...more recent posts
Frog Design and Motorolla have teamed up to produce some amazing wearable computing prototypes.
Yes please.
Well, his message is getting through. Salon has an introductory piece on the "there's enough bandwidth for everyone" utopian arguments of the oft mentioned David P. Reed. Still, the actual math is so hard - assuming you dig in deeper than the Salon article - that I doubt many people have much beyond a metaphorical understanding of what he's talking about.
Slashdot posted the story. Here's the +5 rated comments (the best comments.) They almost universally savage Reed (in the best/worst tradition of /. commenting.) The message here seems to be: "this guy doesn't know what he's talking about" which is sort of what I was scared of.
Still, while a close reading of all the objections is instructive, I do think most people misunderstand his point. No doubt Salon's intro isn't the best text to base a technical refutation on. Sure, we can't do what Reed says with today's radios. But Reed isn't claiming we can.
Part of what he's saying is that software defined radios are going to allow this sort of thing to happen. Assuming we can build (program) them. And assuming we can change the (soon to be) out of date broadcasting regulations that would disallow such devices. And the first step in changing such regulation is to have people believe that something better is possible.
So perhaps he's overly optimistic (as most /. comments complained) but I don't think he's wrong. Or at least not yet. Let's see how the software comes along over the next year. But a little optimism might well be warranted. I think getting the idea that something wildly better is possible into non technical people's heads will be for the better. And it sure won't hurt anything, since all these claims will have to be demonstrated eventually anyway. It's not like we're going to dismantle the FCC until there's some running code and working gear.
Is this thing on?
I downloaded fire in an attempt to experiment with jabber instant messaging. Of course I can't really do much experimenting because I don't know anyone else who uses jabber. Do you? IM me at jimbass@jabber.org and help me get up to speed.
Or, if you don't have it and you're slightly adventurous, download the jabber client (windows, linux, Mac.) Then you just connect to one of the many public servers with a name/password you've made up. If the name isn't recognized it will simply ask you if you want to make a new account. Nice. Simple. Free.
And then IM me.
Speaking from experience, it's best not to still be in the bar when the roll downs roll down. Continuing for another hour or so after this point is, of course, even less advised. Still, I guess the possibility of doing such a thing needs to be confirmed from time to time. So yes, if you're wondering, it is still possible. And still not that good of an idea.
What the heck is happening in Turkey?
Recep Tayyup Erdogan was banned from running for election last November although his Justice and Development Party won a landslide victory. That ban has expired and he will run for a seat in parliament on behalf of the southeastern Siirt Province in the provincial election Sunday, March 9. From there, he will jump straight into the prime minister?s seat as head of the ruling party.I haven't seen this anywhere but Debka, so confirmation is lacking. But they tend to be correct about such things, and often a day ahead of everyone else.
DEBKA-Net-Weekly?s Ankara sources quote prime minister Abdullah Gul as informing confidants that he has agreed to step down and serve as deputy prime minister and foreign minister in the Erdogan government. It is all settled between them.
We are also informed that Erdogan has meanwhile informed Washington that, a week after taking office, he will have completed the process for gaining a parliamentary majority to allow US troops to use Turkey as a launch pad into Iraq, overruling the March 1 defeat of that motion. This would mean that the second front, which was thrown in doubt by the first vote, can go into operation around mid-March or shortly after.
Talking Points and CalPundit are now against the war. Is there anyone not on the far right who is still for this thing?
Josh Marshall: "At this point, we truly have the worst case scenario on the international stage. And I think that those costs now outweigh the gains."
Kevin Drum: "I still believe strongly that we need a tough-minded long-term policy aimed at eradicating terrorism and modernizing the Arab world (among others) - and that this policy should include the use of force where necessary - but not this time. This is the gang that couldn't shoot straight."
I know you want more mesh network links. Admit it. Here's a simple, business oriented overview from Glen Fleishman. And here's a technical .pdf with details on why these networks might not scale so well. Again, this is over my head, but this doesn't seem like a show stopper. I have the impression we can just do some hand waving here and mumble some stuff about how faster microprocessors and much smarter software defined radios will make it all possible. (links via HTP)
I don't think I can really catch you up on the David McCusker story. He goes by Rys now. I envy his ability to switch names. And the choice is very nice. Short, and unique. How I long for such a name. Jim is short, but, well, you can see the problem.
Rys has seperated out his work/computer related blog from his personal blog. But he doesn't seem to post much anymore. I'm assuming this is because of the proximity of the beta release date for Chandler. I'm sure he's knee, if not neck, deep in intricate database optimization wizardry.
Still, when he surfaces, I hope he comes back to blogging. It's become quite a story, and it would be a loss if I couldn't follow along any more.
Good luck Rys, where ever you are.
The Lincoln Plawg (that's: Politics and law from a British perspective - hence Politics LAW BloG) is consistently the most sophisticated anti-war voice I've found. I could point to it every day, but I'll pick out this one just for the heck of it.
From here:
But no one put the basic point: that disobedience towards UN Security Council resolutions - in whatever fancy words you dress it up - is not, in international law, a justification for war [2]; therefore, the proposed invasion must be judged according to the general principles applicable to pre-emptive war; and, according to those principles, the invasion is illegal....to the end of the post is a great summary of what many feel, but few can express so well. I hope he digs deeper into this vein as he suggests.
Yes:
Japan's cellphone makers, pioneers of the camera-equipped handset, look set to intrude into digital camera makers' turf as a fierce battle for market share draws them toward photo-phones with million-pixel resolution.I think it's clear we can only carry around one device. It will be a phone. But also a PDA. And a camera (and/or video camera.) And a GPS. And an mp3 player. And a universal remote. Converge dammit, converge.