Cats and Coding

Hello! My name is Joel and this is a short web page that will cover two of my favorite things: Cats and Coding. Here, my favorite cats will be shown off and detailed, with some fun facts about them! On top of that, I'll also talk about some of my favorite coding projects and software. This site is for testing out a jQuery plug-in called SlickNav, which automatically creates a mobile-friendly navigation menu with a lot of easy-to-use features.

Cats

My favorite animals are cats, and I think that they make great pets. They have such defined and vibrant personalities with a real sense of familiarity. Strong bonds can form between a cat and its owner. One of my favorite pastimes is to watch funny videos on the internet of cats doing silly things. Such majestic creatures that find themselves being clumsy too often.

Leia

Leia is a very sweet cat, typically calm but sometimes is afflicted by a rare state called "zoomies," where she will run around and chase the air nonstop for a brief period. She's good at cuddling, and typically stays away from human food. She does, however, enjoy chicken and fish if it's presented to her. She doesn't attack very often, but does sometimes lash out if she's been upset for too long. She hates other creatures that are about the same size as her, such as other cats or small dogs. She refuses to take baths; that is when the worst of her behavior is unleashed, and she becomes a clawed menace. Besides the struggles to keep her clean, being with Leia is a joy everyday.

Fun facts! She is awesome.

Guido

Guido is an angry, hateful little thing, but she wasn't always like this. There was a time, long ago, where she was shy but still approachable. Something must have changed with her, because now she hates being touched and will attack upon initial provocation. No one knows why she would end up like this, because it certainly wasn't for lack of affection or care. When she was younger, we would cuddle together. Now, she won't let anyone near her. She does get people's way when they're eating, because she wants to steal a bite for herself. She has also gained a tremendous amount of weight since she started being mean: maybe the two occurrences are linked? Once she started living with Luigi, she became even more rude, territorial, and fat.

Fun facts! She is fat.

Luigi

Luigi is a new cat rescued from being abandoned in a bush. He was quick to adjust to his new home, but is still sometimes rather shaky. He's growing quickly, and is very curious about everything around him. He runs around a lot, and sniffs new people a lot until he gets used to the scent they bring. He's still not very welcoming to others, considering his past, but he's not hostile, at least.

Fun facts! He is small.

Coding

I have been interested in computer science, specifically video game programming, since I was about 10 years old. It all started when my mom gave me a Nintendo DSi for my birthday, and I found a game on the eShop called "Petit Computer" (more is detailed in the SmileBASIC section here). Since then, I've started making simple, rudimentary websites on my school issued laptop. I've been hosting with Neocities, which has been easy and straightforward. I also participated in a learning program that taught elementary school students the fundamentals of programming using Scratch. Since then, using Scratch for simpler projects (that also wouldn't be blocked by my school's internet filter) became a secondary method of making and playing games.

SmileBASIC

I bought a game called "Petit Computer" for my Nintendo DSi, which used a proprietary programming language called SmileBASIC. Evidently, it was based on BASIC, but modernized in a way that was easy to understand but capable of many things. I was new to computer science at the time, but was fascinated by the inner machinations of my favorite video games. I would use this app to download games that other people had made and analyze the code to try and ascertain how it worked. When I studied enough, I would sometimes even make modifications to the source code, usually to cheat.

I made one project that gained relative fame because it was one of the first projects published onto the newly made forum. It was a short, clunky, simple, uneventful game based off of the popular video game VVVVVV. It was a 2D platformer game where the player would navigate by walking and flipping gravity. It was well recieved, but far from the best that I could make. For quite a while, it remained at the first page of popularity of the forum.

Scratch

When I was bored during my classes in high school, I would visit the Scratch website and make some simple game to waste time. There was one simple game that I made and played almost all year: a top-down shooter controlled entirely by the keyboard. The key feature that I wanted here was that the game would automatically pause if no input was given, so that I could easily swap window focus and hide that I wasn't actually working on class material. This was my main method of distraction during my Calculus BC class.

I also made a simple "clicker" game because my brother was interested in playing those kinds of games. I wanted to show him that making games like that is fun and easy, so that he might also have an interest in computer science.

proj3ct

My main project has been a shoot 'em up style game that I naturally called "proj3ct." It's built entirely using JavaScript, drawn onto a HTML Canvas element. My main purpose for this project was practice, and the project has gone through many stages of iteration and development. I have not published it yet to the internet, since I plan to use this basis to make something even better, now that I have practiced and have a better grasp on how to use the HTML Canvas.

School and Study

I'm focusing my school studies on computer science, with greater emphasis on data science, web development, and video game design. I have my school itinerary planned for the next few semesters with all the courses I need to take, and my end goal is to transfer to UC Irvine because of what I hear about their programs regarding technology. One of my favorite video game studios, Obsidian Entertainment, is located and based in Irvine, and I would be very interested in participating in the summer internship that they offer.

Besides school, I also often practice using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS often on smaller projects that aren't full enough to talk about on this page. I'm almost always thinking about what I can do next, and how I want to do it! I also used Java, C#, and Lua for projects, and even made programs on my TI-84 calculator to help me during my exams.