Techno-Utopian Ambrosia
Computer and technology news and opinions by Byron Knoll.
- Last build:
- Tue, 5 Jul 2005 12:41:03 -0800
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- http://flaming-shadows.tripod.com/blog/rss.xml
RSS FEED IDEMS: Techno-Utopian Ambrosia
- The Death of Blogging
Unfortunately this will be my last blog entry for Techno-Utopian Ambrosia. I feel that this webpage does not have a large enough audience to justify spending more time writing articles. Overall, this was a fun project that helped me learn more about technology.
//Byron Knoll - My First JavaScript Application
Yesterday I came up with the idea of creating a simple online Braille translator as a programming project. I decided on using Perl CGI scripts to process text sent by a form on a webpage. After looking through some online tutorials I finished programming the script, feeling confident that the script should work. However, starting up a web browser I received a “The page cannot be displayed” message. Having no idea where the program went wrong, I decided to switch to JavaScript instead. Again, with the help of online tutorials, I finished the exact same algorithm using JavaScript. I was surprised how easy/powerful JavaScript was in comparison to Perl CGI scripts. My completed project can be found at http://flaming-shadows.tripod.com/braille.htm. I look forward to playing around with JavaScript some more! - DVD Jon Cracks Google Video
Google recently released a plug-in called Google Video Viewer based on the open-source VideoLAN media player. The plug-in allows in-browser video playback of content from Google Video. Less than 24 hours after Google Video Viewer was released a Norwegian hacker named Jon Lech Johansen (aka DVD Jon) found a way to modify the plug-in to allow playback of videos that aren’t on the video.google.com server. The patch was released on Jon’s So Sue Me blog. Jon is also famous for his role in releasing DeCSS, a program which decrypts DVD content encrypted with the Content Scrambling System (CSS). Google Video allows anyone to distribute their videos for free using the video.google.com server. I have already uploaded two movies (Sket and Flaming Shadows) to the Google server, and am waiting for my movies to go live so users can watch my movies from within their browsers. - Yahoo Wins!
After reading about Michael Liedtke playing a game of Trivial Pursuit with various search engines, I decided to play a game of my own. Using an online version of Trivial Pursuit at www.uproar.com, I chose the first question that appeared in each category to test the popular search engines. I copied the question directly to each search engine and clicked on its top ten links. If the first link contained the answer I gave the search engine 10 points. If it did not contain the answer I then moved on to the next link. The second link gets 9 points, the third gets 8… All that mattered was whether the page contained the answer in some form (even out of context). Here are the results:
People and Places:
Who was the first U.S. President to visit all 50 states? Richard Nixon
Google – 10
Yahoo – 8
MSN Search – 6
Ask.com – 10
Answers.com – 10
Entertainment:
Who played Steve Sanders on “Beverly Hills”? Ian Ziering
Google – 10
Yahoo – 10
MSN Search – 8
Ask.com – 10
Answers.com – 10
History:
When did Custer’s Last Stand take place? 1876
Google – 9
Yahoo – 9
MSN Search – 10
Ask.com – 10
Answers.com – 9
Art & Literature:
Who threw Excalibur into a lake after Arthur’s death, in Arthurian legend? Bedivere
Google – 10
Yahoo – 10
MSN Search – 9
Ask.com – 10
Answers.com – 10
Science & Nature:
What pets have been found to develop lymphoma from secondhand smoke? Cats
Google – 10
Yahoo – 9
MSN Search – 10
Ask.com – 10
Answers.com – 10
Sports & Leisure:
Who was the only player to appear in all 44 New York Yankees-Brooklyn Dodgers World Series games? Pee Wee Reese
Google – 0
Yahoo – 7
MSN Search – 0
Ask.com – 0
Answers.com – 0
Totals:
Yahoo: - 53
Ask.com - 50
Google - 49
Answers.com - 49
MSN Search - 43
Yahoo was the clear winner, but may have won only because it was lucky on the last question. I think the test would have been more meaningful if I had used more questions. Michael Liedtke’s test results were different from mine, but we both agreed that MSN Search came in last:
Ask & Answers.com: Tied with 50 percent success rate
Google: 40 percent success rate
Yahoo: 25 percent success rate
MSN Search: 10 percent success rate - Two Mice Better Than One?
I occasionally find myself admiring what a great input device the computer mouse really is. It is essential for GUIs and helps improve controls for many video games (especially first-person shooters). While awkwardly playing certain first-person shooters on my PS2 controller, I wonder why the mouse hasn’t migrated to console systems as well. This morning I came up with the idea of connecting two or more mice to a computer, each with its own cursor. Both hands are used while typing on a keyboard, yet while using a mouse one hand is just a waste of potential. Why not extend the computer mouse to include both hands? Off of the top of my head I can come up with many possible applications:
-Two or more people could work together at the same computer, each with their own cursor.
-Video games could find creative ways to use two mice as inputs.
-It could assist with controlling multiple monitors (each monitor with its own cursors).
-Most of all, it would lead to an increase in overall productivity (using two hands instead of just one).
After doing some Googling, the closest program I could find to my idea was called CPNMouse. However, the program only displays the position of the second cursor on the screen without any real functionality. I don’t see any technical limitation stopping a computer from using more than one cursor, besides OS support. I think multiple mouse support should be an essential feature for future operating systems. - Command Line Fun
Over the past few years Microsoft has been concentrating on the Windows graphical user interface, completely neglecting its command line interface. Both graphical and command line interfaces have their unique benefits, and I think Microsoft has made a huge mistake by developing one without the other. MS-DOS used the simple command.com interface, which eventually lead to cmd.exe used by Windows NT-based systems. Many Windows features cannot be used in command line, and task automation is extremely difficult because of the lack of a scripting language. Unix has a completely different approach and has a highly developed command line interface. Many Unix graphical applications are just interfaces for command line tools. In response to its currently under-developed interface, Microsoft is developing the Monad Shell (or MSH) for Longhorn. MSH is a command line interface for Windows which should finally incorporate some of the features which makes the Unix command line so successful. Beta1 of MSH has been publicly released and can be downloaded at http://beta.microsoft.com (downloading instructions and more information about MSH can be found at a Channel9 wiki here). Overall, I think that MSH is a step in the right direction for Microsoft.
An interesting website called YubNub has recently been developed which interacts with various websites using a command line interface. The majority of its current commands are for search engines, but it could potentially be used for a variety of different applications. For example, the command “tts Byron Knoll” will contact AT&T Labs and download a .wav file to my computer with a computer generated voice trying to say my name. YubNub also allows users to create their own commands which will work with any website that accepts variables passed with HTML’s GET command. It should be interesting to see what future commands the website develops. - Zombies Ate My Neighbors Update
This is an update to my original post:
Prolexic Technologies recently released The Prolexic Zombie Report which ranks the top-20 infected networks in different parts of the world based on statistics taken from real DDoS attacks. The results show that AOL is the most infected network on the Internet. However, since AOL is the world's largest ISP, the actual rate of infection per million users is lower then many other ISPs.
Andrew Weinstein (spokesman for AOL):
"We're the largest ISP on the planet. You'd expect us to have the most zombies." - Power Line Communication
Just because a house’s power supply carries electricity does not mean it cannot be used to transmit data as well. Any house with ordinary power lines has a convenient network of copper wires that runs into every room of the house. Special modules that plug into any ordinary power outlet can convert information and inject the data directly into the copper. Another module, placed anywhere else in the house, can then interpret the data and translate it back into the original information. This high-speed data network is called power line communication. Current products can achieve speeds up to 14Mbps, although some companies claim to have achieved speeds as high as 200Mbps. This network can be used to transfer computer data, music, and even streaming TV. It is more convenient than laying cables all over a house, and is cheaper than a wireless network. The problem with power line communication is that while in use it can potentially cause radio interference since it uses untwisted and unshielded wires. With all of its benefits, I personally wouldn’t mind having to sacrifice listening to radio while using the data network.
On a larger scale, another possible use for power line communication is “broadband over power lines” or BPL. Because of the available power line infrastructure, BPL can provide high-speed internet access to a greater number of people in more locations than cable or DSL. It is still in question whether a BPL system can provide a competetive bandwidth with DSL or cable. A computer would only need to plug a BPL modem into any power outlet to get access to high-speed internet. BPL would be easier to install in Europe than North America due to differences in electrical distribution systems. BPL has already been installed in certain limited areas. However, if adopted on a large scale BPL could potentially become a large source of radio interference. Overall, I think power line communication has a lot of potential, and I am surprised that this technology has not been further developed. - Confusion at Google News
While visiting Google News last night I saw the headline “Sony will use HD-DVD technology for PlayStation 3.” What?? Why would Sony decide to switch to its rival’s technology, disregarding all of its previous statements? Is this the end of blu-ray? In shock, I clicked on the text which linked to this article. The article was titled “Sony will use Blu-ray technology for PlayStation 3.” It seems someone made a mistake and completely changed the meaning of the Google News headline. I am surprised this mistake took place since Google News is generally a reliable source of information. The probability of a unified format between Sony and Toshiba was described as “almost zero” by Ken Kutaragi, who stated that the effort to find common ground between the formats proved to be “very difficult.” Without the unified format, the format wars will probably take place. Major film studios will be forced to either choose one of the two formats, or to produce films on both. Either way, the format wars will cause consumer suffering. - Processing Power
The IBM Blue Gene/L prototype is the most powerful supercomputer on the planet, capable of 135.5 TFLOPS as of March 25th, 2005. It uses 32,768 processors. The website http://www.top500.org contains a list of the 500 most powerful supercomputers. The 25th TOP500 list will be released later this month. A supercomputer is generally defined as a computer contained within a single installation. This is why large-scale distributed computing projects are not considered supercomputers, despite the fact that they can produce impressive processing results. For example, the SETI@home project currently has an average processing power of 72.53 TFLOPS, and the Folding@home project reported a processing power of 195 TFLOPS on May 16th, 2005. Google’s search engine system is estimated to have between 126 and 316 TFLOPS, using between 32,000 and 79,000 dual 2 GHz Xeon machines. Since it would be nearly impossible to cool so many servers in one installation, Google’s system is assumed to use grid computing (a type of distributed computing). Supercomputers are used for a variety of calculation-intensive tasks, such as weather forecasts, climate research, physical simulations, and biological research.
Neuroscientists at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, have announced that they are going to build the most detailed model of the human brain ever made, using a custom-built supercomputer based on IBM’s Blue Gene design. The system will have a peak processing speed of at least 22.8 TFLOPS. Dubbed the “Blue Brain” project, the simulation will begin with creating a 3D model of the neocortex down to the molecular level and will eventually move on to creating an accurate model of the entire brain. The research is expected to provide a better understanding of certain aspects of human cognition and may even change our ideas of consciousness. The research is also expected to provide new ideas on how certain psychiatric disorders develop, such as autism, schizophrenia and depression. The end product will take at least a decade to complete, but will provide a real-time simulation of the brain which will allow researchers to observe how different parts of the organ behave.
Henry Markram (EPFL professor leading the project):
"Modelling the brain at the cellular level is a massive undertaking because of the hundreds of thousands of parameters that need to be taken into account."
