| Overlords |
[21 May 2012|08:18pm] |
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Cross-posted from n8o.r30.net:
We are most certainly alone in the universe.
Because if I were an alien civilization bent on conquering the Earth, I wouldn't bring a fleet of interstellar warships. Have you seen the price of gas lately?
First, I'd plant archaeological remains of my advanced technology on Earth. Then, as humans began to discover, adopt, and deploy my technology, I'd send but a single vessel.
It would contain a patent law firm.
Given that the wealth of human civilization is clearly in decline, due in no small part to patents, I think we can safely assume that our new alien overlords are not interstellar patent trolls. Otherwise, SETI would have decoded their Ceast and Desist letters years ago.
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| Automated Procoess Control Systems |
[21 May 2012|06:40pm] |
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mood |
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:) accomplished |
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In retrospect I should have probably read Ronald P Hunter's Automated Process Control Systems: concepts and Hardware as a 2nd year student, and not saved it until I had graduated and worked as a programmer/support tech. Although it was enlightening to read it later, I would have been able to handle it "good enough" as early as mid 2005. It is a handbook on how to become a Computer Support Technician, which is effectively what I am anyway, right down to the 'nightmares' described in the end of the book.
- I have touched on before, the equivalency of energy systems Understanding of calculus helps to 'get' this stuff, but isn't necessary. You can understand it by analogy alone if you can 'get' one of the types of energy and how it works.
- In particular it REALLY makes me think about Piano, and how we control to some extent the analog aspects of the sound.
- It's changed the way I'd design hardware
- How really, I thought I was going into this stuff when I started as a Computer Science major...but it turns out that I'm actually trained as a programmer as talked about in the book. There is some overlap and it's worth knowing about the underlying electronics to some extent...but if I really wanted to specialize in the content of this book I should have gone into EE. I didn't learn this until I was about into my 2nd or 3rd year of CS.
- Simple control mechanisms, knobs that control resistors, wheatstone circuits, and so on...there is complexity when you build systems from these simple parts but as long as you're building from what you know and can verify that what you know works within specified parameters...these higher level systems *can* be built. The trouble is getting things that work on the low level to really high quality. Japan really was ahead of the rest of the world in the 80's in this regard.
- Source code for hardware is important. To some extent the need for it is removed by standards in labelling -- resistor colours are a good example of how physical systems label themselves. Apparently EE's can recognize types of capacitors/diodes/other components by sight alone -- I'm not at that level. But on some level you need to have a schematic of what's going on so you don't *need* to physically verify anything but an isolated component. Sure you could simulate the higher level piece of equipment on a better computer(they didn't really have that option then...but you could)...but it's better to just be able to zoom in to what's broken and fix it.
- I guess I just pay a little closer attention to the electronics in my life now, in terms of looking to see how they work. This is probably something I had at one point but lost, and it's good I've got it back.
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| Designing Hardware |
[21 May 2012|12:38am] |
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Two, interrelated things I'm taking from this book are
1) Integrator subcomponents allow components to self-correct -- in ways described by differential calculus. The reason you can plug a GPU onto a video card is likely that there are self correcting integrator components on probably both sides of the connection(?). While I still probably need to see this in action to 'get it' fully, that is at least the 'why' it works/why standard electrical components are even possible.
2) If you *really* want efficiency...you can toy with things on this level. Looks like the modern term is Full Custom. Of course, not only will you probably need at least an EE worth of knowledge to do it, it sounds like even given that it's still a very labour intensive to get right. I bet GNU Electric can do it or could be coaxed into, though.
3) The above also applies to finance, but finance is not the be all end all of what humanity is capable.
I think the net result is there's optimism here --- things don't have to be inefficient, it's just cheaper that way in the short run and sometimes that counts.
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| Homed |
[18 May 2012|12:13pm] |
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Cross-posted from n8o.r30.net:
I have been approved for my new place in Bellingham, starting after Burning Man. Woot.
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| LJ vs. tumblr vs. LIFE |
[16 May 2012|06:34pm] |
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mood |
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 recumbent |
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If I blog, it's on tumblr now. Just finished a mass edit on this here LiveJournal brand blogging service, and now only a couple entries are going to show up. My first month of entries, for the lulz, the last couple of entries (for slightly less lulz) and maybe I'll keep up my birthday entries? I dunno, haven't decided yet.
Find me on tumblr at davethebrave dawt tumblr dawt com, and if I seem inactive there, it's because I am reading books and updating my Goodreads. If you're not seeing Goodreads updates, something is seriously wrong. Or I'm taking too long to read a book because of real world distractions. Or something.
SEE YOU IN ANOTHER YEAR OR SOMETHING LJ!!
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| Building bitcoin-qt 0.5.99-beta on debian |
[14 May 2012|11:08pm] |
Turns out in addition to the other stuff, you also need libminiupnpc8_1.6-2_amd64.deb, miniupnpc_1.6-2_amd64.deb or some variation thereof. Also, instead of just running 'qmake' you also need to use
qmake "USE_UPNP=-"
Seems to build after that.
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| Mother's Day |
[14 May 2012|11:35am] |
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I made a comic for my mother yesterday, who has believed in my abilities longer and more fiercely than anyone else. You can find it here.
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