tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80399012024-03-14T17:57:59.665+01:00Stavros AmanatidisJust a blog :)Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-277872121436102862012-12-14T00:03:00.001+01:002012-12-14T00:03:13.406+01:00Update and plansI have recently discovered <a href="http://coursera.org/" target="_blank">coursera.org</a> and I am very excited about it. It's online education at it's best. They offers free university level courses, in collaboration with many recognized universities, in various fields.<br />
I have already followed, or planning to:
<br />
<ul>
<li>Introduction to Finance (with success)</li>
<li>Algorithms I (with some success)</li>
<li>Introduction to Astronomy (in progress)</li>
<li>Algorithms: Design and Analysis, part II (in progress)</li>
<li>Game Theory (starts in January)</li>
</ul>
Apart from those, since I do have some extra time now, I am planning to experiment with functional programming. People have started talking about <a href="http://www.haskell.org/" target="_blank">Haskell</a> and I am curious to see what you can do and how to use such a language. Especially interested in web development with <a href="http://www.haskell.org/" target="_blank">Haskell</a>. From what I hear, it must be exciting!<br />
<br />
I am also planning to start an iPad or Android application, just for the experience. I have never tried any of those, so it will be something simple. A semi-static <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management" target="_blank">CRM</a> project, where the user would be able to store customers and appointments with customers. That will keep me motivated and will provide me with real challenges.<br />
<br />
More news to come..<br />
<ul><ul>
</ul>
</ul>
Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-55583770755271540332012-02-08T21:56:00.000+01:002012-02-08T22:13:26.551+01:00It's about time...I decided that it's about time to make my contribution to the human kind.<br />
I decided that I had to create something brilliant, that people will use as a reference for quality.<br />
<br />
I have a dream that my contribution will help this generation to take science to the next level. <br />
I have a dream that my contribution will help the next generations to understand this world. <br />
<br />
Let me introduce you to <a href="http://samanat.com/" target="_blank">samanat.com</a>Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-57168762703135806052011-09-23T13:46:00.000+02:002011-09-23T14:09:10.198+02:00Update after forever...It's been ages, so I will just focus on the important stuff.<br />
<br />
1. I got a new job at <a href="http://www.saxobank.com/">Saxobank</a>.<br />
2. I started working on my memory issues...<br />
3. I am looking for a volleyball team<br />
<br />
In Saxobank I will be in the team that is working on the platform for trading <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_for_difference">CFD</a>s. I will be working in C# and some UI in WinForms. I am very excited to learn everything about trading and windows programming! However, I had to say goodbye to EasyTime, the company that taught me almost everything I know, and my ex-boss that treated me like a son.<br />
<br />
Everybody who knows me, knows that I have memory issues. I was told that keeping a diary might help. So, I will start writing down, as often as possible, some of the things that are happening to me.<br />
<br />
I had training with 2 mixed teams (guys and girls) and it was... fun.<br />
However, I have to admit that it was much more fun when I was in the men's team. So, I am now sending emails to the trainers and I hope I will find a men's team by next week.Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-66790799586379224282010-06-04T14:04:00.006+02:002010-07-13T00:42:36.009+02:00TravelLinkI am so much fed up with travel agencies! <br />I think it's great that they offer better prices and wide range of alternative routes for your trip, but things are getting ugly when you have to fight for your rights.<br /><br />I bought an Athens-Chania return ticket through <a href="http://www.travellink.dk">TravelLink</a>. <br />The for some reason, I didn't want to use my Athens-Chania part, but only the Chania-Athens. <br /><br />Naturally, my first thought was to call <a href="http://www.travellink.dk">TravelLink</a> and ask them to cancel my Athens-Chania part and give me my refund. To my surprise, they said they will have to charge me 40€ for that!! Which basically means that to change a trip: <br />[Athens-Chania, Chania-Athens]<br />to<br />[Chania-Athens] <br />would cost me extra, and it would cost me about the half of price of the initial ticket!!<br /><br />So, I called <a href="http://www.aegeanair.gr">Aegean airlines</a> and asked them what their policy was. They very kindly and carefully explained that it's possible to do what I want, and the travel agency should GIVE ME BACK about 30€.. <br /><br />Now that I had the knowledge, I called <a href="http://www.travellink.dk">TravelLink</a> to explain them what I was told from <a href="http://www.aegeanair.gr">Aegean airlines</a>. However, somehow, TravelLink persuaded me that they were right and that Aegean was fooling me...<br /><br />So, back to Aegean's customer service again and asking for some more explanation. Of course, they insisted that I should get money back and that their system allows this change to be done. The only problem was that they couldn't do it because the ticket was issued by a travel agency and the travel agency had my money.<br /><br />Knowing now that I was right, I sent an email to TravelLink explaining them how the situation is and asking them to call Aegean to solve the issue.<br /><br />The reply I got from TravelLink was something like "OK, OK, we will NOT charge you 40€ that we said, but we will do it for free. However, NO money back". Of course I couldn't live with that, so I called them and insisted on getting for my full refund. They again refused to give me my money back, until eventually they admitted it!<br />TRAVELLINK COULD CANCEL MY TICKET, GET THE MONEY BACK FROM AEGEAN, BUT KEEP THEM AS FEE!!!<br />Then, why the fuck would you charge me in the first scenario??<br />Bas#$%rds...Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-43065082346120390922010-04-08T16:25:00.005+02:002010-04-08T16:49:37.795+02:00WorldTicketShop<a href="http://www.tiesto.com/">Tiesto</a> is back in Copenhagen again!<br />This guy is amazing and his concerts are always awesome!<br /><br />So, while I was <a href="http://www.bing.com/">Binging</a> him, I found the <a href="http://www.worldticketshop.com/">WorldTicketShop</a> website.<br />Immediately I remembered that I have been there before, when I was checking for tickets for a concert at another country and I remembered that they are EXTREMELY overpriced! Almost doubled priced!! So, I wanted to test again and see if they overcharge for Tiesto's concert in Copenhagen..<br /><br />The official ticket-selling website for this concert is <a href="http://www.billetnet.dk/html/evinfo.htmI?CNTX=5631234&l=DK&C=">BilletNet</a> and their price is <span style="font-weight:bold;">~63€</span>.<br /><br />The price at <a href="http://www.worldticketshop.com/dance_and_electronic/tiesto_tickets/65027_tiesto_copenhagen">WorldTicketShop</a> is <span style="font-weight:bold;">179€</span>!<br /><br />* Both prices include tax, but not shipping..<br /><br />Friendly advice: AVOID WorldTicketShop..Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-20753199863786659802010-03-06T19:36:00.000+01:002010-03-06T19:36:27.386+01:00Restart after install/update on MacThis an informational post for all the windows users out there.<br /><br />Well, I am also working on windows and I was tired of listening to all mac users bragging about many things..<br />One of those things, is that on Mac you don't have to restart after installing applications.. That's also the case for Mac-updates.. <br />More precisely, a mac-friend of mine, told me that I can forget the "restart" functionallity on Mac, cause you never do it!<br /><br />All this, sounds nice, until you get a mac and you realize the truth..<br /><br />Of course you have to RESTART your MAC!! <br /><br />When you are getting the latest updates, you have applications that require restart! <br />I was shocked when I saw the message, but, well, that's the case.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcYCDrl3OYGTrdMCv8n3HMjfNCYuZjTkWG7KkM9JMHX0p1I0ezxYywxmdWBHpgk80C2FiAEZ4uGvVzl3HIR3zBki-DvBfMtCLHxL8MxfN87nPGY4xFxUgzH9_xb4Sm-bg6jRS3w/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-02-28+at+10.41.31+AM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOcYCDrl3OYGTrdMCv8n3HMjfNCYuZjTkWG7KkM9JMHX0p1I0ezxYywxmdWBHpgk80C2FiAEZ4uGvVzl3HIR3zBki-DvBfMtCLHxL8MxfN87nPGY4xFxUgzH9_xb4Sm-bg6jRS3w/s320/Screen+shot+2010-02-28+at+10.41.31+AM.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445587726086526466" /></a><br /><br />Oh, and the worst part is that<br />you DON'T have the option to select "Don't install and NEVER bother me again"!!<br />You will get those updates in your update list, until eventually one day you are so pissed, that you install them..<br /><br />For example, I am not using the wireless on my desktop computer, but I cannot avoid installing the update.<br /><br />Welcome to Mac World..Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-91106813275437978972010-02-28T10:53:00.005+01:002010-02-28T11:06:41.294+01:00Hello world!That's my first post from my new <a href="http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html">iMac</a>! <br />I already feel more cool :-)<br />Finally, I got a new and decent computer!!<br /><br />I was thinking to try to keep this blog alive, by posting my iMac experiences once in a while..<br /><br />To start with, <br />* The 27'' screen is AMAZING!<br />* The <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB829LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1Mg&mco=MTMzNzY2NTE">mouse</a> is so cool!<br />* The remote control is even more cool!<br />* And of course it's fast (even though for the same money maybe you can get something faster)<br /><br />I am closing this post only with the positive observations, but I have quite a few negative as well..Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-34755011178100931112009-05-20T14:53:00.010+02:002016-09-23T19:35:27.047+02:00Does Firefox suck?I am(was actually) a great fan of Firefox..<br />
From a user's perspective Firefox rocks!<br />
* there are countless add-ons<br />
* it's faster than IE<br />
* it's competing IE (and no one likes Microsoft)<br />
* it had tabs before IE <br />
* it's customizable <br />
<br />
But, from a software developer's perspective, Firefox sucks!<br />
* there are much lesser events that IE!<br />
for example, OnPropertyChange, which is triggered as soon as the element is being changed (and not after the change). Lovely event, missing from Firefox.<br />
* there are some events that are partially supported!!<br />
for example, OnKeyPress is supported for input fields, but NOT for tables. According to some people, it's not usable since it's not editable.. However, when you are creating a table that uses navigation arrows, you need this feature to capture the arrow keystrokes.<br />
<br />
It seems that Firefox is trying to limit the freedom of the developer either because it will make Firefox slower or because they have decided that some functionality shouldn't be available to developers... <br />
<br />
Of course there are solutions, but they are workarounds that shouldn't be needed..<br />
<br />
So, bottom line, we should all praise Microsoft! :)Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-34657723175173371462009-01-29T23:24:00.004+01:002009-01-29T23:30:38.999+01:00Skiing period has started!!I want to make clear that I am still a beginner in snowboarding.. <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/D69FQ_7pWWA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/D69FQ_7pWWA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Tomorrow I am going snowboarding again and I hope I can shot a better video :)<br />(where I will hopefully go faster!)<br /><br />by the way, I am not spending my free time on programming anymore, but on socializing.. however, I guess that I will get back to ruby and java soon..Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-40636259561730163102008-11-26T18:12:00.004+01:002016-11-21T23:17:53.801+01:00History is rewritten!Ha, you thought that the famous quote <br />
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work"<br />
is from Thomas Edison????<br />
<br />
No no no no!<br />
According to <a href="http://offradio.blogspot.com/">OffRadio</a>, it was Albert Einstein who said it!!! <br />
<br />
Off-radio is a great internet radio station from Greece.<br />
So, I think they should stick to playing perfect music... <br />
And if someone is not sure about something, he should ask! <br />
Or do some research :)<br />
<br />
Anyways, I hope that soon I will have my first working example of Ruby On Rails system!! It's coming really really slowly, because I have been through major changes in my life!! Such as, following danish lessons :)Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-74900053991129493002008-05-06T12:42:00.002+02:002008-05-06T12:51:56.389+02:00Status UpdateI just saw my last post and I realized that the two solutions that I had found to keep me occupied and away from my problems, were not very effective.. <br /><br />1. I played <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml">World Of Warcraft</a> for about 10-12 hours.. The monthly card was just a waste of money.<br /><br />2. I worked with www.samanat.com only for 10-12 hours.. The monthly payment at the webhotel was not worth it..<br /><br />However, I am very happy this period. Loads of plans and traveling and having fun!<br /><br />Soon I will start working again at www.samanat.com, which is not working because it's without webhotel now :( <br />I will start (hopefully soon) with a demo of what one can do with ruby on rails..<br /><br />Oh, and I am looking for summer sports! I am planning to learn windsurfing :)Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-48274893796556307952008-02-21T14:18:00.006+01:002008-02-21T14:56:03.376+01:00Getting away with it all messed up..A lot of things are going really bad in my life those days..<br />Some people can argue that there are always more that can go wrong, but for the time being, I am not happy..<br /><br />I am sad, confused, disappointed, nervous, angry, anxious, and the list goes on..<br /><br />To avoid thinking of everything that makes me feel bad and all the adjectives above, I did 2 things.<br /><br />1. I bought <a href="http://www.samanat.com/">www.samanat.com</a> and I am thinking of what to upload and how my personal website should look like.. Now I just put an "under construction" page..<br /><br />2. and more efficient solution: I started <a href="http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml">World Of Warcraft</a> again..<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">James - Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)</span><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UuXO-LQIRt4&rel=1"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UuXO-LQIRt4&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-44689486240747832082007-12-19T19:54:00.001+01:002008-02-21T14:17:44.270+01:00Concerts in ViennaTwo weeks ago I went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna">Vienna</a> for a weekend break. Since I have been living in Scandinavia for the last 3 years, I am used to planning my trips in advance. This doesn't imply that I am following my plans, but that's another story.. The story here is about booking online tickets for a concert in <a href="http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/">Vienna's Opera</a>.<br /><br />AVOID <a href="http://www.viennaconcerts.com/">http://www.viennaconcerts.com</a><br />This website looks nice and serious and comes first at google's results if you search for "concerts in vienna".. However, there are some small details that noone ever reads in the terms and conditions. <br /><br />I booked a ticket for "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Zauberfl%C3%B6te">The Magic Flute</a>" and I paid 43€. I was going to get the ticket from the box office, just before the start of the performance..<br />It was only when I got the ticket in my hands that I realized that I paid 13.30€ more than the price of the ticket!<br /><br />The price of the ticket was 29.70€!!!<br />Believe it or not, I had to pay 45% more than the original price!<br /><br />Then I read the <a href="http://www.viennaconcerts.com/terms.php">terms and conditions</a> and I could see that <br />"Opera / Musical Prices<br />...<br />The net difference between prices listed at www.viennaconcerts.com and the face value of the opera tickets is generally 25%. For some ticket categories, due to high demand, the difference might be higher than 25% but not higher than 34 EUR / ticket. Very few performances and/or ticket categories where this difference is higher than 34 EUR / ticket are clearly marked as "incl. special purchase fee"."<br /><br />Yeah.. Thanks.. I am happy I didn't pay double price..<br /><br />Just avoid <a href="http://www.viennaconcerts.com/">ViennaConcerts</a> website..Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-18840676925600744582007-07-09T12:03:00.000+02:002007-07-11T11:38:30.257+02:00How to create a SQL script that executes other SQL scriptsYesterday I was facing the following problem..<br />I have several sql scripts that I want to call from a single sql script.<br />I am using SQL Server 2005.<br />I have found two ways of doing it. The first one is by directly calling the scripts one by one, and the second is by calling all the scripts in a folder.<br /><br />First of all, you need to set your server to accept 'xp_cmdshell' commands.<br />This is done by the following code <pre><span style="font-size:85%;">USE MainDB<br /><br />GO<br />EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1<br />GO<br />RECONFIGURE WITH OVERRIDE<br />GO<br />EXEC sp_configure 'xp_cmdshell', 1<br />GO<br />RECONFIGURE WITH OVERRIDE<br />GO<br />EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 0<br />GO</span></pre>Now, let's assume that you have a folder at D:\Test, which has 3 files,<br />Test1.sql<br />Test2.sql<br />Test3.sql<br /><br />The first way, which is the easiest way to execute this files by a sql script is by the following<br /><pre><span style="font-size:85%;">USE MainDB<br /><br />EXEC master..XP_CMDShell 'osql -E -i D:\Test\test1.sql'<br />EXEC master..XP_CMDShell 'osql -E -i D:\Test\test2.sql'<br />EXEC master..XP_CMDShell 'osql -E -i D:\Test\test3.sql'</span></pre>If you want to run all the scripts in a folder, then you can use the following script<pre><span style="font-size:85%;">USE MainDB<br /><br />CREATE TABLE ##SQLFiles ( SQLFileName VARCHAR(2000))<br />GO<br /><br />INSERT INTO ##SQLFiles<br />EXECUTE master.dbo.xp_cmdshell 'dir /b "D:\Test\*.sql"'<br />GO<br /><br />DECLARE cFiles CURSOR LOCAL FOR<br /> SELECT DISTINCT [SQLFileName]<br /> FROM ##SQLFiles<br /> WHERE [SQLFileName] IS NOT NULL AND<br /> [SQLFileName] != 'NULL'<br /> ORDER BY [SQLFileName]<br /><br />DECLARE @vFileName VARCHAR(200)<br />DECLARE @vSQLStmt VARCHAR(4000)<br /><br />OPEN cFiles<br /><br />FETCH NEXT FROM cFiles INTO @vFileName<br />WHILE @@FETCH_STATUS = 0<br />BEGIN<br /> SET @vSQLStmt = 'master.dbo.xp_cmdshell ''osql -E -i "D:\Test\' + @vFileName + '"'''<br /> EXECUTE (@vSQLStmt)<br /><br /> FETCH NEXT FROM cFiles INTO @vFileName<br />END<br /><br />CLOSE cFiles<br />DEALLOCATE cFiles<br />GO<br /><br />DROP TABLE ##SQLFiles<br />GO<br /></span></pre><br />This code will work if you don't need a username and password to connect to your database.. If your configuration is more complicated, you will have to add some more parameters to the osql. Read more <a href="http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa214012(SQL.80).aspx">here</a>Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-54955928341798777742007-07-02T11:41:00.001+02:002007-07-02T11:50:42.481+02:00Graduated!Finally, I graduated..<br />I am not sure if I am happy for that.<br />Lately I have been planning to travel with Erasmus program to Australia! Since, I have graduated, I don't have this option anymore :(<br /><br />But, anyway, it's good when things that are supposed to be done, are finally done!<br /><br />Now, let's study something else..<br />Psychology and Law seem to be the main competitors..Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-42822518439312062872007-06-26T14:03:00.000+02:002007-06-26T20:37:15.458+02:00NewsIt's been a long time, so I will just post the headlines of my news.<br /><ul><li>No news about the <a href="http://samanat.blogspot.com/2007/05/flash-project-news.html">flash project</a>.. Still not sure if I passed/graduated or not.</li><li>I have applied for a position as Teaching Assistant again from September.. It was fun :)</li><li>I am considering some new projects for the summer.. Mainly websites..</li><li>Still working at the bar of my <a href="http://www.oek.dk/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">kollegium</span> </a>on Thursdays and Saturdays.</li><li>Still working at <a href="http://easytime.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">EasyTime</span> International</a></li><li>I start to like running medium distances (5km).. Competition is the best motivation!</li><li>I, finally, applied for a visa to US and A. I have booked an appointment and on the 13<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span> of July, I will go to the US embassy to try my luck..</li></ul>I will come back with something more interesting soon.. I hope :)<p></p>Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-74253217799289484822007-05-22T10:17:00.000+02:002007-05-22T10:49:28.967+02:00Flash project news.."The Multi Media Lab is being used for other purposes the next few days blah blah blah blah ...your deadline for handing in is prolonged.<br />The deadline for handing in your written reports in Multimedia Production for the Internet is Thursday 24 May 15.00"<br /><br />This means that I have one more day!! <br />I might finish it after all!! <br /> <br />I guess that tonight I will upload my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkanoid">Arkanoid</a> on the web just for fun..<br />Tomorrow I will have to start optimizing and writting the report..<br /><br />My Arkanoid will for sure be better than <a href="http://www.ababasoft.com/flash_games/arkanoid2.html">this</a> and worse than <a href="http://www.schillmania.com/arkanoid/arkanoid.html">this</a>. At least my initial version. Maybe in the future I will enhance it, but now I don't have time..Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-27073980859475362762007-05-21T11:52:00.001+02:002007-05-21T17:16:38.220+02:00Flash ProjectI will not write much, because I am too busy..<br /><br />I am planning to implement an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkanoid">Arkanoid</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakout">BreakOut</a> for the nerds out there).<br />I started yesterday by creating an engine (partly from the web and partly mine). I am very close to have something nice, but it still needs a lot of things :(<br /><br />I might finish <a href="http://www1.itu.dk/">ITU</a> this semester after all..<br />Life is full of surprises :)Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-70014120678839108892007-05-16T19:27:00.000+02:002007-05-21T11:51:26.735+02:00Flash and ITU in generalFor many reasons, I was thinking that it might be good (or, not bad) to finish <a href="http://www1.itu.dk/">ITU </a>the next semester, and not now(as it was planned).<br /><br />Since I have a <a href="http://easytime.com/index.php?lang=en">full time job</a>, I am not in a hurry. I like this country and I am planning to stay more anyway.. So, I can continue being a student and meeting more new people while having fun with my last course :)<br /><br />So, the deadline for the <a href="http://samanat.blogspot.com/2007/04/flash.html">Flash project</a> is not a deadline anymore :D<br /><br />And I am thinking to spend some more time on social activities and hobbies.<br /><ul><li>I am looking for a dSLR (any suggestions are welcome)</li><li>I will start playing at Amager Volleyball Klub Mixed Team(already playing at mens team)</li><li>I will start learning danish.</li><li>I will travel more.</li></ul>and more to come..Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-8627643355269554202007-04-19T16:36:00.000+02:002007-04-19T16:38:57.700+02:00FlashAnother thing that keeps me busy these days, is my <a href="https://mit.itu.dk/ucs/cb_www/course.sml?course_id=347209&mode=search&semester_id=293157&lang=en&print_friendly_p=t&goto=1175774519.000">last course</a> at <a href="http://www.itu.dk/">ITU</a>. The course name is <a href="https://mit.itu.dk/ucs/cb_www/course.sml?course_id=347209&mode=search&semester_id=293157&amp;lang=en&print_friendly_p=t&goto=1175774519.000">Multimedia Production for the Internet</a>, and mainly it covers animation and programming with <a href="http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/">Flash</a>.<br /><br />I have to find something nice to make in flash for my final project(or exam).<br />I was thinking to implement a small adventure game, but it will require too much time(which I don't have (or I want to spend it elsewhere))..<br /><br />I am also considering to create a website for <a href="http://www.ellas.dk/">Ellas</a>, which is a Greek restaurant situated at Copenhagen..<br /><br />The back-up solution is to make a useless website with no subject and nothing to say, where I will implement all the techniques that we learned, just to illustrate that I know what I have been taught :)<br /><br />The deadline/exam is the 22nd of May.Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-63881959787705856812007-04-06T18:42:00.000+02:002007-04-06T18:42:49.423+02:008 Queens and BBDs (Updated)As I wrote before, I have finished with my Master Thesis.<br />I have also defended it.<br />So, it seems that I have plenty of time to write new posts, to have fun, to go out for beers, etc..<br /><br />The reality is far from this.. :(<br /><br />One of the things that keep me occupied these days, is that I am working as a Teacher Assistant at the Efficient Artificial Intelligence Programming course. So, instead of enjoying Easter holidays, I will have to implement <a href="http://www.configit-software.com/p_22.html#">this</a> in java.<br /><br />The problem is well known to the community, and it's about placing 8 queens on a chess board. The queens have to be placed in valid positions (not attacking each other) and the algorithm have to check and show to the user only the positions that will lead to a solution. One way to solve the problem is to use <a href="http://itu.dk/courses/IAIP/F2007/notes/A97.pdf">Binary Decision Diagrams</a>. That's how we are going to solve it.<br /><br />So, I have to create the UI and the Logic of the problem, then hide some code from the Logic and let the students figure out how to implement the missing code..<br /><br />--Update<br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Maybe I was not very clear.. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">The problem is NOT ONLY to restrict the row, column and diagonal of the last inserted queen, but to restrict all the board positions that don't lead to a solution. What I mean by that, could easily be seen at </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" href="http://itu.dk/people/samanat/queens.jpg">this image</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">. If you place a queen at A5, then E6 should be restricted, because irrespective of where the user will put the other queens, the problem doesn't have a solution. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Brute force cannot help much here, because of the complexity of the problem. We have to calculate the permutations of 8 queens on the 64 positions of the board. That means 64!/(8!*56!) permutations. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Actually, it can be done with brute force, but since the algorithm has to be able to solve the n-queens problem efficiently, there are more </span><a style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);" href="http://itu.dk/courses/IAIP/F2007/notes/A97.pdf">efficient algorithms and data structures</a><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);"> :)</span>Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-3698037361868161202007-03-02T09:39:00.000+01:002007-04-12T01:28:20.834+02:00Master Thesis.. The end..That was it.. <br />However, God can still do something to help me if he wants.. <br />I hope that God still hears me..<br /><br />Now I have spare time and I don't know what to do.. :)Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-51011942785498026742007-02-28T19:35:00.000+01:002007-04-12T01:29:50.779+02:00Master ThesisFor those out there wondering why I am not posting anything, I want to say that have been <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:120%;" >very</span> busy these days writing my thesis.. <br />I will hand it in, on Friday..<br /><br />God, bless my thesis! God, You are my last hope.. :)Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-32908674258467489122007-01-14T00:34:00.000+01:002007-01-14T01:55:30.997+01:00FunΊσως επειδή έχω πιει λίγο παραπάνω, ίσως επειδή δεν έχω τίποτε τρελό σε σχέση με <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl_rcUm440M">τα κομπιούτερς και τους αριθμούς</a> να γράψω, αποφάσισα να το ρίξω λίγο στο <a href="http://www.aman.gr/">Α.Μ.Α.Ν.</a><br /><br />Ακολουθούν επιλογές..<br /><br />Μακράν το καλύτερο, ΟΤΕ...<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CnbUrxRVCY4"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CnbUrxRVCY4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Louka!<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4ayIkELhR_w"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4ayIkELhR_w" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />A8hnaikes pinakides<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AMl0z4XrAM8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AMl0z4XrAM8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />gunaikes sto timoni<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ru8PZvQnZX8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ru8PZvQnZX8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />logikh..<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y64VIUZYEZk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y64VIUZYEZk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Xasame ton Pappou<br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eQHbsm8cldk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eQHbsm8cldk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8039901.post-90731356709235485852007-01-04T16:11:00.000+01:002007-01-07T03:28:43.419+01:00Response.Redirect and ThreadAbortExceptionResponse.Redirect..<br />That's the method that made me anxious and nervous and pissed off..<br /><br />When you have a web page(main.aspx) and you want to go to another(second.aspx), you most often use <br />Response.Redirect("second.aspx"); <br />at the code of main.aspx. <br /><br />Until one day your project doesn't work and you get a ThreadAbortException. <br />You cannot imagine the reason, unless you spend some time on the net(or read it here in advance;) ).<br /><br />The problem is that Response.Redirect(url), calls the Response.End internally, which terminates the thread of the main page from the call stack. That results in this exception.<br /><br />The best practice, is to use the Response.Redirect(url, false) instead of Response.Redirect(url). False, is a boolean that defines that the thread of the main page should continue to be executed and not terminated.<br /><br />That's all.. Just one more parameter :)<br />more info <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/cpref/html/frlrfSystemWebHttpResponseClassRedirectTopic.asp?frame=true">here</a> and <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312629/EN-US/">here</a>.Stavros Amanatidishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07523507414471677584noreply@blogger.com3