Codetown
Codetown ::: a software developer's community
Wari - Contest #1
Senegal is a land of magic and mystery. People there use their heads for recreation! How? Well, here's an example. The photo you see above is a game called Wari I got in Kaolack, Senegal. I went to Sengal to give the opening presentation for the SeneJUG. The rules are pretty simple. You move the beans around and the winner takes all the opponent's beans. Here are the rules, a little more specifically.
Now, here's the challenge. Write a program, any way you like, and show the Contest Town something that works, and you win! Cambridge Web Design will sponsor this first contest, and the winner will get a check for $50. The deadline for submitting your entry is midnight, tonight - December 27, 2009, Eastern Standard Time USA.
Yep, that's not much time, but you know what to do. CWD will judge the winning entry based on completeness, user interface (if any), and elegance. CWD will be the sole judge, and CWD's decision is final.
Submit your entry to this email address: contest @ codetown dot us. You can send a link to a web app, a binary, anything you think shows a complete solution that we can run here at CWD HQ, in the Swamp.
If you have questions, just ping me at contest @ codetown dot us.
If there are no entries by midnight tonight, stay tuned. We'll extend the deadline and let you know what the new rules are. Good luck!
Views: 694
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Kevin Neelands on
-
Extend the deadline a week or two and I might take a shot. Today's schedule revolves around the 'Life on Mars' DVD I got for christmas. Sis says the show is offbeat, weird, and full of strange twists. Kinda like me.
Looking back, I'm not certain that was a compliment! -
-
Permalink Reply by Michael Levin on
-
Well, let's look at this as Contest 1, Phase 1. But, think about it. Wari is a universally well known game, The possibilities are broad. It could be an iPhone program. Let me see...yes just as I thought. No Wari for iPhone. Think of what people are missing out on in the game world. You should have seen me playing with the vender in Kaolack. I learned the rules in just a few minutes, but it was a very challenging game. And, he won. They are selling it in Starbucks these days!
As for "offbeat, weird, and full of strange twists", it beats being boring. -
-
Permalink Reply by Karim Diff on
-
I am catching this with only 3 hours to go. Does the program have to be about the Wari game?
-
-
-
Yes, the program has to be about the Wari game. Now, wait until you see the next contest!
-
-
-
OK. Then I won't have time to put something together. I'll wait for the next contest and learn the rules of the game in the meantime.
-
-
Permalink Reply by Eric Lavigne on
-
I wrote a web app in Clojure. You can play the game at http://ericlavigne.net:8054 or see the source code at http://github.com/ericlavigne/island-wari/
-
-
-
We have a winner! Congrats, Eric. I ran the app on my Mac and from your website. Would you like to collect your $50 prize immediately via PayPal or in person at the next GatorJUG meeting? I'd love to devote the meeting in part to describing your Clojure implementation. -
-
-
Thanks, Michael. I prefer to pick it up in person because I don't often use PayPal.
I would be happy to talk about my code, but I don't think it will take a large chunk of the meeting. It is just one file with about 100 lines of code, plus a folder full of images.
I delivered a Clojure presentation earlier this year for GatorJUG. If anyone is interested in hearing about Clojure again, I'll be delivering the same presentation again (with minor updates) tomorrow evening for a Ruby user group.
http://www.meetup.com/gainesville-ruby-users/calendar/12048499/ -
-
-
Perfect. We'll update the meeting announcement with a blurb about your description of the Clojure app you wrote to win the first Contest Town contest. Thanks, Eric. You rock!
-
-
-
The Ruby meeting that I mentioned has been cancelled.
-
-
-
Here's a shot of Eric Lavigne (l) receiving his prize for winning the coding contest from Mike Levin. -
Happy 10th year, JCertif!
Notes
Welcome to Codetown!
Codetown is a social network. It's got blogs, forums, groups, personal pages and more! You might think of Codetown as a funky camper van with lots of compartments for your stuff and a great multimedia system, too! Best of all, Codetown has room for all of your friends.
Created by Michael Levin Dec 18, 2008 at 6:56pm. Last updated by Michael Levin May 4, 2018.
Looking for Jobs or Staff?
Check out the Codetown Jobs group.
InfoQ Reading List
QConSF 2025: Humans in the Loop: Engineering Leadership in a Chaotic Industry
At QCon SF 2025, Michelle Brush of Google explored the evolving landscape of software engineering in her keynote, “Humans in the Loop: Engineering Leadership in a Chaotic Industry.” She highlighted the complexities engineers face amid automation and AI, stressing the importance of conscious competence, higher-level problem-solving, and effective leadership in navigating today's challenges.
By Andrew HoblitzellFrom Static to Adaptive Traffic Control in Airbnb’s Key-Value Store to Handle Traffic Spikes
Airbnb upgraded Mussel, its multi-tenant key-value store, replacing static per-client rate limits with an adaptive, resource-aware traffic control system. The redesign ensures resilience during traffic spikes, protects critical workflows, and maintains fair usage across thousands of tenants while scaling efficiently.
By Leela KumiliPresentation: Trust No One: Securing the Modern Software Supply Chain with Zero Trust
Emma Yuan Fang explains the Zero Trust mindset required to combat modern software supply chain attacks. She details security controls for dependency management, including SBOM (Software Bill of Materials), artifact signing, Git commit signing, and CI/CD hardening. Learn how to implement security gating, enforce policies as code, and manage secrets across your build and runtime environments.
By Emma Yuan FangGoogle Launches Code Wiki, an AI-Driven System for Continuous, Interactive Code Documentation
Google has introduced Code Wiki, a new platform designed to keep software documentation continuously synchronized with the code it describes. The system generates a structured wiki for each repository, automatically updates it after every change, and powers an integrated chat interface that understands the entire codebase.
By Robert KrzaczyńskiAnalogJS 2.0: Angular Full Stack Framework Introduces Content Resources & Leaner Builds
AnalogJS 2.0 has launched, enhancing Angular development with new content management features, optimized builds, and upgraded tooling. This full-stack meta-framework simplifies handling content as reactive resources while reducing bundle sizes and installation footprints. Embrace seamless migration for a modern, efficient web experience tailored for content-rich applications.
By Daniel Curtis
© 2025 Created by Michael Levin.
Powered by
