Low-level graphics with math and *those* dirty memory pointers ;)
Details
Bring your laptops! There will be an optional coding portion to this meetup for those of you who have asked us for more coding workshops :)
For those of you who made it to our February 'Everyone's new at something' meetup, our speaker will be the ever popular Maya Bonkowski who spoke about Coding on the metal (on the processor).
A very brief intro into:
• Abstract algebra that nobody told you already know
• How number systems we use are intuited to a context rather than mathematics being an absolute
• Why memory pointers have a bad reputation
And how to use all of the above good stuff to mess around in video frame buffers to do realtime effects
All the code will be in C/C++, but you don't need to know C already to understand the talk!
Book recommendations from Maya:
The best C++ book I've come across to learn from is Andrew Koenig's "Accelerated C++" ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accelerated-Practical-Programming-Example-Series/dp/020170353X - this can be sourced elsewhere)
All the Pointer Code will be much more pure C and to learn that the source is still Kernighan and Ritchie's "The C Programming language" ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/C-Programming-Language-2nd/dp/0131103628/ref=sr_1_1 )
The short version (written to try to convince a Quant friend to come - but she's away that day):
Basically it's modulo math raw memory tricks to mess around in video frame buffers in real time with an intro in abstract algebra and how number systems we use are intuited to the context rather than mathematics being an absolute.
Note: What with Easter and the various public holidays, we've moved the date for the April meetup around a bit. We'll be back to our regular '1st Tuesday of every month' schedule in May.