Oh, So Vine (reprinted from the Metro Spirit, 5- 23-13)

 Recently, Twitter released its latest creation.  It’s a social video app called Vine.  The best way to think about it is Instagram for Video.  The app allows users to create and post 6-second videos.  Right now, it’s only available on the iPhone, but since now I’m a happy iPhone user, that wasn’t a problem. 

Just like Twitter’s 140-character limit restricts the literary value of posts, you will find the production quality of the video likewise limited.  But what Vine lacks in production quality, it makes up for in simplicity and ease of use.  To create a post, hit the camera button.  Touch the screen, and Vine begins to record.  Release the screen, and Vine stops.  With a little creativity and patience, changing scenes or creating stop motion action is very straightforward.

Parental Warning: When Vine was first released, the porn industry decided that this would be a great platform for sharing.  Since then, the security is revamped.  Even so, this site is neither kid nor grandparent friendly.   It’s not so much the porn anymore, but just the random profanity from the teenagers.  If you can wade through all that, it’ll be a wonderful new social media outlet for you.

Save the Jellyfish – One of the greatest challenges in operating a modern data center is cooling.  Computers and other electronic devices generate a great deal of heat.  Anyone that has used a substandard laptop knows that too much heat will cause a computer to fail badly.  This problem is multiplied many times in the data center.  Air conditioning is one of the more significant operational costs and one of the areas of innovation.  In a report from geek.com, European data center company Interexion has implemented a novel method using seawater from the nearby Baltic Sea to cool its data center in Stockholm.  The system is very efficient; it reportedly paid for itself within a year.

There is one small problem however.  Last year, Interexion was forced by the government to shut down the cooling system due to environmental issues.  The details weren’t made clear.  When asked about the incident at a recent data center conference, Interexion’s Chief Engineering Officer Lex Coors provided the brief response, “I think it’s to protect the jellyfish.”

In a related story, the inventor of the first water-cooled Raspberry PI, James Couzens, recently announced that he is working on a jellyfish attachment for the Wet Pi.  If the rumors are true, the upgraded mod will include an RSS link to the EPA Invertebrate Protection Alert system. 

Lego’s Can Do Anything – Finally, a note from the Lego’s-Can-Do-Anything file.  Have you ever needed a over-engineered and overly complex method for moving around a bunch of miniature basketballs.  Check out this video of Philip Verbeek’s GBC-6 at http://pv-productions.com/lego-gbc-6-published

Until next time, I’m off the grid.  @gregory_a_baker

An Obvious Solution (reprinted from the Metro Spirit 5-16-13)

A couple of weeks ago my phone died.  It wasn’t the pixelated-screen or scratchy-sound kind of dead.  It was the ain’t-no-way-I’m-working-ever-again kind of dead.  To their credit, Verizon was wonderful.  I told them (as I told all of you a while back) that I was waiting on the Samsung Galaxy S4, and they did everything they could to get me through the next couple of months.  They tested my old phone.  They sent me a new Droid X.  They told me how to get a new battery.  But after walking out of Verizon for the third time, the solution finally hit me.  So I turned around and walked back in. 

“This is too difficult.  Can I just get an iPhone?”

“Siri, Don’t Talk To Strangers” – The only real glitch with my iPhone turns out to be a default configuration setting.  The issue begins with my wife’s iPhone.  Her iPhone has become community property.  As a matter of fact, my daughters carry the phone around more than my wife.  In order for my iPhone to avoid this fate, I enabled the screen lock.  As an aside…the look on my daughter’s face when she saw the screen lock for the first time…what a precious moment!

Turns out that Siri is still enabled even though the screen is locked.  To test this, lock your screen and then hold down the button.  If Siri answers, ask her the simple question, “Who am I?”  You now see what information is available should your phone get lost or stolen.  Yes, you should be scared.

It’s a simple fix.  Go to Settings, then General, then Passcode Lock.  Change the setting for Allow Access When Locked: Siri to OFF.

Now as long as your children don’t discover you’ve secretly installed Subway Surfer, you should be good.

The Truth About Boob Plates – Never mind Benghazi.  Forget about the IRS targeting the Tea Party.  This past week saw a revelation that set the Fantasy world abuzz and brought disillusionment to millions of adolescent boys (and their fathers).

Yes, of course, I’m talking about the revelation that boob plate armor can be deadly.

No matter how unenlightened you might be, I’m sure you’ve all seen those fantasy drawings of the medieval female warrior dressed in feminine armor with highly exaggerated parts.  (I’m not referring to the metallic lingerie girls a la Princess Leia, but the fully-armored Joan of Arc types.)  In a riveting expose, Tor.Com describes how the features of feminine armor create a death trap for the wearer.

It all starts with the fundamental purpose of armor: protection.  Manly armor is shaped to deflect blows away from the body.  The cone-like protrusions found on boob plate armor not only fail to deflect attacks to the torso, but the armor actually channels the blows toward the center where they can cause the most damage.  In addition, dimpled breast plate creates a pressure point on the sternum that could serve to fracture or crush the chest given a strong enough blow.

So all you ladies, while you’ve grown up being taught that no self-respecting warrior would be caught dead at ComicCon without their boob plates and stilettos, just remember that it’s all for looks.  When not used properly, those things can kill.

Until next time, I’m off the grid.  @gregory_a_baker

Internet Sales Tax (reprinted from the Metro Spirit 5-9-13)

Internet Sales Tax – When I was growing up, I always dreamed about how I could help change the world.  I suspect that’s not uncommon.  We all want to make a difference.  The politically correct thing was to go find myself while taking care of the poor in some far off country.  My brain works differently, however, and I always felt my calling (and I still do) was to use engineering and technology to give people more tools to improve their own lives.

As I’ve gotten older, I began to see that most people have good ideas on how to make the world a better place.  A significant number of people actively give time and money in some way to help others.  And most of the time, this service is done with love and humility.  After all, it’s not about rewards.  It’s about making the world a better place, one person at the time.

Then you look at those in elected office, the pinnacle of public service.  It’s like a switch goes off.  All of the sudden, the grass roots charity and serving out of love isn’t good enough.  A government bureaucracy must exist.  I wouldn’t mind so much except that you and I are stuck paying the bill.

So that brings us to Senate Bill S.743, commonly referred to as the Marketplace Fairness Act.  This bill forces out-of-state retailers to collect state sales tax on all Internet purchases.  The argument in support of the bill is that companies that have to collect sales tax are at a competitive disadvantage.  Forcing everyone to pay sales tax will make everything fair.

First of all, the premise is misleading.  Generally speaking, only smaller businesses can benefit as an out-of-state retailer and not collect sales tax.  If the business has a significant presence in the state, like most national online retailers, they are obligated to collect sales tax, even if the online division is located somewhere else. What is rarely mentioned is that large retailers enjoy a volume discount that more than compensates for any sales tax collection.  Even with the sales tax collection, the volume discounts allow the large retailers to drive the market price.

Secondly, only the large retailers have the resources to implement the tax collection.  As it stands now, small businesses and individual sellers would be responsible for integrating as many as 46 state government-supplied software packages into their Web ordering systems.  They will have to figure out how to comply with rules specified by American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and nearly 600 recognized Indian tribes.  They will be subject to audits by one or all of these taxing entities.  And they will be responsible for filing all taxes monthly.

Is it any wonder that national online retails such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot and Macy’s support this bill?

Earlier this week, the Senate passed this attack on small business.  How did our representatives vote?

• ·      Saxby Chambliss of Georgia voted to cripple small business.

• ·      John Hardy Isakson of Georgia voted to cripple small business.

• ·      Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voted to cripple small    business.

Only Tim Scott of South Carolina stood with small business, innovation, love and charity.

The bill is now going to the House of Representatives.  If you think it makes sense to give big companies more power and raise the price for everyone, stay quiet.  Everyone else, write your congressman.

Until next time, I’m off the grid.  @gregory_a_baker

Sales Tax Cometh (reprinted from the Metro Spirit 5-2-13)

If you look at American history, I’m sure you could point to a time period and say that was the golden age of innovation and small business.

Whatever that time period is, this ain’t it.

Most of the reason this time period is so bad for small business can be summed up by the antithesis of innovation: regulation.  To be honest, when I read anything that discusses regulation, my eyes roll into the back of my head.  But the increase in regulation is a real problem.  According to the Cato Institute, over the last three years, the number of economically significant regulations have risen by 75 percent.  Additional rules favor big companies – they have the resources to deal with them – and shut out small business.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, last week Congress got serious about passing an Internet Sales Tax.  From the consumer side – yes, you have to pay a sales taxon  items purchased over the Internet.  That’s ugly enough, but take a look at the additional work that online retailers must do.  An Internet Sales Tax would require online retailers to track the tax rates and special provisions in each of the roughly 10,000 counties.  Then at the beginning of every month, each retailer would need to file a sales tax return in as many as 46 different states.  And then there’s the audits.

Now if you have a cracker jack team of accountants like Amazon, you’re probably in good shape.  Otherwise…well, good luck!

Votes on an Internet Sales Tax will be occurring the week of May 6.  The measure has very strong support, so it looks like done deal.  If you don’t want it, you better start yelling now.

Glow in the Dark Sheep – If I were in college today, I would probably major in genetic engineering.  Yes, this field probably presents the greatest amount of potential to change lives.  But that’s not the reason I would want to study genetics.

I would like to discover the next trend in body art that would ultimately replace the tattoo.

Take for instance the fluorescent sheep created by a team of researchers at the Animal Reproduction Institute of Uruguay.  The team genetically modified the sheep to express a peptide known as green fluorescent protein (GFP).  GFP is a protein originally isolated from jellyfish that glows with exposed to ultraviolet light.  It’s become commonplace in genetic research helping to identify expressed molecules.  This proof of concept experiment demonstrates that you can create glow-in-the-dark sheep that are normal in every other way.

Now tell me that you haven’t met anyone that would be willing to pay money so that they can glow in the dark?  Mark my word…the person that learns how to isolate the fluorescents to certain body parts will make billions.

k-bigpic.jpg (link to image)

Photo courtesy Funcación IRAUy/J. Calvelo

Old School – My daughters came home last Friday with the wonderful news that there were only four weeks left of school.  Their smiles made me think back to my elementary school days and the anticipation that came as the school year neared its end.

“So, girls, when we were in school, we used to put the number of days left in the corner of the chalkboard.  Do you still do that?”

The look of amazement in their eyes made me wonder if I had stumbled upon some closely held school secret.  Unfortunately for me, the source of their amazement was a love of history.

“Daddy, did you really have chalkboards when you were in school?”

Until next time, I’m off the grid.  @gregory_a_baker

CISPA is Back (reprinted from the Metro Spirit 4-25-13)

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, is back for another run through Congress.  To review, this proposed law would facilitate the sharing of cyber information between private organizations and the government.  While the intent is noble – sharing security information in order to help protect against future cyber threats – the implementation provides virtually no protections for personal information contained in the data.  Nor does it prevent the use of that data for other purposes after it’s been released to the government.  While the bill does not mandate the sharing of information and data sharing is purely voluntary, history has shown that most organizations will comply with government requests rather than face other strong arm tactics.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed this measure in a bipartisan vote of 288-177.  

A piece of good news for us in the CSRA.  Last year when the House voted on this bill, all of our local representatives voted to pass CISPA.  Not so this time around.

Paul Broun is now fighting for your right to privacy!

Jeff Duncan is now fighting for your right to privacy!

Unfortunately, our other representatives are still voting with the NeoCons in the House.

John Barrow voted against your privacy!

Joe Wilson voted against your privacy!

The bill now heads to the Senate for debate.  Stand by for more.

Aliens Are Back! – Yes, the story was predictable.  Yes, the characters were ripped off and re-done.  Yes, the CG looked great in some scenes and looked like 16-bit graphics in others.  But all that really doesn’t matter.  What’s important is that aliens are back on SyFy!

Of course I’m talking about Defiance, the newly released series on the SyFy network.  The setup goes like this:  In the year 2013, a group of aliens called the Votans, escaping from their doomed planet, arrive at Earth.  The Votans believed the Earth was uninhabited and planned to terraform and colonize the planet.  Of course, that doesn’t work out, and eventually the Votans and humans go to war.  During the course of the war, the majority of the Votan fleet is either destroyed in orbit or crashes to the Earth, releasing massive amounts of terraforming technology.  The uncontrolled terraforming transforms the Earth into something totally unrecognizable and provides for numerous CGI opportunities.

Fast forward to the year 2046.  The wars have ended, and governments have fallen.  Humans and Votans alike are simply trying to survive on the new Earth.  Adding a twist to storyline is the fact that the Votans are actually comprised of seven different races of aliens, each with a different set of morals and ambitions.  The series is set in the town of Defiance, which is located on the ruins of St. Louis.  You’ve got all the major character types – the roughneck drifter that becomes sheriff, the supermodel who becomes mayor, the benevolent prostitute, captains of corporate greed, the angst ridden teenager, and what the heck, let’s throw in Lady MacBeth and Romeo and Juliet for good measure.

After two episodes, I’m cautiously optimistic.  It’s still rough in some places, but any series with this much complexity is going to take some time to find itself.   The overall premise is solid, and the characters seem to be sufficiently entertaining.  Overall, it’s been good enough to keep me engaged for one more week.  And that’s sufficient for now.

You Tube of the Week – Star Wars Episode IV in 60 seconds.  http://www.youtube.com/user/1a4studio

Until next time, I’m off the grid.  @gregory_a_baker

Fighting Terror with Tech (reprinted from the Metro Spirit, 4-18-13)

The big news of the week is the terrorist attack in Boston.  Our thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives were lost or otherwise forever changed.  And our emotions burn at those who dare bring violence into our lives.  This time is was on Patriots Day in Boston.  Next time, it could be Sunday in Augusta.

Fortunately, social media always helps us come together in times of crisis, and Monday was no exception.  Within seconds, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites quickly spread news of the blast, and within minutes photos and videos were posted.  A local event immediately became international, with an outpouring of support from those across the world.

In the aftermath, race organizers used online services to communicate with stranded racers and helped them get reunited with their families.  Google relaunched its Person Finder, first used during the Haitian earthquake, to help loved-ones find each other.  And in the days to come, no doubt that the cell phone video from all the citizen journalists will help track down the bastards that did this.

It’s sad to think that this is the world in which my daughters have to grow up.  But it’s of some comfort to see how social media seems keeps us connected and, hopefully, helps us stay vigilant in protecting ourselves.

The Time Is Near – A couple of different rumors in the smart watch department.  First, the CNET is jumping on comments made by Apple board member Bill Campbell at an internal Intuit event this week.  Campbell referred to application of technology to “really intimate things,” specifically items like glasses and watches.  Second, Microsoft reportedly requested Asian suppliers to ship components for a touch-enabled watch device.  Too soon to say how committed Microsoft is, but it seems they are interested.

Of course, we are all still trying to figure out why someone might need a smart watch.  For the time being, having the latest tech status gadget seems to be enough.

Are You Sure About That? – We’ve all been there on Facebook, having spent the last 15 minutes creating a great post.  Just before hitting the Post button, you have a second thought.  Next thing you know, it’s a ctrl-a followed by delete.  It’s called self censorship, and according to Sauvik Dak and Adam Kramer, about 71 percent of Facebook users do it.  Dak and Kramer recently published a paper titled…ready for this…”Self-Censorship on Facebook”.  The eight-page treatise is riveting, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll boil it down for you (with some added literary license)…

• If you don’t know your audience, you’ll censor yourself out of fear of making a fool of yourself.
• If you are talking to a specific audience, you’ll censor yourself out of fear of not being relevant.
• If you are part of a social group with strict social norms, you’ll censor yourself to conform.
• If you write a column for the Metro Spirit, you’ll never censor yourself because you have no problem with being foolish, pointless and deviant.  And, also, you’d really hate to see a good whine go to waste! 

Until next week, I’m off the grid.  @gregory_a_baker

Judgment Day? (reprinted from the Metro Spirit 3/28/13)

 Every once in a while, you come upon a headline that makes you scratch your head.  No, I’m not talking about the Wired.com article this week, “Want to Make an Alligator Angrier Than Normal” (uh…why?) or the Cnet article “Your next phone’s screen will be incredibly strong.”  (Really? Like, duh.)  The headline that really made me wonder if we are traveling aboard some unstoppable force toward an immovable fate was another Wired story, “Darpa Sets Out to Make Computers That Can Teach Themselves.”

First of all, did these guys NOT see Terminator?!?  Remember, the whole SkyNet artificial intelligence thing becoming self-aware and trying to wipe out mankind?  You know, John Connor?  Arnold?  “I’ll be back?”

 Apparently none of those things ring a bell.  Instead, DARPA kicked-off a 46-month development effort called Probabilistic Programming for Advanced Machine Learning, or PPAML.  According to Wired, Program Director Kathleen stated that the goal of the program, “is that future machine learning projects won’t require people to know everything about both the domain of interest and machine learning to build useful machine learning applications.”  DARPA wants to make it easier for non-experts to build machine-learning applications.

Now, I get the jist of the principle.  While in college, I developed some very crude genetic alogrithms, which I suspect are related to instantiations of PPAML components, to solve some relatively simple orbit trajectory problems.  While extremely computationally intensive, the genetic algorithms were effective in optimizing solutions without the need for multi-dimension calculus, least squares linearization or even knowledge of orbital mechanics theory.  These algorithms can get you to the “what” without knowledge of the “how”, or even more importantly, the “why.”

From one point of view, these algorithms let us explore the art of the possible.  Instead of just dreaming the future, machine-learning can quantitatively show us what can be real.  The process of discovery can be better managed as computers help navigate between true discovers and dead-ends.  These are powerful tools that can move us forward a great deal.

On the other hand, a path to knowledge without full understanding creates long-term problems.  Subject matter experts are important in every field in order to guide organizations along the healthiest path.   No matter the program, the age-old “garbage in, garbage out” principal applies.  Somebody needs to ensure garbage doesn’t go into the machine.  

Unless, of course, the machine itself gets to a point where it starts making garbage-in, garbage-out decisions for itself.  In that case, we’ll have to change the name of PPAML, to “Please Pray, All May Be Lost.”

An Augusta First – BTW, I heard my first college joke about GRU this week:

A UGA student, a Georgia Tech student, and a Georgia Regents student all go into the men’s room (yes, they’re all guys…roll with it). 

The Bulldog does his business, then washes his hands, then completely dries his hands with a truly profligate amount of paper towels.

“Georgia Bulldogs are trained to be thorough,” he explains.

The Rambling Wreck does his business, then washes his hands. But he uses a minimal amount of paper towel, while making sure his hands are as completely dry as the Bulldog’s. 

“Yellow Jackets are trained to be thorough and efficient!” he explains.

The GRU student does his business, and walks out without washing his hands!

Flabbergasted, the UGA and GT students demand an explanation.

“Jaguars don’t pee on their hands.” 

Until next time, I’m off the grid.  @gregory_a_baker