Every programming language has a mechanism to allow the programmer to create variables which hold custom data entered in by either the coder themselves or by the user of the application.

Regardless of whether you’re new to programming or not, you will have used variables and you should understand that in javascript they can hold any value such as a number or a string of text.

There is also another type of variable called an Array. Now, depending on who you talk to, some will say an array is actually an object, while others say it is a variable. Neither one is wrong but for the sake of simplicity we’ll refer to it as a variable.

Now, arrays are special because they can hold multiple values as opposed to standard variables which can only hold a single value at one time. If you can, try and imagine that your computer’s memory is made up of thousands of little boxes, and each of those boxes has an address which javascript will use to retrieve the array values when needed.

As someone who works in many facets of the music industry, I used to seethe with a mixture of anger and jealousy when I would hear people in more “traditional” goods-based industries argue in favor of music content-based piracy. They made all the classic talking points, like “I wouldn’t spend money on this artist normally, and maybe if I like it I’ll spend money on them when they come to town” (which never happened), or “artists are rich and I’m poor, they don’t need my money” (rarely the case), or the worst, “if it were fairly priced and worth paying for, I’d buy it” (not true).  I always wondered if they’d have the same attitude if 63% of the things acquired by customers in their industries weren’t actually paid for, as was conservatively estimated as the case for the music industry in 2009 (other estimations put the figure of pirated music at 95%). Well, we may soon see the answer to curiosities like that. Though one can say with tentative confidence that music piracy is on the decline thanks to services like Spotify and Rdio, it could be looming on the horizon for the entire global, physical supply chain. Yes, I’m talking about 3d printers.

Before I get into the heart of this article, let me take a moment to make one thing clear: I think these machines are incredible. It’s damn near inspiring to think of even a few of their potentially world-changing applications: affordable, perfectly fit prosthetic limbs for wounded servicemen and women; the ability to create a piece of machinery on the spot instead of having to wait for a spare to arrive in the mail, or en route if your car or ship breaks down in a far away place; a company based out of Austin, TX even made a fully functioning firearm from a 3d printer a few months ago.

If these machines become as consumer-friendly and idiot-proof as possible (like computers), it’s possible that in a matter of decades (maybe less), a majority of U.S. households will have their own 3d printer. There’s also the possibility they could take the tech-hobbyist path, one that is much less appealing to the masses. Dale Dougherty of Makezine.com estimates there are currently around 100,000 “personal” 3d printers, or those not owned for business or educational purposes. I don’t think they’ll ever be as ubiquitous as computers, but there are plenty of mechanically inclined, crafty hobbyists out there who would love to play around with a 3d printer if it was affordable enough.

That being said, is there reason to worry about the economic implications of consumers making what they want, essentially for free, instead of paying someone else to produce it? Or will the printers instead be used for unique items more so than replicating and ripping off other companies’ merchandise in mass amounts? The number of people working in industries that would be affected by a development like this is far greater than the number of people who work in content-based industries, so any downturn would probably have a much larger economic implications. Certainly, those times are a ways off, but a little foresightedness never hurt anyone!

What are some of the software development headaches associated with iPhone vs Android development?

The Boss (hereafter referred to as TB), handed me this research assignment. Hey, I finally got a little bit of one ups man ship on TB.

This is a significant moment in my life. Like me, TB isn't really human. I know because neither of us seem to indulge in that luxury known as sleep. That makes it extremely difficult to have any sort of 'gotcha'. I'm dancing. I got one.

In the warp speed development cycles we are now facing, TB must have gone to sleep, which in human terms is known as a wink. (About a 40th of the second).
18 June 2012 Monday, 3:30 PM (15:30 HRS) UTC -8, in Los Angeles Microsoft is making a major tablet announcement, revealing its own hardware that is tablet-based. Do not be surprised if it entails a Hollywood Inc. focus.

The importance of variables in any programming language can’t be emphasised enough. Even if you are a novice, the chances are good that you will have been using variables for quite a while now.

They are the cornerstone of any language and without them we would not be able to accomplish much of anything. However, most of you up until this point have probably only been working with standard variables, variables which can hold single values such as an integer, a single character, or a string of text.

In this tutorial we are going to take a look at a more special type of variable called an array. Arrays can seem quite daunting at first glance but once you get used to working with them you will wonder how you ever managed to program without them.

The reason arrays are special is because they can hold more than one value. Think about this: say you create a variable which contains a line of text like the code below: