Long Hiatus

I have been extremely busy for the past few months and I was so tied up that I don't even have time to write an article or two in this blog! Challenges as a customer facing software engineer - tight datelines to meet, challenging projects to complete, customers to talk to - you name it, I might have already faced it.

I will post interesting programming puzzles and solutions soon. Stay tuned!

Using GSON to parse Yelp JSON result

This is a very basic example about using GSON to parse JSON result from Yelp. These few lines of codes will do the trick:

Models and Theories by Peter Norvig

Getting current GPS coordinates in Android

All you need are these few lines of codes: Also don't forget to add this permission in the manifest file:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION"></uses-permission>

Nonblocking mechanism for Android GUI

Do you realize that fetching data from the web, for example a GET request, may actually block the GUI and then creates an error? I experienced that and would want to share my thoughts on resolving it. I have not implemented a sound solution but these are the things I have in my mind. There are two components to implement in the code:
1. Thread
2. Handler

Let's see if this works :)

Developers are born brave

This is something motivational I want to share with the readers :)
Credits to the creative artist.

Removing status and title bars in an Android app (suggested method)

I discovered that the status and title bars can be removed in an Android app by inserting one simple line in the manifest xml file. Feel free to try this out and let's discuss if this does not work for you.

<activity android:name=".YOUR_ACTIVITY_NAME"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:screenOrientation="portrait"
android:theme="@android:style/Theme.Black.NoTitleBar.Fullscreen">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>