GoToChrisWest.com News

Using Generator Functions in JavaScript

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:29:08 -0700

I, like many people, am very much looking forward to JavaScript 2.0. Looking towards the future, I decided to create a brief example which works on all browsers that support JavaScript 1.7 (the only one that I know of is Firefox 2+). My example uses a generator function to display the next value in the Fibonacci sequence every time the user clicks a button. If you are using Firefox + or another browser with JavaScript 1.7+ support, check this example out.

jPaq - Build Your Own JavaScript Library!

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 09:03:47 -0700

I have finally put a definitive end to JXtension. In the end, I realized it is not worth the effort to reinvent the wheel. Instead, a few months ago, I created a new JavaScript/JScript library called jPaq. There are two differences between jPaq and most other libraries. First jPaq is a fully customizable library which gives you the ability to create your own build. Second, it is extremely small and does things that aren't available in other libraries of its size. jPaq is not meant to replace your other JavaScript libraries, but to supplement them. Check it out at http://jpaq.org/.

Upcoming Movie - Source Code

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 19:57:32 -0700

Source code seems to be an upcoming that will be good. It is about a man who has eight minutes to identify the bomber of a passenger train. He has no more than eight minutes because after that point, the bomb goes off. Fortunately for him, he is able to use someone else's body to determine the culprit. On the other hand, he has no way of stopping the event from occurring. Check it out here.

Custom UI Issues In Office 2007

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:05:58 -0700

Right now I am currently updating my Excel 2003 add-in to 2007 for BMS. Unfortunately, after search for quite a while, I found that it is not possible to change the gear icon that appears for custom ribbon items. Although Microsoft does do a lot of good, for us developers, they do leave a lot of things out as well.

FYI, if you need to create some custom functions that should be visibly seen on the Ribbon, I recommend taking a look at these links:

Don't Forget The Geometric Series

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:57:19 -0700

Last night my Dad asked me how banks are able to calculate how much you will need to pay each month for a thirty year loan (with an annual interest rate) on a house. I at first thought this was a very simple algebra problem and started to write down some simple iterations on the back of some junk mail. To my surprise, the answer was not jumping out at me. I came to a screeching halt when I couldn't figure out how to solve 1 + x + x^2 + x^3 + ... + x^n. After about an hour of trying to come up with an answer, I decided that I would finally admit defeat (seeing as how I am not a mathematician anyway) and ask my good friend Mr. Google.

On Google, I stumbled upon this article which seemed to give the answer in a round about way. Finally, after programming the answer into a robust Excel workbook and sending it to my Dad, I found a more complete answer on Wikipedia. This article gives a formula that is equivalent to the one that I was able to create based on Mathmom's answer. The funny thing about all this is, I can now remember my High School Calculus teacher, Mr. White, telling our class not to forget this very important series. Therefore, I urge all of you students of whatever discipline to listen a little better than I did (or at least become adept at using Google).

RSS Feed

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 05:12:46 -0700

I have finally created an RSS feed for the news section of this site. After going to so many sites and seeing this technology, I felt it necessary to add it to my site.

JScript/JavaScript Endevours

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 03:35:02 -0700

I have been working on one project after the next since I graduated. This is the main reason why I have not been officially updating the JXtension. On the other hand, I do have many updates that I hope to incorporate into the library (including making some JScript solutions available).

In an effor to put something new on my site that deals with scripting, I have uploaded a robust JavaScript called ezCalendar. This is a JavaScript solution for providing a date selector on any web page. The code is less than 10 kilobytes and yet it provides a number of different features. Each calendar may be customized in over a million different ways.

Monty Hall Problem

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 23:52:21 -0700

This is definitely one of my favorite math problems. It is a great way to show people that dislike math, that simply going with your instincts doesn't always cut it in the real world. Though I can't explain it with the excellent 3D illustrations as the great (but fictitious) Charlie Epps did, I have created a web page which explains the problem and the solution. It can be found at http://gotochriswest.com/education/math/MontyHall/.

Dragon Ball To Come To Nickelodeon

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:47:58 -0700

When I was younger, one of my favorite cartoons was Dragon Ball Z. Well, after the horrible live action Dragon Ball movie, I hadn't heard too much about the old series. Still, for anyone who is a new fan or for those old fans who may tune in every once in a while because nothing comes on during the summer, you will be happy know that Dragon Ball Z Kai and Dragon Ball Revised will be coming to Nicktoons in May. Find out more here.

Home Page Updated

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:04:35 -0700

Finally, my home page has been updated so that the style of the other pages is the same as the style on the Home Page. In addition, the main page is now more user friendly. As you must have noticed, the home page no longer has news items, this new page does.