Bytes of Inspiration

WorldEmber Homework 2023

01010111 01001111 01010010 01001100 01000100 01000101 01001101 01000010 01000101 01010010 00100000 01001001 01010011 00100000 01000011 01001111 01001101 01001001 01001110 01000111 00100001

Hover over Bit or click here to see what he says!

WORLDEMBER IS COMING!

WORLDEMBER IS COMING!

Yeah, TJ does it better, but I'm cute too!

Oh goodie, WorldEmber is almost around the corner again! And I have so. many. plans. But, if there's one thing I have learned over the last couple years of participating in WorldEmber and SummerCamp, is that burnouts deserve the biggest finger of fingers. So, just like last year, I intend to fly at WorldEmber with one goal: have fun. Nothing beats having fun, and having fun leads to many creative ideas, but also makes it easier to get the writing done. There's no use in forcing myself to write, so I shan't.

Well, aside from my standard 5-minute rule. Starting is always the hardest part and getting yourself through this bit is important to try. So, if I don't feel like writing, but I want to write, I give myself a 5 minute timer to focus on writing. More often than not, it works to get myself in the writing mood and I'll continue writing for as long as I like. But if I'm still not in the mood after those 5 minutes, I'll leave things be, writing was not meant for that day or moment. I highly recommend you try this too, whenever you feel stuck at the starting part!

Developing More Adventures!

I hope you all have been having some fun going on the.. well, technically one adventure I've written so far. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you check out our lovely host Bit and venture into the Processor to understand what makes your device tick. Yes, every device you read this article on, whether that's a laptop, desktop, phone, or tablet has one of these magical processors!

Which brings me to my next subject that I'll be diving into: the History of Processors and the Operating System. See, processors nowadays are lightning fast with their immense clock speeds, and borderline absurd amount of transistors that makes it all happen. But the first CPUs weren't that fast! So, I'm hoping to bore entertain you all with its rich history and maybe gain some extra appreciation to how far we've come.

My looks are based on the first general purpose CPU, the Intel 4004. I came to market in 1971, which means I'm already over 50 years old!

While I can write a lot about CPU history, I think it's equally important to talk about the other thing that makes your device do things: the Operating System. Without this essential piece of software, we'd all have a lot more trouble using this technology. I will try to highlight the most important parts, so you won't fall asleep while reading it. And for fellow nerds out there, I'll add more in-depth info of course. ^^

That said, Bit isn't really interested in the software side of things, which is what an operating system is. So, before I start with that, I want to introduce you first to Byte our software-loving brother. He will gladly take you on a tour of the operating system. However, it wouldn't be a true party without Bug, Byte's younger brother who loves to... help... in his own quirky way. Usually by being the opposite of helpful.

Hey! I'm not that bad! I'm helpful too, just not in the way you expect it. There are few who embrace my presence for the betterment of software development, but I do like those people and you too!

Word Goal
10 Kibibit
Topics
Processor History
Byte & Bug
Operating Systems
OS History

This message is directed at the author of this world!

Shadow, don't be stupid, will you? Don't unnecessarily push yourself. If words flow, for the love of Bytes, stay hydrated and go to bed on time. If words don't flow, don't force yourself to write. Go for a walk, or change your writing subject to something that you feel enthusiastic about in the moment. Otherwise, just let it be and most importantly: have fun!

Love, the rational side of your brain

Bonus Activities

Writing non-stop is something I simply cannot do. Won't even try it, because I already know it won't happen. Besides, it's healthy to do other things as well! So, here's a little list of small and big activities I can do to either gain inspiration, or just to relax.
Crocheting! I have a blanket to make and at least three penguins, so I can fill some time with this for sure.
Good ol' exercise! Can be in the gym, or going for a walk outside, as long as those muscles get stretched somehow.

{ Scope }

Before I head into WorldEmber like a headless chicken, it is a good idea to define my working scope to give myself some guidelines or at least a path to walk. Computer Adventures is still very young and small with just two whole articles. So, in my case, there are three major subjects that I want to focus on this WorldEmber to further expand the basis of project.

Characters

The first article I wrote for Computer Adventures was the magnificant Bit. I had so much fun writing little bits (ha ha) of technical facts in a lightweight and accessible way for everyone. Of course, Bit is one of the brothers that will help you around Computer Adventures. I think it's important to get all the characters introduced first, so that would mean Byte and Bug should make their entrance these upcoming months.

Hardware

Going through the internal compontens of a computer is the first collection of hardware I want to cover in Computer Adventures. The first and most important part is already standing proud: the Processor! There are a few more core pieces of hardware that I want to add to make a first "complete" computer. However, I first want to cover a bit of history. The evolution of Processors is a speedy one. Just over 50 years ago, the first general purpose processor went on the market. Today, the average person has three computers on themselves a day: one in their backpack, one in their pocket, and the last one on their wrist. How we got there has been quite a ride, and I'd love to write that history to show my appreciation for the immense development in hardware we have so far.

Software

Without software, computers don't do anything. These days, all our devices just work off the shelf because of the core software that has been installed on every device: the Operating System. The OS is the reason you can read this with relative ease. So, it would make sense to start off the software categorie with the most important piece there is. Seeing that Byte loves to explore software and Bug "helping" him along the way, they can make their debut here. The history of Operating Systems is also a very rich one.

What was your first Operating System? Tell me in the comments!

Still, even though this incredible plan exists and I provided myself with ample focus points, there is a very decent chance that I will run off the rails like that headless chicken in roughly 3 hours after WorldEmber has started. Is this a problem? Not at all! The creative brain wants, what the creative brain wants. It is clearly signaling that it has drive and enthusiasm for something else, why should I work against it?
Instead, I will chase wherever my creative mind is leading me. Last year, it resulted in a new handbook project to be written for my fantasy world (that I still need to start writing... I don't have a problem, I swear!) so who knows what it will come up with this year. It could be a spark of brilliance, or just utter madness.

Wonderful Worlds

While I'm attempting to stay focused at whatever it is I will be writing, there will be times when the creative mind just won't have it. Words don't want to flow, ideas don't want to pop, there are numerous ways to get temporarily stuck at writing. During such times, there are a few things to do. Among the useless things, there are the options of forcing yourself to write, get frustrated, and throwing with (virtual) pens. However, a more useful option would be to take a step back. Either by physically removing yourself by means of taking a walk, or mentally by shifting your focus from the writing. Whenever I feel like doing the latter, I go to a few of my favourite worlds to read their articles, or to look at all the pretty and shiny CSS elements they incorporated into their worlds. Here is a variety of these worlds and what draws me to them.

Writing

Mochi has an awesome universe filled to the brim with planets, specicies, and locations. Whenever I revisit the Yonderverse, the encyclopeadia has expanded by pages and I can explore more of their writing and drawings to get inspired for my world.

Hanhula always manages to create elaborate articles without losing my attention. I still haven't figured out how, but there's something about her writing that keeps me captivated. There is so much information one can weave through an article, and Hanhula certainly mastered that.

CulinaryPunk is one of my favourite full thematic worlds. The culinar theme is so well interwoven throughout the articles, especially through the use of thematic puns. And yet, the articles always feel lighthearted and enough to the point to get the information across.

CSS

Cathedris is just a work of art. Whenever I visit, I'm in awe of whatever black magic Stormbril unleashed on his world. Seeing what he can code with some code, it just goes to show that the possibilities with CSS are endless.

This may still be a very new world, but the theme and accompanying CSS is just amazing. The way TJ designs his themes, especially playing with the colours, is something I aspire to master some day. Until then, I'll learn by watching his work.

If I had to chose a world from Catoblepon to look at for CSS inspiration, it would be Shattered. There's something about its design that just.. fits. I love the colourful nature without being overwhelming.

Of course, there are so many more worlds that I can mention. Click here, if you want to find some extra inspiration!

Choose Your Guide

One of the primary ideas of Computer Adventures, is that each character can be a guide for the reader through a specific computer subject. Of course, there is Bit for the hardware, and Byte for the software. But where do I put Bug..?
It took some thinking to realise that Bug would fit perfectly with personal projects, because that's where he pops up the most. No one will convince me that a programmer can write flawless code in one go. There is always a mistake somewhere and Bug loves to exploit that. Oh, I shall always remember the endless nights, coding away to finish projects that I started way too late (of course), and raging at the bugs that kept popping up.
With that decided, I have revamped my worlds homepage to reflect this better. You can now "choose your guide" and go to your topic of interest. \o/ Now, all that's left to do, is filling up the categories with articles for readers to explore. Which is quite the task.. but for that I have a Dev Hub to rely on when I don't know what to write next, in the rare event that I don't.

Click here to learn more about my plans!

Plans for WorldEmber:

Project: Processor History
Prep:
CSS Timeline Magic
Article Overview
Old CPU Research
Modern CPU Research
CPUs for Timeline

Project: Operating System
Prep:
Article Overview
Topics to Cover
Research
CSS Magic?

Project: A whole slew of projects!
Prep: Ohu3Rsw5SP6ezIZMsabRGiYpHISUcah1Q2rZhyEkZslfEyO1qaXkzKxHidzFdOrH3RQHpIWAgNgYhGl
ERROR ERROR ERROR

Projects:

Create an Operating System from Scratch (Byte requests help to be send to creator, she's gone mad)

Reviving the Intel SDK 85

Build a Computer from Scratch (just chips, wires, transistors, capacitors, and resistors using the MOS 6502 CPU)

Reviving the ZX Spectrum

A Sudden New Shiny Appeared! New Headers!

Just in time before WorldEmber starts! I was inspired by the stamps that the amazing TJ made for his new world. After some brainstorming with friends, I had a rough idea of a "stamp" that would fit Computer Adventures. However, there was only one problem: the header wasn't as nicely customisable. And thus, with four days to go until WorldEmber would start, I embarked upon a drawing journey.
My drawing skills are limited, but somewhat existent, and now even better than a week ago. My thought process was to try and capture the essence of Computer Adventures with this header. That way, with just looking at the header, new readers should hopefully get a glimpse of what this world is about. One of the important things to show, is that this world is about computers, of course. But, more specifically, I would love to eventually discuss older cornerstone pieces of hardware. The Apple Lisa is one such cornerstone computer, the first one which operating system supported a graphical user interface instead of a commandline interface. Next, a header wouldn't be complete without the faces of Computer Adventures, Bit, Byte, Bug, and Nibble. Finally, I added some little bits and pieces to bring it all together.
And with that, I have a new header! There's the one on this article specifically for WorldEmber, and this will be the new default one.

Silence Before the Storm

At time of writing (24 November), we're mere days away from the start of this exciting event. The silence before the storm... Time to get some last minute preperations out of the way!

Cleaning up the Writing Space

I should definitely clean up my office because it is a mess. Yarn spread out over my desk, trash all over the place, books outside the bookshelves, and that perfectly reflects the chaos of my brain. Seeing as I am not a star at cleaning and keeping spaces clean, I shall rely upon my biggest supporter to help me: dear Hubbs. He's a master at cleaning, so he'll have it fixed up in a jiffy.

Stockpiling on Coffee and Snaccs

All right, this is a slight lie... For those who don't know me, I am obsessed with coffee. I like good coffee and I'm picky with it too. That said, I have a favourite coffee burner where I order my coffee from and I may or may not have ordered 4 kilos of coffee sometime in September with Hubbs. So, coffee is all set to go. All that's left is getting a nice pile of pepernoten and crisps for snackings during writing.

Always wanted to know something about computers? Let me know in the comments, so I can put it on my list of subjects to cover! Or look at the massive list in the Dev Hub to see what our nerd has planned to write about for you guys.

Keeping on Track

WorldEmber is fun and awesome, but I know that there is a certain amount of pressure coming with it. Writing 10k words is no small feat, let's make that clear. So, to keep my sanity, I'm going to apply the same tactic I've been applying to my current NaNoWriMo project: Just write every day. Whether I write a lot, or I write a little, I want to try and continue building the habit of writing every day. Some days I might write 2k words, and some days just 70, and that is fine. Staying healthy is what is important, and no way I'm going to burn out just to get a shiny badge.. At least I'll attempt not to. ^^

Prepping Ahead

The goal during WorldEmber is to write. So, I want to make myself as prepared as possible. I already have a good idea of what I'll be covering this event. So, to give myself extra room to focus just on writing, I will try to have the images I might use at the ready. Which means I have to look them up, save them on my laptop, and have them uploaded to WorldAnvil. Furthermore, I want to utilise stubs a bit better, so I intend to take some inspiration from Satrium's Advanced uses of Tags. There might be other things I'll prep ahead as well, so we'll see how things go.

Rest and Research!

The hype and excitement for WorldEmber grows with every passing day. I cannot wait to start writing about the History of Processors, about the Operating System, and about one of my secret and super exciting projects, and all the other projects that I also want to cover in this world. You can bet that Bug will be around a lot this year to laugh and cry with me as I continue to navigate the world of computers.
That said, it's best to recharge the batteries while I can. There's no use in burning myself out before WorldEmber actually begins! So, in the meantime, I'll keep to resting and researching in a chill pace to educate myself on the topics at hand. After all, I need to know what I'm talking about so I can explain it to you all!

Bloopers

Homework is hard, all right! Sometimes, it just doesn't go the way you want the first time. Still, it's fun to read them back and ask "Shadow, what in the... what were you thinking?! What... y'know what, nevermind."
One immense shipwreck..

Organisation

So, what is the scope for this WorldEmber? I'm trying to get the basics about computers down first. That meant for me working on three parts of Computer Adventures:

Characters

Hardware

Software

In order to get the story across, I wanted to create a character out of a few key pieces related to computers. The first one, Bit I have already written which gave me a nice starting point for the hardware. With the Processor, I had the most essential part of the hardware as a starting point that would be directly influenced by Bit. So, naturally, it is time to get the first article done for the software, the Operating System.
Furthermore, History will be an important part of this world. People use computers every day now: most have one computer in their backpack, one in their pockets, and many also have one on their wrist. With smart devices everywhere, that we cannot live without. I believe that looking back where we came from is important to appreciate what we have now.

Back in the olden days, computers in the home wasn't common! Only big companies had computers, and they called them "Big Iron". These were mainframes and they stored all the important data and programs they run. One "Big Iron" could be anything between 185M²(2000ft²) and 929M²(10.000ft²). That's the size of a fairly big house! Nowadays, modern mainframes are the size of a common refrigerator. Can you imagine? We went from a computer the size of a house, to computers we can wear on our wrist!

So, the scope for this WorldEmber is to continue the journey in the most logical way! If

Wonderful Worlds

WorldAnvil is full of amazing worlds. Whenever I feel stuck in my writing, I find myself wandering through the amazing creations of these worldbuilders. Here are a handful of the ones I like to check out!

Writing

Whenever I feel the need for writing inspiration, these are my go to worlds. They always leave me with some creative energy or inspiration to continue writing whenever I feel stuck.

Mochi has an awesome universe full of planets and species! I can easily get lost in their writing and draw inspiration for my own writing. If you feel the need to explore, go to the Yonderverse!

Hanhula always manages to create elaborate articles without losing my attention. I can still learn a thing or three whenever I read one of these articles.

CulinaryPunk is one of my favourite full thematic worlds. The culinar theme is so well interwoven throughout the articles, especially through the use of thematic puns.

CSS

As time goes by, I find try to create more interactive things in my world with the use of CSS. These worlds give me so many ideas of the possibilities of CSS that I didn't even know was possible.

Cathedris is just a work of art. It just goes to show that the possibilities with CSS are endless.

Hey you! I hope you're doing well today. ^^ Are there things about computers you've always wanted to know or understand? Let me know what you want to learn here in the comments, and I'll put it on the list of articles to create for the writing human. :D