Digital philosophy is a form of philosophy and cosmology proposed by some mathematicians and physicists. It argues that most physical theories are consequences of cellular automaton.
Digital philosophy tries to explain certain problems philosophy has in regard to physics and the like, such as a newer interpretation of the Copenhagen theory in regards to new discoveries in quantum theory. The main argument of this is that all existence and thought consists of nothing but computations, reality and mental activity being digitized information.
There are five main conclusions that digital philosophy describes:the world can be resolved into digital bits, with each bit made of smaller bits, these bits form a fractal pattern in fact-space, the pattern behaves like a cellular automaton, the pattern is inconceivably large in size and dimensions, although the world started simply, its computation is irreducibly complex.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Google: Digital Car
This linked me to an article by Josh Clark, entitled "What makes a digital car digital?" He talks about how television shows have had shows with intelligent automobiles. In 1965 there was "My Mother the Car," which is about a man who discovers his mother is reincarnated as his 1928 Porter automobile. (side note: TV Guide named this the 2nd worst show of all time.) He then describes a more successful show, "Knight Rider." Instead of being a reincarnation, this car had AI instead: K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Two Thousand). KITT's partner is Micheal Knight, played by David Hasselhoff.
Today, new breakthroughs have allowed for cars to come closer to KITT, what with wireless communication and compressed data storage, which is now in certain vehicles.
Clark then argues that the difference between a car and a digital car is intelligence. Before, a car was simply a mode of transportation. Now cars have hard drives, and more electronics than some people can possible realize. Cars are now being equipped with technology to help avoid collisions all together, called precollision systems, and cameras to look for traffic ahead and what's behind the car.
Information:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/trends-innovations/digital-car.htm
Today, new breakthroughs have allowed for cars to come closer to KITT, what with wireless communication and compressed data storage, which is now in certain vehicles.
Clark then argues that the difference between a car and a digital car is intelligence. Before, a car was simply a mode of transportation. Now cars have hard drives, and more electronics than some people can possible realize. Cars are now being equipped with technology to help avoid collisions all together, called precollision systems, and cameras to look for traffic ahead and what's behind the car.
Information:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/trends-innovations/digital-car.htm
Databases
A database is a collection of related records/files, which are linked together for easier access. Databases are generally classified by their content, such as text, numeric, image... Databases have become the most common form of storage today for multiuser applications.
There are many types of databases, such as operational databases, which stores data for organizations, document-oriented databases, which are designed to work with document-oriented applications, and real-time databases which handles information that may or may not be constantly changing. The relational model is the most commonly used database type, it uses tables to show information, making it easier to use and read. Excel is a type of a relational database.
One benefit to using databases is that it has the capacity to be easily replicated. In other words, when something happens to the database, it can usually make an exact copy of what is happening, in real time, and save it somewhere else. This is useful in things such as e-commerce, because it creates a virtual receipt.
There are many types of databases, such as operational databases, which stores data for organizations, document-oriented databases, which are designed to work with document-oriented applications, and real-time databases which handles information that may or may not be constantly changing. The relational model is the most commonly used database type, it uses tables to show information, making it easier to use and read. Excel is a type of a relational database.
One benefit to using databases is that it has the capacity to be easily replicated. In other words, when something happens to the database, it can usually make an exact copy of what is happening, in real time, and save it somewhere else. This is useful in things such as e-commerce, because it creates a virtual receipt.
Zune vs. ipod
The ipod is the current dominator of mp3 players today. Released in 2001, it has now sold over 220,000,000 iPods worldwide, making it the best-selling digital audio player series in history. Itunes, the program that allows for people to buy music online, and also is how you transfer music files from the computer to the ipod, has also grown exponentially in its uses, especially with the release of the iphone.
The Zune was Microsoft's answer to the Apple ipod, but has not nearly met the success as the ipod. Released in 2006, it utilized many of the same ideas and functions as the ipod, but simply could not get the client base it needed, and was virtually non-existent outside of the United States. Microsoft is hoping to change this with its new Zune, the 'Zune-HD,' which, even though it has yet to be released, is already listed as sold-out in all major internet outlets.
I have owned both a Zune and an Ipod, and I personally prefer my Zune to my old Ipod. I really found no difference to the actual device, so it really came down to the programs that had to be used with the computer. I had so many problems with Itunes, but the only problem I've really come across with the Zune program is that it likes to delete album photos for some reason, which really isn't that big of a deal for me. Also, Itunes gave me a lot of grief when it came to transferring music files either from my computer to my Ipod, or from my ipod to my computer, whereas there was no difficulties with the Zune program. Yes, I realize that it may be a violation of current copyright laws, but I believe that if I buy a CD I should be able to put the songs on my mp3 player, and if I buy individual songs online I should be able to burn them onto a CD.
The Zune was Microsoft's answer to the Apple ipod, but has not nearly met the success as the ipod. Released in 2006, it utilized many of the same ideas and functions as the ipod, but simply could not get the client base it needed, and was virtually non-existent outside of the United States. Microsoft is hoping to change this with its new Zune, the 'Zune-HD,' which, even though it has yet to be released, is already listed as sold-out in all major internet outlets.
I have owned both a Zune and an Ipod, and I personally prefer my Zune to my old Ipod. I really found no difference to the actual device, so it really came down to the programs that had to be used with the computer. I had so many problems with Itunes, but the only problem I've really come across with the Zune program is that it likes to delete album photos for some reason, which really isn't that big of a deal for me. Also, Itunes gave me a lot of grief when it came to transferring music files either from my computer to my Ipod, or from my ipod to my computer, whereas there was no difficulties with the Zune program. Yes, I realize that it may be a violation of current copyright laws, but I believe that if I buy a CD I should be able to put the songs on my mp3 player, and if I buy individual songs online I should be able to burn them onto a CD.
Apoctastasis
I just finished a chapter in a book I am reading that explained the notion of apoctastsis, and also read Augustine's counters to it in his 'City of God,' and am so interested in the idea that I felt it worthy of a blog.
Apoctastasis, when referring to the Christian aspect of the idea, is the notion that even after the 2nd coming of Christ, God will still allow for souls in Hell to repent.
The most famous individual to propound the notion of apoctastasis was Origen of Alexandria, in his book 'Against Celcus,' written around 254 CE. He argued that everything was made from the Father, who is all-good, and everything that has eminated from Him contained some of His good, even the Devil. And since God could not allow for a good being, even if that creature was mostly evil, to exist eternally in damnation. That is the main reason why Origen was never canonized: the other Church Fathers who followed after him (especially Augustine, who devoted entire chapters in his book 'City of God' to denouncing Origen's 'blasphemies'). Origen believed that, everything that ever existed in Hell would eventually see the err of their ways, and return to God, devoting themselves to the good, and purging themselves of the evil within them. Essentially apoctastasis argues that Hell is more of a Purgatorial state, rather than a place of eternal torment. (Note: within this idea, and timeframe in general, Hell does not exist as the fire and brimstone place of pain that we now view it as. It was more of a place where the individual is completely separated from God's love, a thing that we cannot experience on Earth, as Earth is a paradise that exists within the realm of God's love.)
I personally view this as the best answer to theodicy (the theological/philosophical question of how evil can exist within the realm of a kind and loving diety) that I have yet come across. Going under the assumption that God is truly all-loving, as proclaimed within Abrahamic religious beliefs, then I fail to conceive of a notion of a never-ending place of eternal torment. I simply cannot wrap my mind around it. And again, yes, I realize how odd it is that this is what I do in my spare time, but hey, I find it all fascinating.
Apoctastasis, when referring to the Christian aspect of the idea, is the notion that even after the 2nd coming of Christ, God will still allow for souls in Hell to repent.
The most famous individual to propound the notion of apoctastasis was Origen of Alexandria, in his book 'Against Celcus,' written around 254 CE. He argued that everything was made from the Father, who is all-good, and everything that has eminated from Him contained some of His good, even the Devil. And since God could not allow for a good being, even if that creature was mostly evil, to exist eternally in damnation. That is the main reason why Origen was never canonized: the other Church Fathers who followed after him (especially Augustine, who devoted entire chapters in his book 'City of God' to denouncing Origen's 'blasphemies'). Origen believed that, everything that ever existed in Hell would eventually see the err of their ways, and return to God, devoting themselves to the good, and purging themselves of the evil within them. Essentially apoctastasis argues that Hell is more of a Purgatorial state, rather than a place of eternal torment. (Note: within this idea, and timeframe in general, Hell does not exist as the fire and brimstone place of pain that we now view it as. It was more of a place where the individual is completely separated from God's love, a thing that we cannot experience on Earth, as Earth is a paradise that exists within the realm of God's love.)
I personally view this as the best answer to theodicy (the theological/philosophical question of how evil can exist within the realm of a kind and loving diety) that I have yet come across. Going under the assumption that God is truly all-loving, as proclaimed within Abrahamic religious beliefs, then I fail to conceive of a notion of a never-ending place of eternal torment. I simply cannot wrap my mind around it. And again, yes, I realize how odd it is that this is what I do in my spare time, but hey, I find it all fascinating.
Twilight
The newest phenomena to reach the US, Twilight, both the books and movies, have made a ridiculous amounts of money. The first movie made hundreds of millions, and the new movie 'New Moon' broke 5-day box office records. The books themselves have sold millions upon millions of copies.
I loathe this new fad. I had a friend who read the first book for the sole purpose of having specific reasons for why it is a terrible book, which is what everything else is based off of. I fully trust in what he has said, and have been told by other friends who are fans of the book that he is right. Virtually every facet of what the vampire mythos is, Twilight ignores. Garlic, transformation, stakes through the heart, all is non-existant. But the worst part of it all, is that when exposed to sunlight, they don't burst into flames or otherwise die or even get hurt, no, they SPARKLE!
I read a chapter or so, and the writing is terrible. It is reminiscent of the RL Stine books I loved as a kid: very simple language, easy to follow, and most importantly, written so that a child could read and follow the story-line. That is what irks me the most about this entire fad, is that the massive fan-base consists mostly of people my age. The book was obviously written for a younger audience, but somehow teenagers and their older siblings have found out about it, and blown it out of proportion. I honestly think that the only real reason that Twilight became as big as it did was because there was a vacuum that needed to be filled with the ending of the Harry Potter series.
I loathe this new fad. I had a friend who read the first book for the sole purpose of having specific reasons for why it is a terrible book, which is what everything else is based off of. I fully trust in what he has said, and have been told by other friends who are fans of the book that he is right. Virtually every facet of what the vampire mythos is, Twilight ignores. Garlic, transformation, stakes through the heart, all is non-existant. But the worst part of it all, is that when exposed to sunlight, they don't burst into flames or otherwise die or even get hurt, no, they SPARKLE!
I read a chapter or so, and the writing is terrible. It is reminiscent of the RL Stine books I loved as a kid: very simple language, easy to follow, and most importantly, written so that a child could read and follow the story-line. That is what irks me the most about this entire fad, is that the massive fan-base consists mostly of people my age. The book was obviously written for a younger audience, but somehow teenagers and their older siblings have found out about it, and blown it out of proportion. I honestly think that the only real reason that Twilight became as big as it did was because there was a vacuum that needed to be filled with the ending of the Harry Potter series.
Monday, November 23, 2009
New Media
I went through several different majors, trying to find something that was right for me, and 2 semesters ago I read up on the New Media program, and it looked promising. Allowing for programming and creativity, it sounded interesting and something that I could do. It has been (relatively) interesting, and I could go through with it, but I have once more changed my major.
The New Media program consists of telling students that if they work hard enough that they can get a job doing what they want, be it audio, video, making games, or building websites. I accept, to a certain degree, the building websites, but the rest are mostly just pipe dreams and the program encourages students to spend 4 years and a lot of money to get a job, if they want it enough. I had three friends from high school go to Full Sail for video, audio, and band management (something Full Sail is renowned for being a great school for) and they all now work at Best Buy. The market for what a New Media degree is supposedly going to get you just isn't there. I've heard time and again in this program 'if you work hard enough, you can get a job.' And side-by-side with this comes the name Frank Tai. The 'poster child' of New Media, I don't think I made it through a single New Media course without having his name offered as proof that anyone can get their dream job. But then, if you talk to any of the professors or grad students in a less formal setting, they admit that he spent his entire life working on his stuff. He was ALWAYS here. If you have that kind of dedication to pretty much anything, then yes, you will be successful 99% of the time. Just because he made it doesn't mean that everyone will, and most probably won't.
Next topic: building video games. If you really want to go make the next Grand Theft Auto, or Call of Duty, you pretty much need to get a computer science degree. That's not to say that New Media won't help in the graduate-level, I am not critiquing that, only the under-graduate program. Andy Harris, a professor and advisor in the Computer Science department, has a master's in New Media. He's written books on various programming languages, and made video games (as well as teaches the classes). But even with his New Media Master's, he tells New Media students to change to CS (something that I've found most CS professors do). But to go from a Bachelor's in New Media, to one of the big-name gaming companies, I just don't see happening. Yes, you could make the 2-D or 3-D character models, but to really build the game, that's computer science.
Making 2-D/3-D Art. As I said before, the job market just isn't there. I have yet to hear anything other than 'you have to work hard to get a job.' To me that is just a euphemism for there is no job market. If you are good enough, and have enough luck to get one of the few jobs that are there, good for you. I do not mean to downplay those individuals who have succeeded with this program, its just that I have a feeling that there are many students who haven't succeeded, and we just don't hear about them.
I believe that the New Media program should be scrapped, and rebuilt within other programs. If you want to build websites, there should be a track within the computer science program to suit that. If you want to do audio, then a specialization within the music technology degree. 2-D/3-D? Herron. Video is the only degree that I can not think of a specific major that it could be inherently absorbed into, and that could simply mean making it its own specific degree into the School of Informatics.
The New Media program consists of telling students that if they work hard enough that they can get a job doing what they want, be it audio, video, making games, or building websites. I accept, to a certain degree, the building websites, but the rest are mostly just pipe dreams and the program encourages students to spend 4 years and a lot of money to get a job, if they want it enough. I had three friends from high school go to Full Sail for video, audio, and band management (something Full Sail is renowned for being a great school for) and they all now work at Best Buy. The market for what a New Media degree is supposedly going to get you just isn't there. I've heard time and again in this program 'if you work hard enough, you can get a job.' And side-by-side with this comes the name Frank Tai. The 'poster child' of New Media, I don't think I made it through a single New Media course without having his name offered as proof that anyone can get their dream job. But then, if you talk to any of the professors or grad students in a less formal setting, they admit that he spent his entire life working on his stuff. He was ALWAYS here. If you have that kind of dedication to pretty much anything, then yes, you will be successful 99% of the time. Just because he made it doesn't mean that everyone will, and most probably won't.
Next topic: building video games. If you really want to go make the next Grand Theft Auto, or Call of Duty, you pretty much need to get a computer science degree. That's not to say that New Media won't help in the graduate-level, I am not critiquing that, only the under-graduate program. Andy Harris, a professor and advisor in the Computer Science department, has a master's in New Media. He's written books on various programming languages, and made video games (as well as teaches the classes). But even with his New Media Master's, he tells New Media students to change to CS (something that I've found most CS professors do). But to go from a Bachelor's in New Media, to one of the big-name gaming companies, I just don't see happening. Yes, you could make the 2-D or 3-D character models, but to really build the game, that's computer science.
Making 2-D/3-D Art. As I said before, the job market just isn't there. I have yet to hear anything other than 'you have to work hard to get a job.' To me that is just a euphemism for there is no job market. If you are good enough, and have enough luck to get one of the few jobs that are there, good for you. I do not mean to downplay those individuals who have succeeded with this program, its just that I have a feeling that there are many students who haven't succeeded, and we just don't hear about them.
I believe that the New Media program should be scrapped, and rebuilt within other programs. If you want to build websites, there should be a track within the computer science program to suit that. If you want to do audio, then a specialization within the music technology degree. 2-D/3-D? Herron. Video is the only degree that I can not think of a specific major that it could be inherently absorbed into, and that could simply mean making it its own specific degree into the School of Informatics.
iphone Ocarina
In a recent post I noted how Ocarina of Time is my favorite Zelda game, and possibly my favorite game all-around. At geek.com, they've brought Link's notable instrument to the 21st Century. It is made with three iPhones, which have been inserted into a laser-cut body. The player blows into the device and then uses 12 touch-senstitive areas on the screens, which changes the pitch, as would the finger holes in a normal ocarina. They are also toying with how to change the vibrato of the instrument by tipping the 'ocarina.'
Dick Tracy's Watch
Dick Tracy was a comic started back in teh '30's about a detective in a bright yellow trench coat. One of the things that he was most known for was his watch, which acted as a cellphone does today. Well, now they've really made one.
First shown in the 2009 CES, LG showed off their working demo of the watch. It has a touchscreen phone 3G and Bluetooth capabilities, and a camera that can take photos and small videos. It acts as a normal watch until you either get a call or decide to make one, via the speakerphone embedded in it.
They currently go for about $500, so only really committed spies can afford them as of now.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Video Game Graphics
Ever since the new-gen systems have come out, everyone is raving about the newest and best graphics. This has irritated me to no end. It encourages the video game industry to worry more about the way a game looks then they do about content, because they can always just hype the game content with their millions of dollars in advertising, and the screen-shots they show look good, so everyone ends up thinking the game will be awesome. Case in point: the Halo franchise. Yes, I am saying it, Halo is quite possible the most over-rated game/franchise ever. The game is nothing special, but with each subsequent game more and more hype has been generated about them. It is nothing special, even for console FPS's. One of the best games ever made? Tetris. It is fun to play, highly addictive, has been around for decades, and yet consists of strangely shaped blocks.
My favorite system that I have ever played/owned? The Nintendo 64. I still have mine hooked up and play it from time to time, and it is still fun. It had so many good games for it, that were fun to play. They looked good at the time, but by today's standards the graphics are atrocious. And yet I couldn't care less. Ocarina of Time is still my favorite Zelda game, Perfect Dark one of my favorite FPS's, and Mario Kart 64 my favorite mario cart. Today's gaming youth have been ingrained with this notion that the better it looks, the better it is. I'm not saying that we should lose the good graphics, just that good graphics can do nothing but make a good game better.
My favorite system that I have ever played/owned? The Nintendo 64. I still have mine hooked up and play it from time to time, and it is still fun. It had so many good games for it, that were fun to play. They looked good at the time, but by today's standards the graphics are atrocious. And yet I couldn't care less. Ocarina of Time is still my favorite Zelda game, Perfect Dark one of my favorite FPS's, and Mario Kart 64 my favorite mario cart. Today's gaming youth have been ingrained with this notion that the better it looks, the better it is. I'm not saying that we should lose the good graphics, just that good graphics can do nothing but make a good game better.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Horus-Christ Mythos
I first became aware of a possible link between a correlation between the biblical stories of Jesus, and the myths of Horus from the Egyptian Book of the Dead in Tomas Harpur's book The Pagan Christ. It was well-written, appeared to be very well-researched, and amazed me to the point where I had to learn more. The basic details of what Harpur claimed was that virtually every detail of the Biblical Christ had a direct parallel to Horus in Egyptian Mythology. Some of the resemblances include: John the Baptist is Anup the Baptizer, King Herod was Set, both Jesus' and Horus' mothers were virgins, both births were announced by angels and witnessed by shepherds, and the list goes on and on.
As it turns out, Harpur based his entire book on the work of two people: Alfred Kuhn and Gerald Massey. Turns out, Kuhn based his entire work on Gerald Massey's translation of the Book of the Dead, which he did wrong (which may or may not have been on purpose). The only obvious parallels are that they were both descended from royalty, both had someone in power try and kill them as infants, and both performed various miracles.
I keep this book in my collection for one main reason: it proves that even though it is in a book, it doesn't mean that it is correct. The Wikipedia entry on the Christ-Horus mythos is FAR more accurate than the book, even though the book is written in a very intelligent and scholarly manner. I think that everyone can learn from this instance, because there is this notion in this country that information on the internet is less reliable than books, and all through my high school career we were allowed only very rarely to use a website in a paper, and instead had to use only books. While I love to read and learn from books, I think we need a new society view on how we should learn, that multiple means of media (TV, books, internet, etc.) should be resorted to in the critical search for knowledge.
As it turns out, Harpur based his entire book on the work of two people: Alfred Kuhn and Gerald Massey. Turns out, Kuhn based his entire work on Gerald Massey's translation of the Book of the Dead, which he did wrong (which may or may not have been on purpose). The only obvious parallels are that they were both descended from royalty, both had someone in power try and kill them as infants, and both performed various miracles.
I keep this book in my collection for one main reason: it proves that even though it is in a book, it doesn't mean that it is correct. The Wikipedia entry on the Christ-Horus mythos is FAR more accurate than the book, even though the book is written in a very intelligent and scholarly manner. I think that everyone can learn from this instance, because there is this notion in this country that information on the internet is less reliable than books, and all through my high school career we were allowed only very rarely to use a website in a paper, and instead had to use only books. While I love to read and learn from books, I think we need a new society view on how we should learn, that multiple means of media (TV, books, internet, etc.) should be resorted to in the critical search for knowledge.
The Louvre Pyramid
The entrance to the Louvre is a giant glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei, being about 70 feet tall and 115 feet at the base. It is made of 603 rhombus segements and 70 triangular segments, and was finished in 1989. It was commissioned to be made, alongside an underground lobby, because the original main entrance couldn't handle the large number of visitors that the Louvre was seeing. Patrons enter the pyramid, descend into the lobby, and then ascend to the main buildings.
When construction began, many people complained that the futuristic pyramid conflicted to greatly with the classical architecture of the rest of the Louvre. Further complaints have been made, with the perpetration of an urban myth that the pyramid was constructed with exactly 666 glass panes. This is untrue, with the actual number of panes being 673.
In Dan Brown's book the da Vinci code, he also perpetrates the notion that there are 666 panes. The pyramid itself also is the final solution to the questions given to the main character, with the pyramid housing the remains of Mary Madeline.
Monday, November 16, 2009
StupidFilter
This is something I stumbled across. It is a program that, when finished, will help to stop rampant stupidity on the internet, specifically individuals who rant and scream, and say nothing for nothing's sake. They want to do this by using some analysis of how people talk online, and finding the trends to help stop people from flooding the web with non-sense. The main use of StupidFilter is to stop trolls on blogs and other posts.
It is going to be, and currently is, an open-source filter software. According to their site (http://stupidfilter.org/main/index.php?n=Main.About) "once the research is completed, we plan to release core engine source code for incorporation into content management systems, blogs, wikis and the like. Additionally, we plan to develop a fully implemented Firefox plugin and a Wordpress plugin."
I think this is a great idea. I have been on a blog or other such media, reading about something that I have an interest in seeing what other people's views on it are, only to see the thread unraveled by a troll, that one person who just rants and yells, never says anything, and insists that they know more than anyone on the planet, all of whom are stupid for not listening to him. I fully support online freedom of speech, but I think when someone starts a post or blog, they should be able to start off by saying 'no trolls allowed.'
It is going to be, and currently is, an open-source filter software. According to their site (http://stupidfilter.org/main/index.php?n=Main.About) "once the research is completed, we plan to release core engine source code for incorporation into content management systems, blogs, wikis and the like. Additionally, we plan to develop a fully implemented Firefox plugin and a Wordpress plugin."
I think this is a great idea. I have been on a blog or other such media, reading about something that I have an interest in seeing what other people's views on it are, only to see the thread unraveled by a troll, that one person who just rants and yells, never says anything, and insists that they know more than anyone on the planet, all of whom are stupid for not listening to him. I fully support online freedom of speech, but I think when someone starts a post or blog, they should be able to start off by saying 'no trolls allowed.'
Google Search: Digital Knowledge
digitalKnowledge is an Indianapolis-based services company, that designs, develops, and implements technological solutions to data, processes, and allows for business and customer relationships. They offer four specific branches of customer assistance: Business Intelligence, Customer Relationship Management, Web Solutions, and Operational Planning and Efficiency.
Their Business Intelligence (BI) branch focuses on allowing data-usability for their clients, to create and analyze information, using that to create knowledge, and using that knowledge to end with business results. The BI branch specifically does data warehousing, data marts, and operational data stores.
The Customer Relationship Management allows customers to deal with associates to help them plan how to market, sell, and serve them and their needs. They work on a four-part plan: Impact Evaluation, Sure Start, Launch, and Optimize.
Their Web Solutions team does pretty much what you would expect from the title. They build websites met to customer specs. I think other companies would be far better than this one, seeing as how both the content and look of their own website (http://www.digitalknowledge.biz/) is rather dull and lacks even a hint of ingenuity.
And finally we reach the end of the four, Operational Planning and Efficiency. You give them a plan, and they tell you whether or not they think it will work. That's about it.
To those of you who read this entire thing, I sincerely apologize. If you think it was boring to read about, it was far more boring to write about (just look at the last two sections, they were murder to write). But I figured this out about half-way through writing, and so decided to continue with it. Business has never really held any interest for me (and I'm sure for most of you as well) and that really says something. I have an inherent interest in learning something about most things. My rather expansive personal library has books from Stephen Hawking to Voltaire, to exegeses on the books of the New Testament to a graphic novel about Vampires and Tin Soldiers, to a book about how Hell has been depicted in art since the death of Christ. So to say that I have no interest in something is a rarity for me. But again, I apologize for the content of this blog, and hopefully you find my others to be of higher quality and greater interest.
Their Business Intelligence (BI) branch focuses on allowing data-usability for their clients, to create and analyze information, using that to create knowledge, and using that knowledge to end with business results. The BI branch specifically does data warehousing, data marts, and operational data stores.
The Customer Relationship Management allows customers to deal with associates to help them plan how to market, sell, and serve them and their needs. They work on a four-part plan: Impact Evaluation, Sure Start, Launch, and Optimize.
Their Web Solutions team does pretty much what you would expect from the title. They build websites met to customer specs. I think other companies would be far better than this one, seeing as how both the content and look of their own website (http://www.digitalknowledge.biz/) is rather dull and lacks even a hint of ingenuity.
And finally we reach the end of the four, Operational Planning and Efficiency. You give them a plan, and they tell you whether or not they think it will work. That's about it.
To those of you who read this entire thing, I sincerely apologize. If you think it was boring to read about, it was far more boring to write about (just look at the last two sections, they were murder to write). But I figured this out about half-way through writing, and so decided to continue with it. Business has never really held any interest for me (and I'm sure for most of you as well) and that really says something. I have an inherent interest in learning something about most things. My rather expansive personal library has books from Stephen Hawking to Voltaire, to exegeses on the books of the New Testament to a graphic novel about Vampires and Tin Soldiers, to a book about how Hell has been depicted in art since the death of Christ. So to say that I have no interest in something is a rarity for me. But again, I apologize for the content of this blog, and hopefully you find my others to be of higher quality and greater interest.
Gothic Metal
Gothic metal is a genre of music, which often combines the 'heavier' sound of heavy metal with a darker, brooding atmosphere of atmospheric metal. Starting in the 1990's in Europe with a fusion of death and doom metal, with bands like Peaceville of Three, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride leading the way. The band Theatre of Tragedy started dual vocals, with a growling male voice, and clean, often operatic female vocals contrasting, which has come to be known as 'Beauty and the Beast.'
More recently, Gothic Metal bands have taken on a symphonic atmosphere. Many bands, such as Nightwish and Xandria, often have a full orchestral back-up to their music.
Epica not only uses orchestras in their albums, but released one album that had only one song with vocals, the rest being either fully orchestral, or orchestral with overlaying guitars. Outside of Europe, the band Evanescence from Kansas has found success bringing a gothic metal-style and mixing it with nu metal.
More recently, Gothic Metal bands have taken on a symphonic atmosphere. Many bands, such as Nightwish and Xandria, often have a full orchestral back-up to their music.
Epica not only uses orchestras in their albums, but released one album that had only one song with vocals, the rest being either fully orchestral, or orchestral with overlaying guitars. Outside of Europe, the band Evanescence from Kansas has found success bringing a gothic metal-style and mixing it with nu metal.
RNA - The Mother of All Molecules
I recently went to a lecture hosted by the CFI of Indianapolis by May Khanna, entitled "RNA: Darwin's favorite molecule (had he known about it!)" She talked about how RNA could have formed from a primordial soup of simple organic molecules. Up until recently, how RNA could form from simple organic molecules and go through synthesis, to become what we now know as RNA. This last year, two biochemists (who won the Nobel Prize for their work) figured it out. The main problem was chemists couldn't figure out how to get a sugar to correctly attach itself to an organic base. Rather than going through the 'logical' steps, as chemists had up until this point, they went in a slightly more round-about way, and their method has proven repeatable on several instances.
She also went on to discuss the possibility that RNA was the evolutionary precursor to BOTH DNA and proteins. Up until the early '90's it was thought that proteins were the genetic precursor to RNA and DNA, and it is still being debated amongst scientists as to what really came first, but more and more evidence is showing the likelihood of RNA being the 'Mother of all Molecules.'
I loved her lecture, because she took something that was very technical, and simplified it to a point where the lay-person (like myself) could understand it, but there were also other bio-chemists in the audience who asked the more technical questions.
She also went on to discuss the possibility that RNA was the evolutionary precursor to BOTH DNA and proteins. Up until the early '90's it was thought that proteins were the genetic precursor to RNA and DNA, and it is still being debated amongst scientists as to what really came first, but more and more evidence is showing the likelihood of RNA being the 'Mother of all Molecules.'
I loved her lecture, because she took something that was very technical, and simplified it to a point where the lay-person (like myself) could understand it, but there were also other bio-chemists in the audience who asked the more technical questions.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Google Books
books.google.com is a collection of millions of books, all scanned and put online for anyone to look up and read, all for free. The majority of the collection consists of books that are in the public domain, so those that either have no copyrights or whose copyrights have ended, but Google has also made some agreements with publishers to provide others types of books for free. Google books works directly with many colleges/universities, such as Harvard and Stanford, using their collections to add to Google Books. They received lawsuits from individuals claiming copyright infringement, the biggest coming in 2008. It ended with Google agreeing to pay a total of $125 million to rights holders of books and to create a Books Rights Registry.
To cover the cost of some non-public domain books, Google Books might charge a fee for some books, but most numbers show that the odds of Google Books making money is slim. Sergai Brin, co-founder of Google, said that they never expected to make any money from Google Books.
I think this is a wonderful thing, with a really great potential. I personally love to read, and most of the things I read are religious, mythology, philosophy, and history, and much of those texts have fallen into the public domain. Also, although I learned it a little late, my Differential Equations textbook, which cost me almost $200, is on Google Books for free. I think that if Google continues to get agreements with publishers of textbooks, it could really help to offset the cost of college by making the textbooks free for anyone to view.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
google: digital mythology
I search "digital mythology," and came across the site http://www.paulsquire.com/mythology/mythology1.html. Paul Squire, the artist of the site, uses Photoshop, a wacom tablet and a mac as the main tools of creation to "twist and stretch new worlds into being, re-imagining classical myths and esoteric themes, which some have labelled 'The New Grotesque'" The specific images that I found are labeled after Greek and Roman gods, as well as a few other myths, such as Arachne and the battle of the Titans. While I love these pictures, the only qualm I have is the one on Apollo. Apollo was the twin brother to Artemis, son of Leto. As 'the most Greek of the Gods,' his symbols were the lute and the bow. It was even through the intervention of Apollo that Paris was was able to kill Achilles in The Iliad. The problem I have with the picture is that Apollo is standing over the sun. A popular misconception is that Apollo was the/a sun god. From a strictly mythological background, from the original texts, Apollo had nothing to do with the sun. The sun god was Helios in Greece, and Sol in Rome.
Random Wikipedia: American Conservatory of Music
For this post, I did a 'random article' in Wikipedia, and was shown the page for the American Conservatory of Music. It is located in Hammond, Indiana, but was originally in Chicago. It is one of the oldest music schools in the country, having been founded in 1886. By the 1970's, it was considered a daughter institution to Julliard.
The institution had problems in the '80's, when issues of financial mismanagement and misappropriation of endowments were called into question. In 1992, the institute asked for funding through the Illinois Board of Higher Education, to which authorities responded by trying to assert licensing control, which would cause the Conservatory to lose control over its curricula, tuition policy, and governing structure. After bankruptcy proceedings the institute in Chicago closed.
In 1998, the Conservatory moved to the new campus in Hammond, and was chartered in 1999. It officially moved there in 2000. The institute is affiliated with two campuses, one in Hammond and the other in Santa Elena, Belize. The Conservatory is now operating in awarding bachelor's, master's and doctoral courses without any federal or state accredation.
The institution had problems in the '80's, when issues of financial mismanagement and misappropriation of endowments were called into question. In 1992, the institute asked for funding through the Illinois Board of Higher Education, to which authorities responded by trying to assert licensing control, which would cause the Conservatory to lose control over its curricula, tuition policy, and governing structure. After bankruptcy proceedings the institute in Chicago closed.
In 1998, the Conservatory moved to the new campus in Hammond, and was chartered in 1999. It officially moved there in 2000. The institute is affiliated with two campuses, one in Hammond and the other in Santa Elena, Belize. The Conservatory is now operating in awarding bachelor's, master's and doctoral courses without any federal or state accredation.
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus is an adventure game developed by Sony Computer Entertainment released in 2005. In it, a man named Wander must fight and kill 16 colossi to resurrect his dead lover.
The awards it has won are numerous, from Best Game Design and Best Visual Arts, to Outstanding Acheivement in Art Direction from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. It also ranks in the Top 10 PS2 games in many magazine and internet lists.
But while being a fun game in and of itself, what amazed me was how I became so enveloped in the world. There are long stretches of just riding from one place to the next, not doing anything but riding, but the way its done fully immerses you in the world. It is the first game I have ever played where I have just stopped and looked around to see it as art. The lighting, the graphics, every shot from the game looks like a painting. And apart from this, the soundtrack is flawless. I even have it on my mp3 player.
This is where I think video games should strive for more often. Lately, many games have been pushed out because they have better graphics, or better enemies. This game had 16 enemies in the entire game, and the graphics weren't overly great, but the enemies were done with perfection, and the look of the game fit with what they could use. Rather than striving for more and more, Shadow of the Colossus went far less than what was normally standard, and I believe that others should follow.
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