The algorithms and architectures found in code help you manage workflow and data. You'll need those same skills in other areas of your life so you can be effective.
IMHO - the best book for figuring out how to handle time and mental energy is "Getting Things Done" (GTD) by David Allen.
Here is the best summary I've found for condensing the book's 288 pages down into less than 4000 words.
The MPAA attempt to compel theaters to disable my camera as I head into a movie? The RIAA will seek to eavesdrop and charge me for listening to music I may not have licensed from them. Cops will pull drivers over for distracted driving (even if only a GPS app was running), and compel drivers to share their unlock password to review what was running. Someone will post videos from the changing room at a gym and get sued. An employee will sue after being fired when management jacks into the camera on the company issued goggles to observe them and sees something risque.
The 3 digit "security number" at the end of your credit card number is probably on the back of your card where you sign your name. (Or at the end of and above your numbers on your MasterCard.)
Asking for this is a "good thing" because this additional set of numbers is typically harder for crackers to acquire than the digits on the front of your card.
This is too funny. Do an advanced search for "ethics values" with only the 'About Microsoft' - Missions and values, Jounalists, Investors Relations box checked...
First off, kudos to you and your team of developers on kicking out entertaining and enlightening shows.
Here's a quandary I'm in. As a nerd, I tend to watch how TV shows and other information sources depict technology. I have yet to see any TV show realistically depict the use of computer technology as a worthwhile helper in the kitchen.
How do you see computers, small PDAs or similar technology as being useful for the domestic chef within the kitchen or in meal preparation either now or in the next few years? Is their a food related problem that nerd chefs with computers are better suited to solve than non-nerd chefs with pen and paper?
Webmasters/designers would change their behavior overnight if (search engine of choice here) presented hits which either rewarded/penalized web pages for standards compliance.
e.g. Your search for "Natalie Portman hot grits" returned 1,000,000 hits...
page 1. #1-50. web sites - (standards compliant) page 2. #51-100. web sites - (non-standard)
The point being that a pass for standards compliance lifts you up the rankings whereas IE-only would drop you onto page 2 or later.
--cj
PS: I can hear it now. "Jetson!!! Why is Cogwell Cogs higher on this search site than Spacely Sprockets?!"
The following was lifted from this link. I could already see how an unmanned air vehicle could come in handy for re-supplying troops in remote regions, and re-con. It may have also been useful in pilot recovery situations similar to Captain Scott O'Grady's.
MULE(TM) Mobile Unmanned Lift Enabler
A PRACTICAL VTOL PLATFORM CONCEPT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
The MULE tactical UAV is a vertical take-off and landing JIT logistics platform meeting today's military mission-payload-delivery requirements. It is designed for ultra-high reliability, very low dB & IR signatures, and minimal field servicing, maintenance and overhaul. The MULE will efficiently, and autonomously, re-supply remote locations, retrieve downed-pilots, and/or perform surveillance and reconnaissance.
Preliminary Specifications and Predicted Performance:
(Sea level; Standard day conditions)
MINI-MULE *** MAXI-MULE
Normal Gross Take Off Weight - 700 Lbs. *** 1500 Lbs
Fuel Capacity - 100 Lbs. (15 Gal.)*** 300 Lbs. (45 Gal.)
Mission Payload (net of fuel) - 200 Lbs. *** 500 Lbs.
Empty Weight - 400 Lbs. *** 700 Lbs.
Hover/Loiter Endurance - 2+ Hours *** 2.5+ Hours
Max Range - 130 Nautical Miles *** 350 Nautical Miles
Min/Max Speed - 0 to 115 Knots *** 0 to 160 Knots
Engine (Advanced Int. Combustion) - 120 HP *** 300 HP
Fuel Requirements - Heavy Fuel *** Heavy Fuel
Transport Crate Dimensions - 60" X 60" X 96" *** T.B.D.
$ is made from HW, not SW
on
IBM Wants Linux
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
I'm reminded of the scene in "Pirates of Silicon Valley" where Gates and company were sitting down to negotiate with IBM and it was said, "Everybody knows that the real money is made in hardware, not software".
Well IBM was wrong at the time in that statement but it might finally be the truth.
It also makes sense for IBM from a financial perspective. Instead of having a building full of programmers/managers and other overhead that eats up corporate profits just to support AIX, why not outsource that dependency to the open-source users of the world. Big blue then reduces their expenses, increases their income and the open-source community gets a juggernaut pulling for their team. A win-win situation if I've ever heard one.
p.s. - These are my opinions and not my employers who happens to be discussed in this thread.
That article reveals the mind of a clueless wonder
on
Who Owns Your DNA?
·
· Score: 2
Let's parse the closing paragraphs of the article that started this thread...
If bills like SB114 are successful, they may force us to make a Faustian bargain. They may accelerate the commercialization of products from bioengineering discoveries while requiring us to cede any claim to the roots of our own individuality.
The very basis for our uniqueness and complexity will no longer belong to us, but instead will become raw material which can be extracted and exploited for corporate gain.
What about the fact that an employer can turn an employees thought into a product that saves/makes millions. That's thought is more indicative of a persons individuality and creativeness than their DNA. That corporation saving insight is also something they deserve big compensation for moreso than a drop of blood that could be obtained from anyone.
The author proposes that what makes me an individual is my DNA. So if I were to have an identical twin with identical DNA, neither of us are individuals. Yeah, right. Likewise any corporate research that results in "bioengineering discoveries" from my/our DNA that is turned into a product by the big mean (mean=profitable) corporation isn't really a product that can be differentiated from myself/ourselves. So the company is really selling me/us without my/our consent. Yeah, right;)
If we are going to begin to commercialize our living genetic material, should not all parties be able to partake in the gold rush?
The author seems to forget that the gold rush was littered with big dreamers that reaped poverty and boom towns that became ghost towns. People can participate in the gold rush by buying a piece of the corporation. It was stated that, "...The 10 largest drug companies last year collected $179 billion, of which $121 billion was in gross profit." If this is true could someone tell me the names of these 10 large PROFITABLE drug companies. Since RedHat stock and some of my.com stocks are tanking I'd really like to buy into a winning company/industry.
If you really want to make a cell phone call with the aid of a Handspring Visor why not plug in a Springboard module that does Bluetooth communications??
Then all that's needed is a software app for the Palm OS that handles phone dialing and callerID.
I'm purposefully not upgrading my old Nokia 6185 cell phone nor old Palm III until I can get both a PalmOS enabled PDA and cell phone (incl headset) with Bluetooth. (The cell phone part is already covered.)
I like the idea of having a cordless headset, with the Bluetooth cell phone behaving like a radio base station. Ideally, this should also allow me to use the cell phone as a wireless modem for internet access (like the Metricom Ricochet)
Then if the PDA is bluetooth enabled I'll be able to also use the cell phone for internet access instead of going the more expensive route of buying a cellphone _plus_ a 33.6 Kbps Palm V(x) modem ($170 excluding monthly access fee) or cell phone upgrade kit.
Now if an incoming cell phone call is not recognized by my cell phone's stored #s, it will look in the PDA's addressbook. If it doesn't find the incoming call there it will do a reverse lookup via the net or phone company. That way when it eventually displays "TeleMarketer, Inc" on my cell phone or PDA or synthesizes a voice announcement into the headset I will not pick it up.
This bluetooth connectivity could also inform my PDA that when ClientX calls, my PDA will bring up his contact record and let me know to say, "ClientX, I haven't talked to you since last Tuesday at 3:43 pm when we discussed the software component Bubba will be delivering to you tomorrow"
Extrapolating this idea. What's to keep me from using a bluetooth headset with: my wired phone on my desktop or as headphones for my walkman or as a microphone feed to a PA system or a walkie-talkie? Also, as bandwidth gets bigger why not have the headset include a monitor/camera.
This type of system then begins to cover most sensory areas with sound in/out, sight in/out, digital data in/out. The senses not yet addressed would be smell, touch, and taste, but not even the Borgs had those accessories on them!
Experts estimate the Postal Service stands to lose $17 billion a year by 2008 to
e-mail and online bill payment -- a figure equivalent to one-quarter of its annual income.
A better statement would be to say that, "...email and online bill payment stands to reduce the unneeded expense of USPS growth by one-third. The added benefit is that the virtual email post offices never close, unlike the 9-5 windows at your local branch."
As an online bill payment type person, I'm probably posting about 5-8 fewer letters each month because Visa automatic drafts my checking account to pay my Visa credit card. And I also have already setup my Visa so that it pays all my utilities, rent, loans, and purchases
There is also a side-benefit in human lives saved. Fewer postal employees means a reduced population of psychos in the mail room which "go postal".;)
The tree huggers should also be happy since fewer customers will drive their SUV to queue up at the local post office to send stuff in the mail or buy stamps. Because the "experts" believe $17 billion isn't going towards additional mailbox fodder and the resources required to get it there. (stamps/envelopes/return address labels/jeeps/semis) that $17 billion can then be used to fund GreenPeace, The Sierra Club or Shave the Whales.
My first contact with the concept of an artificial muscle started when Prof. Jonathan W. Mills from Indiana Univ. gave an IEEE talk at my college around 1992. When he demonstrated the foreshortening of a small nickle-titanium (nitinol) heat actuated leg all the geeks in the auditorium were impressed. (College profs included)
We had a small lab session where we made the legs from materials he brought and did a Q&A session. I still have that device around played w/ it 2 nights ago. Didn't have a battery around to run current through the nitinol wire to actuate it (the electrical resistance generates enough heat to contract it), so I held a lighter about 6" underneath to test it out. Still worked like a charm.
If you are interested in looking into this thing, I'd suggest hitting
ZDNet has been pushing the X10 Firecracker unit for a while now. I purchased the $5.90 deal a few weeks ago and here's my opinion.
Shipping - The final product arrived in a very timely manner. I was surprised at the short turn around time of less than 1 week.
Packaging - Lots of bubble wrap. The $6 is worth it just for the finger strengthening exercise.
HW Product quality -
(+) The stuff looks like it will last for a while. The miniature button on the lamp module for switching the appliance on/off was a great inclusion. The X10 modules I used to wire staging lights back in my college days didn't have this and it is definitely a good feature.
(-) The remote takes (4) AAA batteries. The Firecracker serial interface uses a though-port design that I use to inline with my external modem for my laptop, and when I use the software to actually control something it ends up killing my internet connection.
SW Product quality - download and install were no problem. It's basically a Win 9x GUI front end version of the remote control. It is home control through clicking buttons AND NOT home automation with scheduled tasks or event driven interaction.
While I'm happy with the bang for the buck ratio (!/$) I'm having trouble figuring out how to use this with any practicality given my rather basic lifestyle. If I plug a reading light in, do I really want to use a remote to turn it on or off, or hit a button on the lamp module rather than turning it on or off by the built in switch?
What I really need is a timed power supply for my bedside lamp. When I fall asleep reading a geek book in bed, I dislike seeing it on when I get up the next morning. Has anyone implemented a direly needed solution to some home control problem with the FireCracker kit?
I scanned the article and it looks like SunLabs limited it's UI to something like a navigator zooming in and out of a static 2D map.
There are more metaphors that take the SunLabs concept further. The neuron/brain model is common to a lot of these UI programs.
Thought Stream is a Palm program that allows you to store information and organize it by associations or links between ideas.
Thinkmap has generated a really neat Java applet with www.bacardi.com (must be 21 to enter;) to create an interactive web site that should leave a lasting impression even on heavy drinkers.
Natrificial has a software product called "The brain" that was so awesome, it was the first shareware product I ever purchased. The metaphor it uses for finding information is like that of SunLabs except it is better. I could create a "brain" whose central point is "college", around that point is college related stuff like: Chicago, beer, frat, and Kim. I tie the thought of Minneapolis to Kim since that's Kims home. Rob is also from Minneapolis but now he's in Chicago. Rob gets generated as having links to the existing Minneapolis and Chicago thoughts. Now when I road trip to Chicago next, I can navigate to that thought and see links to Rob (and thoughts tied to Rob in the distance), college (and things associated with college in the distance). Ain't that slick. And the beauty of this is that it's a slick UI for Windows (flames ignored) and the files can be imported into Thought Stream.
MindManager is another Win-doze client with some neat functionality. It uses the powerful concept of Mindmapping techniques to capture ideas and designs plus it has some good web export functionality.
Visual Mind is like MindManager above, only I think it's not as powerful.
Finally I have to give special recognition to Lifestreams. Take a look at their MacroMedia presentation to see how they use chronology and a streaming metaphor to organize info. It is a simple and insightful solution that reflects the way most people work.
Now if there was a product that merged the Lifestreams metaphor and "the brain" metaphor and included an HTML import/export function; I really doubt Mr. John Doe office worker would ever want to see a hierarchical or static 2D view of his files again.
Slashdot Mirror
The algorithms and architectures found in code help you manage workflow and data. You'll need those same skills in other areas of your life so you can be effective. IMHO - the best book for figuring out how to handle time and mental energy is "Getting Things Done" (GTD) by David Allen. Here is the best summary I've found for condensing the book's 288 pages down into less than 4000 words.
The MPAA attempt to compel theaters to disable my camera as I head into a movie?
The RIAA will seek to eavesdrop and charge me for listening to music I may not have licensed from them.
Cops will pull drivers over for distracted driving (even if only a GPS app was running), and compel drivers to share their unlock password to review what was running.
Someone will post videos from the changing room at a gym and get sued.
An employee will sue after being fired when management jacks into the camera on the company issued goggles to observe them and sees something risque.
Asking for this is a "good thing" because this additional set of numbers is typically harder for crackers to acquire than the digits on the front of your card.
--cj
This is too funny. Do an advanced search for "ethics values" with only the 'About Microsoft' - Missions and values, Jounalists, Investors Relations box checked...
Here's a shortcut to it...
Search Results
for "ethics values" using All words
Sorry, no results were found for this search.
First off, kudos to you and your team of developers on kicking out entertaining and enlightening shows.
Here's a quandary I'm in. As a nerd, I tend to watch how TV shows and other information sources depict technology. I have yet to see any TV show realistically depict the use of computer technology as a worthwhile helper in the kitchen.
How do you see computers, small PDAs or similar technology as being useful for the domestic chef within the kitchen or in meal preparation either now or in the next few years? Is their a food related problem that nerd chefs with computers are better suited to solve than non-nerd chefs with pen and paper?
--chuck
Webmasters/designers would change their behavior overnight if (search engine of choice here) presented hits which either rewarded/penalized web pages for standards compliance.
e.g. Your search for "Natalie Portman hot grits" returned 1,000,000 hits...
page 1. #1-50. web sites - (standards compliant)
page 2. #51-100. web sites - (non-standard)
The point being that a pass for standards compliance lifts you up the rankings whereas IE-only would drop you onto page 2 or later.
--cj
PS: I can hear it now. "Jetson!!! Why is Cogwell Cogs higher on this search site than Spacely Sprockets?!"
MULE(TM) Mobile Unmanned Lift Enabler
A PRACTICAL VTOL PLATFORM CONCEPT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
The MULE tactical UAV is a vertical take-off and landing JIT logistics platform meeting today's military mission-payload-delivery requirements. It is designed for ultra-high reliability, very low dB & IR signatures, and minimal field servicing, maintenance and overhaul. The MULE will efficiently, and autonomously, re-supply remote locations, retrieve downed-pilots, and/or perform surveillance and reconnaissance.
Preliminary Specifications and Predicted Performance: (Sea level; Standard day conditions)
MINI-MULE *** MAXI-MULE
Normal Gross Take Off Weight - 700 Lbs. *** 1500 Lbs
Fuel Capacity - 100 Lbs. (15 Gal.)*** 300 Lbs. (45 Gal.)
Mission Payload (net of fuel) - 200 Lbs. *** 500 Lbs.
Empty Weight - 400 Lbs. *** 700 Lbs.
Hover/Loiter Endurance - 2+ Hours *** 2.5+ Hours
Max Range - 130 Nautical Miles *** 350 Nautical Miles
Min/Max Speed - 0 to 115 Knots *** 0 to 160 Knots
Engine (Advanced Int. Combustion) - 120 HP *** 300 HP
Fuel Requirements - Heavy Fuel *** Heavy Fuel
Transport Crate Dimensions - 60" X 60" X 96" *** T.B.D.
I'm reminded of the scene in "Pirates of Silicon Valley" where Gates and company were sitting down to negotiate with IBM and it was said, "Everybody knows that the real money is made in hardware, not software".
Well IBM was wrong at the time in that statement but it might finally be the truth.
It also makes sense for IBM from a financial perspective. Instead of having a building full of programmers/managers and other overhead that eats up corporate profits just to support AIX, why not outsource that dependency to the open-source users of the world. Big blue then reduces their expenses, increases their income and the open-source community gets a juggernaut pulling for their team. A win-win situation if I've ever heard one.
p.s. - These are my opinions and not my employers who happens to be discussed in this thread.
- If bills like SB114 are successful, they may force us to make a Faustian bargain. They may accelerate the commercialization of products from bioengineering discoveries while requiring us to cede any claim to the roots of our own individuality.
What about the fact that an employer can turn an employees thought into a product that saves/makes millions. That's thought is more indicative of a persons individuality and creativeness than their DNA. That corporation saving insight is also something they deserve big compensation for moreso than a drop of blood that could be obtained from anyone.The very basis for our uniqueness and complexity will no longer belong to us, but instead will become raw material which can be extracted and exploited for corporate gain.
The author proposes that what makes me an individual is my DNA. So if I were to have an identical twin with identical DNA, neither of us are individuals. Yeah, right. Likewise any corporate research that results in "bioengineering discoveries" from my/our DNA that is turned into a product by the big mean (mean=profitable) corporation isn't really a product that can be differentiated from myself/ourselves. So the company is really selling me/us without my/our consent. Yeah, right ;)
- If we are going to begin to commercialize our living genetic material, should not all parties be able to partake in the gold rush?
The author seems to forget that the gold rush was littered with big dreamers that reaped poverty and boom towns that became ghost towns. People can participate in the gold rush by buying a piece of the corporation. It was stated that, "...The 10 largest drug companies last year collected $179 billion, of which $121 billion was in gross profit." If this is true could someone tell me the names of these 10 large PROFITABLE drug companies. Since RedHat stock and some of my--Chuck
I like the idea of having a cordless headset, with the Bluetooth cell phone behaving like a radio base station. Ideally, this should also allow me to use the cell phone as a wireless modem for internet access (like the Metricom Ricochet)
Then if the PDA is bluetooth enabled I'll be able to also use the cell phone for internet access instead of going the more expensive route of buying a cellphone _plus_ a 33.6 Kbps Palm V(x) modem ($170 excluding monthly access fee) or cell phone upgrade kit.
Now if an incoming cell phone call is not recognized by my cell phone's stored #s, it will look in the PDA's addressbook. If it doesn't find the incoming call there it will do a reverse lookup via the net or phone company. That way when it eventually displays "TeleMarketer, Inc" on my cell phone or PDA or synthesizes a voice announcement into the headset I will not pick it up.
This bluetooth connectivity could also inform my PDA that when ClientX calls, my PDA will bring up his contact record and let me know to say, "ClientX, I haven't talked to you since last Tuesday at 3:43 pm when we discussed the software component Bubba will be delivering to you tomorrow"
Extrapolating this idea. What's to keep me from using a bluetooth headset with: my wired phone on my desktop or as headphones for my walkman or as a microphone feed to a PA system or a walkie-talkie? Also, as bandwidth gets bigger why not have the headset include a monitor/camera.
This type of system then begins to cover most sensory areas with sound in/out, sight in/out, digital data in/out. The senses not yet addressed would be smell, touch, and taste, but not even the Borgs had those accessories on them!
As an online bill payment type person, I'm probably posting about 5-8 fewer letters each month because Visa automatic drafts my checking account to pay my Visa credit card. And I also have already setup my Visa so that it pays all my utilities, rent, loans, and purchases
There is also a side-benefit in human lives saved. Fewer postal employees means a reduced population of psychos in the mail room which "go postal". ;)
The tree huggers should also be happy since fewer customers will drive their SUV to queue up at the local post office to send stuff in the mail or buy stamps. Because the "experts" believe $17 billion isn't going towards additional mailbox fodder and the resources required to get it there. (stamps/envelopes/return address labels/jeeps/semis) that $17 billion can then be used to fund GreenPeace, The Sierra Club or Shave the Whales.
Flat panel has 4 times the pixels
By Reuters
Special to CNET News.com
September 10, 1998, 9:10 p.m. PT
I'm beginning to wonder about how timely the NY Times really is considering they dated they story as February 10, 2000
My first contact with the concept of an artificial muscle started when Prof. Jonathan W. Mills from Indiana Univ. gave an IEEE talk at my college around 1992. When he demonstrated the foreshortening of a small nickle-titanium (nitinol) heat actuated leg all the geeks in the auditorium were impressed. (College profs included)
We had a small lab session where we made the legs from materials he brought and did a Q&A session. I still have that device around played w/ it 2 nights ago. Didn't have a battery around to run current through the nitinol wire to actuate it (the electrical resistance generates enough heat to contract it), so I held a lighter about 6" underneath to test it out. Still worked like a charm.
If you are interested in looking into this thing, I'd suggest hitting
Shipping - The final product arrived in a very timely manner. I was surprised at the short turn around time of less than 1 week.
Packaging - Lots of bubble wrap. The $6 is worth it just for the finger strengthening exercise.
HW Product quality -
- (+) The stuff looks like it will last for a while. The miniature button on the lamp module for switching the appliance on/off was a great inclusion. The X10 modules I used to wire staging lights back in my college days didn't have this and it is definitely a good feature.
- (-) The remote takes (4) AAA batteries. The Firecracker serial interface uses a though-port design that I use to inline with my external modem for my laptop, and when I use the software to actually control something it ends up killing my internet connection.
SW Product quality - download and install were no problem. It's basically a Win 9x GUI front end version of the remote control. It is home control through clicking buttons AND NOT home automation with scheduled tasks or event driven interaction.While I'm happy with the bang for the buck ratio (!/$) I'm having trouble figuring out how to use this with any practicality given my rather basic lifestyle. If I plug a reading light in, do I really want to use a remote to turn it on or off, or hit a button on the lamp module rather than turning it on or off by the built in switch?
What I really need is a timed power supply for my bedside lamp. When I fall asleep reading a geek book in bed, I dislike seeing it on when I get up the next morning. Has anyone implemented a direly needed solution to some home control problem with the FireCracker kit?
I messed up the link to Thought Stream. It's at http://www4.ncsu.edu/~bgdarnel/though tstream/
There are more metaphors that take the SunLabs concept further. The neuron/brain model is common to a lot of these UI programs.
- Thought Stream is a Palm program that allows you to store information and organize it by associations or links between ideas.
- Thinkmap has generated a really neat Java applet with www.bacardi.com (must be 21 to enter
;) to create an interactive web site that should leave a lasting impression even on heavy drinkers. - Natrificial has a software product called "The brain" that was so awesome, it was the first shareware product I ever purchased. The metaphor it uses for finding information is like that of SunLabs except it is better.
- MindManager is another Win-doze client with some neat functionality. It uses the powerful concept of Mindmapping techniques to capture ideas and designs plus it has some good web export functionality.
- Visual Mind is like MindManager above, only I think it's not as powerful.
Finally I have to give special recognition to Lifestreams. Take a look at their MacroMedia presentation to see how they use chronology and a streaming metaphor to organize info. It is a simple and insightful solution that reflects the way most people work.I could create a "brain" whose central point is "college", around that point is college related stuff like: Chicago, beer, frat, and Kim. I tie the thought of Minneapolis to Kim since that's Kims home. Rob is also from Minneapolis but now he's in Chicago. Rob gets generated as having links to the existing Minneapolis and Chicago thoughts.
Now when I road trip to Chicago next, I can navigate to that thought and see links to Rob (and thoughts tied to Rob in the distance), college (and things associated with college in the distance). Ain't that slick.
And the beauty of this is that it's a slick UI for Windows (flames ignored) and the files can be imported into Thought Stream.
Now if there was a product that merged the Lifestreams metaphor and "the brain" metaphor and included an HTML import/export function; I really doubt Mr. John Doe office worker would ever want to see a hierarchical or static 2D view of his files again.