Author: AMH

Applying Social Network Analysis

By AMH

There’s a lot to love about this account of how social network analysis was used to illustrate a slumlord conspiracy – it isn’t just a nice example of a real world use of the tools, but the step by step construction of the network is a lovely example of data presentation. A quick and easy read that may become my go-to link to send students when they want to understand what this stuff is our networking course covers if it isn’t about hubs and routers and tcp/ip. [via BoingBoing]

Also, the lack of symmetry has always bugged me…

By AMH

It is nice to see studies confirming that we’re not all as taken up with shiny new technologies and clever marketing strategies as it sometimes seems – here, a “youth marketing company” finds that, out of a sample 500 college students, 79% could not successfully scan a QR code. Only 19% did not have smart phones, and only 20% weren’t familiar with QR codes, so that leaves a large portion of students with the awareness and ability but lack of inclination to have ever figured them out. I suspect the comment about not wanting to download an app to handle … Continue reading Also, the lack of symmetry has always bugged me…

Google Reader design frustration

By AMH

There’s been discussion about the changes to Google Reader (some of which was – wow, people are still using Google Reader…) and how it was going to have its social sharing features moved to Google+. I honestly didn’t have a strong opinion, because I have never used the social features of Google Reader and so long as I would still be able to keep my RSS feeds organized. In fact, I was fairly puzzled that Google+ and Google Reader played so poorly with each other so figured the move would be positive. However, now I am seeing comments about how … Continue reading Google Reader design frustration

Smartphones, Statistics and Spying

By AMH

I absolutely love these hacking tricks where you snoop passwords from information leakage – this one from Georgia Tech using a smartphone’s accelerometer is an awesome addition. Short version: if your smartphone has malicious software on it, and you put it on the same desk as your keyboard, the phone can deduce what you’re typing from the vibrations. Yes, even if you don’t type as vigorously as I do (though only at close range – no need to panic). The press release notes that using the accelerometer is an improvement over using the microphone because, even though it is less … Continue reading Smartphones, Statistics and Spying

I see you

By AMH

I have forwarded the link to this article that I got via Slashdot about how social media could render covert policing impossible to a number of people and somehow didn’t think to post it here (I must have pre-semester brain…). The idea is simple once you see it – with good quality facial recognition software, we know anonymity becomes challenging, and that is particularly true for careers, like undercover police work, that require strong anonymity and yet for which there is strong incentive to discover true identities, and high risk if they are found out. Though I do think the article … Continue reading I see you

Innovating Knitting

By AMH

This knitting the weather project, wherein one selects a range of yarn colors to represent different types of weather, and then knit a row a day in the appropriate color, really appeals to me. I could see doing this for other types of record keeping as well, such as knitting a row each night for the number of hours I spent working that day, or how far I ran, or just a general quality-of-day-to-color mapping. But the low-tech data visualization aspect of it really tickles me. But I already have an obsessive knitting project going – I am working through … Continue reading Innovating Knitting

Manual Publishing

By AMH

In a stroke of brilliance, Florida Atlantic University produced their final student issue of the student newspaper using pre-computer technologies. Like manual typewriters, Xacto knives and rubber cement. And lots of math. This sounds like a total blast, and like a great learning experience. My favorite quote from one of the students involved: After looking at a finished page – a page that took us half a day to finish – we felt so content and satisfied. I’ll compare it to the difference between buying a McNugget and hunting down your own chicken, gutting it, deboning it, and cutting it … Continue reading Manual Publishing

Simulated Curiosity

By AMH

I am loving this video simulating the new Mars rover’s abilities. They are going for a way more sophisticated landing technique than the airbag approach of Spirit and Opportunity, which will be exciting to see if it works – it also looks like there is more that could go wrong, just from the complexity. Curiosity is a way more anthropomoric-ible rover, which is adorable. I did laugh when they show Curiosity finally on the surface of Mars and then the voiceover says, “the descent stage cuts the rover loose and flies away”, while the descent stage zooms off over some … Continue reading Simulated Curiosity

Battery Hacking

By AMH

I love stories of unexpected weak spots, like the discovery that Apple laptop batteries can be hacked to store malicious code and brick the battery. The weakness revolves around cracking a couple of passwords, one of which is a factory default – with the protection being patches that will reset the password and lock the battery’s firmware. From there, it doesn’t seem like the researcher who discovered the weakness has found any particularly damaging holes from the battery back to the rest of the system, besides having the battery lie about its state, so this probably won’t be the root of … Continue reading Battery Hacking

Ultra Xray Specs

By AMH

I do not want a computer telling me what other people are feeling, or telling other people what it thinks I am feeling – these emotion indicating glasses do not appeal to me at all. First, even if people only assess others’ emotions correctly 54% of the time, a 64% success rate isn’t that impressive either. It means that over a third of the time, you could be getting the wrong advice from your emotional feedback device. Furthermore, this tells you nothing about why the person is reacting that way. If you say something that makes me react in a … Continue reading Ultra Xray Specs