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 Wednesday, March 5, 2003
Charles Murtaugh had a nice comment about Living Code and made a comment that I will try to stick to. He wrote that he hoped I would 'resist the temptation to wade over his head into politics.' I totally agree with that sentiment. That is what I have this blog for. Getting over my head can be so much fun, since it has so rarely happened . I do love reading Charles. we could get together and talk a long time about our pet laboratory peeves. 2:38:26 PM 
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Rationale for public support of scientific research shifts [EurekAlert!]
More short sightedness, it seems. Research must increasingly have an economic component for government to fund it. This is bad, cince most great discoveries were only useful afterwards. Check out this quote: ... the post-World War II era of basic science being funded 'without thought of practical ends' has largely ended. Even though scientists still resist the application of economic criteria in determining the worthiness of research, areas of science for which benefits cannot be identified within the next 50 years will have increasing difficulty in achieving the credibility necessary to stake a claim on substantial scientific and technical resources. If research simply becomes a top-down driven approach, we will no longer be a country of creators. Research for research's sake has always been a strong component of federally funded research. And it is one of the reasons we have been so successful. Not a good sign. 2:08:27 PM
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China No. 1 Destination for Foreign Investment. NYTimes writes that "for the first time, China probably bested the United States as the world's top choice for foreign investment" and ponders if China is a rival, partner or both. China's influence takes many forms that are subtler than the loss of low-wage manufacturing jobs in the United States or the opening of a huge new consumer market in China. The costs and benefits of the trans-Pacific relationship are much more complex than simple gains and losses from trade. They extend to the bedrock of the American economy, including the productivity of the labor force and the stability of... [E M E R G I C . o r g]
Tech Heads East. Business Week has a special report on the importance of the emerging markets for technology (China, South Korea, India, Eastern Europe, Russia). Each market has its own drivers. In Russia, oil money and strong economic growth is pushing the dial. In China, efforts to automate manufacturing are driving sales, as is a growing consumer market. In India, the software and outsourcing markets have boomed, creating 160,000 jobs, a 25% increase, in just the past 12 months. Although more mature than other emerging markets, South Korea is enjoying stellar growth, thanks to a boom in broadband demand. A keeping-up-with-the Joneses mentality... [E M E R G I C . o r g]
What Fruits Will Reduced R&D Bear For The U.S.? [Slashdot]
Three articles to ponder. More money is flowing to China than the US. Since one of the main things that has helped our trade imbalance has been the flow of capital BACK into the US, this bodes ill for us.Bell Labs may just disappear. Reducing research is much like planting your seed corn. It only helps in the short run but is disasterous in the long. But, since a dollar spent on marketing returns more money than that spent on research, I am sure we will see more of this. The MBAs forget that without research, there is nothing to market. Short-sighted bean counters will produce an environment where there are no lobger any beans to count.
China has an active space program, has a plan for orbiting astronauts and for sending a mission to the moon. They are investing heavily in new technologies to move forward. Their government has the flexibility to do these things. The flexibility of our government has been greatly reduced. I am not hopeful for real improvement anytime soon. Statesmen are what we need but neither side seems to have any. 1:57:18 PM
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The Atlas of Cyber Space. Utterly Brilliant site - Weeks of Value - Shows the many ways that Cyberspace can be mapped and visualized [Robert Paterson's Radio Weblog]
Bookmark this site. It has some utterly wonderful examples of both good and bad graphs. It helps a lot when doing your own grahs. 7:32:37 AM
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A man is arrested for wearing a shirt that he bought AT the Crossgates Mall in Albany, NY. The shirt had the awful message of 'Peace on Earth' and 'Give Peace a Chance'. He was apparently not disruptive. Just asked to leave for wearing the shirt. Sounds like a security guard may have started something. Watch for about 100 people to show up with this shirt on, SOLD by one of the stores at the mall. You would think that in this economy the mall would be happy for any customers actually buying goods at their stores. Wonder how the stores feel about the mall running off paying customers? 7:06:11 AM
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An excellent article dealing with the possible effect of a war on ths tock market. No one knows. It could go way up when the backburner money comes forward, glad that the waiting is over. Or it could tank if the war is not lightening quick, with minimal damage to everything (i.e. oil fields as well as military). I suspect it will get better but then we are moving into that time of year where the markets, especially the NASDAQ, go into a swoon anyway. Should be a heck of a ride. I think I will sit on the sidelines for a while longer. 3:22:45 AM
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Are you a lurker?.
"Do you lurk around the edges of discussion groups? Scraping information for your benefit but wishing you had the knowledge to contribute something in return? Well you can. Sign up today!"
I read a number of newsgroups as well as subscribe to the RSS feeds of many weblogs. It's just not possible to interact with each of them and I sometimes feel like I'm lurking around the edges and never able to contribute.
There are several ways to pay back and say thank you for the knowledge you've gained.
- Submit a story or experience you have had that is relevant. Select an existing topic and illustrate that. Stories are great for sharing knowledge and you may find somebody with similar experience. As I write this, a story that I put on my personal website and announced in a newsgroup not one hours ago has already had 23 reads (and another before I finished this sentence!)
- Summarise the salient points of a threaded discussion so the next person along doesn't have to back track through ten or more posts. This is a key principle of why wikis work.
- Take step 2 further and begin hosting a FAQ of the most frequently asked questions. The quick and dirty way is a list of topics in the newsgroup and a link back to the original posts. The long and rewarding step is to work through the topics. Remember though, the existing community can be used to help.
- Offer what you know. You may not think it much but you are not to judge its value. Many seemingly innocuous posts can trigger the right idea in somebody else.
And if all that fails, post a message to the group just to say thank you. [thought?horizon]
Some excellent points. Giving back is one of the most empowering things you can do. It makes you part of the community and opens up new connections. And it can be as easy as an email. Telling someone how much you appreciate their work can do wonders. 3:16:09 AM
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Laptops Win Over The Skeptics, Even In Maine. Apparently, this is a story that keeps on popping up. We've had a few different articles about the program in Maine to give all seventh grade students a laptop, and now the NY Times has their own article saying that
many skeptics of the program have been won over. It seems like, over time, the program has been convincing more people to its benefits. Each article seems increasingly positive about the program. The big worry now, is what will happen when the students complete the eighth grade and the laptops are taken away. People in Maine are hoping that the early successes will convince companies to donate the necessary cash to let students keep the laptops through high school.
[Techdirt]
Nice to see that a committed state CAN make a decision that makes a difference, even in the face of some withering criticism. This is what the system is supposed to do, allow each state to experiement with representational government, permitting the best solutions to rise to the top. 3:08:00 AM
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Former Palm executive rejoins Apple. Longtime software developer Steve Sakoman, a former Palm and Be executive, rejoins Apple Computer as a vice president. [CNET News.com]
What I loved about this was the link to another story saying that Palm was laying of 19% of its employees. I guess it would be a nice time to seek new employment. 2:54:44 AM
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Supreme Court curbs trademarks' reach. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling gave a suprise legal boost to Americans who own Internet domains that criticize corporations or use their trademarks. [CNET News.com]
Although this does not appear to involve domain names, it has some really important ramifications. Actually reading the summary of the decision seems to indicate that the trademark holder has to show actual damage to their mark, not just the possibility. I am not sure how this would affect some of the XXXsucks.com sites, since it might be easier to prove actual damage. Just remember, IANAL. 2:48:20 AM
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It is a little troubling to think that the government can take over a Domain name. This allows them to gather a huge amount of information from people who simply visit the site, without necessarily knowing exactly what the site is. It also could allow them to put software onto your computer without your knowledge, software that allows them to log every keystroke you make and then notify the government. This is one of the things that is now allowed and there is not a need for any warrant. In the long run, the crooks will find ways around this sort of thing while you average law-abiding citizen opens themselves up to abuse. I do like that the article links to these sites so you can check them out yourself. I'm a little too paranoid to check them out myself. 2:38:15 AM
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