continuous partial attention |
"We live in an age of continuous partial attention." --Ms. Linda Stone, researcher and VP at Microsoft, as quoted in the New York Times, Jan. 30, 2001 |
Gordon Bell is a senior researcher in Microsoft's Media Presence Research Group - a part of the Bay Area Research Center (BARC). In 1987, as head of NSF's Computing Directorate, he led the agency that made "the plan" for the National Research and Education Network (NREN) aka the Internet. Because Gordon has evangelized the necessity of telepresence or "being there without really being there", he is a strong supporter of plans to explore the use of video and high-speed networks to expand and facilitate human-human interactions and to reduce physical travel. However, he is betting against VOD on technical grounds... When Gordon visited the Boulders Resort in Arizona, he took a test drive on the Segway Human Transporter. &&& "The mind is like a diaper. It's got to be changed every once in a while or it starts to stink." - Jeff Kauppi
Penn Jillette: Federal V.I.P. Penn.
&&& Only the mediocre are always at their best.
Microsoft watches...just in time.
&&& Lucky Charms with Bailey's...the true Irish breakfast.
InfoWorld: Will new filters save us from spam?
&&& If JavaScript is walking alone late at night through a bad part of town with a pocket full of $20 bills, ActiveX is dropping your trousers in the middle of the yard of a maximum-security prison, bending over, and yelling 'Come and get it, boys!'
Paul Graham: Better Bayesian Filtering.
&&& "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein
SimCity 4 is out. And it's not available for the Mac.
&&& Verbogeny is one of the pleasurettes of a creatific thinkerizer.
I have to admit that I'm skeptical of the whole Open Spectrum thing. Is there no limit to wireless capacity or is there a really large limit? If I pile up a thousand radio-of-the-future gizmos all trying to talk to each other, what actually happens? And how much do these whiz-bang smart radios of the future cost, anyway?
&&& I've pondered the possible use of Runes for setting initial passwords. "Your new password is Hagalaz Ehwaz Raido Nauthiz Ansuz Berkana Jera. You must change it the first time you log on. For security reasons your new password must not contain more than one Kano, Teiwaz or Algiz. and cannot contain the Blank Rune"
Move along, move along, nothing to see here, definitely no anti-mind-control software here, move along, move along...
&&& I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
Len Sassaman: "Locksmiths generally don't discuss the plethora of ways to defeat standard physical security techniques with the general public. Sometimes I think they understand the issue of threat-models better than cryptographers do. They certainly understand that the public doesn't understand."
&&& Me and the caller ID window have a very positive working relationship.
Quantum Bugs:
- Heisenbug: jumps around the system; if you look at it, it disappears only to manifest in a seemingly totally unrelated place. - Schroedinbug: is one where the bug exists for years, and theoretically would prevent the program from working, but because no one is aware of it it doesn't. However, eventually somebody looks at the code and goes "That couldn't *possibly* work!" at which point, it ceases to. Schroedinbugs are an inverse case of the Hundredth Monkey problem. - Bohr Bug: A repeatable bug; one that manifests reliably under a possibly unknown but well-defined set of conditions. - Mandelbug: A bug whose underlying causes are so complex and obscure as to make its behavior appear chaotic or even non-deterministic. This term implies that the speaker thinks it is a Bohr bug, rather than a Heisenbug.
Wired: Immortal Code.
&&& I'm still pondering whether I should pre-emptively register "I can't believe it's not Jesus" as a name for a low-calorie communion wafer, so I can get in there before the church...
The Hospital
Take a stroll through an old and decrepit hospital. &&& "The History of Medicine 2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root 1000 A.D. - That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer. 1850 A.D. - That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion. 1940 A.D. - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill. 1985 A.D. - That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic. 2000 A.D. - That antibiotic doesn't work anymore. Here, eat this root"
Greetings! I am Gort.
Adam Currie's History of Robotics includes the Three Laws of Robotics with the addition of the "Zeroth" law. &&& The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny ..." - Isaac Asimov
Bar Code Art
Scott Blake has created artwork with (and without) bar codes. &&& [Microsoft Vaccine 2000 is configuring your immune system. This may take a few minutes. If your body stops responding for a long time and there is no brain activity please die. Setup will continue after you are reborn.]
Terry Pratchett once wrote: (on a usenet post - alt.fan.pratchett)
> > My god, you're right! I only have six readers in Australia:-) Fortunately, the books do have soft paper, so they sell quite good anyway. &&& BTW. Violence, rude language, excessive drinking, paganism. It's hard to find children's books like that these days.
"The essence of the human competitive instinct"
Did sibling rivalry drive Charles Darwin? What made Darwin a creative thinker? (BBC News) discusses a study that concludes “the instinctive behaviour adopted by younger children to help get them noticed can stay with them for life.” …the ability to compete may be most fully realised in younger children, who face a tough time jousting with older siblings for their parents’ attention. &&& Word of the Day : autodarwinate
Create your own...Jackson Pollock.
&&& Some drink from the Fountain of Knowledge... Others just gargle. And some pee in it.
Movie-Making Fun
Go and make a movie! It's fun and quick. &&& Nahh, that impending sound of doom is just the blades on my leatherman locking.
The Museum of Bad Fads
The pet rock, streaking and really bad 3D. Mmmm... goldfish swallowing. &&& [Re: SETI@home] That would be on the "Let's look for intelligence out there, because there's none here" principle?
Tired of your "real" neighbors?
Pack it up and move to Icontown. &&& No matter where you go, there you are.
The Phoenix Bird
21st Century Technoid Man Access For All Behind the Glass the Oneironaut T.I.N.A. P.C.B.D. NoDeadTrees  |