The Traffic Light

Smily Cancer

2012-01-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

In 2008 I admired the Smily Faces created with DNA from the TED Talk Paul Rothemund: Casting spells with DNA.

Today I found another Smily Face picture formed by the nucleus of a cancer cell:

From the Discover Magazine Bad Atronomy blog:

Australian researchers at the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research were investigating how the protein beta-catenin invades a cell’s nucleus and causes it to become cancerous, when they spotted the protein apparently mocking them.

Cool.

A History of the Sky

2011-12-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

This is a unique, interesting time lapse video.

This is a year-long time-lapse study of the sky. A camera installed on the roof of the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco captured an image of the sky every 10 seconds. From these images, I created a mosaic of time-lapse movies, each showing a single day. The days are arranged in chronological order. My intent was to reveal the patterns of light and weather over the course of a year.

A History of the Sky by Ken Murphy

Cat mom hugs baby kitten

2011-06-05T14:58:00.001-07:00

For Michelle...

and this...

FIFTY PEOPLE ONE QUESTION

2011-05-31T01:02:00.000-07:00

FIFTY PEOPLE ONE QUESTION - GALWAY, IRELAND 2011 by Kamil Krolak

How does this make you feel?

Geography Quiz

2011-03-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Did you know "the Middle East"' stretches as far west as the Western Sahara in Africa? What is the smallest Middle Eastern country? Test your knowledge on a new drag-and-drop game by clicking this link or the map graphic.

Thanks Jessica!

A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning.

2011-03-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Forecast is SNOW in San Jose

2011-02-25T08:38:00.000-08:00

The forecast is for SNOW in San Jose and much of California tonight and tomorrow! The last time there was snow on the ground at sea level was February 5, 1976.

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=95120

update: although there was plenty of snow in the mountains around us, no snow fell on our house. :(

Real Life Esher Waterfall

2011-02-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

A Real Life Esher Waterfall...wow...

Portrait of Watson

2011-02-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

Here is my portrait of Watson, the IBM computer that competed on Jeopardy!

Gina jokingly asked me "Can I throw this out?" and I replied "No, that is my portrait of Watson! Can you see how happy he is?". :)

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

2011-02-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the full length version of the "Mini Darth Vader" commercial.

The super bowl version was only 30 seconds.

The Google Car that drives itself

2011-01-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

Google developed a self driving car that can deal with freeways, intersections, traffic lights, stop signs, cyclists, pedestrians,...even back seat drivers! :)

Here is the link to an ABC video of Test Driving the Google Car posted October 12, 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0I5DHOETFE

Android in Spaaaace!

2011-01-30T22:26:00.000-08:00

Some Googlers sent some Android phones into SPACE with weather balloons! They posted these two videos on the Google Mobile Blog.

This first video is cute :) and sad...

This second video show a tiny bit of how they did it.

Arshan (in the YouTube video above) and I left Sun Microsystems for Google at almost the same time.

If TED Talks ran out of smart people

2010-12-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

David and I were talking about TED Talks, and then he sent me this Joy of Tech comic: If TED Talks ran out of smart people

http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/1478.html

James Balog: Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss

2010-12-20T11:29:00.000-08:00

David and I discussed a vast range of topics this morning, including this TED talk:
James Balog: Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss

"Photographer James Balog shares new image sequences from the Extreme Ice Survey, a network of time-lapse cameras recording glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.

X = G / (CHROM - 3)

2010-12-15T10:58:00.000-08:00

There was a secret challenge in the video I posted Monday and the reward was a new Chrome Notebook.

This frame from the video contains the puzzle, and the solution is posted in the Google Chrome Blog.

Please leave a message after the beep

2010-12-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

Please leave a message after the beep

I wrote this for our answering machine.

Zeitgeist 2010: Year in Review

2010-12-13T15:17:00.000-08:00

Zeitgeist 2010: How the world searched

Based on the aggregation of billions of search queries people typed into Google this year, Zeitgeist captures the spirit of 2010.

Check out the Year in Review video, and then browse the full Google Zeitgeist 2010: How the world searched site.

How to remain calm, despite what's about to happen to your Chrome notebook

2010-12-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

How to remain calm, despite what's about to happen to your Chrome notebook

For Persi, who actually has one!

"25 Computers were harmed in the making of this video."

200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes

2010-11-28T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hans Rosling did a very nice quick version of his Third-World Myths presentation for the BBC titled 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes. Again, enjoy...

No Arms No Legs No Worries

2010-09-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Will it SHRED?

2010-05-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Will it SHRED? (iPad edition)

You have seen "Will it Blend?" so now it is time for "Will it SHRED?"!

New iPad Test - Will It Shred? from FUEL TV on Vimeo.

No, we didn't donate our iPad to either of these interesting demonstrations.

Unpublished Dilbert Comic

2010-04-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Here is an unpublished Dilbert comic from the Scott Adams Blog.

That Lost 4G Phone

I enjoy Scott's blog because he projects his life through those thick Dilbert lenses and generates images that could be glimpses of my own life. Scott and Dilbert remain current, relevent, and funny...

Axis Of Awesome - 4 Four Chord Song (with song titles)

2010-04-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

Axis Of Awesome - 4 Four Chord Song (with song titles)

We thought Patrick would like this.

Circuit Diagram

2010-04-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

I thought Bruce would like the xkcd Circuit Diagram at http://xkcd.com/730/

"or-not" ha! "sandal" ha! Is that a Blendtec blender? too funny!

Will it Blend? - iPad

2010-04-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

Will it Blend? - iPad

We have a Blendtec blender but have not tried blending an iPhone, iPod, or iPad.

Google Translate for Animals

2010-04-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

Unfortunatly Google Translate for Animals is not available on my iPhone (yet!?).

Nature by Numbers

2010-03-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Nature by Numbers is a beautyful short (less than 4 minutes) film. Very well done...

Snake Oil?

2010-03-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

Snake Oil? from the Information is Beautiful site is a cool interactive "balloon race" image showing "Scientific evidence for popular health supplements". The "SHOW ME" tab on the right allows you to filter the data slecting specific USES or TYPES of supplements.

Why does 0^0 = 1?

2010-03-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the Better Explained blog. Today at lunch I mentioned one entry Understanding Exponents (Why does 0^0 = 1?) that starts like this:

We’re taught that exponents are repeated multiplication. This is a good introduction, but it breaks down on 3^1.5 and the brain-twisting 0^0. How do you repeat zero zero times and get 1 — without melting your brain?

You can’t, not while exponents are repeated multiplication. Today our mental model is due for an upgrade.

I really enjoy the way the Better Explained blog tries to:

share hard-won “a ha!” moments in clear and simple language

The question was raised at lunch: "Is the Better Explained blog interesting to someone who does not have a math background?"

What do you think?

--Tom

iPad Keynote in less than 180 Seconds

2010-02-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

The iPad Keynote in less than 180 Seconds - Incredible, Beautiful, Amazing!

"The following video by Neil Curtis is based on the Apple Keynote on January 27th 2010 and is the sum of the most important words spoken there. I assure you, that no scene is repeated and everything was said on this keynote!"

There is really nothing more you can say...

The Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

2010-01-17T14:25:00.000-08:00

Richard told me he found some gems on this list:

The Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time

Here are the first 20:

1. Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
2. Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
3. Imagine, John Lennon
4. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
5. Respect, Aretha Franklin
6. Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys
7. Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry
8. Hey Jude, The Beatles
9. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
10. What'd I Say, Ray Charles

11. My Generation, The Who
12. A Change Is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke
13. Yesterday, The Beatles
14. Blowin' in the Wind, Bob Dylan
15. London Calling, The Clash
16. I Want to Hold Your Hand, The Beatles
17. Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix
18. Maybellene, Chuck Berry
19. Hound Dog, Elvis Presley
20. Let It Be, The Beatles

Wikipedia says: "With 23 songs on the list, The Beatles are the most-represented musical act...followed by The Rolling Stones (14); Bob Dylan (12); Elvis Presley (11); The Beach Boys and The Jimi Hendrix Experience (7); Chuck Berry, U2, James Brown, Prince, Led Zeppelin, and Sly & the Family Stone (6); and The Clash, The Who, The Drifters, and Elton John (5)."

The Beatles also have 11 of the top 500 Albums (below).

The Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

2010-01-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

Kevin is working his way through...

The Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time

Wikipedia says: "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time is the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2003. The list was based on the votes of 273 rock musicians, critics and industry figures, each of whom submitted a weighted list of 50 albums."

Here are the first 20:

1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
3. Revolver, The Beatles
4. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles
6. What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
7. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones
8. London Calling, The Clash
9. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
10. The Beatles ("The White Album"), The Beatles

11. The Sun Sessions, Elvis Presley
12. Kind of Blue, Miles Davis
13. Velvet Underground and Nico, The Velvet Underground
14. Abbey Road, The Beatles
15. Are You Experienced?, The Jimi Hendrix Experience
16. Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
17. Nevermind, Nirvana
18. Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
19. Astral Weeks, Van Morrison
20. Thriller, Michael Jackson

A book version of the list released in 2005 contained 8 additional albums. What albums are in the book but not on this list?

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLD, SEASONAL FLU & H1N1 SYMPTOMS

2009-11-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COLD, SEASONAL FLU & H1N1 SYMPTOMS

This is a good comparison of Cold, Flu, & H1N1 symptoms.

From http://www.village.sussex.wi.us/documents/DIFFERENCESBETWEEN.pdf

Flute sings for Rockband 2

2009-11-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

Afterlife- Avenged Sevenfold on FLUTE (Rockband 2-Expert)

My son's Music teacher showed this video to his class. If she can do this with a flute then can we do it with a guitar? Or saxophone?

Misheard Lyrics - Green Day and Nirvana

2009-11-07T22:25:00.000-08:00

This one is for Nick! ...and Will!

Holiday - Green Day - Misheard Lyrics

Smells Like Teen Spirit Misheard Lyrics

Misheard Lyrics - Pearl Jam & Manfred Mann

2009-11-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

Does anybody really know the lyrics to this song?

"Make me fries..." LOL! :)

MISHEARD LYRICS - Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter

"Another Roman in the night!" :)

MISHEARD LYRICS - Manfred Mann - Blinded By The Light

Can Prosecutors Be Sued By People They Framed?

2009-11-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

At lunch today we talked about the NPR story Can Prosecutors Be Sued By People They Framed?

The Supreme Court has indeed said that prosecutors are immune from suit for anything they do at trial. But in this case, Harrington and McGhee maintain that before anyone being charged, prosecutors gathered evidence alongside police, interviewed witnesses and knew the testimony they were assembling was false.

The prosecutors counter that there is "no freestanding constitutional right not to be framed."

This sounds like the prosecutors are immune from both Criminal and Civil suits.

Happy 4th Birthday Gina

2009-10-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Birthday Gina!!!!

xkcd - Lego

And I would like to encourage you again (like we did on Gina's 3rd Birthday)...

Please register to be an organ donor at:

http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/

Thanks,
Tom

Proton Locks!

2009-09-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Proton Locks! www.protonlocks.com

Proton Locks! www.protonlocks.com

100 Famous Rock Guitar Riffs - one take

2009-09-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

100 Famous Rock Guitar Riffs - one take

wow!

How many do you recognize?
(how many can you play?)

http://www.brodiecumming.com/events.html

The Ranch

2009-08-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Our family calls my sister-in-law's Swanton home "The Ranch".

The YELLOW CIRCLE shows "The Ranch".
The GREEN CIRCLE shows the Lud and Barbara McCary Ranch.
The BLUE CIRCLE show the Bud McCary Ranch (Lud's brother).

The shaded red area shows the approximate fire boundary.

The photo of Barbara McCary (below) could have been taken looking over the field north of her house (green) looking toward "The Ranch" (yellow).

Lockheed Fire

2009-08-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: latest fire info here:
http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=361

I think my sister-in-law's house is just behind the trees on the far side of this meadow.

I found this photo in a slideshow that was on a Google map showing the Lockheed Fire - started Aug. 12, 2009. My sister-in-law's house is near the word "Swanton" on the lower left edge of the fire boundaries (the tan area on the map).

Five Dangerous Things for Kids

2009-07-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned this TED talk to so many people that it is finally time to post it here.

Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School, spells out 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do.

This 4 minute follow up was just posted (June 2009) by TED...

Gever Tulley teaches life lessons through tinkering demonstrates that kids can do practically anything!

The Perfect Loss

2009-07-30T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is the perfect loss!

Digital Lloyd

2009-07-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Lloyd Chambers and I have never met but we have some of the same interests: photography, macs, computers, software, Sun, Yosemite, hiking, blogging, etc... The difference between my photos and his photos of Stanford or Half Dome or Fireworks or a Sunset inspire me to try to be a better photographer.

His Mac Performance Guide has helped me optimize my MacBook Pro and presented Storage and Backup options for our family's network of iMacs, MacBooks, iPhones, and iPods.

But his focus is on photography and his blog, a mix of tips for advanced photography and computers, is very interesting and beautiful.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

We saw a midnight opening showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince this morning. It was a good movie, but there were a lot of differences from the book. Some new events were added, and some critical events from the book were left out of the movie.

Seeing the movie in a theater after midnight with hundreds of fans was fun. There were a lot of people in costumes, lots of laughter and applause.

Free Coldplay CD

2009-07-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Gina, Donna, Jay, and I went to see Coldplay in their Viva la Vida Tour show at the Shoreline Amphitheater (across the street from the Googleplex). It was a great show and they gave away a free CD entitled LeftRightLeftRightLeft which is also available as a free download from their website. Enjoy!

The Scientist is one of our favorite songs, and the music video is quite a trip!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqWLpTKBFcU

How Bacteria Talk

2009-05-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

I agree with Kevin, the TED talk Bonnie Bassler: Discovering bacteria's amazing communication system is a great talk.

She said "You think of yourselves as human beings, but I think of you as 90 to 95 percent bacteria".

Bonnie Bassler discovered that bacteria "talk" to each other, using a chemical language that lets them coordinate defense and mount attacks. The find has stunning implications for medicine, industry -- and our understanding of ourselves.

65 MPH Ukulele

2009-04-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

We saw this on the way to work this morning!

The 65 MPH Ukulele!

TED: Tim Berners-Lee: The next Web of open, linked data

2009-03-26T23:02:00.000-07:00

20 years ago, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. For his next project, he's building a web for open, linked data that could do for numbers what the Web did for words, pictures, video: unlock our data and reframe the way we use it together.

This talk refers to another great TED Talk (Hans Rosling: Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen) which is an excellent example of what can be done with linked data. It would be useful to watch Hans before watching Tim.

As my friend Richard pointed out, Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee, OM, KBE, FRS, FREng, FRSA is English.

World Water Day

2009-03-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today, March 22, is World Water Day, when the world is asked to focus on the issues that a lack of clean water poses to our society. Nearly 1 billion people worldwide don’t have access to clean water, and that lack of water is a serious cause of disease and economic hardship.

So today we were discussing: How Much Water Is Required to Make Beer?

We thought that we may use 50 gallons of water to make 5 gallons of beer. Most of the water is used for cleaning and sterilizing all the equipment. But this does not count the water used to make the ingredients.

According to this graph from the Economist article "Thirsty work" 300 liters of water are required to make 1 liter of beer (or 1,500 gallons of water to make 5 gallons of beer). But that pales (pun intended) in comparison to the the water requirements of wine (3X) or coffee (4X).

Another interesting graphic from the GOOD blog article "Transparency: How Much Water Do You Use?" shows direct and indirect use of water for common daily activities.

The most disturbing part of the image above is the suggestion to save 35 gallons of water by not taking a bath. ick.

Keyboard Viewer

2009-03-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

I want my daughter to read my blog, and she wants to know what symbols you can make with the option or option-shift key (on her Mac), so,...

This 67 second Keyboard Viewer video (from the Apple Quick Tip video podcast) shows you how to use the Keyboard Viewer to access characters and symbols available using the option or option-shift keys.

Angee (Lead Genius from the video) shows you how to enable the Keyboard Viewer:
* System Preferences -> International
+ check the "Keyboard Viewer" checkbox and
+ check the "Show input menu in menu bar" checkbox, then,
* click the (American?) flag in the menu bar, and,
+ select "Show Keyboard Viewer"

Now hold down the option key, to see this:

Or hold down both the option and shift keys, to see this:

Love, Dad

Talking to SKYNET

2009-03-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today I sent an IM to SKYNET...and SKYNET IM'ed me back!

Today the BetterExplained.com blog entry was A Simple Introduction To Computer Networking which started off:

Most networking discussions are a jumble of acronyms. Forget the configuration details -- what are the insights?

* Networking is about communication
* Text is the simplest way to communicate
* Protocols are standards for reading and writing text

Beneath the details, networking is an IM conversation.

My IM (Instant Message), human to computer, was a simple text communication using TCP via telnet. All I did was type:

% telnet google.com 80
hello?

and google.com replied "Bad Request"!
Then I tried:

% telnet google.com 80
GET / HTTP/1.0

and google.com replied "HTTP/1.0 200 OK" and sent me the google home page html!
And when I IM'ed "GET /news HTTP/1.0" then google.com sent me the news!

It was kinda cool talking directly to The Google.

Happy Pi Day!

2009-03-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

Happy "National Pi Day"!

Whereas the US "House of Representatives supports the designation of a `Pi Day' and its celebration around the world": Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That I will--
(1) throw a party on Pi Day in 2015;
(2) throw another party around Pi Day in 2016; and
(3) invite you if you feel those dates are significant.

Here is the full text of HR 224 from THOMAS (Library of Congress):

H. Res. 224

In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

March 12, 2009.

Whereas the Greek letter (Pi) is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter;

Whereas the ratio Pi is an irrational number, which will continue infinitely without repeating, and has been calculated to over one trillion digits;

Whereas Pi is a recurring constant that has been studied throughout history and is central in mathematics as well as science and engineering;

Whereas mathematics and science are a critical part of our children's education, and children who perform better in math and science have higher graduation and college attendance rates;

Whereas aptitude in mathematics, science, and engineering is essential for a knowledge-based society;

Whereas, according to the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) survey done by the National Center for Education Statistics, American children in the 4th and 8th grade were outperformed by students in other countries including Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, England, South Korea, Latvia, and Japan;

Whereas since 1995 the United States has shown only minimal improvement in math and science test scores;

Whereas by the 8th grade, American males outperform females on the science portion of the TIMSS survey, especially in Biology, Physics, and Earth Science, and the lowest American scores in math and science are found in minority and impoverished school districts;

Whereas America needs to reinforce mathematics and science education for all students in order to better prepare our children for the future and in order to compete in a 21st Century economy;

Whereas the National Science Foundation has been driving innovation in math and science education at all levels from elementary through graduate education since its creation 59 years ago;

Whereas mathematics and science can be a fun and interesting part of a child's education, and learning about Pi can be an engaging way to teach children about geometry and attract them to study science and mathematics; and

Whereas Pi can be approximated as 3.14, and thus March 14, 2009, is an appropriate day for `National Pi Day': Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) supports the designation of a `Pi Day' and its celebration around the world;

(2) recognizes the continuing importance of National Science Foundation's math and science education programs; and

(3) encourages schools and educators to observe the day with appropriate activities that teach students about Pi and engage them about the study of mathematics.

405 and World Builder

2009-03-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

"405" and "World Builder" are two short films by Bruce Branit with amazing special effects.

405 is a 3 min film about a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.

World Builder is a 9 min film about a man who uses holographic tools to build a world for the woman he loves. The "holographic tools" are like the MIT Sixth Sense technology on steroids!!!

ENJOY! World Builder:

405:

Bruce Branit has done special effects on many movies and TV shows that I enjoy. For example: "Pushing Daisies", "Lost", "Brothers & Sisters", "Ghost Rider (2007)", "King Kong (2005)", "The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005)", "Sin City (2005)", "Star Trek: Enterprise", "Star Trek: Voyager", "The Devil's Advocate (1997)", "Spawn (1997)", "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine", and more, ... wow ...

Pattie Maes unveiling the "Sixth Sense"

2009-03-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Last month I watched this TED Talk live (from Sun) and then ran down to lunch and tried to describe what I had seen to my lunch crowd. Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry from MIT have created the "Sixth Sense", a really cool wearable computer device that has a camera and projector so it can see what you see and project information to you.

Watch the TED Talk yourself, and/or, read what I found exciting below the video!

The "Sixth Sense" can project images and then watch your hands, so:

* it can show you a keyboard (on a desk), and you can type,
* it can show you a cell phone keypad (on your palm?), and you can dial,
* it can show you some photos (on a wall perhaps) and you can use your hands to move them around on the wall, make them bigger, smaller, trash them, email them,...

The "Sixth Sense" also sees what you see, so:

* it can see WHAT you are looking at in a store, and then project information about the product
* it can see WHO you are looking at, and project information about that person (on that person!?)

What do you think?! Cool?!

A Lost Generation

2009-03-08T01:27:00.000-08:00

A Lost Generation

I hear the voices of my nieces in this video...Emily, Alica, Erica, Nicky, Roana, Raquel, Gina, and Monica...

and someday Katie, Jessica, Arial, and Michelle will add their voices as well.

Plug computer

2009-03-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

Plug computer

Last week Marvell announced a Plug Computer "small enough to plug directly into a wall socket and designed to draw so little power that it can be left on all of the time. Unlike other embedded devices in the home, it contains a gigahertz class processor to offer PC class performance. This makes it a viable alternative to a PC for any software service."

From Wikipedia:

A Plug Computer is a small form factor network attached server for use in the home. It is a lower cost and lower power alternative to a PC based home server. In effect, a plug computer is a network appliance that is fully enclosed in an AC power plug or AC adapter.

Suitable for running a media server, back-up services, file sharing and remote access functions such devices can be used as a bridge between in home protocols such as Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) & Server Message Block (SMB or Samba) and cloud based services.

I think I would like to buy one!

Rent-A-Person

2009-03-02T11:16:00.000-08:00

After watching the short movie Validation my carpool buddy pointed out a related short movie Rent-A-Person (Thanks Seongbae).

After watching the movie I told my wife "I think my carpool buddy wants a raise" and she replied "He deserves it!".

Validation

2009-02-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

Validation is a GREAT little film...watch it...you deserve it!!!

Did you know?

2009-02-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Did you know?

A Google search for "Did you know?" found about 21,900 video clips. The original version of this presentation was created for a Colorado (USA) high school staff of 150 in August of 2006 to start a conversation about what our students need to be successful in the 21st century. I saw another version at a local high school event. Today my uncle sent me a more lively and exciting version.

Here is the "latest official" version:

This presentation is also known as "Shift Happens!".

Happy 200th Birthday Charles Darwin

2009-02-12T01:47:00.000-08:00

Happy 200th Birthday Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) wrote On the Origin of the Species which introduced the theory that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection. Darwin’s scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, providing logical explanation for the diversity of life.

Happy 200th Birthday President Lincoln

2009-02-12T00:56:00.000-08:00

Happy 200th Birthday President Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) led the United States through the American Civil War and ended slavery (in part with his Emancipation Proclamation).

Some of the most recognizable quotes from US History:

Four score and seven years ago...
...all men are created equal...
...government of the people, by the people, for the people,...

are from Lincon's Gettysburg Address which summarized the Civil War in just 10 sentences and less than 3 minutes.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

TED: Tim Brown: The powerful link between creativity and play

2009-02-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

We talked about this a lunch today.

Tim Brown: The powerful link between creativity and play

Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play.

Tim Brown is the CEO of Ideo, a design firm founded by David E. Kelley in 1991. Brown carries forward Ideo's mission of fusing design, business, and social studies to come up with deeply researched, deeply understood designs and ideas. Ideo is the kind of firm that companies turn to when they want a top-down rethink of a business or product -- from fast food conglomerates to high tech startups, hospitals to universities. Ideo has designed and prototyped everything from a life-saving portable defibrillator to the defining details at the groundbreaking Prada shop in Manhattan (IDEO designed those famous see-through dressing rooms).

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight

2009-02-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

My uncle reminded me of this great TED talk...

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight

Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor studied her own stroke as it happened -- and has become a powerful voice for brain recovery.

TED: Dan Barber: A surprising parable of foie gras

2009-02-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

TED: Dan Barber: A surprising parable of foie gras

At the Taste3 conference, chef Dan Barber tells the story of a small farm in Spain that has found a humane way to produce foie gras. Raising his geese in a natural environment, farmer Eduardo Sousa embodies the kind of food production Barber believes in.

What if we raised our children this way?

Steve Tirado won an Emmy

2009-01-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

Silicon Image(TM) Wins Emmy Award for HDMI(TM) Technology

"We are honored to receive this prestigious award together with our fellow HDMI technology founders and partners," said Steve Tirado, president and chief executive officer at Silicon Image, Inc.

Way to go Steve and Silicon Image!

Philip Zimbardo: How ordinary people become monsters ... or heroes

2009-01-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

TED Talk: Philip Zimbardo: How ordinary people become monsters ... or heroes

The Milgram experiment and the Stanford prison experiment explore why "normal" people may do "horrible" things. The Milgram experiment put a person in the role of a "teacher" who would shock a "learner" with an electric shock that increased to supposedly lethal amounts. The Stanford prison experiment randomly split volunteers into two groups, guards and prisoners, which degenerated into "dangerous and psychologically damaging situations."

Philip Zimbardo, well-known for his controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, knows what evil looks like. After serving as an expert witness during the Abu Ghraib trials, he wrote The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. From Nazi comic books to the tactics of used-car salesmen, he explores a wealth of sources in trying to explain the psychology of evil.

MacBook Wheel

2009-01-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

The MacBook Wheel was announced today at MacWorld in San Francisco!

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

I am saving my money to replace my MacBook Pro with this unbelievable device.

Will It Blend? - iPhone

2008-12-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

Will It Blend? - iPhone

Two of our favorite products, together!

Blendtec has a vlog with lots "Will it blend?" videos.

Mac vs PC

2008-12-23T17:20:00.000-08:00

Mac vs PC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLbJ8YPHwXM

Commuter Rainbow

2008-12-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

Commuter Rainbow

Is there a hint of a second rainbow there?

Taken with my iPhone.

And here is Seongbae's picture of driving to the end of the rainbow...
You can see that I was driving today. :)

OpenSolaris 2008.11 on OS X via VMware Fusion

2008-12-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

Today I got OpenSolaris 2008.11 running on OS X with VMware Fusion. (again...simple)

In the picture is my blog about using VirtualBox to host a different version of OpenSolaris and Ubuntu/Linux, so there are 4 operating systems represented here!


jack@opensolaris:~$ uname -a
SunOS opensolaris 5.11 snv_101b i86pc i386 i86pc Solaris

OpenSolaris & Ubuntu/Linux on OS X with VirtualBox

2008-12-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

Today I ran 3 Operating Systems on my MacBook Pro at the same time.

I downloaded Sun xVM VirtualBox for OS X and the iso images for OpenSolaris and Ubuntu. After installing VirtualBox I created a virtual machine and installed OpenSolaris. Later I created another virtual machine and installed Ubuntu.

Here is my desktop with all 3 Operating Systems running:

Click the image to enlarge.

You might be able to see the three "uname -a" commands, that look like this:


jack@opensolaris:~$ uname -a
SunOS opensolaris 5.11 snv_86 i86pc Solaris


tom@tom-desktop:~$ uname -a
Linux tom-desktop 3.6.27-7-generic #1 SMP Fri Oct 24 06:42:44 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux


Toms-MacBook-Pro:~ tom$ uname -a
Darwin Toms-MacBook-Pro.local 9.5.0 Darwin Kernel Version 9.5.0: Wed Sep  3 11:29:43 
PDT 2008; root:xnu-1228.7.58~1/RELEASE_I386 i386

["Darwin" is the kernel in OS-X]

Simple. Fun. Cool.

The Mother of All Demos

2008-12-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

My father worked at SRI with Doug Engelbart...

The Mother of All Demos is a name given to Douglas Engelbart's December 9, 1968 demonstration at the Convention Center in San Francisco, which included the first public demonstration of the mouse!

On December 9, 2008 at Stanford University's Memorial Auditorium, SRI International will present a commemorative 40th anniversary of this historic event.

Charles R. Kirkley

2008-11-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

My sister sent this to the Palo Alto Weekly:

Charles R. Kirkley

Charles R. Kirkley, 70, passed away on November 7, 2008, of cancer. An early researcher in computer science and longtime resident of Palo Alto, Kirkley was born in Staten Island, New York on June 23, 1938. After a stint in the Army, he graduated from Colgate University with a B.S. in mathematics, earned an M.S.E.E. from the University of Washington and an M.S. in computer science from Stanford University. While enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Stanford in the late 1960s, Kirkley worked at Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in artificial intelligence. Later he worked as an instructor at Foothill College. Remembered for his quick wit and sense of humor, Kirkley is survived by his son Tom Kirkley, daughter Sondra Glider, three grandchildren (Michael and Michelle Kirkley, and Emily Glider), his brother John Kirkley, and his companion Susan Edwards.

Today the Palo Alto Weekly printed the following:

Charles R. Kirkley

Charles R. Kirkley, 70, a resident of the Palo Alto and Mountain View area for 45 years, died of cancer Nov. 7.

He was born in Staten Island, N.Y. After a stint in the army, he went on to graduate from Colgate University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, an master's degree from the University of Washington and an master's degree in computer science from Stanford University.

While enrolled in a doctoral program at Stanford in the late 1960s, he worked at the Stanford Research Institute in artificial intelligence. Later he worked as an instructor at Foothill College.

Loved ones recall his quick wit and sense of humor.

He is survived by his children, Tom Kirkley of San Jose, daughter Sondra Glider of Palo Alto; brother, John Kirkley of Oregon; his companion, Susan Edwards of San Jose; and three grandchildren.

Charles Richard Kirkley

2008-11-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

My father, Charles Richard Kirkley, passed away, gently in his sleep, on Friday, November 7, 2008.

SNL MEGA-MAP

2008-11-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

At lunch today we were talking about the Saturday Night Live MEGA-MAP which is 1.5 minutes into this 7 minute clip:

I like the line "Check out Michigan,..." :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Gina!!!

2008-10-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Gina!!!

Today is Gina's 3rd birthday ("anniversary") of her kidney pancreas transplant! (It is actually the 3rd birthday of her 3rd kidney, because, in spite of what you see on Grey's Anatomy, Gina still has her original kidneys and pancreas.)

Gina's transplant saved her life, and changed ours forever. I can't imagine what life would be like without Gina. Every day I can wake up and say "I love you". Every day she brings joy into all of our lives...

Gina and I would like to take this occasion to remind everyone: Please register to be an organ donor at:

http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/

This site allows you to sign up online to be an organ and tissue donor in California. Your organ donation could save the lives of eight people, and your tissue donation enhance the lives of another 50 people. Right now nearly 20,000 Californians wait for an organ transplant. That's 21 percent of the 94,000 people waiting across our country. Tragically, one third of them will die - waiting.

Some people do not wish to be donors because of incorrect or misleading information they have seen, heard or read. [Here are the] facts behind some of the more common misconceptions about donation.

http://www.donatelifecalifornia.org/about/facts/myths/

Register today and encourage others to register.

Thank you,
Love,

Tom and Gina

Carmen Agra Deedy: Spinning a story of Mama

2008-10-24T14:14:00.001-07:00

I had lunch with my mom today, and she was talking about her mom, which reminded me of this TED TALK: Carmen Agra Deedy: Spinning a story of Mama

Kidney in a jar?! Glowing?!

2008-10-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

Gina and I like watching Grey's Anatomy but our enjoyment was marred last night by another offensive break with reality.

Wikipedia, ("the fountain of all knowledge", ha!), is WRONG (again) when it labels Grey's Anatomy as a "television medical drama" because the show is really just a prime time soap opera that happens to be set in a hospital. A real medical drama would try to make the "medical" portions of the show have some basis in reality.

This episode revolved around a "domino surgery," -- 12 kidney transplants in six O.R.s at the same time. And a significant plot device was the "kidney in a jar"; supposedly one of the kidneys removed during the transplant...except...most kidney transplantation do NOT remove a kidney! The recipient usually ends up with three kidneys. (Really, really lucky recipients also get an extra pancreas as well!)

Many shows unwittingly perpetuate medical myths, some harmful, which Red Cross First Aid Teachers have to deal with later (no, please, don't slam you fist down on someone's chest like you saw on MacGyver or MacGruber) but most "medical" dramas get the basic "medical" facts right. Fortunately, Grey's Anatomy is a soap opera and is not constrained by fact...they can even make dead tissue glow! :)

Bloodhound SSC 1000+mph car!

2008-10-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Bloodhound SSC 1000+mph car!

The fastest way to work?

Bloodhound SSC is a pencil-shaped car powered by a jet engine and a rocket that will be capable of approximately 1,000 miles per hour (1,609 km/h).[1] If all goes to plan, Bloodhound SSC will break the land speed record by the largest ever margin.

The project was announced on 23 October 2008 at the Science Museum in London by Lord Drayson, the Minister of Science in the UK's Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, who in 2006 first proposed the project to Richard Noble and Andy Green; the two men who between them have held the land speed record for 25 years.

John McCain and Barack Obama roast each other

2008-10-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

John McCain and Barack Obama roast themselves and each other!

...update...The Barack YouTube video was pulled for some reason...so...

Here is the YouTube video of Al Smith Dinner 2008 (Full Video).
McCain starts around 7 minutes into the video.
Obama starts around the 23 minute mark.

The Wikipedia article about the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner starts:

The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner is an annual charity fund raiser for Catholic Charities. It is organized by the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation in honor of former New York Governor Al Smith, the first Catholic presidential candidate. The first dinner was in 1945, the year after Al Smith's death. The 2008 dinner raised $3.9 million.[1]

Since 1960 (when Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy were speakers), it has been a stop for the two main presidential candidates during several U.S. election years. In 1976, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter spoke; in 1980, Carter and Ronald Reagan; in 1988, Michael Dukakis and George H.W. Bush; in 2000, Al Gore and George W. Bush; and in 2008, John McCain and Barack Obama. Since 1945 only two presidents have not spoken at the dinner: Harry Truman and Bill Clinton.[2] In recent years the candidates have traditionally given humorous speeches.

...and here is my orig post with the broken video...

John McCain at the Alfred E Smith Memorial Dinner 1

John McCain at the Alfred E Smith Memorial Dinner 2

Obama Roasts McCain at Al Smith Dinner

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL

2008-10-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

Here are links to the Saturday Night Live Video Library collection of Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. Enjoy!

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/couric-palin-open/704042/

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/vp-debate-open-palin-biden/727421/

With Queen Latifah as Gwen Iffil!

Shout-out to Malta

2008-10-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

Shout-out to Malta

The Votemaster gave a shout-out to Malta on Electoral-vote.com today when he was comparing voter turnout in different countries:

As you can see, voter turnout in the U.S. [54%] is far less than such beacons of democracy as Malta [94%] and Austria [92%].

But other countries do not have the quality of candidates that we have here in the U.S.

Supreme Court Vacancies Likely in Next Four Years

2008-09-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

Supreme Court Vacancies Likely in Next Four Years

One issue that has been totally absent from the campaign is the Supreme Court. Five of the justices are 70 or more. Justice Stevens is 88 and unlikely to want to serve 4 more years. Justice Ginsberg had cancer and was operated on for it. Justice Souter is known to want to retire and return to New Hampshire. These are three of the most liberal justices on the court. If all three retire and are replaced by Obama, the court will retain its even split between liberals and conservatives for many years to come. If all three are replaced by McCain, the conservatives will have a clear majority and surely reverse Roe v. Wade and many other decisions that conservatives think are wrong. It is amazing that the court has gotten so little attention.

SUN and the LHC

2008-09-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is being stored on Sun products.

Sun Fire X4500 servers with a 400 terabytes storage capacity and Sun tape technology

The Sun System News article has this quote from the LHC Rap by Kate McAlpine:

Twenty-seven kilometers of tunnel under ground;
Designed with mind to send protons around;
A circle that crosses through Switzerland and France;
Sixty nations contribute to scientific advance.

TierneyLab: Obama’s Science Quiz

2008-09-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Chris sent me this link to New York Times TierneyLab blog article Obama’s Science Quiz where Obama responded (but McCain did not respond) to questions about science.

While I was there I took the Astronomy Quiz and got 9/10 right (I should have been perfect! rats!).

Paul Rothemund: The astonishing promise of DNA folding

2008-09-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

Paul Rothemund: The astonishing promise of DNA folding

Previously I blogged about Paul Rothemund's "scaffolded DNA origami" and now he talks about how to scale the process using "tiles".

Bill Clinton on the Daily Show

2008-09-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

Bill Clinton on the Daily Show, part 1

Bill Clinton on the Daily Show, part 2

$700 billion bailout

2008-09-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

John Stewart and Stephen Colbert talk about the $700 billion bailout...

"Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's brilliant $700 billion plan could buy every single American 2,000 McDonald's apple pies."

"We have to give unchecked financial power to the president and his appointees so they can implement a plan that no one understands."

Hindsight is $2020 billion...

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

2008-09-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.electoral-vote.com/ is the best Election website around!

The home page has the famous Red State/Blue State map (shown below) and a quick glance tells you who is leading the races for president, the house, and the senate.

One link off the home page leads to this cartogram where the size of each state represents the number of electoral votes:

And another link shows a graph of how Obama and McCain have done since April:

liberals and conservatives

2008-09-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

This blog entry contains two TED talks that discuss how we learn and the difference between conservatives and liberals...

How can two of my friends, one Republican and one Democrat, both be intelligent, informed, helpful, caring people, and hold completely opposite views on the problems and solutions facing our country and planet?

Do both sides think the other is just dumb?

Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we're left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.

Jonathan Drori looks at the gaps in our knowledge -- and specifically, what we don't know as much about science that we might think we do.

gPhone available 9/23/2008

2008-09-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

from http://www.androidmobilephone.com/

The "T-Mobile G1" (aka: "gPhone") will be available on September 23rd.

Service: T-Mobile
Real name: T-Mobile G1
Hardware: manufactured by HTC Corp. in Taiwan
Code name: HTC "Dream"
Software: Google "Android"
Pet name: "gPhone"

Price: $199
Available: 9/23/2008

A long demo video is available at http://www.androidmobilephone.com/
A short demo video shows the slide out keyboard.

How to survive a nuclear attack

2008-09-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

TEDTalks : How to survive a nuclear attack - Irwin Redlener (2008)

A nuclear war is not survivable, but a nuclear terrorist attack is survivable and requires planning.

We should have a plan so that if there was a terrorist attack in our area we would know how to take all the actions that he suggests, and we could add to our plans things like having everyone in our our area check in with a relative in North Dakota.

Large Hadron Rap

2008-09-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

After you check the Large Hadron Rap then don't forget to check out the web cams (from my post last night)!

Large Hadron Rap
Alpinekat
aka: Katherine MacAlpine
https://www.msu.edu/~mcalpin9/

David Gallo: The deep oceans: a ribbon of life

2008-09-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

This TED talk "David Gallo: The deep oceans: a ribbon of life" is real life Spore.

LHC web cams

2008-09-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

Are you worried about LHC (Large Hadron Collider) bringing the end of the world ? Then rejoice - now you can keep an eye on LHC at: http://www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html

Enjoy!

PS. Seongbae, thanks for the link :)

Shoe Circus - Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates

2008-09-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite people: Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates

This video shows Microsoft's commitment to quality products.

..not...

Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture reprised

2008-07-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture reprised

Here is Randy Pauch giving a condensed version (10 mins) of his last lecture.

The full version (below) is very good...