This is me.
Mar 21, 2011 0
Q: Why does the iPhone 4 appear ‘blocky’ compared to the 3g?
A: To make it curved later
Q: Why does the the iPad 2 have a proprietary CPU?
A: To later justify a architecture switch similar to the PPC -> Intel switch
Just calling them like I see them.
Mar 1, 2011 0
I wanted to talk about this for a moment because the language Google uses to handle this minor crisis is very good, but the root cause is the very thing that Google prides itself on. Testing.
So what caused this problem? We released a storage software update that introduced the unexpected bug, which caused 0.02% of Gmail users to temporarily lose access to their email. When we discovered the problem, we immediately stopped the deployment of the new software and reverted to the old version.
source: Gmail Blog
150,000 users woke up to an empty inbox because they were part of a testing sample. This is routine for large production sites – they continually roll new features out to testing audiences. If Facebook has a new feature, they’ll put it in front of a test audience. As it is, I believe the storage (gmail offline) feature is an opt-in labs option.
It’s great that Google has a backup plan for a catastrophic data collapse. Hopefully they also have backups for the backup of their multiple location redundant data distribution network.
Obviously, Google does not mention anything about user testing or being more careful with its user tests. They are, however, very sorry. This is not to rail against user testing, it is much better that only 0.02% of the population was exposed to this malignant code.
Remember your backups. Only expose beta users to potentially dangerous code. Hey, they signed up for it.
Dec 10, 2010 0
Well, I haven’t tweeted in months and have no desire to. Except, I really want to tell people about the sandwich I’m about to eat. Twitter use to be the place for that, now it’s frowned upon.
It’s a duck egg, kale w/ balsamic. Daily’s co-op has been selling duck eggs and they taste quite a bit like regular eggs. This past batch was humongous.
Edit, 2minutes later: Forgot that there’s avocado on this thing to. It ain’t all local.
Aug 31, 2010 0
Gmail (Google) will be rolling out ‘Priority Inbox‘ sorting in the coming weeks to help users determine which emails are most important and should be answered first.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nt3gE9dGHQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
This service works based on emails that a user reads and replies to most often. Priority Inbox learns a user’s preferences and delivers their interests. It is part of a coming wave of intelligent machines. Google, for example, has started scanning books, not necessarily to be read by people, but by machines to create a more knowledgeable machine.
This is happening now, and I believe there is an inherit flaw in the way prediction software is thought about. Although, I am no expert. It comes down to the idea that calibrating results based on preference may induce an echo chamber effect, helping lead to a more insular society.
That is to say, the algorithm seems to be based on what the user believes is important, but what if the user’s preference is wrong? Not in a ‘their ideas are wrong,’ but maybe in the sense that a person can never know what they truly need. Or, maybe they never realized a sphere of knowledge existed (very common in our diversity of people) . For example, my father has recently been talking about block time management and being a ‘slave to email.’ It is interesting to think about if these personalized algorithms will reinforce bad habits and behavior or serve as a gentle nudge in the other direction.
Netflix, for example, has been holding a competition to improve its recommendations for movies (source). While the algorithm is designed to give an oddball every now and then, we see that this methodology could quickly become an echo chamber. It’s nice to have a computer’s help, but you have to wonder at what point the machine is thinking for you.
I believe it comes down to the principle that a machine is only as good as its operator.
In other news: Starting in January, I will be starting a business based on my existing freelance career. I will probably do something different with this site, although it is on the back burner at the moment. Technical walk troughs have been the most popular, so one of my goals is to increase the coverage of that here.
Sep 19, 2009 0
I’ll be attending the UGAConnect conference (today) and have had a hard time sleeping tonight. Figured it’d be good to post something about what I’ve been working on. Who knows if a future employer will be looking.
Wuog.org launched a website with new architecture – WordPress MU. With the help of some automated recording and uploading, DeeJays can display show recordings and show notes in around 10 minutes.
The new school semester is going well; it’s definitely my most challenging year.
The article about backing up Time Machine to a networked windows drive is due for and update to address notes made in the comments and to update the instructions for Snow Leopard.
The article about my chances of catching H1N1 needs to be updated because 1) Chances have raised significantly and 2) H1N1 circulated around the UGA campus, and I may or may not have contracted swine flu.
More recent in time and therefore personally relevant, my first shift at the Daily Co-Op was yesterday (Friday). I learned how to use a cash register (old-school). If you’re visiting Athens, Ga and interested in the food movement, you should pay them a visit.
Finally, I’ve decided my Halloween costume for this year – Bee Keeper!
Round um’ up!
Jun 1, 2009 0
Found lots of neat things on the internet today.
Video / Data from the Huygens probe decending onto Titan, a Saturn moon
This is a vertical park that incorporates crops, solar panels and meeting areas. Click for the full-sized image.
via space invading
May 20, 2009 0
“Musings on life, love and the Internet” had gotten stale and no longer described the purpose this website is serving.
With posts like the Swine Flu and NTSF backups for Time Machine getting popular, I want to focus content more on one-off sort of mashups. I like the idea of throwing stuff out there and seeing what sticks.
The phrase “Internet is a good word” applies to my general feelings on the Internet and could eventually be used as a name to do website design under.
May 15, 2009 0
This paper was the culmination of a semester in Speech Comm. 3300, a rhetorical critisism class. The paper conducts a full rhetorical analysis of Walmart’s new logo by describing the context of the act (the logo change), how the materiality of the store is associated, and the effect the overall experience has on the consumer.
Comments are highly encouraged. I’ve been asked to enter it into the southern states communication association (SSCA) convention writing competition and will likely do so around September. Comments will likely be used for this revision.
Save Money. Live Better. Hypermart
“The hypermarket is already. . . the model of all future forms of controlled socialization: retotalization in a homogenous space-time of all the dispersed functions of the body, and of social life (work, leisure, food, hygiene, transportation, media, culture)” (Baudrillard p. 76).
In July of 2008, “Wal-mart” changed to “Walmart” – an unremarkable change by most standards, but Walmart’s rebranding efforts is not something the company took lightly. The visual logo of the world’s largest retailer is a calculated piece of rhetoric meant to persuade (Demos). Through this one image Walmart reveals its desires to project a persona. The repeated, unconscious and almost inescapable viewing of the logo makes it a powerful rhetorical device.
May 11, 2009 0
Two interesting happenings:
1) My Chances of Contracting Swine Flu got a number of hits from Google and continues to do so. I’ve updated it to be relevant and more informative for those who find it.
2) I contracted Swine Flu this last weekend. Probably not. I got very sick with an upper respiratory infection that spread to my lungs. It spread very quickly and has now all but gone away now.
Apr 26, 2009 0
There are currently 3349 people in the US that have contracted swine flu.
There are also 303 million people in the US.
Hopefully this number gives some perspective. There is also a great interactive map where you can check for local swine flu.