In an effort to not burn myself out (again) I have placed little importance on updating this blog. I've just been too busy with other things to stay sane and manage all the things I had initially hoped to do. On a related note, WOW is sleep ever good. I had totally forgotten what it felt like to get constant sleep ever since placing such emphasis on doing too many things.

On Creating a Marketable Product ...

I've been going out to bicycle stores and talking to cyclists to get a better understanding of the cycling culture in this region and to see if whether BykMe is a viable idea. Another dilemma I'm currently facing is the process by which I'll deliver a prototype to market. There are essentially two alternatives.

1 - Code a basic prototype myself:

This is not as hard as it sounds if you know basic web development (The true test is making a web-application look the same on any web browser CoughInternet ExplorerCough) and use resources available to you, of which there are swaths. I've already got a basic template that I'd use if I were to go this route (check here).

2 - Use a sub-par and costly marketplace system:

This option is slowly becoming the preferable one. The choice of marketplace system boils down to either Sharetribe or Near-Me, both of which allow me to focus on my other goals for this winter while still achieving the goal of having a marketable product. Sharetribe is considerably cheaper, and since all I'm looking for is a basic prototype, it will definitely do.

On Becoming A Proficient Programmer ...

On another note. I've mentioned previously how I am aiming at becoming a knowledgeable programmer and just last night I really noticed how far I've come since my early days.

Below is a code snippet for an algorithm I wrote over the summer (in VBA):

Dim Mult3 As Long

Dim Mult5 As Long

Dim Tot As Long

Mult3 = 0

Mult5 = 0

For i = 3 To 999 Step 3

Mult3 = Mult3 + i

Next i

For i = 5 To 999 Step 5

If Int(i / 3) - i / 3 <> 0 Then 'prevent double counting

Mult5 = Mult5 + i

End If

Next i

Tot = Mult3 + Mult5

MsgBox ("Answer is: " & Tot)

And below is another algorithm (if you can even call it that) that does the exact same thing but in Python (try and figure out what it does!).

print "answer is: ", sum([x for x in range(1,1000) if (x % 3 == 0) or (x % 5 == 0)])

I've also finally finished Udemy's Web Development Course and I've got to say I have learned a lot of practical skills which I may start monetizing soon. Here's a link to some of my work.

On Learning About Artificial Intelligence ...

In one of my last posts I mentioned how MIT's Artificial Intelligence class is not for the faint of heart. With my knowledge of programming, I was not prepared to tackle a senior-level Computer Science class on my own without the help of an online community. That's why I started over and have been progressing along with UC Berkeley's Artificial Intelligence class.

Below is a short video of what I managed to do with my new-found Artificial Intelligence skills. This is an intelligent Pacman character that knows where to go to find the ball (although not in the most efficient way, which is what I'm working on next).

That's all folks. Adios.

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