Links September 2012
Scott Adams has an interesting idea for political debates he calls “Fact Bubbler” [1]. It sounds implausible the first time you read it, but then so did Wikipedia.
Arstechnica has an interesting article on software defined radio [2]. This could change many things.
The Nieder Family has another update on the way patents threaten their daughter’s ability to communicate [3]. Also Apple is making things worse by taking pre-emptive strikes against iPhone apps which are involved in legal disputes – never use an iPhone (or other proprietary system) for anything important if you have a choice.
In more positive news crowd-funded gene sequencing has found an explanation for Maya Nieder’s developmental delays [4]. This will revolutionise medicine!
The Guardian has an interesting article about the non-profit investigative reporting organisation ProPublica [6]. See the ProPublica.org site for some quality news reports [7].
Michael O.Church wrote an interesting and insightful article about the fate of a “Just a Programmer” in a startup funded by Venture Capitalists [8]. It doesn’t sound good at all.
EyeNetra is developing a smart-phone based system for testing eyes [9]. It’s apparently possible to manufacture glasses for $0.75 so the cost and difficulty of performing eye tests is the main factor that prevents poor people in developing countries from getting glasses. So a cheap portable eye testing system is going to help many people get the glasses they need.
Maco wrote an interesting article about crochet and reverse-engineering along with a Python program to print a crochet pattern [11]. I wonder whether anyone has tried to make a crochet robot, something like a 3D printer but which crochet’s things rather than printing them. Holding the wool would be a real challenge, it’s not nearly as easy as printing on something that’s stuck down and incapable of movement.
- [1] http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/fact_bubbler/
- [2] http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/07/how-software-defined-radio-could-revolutionize-wireless/
- [3] http://niederfamily.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/silencing-of-maya.html
- [4] http://blog.ted.com/2012/07/17/newly-discovered-gene-may-explain-4-year-olds-rare-disease-thanks-to-ted-fellow-jimmy-lin/
- [5] http://spectrum.ieee.org/podcast/at-work/tech-careers/why-bad-jobsor-no-jobshappen-to-good-workers
- [6] http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jul/02/propublica-investigative-reporting
- [7] http://www.propublica.org/
- [8] http://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/dont-waste-your-time-in-crappy-startup-jobs/
- [9] http://eyenetra.com/
- [10] http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/09/ff-corning-gorilla-glass/all/
- [11] http://ubuntulinuxtipstricks.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/algorithms-reverse-engineering-and.html
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