LegoLoom Part 2: Existing Work
After thinking for a bit about a mechanical device that computes a fake punched card for the 1800s Jaquard loom, I figured it appropriate to first look at mechanical logic done with Legos. Fortunately, some enterprising people have already created…
LegoLoom Part 1: Background
The other weekend I experience the pleasure and fascination of visiting the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum. While there, my friend and I perused the loom room Weaver’s Barn. At first, I’m shocked that people spend time weaving, as…
Some Travel Tips
Use the Ranger Roll This is the first step in compacting the clothes so they’ll fit in the luggage. When rolling them up, you can also plan for each day (socks, underwear, shirt) as its own roll! At the end…
The Capitalist Religion
I was listening to Yuval Harari’s lecture series about his book Sapiens. He classified Capitalism as a religion and convinced me that I had already fully bought in. I’ve been practicing its creed without recognizing it as a religion. I…
Statistical Measures
In the stats book that I used at college, A First Course in Probability (sixth ed) by Sheldon Ross, I found two problems that seem paradoxical when juxtaposed. Can you explain the opposite results? Ch 2 Axioms of Probability, Self-Test Exercise #15….
My New Ergodox
I’m writing this post using my new Ergodox keyboard, and having a hell of a time adapting to the lack of a slant between the rows of the keys! For example, I continue to hit the “x” key when I…
First trip to Nicaragua
Due to unreasonably heavy traffic in Los Angeles (before the sun came up!) and a slow, cautious driver (my mother), we arrived at the airport after the designated check-in cutoff. I blame the government for subsidizing the car culture and…
Gestapofest
On Sunday, I went with some of my friends to enjoy a beer and celebrate Oktoberfest at Alpine Village. When I arrived I was dismayed to find the festivities closely guarded by a squadron of private security decked out in…
Booze Poetry: Three Philosophers
Last night I drank a Three Philosophers Belgian Style Blend (Quadrupel), and decided to write some more descriptive verse: Tonight, I drank up the philosophy of my three Beligan friends. Throughout the night we opined strongly about the mysticism of…
Tricks of the Trade
Today, Howard Rheingold was searching for examples of clear posts in which to use as examples of online communication. One of the respondents identified a really good series set of descriptions answering the question, What is it like to have…