1. Working around patent licensing problems with evolutionary algorithms.

    08 October 2007

    Evolutionary computer algorithms are good at solving a relatively common set of problems through trial and error - the set of problems that we know of with a large number of equally valid possible solutions, of which some subset of those are faster or more efficient. The only way to see which of these solutions will do what you want is to try one and mess around with it for a while, and then try a slightly different approach. In other words, by tinkering, tweaking, and hacking around, which is great on a small scale but when you're looking at a …

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  2. Another step closer to artificial life - an artificial chromosome.

    08 October 2007

    Geneticist Craig Venter of San Diego, California has made a significant breakthrough in genetics and bioengineering after it's been verified by the scientific community (I have to throw that disclaimer for reasons that'll be made clear in a moment)... he's built a chromosome out of raw materials in vitro.

    Yeah. Not only did Venter's team, lead by Nobel Prize winner Dr. Hamilton O. Smith hooked synthetic nucleotides together one by one into a strand of DNA 580,000 base pairs in length, coding for 381 distinct genes, and then got the DNA to coil up into a chromosome. The synthetic …

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  3. Why blogging engines don't sit quite right with me in subtle ways.

    08 October 2007

    On my way to the office this morning I was sitting in the car thinking about nothing in particular, and in my pre-caffeinated state my thoughts wandered in the direction of why blogging engines like Pivot and Wordpress make me uneasy in weird, peripheral ways, and why I find them so difficult to use, insofar as writing text is concerned. The reason is that they imply a sense of immediacy upon the user writing where sometimes there shouldn't be one.

    Let me start off by saying that I'm not trying to bash blogging in general or any one blogging engine …

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  4. Working with software RAID in Linux.

    05 October 2007

    This post assumes that you've worked enough with Linux to know about the existence of software RAID in the Linux v2.6 kernel series, though not necessarily much about it.

    If you're not familiar with it, RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) is a set of techniques that replicate data across multiple hard drives on the assumption that, at some point, a drive is going to fail. If the data can be found in some form on another drive, the data is still available. Otherwise you're out of luck unless you made backups, and if you're really unfortunate, your machine …

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  5. Not quite mind reading, not mind control the way people usually think of it, but significant nonetheless.

    05 October 2007

    At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology biotech researchers have made progress on an area of prosthetics that most people don't think about because it's so obvious but is still very important nonetheless: The neural interface. Specifically, they've worked out an algorithm that converts patterns of chemoelectrical activity in the brain that signify intent of motion into commands for an external device. Current prosthetics aren't directly hooked into the central nervous system but the "network edge" of the peripheral nervous system via interface jacks connected to nerve endings. Let's be clear, interface jacks that accept only broad sorts of input, such …

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  6. Somebody tell the Browncoats - there might be hope for a second Firefly movie.

    04 October 2007

    A recent interview with Alan Tudyk by Moviehole.net let slip an interesting piece of information, namely, that there was a pretty good chance that a sequel to Serenity would be made by Universal Pictures because the collector's edition DVD of Serenity is selling so well. Even if it's a straight to DVD release (which is something of a fad these days), it would probably still sell well.

    We can only hope.

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  7. That's some chili.

    04 October 2007

    Fire fighters in central London were called out in full hazmat gear when they received a report that a) something was on fire, and b) it was causing knocking down everyone that was within range of the cloud. Knocking down as in, "couldn't breathe, couldn't see, in lots of pain."

    At 1900 local time they had pinpointed the location (the Thai Cottage Restaurant) and the source of the noxious smoke: A cooking pot containing about nine pounds of nam prik pao, which is a Thai dipping sauce made up of super-hot chili peppers that are fried until they are burned …

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  8. It's plain to see where this man's priorities lie.

    04 October 2007

    George W. Bush has vetoed only four bills during his terms in office, which is unheard of for any President of the United States. The first three involved two bills that would have expanded stem cell research and withdrawing troops from Iraq. Unfortunately, the latest bill that he's shot down was SCHIP, the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which would have renewed and expanded mandates that would made it possible for families that aren't poor enough to get Medicaid but can't afford health insurance to get coverage for their children. The bill would have added an additional $35bus of funding …

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  9. At last, the post you've all been waiting for...

    03 October 2007

    Exoteric life being what it is, I've been waiting for the right time to post about Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day on 8 December 2007. The day is just what it sounds like - it's a Saturday where you wander around someplace pretending to be a time traveler, ideally kitted out in costume and in character but not actually telling anyone what you're doing. The original thread on the Koala Wallop forums goes on to describe a couple of possible schticks that you and your friends can try, such as "We came from a Utopian future but we don't …

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