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A Proud Member of the Reality-Based Community
About Me :
I'm a grownup nerd living in the Boston burbs. I write computer programs for a living and plays for fun.
I'm married to a wonderful woman, and we share a nice little house with our daughter and our cats.
I'm a humanist, a technologist, an artist, and an idealist. I believe in reason, freedom, love, equality,
and democracy. (Did I mention that I'm
an idealist? I did, OK.)
I'm also a pragmatist and an empiricist. I reject ideology and dogma, especially when they conflict with
practical facts (i.e., pretty much always). I particularly hate willful ignorance, which tends to go hand-in-hand
with ideology and dogma.
Like the alignment of the planets, this blog gets updated as I have the time, inspiration, and inclination to do so.
Like the alignment of the planets, this blog gets updated as I have the time, inspiration, and inclination to do so.
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Fun Things I Saw on the Web
I saw this great optical illusion today.
For entertainment of a different sort, see this list, culled from Found Magazine.
I saw this great optical illusion today.
For entertainment of a different sort, see this list, culled from Found Magazine.
Monday, December 29, 2003
Hack The Vote
Usually I don't do the "ripped from the headlines" thing when I write, but how could I resist the electronic voting story? (Black Box Voting is an excellent source of information on the whole subject) I thought I could write something timely and entertaining which would make my audience aware of the electronic voting machine mess. In the interest of making it dramatically interesting, I made both characters into ex-hackers. I thought I was in danger of straining credibility when I did this, but it works and it is interesting. But as this story from Wired makes clear, truth is stranger than even my fiction. The White Hats are coming! The White Hats are coming!
PS Bev Harris at Black Box Voting thinks there's more to this story than meets the eye, and that it's possible there was no hacking at VoteHere to begin with.
Usually I don't do the "ripped from the headlines" thing when I write, but how could I resist the electronic voting story? (Black Box Voting is an excellent source of information on the whole subject) I thought I could write something timely and entertaining which would make my audience aware of the electronic voting machine mess. In the interest of making it dramatically interesting, I made both characters into ex-hackers. I thought I was in danger of straining credibility when I did this, but it works and it is interesting. But as this story from Wired makes clear, truth is stranger than even my fiction. The White Hats are coming! The White Hats are coming!
PS Bev Harris at Black Box Voting thinks there's more to this story than meets the eye, and that it's possible there was no hacking at VoteHere to begin with.
Monday, December 22, 2003
Top ten Strom Thurmond Adjectives
10. Racist
9. Bigot
8. Hate-monger
7. Absentee dad
6. Liar
5. Sexual Predator
4. Shameless
3. Hypocrite
2. Rapist
1. Republican
10. Racist
9. Bigot
8. Hate-monger
7. Absentee dad
6. Liar
5. Sexual Predator
4. Shameless
3. Hypocrite
2. Rapist
1. Republican
Saturday, December 20, 2003
The Future Is Sooner Than You Think
I am astonished by Sony's Qrio robot. This amazing machine is, unfortunately, not for sale just yet. Sony was said to be mulling selling this robot, at a price mentioned as about that of "an expensive car", but has decided, for the time being, to use the robot as a development platform and a showcase of Sony's technological prowess instead. What a showcase! This amazing machine is a humanoid bipedal walker that can balance itself, walk over uneven surfaces, protect itself when it falls, and get back up! Sony has demonstrated the machine dancing and even jogging! It's not very useful -- not yet -- but it has demonstrated an amazing range of abilities.
This machine doesn't exist in a vacuum -- there are lots of other similar robots out there, including humanoids from Fujitsu and Honda. Humanoid walking robots have been under serious development for nearly two decades now. That might seem like an awfully long time, but it's more or less normal for new, fundamental technologies. I think we're approximately at the cusp of robot development, where the performance/price curve just begins to take off.
The primary limiting factor in making an independent walking robot is the amount of computing power that can be economically applied to the control task. (The secondary limiting factor is the amount of electrical power that can be carried around. I notice that the Sony and Honda models have both shrunk in their latest incarnations, and it's no accident: it takes a lot less power to move a smaller robot around than it does to move a large robot.) Both of these technologies are making dramatic improvements, but especially the computing part. It just takes a lot of computation to do the sorts of things these machines are capable of doing. How much computation? Nobody really knew before now, that's how much. One of the benefits of building robots is that it quantifies the computational requirements of robots. As computers continue to yield more cycles per second per dollar, as memory and power densities improve, you can expect that humanoid walking robots will become more capable and more affordable.
Some people think that we're at the same point in the evolution of personal robots as we were in 1975 regarding personal computers. The market was ready for PCs in 1975, and the technology was relatively weak, but the stage was set for a revolution. Look at your computer now, and compare it to an Apple I, and you might see where robots are going, and how long it'll take to get there.
I am astonished by Sony's Qrio robot. This amazing machine is, unfortunately, not for sale just yet. Sony was said to be mulling selling this robot, at a price mentioned as about that of "an expensive car", but has decided, for the time being, to use the robot as a development platform and a showcase of Sony's technological prowess instead. What a showcase! This amazing machine is a humanoid bipedal walker that can balance itself, walk over uneven surfaces, protect itself when it falls, and get back up! Sony has demonstrated the machine dancing and even jogging! It's not very useful -- not yet -- but it has demonstrated an amazing range of abilities.
This machine doesn't exist in a vacuum -- there are lots of other similar robots out there, including humanoids from Fujitsu and Honda. Humanoid walking robots have been under serious development for nearly two decades now. That might seem like an awfully long time, but it's more or less normal for new, fundamental technologies. I think we're approximately at the cusp of robot development, where the performance/price curve just begins to take off.
The primary limiting factor in making an independent walking robot is the amount of computing power that can be economically applied to the control task. (The secondary limiting factor is the amount of electrical power that can be carried around. I notice that the Sony and Honda models have both shrunk in their latest incarnations, and it's no accident: it takes a lot less power to move a smaller robot around than it does to move a large robot.) Both of these technologies are making dramatic improvements, but especially the computing part. It just takes a lot of computation to do the sorts of things these machines are capable of doing. How much computation? Nobody really knew before now, that's how much. One of the benefits of building robots is that it quantifies the computational requirements of robots. As computers continue to yield more cycles per second per dollar, as memory and power densities improve, you can expect that humanoid walking robots will become more capable and more affordable.
Some people think that we're at the same point in the evolution of personal robots as we were in 1975 regarding personal computers. The market was ready for PCs in 1975, and the technology was relatively weak, but the stage was set for a revolution. Look at your computer now, and compare it to an Apple I, and you might see where robots are going, and how long it'll take to get there.
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Ann Coulter "Action" Figure
Wow, check it out! It's the new Ann Coulter "Action" Figure! It's not Ann Coulter, but an amazing simulation!
You know, it's the little details that make a thing like this. Just like Ann, this toy is an inert, empty-headed piece of plastic that speaks when you press her buttons. And just like her, it says exactly what an anonymous corporation has programmed her to say!
This is a real item for sale by the same people who brought you the George W. Bush "Action" figure. You know, the one with the stuffed flight suit? Ann Coulter is an odd choice for a sequel: I'd have expected a Dick Cheney doll that says "Big Time!" when you press his button, and comes with his very own Secure Undisclosed Location. Or maybe a Centennial Edition Strom Thurmond, accessorized with a KKK hood in one hand, and an illegitimate black child in the other.
But instead of these stalwarts of the One Party State, someone decided that this month, it's Ann. Therefore, some poor Chinese people, working for pennies a day, literally slave over injection molding machines pumping out graven images of the Ice Queen of the Right, so that dittoheads all over America can exult in their own cleverness (all for the low, low price of $29.95, plus tax, shipping and handling, and your soul).
Alas, the Ann Coulter "Action" Figure isn't perfect. Frankly, to my eye, the doll is much better looking than Ann. They took all the mean smugness out of her (or is it smug meanness?). The plastic hair is also much better looking than hers. And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the doll smiling?
On the other hand, it's likely that the "Action" Figure contains fewer toxic chemicals and carcinogens than Ann herself. So given the choice as to which one I'd rather have in the landfill, I'm going with the doll.
[Link missing on purpose]
Wow, check it out! It's the new Ann Coulter "Action" Figure! It's not Ann Coulter, but an amazing simulation!
You know, it's the little details that make a thing like this. Just like Ann, this toy is an inert, empty-headed piece of plastic that speaks when you press her buttons. And just like her, it says exactly what an anonymous corporation has programmed her to say!
This is a real item for sale by the same people who brought you the George W. Bush "Action" figure. You know, the one with the stuffed flight suit? Ann Coulter is an odd choice for a sequel: I'd have expected a Dick Cheney doll that says "Big Time!" when you press his button, and comes with his very own Secure Undisclosed Location. Or maybe a Centennial Edition Strom Thurmond, accessorized with a KKK hood in one hand, and an illegitimate black child in the other.
But instead of these stalwarts of the One Party State, someone decided that this month, it's Ann. Therefore, some poor Chinese people, working for pennies a day, literally slave over injection molding machines pumping out graven images of the Ice Queen of the Right, so that dittoheads all over America can exult in their own cleverness (all for the low, low price of $29.95, plus tax, shipping and handling, and your soul).
Alas, the Ann Coulter "Action" Figure isn't perfect. Frankly, to my eye, the doll is much better looking than Ann. They took all the mean smugness out of her (or is it smug meanness?). The plastic hair is also much better looking than hers. And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the doll smiling?
On the other hand, it's likely that the "Action" Figure contains fewer toxic chemicals and carcinogens than Ann herself. So given the choice as to which one I'd rather have in the landfill, I'm going with the doll.
[Link missing on purpose]
Friday, December 12, 2003
Convoq ASAP has gone beta
It's finally happened! Convoq ASAP has gone beta! This is the product I have been working on at Convoq for a little more than a year. Convoq ASAP is a new way to host instant meetings over the web, and supports text chat, live sound, video, file transfer, presentations, and screen sharing -- and it works even if the person you want to meet with doesn't have our client installed! I'm very proud to have played a part in the development of this product. It deserves to be a big hit!
The ASAP client is built mostly in Flash MX, which explains why I have been grousing about ActionScript for the better part of a year. I can finally say, however, that when all is said and done, Flash does a marvellous job for us. It may be hard to believe that it's possible to create a rich application in the Flash environment, but we have succeeded in doing so.
Convoq ASAP Product Overview
It's finally happened! Convoq ASAP has gone beta! This is the product I have been working on at Convoq for a little more than a year. Convoq ASAP is a new way to host instant meetings over the web, and supports text chat, live sound, video, file transfer, presentations, and screen sharing -- and it works even if the person you want to meet with doesn't have our client installed! I'm very proud to have played a part in the development of this product. It deserves to be a big hit!
The ASAP client is built mostly in Flash MX, which explains why I have been grousing about ActionScript for the better part of a year. I can finally say, however, that when all is said and done, Flash does a marvellous job for us. It may be hard to believe that it's possible to create a rich application in the Flash environment, but we have succeeded in doing so.
Convoq ASAP Product Overview
Sunday, December 07, 2003
Playwright News
A couple of tidbits of good news this week, on the playwriting front:
First, my play Get Out Of My American Way will be published as part of Baker's Plays Boston Theater Marathon IV collection, which is expected in early 2004. This play, about a nerd being laid off and the poor HR rep wielding the axe, was performed at the Boston Theater Marathon in 2002. (Coincidentally, I was laid off from Adobe just days before that performance!) It's one of my own favorites, and I'm very pleased to have it published.
Second, my new play Red State, White Hat, Blue Screen (aka Hack the Vote) will be performed at the Acme Theater New Works Winter Festival 2004 in Maynard, Massachusetts, in January! Red State... is a timely little piece about the intersection of technology and politics.
A couple of tidbits of good news this week, on the playwriting front:
First, my play Get Out Of My American Way will be published as part of Baker's Plays Boston Theater Marathon IV collection, which is expected in early 2004. This play, about a nerd being laid off and the poor HR rep wielding the axe, was performed at the Boston Theater Marathon in 2002. (Coincidentally, I was laid off from Adobe just days before that performance!) It's one of my own favorites, and I'm very pleased to have it published.
Second, my new play Red State, White Hat, Blue Screen (aka Hack the Vote) will be performed at the Acme Theater New Works Winter Festival 2004 in Maynard, Massachusetts, in January! Red State... is a timely little piece about the intersection of technology and politics.
Saturday, December 06, 2003
Miserable Failure
Well, it's true! George W Bush is a miserable failure. What other term can you possibly apply to a guy who single-handedly turned a massive government surplus into record deficits? What other term can you apply to a guy who utterly pissed away the post-9/11 goodwill of the entire world, united behind America? What can you say about a guy who lied us into an unnecessary and hugely expensive war, and now has no idea how to get us out -- or even a good explanation of just what he was trying to accomplish? I think miserable failure, if anything, is an understatement. How about worst President ever?
This is a topic I mean to address in real depth at some time. At the moment, I'm a little preoccupied with my job. When I get time to write, I've been writing a full-length play, which isn't about George W. Bush, but is definitely influenced by him. The play will get its first reading in April, at which time I'll be able to say that I have a more nuanced statement to make than "miserable failure".
Well, it's true! George W Bush is a miserable failure. What other term can you possibly apply to a guy who single-handedly turned a massive government surplus into record deficits? What other term can you apply to a guy who utterly pissed away the post-9/11 goodwill of the entire world, united behind America? What can you say about a guy who lied us into an unnecessary and hugely expensive war, and now has no idea how to get us out -- or even a good explanation of just what he was trying to accomplish? I think miserable failure, if anything, is an understatement. How about worst President ever?
This is a topic I mean to address in real depth at some time. At the moment, I'm a little preoccupied with my job. When I get time to write, I've been writing a full-length play, which isn't about George W. Bush, but is definitely influenced by him. The play will get its first reading in April, at which time I'll be able to say that I have a more nuanced statement to make than "miserable failure".
