McCarron's Piece O' Mind

Shanghai Mahjong Rated Best Mahjong Game on AppStore

2008-07-22T14:00:00.003-05:00

Blackjack 21 is not the only game I developed for the iPhone; another pride and joy of ours at MobileAge is the game Shanghai Mahjong.

As we were developing the title we started to get hints that we'd have a lot of competition, so we tried to separate ourselves from the rest by adding innovative features (like the keyboard-style finger guide) and the downloadable artwork content. But it's hard for users to de-cypher the differences just by reading our descriptions and viewing screenshots. Luckily the highly reguarded website iLounge has gotten around and reviewed all the Mahjong games available so far. What is even better news is that we were rated #1 with an A- rating!

Here's part of their review.

The very best of the current crop of iPhone Mahjongg titles is MobileAge’s Shanghai Mahjong ($5). It’s the polar opposite of Moonlight Mahjong in that there are no fancy 3-D effects, and the board presentations are fairly traditional, but the 2-D artwork and user customization are basically flawless. MobileAge starts you with one set of tiles and one background, but lets you connect instantly to the Internet to download as many more as you want. There are so many board layouts, types of tiles, and backgrounds to choose from that it’s essentially impossible to run out of ways to play and enjoy Mahjong here—there’s literally more to choose from in Shanghai Mahjong than any other iPod or iPhone game we’ve seen. In our view, MobileAge’s “get more stuff from the Internet for free” model is spot-on, and really aids this game’s replay value.

iLounge has personally been one of my favorite sites for many years, the first place I goto when I'm looking for iPod and iPhone accessory reviews. So this is even more exciting to see my own product rated so well on their site. Thanks iLounge, we're glad you liked it!

Blackjack 21 Demo Video

2008-07-17T11:49:00.002-05:00

We at MobileAge put together a quick video of our iPhone and iPod Touch Blackjack game, Blackjack 21. This should help showcase the game in greater detail than simple screenshots.

New iPhone Games Now Released

2008-07-16T13:01:00.004-05:00

Finally time to break the big news. The two games I've developed over the past few months for the iPhone are now available on the iTunes AppStore. The games are Blackjack 21 and Shanghai Mahjong. They are each only $4.99 and can be downloaded easily via iTunes 7.7+ and via the AppStore program on the iPhone 2.0 Software.

You can view see more information and pictures of my games here on our company's product page.

Each product's page also has a link that will bring you right to it's page in iTunes, but I'll link them here as well with these easy to re-use TinyURLs. Clicking on these will be the easiest way to get to them as they'll launch iTunes and take you directly to the games.

Blackjack 21

Shanghai Mahjong

Thanks for all your support!
Patrick McCarron

Blackjack News Coming Friday

2008-07-09T14:37:00.003-05:00

Still looking for iBlackjack? Well the Alpha and even Beta cycles are long over now! We got a new name as well.

The release is just around the corner. So everyone looking for their Blackjack fix come check our my company's website MobileAge.com on Friday for more details on the upcoming reincarnation of iBlackjack for the Apple iPhone AppStore. We can't talk about it too much yet, but after Friday all the details you need will be there. I hope the amount of features and functionality we crammed into the game will whet the appetite of all your iBlackjack fans.

As far as all of you who made generous donations, we're working out with Apple on how best to compensate each and every one of you. We have two options, and looking for a third. So stay tuned, I'll have news soon.

iBlackjack 1.0 Release Details

2008-02-29T14:24:00.007-06:00

Thanks to everyone for testing out the early versions of iBlackjack. Your insightful feedback, encouragement and generosity has helped me create a great game. Since all efforts are now focused on making iBlackjack a great commercial game developed under the official iPhone SDK, we had to deactivate the old unsupported versions.

By now I was hoping to know more about when the final version of the game would be available. We originally planned to get it out ASAP in March, but are at the mercy of Apple and their SDK timelines. Since we wont know details of that until late next week, I will have to provide updated details and a date at a later date.

For the past two months I have spent all my time working on improving iBlackjack. Lots of effort has gone into creating a great new polished game. A game that really reflects well of the iPhone/iPod Touch platform. I think it looks great now and I can't wait to get it into everyone's hands ASAP. Until then, here is a screenshots of the game as it stands today.

I can also tell you, the amount of flexibility of game options and variations has more than doubled since the last public version. You blackjack aficionados are in for a real treat! I'll save those option details for another update.

Feel free to send me feedback in the comments below, I'd like to know what you think and what you'd like to see in the final game. And thanks again for the great support, it's been much appreciated and will not be forgotten.

Patrick McCarron
iBlackjack Development Lead

iBlackjack One Of "Great Apps To Check Out"

2008-01-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

My iPhone/iPod Touch game iBlackjack is listed as one of the "Great Apps To Check Out" by the Just Another iPhone Blog. They describe it as "gorgeous looking and smooth playing." So thanks goes to them for the great feedback, and I hope to continue to improve on those points in the final version of iBlackjack.

I also had just recently stumbled upon their blog, and have found it pretty interesting. It reads really great on Mobile Safari, which is a must. On that subject they wrote up a great piece about poor mobile sites that don't work right on Mobile Safari called Sucky iPhone Sites. In the first piece they discuss Yahoo's Mobile web service, and are considering doing more reviews.

First iBlackjack Review

2007-11-19T16:16:00.000-06:00

I think I found the first iBlackjack review, beyond some forum comments here and there.

I randomly came across this blog posting while searching to see how far iBlackjack has spread across the Internet landscape. In this "review" by Josh Jones the CEO of a web hosting provider, who is also my host, Dreamhost talks about my iPhone/iPod Touch game iBlackjack.

Here is what he first had to say:

After jailbreaking it, I tried out a bunch of the underground 3rd-party applications, and my absolute favorite was iBlackJack.

Favorite for it being the worst blackjack game I’d ever played!

This iBlackJack was so awful it would always be the first thing I’d show to people who wanted to checkout my iPhone, just so I could sit back and watch the transition from excitement to confusion to utter disgust as it swept across the face of my victim.

This game served as a textbook example for Steve Jobs’ argument about why he claimed they wanted to lock out third parties from developing iPhone apps: playing it made me really hate Steve Jobs, personally.

I've seen some early critical responses to the game before, but this one took the cake. It really made me think, as I love to read what people think about the game so I can work on improving it in areas I haven't considered. So, I was anxious to see what else he had to say, so I kept reading. It became quickly clear that he was talking about the old version of the game, when I came across this drastic turnaround:

Sadly, this could not last forever. Updates of iBlackJack kept coming out, and within just a few weeks, all the glaring usability and logic errors were squashed. Now it’s a decent little app, and serves as a strong counter-example against a locked iPhone.

Yes, the game was a boiling pot of dog turd at first, but now my iPhone (oh yes, it’s MINE now) has a full-featured blackjack game in it; one with such features as how many decks in the shoe, when to re-shuffle, when the dealer hits, and even if it should bother asking if you want insurance.

It ended up being the best review I've heard anyone give about iBlackjack. Josh Jones first had me go from partially upset to almost blushing as I continued to read the words on the page.

In the article, iBlackjack offering insurance was just a segway for him to talk about finance and the need for insurance in life. It's a really good read, and I suggest everyone to read it as well. I just wont cover it here, well because I'm no expert in the manner.

And for those looking to see where iBlackjack is heading next, I'll leave you with this image of the next build which is hopefully coming later this week.

iBlackjack on G4 TV!

2007-09-28T00:23:00.000-05:00

Last night on G4's Attack of the Show showed my iPhone game iBlackjack was featured, along with other iPhone third party apps.

Here is a shot of iBlackjack's home screen on the TV along with my name
(click to enlarge)

Here is a clip of the segment from Attack of the Show!

A big thanks to Kevin Pereira of G4 and host of Attack of the Show for showing my game off. It was really cool to see it on TV.

iBlackjack on TV!

2007-09-26T22:56:00.000-05:00

G4's Attack of the Show did a video feature tonight on iPhone hacks. During the segment they showcased not only how to install but how to play iBlackjack. Hopefully I can get some video captured of the clip, if anyone has it please pass it my way!

Thanks to show host Kevin Pereira for showcasing my iPhone game. And welcome to all new comers who found this from the G4TV spot!

Diet Blog Log #2 - September 24, 2007

2007-09-24T13:55:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick update to the Diet Blog Log. The diet has been going well, and I'm coming up with new meal ideas all the time.

Since the last update exactly two weeks ago I'm down a total of 22lbs. This is a bit short of my 5lbs a week average goal, but I can't complain because I hit a personal milestone as well. I even had a few cheat meals during two weekends this past month. I'm starting my gym habit back up too, aiming for biking three days a week.

As promised here is a bit of info on the meals that makes my diet easy to live by. This week I'll feature a delicious option from Taco Bell. This is the Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco - Fresco Style. Fresco Style is a special option available for most every item on the Taco Bell menu that removes the cheese and sauces and replaces it with Fiesta Salsa (pico de gallo). I now prefer all their items this way.

Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco - Fresco Style
calories: 170
fat: 4g
sugars: 3g
protein: 12g
sodium: 730mg

Take a look at the pictures, doesn't that look good?

Well since I've been slow in my updates to the diet blog, I'll make it up by providing shots of a dish I just made tonight for the first time. It's a turkey breast tenderloin & pico de gallo burrito with a bit of my Habenero Tabasco sauce for heat and flavor.

Turkey Breast Tenderloin Burrito
calories: 300
fat: 3.5g
sugars: 1.5g
protein: 31g
sodium: 255mg

As I now pay more attention to these numbers over the past month or so I am afraid to total up the results of what I used to eat.

iBlackjack Alpha Release 3

2007-09-19T14:02:00.000-05:00

Today I released iBlackjack for the iPhone. This time the version is Alpha Release 3. Why still alpha you ask? Well I have more features I want to add before I get to.

Tweaked User Interface and Animation Timing

Fixed dealer not hitting past third card.

Added Double Down functionality (swipe downwards across screen)

Added Insurance functionality

Added dealer shoe reshuffling. Currently shoe reshuffles at 50% point and contains 3 decks.

Tweaked shuffling routine

Changed dealer down card to first card

Bank can now go negative, but a loan system will be developed for next release.

Code Improvements

It is now available via Installer.app so go out there and find me some bugs! Report them on the Project Page.

Also some people have asked to donate to me for my work, which is very generous of them. You can do so via the link on the project page or this link here:

Enjoy!

iBlackjack Alpha 2

2007-09-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I updated my first native iPhone game, iBlackjack to Alpha 2. I have added more features, but still have a lot of work ahead of me. But so far I've gotten a great response.

Here's a bit of what was added/updated:

Slight improvements to the user interface

Added preliminary betting & bank system

Added showing of dealer card

Code optimizations/improvements

Here are some screenshots:

I have many plans up my sleeves still. Lots of cool features to add, too bad I can't stop time to allow me to make great headway on a regular basis.

iBlackjack for iPhone Alpha Release 1

2007-08-28T00:33:00.000-05:00

After much hard work, my first public release of iBlackjack for iPhone has been released.

Version: Alpha Release 1

http://www.iphonefanclub.com/iBlackjack/

Here's an image.

Diet Blog Log #1 - August 21, 2007

2007-08-21T15:16:00.000-05:00

I was trying to think of something that would inspire me to more often write blog entries. So one of the ideas I came up with was telling the few readers I have about my diet progress.

Two weeks ago while talking to a friend of mine about his new diet, I got inspired to give dieting a shot again. I had moderate success a few years ago, but put on a lot of weight in the last few months due to eating because of stress and excess hours at work. I have no one to blame but myself, and the food didn't help my stress any that's for sure.

So two weeks ago I started this diet, I took my friend's diet ideas and then made a few alterations to make it something I can stick to easier. I'm thinking this will eventually lead to an overall lifestyle of eating better that I need to stick to. A good habit to develop.

Here's the gist of what I do:

Eat 1500 Calories a day

Eat under 20g of fat a day

Eat every three hours, starting at 7am til dinner 7pm. I use my iPhone's alarm clock functions to remind me to eat.

Log all food intake nutritional information into an Excel spreadsheet that I maintain on Google Documents

I also do exercise as well, but currently am slowly ramping up back into my exercise regimen. Starting this week I'll be doing light cardio for 30-40 minutes during 3 days. I had been a gym rat before, but fell off that train too. Once I begin weight lifting more I'll probably boost my calorie intake to 1800-2000 calories.

I didn't have a scale or tape measure when I started this diet two weeks ago, but I bought one last week, so I can start to log my progress. So since last week here are my changes:

Weight: -5.1lbs

Belly Measurement: -1 Inches

I will occasionally update my blog here to chart my progress, at least once a week and also share some discoveries/knowledge that I gain along the way. I have a lot of learning to do yet in my new diet as far as what food options I have, so I'll share some of that stuff here as well.

iPhone Development and Me

2007-08-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

Ever since Apple unveiled the new iPhone, the number one question us fans who also are software developers have been asking is when are we getting a Software Development Kit (SDK)?

It was revealed that the only way to develop applications for the iPhone would be via "Web 2.0" applications using technologies such as AJAX. So I developed an application launcher/community forum called iPhone Fan Club. On this website I also hosted an old AJAX proof of concept game I ported to work better with the iPhone, we called it iPhone Blackjack.

But now in the past month some people, with more time than I, have backwards engineered a working toolchain/SDK for the iPhone. So excited by this news I started to look into developing for the platform myself. I decided to start by porting my PHP/AJAX powered Blackjack game to ObjectiveC/UIKit for the iPhone.

Here is a sneak peek of my progress, so far I'm implemented animation, touch/tap controls and the deck/shuffling system. My next step is to add the game logic into the game and to do some overall code cleanup.

iPhone Fan Club Launch

2007-06-18T00:12:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

As some of you may not know I've been working on an iPhone application
for the past few weeks. The idea of this website was to provide users
of the iPhone with a fairly user friendly web-based application to
launch other web-based applications from. So I burned a few midnight
oils and got the site up and running with the help from some friends.

This is a necessity because of the lack of an open application
development kit from Apple. I also wanted to create a place where
fans of the device could chat in an online web forum. So that's where
I got the name, the iPhone Fan Club.

The site is launching today, and I'm looking for feedback and ideas to
help improve it. Keep in mind, you'll need to be running Apple's
Safari (now available on Windows) to get the best result from the
site. Other web-browsers don't work so well right now.

http://www.iphonefanclub.com/

Upcoming features I'm planning on having soon:
- Add to home screen function for your favorite apps. This will make
them easier to get to.
- Custom Icons for Software Applications.
- Star Ranking (1-5) of Applications
- More on the fly sorting/filtering of content.
- Better theme for the forums just for the iPhone
- iPhone Accessory Reviews
- More custom games

Also included in this launch is an early version of a web-based
Blackjack game I made for the iPhone. It's got a few quirks, but once
I work them all out and add a few more features it'll be the first of
many web-based iPhone games that I hope to make.

You can play it today on most web browsers at:
http://www.iphonefanclub.com/games/blackjack/

Also if you are going to be one of the first to get an iPhone at
launch, let me know I may need testers for some more upcoming games!

Thanks in advance for taking a look and providing feedback. It's much
appreciated!

Now for some sleep for once!
Patrick McCarron

Overdue Myspace Rant #1 - Spam Control

2007-06-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to put a rant-blog together for sometime now. I finally got the motivation today to do it.

I really can't believe how hard it is for MySpace to keep spammers off of it's website. Everytime I log in to check who has posted comments to my profile, or sent me messages I get spammed. I literally get a whole handful of messages and friend requests from random people within seconds of logging in. The longer I stay logged in, the more I may get.

The friend requests usually come from fake profiles, all bearing the same common elements: attractive female model posing provoctively or no image at all. Funny how many times they are all the same girl, with different names. Many times I've noticed their profiles are exactly the same. Or their names repeat. Here's an example from my friend request inbox.

Then a few months ago, it started to happen to my messages as well. Those have mostly been from users with no faces. I don't even bother reading these messages. Here's another example.

How hard is it for MySpace to make it a bit harder to create an account? Add more image passwords that are difficult for their spam bots to hack into. I wouldn't mind having to use one everytime I logged in if it prevented some of this crap.

I really think MySpace should fix this issues, along with many others that I'll cover in future rants, if they want to stay popular. But at the rate they continue to fall, other similar sites like Virb start to gain ground over MySpace.

UPDATE

Well it seems that MySpace is going to do something soon. A system notice post from "Tom" sent out to everyone this morning (after my posting) noted to read his blog about their anti-spam measures going into place soon. Lets see if they can keep their promise.

My Cats vs Jiminy Cricket

2007-06-08T21:59:00.000-05:00

Last night I walked into my garage to be greeted by a cricket. Knowing that my two cats, Yin and Yang, love insects I figured I'd introduce them all. My cats had fun batting "Jiminy Cricket" around for a while. They don't like to eat bugs, just like to play with them. So I started to take some photos.

I eventually switched over to video mode, to catch it on video. Well silly Yin freaked out a bit and knocked the cricket to the safety of under the fridge!! I actually caught that on video.

Luckily, a day later and I still haven't heard any cricket chirps.

You can see more photos on my Cats vs Cricket Picture Gallery.

Tribune to Sell the Chicago Cubs

2007-04-02T08:56:00.001-05:00

Today billionaire Sam Zell won the bidding war to purchase the Tribune Company, but it was announced that the Chicago Cubs will be sold off separately to the highest bidder.

read more | digg story

EMI music on iTunes -- now DRM free and higher quality

2007-04-02T07:44:00.001-05:00

It's been rumored for weeks and now, just as the Wall Street Journal predicted, EMI music is now DRM-free. True to his word, Steve Jobs has "embraced it in a heartbeat" making it available for download from Apple's iTunes store, first, starting in May.

read more | digg story

Jim Lynam from Q101's Morning Fix Does Acoustic Cover of Usher's "Yeah"

2007-03-22T08:50:00.001-05:00

Acoustic Cover of Usher's song "Yeah" by Jim Lynam from Chicago Alternative Rock Radio Station Q101's The Morning Fix. His brother, Sean Lynam, from the band Speak Her Language is on guitar.

read more | digg story

AT&T to Battle Microsoft In Supreme Court Next Week

2007-02-16T15:31:00.001-06:00

Corporate giants Microsoft and AT&T are getting set to duke it out before the U.S. Supreme Court next Wednesday (Feb. 21) in a case that will decide whether a company can be liable for infringement on a domestic patent abroad.This could be interesting for the patent system as a whole.

read more | digg story

GTO Strut Rub Problem Causing Tire Blowouts

2007-02-15T11:04:00.001-06:00

It seems when GM imported the Holden Monaro as a Pontiac GTO they made one big design error, placing too wide of wheels/tires on the car. After many miles being driven on the cars many GTO owners, including me, have had problems with the tires being worn down. Now the issue is finally getting some attention from government agencies.

read more | digg story

Cubs to Place Ads on Ivy Walls of Wrigley Field

2007-02-15T09:52:00.001-06:00

The Chicago Cubs home Wrigley Field has remained advertisement free until this year. Today the Cubs announced a move to install giant Under Armour ads on the outfield doors at Wrigley Field.

read more | digg story

Chicago Auto Show - Pontiac G8

2007-02-11T10:54:00.000-06:00

I attended the Chicago Auto Show yesterday, mostly to see the new Pontiac G8. The G8 is actually the new Holden Commodore SS-V from Australia, which is built on an evolved platform of my Pontiac GTO (Holden Monaro). That platform, code named Zeta, is also going to be used in the upcoming 2010 Chevy Camaro.

Here is a picture of the 2008 Pontiac G8 Show Car.

You can see more photos on my Auto Show Picture Gallery, which also has pictures of other cars at the show that I felt like taking photos of.

Here is a video I shot at the Auto Show as well.