Blog
Beyond Scorch

Beyond Scorch


~17 Minute Read

scorch, web, security, javascript, css, js, html, frontend, ui-ux, design, npm, node, terminology

Author(s): Kieran Wood

So, you’ve completed scorch, now what? Well throughout the sessions we covered a ton of content from frontend and design, to security, to networking.... Read more

Basics of Neural Networks

Basics of Neural Networks


~14 Minute Read

ai, theory

Author(s): Ryan Leong

Maybe at this point you’ve heard of AlphaZero and how it defeated Stockfish, which was then the best chess engine in the world.... Read more

We Have AI at Home

We Have AI at Home


~10 Minute Read

ai, tutorial, open source, theory, python

Author(s): Kieran Wood

AI has hit the world hard in the last few years. Particularly with the introduction of newer generative AI systems like LLM’s (Large language models like ChatGPT, Bard, Llama), and image generators (like Midjourney, DALL-E-2, Imagen etc.... Read more

Game Development with Godot

Game Development with Godot
Installation and First Steps with Godot


~12 Minute Read

Godot, Gamedev, c

Author(s): Cole Pawliw

What is Godot? If you’re just stepping into the world of video game development, you might not know how to get started.... Read more

How to give a stranger your credit card

How to give a stranger your credit card
An intro to encryption & public-key encryption


~6 Minute Read

security, theory, cryptography, encryption

Author(s): Kieran Wood

When you go online and buy something it’s taken for granted that the store you’re buying from is protecting your data.... Read more

Building a Good Github profile

Building a Good Github profile
Building your street cred


~10 Minute Read

theory, vcs, project-management, open source, computer-science, terminology, software-engineering, legal

Author(s): Kieran Wood

So, you’ve signed up for github, but your profile looks incredibly bland. How do you go about improving it? Why bother?... Read more

Intro to Github

Intro to Github
Taking git repositories online


~8 Minute Read

theory, vcs, project-management, open source, computer-science, terminology, software-engineering, legal

Author(s): Kieran Wood

In the last article we covered git and using it. We talked a bit about remotes, which are services that allow you to use git over the internet.... Read more

Intro to Git

Intro to Git

Using a dedicated VCS

~11 Minute Read

theory, vcs, project-management, open source, computer-science, terminology, software-engineering

Author(s): Kieran Wood

In the last article we looked at version control systems. We looked at a very manual way of building one out with file folders, and noticed a few issues with our approach:... Read more

Intro to VCS's

Intro to VCS's
How to version software


~4 Minute Read

theory, vcs, project-management, open source, computer-science, terminology, software-engineering

Author(s): Kieran Wood

Things change fast, and keeping track of those changes is not an easy task. Version control systems are built to help manage versions of software, and software changes.... Read more

HHTTPPP; Creating a CLI

HHTTPPP; Creating a CLI
Making our system more usable


~10 Minute Read

python, scorch, web, theory

Author(s): Kieran Wood

Now that we have our functionality, it’s time to make our program more practical and easy to use. For our use case a CLI is the best tool for this!... Read more

HHTTPPP; Implementing the networking portion

HHTTPPP; Implementing the networking portion
How to use sockets to communicate over the internet


~11 Minute Read

python, scorch, web, theory

Author(s): Kieran Wood

We have what we need to make HTTP requests and responses properly, so now let’s look at adding networking so we can see the results in the browser.... Read more

Introducing language indicators

Introducing language indicators
A new way to learn about languages

updates, web, seo, blog

Author(s): Kieran Wood

We have quite a few posts on the ignite blog now (over 30!!), and are always continuing to improve it. Today we are implementing a new system, language indicators.... Read more

HHTTPPP; Parsing HTTP requests and responses

HHTTPPP; Parsing HTTP requests and responses
Using pattern matching to create objects


~9 Minute Read

python, scorch, web, theory

Author(s): Kieran Wood

Now that we have our basic HTTP structure we need a way to read actual http requests/responses. Currently we have hardcoded everything, so today we will focus on creating everything we need for steps 2-4:... Read more

Handling HTTP Requests with Express.js

Handling HTTP Requests with Express.js
Article 3 from the intro to Node.js series


~10 Minute Read

scorch, web, javascript, node, npm, Express

See previous post Introduction Welcome back to our crash course on Node! It’s been a while, but in the last article, we discussed what NPM is and how we can use the 1.... Read more

HHTTPPP; Setting up the HTTP protocol

HHTTPPP; Setting up the HTTP protocol
Creating our classes & data model


~11 Minute Read

python, scorch, web, theory

Author(s): Kieran Wood

HTTP is the protocol that runs the web, it’s the way most devices talk to each other these days. It’s also the protocol we are going to use, and as such we need to get everything setup for the http protocol.... Read more

Writing your own HTTP server

Writing your own HTTP server
HHTTPP creation Series Introduction & Setup


~10 Minute Read

python, scorch, web, theory

Author(s): Kieran Wood

HTTP is the way that we communicate over the internet. It’s what allows you to see the content you’re currently looking at.... Read more

Programming Like a Professional (SOLID)

Programming Like a Professional (SOLID)
A Software Design Principle


~7 Minute Read

software-engineering, software-design, SOLID

Author(s): Cole Pawliw

Learning how to program is more than just finding a cool language and writing code. While it’s true that anybody can learn to code, most people stop before learning the best practices for developing and maintaining their code.... Read more

How to verify quickly

How to verify quickly
A quick introduction to hashing


~14 Minute Read
python

optimization, theory, terminology

Author(s): Kieran Wood

Hashing is an incredibly important concept in computer science. It’s used in everyting from validation to speeding up our data lookups.... Read more

A brief overview of how computers work

A brief overview of how computers work
From Electricity to Python


~4 Minute Read

computer-science, electrical-engineering, logic-gates

Author(s): Brendan Smiley

This article covers a brief overview of how computers work and how they came to be. It does not intend to be a comprehensive explanation or a professional opinion on the subject.... Read more

Making Things Small

Making Things Small
An introduction to compression


~18 Minute Read
python

optimization, theory, terminology

Author(s): Kieran Wood

Compression is the art of taking some data and making it smaller. If you want more details about common compression schemes take a look at our definition page for compression.... Read more

The Node Package Manager (NPM) and package.json File

The Node Package Manager (NPM) and package.json File
Article 2 from the intro to Node.js series


~14 Minute Read

scorch, web, javascript, node, npm

Author(s): Spencer Fietz

See previous post Introduction Welcome back to our crash course on Node! In the previous article, we walked you through the basics of Node, including what it is, what developers use it for, how to install it, and how to use it to run JavaScript files.... Read more

The power of paths

The power of paths
How to find things


~24 Minute Read
python

scorch, web, theory, low-level

Author(s): Kieran Wood

A path is a way to something. It’s how we go from what we know, and where we are, to what we want to know, and where we want to go.... Read more

The new definitions & difficulty system

The new definitions & difficulty system
Introducing the definitions and difficulty systems!


~2 Minute Read

updates, web, seo, blog

Author(s): Kieran Wood

We are excited to announce two new systems on the blog. These are intended to help using the blog easier, and for us to become a better resource for people of all skill levels!... Read more

Datastructures in C++

Datastructures in C++
How to make your data make sense in C++


~14 Minute Read

c++, optimization, theory, terminology

Author(s): Cole Pawliw

By now you should have a decent understanding of classes and objects. If not, go check out our blog post on the topic to see what I’m talking about.... Read more

Using User Interfaces in VBA

Using User Interfaces in VBA
Supercharging office apps


~3 Minute Read

vba, productivity

Author(s): Brendan Smiley

See previous post Overview User Interfaces (UIs) are important to communicate the program to the user. UIs are the gap between the program and the user.... Read more

Making categories simpler

Making categories simpler
Taxonomies, and how to use them


~11 Minute Read
python

scorch, web, optimization, theory, terminology

Author(s): Kieran Wood

Why is a wolf different than a jellyfish? There are obvious differences, but how do we categorize something as more wolfey, or more jellyfishy?... Read more

Intro To Node.js

Intro To Node.js
What is Node.js?


~8 Minute Read
javascript

scorch, web, node

Author(s): Spencer Fietz

If you’ve been learning or reading about web development, you’ve probably heard about Node.js. In this article series, we’ll help you get started using Node by building a homework-tracking application and providing you with all the information and tools you need to develop your own projects using Node.... Read more

It's caches all the way down

It's caches all the way down
Why calculate when you can just read!


~13 Minute Read
python, javascript

optimization, web, scorch, theory, terminology

Author(s): Kieran Wood

Nostalgia can be very powerful, looking back at the world can make people feel warm and fuzzy inside. However, one thing people are not nostalgic of is how long computers used to take to do things.... Read more

General Syntax Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

General Syntax Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
Supercharging office apps


~6 Minute Read

vba, productivity

Author(s): Brendan Smiley

See previous post The goal of this blog post is to give an overview of VBA syntax and show some features of VBA’s built-in code editor.... Read more

Classes and Objects (C++)

Classes and Objects (C++)
Structuring your data!


~9 Minute Read

c++, c, low-level

Author(s): Cole Pawliw

What is a Class? At this point, you should have a good understanding of the basic variables in programming, as well as how to use loops and functions effectively.... Read more

Stealing Like a Developer

Stealing Like a Developer
Using other people's code


~12 Minute Read

scorch, web, legal, open source

Author(s): Kieran Wood

No one writes all their own code. We always build on the shoulders of the people that came before us. But how do we do this responsibly, and legally?... Read more

Intro to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

Intro to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
Supercharging office apps


~4 Minute Read

vba, productivity

Author(s): Brendan Smiley

VBA is a programming language that was created by Microsoft to help program inside their office applications. These office applications have helped students, teachers, office workers, and many others complete tasks quickly.... Read more

Custom Web Fonts

Custom Web Fonts
Elevating your designs by opening up more font options


~13 Minute Read

scorch, web, css

Author(s): Spencer Fietz

Custom fonts can be a suprisingly difficult topic to tackle, especially on the web. We’re going to try to make it easier by giving you the info you need to start working with them properly on the web!... Read more

How to cheat at CSS

How to cheat at CSS
Making design easier


~15 Minute Read

scorch, web, css, design, ui-ux, frontend

Author(s): Kieran Wood

CSS is the language of design on the web. It’s used to control how everything looks. The styling of this text, how the article metadata (tags, authors etc) above this looks, everything.... Read more

How to Write Pseudocode

How to Write Pseudocode
What is Pseudocode and Why Should You Use it?


~4 Minute Read

theory, terminology

Author(s): Cole Pawliw

Perhaps you have taken a computer science course, and you heard the term “pseudocode” used at some point. If you have ever wondered what this is, here is the guide for you.... Read more

Taking your HTML elements further

Taking your HTML elements further
Using attributes more effectively


~10 Minute Read

scorch, web, html, ui-ux, frontend

Author(s): Kieran Wood

When you begin learning about HTML, CSS and Javascript there is a belief many people hold that HTML is pretty useless.... Read more

Pointers and References in C++

Pointers and References in C++
A quick understanding of memory


~11 Minute Read

c, c++, python, low-level

Author(s): Cole Pawliw

In many high level coding languages, The idea of a pointer either doesn’t exist, or is hidden from the programmer’s use.... Read more

Updates to the Schulich ignite blog

Updates to the Schulich ignite blog
Introducing the new Blog and Showcase


~5 Minute Read

updates, web, seo, blog

Author(s): Cole Pawliw, Kieran Wood

Introducing the new Blog and Showcase Currently, this blog is being used to give updates about upcoming events for the club, and awards.... Read more

The Dangers of CDN's

The Dangers of CDN's

When to use them, and how to avoid issues

~6 Minute Read

scorch, web, html, js, networking, security

Author(s): Kieran Wood

CDN’s are used a lot in web development to make things faster, and easier. But with everything there are pros and cons.... Read more

Winter 2021 Gala

Winter 2021 Gala

events, updates

Last weekend, Schulich Ignite celebrated the end of our Winter 2021 sessions with a Gala Event! The Gala Event celebrated the accomplishments of over 300 students who attended our workshops this semester.... Read more

Club of the Year!

Club of the Year!

awards, updates

Schulich Ignite is excited to announce that we have received the 2020-2021 SU Club of the Year Award! Thank you to the Student’s Union for the recognition, we are honoured to be the recipients of the award this year.... Read more

Fall 2020 Gala

Fall 2020 Gala

events, updates

Schulich Ignite celebrated the end of our fall sessions with a Gala! At the Gala, we congratulated our students for completing the workshop.... Read more

Collaboration with Information Security Club

Collaboration with Information Security Club

events, updates

We are excited for our collaboration with the Information Security Club which will be happening in the last week of November!... Read more

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