So many ways to prepare coffee!
Brew methods →
December 24th, 2011Healthy
December 18th, 2011
Tastes healthy, too :p
We’re eating all the fruit and veg we need for the Christmas period in one meal. Better to get it out the way.
a free telnet/ssh client →
December 17th, 2011Dan Benjamin:
You need this because Windows doesn’t come with the ability to SSH or SFTP. I’m being serious.
lol
Universal Music claims it has a private deal with Google to take down YouTube videos it doesn’t own →
December 16th, 2011This is the start of censorship, and why we have to be careful about companies and government having easy tools that can be abused for censorship. They will try!
Many of us were baffled that Universal kept telling YouTube to take down this video, even though it was clear they didn’t hold a copyright to it — a fact reinforced by artists like will.i.am, who insisted that he hadn’t authorized Universal to send the takedown notice.
Now, a court filing in the matter from Universal claims that the takedown wasn’t issued because Universal claims a copyright in the Mega Song, but rather, they claim that they have a private contract with Google giving them the power to take down videos they dislike, regardless of whether they are the rightsholder.
I didn’t realise we had THREE babies on the way!
December 11th, 2011
(I’m practising my Dad Humour)
Jubilee Christmas Party 2011
December 10th, 2011
I’ve borrowed a flash, and this is a shot at a (very dark) Christmas party. I’m pretty pleased that it’s possible to capture a nice portrait, even when it’s pretty much pitch black.
I’ve been reading Strobist, so want to get an off-camera flash. For now, I’m making do with reflecting the flash off something.
Next time, I’ll have to play with the camera more in manual mode, to try and get at least some of the background, and Christmas party atmosphere!
Another comic – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
December 9th, 2011
I’ve run out of Batman Comics, and because I’ve put all the next ones on my Christmas Wishlist, I can’t get any more until Christmas (as an aside, I’m the most excited about Christmas I have been since I was a child. I’m putting that down to having a particularly childish Christmas List this year!)
So, I was browsing Comixology, and came across Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I’m astounded to discover it’s the full text of the book, set out as a comic with full illustrations. It’s fantastic and thorough and complete.
legal and policy issues related to robotics →
December 8th, 2011The next generation of robots will be in homes, offices and hospitals, not to mention driving cars, flying around as drones, and, yes, working as prison wardens. Robots will be programmed to learn, and will exhibit emergent behavior not necessarily contemplated by their designers. What happens when good robots do bad things? Who is responsible? And what ethical and legal constraints should be considered at the design stage so that the robotics industry does not become the next full employment opportunity for lawyers? What kinds of public policies should we put in place to encourage the smart deployment of robots, striking the right balance between encouraging innovation and safety? These are the kinds of questions to be examined at We Robot
A conference is planned next year, to discuss legal issues around robotics, such as who’s responsible if a learning robot does something bad.
I think, we should just get on with it, and give robots individual rights and responsibilities.
Hey, this is an interesting topic of discussion they have planned!
Relevant differences between virtual and physical robots.
CNet Is Bundling Open Source Software With Malware →
December 7th, 2011The way it works is that C|Net’s download page (screenshot attached) offers what they claim to be Nmap’s Windows installer. They even provide the correct file size for our official installer. But users actually get a Cnet-created trojan installer. That program does the dirty work before downloading and executing Nmap’s real installer.
Whoa! Avoid download.com
via Daring Fireball
