimal to target and print
		targetNumber = from10toX(dec, targetLang);
		printf("Case #%d: %s\n", i+1, targetNumber);
		fprintf(fout, "Case #%d: %s\n", i+1, targetNumber);
	}

	return 0;
}

Take care!

Please note: crwld.org is not responsible for any damage you may do to your computer by following the instructions bellow.

Hello there

This post is for those who are able to play Call Of Duty 4 in single player mode, but are experiencing multiplayer crashes (CTD’s).
Most of the times (not always) this is due to RealTek(TM) sound drivers. If you have a RealTek(TM) on-board sound card then this is very likely the reason why you are having problems when running on multiplayer. Apparently there are also some problems with Sigmatel® on-board sound cards. The solution presented in this post however, is for RealTek(TM) sound cards only. For Sigmatel® owners you may want to try to update your audio drivers from dell.com.

Below there are a few known fixes for this problem (only one is guaranteed though).

Not guaranteed solutions:

Solution 1: Plug in a microphone/headphone into your microphone and headphone jacks.

Solution 2: Go to ‘Control Panel -> (Hardware and Sound) -> Sound’ and one by one, select all the audio devices in the ‘Playback’ tab list, go to ‘Properties’, select the ‘Advanced’ tab and disable the ‘Give exclusive mode applications priority’ option. Click ‘Apply’ and ‘Ok’.
Remember to do this to all the playback devices in the list.
If this doesn’t work, try to do the same to the ‘Recording’ tab devices in ‘Sound’ properties also.

Solution 3: Go to ‘Control Panel -> (Hardware and Sound) -> Sound’, select the ‘Recording’ tab, right click in the window and enable ‘Show Disabled Devices’. ‘Stereo Mix’ should now be visible…right click it and ‘Enable’ it. Press’Ok’.

Solution 4: Update your RealTek(TM) sound card drivers.

Guaranteed solutions:

If you tried all the solutions above and you’re still experiencing problems when playing Call Of Duty 4 in multiplayer then you probably have to uninstall your sound card drivers to fix the problem.
Before you proceed though, it is recommended for you to take note of the make and model of your sound card for later reinstallation.
To remove your sound card, go to ‘Add/Remove Programs’ search for your RealTek(TM) sound card drivers and uninstall them.
If you can not find your drivers there, then go to the ‘Device Manager’ in ‘Control Panel’, and look for your sound card (probably under ‘Sound, video and game controllers’). Right click it and select ‘Uninstall’. After that, reboot your pc.
This should fix your problem.
If you’re running Windows Vista, your sound card default drivers will be installed automatically and you should not witness any sound problem. If you’re not running Windows Vista and your sound card does not work then you may want to reinstall your sound card drivers.

Happy Gaming!

This solutions where found at:
gamingnewslink.com
kioskea.net

Note: This problem exists till Call Of Duty 4 version 1.7 at least. It is possible that future versions/patches of the game correct this problem.

Technology quotes from Civilization IV.

Hunting
Ancient Era
“If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both.”
- Native American saying

Fishing
Ancient Era
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
- Lao Tzu

Agriculture
Ancient Era
“Oh farmers, pray that your summers be wet and your winters clear.”
- Virgil

Mining
Ancient Era
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”
- Confucius

The Wheel
Ancient Era
“Put your shoulder to the wheel.”
- Aesop

Mysticism
Ancient Era
“Nature herself has imprinted on the minds of all the idea of God.”
- Cicero

Pottery
Ancient Era
“Hath not the potter power over the clay, to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?”
- The Bible, Romans

Archery
Ancient Era
“Do not throw the arrow which will return against you.”
- Kurdish Proverb

Masonry
Ancient Era
“It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls.”
- Aristophanes

Polytheism
Ancient Era
“Not at all similar are the race of the immortal gods and the race of men who walk upon the earth.”
- Homer

Sailing
Ancient Era
“You can’t direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails.”
- Unknown

Meditation
Ancient Era
“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back.”
- The Buddha

Bronze Working
Ancient Era
“It is entirely seemly for a young man killed in battle to lie mangled by the bronze spear. In his death all things appear fair.”
- Homer

Animal Husbandry
Ancient Era
“Blessed be the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.”
- The Bible, Deut. 28:4

Writing
Ancient Era
“True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written; in writing what deserves to be read.”
- Pliny the Elder

Priesthood
Ancient Era
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”
- The Bible, Numbers

Horseback Riding
Ancient Era
“If you speak the truth, have a foot in the stirrup.”
- Turkish Proverb

Monotheism
Ancient Era
“I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.”
- The Bible, Exodus

Iron Working
Classical Era
“You should hammer your iron when it is glowing hot.”
- Publius Syrus

Metal Casting
Classical Era
“And them that take the sword shall perish by the sword.”
- The Bible, Matthew

Monarchy
Classical Era
“A multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one king.”
- Herodotus

Alphabet
Classical Era
“Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.”
- The Buddha

Literature
Classical Era
“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some to be chewed and digested.”
- Sir Francis Bacon

Drama
Classical Era
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.”
- William Shakespeare

Mathematics
Classical Era
“If in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics.”
- Roger Bacon

Compass
Classical Era
“The wisest men follow their own direction.”
- Euripides

Construction
Classical Era
“And on the pedestal these words appear: ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains.”
- Percy Bysshe Shelley

Code of Laws
Classical Era
“To bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, so that the strong should not harm the weak.”
- Hammurabi’s Code; Prologue

Currency
Classical Era
“Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it.”
- Publius Syrius

Calendar
Classical Era
“For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.”
- Ecclesiastes

Philosophy
Medieval Era
“I have gained this by philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law.”
- Aristotle

Machinery
Medieval Era
“A God from the machine.”
- Menander

Theology
Medieval Era
“Two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self; the heavenly by the love of God.”
- St. Augustine

Feudalism
Medieval Era
“I will to my Lord be true and faithful, and love all which He loves and shun all which He shuns.”
- Anglo Saxon oath of Fealty

Civil Service
Medieval Era
“The bureaucracy is expanding to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy.”
- Unknown

Music
Medieval Era
“If music be the food of love, play on.”
- William Shakespeare

Paper
Medieval Era
“I cannot live without books.”
- Thomas Jefferson

Optics
Medieval Era
“One doesn’t discover new lands without losing sight of the shore.”
- Andre Gide

Engineering
Medieval Era
“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupry

Divine Right
Medieval Era
“I am the state.”
- Louis XIV

Guilds
Medieval Era
“People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public.”
- Adam Smith

Banking
Medieval Era
“Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”
- Thomas Jefferson

Printing Press
Renaissance Era
“What gunpowder did for war, the printing press has done for the mind.”
- Wendell Phillips

Education
Renaissance Era
“There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance.”
- Ali ibn Abi-Talib

Gunpowder
Renaissance Era
“You can get more of what you want with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word.”
- Al Capone

Liberalism
Renaissance Era
“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
- Benjamin Franklin

Nationalism
Renaissance Era
“A man does not have himself killed for a half-pence a day or for a petty distinction. You must speak to the soul in order to electrify him.”
- Napoleon Bonaparte

Military Tradition
Renaissance Era
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
- Sun-Tzu

Astronomy
Renaissance Era
“Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another.”
- Plato

Constitution
Renaissance Era
“No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned, or in any other way destroyed, except by the lawful judgment of his peers.”
- The Magna Carta

Democracy
Renaissance Era
“It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.”
- Winston Churchill

Economics
Renaissance Era
“Compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.”
- Albert Einstein

Chemistry
Renaissance Era
“Chemistry means the difference between poverty and starvation and the abundant life.”
- Robert Brent

Replaceable Parts
Renaissance Era
“The whole is more than the sum of its parts.”
- Aristotle

Rifling
Renaissance Era
“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”
- Mao Zedong

Corporation
Renaissance Era
“Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.”
- Ambrose Bierce

Steel
Industrial Era
“Before that steam drill shall beat me down, I’ll die with my hammer in my hand.”
- from “John Henry, the Steel-Driving Man”

Scientific Method
Industrial Era
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”
- Galileo Galilei

Communism
Industrial Era
“When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”
- Dom Helder Camara

Steam Power
Industrial Era
“You would make a ship sail against the winds and currents by lighting a bon-fire under her deck? I have no time for such nonsense.”
- Napoleon, on Robert Fulton’s Steamship

Assembly Line
Industrial Era
“People can have the Model T in any color - so long as it’s black.”

- Henry Ford

Fascism
Industrial Era
“The great masses of the people… will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.”
- Adolf Hitler

Physics
Industrial Era
“To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.”
- Isaac Newton

Artillery
Industrial Era
“Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.”
- Frederick the Great

Biology
Industrial Era
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, but the one most responsive to change.”
- Charles Darwin

Medicine
Industrial Era
“As to diseases make a habit of two things - to help, or at least, to do no harm.”
- Hippocrates

Railroad
Industrial Era
“I fooled you, I fooled you, I got pig iron, I got pig iron, I got all pig iron.”
- Lonnie Donegan, “Rock Island Line”

Combustion
Industrial Era
“Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in car.”
- E.B. White

Electricity
Industrial Era
“We will make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles.”
- Thomas Edison

Fission
Industrial Era
“If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One… I am become Death, the Shatterer of Worlds.”
- J. Robert Oppenheimer, quoting “The Bhagavad Gita”

Industrialism
Industrial Era
“There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wage possible.”
- Henry Ford

Flight
Modern Era
“For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.”
- Leonardo Da Vinci

Refrigeration
Modern Era
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.”
- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Radio
Modern Era
“Then one fine mornin’ she puts on a New York station. You know her life was saved by Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
- The Velvet Underground, “Rock And Roll”

Mass Media
Modern Era
“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”
- Oscar Wilde

Rocketry
Modern Era
“The Earth is the cradle of the mind, but one cannot eternally live in a cradle.”
- Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky

Plastics
Modern Era
“I just want to say one word to you. Just one word: plastics.”
- Calder Willingham, The Graduate

Ecology
Modern Era
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
- Native American Song

Computers
Modern Era
“Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window.”
- Steve Wozniak

Genetics
Modern Era
“Soon it will be a sin for parents to have a child which carries the heavy burden of genetic disease.”
- Bob Edwards

Satellites
Modern Era
“Beep… beep… beep… beep…”
- Sputnik I

Composites
Modern Era
“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
- Aristotle

Robotics

Modern Era

“The real problem is not whether machines think, but whether men do.”
- B.F. Skinner

Fiber Optics
Modern Era
“There is a single light of science and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere.”
- Isaac Asimov

Fusion
Modern Era
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
- Arthur C. Clarke

Future Technology
Modern Era
“The future will be better tomorrow.”
- Dan Quayle

Source: squidoo.com

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More info at:
nuigroup.com

Originally seen at:
Coding4Fun
Youtube@cerupcat

Simply beautiful music!
I really enjoy listening to these two. It’s calm and nice, with excellent music quality. She (Yael Naim) also looks pretty cool and she is very beautiful, specially when she wears those fantastic dresses (I like them :P).
I wish them the best of luck!

About:

Yael Naïm is a French-Israeli singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 2008, after her song “New Soul” was used by Apple in an advertising campaign for its MacBook Air. The success of this song made her the first Israeli solo artist to have a top ten hit in the United States. The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

in wikipedia

Style:
- Pop / Indie Rock / Folk / Acoustic

Band Members:
- Yael Naïm
- David Donatien

Albums:
- Yael Naïm, 2007
- In a Man’s Womb, 2001

Awards:
- (Yael Naïm) World music album of the year 2008 by Victoires de la Musique

Site:
- yaelweb.com
- YaelNaim@myspace.com

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

That’s right, the revolution is coming…and it’s gonna be big!
Civilization Revolution is the new and most recent work of Sid Meier, developed by Firaxis for the new generation consoles: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo DS.

Even though PC gamers (and Civ fans) won’t be able to play Revolution on their PC’s, this new Civilization game by Sid Meier looks pretty amazing with tons of new features and abilities.
Even Sid Meier is looking forward for the release having said “This is the game I’ve always wanted to make.”
If Civilization 4 was a success and for many the best strategy game of the year (rated ‘9.4 Editors’ Choice’ by GameSpot), then Civilization Revolution will blow you away.
For those who don’t know, Civilization is a series of turn-based strategy games ‘created’ by Sid Meier, since 1990 with the very first Civilization, followed by Sid Meier’s Civilization II (1996), Sid Meier’s Civilization III (2001), Sid Meier’s Civlization IV (2005), and now Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution (2008).
Civilization series have come a long way now and Revolution is better than ever.

(Sid Meier)

In this new game you will find 16 civilizations (USA - Abraham Lincoln, England - Queen Elizabeth I, China - Mao Zedong, Japan - Tokugawa Ieyasu, Aztecs - Montezuma, India - Mohandas Gandhi, Mongolia - Ghenghis Khan, Rome - Julius Caesar, Egypt - Cleopatra, France - Napoleon Bonaparte, Arabia - Saladin, Greece - Alexander, Spain - Isabella I, Germany - Otto von Bismark, Zulu Nation - Shaka Zulu, Russia - Catherine the Great), an invaluable Civilopedia, a streamlined time scale for quicker play, a fully featured online play mode up to 4 players, integrated videos and voice chatting, in-game achievements, and extra downloadable content. The game also has highly detailed characters, units, buildings, landscapes and visual effects, with an amazing integrated physics for ultra-realism. In-game interface has been improved as well and it now looks awesome…pretty simple and nice.
The new Civilization Revolution intends to attract new gamers and to make the game more playable by all ages by trying to change the classic playing style of Civ. For example, game speed is now very different and you can end a game in only a few hours instead of previous Civ versions (which can be not cool for classic Civ fans, but cooler for first timers).

Screenshots:
Screen1
Screen2
Screen3
Screen4
Screen5
Screen6

Preview:

The game will be released on July 7 and so far it looks awesome.
I’m really looking forward this since Civilization series are my favorite…it’s a shame that I don’t have a PS3 or an XBox360.

Goodbye and take care!

(Back Part)

Hi there.
I finally received my T-Shirt 2 or 3 days ago, but I’ve been very busy lately and didn’t have time to post about it before.
The T-Shirt is awesome, I really like it and may I say that it is the first ‘thing’ I receive, directly imported, from the USA (Portugal here!). That’s cool!
Anyway, here is a pic of the T-Shirt…

(T-Shirt)

(Front Part)

It’s very cool.
I want to double thank Bill for the T-Shirt (thanks Bill ) not only for the T-Shirt itself but also because he had to pay to send it across the pacific ocean. Make it a triple thanks…for the gesture Bill .
Thanks a lot.

So don’t forget to visit MXTabs.net. If you’re a musician you can find all kind of tabs at MXTabs, and the best part is that they are completely FREE and completely LEGAL. It is the only place on the web where you can find tabs with both these characteristics (besides, who knows if you won’t win a T-Shirt too…).

Take care…and ‘legalize it‘!

Apparently there is a DX10 version available for windows XP (which I did not know).
DX10 was supposed to work only with Vista but it seems that Cody Brocious, the Alky Project leader, has released a version of DX10 do XP.
However, this is not an official release from Microsoft and results are not guaranteed, and neither the stability of your computer.
Event though, if you wish to know more about this project or if you want to give it a try, you can visit the Alky Project web site.

Take care!

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Grand Theft Auto IV, probably the most anticipated game of the year, is finally on stores.
Developed by Rockstar North, GTA IV, was released worldwide (except in Japan) on 29 April 2008 (today) for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
The action unfolds in Liberty City (based on New York City) where you play as Niko Bellic, an Eastern European who comes to the USA searching for the famous “American Dream”. However, Niko comes to find that his cousin has lied about the wealth and luxury that would be awaiting him.
The story features two possible endings depending on which choice the player makes at certain points in the game.
The latest version of GTA is also the first one to include online multiplayer with 15 different modes.

The game received an handful of positive reviews (both for PS3 and 360 platforms):
- GameSpot 10/10
- GameSpy 5/5
- IGN 10/10
- Eurogamer 10/10
- …

Conclusion: You should definitely buy this game!

Check this gameplay review by IGN:

Take care.