Tuesday, August 06, 2013
So many grindstones, so little nose
I'm so thankful that I get to do the kind of work I do. Writing software is a blast!
Saturday, July 06, 2013
Human evolution - Selfishness vs. Altruism
Just read a great article:
http://www.economicpopulist.org/content/human-nature-needs-be-back-business?google_editors_picks=true
In it, there is a nice quote from Darwin. This side of Darwin's thinking was ignored by his robber-baron lauding "social Darwinist" contemporaries:
An advancement in the standard of morality will certainly give an immense advantage to one tribe over another. A tribe including many members who, from possessing in a high degree the spirit of patriotism, fidelity, obedience, courage and sympathy, were always ready to aid one another, and to sacrifice themselves for the common good, would be victorious over most other tribes; and this would be natural selection.
This perspective was not ignored by Kropotkin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kropotkin#Cooperation_and_competition
Kropotkin was misunderstood and belittled by his western contemporaries, as Gould describes in this great article:
http://www.marxists.org/subject/science/essays/kropotkin.htm
http://www.economicpopulist.org/content/human-nature-needs-be-back-business?google_editors_picks=true
In it, there is a nice quote from Darwin. This side of Darwin's thinking was ignored by his robber-baron lauding "social Darwinist" contemporaries:
An advancement in the standard of morality will certainly give an immense advantage to one tribe over another. A tribe including many members who, from possessing in a high degree the spirit of patriotism, fidelity, obedience, courage and sympathy, were always ready to aid one another, and to sacrifice themselves for the common good, would be victorious over most other tribes; and this would be natural selection.
This perspective was not ignored by Kropotkin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Kropotkin#Cooperation_and_competition
Kropotkin was misunderstood and belittled by his western contemporaries, as Gould describes in this great article:
http://www.marxists.org/subject/science/essays/kropotkin.htm
Friday, June 07, 2013
Please make the Patriot Act go away
U.S. intel chief blasts leaks on web, phone use tracking - CBS News: "I'm angry, and I was the one that wrote the law. And I think that the Justice Department and the NSA have abused this by going to far," said Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc., who helped craft the Patriot Act.
I would just like to say to Rep. Sensenbrenner, what exactly did you think was going to happen? Have you not read enough history to know where these things inevitably go? The Patriot Act was, at best, naive. At worst, it's an unfettered invasion of privacy reminiscent of Hitler's "Enabling Act" or the actions taken by Joseph McCarthy (Sen. R-Wisc) during the Second Red Scare.
I would just like to say to Rep. Sensenbrenner, what exactly did you think was going to happen? Have you not read enough history to know where these things inevitably go? The Patriot Act was, at best, naive. At worst, it's an unfettered invasion of privacy reminiscent of Hitler's "Enabling Act" or the actions taken by Joseph McCarthy (Sen. R-Wisc) during the Second Red Scare.
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Friday, January 04, 2013
Thought for the day
A friend just sent me a great link that I thought I would share:
http://scottberkun.com/2013/quit-your-whining/
http://scottberkun.com/2013/quit-your-whining/
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Toyota recall reminds me of biodiversity issues
The article in question makes a point: "The massive size of the newly announced recall underscores the risks manufacturers like Toyota face when they share basic components on a wide range of vehicles hoping to improve manufacturing economies of scale."
This is the same issue farmers face when choosing to grow a single type of crop, and the world faces as we trample individual cultures. It's an interesting problem, because you can't argue with the profitability of such decisions, but you need to be wary of the unintended consequences.
The article:
Toyota to hold world's biggest car recall for 16 years - Bottom Line
This also makes me think of the book I'm reading, 1491 by Charles Mann. In it, Mann describes how the original Americans not only engineered corn from the original plant teosinte, but developed a method of farming called a "milpa" which is essentially the exact opposite approach, in agriculture, of that taken by Toyota in sharing a single part across multiple models.
Wikipedia quotes Mann:
"A milpa is a field, usually but not always recently cleared, in which farmers plant a dozen crops at once including maize, avocados, multiple varieties of squash and bean, melon, tomatoes, chilis, sweet potato, jícama, amaranth, and mucana.... Milpa crops are nutritionally and environmentally complementary. Maize lacks the amino acids lysine and tryptophan, which the body needs to make proteins and niacin;.... Beans have both lysine and tryptophan.... Squashes, for their part, provide an array of vitamins; avocados, fats. The milpa, in the estimation of H. Garrison Wilkes, a maize researcher at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, "is one of the most successful human inventions ever created."
The point here is that Toyota receives the intended benefit of reduced cost and a simplified supply chain through standardizing on a particular part across models and product lines, but it receives the unintended consequence of increased exposure in the event of part failure, and also increased exposure to supply company failure if it decided to source the part from a single manufacturer.
Had Toyota selected a milpa-like approach on the part, such as sourcing multiple variants of the part, and sourcing those parts from multiple suppliers (to be fair I think Toyota spreads supplier risk already) then complexity is certainly increased, but risk is reduced, and one can imagine a host of other unintended benefits.
This is the same issue farmers face when choosing to grow a single type of crop, and the world faces as we trample individual cultures. It's an interesting problem, because you can't argue with the profitability of such decisions, but you need to be wary of the unintended consequences.
The article:
Toyota to hold world's biggest car recall for 16 years - Bottom Line
This also makes me think of the book I'm reading, 1491 by Charles Mann. In it, Mann describes how the original Americans not only engineered corn from the original plant teosinte, but developed a method of farming called a "milpa" which is essentially the exact opposite approach, in agriculture, of that taken by Toyota in sharing a single part across multiple models.
Wikipedia quotes Mann:
"A milpa is a field, usually but not always recently cleared, in which farmers plant a dozen crops at once including maize, avocados, multiple varieties of squash and bean, melon, tomatoes, chilis, sweet potato, jícama, amaranth, and mucana.... Milpa crops are nutritionally and environmentally complementary. Maize lacks the amino acids lysine and tryptophan, which the body needs to make proteins and niacin;.... Beans have both lysine and tryptophan.... Squashes, for their part, provide an array of vitamins; avocados, fats. The milpa, in the estimation of H. Garrison Wilkes, a maize researcher at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, "is one of the most successful human inventions ever created."
The point here is that Toyota receives the intended benefit of reduced cost and a simplified supply chain through standardizing on a particular part across models and product lines, but it receives the unintended consequence of increased exposure in the event of part failure, and also increased exposure to supply company failure if it decided to source the part from a single manufacturer.
Had Toyota selected a milpa-like approach on the part, such as sourcing multiple variants of the part, and sourcing those parts from multiple suppliers (to be fair I think Toyota spreads supplier risk already) then complexity is certainly increased, but risk is reduced, and one can imagine a host of other unintended benefits.
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
Intelligence effort improperly collected information about citizens, not terrorists | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
This is just wrong, and it needs to be fixed. I'm glad to hear the program is on the chopping block.
Intelligence effort improperly collected information about citizens, not terrorists | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: One fusion center cited in the Senate investigation wrote a report about a Muslim community group's list of book recommendations. Others discussed American citizens speaking at mosques or talking to Muslim groups about parenting.
No evidence of criminal activity was contained in those reports. The government did not circulate them, but it kept them on government computers. The federal government is prohibited from storing information about First Amendment activities not related to crimes.
Intelligence effort improperly collected information about citizens, not terrorists | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: One fusion center cited in the Senate investigation wrote a report about a Muslim community group's list of book recommendations. Others discussed American citizens speaking at mosques or talking to Muslim groups about parenting.
No evidence of criminal activity was contained in those reports. The government did not circulate them, but it kept them on government computers. The federal government is prohibited from storing information about First Amendment activities not related to crimes.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Three Things That Should Trouble Apple
I thought this was sensible and realistic:
kickingbear» Blog Archive » Three Things That Should Trouble Apple
kickingbear» Blog Archive » Three Things That Should Trouble Apple
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Understanding people based on email address
As much as we try to avoid it, we all quickly summarize the people around us based on small bits of information. Nobody said it was fair, but we judge people based on dialect, race, clothing, posture, and even walking gait. Because I work in technology, I thought I would share some of my admittedly unfair biases based on email address.
These are currently in no particular order, and I expect to update this post several times as I think through this issue.
These are currently in no particular order, and I expect to update this post several times as I think through this issue.
- Me.com or Apple.com
- Didn't fully use the internet until they bought an iPhone.
- Loves to hate Microsoft products.
- Brings out phone to show pictures of children, food, or recent vacation shots in an aggressive, unpleasant manner.
- Will freak out when MobileMe shuts down in June, 2012.
- Thinks the term "App" means something specifically about iPhone.
- Believes Steve Jobs was an inventor/scientist.
- AOL.com
- Old person.
- Probably does not know what a scroll bar is.
- Thinks PowerPoint users are technology geniuses.
- Externalizes internet problems.
- Believes that prior to retirement, Bill Gates knew when they opened an email.
- Frequent Facebook poster, uses "post to board" instead of "private message" causing everyone embarrassment.
- Comcast.net
- Probably a converted AOL user.
- Knows how to unplug a router to restore Comcast service, or has a younger person around who does this for them.
- Doesn't know IMAP from a hole in the ground.
- Thought the hacker scenes in "Swordfish" were believable.
- Leaves hundreds of application windows open and rarely restarts machine.
- Gmail.com
- Watched Tron 2010 in 3D the first month it came out.
- Owns an Android phone but has bought at least one Apple device.
- Has an opinion about password length.
- Owns, or has considered owning a Prius.
- Wears goofy shoes.
- Cuts off bicycles when driving, but hogs lane when riding bike.
- Yahoo.com
- Buys the magazines found at grocery store cash registers.
- Forwards spam email to friends.
- Computer(s) infected with multiple viruses
- Never backs anything up.
- Asks people simple questions that could easily be Googled from the phone they are holding.
- Possible creationist.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Samsung Supplies Apple With Touch Screen for New IPad - Businessweek
The sun never sets on the Apple/Samsung lawsuits, and yet still...
Samsung Supplies Apple With Touch Screen for New IPad - Businessweek
Samsung Supplies Apple With Touch Screen for New IPad - Businessweek
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Monday, January 09, 2012
Thursday, December 15, 2011
US troops scramble to hand off last-minute security 'details' to Iraqis - CSMonitor.com
I am glad the Iraq occupation is coming to an end, and it's great that so many troops will be back for Christmas. I do however find it surprising and perhaps foolish that we are leaving behind so little equipment for the Iraqi forces to maintain security. I wonder what the rationale is on that.
US troops scramble to hand off last-minute security 'details' to Iraqis - CSMonitor.com: The performance of the Iraqi soldiers has been all the more impressive, US troops here note, given that the Iraqi security force unit with responsibility for airport perimeter security has only one pickup truck and one small Humvee.
US troops scramble to hand off last-minute security 'details' to Iraqis - CSMonitor.com: The performance of the Iraqi soldiers has been all the more impressive, US troops here note, given that the Iraqi security force unit with responsibility for airport perimeter security has only one pickup truck and one small Humvee.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
GAAS - Gameplay As A Service
I just read an interesting article by Michael Hugos in CIO that has really got me thinking. If games are becoming more acceptable in the workplace, and we've got services like Amazon's Mechanical Turk, could it be possible that the two concepts converge into something like Gameplay As A Service?
In this scenario, workers would be in a game environment but would do actual work, and that work could be structured and packaged so that organizations could purchase the service in a manner similar to SaaS. Immediately science fiction examples of this come to mind, like the book "Ender's Game" and the movie "Sleep Dealer".
The thing is, all these pieces are in place, and people seem to be aching to do the work. I was recently given a demo of a virtual world that a friend built in a mining simulation game. The complexity and effort that was put into what he built was absolutely stunning. Couldn't (or perhaps even "shouldn't") that desire to create and build be put into the marketplace somehow?
In this scenario, workers would be in a game environment but would do actual work, and that work could be structured and packaged so that organizations could purchase the service in a manner similar to SaaS. Immediately science fiction examples of this come to mind, like the book "Ender's Game" and the movie "Sleep Dealer".
The thing is, all these pieces are in place, and people seem to be aching to do the work. I was recently given a demo of a virtual world that a friend built in a mining simulation game. The complexity and effort that was put into what he built was absolutely stunning. Couldn't (or perhaps even "shouldn't") that desire to create and build be put into the marketplace somehow?
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Speed costs - How fast do you want to spend?
Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work by Matthew B. CrawfordMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is fantastic. As a former carpenter, who at the risk of sounding self-congratulatory thought myself a craftsman, I found his writing to open up a deep sense of kinship. This is a man who cares deeply about his work and his society. As someone who now works extensively with technology and computers, I found his mild technophobia a little misplaced but highly likeable. I see no difference between working with physical objects and working with bits and bytes, but that's my personal feeling and no reflection on the book; Crawford's yearning for quality, self direction and improvement rings true. Readers may find deeper appreciation for their own jobs after reading this.
Some reviewers complained about the language being overly complicated or "hard", and that just makes me sad for books generally and the American education system specifically. His writing is as beautiful and well crafted as it gets, and those people should stop expecting pabulum, whip out a dictionary, and grow up.
View all my reviews
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
CDC provides Zombie Apocalypse protocols
Talk about disaster preparedness, the CDC has Zombie outbreak recommendations, just in time for Halloween...
CDC EPR Social Media Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse - Blog
CDC EPR Social Media Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse - Blog
Monday, September 19, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Google Apps has made life difficult
It has taken me hours to undo the mess created by the Google Apps account migration tools. Google plus remains hosed. I love the free site hosting from Google apps but the cost had been high!
At least I can post from the Android Blogger app again.
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