http://blog.mctaylor.com/ thoughts, and news clippings by M Taylor about computing, technology, security, and cryptography. en Copyright 2008 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:05:37 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Lewis Casey be arrested and charged in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with trumped up charges in a blatant political attempt to save face after mistakenly raiding and arresting Mr. Casey on suspicion of producing crystal meth (methamphetamine). Okay, mistakes happen when investigating possible leads, but what appears to be potentially crass political manoeuvring of charging Lewis Casey on explosive related charges, when it is not clear that any illegal explosives were actually found. Original article: Clandestine lab discovered Thursday not meth lab: police, The Star Phoenix December 20, re-edited December 28, 2008]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/12/the_war_on_science_and_knowled.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/12/the_war_on_science_and_knowled.html Science Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:05:37 -0500 The 'Witch-Children' of Akwa Ibom By Reuben Abati, Friday, November 28, 2008 from the Guardian (Nigerian newspaper) original editorial]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/11/the_sociey_traveties_that_pove.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/11/the_sociey_traveties_that_pove.html Philosophy Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:55:48 -0500 ess than welcome from government officials I have to admit I am more than mildly annoyed. ]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/11/chemistry_the_illegal_science.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/11/chemistry_the_illegal_science.html Science Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:48:49 -0500 Shop Class as Soulcraft in The New Atlantis web-zine before, but I keep running across in various venues, and it is too good to miss. Anyhow, what I really wanted to mention was a couple of very readable articles written by Jim WIlliams, a famous analog (electronics) designer at Linear Technologies, the first of which you don't need to be an electrical engineer or a geek to understand. Try fixing it yourself is as much philosophy as electronics, and I think anyone can appreciate the lesson Jim is trying to share. The second is "Tripping the light fantastic: a case study in circuit design" which although more technical is still an insightful essay on process (the good kind) and is a wonderful description of what engineering really is. You can browse more of Jim's writings at EDN, including Somthing from nothing.]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/11/classic_articles_by_jim_willia.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/11/classic_articles_by_jim_willia.html Electronics Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:16:01 -0500 Aza Raskin ported Chris Coyne's Context Free to Javascript / Canvas. The result, Algorithm Ink is dangerously fun. It uses a simple scripting language or design grammar called CFDG. It can use recursion and (pseudo-) random numbers to implement IFS fractal or fractal-like images. Caveat: Canvas is (currently) only supported in Firefox 3 (Mozilla), Safari, and Opera. Sorry for anyone using Google Chrome or MS Internet Explorer.]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/10/algorithm_ink_playing_with_jav.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/10/algorithm_ink_playing_with_jav.html Computing Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:12:29 -0500 IPA (India Pale Ale, you know like Keith's) is available the LCBO in Ontario. Sweet. The Green Dragon pub around the corner from my place in Cambridge was a Greene King pub, so I'm familiar and fond of their IPA. It's on sale even, fifty cents off a bottle. So that's today's mission. Lately I've been trying to learn a bit about cocktails, which is funny in so far as I drink very little lately. Anyhow, my latest "lesions" was learning the difference between various American and Canadian whiskey / whisky's. From Bourbon, rye, Canadian rye, Tennessee, Scotch and Irish, and terms like sour mash, sweet mash, malt, wort, and 'bottled in bond'. ]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/08/imbibe.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/08/imbibe.html Food/Drink Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:45:35 -0500 Spilling the beans, about soybeans, and how there may be a lot of popular misconceptions about their ultra-healthiness and traditionalism in Asian culture. Oops. It turns out that Soybeans are Goitrogen, they suppress the function of the thyroid gland by interfering with iodine uptake, which may cause hypothyroidism. :-( One of the early advocates of soybeans in North America was Dr. Earl Mindell's 1994 book, Soy Miracle. Dr. Mindell is no stranger to being associated with questionable advocacy of "natural health food" products, in some cases he was found to be have a vest interest (personal financial gain) in what he was promoting as healthy. (Reference: CBC Marketplace, originally aired on January 24, 2007 "Getting Juiced") Too much hype is generally a sign of somebody working to create a perception. At least in my opinion, but I don't work in media / corporate relations or the Ministry of Truth.]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/08/soy_hype.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/08/soy_hype.html Sat, 09 Aug 2008 15:15:23 -0500 Threading Building Blocks and OpenMP. Something to investigate at some time in the future.]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/07/parallel_programming_getting_s.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/07/parallel_programming_getting_s.html Computing Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:13:41 -0500 Herb Sutter, noted C++ book author and ISO C++ committee member, entitled, "Machine Architecture: Things Your Programming Language Never Told You." A useful resource is Randy Hydes' Write Great Code series of books. As well as classic computer organization and architecture textbooks like Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum, and Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by Hennessy and Patterson.]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/07/programmers_need_to_know_about.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/07/programmers_need_to_know_about.html Computing Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:43:55 -0500 Python and Ruby, although languages like Scheme (in case lambda is more than a logo in a video game) and Haskell are also on my radar. I thought this tour de babel by Steve Yegge was an interesting view. Steve's pontifications or verbiage is generally worth reading, both his old (while at amazon) and new (now at Google) blogs. Another gem from Steve is Get That Job at Goggle on interview tips for software developers. Apparently some companies like programmers who remember some of their CS class content, rather than merely their Java prowess or line count. ]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/07/programming_languages.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/07/programming_languages.html Computing Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:06:43 -0500 RobotGrrl was accepted to Stanford's Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY)'s Summer program (she was accepted in Artificial Intelligence) for high school students. Erin was awarded a scholarship, but needs to find another $1200 to attend. She has been receiving support from individuals, and I hope can raise all the necessary money to attend the program. [Edit: Update: Erin did raise enough money to go.] Please help if you are able to. You can make a donation via PayPal at her website or buy a cute handmade Styrobot from her via Etsy. ]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/06/help_send_robotgrrl_to_stanford.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/06/help_send_robotgrrl_to_stanford.html Robotics EPGY Etsy RobotGrrl Styrobot donation Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:40:27 -0500 pest-control of some grass killing bugs. It looks like I have grubs eating the roots of my grass, I had mistakenly thought it was fungus damage before, but my neighbour has grubs, so I'm going to go with Occam's Razor and suspect that I have the same cause of the same problem since we're in the same area. I bought Lawn Guardian from NIC which contains 10 million (various package sizes available from 1 million up) nematodes. In particular the little critters are J3 stage Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. So hopefully I will get my lawn back. Having a mini-desert (root-less grass doesn't like dry weather) is not fun. ]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/05/canadian_nematodes_as_muh_fun.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/05/canadian_nematodes_as_muh_fun.html Science Thu, 29 May 2008 22:24:57 -0500 Corning Glass spun off the Pyrex kitchenware division to World Kitchen company which no longer uses borosilicate glass, which is what gave Pyrex its thermal shock resistance. This thermal shock resistance is one of the biggest factors the Pyrex brand became famous and synonymous with quality glassware, in both the lab and the kitchen. Now World Kitchen uses regular soda-lime glass that is tempered for increased strength in their kitchenware glass products, which is not as shock resistant, as my father strikingly demonstrated for me the last time I was home to visit. So, yet again another case of they don't make it like they use to. For the worst, as far as the customer or cook is concerned. ]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/05/pyrex_no_it_aint_like_it_use_t.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/05/pyrex_no_it_aint_like_it_use_t.html Science Thu, 29 May 2008 22:00:44 -0500 Foogo. Maybe I do need to get out more...]]> http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/04/my_next_office_mug.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/04/my_next_office_mug.html About me Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:37:13 -0500 Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/04/the_second_coming.html http://blog.mctaylor.com/2008/04/the_second_coming.html Quotes Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:41:51 -0500