-
Success!
February 2nd, 2009
I just received my GeForce 7200 GS in the mail and it is working perfectly in OSX 10.5.6. I also found a fix for a really annoying audio pop on the ALC889a. Now that my Hackintosh is running like a real mac, it’s time to get some work done.
-
How to Remember Everything (Without Remembering Anything)
February 5th, 2009
If you’re like me, you are increasingly dependent on your computers. We’ve become so reliant on technology that it’s importance seems to get lost as it runs in the background of our lives, slowly changing itself and ourselves. Sometimes it seems like technology is just getting faster, but not better. We heard the promises of machine intelligence long ago, but failed to notice that it has now arrived. And while we are not to the point of direct, invasive connections with our machines, they are nonetheless augmenting our intelligence as we speak.
For the time being, most of this augmentation is passive. Gmail collects every email (and chat) I’ve ever sent or received into a massive database that now extends 5 years into the past. Likewise, Google Reader has been collecting every post from every blog I read for the last year. And Evernote holds every quote, or clipping I want to remember. These databases of knowledge are not as readily accessible as my memories, but in fact they are better precisely because I don’t need to remember them. When I choose to call them up with a simple search, they are reproduced exactly as they were, not as a vague remembrance.
For the time being, we do not have these databases plugged directly into our brains. However, the tools for accessing this data get better every day. My new favorite tool is Ubiquity . Ubiquity integrates my existing web databases and services into a simple command interface that uses plain language to complete complex tasks. This demo explains:
As our databases and services become more and more connected they will also become more intelligent, giving us more of the information we want, faster, and linking us with information outside of our own collection. When the day arrives that I do plug in, I will have instant access to my collection of quotes, clippings, audio, and video, as if it were my own memories. In the mean time, we can start our collections now, preserving them for our futures.
-
Blackeyesandneckties.com
February 6th, 2009
I was commissioned to develop a website for Black Eyes and Neckties on Clickpop Records that would provide a place for fans to get information and interact with the band and each other. Improvements were made on the Django CMS (content management system) that I developed for the Jenni Potts website. These included easier file uploading and automatic geo-coding and mapping of the bands shows on the events page (shown above). All the band members have unique accounts for updating the website through the admin. They can write posts, upload pictures or video, add events, and update their discography.
-
NASA Space Colony 1970
February 8th, 2009
NASA space colony concept art from 1970. I wish more illustrations were done in this style today. If an artist could recapture this look it would really be something special. More art and high-res versions at NASA
-
Evolution by Natural Selection
February 11th, 2009
Almost 150 years after the publishing of The Origin of Species, the theory of evolution by natural selection has come a long way. We now have supporting evidence not only from the vast fossil record, but from the genetic code written in the DNA of all Earthly life. The evolutionary process has been harnessed by pharmaceutical companies and software developers to make better medicine and solve complex problems. Evolution has given us a new understanding of our place in the universe.
Many of the theories of science — relativity, quantum mechanics, evolution — must , in some sense, be true because they make precise predictions that are verified by experimental evidence. It has been said that quantum mechanics (physics on the atomic scale) makes predictions so precise that it is equivalent to measuring the width of the United States to one width of hair. The discovery of DNA and the rapid sequencing of genomes have both further supported predictions made by evolution. Darwin knew that evolution could only work if traits were passed on from parents to offspring, but he didn’t know what the mechanism was for passing those traits on. The answer was DNA, but the link between heredity and DNA wouldn’t be discovered until 1952. 50 years after that the genetics revolution began, and for the first time we were able to see the fine detail of our genes. We can now compare directly the sequence of code that makes us with that of other animals. The proof is in the code: all life is related .
While we continue to learn more about evolution from biology, at the same time we are applying that knowledge to some of our most difficult problems. Pharmaceutical companies now use the principles of natural selection to produce better medicine. Software developers, scientists, and even artists are applying genetic algorithms to breed better and better solutions to problems. For a scientist a genetic algorithm might look for the best solution to climate change or the most efficient design for a solar cell. A genetic algorithm might be used by an artist to find the most pleasing aesthetic, or the best readability. If 10% of the power of biological evolution can be harnessed by this kind of artificial evolution then the big breakthroughs are probably yet to come.
Darwin’s idea shatters our anthropocentric tendencies by showing us our true place in the universe: we are one of millions of animals, all of which share a common ancestor. We should be humbled by our smallness, but also be optimistic about all of the possibilities for our species. We are the only intelligent, self-aware species that we know of in 100 billion galaxies! And someday, if we survive, we will have all of the galaxies to explore.
Tomorrow is the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birthday. In honor of this great thinker and doer, I would like to suggest that you take 15 minutes to read about Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Consider what it means about life and why we are here. The wikipedia entry is a good start. You might also enjoy this lecture series by Prof. Richard Dawkins titled Growing Up in the Universe were he explains evolution in detail with lots of real world examples and visuals. It’s entertaining at the least.
-
The Authors of Reality
February 22nd, 2009
When I was younger, my father and I played a computer game called Myst. In Myst you take the role of an unnamed character that discovers a book containing a world. By touching the image on the first page you are transported into the world described within that book. Throughout the series of games (and subsequent novels) you learn that an ancient society developed the ability to write worlds into books with a special language that made words into reality. I remember when it first occurred to me that the authors of this video game had accomplished the same feat that the ancient race had — the ability to create worlds.
I soon learned that I too could make worlds that were only limited by the scope of my own imagination. The tool for building these worlds was a computer and a programming language. I wanted to become a maker of worlds for a video game company, but soon found that the tools were difficult to acquire and even more difficult to learn. So, I looked for a way to build up my knowledge and found HTML and CSS — languages for websites. I couldn’t produce 3 dimensional worlds, but I could create very useful 2 dimensional ones. This is what I still do today. I’ve watched and attempted to catch up with all of the progress that computers have made since my early days of web development. What I and many others have noticed is that it doesn’t stop, it gets better, and it gets better faster.
Our ability to create virtual worlds with pure information and increasing complexity, resolution, and speed, ultimately leads us to some questions:
- What can we do with these virtual worlds?
- Will we be able to make worlds or characters that are indistinguishable from real ones?
- Is it possible to manipulate reality with pure information, in the same way that we do with virtual realities?
The best I can do is make educated guesses about these questions, but there are three paradigms likely to happen in the near future that could shed some light on them.
The first paradigm is augmented reality. In the near future almost every product will have a computer in it. Soon after that, all of those objects will be hooked up to the internet. We will use this internet of things in combination with virtual reality programming to create an augmented reality with additional information about the world overlaid seamlessly onto it. It’s useful while considering this to imagine your computer screens are windows into a virtual world. Now take away the screen, but leave all of the information. While walking down the street, you will be able to see or know what your coordinates are, or where the nearest coffee shop is. This isn’t surprising, we already have these capabilities in our cell phones. Augmented reality takes that two inch screen, blows it up full size, and disappears in the process.
Beyond overlaying virtual information, there are potential ways to create physical objects with programming. Cellular biology and engineering — the second paradigm — each study the relationship between DNA (the program) and the cellular components (the hardware). Cells are programmable constructors — they build physical parts from information in the DNA program. In computer terms, that would be like writing a program, burning it onto a CD, and then watching the CD build a computer around it, autonomously . DNA programs can be written and then executed in a similar way to computer programs, but the results are physical (and incidentally alive). As we speak, scientists are reverse engineering the mechanics of thousands of life forms. Research into genetic programming is well underway, and we are already starting to see the possibilities of coding for physical construction.
The cellular engineering revolution will give us a leg-up on the third paradigm, nanotechnology. As mentioned above, we are reverse engineering the parts built by millions of years of evolution to make our own molecular machines. However, the real breakthrough will be creating our own nanotechnology from the ground up. (I won’t go into it here, but there are some serious doubts about the viability of some nanotechnologies.) If we can overcome the inherent dangers and difficulties of nanotechnology, we will have the ability to transform reality with pure information. Nanobots will be able to recreate almost any object with raw material and information to atomic precision. This is possible because a nanobot is simply an atom mover. It can pick one up here and put it there. When atoms can be rearranged with information, virtual augmented reality and actual reality will intermingle and become indistinguishable. Software and hardware will merge.
It’s difficult to predict when these advances might happen. Computer programming of virtual realities is already possible. Current desktop computers can create very convincing special effects that can quite easily pass the scrutiny of the average human eye. The genetics revolution is in it’s infancy but is already showing enormous promise. It would be wise to watch genetic engineering closely as it’s advances will tell us much about the timetable for advancements in nanotechnology.
We are in a unique position in history. We have the power to create worlds, and our powers are increasing exponentially. Consider how lucky we are to be given that privilege. Computer programming is becoming the language, and we the authors of reality.
-
Typealyzer - INTJ
February 23rd, 2009
My brain activity while writing on this blogAdam just posted about a website called Typealyzer that attempts to figure out your personality type by reading the contents of your blog. It reported that I am INTJ (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging), or “the Scientists.” From Typealyzer:
“The long-range thinking and individualistic type. They are especially good at looking at almost anything and figuring out a way of improving it - often with a highly creative and imaginative touch. They are intellectually curious and daring, but might be physically hesitant to try new things.
The Scientists enjoy theoretical work that allows them to use their strong minds and bold creativity. Since they tend to be so abstract and theoretical in their communication they often have a problem communicating their visions to other people and need to learn patience and use concrete examples. Since they are extremely good at concentrating they often have no trouble working alone.”It’s pretty accurate for me. It’s actually a little scary. And, I did a google search that turned up this INTJ Profile .
I ran some of my friends’ sites through and it was pretty hit or miss. It only reads the page you send it to, so it will have a wide range of accuracy. Give it a try and let me know your results.
Via Adam Polselli
Update: After posting this I ran the test again and it changed to INTP (replacing Judging with Perceiving).
-
Thoughts on Learning
February 24th, 2009
Just as a thought experiment, let’s consider how Natural Selection might “learn” in a similar way to how our brains learn.
How do humans learn? Humans can learn by trial and error, from experience, from habit, from conditioning, or from playing or tinkering. The common thread for all learning is behavior coupled with feedback. By behaving in a certain way and gathering feedback about that behavior, we learn. Positive feedback reinforces and refines behavior, while negative feedback lets us know when behavior is wrong. Any system with behavior, feedback and the ability to apply that feedback to behavior, will learn. (Notice the cyclical aspect of this kind of system.)
Natural Selection initially determines behavior through random mutation. New genes come about by slight copying mistakes (essentially typos) in the genetic code. Since the mutations are random, the behavior will be random — at first. Then, positive feedback is given for behavior that helps, and negative feedback for behavior that hurts. Natural Selection actually collapses feedback, and the application of that feedback to behavior, into a binary step: either the gene survives and passes on the accumulated feedback and behavior, or it dies and collected feedback and behavior are lost. In the brain, when negative feedback is received, it is used to change the brain, where in Natural Selection negative feedback is death. Nature makes up for this inefficiency by distributing this win/lose game over a massive network of animals. Only a very select few survive, but they have a 100% positive feedback rating. Every single ancestor of theirs was a survivor. The large network of animals acts like a distributed brain and has the appearance of learning.
-
Penumbral Eclipse
February 26th, 2009
This incredible sight was recorded by the Japanese lunar orbiter Selene. That’s Earth. That is where all of human history has taken place. When the Sun emerges at the end, it completely blows out the image. In space there is no atmosphere to dilute the Sun’s rays, so it is brighter than the brightest light you’ve ever seen. The Sun is set in a scene devoid of any surfaces to reflect it’s light — a flashlight in a near-infinite room.
Via Gizmodo
-
Transparent iPhone Concept
February 26th, 2009
I really like this transparent iPhone concept, although it’s not too realistic for a 3rd-gen iPhone. If they pull off something like this, minds will be blown.
Via Toxel
-
The Value of Technology
February 28th, 2009
He’s got a valid point here: technology has made life for many people amazing, but they still aren’t happy.
However, some of that unhappiness seems to come from our ability to be more vocal about the way we feel. Fifty years ago, a project like We Feel Fine (an aggregate of the phrase “I feel …” from millions of blogs) would be impossible. Vocalizing our unhappiness is the first step in changing it.
We’ve also been increasingly exposed to the horrors of life for those living in the poorest nations. It wasn’t that long ago that we would live our lives without any knowledge of what was happening in the rest of the world. Our ignorance was bliss. With the exposure we have now, we should be unhappy, we should be discontent, as long as there are starving children and preventable diseases. I think this move toward full disclosure is a healthy and productive one. Let’s get all the crap out on the table and start having a reasonable, worldwide discussion with the goal of solving our most pressing problems. Let’s use our technology to turn our unhappiness into positive action. And let’s start valuing the amazing tools we’ve been given.
Via Kevin Kelly
Sidearm
-
Audio
-
Categories
-
Archives
-
Links
-
Connect
-
Meta
© Sidearm | Karl Peterson All Rights Reserved