So we finally got around to updating our projects page [1]. I'm proud that our projects list contains so many local arts, journalism and education partners. Let me know what you think, both of that page, and the projects!
[1] - http://www.structuredabstraction.com/projects
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Greatest Tennis Players Ever?
I'm sitting here, bleary eyed and somewhat surprised at myself for managing to get up at 2am and then managing to stay up until the tennis match was over, but I'm glad I did. It may not have been as good as the Wimbledon final - but it was great to watch, and I'm glad Nadal beat Federer.
Most of the talk around the greatest tennis players ever surround Roger Federer. Nadal isn't even included. Now, that's fair at this point because Federer has 13 titles to his name, and nadal only has 6. But let's plays "What if" for a few.
What if there were 2 clay court majors in tennis instead of two hard court majors? Let's say the US Open was a clay court tournament. Now let's assume that Rafa won the past 4 years there as well as in the French Open.
That would put Rafael at 10 major titles (including this one). Federer would have 3 less, putting him at 10 as well.
WOW, that would make for an even greater rivalry between these two - they'd be tied for titles and competing for the 1-2 ranking as well.
Man, Rafa has solidified himself as my favorite player. But despite that I will be cheering roger on at the French Open. I think Roger probably deserves the moniker of the greatest ever, and I think that winning at the French open would really help his claim to that title.
Most of the talk around the greatest tennis players ever surround Roger Federer. Nadal isn't even included. Now, that's fair at this point because Federer has 13 titles to his name, and nadal only has 6. But let's plays "What if" for a few.
What if there were 2 clay court majors in tennis instead of two hard court majors? Let's say the US Open was a clay court tournament. Now let's assume that Rafa won the past 4 years there as well as in the French Open.
That would put Rafael at 10 major titles (including this one). Federer would have 3 less, putting him at 10 as well.
WOW, that would make for an even greater rivalry between these two - they'd be tied for titles and competing for the 1-2 ranking as well.
Man, Rafa has solidified himself as my favorite player. But despite that I will be cheering roger on at the French Open. I think Roger probably deserves the moniker of the greatest ever, and I think that winning at the French open would really help his claim to that title.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Can't wait
I can't wait for the first games that come out which combine a more precise controller [2] (for playing more realistic sports games or shooters, combined with perspective based on where my heads is pointing. [1]
It would mean I could play a reasonable game of tennis and get some real exercise without having to coordinate being in the same physical location as my opponent.
[1] - http://wiihacks.blogspot.com/2007/12/head-tracking-vr-using-wiimote.html
[2] - http://technologizer.com/2009/01/10/truemotions-way-better-than-wii-game-controller/
It would mean I could play a reasonable game of tennis and get some real exercise without having to coordinate being in the same physical location as my opponent.
[1] - http://wiihacks.blogspot.com/2007/12/head-tracking-vr-using-wiimote.html
[2] - http://technologizer.com/2009/01/10/truemotions-way-better-than-wii-game-controller/
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Calgary Hackerspace
I've frequently called myself a Hacker [1]. This may immediately disqualify me from ever deserving the title, as one of the rules is that other people must refer to you as a Hacker, not yourself.
However, if there is one group of people that I identify with more than any others - it would be the hacker community. Recently a friend of mine, Paul Brodeur [2] wrote up a compelling request to the people in Calgary to help him setup a Calgary based Hackerspace [3].
I'm doing what he asked, and I'm sending this out to everyone I know. If you're interested, join the google group [4] or the facebook group [5] and figure a way to help out.
Now that I've made the pitch, I feel I need to explain why I haven't joined either group, nor am I likely to attend the meetings or make use of the space. Please don't construe this as an argument against the Hackerspace. I think it's a brilliant idea, and I support them in their effort to make it happen.
I'm a fairly specialized hacker - I deal almost completely in the intangible. I'm not a hardware hacker, I'm not an electronics hacker - I prefer to stay in the realm of math, software and computer graphics. Now, I'm not saying that other specialized hackers like me won't be able to make use of, or enjoy the space. In fact, I feel that it's likely that many (maybe even most?) will find it a welcoming and nurturing environment in which to learn, share, and create.
I already have a Hackerspace - the internet. I spend my days in IRC chat rooms surrounded by people of a like mind who like to learn, share and create. I am very frequently learning from them, helping them, working with them and growing because of the experience. This isn't for everyone - but for me it's where I feel at home, it's where I find myself the most creative.
In addition, I'm not a people person. If you get more than 3-5 other people in the same room as me - and I shut down [6]. I don't say much, I get extremely self-conscious and my mind immediately begins to think of excuses as to why I should be elsewhere. I avoid movie-theatres, shopping malls, food courts, meetings, and coffee shops for this very reason. The hackerspace, if successful, and I believe it will be, is likely to be filled with more people than I'll be comfortable being around.
In closing I should also mention that I'm willing to be convinced or shown how I'll benefit from the hackerspace. I'm also willing to help out to ensure that those who will benefit may realize their dream. However (unless convinced otherwise) I won't be an active participant.
[1] - http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html
[2] - http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulbrodeur
[3] - http://ultramegaman.com/blog/?p=25
[4] - http://groups.google.com/group/calgary-hackspace?hl=en
[5] - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/group.php?gid=43079798204&ref=nf
[6] - the number is variable and also depends on how well I know them. But if everyone I know came over for my birthday party, even tho I know them well I'd be very uncomfortable in that situation.
However, if there is one group of people that I identify with more than any others - it would be the hacker community. Recently a friend of mine, Paul Brodeur [2] wrote up a compelling request to the people in Calgary to help him setup a Calgary based Hackerspace [3].
I'm doing what he asked, and I'm sending this out to everyone I know. If you're interested, join the google group [4] or the facebook group [5] and figure a way to help out.
Now that I've made the pitch, I feel I need to explain why I haven't joined either group, nor am I likely to attend the meetings or make use of the space. Please don't construe this as an argument against the Hackerspace. I think it's a brilliant idea, and I support them in their effort to make it happen.
I'm a fairly specialized hacker - I deal almost completely in the intangible. I'm not a hardware hacker, I'm not an electronics hacker - I prefer to stay in the realm of math, software and computer graphics. Now, I'm not saying that other specialized hackers like me won't be able to make use of, or enjoy the space. In fact, I feel that it's likely that many (maybe even most?) will find it a welcoming and nurturing environment in which to learn, share, and create.
I already have a Hackerspace - the internet. I spend my days in IRC chat rooms surrounded by people of a like mind who like to learn, share and create. I am very frequently learning from them, helping them, working with them and growing because of the experience. This isn't for everyone - but for me it's where I feel at home, it's where I find myself the most creative.
In addition, I'm not a people person. If you get more than 3-5 other people in the same room as me - and I shut down [6]. I don't say much, I get extremely self-conscious and my mind immediately begins to think of excuses as to why I should be elsewhere. I avoid movie-theatres, shopping malls, food courts, meetings, and coffee shops for this very reason. The hackerspace, if successful, and I believe it will be, is likely to be filled with more people than I'll be comfortable being around.
In closing I should also mention that I'm willing to be convinced or shown how I'll benefit from the hackerspace. I'm also willing to help out to ensure that those who will benefit may realize their dream. However (unless convinced otherwise) I won't be an active participant.
[1] - http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html
[2] - http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulbrodeur
[3] - http://ultramegaman.com/blog/?p=25
[4] - http://groups.google.com/group/calgary-hackspace?hl=en
[5] - http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#/group.php?gid=43079798204&ref=nf
[6] - the number is variable and also depends on how well I know them. But if everyone I know came over for my birthday party, even tho I know them well I'd be very uncomfortable in that situation.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Cherrypy 3.1.1 released!
Congratulations are due to the CherryPy Team. CherryPy 3.1.1 was released [1] this past weekend. I missed the release sprint but fumanchu [2], visteya and tabo [3] all pitched in to pull off the release.
I'm excited to say that some of my contributions made it into this release [4], [5], [6].
[1] - http://groups.google.com/group/cherrypy-users/browse_frm/thread/5e5b85c407356818
[2] - http://www.aminus.org/blogs/index.php/
[3] - http://gpicon.blogspot.com/
[4] - http://cherrypy.org/changeset/2030
[5] - http://cherrypy.org/changeset/2049
[6] - http://cherrypy.org/changeset/2051
I'm excited to say that some of my contributions made it into this release [4], [5], [6].
[1] - http://groups.google.com/group/cherrypy-users/browse_frm/thread/5e5b85c407356818
[2] - http://www.aminus.org/blogs/index.php/
[3] - http://gpicon.blogspot.com/
[4] - http://cherrypy.org/changeset/2030
[5] - http://cherrypy.org/changeset/2049
[6] - http://cherrypy.org/changeset/2051
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
"Yes We Can" -> "Yes I will"
In case you were in a hole last night, Barack Obama is now the president elect of the United States of America.
While watching the election coverage last night, Anita (my wife) pointed out a stark difference in the venues chosen by the candidates to accept or concede the election results and the people in attendance.
Barack Obama accepted the election results in front of 100 000 of the general public [3] in a public park in Chicago [2].
John McCain conceded the election in front of an (at the start) invite-only crowd [4] at the luxury Arizona Biltmore Hotel [1]. Apparently, as the election results came in they opened it up to everyone at the rally [4]. Maybe they began to see the difference in their outlooks that resulted in such an overwhelming win for their competition. Let's hope.
The crowd in Chicago was chanting "Yes we did" most of the evening starting from the announcement that the election had been called. However, Obamas speech centered around the phrase "Yes we can". As we move into the next four years I hope that the general public of the USA and even the world holds on to the phrase in the present tense. Electing Obama was only the start of the change that is needed. Obama cannot enforce this change on his own. He needs our support in small actions, just like we supported him with small donations.
Will we as individuals unite and effect the small changes? Will we change from prejudice to respect? Will we change from exclusivity to acceptance? Will we change from fear to hope?
Yes I will.
[1] - http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/
[2] - http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/parks.detail/object_id/83AA6305-ADBE-4D8A-B333-004449057EA9
[3] - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j9B3dL99xtF_ib-_cmTXadhAZ3NAD948JOSO0
[4] - http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1598611/20081105/story.jhtml
While watching the election coverage last night, Anita (my wife) pointed out a stark difference in the venues chosen by the candidates to accept or concede the election results and the people in attendance.
Barack Obama accepted the election results in front of 100 000 of the general public [3] in a public park in Chicago [2].
John McCain conceded the election in front of an (at the start) invite-only crowd [4] at the luxury Arizona Biltmore Hotel [1]. Apparently, as the election results came in they opened it up to everyone at the rally [4]. Maybe they began to see the difference in their outlooks that resulted in such an overwhelming win for their competition. Let's hope.
The crowd in Chicago was chanting "Yes we did" most of the evening starting from the announcement that the election had been called. However, Obamas speech centered around the phrase "Yes we can". As we move into the next four years I hope that the general public of the USA and even the world holds on to the phrase in the present tense. Electing Obama was only the start of the change that is needed. Obama cannot enforce this change on his own. He needs our support in small actions, just like we supported him with small donations.
Will we as individuals unite and effect the small changes? Will we change from prejudice to respect? Will we change from exclusivity to acceptance? Will we change from fear to hope?
Yes I will.
[1] - http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/
[2] - http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/parks.detail/object_id/83AA6305-ADBE-4D8A-B333-004449057EA9
[3] - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j9B3dL99xtF_ib-_cmTXadhAZ3NAD948JOSO0
[4] - http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1598611/20081105/story.jhtml
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