Small Thoughts

Just Take That Money And Help the Homeless

2009-11-05T17:07:00.002-05:00

A $200 Herman Miller top. Beautiful, but admittedly less comfortable than his office chairs, these baubles are completely useless. Still getting a bonus? Blow it here! Or maybe now is not the time for $200 passe children's toys.

Don't Get Too Winning-y Now

2009-11-05T17:05:00.002-05:00

When the most expensive team in baseball wins it all in the most expensive stadium in the sport, that's ok. Thing is, you don't want to repeat that feat too often, lest baseball aficionados start to squeal about parity...and then where would the bronx billionaires be?

Congrats to the Golden Boy, Judas, Matsui, and Hank the Crank. Hank, you are, in fact, still an idiot.

Frankenreaders

2009-11-04T09:52:00.002-05:00

I likes me some e-readers. I think most of the readers here know that. Kindle wasn't bad. iRex is still too expensive. Sony is too expensive relative to Kindle. And now we have the nook and the Alex, which combine a large e-ink screen with a smaller color capacitive touch screen. The nooks just lists the books you can get on the machine (at least from what I've seen.) That's just a waste.

Alex, reviewed in depth here, builds on the concept. While it does not have the 3G anywhere connectivity of Nook and Kindle, Alex has a larger color touchscreen running Android. The plus - greater functionality and an on screen keyboard. The minus - once the color screen is large enough, it starts to dominate the experience. Are you reading documents or watching movies and checking the internet? Do one and you waste the other interface on the device. I predict the device evolves quickly or dies.

Enter PlasticLogic's "Q", which is the first "business reader" and will be sold next to the Nook at BN. I hope to see a device sub $600 with a zippy touchscreen that permits document markup. Yes, I plan to be a bit disappointed.

Back! Been really busy

2009-11-04T09:51:00.000-05:00

The problem with jury duty is that it takes all day, which doesn't leave you a lot of time to do everything else that takes all day. Now I have had two weeks of lost time, so I am just getting back into the blogging.

Enjoy!

How Drunk, Exactly?

2009-10-23T11:42:00.001-04:00

That is impressively drunk. In other news...look how LONG it takes the poor shlub.

10/GUI

2009-10-15T16:02:00.001-04:00

I can't even describe this, except to say that it is disruptive and I want it.

10/GUI from C. Miller on Vimeo.

How about some kewl video.

2009-10-13T10:49:00.001-04:00

Here's an incredible video about them dino-puppets I mentioned a while back. What a beautiful implementation of that technology:

And, why, pray tell, are you just getting video link instead of a serious, well-thought-out blog post? Because I am not feeling well, that's why. Apropos that:

Pariticpation Award

2009-10-09T08:27:00.002-04:00

Obama received the Nobel peace prize this morning in a move that surprised even him. WHPS Gibbs had to wake him up just before 6 a.m. this morning to pass along the message. I woke up on my own this morning around 6 a.m., where's my Nobel?

I support the President, but I think my reaction was along the lines of what Gibbs had to be thinking: "Oh god. How are we going to live up to this one?" If W was master of anything it was keeping expectations low. Obama's chief fault may be the flip-side, and the Nobel, coming so early in his presidency and predicated presumably on his diplomatic world tour, doesn't help in that department.

Put bluntly, one could not be blamed for thinking that Obama didn't do much to earn this prize. The panel must have known that when they voted, which I think means two things. First, there was no other stand-out candidate. Indeed, thinking back over the year, I can't think of someone who fits the bill. Of course, that doesn't mean that the panel was without options. There are many, many unknown crusaders for justice and peace out there to choose from. Instead, it appears that the popularity-contest-cum-Nobel trend continues. Gore won it and some people pursed their lips. This year, the physics prize was explicitly aimed at those who had created technologies we use every day - Charles Kao, Willard Boyle and George Smith, creators of fiber optics and the CCD. If that is the prism through which one views the Nobel, Obama is a good choice.

Second, and perhaps more important, is the fact that there is no anti-Nobel prize. That is, even if Obama didn't do much yet, what he has done is a diplomatic 180 from the Bush administration. I don't know exactly how large that looms on the world stage, but I saw the shots of the Berlin rally and the for once favorable European press reviews of the current travels. The distinction is not in standing above the rest, but in so quickly returning from the void to stand with the rest that makes Obama special. If this was the reason for the prize, however, it is hardly about Obama at all. Instead, it is an abject lesson in just how bad W was as a leader, how painfully obvious that was to everyone else (like that girlfriend of yours they won't talk about), and how much damage that did to U.S. power and standing on the global stage.

Getting NASCAR 'Round

2009-10-08T09:30:00.002-04:00

This is a NASCAR "Hauler Parade" from Vegas 2008. It is simply a lineup of all the team trucks as they motor from wherever to Vegas IMS (International Motor Speedway). Impressive huh? Each truck holds 2 cars in the back, a mobile garage + awning for unloading into the garage at the track + a communications/telemetry system in the front. The crew, driver, and team administration travel separately - many times also in RVs/buses.

Velveeta Chocolate Caramel Fudge

2009-10-08T08:42:00.004-04:00

I don't know what is more disturbing, the notion of taking a processed cheese product and combining it with 2 chocolates and a caramel, or watching a dixie mama drip white goo all over a lesbian's face. You're gonna watch now, aren'tcha?

I can't embed it, so you have to see it here: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2007/12/its_dinner_and_dessert_all_in.php?page=7

Auto Photoshopping.

2009-10-06T15:19:00.003-04:00

PhotoSketch: Internet Image Montage from tao chen on Vimeo.

Feel like photoshopping yourself and Michelle Obama in the gym working those arms, but don't feel like, um, doing anything? For that matter, feel like having something else do stuff for you - like even the fun stuff? Then this technology is for you.

Seriously, though, damn.

Histeria

2009-10-05T08:56:00.001-04:00

For you Animaniacs fans, perhaps you missed its related series, "Histeria!" Imagine Animaniacs but all about history. To wit:

Separated at Birth?

2009-10-02T09:41:00.003-04:00

The top is Lisa Edelstein, Dr. Cuddy from House. The bottom? Nadia Comaneci - fmr. Soviet olympian and apparently now a Chi town booster. Thanks SI.com.

Mmmm, Time Lapse Pop Art

2009-10-01T09:04:00.001-04:00

Robert Burden likes doing pop art. Better than that, he likes filming the process. I present to you the battlecat from HeMan...

Seeing how much work actually went into the piece in time lapse might actually raise its value. IMHO.

U2's 4 Legged Monster

2009-09-24T08:51:00.001-04:00

U2 is on their 360 degree tour right now, playing under a mega-chuppah in the center of packed stadia. Being that this is the middle of football season, the stage has to be in, up, played under for several shows, down, and out in about a week. Not bad for something 150 wide, long, and (nearly as) tall. That, however, doesn't begin to explain how cool this giant 4-clawed structure looks from every angle. Arced legs, a column of lights, waves of speakers, and a 360 degree jumbotron above the stage that breaks into shards and expands down to nearly touch the band.

Want to see how it was built? Check out the designer's site here.

Palin Comparison To Someone of Substance

2009-09-23T11:27:00.002-04:00

Sarah Palin spoke to a group of investors - hedge funders and the like - in Asia yesterday. The meeting was closed to the media and the fee was rumored to be in the low six figures. She claimed to tell them what "Main Street USA" believes about the big issues of the day. Given everything we've seen from this woman for the past 2 years, what prompted these investors to think (a) that she had any expertise, (b) that her expertise could be related in a cogent manner, or (c) that the result would be worth six figures, no matter how "low"?

Cynical response 1: This is part of Palin's gearing-up for the next election. There, too, she will seek national attention not necessarily for the presidency, but for the name recognition it will bring. She will claim to be a woman of the people. Of course, the endeavor will be largely financed by 6 figure speaker fees and their attendees.

Cynical response 2: Low six figures isn't much for hedge fund managers, and getting a speaker with this much tabloid appeal is hard without drawing embarrassing amounts of attention. The Donald is, well, too smart. Paris Hilton, too flashy. So we're left with a D lister who's been quiet but can still pack a house.

Net Neutrality

2009-09-22T09:05:00.002-04:00

Let's start a post on net neutrality a little differently: What kind of shameless econo-political whore do you have to claim with a straight face that net neutrality is a government attempt to limit internet freedom through regulation? I guess you could be a Republican, a conservative pundit, or Fox News, all of whom railed against government intrusion into the internet.

Either these people don't know a thing about net neutrality, or they don't know a thing about free markets. I am guessing it is a little both. Net neutrality is regulation of big business to ensure the free flow of information -- at its core it prohibits a telecommunications company from preferring one type of content over another. The network must be neutral to the bits flowing across its lines. Comcast could make a lot of money making sure that YouTube videos got preferred bandwidth while startup video providers were stuck in with rest of the data.

Lest you think that big companies dealing for bandwidth is a pie-in-the-sky proposition, none other than Google has tried to pen such deals - using ISP servers to cache its searches and proposing the construction of Google server farms next to ISPs with dedicated lines. There is a business logic to this: there are a lot of Google users and this would help them access Google faster. Thing is, it also gives a big player in the market an unfair advantage in the medium of communication.

This is not unlike the vertical monopoly Rockefeller created with Standard Oil. By owning every stage of production, from the oil derrick to the railroad, JDR both lowered his own cost and, more importantly, prevented others from using the same means to produce competing goods. That type of monopoly has since been heavily regulated.

The truth in a free market is that not everything is free. Rather, a free market functions most effectively when information flows freely. Any attempt to limit or alter the flow of information -- insider trading, collusion, etc. -- creates an inefficient market and represents an attempt to stifle competition. That reality gets interesting when one talks about telecoms. The lines are all run and maintained by private entities - in particular those providing the fiber that carries data signals. While we want enough competition to spur innovation in that area, we don't want these companies crossing the outer lining of their own wires and meddling with the substance of the data itself. The only thing that can come of that is to prefer one type of content over another.

Rather, these companies should put effort into making the whole system run faster for everyone. But won't that just reduce the cost of the service? Yes, and we'll use more. But what motivation will telecoms have to lay more cable if service is cheaper? Well, the federal government pitches in for that. Wait, there's federal money underlying all of this? Yes - now don't you feel a little better about ensuring that we all get equal access to the cable we helped fund?

FTW

2009-09-21T11:05:00.003-04:00

Kanye may have been maligned, but mah boy has his own meme. Eat that Taylor Swift.

Things You Already Knew Because You're Smarter Than Me

2009-09-16T15:17:00.001-04:00

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

Turns out that the sentence is grammatically correct. It means "THE buffalo FROM Buffalo WHO ARE buffaloed BY buffalo FROM Buffalo ALSO buffalo THE buffalo FROM Buffalo."

It is classic, but worth repeating.

NYC Considering A Smoking Ban in Public Parks

2009-09-16T08:57:00.003-04:00

NYC is a small city, which means that Central Park is crowded - very crowded. Sheep's meadow at the base of the green rectangle looks more like Waikiki beach on summer weekends than it does its pastoral namesake.

In that context, I understand the proposed ban on smoking. Having someone light up 3 feet away there is not much different from having someone light up at the next table in a restaurant. It'd ruin the whole experience for me.

That said, Sheep's meadow is one place at one time. There are a few more select spots with this type of outdoor population density: Screen on the Green...the north (and now south) sections of the Great Lawn on Shabbat afternoon. In any other context, a smoking ban seems, well, needlessly paternalistic. Times Square is more crowded on a regular basis. Shouldn't we ban smoking there first? Same goes for most NY city streets at commuting hours and at lunch. Same deal? If the reasoning can't be applied consistently in city ordinances, I say drop it. Heck,the expense of putting up no smoking signs in all the parks is enough to sully the notion in my mind.

And Now for Something Completely Different

2009-09-16T00:20:00.002-04:00

Thanks to D. Holmes for this jem. The translation:

I’m driving Skoda 100 to camp here on Orava.
That’s why I’m hurrying, taking a risk - going through Morava.
The monster lives there comes out of the bog.
Who eats mainly Prague citizens, his name is Jožin.

Chorus:
Jožin from the bog creeps through swamp,
Jožin from the bog closes in on the village.
Jožin from the bog edges it’s teeth,
Jožin from the bog bites, strangles.

To defend against Jožin from the bog, who could imagine-
Only works an aircraft to crop-dusting.
I crossed through the village of Vizovice
The village mayor greeted me, and said to me over some slivovitz
The one who brings Jožin in dead or alive
I’m going to give him my daughter as a wife as well as half of a collective farm

Chorus

I said: give me a aircraft and powder, mayor,
I’ll bring you Jožin, I see no trouble about that
The mayor helped me, in the morning I went up in the sky
The powder from the aircraft prettily fell on Jožin.

Jožin from the bog is already all white
Jožin from the bog is escaping from swamp
Jožin from the bog hit the stone
Jožin from the bog it is the end of him
I caught him, I’m keeping him
Money is money, I’ll sell him to Zoo

Somehow, the translation manages to enrich the whole experience and yet add nothing at all.

Ex Libris

2009-09-16T00:14:00.002-04:00

Stifle your murmurs of, "You keep using that [phrase]. I do not think it means what you think it means." Philadelphia's Public Libraries - every one - will be closing Oct. 2 due to budget shortfalls. I haven't been to a public library in nearly a year. I'd venture to guess that most of my yuppie friends (those without kiddies) have gone much longer without setting foot in one. That said, I fully recognize their important place in making knowledge open and free to everyone.

This kind of post usually devolves into a heady diatribe about the need for an informed electorate, and that's true. But besides that, a library is a cultural node. It is a community center - often the site of many organizations and activities. It promotes the arts to those often unlikely to encounter them. Today, it provides those who cannot afford it at home access to the internet. Turning that off is literally shutting them off from the mainstay of the new economy in which we expect them to compete.

It is, in short, a very, very bad idea.

It's Not What Wilson Said, It's How He Said It

2009-09-14T09:08:00.002-04:00

Rep. Joe Wilson shouted "You Lie," at the President during his health care address to a joint session of Congress last week. Perhaps you heard of it.

He called to apologize to the President that night and got Rahm Emanuel instead. Oh, what I would have given to be a fly on the wall for that call.

In true House fashion though, that's not enough. The House has threatened to sanction Wilson for a breach of decorum. Actually, a fair point. Thing is, if there isn't bipartisan support for the move, I think it would serve little value. Based on what happened in the chamber at the time of the outburst, there should be support across the board. On C-Span, the faces of Republicans showed the same shock and dismay as those of Democrats.

Yet, now, a week later, the conversation is shifting. Republican King has circulated a letter to other representatives noting, among other things, that Obama called "prominent politicians" liars in his speech with regard to the charge of death panels. With all due respect to Rep. King - and I owe him some respect for this deft machination - that's not what the Wilson sanction is about. Calling the President a liar in front of Congress is bad, but the breach of decorum comes in the exclamation itself, not the content. That is, the House would sanction him for yelling at the dais. It is that action which is unacceptable. You want to call the President a liar on your own time? Call a press conference.

Can we coin a phrase? An unwelcome outburst shall henceforth be known as "Shouting liar in a crowded chamber."

Global Warming of One Kind or Another

2009-09-11T09:41:00.002-04:00

The arctic ice near Alaska has receded so far that shippers are now starting to send cargo through the Northeast passage, something previously impossible even in the height of summer. The shippers, a German company called "Beluga", had to traverse not just detached flows (e.g. icebergs), but also the Russian permitting authority, which has never before had to issue permits for such a crossing. The Russians, seeing the opportunity to supplant the Suez canal for certain routes are making noises about reducing cost and permit paperwork. Sure, the route is eco-friendly in that it cuts 3,000 miles out of the trip from Rotterdam to Yokahama, but that seems to miss the real ecological point, doesn't it?

And on to a more direct form of global warming. One patch of sand in Utah got particularly warm at the hands of NASA's new Ares 5 first stage booster. It doesn't look like much, until you realize that the rocket is the size of a warehouse - larger than the current shuttle boosters - and packs 22 million horsepower. Hi ho NASA away!

@TWITTERHEADS Could Twitter Die?

2009-09-09T08:35:00.003-04:00

I have made clear that I don't tweet. Given that I full-blown blog, I don't see the need to micro-blog. In Twitter, that last sentence would have been the last sentence. Makes it hard to make a point.

Twitter has two problems, perhaps three that make me think it might be the technological equivalent of pogs. First, the service has no natural revenue model. Where can you put in an ad in 140 characters? I suppose you can add them to feed pages, but tweets are already freely syndicated. Reining that back in would be really hard. It is reported that Twitter has a revenue model in place. Interestingly, the company is tossing around whether to get bought first based on others' pie in the sky assumptions about the service or turn on the revenue stream and risk having to be judged on actual performance. The waves that revenue will likely send through the Twitter stream are inevitably going to (a) turn off some and (b) cause enough turmoil to make potential suitors wring their hands.

Second, Twitter is the "League of Extraordinary Gentleman" of technologies. The superhero flick starred Sean Connery who, when asked why signed on to the colossal bomb, said that superhero films were really in and he wanted to get in on it. The movie picked superheros nobody cared about, was made by people who didn't understand the comic/superhero culture that attracted young audiences, and thus failed with the only demographic that mattered.

Blogging and social networking technologies have generally been bottom-up endeavors. MySpace and FaceBook had a young, committed base of early adopters and then grew into corporate behemoths. Blogs ran the same route in the publishing space. Twitter bypassed that as media outlets like CNN and ESPN, desperate not to miss the next big thing, dove headlong into Twitter. The result is that Twitter's user base is predominantly 34+. More importantly, I think it is made up of people who feel they need to Tweet to keep up, not because they like it. Consequently, if popular opinion turns against tweets, I would expect usage to crash.

Third, Twitter is a technology that doesn't work as intended. The platform was created to broadcast tweets from one phone to many. Now the whole thing is online, where the space and text-only constraints of SMS make little sense. Even those using twitter on mobile devices are using it in apps or browsers, not in SMS. Why are we shoe-horning the SMS experience on the web, or vice versa.

I have been looking around for that thing in the first decade of 2000 that we'll look back on in 10 years and think, "What were we thinking?" More and more I think Twitter is that thing.