Even more

Quote:

If the Republican National Committee can get their mail out and MoveOn.org can't, then that could influence elections, and could affect your life even if you're an Iraqi peasant goat farmer who hasn't updated his blog in weeks.

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/11/150225

More quotable

I often hear: “Concrete, brick, and stone are better for storing heat energy.”

They do store energy — but only *specific* energy, which means that as energy is put into the stone, brick, or concrete, the materials get hotter. While wood stores some specific energy, it also stores latent energy, which means the temperature is constant while the wood resins, lignins and cellulose goes through a phase-change. Luckily, that temperature is around 70 degrees F. In a house, you want the temperature to be constant.

Link

quotable

Here


"Basically the iPhone is a 1996 Ford Taurus — that car in which all design problems, from logo to windscreen, were solved with an Illustrator-stretched oval."


-Thomas de Monchaux

But it is a real disaster!

Just some random thoughts after my team, who will not by named in my words, has come to a crashing, stuttering conclusion to the season. Others have made a case for which ways the hopes come falling down:

Copied from the Sabres board a couple of days ago:

There are four distinct kinds of sports induced torture.

1) Years of incompetence spelled by brief rays of mediocrity.
2) Consistently good teams that never win the big one.
3) Elite teams that are defeated because of injury or external factors.
4) The pinnacle of sports torture, the heartbreaking moment.

Type 1 Torture: Buffalo Bills 1970-1979. In 1971, the Bills became the first and, as of now, only team in NFL history to bat for the Triple Crown of sucking. They finished with the worst overall record, allowed the most points against, and scored the least amount of points for. Unprecedented. They also lost every game in the 1970’s to their biggest rival, the Miami Dolphins. They had seven seasons with 9 or more losses and they only played 14 game seasons until 1977. The face of the franchise was OJ Simpson.

Buffalo Bills 2000-2006. It’s almost impossible to miss the playoffs seven years in a row in the modern NFL, but the Bills managed to accomplish the feat. Just to rub a little salt in the wounds of all Buffalonians, the Bills won 6 straight games in 2004 to set up a chance to beat the Steelers with the playoffs on the line. The Steelers were 14-1 and were resting all their starters. Brian St. Pierre plays the second half. Seriously. The Bills lost.

Buffalo Sabres 2001-2004. The Sabres have been fairly mediocre throughout their history, but this was a special era. The owner, John Rigas, got arrested for looting his company, the team went bankrupt, and they finished last in the division three straight years. Good times.

Type 2 Torture: Buffalo Bills 1990-1993. There obviously has never been a better example of Type 2 Torture than the Bills. Losing four straight Super Bowls is inconceivable. I’m still trying to convince myself it didn’t happen.

Type 3 Torture: 1970 Final Four. Buffalo Native Bob Lanier leads the tiny upstate NY college St. Bonaventure to the Final Four where they are the heavy favorites to meet UCLA in the championship game. Lanier’s ACL gets snapped by his future Detroit Piston teammate Chris Ford in a freak accident and St. Bonaventure gets upset by Jacksonville.

2000 NHL Playoffs. John LeClair scores a pivotal goal through a hole in the side of the net and somehow is allowed to stand. Would the Sabres have gone back to the Cup Finals? Probably not, but it still felt like we were getting cheated. Again.

2006 NHL Playoffs. After rolling over Ottawa, the most talented team in the East, in five games it was looking like Buffalo might finally win a championship. Somewhat predictably, fate intervened and four of the Sabres top five defensemen went down with injuries which was just enough for Carolina, the eventual Cup winners, to come from behind in the third period of game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Type 4 Torture: Type 4 Torture is where Buffalo really runs away with it.

Super Bowl XXV. Wide Right. The Bills lose the Super Bowl that they’re heavily favored to win after Scott Norwood misses the game winning field goal. We all know the story; I don’t really want to talk about it.

1998-1999 Stanley Cup Finals. No Goal. Brett Hull scores in triple overtime with his skate in the crease. Dozens of identical goals had been waived off all year yet the NHL backed the ruling despite the fact that it was never even reviewed. I guess it wasn’t important.

1999-2000 NFL Playoffs. The Music City Miracle. It probably wasn’t even a forward lateral, but to lose a playoff game on a gimmick special teams play with 16 seconds left is simply gut wrenching. Rob Johnson, yes that Rob Johnson, lead the Bills on the go ahead scoring drive. Shouldn’t that be enough?

But, the underlying problem is that the city rests too much of its non-sports energy on sports. We don't just use sports to amuse ourselves, it is widespread vicarious fandom. We are the team, the team is us. The world doesn't really get it, but there are analogies in other sports - the world cup is a game of national pride. Football teams like the packers are owned by the fans even, and canada feels like the game of hockey owes them. Well, Buffalo has its teams, and the void of a championship, with many, many, close calls, has cemented the region as that of underachievers. Why is this?

Well, the two teams that we have are easy to identify with, as close to 100% of the population keeps tabs on them daily. For such a large metro area, this is unusual, and even though there are larger cities and markets, the region of WNY can sell out games for years at a time. We were always blessed with great leadership for the teams, and the flirtation with greatness is pretty consistent. Of course, that is the primary way to sell tickets. Be good but not great, and do it consistently.

I could quote statistics, but I won't. From the post above, though, you can see how we have been so close, and the heartbreak has been so intense. Many sports fans are bitter, hardened, and jaded. Actually, this is a good quality. Can you imagine anything worse than finishing second for 40 years?

And it translates to other areas of our lives. The city's economy, social scene, tourism, identity, education, and even newspapers are all good, but nothing is great. Could it be that we are so used to finishing second in life, that we accept it, and expect it?

I don't know what the answer is. I would be able to tell you if just one win, ONE time for us to say that we are the best at something, could change our collective outlook on life, but it's not going to be put to the test this year. It is disappointing, because a place like Ottawa needs no boost, no special treatment to be energized again. The fans are true fans, for sure, but a win is not going to be the difference in anyone's career, or life choices. That is what the media, and anyone who says that it is just sports is missing.

And that is the frustrating part. Losing a hockey game means, quite literally, more in the life of every hometown fan for us than it would for any other team. It is real pain, the world needs to know.

When it all came apart:

Great website

So there is this great couple that's getting married, and they have a website! Go check it out.

Sorry.

Dear Diary,

I've changed a lot in the last two years, and my priorities are a little more centered, I would say. So, I had to tell someone, and I am deeply truly sorry to have purchased the latest Modest Mouse album. I know, I went to RIAA radar and everything. But it just happened. And it was on sale, so they got maybe, what, a dollar at most from my purchase, but it is still vile, disgusting, and wrong. They've done more wrong to MY life in this country, affecting MY rights, to allow it to happen. Just look at this.


Anyway, I didn't know what to do, the artist didn't make it available anywhere online, except iTunes, which is wrong in its own way. And I didn't ask them to sign on with the major label they did, but the worst part: I listen differently now to what they say. It's like there is some filter over the music. It's RIAA music now, and quite different.



So, these things become more and more important to me, and many others, and I'm not as involved in advertisting as I was. In fact, I don't typically see ANY local ads through radio, tv, or newspaper in a day, and it is a surprise when I catch the random auto dealer ad on radio, or a local community paper or something. With this demographic that I'm in (25-30 male), I should be getting BOMBARDED. So, the only way for the big companies to reach out to a responsible twenty something these days is to take over a band, a brand, a store that I previously thought was "mine". Well, ok, but it might be the beginning of the end.

It's worth writing about, sure...

Who the f*** decided that sentences on the Internet shall no longer be formatted with two spaces after a period?!

This is a signature from slashdot. But it is true, and I'll tell you all the little things that this statement means to me. It's more than meets the eye.

Yes, the internet is powerful, everywhere, tempting, all encompassing, and defining. What happens on the internet, whether it be 1337 speak, punctuation, or humor (itsatrap!) tends to latch on to us, because it represents the most democratic medium - everyone's voice is there, and the conscience tends to fall toward the center of the bell curve of the participants, hence, society.

The lack of a second space after the period may be the future, and, like the comment says, it might be just one guy who decided when writing html standards. That is the power, and social leveller of the web.

Any english teacher will tell you that the language is constantly evolving. Merriam webster doesn't decide what new words are available. And, the increasing rate of change of things like this on the web are really telling. Who would have thought?

lottery followup

So, two people picked the numbers correctly in that huge mega millions jackpot. I, myself, bought a ticket for the most picked numbers. I also tried one for the least picked. My source was the official database, from megamillions.com. They had 1019 draws over 6 years available to me, so I put together a quick chart. The distribution was as follows:



For those interested, here is the
chart for the "mega" ball.


So, 5,22,32,42,47, and I used the megaball of 3. I had to pick one to leave out, and that was 17.

For the least picked numbers, I used (discarding the numbers above 51 inserted in the past year to lower odds for all of us.

2,19,33,34,41, and 51

Well, the actual picks were

16,22,29,39,42	Mega Ball = 20

So, I matched one number, which wins nothing.

Lottery mentality

To sum it up: I don't want to win the lottery.

Yep, but I do put down the dollar here and there, it's a simple little thing that I can do to enrich my mind. There isn't any chance that anything will come of it - but it keeps you dreaming. Over the last year I have spent maybe $12 on tickets for the bigger lotteries, the multi-state, multi-hundred-million ones, and some for the smaller.

So, why? Well, it forces me to think long term. What would I do with money? What would I do if I didn't have to work? What if there was something I could do about it? And it helps you click things together, piece by piece. I know that I'm not going to win, and I don't give even a second thought to it when I don't. Sure it would be nice to match 2 or 3 numbers and win a few thousand bucks. THAT would help me.

But, $370 million just isn't a great thing if it were to happen to me. At that point, everything is different. Your friends go away, your family would use you. Well, not mine, but you get the point. You enter the place where security is an everyday issue for you, kidnapping is a possibility, and depending on your age, you can't take it with you anyway, so it really just becomes a legacy. You need to avoid lawsuits, driving, shopping, you better keep your sidewalk shoveled.

But, since I'm not running for president, I don't want the money. But playing the lottery makes me aware of the more likely things that could happen to me, like starting a successful company, or inventing something useful to the world. That's the thing, I need to be aware of all of these options, and that's what I'm buying for my dollar. So leave me alone.

Which Metros have I been on?

Got at b3co.com!

Reposting my words...

Ok, so I wrote this response on a forum, and it sums up my mindset at the moment. Word-for-word, here ya go:

jbplaster wrote:

i do believe it is the domain of the aia to work toward bolstering architects' fees. how this is handled, i don't know, but the situation is bad and it's not getting better.

The problem, like you mentioned, is that we are really at the whim of the market, and we don't have the organization. Real estate agents have that capitalized logo, and they are incredibly careful to always refer to each other as "Realtors", or whatever it is. They are, basically, a de facto union. Now, maybe they are also headed on the path toward antitrust issues, but I do know that the US Justice department came down on the AIA as recently as 1990 for price fixing, and that long ago, architect rates in the US were set by a table. I don't have the exact info, but you could say that when we lost that advantage, it was the beginning of the end in this country. We need every advantage we can get, because when it comes right down to it, architecture is a luxury 90% of the time. And please think about it before you respond angrily. Are we closer to art/design/functionality than we are to economics/ profitability/sustainbility? The best architects I know use metrics like cost per dorm bed interchangably with terms like "sense of place". The architects I see who can't make payroll usually spend their time waving their arms and describing that one project they saw in duomo in 1984. They would also hate to look over a project estimate spreadsheet. That's boring to them.

Business is not easy, nor fair, and like someone else mentioned on this thread, money flows only when it is forced to. If you can make it essential for a client to hire an architect, then you will be paid what you deserve. Bringing it back to this thread, engineers are legally required for much of the work they do, doctors have a protected monopoly and revenue stream (HMO premiums) and are required to do even the smallest services ("oh, it's just a small operation, you don't need a licence for that"), and lawyers are trained to create their own work through litigation and preemptive "legal strategy". Bonuses are also given to lawyers based on the additional time they earn for their firm, they are being paid for being inefficient! Could you imagine if an architect went around offering contractual advice for companies in case of architectural services needed in the future? That's the position I want.

I don't know, but there are thousands of new architectural graduates every year, and the number of projects is not increasing. The excess supply has led to the alarming trend: you start with a discipleship that we have been brainwashed into doing after education. You know, that model shop internship for Gehry or Meier or Pritzker Associates you took for no pay. Now you are 25 and have no savings, no actual experience in construction, no hours accumulated toward IDP, but great contacts! So you take a starter salary position at a corporate firm ($28k with benefits), stay there a while and boom, you're thirty and making $39,000 trying to live in a large city because you just can't stand the suburbs. Meanwhile, your engineer buddies from college took their entry level hits after college, have ten years of experience, licence in hand and on track for associate at the firm, have moved up the pay scale, got a house in a subdivsion with a kid or two, and absolutely love their minivans. I don't know if they have demand problems, but your typical engineer is much more traditional in terms of making money and real-world situations, and NO engineer that I know would turn down a job because the buildings were boring, or some other ideological reason.

I know that I personally was out of tune with the dynamics of the demand for our services, especially when I picked this path at age 17, but I'm not going to let that deter me. I see what is necessary for our clients, and if that is checking every line item for them, then that's what we try to get them. If that isn't what we called architecture a few years ago, then I will adapt. If I need to get a business degree or move my office to the construction site, then I'll go. I don't have the energy or enthusiasum for the profession as a whole to try to change it or wait for the NCARB or whoever to get their act together.

What makes a good work environment? It's being part of a larger event...for an architect, putting your mark on inspiring spaces. Not big, not finely detailed, but a space that matches the present day, in both needs and in relevancy. I cringe when some brilliant programmer comes up with a puzzle to help weed out the competition. If one had the time to do this, they would probably be using their spare time on a paying side project, or consulting. It says nothing about the ability to function in the appropriate environment.

Computer Scientist/Programmer
Join a team of extraordinary engineers ....

...Puzzles
Most applicants solve one of these puzzles. Unless otherwise specified, you may use any language you like. Aim for clarity and efficiency. Please include your program's final answer in the body of your email, and please send code that actually compiles and runs so we can test it -- no pseudo-code please!


Tour the T
Objective

Given a T timetable, write a program to compute the quickest route that passes through every station on the Red, Blue, Green, and Orange Lines, ending at Kendall Square.

Details

Your program should compute a route that visits all T stations at least once. A station has been visited if you stop there (to change to a different line) or pass through on a train. You may start at any station.

The supplied T timetable contains the definitive list of all T stations and the travel time between them. All trains in the timetable should be assumed to run in both directions. Assume that the expected wait time for a train at a given station is fixed:

* Red Line - 5 minutes
* Blue Line - 4 minutes
* Green Line - 3 minutes
* Orange Line - 2 minutes

For example, if part of your route includes changing from the Green Line to the Red Line at Park Street, you should assume that you will wait 5 minutes for the Red Line train to show up. You should also assume that the wait time is the same for all trains (e.g. you will wait 5 minutes for the Red Line to Braintree, Ashmont, or Alewife).

At the end of the line, you must get off the train and wait the appropriate amount of time for a train going in the opposite direction.

Include in your answer the total time to visit all stations, plus enough information to verify your solution. Sample output for a (suboptimal) route starting at Kendall Square might look like:

0:00:00: Arrive Kendall/MIT
0:05:00: Board Red Line Braintree
0:07:00: Arrive Charles/MGH
0:09:00: Arrive Park St
0:12:00: Board Green Line B
0:14:00: Arrive Government Center
0:17:00: Board Green Line B
...

Of course, your code should not be in any way specific to the Boston subway topology, but generalize easily to other data files, representing, say, the New York subway.

So, if one must go to the big G - what's wrong with being in management, or in administration? Nothing that I can tell.

Good and bad personalization

I found two examples of personalization in commerce, one good, one not.

A new pen - yes, the writing instrument - from OfficeMax has launched a massive (apparently) ad campaign in search of a "better handwriting". Well, with cursive being a lost art and all, one could argue that our writing techn(nique)ology is going to change dramatically over time. We are the first generation that will choose HOW we give information to our ancestors. Anyway, that's a speech for another time. This ad was cool, using flash and inserting handwriting that I wrote on a postage paid card. I was pleasantly surprised to see my scribbles in the animation, despite the tongue in cheek 'science':





Contrast this to the individualized sayings that are now being printed on my pringles. What? I know 100% of our food is machine processed and engineered, but do you have to remind me at every bite? At least put something interesting on them, I don't really care about mass-music trivia. I urge the food scientists out there, get together with your marketing people and make something better. I'd love to see the ingredients listed on the ship, or how about the calorie content? That would be something.

Different than usual

I am not one to use this space to rant (and I haven't used it much lately), but here is my take on a Craigslist phenomenon that I can't stand.


The free listing for a "bag" of stuff. If it's in a bag, that might be the first reason you haven't been using it. If you just put it there, so what? I'm not coming for the bag -but if you are somehow trying to sell me something, the "bag" fact makes it seem totally against my expenditure of time to come get it. Even better, you have taken the time to list the contents of the bag, and I'm pretty sure something like a TV wouldn't even fit in a bag to begin with! So, will you be giving me a bag on the side? That might make it worth my while.

Example listing:

I have two big trash bags full of stuff I need to get rid of:

VCR
Plastic Totes
Clothes

and tons more! I am located in Sharon, MA. I would like to get rid of this stuff tonight. If you'd like to pick it up, please reply with your estimated time of arrival. I will email you back, letting you know I'm going to put the bags outside and also to give you the address.

Why not just remove the bag from the equation and forget it...it didn't excite me even for a second, ok? I'm still on the lookout for the empty bag listing as a followup...yes, they are reusable.

So, how is that for worthless blogging?

Urbis Romae

I while back, I wrote about the project going on at Stanford whereas the ancient stone map of the city once hanging in the public forum, was found crumbled, but mostly complete.  Well, like a large puzzle, it was slowly put together, using the help of 3d scanners, and there are suggested solutions available.  Well, so what?  It serves our left side geeky brain, but that is really it. We now just have a vision of the city as some biased, imprecise mapmakers thought it in the year 42 or whatever.  There is so much beyond to think about, to understand (such as the 1400 years that the city survived to the renaissance) that it may be helpful to understand the top down thinking at the start, but I'm more interested in bottom up.  See, for example (only conceptually) these procedural texture methods are fascinating.  Using Free agents, can one generate Rome, pardon the phrasing, in a day? Hey, it's an idea.

I didn't write this, but somebody did...

Perhaps one of the most interesting and colorful phrases in the English language today is the phrase "Snakes on a Plane". It is the one magical phrase, which, just by its sound, can describe pain, pleasure, love, and Samuel L. Jackson.

In language, "Snakes on a Plane" falls into many grammatical categories. It can be used as a verb, both transitive (John snaked Mary on a plane) and intransitive (Mary was snaked on a plane by John). It can be an action verb (John really snakes on a plane), a passive verb (Mary really doesn't snake on a plane), an adverb (Mary is snaking-on-a-plane interested in John), or as a noun (Mary is a terrific snake on a plane). It can also be used as an adjective (Mary is snaking-on-a-plane beautiful) or an interjection (Snakes on a Plane! I'm late for my date with Mary). It can even be used as a conjunction (John is ugly, SNAKES ON A PLANE, he's also stupid). As you can see, there are very few words with the overall versatility of the phrase "Snakes on a Plane."

Aside from its R-rated-because-that's-what-the-fans-demanded connotations, this incredible word can be used to describe many situations:

1) Surprise -- "What the snakes on a plane are you doing here?"
2) Fraud -- "I got snaked on a plane by the car dealer."
3) Resignation -- "Oh, snakes on a plane!"
4) Trouble -- "I guess I'm snakes on a plane now."
5) Aggression -- "GO SNAKE YOURSELF ON A PLANE!"
6) Disgust -- "Snake me on a motherfucking plane."
7) Confusion -- "What the...snakes on a plane...?"
8) Difficulty -- "I don't understand these snakes on a plane!"
9) Despair -- "Snakes on a plane again...."
10) Pleasure -- "I couldn't be happier if I had snakes on a plane."
11) Displeasure -- "What the motherfuck is going on here, snakes on a plane?"
12) Lost -- "Where are we going and why are there snakes on a plane?"
13) Disbelief -- "UN-SNAKES-ON-A-PLANE-BELIEVABLE!"
14) Retaliation -- "Up your fucking snakes on a plane!"
15) Denial -- "I didn't do it. The snakes did. On a plane."
16) Perplexity -- "I know everything to do with it, if it has anything to do with Snakes On A Plane."
17) Apathy -- "Who really gives a snake on a plane, anyhow?"
18) Greetings -- "How the snakes on a plane are ya?"
19) Suspicion -- "Who the fuck are you, snakes on a plane?"
20) Panic -- "Let's get the snakes on a plane out of here."
21) Directions -- "Fuck off, snakes on a plane."
22) Awe -- "How the snakes on a plane did you do that?"

It can be used in an anatomical description -- "He's got a motherfucking snake up his motherfucking plane." It can be used to tell time -- "It's five snakes on a plane thirty." It can be used in business -- "How did I wind up with this job? It's snakes on a plane!" And of course, it can be maternal -- "Motherfucking snakes on a motherfucking plane."

The mind fairly boggles at the many creative uses of the phrase! How can anyone be offended when you say, "Snakes on a Plane"? Use it frequently in your daily speech! It adds to your prestige.

Pandora is great, but...

I hadn't realized the seriousness of listening to streaming music before, until I was trying to get my Pandora web player to skip a few songs ahead.  Well, apparently, you can only do this a couple times per hour, due to "licensing" restrictions.  The FAQ tells me this:

Our music licenses do not allow us to let you back up the music to replay a specific song.

Oh, and don't try to game the system by repeatedly opening and closing the window, because the following language appears in the EULA:
 

6. SECURITY
The Pandora Services utilize technology to protect transmitted digital information. Your use of the Pandora Services may be limited by such technology. You acknowledge that, from time to time, Pandora may modify or discontinue using such technology. Security modifications made by Pandora may from time to time include required or automated updates, modifications, patches, and/or reinstallations of software. IF YOU ATTEMPT TO VIOLATE OR CIRCUMVENT ANY SYSTEM OR NETWORK SECURITY COMPONENTS OR TECHNOLOGY, YOU MAY BE SUBJECT TO CIVIL OR CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

What gives? Because I can't really decide what I listen to, this is OK?  Thank you sir, may I have another?
 

He's just ruffling feathers

I would like to offer a counterpoint to the idea that Tony Long at Wired presented. It's not about the means, or the medium.

All art that doesn't involve using one's hands (digital processes, for example) still needs to be judgedd by it's full integrity and product. The working definition of 'art' that I use - highlighting issues. If you aren't doing this, then it just isn't art - it is a pretty picture. Perhaps the author was focusing on his antiquated ideas that are rooted in 70's elementary school art rooms. Please cut your angels out more carefully next time! There is a certain opportunity for accident to shape your final work when using something like a stop bath, I admit. You can dodge and burn as long as you want, you can also underexpose, rip the paper, stomp on it, or light it on fire. Does this make it better? I work by recognizing accidents for the better, and I see this in sketchUp all the time. You stretch a line and it goes too far - instant addition! In all seriousness, however, it happens.



Nobody ever said that classical painting has a digital equivalent. 3d animation has no renaissance equivalent either. In fact, the real difference that you are trying to establish (perhaps a superiority?) is that arts where the medium and materials are controlled by the elite or wealthy are more, I don't know, permanent? Why aren't there more frescos surviving from the Romans? Because the right to work on them was given to a select few (not in their house, of course). Digital art is almost entirely free and accessible to literally everyone. Yes, literally. As long as an internet connects several computers, it is possible to transfer art.

Finally, someday, every work of art, from the Mona Lisa to your powerpoint presentation last week will be easily reproducible. If every strok of a paintbrush could be stored, precisely, we could make as many of them as we want. Diamonds are soon-to-be plentiful, bandwidth, storage and processing are becoming free in parts of the world (not my country though). So, what about storing all art as a series of instructions, does thinking about it from this point of view change your mind?

a man only knows how to build a house once he has built a house

Words to live by. That it is houses is irrelevant.

Furthermore, the paradox of going to school for real skills - animation, drafting, materials, coding, means that you are devoting time that could be used for learning buisness, making contacts, or starting on your own. We need to get away from the educate-for-everything mentality.

What's next?

It's no easy choice.  The numerical world is where I am at home.  I crave the cost per cubic foot numbers that my real estate agent presents.  Sure the view of the cruise terminal is fantastic, but we got a great deal!  I like seeing baby pictures, but videos make it even better, especially when they are on youtube.  Accountants wish they had my number crunching skills.  I may only be getting married so that I can make a spreadsheet (and of course plot on Google Earth) the addresses of invites and hotels.  Oh, and the graphics.  So, what the heck am I doing here now?