Curt Doolittle

Category: AI, Computation, and Technology

  • WANT ONE (Hat tip to Josh Brantley) General argument is that no one will build a

    http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/16/mercedes-benz-ener-g-force-concept-is-a-g-class-for-the-future/I WANT ONE

    (Hat tip to Josh Brantley)

    General argument is that no one will build anything for popular consumption with tires that large. Because it means a larger axle, larger breaks, higher center of gravity, and very expensive wheels and tires. The Jeep Forty concept has met with the same criticism from the factory: no one will build it because even as an option it will be priced out of the market. Although, given what a G-wagon costs, I don’t think that’s a good argument for a mercedes. And given that it could be released in a military version, I think it’s worth building.

    Keep hope alive.

    Source date (UTC): 2012-11-17 02:59:00 UTC

  • DESPITE ITS INFLUENCE, THE FACEBOOK USER INTERFACE DOES NOT GRACEFULLY COLLAPSE

    DESPITE ITS INFLUENCE, THE FACEBOOK USER INTERFACE DOES NOT GRACEFULLY COLLAPSE ONTO PHONES AND TABLETS – AND THE SOLUTION?

    We all know this of course. We also know that this presents a terrible problem for companies that seek to make their revenue from advertising – which decidedly doesn’t work well on phones.

    But then again, the windowed desktop UI model doesn’t work that well any longer either – even on the desktop – and it certainly doesn’t collapse to handheld devices. The web v1 and v2 UI model doesn’t collapse that well either. The newer reflexive UI model, with iPhone controls collapses fairly well – that is, until you try to do anything terribly complicated. Because it’s pretty hard to convey a lot of context, when we’re used to space consuming navigation controls providing all that context, and we don’t have space to work with.

    So it’s a lot of fun to take a few choice elements from FB’s edit-in-place document model, and incorporate them into a reflexive ‘box’ model, and then try to eliminate all the navigation that’s possible while retaining context. Then hopefully allow the graceful re-expansion of the user interface back to a rich desktop, adding just the right amount of context along with the information density.

    And in doing so, make what is essentially an enormous pile of financial software appear like it was downloaded from the Apple store on one hand, and forged in an accounting department on the other.

    When hiring the staff, I told them, “I really wish that I could tell you that we’re building something sexy like a social media music and dating site. But we’re not. We’re building a piece of business management software. And the only thing sexy about it, is that it doesn’t look like it was written in 1992, along with all the rest of financial management software.” And for some reason they still took the job. 🙂

    Somehow it all just works.

    🙂

    Source date (UTC): 2012-11-15 17:39:00 UTC

  • TAXIOMA : AMAZING TAXI APP FOR KIEV. I can’t speak russian or Ukrainian. Taxioma

    TAXIOMA : AMAZING TAXI APP FOR KIEV.

    I can’t speak russian or Ukrainian. Taxioma for the iPhone and google translate and I can get a cheap cab in minutes easily.

    Google translate has a phonetic option that will display Russian in roman characters ( like the signage for the streets here do ). the dispatcher seems to understand it. And using the application, even with my disability seems to be faster that native speakers using the phone. 😉

    I

    Source date (UTC): 2012-11-15 14:05:00 UTC

  • Caplan tipped us off on this, So I had to share. 🙂

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidelman/2012/09/20/the-state-of-social-media-at-work-in-one-quick-infographic/Mike Caplan tipped us off on this, So I had to share. 🙂

    Source date (UTC): 2012-09-21 23:04:00 UTC

  • WORD OF THE DAY: NONCE 1. Nonce, time being: the present occasion; “for the nonc

    WORD OF THE DAY: NONCE

    1. Nonce, time being: the present occasion; “for the nonce”

    2. Cryptographic nonce, a number or bit string used only once, in security engineering

    Until today, I always thought ‘nonce’ was some sort of abbreviation for “nonsense”. Because I’ve always seen it used to refer to a one-time key in software.

    You learn something new every day. 🙂

    Source date (UTC): 2012-09-21 01:02:00 UTC

  • ICED TEA SECURITY Backpack. Heavy laptop lock. Cable from laptop, through backpa

    ICED TEA SECURITY

    Backpack. Heavy laptop lock. Cable from laptop, through backpack, to immovable object.

    Ability to run to the restroom in coffee houses without having to find someone seemingly trustworthy to watch your gear: Priceless.

    ( This is serious. No, really. )

    Source date (UTC): 2012-09-19 15:07:00 UTC

  • EFFECT: DECLINE OF WINTEL DESKTOPS AND LAPTOPS AS THEY ARE REPLACED BY HANDHELDS

    http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-personal-computing-platforms-2012-9SUBSTITUTION EFFECT: DECLINE OF WINTEL DESKTOPS AND LAPTOPS AS THEY ARE REPLACED BY HANDHELDS

    This chart’s making the rounds again.

    But, why do I care about pointing out the obvious? I care because the Seattle to Redmod region is a ‘green zone’ of concentrated wealth that has an expiration date engraved on Mount Si.

    And while the transition will be painful. And you can already see it in the composition of the stores and other businesses. The reason the region will survive is that for a generation, that wealth will remain, and the large number of engineers are plastic enough to start new businesses. See what happened to Rochester and Xerox by comparison, for precisely the same reasons. And unlike Rochester, Seattle is on a coast, has a port, cheap electricity, a temperate climate and as yet, few racial and social problems.

    Source date (UTC): 2012-09-15 16:33:00 UTC

  • IS IT WRONG TO ENJOY REFACTORING? I guess it’s essentially the same activity as

    IS IT WRONG TO ENJOY REFACTORING?

    I guess it’s essentially the same activity as knitting, sudoku and crossword puzzles. But it’s relaxing.

    Sketch it in comments – it makes your work self documenting.

    write the minimum necessary to make it work.

    add error handling

    extend the feature set.

    now you have a working function, feature or application

    make it pretty

    refactor it until it’s the best it can be.

    Philosophy follows the same process:

    Draft an essay.

    Edit and expand it for clarity.

    Add defenses to all possible criticisms.

    Add refutations of prior works.

    At which point you have a book that addresses a single idea.

    Add character to engage the reader.

    Edit it for clarity, until it’s the best it can be.

    The only real difference is that running unit tests on syllogistic statements can’t be automated. 🙂

    (Yet.)

    Source date (UTC): 2012-09-14 10:47:00 UTC

  • ON WRITING CODE : I don’t have to convince code. It does what I tell it. People

    ON WRITING CODE : I don’t have to convince code. It does what I tell it. People on the other hand require convincing. And I dont feel like doing so much convincing right now. 🙂

    Source date (UTC): 2012-09-07 12:55:00 UTC

  • CODE A THON 🙂 Almost finished navigation, roles, permissions and security. Need

    CODE A THON 🙂

    Almost finished navigation, roles, permissions and security. Needs another hour or two. That’s almost 21 hours but I think I need to sleep soon.

    When I used to ski, I’d leave the hill the first time I fell down. It meant that I was tired. Coding is the same. When you start injecting bugs into your code it’s time to sleep. Writing is different. You just keep at it.

    Source date (UTC): 2012-09-01 05:47:00 UTC