Clear Pictures of How We Think

Clear Pictures of How We Think. This is just a bookmark for me to read this.

How to Fold a Shirt

How to Fold a Shirt. Only on the internet.

Hundreds of Iraqi Insurgents Killed

This story and others like it disturb me simply by the use of the word insurgent. I find a hard time thinking of the actual residents of Iraq who are opposing their occupation as insurgents. I mean it makes some sense, but in another sense the US were the insurgents, but they moved from the barn to the house and the rest of the residents are on the outside looking in - just like they were before. This is a not a well presented point, but the word insurgent has been bothering me so I just had to get it out.

Open Letter To The Democratic Party: How You Could Have Had My Vote

I find this post and comment chain very interesting. I was very glad to read it, because it does seem to have touched a nerve with many of the commenters. More interesting to me was the uneasy feeling that I got reading it. This was captured for me in the comment by Running Dog. Search for it in the rest of the comments. I find it to be even more compelling. Better written than what I would have said - something struck me as fearful or timid in the original post. Sort of being afraid to vote because of some feelings. That is my problem with the whole political process - too much emotion, not enough rational, logical thought. I think Kingsley gets it right for me.

Arafat's Mystery Illness

I think it may be AIDS. I have no reason to believe this other than the fact that it must be kept a mystery, so it must somehow be embarassing (in some sense, cultural or whatever).

The Rationals

I always end up as a Rational. I never coughed up the money for the full profile so I always end up wondering whether I'm an architect, mastermind, inventor or fieldmarshal. Someday I'll find out for sure.

WebMatrix

Webmatrix is a thing that I just recently ran across and find to be very cool. I don't think it is as simple as they'd like to believe for all the non-techy people, but it may be as simple as you can get. My favorite part is the web server that runs on XP Home.

I'm probably going to poach some of their source and starter kits for portals and reporting.

Multilevel Data Analysis

Multilevel Data Analysis sounds better to me than the analysis of families of growth curves. It is also where I am going on the research front. Any one with good links is welcome to make recommendations. Other than this link, I am a new born babe. And now I have this link too, which includes some software to make me happy. And this one too!!! And this one is really a beauty! And finally, (I think) this one.

Center for Digital Education

With the new job some new links and this is one: the Center for Digital Education. This looks like it may be interesting. At least, it may keep me up to speed (well, a little behind really) on big issues in my new field.

Computer networking hardware - Networking solutions - Wireless network reviews - CNET reviews

Computer networking hardware - Networking solutions - Wireless network reviews - CNET reviews

Wi-Fi Planet

Again, keeping links from wherever I happen to be. Still looking at building a combo wired/wireless LAN, so I'm keeping this link.

Router as an AP - ezlan.net

Router as an AP

New Job

This is where I'm going to work.

Two Reasons

I post this. First, because this is a huge pet peeve of mine. (Thanks Waterfall). I think the advertisers and marketers are responsible and it makes me hate them, cause I'm not really sure why they persist in getting this wrong. Second, I always want to know where the waterfall is.

Another Article

Network Magazine | Building The Intelligent Wireless LAN | November 5, 2003 So, I'm building a LAN and want to add wireless. Once again, I capture a link that I want to eventually read.

Note to Self

ProCurve Networking by HP - Wireless LANs: Planning The Site Assessment

It is done

Like I never thought it would finally be done, but it is. After 11 years, a new job. It is a relief. I can hardly say anything intelligible about it. If you've been at one job, your most adult professional job for 11 years and then changed jobs you will understand. Probably everyone who has changed jobs will.

My favorite part was that I just recently ran across a most excellent assortment of resignation letters. Nixon's is my model, but I truly appreciate the Sarcastic version.

Step Up to Wireless Networking

Step Up to Wireless Networking. Just an article I was looking for about setting up a small business wireless network.

I, Robot. I, like this.

Scott Rosenberg's commentary not only sums up the NYT editorial about why the book was so good, but nails the relationship to user interfaces. Excellent and to the point.

An Atlas of Cyberspaces - Topology Maps

An Atlas of Cyberspaces - Topology Maps This is very cool.

Microsoft TechNet: Structure of the Internet and the Web

Microsoft TechNet: Structure of the Internet and the Web This is just a link I wanted to keep for personal use.

Groove Networks

Now this is something that just may be useful, but it all seems a little to creepy. Once I read more, I'll (maybe) post more. Generally, it looks somewhat interesting. I wonder how it integrates with blogs . . .

Electronic Election 2004

This is funny in a sort of Dilbert way: Electronic Election 2004. Funny, but a little too close to reality.

Free Textbook

This is a list of Current Papers and Brief Summaries, which includes a complete textbook written by a professor for use in his class. I remember the overpriced crap I had to buy when I was in college. This may not be better than the others, but it is certainly cheaper.

I bet Cisco sues him for copyright infringement . . .

Google Conquers E-Mail

Honestly, I think this hits it on the head. Gmail is really quite remarkable.

Results...

This is me.

congratulations. you are the kiss my ass happy
bunny. You don't care about anyone or anything.
You must be so proud


which happy bunny are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

java.blogs

I just wanted to be sure that I kept this link somewhere handy. This blog is really becoming my personal knowledge store. And then there is this guy.

XP and RUP

I just found this paper that merges RUP and XP. Folks at my company generally believe that it has to be one or the other. Maybe not.

A Good overview of Content Management Systems

I always find this topic to be large and unwieldy, especially when talking to people that really have no background in it. This article provides a pretty good overview and, potentially, some context within which one may be able to have a useful discussion with those less immersed than others.

The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > For Some, the Blogging Never Stops

This is interesting. I think I know a few people like this and even one that shares a name, "They blog openly or sometimes, like Mr. Wiggins, quietly so as not to call attention to their habit." I think there is a distinct lack of readership of blogs. For me, I've mostly started to use mine as a place to store interesting links that I may need to come back to later on. The default taxonomy that blogs use is simply a calendar which you can then contextualize with comments and ramblings such as this. Instead of a forum for others to read, it becomes my public cognitive artifact.

I can (and do) use other taxonomies to store links and interesting peices of information, but none seem quite so portable as this.

Kerry Gets Google-Bombed

Wired News: Kerry Gets Google-Bombed
Superb. And Bush does too. And neither one has a single clue about what it means, what the effect is, or anything. Both sides have the position: "if they do it, that is wrong. If our folks do it, that is just the nature of democracy and the internet."

I think it is the latter. Next election, they will have really figured out what to do with this. Of course, everything will have changed by then.

I think the government should be run by blogs.

Yahoo! News - Universe Measured: We're 156 Billion Light-years Wide!

I love this tidbit of information. Stated with so much assurance and so much room for error. And I love this quote.
Yahoo! News - Universe Measured: We're 156 Billion Light-years Wide!: "'If the universe was finite, and had a size of about 4 billion to 5 billion light-years, then light would be able to wrap around the universe, and with a big enough telescope we could view the Earth just after it solidified and when the first life formed,' Cornish said. 'Unfortunately, our results rule out this tantalizing possibility.'"

Don't even think about speeding in Italy

They will catch you! I'd like to see the Cops episode where they use this car to bump some people off the road or throw the perp over the hood for frisking. Do NOT scratch the paint

Cold Turkey

Kurt Vonnegut is a most excellent writer and a very interesting thinker. I cannot truly vouch for the fact that this (Cold Turkey) article is his, since the whole commencement speech event, but it is very interesting. I'd like to argue against what seems a very pessimistic POV on humans, but then I'm not 81 with that perspective. Anyhow, read and think.

LauraJ's Weblog

I have been desperately looking for some information about getting the alerts to work correctly in Sharepoint and ran across LauraJ's Weblog. It didn't have the information that I was looking for, but it is a good blog with what looks like some good information.

Saint Anxieti of Malta

I think a very good friend of mine just might be the Patron Saint Anxieti of Malta.

E-mail Post

Thought I'd try the new feature, just to see how it feels. Here is a link about people hoping for an earthquake.

Marc's Outlook on Productivity: April 2004 Archives

Marc's Outlook on Productivity: April 2004 Archives

There are just a lot of interesting things here that I don't have time to read. There is talk of Onfolio and the book, Getting Things Done. All of it seems interesting, but I just don't have time to read it all now. So, I use my blog as a reminder, a cognitive artifact that places a link here for whatever I want to say.

I sorta thing things like onenote or onfolio are really just lightweight and portable blogs.

Josh Nimoy @ ITP - BallDroppings

Josh Nimoy @ ITP - BallDroppings This is totally cool! I love this. I haven't blogged in a while, but I had to share this. Thanks to joho for having the best connections to the grooviest shit.

Mindjack - 12 Variables for Understanding Online Communites

This is what I meant. Sorta.Mindjack - 12 Variables for Understanding Online Communites

Responding from one medium to another

I think that part of what we are doing is trying to use something that seems best suited to an individual voice and using it to accomodate multiple voices. The dialog in most blogs is active, but second hand. Blogging is about trust and interest amongst individuals. Puck is active as can be within his own blog, but only a little active within the team (although more active than most . . .). I am active in neither, but can't let them die.

Except for eye yee em. Something about that one made me distinctly uncomfortable. Like we were on a reality show, but didn't know it, so didn't buy into the fact that the cameras would be in our faces all the time recording everything we do everything we say and then edited to twist what we meant lacking editorial control (not by outside agents, but by ourselves). Anyhow, I killed it.

Here is the new one.

It is gone. My blog remains as it was before. Infrequent. Scattered. Unfocused. Mine.

The Power of the Blog

Me. I think. The power of the blog is overestimated at this point. Howard Dean rules in cyberspace, but the majority of people (unsubstantiated opinion) don't care. Cyberfolk are a minorty,a very vocal and active minority, but you can't win an election there. I think Dean is finding that out.

The criticism that I heard is that he really didn't express a position (different than an opinion, but I'll let you figure the difference). His web presence certainly did.

blogging the market

Blogging the algorithm
So, I'm reading this section of this paper and thought of something. First, I think this is very interesting work, in and of itself. Some of the prose is a little overwrought, but there are many good ideas contained within it. I know many people in various management positions would see the blog and this paper as somehow, subversive. I think my boss would hate it, so I made sure to send a link. You never know. They might get it.

Here is my thought. This idea of blogging bubbles seems to be a reasonable analog basis for an optimization algorithm. Similar to a genetic algorithm, but instead of one fitness function there are multiple functions. As the bubble grows from thoughts, to results, to connections, to patterns, the fitness evaluation changes at different levels. Rough outlines, but I think that you could formalize this.

The outcome might be interesting. In much the same way that bubbles are often "false" (i.e., urban legends), the results of the algorithm may be less than optimal. You could calculate urban legends yourself. Is perception reality? Would a social blogging based algorithm result in a different perception? One that isn't true, but has some sort of social value? Do urban legends have social value? Are they cautionary tales for controlling the behavior of youths or the masses?

Rational versus Irrational

Rational versus Irrational
Computers vs. Humans. Up front, I'll say it. I'm an LSU fan. I think they are the most deserving champions. Probably more important is that I'm a computer scientist. I think the BCS functioned exactly as intended. The computer programs are supposed to evaluate each team over the course of the whole season and assign rankings based on that. They did that. When you look at the opponents, schedules and whatnot, you have to admit that OU and LSU had the tougher road to a one loss season. That is the rational way to look at it - judge the whole season, pick the two "best" teams, and let them play it out. The human polls are all about, "What have you done for me lately?" Humans like to consider the most recent events more strongly than those that take place further in the past. That is natural and, frequently, wrong. Although, frequently correct as well. Depends on the situation. (Here is great way to find stuff on a particular subject www.keepmedia.com - here's a bunch on the BCS.)

We like to make predictions. This is what all of science is about. Based on things that have happened in the past, we form hypotheses. We test them, we create models, and if they work out well, we call it a theory (or even a law) and use it to build things for the future. As our understanding of science has grown, we've found that all of our theories are imperfect. Some are quite good, but we always end up with things which are not explainable by that theory or model. Much of this has now come to be lumped as "complexity." Things which can't really be explained except as being inherently inexplicable. We form boundaries and determine what we can about these boundaries, but the predictability of them is beyond us.

This is one of those which isn't predictable. I find it interesting that we look at it as Human's vs. Computers. Humans programmed the computers in a way that did not weight recent games more importantly than games at the beginning of the year. It worked perfectly. It just didn't agree with what the poll voters said. Perfect. It is a different model. If the computer rankings perfectly replicated the human polls, why would we want computer rankings? Neither one really determines a national champion. In sports, they have tournaments. There is no theory, no model, only experimental outcomes. And, in most, there are no repetitions to validate the result. Those are the best. Live in the moment and deal with the event. Baseball is fine and, in many ways, ensures that the "best" team will win (ask the Yankees if that worked in 2003). There is no perfect system for college bowl ranking. If I found one, I wouldn;t tell you about it - I'd go to Vegas and bet on the games. I'd have perfect knowledge of who the best team was in any particular match-up and I'd bet. I'd get rich.

And that is the point of the BCS. Getting rich. Money. That is the bottom line in college football polls, rankings and bowls. Its all about the Benjamins. And we don't really need a poll or a computer to know that.