Posts

…it’s all just smoke and mirrors? Ultimately, any program running in 99% of the computers out there today is running the old fetch-execute cycle on a Von Neuman architecture: A processor fetches the next instruction, executes it, stores the result, and goes to the next instruction. Atop that, we’ve layered: Subroutines, Modules, Functional Programming, Structured Programming, Object-Orientation (Objects, Inheritance, Polymorphism, Composition/Aggregation), Closures, Atoms, Processes, Multithreading, Semaphores, etc. We’re desperately trying to make the digital computer be more than the sum of its parts, just as a living human brain is somehow more than a collection of neurons and synapses. We *desperately* want abstractions…need them, in fact. ...

the word “lossy” in scrabble? Whitney - May 5, 2008 the word “lossy” in scrabble? No, it’s the antonym of a(nother) jarg… HarryC - May 5, 2008 LOL! No, it’s the antonym of a(nother) jargon word–lossless, which comes to us from the world of compression. “Lossless” compression (like the Huffman coding algorithm in WinZip/Gzip) remove reduntant sections to make data smaller, but they can decompress back to a bit-by-bit replica of the original. ...

…so, they’ve put together an “Innovation” lab over here, populated with all sorts of cool gadgets, gizmos, and decorations, everything from a Magic 8-Ball to the latest iMac and Nintendo Wii. There’s remote-controlled this, electronic that, and lots of “so, what’s THAT good for?” One thing I was really salivating over showed-up the other day: Yep, it’s a Kindle Amazon’s eBook reader. VERY neat. It uses an ’electronic paper’ display…instead of being the normal LCD screen on, say, an iPhone, it’s a contrasty, easy to read display that looks like a super-duper Etch-a-Sketch. It looks like, well, a printed page. After a few minutes, the device disappears, and it’s just like you’re reading a book. Controls exist for flipping forwards and backwards through the book. Even the form-factor is pleasant and intuitive–like a big paperback or a small hardcover. ...

Ooooh, have been wanting to get my hands on one of… Jeff Roberts - May 4, 2008 Ooooh, have been wanting to get my hands on one of those…

…so, in 2001, I started working on our top-notch java app, avoiding working on Drivers & Printing, and a surefire job in Inkjet Firmware. Fast forward: 2007: Working on the Printing stuff. 2008: Working embedded with the Inkjet Firmware. Still waiting for the guys in this meeting tomorrow to go, “Say, aren’t you that fat kid with glasses and the bad haircut?” :D

Well, at least you’ve still got the bad haircut…… Whitney - May 3, 2008 Well, at least you’ve still got the bad haircut…. Still haven’t gotten my tip from last month’s “Stylist Appreciation Day”…. :-)

* After talking to Jeff, looks like there’s a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) class just across the street from me. Don’t know if it’s something I’d like to do or not, but seems like a good way to learn. Bit pricey, though. Though, as my in-laws commented the other day, it’s not so good to announce you’re riding a 600cc motorcycle in a residential neighborhood w/o a license (or even a learner’s permit). Have been researching, and sounds like most 250cc entry-touring bikes get like 66 mpg and don’t have a problem cruising down the interstate. (Put the phone down, Mom…) ...

Article Finding themselves strapped for cash and unable to use their home as an ATM, Americans are increasingly turning to credit cards to cover gas, groceries and other living expenses. Huh? “Using their home as an ATM”..why do you want to do that? For many people, racking up credit card debt is not a choice they want to make, experts say. Not too long ago, they could have tapped into the equity in their homes through loans or lines of credit or refinancing. But this debt, which usually carries lower interest rates, is no longer as widely available with the collapse of the housing market. ...

Amen, brother! Heck, we’ve been blessed to have en… Jeff Roberts - May 5, 2008 Amen, brother! Heck, we’ve been blessed to have enough coming in to pay the builds but there are times when those unexpected expenses come in [like $4 gas :-)] and we declare a moratorium on eating out, eat up whatever is in the pantry at the house, don’t buy anthing that’s not crucial, etc. We keep cars a looong time. ...

Yep, me holding Maria (Mom: Put the phone down…They only sat her on there with me for the picture!)

I have a very similar picture of me and Kate. Tak… Jeff Roberts - May 2, 2008 I have a very similar picture of me and Kate. Taken in front of my Mom, and similarly explained to Sandra’s mom :-)

W-O-W. WOW. WOOHOO! This was an absolutely fun move. Great (not overwhelming) SFX, tight editing, and excellent performances from Downey, Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges. This movie made me appreciate: How dull the Superman movies are How overwrought the X-Men franchise is How truly BAD DareDevil and Electra were How much of a genius the Batman series was (Burton’s two and “Batman Begins”, only!) Look, I’m no comic-book geek (I know, I know, surprise!). I had no preconceptions going into Ironman but it’s a frickin’ feast–action everywhere, neat “gee whiz” gadgetry delights, and the quips and one-liners from the top-level actors remain punchy throughout. Robert Downey, Jr., is a revelation–Smart, self-deprecating, and yet utterly human. Gwyneth Paltrow plays the demure wallflower, Pepper Potts, and the stunner proves her acting chops by making us believe she IS unsure of herself. ...

First there was Car and Driver, the irreverant magazine full of gearheads who told the truth. But, that was before the internet era. Then, there was a little-known beacon of truth, Bob Bowden’s The Car Place (now defunct), where a guy told even more truth. Then came the grand poobah, Peter DeLorenzo’s AutoExtemist, from an insider who ranted and raved about how uncompetitive and doomed Detroit was. Selling Chevy’s is nothing like selling Tide detergent. And it was very good. ...

Nevermind. Peter DeLorenzo got his panties in a w… HarryC - May 1, 2008 Nevermind. Peter DeLorenzo got his panties in a wad over TTAC’s announcement and proclaimed the deal dead. Whatever, Pete.

It’s been a few years since I tried out a new version of my favorite Linux Distribution (ubuntu), so I downloaded the 64-bit ISO and put it on my 3GHz AMD64 Dell box here at work. The short version? It’s sick. Good sick. SIIIIICK, yo! In prior lives (back when I ran Redhat 6 on my 866Mhz PIII in college), I was a KDE fan, so I grabbed Kubuntu (KDE + Ubuntu, get it?) instead of the Gnome-based Ubuntu this time. It’s flashy and fast, and includes the new KDE 4 GUI. Nice *enough*, I suppose. Having programmed in Qt once upon a time, I have lots of respect for the GUI paradigm that Qt & KDE enforces. ...

Nice review! I may just try KDE sometime, but unti… Ryan - May 5, 2008 Nice review! I may just try KDE sometime, but until then, GNOME’s just fine.

Won’t someone PLEASE think of the children?! The hue and cry surrounding Miley Cyrus’s recent photos in Vanity Fair disgusts me. NOT the photos themselves. Certainly not the photographer, Annie Leibovitz, whose work stands on its own. We should be ashamed. We’re a country addicted to drugs, gossip, and pornography. We’re so in debt, we’re destitute, yet we spend like there’s no tomorrow. We care little except for how other people PERCEIVE us. Substance matters not. ...

Being shocked by this is about like watching Reven… Jeff Roberts - Apr 3, 2008 Being shocked by this is about like watching Revenge of the Sith over and over and being surprised each time Anakin turns to the dark side.

* From the “not worth reviewing” file: Beowulf was awful. How do you take a blood-soaked elegiac epic and turn it into, essentially, The Devil and Tom Walker. Plus, the CGI was good, but not quite there. * A cold snap has hit, with frosty mornings and cool, windy days. * I’ve *got* to stop staying up late to watch bad movies on DVD. A netflix queue reordering is…er…in order. * Everyone’s doing well. Whitney’s recovered from her stomach virus last week. Maria’s managed to no maim herself lately, and seems ready to break-out running any day now (with injuries to follow, no doubt). Joey’s school year is winding down, and he’s enjoying baseball on his very good coach-pitch team, the Reds. (“Communism was a red herring”) ...

 Link In lieu of going skating with Joey and Whitney yesterday, I put Maria down for a nap and watched Cate Blanchett reprise her role as Good Queen Bess in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. As the story opens, it’s 1585, and Elizabeth has been on the throne 27 years. Still, intrigues surround her throne, as the Catholic Spain seeks to remove “the bastard whore” from the throne and put Mary Stuart (“Queen of Scots”) in her place, or so it seems. ...