Net bandwidth is interesting to measure and there are quite a few products out there that do it well. However, a lot of people are simply interested in measuring the speed at which they can perform the most common activity on the internet, Web surfing. Surfing speed is not only a function of bandwidth, but also server response time, PC processor availability and speed, RAM, and so on. PCMag.com released a free tool that measures your web browsing speed (by downloading and rendering pages from popular websites, and then deriving an average speed) and gives you a number that you can compare to other SurfSpeed users dynamically. SurfSpeed is NOT a bandwidth meter, it's a real world surfing speedometer. It's a fun tool.
When I interviewed Salim Roukos, the project lead for Tales, he said that a portion of the Tales code would be available as open source. However, I believe that in order for this "open souce" portion of code to function as it does in the Tales project (i.e., translating TV on-the-fly), it needs some proprietary IBM software, and probably IBM consultants to integrate it. So, the real answer is: Yes, some of the technology will be open source, but it will come at a cost.
I was fascinated by the idea (/. inspired), so i followed up on it by interviewing the head researcher. he gave me links to video of the Nanocar driving around, too. And filled me in on a new internal nanoscale motor. I wrote up my findings in this pcmag news story.
Yeah, I just hope someone can finish the race. It looks like the best site out there to track the race is GrandChallenge.org. They have team write-ups and blogs.
I know my money is on Austin Robot Technology. Vehicle "(Not Available)" sounds like it'll be a real winner. lol!
Well, do consider that your sample group is not statistically significant. There are people who have degrees, even advanced, who are completely clueless. Getting a degree doesn't mean you're brilliant, nor does not having one mean you're less intelligent. However, a degree shows your (potential) employer that you've spent a certain amount of time studying algorithms, proper program design, and the like. Hopefully a degree also means that you have retained this knowledge and know how to use it. Unfortunately, a lot of CS programs stay deep in the theoretical realm without giving the students a shot of reality every so often. Since most grads will be working in the business world, some degree of coursework should be spent on how to use this advanced knowledge in the real world.
That's my two cents...
What scares me most are metamorphic viruses -- a virus that modifies itself each time it infects a new host always attempting to avoid maintaining a constant signature. The modifications may take any or all of the following forms:
Modification of the encryption/decryption algorithm (including multiple layers of encryption) - the decryption algorithm changes from infection-to-infection by basing itself on values that change from computer-to-computer (examples: size of HOSTS file, current time in milliseconds, etc.)
Insertion of "junk code" into virus body or decryptor body - This is a common strategy by polymorphic viruses. It's usually accomplished by a "junk code engine" which has the ability to generate arbitrary amounts of meaningless blocks of code
Noop or meaningless loops added to body of virus
Entry-Point Obscuring (EPO) junk code - this is a special kind of "junk code" that specifically tries to hide the entry-point of the virus by insert loads of junk code at the beginning of an infected file.
Code block permutations - random shifts of code blocks, sequential order is maintained by JMP and CALL commands.
Register/Stack Variations - Use of varying registers, or even the ability to vary between register usage and storing data on the stack.
(Older Examples: Mistfall Engine, ZMist virus.)
When we start seeing more of these, AV companies will have a hard time keeping up.
As a further example that this attitude is/was running rampant, take a look at this letter written by Bruce Perens.
I love open source and it pains me to see so many people in the community cheering on the attacks -- but sometimes it takes a hard medicine, like reaction articles, to bring us to our senses.
I still think it's a fair piece, but let me explain why.
To start with, this article is a reaction piece. Its purpose is to capture a mood that's observed in the community. Now, I don't think anyone out there can deny that there's a good percentage of people out there who reacted in a positive manner to the worm, with quite a few people taking a "Well, that's what you get, SCO" attitude. Posts like the ones I quoted are all over the web. I quoted Slashdot in particular because it's the top techie discussion site.
The article itself puts up a mirror to reflect the attitudes of the community back to the community, so everyone can really see what's going on--and that's probably one of the main reasons you are mad. You're mad that people are acting this way--and that's a good thing that you're mad. People shouldn't be acting this way. It hurts everyone involved with open source.
In fact, so many people are acting this way that multiple news sources are reporting on it. Whether we like it or not, there is accountability in the online world, even on discussion boards. And the general population wants to know, and should know, what the relevant communities have to say and what their reaction has been.
Now, should the article have also contained quotes from the posters standing on the other side of the argument? An argument could be made either way. I chose to report on the extremely interesting positive reaction to the worm because it's newsworthy. The retorts that these outliers had to face in the discussion board was also interesting to me, but it's the stuff good discussion boards are made of, not news stories.
You're right--the TouchStream is an amazing keyboard. When I still had my evaluation unit, I brought it home to use when programming. Man, it's a coder's dream. It's so easy to scroll through pages of code--and, as long as you're not writing a ton of text, it's a nice keyboard to type on (but it's really easy to get typos).
How many people out there are using Bluetooth keyboards and mice? They're too expensive for most people, but it really seems like the industry is actually slowly making more headway in the direction of BT. It's been hyped for so long, and hasn't really done anyway, but man... there have been a lot of BT products announced lately (and especially at the past Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month).
The upside is, if you buy a decent BT suite, you can start building a network of BT devices (headset, cell phone, etc.). But if you're not planning on building up a network, it's just not worth it.
I agree, the MX700 is a great mouse. The MX900 is virtually identical except that it's Bluetooth. It's probably not worth the extra $20 to buy the 900 over the 700 (unless you love BT mice), but if you can get the MX900 as part a suite, with the diNovo or the Desktop MX suite, then you'll be in good shape.
Yeah, it's actually a print article. So all of these blurbs in print add up to around 4000 words. That's a good amount of room.
I wrote a full review of the TouchStream ST (a full keyboard from FingerWorks, the brainy company that makes the iGesture NumPad). I really liked it, actually. As a full keyboard, it can replace just about anything out there--and I found the gesture-sensing ability of the kb to work very well, and save me a ton of time with simple actions like cut, copy, paste.
The NumPad is a little too small and too limited to be useful--plus it's too expensive.
-robyn
I've been wondering the same thing myself, is it worth it to get a PhD? I'm not sure whether or not I would want to work in academia, so for me, I'd really like to keep some options open in the business world. I know Google hires quite a few PhDs, and every so often you'll find them in other Internet companies (usually running dev departments). I've heard you can find them in investment banks as well, but I haven't met any there yet...
A good point was made earlier about the necessity of PhDs being able to make compromises in order to complete projects on time and within budget. I've met a few that fell on both sides of the fence here, and the obvious point is, it depends on the person.
The truth is, it will be more difficult to find a job when you have a PhD (and you'll have less choice on location) just because you'll want a higher level job, and there are few higher level jobs. Someone once told me, be prepared to spend one month job searching for every $10k you want to earn... I've seen that hold true on a number of occasions across fields and across people--but then again there are always exceptions...
It's a touch decision... whether or not to go back for PhD. I still haven't made up my mind. But, I'm done with my masters in the Spring (going part-time while working full time). So, I may just "rest" a bit in the working world after graduation. It'll be nice to have weekends free again.:)
You know, I did consider giving WPM benchmarks using this keyboard and all of the others that I've tested--but I thought that it would be far too subjective. If it takes me a long time to adapt to a particular keyboard, it may or may not be the same for you. It's a tough thing to generalize. Anyone agree or disagree? I can always add these stats to future keyboard reviews that I write.
Testing a keyboard for a month would mean that I could only write a max of 12 reviews a year. Tough to pay the bills on that!:) But, I do use each keyboard exclusively for a few days (if at all possible) before I write a review.
Exactly. Maybe it's worth the 695 then, right? Honestly, my mind may be in the gutter, but I did chuckle a little to myself when I first put my hands on the domes.
Plus, my girlfriend is still mad at me... apparently the OrbiTouch is a D cup.
I have to agree with you. I used to be a die-hard C++ fan. Then, I was forced to use Java frequently when I went back to grad school. Now, I'm a total convert. I love Java. It's so simple and efficient. Once and a while I get confused as to how I should wrap up things (like when doing network communications, wrapping streams and bufferedstreams etc.)--but overall I think Java is my favorite language to use professionally and academically.
Right, I took a little leeway there calling a list an array--but I was trying to use "familiar" terms for developers who weren't up on their functional language lingo.
I have a feeling I'll get an email from one of my old professors at NYU about this too... heheheh!
I really like functional programming though--and I do agree that higher order functions are fascinating. There's so much wasteful code out there in the business world. It would be nice if something like the easy implementation of higher order functions could help in this area...
Slashdot Mirror
Net bandwidth is interesting to measure and there are quite a few products out there that do it well. However, a lot of people are simply interested in measuring the speed at which they can perform the most common activity on the internet, Web surfing. Surfing speed is not only a function of bandwidth, but also server response time, PC processor availability and speed, RAM, and so on. PCMag.com released a free tool that measures your web browsing speed (by downloading and rendering pages from popular websites, and then deriving an average speed) and gives you a number that you can compare to other SurfSpeed users dynamically. SurfSpeed is NOT a bandwidth meter, it's a real world surfing speedometer. It's a fun tool.
-robyn
I was fascinated by the idea (/. inspired), so i followed up on it by interviewing the head researcher. he gave me links to video of the Nanocar driving around, too. And filled me in on a new internal nanoscale motor. I wrote up my findings in this pcmag news story.
-robyn
I know my money is on Austin Robot Technology. Vehicle "(Not Available)" sounds like it'll be a real winner. lol!
-robyn
Well, do consider that your sample group is not statistically significant. There are people who have degrees, even advanced, who are completely clueless. Getting a degree doesn't mean you're brilliant, nor does not having one mean you're less intelligent. However, a degree shows your (potential) employer that you've spent a certain amount of time studying algorithms, proper program design, and the like. Hopefully a degree also means that you have retained this knowledge and know how to use it. Unfortunately, a lot of CS programs stay deep in the theoretical realm without giving the students a shot of reality every so often. Since most grads will be working in the business world, some degree of coursework should be spent on how to use this advanced knowledge in the real world. That's my two cents...
You should try reading the actual article I wrote on the project before you make that call...
(Older Examples: Mistfall Engine, ZMist virus.)
When we start seeing more of these, AV companies will have a hard time keeping up.
Just having fun... :)
As a further example that this attitude is/was running rampant, take a look at this letter written by Bruce Perens. I love open source and it pains me to see so many people in the community cheering on the attacks -- but sometimes it takes a hard medicine, like reaction articles, to bring us to our senses.
To start with, this article is a reaction piece. Its purpose is to capture a mood that's observed in the community. Now, I don't think anyone out there can deny that there's a good percentage of people out there who reacted in a positive manner to the worm, with quite a few people taking a "Well, that's what you get, SCO" attitude. Posts like the ones I quoted are all over the web. I quoted Slashdot in particular because it's the top techie discussion site.
The article itself puts up a mirror to reflect the attitudes of the community back to the community, so everyone can really see what's going on--and that's probably one of the main reasons you are mad. You're mad that people are acting this way--and that's a good thing that you're mad. People shouldn't be acting this way. It hurts everyone involved with open source.
In fact, so many people are acting this way that multiple news sources are reporting on it. Whether we like it or not, there is accountability in the online world, even on discussion boards. And the general population wants to know, and should know, what the relevant communities have to say and what their reaction has been.
Now, should the article have also contained quotes from the posters standing on the other side of the argument? An argument could be made either way. I chose to report on the extremely interesting positive reaction to the worm because it's newsworthy. The retorts that these outliers had to face in the discussion board was also interesting to me, but it's the stuff good discussion boards are made of, not news stories.
-robyn
You're right--the TouchStream is an amazing keyboard. When I still had my evaluation unit, I brought it home to use when programming. Man, it's a coder's dream. It's so easy to scroll through pages of code--and, as long as you're not writing a ton of text, it's a nice keyboard to type on (but it's really easy to get typos).
The upside is, if you buy a decent BT suite, you can start building a network of BT devices (headset, cell phone, etc.). But if you're not planning on building up a network, it's just not worth it.
It's spread over 4 pages in print. That's much more condensed.
I agree, the MX700 is a great mouse. The MX900 is virtually identical except that it's Bluetooth. It's probably not worth the extra $20 to buy the 900 over the 700 (unless you love BT mice), but if you can get the MX900 as part a suite, with the diNovo or the Desktop MX suite, then you'll be in good shape.
If anyone needs more than my pcmag.com article and Jem's reviews above, I wrote more in-depth keyboard reviews on ExtremeTech.
I'm a guy albeit with a girl's name. :)
I wrote a full review of the TouchStream ST (a full keyboard from FingerWorks, the brainy company that makes the iGesture NumPad). I really liked it, actually. As a full keyboard, it can replace just about anything out there--and I found the gesture-sensing ability of the kb to work very well, and save me a ton of time with simple actions like cut, copy, paste.
The NumPad is a little too small and too limited to be useful--plus it's too expensive. -robyn
A good point was made earlier about the necessity of PhDs being able to make compromises in order to complete projects on time and within budget. I've met a few that fell on both sides of the fence here, and the obvious point is, it depends on the person.
The truth is, it will be more difficult to find a job when you have a PhD (and you'll have less choice on location) just because you'll want a higher level job, and there are few higher level jobs. Someone once told me, be prepared to spend one month job searching for every $10k you want to earn... I've seen that hold true on a number of occasions across fields and across people--but then again there are always exceptions...
It's a touch decision... whether or not to go back for PhD. I still haven't made up my mind. But, I'm done with my masters in the Spring (going part-time while working full time). So, I may just "rest" a bit in the working world after graduation. It'll be nice to have weekends free again. :)
Testing a keyboard for a month would mean that I could only write a max of 12 reviews a year. Tough to pay the bills on that! :) But, I do use each keyboard exclusively for a few days (if at all possible) before I write a review.
Note that I still use the SafeType vertical keyboard and the TouchStream keyboard--I hope to follow up my last round of reviews with a "longer term" perspective (as you requested).
Plus, my girlfriend is still mad at me... apparently the OrbiTouch is a D cup.
Now that's a great mental picture... maybe the typist should wear chaps if the keyboard is in a bra.
I have to agree with you. I used to be a die-hard C++ fan. Then, I was forced to use Java frequently when I went back to grad school. Now, I'm a total convert. I love Java. It's so simple and efficient. Once and a while I get confused as to how I should wrap up things (like when doing network communications, wrapping streams and bufferedstreams etc.)--but overall I think Java is my favorite language to use professionally and academically.
I have a feeling I'll get an email from one of my old professors at NYU about this too... heheheh!
I really like functional programming though--and I do agree that higher order functions are fascinating. There's so much wasteful code out there in the business world. It would be nice if something like the easy implementation of higher order functions could help in this area...
Hehehe.. Well, C# is more fitting for their home in Seattle. Perhaps this move the F# is a precursor to an office move to sunny california?
I agree--I really like fingerwork's TouchStream ST. I just posted my review: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1039254 ,00.asp