Just when I thought Amazon had pretty much perfected the art of online retailing, they find another way to make it even better.
Dang! They're going to own the world, I think...
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Growth...
A rare work-related post:
The company I work for is growing very rapidly, and many of us are changing roles as that growth accelerates. In my case, that means that I'm moving from being an individual contributor (something I love doing) to being a team leader. This is not quite as much fun for me, but it has some offsetting rewards – especially the standing to help shape the future of some pieces of our product.
So I'm building a little team. I've got two great guys on my team now (one whom I've been working with for over a year, one just starting). I've got two openings that I'm trying to fill – I'm looking for insanely great programmers with a strong large-enterprise IT gear familiarity (that is, people who know about things like big routers, switches, SANs, NAS, fabric switches, datacenter architecture, UPSs, etc.). We work in Java and JavaScript (client- and server-side). If that's you, or someone you know, there may be a mutually beneficial opportunity here – so please write me!
The company I work for is growing very rapidly, and many of us are changing roles as that growth accelerates. In my case, that means that I'm moving from being an individual contributor (something I love doing) to being a team leader. This is not quite as much fun for me, but it has some offsetting rewards – especially the standing to help shape the future of some pieces of our product.
So I'm building a little team. I've got two great guys on my team now (one whom I've been working with for over a year, one just starting). I've got two openings that I'm trying to fill – I'm looking for insanely great programmers with a strong large-enterprise IT gear familiarity (that is, people who know about things like big routers, switches, SANs, NAS, fabric switches, datacenter architecture, UPSs, etc.). We work in Java and JavaScript (client- and server-side). If that's you, or someone you know, there may be a mutually beneficial opportunity here – so please write me!
Knuth's Announcement...
Apparently this was more of Knuth's famous humor. His earthshaking announcement was just an announcement of the latest version of Tex.
Sigh...
Sigh...
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Twelve Boxes of Chocolate Ice Cream...
Via my mom:
So my mom's story seems completely in character, especially if you know about his chocolate ice cream fetish. I can easily imagine how is brain reacted upon seeing a mere 2 boxes of chocolate ice cream remaining: “Oh, noz! What am I going to eat for lunch?!?!”
I was reading and Dad walked over and stood in front of me with a very long face and whimpered “I only have 2 boxes of ice cream left”Anyone who knows my Dad knows about his obsession with planning his next meals. We all speculate this is derived from his Great Depression-era childhood. Whatever the cause, he spends a significant part of his life thinking about where the next meal is going to come from. For example, anytime he and I went on a trip together, the moment we got underway in the car you could be sure that the next thing he'd say would something like “So...where are we going to eat lunch?”
SIGH!
Thankfully they are on sale this week and I shall purchase another 12 boxes...and so my life goes on and on and on...
So my mom's story seems completely in character, especially if you know about his chocolate ice cream fetish. I can easily imagine how is brain reacted upon seeing a mere 2 boxes of chocolate ice cream remaining: “Oh, noz! What am I going to eat for lunch?!?!”
Recovery...
Let's hope the voters in November 2012 see things as clearly as this demonstrator does! Via my mom...
Your Tax Dollars at Work...
The Deepwater Horizon well has been belching great gobs of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for months now. Our federal government has been spending millions of dollars, hard at work on mitigating the damage and finding a cure.
Or at least, that's what Obama would have you believe. The reality is just a bit different. Just this morning comes the news that finally the federal government has decided to allow foreign nations to help us out. That would be those foreign nations that own more than 90% of the world's oil spill cleanup equipment, and who have been clamoring to help since the day the well blew up. Stories like this one have been in the press for months now.
Isn't it comforting to know that the government showing such speedy, sensible response is the same one who's going to be taking care of you if you have a medical emergency?
Or at least, that's what Obama would have you believe. The reality is just a bit different. Just this morning comes the news that finally the federal government has decided to allow foreign nations to help us out. That would be those foreign nations that own more than 90% of the world's oil spill cleanup equipment, and who have been clamoring to help since the day the well blew up. Stories like this one have been in the press for months now.
Isn't it comforting to know that the government showing such speedy, sensible response is the same one who's going to be taking care of you if you have a medical emergency?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The Real “Great Depression”...
The photo at right is one of many iconic photos of impoverished Americans in the 1930s. My own father remembers those years – just 70 years ago, a mere blink ago in the historical record. In that Great Depression, millions of Americans were under existential threat – lacking such basics as food and shelter. The recent history of the area where I live (Southern California) was greatly affected by the mass migration of the “Okies” from the dustbowl of Texas and Oklahoma.
In today's press-styled “Great Depression”, nothing even remotely comparable is taking place. Our lamestream media is doing the nation a great disservice by pretending otherwise. But then there's nothing new about the lamestream media doing the nation a disservice, is there?
McDonald v. Chicago...
Randy Barnett finds the important bit.
Interesting how the much-disparaged Justice Thomas is the one to successfully ressurect the 14th Amendment's “Priveleges and Immunities” clause...
Interesting how the much-disparaged Justice Thomas is the one to successfully ressurect the 14th Amendment's “Priveleges and Immunities” clause...
Monday, June 28, 2010
Senator Byrd Dead at 92...
I'll leave it to (many) others to write his obituary. Here I want to talk about another issue: his successor.
Replacing a Senator is controlled by state law, not federal – so each state has different rules. As best I can tell through some research this morning, West Virginia law contains two different rules:
Replacing a Senator is controlled by state law, not federal – so each state has different rules. As best I can tell through some research this morning, West Virginia law contains two different rules:
- Replacing a Senator less than 30 months before the end of the term. In this case, the governor appoints a replacement who serves until the end of the original term.
- Replacing a Senator more than 30 months before the end of the term. In this case, the governor appoints a replacement who serves only until an interim election is called, at which point the voters elect a replacement to serve until the end of the term.
Non-Newtonian Fluid Dynamics...
“Non-Newtonian fluid” is just a fancy way of naming a liquid that gets thicker when you disturb it. The liquid in the video is a mixture of cornstarch and water. The videographer did something clever to remove the blur you'd expect: the video camera takes 30 frames per second, and the speaker is vibrating at 30 Hertz (cycles per second). The result is much like using a stroboscope...
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Balance in All Things...
Via my mom:
My version of this story would replace “Washington, DC” with “New Jersey”, and “New Jersey” with ”Idaho”, “Montana”, or “Wyoming”. There now, doesn't that sound right?
And GOD Created New Jersey ...Now my mom seems to think that this story implies good things about New Jersey. But with a little searching, it's clear that every state has claimed their place in this parable. In other words, you can compare any state favorably to Washington, DC – especially in terms of average IQ.
GOD was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael, the archangel, found him, resting on the seventh day.
He inquired, "Where have you been?"
GOD smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made."
Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?"
"It's a planet," replied GOD, and I've put life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance."
"Balance?" inquired Michael, "I'm still confused."
GOD explained, pointing to different parts of Earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor. Over here I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things."
GOD continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."
The Archangel , impressed by GOD's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?"
"That's New Jersey, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from New Jersey are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world. They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of good things."
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, GOD? You said there would be balance."
GOD smiled, "Not very far from New Jersey is Washington, DC. Wait till you see the idiots I put there."
My version of this story would replace “Washington, DC” with “New Jersey”, and “New Jersey” with ”Idaho”, “Montana”, or “Wyoming”. There now, doesn't that sound right?
Way to Go, Joe...
Biden's defeatist attitude reminds me very much of Jimmy (“wear a sweater”) Carter.
Whatever else happens this November, I hope the election brings a crop of positive, can-do types to Congress – 'cause the current bunch is just making me crazy...
Biden, go stick your head in a bucket and leave it there, will ya?
Whatever else happens this November, I hope the election brings a crop of positive, can-do types to Congress – 'cause the current bunch is just making me crazy...
Biden, go stick your head in a bucket and leave it there, will ya?
It's Long Past Time to Put an End to This...
The headline reads “Pope deplores Belgian sex raids, stresses autonomy.” This is in reaction to the Belgian police searching the home and office of an Archbishop.
Now I have no idea whether the police raid was based on reasonable suspicion, but the pope's objections weren't along those lines. He's objecting to the very idea of police investigation of Roman Catholic officials. He claims that the Roman Catholic church is entitled to its own independent investigation, the results of which would be reported to police.
What the pope wants is exactly what has been happening for the entire history of the United States. I'm not familiar enough with practice in other countries to know if the same tradition holds there. I say “tradition” because at least in the United States there is no law to this effect – it's just what's been done before. Tradition, in other words.
There is ample evidence that this tradition has failed our children. In case after case in the past couple of decades, we've all discovered that the Roman Catholic hierarchy has been actively hiding the disgusting behavior of their own members, moving repeat offenders from parish to parish and refusing to deal with the problem – or even to acknowledge it. The church's version of this is consistently that the offending clergy are being treated “pastorally.” They appear to believe, contrary to all evidence, that the offending clergy can somehow heal themselves with the aid of their religion. There is zero evidence that such healing takes place, and much evidence to the contrary. To this outside observer (I am not a Roman Catholic), the behavior is a combination of denial and hiding.
The pope has got it exactly backwards. Instead of insisting on independence and handling the “problem” within the church, he should be welcoming the police investigations and legal proceedings as much-needed assistance in ridding the church of a shameful plague – a plague of their own making...
Now I have no idea whether the police raid was based on reasonable suspicion, but the pope's objections weren't along those lines. He's objecting to the very idea of police investigation of Roman Catholic officials. He claims that the Roman Catholic church is entitled to its own independent investigation, the results of which would be reported to police.
What the pope wants is exactly what has been happening for the entire history of the United States. I'm not familiar enough with practice in other countries to know if the same tradition holds there. I say “tradition” because at least in the United States there is no law to this effect – it's just what's been done before. Tradition, in other words.
There is ample evidence that this tradition has failed our children. In case after case in the past couple of decades, we've all discovered that the Roman Catholic hierarchy has been actively hiding the disgusting behavior of their own members, moving repeat offenders from parish to parish and refusing to deal with the problem – or even to acknowledge it. The church's version of this is consistently that the offending clergy are being treated “pastorally.” They appear to believe, contrary to all evidence, that the offending clergy can somehow heal themselves with the aid of their religion. There is zero evidence that such healing takes place, and much evidence to the contrary. To this outside observer (I am not a Roman Catholic), the behavior is a combination of denial and hiding.
The pope has got it exactly backwards. Instead of insisting on independence and handling the “problem” within the church, he should be welcoming the police investigations and legal proceedings as much-needed assistance in ridding the church of a shameful plague – a plague of their own making...
Unemployment Index...
As I've said in earlier posts about this index, I'm not really sure what to make of it. It is, to say the least, a very unconventional “measure” of unemployment. It indicates something, I'm sure, but I don't know what. For some reason, between mid-April and today, far fewer Americans were googling for information about unemployment. Why? What does that actually imply? And what does the recent jump indicate?
One thing that jumps out at me: the recent dip in this index almost exactly corresponds to the recent tip in the stock market indexes – the inverse of the relationship I'd expect.
How to Hand-Draw a Hologram...
I would never have guessed that this was possible.
Years ago I read an article describing an algorithm for converting a 3D software model into the blobs and squiggles that make up a hologram. That looked like a lot of fun and an interestingly complex challenge, so I put that on my list of “things to do when I have spare time.” There is commercial software that does this today, to visualize things like new building designs without actually building a model.
But to do hand draw a hologram? That thought never crossed my mind...
Years ago I read an article describing an algorithm for converting a 3D software model into the blobs and squiggles that make up a hologram. That looked like a lot of fun and an interestingly complex challenge, so I put that on my list of “things to do when I have spare time.” There is commercial software that does this today, to visualize things like new building designs without actually building a model.
But to do hand draw a hologram? That thought never crossed my mind...
G8 and G20 Meetings...
Lots of pronouncements (e.g., a five-year “deadline” for Afghanistan, condemnation of North Korea's sinking of a South Korean naval vessel) coming out of the G8 and G20 meetings in Canada – but so far as I can tell, not a single actual action. Call it blather and bluster over substance.
The saddest part? I'm not even slightly surprised...
The saddest part? I'm not even slightly surprised...
Melting Ice and Sea Level Changes...
Here's a very accessible (no math, for you mathophobes) explanation of why ice melting doesn't raise sea levels in the manner you might expect it to. I've read the same points before in very technical papers...
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