S. 786 has been introduced and sponsored by Sen. R. Santorum. While the wording of this bill leaves much to be desired if you puzzle with it a while you will see that it is trying to limit the ability of the National Weather Service ( seriously cool sight if your a weather nut ) to post its weather information online for general access by the public in order that it not compete with private enterprises such as Accuweather and The Weather Channel. It seems concerned about repetitious work by a government agency that the private sector is willing and able to provide.
I suppose on the surface of it this may seem reasonable enough but if you dig a bit deeper you find something interesting. Quite a bit of the information provided by Accuweather and The Weather Channel consist largely of repackaged National Weather Service information. This information is paid for out of the federal budget... IE your tax dollars. So everyone that pays federal taxes has partially footed the bill for this information. Private businesses of course want to make money for providing their services.
So just to spell it out.
Accuweather (primary instigator) has basically been crusading to get this legislation in action for a while now. They have managed to sway one of the Senators in their home state to sponsor and introduce S.786 to stop the National Weather Service from providing public access to the tax payer funded information that they repackage in their service. So in other words they want people to have to pay them (and other weather services) for access to the information collected and paid for already with their tax dollars.
This is wrong on so many levels it isn't even funny. That a company is trying to protect a business model that does not provide added value over what is already provided by a needed federally funded process is bad enough. That a Senator has bought off on it and is actively sponsoring a bill to make it law just isn't right. The whole thing puts me in mind of the RIAA and its whining that digital file trading is killing its means of making money. Well tough shit says I. There is no right to a specific business model. Horse Carriage makers had all the same arguments when the Model T came along and that Car thing actually took off.
Write your congress critters, or drop 'em an E-mail and say that this simply isn't acceptable. If they only people they hear from are the businesses like Accuweather then they might just be blinded enough by the BS to actually let a turd piece of legislation like this slip through.... By all rights it shouldn't even have gotten this far. But that is our Congress at work for ya. It is right depressing at time.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Technology in the Classroom
Last year Duke greeted Students with something interesting. They handed out an apple I-pod. Since then debate has absolutely raged about whether it was a frivolous popularity gimmick or an inspired new move to incorporate technology into the educational environment. I say it is more towards the inspired end of the spectrum because it embraces a very fundamental aspect of technology used for educational purposes. It MUST MUST MUST be universal. Since every student has one then teachers can expect them to be available to all of their students. Since every student has them you have the maximum possibility that they will figure out some new way to make them usefull tools for study.
Currently there is no end to the debate regarding computer use in the classroom at all levels of education. All I can say is that they will continue to be marginal tools at best till they are universal and their use is on par with that of paper. IE everyone has it and knows how to use it. Until then they are unevenly distributed tools and becasue they lack a universal nature teachers will continue to be at odds regarding how to properly harness them.
Now that said, I am not sure what the ultimate value of an Ipod in an educational setting is at this particular point in time but its power to be an effective tool is there as 20gb+ is an awful lot of information. Even with its limitations it has gotten enough use and the practice has spread to enough schools that they are slowly finding their niche. This article covers the positives and negatives and at the end raises an issue that makes my blood boil. It is a discussion of the right of students to share the material captured by their ipods... such as lectures and interviews. I simply find it appalling that there is even any question about the rights of a student to record and share the information they gain in class. Be that with their fellow classmates or the world at large. Technology has now brought a level of educational material dessimination to the realm of possibility that was utterly impractical not all that long ago. Consider it this way. After College one could have an IPOD filled with thousands of hours of lectures and full sets of the asociated texts and refference materials... and someone else could have them in the time it takes to copy the information. For 600 dollars worth of gear I could share the materials of my college education with a friend, my child or a complete stranger. This is simply STAGGERING. We should be dancing about singing hallelujia and striving to make the perfect envrionment for collecting all of this information into a manageable system for accessing it and pushing it out to anyone who wants it.
I wish I had my College classes and texts on Ipod or simply in any digital format... especially if I could index that information via something like Google's desktop search. Instead I have barely legible, incomplete notebooks, fading memories and some of the texts. I wish that when the time comes and my children are learning they could have access to all of that information, and more, easy access to that level of information in ANY field of intrest. This idea that it may be right to create limitations for sharing educational information needs to be stopped in its tracks.
Instead we seem more interested in protecting the prestiege factor of attending college and limiting the dessimination of the learning available only to those both finacially and physcially able to atend the classes at the various universities. With free sharing of this sort of information in place, top lectures by the best in the field could be used to supplement course material at ALL classes EVERYWHERE or used by a motivated individual to learn on their own.
Currently there is no end to the debate regarding computer use in the classroom at all levels of education. All I can say is that they will continue to be marginal tools at best till they are universal and their use is on par with that of paper. IE everyone has it and knows how to use it. Until then they are unevenly distributed tools and becasue they lack a universal nature teachers will continue to be at odds regarding how to properly harness them.
Now that said, I am not sure what the ultimate value of an Ipod in an educational setting is at this particular point in time but its power to be an effective tool is there as 20gb+ is an awful lot of information. Even with its limitations it has gotten enough use and the practice has spread to enough schools that they are slowly finding their niche. This article covers the positives and negatives and at the end raises an issue that makes my blood boil. It is a discussion of the right of students to share the material captured by their ipods... such as lectures and interviews. I simply find it appalling that there is even any question about the rights of a student to record and share the information they gain in class. Be that with their fellow classmates or the world at large. Technology has now brought a level of educational material dessimination to the realm of possibility that was utterly impractical not all that long ago. Consider it this way. After College one could have an IPOD filled with thousands of hours of lectures and full sets of the asociated texts and refference materials... and someone else could have them in the time it takes to copy the information. For 600 dollars worth of gear I could share the materials of my college education with a friend, my child or a complete stranger. This is simply STAGGERING. We should be dancing about singing hallelujia and striving to make the perfect envrionment for collecting all of this information into a manageable system for accessing it and pushing it out to anyone who wants it.
I wish I had my College classes and texts on Ipod or simply in any digital format... especially if I could index that information via something like Google's desktop search. Instead I have barely legible, incomplete notebooks, fading memories and some of the texts. I wish that when the time comes and my children are learning they could have access to all of that information, and more, easy access to that level of information in ANY field of intrest. This idea that it may be right to create limitations for sharing educational information needs to be stopped in its tracks.
Instead we seem more interested in protecting the prestiege factor of attending college and limiting the dessimination of the learning available only to those both finacially and physcially able to atend the classes at the various universities. With free sharing of this sort of information in place, top lectures by the best in the field could be used to supplement course material at ALL classes EVERYWHERE or used by a motivated individual to learn on their own.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Braves Baseball
Time for some Baseball.
Alot of fans are worried about the Braves right now. The offense is quesitonable, and the new Closer Kolb is off to a horriffic start. However I can't say I am worried. For one, barring something unusual, starts like Kolbs are like 10/10 hitting streaks, they just don't last. Thus far in his career the guy has all the marks of a serviceable closer. Unless he goes Wholers on us he is going to rack up 30+ saves.... and he may well blow 10+. The way the Braves are built there are going to be save opps GALORE. Granted we need to see some quality efforts soon but two apperances do not a bust make. About the worst thing the Braves could do right now is push the panic button cause if the guy isn't toast yet, pulling the carpet out from under him will finish him off. He keeps blowing up and the time will come for a change and its still early and there is a Looooong season ahead.
As for the bats I really can't say I am too worried about them just yet either. This offense reminds me a great deal of the ones we had in the early 90's at the start of this incredible run. They have some pop but mostly they are going to scrap. From top to bottom we have guys that know how to get the job done and who are willing to do what needs to be done to win. Even Raul Mondessi though he is no favorit of mine. Once Furky, and Giles get their act going the offense will click and we will start scoring more. At that point the starters efforts will net more wins... and the Pen will get a chance to catch its breath here and there rather than facing nail biters night after night after night. At that point the Braves are going to look tough.... very very very tough.
There is always the good luck and bad luck fairy pot luck surprises... a bum elbow for smoltz...a ressurgence from Brian Jordan. In the end the breaks cancel out more often than they beat you down or lift you up over the course of the season (post season is a bit different) and the Braves organization is one that deals with the breaks better than any in history.
So when will it be time to worry? If 4 weeks from now we are 5+ games off the pace still faced with an aneamic offense, and have Canned Kolb with no viable replacement comming to the fore, then I will be worried.
In order to be in position to take home a 14th division title we must have these 3 things.
1) A top 3 in the leauge performance from the starters, best in the NL East
2) At least Career average years for Chipper, AJ, Giles and Furky
3) Estrada was not over performing last year
The things that will put us over the top in conjunction with the above...
1) A Comeback year from either Jordan or Mondessi
2) Another dominating Ragtag Pen
I think the Braves take it again this year barring a major setback or a 105+ win effort from another team in the division... I just don't think we have the Hosses to get to that level without way to much luck. However,The Marlins and Philles both have the pieces if everything gels. I would love to see a Pennat race between Cox and Mekeeon.
My call of the year
Hampton will show the form that landed him that outrageous contract. He is comfortably in the shadow of Smoltz and Hudson. With an average offense and Solid Pen 20 wins is not out of the question.
Past calls of the year.
Last year I called the Braves having a top 3 Pitching Staff... I think the ended 2nd if not 1st overall.
Year before I also made a call regarding Hampton saying he would take the first half to find himself and then he would dominate in the second half.
Alot of fans are worried about the Braves right now. The offense is quesitonable, and the new Closer Kolb is off to a horriffic start. However I can't say I am worried. For one, barring something unusual, starts like Kolbs are like 10/10 hitting streaks, they just don't last. Thus far in his career the guy has all the marks of a serviceable closer. Unless he goes Wholers on us he is going to rack up 30+ saves.... and he may well blow 10+. The way the Braves are built there are going to be save opps GALORE. Granted we need to see some quality efforts soon but two apperances do not a bust make. About the worst thing the Braves could do right now is push the panic button cause if the guy isn't toast yet, pulling the carpet out from under him will finish him off. He keeps blowing up and the time will come for a change and its still early and there is a Looooong season ahead.
As for the bats I really can't say I am too worried about them just yet either. This offense reminds me a great deal of the ones we had in the early 90's at the start of this incredible run. They have some pop but mostly they are going to scrap. From top to bottom we have guys that know how to get the job done and who are willing to do what needs to be done to win. Even Raul Mondessi though he is no favorit of mine. Once Furky, and Giles get their act going the offense will click and we will start scoring more. At that point the starters efforts will net more wins... and the Pen will get a chance to catch its breath here and there rather than facing nail biters night after night after night. At that point the Braves are going to look tough.... very very very tough.
There is always the good luck and bad luck fairy pot luck surprises... a bum elbow for smoltz...a ressurgence from Brian Jordan. In the end the breaks cancel out more often than they beat you down or lift you up over the course of the season (post season is a bit different) and the Braves organization is one that deals with the breaks better than any in history.
So when will it be time to worry? If 4 weeks from now we are 5+ games off the pace still faced with an aneamic offense, and have Canned Kolb with no viable replacement comming to the fore, then I will be worried.
In order to be in position to take home a 14th division title we must have these 3 things.
1) A top 3 in the leauge performance from the starters, best in the NL East
2) At least Career average years for Chipper, AJ, Giles and Furky
3) Estrada was not over performing last year
The things that will put us over the top in conjunction with the above...
1) A Comeback year from either Jordan or Mondessi
2) Another dominating Ragtag Pen
I think the Braves take it again this year barring a major setback or a 105+ win effort from another team in the division... I just don't think we have the Hosses to get to that level without way to much luck. However,The Marlins and Philles both have the pieces if everything gels. I would love to see a Pennat race between Cox and Mekeeon.
My call of the year
Hampton will show the form that landed him that outrageous contract. He is comfortably in the shadow of Smoltz and Hudson. With an average offense and Solid Pen 20 wins is not out of the question.
Past calls of the year.
Last year I called the Braves having a top 3 Pitching Staff... I think the ended 2nd if not 1st overall.
Year before I also made a call regarding Hampton saying he would take the first half to find himself and then he would dominate in the second half.
Automatic Tickets
First there were the speed cameras, then the insurance black boxes and now we actualy have cars that rat you out to the police. While I am largely a fan of technology I am not so sure these are good ideas. For one the most obvious thing this technology is capable of detecting is speeding. While I think speed limits area good thing I do not think 100% enforcement is a very reasonable expectation consdiering the limitations of the current system. They are static numbers with little regard for vehicle/driver capabilities or conditions. If you wanted to make this system smart enough to create a dynamic speed limit environment which takes more into consideration than the one number per stretch system I would be more interested in seeing this technology more widely used.
How could this work ? IF ALL cars are mandated to have it then you can have a system monitor traffic levels and adjust speed limits accordingly, IE if your the only driver for miles in a Ferrari the system sets it accordingly, if it is raining/snowing then limits lower according to deteriorating traction conditions. Higher levels of traffic density lead to lower limits. GPS systems and active scanning for automatic cruise controls can be used to maintain safe braking distances and to warn drivers of dangerously low distances. Then you would have a system far more capable of weeding out truly dangerous exceptions both above and below the speed limit.
Another possibility I would like to see is a driver cell phone interlock which disables the phone of the driver while the transmission is engaged. This actually could be accomplished with a bluetooth interface informing the phone that the key is in use... perhaps allowing the phone to make or receive a call only if a hands free setup is detected.
How could this work ? IF ALL cars are mandated to have it then you can have a system monitor traffic levels and adjust speed limits accordingly, IE if your the only driver for miles in a Ferrari the system sets it accordingly, if it is raining/snowing then limits lower according to deteriorating traction conditions. Higher levels of traffic density lead to lower limits. GPS systems and active scanning for automatic cruise controls can be used to maintain safe braking distances and to warn drivers of dangerously low distances. Then you would have a system far more capable of weeding out truly dangerous exceptions both above and below the speed limit.
Another possibility I would like to see is a driver cell phone interlock which disables the phone of the driver while the transmission is engaged. This actually could be accomplished with a bluetooth interface informing the phone that the key is in use... perhaps allowing the phone to make or receive a call only if a hands free setup is detected.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Hillary in '08
I have been talking about it since Hillary took a seat in the Senate. Now it looks like the first few shots have been fired officially with the NY GOP starting up its "Stop Hillary Now" fundraising. Personally I think such a move this early only serves to show just how scared republicans are of Hillary and they should be. I have little doubt she will make a run... and a strong one at that. The Dems just don't have anyone else to point to as a candidate and she has the motzy. The real question now is if she wants to be re-elected in '06? Two years is a long time to campaign out of the spotlight but at the same time the Clinton's are the best Democratic fundraisers in history.
My call right now is that she will either step down without standing for re-election or put on an all out blitz for re-election. The last thing she would want is a failed campaign to start off her '08 bid. Both options have their merits, however not standing for re-election means breaking cover with 3 years to '08 and I don't see that happening. So two things to look for. One, no mention of a presidential bid. Two, no promises not to leave her post for the presidency. You will probbaly see the GOP try to force her into a similar promise to the one she made and has held to from her '00 campaign. If she gets forced into that then to make a run after being re-elected would risk destroying the credibility she has built by not seeking the VP nomination in '04.
Given that something dosn't cause it to fizzle (and there is plenty that could go wrong) a Hillary campaign will be simply fascinating from an academic standpoint. She would be the first credible female candidate. If she wins then the presidency will have been split in its office for more than 2 decades between two families. And of course there is the real wild card in the deck.... Bill. Frankly Bill is the key to a bid by Hillary. How the public percieves him, how the parties percieve him. Management of Bill's impact on the election will be the key to success or defeat in my eyes. Not that I think Hillary is a front for another Bill term or anything like that... anyone who thinks that woman is interested in playing second fiddle is deluding themselves. But to think an Ex-president as the spouse of a candidate will not play a major role is just wishfull thinking.
As for how I feel personally about the possibility? I am not a fan of either of the major parties or their candidates. I am kinda glad W can't run for a 3rd term... the republicans do not really seem to have a real strong candidate to replace him at this point. Condoleza Rice presents a rather intruiging option but she just dosn't have the political currency. She could wind up being a VP candidate though. Guilliani would be the odds on favorit at this point but I wouldn't rule out Cheny (scary as that seems). What would I like to see? How about an outraged Colin Powell running on his own? If the Dems do back Hillary and Condi makes the VP ticket you are going to have change in the wind and people are going to be far more willing to re-evaluate who they vote for becasue for the first time in a loooong time they will have something different confronting them at election time. Thus '08 represents a potential crack in the armor of the two major parties for the right 3rd party candidate. Powel is one of the few with enough appeal that he might could make something of it... but his age will be a serious consideration for '08. Not that I think it will happen. One Powell just dosn't have the drive, and two, the election process is just too heavily weighted against a 3rd party candidate.... But oh would it make for a hell of a race!!
My call right now is that she will either step down without standing for re-election or put on an all out blitz for re-election. The last thing she would want is a failed campaign to start off her '08 bid. Both options have their merits, however not standing for re-election means breaking cover with 3 years to '08 and I don't see that happening. So two things to look for. One, no mention of a presidential bid. Two, no promises not to leave her post for the presidency. You will probbaly see the GOP try to force her into a similar promise to the one she made and has held to from her '00 campaign. If she gets forced into that then to make a run after being re-elected would risk destroying the credibility she has built by not seeking the VP nomination in '04.
Given that something dosn't cause it to fizzle (and there is plenty that could go wrong) a Hillary campaign will be simply fascinating from an academic standpoint. She would be the first credible female candidate. If she wins then the presidency will have been split in its office for more than 2 decades between two families. And of course there is the real wild card in the deck.... Bill. Frankly Bill is the key to a bid by Hillary. How the public percieves him, how the parties percieve him. Management of Bill's impact on the election will be the key to success or defeat in my eyes. Not that I think Hillary is a front for another Bill term or anything like that... anyone who thinks that woman is interested in playing second fiddle is deluding themselves. But to think an Ex-president as the spouse of a candidate will not play a major role is just wishfull thinking.
As for how I feel personally about the possibility? I am not a fan of either of the major parties or their candidates. I am kinda glad W can't run for a 3rd term... the republicans do not really seem to have a real strong candidate to replace him at this point. Condoleza Rice presents a rather intruiging option but she just dosn't have the political currency. She could wind up being a VP candidate though. Guilliani would be the odds on favorit at this point but I wouldn't rule out Cheny (scary as that seems). What would I like to see? How about an outraged Colin Powell running on his own? If the Dems do back Hillary and Condi makes the VP ticket you are going to have change in the wind and people are going to be far more willing to re-evaluate who they vote for becasue for the first time in a loooong time they will have something different confronting them at election time. Thus '08 represents a potential crack in the armor of the two major parties for the right 3rd party candidate. Powel is one of the few with enough appeal that he might could make something of it... but his age will be a serious consideration for '08. Not that I think it will happen. One Powell just dosn't have the drive, and two, the election process is just too heavily weighted against a 3rd party candidate.... But oh would it make for a hell of a race!!
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Electric Vehicle Conversion
I have noodled several times with the notion of converting one of my cars to electric power. There are plenty of kits out on the market but in the end they are just to expensive. You often spend as much as you would for a new car and this is just for the parts. Currently I wouldn't consider spending that kind of money as it would only net a short range car that took hours to re-charge. However, after reading about toshiba's new battery it has me thinking about a conversion again. I also remembered reading about these and it occurs to me they provide a very interesting easy conversion option.
The idea would be just to put a hub motor on all 4 corners. Yank out the motor/transmission/gas tank/drive shaft/exhaust and brakes. Don't worry about tossing the brakes you now have a new system courtesy of regenerative braking. Probably need to rig an auxiliary electric motor to run accessories (AC and Power steering). During acceleration you run everything off the batteries, but when cruising you use two motors as alternators to run the accessories. Batteries go in the engine compartment and where the gas tank was. If you have the space you might also install a 5kw generator for a limited recharging capacity when away from an outlet. This might not really drop the cost. But it would simplify the installation of a conversion system. Battery packs are not hard to wire. Putting a wheel on is simple. Fairly easy methods of interconnecting the pedals and controls are already available. If you didn't insist on power steering and A/C you would pretty much have an electric car at that point. With access to the equipment to pull your motor and transmission you could do something like this in a weekend.
This opens up some interesting design possibilities. After all, car design is limited somewhat by having to deal with the engine compartment and drive train. With this sort of configuration you can simplify the undercarriage a great deal, evenly distribute batteries and have no engine compartment to interfere with more aerodynamic profiles. Additionally.... Motor upgrades, or use on another car is as easy as swapping the wheels. Most parts replacement could be accomplished by plug and play methods.. ie unplug faulty system plug in new system. No more messy oil and hydraulic fluid changes. No brake pads to wear out. No transmission nightmares, no clutch or torque converters, no differential. Most trouble shooting could be accomplished with a multimeter. Suspension would also get a bit simpler since you would no longer need to provide power through the axel... 4 wheel independent would not be simpler and cheaper than the old live axel setup.
You would drastically reduce the number of moving parts and complexity of a car. The concept of a car wearing out mechanically would no longer apply... Restoration would no longer be labor intensive and unable to really utilize new advances. New motors would still fit old designs (think custom wheels). New Batteries could be configured to go in any space available for them, new control boxes would be like exchanging a printer in your home computer system. It is just amazing the possibilities this kind of design could bring. But to me none is more intriguing than the possibility of an easy conversion process of existing gas cars. After all if electric all the sudden becomes viable thanks to new battery technology then there will be all of these gas car chassis available... Reviving a junkyard car with a solid frame and body could be the work of a weekend instead of months/years.
The idea would be just to put a hub motor on all 4 corners. Yank out the motor/transmission/gas tank/drive shaft/exhaust and brakes. Don't worry about tossing the brakes you now have a new system courtesy of regenerative braking. Probably need to rig an auxiliary electric motor to run accessories (AC and Power steering). During acceleration you run everything off the batteries, but when cruising you use two motors as alternators to run the accessories. Batteries go in the engine compartment and where the gas tank was. If you have the space you might also install a 5kw generator for a limited recharging capacity when away from an outlet. This might not really drop the cost. But it would simplify the installation of a conversion system. Battery packs are not hard to wire. Putting a wheel on is simple. Fairly easy methods of interconnecting the pedals and controls are already available. If you didn't insist on power steering and A/C you would pretty much have an electric car at that point. With access to the equipment to pull your motor and transmission you could do something like this in a weekend.
This opens up some interesting design possibilities. After all, car design is limited somewhat by having to deal with the engine compartment and drive train. With this sort of configuration you can simplify the undercarriage a great deal, evenly distribute batteries and have no engine compartment to interfere with more aerodynamic profiles. Additionally.... Motor upgrades, or use on another car is as easy as swapping the wheels. Most parts replacement could be accomplished by plug and play methods.. ie unplug faulty system plug in new system. No more messy oil and hydraulic fluid changes. No brake pads to wear out. No transmission nightmares, no clutch or torque converters, no differential. Most trouble shooting could be accomplished with a multimeter. Suspension would also get a bit simpler since you would no longer need to provide power through the axel... 4 wheel independent would not be simpler and cheaper than the old live axel setup.
You would drastically reduce the number of moving parts and complexity of a car. The concept of a car wearing out mechanically would no longer apply... Restoration would no longer be labor intensive and unable to really utilize new advances. New motors would still fit old designs (think custom wheels). New Batteries could be configured to go in any space available for them, new control boxes would be like exchanging a printer in your home computer system. It is just amazing the possibilities this kind of design could bring. But to me none is more intriguing than the possibility of an easy conversion process of existing gas cars. After all if electric all the sudden becomes viable thanks to new battery technology then there will be all of these gas car chassis available... Reviving a junkyard car with a solid frame and body could be the work of a weekend instead of months/years.
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