Sunday, 23 February 2014

Distraction

As a 'distraction' last night I started coding up a custom OpenCL binding for Java. This was after sitting / staring at my pc for a few hours wondering if i'd simply given up and 'lost the knack'. Maybe I still have. Actually in hindsight i'm not sure why i'm doing it other than as some relatively 'simple' distraction to keep me busy. It's quite simple because it's mostly a lot of boilerplate mapping the relatively concise OpenCL api to a small number of classes and there isn't too much to think about.

Not sure i'll finish it actually. Like I said, distraction.

But FWIW I took a different approach to the binding this time - all custom code, trying to use / support native java types where possible (rather than forcing ByteBuffer for every interaction), etc. Also a different approach to the 32/64 bit problem compared to previous JNI bindings - spreading the logic between the C and Java code by having the C make the decisions about constructors but having the Java define the behaviour via abstract methods (it's more obvious than i'm able to describe right now). Well I got as far as some of CLContext but there's still a day or two's work to get it 'feature complete' so we'll see if I get that far.

Was a nice day today so after a shit sleep (i think the dentist hit some nerves with the injections and/or bruised the roots - the original heat-sensitive pain is gone but now i have worse to deal with) I decided to try to do some socialising. I dropped by some mates houses unannounced but I guess they were out doing the same thing but I did catch up with a cousin I haven't seen properly for years. Pretty good for just off 70, wish I had genes from his part of the family tree. Then had a few beers in town (and caught up with him and his son by coincidence) - really busy for a Sunday no doubt due to the Fringe.

Plenty of food-for-the-eyes at least. Hooley dooley.

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