Anybody want to be in the space business? We have to be able to do it better than the government(s).
Lets live in space and mine near earth asteroids till they are gone – solve two problems at once!
I want to live in space!
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Category Archives: Personal
My blog has a new URL
As of tonight, I have my own domain, so this blog now resides at http://fyeomans.com. The old URL will of course still work, but it would be nice if new links pointed at the new URL (and old links, too, if you have the inclination to change them.
My own domain – I feel so special now 
The end of physical books? I hope not!
I was just reading this article on CNN.com, in which author Nicholas Negroponte, founder of One Laptop per Child, foretells the demise of physical books.
I recognize the trend, and can see some reality in what he says. I am a big fan of digital books, and have been for far longer than those who have jumped on the bandwagon with the introduction of the Kindle, iPad, and other such devices. I have been using my slate tablets as ebook readers for 8 years now. The fact that I can carry several thousand books with me when I travel is really convenient (especially for an infomaniac like myself).
However, I absolutely do not advocate the end of physical books, for a number of reasons.
First of all, there is no standard distribution technology for ebooks. I do not want to have to drink Apple’s or Amazon’s koolaid just so I can read the books that I want. And when I have purchased material, I do not want that material tied to a specific device (especially if it is tied to iTunes or Apple in any way). Until there is some level of standardization (beyond PDF), then ebooks should not be the principal format for books.
Secondly, an ebook-only world introduces a 2-tier society – those who can afford ebook-readers, and those who cannot. While I applaud Mr. Negroponte’s efforts in the One Laptop per Child campaign, we are not there yet. Even if we were, laptops are not the optimal platform for reading books. There is no way I would want to read any book of any length on a laptop (tablet maybe, but not a laptop). Right now, people (in much of the world) need nothing more than a library card to have access to a wide variety of books. A switch to an entirely digital world takes that away. I recognize that in the third-world,this is not the case, but I am not convinced that a switch to digital media fixes that problem.
My biggest concern is actually more of a “doomsday” or “conspiracy theory” kind of thing. The strength of physical books is that they are just that – physical. I do not need any device to read them. I do not need electricity. I do not need DRM. I pick up a book, and I read it. What happens in situations of natural disaster, decline of society (for example in war – we are not that far removed from the threat of world war), or even zombie attacks 
. I personally would prefer that most books continue to exist in a tangible form in addition to a digital one. Then again, I still have a slide rule, just in case all of the computers and calculators fail and I really need to figure something out!
I am also concerned with the greater possibility of distortion and censorship of the written word once it is only digital. We already see some organizations which distribute digital content exerting inappropriate, heavy-handed control over content and “apps” that they will “allow” to be published on their devices. The potential for corporate or political censorship is great in the digital world, though as has been demonstrated in the past, it is extremely hard to completely suppress information on the Internet.
Finally, there is a distinct sensory pleasure to reading a book. It is one of the few escapes I have left from the digital, technological world. When I am reading digital books, I am unfortunately also subject to all of the distractions of the digital world (email, IM, Twitter, etc.) Physical books are an escape from that noise, and i need that.
Just because I can read everything digitally, does not mean that I should read everything that way.
Neil Young’s “Le Noise”
I have just finished listening to Neil Young’s new "Le Noise" for the third time tonight (it is not actually out until the 28th, but you can stream it, legally, from various sites on the inter-web). The more I listen to it, the more impressed I am with it. Musically, it is very different – mostly just Neil solo with a heavily distorted guitar, plus some very interesting sonic adjustments from producer Daniel Langois (I saw one comment describe the sound as "a one man Crazy horse"). This is an album for sitting in the dark and absorbing (kinda like old Floyd, but in a different way). It may drift a little into the "it is art, but is it rock" category, but it is definitely original (and good, in my mind). What I have always loved about Neil – not afraid to do new things (and old things, too!).
I also read an interesting thing about the recording of the album (which I guess was done at Langois’ LA mansion) – apparently Neil would only record on nights with a full moon 
Long live Neil!
Of Mosque’s and Book Burnings
When I started writing this post, it was to be somewhat of a rant. As it turns out, it came out more “preachy” than “ranty’. I hope will forgive me, and indulge me just a little .
Unless you live under a rock (or are much smarter than me and ignore the mainstream news), you have no doubt heard about the plans to build a mosque new so-called Ground Zero in new York. You have also heard of the debate that has sprung up between proponents of the mosque, and those who oppose it.
At the same time, we have someone who calls himself a Christian, and a leader at that, proposing to hold an event to burn copies of the Quran, and encouraging others around the United States to do the same.
Although both of these controversies stem from very different motivations, they both illustrate the very clear difference between what is legal, and what is simply “the right thing to do”.
On the one hand, we have a group wanting to build a religious centre, with a stated goal of also reaching out to other communities in the interest of collaboration and understanding. While I know there are those who see more subversive goals behind the project, I am willing to take what they propose at face value.
It is very clear that the construction of this complex (if I understand correctly, it is more than a mosque) is legal. This has been made clear at many levels of government, up to and including the president. They own the land. What they want to do fits within the zoning for the land. To be clear, what they want to do is completely legal, and they are fully within their rights to proceed.
That said, it is also clear that a significant number of people (I hesitate to say a majority, as I do not believe any statistics published by the media) are upset and offended by this plan. Some are upset because they a paranoid, xenophobic extremists who are absolutely convinced that anything Islamic is inherently evil. There also many, however, who are normal, rational people who have an understandable sensitivity when it comes to the events of 9/11. It is this second group whose feelings should be considered in this matter. While I do not believe any of the rhetoric that the mosque complex is a conspiracy to infiltrate the US, or to be a slap in the face or “victory symbol” for the 9/11 attacks, it is very clear that the project is causing pain to many people.
So what does this mean? It means that the right thing to do here has nothing to do with what is legally allowed. The right thing to do is to recognize and embrace the people who are genuinely hurt by this proposal. The right thing to do is to tell them “while we know we have the legal right to build our mosque, and we will not be bullied or coerced into changing our plans, out of compassion for those for whom we are unintentionally causing pain, we will change our plans and move our project somewhere less sensitive.” This would go a long way towards improving the image of Islam in American, and disarming the extreme “Islamo-phobes” who are so vocal. Again, this is the right thing to do, as opposed to merely the legal.
Turning attention now to events in Florida and the Christian group planning to burn Qurans as a philosophical statement. As opposed to the supporters of the mosque project, this Christian group is wilfully and intentionally acting to cause pain and upset to Muslims around the world. It is their stated intent to offend Muslims. This event has been vocally opposed by religious leaders of every persuasion. It has been opposed by political leaders at all levels and of all philosophical leanings.
The unfortunate fact, however, is that as morally reprehensible as these actions are, they are perfectly legal. What they are doing is legal, and to force them to abandon their plans would definitely not be the right thing to do, as it would infringe upon their rights and only further fuel their hatred.
As what they are doing is perfectly legal, what should we do about it? Well, for one thing, stop giving them so much attention. Unfortunately, it is far too late for that as this has been publicized around the world. The only thing we can do is stand by and watch. And forgive them. We can also make sure that we use this as example to explain to our children why this type of hatred and intentional disrespect is wrong. Finally, we can embrace those who are hurt and offended by this action, those who are its targets, and try to make them understand that we share their pain and outrage. Even though the book-burners are doing what is legal, we can take it upon ourselves to do what is right.
If only we could spend more time focusing upon what is the right thing to do, versus simply what we are legally allowed to do, we might have some hope of moving forward.
What if we had an election and nobody won?
We need a new option on election ballots – “None of the Above”. If none of the parties manage to field a platform or a candidate worth my vote, I should be able to express that fact in a meaningful way and still have my voice heard. If “None of the Above” wins in my constituency, then there MUST be a new election, with NEW candidates (the same hacks cannot run again). We could really weed a lot of crap out of our government that way, and possibly increase voter turnout – why vote it you do not approve of any of the options?
This is really scary shit!
Hallucinations in Hospital Pose Risk to the Elderly – NYTimes.com
I got this link from my sister – it is relevant to us because of some stuff our mom is going through in the hospital. This is really scary!
Joe Posnanski – what a moron
Brett Favre faltered in Vikings’ NFC title game loss to Saints – Joe Posnanski – SI.com
Ok – I was tempted to blog about the Vikings-Saints game on Sunday night, but really did not have anything to say that was not obvious. This column, however, brought out the need to say something.
First off, is this writer the biggest freaking moron in the world?
To say that Favre threw the ball that was intercepted because he was afraid to get hit is just silly. This is a guy who stood in the pocket and got pounded into the (fake) dirt almost every time he dropped back to pass on Sunday night.
And he got back up, every time.
He got drilled by New Orleans’ #93 after handing the ball off in the first half. And jumped right back up.
He got driven into the ground in the fourth, drawing a personal fowl. And got back up.
He got hit high and low a couple of plays later, in what should clearly have been a penalty under the “Brady Rule”. He had to be helped off the field, but was right back out there the next play.
I lost count of the number of times Favre was hit and hit hard. And then add to that the number of hits he dodged (which he still does damn well for a 40 year old guy).
And yet he continued to play, continued to fight.
I would say that Favre’s performance on Sunday was one of the toughest I have ever seen, in any sport.
As for the “He should have run it” argument, are we forgetting the fact that a few minutes earlier it looked like Favre would not be able to walk, let alone run?
Let’s look not at the whole “Favre lost the game” delusion.
This highlights, in part, the folly of Favre’s return this season. It was clear from the start that if the Vikings were to go all the way, then it would be credited to “the team”, but if they failed to it would be “Favre’s fault”.
But let’s look at how they got to the point of needing last minute heroics. Lets look at the ball carriers of the Vikings putting it on the ground 6 times. Lets look at Percy Harvin fumble putting the Saints 7 yards from a touchdown that gave them a 7 point lead, when the Vikings defence had shut them down through the entire second half. Lets talk about an offensive line that left Favre dangling in the breeze almost every play. Lets talk about the complete mental lapse that led to 12 men in the huddle (after a time out to get things organized, yet).
Like their season, this was a team effort. No one player should be singled out. But of course, Favre gets the blame.
Was the decision to throw, and throw where he did, a bad one? Sure. But if he had managed to force it where he wanted it (as he has so many times before) he would have been a hero, not a bum.
But the fact is, he would not have been in the position to have to make this play if not for all the other errors the Vikings committed throughout the game.
I really get sick of wannabe, sideline athletes (even long term, successful ones like Posnanski) sitting back and questioning the toughness and commitment of someone like Favre.
As for Posnanski’s final question “So: What makes Brett Favre NOT run?” – well, leaving aside the fact that he could barely walk, let a lone run, maybe it was the fact that he has been playing QB for almost 20 years, and may actually see things that morons like you don’t.
Another thought on health care…
Well, I am sitting here writing a blog post because I am not at the hospital with my son for his jaw surgery that was scheduled for today. It was cancelled because the surgeon was called in for an emergency case which obviously took precedence.
My first thought (and I tweeted this) was “this is the downside of Canadian health care”. After a little reflection, however, I think that this is exactly what makes Canadian health care superior to American health care in the large. It shows that in the Canadian system, decisions are made based on who is in the most need, and the person in the most need gets the appropriate resources. Compare this to the US situation where the person with the most money or the best insurance will get the treatment, and the person with no money or insurance may never get anything beyond rudimentary care (if that).
This is inconvenient to me, and to my son, but it is not life threatening.
Once again, I will take the Canadian system, thanks.
What Should a Slate Tablet Look Like Today?
I was sitting in a meeting today, and I got thinking about my computer. I have 4 right now. The one I had with me was my Acer convertible tablet from PDC. I also have a Dell XPS laptop, a Motion Computing LE1600, and from work I have a pretty standard HP laptop.
I use all of these for different things.
Right now I am using the Acer a lot, just because it is new and I am experimenting with multi-touch.
Mostly I use my XPS for gaming (which I don’t do much anymore) and for programming. It has 4 gb of RAM, so I have enough room to run a VM for development environments.
My favourite is still the LE1600, however. For day-to-day none programming work I love the slate form factor. Many people crap on the tablet because of handwriting recognition. Personally, I have always found handwriting recognition Windows XP to be more than satisfactory. In Windows Vista it is even better, and even better in Windows 7. That said, I really do not do a lot of handwriting recognition. Mostly, I use OneNote to take notes and leave them as handwriting. I also use applications to mark-up Word and PDF documents (in ink).
My LE1600 is 4+ years old now, though, and it is starting to show its age. It only has 1 gb of RAM, and a 60 gb HDD. I could upgrade the HDD, but it does not seem worth it.
I would like to replace my slate, but there is nothing out there in a reasonable price range that really strikes my fancy. It does not seem that the slate tablet has progressed much at all in the last few years – and there does not seem to be much interest in slates in the marketplace.
There is a lot of interest right now in eBook readers, and while I think they are cool, I cannot see carry yet another device for nothing but reading.
So I got thinking today “what would the perfect slate tablet look like for me.”
Here is a list of what I came up with:
- A form factor similar to the Kindle DX (maybe a larger screen, but similar thickness);
- A real back-lit screen – maybe with the ability to turn off back light to conserve power. Without backlight, should look as good as Kindle;
- Ink input – and maybe touch;
- Running a full OS – a light version of Windows or a Linux distribution (I do not want just an eBook reader);
- Software support: Reader for PDF and Office, etc., eMail, Browser, OneNote-like app, Media support;
- No extras: no modem, no optical drive, minimal ports, no video out, no web cam;
- No HDD – maybe an SDD, maybe the OS in ROM or something;
- No keyboard except maybe by USB or Bluetooth;
- Maybe assume that most applications I need will be in Browser (cannot believe I said that lol);
- Price point around $500
So that is my quick and dirty wish list – can anyone add anything more?
