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Entries for October 2003
Apple is now selling audiobooks and public
Apple is now selling audiobooks and public radio programs via iTunes Music Store.
What’s needed is a hipster cleansing to
What’s needed is a hipster cleansing to make the world safe for the rest of us again.
Pop!Tech Roundup
Some random notes from my three days at the Pop!Tech conference in Camden, Maine:
- The substrate of complexity is irrelevant, whether it’s carbon or silicon. That is, a computer is a computer is a computer, be it a Powerbook or a human being. The level of complexity is the important part.
- Patent clerks spend an average of 4-6 hours per patent on a prior art search. Yikes.
- Lessig imagines an 18th century DMCA: the (D)aguerre (M)achine (C)ontrol (A)ct. I’ve seen Larry speak three times now; it’s interesting to see how he’s refined his argument.
- URLs cribbed from Golan’s presentation: Danny Rozin’s Wooden Mirror and Kelly Heaton’s Furby wall.
- Audience member on the Jewish perspective on stem cell research: “A fetus is a fetus is a fetus until it becomes a lawyer.”
- Cloning + embryonic stem cells is a powerful combination. Cloning takes “old cells” back in time, creating identical young cells. Embryonic stem cells can then be harvested from the cloned embryo and used to create new cells and organs for the original organism. Wild stuff.
- The Methuselah Mouse Prize is encouraging work on anti-aging, giving out prizes for the longest-lived lab mouse.
- Q from the audience about humans possessing indefinite life spans: “But doesn’t this mean there won’t be any children?” Answer from Aubrey de Grey in a most straight-forward tone: “Yes, it would mean a world without children.” At that point, a chill went up my spine.
- A population pyramid for the US from the US Census Bureau’s IDB Population Pyramid page.
- The shortest summary of the past 100 years I’ve ever heard: “the 20th century had its ups and downs.” - Clay Shirky
- James Kunstler: “We are creating places we don’t care about [living in]”
- Overheard about Virginia Postrel’s talk on the Age of Aesthetics: “for someone who thinks aesthetics is so important, you’d think she would have used something better for her slides than Comic Sans on light purple.” That and her increasing shrillness toward the end of her talk turned much of the audience off her argument I think.
- David Martin raised a question I’ve been preoccupied with for a couple of years now: “How much of the global economy is just an hallucination?”
- Geoffrey Ballard on the future: 12% of the population is currently ruining the planet. What happens when the other 88% get involved?
- Here are the goals that the 191 United Nations Member States have committed to meet in the next 12 years.
- An audience member asked space architect Constance Adams about sex is space (within the context of designing habitats for procreation), and she indicated that erections in space are difficult to achieve because in zero gravity, blood tends to collect in the head and feet.
- Robert Wright, author of the excellent Nonzero, is tall, handsome, witty, so very smart, and possesses impeccable timing. I think I am in love.
Flash genres, things that age poorly
Flash genres, things that age poorly. David Carson, drum & bass, etc.
The nTag sleep attack
The badges at Pop!Tech were wee interactive computers called nTags. When engaged in conversation with someone, you could choose to send your contact information to that person, see what that person is interested in (based on your interests), get recommendations on people that they have met that you should meet, and generally augment (or hamper) networking.
Many attendees liked them and used them happily, but others revolted. Some people started trading their badges with others. Early on during the conference, Whit Diffie hacked his nTag badge to send a sleep command to any nTag badge in range, effectively deactivating them. As word spread of the hack, people sought him out to sleep their hated badges. Others were pissed that he was turning off their badges without permission; someone asked at the end of the conference if sending a sleep command constituted an attack (When Sleep Attacks!). Following Diffie’s lead, a woman hacked her badge to send the sleep command and a disgrunted Pop!Tech goer tried to rip her badge from around her neck (When Liberal Nerds Attack!).
I didn’t particularly like my nTag badge (it was too heavy for one), but I can’t argue that it didn’t result in some interesting social behavior, though perhaps not the behavior that the nTag folks promised in facilitating networking.
John Gaeta interview about third Matrix movie
John Gaeta interview about third Matrix movie. I heard Gaeta is a typical Hollywood prima donna putz
Pop culture will feed itself
There’s a football team in Massachusetts called the New England Patriots. There are a group of women called the New England Patriots Cheerleaders who dance and cheer for the team & fans during the game. To promote themselves, the cheerleaders have produced a swimsuit calendar for 2004. To support the making of that calendar, there’s a DVD about the making of the 2004 New England Patriots Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar. Personally, I’m waiting for the anime movie based on the album based on the book based on the DVD based on the swimsuit calendar of the cheerleaders for the New England Patriots. That’ll be good.
Changed terms and conditions for Google AdSense
In response to some pressure from their customers and potential customers, Google has changed the terms and conditions for their AdSense program. I only took a quick peek at it, but it looks like they’ve dialed back some of the more draconian provisions. Nice to see Google trying to do the right thing here.
Dance dance revolution
Holy cow!! They just had the guy from the Kollaboration 2000 talent contest perform in between talks. Fucking amazing.
Nanotech snoozery
This is the second time I’ve listened to a talk about nanotech from someone representing the Foresight Institute (the first was Robert Drexler), and both times the talks were full of politics and not that interesting at all. They seem to have so much baggage attached their efforts that it’s impossible for them to take a fresh look at it. Disappointing.
At Pop!Tech
I’m at the Pop!Tech conference for the weekend in Camden, Maine. Maine is the 47th US state I’ve visited…hopefully I’ll get to see a bit of it while I’m here. More to come if I feel like posting.
Verisign to sell Network Solutions, but will
Verisign to sell Network Solutions, but will keep control over .com and .net registry. Bottom line: we’re still subject to the whims of Verisign, i.e. the SiteFinder foolishness
Staten Island Ferry crash kills 10, pilot rushes
Staten Island Ferry crash kills 10, pilot rushes home to attempt suicide.
TiVo time warp
Since Meg’s a big Red Sox fan, we watched the Sox-Yankees game tonight. The game started at 4:30, so we TiVoed it to watch after work. Meg hurried home, carefully avoiding any evidence of the game already in progress, and we started it from the beginning about an hour and a half after the actual starting time.
It’s perilous, watching time-delayed sporting events, and we had a couple of close calls with the TiVo. When our ordered pizza came, Meg scampered into the bathroom of our tiny apartment and turned on the faucet to avoid any accidental mention of the game’s progress by the delivery guy. Then Meg’s phone rang. She picked it up and looked at it, distracted by the game and unsure of what to do with it. I immediately realized it was her parents, calling with word of the completed game.
“No, no, don’t answer it!” I yelled. “It’s your parents! They’re calling from the future!”
From the
I fired up my HTML editor just now, intending to write a post for this site. Instead of writing whatever it was that I wanted to write, I wrote “From the” and then sat staring at it for about 3 minutes. I have no idea where “From the” came from, except maybe from the lingering weekend tiredness brought on by talking to many more people than I’m used to and a bit of sickness. It certainly wasn’t the opening line to the post I had in mind when I started typing. I wish I could have continued writing after those first two words to find out what my brain would have come up with on autopilot. Or maybe I’ve got the beginnings of some multiple personality thing going on.
David Foster Wallace talks about his new book on NPR
David Foster Wallace talks about his new book on NPR. scroll a little (damn lack of anchor links)
Segway Personality Tester
Before and after my Segway ride, I watched several other people ride it. In addition to being a personal transporter, the Segway is also a remarkably accurate personality tester. You can cheat on a Myers-Briggs test, lie to your therapist, or fool a lie detector, but there’s no hiding who you are the first time your brain and a self-balancing scooter do battle. Your timidity, your gregariousness, your mistrust, your creativity, your confidence, they’re all on display.
Bob Frankston, who has a most energetic and enthusiastic mind, careened frentically around on it in full freestyle experimentation, nearly giving the owner a heart attack as he scrambled to keep a grip on the handbars so that Bob didn’t break anything or anyone. Ben Trott took a controlled ride, no surprise to anyone who knows Ben. Cameron Marlow had a confident ride, in control and horsing around at the same time.
Segway announces new cheaper “p series”
Segway announces new cheaper “p series”. “p” for personal or portable, I think
1928 NYer piece on the “voice culture” created by talking movies
1928 NYer piece on the “voice culture” created by talking movies.
Segway!
Woo! I got to ride a Segway today. As Cameron said, it takes about 3-4 seconds for your brain to get used to it, but after that it’s cake. Many thanks to Phillip for letting me dork around on it for a couple of minutes.
Malcolm OS X: “when the people create
Malcolm OS X: “when the people create a program, you get action.”.
*Fantastic* Van Gogh-like Polaroid of the Millennium
*Fantastic* Van Gogh-like Polaroid of the Millennium Bridge in London, no Photoshop.
Test drive a Xerox Alto at the
Test drive a Xerox Alto at the Vintage Computer Festival in Mountain View this weekend.
Nokia phones exploding
Nokia cell phones are exploding in people’s pockets and Nokia wants to put the blame on using non-Nokia batteries, which they call “counterfeit” [boldface mine]:
Nokia has cited faulty batteries from independent electronics manufacturers for similar incidents in the past. The company has said these manufacturers violated security requirements that should prevent the battery heating up after short-circuiting, for instance, after the phone is dropped.
According to Bruce Schneier in his book, Beyond Fear, Nokia intentionally cripples non-Nokia batteries:
Nokia spends about a hundred times more money on battery security than on communications security. The security system senses when a consumer uses a third-party battery and switches the phone into maximum power-consumption mode; the point is to ensure that consumers buy only Nokia batteries. Nokia is prepared to spend a considerable amount of money solving a security problem that it perceives — it loses revenue if customers buy batteries from someone else — even though that solution is detrimental to consumers. Nokia is much less willing to make trade-offs for a security problem that consumers have.
I’m wondering if Nokia’s lack of concern for the consumer and this “maximum power-consumption mode” business might have something to do with the exploding battery problem, adding an explosive deterrent for those who don’t wish to pay $17 for “security” features that they don’t need.
Radiohead show is tomorrow night and I’m
Radiohead show is tomorrow night and I’m quite chuffed about it.
I was running
For the thirty years I’ve been on this earth, I’ve been getting by on my good looks. Or so I thought. Recently I realized that this approach had never worked for me and was probably doing more harm than good. I further realized that my pretty face wasn’t going to help me get my ass into shape. Not that I’m out of shape exactly. It’s more of a health thing. I eat alright and briskly walk several blocks a day, but mostly I sit in front of various screens (computer, TV, movie) all day. I’m feeling unexercised and no amount of Brad Pitt-ness is going to help with that.
It is with all this in mind that I began thinking a few weeks ago that I needed to start exercising. But what sort of exercise? The gym is out because, well, I’m not a gym person. Getting one of those home gyms is also out because we’d need to get rid of the bed to fit such a contraption into our tiny apartment, and sleep takes much priority over exercise. Team sports are generally more competitive than I’d like (I just want to play, I don’t want to hear about how much I suck and how you’re going to kick my ass), so those are out too. Swimming? Tennis? Curling? Inline skating? Restaurant dining? All out for various reasons.
What’s left? Running. And so I found myself jogging yesterday for the first time in my life ever.
Running and I have never seen eye to eye. It just always seemed dorky and purposeless. Running where and for what purpose? Why not put a racquet in your hand, grab a friend and head for the tennis court? Now there’s some fun exercise.
Meg has always said that running is fun, that it provides an environment for thinking, almost like being in a trance. I know that feeling; I get it when I play basketball, just me, the ball, and the hoop. After a few minutes of play, I get “in the zone”. The ball and hoop disappear, as does most of me, excluding my brain, which becomes a fertile loam for the sowing of ideas, thoughts I’d never have any other way. It’s how I meditate.
I was doing anything but meditating during last evening’s run, so self-conscious was I about how goofy I looked, running for no purpose other than to run, decked out in my new running shoes and rumpled exercise clothes rescued from the bottom of my dresser drawer, finishing exactly where I had started, no discernible progress made. That and concentrating on my form and not pushing myself too much the first time out. And tiredness. I’m sure the zen-like state will kick in at some point and running will become an enjoyable and rewarding activity for me. If not, I can always give the good looks thing another shot.
Governor Schwarzenegger
Almost everyone I know is upset about Arnold Schwarzenegger being elected governor of California. Really upset. What is it exactly that bothers you about this? That Arnold is a womanizer? Hitler admirer? Orgy participant? That he hasn’t revealed any of his views on any specific issues? That he’s stupid? That the voters are stupid? That California is fucked up? That he’s a Republican? That he’s a moderate Republican? That you’re a Democrat? That you’ll think he’ll help the power companies not repay California for overcharging them for electricity? That Davis was recalled? That the recall was initiated in the first place? That the power companies conspired with the Republicans to recall Davis so that their replacement candidate would cut the energy companies a break? That California law allows for election recalls in the first place? That the Democrats were helpless to do anything about it? That American politics in general are screwed up and the recall is just a maddening example? That it may have been unclear on the ballot that a “no” vote on the recall does not negate your vote for a replacement and this could have had an impact on the election? That the voting process is general is ridiculous? That far less than 100% of the eligible population turned out to vote? Please, share your frustrations.
All I ask is when you do, keep in mind that Davis was recalled by 55% of the voters and Schwarzenegger received 48% of the total vote among ~130 candidates, besting 2nd place Bustamante by more than 1.4 million votes. The state of California spoke loudly and clearly: we want Arnold Schwarzenegger to be our next governor. Why are you so upset with this decision, made in good faith by ~8 million people?
Stop worrying about your hair
From Leslie Harpold’s The Morning News article on How to Road Trip:
Your hair looks fine
On the road even the most meticulous must let go of the expectations they have of their hair. Strange water, sample-size shampoos, the wind, and tiny mirrors all conspire to make your hair so willful it may seem like an additional passenger at times. Let it go. This isn’t about looking good, it’s about feeling something new; all new feelings worth their salt eventually mess up your hair.
Not just good road trip advice, that’s good life advice.
Rephotographing Eugene Atget’s photos of Paris
Rephotographing Eugene Atget’s photos of Paris. I wanted to do this someday.
Looks like Zeldman’s A List Apart site
Looks like Zeldman’s A List Apart site will be one of the first Weblogs, Inc. sites.
German interview on Google
I did an interview about Google for netzeitung.de, a German news web site. If you don’t read German, I’ve included an English version of what I sent them:
Q: Mr. Kottke, how far away is Google from “being evil” in general in your opinion?
Google is doing better in the corporate morality department than a lot of other companies. From all accounts, their leadership wants to not be evil, they treat their employees well, they take great pride in the usefulness and relevancy of the results of their free search service. The terms of service for their AdSense program is definitely a step in the wrong direction, like they’re letting marketing and legal determine their approach to business instead of the other way around. But Google is a long way from a Verisign/De Beers/Enron level of evil.
Q: But that was Google’s rule number one, wasnt it?
I think every corporation’s real #1 rule is “make money”. That Google wants to make not being evil an equally important priority is commendable.
Q: How effective is Google still, given the springing up of Google Spam (lots of doorway pages leading to sponsored links) and the “noise” coming from weblogs etc.?
Google’s search results are at least as relevant as they have always been, if not moreso. I can almost always find what I’m looking for in the first 10 results or so. I think part of the problem is perception. The perception is that their results should continue to improve as they refine their search methods and algorithms, but there’s an inherent limitation in their approach that limits the maximum possible utility. There’s only so much information about how pages relate to each other that you can glean from scraping web pages, and if Google is close to reaching that limit, any changes they make will only result in small changes in usefulness.
Q: Can Google do anything about this?
Perhaps they might want to start grouping web pages and sites into groups and analyzing the sites in each group in a unique way to improve the overall database. Weblogs are a good example of a group that could be analyzed differently. Weblogs consist of separate posts, which should be treated individually to get the best possible data from them. Weblog posts often contain more metadata than a typical web page, things like date and time of publication, categories, backlinks, etc. Google can use that post-level metadata to get better information about the sites that weblogs point to without having to pump the weblogs up in the overall rankings — as many people have complained is not so good. Many weblogs also have RSS feeds with structured metadata that could be analyzed to improve general search results.
Q: Does Google need more competition?
A little competition for Google would be a good idea. Microsoft and Yahoo have both announced efforts to improve their search engines, but I don’t see them developing anything to threaten Google’s search.
Q: What will the Google of the future look like?
Given that the look of their site hasn’t changed significantly since the beta version, I wouldn’t look for it to change much in the near future. The biggest change will probably be more personalized search results where my results for a given search would be different than yours based upon our usage of the site.
[Hopefully that all makes more sense in German.]
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