Tomorrow I will be attending TEDxFlourCity in downtown Rochester. This will be the first TED event that I have attended so I am unsure of what to expect, but I am looking forwards to it. Should you see me there know that I would be happy to talk.
TEDxFlourCity Tomorrow
Elo ratings for college hockey
Ebscer.com/CollegeHockey is a new website for measuring the quality of college hockey teams. These teams are measured using an Elo rating that has been measured based on an analysis of 18,608 games. This rating system both shows how teams compare to each other, and also can be used to predict the probability of a team winning a particular match up.
The ratings from the end of last season show the top five teams being Boston University, North Dakota, Providence, Minnesota State, and Denver. In addition to seeing how the teams are currently doing there is a wealth of historical data on how the team’s have done over the past 17 seasons.
A more in depth look at the numbers can be used to break out additional information such as how Providence rose to be the most recent champions or a look at the rivalry between Air Force and RIT.
While College Hockey is currently in the offseason, I hope to expand the site to show even more data once the teams get playing again later in the year.
Weather Beautiful now on Android
The Weather Beautiful app has now added support for Android phones. The app can be downloaded from either Google Play or the Amazon App Store.
This is a simple weather app that displays stunning photography of your surrounding area. In addition to the current temperature and weather conditions, the app also allows you to scroll down for a full weekly forecast.
The background images for the app feature landscapes taken in the area surrounding your current location. These pictures update every fifteen seconds in order to show you more views.
Links & Information
BarCamp Rochester is tomorrow
Tomorrow, BarCamp Rochester will be returning to the RIT campus. While I have not been able to make it to one of these events since 2013, the events are always fun and full of interesting ideas. I don’t currently have a plan to present tomorrow, but I have previously presented on the international ascpects of selling mobile applications. As always, if you see me don’t hesitate to stop and chat.
Weather Beautiful app updated
The Weather Beautiful app has been updated to version 2.0 in BlackBerry World. This new version adds a large number of improvements to the app.
By far the most requested feature for the app was added support for showing temperatures in degrees Celsius, and that is now an option that users can select from the options panel. Additionally, the main screen is now also displaying the current date, and now includes a small icon demonstrating the current weather.
In addition to the improvements in weather reporting, the app has also expanded the pool of pictures that it is pulling from. As before the app brings in stunning photography of your current location, but now there are even more images available to show a greater variety of backgrounds.
Links & Information
OS 10.3 adoption rate slows down
While the percentage of BlackBerry 10 users on the newest OS continued to increase in April, the adoption rate has slowed down significantly as a number of carriers continue to drag their heels on the rollout. 59.9% of Pixelated users, and 70.5% of Stuff I Need users were running OS 10.3 in the past month. So far this has been the slowest rollout for a new BlackBerry operating system since the launch of OS 7 in 2011.
This data was collected by BlackBerry World for downloads of the free strategy game Pixelated and the free checklist app Stuff I Need. Data shown on the chart is from the beginning of April 2014 through the end of April 2015.
Xploding Boxes reaches 500 levels
Xploding Boxes has been expanded to a total of 500 levels. Version 5.4 in now available in BlackBerry World, Google Play, the Amazon app store, the Nook app store, the Windows 8 app store, and the Windows Phone app store. In addition to the new levels, this update also improves the touch sensitivity on BlackBerry 10 phones, and adds additional menu options to the game play screen on Windows Phone.
About Xploding Boxes
Xploding Boxes is a strategy game where the goal is to start a chain reaction that will explode all of the boxes on the screen. Each level presents a different look and number of touches, requiring a different strategy to solve.
The game itself, and the first 25 levels are available for free, while a one time in-app purchase can be used to access the rest of the levels for just $2.99 while still maintaining your progress from the free levels.
Links & Information
- Xploding Boxes at BlackBerry World
- Xploding Boxes in the Windows 8 Store
- Xploding Boxes for Windows Phone
- Xploding Boxes for Android at Google Play
- Xploding Boxes for Android at the Amazon App Store
- Xploding Boxes for the Barnes and Noble Nook
- Xploding Boxes Website
- Xploding Boxes RSS
- Ebscer on Twitter
- Ebscer on FaceBook