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I like to see myself as someone that doesn’t just do computer-related work. I like listening to music, going to parties, meeting people, and camping. I’m part of Scouts Australia (Scout leader), and I’m also learning French in my spare time.

On the nerdier side of things, I’m currently working part-time for Ionata Web Solutions in Hobart, building websites and fixing bugs, occasionally, programming awesome HTML5 javascript canvas NINJA GAMES.

As well as this I am undergoing a bachelor of Games Programming and Virtual Worlds at AIE Melbourne, currently in my third year.

This blog is pretty much just what kind of nerdy programming things I do. I am particularly interested in particle systems, shaders, animation, sound effects, bizarre game ideas, and old-school chip programming.

What else can I do?

• I’ve made animations and people on Newgrounds seem to like them
• Also collaborated an animation or two with a buddy of mine
• I made a copyright laws animation for a project at TAFE Tasmania studying Graphic Design and Multimedia. They liked it so much that they asked if they could use it as a fun way to teach students copyright laws
• I was really into Blitz Basic and made some pretty cool 2D games:
  (Lavarock Hopper) (Stellar Mozzie) (UFBDO)
• Last year’s major project went really well. It included a level editor so I got friends to make levels for the game and then I’d play their level (and sometimes record it). Although some people are a lot better at playing the game than I am. Take a look at my portfolio.
• I have a Twitter (@jamesheazlewood)

What’s with the seagulls?

When I was younger, I grew up in a beach town, Burnie, Tasmania. The beach was always a 5 – 10 minutes drive away, and my high school was walking distance from the beach.

Along this beach, there are always seagulls, which was because they had an island extremely close to shore where they would nest. Sometimes in low tide, my father, my younger brother and I would go visit the nesting island, and we ended up calling the island “Seagull City”. This was always a very strong memory of mine.

Seagulls have a beautiful gradient of white, silver, and black colours. Their sound also reminds me of the ocean; a time where life was care-free and tranquil. Seagulls also have this ability to adapt to an environment, much like pigeons and crows. This, to me, is a bit like me when it comes to programming; having to adapt to new languages, and ever-evolving technology and software.