Brian Hammond

I created a lightweight model-view-controller (MVC) library for single-page applications. This library was developed before the rise of React but shares similar core concepts, albeit with a reduced reliance on the virtual Document Object Model (DOM). In this MVC library:
• A model represents a named collection of key-value pairs.
• A view controller acts as an intermediary between a rendered view of the model and DOM event bindings. It handles the methods responsible for modifying an instance of the model.
• A router maps URI fragments to handlers, typically loading models from a data source and creating view controllers for displaying and updating them.
• A model acts as an event emitter and notifies registered listeners whenever its underlying properties undergo mutation.

This was my Master's thesis for computer science. Mixed-Reality Billiards is an amazing project that mixes elements of computer vision with human-computer interaction. MRB allows users to practice playing virtual billiards using real physical billiards cue sticks and balls. It was published in ICME 2008 and presented in Germany.

Lexatron is a 2-player word game with race and strategy elements. Brian invented the idea, designed all the graphics, and developed, tested, and deployed this app.

In 2008 I used Python to create a Monte Carlo physics simulation for a computer controlled opponent for a darts game for iOS. The simulation threw millions of virtual darts, recorded where they landed and the parameters that got them there, and generated Objective-C code that included all of this information for use at runtime by the computer-controlled player.

I’ve used Python for web development back-ends as well. The most recent example is an ongoing client project that requires a “web admin portal.” This work allows the client/admin to log in to a custom website and query a database. The tech stack for this back-end portion of the project is Bottle.py, Records, and Postgres.

I’ve used Python for game prototypes and open source projects as well, using Cocos2d (before it’s port to iOS became hugely popular) and PyGame. For PyGame, I’ve created a UI toolkit for simple needs: things like buttons, scrollable areas, text rendering etc. That’s up on GitHub: https://github.com/fictorial/pygameui See also https://github.com/fictorial/pygame-capresize

I added transaction support to Records which is a very popular Python library for making database querying very "Pythonic."

I’ve also used Python for various experiments including a rudimentary database and supporting code (keypath).