3.3.06 Wow! It been nine months since I've updated this website but I think I've got my motivation back. I have revisited my OpenGL/Java project and I think it is time to write another game/tutorial. Gl4Java is supported at SourceForge, now and its installation process is fairly obscure. So, I'm planning to write an article on installing gl4java on a Windows box.

6.7.05 MonkeyFighter.com will have fewer ads soon. Commission Junction (CJ) informed me that my website wasn't producing enough sales. So, they fined me $10 and threatened to close my account. I was a little affended by this unfriendly business practice and realized that I have two alternatives. The first is to beg my visitors to click my CJ ads. But, my site is about sharing knowledge - not making money. So, I have decide to go with the other - I'm removing CJ ads completely from my website!

1.3.05 Well, happy new year everyone. And, a big thanks to everyone who has visited my site.

I am making a couple changes to the structure of this site. The most notable is that I am changing the kumite (fighting) section to a formal lessons section. This decision was made because I haven't posted anything to this section and because there is already too much fighting in this world. I am also changing the Combat Monkey header to read Karate Monkey. Its is less consistent but also less confusing

Now, most of the visitors to my site come to see my satirical Nipplegate article. My stats page reveals they really just want to see Lil' Kim's breasts [Sorry, there is no explicit images on this site]. However, my stats page also reveals that some some very interesting links to my site. Check them out!

Art of Problem Solving - Now this is my type of site! I love solving problems.
Math links - I hate math but I got a link from a math site - cool!
Grumpy Gamer - I wish I worked in the game industry so he could rant about me.
Jeremy Zawodny's Link Blog - I wish I would write a blog for this site...
Monkey Filter - Great name!

11.30.04 Wow! December is already here, and so, I had to update the most popular list. I told myself I wasn't going to continue to talk about it just because I updated it but there are things I need to say. Perhaps the most important is that I REALLY need to write a script that generates this information real time. That would be much more interesting than my once-a-month update. Then there is NippleGate at the number two spot. What the heck are on peoples minds! That page is actually #1 for visits (the list is rank by hits). I only wrote that page because the incident was, IMHO, the most silly thing anyone could whine about. So, I made a page to mock its sillyness. And look. Everyone is flocking to the least intellectual article on this site. There. I said it. So, go see what the hipe is about.

11.17.04 Alas! I had a major Java break-through today. I finally figured out why the syntax highlighter in my XML editor was performing poorly and I made the necessary changes. Now it runs smooth and quick. Ok, maybe not super quick but I can match the performance of XML Spy's syntax highlighter. I have it throttled down in the current build, which should be adequate for most XHTML files. I probably could tweak out a little more performance and I believe mind numbing speed is possible if I structure the data in a parse tree instead of linear text. But, I am happy with the code and learned something new. What more could ya ask for?

10.19.04 Most people don't look at the code behind a website but for those who do, you will notice that my code is formatted better now. That's because I stopped using CSE HTML Validator Lite and started using my custom XML editor, KickStart, that I developed for work. Even though HTML Validator is an excellent, free HTML editor, KickStart is becoming my XML editor of choice. And, since I am a code monkey, it only seems proper for my website to be developed with my own software.

KickStart is 100% Java and about 99% Swing GUI interface. I used the AWT file chooser because the swing file choosers have some serious performance issues. Otherwise, everything is Swing. It is still a little crude and has proprietary functionality. But, as you can see by this web page, it is operational...

10.2.04 I just updated the most popular list and once again, the same pages are listed but in different a order. Sorry, there is nothing new in the what's new column. But, there will be very soon. I have several articles written. All they need is some formatting and pictures. In one article, I tackle the topic of hair loss in men. In another, I document what I have done to regrow my own lost hair. So, if your a man that is just starting to lose your hair, you'll want to read these articles. I hope to have them posted sometime this week.

9.1.04 Another new month is already here. So, I updated the most popular list. This time, I was shocked to see that my resume made it to the top ten! That's just amazing. I don't have a single link (well, I do now) to that page on my web site. I basically deprecated it but I left it on the server because it was getting so many hits from the search engines. Now, my only question is ''Why can't I get a job offer in Silicon Valley if my resume is such popular reading?'' Come on guys! I'm a damn good code monkey and I'll even pay for my own moving expenses.

Ok, now for a random topic. I just got the part that I needed to fix my 1988 supercharged MR2. It was sitting in my garage for about a year collecting dust. But now, it is back in action. And, what action it is! Anyhow, it is old and needs a lot of TLC. So, look forward to some MR2 tutorials in the future.

8.27.04 Yikes!! I was looking at this website while at work (during my break, of course:-) and everything was fine until I viewed the Taikyoku kata page . All the images were broken! I couldn't imagine how I let such an oversite happen! So, I got home and attempted to fix the problem but alas, the web page is not broken. All the links are there and the page displays fine. Has anyone else found broken images on my site?

I finished another tutorial . This one is on the front stance. It is the second in a series of karate lessons. I plan to make about 1000 of these tutorials. So, I guess I have my next twenty years planned out. In any case, I am trying to give back a little to world. And, what better way than to give knowledge?

8.17.04 I finally found time to write a new tutorial ! This one explains how to turn a 2 channel stereo into a 3 channel surround sound system that won't void your warranty! It is a technique known as poor man's surround sound. It is very easy to set up. So, if you like watching DVD's but your stereo doesn't have surround sound. This is a must-do project!

8.8.04 I got a little excited while working on the search page. I realized that I could create a portal like Yahoo or Excite that is a little more tailored my tastes. So, I started working on that and ran into a few snags. The biggest disappointment is that the new google engine on the search page doesn't search MonkeyFighter.com where the old one did. I will probably contact Google about that. Otherwise, I am waiting for approval for various links and I have yet to write a RSS parser so I can have news feeds. Its going a little slow but I like the results so far.

Oh yeah, I am in the process of updating all the pages with a Google search link. It is located in the left menu column. It is a Google powered search. So, you know the results are good and using it helps benefit this site!

8.1.04 Its a new month. So, I have updated the most popular list. The only new arrival to the list is the John Kerry web page . It mostly reiterates JohnKerry.com but I added some things that I thought made Kerry stand out as a humanitarian.

Oh yeah, please register to vote (I did it on-line). Then, get informed. The web is the best place to get information on our candidates. And, make an educated decision this fall. If everyone participates, the next US president will actually win the election. :-)

Well, enough of the soap box! I am back working on this web site regularly. I don't have any new articles posted but I have a few drafts sitting around. I am pretty excited about that since I just recently took on a full time job and started mentoring. Life is busy but I find time...

7.23.04 I finally decided it was time to fix my dead computer. The CPU was the only thing that died (due to dust packed into heat sink fins). It was a Pentium 4 1.8Ghz socket 423. They are very hard to find and they cost about $120. So, I decided that it would be better to upgrade to a socket 478. That meant buying a new Motherboard, CPU and (for speed reason) RAM. I shopped newegg.com and found that I could get all three for $348. That seemed like a very good deal since I choose parts that IMHO are the most reliable on the market. This is what I got:

Intel Pentium 4 2.8Ghz 1Mb L2 cache
Crucial 512Mb DDR PC-3200
Intel BOXD865GLCL

The P4 2.8Ghz run about twice as fast and bit hotter than the 1.8Ghz. My existing case did not have a rear (or front) case fan. So, I figured with a couple case fans I could drop the CPU, chip and case temperature a few degrees. This sounds like a great project and an interesting article for this web site. So, I went back to newegg.com and selected two fans (and a radeon 9600). However, one of the fans is currently sold out. So, the article on cooling my case will be delayed until supplies become available.

6.2.04 I just updated the most popular list. Only one new page made it to the list: 3D Game Tutor . All the other pages are repeats but in a different order. Otherwise, I have been tweaking some of the existing pages. I think it is about time for a new article but that probably won't get posted for a week. Are there any suggestions?

5.25.04 Added a new video, monkey, that has to be seen to believe! Check it out in the Monkey Business section.

5.23.04 I pushed myself to get another article done this weekend. The article is on chi gong . That is standing meditation. Specifically, I outline how to perform Lin Kong Jing Chi Gong. That translates to powerful empty force standing meditation. If you aren't familiar with chi gong, you owe it to yourself to check out the article . For those who are familiar with chi gong, you know how honorable it is that I have shared this information with the everyone on the web. And for those who are too skeptical to understand its importance. All I can say is, "I feel really sorry for you."

5.16.04 I finally finished the particles article and I think that I can get another article written this week. It will probably be an article on inside strike (kihon). However, my team leader (at work) promised me large amounts of overtime. So, will I have time to write another article? Probably, but it if I don't, I am thinking about posting something special for those whose visit my site regularly. That would probably be something like source code that I wanted to keep to myself or maybe a new video or the like. People are doing a great job supporting this site by clicking the ads and I am feeling a bit guilty that I am slipping behind in developing this site. So, I feel that I owe something great to everyone.

4.29.04 Ten days ago, I asked people to help support my site by clicking on the ads. Since then, I have noticed a few more click-throughs than normal. So, a big THANK YOU goes out to everyone who visits my web site. I'm really trying hard to get better tutorials and complete all my threads. However, it has been a while since I posted my last article and I have nothing but excuses. My main excuse is that I just started a six month contract with a very nice software company. The job is great but it leaves me with little time to write tutorials. So, if there is something that you want me to finish and you just can't wait, send me an email and tell me to hurry the #$!! up! That'll probably be all the motivation I need to squeeze in some writing before and after work.

4.19.04 I just completed the first three, of seven, tutorials on 3D games programming for the internet. I am working hard to get them all done. I should have the fourth one done tomorrow. So, if you have a little programming knowledge and you want to write a 3D game for your website, I recommend checking out those tutorials. The home page for the tutorials is here . Oh yeah... A big thanks goes out to all the people who have helped support this site by giving donations, shopping my shop and clicking my banners. If you would like to support this site but your like me and cannot afford to part with any money right now, you can still help by clicking on the "ads by google". If none of those ads interest you, look for more ideas in the help link at the top of every page!