Dear TXP-Network Users and Content Creators,
It's been a long time coming, and I hope to continue all current services in the future. However, it is with a small sigh that I announce: TXP-Go! will no longer be under active development. Due to the technical limitations exhibited and lack of resources proper, we cannot provide the personal search engine with the current server providers. .
However, there is good news to cancel this out. Development of the V.O.S., while delayed once again, will continue into the winter months. Due to the fact that the V.O.S. only has one active developer working on it, the release date is being set to either summer 2017 or indefinite. Since the developer is still in college it would be better if development did not interfere with their studies. While development will continue into the Autumn and Winter months, it will be slower than what was recently observed in the Google Drive repo. The Bootloader and Kernel are undergoing a second redesign, and the shell will follow soon afterward. To see more on this, please be sure to read the comments in the code - they are written as descriptively as possible. As such, there are also citations/links to where content and designs are derived from. Please note that the ASM used is in *Intel syntax, and as such, may not be compatible with other code, depending upon what you are using. The new Kernel is meant to be more GRUB-oriented and modular, allowing for ease of updates if a next version is ever put in the works. Linker scripts are not provided yet due to the fact that debugging is still underway - releasing defective code is not the intention. As such, while the code present may also have errors/bugs, they are currently being weeded out. .
The most interesting point may be that TXP-JSI could be getting a revamp soon. That will be kept on Google Drive as well when the updates start. If you don't know what TXP-JSI is, please head over to GitHub for a quick look at the older version. It's a concept idea, and is still in development. However, TXP-MC Server C-Panel will not be revamped.
If you are interested in helping, please note that the requirements for requesting to join the project have changed: C/C++ and NASM programmers are needed currently. A working knowledge of these languages implies that you know how to access hardware/interrupts as well. Please refer to the *OSDev Wiki for details on that. If (by some rare chance) you wish to use some code that is (somehow) specific to this project, please feel free to e-mail a permission request. .
As of late May, TXP-Network/TopHatProductions115 has been away from video creation - sorry. FantasticRileyTV is currently standing in. Please treat him as you would TopHat, and realise that one person can't do everything, everywhere. As such, TXP-MC was planning to do some *GangBeasts gameplay recently - it's long overdue. Along with some other games off of *Steam. And, of course, Minecraft :) Please note that the current content season is delayed, and will start in July. The next content season starts in the Autumn, around September 2nd. That will be kickstarted with some gameplay in Minecraft 1.10 or the latest snapshot. .
As for all other social media, *StackXchange and *Quora are the places to be - it's where TXP-Network answers questions :) *Comicvine and *KillerMovie Forums are nice. And *Twitch is still a thing. Just not a big thing, so livestreams will done as follows:
- If it's *Minecraft, *Twitch is 50/50
- If it's not, *YouTube always comes first
- If it's laggy, it's *YouTube-only
- If not, *Twitch could get a new video
- If it's a review, it's not for *Twitch
- If it's a series, there is a chance that some episodes may become *Twitch exclusives
- Else, it's up in the air
* Not owned by TopHat or TXP-Net10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swa4skCbhh0
Friday, June 24, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Windows Has Its Moments - Coming Soon!
Maybe Windows could have turned out better. Maybe not. Through the course of computer history, Microsoft has made moves with its prized OS, Windows (and related products), that have been genius, average, or just plain stupid. In this blurb, I will be going over my personal, Top 5 Moves in Hardware, Software, and Compatibility that Microsoft made with the Microsoft Windows OS (and related products), starting from Windows 93 (anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the last 25 years will get that one). I hope you enjoy!
1) Windows XP and "LongHorn" (tech enthusiasts will know what this is)
2) Windows Mobile OS - COMPAQ iPAQ
3) Microsoft Zune and Zune HD
4) Microsoft POSIX Subsystem attempt - Interix
5) Microsoft Office Online
Please note that I have left Windows 10 off of this list. It took me some time to compile this, and after months of scouring the internet, I have no reason to put any versions of Windows OS after 7 on this list. While Windows 10 started out as a decent rendition of the OS, they left too many bugs and issues in the final product for my liking. I have seen enough to say that Windows 10 is a patch job, and a rushed one at that. The Insider Program is the only reason that I really "upgraded" to Windows 10, and I might even rollback to Windows 7. While I was happy with their initial take at this, I am now disappointed - they have a slew of issues that even their engineers can't currently handle, leaving customers in the dark. I feel even worse for those who bought pro licences and above. The review I did of it was for the first version of the update. If you can, rollback to that and see if it works (jk - not recommended).
More coming soon...
Source links::
Coming soon!
1) Windows XP and "LongHorn" (tech enthusiasts will know what this is)
2) Windows Mobile OS - COMPAQ iPAQ
3) Microsoft Zune and Zune HD
4) Microsoft POSIX Subsystem attempt - Interix
5) Microsoft Office Online
Please note that I have left Windows 10 off of this list. It took me some time to compile this, and after months of scouring the internet, I have no reason to put any versions of Windows OS after 7 on this list. While Windows 10 started out as a decent rendition of the OS, they left too many bugs and issues in the final product for my liking. I have seen enough to say that Windows 10 is a patch job, and a rushed one at that. The Insider Program is the only reason that I really "upgraded" to Windows 10, and I might even rollback to Windows 7. While I was happy with their initial take at this, I am now disappointed - they have a slew of issues that even their engineers can't currently handle, leaving customers in the dark. I feel even worse for those who bought pro licences and above. The review I did of it was for the first version of the update. If you can, rollback to that and see if it works (jk - not recommended).
More coming soon...
Source links::
Coming soon!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Water Damage - HowTo Fix!
What's up on the U-Box?
It's TopHat again - this time, with a hardware guide! With the advent of mobile technologies, our mobile devices go EVERYWHERE with us - they can even take the place of full-fledged computers at times. But, sometimes, they get to a place they shouldn't be - like water. While companies like Samsung are already making water-resistant and water-proof devices, Apple and the rest haven't caught on yet. So, when it does (very likely - not definite), it's important to have an idea of what to do. Here's a simple check list of what to do.
- Move quickly, and remove the phone ASAP
- Power off the phone ASAP
- Disconnect all power sources
- Remove all removable parts and chips
This check list accomplishes a set of acceptable safety and damage-controlling measures set by most people, and the TXP-Network. First of all, reduce the damage that initially occurs - remove the phone to prevent prolonged exposure of delicate circuits to water. This step is important because water is usually a good conductor of electricity - a bit too good. As a result, any power source near or in water is in danger of being damaged.
Let me explain - anything that a) has differing electrical charges in its composition b) which are free to move about and flow, can conduct electricity to some capacity. Water, by itself, is barely conductive as it is - covalent bonded, polar molecule. It won't do much damage on it's own. I still wouldn't test it - oxidation is an enemy to all applicable metals and metalloids, and it has no definite time frame. But, what about tap water? Looks like fluoride takes the cake. While it's good for your teeth in small amounts, this halogen is also used in the production of salts - which are ionic bonded. This, and other minerals in water, can damage your phone - they are considered ions.
When you drop an unsuspecting circuit into 'regular' water from the tap, the ion-rich solution comes in contact with activated electrical circuits. The electricity flows to both the intended circuit(s) and the water the circuit is submerged in. This ion-rich water sends electricity to parts of the circuit that weren't meant to have power at the time - it short circuits and electrocutes the phone. Ouch!
This also partially explains the second part - power off the device. This reduces the chances of damage by deactivating the device and halting the general flow of electricity. While you're at it, you will also want to remove the battery, removing the source of electricity from the equation. This also enhances safety - you can be harmed by the electrical power in a smartphone - just not lethally. Seeing that your hand is most likely in water when pulling the phone out, this is especially important.
Now, remove your SD cards (external storage devices), SIM cards (removable system components), and your mobile card reader (removable external components). Remove any casings you can. Open the phone as much as possible. Hold the phone in a position that safely allows for the water to flow out of the device as fast as possible. This is another step for reducing exposure to water.
You now have two courses of action you may follow - rice or alcohol. Notice that I did NOT mention sun/air drying the phone. That is a conduit for oxidation and corrosion damage. By burying your phone in rice or soaking it in alcohol, you are further removing water from the phone. This reduces the damage done. Both need to occur over the course of a couple hours. Your phone should function just fine after this. However, I suggest the alcohol method if your phone was subjected to more than just water (and in most cases). With that said, I hope that you did not actually have to use this guide (but then, why are you here? :).
Good Day!
Sources ::
http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae61.cfm
http://www.hzo.com/corrosion-water-damage-electronics/
http://techknowledgeytoday.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-is-water-bad-for-electronics.html
http://thedroidguy.com/2015/07/things-to-do-when-you-have-a-water-damaged-android-phone-110270
http://www.ashiktricks.com/how-to-fix-water-damaged-phone-or-iphone/
It's TopHat again - this time, with a hardware guide! With the advent of mobile technologies, our mobile devices go EVERYWHERE with us - they can even take the place of full-fledged computers at times. But, sometimes, they get to a place they shouldn't be - like water. While companies like Samsung are already making water-resistant and water-proof devices, Apple and the rest haven't caught on yet. So, when it does (very likely - not definite), it's important to have an idea of what to do. Here's a simple check list of what to do.
- Move quickly, and remove the phone ASAP
- Power off the phone ASAP
- Disconnect all power sources
- Remove all removable parts and chips
This check list accomplishes a set of acceptable safety and damage-controlling measures set by most people, and the TXP-Network. First of all, reduce the damage that initially occurs - remove the phone to prevent prolonged exposure of delicate circuits to water. This step is important because water is usually a good conductor of electricity - a bit too good. As a result, any power source near or in water is in danger of being damaged.
Let me explain - anything that a) has differing electrical charges in its composition b) which are free to move about and flow, can conduct electricity to some capacity. Water, by itself, is barely conductive as it is - covalent bonded, polar molecule. It won't do much damage on it's own. I still wouldn't test it - oxidation is an enemy to all applicable metals and metalloids, and it has no definite time frame. But, what about tap water? Looks like fluoride takes the cake. While it's good for your teeth in small amounts, this halogen is also used in the production of salts - which are ionic bonded. This, and other minerals in water, can damage your phone - they are considered ions.
When you drop an unsuspecting circuit into 'regular' water from the tap, the ion-rich solution comes in contact with activated electrical circuits. The electricity flows to both the intended circuit(s) and the water the circuit is submerged in. This ion-rich water sends electricity to parts of the circuit that weren't meant to have power at the time - it short circuits and electrocutes the phone. Ouch!
This also partially explains the second part - power off the device. This reduces the chances of damage by deactivating the device and halting the general flow of electricity. While you're at it, you will also want to remove the battery, removing the source of electricity from the equation. This also enhances safety - you can be harmed by the electrical power in a smartphone - just not lethally. Seeing that your hand is most likely in water when pulling the phone out, this is especially important.
Now, remove your SD cards (external storage devices), SIM cards (removable system components), and your mobile card reader (removable external components). Remove any casings you can. Open the phone as much as possible. Hold the phone in a position that safely allows for the water to flow out of the device as fast as possible. This is another step for reducing exposure to water.
You now have two courses of action you may follow - rice or alcohol. Notice that I did NOT mention sun/air drying the phone. That is a conduit for oxidation and corrosion damage. By burying your phone in rice or soaking it in alcohol, you are further removing water from the phone. This reduces the damage done. Both need to occur over the course of a couple hours. Your phone should function just fine after this. However, I suggest the alcohol method if your phone was subjected to more than just water (and in most cases). With that said, I hope that you did not actually have to use this guide (but then, why are you here? :).
Good Day!
Sources ::
http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae61.cfm
http://www.hzo.com/corrosion-water-damage-electronics/
http://techknowledgeytoday.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-is-water-bad-for-electronics.html
http://thedroidguy.com/2015/07/things-to-do-when-you-have-a-water-damaged-android-phone-110270
http://www.ashiktricks.com/how-to-fix-water-damaged-phone-or-iphone/
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Major TXP-Network Websites, as of February 2016
All currently-running websites
includes:
_Official ::
TXP-Network Software Development (SWD) Inc.
http://txp-network.co.nr/
TXP-Forumsphere :: Discussions
http://txp-network.freezoy.com/forumsphere/
TXP-Technologies
http://txp-technologies.freezoy.com/
TXP-Cloud Storage and Programming Interfaces (SPI)
http://txp-cloud.freezoy.com/
The ReadingRoom 101
http://thereadingroom101.freezoy.com/
TXP-NewsCast Forum
http://thereadingroom101.freezoy.com/forums/
TXP-MC World Series :: Minecraft Gaming
http://txp-mc.freezoy.com/
TXP-Network RPG Maker :: Shadows Rising
http://txp-mc.freezoy.com/create/
TXP-Archivist :: Software Archives
http://txp-archivist.freezoy.com/
TXP-Media Public Repository
http://txp-media.freezoy.com/
TopHat's Thought Cafe
http://tophatproductions115.blogspot.com/
Me-Andering Mind
http://me-andering-mind.webs.com/
_Possible Shutdown in Near Future ::
MathQuicky - The Fast-Answering Math (and off-topic) Forum
http://mathquicky.webs.com/
TXP-Go! - The world is only a Search Away
(never passed private beta testing)
_Contact Us ::
For donations and Important Inquiry -
TopHatProductions115@ningo.me
For regular business contact -
TopHatProductions115@gmail.com
As mentioned in the last blog posting, GrendelHosting is dying - everything is hosted by Freezoy (at least for now). Freezoy has been a more-than-decent web-host, which is why I am willing to admit that I am putting all of my websites (eggs) on one web-host (basket). They are also up and running, with little-to-no issues! The links are posted above.
includes:
_Official ::
TXP-Network Software Development (SWD) Inc.
http://txp-network.co.nr/
TXP-Forumsphere :: Discussions
http://txp-network.freezoy.com/forumsphere/
TXP-Technologies
http://txp-technologies.freezoy.com/
TXP-Cloud Storage and Programming Interfaces (SPI)
http://txp-cloud.freezoy.com/
The ReadingRoom 101
http://thereadingroom101.freezoy.com/
TXP-NewsCast Forum
http://thereadingroom101.freezoy.com/forums/
TXP-MC World Series :: Minecraft Gaming
http://txp-mc.freezoy.com/
TXP-Network RPG Maker :: Shadows Rising
http://txp-mc.freezoy.com/create/
TXP-Archivist :: Software Archives
http://txp-archivist.freezoy.com/
TXP-Media Public Repository
http://txp-media.freezoy.com/
TopHat's Thought Cafe
http://tophatproductions115.blogspot.com/
Me-Andering Mind
http://me-andering-mind.webs.com/
_Possible Shutdown in Near Future ::
MathQuicky - The Fast-Answering Math (and off-topic) Forum
http://mathquicky.webs.com/
TXP-Go! - The world is only a Search Away
(never passed private beta testing)
_Contact Us ::
For donations and Important Inquiry -
TopHatProductions115@ningo.me
For regular business contact -
TopHatProductions115@gmail.com
As mentioned in the last blog posting, GrendelHosting is dying - everything is hosted by Freezoy (at least for now). Freezoy has been a more-than-decent web-host, which is why I am willing to admit that I am putting all of my websites (eggs) on one web-host (basket). They are also up and running, with little-to-no issues! The links are posted above.
TXP-Network College Update :: 02/20/16
Hey guys! What's Up on the U-Box?!?
How was your week? Your month? Your previous year? Weird questions, right? Until you realize that I've been pretty much offline for most of 2016, post-January so far. As such, I have a lot of catching up to do. Let's start with somethings that would be more important to you, the users and viewers.
- TXP-Cloud is in danger of being halted/cancelled - again. And TXP-Go! is dead for now. Pretty sad stuff, right?
TXP-Cloud was pretty difficult to accommodate for, and originally, it was planned that it would be killed off by the end of last year. But, due to a chain of circumstances, that pretty much edge on being miraculous, TXP-Cloud was made possible for the long-term.
TXP-Cloud was conceived around the same time that the TXP-Network was undergoing major changes and updates. During this particular update, the websites for TXP-Network SWD, TXP-Technologies, The ReadingRoom 101, and TXP-MC World Series were all being given new life. In the past, all of these websites were made in custom HTML 4, and were designed to be static pages that were read from top to bottom. They were also hosted on GrendelHosting, and made use of a great deal of external scripts to operate (ex. the js navigation drop-down menu, the 3D photo gallery, etc.)
During the update, however, these websites were transferred to HTML 5 templates (HTML5Up), and moved to Freezoy. The host that was originally planned for TXP-Cloud, due to the loose limitations and decent programming environment, was GrendelHosting. However, in an effort to simplify managing all websites simultaneously, TXP-Cloud was sent over to Freezoy as well - it didn't go over too well. As a result, TXP-Cloud was sent back to GrendelHosting, causing for the TXP-Network sub-domains to be slightly different (.freezoy.com versus .grn.cc).
Freezoy was (and still is) good for websites that require very little data storage, and are simply viewed, rather than those that work off of interaction and dynamic data exchange (cloud platform). As such, TXP-Cloud and TXP-Go! would obviously do better with GrendelHosting, which had fewer restrictions on what could and couldn't be hosted on their servers. This worked for a while, but won't work for much longer. GrendelHosting is dying.
As such, TXP-Cloud and TXP-Go! (two major TXP-Network websites) have to be moved to new locations by the beginning of March. As of now, all websites are down for updates and maintenance, and there;s no telling when they'll be going back up. In relation to those who may ask, "Why not InfinityFree?", here is an unsent snippet of my experience with them (not as good as GrendelHosting - never going back):
Dear InfinityFree,
As you have stated before, GrendelHosting is going away in a few weeks. As such, I have attempted to move one of my websites from GrendelHosting servers to the new InfinityFree servers. However, this is proving to be a bit problematic, to say the least. In the past, while using GrendelHosting, my websites rarely went down, and when they did go down, I was usually given a reason for why it had gone down. In addition to this, GrendelHosting also had expedient customer service, which made it easy to communicate with them and fix any issues that they had with my website(s). As such, I have hosted around 5-6 websites with them in the past. Now, due to changes in how I provide content on the internet, things have changed. TXP-Cloud is one of my main websites, and as such, I would like for it to stick around for a while. But, with the way it's been going so far, it's getting more and more difficult to keep all of my websites online - especially when I get an e-mail that goes like this:
Dear user,
Your InfinityFree account with username ************* has been suspended! Your website is currently offline and control panel functionality has been limited severely.
The following reason was reported for your suspension:
NO_COMMENTS_GIVEN
If you want to request reactivation, please send an e-mail to ###################. Be sure to include your account username ************* and to state clearly that this is regarding an account suspension.
Thank you for using our services,
InfinityFree
www.infinityfree.net
**Please note the following line:**
"NO_COMMENTS_GIVEN"
How am I supposed to know what I've done wrong? Things like this force me to initiate redundancy systems:
http://txp-cloud.grn.ccc/
http://txp-cloud.heliohost.org/
In addition to this, I had to wait 1-2 days for a customer service response, which left any website visitors I had with no service or information about my service for 2-3 days (my website is still down). I'm a fulltime college student, and have lot's of things to manage besides this website (which is one of over 10 that I currently manage). But TXP-Cloud means a lot to me - I can't just let this go. I've been working with the following webhosts over the years:
Webs
Weebly
Zymic
GrendelHosting
X10Hosting
Freezoy
HelioHost
And possibly others that I can't recall at the moment. All of these web-hosts provided two things in common - expedient response channels and plainly-delineated rules/limitations. When I mention rules/limitations, I am referring to what I am and am not allowed to do with my website at any given time. I was having noticeable issues with FTP transfers when uploading my website, and as a result, never finished moving all files. Then, mid-transfer, the website suddenly stopped working - no transfers were allowed, and the index.html file did not display when I went to the website URL. Disruptions like this make it difficult to move websites, especially when there's a time limit. I hope that we can agree on that. As such, I am forced to reconsider my hosting options, in an effort to provide a seamless service. I would like to stay on InfinityFree - but in order to do so, the type of ambitiousness observed above needs to stop. This is something I've never encountered before from the web-hosts I mentioned above. Please, work with me instead of against me.
Internet Content Provider,
TopHatProductions115
As you can see, since I didn't even send this in, I have already lost my patience for this particular web-host. In fact, this is pretty much the only web-host that has done me in like this before. And, to add insult to injury, the only reason this was ever resolved was due to my Freezoy account - somehow (not to my knowledge), the Freezoy account I had had for years was now linked to the InfinityFree account I had just made one day ago. At this point, issues with the InfinityFree account had effects that trickled over to my previously well-to-do Freezoy account. The account that had had no issues for months on end. Come to find out, InfinityFree and Freezoy use the same service provider, which caused for both of my unsuspecting accounts to be linked - without me knowing it. This caused for a lot of website shutdowns recently, and put me on edge, to say the least. The Freezoy account, and its decent customer service, saved my tail when InfinityFree came crashing down.
I'm just glad I didn't give them a dollar or two for online services. But, I digress. Currently, I'm working to see if I can somehow get TXP-Cloud hosted on Freezoy. It will be difficult (if not impossible), but I want to have something that I provide at some point, instead of just being another voice on the interwebs. :) With the way things are going right now, TXP-Go! may have to be pushed back to 2018. In other words, during my time in college, one of my web-hosts died. Now, I have to react - before I loose my websites (TXP-Cloud and TXP-Go!). And I still haven't updated any of the websites since December 2015 - thanks in part to InfinityFree for the unsightly delay. Playing catch-up isn't fun...
Now for point two...
- I answer questions and do discussions on the internet - hit me up on a request sometime!
https://www.google.com/?ion=1&espv=2#q=hit%20me%20up
I answer questions on the following websites:
Stack Exchange
http://stackexchange.com/users/2245068/tophatproductions115
Quora
https://www.quora.com/profile/TopHatProductions115
ComicVine
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/profile/tophatproductions115/
PhysicsForum (someone may be interested in the site that I only posted on once a year until 2014?)
https://www.physicsforums.com/members/thp115.458460/
Science Forum (another abandoned interest that never really took off)
http://www.scienceforums.net/user/112168-tophatproductions115/
CodeCall Forums (the site I went to while I was actively programming in more than 5 languages)
http://forum.codecall.net/user/51561-tophatprodxns115/
CNet (where my tech interest began - n00b years)
http://www.cnet.com/profiles/tophatproductions115/#forum-posts
Last point -
- I haven't been on YouTube in a while - sorry for he delayed content season :(
Due to the issues delineated above, in addition to the approaching midterms, I have had little time for fun. Heck, even my friends on Skype haven't heard from me. But I'm not dead, and I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. There. But the content season will have to wait - maybe late February (29th)? I'll see if I can do the following - the new Transformers mod, the latest 1.9 update (I did a blog post about this weeks ago), a new Map (with TreeHugger10 and others) and possibly, some WynnCraft. I say WynnCraft with a heavy if - things have changed on that server, and the mods were not of much help. But I, as a TXP-MC member, think we can make the best of a situation handed to us. The new system is a bit strange, so we will have to learn the following:
1) What are the 4 new reserved slots for? **
1a) How does a player use them? **
2) Do Liquid Emeralds still work/apply? **
2a) Can they be converted/used at banks? **
3) Our Skill Points were reset, and we was given 35 or so points when I entered the Update Room
- Is this the amount of points we had before, or a fixed/default amount?
4) Our Items were all reset, and we had to re-Identify whatever we could afford. We also lost all Powder Effects.
- Should item re-Identification cause loss of previous Effects? **
- How will Powders work in the next Update (heard that they were being worked on currently)?
5) Since the Update, all of our armor is also unusable.
- Is this normal?
- Should we re-Identify this as well, or start from scratch?
6) We heard that there was a supposed lag issue - this includes me.
- Are there any optimizations you could suggest for our computers during gameplay?
7) Should we start a new class instead of trying to redo everything we had before? **
As such, answering these questions will allow us to adapt to the newer WynnCraft. Please keep in mind that some of these questions have already been answered **. I may be discussiong those in an upcoming video about the new WynnCraft servers. If you have any questions, be sure to hit TXP-MC up when the site comes back again - or try my business e-mail (posted on the YouTube page). I may also do some other videogames over Easter and Spring break if all goes as planned - but don't count on it. :(
I believe that constitutes the majority of what I meant to mention. I'll cover other things in the upcoming TXP-Network update.
Oh - remember this? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVpLUvZlHWw
TeamXtreme still doesn't work on Windows 10, and TXP-MC will be providing a download link for an alternative in a few days.
Until then, here is the alternate download:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B98YR-Jm_dNAcnFvZDhVaXNoZDQ/view?usp=sharing
Peace! :)
How was your week? Your month? Your previous year? Weird questions, right? Until you realize that I've been pretty much offline for most of 2016, post-January so far. As such, I have a lot of catching up to do. Let's start with somethings that would be more important to you, the users and viewers.
- TXP-Cloud is in danger of being halted/cancelled - again. And TXP-Go! is dead for now. Pretty sad stuff, right?
TXP-Cloud was pretty difficult to accommodate for, and originally, it was planned that it would be killed off by the end of last year. But, due to a chain of circumstances, that pretty much edge on being miraculous, TXP-Cloud was made possible for the long-term.
TXP-Cloud was conceived around the same time that the TXP-Network was undergoing major changes and updates. During this particular update, the websites for TXP-Network SWD, TXP-Technologies, The ReadingRoom 101, and TXP-MC World Series were all being given new life. In the past, all of these websites were made in custom HTML 4, and were designed to be static pages that were read from top to bottom. They were also hosted on GrendelHosting, and made use of a great deal of external scripts to operate (ex. the js navigation drop-down menu, the 3D photo gallery, etc.)
During the update, however, these websites were transferred to HTML 5 templates (HTML5Up), and moved to Freezoy. The host that was originally planned for TXP-Cloud, due to the loose limitations and decent programming environment, was GrendelHosting. However, in an effort to simplify managing all websites simultaneously, TXP-Cloud was sent over to Freezoy as well - it didn't go over too well. As a result, TXP-Cloud was sent back to GrendelHosting, causing for the TXP-Network sub-domains to be slightly different (.freezoy.com versus .grn.cc).
Freezoy was (and still is) good for websites that require very little data storage, and are simply viewed, rather than those that work off of interaction and dynamic data exchange (cloud platform). As such, TXP-Cloud and TXP-Go! would obviously do better with GrendelHosting, which had fewer restrictions on what could and couldn't be hosted on their servers. This worked for a while, but won't work for much longer. GrendelHosting is dying.
As such, TXP-Cloud and TXP-Go! (two major TXP-Network websites) have to be moved to new locations by the beginning of March. As of now, all websites are down for updates and maintenance, and there;s no telling when they'll be going back up. In relation to those who may ask, "Why not InfinityFree?", here is an unsent snippet of my experience with them (not as good as GrendelHosting - never going back):
Dear InfinityFree,
As you have stated before, GrendelHosting is going away in a few weeks. As such, I have attempted to move one of my websites from GrendelHosting servers to the new InfinityFree servers. However, this is proving to be a bit problematic, to say the least. In the past, while using GrendelHosting, my websites rarely went down, and when they did go down, I was usually given a reason for why it had gone down. In addition to this, GrendelHosting also had expedient customer service, which made it easy to communicate with them and fix any issues that they had with my website(s). As such, I have hosted around 5-6 websites with them in the past. Now, due to changes in how I provide content on the internet, things have changed. TXP-Cloud is one of my main websites, and as such, I would like for it to stick around for a while. But, with the way it's been going so far, it's getting more and more difficult to keep all of my websites online - especially when I get an e-mail that goes like this:
Dear user,
Your InfinityFree account with username ************* has been suspended! Your website is currently offline and control panel functionality has been limited severely.
The following reason was reported for your suspension:
NO_COMMENTS_GIVEN
If you want to request reactivation, please send an e-mail to ###################. Be sure to include your account username ************* and to state clearly that this is regarding an account suspension.
Thank you for using our services,
InfinityFree
www.infinityfree.net
**Please note the following line:**
"NO_COMMENTS_GIVEN"
How am I supposed to know what I've done wrong? Things like this force me to initiate redundancy systems:
http://txp-cloud.grn.ccc/
http://txp-cloud.heliohost.org/
In addition to this, I had to wait 1-2 days for a customer service response, which left any website visitors I had with no service or information about my service for 2-3 days (my website is still down). I'm a fulltime college student, and have lot's of things to manage besides this website (which is one of over 10 that I currently manage). But TXP-Cloud means a lot to me - I can't just let this go. I've been working with the following webhosts over the years:
Webs
Weebly
Zymic
GrendelHosting
X10Hosting
Freezoy
HelioHost
And possibly others that I can't recall at the moment. All of these web-hosts provided two things in common - expedient response channels and plainly-delineated rules/limitations. When I mention rules/limitations, I am referring to what I am and am not allowed to do with my website at any given time. I was having noticeable issues with FTP transfers when uploading my website, and as a result, never finished moving all files. Then, mid-transfer, the website suddenly stopped working - no transfers were allowed, and the index.html file did not display when I went to the website URL. Disruptions like this make it difficult to move websites, especially when there's a time limit. I hope that we can agree on that. As such, I am forced to reconsider my hosting options, in an effort to provide a seamless service. I would like to stay on InfinityFree - but in order to do so, the type of ambitiousness observed above needs to stop. This is something I've never encountered before from the web-hosts I mentioned above. Please, work with me instead of against me.
Internet Content Provider,
TopHatProductions115
As you can see, since I didn't even send this in, I have already lost my patience for this particular web-host. In fact, this is pretty much the only web-host that has done me in like this before. And, to add insult to injury, the only reason this was ever resolved was due to my Freezoy account - somehow (not to my knowledge), the Freezoy account I had had for years was now linked to the InfinityFree account I had just made one day ago. At this point, issues with the InfinityFree account had effects that trickled over to my previously well-to-do Freezoy account. The account that had had no issues for months on end. Come to find out, InfinityFree and Freezoy use the same service provider, which caused for both of my unsuspecting accounts to be linked - without me knowing it. This caused for a lot of website shutdowns recently, and put me on edge, to say the least. The Freezoy account, and its decent customer service, saved my tail when InfinityFree came crashing down.
I'm just glad I didn't give them a dollar or two for online services. But, I digress. Currently, I'm working to see if I can somehow get TXP-Cloud hosted on Freezoy. It will be difficult (if not impossible), but I want to have something that I provide at some point, instead of just being another voice on the interwebs. :) With the way things are going right now, TXP-Go! may have to be pushed back to 2018. In other words, during my time in college, one of my web-hosts died. Now, I have to react - before I loose my websites (TXP-Cloud and TXP-Go!). And I still haven't updated any of the websites since December 2015 - thanks in part to InfinityFree for the unsightly delay. Playing catch-up isn't fun...
Now for point two...
- I answer questions and do discussions on the internet - hit me up on a request sometime!
https://www.google.com/?ion=1&espv=2#q=hit%20me%20up
I answer questions on the following websites:
Stack Exchange
http://stackexchange.com/users/2245068/tophatproductions115
Quora
https://www.quora.com/profile/TopHatProductions115
ComicVine
http://comicvine.gamespot.com/profile/tophatproductions115/
PhysicsForum (someone may be interested in the site that I only posted on once a year until 2014?)
https://www.physicsforums.com/members/thp115.458460/
Science Forum (another abandoned interest that never really took off)
http://www.scienceforums.net/user/112168-tophatproductions115/
CodeCall Forums (the site I went to while I was actively programming in more than 5 languages)
http://forum.codecall.net/user/51561-tophatprodxns115/
CNet (where my tech interest began - n00b years)
http://www.cnet.com/profiles/tophatproductions115/#forum-posts
Last point -
- I haven't been on YouTube in a while - sorry for he delayed content season :(
Due to the issues delineated above, in addition to the approaching midterms, I have had little time for fun. Heck, even my friends on Skype haven't heard from me. But I'm not dead, and I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. There. But the content season will have to wait - maybe late February (29th)? I'll see if I can do the following - the new Transformers mod, the latest 1.9 update (I did a blog post about this weeks ago), a new Map (with TreeHugger10 and others) and possibly, some WynnCraft. I say WynnCraft with a heavy if - things have changed on that server, and the mods were not of much help. But I, as a TXP-MC member, think we can make the best of a situation handed to us. The new system is a bit strange, so we will have to learn the following:
1) What are the 4 new reserved slots for? **
1a) How does a player use them? **
2) Do Liquid Emeralds still work/apply? **
2a) Can they be converted/used at banks? **
3) Our Skill Points were reset, and we was given 35 or so points when I entered the Update Room
- Is this the amount of points we had before, or a fixed/default amount?
4) Our Items were all reset, and we had to re-Identify whatever we could afford. We also lost all Powder Effects.
- Should item re-Identification cause loss of previous Effects? **
- How will Powders work in the next Update (heard that they were being worked on currently)?
5) Since the Update, all of our armor is also unusable.
- Is this normal?
- Should we re-Identify this as well, or start from scratch?
6) We heard that there was a supposed lag issue - this includes me.
- Are there any optimizations you could suggest for our computers during gameplay?
7) Should we start a new class instead of trying to redo everything we had before? **
As such, answering these questions will allow us to adapt to the newer WynnCraft. Please keep in mind that some of these questions have already been answered **. I may be discussiong those in an upcoming video about the new WynnCraft servers. If you have any questions, be sure to hit TXP-MC up when the site comes back again - or try my business e-mail (posted on the YouTube page). I may also do some other videogames over Easter and Spring break if all goes as planned - but don't count on it. :(
I believe that constitutes the majority of what I meant to mention. I'll cover other things in the upcoming TXP-Network update.
Oh - remember this? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVpLUvZlHWw
TeamXtreme still doesn't work on Windows 10, and TXP-MC will be providing a download link for an alternative in a few days.
Until then, here is the alternate download:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B98YR-Jm_dNAcnFvZDhVaXNoZDQ/view?usp=sharing
Peace! :)
TopHatProductions115 - 2016
Monday, February 8, 2016
A New Channel to Check Out!
Hey!
What's Up On The U-Box?
It's been a while, and the new content season starts today! But, to kick off the new season, I give you a channel or two that you can watch during your favourite content creator's downtime:
DanCo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJpVnYQic-ikcJfGMJwMMeg/featured
FantasticRileyTv (FantasticProductions)
http://fantastictvproductions.webs.com/
AwSomeTree10 (TreeHugger10)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6f3s2uCw3LKIT6iaooBOxQ
For more, just head to the TopHat homepage and look through the featured channels!
Keep it Cool!
Sunday, January 31, 2016
What I'd Like to See in Minecraft 1.9
Yesterday, I wrote a post about the new combat update and what I liked, overall, about it. Today, I'll give a list of changes and additions I'd like to see inGame. Please bear inMind that these suggestions were compiled from various resources from across the internet, and personal gaming experience. Props to Reddit, props to PvP'rs, props to builders. Let's start with changes:
- CobWebs should catch certain items. Seriously.
- Boats should never have required shovels.
- Boats should never be faster onLand than a sprinting player. Logic.
- Sneaking should not cost you hunger. Ever.
- Lapiz is overrated. Kill it. It's a gimmick.
- Enchantments inGeneral need an overhaul. Start with adjustments to Strength and Power enchants.
- Please mark the spawnpoint again. I want to remember where I spawned.
- Where's my Sky Dimension?
Now, for the additions:
- New structures and dungeons (more variable adventure elements).
- New mobs (bosses mainly).
- Adventure log that tracks your coordinates (not forced to F3 constantly).
- Strafing and dodging for players and mobs. Double tap directional keys to strafe/dodge in the given direction. Sprint stays the same (tap and hold).
- Better blocking - also, please improve hit boxes. Critical hit enhancements are nice too.
- New projectile physics that account for movement of the projectile's source (for bows and throwables).
- We want crossbows (new weapons), and we want straighter projectile paths (new enchantment).
- Armor damage zones - a hit to the torso does not damage my helmet.
- Minimal weapons cooldown - limit spamming, while not disabling the player (hordes are already dangerous enough).
- New weapons - long sword, short sword, dagger, spear, bow staff, battle axe, war hammer. We wants destructive power.
- Can XP be used to repair selected items in Inventory? Would be nice...
- Backpacks? Portable Crafting Tables?
- Server lag and ping issues should not affect PvP the way it currently does. It hurts the multiplayer experience.
- Dual Wielding (and dominant hand preference). No confusion here.
- A more generally-Unified combat experience, as outlined in my previous blog post.
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