The Cinder forums are a great place to learn. Following are some of the posts I find myself going back to for technical reference.

• Contributing Code Process.

  Useful overview of git commands for creating patches and submitting pull requests on github.

• Callback sample.

  Shows how to use the callback manager for your own custom events.

• vector<Particle> versus vector<Particle*>.

  Insight into memory layout and management.

• Cinder Syphon.

  An amazing API for cross-application realtime graphics.

• Visual C++ 2010 linking.

  Because I come from XCode.

• Using std::thread.

  A good demo of thread use in a c++ application.

• Vbo Custom Attributes.

  Some discussion of how to provide a useful abstraction to the OpenGL structure.

• Boost::filesystem.

  Simple tutorial for basic filesystem use.

On Monday, I spent the day at Wall Street on Demand in Boulder, CO. I was invited by Christo Allegra to talk about my work and give a brief workshop on the Cinder framework. The talk went well, and I liked presenting in the casual environment of the office; rocking chairs, couches, and cups of tea. My presentation was titled “Sampled landscapes, synthetic terrain” which seems to have gone over well enough.

WSOD has a relationship with RMCAD, and they provided design mentors for students in an their interaction design course this semester. The semester happens to have recently ended, so I also participated as a guest reviewer for their final presentations on Monday. I was impressed by the high quality of the student presentations. The solutions to the problems they defined were fun and displayed well.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the area long enough for a proper hike. I did get to go for a brief walk about a reservoir to start my day, though.

I read Holy Land over the past few days while riding the bus to UCLA. Holy Land is a series of glimpses into suburban life and its history, divided up into segments as orderly and mysterious as rows upon rows of houses. The development of LA’s suburbs, the stories of people who stand out, and the ritual of its daily life, are told in fascinating, honest prose. It’s neither a work of praise or condemnation, and highly recommended.

I am showing new work this week alongside my friends in the UCLA Design|Media Arts MFA program. Our show, meaningfully titled “I am here now,” covers some of what we’ve been up to over the Summer. I will be showing projects started in a cave in Missouri, printed at Anderson Ranch in Colorado, and finished up in my apartment in Los Angeles. In other words, things that span my Summer.

Pete Hawkes designed the postcard (and poster). I wrote a little script that searched twitter for the phrase “I am here now” and saved the results in a file. For a preview of the show, visit the exhibition website.

The opening reception is Thursday, October 14 from 5—8pm.

Becky and I just got back from a trip through some of the NPS administered lands in Southern Utah. We camped our way from Arches to Zion. One of the really great things was being able to see the stars so clearly at night. Of the parks we visited, Natural Bridges and Bryce Canyon had the darkest night skies.

You can see more photos of the night sky on flickr.