Archive for the ‘ Dispatches ’ Category
Made in Toronto: CypherPoker.JS v0.5.0 (Ollie)
Posted on May 31st, 2019 – Be the first to commentIf ever there was a reason I don’t post to TCL as often as I should this would certainly be it. It’s online Texas Hold’em that uses cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and its younger cousin Bitcoin Cash, for betting.
You may recognize the project from the link to the right and I’m sure I’d mentioned it in a previous post or two.
One thing that makes CypherPoker.JS truly unique is that it’s peer-to-peer, meaning that players can play directly against one another without any trusted middleman to “deal” the cards, hold buy-ins, and make sure games are played correctly / fairly.
The challenge in peer-to-peer online poker is a lot like playing the game over the phone against someone you don’t really trust and without relying on some other person to conduct the game — let that problem of how that would work percolate on the old noodle for a bit. Spoiler alert: it’s possible using clever math.
The other thing that makes CypherPoker.JS unique is that it’s a white-label software product which simply means that it’s well-documented and built to be altered, re-branded, and re-packaged: one’s very own, online, public and / or private poker room(s). Because it’s peer-to-peer there’s basically no extra hardware or services to invest in (a website is entirely optional), and because the it’s open-source the software is free. I’m sure that there are people out there who would still find a way to complain about the $0 price tag but in all fairness those people are dumb.
This is the second iteration of the project and it uses JavaScript, the popular programming language of web browsers. There’s a bunch of JavaScript behind the scenes right here at TCL too; it’s what makes websites do stuff instead of just sitting there.
But it doesn’t matter if you know anything about JavaScript because I wrote the thing to be used, not (necessarily) admired for its programming elegance.
You can use CypherPoker.JS right in your web browser or you can download an installer for Windows and play that way. Linux and macOS are also supported but since I don’t have any extra computers lying around that run those operating systems you’d need to build the software by hand using my Do-It-Yourself in 5 easy steps! guide.
No Bitcoin? No problem! Just select the “testnet” version of the cryptocurrency for a 100% free alternative.
I mean, really, at this point you have no excuses to not try it out.
I usually do a lengthier post on Medium detailing each new version and in the most recent one I eulogize a dearly departed friend (hence the bracketed homage).
There’s also a dedicated subreddit where you can ask questions or post comments. I love chatting about the project so I promise that there’s literally no question / comment too basic that you could post and that I wouldn’t happily and courteously answer.
Finally, there’s a GitHub repository where the actual project lives:
https://github.com/monicanagent/cypherpoker.js
It comes with a nifty project board where I visually organize the project’s progress:
https://github.com/monicanagent/cypherpoker.js/projects/1
Everything on this board comes from a master list of bugs / tasks:
https://github.com/monicanagent/cypherpoker.js/issues
… which are organized in dated milestones:
https://github.com/monicanagent/cypherpoker.js/milestones
Once a milestone is complete I update the web demo:
https://monicanagent.github.io/cypherpoker.js/demo/web/
… and I add download links for the desktop version of the software:
https://github.com/monicanagent/cypherpoker.js/releases
So, other than the nice pictures and witty prose, is there any reason why you’re still here?
State destroys city
Posted on May 27th, 2019 – Be the first to commentA large swath of Yonge Street is in the process of being demolished to make way for sterile, corporate homogeneity. Most of the businesses along the lengthy strip didn’t leave by choice.
You might be tempted to think it was the government-imposed 100% — i.e. double — tax increase (with more planned), that drove so many businesses either out of the area or into bankruptcy but “think tanks” like the C.D. Howe Institute beg to differ; Toronto has very “competitive” property tax rates, they say, it’s just that they’re difficult to estimate because of complexity, obscurity, and lack of transparency.
You may think that taxing property “owners” twice — i.e. double — for simply living on a piece of land throughout the city would be similarly problematic but the eminent Ryerson University along with some councilors believe that the city could easily squeeze another 20% from taxpayers who have the audacity to live in a home that they “own”.
Bloody “free” market strikes again!
Doughnart
Posted on May 24th, 2019 – Be the first to commentKrispy Kreme Kat knows a lot about fat. Regarding type II, ask Thing One or Thing Two.
Fantom foot
Posted on May 23rd, 2019 – Be the first to commentReturning from a meetup where we’d imbibed some adult refreshments, Sarah and I found pieces of a discarded mannequin by the side of the road. A few blocks later inspiration struck.
Guanyin
Posted on May 22nd, 2019 – Be the first to commentThese days the Goddess of Mercy is going for a cool three grand — Chinatown special!
Gorey Gardens
Posted on May 21st, 2019 – 2 CommentsThere’s something very Edward Gorey-esque about Allan Gardens that keeps me coming back. Maybe it’s the moody Victorian atmosphere that they invoke, or maybe it’s the holiday weekend crowds — they can be murder. For Sarah it’s all about those sinister turtles.
Popos on horseback
Posted on May 20th, 2019 – Be the first to comment Filed under: Dispatches, Patrick Bay, Pictures
Everywhere
Posted on May 19th, 2019 – Be the first to comment Filed under: Dispatches, Patrick Bay, Pictures
Ain’t too proud (to beg)
Posted on May 18th, 2019 – Be the first to commentI wrote this one a few years ago but decided to dust it off for TCL. You may recognize the lyrics of David Ruffin from The Temptations but the tune will probably not be so familiar. I believe the kids these days call this style Electro House.
... with pictures
... with sounds
... with videos
... with opinions
... that's shorter
... that's longer
