I had a conversation a few weeks ago about frustrations that current OSs, or at least their documentation/presentation, overly obfuscate the ability of users to have a command-line interface as wll as a graphical one, reflecting an invalid, in my opinion, assumption that only hard-core power users would ever want a command-line interface. Over at Lifehacker, there is a really nice analysis of the current incarnation of the command-line embedded in our GUIs. Intuitively, this model of the merging of the two approaches to interaction feels right to me. A trivial example of my own habits is that I always call up the Windows built in calculator by hitting the Windows key, up arrow twice to Run…, and type “calc”. It’s faster than puttiing an icon shortcut, and I also don’t want another icon floating around my toolbar. Especially for the calculator, which is something that I only use occassionally, but when I do use it I want quick access. It would be nice if the GUI defaults made it clearer to the average user that these capabilities are available to them.
Cutest. Thing. Ever.
This is probably the best electronic hacker project I’ve seen ever: a computer-controlled push puppet for IM notifications. [via JK] How can you go wrong? You get to build a neat robot thing, attached to a cuddly puppet dog, and it contributes to your IM addiction by letting you know when your friends are around! Scroll down for the video – soooo cute! It’s enough to make me switch to Linux….
Worm in the apple?
It’s too bad I’m not teaching my Cyberattacks class again this January, because the Month of Apple Bugs would be a great resource. I always run that class on Windows PCs because, statistically, there are just more Windows exploits out there right now, but it’s important to remember that no operating system is immune from exploits. We should definitely expect that, as Apple continues to grow their market share, OS X exploits will become more common too. What’s interesting is the number of exploits that aren’t just coming through traditional operating system holes anymore, but are taking advantage of online services that play some of the roles of an operating system, such as the recent Gmail address book vulnerability. None of the cases I’ve seen seem to require predictions of doom and destruction, but I anticpate that the next difficult push in security education is going to be educating the average user about the sheer breadth of vulnerable points in their average computer usage.
Happy Anniversary, Again!
Today marks the third anniversary of the Mars rover Spirit landing safely, with Opportunity’s anniversary coming up in just a couple of weeks, and the accomplishments of the Mars Exploration Rover Mission in that time are astonishing. Not only have they kept two robots running on the surface of a distant planet years longer than planned, but they’ve continued to use them to collect valuable data. The rovers have recently had their programming updated again to allow new functionality, including new recognition algorithms based on what we’ve been able to learn about the surface of Mars so far and what scientists now think they are looking for. To celebrate the anniversary, NASA is sponsoring a Photo Contest on their site asking visitors to vote on their favorite image collected from the rovers from the past three years – you should definitely head over and check them out, especially the final image of a sunset over Mars – beautiful!
Narbonic Rewind
I’ve been a fan of the online comic Narbonic for quite a while now, and was sad to see it come to a close at the end of 2006, though with the strip becoming more plot-driven, and its overall longevity, it was actually a satisfying close. If you missed the strip and want to check it out, not only are the archives all available online, but starting yesterday Garrity is re-circulating the strip to her front page starting from the beginning, adding a “Director’s Cut commentary” to each one – interesting back story if you don’t mind the risk of spoilers. I’m looking forward to her discussion of the first appearance of Antonio Smith, Forensic Linguist!
Welcome to 2007!
If, like me, you never remember to get a new calendar until the start of the new year, you could always just print out a copy of the Classic Pulp Sci Fi Magazine Cover Calendar downloadable from the Website at the End of the Universe. [via Boing Boing] While I would generally object to what is essentially a bikini-girl calendar, I love the old sci fi art and I think it’s really interesting to consider the images as historical artifacts. There are actually four years worth of calendars at the site to browse through, if you are interested in such things.
A Very Geeky New Years to You
The year rolls to an end tonight, and most of the people I’ve talked to have very little exciting planned for this evening. So, whether you are looking for something to distract yourself while waiting to see how badly they manage to mis-time the ball drop or are looking ahead for distractions for tomorrow after festivities tonight, here are some fun things I’ve come across in the past day or two:
A total ad campaign, but Viking Movies challenges you to identify twenty movie titles based on scenes recreated using office supplies. I’m up to having 15 of the 20 correct, but I’m stuck on (from the left) the 8th, 9th, 13th, 14th, and 19th ones. If you get one of those, give me a hint! [via Clicked]
There are tons of “best X” lists floatinig around this time of year, but this list of 25 Really Addictive Flash Games is quite comprehensive and good. The Idiot Test is fun and worth a couple of rounds, I love games like Blueprint where you have to solve puzzles to reach goals (though none are as good as the original, Lemmings), and Stackopolis, where you have to rearrange blocks to match a pattern in a time limit, gets suprisingly challenging. [also via Clicked]
My current game addiction, though, is MotherLoad, in which you direct a mining vehicle under the surface of Mars, collecting minerals to sell to buy more fuel and upgrades to your ship. The graphics are adorable.
Want something hands-on to do to liven up your New Year’s celebration? Make a Steam Candle, really a miniature steam engine powered by a tea light. Very cool!
Questionable Content is a funny and interestingly-plotted daily comic – I highly recommend going back to the start of the strip because there really is a coherent storyliine spanning its entire history, and the backstory is relevant. Also, you don’t want to miss any of the Pintsize strips. [via T]
In closing, 2006 has seen a bit of a rebound in my weblogging, I think, and I’m hoping to carry that forward into 2007. To all of my friends out there who read, I hope 2007 brings you wonderful things and I’ll be thinking of you all with love tonight.
Math – yet again hard…
I always enjoy Brian Hayes’ Computing Science feature in American Scientist, but his thoughts on the real-world applicability of mathematical proof were both interestinig and laugh-out-loud funny, if you’re the sort of person to laugh out loud at angle trisection jokes and spoofs of Socratic dialog. The article also discusses the controversy over the imfamous computer-aided proof of the four-color theorem and the recent Hales proof of the Kepler conjecture. Hayes comes down on the side of computer assistance as a valid and valuable aid, not least as a tool for providing empirical data and aiding intuition. This is supported in part by a broad understanding of the point of mathematical proof:
The special status of mathematical truth, setting the discipline apart from other arts and sciences, is a notion still cherished by many mathematicians, but proof has other roles as well; it’s not just a seal of approval. David Bressoud’s book Proofs and Confirmations gives what I believe is the best-ever insider’s account of what it’s like to do mathematics. Bressoud emphasizes that the most important function of proof is not to establish that a proposition is true but to explain why it’s true. “The search for proof is the first step in the search for understanding.”
Everybody’s favorite post!
It’s that magical time when I geek out about the latest Knitty, this time the Winter 2006 issue. There are a few socks, which is great (Monkey is a cute pattern, and the model is wearing totally cute shoes), and the felted brown bag is awesome. But, the prize has to be Binary, which I will definitely make, and in which the pattern of 1s and 0s will definitely not be random….
Almost as reliable as wikipedia….
Via J, I’ve been wasting a lot of time browsing the Uncyclopedia – a communal wiki based encyclopedia dedicated to misinformation. I was originally pointed to the list of weapons that don’t exist, but should (Radioactive Zombie Badger Launcher! Ninja-in-a-box!) and the accompanying list of weapons that exist, but shouldn’t (Kool-Aid Man! Blue Screen of Death! Incredibly Hot Anime Girls!) and list of weapons that don’t exist, and shouldn’t (Automated Crotch Kicker! Punxsutawney Phil Stuffed With Dynamite!) But other favorites include How to Smell a Bit Like Fish, Blame Transfer Protocol, and proofs that if it’s on the internet it must be true.
Oh – and You have two cows….