First Forays into Javascript

Jun 182011
 

I recently began seriously trying to learn Javascript and JQuery. Up til now, I knew just enough to tweak a script or make some WordPress behavior changes when needed, but if I were to do a complete project in Javascript from start to finish, it would probably look like a mess of PHP. (ooh, zing!) In case anyone out there is in a similar position, with a reasonably solid coding background, but looking to beef up Javascript, I found the following resources really helpful: Javascript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford — Most JS developers have probably heard of this book, and for good reason. This book really helped clarify how the language should be used properly to avoid many [more . . .]

Unix Shell Discoveries

Feb 022011
 

What a great day today in terms of Unix shell discoveries. Early in the morning, I bought iSSH for iPad and was blown away by how functional it was. The iPad is actually useful now besides being an overpriced e-reader. In the afternoon, someone pointed out ack to me instead of using grep. Faster search, here I come. Finally, just a few minutes ago, I discovered “cd -“, “pushd” and “popd”. No more need to set temporary aliases when I bounce back and forth between directories.

cr-48: A Month of Using Chrome OS

Feb 012011
 

It was about two months ago that a mysterious package addressed to me showed up on the front patio. As I wasn’t expecting any packages, imagine my surprise when I discovered it was a thin, sleek laptop with absolutely no identifying markings. If I were completely rational, I would have looked through the rest of the box, where there was a thick piece of paper clearly identifying that it was the cr-48. Or I would have noticed that that box it came in matched what I saw online, here. But instead, my first instinct upon receiving a mysterious laptop with no markings was to turn it on. Kaboom. The Chromium logo appeared, and everything made sense and nothing made sense [more . . .]

Iraq War Incidents Browser

Oct 292010
 

The last four days has been a frentic coding frenzy–coding for 12 or more hours a day on an assignment for Stanford’s CS448B: Data Visualization course. The final product is the Iraq War Incidents Browser. Screenshot is below (click to enlarge). Application and (pretty messy) source code, and a much more detailed description on my CS448B page. Taking the entire data set of the recent Wikileaks leak of Iraq War Incident logs, the application can filter by date and region, and display histograms satisfying each filter. I am willing to call this version 0.5, since the bulk of the interesting data is in the text itself. For the eventual version 1.0, I will be adding the ability to view individual [more . . .]

The % Operator in Java and C/C++

Jun 182010
 

The % operator is colloquially called the mod or remainder operator, and most people assume that its behavior is the same in all languages. I mean, 8%5==3 in pretty much any language with a C-style syntax, including Java. But what if you have -8%3? Or, -8%-3? Or let’s get really funky and what -8.03%-1.88 will be. So here are the rules.Both Java and C/C++ follow the ISO/IEC 1539:1991 standard, which maintains that (a/b)*b + a%b==a. Hence, the % functions much more like a remainder operator than a modulus operator in mathematics. In addition, the ISO/IEC 1539:1991 standard states that quotients always round toward 0 when there are negative numbers invovled, which is why we sometimes end up with negative remainders. [more . . .]

Wolfram Sets the Timer, Will Blow Away Factual Search in May

Mar 112009
 

Go take a look at Wolfram Alpha. It’s a “computational knowledge engine.” Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? It definitely has the potential to completely blow away any factual search engine that has come previously, of which the most prominent example may be Powerset. The brains behind this, Stephen Wolfram, is an acclaimed computer scientist that has had many incredible creations already, including the heavily used software package Mathematica, which adds jaw-dropping features in every release, and the stunning if controversial book A New Kind of Science, so he definitely has the background and the resources to create a good factual search engine. In fact, Wolfram has frequently posited, both in A New Kind of Science, and other sources, that he believes [more . . .]

Hi! I'm Windows Updater! I'm Annoying!

Nov 262008
 

“Hi! Do you want to update your computer? No? Well, that’s no problem! I’ll just remind you in 5 minutes! [. . .]Now do you want to update? No? Well I’m a considerate fellow! I’ll just remind you in 5 minutes! [. . .]How about now? No? Oh, I think I finally understand you clearly now! I’ll just remind you in 5 minutes! [. . .]It’s been 5 minutes! What about now? Hello? Anyone there? Well, I’ve waited patiently for a minute, and you stood me up, but I’ll still be nice to you and put all your programs and windows away and restart your computer for you!” Don’t let Windows Automatic Updater ever bother you again. Here are two [more . . .]

Minority Report Comes to Life

Nov 222008
 

A clip from Minority Report? No. It’s real. g-speak overview 1828121108 from john underkoffler on Vimeo. Oblong is apparently the company that advised the production staff of Minority Report on the technology of the film, with much of their expertise derived from the founders’ research at the MIT Media Lab. Oblong promises to “fundamentally chnage the way people use machines at work, in the living room, in conference rooms, in vehicles.”

Keyboard Shortcutting

Jun 272008
 

If you’re on your computer or online a few hours each day, and you go to a wide variety of web sites, or use lots of different programs, you have probably realized that using the mouse is a slow endeavor, and that keyboard shortcuts rock. Here are two that rock the hardest, in my opinion. 1. Launchy (http://www.launchy.net) Launchy is a text launcher that will revolutionize the way you use your computer. After installing, just press Alt-Space to pop up the launcher, and start typing the name of the program you want to launch, or even non-continuous letters of the program you would like to launch. Then, select from the list using the arrow keys the one that matches. Launchy [more . . .]

The RIAA is Suing My Printer

Jun 062008
 

There is an interesting study out by the University of Washington’s Computer Science department revealing flaws in the detection of copyright infringers online. In the study, it was found that enforcement agencies sometimes used merely the fact that an IP address was seen in connection with a certain file online in implicating a user, without verification that the owner of the IP address did actually download anything, or that the owner of the IP is even a person. With IP spoofing tactics, they managed, hilariously, to get three printers in the CS department to receive DMCA takedown complaints from the MPAA. Is this result likely to get noticed in the next wave of countersuits against the RIAA and MPAA? Probably. [more . . .]

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