Surveying the Landscape

I picked up a Seattle waterfront map today at Metsker's Map in the Pike Market.

Scobie gave me the idea of putting a transparent grid over the map. Each box of the grid works out to about 13 minecraft blocks on each side.

We will find a point in our Minecraft world that corresponds to a point on the real map. Then we can create a 13 block grid in the game to locate the edges of the piers and building areas.

Simple, right?

Class Organization Stuff

Everyone is encouraged to post and comment on the blog.

New minecrafters (Asher, Isabella, Joshua, Margaret, Margaux, Peyton), use courage to ask for help from others.

Experienced minecrafters (Aaron, Ben, Martin, Quinn, River, Zane) engage the community by teaching others what you know.

We will clean up the landscape as we go.

Quinn, Joshua, and Ben will be the survey team.

Margaux, Margaret, and Joshua are interested in making a real cube, chicken, and pig.

Martin will need to make us all operators, allow flying, turn off PVP (no attacks), and verify that the game is in "peaceful" mode.

Peyton will lead the thank you activities for Jack Twilley.

We will watch waterfront DVDs during class while we are gaming.

Field Trips

Here are the field trip ideas and the votes:

8 – Aquarium
7 – Underground Tour
7 – Tillicum Village
6 – Ferry
6 – Arcade
4 – Waterfront
4 – Klondike Museum
4 – Container Port
3 – Pier 66
3 – Department of Transportation

History Topics

Here are the history topics we can investigate and the number of votes:

8 – Great Fire of 1889
6 – Century 21 (World Fair of 1962)
5 – Gold Rush of 1896
4 – Logging/coal
4 – Alaska/Yukon/Pacific Exhibition of 1909
2 – Railroads
2 – Chief Seattle

Where Do We Build?

A survey team (Quinn, Joshua, and Ben) will find a scale map of the real waterfront to measure and mark distances between our in game structures (piers, roads, buildings etc.).

Our avatars spawn on an island at the location of the Coleman Dock ferry terminal. Do not cut down the tree there.

You can swim to the shoreline, walk far away from the waterfront and build freely. The waterfront will be off limits to building until the survey team gets done.

Gamer Tags

Here are the class gamer tags:

Aaron – 1z2x3ced5qa
Asher – asherboy5
Ben – megafish9000
Isabella – 7isabella7
Joshua – jozhua55369
Margaret – margaret666
Martin – crazyawesome
Peyton – peytsiepie
Quinn – MR_boombastaco
River – riogrande13
Steve – hipcity
Zane – friskyfawn

Server Online!

Thanks to Adam Feuer for acquiring and configuring the server, and Jack Twilley for writing and running the map translation software in the Amazon Cloud. We owe these guys a big hug!

As with every new project, several unexpected problems cropped up and these guys found solutions. In the words of Rico from the movie Hot Rod, "That...is...how...it...is...DONE!"

Adam delivered the machine to my basement last night.

Zombies, Domo, and DeadMau5 want to play. Sorry guys, this will be in "peaceful" mode - no monsters. Game on!

Cool Videos of the Tunnel and Waterfront

Katey Bean shared these video links to computer simulations from the Department of Transportation:

- Inside of the tunnel
- Tunnel in relation to various existing underground structures
- Simulation of driving along the waterfront without the viaduct

I wish Minecraft had this level of detail!

Server Update

Adam will install the server at my house tonight! We have a 2:1 map of Seattle so each Minecraft block equals 2 square meters in real life.

More to come...

Photos from Friday Tour

Here are some shots from our trip today.

We saw City Hall Park from the bus. Cannonballs from the battleship Decatur shooting at natives in the mid 1800's have been uncovered as recently as 1995.

We learned that Kinnear Park was sold to Seattle for $1.00.

We listened to Chief Seattle's address to the Department of the Interior and realized we were walking on the ashes of many ancestors.

We visited a machine shop on Elliot Avenue. A sign says, "If you have a complaint, ask Mr. White." I asked, "Who is Mr. White?" They said, "We're all Mr. White." It has been in the same family for three generations. They showed us old photos of Elliot Avenue. First it was water, then it was a wooden logging road. We visited a chicken coop behind the shop!

We saw herons, a seagull swallowing a starfish, smelled a rose that reminded us of Scotch Tape, spotted a gribble in driftwood, listened to waves, learned about the importance of intertidal environments in the reconstruction of the seawall, saw a totem pole with a bear and mosquito, and saw sculpture titled "Adjacent, Against, Upon," and had lunch at Anthony's Fish and Chips. It was Joshua's first ever fish and chips.

We learned that Myrtle Edwards was a musician and open minded advocate for public parks.

Cary Moon and Katey Bean helped us understand what important issues we need to confront in our waterfront design.

We spotted fish, starfish, and crabs in the water.

We saw a mime on Alaskan Way. He mirrored Joshua and Quinn.

And we took the bus back to school.

Stay tuned for part 2 next Friday!

Old Seattle Maps

When the Denny Party arrived here in 1851, about 500 Duwamish Indians lived around Elliott Bay, and hundreds more in villages from Shilshole Bay to present-day Renton. Elliott Bay appears here as drawn by a U.S. Navy coastal survey in 1854. At that time, these shores were blanketed with a coastal forest of Douglas firs, cedars and hemlock, interspersed with open spaces maintained by the natives. (from the Seattle Times).

More maps can be seen here.

Back in the Day

Check out this map of the Native settlements before Seattle was a city. Later land fill and landmarks are included for reference.

Friday Tour Map

Here's the route for Friday. I broke it into four parts.

The first part is getting from school to Queen Anne via bus (in black) That will take about half an hour.

The second part is walking from Queen Anne to the waterfront via Kinner Park and a big footbridge across railroad tracks (in red). That will take about half an hour.

The third part is walking along the waterfront via Myrtle Edwards Park and the Olympic Sculpture Park (in green). That will take about an hour.

The last part is walking along the waterfront via Alaskan Way and through Pioneer Square (in blue). That will take about two hours (including lunch).

We Might Not See These on Friday

These flea sized insects are called Gribbles. They are eating the wood in Seattle's seawall. The city needs to replace the wall so that the next earthquake doesn't flood downtown!

Sites We Will See Friday

We are going to use all five of our senses on our waterfront tour.

We will see the first totem pole being carved in Seattle in 70 years and look at the waterfront through binoculars on the roof at Pier 66. We will listen to water, birds, and traffic. We will smell different roses. We will taste Ivar's clam chowder and "keep clam." We will touch the water and sculptures.

We will walk through a helix.

We will see mummies, a bear holding a mosquito, an orange eagle, a miniature light house, a double mobius strip, a huge yellow letter C, and if we are lucky, even a unicorn!

Not only will Tanya join us for biology discussions, Cary Moon from the Seattle Waterfront Coalition, and Katey Bean from the Washington State Department of Transportation will join us to teach us about design, traffic, and political issues. I have a bunch of historical information to share about the waterfront as we walk.

Wear good walking shoes, bring a camera, and something to eat or money for lunch.

Scroll down to see some of the photos a took on my dry run through the tour on Wednesday.

Preliminary Structure Assignments

Here are the preliminary assignments for existing structures:

Grain Elevators - Aaron, Martin
Myrtle Edwards Park - Joshua
Olympic Sculpture Park - Joshua, Isabel, Margaux, Asher
Pier 70 (Restaurant) - Ben, Joshua, Asher

Pier 69 (Victoria Clipper) - Quinn, Ben, Asher
Pier 97 (Edgewater Hotel) - Margaret, Isabel
Pier 66 (Bell Harbor Conference Center, Marina, Cruise Ship Dock) - Aaron, Martin
Pier 62/63 (Concert Stage) - Joshua, Zane
Pier 59 (Aquarium) - Zane, Quinn, Ben, Margaret, Asher, Margaux
Pier 57 (Gift, Restaurant) - Zane, Asher

Pier 56 (Argosy Cruises) - Margaux
Pier 55 (Tillicum Village) - Margaux, Joshua
Pier 54 (Charters, Ivars, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop) - Isabel, Margaux
Pier 52 (Ferry Terminal) - Martin, Aaron, River, Zane

Here are some things we want to add:

Unicorns - Peyton
Food Trucks - Margaux
Fountain - Ben

Skate Park - Joshua
Dog Park - River
Slaughter House - TBD
Spleef Arena - TBD
Mall - TBD
Nuke Plant - TBD
Animal Parks/Zoo - TBD

Here are some additional existing structures we want to include:

Space Needle
Key Arena
Pike Market
Public Library
PSCS
Century Link Field

Here are some Minecraft things we want to build in the real world:

Pigs
Chickens
Creeper Head
Meat
Mushrooms

Diamond Ore Block

We decided to build a diamond ore block. We will need several shades of gray and blue to skin our block.

All the exits to the school are less than one meter wide. Scobie will help with the design to make sure we can collapse it so we can fit it through doors. We will build three sides of the block since that's all that show in a picture.

What Kind of Block Will We Build?

Wood, water, air, sand, dirt, TNT, wool, diamond, obsidian, or gold? Here is a page for all the block types.

People's Waterfront Coalition

Check out this site by local activists and urban designers. There is some great information on the waterfront ecology, economics, and design. I invited Cary Moon from this group to come with us on our Friday waterfront tour. Mouse over the images here to see before and after ideas.

Waterfront Server Getting Set Up

Adam found a way to generate a 1:1 Seattle map on the server. It is taking a long time to process the data but we are making progress. I'll keep you posted.

Server Update

When we loaded the Seattle map on the server we found out it was 1/10th scale. We will try to fix this before our third class meeting. Meanwhile, we will build the real one meter cube on Tuesday and visit the waterfront on Friday.

1.8 UPDATE! \(^0^)/

Latest Version!:[Version 1.8]
128x128: http://www.mediafire.com/file/smwv6kkp6voo6sc/Bordercraft_1.8.zip
64x64: http://www.mediafire.com/file/43c7e3sht5nih4f/Bordercraft64_1.8.zip
32x32: http://www.mediafire.com/file/m26fwrlcu3lzu4t/Bordercraft32_1.8.zip

And with that, I'm going to bed.

Current Waterfront Structures

Here's a list of existing structures we should consider for our design:

Grain Elevator
Myrtle Edwards Park
Olympic Sculpture Park
Pier 70 – Waterfront Seafood Grill
Pier 69 – Victoria Clipper
Pier 67 – Edgewater Hotel
Pier 66 – Bell Harbor Conference Center
Pier 63/62 – Summer Nights on the Pier concert stage
Pier 59 – Seattle Aquarium
Pier 57 – Gifts and Restaurant
Pier 56 – Argosy Cruise and Restaurant
Pier 55 – Argosy Cruise and Tillicum Village
Pier 54 – Charters, Ivars, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
Pier 52 – Ferry Terminal

And some important icons:

Space Needle
Smith Tower
PSCS

Which ones are interesting to you? What should we skip? What should we add?

USGS Map of Seattle

We will be using the United States Geological Survey topographical map of Seattle to generate our Minecraft world. You can see the map and other cities available by clicking HERE. Thanks to Adam Feuer for finding this resource.

Adam also found a possible way to import the street grid from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics HERE. This will require some file translations that we hope Adam can figure out.

Waterfront Tour on Friday, September 23

We will take the M1 bus to tour the Seattle waterfront, take notes, take pictures, and take measurements.

Making a Virtual Minecraft Block Real

Next Tuesday (Sept 20) we will construct a life size Minecraft block out of cardboard.

Each Minecraft block represents one square meter.

We can decide what type of skin we want after we make the cube.

Where We Will Start

We will start with an inventory of buildings and features of the existing Seattle waterfront.

Then we will decide what features we want to keep (for example, aquarium, ferry terminal, sculpture park), what we want to skip, and what we want to add (dog park, rocket port, amusement park).

The borders of our project will begin with the downtown waterfront but may expand to include nearby landmarks (space needle, PSCS, container port).

Once we have our list of desired features/buildings, we can pick the things we want to help build and agree on where they should be located on the map.

Then BUILD!

Game Rules

Today in class we agreed that:

Everyone will be an operator (to spawn items)
Do not use TNT (this is a building, not destroying game)
Do not use bedrock (because it cannot be removed)
Game will be in Peaceful mode (no monsters)
No killing other players
No attacking other players (we may build a combat area and/or spleef arena)
No portals (because they have scary sounds)
People will be able to fly (but no other mods)

Design Goals

The city has these main design goals:

Create a waterfront for all.
Put the shoreline and innovative, sustainable design at the forefront.
Reconnect the City to its waterfront.
Embrace and celebrate Seattle's past, present and future.
Improve Access and Mobility.
Create a bold vision that is adaptable over time.
Develop consistent leadership-from concept to construction to operations.

These don't have to be our goals. Think about what you want and bring your ideas to class. Be ready to talk about why you think your ideas are important.

Minecraft 1.8 - Pre-Release

Okay, so you really want to play Minecraft 1.8, but its not out yet. WRONG! A pre-release is available for download.

First, you must buy Minecraft and download if you havent.

Then go to your appdata, bin and delete Minecraft.JAR.

Download this:http://assets.minecraft.net/1_8-pre/minecraft.jar and insert in the bin file. Have fun!

BlockMau5

Okay, so I know one of my first posts on this blog was about playing Minecraft on Android and I wrote an article on the xperia play version of Minecraft, but this time its different. If your looking for a simple and stable way to play Minecraft on your Android phone or tablet the you should try out block world. Of course this is NOT Minecraft, and if you want to really play Minecraft on Android you should wait because there is a good chance Minecraft will be available on all Android phones someday.

Download: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.blaschke.blockworld

Some bad news for Minecraft was released today over twitter. Jeb announced that the release of Minecraft 1.8 may be pushed back to allow more time for testing. The pitforge article can be found here:
http://pitforge.com/1-8-may-be-pushed-back/



If you have been searching for the perfect music to listen to while playing Minecraft your wait is OVER! Deadmau5 is some awesome techno dubstep music that is great for listening to while playing Minecraft. Also the Mau5 makes for fun Minecraft builds.

Pirate Women

I have new skin for you all,A pirate women someone request this skin
Download:http://skincache.com/skin?id=585831624

Minecraft 1.8 - The Adventure Update!

     Recently there has been a lot of talk going around about the new Minecraft update called the Adventure update, and for good reason. This update will be huge! We have the addition of new mobs, such as blue cave spiders and the horrifying endermen.


    We we also have different modes of gameplay, the creative mode which makes all blocks and items available in your inventory, much like classic, and you have the ability to fly! Good bye MODS! The adventure mod has amazing new features, such as dungeons and experience points.

    It was recently announced that this massive update will be released on Thursday, September 8, 2011. After this we may have a 1.9 update, either way we are right on track for the full release of Minecraft in the November month, which will support MODS!

Chuckles The Cheat Skin

Like i say i make Gmod skin:Chuckles the cheat guy who hack LAN game
download:http://skincache.com/skin?id=932729034

Carl Johnson(GTA SA)

Long Time not upload a Skin(1 month maybe),Ok I have new minecraft skin:CJ skin
If you GTA SA fan you will like this
Download:http://skincache.com/skin?id=503355392