Outdoor wayfinding and navigation systems and services have become indispensable in people's mobility in unfamiliar environments. Advances in key technologies (e.g., positioning and mobile devices), has spurred interest in research and development of indoor wayfinding and navigation systems and services in recent years. Indoor Wayfinding and Navigation provides both breadth and depth of knowledge in designing and building indoor wayfinding and navigation systems and services. It covers the types of sensors both feasible and practical for localization of users inside buildings. The book discusses current approaches, techniques, and technologies for addressing issues in indoor wayfinding and navigation systems and services. It includes coverage of the cognitive, positioning, mapping, and application perspectives, an unusual but useful combination of information. This mix of different perspectives helps you better understand the issues and challenges of building indoor wayfinding and navigation systems and services, how they are different from those used outdoors, and how they can be used efficiently and effectively in challenging applications. Written by well-known specialists in the field, the book addresses all aspects of indoor wayfinding and navigation. It includes the latest research developments on the topic, succinctly covers the fundamentals, and details the issues and challenges in building new systems and services. With this information, you can design indoor wayfinding and navigation systems and services for a variety of uses and users.

Shareware Heroes is a comprehensive, meticulously researched exploration of an important and too-long overlooked chapter in video game historyShareware Heroes: Independent Games at the Dawn of the Internet takes readers on a journey, from the beginnings of the shareware model in the early 1980s, the origins of the concept, even the name itself, and the rise of shareware's major players - the likes of id Software, Apogee, and Epic MegaGames - through to the significance of shareware for the 'forgotten' systems - the Mac, Atari ST, Amiga - when commercial game publishers turned away from them.This book also charts the emergence of commercial shareware distributors like Educorp and the BBS/newsgroup sharing culture. And it explores how shareware developers plugged gaps in the video gaming market by creating games in niche and neglected genres like vertically-scrolling shoot-'em-ups (e.g. Raptor and Tyrian) or racing games (e.g. Wacky Wheels and Skunny Kart) or RPGs (God of Thunder and Realmz), until finally, as the video game market again grew and shifted, and major publishers took control, how the shareware system faded into the background and fell from memory.

Machine learning has become an integral part of many commercial applications and research projects, but this field is not exclusive to large companies with extensive research teams. If you use Python, even as a beginner, this book will teach you practical ways to build your own machine learning solutions. With all the data available today, machine learning applications are limited only by your imagination. You'll learn the steps necessary to create a successful machine-learning application with Python and the scikit-learn library. Authors Andreas Muller and Sarah Guido focus on the practical aspects of using machine learning algorithms, rather than the math behind them. Familiarity with the NumPy and matplotlib libraries will help you get even more from this book. With this book, you'll learn: Fundamental concepts and applications of machine learning Advantages and shortcomings of widely used machine learning algorithms How to represent data processed by machine learning, including which data aspects to focus on Advanced methods for model evaluation and parameter tuning The concept of pipelines for chaining models and encapsulating your workflow Methods for working with text data, including text-specific processing techniques Suggestions for improving your machine learning and data science skills

This book teaches anyone with a basic understanding of Java how to develop Android apps at a professional level. To start, it shows how to use the Eclipse IDE to code, test, and debug a Tip Calculator app for a smartphone or tablet. Then, it expands upon this app to show must-have Android skills such as working with layouts, widgets, events, themes, styles, menus, preferences, and fragments. Next, this book presents two more apps that illustrate Android skills you'll use every day, such as working with threads, files, adapters, intents, services, notifications, broadcast receivers, SQLite databases, content providers, and app widgets. Finally, this book presents an app that uses the Google Maps API and shows you how to submit your finished apps to the Google Play store. The real-world apps let you see how the skills you're learning work together, and they illustrate how and when you'd use each skill. And all the content is presented in Murach distinctive "paired-pages" style that developers find so clear and time-saving for both training and reference.

Real Process Improvement Using the CMMI (R) presents readers with non-academic, real-world approaches to process improvement via CMMI. The author provides concepts and techniques for CMMI-based process improvement which are as effective as they are innovative. Professionals at all levels from system engineers to CEOs will find a wealth of practical guidance and new ways to look at model-based process improvement that have already benefited large and small organizations in a variety of environments. Using plain language and enlightening illustrations, the author identifies the most critical concepts of the CMMI, and explains how to turn those concepts into real process improvement. This book provides you with key information that will significantly benefit all CMMI process improvement efforts. Topics include: * Ways to discover and understand the business goals and drivers for successful process improvement initiatives * How to recognize the structures and practices many organizations already have in place that can accelerate process improvement, even before they begin using the CMMI * Planning and managing the process improvement project * Innovative, untraditional yet highly effective and proven strategies for CMMI-based process improvement * A thorough debunking of many of the costly and wasteful myths surrounding CMMI-based improvement

Feminist War Games? explores the critical intersections and collisions between feminist values and perceptions of war, by asking whether feminist values can be asserted as interventional approaches to the design, play, and analysis of games that focus on armed conflict and economies of violence. Focusing on the ways that games, both digital and table-top, can function as narratives, arguments, methods, and instruments of research, the volume demonstrates the impact of computing technologies on our perceptions, ideologies, and actions. Exploring the compatibility between feminist values and systems of war through games is a unique way to pose destabilizing questions, solutions, and approaches; to prototype alternative narratives; and to challenge current idealizations and assumptions. Positing that feminist values can be asserted as a critical method of design, as an ideological design influence, and as a lens that determines how designers and players interact with and within arenas of war, the book addresses the persistence and brutality of war and issues surrounding violence in games, whilst also considering the place and purpose of video games in our cultural moment. Feminist War Games? is a timely volume that questions the often-toxic nature of online and gaming cultures. As such, the book will appeal to a broad variety of disciplinary interests, including sociology, education, psychology, literature, history, politics, game studies, digital humanities, media and cultural studies, and gender studies, as well as those interested in playing, or designing, socially engaged games.

Consider this: Robots will one day be able to write poetry and prose so touching that it will make men weep; compose dozens or even hundreds of symphonies that will rival the work of Mozart; judge a court case with absolute impartiality and fairness; or even converse with the natural ease of your best friend. Robots will one day be so life-like that a human could fall in love and marry one. Thought provoking and controversial? Certainly. Far-fetched? Not at all. David Levy presents the history of Artificial Intelligence, considers recent developments, and speculates about the future of AI. A complete bibliography is available here.

This collection of articles provides practical and relevant tools, tips, and techniques for those working in the digital audio field. Volume II, with contributions from experts in their fields, includes articles on: - Field recording - Synthesis - Signal processing - Spatialization - Computer techniques and tools - Music theory - Sound design - Sound in nature An enclosed CD-ROM provides demos, source code, and examples. Audio Anecdotes is an invaluable tool for anyone who uses digital sound in the creation of computer-generated works: - Musicians - Game developers - Sound producers, and others

Learn to make games that are more fun and engaging! Building on fundamental principles of Artificial Intelligence, Funge explains how to create Non-Player Characters (NPCs) with progressively more sophisticated capabilities. Starting with the basic capability of acting in the game world, the book explains how to develop NPCs who can perceive, remember what they perceive, and then continue in the game play to think about the effects of possible actions, and finally learn from their experience. Funge considers the system architecture and explains how to implement potential behaviors (both reactive and deliberate) for intelligent and responsive NPCs allowing for games that are more fun and engaging. Emphasizing enduring design principles, Funge covers the basics of Game AI and provides a clear, easy to read introduction that beginning programmers and game designers will enjoy.

The human face is perhaps the most familiar and easily recognized object in the world, yet both its three-dimensional shape and its two-dimensional images are complex and hard to characterize. This book develops the vocabulary of ridges and parabolic curves, of illumination eigenfaces and elastic warpings for describing the perceptually salient features of a face and its images. The book also explores the underlying mathematics and applies these mathematical techniques to the computer vision problem of face recognition, using both optical and range images.

The author compiles everything a student or experienced developmental engineer needs to know about the supporting technologies associated with the rapidly evolving field of robotics. From the table of contents: Design Considerations * Dead Reckoning * Odometry Sensors * Doppler and Inertial Navigation * Typical Mobility Configurations * Tactile and Proximity Sensing * Triangulation Ranging * Stereo Disparity * Active Triangulation * Active Stereoscopic * Hermies * Structured Light * Known Target Size * Time of Flight * Phase-Shift Measurement * Frequency Modulation * Interferometry * Range from Focus * Return Signal Intensity * Acoustical Energy * Electromagnetic Energy * Optical Energy * Microwave Radar * Collision Avoidance * Guidepath Following * Position-Location Systems * Ultrasonic and Optical Position-Location Systems * Wall, Doorway, andCeiling Referencing * Application-Specific Mission Sensors

This collection of articles provides practical and relevant tools, tips, and techniques for those working in the digital audio field. Volume III, with contributions from experts in their fields, includes articles on a variety of topics, including: - Recording Music - Sound Synthesis - Voice Synthesis - Speech Processing - Applied Signal Processing - HRTF Spatialization - Synchronization - Music Composition - Human Experience Applications of digital audio techniques are indispensable in the recording industry, the film industry, interactive gaming, human computer interaction, and more.

The complete off-the-shelf resource for delivering the compulsory core units of the new BTEC Nationals.Used alongside the students' text, 'BTEC Nationals - IT Practitioners', this pack offers a complete suite of lecturer support material and photocopiable handouts for the compulsory core units of the new BTEC National specifications, for National Awards, Certificates and Diplomas. The authors provide all the resources needed by a busy lecturer, as well as a bank of student-centred practical work and revision material, which will enable students to gain the skills, knowledge and understanding they require. Officially endorsed by Edexcel, the pack is freely photocopiable within the purchasing institution, as well as supplied in its entirety on CD Rom, and will include: * Worksheets to support and develop work in the students' book * Planned projects which will enable students to display a wide range of skills and use their own initiative * Assessment materials * Reference material for use as hand-outs * Background on running the new HNC/HND courses * Tutor's notes supporting activities in the students' book and resource pack

Getting Started for Internet of Things with Launch Pad and ESP8266 provides a platform to get started with the Ti launch pad and IoT modules for Internet of Things applications. The book provides the basic knowledge of Ti launch Pad and ESP8266 based customized modules with their interfacing, along with the programming. The book discusses the application of Internet of Things in different areas. Several examples for rapid prototyping are included, this to make the readers understand the concept of IoT. The book comprises of twenty-seven chapters, which are divided into four sections and which focus on the design of various independent prototypes. Section-A gives a brief introduction to Ti launch pad (MSP430) and Internet of Things platforms like GPRS, NodeMCU and NuttyFi (ESP8266 customized board), and it shows steps to program these boards. Examples on how to interface these boards with display units, analog sensors, digital sensors and actuators are also included, this to make reader comfortable with the platforms. Section-B discusses the communication modes to relay the data like serial out, PWM and I2C. Section-C explores the IoT data loggers and shows certain steps to design and interact with the servers. Section-D includes few IoT based case studies in various fields. This book is based on the practical experience of the authors while undergoing projects with students and partners from various industries.

As technology becomes an ever more prevalent part of everyday life and population-based physical activity programmes seek new ways to increase lifelong engagement with physical activity, so the two have become increasingly linked. This book offers a thorough, critical examination of emerging technologies in physical activity and health, considering technological interventions within the dominant theoretical frameworks, exploring the challenges of integrating technology into physical activity promotion and offering solutions for its implementation. Technology in Physical Activity and Health Promotion occupies a broadly positive stance toward interactive technology initiatives and, while discussing some negative implications of an increased use of technology, offers practical recommendations for promoting physical activity through a range of media, including: social media mobile apps global positioning and geographic information systems wearables active videogames (exergaming) virtual reality settings. Offering a logical and clear critique of technology in physical activity and health promotion, this book will serve as an essential reference for upper-level undergraduates, postgraduate students and scholars working in public health, physical activity and health and kinesiology, and healthcare professionals.

The Crash Bandicoot(TM) series has remained a beloved staple of platform gaming ever since the first game's release in 1996. The Art of Crash Bandicoot(TM)4: It's About Time(TM)is a rich repository overflowing with interviews, quotes, observations and anecdotes, accompanied by a treasure trove of concept art detailing the characters and environments of the game. Gamers of every type will cherish this all-encompassing look into the zany, wild and unpredictable world of Crash Bandicoot(TM) .

Taking a novel, more appealing approach than current texts, An Integrated Introduction to Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling focuses on graphics, modeling, and mathematical methods, including ray tracing, polygon shading, radiosity, fractals, freeform curves and surfaces, vector methods, and transformation techniques. The author begins with fractals, rather than the typical line-drawing algorithms found in many standard texts. He also brings the turtle back from obscurity to introduce several major concepts in computer graphics. Supplying the mathematical foundations, the book covers linear algebra topics, such as vector geometry and algebra, affine and projective spaces, affine maps, projective transformations, matrices, and quaternions. The main graphics areas explored include reflection and refraction, recursive ray tracing, radiosity, illumination models, polygon shading, and hidden surface procedures. The book also discusses geometric modeling, including planes, polygons, spheres, quadrics, algebraic and parametric curves and surfaces, constructive solid geometry, boundary files, octrees, interpolation, approximation, Bezier and B-spline methods, fractal algorithms, and subdivision techniques. Making the material accessible and relevant for years to come, the text avoids descriptions of current graphics hardware and special programming languages. Instead, it presents graphics algorithms based on well-established physical models of light and cogent mathematical methods.

This book is a way of sharing insights empirically gathered, over decades of interactive media development, by the author and other children's designers. Included is as much emerging theory as possible in order to provide background for practical and technical aspects of design while still keeping the information accessible. The author's intent for this book is not to create an academic treatise but to furnish an insightful and practical manual for the next generation of children's interactive media and game designers. Key Features Provides practical detailing of how children's developmental needs and capabilities translate to specific design elements of a piece of media Serves as an invaluable reference for anyone who is designing interactive games for children (or adults) Detailed discussions of how children learn and how they play Provides lots of examples and design tips on how to design content that will be appealing and effective for various age ranges Accessible approach, based on years of successful creative business experience, covers basics across the gamut from developmental needs and learning theories to formats, colors, and sounds

The discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science communities have recently witnessed explosive growth in the area of algorithmic combinatorics on words. The next generation of research on combinatorics of partial words promises to have a substantial impact on molecular biology, nanotechnology, data communication, and DNA computing. Delving into this emerging research area, Algorithmic Combinatorics on Partial Words presents a mathematical treatment of combinatorics on partial words designed around algorithms and explores up-and-coming techniques for solving partial word problems as well as the future direction of research. This five-part book begins with a section on basics that covers terminology, the compatibility of partial words, and combinatorial properties of words. The book then focuses on three important concepts of periodicity on partial words: period, weak period, and local period. The next part describes a linear time algorithm to test primitivity on partial words and extends the results on unbordered words to unbordered partial words while the following section introduces some important properties of pcodes, details a variety of ways of defining and analyzing pcodes, and shows that the pcode property is decidable using two different techniques. In the final part, the author solves various equations on partial words, presents binary and ternary correlations, and covers unavoidable sets of partial words. Setting the tone for future research in this field, this book lucidly develops the central ideas and results of combinatorics on partial words.

We Deserve Better Villains is a highly accessible how-to guide for video game designers no matter what level of experience to understand what is needed to be successful in the development cycle of any video game from concept to supporting the game live. Each chapter outlines a period in a video games development cycle, what key concepts need to be on a designers mind and how they can work to improve themselves every step of the way. To help visualize the journey the chapters start with a section centered on the reader as a hero character in a fictitious adventure video game that faces the trials and tribulations of the development cycle to completing the game. We all deserve better games, better heroes and villains which starts with learning what it takes to survive in the game development system as a videogame designer. Key Features Accessible enough for novices, insightful enough for veteran game designers Allows readers of at any level of video game knowledge to connect with the struggle of making a video game Concepts are delivered in a short, specific approach followed with practical exercises to follow to getting the reader into action to improve their skills

Learn practical and modern experimental methods used by engineers in technology and trading. Experimentation for Engineers: From A/B testing to Bayesian optimization is a toolbox of methods for optimizing machine learning systems, quantitative trading strategies, and more. You'll start with a deep dive into A/B testing, and then graduate to advanced methods used to improve performance in highly competitive industries like finance and social media. The experimentation skills you'll master in this unique, practical guide will quickly reveal which approaches and features deliver real results for your business. In Experimentation for Engineers, you'll learn how to evaluate the changes you make to your system and ensure that your experiments don't undermine revenue or other business metrics. By the time you're done, you'll be able to seamlessly deploy changes to production while avoiding common pitfalls. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

Take your idea from concept to production with this unique guide

Whether it's called physical computing, ubiquitous computing, or the Internet of Things, it's a hot topic in technology: how to channel your inner Steve Jobs and successfully combine hardware, embedded software, web services, electronics, and cool design to create cutting-edge devices that are fun, interactive, and practical. If you'd like to create the next must-have product, this unique book is the perfect place to start.

Both a creative and practical primer, it explores the platforms you can use to develop hardware or software, discusses design concepts that will make your products eye-catching and appealing, and shows you ways to scale up from a single prototype to mass production.Helps software engineers, web designers, product designers, and electronics engineers start designing products using the Internet-of-Things approach Explains how to combine sensors, servos, robotics, Arduino chips, and more with various networks or the Internet, to create interactive, cutting-edge devices Provides an overview of the necessary steps to take your idea from concept through production

If you'd like to design for the future, "Designing the Internet of Things" is a great place to start.

The must-have companion guide to the Raspberry Pi User Guide! Raspberry Pi chose Python as its teaching language of choice to encourage a new generation of programmers to learn how to program. This approachable book serves as an ideal resource for anyone wanting to use Raspberry Pi to learn to program and helps you get started with the Python programming language. Aimed at first-time developers with no prior programming language assumed, this beginner book gets you up and running. * Covers variables, loops, and functions * Addresses 3D graphics programming * Walks you through programming Minecraft * Zeroes in on Python for scripting Learning Python with Raspberry Pi proves itself to be a fantastic introduction to coding.

Using Apache Cordova 4, you can leverage native technologies and web standards to quickly build cross-platform apps for most mobile devices. You can deliver a high-end user experience where it matters, while radically simplifying code maintenance and reuse. Apache Cordova 4 Programming is the most concise, accessible introduction to this remarkable technology. In this essential guide, expert mobile developer John Wargo quickly gets you up to speed with all the essentials, from installation, configuration, and tools, to building plugins and using Cordova's powerful APIs. Wargo helps you make the most of Cordova 4's major enhancements, while offering practical guidance for all versions, including Adobe PhoneGap. Full chapters are dedicated to five major mobile platforms: Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Firefox OS, and Ubuntu. Using rich, relevant examples, Wargo guides you through both the anatomy of a Cordova app and its entire lifecycle, including cross-platform testing and debugging. Throughout, he illuminates Cordova development best practices, streamlining your development process and helping you write high-quality apps right from the start. Topics include Installing and configuring Cordova's development environment Working with the Cordova command line interfaces Creating Cordova plugins, using Plugman and the PhoneGap CLI Cordova's support for Firefox OS and Ubuntu devices Automation (Grunt and Gulp) and Cordova CLI hooks Microsoft's hybrid toolkit for Visual Studio Third-party tools, such as AppGyver, GapDebug, THyM, and more Beautifying Cordova apps with third-party HTML frameworks, such as Bootstrap, OpenUI5, Ionic, and Onsen UI Running, testing, and debugging Cordova apps on each major mobile platform Access the full code examples at cordova4programming.com, where you'll also find updates reflecting Cordova's continuing evolution. This book is an ideal companion to Wargo's authoritative collection of Apache Cordova code recipes for each Cordova API, Apache Cordova API Cookbook (Addison-Wesley, 2015).