That's "Leave Eye"

Yeah, so I'm a geek. I'm cool with that.

     
 
Black is Cool!
...or at least that's what I remember being told when I was a kid and I asked about people I saw in some movie (probably a James Bond flick) who were wearing all black in the middle of the desert. Well, apparently I wasn't the only one who was curious about this.


It turns out that someone actually did research and has come to the conclusion that black Bedouin robes are no cooler or hotter than white for the wearer when trekking about in the Sinai.
@ 02:49 AM MDT [ Comments [0] ]
 
 
 
 
Refuse to be Terrorized
Bruce Schneier wrote an excellent column for Wired today. While his writing style differs from my own, I'm not sure I could have expressed it any better. It's worth a read.
@ 08:13 AM MDT [ Comments [0] ]
 
 
 
 
Marathon Rubicon X


I was a huge fan of the original trilogy, back in the day, so with eager anticipation I'll fire this up tonight!

"They're everywhere!"
@ 02:32 PM MDT [ Comments [0] ]
 
 
 
 
Nobody Reads My Blog
Found on Jinx along with some other truly funny geek-wear:

Nobody Reads My Blog

Perfect Friday afternoon post.
@ 04:35 PM MDT [ Comments [1] ]
 
 
 
 
PodBrix 1984 Playset


You know you want one...

PodBrix is releasing a LEGO-like set of the classic 1984 Apple commercial.
@ 02:41 PM MDT [ Comments [2] ]
 
 
 
 
Genetic Algorithms Flawed?
Recently I read Prey which, while not a real deep book, did get me thinking about genetic algorithms, how they are being applied in computer science, and generally how they are used in nature. So, I've started to notice articles about them in the news recently. This phenomenon is akin to learning a new word and then all of a sudden it shows up everywhere... but I digress. I saw this article over on NewScientist.com and was struck by the thought that while useful, the application of genetic algorithms in this case might miss a large set of potential solutions.

What about the Runt?

Growing up we lived in a rural area and had "barn cats" which weren't really people friendly, but still came around when we set out food, etc. Many times there would be a "runt" in the litter, and many times that runt would have characteristics which would make it stand out from the rest, in a good way. Whether these characteristics were manifested as a result of some social interaction or because of genetic difference is unknown to me, but the runts were typically physically less "ideal" so, one might assume that even though their behavior and intelligence were desirable, they might not get their genetics back into the mix, if you follow.

Anyway, back to my original thought about the reactor design... from the article:
The algorithms they created first produce a population of reactor designs by
randomising all the different design factors involved. Each design is then tested in
a simulation for its "fitness", measuring its performance efficiency, running cost,
safety and other parameters.

The designs that perform best are singled out for survival. They are mutated and
recombined to create the next generation of designs. After many cycles, the
potential of the most refine designs is evaluated by engineers.
Which basically says that through a series of iterations, the "best" designs result. The key is in the iterations: "The designs that perform best are singled out for survival." which means a whole class of possible solutions is lost in every iteration. Granted, in the previous trial those designs which were dropped failed to perform, but what if something in them brought about an even better design in the next iteration? The simulation would never know.

In Nature, runts get a chance, but in the simulation I think we may be overlooking the runt and in doing so we have let ourselves potentially let the most optimal solution slip through our fingers.
@ 05:25 PM MDT [ Comments [3] ]
 
 
 
 
Caution: Delete Key and Hard Drive Linked...
To continue with the story, I just got my MacBook Pro back from Apple (and there was much rejoicing).

Initial inspection looks good... the delete key is indeed in mechanical order. *BONG* ...and the machine powers up just fine.

Instead of being prompted for my login, however, I get the welcome-to-a-freshly-installed-mac-os-x screen... ?

Looking at the enclosed AppleCare Service Details I notice that:
Product serviced by replacing the following:
658-0290  ASSY, KYBD, M1
655-1282A DA SEAGATE 2.5" M-72 7200RPM SATA 100GB
Wha?!

Okay, replacing the keyboard assembly I get. But, replacing the hard drive???

A preemptive replacement due to a pending recall? Dropped it while servicing my machine?? Who knows...

Of course, there's no data lost. Had a backup, etc., etc. But, strange.
@ 03:07 PM MDT [ Comments [0] ]
 
 
 
 
Finish Work
Some time ago I promised to add an entry when I finished installing the analog circuitry which controls the projector screen... well, I'm sorry, but I've been a slacker. It's been finished for some time now... all installed up in the attic and all the innards pushed up into the ceiling as they should be:


Looks all nice and tidy now!

Again, thanks to "The Dude" for his EE expertise and long term equipment loan, Sarah's Dad for his addition of ample diodes to prevent inductive current from blowing out the FETs, Victor for helping me install the mess in the ceiling, and Sarah for her patience while we had wires and circuit boards a-danglin'.
@ 11:19 AM MDT [ Comments [0] ]
 
 
 
 
Who Needs the Delete Key Anyway?
I mean, really? We are all professionals with a superb dexterity for typing, right? Well, I think that's what Apple must have thought too...

While typing out an email this morning on my shiny new MacBook Pro I obviously didn't have a sufficient amount of tea, resulting in the need to use my delete key several times. The last of which <achem> was when the delete key fell off!



Further inspection of the back of the key indicates that one of the tiny plastic clips which holds the key on is broken... So I've spent some time on the phone this morning arranging to send the machine in to get it repaired, free of charge of course, but I'll still be without it for several days. Back to my trusty, well used, well loved, PowerBook G4.
@ 12:02 PM MDT [ Comments [3] ]
 
 
 
 
Phat Pipe
While contemplating changing my broadband service at home I called up Qwest to see what they had to offer. Then I called my current provider, Comcast. I've been a cable internet subscriber for years (back to good ol' '98 or so) and have been a customer of AT&T Broadband until they got bought out by Comcast, so my recollection of what I'm paying for might have been a bit dated, but I seem to recal being told that my money was going towards a 2 megabit downstream connection and a 128 kilobit upstream connection... well, lo and behold, when I talked with Comcast they said that I had the "6.0 plan" which I found out to mean I should be getting 6megabit speeds, down.

The person I talked with at Qwest was great and had an answer to all my geeky questions and was ready to hook me up with a 7megabit/896kilobit connection "within three buisiness days" which was mighty tempting considering I still thought I only had 2/128 at the time. However, after my conversation with the not-very-impressive customer service agent at Comcast I figured I should run some speed tests before making the plunge into potential down-time and <gasp> MSN as a ISP.

So, here I sit looking at several different speed test results:

Speakeasy

TestMy.net

www.broadband-help.com

Toast.net

Leaving me with an average of 7554kbps down speed (from these four tests) and 374kbps up speed (from these two tests).

Seems pretty decent to me... any thoughts from the intervoid (besidest "get more tests in your dataset")?
@ 12:49 AM MDT [ Comments [0] ]
 
 
 
 
Look! Shiny!
Those of you familiar with Firefly will most likely think of the unilaterally positive implication when you hear the word "shiny." However, in this context shiny is not always good.

Recently I came to be the proud recipient of a new Apple MacBook Pro, and despite the name, it is a sweet machine. One of my favorite extras is Menu Meters, and having just installed it I noticed that it has two CPU meters... one for each core on this new Intel chip. How cool is that?! See?:

(three meters, network, cpu1, cpu2, from left to right)

Anyway, I digress... (see? shiny!) You can't really tell from any of the stock photo's online at Apple, but below the screen they have printed the name of the machine "MacBook Pro." Previous PowerBooks had the same placement, but it was printed on the machine in black lettering, while on the new machine it is printed in bold typeface in a shiny material. When I first noticed this I thought "Hey, that's kinda cool looking." Now that I'm using the machine regularly I keep seeing my fingers reflected in the shiny name and my brain says: "Hey! Look! Shiny!" which is hard to resist and distracting.

Anyway, that's a pretty small negative for such a sweet machine, and I could go into the depths of my experiences to date but, hey, look, shiny!
@ 11:16 AM MDT [ Comments [0] ]
 
 
 
 
emotional social intelligence prosthetic
Over on New Scientist they've an article about a new device which will alert its [user] if the person they are talking to starts showing signs of getting bored or annoyed...

While the device is actually targeted to help autistic people relate, I can just see a myriad of other, more novel, uses... say, at the geeks' singles bar. <grin>
@ 03:08 PM MST [ Comments [2] ]
 
 
 
 
Regex is _way_ cool...
Like so many before me, I'm sure, I am having an epiphany over just how cool and useful regular expressions can be.

I've always thought (since first hearing about them way back when) that they would be "something useful to know" and I've dabbled with them a little here and there, but it wasn't really until the new java.lang.String.replaceAll(String, String) method was introduced into Java 1.4.x that I actually started to apply them regularly (if you'll pardon the pun...).

What spawned this post, however, was the fact that I was able to turn this:
    [junit] key: 3
    [junit] uid: e_client3@null.dev
    [junit] pid: i1KbHXyzs61Muac5pHHY
    [junit] testPID: i1KbHXyzs61Muac5pHHY
    [junit] testUID: e_client3@null.dev
    [junit] key: 7
    [junit] uid: e_sysadmin2@null.dev
    [junit] pid: uBpqnOoWsEb8RnxXk41y
    [junit] testPID: uBpqnOoWsEb8RnxXk41y
    [junit] testUID: e_sysadmin2@null.dev
    [junit] key: 2
    [junit] uid: e_client2@null.dev
    [junit] pid: DlnICRlM4FqMhizofo3U
    [junit] testPID: DlnICRlM4FqMhizofo3U
    [junit] testUID: e_client2@null.dev
    [junit] key: 14
    [junit] uid: e_cust4@null.dev
    [junit] pid: J6nBQUNDkau2tY2mB36H
    [junit] testPID: J6nBQUNDkau2tY2mB36H
    [junit] testUID: e_cust4@null.dev
    [junit] key: 1
    [junit] uid: e_client1@null.dev
    [junit] pid: YYKWvYry885nWYWnxX28
    [junit] testPID: YYKWvYry885nWYWnxX28
    [junit] testUID: e_client1@null.dev
    [junit] key: 6
    [junit] uid: e_sysadmin1@null.dev
    [junit] pid: B1s3a7BGnbNni4gKp1C3
    [junit] testPID: B1s3a7BGnbNni4gKp1C3
    [junit] testUID: e_sysadmin1@null.dev
    [junit] key: 10
    [junit] uid: e_sysadmin5@null.dev
    [junit] pid: xMykarpgEQMg6B5jCnq9
    [junit] testPID: xMykarpgEQMg6B5jCnq9
    [junit] testUID: e_sysadmin5@null.dev
    [junit] key: 5
    [junit] uid: e_client5@null.dev
    [junit] pid: WaTBvsNvyLzg0flB27Tl
    [junit] testPID: WaTBvsNvyLzg0flB27Tl
    [junit] testUID: e_client5@null.dev
    [junit] key: 13
    [junit] uid: e_cust3@null.dev
    [junit] pid: mSg1JttPHF4ahWHaE0W0
    [junit] testPID: mSg1JttPHF4ahWHaE0W0
    [junit] testUID: e_cust3@null.dev
    [junit] key: 9
    [junit] uid: e_sysadmin4@null.dev
    [junit] pid: BrNEN6MdN38cZLywyEPl
    [junit] testPID: BrNEN6MdN38cZLywyEPl
    [junit] testUID: e_sysadmin4@null.dev
    [junit] key: 11
    [junit] uid: e_cust1@null.dev
    [junit] pid: Kh7M6U3RmWqCnTNlGsah
    [junit] testPID: Kh7M6U3RmWqCnTNlGsah
    [junit] testUID: e_cust1@null.dev
    [junit] key: 15
    [junit] uid: e_cust5@null.dev
    [junit] pid: mTnlud2Irg7Rs6X8wnkR
    [junit] testPID: mTnlud2Irg7Rs6X8wnkR
    [junit] testUID: e_cust5@null.dev
    [junit] key: 4
    [junit] uid: e_client4@null.dev
    [junit] pid: 4FaqsBW5V6UtjOiKvrAh
    [junit] testPID: 4FaqsBW5V6UtjOiKvrAh
    [junit] testUID: e_client4@null.dev
    [junit] key: 8
    [junit] uid: e_sysadmin3@null.dev
    [junit] pid: I11sBFTNOdfPR4TyJNiB
    [junit] testPID: I11sBFTNOdfPR4TyJNiB
    [junit] testUID: e_sysadmin3@null.dev
    [junit] key: 12
    [junit] uid: e_cust2@null.dev
    [junit] pid: uuqMe2hPTsg6Be3uAPNO
    [junit] testPID: uuqMe2hPTsg6Be3uAPNO
    [junit] testUID: e_cust2@null.dev
Into this:
e_client3@null.dev	i1KbHXyzs61Muac5pHHY	e_client3@null.dev	i1KbHXyzs61Muac5pHHY
e_sysadmin2@null.dev	uBpqnOoWsEb8RnxXk41y	e_sysadmin2@null.dev	uBpqnOoWsEb8RnxXk41y
e_client2@null.dev	DlnICRlM4FqMhizofo3U	e_client2@null.dev	DlnICRlM4FqMhizofo3U
e_cust4@null.dev	J6nBQUNDkau2tY2mB36H	e_cust4@null.dev	J6nBQUNDkau2tY2mB36H
e_client1@null.dev	YYKWvYry885nWYWnxX28	e_client1@null.dev	YYKWvYry885nWYWnxX28
e_sysadmin1@null.dev	B1s3a7BGnbNni4gKp1C3	e_sysadmin1@null.dev	B1s3a7BGnbNni4gKp1C3
e_sysadmin5@null.dev	xMykarpgEQMg6B5jCnq9	e_sysadmin5@null.dev	xMykarpgEQMg6B5jCnq9
e_client5@null.dev	WaTBvsNvyLzg0flB27Tl	e_client5@null.dev	WaTBvsNvyLzg0flB27Tl
e_cust3@null.dev	mSg1JttPHF4ahWHaE0W0	e_cust3@null.dev	mSg1JttPHF4ahWHaE0W0
e_sysadmin4@null.dev	BrNEN6MdN38cZLywyEPl	e_sysadmin4@null.dev	BrNEN6MdN38cZLywyEPl
e_cust1@null.dev	Kh7M6U3RmWqCnTNlGsah	e_cust1@null.dev	Kh7M6U3RmWqCnTNlGsah
e_cust5@null.dev	mTnlud2Irg7Rs6X8wnkR	e_cust5@null.dev	mTnlud2Irg7Rs6X8wnkR
e_client4@null.dev	4FaqsBW5V6UtjOiKvrAh	e_client4@null.dev	4FaqsBW5V6UtjOiKvrAh
e_sysadmin3@null.dev	I11sBFTNOdfPR4TyJNiB	e_sysadmin3@null.dev	I11sBFTNOdfPR4TyJNiB
e_cust2@null.dev	uuqMe2hPTsg6Be3uAPNO	e_cust2@null.dev	uuqMe2hPTsg6Be3uAPNO
With one find/replace operation using regular expression in my favorite text editor...

Find:
\s+\[junit\] key: [0-9]+\r\s+\[junit\] uid: (.+)\r\s+\[junit\] pid: (.+)\r\s+\[junit\] testPID: (.+)\r\s+\[junit\] testUID: (.+)\r
replace with
\1\t\2\t\4\t\3\r

Talk about a powerful timesaver...
@ 04:00 PM MST [ Comments [2] ]
 
 
 
 
Exterminate!


What's to say??
@ 05:06 PM MST [ Comments [0] ]
 
 
 
 
The Ultimate Hangout
Talk about every little kid's dream, realized as an adult...


http://www.freespiritspheres.com/


I'd like to work from this home!
@ 05:25 PM MST [ Comments [1] ]
 
 
 
 
 
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