I’ve released a new version of SpringsCam, a site for locals who want an easy way to browse the current traffic conditions and traffic cameras in Colorado Springs.

I’ve replaced the older Flash-based version (for desktop) and HTML5 version (for mobile) into a single lean-and-mean HTML5 version that works anywhere.  It’s fast and lightweight at 345K for the initial load (and 45K on subsequent loads).   ( Toggling on traffic and viewing the camera images will take additional bandwidth, of course.)

The JourneyMap mod for Minecraft has continued to be a fun project, and I’ve released version 1.5 for Minecraft 1.1.    I’ve also decided to put up a dedicated website for JourneyMap, rather than use space on dev.bukkit.org:

http://journeymap.techbrew.net

Some of my motive to create the new site was to have more freedom in layout/presentation, another was to have a decent knowledge base / helpdesk system.  I also decided to put some ads in place so that JourneyMap might buy me a Starbucks a couple of times a year.

The response to JourneyMap has remained quite positive.  Since the goal was really just to do something I found useful and fun, its been a pleasure to see other people enjoy having the mod available.  Although it doesn’t compare to any of the top mods for Minecraft, I’m happy with what I consider to be a modest success.  At the point of releasing JourneyMap 1.5 last week, there had been nearly 28,000 downloads across all versions.

The new JourneyMap website has an RSS feed and email subscription service for announcements, so please bookmark/subscribe for future updates on JourneyMap.  Or, if you prefer, you can follow @JourneyMapMod on Twitter.

I don’t plan to post here about JourneyMap after this, so please avail yourself of one of the above options if you’re interested in announcements, new releases, etc.

Happy mapping!

I’m delighted at how well the JourneyMap mod for Minecraft has been received in the 45 days since it was released on November 26, 2011.    As of sometime today there have been over 10,000 downloads of version 1.0.0 for Minecraft 1.0.0.

Thanks to everyone who has provided great encouragement and feedback along the way.

Coming soon: Snow and Biomes

I’m busy at work on a huge update.   I can’t decide whether to call the next release JourneyMap 1.5.0 or 2.0.0, but there’s a lot to it.  The big-ticket items are:

• Biome coloring, including snow
• A fully-featured in-Game UI if you don’t want to use a web-browser
• A properties file for a number of tweakable settings (by popular request)
• A Save button that saves the entirety of your map to file, not just what you can see
• Improved I/O with fewer files

Stay tuned, and happy journeys!