Toolman in the Toyshop of the World

2011

2011-11-16T10:49:00.000+13:00

Apparently, posting blogs is totally last year. Either that or I have been busy/slack (take your pick).

Infix search using a Trie data structure

2010-03-22T21:21:00.012+13:00

I am authoring a jQuery plugin to enhance drop down selects; UFD: The Unobtrusive Fast-filter Drop-down. Try it out easily on your own app with the bookmarklet. Be amazed. Show your friends.

One of the important requirements was filtering of the the drop down options from the input. The naive way to do this is a linear search through each list item, but this is way too slow for large lists; the list needs to be re-filtered after every keystroke.

I decided on a Trie implementation, which gives great prefix search performance. A Trie stores objects on a tree, constructed by slicing the key-string for each object into characters. Starting at the root, each character maps to a node - see the incoming vertex in the diagram below.

Each node has a map of character to child nodes, and an optional target object. Target objects are placed where the chain of characters maps to the objects key, so you can easily traverse the nodes with a key-string to find a given the target object. The structure is a tree, but the path to a given object is similar to a linked list of each character in the key string.

The blue nodes are ones that have objects on them - in this example we see the words: to,tea,ted,ten,it,int,into. Notice how objects are on the leaf nodes, unless their key is a substring of another key.

It is easy to see how we can do quick prefix searching:start at the root node (which represents the empty string) and traverse the nodes, consuming each character of the key prefix string. Once the prefix key string is consumed, that subtree has all the matches of the given key prefix.

But what if we want to find all nodes that have a given key infix? After failing to find a better data structure, I decided to hack an extension to the data structure.

Is there a better data structure that I should be using? Suggestions welcome. Anyway:

Instead of starting at the root node, we need an array of start points. During creation I put a reference to each new node in a list. There is one list for every unique character across the whole key set. This means that each list has references to all nodes of that character. These lists of start points are called the infixRoots.

Yes, some of these lists could be quite large. For example, the "e" list for a 1000-item list may have over 1000 items.

Lets look at a filtering example: lets search for the objects that match the infix key "to".

We start by getting the infix list matching the start character ("t") from the infixRoots set. The highlighted nodes and all of their child nodes, by definition, have "t" in their key - no surprises there.

We next iterate over the that list of "t" nodes, creating a new list with child nodes that match the next character; "o". Any node without a match is not added to the new list. We keep iteratively mapping node lists from one character to the next, until we consume the infix keys' characters.

The nodes left in the final set, and all of their child nodes, all are matches. Iterate over each subtree and get the attached objects. In our example above, the nodes representing to,into are found. Had the key top been in the tree, it would also match, as it would be a child of to.

Have a look at the javascript implementation for UFD, the InfixTrie is a self-contained prototype inside the source near the bottom.

At last: a proper multi booting OSX/Win7/Linux box lives!

2010-03-02T20:47:00.001+13:00

I have nutted out the final few problems with my multi-boot drama.

(hd0): MBR - grub2, win7, Liunx
(hd1): dataz
(hd2): bootable OSX 10.6 with GPT partition, Chameleon booter etc.

I can point my bios to hd2 and OSX boots, but it took ages to get grub2 to boot my OSX disc (hd2). Ended up being real simple; in /etc/grub.d/40_custom :

menuentry "Mac OSX" {
set root=(hd2)
chainloader +1
}

and then a sudo update-grub

Yay, it boots. My second major drama was with macFUSE and fuse-ext2; it doesn't work with the 64-bit kernel. Here is the console output:

toolmans-Mac-Pro:Volumes toolman$ sudo fuse-ext2 /dev/disk2s1 /Volumes/Untitled\ 30

fuse-ext2: version:'0.0.7', fuse_version:'27' [main (../../fuse-ext2/fuse-ext2.c:324)]

fuse-ext2: enter [do_probe (../../fuse-ext2/do_probe.c:30)]

fuse-ext2: leave [do_probe (../../fuse-ext2/do_probe.c:55)]

Mounting /dev/disk2s1 Read-Only.

Use 'force' or 'rw+' options to enable Read-Write mode

fuse-ext2: opts.device: /dev/disk2s1 [main (../../fuse-ext2/fuse-ext2.c:351)]

fuse-ext2: opts.mnt_point: /Volumes/Untitled 30 [main (../../fuse-ext2/fuse-ext2.c:352)]

fuse-ext2: opts.volname:  [main (../../fuse-ext2/fuse-ext2.c:353)]

fuse-ext2: opts.options: (null) [main (../../fuse-ext2/fuse-ext2.c:354)]

fuse-ext2: parsed_options: allow_other,local,noappledouble,ro,fsname=/dev/disk2s1,fstypename=ext2,volname=disk2s1 [main (../../fuse-ext2/fuse-ext2.c:355)]

fuse-ext2: mounting read-only [main (../../fuse-ext2/fuse-ext2.c:371)]

/Library/Filesystems/fusefs.fs/Support/fusefs.kext failed to load - (libkern/kext) link error; check the system/kernel logs for errors or try kextutil(8).

the MacFUSE file system is not available (71)

toolmans-Mac-Pro:Volumes toolman$

The highlighted line is the clincher; the 32-bit kext won't work with 64 bit kernel. thankfully, I can run 64 bit apps on the 32-bit kernel anyway :)

It took me ages to figure out that chameleon uses

/Extra/com.apple.Boot.plist

not the default kernel boot file !

/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist

By editing the correct file, and updating the kernel flags

Kernel Flags
-x32

And now I have grub2 booting to any OS I want, with my ext3 mounting in all OSes :D

Annoying iE6 bug of the day:

2009-12-12T09:11:00.001+13:00

If you add a border on any edge of a < button ..> element, iE6 adds a second, inner border/padding, making your background image offset and the background color to show through!

This link describes it and a few side step options:

http://justaddwater.dk/2008/11/05/ie-css-bug-background-image-gap-to-border/

For my purposes, the easiset thing to do was not have a border, and have the parent supply a pseudo border using the background color. If you find a way to stop iE6 doing this, please let me know!

YESS DVB-T9900HD

2009-10-28T21:48:00.003+13:00

So I decided to get a Freeview decoder, and I ended getting a HD (== terrestrial not satellite) decoder even though I don't yet have a HD TV. I got this YESS DVB-T9900HD is a single tuner unit with a HDMI port and the promise of PVR functionality via the USB port.

It looks a little ghetto with a USB port at the front, but I care not for asthetics anyway. Anyone who remembers my milk crate constructions can attest to that...

The freeview signal is super strong where I am in west AK, and it gets a glitchy signal with no aerial at all. My UHF aerial is well aligned so it gives 100% signal, and the programme guide comes through fine.

was skeptical that the PVR functionality of the unit would work via the USB port, but it does. Unfortunately, the PVR integration is basic and lacks in a number of areas. But its ok; you can pause and rewind TV, schedule and record TV as advertised.

I'm real happy for the price of the unit, but here is the laundry list of what is a bit shit about this unit for anyone else looking for an uber cheap PVR:

No integration between freeview EPG listings and the recording feature! I hope other units can do this? Scheduling a recording is like setting a VHS; this channel from then till then, click.
Single tuner means it can only buffer the channel you are watching. This is obvious, but a good PVR needs 2+ tuners.
I haven't checked, but I expect that the recording is in standard definition irrespective of the HD-ness. I haven't confirmed this one, anyone want to give me a HD screen? Actually I havent even checked the HD signal is HD when "realtime"!
Seems to use the disk regularly, not a great buffering technique. For this reason, I don't leave the PVR live buffering 24/7. Use of flash or solid state might dodge that bullet.
Seems to not like playing too close to realtime, needs 5+ second buffer, else it glitches and drops audio.

So the PVR is basically like a VHS, except you can do poor-mans timeshifting: start watching the recording before its finished.

The problem of evil:

2009-10-17T12:36:00.003+13:00

Reading a great essay on: The problem of Evil. Here is a quote from it:

Assumption (1): God exists.
Assumption (1a): God is all-knowing.
Assumption (1b): God is all-powerful.
Assumption (1c): God is perfectly loving.
Assumption (1d): Any being that did not possess all three of the above properties would not be God.
Premise (2): Evil exists.
Premise (3): An all-knowing being would be aware of the existence of evil.
Premise (4): An all-powerful being would be able to eliminate evil.
Premise (5): A perfectly loving being would desire to eliminate evil.
Conclusion (6): Evil does not exist. (from (1),(3),(4),(5))
Contradiction: But evil does exist. (from (2))
Conclusion (7): There is no being that is all-knowing, all-powerful, and perfectly loving. (from (2),(3),(4),(5))
Conclusion (8): God does not exist. (from (7),(1d))
The argument's logic is ironclad, and its simple but far-reaching conclusion is that the existence of evil in the world disproves the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly loving god. The only way to refute the problem of evil without surrendering the assumption that such a god exists is to deny one of its premises.

I like this argument as it doesn't completely deny God; but it relegates him to (in my view):

A God that isn't Perfectly Loving; or
A God that doesn't desire to eliminate evil.

To remove any of the other attributes of God is unacceptable (all-knowing, all-powerful), so he must either not exist, or be a bit of a bastard. So lets talk about your beliefs in bastard Gods only - the benevolent ones seem unlikely.

Negative signal-to-noise ratios

2009-09-04T17:59:00.003+12:00

I'm reading an awesome technical book at the moment: Bob Katz, Mastering Audio. This guy is a audio master - read it! One thing thats really tripping me at the moment is this part.

We can hear signals below the noise floor? It seems like the LSB (least significant bit) represents the smallest variation in amplitude available digitally, so where is that signal actually coded and stored? My understanding of the explanation (not shown) is that it exists in the time domain as a modulation on the LSB.

Thats some tricksy stuff right there!

iCompass

2009-08-31T23:16:00.004+12:00

The compass isn't perfect, but its ok.

I wonder what the Android sensor is like in comparison. Come on internet, send me a video of your android doing this.

Invisible Guard for iPhone 3GS

2009-08-12T22:24:00.000+12:00

So now I have a shiny new iPhone, I have a few important things to do to it.

Extend its functionality..

and install a cover. I got an invisible guard, a kiwi-made transparent cover.

It is installed with some soapy water and lots of patience. I applied and smooshed for about an hour, but it ended up fitting very well. The corners took a while, but eventually I got them all in place.

2G on the left, 3GS + invisible guard on the right. The plastic has a slight orange-peel look to it, but it doesn't affect the picture quality.

It does feel quite different to the glass, slightly stickier. But it is still great to use. The extra grip on the back is a welcome addition. Even the home button has a guard, which fit perfectly.

Here you can see how the shield covers most of the corner, and how tight and accurate the cover is. Check around the headphone socket and the volume keys.

Another shot of the corner. Also note the one blemish that I decided I didn't care about: the chrome bezel has a flake of missing chrome. It looks like a manufacturing defect, but is too small for me to care.

This is how the rounded back is handled: a slit up each corner.

The back looks nice, like its been duraseal-ed. The guard can be peeled off without damaging the phone. So far, I'm really happy with how it come out, its hardly visible at all, and no bubbles!

Is that an Iceberg?

2009-08-11T12:36:00.001+12:00

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2739551/Is-that-an-iceberg-in-Wellington-Harbour/:

A fake 'iceberg' in Wellington's Oriental Bay this morning was made by special effects wizards Weta for a climate change stunt.

iPicky

2009-08-05T22:21:00.004+12:00

So I got a brand new iPhone 3GS and it isn't up to Apples' quality control. Its' silver bevel surrounding the screen sits proud of the glass in the top left corner and runs half the left edge, and a third of the top.

The chrome is slightly proud on the bevel on the outer edge of the same corner, but not very much.

update: Apple happily replaced the unit, and my new one is flush and nice...

How I lowered my speakers noise floor by 6db

2009-07-22T22:03:00.002+12:00

As many of you know, I use Behringer B2031A amplified speakers plugged directly to my soundcards' line level output, with software based volume control and a custom cable with a 3.5mm headphone to 2 x 1/4" jack cable.

They sound completely awesome I love this set up so much. The only little thing that bugged me was that I can hear the noise floor of my soundcard at louder slider settings. If I turned them up for quiet material or for stuff with large dynamic headroom the white noise was just perceptible.

The SB Live wiki page has an uncited note that "the original SB Live! had a very low noise floor for its time". Doh! I considered getting a better soundcard with balanced outputs to lower the floor, but meh - money, linux support etc. just for something that is so minor and uncommon.

In practice, I usually stay within something like 2-10% of max signal level from my soundcard on the speakers, and the noise floor is far below hearing level.

I recently realised that I had the input trim on each speaker central at 0db, but they could go to -6db. By setting both speakers to this, I am forced to have a higher output signal from the soundcard to compensate. This makes the soundcards' signal to noise ratio much better (by 6db!) for any given actual listening level. Of course, my 100% setting is also 6db quieter, but I dare anyone to site in front of these at 100%!

So now I probably use something like the 20-40% signal level, with plenty in reserve should I wish to wind something up loud. This is a much more sensible use of the range, as I was right at the bottom 1/4 of the mixer sliders most of the time. I can't hear the sound floor, even with everything at 100%/max/11 !

Google Reader keys:

2009-07-08T17:27:00.003+12:00

I have been using a few of them, but OMG in list view, the spacebar is awesome. its a page down, and at the bottom of the post, space also auto jumps to the next post. Can skim view high volume sites the best way.

http://www.google.com/help/reader/faq.html#shortcuts

Keys are so much quicker.

Travel company offers free three-month holiday to promote NZ

2009-06-18T17:23:00.002+12:00

Check this job out: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/new-zealand-travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=1500882&objectid=10577599

"We're a relatively new company ... and as you can imagine we've had we've had quite a few suppliers jump on board in a relatively short period of time," she said.
"We had the option of either taking time out of what we're doing now and going and travelling and meeting everybody ourselves, or offering this opportunity to somebody who would really enjoy it and have a lot of fun with it."
The winning candidate will be provided with free accommodation, transport, a daily food allowance and some spending money in return for blogging about their experiences.
"But there's no set wage as such," Forsyth added. "It's just a free trip."

Pity I have just got a job, that sounds like fun! Thanks Preeti for the link.

Toolman is employed

2009-06-18T14:25:00.003+12:00

Hey all: Just a note that I am back to making Java web applications for VTech (not Honda VTEC :) ), the inhouse development team at Vero Insurance. Really enjoying the job, just completed my first week and enjoying engaging the brain a little more.

GIF vs JIF

2009-06-12T23:13:00.002+12:00

From http://www.olsenhome.com/gif/:

You disagree? Hey, I'm just quoting the inventors of the format. Here's the evidence:

CompuServe used to distribute a graphics display program called CompuShow. In the documentation for version 8.33 in the FAQ section, it states:
The GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), pronounced "JIF", was designed by CompuServe and the official specification released in June of 1987.
There, straight from the inventors of the format.

So nerds, GIF or JIF?

Muppets album conversions:

2009-04-30T18:14:00.003+12:00

This is a project that I was doing prior to traveling.

I spent months painfully converting these albums to CD. These albums got heavy airtime in my youth...

I carefully recorded the vinyl, then carefully cleaned the recordings by hand. Adobe Audition is the best wave editor I have ever used, and the results are fantastic. The finals still have the full warmth of the original vinyl, and no major pops or clicks. This took an unbelievable length of time, I ended up redoing the process multiple times as I learned better techniques.

I also scanned and processed all the cover artwork for the CD replicas.

The discs are printed on directly (no stickers!), and the art is a mock of the original vinyls' center label. I had to change the track numbers (no side B!) and shoehorn both sides listings onto a single side.

The sleeves are complete, with the inner and outer artwork just like the original vinyl sleeve.

Again, the track listings were subtly tweaked to reflect the single side and track numbers. Also, the back of a jewel case is not square (but the front sleeve is) so the rear artwork had to be cropped carefully to look correct. Compare left and right above.

In any case, really happy with how these turned out.

below the 42:

2009-04-30T16:29:00.002+12:00

My mum gave me an excellent booze tip recently:

Stil vodka: this nice vodka comes from none other then 42 Below. Its their off-label, and is cheaper then 42 Below.

Still tastes pretty damn nice to me. Zing!

Recovering the mini

2009-04-27T17:03:00.004+12:00

Heya all, me and Princess flew down to Welly last weekend.

My pal Andre got married, and we caught up with lots of you fullas down there :)

With Princess hanging out with Loulou, Nick and I went to unpack the mini and get it on to the road. The mini was stored well, and was straightforward to get on the road. All that was needed was a new battery and a damned good clean. So shes is now legit: WOF, rego, insurance.

When taking out the sub box to replace the battery, I found that a mousey had setup house in my sub box - he chewed the inside of the seat sponge!

The bastard also gnawed a hole in my sub and dragged lots of crud in there! I found him dead where you see him, the rubber and foam must have killed him. I cleaned the sub box and did a ghetto duct tape fix. Temporary, but it'll do.

I headed up the country.

7 hours of nonstop mini driving was real noisey! I did get a great day for cruising.

The mountain from afar...

..and up close - mint weather! Thankfully, no breakdowns or weird noises.

Synchronise your iPhone in Linux .. kinda

2009-04-12T13:59:00.002+12:00

Hey guys; I finally got around to getting my iPhone to work in a Virtualbox installation of Windows. Now I can finally sync my iPhone without rebooting! I gathered up info from a few sources, and compiled it into the Ubuntu howto wiki.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PortableDevices/iPhone#Using%20iTunes%20via%20Sun%20Virtualbox%20running%20Windows

Sync away!

Digital Glitching

2009-04-08T13:27:00.002+12:00

Saw this music video by Kanye West over the weekend:

KANYE WEST "Welcome To Heartbreak" Directed by Nabil from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Interesting how its using the errors produced by missing keyframes for artistic effect. I saw a few experimental videos like this, but to see it on A-List music videos is interesting. It the video analog to audio glitching artifacts being used in music. Interesting, but unless you are a codec master, you have little control over the effect, so this technique may have limited scope for expansion. Still cool - wonder if and encoders get confused encoding it :) ? Also, how many geeks give their satellite box a smack, thinking that the MTV feed is playing up ....

Ben Heck does it again: C64 laptop

2009-04-08T12:46:00.001+12:00

Hey all;

I probably linked to the Picommodore C64 laptop project that someone did a while ago, it is a cool idea. I actually got myself a couple of the C64 all-in-one joysticks used in the project while I was in Europe. Ben Heck, custom-console-maker-extraordinaire has made a C64 laptop of such awesomeness that it kinda puts the rest to shame.

That is tidy. A SD card floppy emulator, original keyboard with Fn keys chopped off, and replacements by the fake trackpad (actually a LCD for the SD-floppy bridge), all the real hardware: SID chip, cartridge slot... Go look at the full writeup from Ben himself. A legendary hack.

http://benheck.com/04-05-2009/commodore-64-original-hardware-laptop

NIIICE!

The Cult of Done Manifesto

2009-03-30T11:09:00.000+13:00

I want to join this cult:

http://www.brepettis.com/blog/2009/3/3/the-cult-of-done-manifesto.html

The Cult of Done Manifesto

There are three states of being. Not knowing, action and completion.
Accept that everything is a draft. It helps to get it done.
There is no editing stage.
Pretending you know what you're doing is almost the same as knowing what you are doing, so just accept that you know what you're doing even if you don't and do it.
Banish procrastination. If you wait more than a week to get an idea done, abandon it.
The point of being done is not to finish but to get other things done.
Once you're done you can throw it away.
Laugh at perfection. It's boring and keeps you from being done.
People without dirty hands are wrong. Doing something makes you right.
Failure counts as done. So do mistakes.
Destruction is a variant of done.
If you have an idea and publish it on the internet, that counts as a ghost of done.
Done is the engine of more.

Amen!

Norty

2009-03-26T21:25:00.000+13:00

Here is a link for all my pal who know my mate, Norty...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/entertainment/blogs/the-lost-boys/2287212/The-initiators

Head Tracking for VR using a standard screen.

2009-03-25T13:26:00.002+13:00

Hey this is a nice example of how to use our existing components for 3D goodness.

Nice one Jonny Lee.

Java magic trick

2009-03-23T10:38:00.000+13:00

http://blogs.atlassian.com/developer/2008/07/magic_trick_in_java.html

Can you solve this one?

My time at JTeam

2009-03-22T20:47:00.000+13:00

Hey everyone. Now that I am back in NZ and looking for employment, I have been thinking about my work last year at JTeam.

First and foremost: I had a great working year, and I really enjoyed working with all the team at JTeam! The guys made me very welcome - I managed to learn lots of new stuff, as well as maybe leave a little behind. I contributed to some RFPs, pitched JTeam solutions directly to customers, as well as actually developing web applications.

Oh and I also bitched about Flash lots ...

At the end of a hard years work, I got this lovely box of treats for (early) Christmas. The Dutch have a cunning way to get Christmas twice per year: in addition to Dec 25 with Santa Claus, they also have Sinterklaas. He shows up Dec 5th giving presents and chocolates shaped of letters, and is suspiciously similar to Santa. Check the link for details.You know what they say about gift horses, so thanks Sinterklaas!

The crew from JTeam also all went out for an excellent Christmas dinner. I can't remember specifics, but the conversation (and wine) was top notch... It snowed outside as we dined, and I had to cycle home. Still, it was a genuine white Christmas, something us antipodeans don't see much of.

In short, I had a great time living in Holland! The Dutch seem to think that New Zealand is nothing but a country full of sheep. Its not true, we are as modern as any other western country in the world. Here is a picture of me in the middle of Auckland City.

The funny thing is that I'm not joking, this really is in the central part of our biggest city, Auckland. Check street view out on this link: Google maps link

This is my home computer, great to have it all setup again: 20" 1600x1200 LCD with my Behringer speakers.. mmmm!

And for those Dutchies who wanted to know what products are available here in NZ, here is an European section of a supermarket. Some supermarkets also sell stuff like stroopwafels and hagelslag.

TerrorBite

2009-03-19T11:39:00.003+13:00

Look whos got a new disk.. cheap and BIG!

Update:

New domain:

2009-03-18T15:05:00.002+13:00

Hey subscribers;

I have pointed my own domain to this blog, so the new link is

http://blog.toolman.geek.nz

RSS: http://blog.toolman.geek.nz/feeds/posts/default

The old location should redirect anyway. Update them readers!

Augmented reality: Like this one!

2009-03-16T09:19:00.000+13:00

This is a great experimental invention - truly augmented reality...

.. at the cost of having a projector (aka beamer, Dutchies) strapped on to yourself.

I really like how it could augment real products; thats the holy grail for augmentation, and a source of plenty of revenue if successful.

The next challenge is getting quality information to the device. Control of the information used in this system, one it grew to mobile handset scales, would be powerful. Hopefully open systems such ala wikipedia would ensure sane community control of the public data.

What will products compete on? Consumer weighting of metrics, as offered on augmentation device:

price (Current favorite ;)
carbon footprint
eco factor - packaging, manufacture etc.
rating/score/desiriability in demographics you care about
Loyalty scheme incentives
...

That seems like raw capitalism - the machine knows your weightings of many metrics, and always offers you the optimal choice.

Decisions would (mostly) be that of the Economists' ideal consumer: rational decision makers trying to maximize their benefits and minimize their costs. I say "mostly" because you don't have to take your handsets advice, do you :P ?

... Beamer on board ...

Thanks to Alef for the link.

Xmas platter:

2008-12-16T22:19:00.000+13:00

What do you do when you have too many spare HDDs?

Create a Xmas tree out of them!

Check out the page my pal Trigger put up with pictures and videos. It even spins!

http://www.nzgames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81672

Good work!

Kubuntu 8.10 with KDE4

2008-12-16T06:36:00.000+13:00

As we are winding up here in Holland (only 3 more days of work for me), I am consolidating all the data I have scattered over 3 laptops down to just the old Acer.

I did a clean install of Kubuntu 8.10, and upgraded with to all the latest updates. I had a few reservations about KDE4:

Is KDE4 going be fast on this hardware? Though badged as such, this is not "Vista capable" even with 2Gb RAM.
Will it support hardware accelerated video? If not, is the performance in 2D mode OK?
Is it usable yet?

Well the answer is YES to all; KDE 4.1.3 is surprisingly good!

The whole UI runs smoothly with hardware accelerated video and compositing. KDE4 is complete: it has all the major features going, and is very stable, no crashes or lockups.

In short, I am really impressed! Theres not many widgets, themes etc. yet. I want a widget that does CPU and network statistics if anyone knows of one..

But build it, and they will come. Give it a few minor point revisions and KDE4 could be suitable for most desktop situations; I would be comfortable developing with it.

This release of Kubuntu, which has a recent current kernel, supports all the important hardware in the Acer. The webcam is the only problem hardware, still only experimental drivers.

The US bailout:

2008-11-27T00:13:00.000+13:00

according to bloomberg.com , on the subject of US "bailouts":

The money that’s been pledged is equivalent to $24,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.

Hmm so where is that money coming from? Yup, they will borrow it from overseas at interest. So the American taxpayer has quite a tab to pay off! If 100% of your tax money went into only servicing this debt, how long would it take you to pay it off?

In practice, this will never be payed back because the govt won't pour 100% of tax revenue into paying back the debt. It really is the yoke of debt slavery for generations of Americans.

Graphics Nirvana

2008-11-12T09:37:00.000+13:00

http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/10/nvidias-quadro-fx-5800-with-4gb-graphics-memory-is-the-most-po/

240 GPU cores and 4 gigabytes on your graphics card... nerd-tastic cluster within a computer!

Not designed for gaming; the unit is more for complex and high volume calculation.

Bald alert

2008-11-12T08:47:00.000+13:00

One of my old colleagues is being sponsored to get his head shaved.

http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/John_(Andrew)_Thomson/

Sponsor him, its for a great cause!

Ubuntu 8.10 out:

2008-10-31T10:29:00.000+13:00

Ubuntu 8.10 is out, upgrade at will. I found a great pointer for those keen to upgrade.

The strain on Ubuntu servers and its mirrors is always noticeable for the early days of a release.

Bit torrent file thrive on quantity (and of course quality) The more the better, and its popular enough that your pipe will likely be saturated.

Max downloads!

You can, of course torrent the ISO, but even better you can dist-upgrade using bit torrent to get awesome speed with minimum time wasted - it only get needed libraries, not the whole back-catalog of stuff included on the install CD.

Max Efficiency!

I have had mixed experiences with dist-upgrades, but keen to try this. After backing up my data that is! Check the article:

http://torrentfreak.com/use-bittorrent-to-upgrade-to-ubuntu-intrepid-ibex-081029/

Nice one TorrentFreak !

The best way to pick your US candidate:

2008-10-24T20:33:00.000+13:00

It seems no one in the US wants to talk proper policy or real issues. Why waste your vote based on personality, or who has the nicest clothes?

If you are wasting your vote on trivial attributes, at least vote based on a cool attribute...

Unbelievable McCain Vs. Obama Dance-Off - Watch more free videos

Oh, and if any Americans are looking at my humble blog; vote 3rd party. Obama may be the lesser of two evils, it may be a historic event for a Black man to run for president, but unfortunately hes still part of (and therefore controlled by) the Democrats.

The rest of the world can hardly distinguish between your 2 major parties; they are both conservative in the global scale and have both lead your nation to ruinous debt: spending on wars with no clear stated goal, spending on defense against an imagined enemy (You guys have ALL the guns BTW). Go read some international press and see what the rest of the world thinks.

JAOO 2008: Java conference in Denmark

2008-10-06T04:41:00.000+13:00

A group of us guys from JTeam traveled up to Denmark to attend the JAOO conference. The drive is about 9 hours from Amsterdam, and is motorway all the way. And yes, we did go on the Autobahn...

Thank you Allard and Rob for driving me. Here is the team when we stopped at a rest-stop somewhere in Germany.

Eventually, we arrived in Aarhus. It took a few U-turns and questionable driving moves in Aarhus, but we eventually found our hotel and got ourselves settled.

We headed into town to find a nice meal and maybe a quiet drink...

Yes, we enjoyed our meal. Some of the speakers that the guys knew arrived at the restaurant and encouraged us to keep drinking. Ug..

The next 3 days were spent in this building.

The venue is very scenic.

There were keynote speeches in the morning for everyone, then elective sessions on a multitue of subjects. My professional blogl has a writeup on the technical content.

The first night included a scheduled party, compete with complementary drinks!

The JTeam lads enjoying the atmosphere.

Erik and I dissected ideas picked up from the first day - it may not make sense in the cold light of day.

Aarhus is a beautiful city, and JAOO was really enjoyable. I have come back with inspiration and so many new areas of potential learning/investigation.

Cool cars around Amsterdam:

2008-10-06T04:07:00.000+13:00

I love Europe, so many nice cars around. Check these sweet cars that park in the basement at work:

Thats a Maserati Quattroporte I think.

And thats definitely a gun metal grey Ferrari 308 GTB.

I keep seeing this sweet Fiat 500 Giardiniera wagon.

This badass supercharged Range Rover sport parks outside my house. Mmmm.

Annoying recessed iPhone workarounds

2008-09-25T08:51:00.000+12:00

So as you may know, the first gen. iPhone (like mine) has a recessed headphone socket and so many headphones don't fit. I looked at my options - stumpy adapters thru to headphone extension cables that fit. I decided on the Griffin SmartTalk, an extension that has a few features.

Most important: its designed for the iPhone so it fits in the socket, and I can use my headphones!
It has a mic, so I can talk hands-free.
It has a button so I can pause, skip tracks and answer the phone without looking at the iPhone.
The mic got reasonable reviews, and I'm happy with it so far

It is well made and has a thin cable with a rope-ish fabric weave. My only grumble in its design is the lack of tensioner on the headphone jack. In my pocket it gets bent 90 degrees and I worry that it will wear out or something.

Oh yeah, there is one other thing...

What do I do with the 2 meters of headphone cable?

I could zip-tie it to the top of my headphones.

From that angle, you hardly notice it. Unfortunately from other angles it looks dorky as can be.

Take 2: I built a short cable from some spare wires and cables.

This prototype is great, but its not soldered and won't be till I borrow or buy a solder iron :| The mechanical connection is good, but it sometimes makes audio crackles when I move.

Instead, I'm riding to work with the cable in my inner breast pocket for now. The mic has come in handy a few times already - its nice to have a hands-free bike kit !

Freedom Fry

2008-09-03T22:27:00.000+12:00

No not that stupid American renaming of "French Fries", I'm talking about Stephen Fry.

Its GNUs 25th birthday, and Stephen is showing his support of free software by wishing GNU a happy birthday, and explaining why it is so good.

http://www.gnu.org/fry/

Check it out, and go GNU!

How awesome is MacGyver?

2008-08-28T21:20:00.000+12:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_problems_solved_by_MacGyver

MacGyver used to be my hero - who else "defuses a highly advanced nuclear warhead using a paper clip to short circuit the timing device" in their pilot episode? He also made "a thermite torch using aluminium filed from a racing cycle frame and rust held in a long tube and lit with a roadside signal flare. "

What a guy!

I can has iPhone?

2008-08-26T06:36:00.000+12:00

My pal upgraded his iPhone to a 3G, and his carrier nicely left him the old handset. Not only that, they unlocked it for him - rather decent.

That mean that I got my greedy little paws on a first generation iPhone for a super good price.

Aside from the annoying recessed headphone jack, I really love it. I could grumble about the lack of support for Linux (unless I roll back to the V1 firmware) but I won't, and heres why.

I got a BSD toolchain and ssh server running on it! Also, I have a terminal app on it. This means that I can ssh from my iPhone to any ssh box on the network (internet), and also ssh the other way into my iPhone. I can scp files to my iPhone. I also have an ebook reader on it and really liking that. Oh and anyone who hasn't tried shazam really should - thats a great app!

The phone is in good condition, just a little gnawing on the edges. Maybe the previous owner liked to chew it?

Zing: NZ wallpaper.

Things I thought would were in the "too hard" basket:

2008-08-15T21:29:00.000+12:00

First up; check this video analysis and enhancement link:

http://grail.cs.washington.edu/projects/videoenhancement/videoEnhancement.htm

That shows a system that can take pictures and map them to moving video to upscale the resolution of videos. The processing can also do other depth based interpretation and correction. Amazing stuff there!

Also, Echonest audio analysis:

http://the.echonest.com/analyze/

It can take an audio sample (eg. MP3) and spit out a comprehensive XML giving you beat, timings, spectral and timbre quantities and timings (== separate instrument musical notes). It really is listening and transcribing audio with impressive precision.

Hardcore awesome.

Slingshots technical difficulties:

2008-08-15T19:41:00.000+12:00

Via Stuff: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4657074a28.html

An error ... left the TradeMe, Bebo and Facebook accounts of its customers open to strangers for a time.

The error meant some Slingshot customers were randomly able to view other people's accounts when accessing these websites ...

TradeMe ... said the fault didn't allow people to bid on auctions, change details, or view passwords or financial details.
Slingshot ... said the problem ... was the result of a new caching configuration ...

Abridged for brevity. So that sounds like a pretty crap cache if its mixing up its end users! Guess maybe it just had NO discrimination so everyone got the single last cache item for a given URL. Maybe it was not considering the parameters at the end of URLs, to tardme.com/home.rar?IGNOREDID=dontMatter

Anyways, LOL !

My home cheapo mods:

2008-08-11T09:12:00.000+12:00

Our flat is full of cheap mods that I have busted out. Example 1:

My Logitech x230s sound really good, but the sub control doesn't go low enough. Its quite boomy sometimes, so ...

Stuff it with a sock! The port looses its resonance and the cutoff is effectively brought above the (tuned) frequency (which is so boomy) - much better :)

My hackjob at fixing the laptop power has me worried because there is not much in the way of cable tug-proofing sensitive the laptops' tail.

I got a tug resistant know going so the tail doesn't get any rugged tugs.

I also managed to aquire a nice (free) USB light that was obviously a giveaway from Rabobank; (example shown)

Used to look like this, but unfortunately as its a lampshade, you couldn't point the light very easy. I didn't want it that way, so I did a few "mods":

I chopped and ghetto-glued it to point like a desk lamp should, and it is much better !

Blammo! it goes!

Fixing my cheap Acer 3680 laptop

2008-07-23T22:48:00.000+12:00

Here is the problem: no center pin on the DC connector. I tried to take it back as it was under warranty, but apparently this isnt covered - damn crappy Acers :|

The cost for fixing in Amsterdam is over 100 Euros, which is about 1/2 the laptops' value. This mean that either technology construction (laptop) is very cheap, or that European labor is very expensive. Or maybe both.

I assembled everything I need: tools, laptop and disassembly guide. Also had a improvised anti-stat wire to keep me grounded.

The disassembly guide I found was excellent - I knew exactly which and what order to undo every screw. For anyone else thinking of disassembly, you want these kind of guides if possible.

I followed the guide and got the unit apart quite easily.

Its really just a motherboard with an upper and lower cover wrapping it. The tricks are in getting the right order of removal, and knowing which wires to unplug

I put the screws in jars with labels to help ensure they found their correct homes. The guide also detailed this :)

I eventually had the lappy in enough pieces to locate and remove the connector. Here is the connector in place.

This connector was on a small board that was separate to the motherboard. I unplugged it and got out the power board.

I couldn't find a replacement part for the connector, and so was planning to solder some wires directly to the board.

Upon inspection, I found that it was a multilayer board, and I only had a cheap solder iron. This meant I probably couldn't unsolder the socket. What to do? I had to change my low tech solution:

I broke the connector and removed it, while leaving 2 pins to solder to. My technique is non-destructive and hasn't affected the actual board so I can place a new part if/when I find one.

I used a rubber grommet to hold the wires in place. This is very tight, and is the first (and only) defence against yanks of the cable.

Here is the soldering. Not very pretty but it will work.

Here is the final solution. It is not pretty, and I am a little worried that it might break one day. I'm thinking about v2 plans, any suggestions welcome.

I added a standard connector to the other end of the cable, and had to hack the power adapter cable end off too, so its not quite non-destructive...

But I can now charge and use it (and get my datas!), which is whats most important. And it only cost $10 Euro to fix.

You can teach an old computer new tricks

2008-07-14T20:00:00.000+12:00

There are lots of novel uses for old computers; this radiohead mashup done with a ZX spectrum (My first computer) is super-dope:

Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

As is this rendition of Funky Town, running on a C64 and dot matrix printer:

And for all those who thought that the ZX spectrum had crap graphics and sound... you are right. But look at what some leet Russian demoscene hackers have coded up - very nice, especially when you know how limited that old hardware was/is:

Left brainers and overthinkers...

2008-07-13T02:55:00.000+12:00

... should read this post to help boost their creativity. Nice ideas.

10 Ways to Help Left Brainers Tap Into the Best of Their Creativity

http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2008/07/right_ways_of_w.shtml

The joys of F1

2008-07-07T06:18:00.000+12:00

Its great to be here in Europe and be able to watch F1 at a reasonable hour. Unfortunately the broadcasts are in Dutch. My good pal, ATech, often gives me a skype audio feed, as everyone shares the same video feed.

This is us doing some serious F1 watching. This time, ATech was getting the video from me - the webcam pointing at the TV. If you look closely, you can see him enjoying it.

I love that I can download (cough) onboards, lap data, as well as the ITV coverage, and run them all in sync the next day. Pain to setup sometime, but great once lined up. I have been thinking of attempting to weave them into matroska files sometime.

This is ITV on one laptop, onboards on the other. Awesome.

Bill Gates sign-out

2008-07-02T19:21:00.000+12:00

So, Bill has hung his hat up at Microsoft. For all that I don't like about Microsoft, I can't deny that they did kickstart the PC revolution, so I have to respect that.

Your philanthropic activities give you more kudos and enjoyment then that whole borg / spawn of satan thing. Respect for giving your $$ away :)

fsck that damn chkdsk

2008-06-17T07:44:00.001+12:00

Something is wrong with my disc check.. I think...

The Royal Dutch Football Team

2008-06-13T17:25:00.000+12:00

...have an awesome new website.

http://www.onsoranje.nl

With the Euro Cup this year, the Dutchies need a site to get all the latest info (as well as plenty of Dutch adverts :/ )

Ruud van Nistelrooy gives it the thumbs up! Thats a PDA running windows mobile and opera over wifi. the touch screen approximates the ease of the iPhone. sorta. Anyway, what a nice site! (except that slow panning image at the top, the flash banner, can give you a headache if you look at it for too long. )

The legendary SID chip:

2008-06-13T08:46:00.000+12:00

Computer games don't affect people. I mean, if video games affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music.

Not sure whos quote this is, but I think its very true - the last part, that is - that those awesome music tracks that the old 80s games paved the way for modern electronic music.

Well some guy, Stone Oakvalley, build the most extreme rig to authentically record the entire SID collection, stripped and collected from C64 disc images etc. (Remember that the files are digital, so its still bit-perfect) He then built a PC mesh and associated custom hardware to control, load and playback the SID files into multiple real C64 hardware, then playback and record in real time. He cut no corners - 100% original C64 hardware, in all major SID revisions, converted to high quality MP3. And the best thing is that all the songs are available to listen to online.

This rig and associated site is exceptionally geek-tastic. All you nerds worth your salt, this is worth looking even if only for the "OMG that is extreme dedication" factor.

Check it: http://www.6581-8580.com/soasc_background.htm

So to the SOASC= crew: My hat is off to you guys - this project rules in a way that have maximum respect for. One of my personal faves would have to be last ninja, I spent hours in front of that game! I got a feeling someone linked me this recently, but I didn't give the site time to sink in - if so, i got there in the end :)

Puts my C64-DTV to shame..

Intersting post:

2008-05-26T02:35:00.000+12:00

Check this post out about food expenditure in different countries:

http://www.atmayogi.com/node/799

Interesting post from my vedic contact!

OMG a V8 engine made from Lego:

2008-05-25T05:04:00.000+12:00

http://www.nicjasno.com/node/1019

Runs on compressed air, and uses the technics piston assemblys. Has valves and everything, tho a few cuts and glues to make some of the more exotic bits (valves vie the pneumatic switchs, glued clutch wheels etc.) but nothing thats cheating too much.

If you think thats cool, check the whole car made from lego!

http://www.nicjasno.com/node/584

Look over this site if either of these sound cool.

Special Minis:

2008-05-01T20:53:00.000+12:00

I thought it time I post on all the Minis that I have been seeing over here in Europe. Its funny seeing the "special edition" Minis, they are rare, but they do exist in Europe!

Lots of Mini 'special editions' were released in the 80's. The changes were generally limited to different trim and badging, and maybe a novel paint color.

First up, the Jet Black:

and its interior:

This one lives on our road.

Its a little faded, but looks in nice condition. Everything here is right left drive too!

The "Racing Green". This was in France, where the parking is done by touch - every mini has these ugly overriders.

the "Balmoral Edition".

The "Polynesian blue Seaway". I don't know much about this one.

An "S" wagon - pity about the poo color.

And a nice S with some trick alloys.

THe business...

2008-04-18T09:42:00.000+12:00

Long time no posts - check my new business cards out..

Yes thats 5 colors! My travel blog will have all the deets, this is the pre-release teaser.

Work blog

2008-03-31T20:49:00.000+13:00

For those of you who don't know, I'm working at JTeam here in Amsterdam. I have started my first professional blog. That doesn't mean its any better, has smarter content or anything, only that I get paid to write on it.. sorta.

http://toolman.jteam.nl/

Yes I have 3 blogs - subscribe to them all!

Sterling engine in your PC:

2008-03-06T19:46:00.000+13:00

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2272507,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532

A great idea, use the waste heat that the CPU throws off to power the cooling fan. I wonder how noisy this is? Also, sterling engines are fickle, as they use a sort of resonance between the expansion inside the cylinder and the cooling that the output fan creates. Still its a neat idea, and maybe we'll see it becoming more common, if the tech is stable (and cheap) enough.

RIP Netscape

2008-03-03T22:56:00.000+13:00

As many of you probably know, Netscape officially removed support for its eponymous browser.

Official: http://blog.netscape.com/2007/12/28/end-of-support-for-netscape-web-browsers/
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7270583.stm

I was an early convert well before Firefox came about. I loved tabbed browsing, but everyone I showed just thought that it was a duplication of the task bar list of windows. Oh how wrong you all were - who still uses a browser without tabs? (Shut up anyone using iE6 - you shouldn't be reading this blog on such a crap browser)

Then Mr. Sam told me about this new browser that was a fork of netscape, and cut out the rest of the clutter that was the Mozilla / Netscape bundle. The Netscape / Mozilla bundle had all sorts of fluff that not many people used: email client, HTML composer, calendaring etc. And then Firefox came along and showed how small, focussed and fast was better...

And we all rejoiced. And the plugins were good. And we looked upon those still using internet exploder and laughed.

Netscape - you lead the internet revolution for a time, and now your offspring, Firefox, is keeping the other browsers honest.

element.offsetLeft

2008-02-26T23:49:00.000+13:00

I just figured out what has been giving me grief all morning. iE6 doesn't give correct values for element.offset(Left|Top|Right|Bottom) until after the page has loaded under some circumstances. Especially when the element is inside a table. Until the page finishes render, it returns 0.

Urggg! I guess it is still adjusting the table size to fit so its ambiguous as to the correct size. I spent a while seeing if it was this bug (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811808) but I think they aren't quite related.

Vent over.

RAM longevity in the absence of electricity

2008-02-26T09:10:00.000+13:00

This shows how the GNU dd command is a leet hax0r tool...

Nice!

More to learn!

2008-02-05T01:45:00.000+13:00

Its amazing how 6 months off working can affect you. Traveling thru Asia was excellent, but I didn't really think much, it was more like 24/7 experiencing. Towards the end of the trip I felt like I needed to exercise my brain!

I have been revising so much Java material recently (its all coming back), I need to re-learn so many things! I want to be on top of my game for interviews, but I haven't got anything to practice with, so I'm having to research and make my own dummy projects. Oh well, I'm sure I'll be getting paid for doing this eventually.

I had an interview today where they asked me lots of technical questions to gauge my level - fair enough. Unfortunately I was rusty in a few areas, so I am going to write another essay on the topics I should know more about.

Singletons:

A Singleton is a design pattern designed to guarantee only a single instance of an object. What do you use them for? They are good for objects used in many areas of a system - cross cutting objects. Also used for object factories, facade objects, state objects. Yes I do know what a singleton is.

Whats the technique in Java again? urg... well I can now tell you: nutshell is that you have a private constructor (so it cant be instantiated) and a static variable (to hold the single instance), then a static method which can instantiate (if needed) and return the singleton. In multi threaded objects, you need to be very careful to ensure that 2 objects can't be created due to synchronous access.

While I was reviewing this pattern, I found some interesting Java issues with the compiler optimization of the double locking pattern. This pattern is a nice way to not need to synch on every singleton request, eg:

public Object getSingletonObject() {

if(obj == null) { //lock1 syncronized (this) { if(obj == null) //lock2 obj = new Object(); } }

}

The idea here is that the method only synch's once - on first request. Every other request for the singleton doesn't (need to) synch. Unfortunately it doesnt work (until java 5) as a second call during the synch block by another thread might try the first lock and find non null, half instantiated object. The compiler reordering means that you can't guarantee the behavior without the whole method being synched. Or by ensuring java 5+ environments and marking the singleton field as volatile. This technique compiles and may appear to work in earlier JDKs, but isn't threadsafe.

Spring FactoryBean:

(quoting the FactoryBean’s JavaDoc here)
an ‘Interface to be implemented by objects used within a BeanFactory that are themselves factories. If a bean implements this interface, it is used as a factory, not directly as a bean.’

So a Spring FactoryBean is a special bean, it has implemented the FactoryBean interface. This special interface marks the bean as a factory, to provide generation of objects (or a singleton) and inject them into the application context. So it is a special bean in that its methods are not directly accessible, but it provides access to (other) bean(s) indirectly - it is a factory and its getObject() method passes back whatever the factory dispenses.. It can be a singleton or regular factory.

This forms a vital part of creation and injection of objects into the context. The Spring packages have many default implementations of factories and they all implement this interface.

The Semantic Web

2008-02-03T21:08:00.000+13:00

Have you ever stopped to ask your self, What is the Semantic Web? Here I quote the introduction from the W3C working group

The vision of the Semantic Web is to extend principles of the Web from documents to data. This extension will allow to fulfill more of the Web’s potential, in that it will allow data to be shared effectively by wider communities, and to be processed automatically by tools as well as manually.

The Semantic Web allows two things.

It allows data to be surfaced in the form of real data, so that a program doesn’t have to strip the formatting and pictures and ads off a Web page and guess where the data on it is.
it allows people to write (or generate) files which explain—to a machine—the relationship between different sets of data. For example, one is able to make a “semantic link” between a database with a “zip-code” column and a form with a “zip” field that they actually mean the same – they are the same abstract concept. This allows machines to follow links and hence automatically integrate data from many different sources.

Semantic Web technologies can be used in a variety of application areas; for example: in data integration, whereby data in various locations and various formats can be integrated in one, seamless application; in resource discovery and classification to provide better, domain specific search engine capabilities; in cataloging for describing the content and content relationships available at a particular Web site, page, or digital library; by intelligent software agents to facilitate knowledge sharing and exchange; in content rating; in describing collections of pages that represent a single logical “document”; for describing intellectual property rights of Web pages (see, eg, the Creative Commons), and in many others.

(permalink)

So what we are talking about here is richer data, and ubiquitous or at least pervasive use of common or translatable markups. Technology is being used to collate data from different sources (data integration), to index for searches within specific domains (resource discovery, classification) etc..

RDF defines a technique for defining these, so is fundamental to Semantic Web as it exists now. It is a drafted standard and is in use. RDF data can be represented many formats, the most common being XML and RDF triples. The different formats suit different data types, and tools exists to translate. This makes disparate data collate-able in a common format, and is interchangeable.

RDF defines a triplet relationship for every association: subject, predicate, object. This means: this subject is related to this object by this predicate. Links are similar to HTML, but are labeled, and define relationships instead of jump links. There is no "current page"! Objects can be URIs or literals, subjects and prediactes must be URIs.

RDF can be referenced on an HTML page and in some senses it is like meta tags, but more structured as it is a shared resource with shared structure. The whole idea is for RDF to be shared by lots of systems by being publicly referenced.

The Semantic Web is an extension of the current Web and not its replacement. Islands of RDF and possibly related ontologies can be developed incrementally. Major application areas (like Health Care and Life Sciences) may choose to “locally” adopt Semantic Web technologies, and this can then spread over the Web in general. In other words, one should not think in terms of “rebuilding” the Web.

(permalink)

This kind of data structure is different to XML Schemas. They are specific to a busines transaction, protocol or similarRDF it is a knowledge representation, not a message format. As the RDF is shared it is reusable for reasoning by other systems to have knowledge outside of the systems ontological domain. Folksonomies or "tags" are not quite the same. They are unstructured and do not completely define the triplet relationship defined earlier.

Microformats, embedded in HTML, are very small datastructues in comparison and so have not used RDF. There are tools to bridge to RDF (GRRDL). To be involved in the semantic web you only need to provide RDF data access to your structures. This can be done "on the fly" and probably often is; most data not stored in RDF!

Web2 has the spirit of semantic web. The sharing of disparate data sources and web mash ups. Not all are implemented cleanly, but RDF can and is used in some (mainly larger, more structured) mash ups.

There are catalog websites lising millions or live RDF services.

OWL is a language that site on top of RDF, and gives more information about the ontology of the RDF items. It is a richer language to specify things such as cardinality and other characteristics of relationships. Very useful for knowledge representation, searching over multiple sources. It is rich enough to have classes and instances (individuals), and maps their relationships.

Those of you who read and understood some of it might be wondering why I'm writing about the Semantic Web. I accidentally put the words "Semantic web evangelist" on my CV when I really meant "Web standards evangelist" - oops! I do love the semantic web ideals, but haven't followed it rigorously or had a chance to build anything with it. Also, it was really late when I finished my CV...

XHTML, Web2.0 and micro formats are the thin edge of the semantic wedge, but they are in use and start the migration towards a richer web. I needed to refresh my mind as to some of the more technical aspects of the semantic web so I though I'd do a writeup so I had something to refer to. Some nerd out there might find it interesting (looking at you Sam).

I might point it out at interviews.

M$ Office 2007

2008-01-30T06:32:00.000+13:00

is weird!

I have been using Vista, which is weird enough, but I just tried out Office. Took me 5 minutes to find the open file dialog! Seems these new apps have their own 'start' button instead of a file-edit-... dropdown.

Not sure how I feel about that one.

Trick mini:

2008-01-19T12:39:00.000+13:00

If anyone is looking for a super dope mini, buy this one:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Cars/Mini/photos/a-135578049/p-57002115.htm

Tom Cruise is ...

2008-01-16T21:54:00.000+13:00

http://defamer.com/344987/the-tom-cruise-indoctrination-video-scientologists-dont-want-you-to-see

Craaazy!

NZs A1 racecar vs Boeng 777

2008-01-09T04:14:00.000+13:00

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4347746a1823.html

nice!

Video blogging: join the cool kids!

2008-01-08T10:54:00.000+13:00

Hey all you who do still subscribe to this old thing. I am going to put video blogs up on youtube. here is my first go, so 'tag' you should do it too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqfLbgy4s-A

its a bit crap quality sorry. also you might need to login as its marked as private etc.

MMM Pizza

2007-05-31T15:06:00.000+12:00

I am announcing that I am officially giving up collecting Hells tokens. I have been a wiley collector, finding them in all sorts of situations...

(Nearly) Free Pizza!

I always buy their pizza - even if I claim its with another order. My stash is at about 3/2 big/small pizzas and I'll have to use them before I go, or pass them on..

Sorry Benji but ya gotta claim vouchers!

PWM and cooling my CPU

2007-05-24T11:54:00.000+12:00

If you know me, you have probably seen my crazy cooling setup on my PC. Its something that has evolved out of a desire to make my (24/7) computer as quiet as possible - I sleep right next to it. I have done a youtube overview, but I have continued to evolve it since that video - especially the PWM bit I'll talk about lower down.

So lets look at my cooling. My CPU is an AMD Athlon XP 2600 and I have a copper Zalman Flower mounted to it. The CPU is showing its age, as it isn't 64 bit (meh), doesn't do SSE2 (so no sneaky OSX install last time I looked), and doesnt have the VT extensions for (good) virtualisation. Still, the CPU has been good for me and I'm off traveling soon, so I have stuck with it till I leave.

I bought a PSU that is fanless, the Silverstone ST30NF. Lots of "silent" PSUs do have fans, but not this one! 0 db baby...

I also have a GeForce FX5200 which has no moving parts (passive cooling) and 3 HDDs. Both these devices have my homebrew foam fan shrouds and super-low speed, low-noise 80mm fans pushing air over them. I bought the low noise fans, mounted them into the foam shrouds (with the benefit of no noise transfer to the case) and put the inline resistors (included with fans) to drop the fans down to a very low speed - they are inaudible over the HDD spindle noise :)

The HDDs are held together with an 8mm gap between each using some metal strapping with holes, and this unit sits on rubber feet to stop any hdd vibration from transmitting to the case etc - they are completely isolated aside from the rubber feet and cables coming out.

So one fan is blowing air over the chipset and videocard, the other is drawing air between the HDDs - its little more then a (draught|draft) (Brit|American), but it keeps everything cool without much noise.

The last fan is attached to the case and has a clear plastic shroud (made from a 3L juice container) that draws air off the flower and out the back of the case. This has an inline variable controller for manual tuning of the fan speed. I have used this to find the balance between CPU temp and noise.

I try to keep the CPU below 60 degrees C, but not too much below. My thinking has been that the hotter the flower, the more efficient the cooling is - due to the higher differential to the air temperature. So I wanted the heatsink to be as hot (and therefore efficient) as possible, without compromising the stability of the system. The CPU has been happy hovering around 58 for about 2 years now.

I have been manually setting the fan speed with the variable speed controller seen stuck to the shroud and this has generally been good. I could turn it up if I was expecting to do some hard CPU work, and turn it down when the CPU isn't doing much. Unfortunately, it sucks if you aren't expecting the CPU to be doing anything so you turn it down, then some process decides to start chewing cycles (Firefox does this to me more then I'd like) and so the CPU gets hot! I have auto-shutdown at 65 degrees as a safety, but that isnt fun because it basically just yanks the power... diskchecks here we come!

I recently installed kubuntu 7.04 (and yes its the best one yet) and was setting up the sensors for temp monitoring, only to find that a) my MB has fan speed control, and b) the sensors package comes with a system daemon that can control the fan based on a sensor - fancontrol.

Wooo! I build a circuit to attempt this, but I couldn't get the parameters right, and so it either kept the fans too slow, or oscillated wildly eg. fans off -> temp up -> fans on -> temp down -> repeat ...

So I have started this daemon and have been tuning the correlation settings, and its now pretty damn sweet - check this graph out:

(this pic is too wide to fit - click for full...)

This represents about 10 minutes, and it starts on the left, where I had been running CPU "burn" app to maximise heat generation with 100% cpu usage. Note that I ran this with a nice value so that its portion of CPU usage is shown as yellow.

So So the first 1/3 of the graph shows cpuburn being killed, and the system backing off the fan speed in resonse to the temp drop. The middle graph has errant data - when the PWM drops below a certain duty cycle (maybe 50%), the fan sensor goes mental, causing the sensed value to go thru the roof. In fact the fan is running really slow in these periods, marked with the blue dimension arrows. The red arrows show where the fan actually stopped. From this we can see how the cooling actually cools to the point where the fan stops, then the temp rises again and then it settles. See the green lines, which show the shape of the temp as it finds its equilibrium at idle.

The middle 1/3 is where I started the cpuburn app again, and watched the system respond. You see the temp and fan speed rise to a stable equilibrium, tho it did fluctuate a bit as shown with the purple horizontal lines. The vertical purple shows where i killed cpuburn again. You can see the same shape of fan speed overshoot (to stopping).

So.. this PWM thing is great! Pity that the fan speed sensor barfs, but this is really common and only special fans that have extra circuitry can give the sense data with a low duty cycle.

OLPC again

2007-05-22T13:09:00.000+12:00

Another writeup by some Canadian guy (Whaats thaat aboot?) . I remember hearing that only Kiwis and Canadians use the word 'eh' as a suffix - as in "that OLPC is cool, Eh!" Its probably shit, I'm sure plenty of other engl-ish countries use 'eh'.

http://digitalcrusader.ca/archives/2007/05/review_of_the_o.html

Very similar to my review - what a copy!

CF: http://www.bloglines.com/blog/Toolman?id=144

Thats a lot of PS1 stuff

2007-05-22T11:19:00.000+12:00

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270121870869
That is a buttload of PS1 stuff.. woulda been super leet back in '95 ..

Mmmm expensive Ferrari

2007-05-22T09:08:00.000+12:00

http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/fistful-of-dollars/le-mans+winning-1962-ferrari-330-sells-at-auction-for-over-9-million-sets-new-record-price-262115.php

"... some anonymous Swiss businessman paid $9.275 million for the 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Spyder, chassis number 0808. It's the only 4-liter Testa Rossa built, it also is the last Testa Rossa and the last front-engined sports racing car built by Ferrari. Oh yeah, and this happens to be the same chassis that won the Le Mans in 1962."

Update: here are better pics - http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/21/rm-ferrari-auction-nets-record-6-875-000-bid/

The end of one, the beginning of another

2007-05-20T21:52:00.000+12:00

Well I've had enough of people bitching that bloglines doesn't have comments, so here is the new, improved Toolmania. The URL is easy to remember:

http://toolmans.blogspot.com

Heres the RSS feed if you havent already got it: http://toolmans.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

My old blog is still visible here: http://www.bloglines.com/blog/Toolman