This stair calorie calculator demonstrates the use of the radio button and Math Utilities components. The Math Utilities component is used to round the displayed results to 2 decimal places. It may also helps you lose weight!

On my return from the gymnasium the other day, I was about to catch the lift to the 11th floor when I realised that it would be healthier to walk up the stairs instead.

After walking up the stairs, I then thought to myself was it worth it? How many Calories had I burnt? To figure it out I did some research and created the calculator below which will show the energy consumed climbing stairs.

Calculation Method Options

The Physics option calculates the result based on the difference in potential energy (mass * gravity * height). This represents the absolute minimum amount of energy that must have been expended to climb the stairs. However, as the human body expends energy walking on level ground or even down stairs, the actual value would be higher. A few web searches revealed that 5 kcal per flight of stairs for a 150lb person is a typically quoted amount. The Dept of Health option calculates on the basis of a 150lb person and 5kcal per flight. The 5kcal / flight figure was quoted as coming from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, hence Dept of Health is used to identify that calculation method. I have assumed that the figure is proportional to weight so the calculator modifies the results proportionally according to the entered weight.

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This SWiSH Max4 component displays 6 images in a rotating cube. The cube rotates towards the current mouse position. Parameter options exist to change the size, alter the speed, border color / width and to load different images.

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Over a year ago we published an article about a Barcode_128 bar code generator component. In response to that article, some users requested a QR code generator component. QR Code (Quick Response Code) is a popular two dimensional matrix bar code that was invented by Denso in 1994. It has since become an ISO/IEC standard.

QR Code readers are freely available for iPhone, Android and other smart devices. Using a reader to read a QR Code allows information to be easily entered into the smart device without the tedium of having to use a small cramped keyboard. The information could include website URL, phone number, physical address, order, part number or contact information.

The QR code below contains the text: “http://www.swishzone.com”

Most QR readers recognize a website name and offer to open a browser window that refers to the site. If you have a mobile device with a QR code reader installed (eg. ZXing) you should be able to scan the image and then optionally browse the swishzone.com website.

QR Codes are a convenient way to publicize your website or business to mobile devices through conventional media: Posters, billboards, stickers, T-Shirts or other merchandising goods.

A QR code in a shop window is a great way for people to obtain information about your business from its mobile website if they arrive after normal business hours.

QR Codes are also a convenient way to allow the transfer the URL of a mobile specific website from a desktop computer into a mobile device.

The QR component described by this article allows users to create their own QR Codes.

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This game will test and improve your memory. Tiles are animated in a random sequene. Once the sequence is complete, the player attempts to re-create the sequence. Points are scored for each tile that is selected in the correct sequence. If the sequence is remembered correctly, the next sequence is made longer. If the sequence is incorrect, the next sequence is made shorter.

The game runs over 10 “sequence frames”. This means a maximum possible score of 55.

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Today, nearly everyone has a smartphone, tablet or other mobile computing device. Unfortunately websites designed for large screen browsing do not display very well on these devices because of screen size constraints and other interface limitations. In addition, the Flash player is not universally implemented in all mobile devices (eg iPhones and iPads). This article discusses various techniques that can be used to detect a mobile device and then automatically re-direct the user to a mobile device specific landing page.

The techniques include:

• Manual Selection
• User Agent information via Java and
• User Agent information via Server Detection

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Many users may not be aware that it is possible to use SWiSH Max4 to author custom effects such as the one shown below. A custom effect can be based on any of the ten core effects. Custom effects use a Custom interface to offer a specialized user interface that is easier to use than the underlying core effect interface tabs.

The Custom interface for the “Rainbow bulge” effect is shown below. This exposes five parameters instead of the 30+ parameters associated with the underlying Transform effect.

An authored effect can  support up to nine Custom parameters. If more control is needed, the original parameters associated with the core effect can be presented in additional tabs.

The sample effect, “Rainbow bulge”, has five custom parameters. In this example, the parameters associated with the core effect (Transform) have been hidden from the end user.

The remainder of this article demonstrates how the above effect was authored. Once understood, the technique can be applied to allow authoring of a virtually unlimited number of custom effects. (more…)