Saturday, March 30, 2013

IE10 is advertising itself as IE not MSIE, thus divorcing itself from it's history. Shouldn't matter...

IE10 is advertising itself as IE not MSIE, thus divorcing itself from it's history.



Shouldn't matter much now, as the cool way is feature detection not browser detection. Still, good to know that even Microsoft is ashamed by the history of Internet Explorer.




Friday, March 29, 2013

Why is it that the IEEE has so much better outward-facing stiff and I can't find podcast one from the...

Why is it that the IEEE has so much better outward-facing stiff and I can't find podcast one from the ACM? Am I just failing to look in the right place?




To read. Kinda hitting the same ground, but not tracking inputs yet. Should.

To read. Kinda hitting the same ground, but not tracking inputs yet. Should.




I can't help but notice the messaging on Google+ seems a little different today than it did yesterday...

I can't help but notice the messaging on Google+ seems a little different today than it did yesterday.




NEW PRODUCT – Hook-up Wire Spool Set – 22AWG Solid Core – 6 x 25 ft Perfect for bread-boarding, free...

NEW PRODUCT – Hook-up Wire Spool Set – 22AWG Solid Core – 6 x 25 ft



Perfect for bread-boarding, free wiring, etc. This box contains 6 spools of solid-core wire. The wire is easy to solder to and when bent it keeps its shape pretty well. We like to have a few spools of this stuff around which is why this set is quite nice! We suggest picking up wire strippers to match. Wire gauge is 22 AWG which we’ve found is the best all-around gauge, it works best with breadboards and perfboards but also fits in terminal blocks nicely.



This box has a wooden dowel rod to hold the spools in place and let them spin, and there are little punch-outs you can pass the wire through so its it’ll stay nice organized.



In stock and shipping.

http://www.adafruit.com/products/1311




Put this on my to-read list, but I am very much print to like the idea.

Put this on my to-read list, but I am very much print to like the idea.




In this podcast, +Scott Hanselman introduced me to the wonderful term, "Personality-Driven Development...

In this podcast, +Scott Hanselman introduced me to the wonderful term, "Personality-Driven Development".




This is how to wrangle vim. This is why Stack Exchange is cool.

This is how to wrangle vim.



This is why Stack Exchange is cool.




We know that people like female voices over male ones on GPS devices and such. I'm sure that an anthr...

We know that people like female voices over male ones on GPS devices and such. I'm sure that an anthropomorphic and clearly male robot helper would be disturbing for a great many people. So, clearly, if I, Robot was real, the robots would be female-looking.



Which would make that Will Smith movie practically unfilmable. I mean, the justified cries of misogyny would be overwhelming.




Dressing for success isn't nearly as cut and dry as you'd think.

Dressing for success isn't nearly as cut and dry as you'd think.




http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2013/Q1/computer-science-professor-wins-commercialization-award.html...

thanks to Scott I now know the term personality driven development

thanks to Scott I now know the term personality driven development




This is a next-level take on computers in cars. There is navigation, diagnostics, communication and e...

This is a next-level take on computers in cars. There is navigation, diagnostics, communication and entertainment, but this is something else.




Thursday, March 28, 2013

I'm sorry to say, but after watching Robot Combat League for 3 episodes I got tired of seeing technology...

I'm sorry to say, but after watching Robot Combat League for 3 episodes I got tired of seeing technology 10 years old swinging left and right...with today's technology they could've built robots with a lot more movements and interesting features. These are basically big animatronics with an armour. Take off the metal rod in the back for god's sake. Such a downer! I'd rather watch the movie "Real Steel" which is what we should be able to replicate real soon!




This isn't a comic, but it's sitting on my hard drive and has no home, so I'm posting it here.

This isn't a comic, but it's sitting on my hard drive and has no home, so I'm posting it here.




Location information inside large stores. I like it. For most "box" stores, the last thing I want to...

Location information inside large stores. I like it.



For most "box" stores, the last thing I want to do is ask the people who work there. I've had enough experiences with unhelpful help that I'd rather deal with my phone. That said, if the store doesn't keep location information synchronized, then this system is as useless as I feel most human help is. Still, I wonder when I'll see this in Target?



Sent to me by +Ji Soo Yi .




Friday, March 22, 2013

Share your podcasts from your podcast software, 'cause Tekzilla starts now.

Share your podcasts from your podcast software, 'cause Tekzilla starts now.




How about this one? Again, podcast is about Google smart shoe tech (cue Maxwell Smart ref; they did)...

How about this one?



Again, podcast is about Google smart shoe tech (cue Maxwell Smart ref; they did) but connecting it to Google Glass makes it part of the mass Big Data panopticon.



I paid for Pocket Casts because I can kick up the speed and share from within the app, but the more it messes up the share, the less I like it.




This is a rather dystopian take on our bright future. Can't fully disagree.

This is a rather dystopian take on our bright future. Can't fully disagree.




I've been playing with code to re-implement Asteroids in Javascript, and have thus been thinking through...

I've been playing with code to re-implement Asteroids in Javascript, and have thus been thinking through how to handle graphical objects in the form of rocks. Or, rather, asteroids.



This is helpful.




Connectors are referred to as "male" and "female", and a converter is called a "gender bender". Nobody...

Connectors are referred to as "male" and "female", and a converter is called a "gender bender". Nobody says these things and smirks anymore.



So, the jokes at the center of this pyconf thing are lame from the start.




Wednesday, March 20, 2013

What other people think only matters if you have need of them. If you walk in to an interview as a Perl...

What other people think only matters if you have need of them. If you walk in to an interview as a Perl guy and talk to job interviewers who believe that Perl Golf, or worse, Matt's Script Archive, is what Perl is like, that conversation will not go well. Same with potential collaborators.



But, most of the time, what do I care what other people think?








A peripheral that stays under the desk is a "mole". I think desktops will die and gaming tablets will...

A peripheral that stays under the desk is a "mole". I think desktops will die and gaming tablets will rise before this becomes a thing, but could be wrong.




A fully 3D printable GlaDOS Robotic ceiling arm lamp http://www.instructables.com/id/A-fully-3D-printable...

I need to get into web sockets

I need to get into web sockets




A web based on LaTeX strikes me as much as a non-starter as Ted Nelson's Xanadu.

A web based on LaTeX strikes me as much as a non-starter as Ted Nelson's Xanadu.




I have Pocket Casts set to 1.7x and I love it. I have shared a podcast to G+ and I love it. Win win...

I have Pocket Casts set to 1.7x and I love it.



I have shared a podcast to G+ and I love it.



Win win win.




Conditionals in CSS? That will be a game changer.

Conditionals in CSS? That will be a game changer.




Nobody knows if smartphone ads work.

Nobody knows if smartphone ads work.




Tuesday, March 19, 2013

While porting some code, I found some code that inattention and tunnel-vision had allowed to turn into...

While porting some code, I found some code that inattention and tunnel-vision had allowed to turn into a horrible time-suck.



Point at my code and laugh.




Have code (quick BASH coolness) that goes through my AJAX end-points looking for the Javascript that ...

Have code (quick BASH coolness) that goes through my AJAX end-points looking for the Javascript that calls them. The next thing would be finding which web app uses those JS libraries. That would really help me prioritize.




Good question.....

Good question.....




Every piece of information I hear about Shouldn't makes me think about Futurama. "Bachelor Chow: Now...

Every piece of information I hear about Shouldn't makes me think about Futurama.



"Bachelor Chow: Now With Flavor!"



But I am curious.




Monday, March 18, 2013

Doug's 555 blinkenlights

Doug's 555 blinkenlights




I carry a notebook all the time. I have a pen and a small Moleskine notebook, (typically the Classic ...

I carry a notebook all the time. I have a pen and a small Moleskine notebook, (typically the Classic Pocket Soft Cover Squared) on me almost all the time.



When I take notes, I often never go back to them, but rather the notes help me work through the idea at the time and help me remember it later. I remember what I write by hand far better than what I type.




Sunday, March 17, 2013

My laptop no longer respond to internet. Considering doing a reset, but first I want to get anything ...

My laptop no longer respond to internet. Considering doing a reset, but first I want to get anything important off of it.




I used my laptop as a phone charger on Friday and I fear 1) I lost my USB wifi adapter, which I used ...

I used my laptop as a phone charger on Friday and I fear 1) I lost my USB wifi adapter, which I used because the onboard adapter sucked, and 2) the onboard adapter had moved from sucking to being dead, so now I cannot connect over wireless.



Unhappy.




Watching Phil Lapsley talk about his book on Phone Phreaking on CSpan Book TV. Strike 1) He said it ...

Watching Phil Lapsley talk about his book on Phone Phreaking on CSpan Book TV.



Strike 1) He said it was"inconceivable" that anyone but women could be telephone operators in 1940. Other sources, which I'm sure he has read, show that teenage boys were the first operators, and teenage boys behaved like teenage boys as operators, and that is why the company changed.



Strike 2) "Stone Knives and Bearskins" is a McCoy line, not Spock.



Interesting topic and I want to read the book, but this two things got my goat.








Assume I have a Raspberry Pi. Assume I want to use PureData to use it as a programmable effects pedal...

Assume I have a Raspberry Pi. Assume I want to use PureData to use it as a programmable effects pedal.



I need to plug in a 1/4" mono input and a 1/4" output, probably mono. How do I do that?




"The state of American computer science education is striking in comparison. * School boards fight to...

"The state of American computer science education is striking in comparison.

* School boards fight to keep CS out of schools, since every minute spent on CS is one less minute spent on core subjects like English and math. The students' test scores in these core subjects determine next year's funding, so CS is a threat.

* Teachers often refuse to teach real CS because more often than not they don't understand it. Instead, they end up teaching word processing and website construction, while calling it CS.

* Parents often oppose CS classes since the grade has no direct benefit on their child's academic prospects. This is compounded by a lack of understanding of the difference between their child playing video games and their child writing video games.

* Students intentionally tune out of CS class since there are few things worse in American high school than being labelled a nerd.

The result in America is a prefect storm of opposition from every level."



Depressing but true comparison between the state of CS education in the U.S. and Vietnam.




Early for +Greater Lafayette Open Source SYmposium (GLOSSY) , intending to use the time to set up tiny...

Early for +Greater Lafayette Open Source SYmposium (GLOSSY) , intending to use the time to set up tiny tiny rss, but I used my laptop as a phone charger on Friday and didn't charge it back up. All the plus are taken, so I read.




Friday, March 15, 2013

Pebble review, part 2: One week with the smartwatch The Pebble can be a smart way of dealing with the...

Pebble review, part 2: One week with the smartwatch



The Pebble can be a smart way of dealing with the typical barrage of notifications from a smartphone. I like it, but that's because I'm an Android user who doesn't mind setting things up.




Got a pic, but either PAL isn't in the Armory or it was shut off for the event. Phone is charged, network...

Got a pic, but either PAL isn't in the Armory or it was shut off for the event. Phone is charged, network is up, and here is the pic.




Transparent, conductive, it's ITO! Playing with Indium Tin Oxide

Transparent, conductive, it's ITO!

Playing with Indium Tin Oxide




Looking at a briefcase with a battery inside and a transformer outside for use as a mobile charging station...

Looking at a briefcase with a battery inside and a transformer outside for use as a mobile charging station. Future project.




Mavericks first round just ended. Could have gone better.

Mavericks first round just ended. Could have gone better.




Next Purdue Perl Mongers is discussing tests. Personally, I'm willing to start but have little clue as...

Next Purdue Perl Mongers is discussing tests. Personally, I'm willing to start but have little clue as to what needs testing.




I'm averaging about 4000 steps/day which its pretty pitiful. Don't know what to do to meaningfully change...

I'm averaging about 4000 steps/day which its pretty pitiful. Don't know what to do to meaningfully change that.




While I'm fretting about Reader, I suppose I should think in this, too. My line had always been that...

While I'm fretting about Reader, I suppose I should think in this, too.



My line had always been that I hate XML but love RSS, so this is the obvious move. I just need to convince everyone else to do it.




Want to try a new OS, or just troubleshoot a tricky PC? Here's how to boot your computer from the gadget...

Want to try a new OS, or just troubleshoot a tricky PC? Here's how to boot your computer from the gadget you always have on-hand: Your Android phone!




I need a podcast player where I can share podcasts to G+, etc, and set 1.5x playback speed on Android...

I need a podcast player where I can share podcasts to G+, etc, and set 1.5x playback speed on Android. Pointers?




Thursday, March 14, 2013

Every read the Straight Dope? The pre-cable Mythbusters with a lot fewer explosions and a lot more snark...

Every read the Straight Dope? The pre-cable Mythbusters with a lot fewer explosions and a lot more snark, as appropriate for the printed page.



One that I especially liked was when Cecil Adams covered the idea that the Eskimos had many many words for snow and we just had one. In essence, yeah, the Inuit do have many, in a German-like compound sense. But, when you think about it, the English language has a great variety of words covering precipitation from blizzard to dew, not to mention the distinctions of snow that skiers use.



At the end, Cecil allows that he has been trying to create an Inuit sentence. It was so big, he stored it in his garage. I won't tell you what he meant it to say, but I will say what is said as of his writing.



Perceive the snow. It fornicates.



Today, as I trudged from the bus stop to gone on this early spring day, with the cold biting through the gloves, those words came strongly to mind.




From the April issue of Popular Science. Doesn't this look like a cool thing?

From the April issue of Popular Science.



Doesn't this look like a cool thing?




Where I first heard of Automatic. I'm sure the new Ford loves this.

Where I first heard of Automatic. I'm sure the new Ford loves this.




Clearly, I want this. It's better than the Garmin, it seems, and more feature-filled than eBay one I ...

Clearly, I want this. It's better than the Garmin, it seems, and more feature-filled than eBay one I linked to earlier.



But I'm not seeing "works with Android" on the site.




By the Audiodizer podcast from Technology Review, this car app will call Nine-Hundred and Eleven should...

By the Audiodizer podcast from Technology Review, this car app will call Nine-Hundred and Eleven should you get in an accident




This is meant for guitar hobbyists (raises hand) but is probably useful for those interested in other...

This is meant for guitar hobbyists (raises hand) but is probably useful for those interested in other electronics (raises hand).




My new home screen background.

My new home screen background.




Exactly. My first dev project was a library management system, which I needed because I was librarian...

Exactly. My first dev project was a library management system, which I needed because I was librarian for the office doc set. If you don't start with the thing you want, you get lost.




Wednesday, March 13, 2013

A QS group is starting in Indy. This is one I'd want to spring for gas to attend. Or, if dozens of people...

A QS group is starting in Indy. This is one I'd want to spring for gas to attend.



Or, if dozens of people pipe up, we could try to put something together in Lafayette.




My Google Reader Trends: From your 353 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 6,748 items, clicked...

My Google Reader Trends:



From your 353 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 6,748 items, clicked 40 items, starred 276 items, and emailed 0 items.

Since July 6, 2006 you have read a total of 85,630 items.




I've been wanting a Garmin EcoRoute HD, which is basically a dongle that turns OBDII to Bluetooth, for...

I've been wanting a Garmin EcoRoute HD, which is basically a dongle that turns OBDII to Bluetooth, for a while. I've been wanting it but not getting it because the $100+ price tag was enough that I'd have to plan for and justify it.



An ELM327 is available online for ~$20, which is a much lower barrier to entry, and looks like I could hook up a wider variety of things. My laptop does Bluetooth, so why not? (Well, because I want to look forward, not sideways, when driving, but beyond that...)



Any guidance out there on this?




That's Spring Break at Purdue

That's Spring Break at Purdue




Certainly a project we want to do outside, but doesn't this need to be done?

Certainly a project we want to do outside, but doesn't this need to be done?




Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Encryption Apps.

Encryption Apps.




Since this is the time to gripe about time, I could justify one-world time. That way, if someone said...

Since this is the time to gripe about time, I could justify one-world time. That way, if someone said call me at this time, there could be no confusion.



Time was, people I knew set their system time to UTC and have the switch to local time in userland.



There are problems, starting with beats, but the system is less problematic to me than the current system.




I find myself in 90% agreement here. About 12 years ago, when I was a CS student, I started noticing ...

I find myself in 90% agreement here. About 12 years ago, when I was a CS student, I started noticing other students whose only phone was their mobile phone. Now, Verizon has ran away from POTS in my state and is only doing mobile, and I'm only going with Frontier, their replacement, for data, because I have to.



But some hacker ideas need decades of garage R&D before they make prime time, like the MIT guy who schooled Google on Glass in the IEEE Spectrum.



For the case of the Internet of Things, the sandal-clad hacker in me wants it now. Other parts of me think that ten years might be a little short for getting acceptance and for nailing the interface.




The Pebble watch is shipping.

The Pebble watch is shipping.




Friday, March 8, 2013

I didn't know GitHub did this. Cool. Maybe a sign.... That I should put more up. Thanks to +Gina Trapani...

I didn't know GitHub did this. Cool. Maybe a sign....



That I should put more up.



Thanks to +Gina Trapani for telling me about it.



http://resume.github.com/?jacoby




I love the idea of a wearable Raspberry Pi. I love the idea of wearable computers. I used to love the...

I love the idea of a wearable Raspberry Pi. I love the idea of wearable computers.



I used to love the idea of a computer in my car, but nowadays, the top useful things I'd want it for can be done with my smartphone. (Reading OBDII info? Garmin EcoRoute is an OBDII-to-Bluetooth dongle. The rest is GPS and entertainment. If the's another idea you have, tell me.)



So, before I order this or dummy it up and send it to a 3D printer, what's the app for this? I mean, without getting myself a Vuzik display or something?




Tomorrow is a hack day for +Lafayettech Labs, starting at 1pm. Basically, open lab time. My hope: to ...

Tomorrow is a hack day for +Lafayettech Labs , starting at 1pm. Basically, open lab time. My hope: to have the piezo buzzer/sensor mounted on wood and ready to detect knocking.



You know, I could switch the pin from read to write, then when it detects a knock, it could turn it into that annoying ping. Right?




When a local LUG got started, about fifteen years ago, the leader brought in his SGI and showed off a...

When a local LUG got started, about fifteen years ago, the leader brought in his SGI and showed off a CGI he was running on it which allowed him to run some console commands. He said it was secure.



I typed "ls && cat /etc/passwd"



It wasn't secure.




Yeah, when life is like a videogame...

Yeah, when life is like a videogame...




Thursday, March 7, 2013

A Google poem called "sometimes i" sometimes i get a good feeling sometimes i get a feeling sometimes...

A Google poem called "sometimes i"



sometimes i get a good feeling

sometimes i get a feeling

sometimes in April

sometimes i cry




Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Got a $10 Bluetooth headset from eBay. Cannot make it sync. Annoyed and tired.

Got a $10 Bluetooth headset from eBay. Cannot make it sync. Annoyed and tired.




My reason to install Java is Sikuli, and that is on VBox. I've been thinking about online backup beyond...

My reason to install Java is Sikuli, and that is on VBox. I've been thinking about online backup beyond Dropbox, but haven't but the number yet.




Out of last night's discussion, this is an old pre-LED flashlight that got turned into an ultramega Mintyboost...

Out of last night's discussion, this is an old pre-LED flashlight that got turned into an ultramega Mintyboost for long-term charging. If you're planning for disaster, this is a good thing to make.




Monday, March 4, 2013

Hack night at GLC.

Hack night at GLC.




http://boingboing.net/2013/03/04/calculus-performing-mechanical.html

I've added us to the map, but I don't know when/if we'll show up. Still, a great use of Google APIs

I've added us to the map, but I don't know when/if we'll show up. Still, a great use of Google APIs




This gets to stuff I've been thinking of for a while, and even more so. As a half-step toward this (...

This gets to stuff I've been thinking of for a while, and even more so.



As a half-step toward this (and don't get me wrong, this is a deeper, more thought out and better critique of the teaching of computer programming than I've articulated), I've said for a while that my lack of familiarity with version control systems is a failure of the program I was in, and if they switched the online project turn-in from the decades-old system to 'git push turnin master', that would be a big thing.




Wouldn't you love that in coffee cup size? I would, and I don't really like coffee all that much.

Wouldn't you love that in coffee cup size? I would, and I don't really like coffee all that much.




Saturday, March 2, 2013

Friday, March 1, 2013

I still love telnet. Do not mistake that for me loving telnetd. You telnet into another port and figure...

I still love telnet.



Do not mistake that for me loving telnetd. You telnet into another port and figure out the protocol. At least, before the rise of ssl.