The Spin Cycle |
Software Development | September 3, 2008
The web is a buzz with the release of Google's web browser - Chrome. Although there are already a multitude of reviews out there I thought I'd offer my 2 cents as this release is a pivotal moment for the history of the web.
The decision for Google to build and release their own browser is extremely clever. By making it open source makes it even more clever. Google is pushing an ideology more than just a product and they are doing it in style.
The product itself is secondary. Google is making operating systems, like Windows, redundant. The ideology that is being pushed is that the web is the ultimate environment for applications. This happens to be Microsoft's worst nightmare as they have failed to capture this market and are losing their dominance in the tech industry. This dominance has been seen as a blight on the innovation of computer science and many are happy to see the technology giant stumbling to maintain control.
This process may just be the handing over of the torch and creating a new giant that everyone will soon despise but, some credit has to be given to Google by the way they understand the technology markets and the way they can control them by offering so much freedom. The freedom presents so much opportunity and in the age of opportunism, people know a good thing when they see it.
The open source pitch is reaching a crescendo in the software world and it was mentioned repeatedly during the Chrome announcement. Google wants the other players to takes parts from their browser and forward the benefits on to help make the web a better experience and help the web become the home to the majority of application development. This is their goal and ideology. With it they can offer the world a slice of the pie. It's hard to see how this dream could be stopped.
Software Development | September 2, 2008
I've noticed the job of a programmer has change a lot in the 12 years since my first real foray. I'm noticing a trend where there is less crafting of algorithms and more of a tendency of taking open source packages and kludging them together to create an entire application. The benefit of doing this is a super quick time-to-market for a new app. From a coder's perspective it is becoming increasingly important to keep an eye out for new packages, frameworks and modules to make sure time is spent most efficiently.
Their are definitely downsides to this method of development. Architectural restraints come by the bucket full when taking on a new package. There's sometimes little that can be done but it is hugely valuable to spend the time to do as much research as you can possibly afford because it's easy come across complications during the integrating.
The biggest challenge in coupling different open source packages together comes from the variety of different methods used to create the package and the lack of fore-thought to possible integration with other packages. This is definitely something that will get better with time but there a host of open source apps that are getting long in the tooth and will perhaps die out before they become easy to integrate with an app (I'm looking at you phpBB!).
Community based development has totally shown what it can offer - and it's MASSIVE! It does take time to keep a breast of what packages are out there and what's worth while considering but when time is of the essence it can easily make more sense to start kludging than reinventing the wheel.
Juggling | August 23, 2008
Did quite a bit of work attempting to juggle 5 balls today. Almost made it through 2 cycles so I'm starting to think I'm pretty close. Getting the idea of the rhythm seems like the hard part. Although the motion is very similar to 3 ball cascade, the timing and speeds seem to be hard to fathom.
As with all juggling you've just got to be prepared to drop them. Don't be worried if you spend more of your time picking them up. Once you've been juggling for a long time it can be hard to hold on to this fact as the ego can get in the way because of being used to other patterns and not having to chase after balls all the time.
Today I finally listened to some advice from a pro. Throw them high. Also, let them fall and don't grab them too early or you kill the timing and the rhythm. I thought I had been throwing up to a nice height on attempts before today but by giving the balls an extra boost can just be enough to let you mind understand the pattern. Letting them fall and not grabbing them early is easier when there is a little more space between each ball due to the extra height.
I'm starting to think a video camera would come in handy to be able to analyse the throws and figure out what is killing the pattern. The simple answer would be that it's me that's trying to juggle 5 balls but I know it all just comes down the throws. Guess I just need some more practice.
Artificial Intelligence | August 20, 2008
Have found myself in deep thoughts about AI lately and the possibilities of the future. I've come to number of conclusions but am still trying to tie all factors together. Every time I look down the road ahead I realise what a dangerous path it is. In many ways its like a train wreck that's going to happen and little can be done. The truth is we've already started on the creation that will supersede us. It may take 30 years or 300 years. Either way, the writing is on the wall. The only thing that could halt this would be the human empire collapsing before it has a chance to reach it's conclusion.
If all humans some how vanished or were laid to waste, the machine would still be built. There is too much life on this earth to wipe it all out. As long as conditions are slightly favourable, another species or number of species will step up to the plate. The key to this cycle is the realisation of technology. Once an entity embraces technology - whether it's a sharp stone or an iphone, the technology becomes an extension of the self. The advantage of such versatility of extending the self to suit a situation has gotten us where we are today - sitting on a massive foundation of technology that no other species has even considered.
It's interesting to think which species would step up if it were just humans who disappeared. Monkey's would obviously top the list as dexterity is a major key. Other mammals could definitely take a step in the right direction. It could be a nebulous entity based on something like ant colonies or the ruler of them all could come as far a field as the bird kingdom. I have a feeling that crows have a cunning and tenacity, and given another 400,000 to 10 million years or so, would do us proud in taking our place.
A branch of the crow species would obviously have to become more earth bound and wings would need to be re-purposed. The chance of motor dexterity forming is fairly unlikely but who knows what pressures will exists that could allow something like this to happen.
I can certainly imagine a world where a crow kingdom where it's populations deal with schedules, stress and getting to work using segways. It's probably a fair while off but it is an alternative that could well be possible.
The key to the creation of the machine is embracing technology, manipulating the environment and extending the self. What is the machine for? I might talk about that another time.
Artificial Intelligence | July 24, 2008
The Equation of the Theory of Everything still plays on my thoughts and I feel I've done little to describe it's implications. I've hinted at the implications for AI and semantic understanding but I'll try and explain it all in better terms.
As I suspected, most people with a mathematical background who've come across it have rejected it because it breaks the basis of mathematics. I always thought rules were meant to be broken. Who made up these rules, anyway?
One of main implications for the Theory of Everything is that everything is relative. All things can appear differently depending on the context a thing is viewed. The other main implication is that nothing is exact or as it seems. This is due to the fact it is impossible to examine an entity in isolation. An entity will always exist within an environment (even a vacuum of space is an environment).
The main implications don't necessarily seem profound and are not necessarily new. They do however aid the understanding of Universe itself. I have mentioned AI should be concerned about these implications because current methods are focusing on teaching machines in such a rigid way. For instance; I've come across attempts to create intelligence using semantics which ignore the reality of our existence. Semantics are fragments of understanding such as "cat has four legs", "dogs bark", etc. The point that needs to be made is - where does a cat end and its environment begin? Which is just a fancy way of saying - what the hell is a cat? Once you think hard about the question it becomes obvious that the concept of a cat (and everything else we know) is just an abstract concept developed through our experiences. There is no cat except for what we perceive the cat to be.
To base intelligence on semantics maybe useful in certain circumstances but it could cause some major problems down the track. It feels like a major engineerial cock up and carries through all the stupidity of narrow minded thinking that exists in the engineers who are developing these machines.
Science | May 5, 2008
Some of you may already know that I took a crack at the equation for the Theory of Everything (ToE) last week. I believe it to be real and I believe its consequences are enormous.
As it turns out the world is a skeptical place and the equation can only be regarded as pseudo-mathematics without peer review and mathematical rigor. To give the ToE article a little more weight I did write an article on the division by zero problem but I have also spotted a wealth of mathematical study on Wikipedia that gives even more weight to the ToE equation. The Invalid Proof page, I just put a link to, is an interesting read. There are so many instances of the LHS getting out of whack with the RHS and laughable reasons why the examples are deemed invalid - "You are not allowed to divide by zero!!! It is forbidden!!!! It shakes up the world of our numbers so don't do it!!!!".
It appears that there are a list of exceptions specifically created just to handle when illogical instances occurs. The first reaction by mathematicians has always been to reject anything that looks weird and breaks the premise that the LHS doesn't equal the RHS. After all it's a hard one to break as it is the very foundation of mathematics. At the same time, who's to say that although the foundation is highly useful that it is complete in every way?
So this is what I'm up against - breaking the main foundation of mathematics. It's not a question of amounting mathematical proof that will push the ToE forward but more of a mental shift in looking at problems with different relative perspectives. This is a much harder task, indeed, as in effect, the equation of the ToE has already been known but utterly rejected. Why would mathematics now want to spin on its heals?
Sadly, it is an up hill battle to convince people and gain respect for such a concept as that of the ToE but resistance does breed strength. I only push this as I'm utterly fascinated by it and want to see people with real genius run with it.
Blogging | April 29, 2008
The Spin Cycle is going to have a bit of a split as I'm planning on writing FS related blog posts on Blogger as apposed to writing them on FS. This should free up The Spin Cycle for more important things as well as relocating what was essentially becoming a "corporate blog" to a more appropriate place.
The truth is, I have actually always disliked the concept of a blog because they tend to be egotistical or just plan boring - with common themes like "my cat did the cutest thing last night..." The real beauty in a blog is that it is easier to write, as you can adopt a first person voice rather than using the round about way of writing an article, plus it can gives readers a better insight into a writer's personality.
With the change up I'm hoping to focus on some key interests I have at the moment; namely nerdy stuff like Artificial Intelligence, EC2 and some Linux stuff as the snowboarding season has now come to a close.
Anyway, be sure to check out the new and exciting Official FS Blog as I'm sure it's going to be scintillating.
Luke is the CEO of Flickspin Media and Editor-in-Chief for the Flickspin writing community. He's a software developer with a passion for web technologies and Internet cultures.
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"But from heart to heart you will never create. If from your heart it does not come."
