tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30005982010-05-12T05:40:37.461-05:00? AntiQuarkTruth, Beauty, Charm, StrangeDerekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-51756111356916943542010-04-27T22:24:00.008-05:002010-04-28T20:17:28.283-05:00Bye, Blogger!Google has decided to shut down this blog in a few days. This is an FTP-based blog, and apparently, the FTP protocol (invented in 1971) is too much for the 20,000 or so google "engineers" to wrap their brains around. <br /><br />This blog is pretty much inactive anyway, but if I ever want to start blabbering about anything else, I'll post it to my twitter feed:<br /><a href="https://twitter.com/antiquark2">https://twitter.com/antiquark2</a><br /><br /> See you there!!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-5175611135691694354?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-7004038437600674822009-08-24T20:06:00.008-05:002010-04-28T20:34:06.552-05:00Bokeh Visualizer<img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/bokehvis-swirly.jpg"><br><tt>Feel the swirl</tt><br><br><br />Wow, I actually designed a product! I call it <b><a href="http://www.antiquark.com/bokeh/">Bokeh Visualizer</a></b>. It lets you simulate that ever-popular lens blur commonly known as bokeh. It has some unique features like:<ul><li>• swirly bokeh</li><li>• elliptical bokeh</li><li>• full control over the brightness contour</li><li>• and more!</li></ul>Download a trial version at: <a href="http://www.antiquark.com/bokeh/">Bokeh Visualizer</a>. The trial version is fully operable, it just nags you a bit. Hope you like it!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-700403843760067482?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1149045272034659622006-05-30T21:56:00.000-05:002006-05-30T22:31:13.796-05:00AntiQuark photoblog<img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/play-pause-button-thumb.jpg" /><br /><br />I think I'll take a swing at photoblogging. Now that it's summer, I'll be spending less time surfing for good links to blog, and more time outdoors, playing with my kids and experiencing the real world. <br /><br />Plus, photography is one of those hobbies that can make you look very creative, without requiring much thought or effort. Bonus!<br /><br />Here's the link to <a href="http://www.antiquark.com/photos/">AntiQuark::Photography</a>. I'll try to update once a day or so. It's based on the free <a href="http://www.pixelpost.org/">pixelpost</a> software, but I also added a "zoomout" button for people with lower monitor resolutions. <br /><br />If you have a subscription service like Bloglines, you can subscribe to the <a href="http://www.antiquark.com/photos/index.php?x=rss">RSS</a> or <a href="http://www.antiquark.com/photos/index.php?x=atom">ATOM</a> feeds, so you don't have to keep checking the page manually. <br /><br />Mad props to Andrew who showed me the light with his photoblog, <a href="http://photoniceye.ca/">PhotonicEye</a>.<br /><br /><b>Photoblog Awards</b><br />If you're not familiar with the phenomenon of photoblogging, check out the <a href="http://2006.photobloggies.org/">Photobloggies</a> to see some people who really know how to take pitchers.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114904527203465962?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1147885986636459892006-05-17T11:58:00.000-05:002006-05-17T12:14:58.333-05:00Knuth Article<img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/knuth_now.jpg" /><br /><tt>In his home libarry.</tt><br /><br /><a href="http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2006/mayjun/features/knuth.html">Love at First Byte</a><br />Really good article on Knuth that covers pretty much everything. <br /><br />I've often mused on the idea of following a similar career path as Knuth, and of course ending up with fame and fortune. <br /><br />Like Knuth, my first step will be to get the highest GPA in my math course at university. Unfortunately, that will involve traveling back in time, and changing my rank from thirtieth to first. (NOTE TO SELF: investigate purchase of time machine on eBay.)<br /><br />(via <a href="http://j-walkblog.com/">j-walk blog</a>.)<br /><br /><a href="http://oku.edu.mie-u.ac.jp/~okumura/texfaq/mathtime/comparison.html">TeX Font Samples</a><br />Japanese page with a few TeX/LaTeX font examples.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114788598663645989?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1146794210403351172006-05-04T19:58:00.000-05:002006-05-04T22:05:50.596-05:00Nefertiti (and Other Beauties)<a href="http://groups.google.ca/group/sci.anthropology/msg/f604dae732f3d435?hl=en&">Nefertiti: Drawing Board Beauty</a><br /><blockquote>Nefertiti's chin, mouth, and nose, and the uraeus cobra are placed along the vertical axis of the face. The nostrils are exactly one finger distant from each side of this median line; the outer ends of the eyebrows are three fingers from the median line and the center of each ear is four fingers,</blockquote><br />That seems correct. Just take a Nefertiti image, superimpose a regular grid, and you can see that her facial features fall upon gridlines.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.antiquark.com/img/nefertiti-grid.jpg"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/nefertiti-grid-small.jpg" /></a><br /><tt>(Click for full face. Non-gridded face <a href="http://www.antiquark.com/img/nefertiti-large.jpg">here</a>.)</tt><br /><br />Each eye is three squares wide, with the iris being one square in width. The nose is four squares wide, and the corners of the eyes are separated by four squares. In fact, the nostrils and corners of the eyes form a perfect square. I don't think this was done for numerological reasons -- it's possible the artisans of the time used a simple grid system to record and convey portraits.<br /><br /><hr><br /><br /><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/nefertiti-man.jpg" /><br /><tt>Dude looks like a lady?</tt><br /><br /><strong>Nefertiti Resurrected (NOT!)</strong><br />Remember that <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/nefertiti/face/face.html">documentary</a> on the Discovery channel in which "scientists" reconstructed Nefertiti's face based on her actual mummy? <br /><br />Didn't you think that the face had a "manly" quality to it? I sure did. The producers of the CBC series <em>Disclosure</em> probably thought so too. They did some DNA tests, and discovered that the mummy actually <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/disclosure/archives/040113_nef/test.html">belonged to a man</a>. <br /><br />CBC informed the Discovery bigwigs that the purported Nefertiti mummy was really a man-mummy. Of course, they were completely ignored:<br /><blockquote>When versions of Nefertiti Resurrected went to air recently in the United Kingdom and Canada, there were no new elements added.</blockquote><br /><hr><br /><br /><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/beautycheck.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.uni-regensburg.de/Fakultaeten/phil_Fak_II/Psychologie/Psy_II/beautycheck/english/index.htm">BEAUTYCHECK</a><br />An old site that's still good for a re-read. It's an in-depth scientific investigation of the characteristics of beauty, based on computer generated images of faces. <br /><blockquote><a href="http://www.uni-regensburg.de/Fakultaeten/phil_Fak_II/Psychologie/Psy_II/beautycheck/english/virtuelle/virtuelle.htm">Virtual Attractiveness</a>: A remarkable result of our research project is that faces which have been rated as highly attractive do not exist in reality. This became particularly obvious when test subjects (independently of their sex!) favoured women with facial shapes of about 14 year old girls. There is no such woman existing in reality! They are artificial products - results of modern computer technology. </blockquote><br /><br /><hr><br /><br /><a href="http://www.dog-portraits-inpencil.com/howtodrawwomen.html">How To Draw Beautiful Women</a><br /><blockquote>*Even How To Draw Cowgirls!:<br /><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/draw-cowgirls.JPG" /><br />And Much More!</blockquote><br />Oh the humanity.<br /><br /><hr><br /><br /><a href="http://www.beautyinmusic.com/index.htm">Beauty In Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Hottest Women in Classical Music</a><br />I notice that there's a shortage of <a href="http://www.beautyinmusic.com/instument_pages/inst_sackbut.htm">sackbut babes</a>. The sackbut industry should take notice, and recruit more hot babes before it reaches the point where nobody knows what a sackbut is.<br /><br /><hr><br /><br /><strong>Exotic Indian Dance in Office 2</strong> <br />(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?search=office+dance&v=KW5SQm4SWqc">YouTube</a> or <a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8728572148776535644&q=exotic+indian+dance">GoogleVid</a>)<br /><br />The beauty of youth. <br />Technically, it's safe for work. (Technically.)<br /><br /><hr><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114679421040335117?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1146021724454799962006-04-25T21:38:00.000-05:002006-04-25T22:47:08.716-05:00Ye Olde Hakka Round-HousesThe less-logical parts of my brain think it would be damn cool to live in a Hakka roundhouse, or <i>tulou</i>. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.bachsite.com/Yongding%20Chuxitulou%20frame.htm"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/P6020140.JPG" width=430 /></a><br /><tt>Hakka roundhouses in the distance. These structures are up to 400 years old. </tt><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/66972807@N00/96152245/"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/96152245_5dd645edef.jpg" width=430 /></a><br /><tt>View from the inside.</tt> <br /><br /><a href="http://www.bachsite.com/Yongding%20major%20content.htm">Yongding, China, June 2002</a><br />Lots of good pics of the exterior and interior of Hakka houses.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bachsite.com/Yongding%20Chuxitulou%20frame.htm"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/P6020166.JPG" width=430 /></a><br /><tt>A ground floor view.</tt><br /><br /><a href="http://www.bachsite.com/Yongding%20Chuxitulou%20frame.htm"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/rP6020184.JPG" /></a><br /><tt>Yes, people actually live there. Tulou are clan dwellings, so everyone's related.</tt><br /><br /><a href="http://www.chinadwelling.dk/hovedsider/clan_homes-tekst.htm"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/chengqilou-3rd-floor-w.jpg" width=430/></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.chinadwelling.dk/hovedsider/clan_homes-tekst.htm">Clan homes in Fujian</a><br />A more technical page with construction details and blueprints and such.<br /><br /><strong>Flickr Tag Search</strong><br />Flickr has lots of pics tagged as <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/hakka/">hakka</a> or <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/tulou/">tulou</a>. If you're really keen, you can subscribe to the RSS feeds (at bottom of flickr page) so you'll be quickly notified if anyone posts more pics.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka_architecture">Hakka architecture</a><br />The Wikipedia page.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114602172445479996?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1145035603863087162006-04-14T12:14:00.000-05:002006-04-14T12:56:24.970-05:00God's Plan for Acne<img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/acne-diagram.jpg" width=430 /><br /><tt>PRAISE JEEZUS!</tt><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14975524&dopt=Abstract">Med Hypothesis: Is acne really a disease?</a><br /><blockquote>Acne's conspicuous localization on the face, and its ability to elicit reflexive disgust and avoidance in observers, suggests a possible role in sexual selection. <br />...<br />adolescent acne is a normal physiological process ... that functions to ward off potential mates until the afflicted individual is some years past the age of reproductive maturity, and thus emotionally, intellectually, and physically fit to be a parent.</blockquote><br />"Being a poor parent" seems to be a little weak as an evolutionary force. I figure a more compelling method of natural selection would be due to consequences of messing around with the chief's daughter. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8054-2005Mar28.html?nav=rss_topnews">Wash. Post: My Blemished Past; Did He Care if His Teen Acne Served an Evolutionary Purpose?</a><br /><blockquote>God, being supposedly omnibenevolent, could have no conceivable use for things such as pimples, which caused so much suffering. Ergo, He could not exist. Having banished the divine, I felt briefly omnipotent myself.</blockquote><br />Maybe God was just testing him or something.<br /><br />I think this is the type of theory that drives people into the arms of the Intelligent Designers. Scientists are heartless in a way -- they'll give you the facts without apologising or trying to make you feel better about yourself. <br /><br />They'll say things like, "yes, we evolved from <a href="http://tiktaalik.uchicago.edu/">lobe-finned fishapods</a>," without hugging you afterwards, and saying with teary eyes, "I know how you feel, I wish it weren't true, but it's something we have to live with."<br /><br />Maybe scientists should take grief counselling courses in university. Then they could surround their theories with apologies, platitudes to make one feel better about themself, and exhortations to "stay strong... we can get through this."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/tiktaalik.jpg" /><br /><tt>I'm related to that? WAAHHHH!</tt><br /><br />(All via google.)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114503560386308716?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1144384518031740672006-04-06T23:14:00.000-05:002006-04-06T23:38:04.360-05:00Harryhausen Archive<img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/onemillionbc8.jpg" width=430/><br /><tt>Ceratosaurus: RAWRR! <br>Triceratops: GRRRGR!</tt><br /><br /><a href="http://theseventhvoyage.com/creatures.htm">THE SEVENTH VOYAGE.COM: Creatures</a><br />Gallery of animated creatures by stop-motion expert Ray Harryhausen. There's also a <a href="http://theseventhvoyage.com/trailers.htm">trailer</a> section if you want to see some video.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/thecyclops3.jpg" width=430 /><br /><tt>The Cyclops!</tt><br /><br />I remember seeing the 7th voyage on TV when I was about five years old. Without exaggeration, it was an experience that obliterated every preconception I had of the world up to that point. For years afterwards, I wondered what the hell that miraculous movie was, which I didn't even know the title to.<br /><br />Luckily, Starlog magazine clued me in to Harryhausen in the late 70s/early 80s. Thanks, Starlog!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114438451803174067?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1143868161796962312006-03-31T22:56:00.000-06:002006-03-31T23:09:21.806-06:00The Pottery WizardA <a href="http://www.e-yakimono.net/html/kumano-kuroemon-sv.html">true story</a> of someone who experienced the full hypnotic force of a pottery guru's work...<br /><br /><blockquote>It happened to the visitor for the first time at a recent Kumano Kuroemon Exhibition. It was as if he was put under a magical spell. His feet felt glued to the ground and he could not move; he could not pull himself away from Kumano's guinomi display no matter how hard he tried. <br />...<br />The visitor went home that night only to find himself still unable to break free from Kumano's spell. He looked at Kumano's scary face on the cover of a Toh book and thought what a gentle spirit Kumano is.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/kumano-kuroemon-himself.jpg" /><br />...<br />That night the visitor had a dream. It was a dream of one of the guinomi he had seen that day and he knew that it was a sure sign that he must have it. He felt like he was going crazy...<br />...<br />Below is the guinomi that made him almost lose his mind.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/kumano-gui-front.jpg" /></blockquote><br /><br />(Via <a href="http://www.e-yakimono.net/guide/index.html">Japanese Pottery Information Center: Guidebook.</a>)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114386816179696231?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1143600948737646352006-03-28T20:46:00.000-06:002006-03-28T20:55:48.746-06:00Latest Knuth Fascicle<strong>Boolean Evaluation</strong><br />Knuth's latest chapter from his upcoming sequel to TAOCP.<br /><br />Hilights:<br /><br />- Shows how to construct a 7-segment display driver with only 13 logic operations (page 18).<br /><br />- Shows how to create a tic-tac-toe playing device that uses only 396 gates (page 28).<br /><br />(By "show" I mean "derive by using dense mathematical terminology.")<br /><br />Via <a href="http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/news.html">Knuth News</a>. Original postscript file <a href="http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/fasc0c.ps.gz">here</a>. PDF version for the postscript-impaired <a href="http://www.antiquark.com/img/fasc0c.pdf">here</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114360094873764635?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1143566672245473662006-03-28T11:13:00.000-06:002006-03-28T11:24:32.256-06:00I'M FREEE!!!My thesis is finally, absolutely, complete, and over and done with. Hands were shaken, and dotted lines were signed upon.<br /><br />Title:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"Bird Call Recognition with Artificial Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, and Kernel Density Estimation."</span><br /><br />Downloads:<br /><a href="http://www.antiquark.com/thesis/msc-thesis-derek-ross-v5c.pdf">Thesis document, PDF, 3.3 MB.</a><br /><a href="http://www.antiquark.com/thesis/msc-thesis-presentation-23.pdf">Thesis presentation, PDF, 4 MB.</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114356667224547366?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1142218943544477062006-03-12T20:55:00.000-06:002006-05-21T19:29:06.243-05:00Thesis; Spaceships; Apollo 11; Logic Puzzle<strong>Thesis Update</strong><br />Presentation is on March 20th. I'll post my thesis here once the final corrections are done.<br /><br /><hr><br /><br /><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/slave1b.jpg" width=430 /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.30doradus.org/spaceships/">Spaceship Image Archive</a><br />Gallery of almost every spaceship from science fiction. The only one missing (as far as I can tell) is the <a href="http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=space%201999%20eagle&btnG=Google+Search&sa=N&tab=wi">Space 1999 Eagle</a>.<br /><br /><hr><br /><br /><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/live-surface-moon.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4166049933953240830&q=type%3Agpick">Google Video: The Eagle Has Landed 1969</a><br />Good quality comtemporary vid of the first moon landing. The music and narration portrays the event as having an eerie, mysterious quality, as opposed to the usual triumphalism. However, the fricken thing cuts off halfway through, a few minutes after Armstrong sets foot on the moon. It's only 14 minutes, but I'm sure it was originally 30.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">UPDATE</span>: It's been fixed, now it's nearly 30 minutes in length. The second half is as good as the first half. <br /><hr><br /><br /><strong>Hardest logic puzzle EVAR!</strong><br /><blockquote>Three gods A , B , and C are called, in some order, True, False, and Random. True always speaks truly, False always speaks falsely, but whether Random speaks truly or falsely is a completely random matter. Your task is to determine the identities of A , B , and C by asking three yes-no questions...</blockquote>By famed logician George Boolos (RIP). Forum discussion <a href="http://discuss.fogcreek.com/techInterview/default.asp?cmd=show&ixPost=1487">here</a>, PDF file with answer <a href="http://hcs.harvard.edu/~hrp/issues/1996/Boolos.pdf">here</a>. The answer itself makes no sense, but if Boolos said it's the answer, then it must be the answer.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-114221894354447706?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1139587163477611392006-02-10T09:46:00.000-06:002006-02-10T09:59:23.490-06:00Thesis Update<span style="font-weight:bold;">Thesis Update</span><br />AARGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Slow Blogging</span><br />Also, due to the increase of "AARGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" in my life, blogging will be slow. Instead of monthly posting, maybe I'll try for a biannual post.<br /><br />My thesis advisor went through my first draft with a fine-toothed comb. I have to fix dozens of typos, plus I wrote the whole thing in first person (i.e. "I did an experiment") when it should have been third person (i.e. "An experiment was done"). The contractions (isn't, aren't, doesn't, etc) all have to go too. <br /><br />He also crossed out a lot of sentences where I spoke informally about things. I guess I wasn't surprised that he removed my reference to the hypothetical "Fart Owl."<br /><br />I'm a little disappointed about that one. It is 2006 after all... Should not engineers be able say the word "fart" without embarassment? Am I right, people?<br /><br />As a form of protest, I plan to fart during my presentation. I'm still trying to decide if it will be a silent protest, or a loud, raucous one.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-113958716347761139?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1138641516196392372006-01-30T11:15:00.000-06:002006-01-30T15:48:39.816-06:00Probability & DeMorgan'sIn my previous post, a <a href="http://burtonmackenzie.blogspot.com/">reformed cow orker</a> dared me to prove DeMorgans for ternary (three-valued) logic. Well, I'll one-up that, MacKenzie (if that's your real name)... how 'bout I prove DM for a form of logic that has an <b>infinite</b> number of shades of truth?<br /><br />I'm referring to the logic of probability theory. <br /><br />Remember that the probabilities of events in combination can be explained by the following three equations:<br /><br />First, the probability of observing <b>a</b> AND <b>b</b> happen simultaneously is given by<br /><br /><center>P(a ^ b) = P(a)P(b).</center><br /><br />Second, the probability of observing either <b>a</b> OR <b>b</b>, is<br /><br /><center>P(a v b) = P(a) + P(b) - P(a)P(b).</center><br /><br />Third, the probability of <i>NOT</i> observing <b>a</b> happen is<br /><br /><center>P(~a) = 1 - P(a).</center><br /><br />An interesting fact is that if you restrict your probability values to 0 (certainty that an event is impossible) and 1 (certainty that an event will happen) then the rules above become identical to the <b>AND</b>, <b>OR</b> and <b>NOT</b> operations of propositional logic. And, like propositional logic, the laws of probability have their own DeMorgan's laws:<br /><br /><center>P(~(a ^ b)) = P(~a v ~b)</center><br />and<br /><center>P(~(a v b)) = P(~a ^ ~b).</center><br /><br />Proving these laws is simple, you just plug in the equations. (For clarity, let A = P(a) and B = P(b).)<br /><br />First, evaluate the probability P(~(a ^ b)):<br /><br />= 1 - P(a ^ b)<br />= 1 - AB<br /><br />Next, determine the probability P(~a v ~b):<br /><br />= P((1 - A) v (1 - B))<br />= (1 - A) + (1 - B) - (1 - A)(1 - B)<br />= 1 - A + 1 - B - (1 - A - B + AB)<br />= 1 - A + 1 - B - 1 + A + B - AB<br />= 1 - AB<br /><br />See, they're equal! Therefore P(~(a ^ b)) = P(~a v ~b). (The dual statement, P(~(a v b)) = P(~a ^ ~b) can proven similarly.)<br /><br />QED, etc. Oh yeah, I almost forgot... TAKE THAT, MacKENZIE!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-113864151619639237?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1137364852854281752006-01-15T16:40:00.000-06:002006-06-14T09:11:34.430-05:00Proof of DeMorgan's TheoremFor quite a while I've been looking for a purely algebraic proof of DeMorgan's theorem. I know that it can be proven simply by filling out a truth table, but that seems so... inelegant. Plus, the truth-table proof only applies to logics with values of '1' and '0' or 'true' and 'false'. In more advanced mathematics, a Boolean algebra (or 'lattice' as it is sometimes called) might permit more than just 'true' and 'false' values.<br /><br />The laws (or axioms) of Boolean algebra are:<br /><br />• The <span style="font-style: italic;">absorption laws</span>,<br /><center>a ^ (a v b) = a<br />a v (a ^ b) = a</center><br /> So called because the 'b' is absorbed into the 'a', which is the only thing that remains.<br /><br />• The <span style="font-style: italic;">distribution</span> laws,<br /><center>a ^ (b v c) = (a ^ b) v (a ^ c)<br />a v (b ^ c) = (a v b) ^ (a v c)</center><br /> So called because the 'a' is distributed across the 'b' and 'c' values.<br /><br />• The <span style="font-style: italic;">complementation</span> laws,<br /><center>a ^ ~a = 0<br />a v ~a = 1</center><br /> Which specifies the result of and'ing or or'ing a value with its negation.<br /><br />Also, there are the obvious <span style="font-style: italic;">commutative</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">associative</span> laws, for example, <span style="font-style: italic;">a ^ b = b ^ a</span>; <span style="font-style: italic;">a ^ (b ^ c) = (a ^ b) ^ c</span>, etc.<br /><br />The symbols are used like so: '^' means 'and', 'v' stands for 'or', '~' (also known as 'not') indicates that the complement is being taken, and '1' and '0' are the minimum and maximum elements of the logic.<br /><br />I found I was able to prove a bunch of the other housekeeping theorems just by working the equations and plugging in axioms to get from point A to point B. For example, the boundedness identity, <span style="font-style: italic;">a ^ 1 = a</span>, can be proved by starting with <span style="font-style: italic;">a ^ 1</span>, replacing <span style="font-style: italic;">1</span> with <span style="font-style: italic;">a v ~a</span> (due to complementation), then using absorption on <span style="font-style: italic;">a ^ (a v ~a)</span> to get <span style="font-style: italic;">a</span>.<br /><br />DeMorgan's theorem, on the other hand, seemed to be a much tougher nut to crack. Recall that there are two version of DM:<br /><br /><center>~a ^ ~b = ~(a v b)</center><br />and<br /><center>~a v ~b = ~(a ^ b)</center><br />(For simplicity, I'll just focus on the first one from now on.)<br /><br />I've tried, with no luck, to take <span style="font-style: italic;">~a ^ ~b</span> and work it into <span style="font-style: italic;">~(a v b)</span>. The big problem is that none of the axioms gives you a direct way of "encasing" something complicated into a "not" operation. (If you don't get what I'm talking about, give it a try... you'll see what the problem is.)<br /><br />The complementation laws, <span style="font-style: italic;">a ^ ~a = 0</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">a v ~a = 1</span> would be useful if we could take advantage of the negated term. In fact, these two laws happen to be the key to proving DM. We can use them to determine if <span style="font-style: italic;">a = b</span> by evaluating 'a' along with <span style="font-style: italic;">~b</span>. Specifically, we want to show that<br /><center><br />if a ^ ~b = 0 and a v ~b = 1,<br />then a = b.</center><br />Once we've proven this lemma, we can use it to further prove DM.<br /><br />We'll use the Boolean laws mentioned above, plus two extra premises; namely, <span style="font-style: italic;">a ^ ~b = 0</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">a v ~b = 1</span>. If we start with 'b' we should be able to work our way to 'a', which would prove our conjecture.<br /><br />The proof goes as follows:<br /><table> <tbody><tr><td> b </td><td> (start with 'b') </td></tr> <tr><td> = b ^ 1 </td><td> (identity law) </td></tr> <tr><td> = b ^ (a v ~b) </td><td> (substitute first premise) </td></tr> <tr><td> = (b ^ a) v (b ^ ~b) </td><td> (distribution laws) </td></tr> <tr><td> = (b ^ a) v 0 </td><td> (complementation law) </td></tr> <tr><td> = (b ^ a) v (a ^ ~b) </td><td> (substitute second premise) </td></tr> <tr><td> = a ^ ( b v ~ b) </td><td> (distribution law) </td></tr> <tr><td> = a ^ 1 </td><td> (complementation) </td></tr> <tr><td> = a </td><td> (identity law) </td></tr> <br /></tbody></table><br /><br />Thus, whenever <span style="font-style: italic;">a ^ ~b = 0</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">a v ~b = 1</span>, then <span style="font-style: italic;">a</span> is equal to <span style="font-style: italic;">b</span>.<br /><br />We will use this fact to prove DeMorgan's theorem by substituting <i>(~c ^ ~d)</i> into <i>a</i> and <i>~(c v d)</i> into <i>b</i>. Thus, if we're able to prove that<br /><center><br />(~c ^ ~d) ^ ~~(c v d) = 0</center><br />and<br /><center>(~c ^ ~d) v ~~(c v d) = 1</center><br />then we will have shown that<br /><center>~c ^ ~d = ~(c v d).</center><br /><br />An initial simplification is due to the <i>involution</i>, or <i>double negation</i> law, <i>a = ~~a</i>. We can replace <i>~~(c v d)</i> with <i>(c v d)</i> in both of the above equations. Working out the first one, we get<br /><br /><table> <tbody><tr><td> (~c ^ ~d) ^ ~~(c v d) </td><td><br /></td></tr> <tr><td> = (~c ^ ~d) ^ (c v d) </td><td> (double negation) </td></tr> <tr><td> = ((~c ^ ~d) ^ c) v ((~c ^ ~d) ^ d) </td> <td> (distribution) </td></tr> <tr><td> = (~c ^ c ^ ~ d) v (~c ^ d ^ ~ d) </td> <td> (associative, commutative laws) </td></tr> <tr><td> = (0 ^ ~d) v (~c ^ 0) </td><td> (complementation) </td></tr> <tr><td> = 0 v 0 </td><td> (boundedness) </td></tr> <tr><td> = 0 </td><td> (idempotence) </td></tr> </tbody></table><br /><br />Similarly, we can show that <i>(~c ^ ~d) v ~~(c v d) = 1</i>.<br /><br />Hence, we can conclude that<br /><center><br />~c ^ ~d = ~(c v d).</center><br /><br />NOTE: Some of the following "housekeeping" theorems were mentioned in the preceding proof. Most of them are straighforward to prove. Involution is a little tricky; you have to use <i>1 = ~a v ~~a</i> at one point.<br /><br />Idempotence<br /><center>a ^ a = a<br />a v a = a</center><br /><br />Boundedness, Identity<br /><center>a v 0 = a<br />a v 1 = 1<br />a ^ 0 = 0<br />a ^ 1 = a</center><br /><br />Involution or Double Negation<br /><center>~~a = a</center><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-113736485285428175?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1135394498315282792005-12-23T21:06:00.000-06:002005-12-23T22:37:25.973-06:00Astro Nudies, Etc.<img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/apollo-12-playboy.jpg" /><br /><tt>"Houston, we have a boner..."</tt><br /><br /><a href="http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/a12/a12_cdrcuff.pdf">Apollo 12 Cuff Checklist</a> (via <a href="http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/frame.html">Apollo Lunar Surface Journal.</a>)<br />Scans of the historic lunar checklist. From the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_12">Wikipedia article:</a><br /><blockquote>The Apollo 12 backup crew managed to 'insert' into the astronaut's lunar checklist (attached to the wrists of Conrad's and Bean's spacesuits) reduced sized pictures of Playboy centerfolds, thus introducing pornography to the moon for the first time when Conrad and Bean were looking through the lists during their first EVA.</blockquote>Here's <a href="http://www.alanbeangallery.com/peteandme.html">Alan Bean's own account</a> of the prank:<br /><blockquote>Knowing there were some people on Earth who wouldn't see the humor of these little additional illustrations, I said nothing over the radio, but hopped over to Pete and gave him a look. He laughed and said nothing but pointed to his checklist, too. Our backup crew of Dave Scott and Jim Irwin hadn't forgotten either of us.</blockquote>I looked through the other checklists, and Apollo 12 was the only one with porn. I wonder why NASA discontinued it? Maybe the astronauts were spending too much time masturbating (beyond the alotted limits.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.astronautix.com/articles/spaedout.htm">Space Flight Bloopers</a><br />Some funny ones here...<br /><blockquote>Tang, orange-drink sponsor of CBS coverage of the mission, was not pleased when Young confided to a crewmate, not knowing that his words were being broadcast live: "I got the farts again... I mean, I haven't eaten this much citrus fruit in twenty year...in another twelve f***ing days, I ain't never eating any more...I'll be damned if I'm goint to be buried in oranges.."</blockquote><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-113539449831528279?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1134615475141814152005-12-14T20:46:00.000-06:002005-12-14T21:04:45.616-06:00Virtual Biology<a href="http://www.antiquark.com/frog/index.html"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/visible-frog.jpg" /><br /><br />THE VISIBLE FROG!</a><br />So I'm working on my thesis the other night, and due to an unexpected turn of events caused mostly by procrastination, I ended up creating <b>THE VISIBLE FROG!(TM)</b>. Hover your mouse over the progression bar to see <b>THE VISIBLE FROG!(TM)</b> reveal his internal organs in lifelike clarity! Click the "Auto" button to watch <b>THE VISIBLE FROG!(TM)</b> get shaved down into nothingness in the blink of an eye! Zoom into <b>THE VISIBLE FROG!(TM)</b> to get a really good look at what he ate for breakfast!<br /><br />Unfortunately, I don't think my thesis adviser will give me any marks for <b>THE VISIBLE FROG!(TM)</b>. Electrical engineering projects aren't usually related to amphibian guts.<br /><br /><b>THE VISIBLE FROG!(TM)</b> was tested with IE, Mozilla and Firefox. It works better with Moz & FF -- you can scroll around and the progression bar always stays visible.<br /><br />Note: <b>THE VISIBLE FROG!(TM)</b> has to load 2 MB of images before it will work properly. If you're on a dialup, you might have to wait a while.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-113461547514181415?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1131716292586737222005-11-11T07:17:00.000-06:002005-11-12T15:17:49.216-06:00Slow Blogging, EtcSlow blogging... I'm trying to finish off my !@#$ thesis this month. <br /><br /><a href="http://dearcomputer.nl/gir/">Google Image Rip</a><br />Image search that bypasses the thumbnails and directly shows the full sized images. Good for entertaining kids -- just type in "<a href="http://dearcomputer.nl/gir/?q=dinosaur&s=4&a=10">dinosaur</a>" or "<a href="http://dearcomputer.nl/gir/?q=skeleton&s=4&a=10">skeleton</a>" or "<a href="http://dearcomputer.nl/gir/?q=robot&s=4&a=10">robot</a>", and awayyy we go.<br /><br /><a href="http://blueballfixed.ytmnd.com/"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/blueballs.gif" /><br /><br />The Blue Ball Machine</a><br /><a href="http://www.rube-goldberg.com/html/gallery.htm">Rube Goldberg</a> meets the intarweb. Guaranteed to keep the attention of the younguns for several seconds. <br />(via <a href="http://www.huge-entity.com/">Huge Entity</a>)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Funny Search Term</span><br />Someone arrived here searching for <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=superbly%20muscled%20buttocks">superbly muscled buttocks</a>. Heh, my page is number two. I think I'll change my slogan to "ANTIQUARK: SUPERBLY MUSCLED BUTTOCKS". <br /><br /><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051021120542.htm">Trained Wasps May Be Used To Detect Bombs</a><br />Since wasps are distantly related to ants, I see no reason why it wouldn't be possible to <a href="http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Landmine-Lovin_27_20Ants">breed ants that build hills over landmines</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-113171629258673722?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1129255099996316502005-10-13T20:55:00.000-05:002005-10-13T21:18:18.033-05:00Blue Marble Seasons<a href="http://www.antiquark.com/img/blue-marble-seasons-480.gif"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/blue-marble-seasons-120.gif" /></a><br /><tt>Global throb of the seasons (click to enlarge).</tt><br /><br /><a href="http://www.antiquark.com/img/blue-marble-NA-seasons.gif"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/blue-marble-NA-seasons-small.gif" /></a><br /><tt>North America's annual pulse (click to enlarge).</tt><br /><br />Source images from <a href="http://bluemarble.nasa.gov/">NASA's Blue Marble project</a>, via <a href="http://slashdot.org/">slashdot</a>, with mad props to <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">the GIMP</a> for making GIF animations so easy.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-112925509999631650?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1128956125332938742005-10-10T09:49:00.000-05:002005-10-10T09:55:25.336-05:00Firearm Safety<a href="http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/compliance-conformite/safety-surete/safety_course_video_e.asp">Canadian Firearms Safety Course Video</a><br />A total of 45 minutes video instruction. Canadians are boring even when shooting guns. <br /><br />I notice they didn't mention alcohol in the hunting tips section. I guess that means drunken hunting is A-OK. <br /><br />One thing the video missed was the "falling backwards with both handguns blazing" technique. They really should hire John Woo for the next series.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-112895612533293874?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1106021970238319212005-10-08T22:17:00.000-05:002005-10-08T23:40:27.843-05:00eBay Bidding: Tips, Tricks and TacticsI'm not an eBay "power-buyer" by any means, but I did spend about 6 months trying to build up a <a href="http://www.antiquark.com/sliderule/sim/">small slide rule collection</a> without breaking the bank. Another good title for this would be <span style="font-weight: bold;">things I wished I knew about eBay but was too stupid to ask</span>. These strategies are oriented to slide rules, but I'm sure that they can apply to eBay purchases of any collectible. There are also a few hints on buying US items from Canada, which, had I known before, would have saved me a few bucks.<br /><br />This is part one of a two part series. I was planning a standalone post, but it took me 3 months to get halfway through my outline, so I decided to post what I have now rather than waiting potentially forever. Since I've had part one fermenting in the queue for 3 months, theoretically, part two should appear sometime in Jan 2006. (Maybe.)<br /><br />Here are the hints in no particular order...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Avoid newbie wars.</span><br />If you see a slide rule that getting lots of bids, but there are only two people bidding, and each of them have low rankings, avoid the battle! What's happening is that two newbies decided that they want something, but they have no idea what it's worth. They each have the same misconception -- they both think that the other guy has a good idea of the true value of the item. And they both think, hey, that guy's willing to spend X dollars on it, then surely I can spend X + 1 dollars on it. With that type of positive feedback loop oscillating between the two newbies, there's only one way for the price to go -- up, wayyyy up!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Figure out what it's worth.</span><br />Some collectibles are hard to value, because the fact is, they're worthless if you look at them logically. The value of these items is only what people are willing to pay. That's where historical data is useful. You can look at eBay "completed" searches to get an idea of something's worth, but it doesn't go very far back. For slide rules, there are some excellent online databases where you can search for a certain model and see a long-term record of its price. Two are <a href="http://sliderules.lovett.com/srsearch.html">Slide Rule Search</a> and <a href="http://www.sliderules.clara.net/prices/prices.htm">Slide Rule Prices</a>. You can also join a group like the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sliderule/">Yahoo International Slide Rule Group</a>. The people there are very helpful and would likely answer questions on prices.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Avoid variety packs.</span><br />I think sellers put multiple rulers into variety packs if each of the rulers is in such poor shape that they wouldn't be able to see them individually. I got a few variety packs, and was thinking, "wow, $10 for three rulers is a good deal!" It's not a good deal if each ruler is worth only a dollar.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't ask questions, ask for pictures.</span><br />The seems to be nonsensical advice. Of course you should always get as much information from the seller as possible. This lets you make an informed judgement as to what the item is worth. The problem with asking questions is that the seller is free to post your question, along with his response, on the eBay page. Thus, if you ask some really perceptive and get an informative answer, it's there for all to see.<br /><br />Ideally, you would like to ask a question, and get an answer, without the seller being able to put it on the item page. This is where images come in. Sellers can't put extra images on an item page. (Or maybe they can, but I've never seen it done.) Instead of asking a question that can be answered by text, you should ask for an image that will answer your question. That way, only you will get the answer, and all the other bidders won't benefit from the extra info you have.<br /><br />For example, instead of asking, "how is the paint and surface finish on the item?" you'd ask "can you send me an extreme closeup of the item, with the light reflecting off it?"<br /><br />Or, instead of asking, "what is the serial number on the bottom," you'd ask, "can you send me a closeup of the bottom of the item?"<br /><br />Most sellers have digital cameras (although it seems that sometimes, they don't readily have access to the item, only a few images.) Make sure to specify that you don't want the reduced version that Outlook Express always tries to push on you whenever you send an image.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't limit searches to "available to Canada".</span><br />It seems that some sellers who state "will ship to US" will also ship to Canada -- you just have to ask. They seem to charge more for shipping though. You have to bid early just to test if they've set up their acount for shipping to CDA.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ask seller to say < $15.</span><br />If a US seller ships something to Canada that's valued at more than $20 Cdn, the Cdn government will charge a 14% tax for duty. Oh yes, you also have to pay $5 for the "processing fee" of paying the tax. For a cheap item like a slide rule, that's a big chunk of the cost. If you nicely ask the seller to state that it is worth $15 US (nearly $20 Cdn) then you'll be able to avoid the tax. Many sellers, however, are honest, and don't feel like lying and breaking the law to save you a few bucks. So don't get angry and give the seller a negative feedback if you get dinged.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Time is on your side.</span><br />I just did a search at ebay for "slide rule." There were 497 rules for sale. That number doesn't change very much. There's a continuous influx of slide rules being sold at eBay. The same models are sold over and over again. If you want a specific rule but it seems overpriced, don't buy it. Just wait a few weeks and another one will appear. If you wait long enough, you might get a really good deal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tabbed browsing speeds up searches.</span><br />I found the tabbed browsing feature of <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/">Mozilla</a> to be a real time-saver for searches. It lets you combine multiple searches into one bookmark. What I did was search for the following things in four separate tabs:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">slide* rule* (<span style="font-style: italic;">wildcard catches slide rules, slide rulers, slider rulers, etc.</span>)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">sliderule* (<span style="font-style: italic;">wildcard catches sliderule, sliderules, sliderulers</span>)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">slide* rule* (<span style="font-style: italic;">but in eBay stores)</span></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">sliderule* (<span style="font-style: italic;">in eBay stores</span>)</span><br />Then save the "tab group" as a single bookmark. When you open the bookmark after than, all four searches are done simultaneously.<br />I've noticed that sliderules in <span style="font-weight: bold;">eBay Stores</span> tend to sit around for a long time, even cheap ones, probably because that's not the default results of a search.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PsyOps.</span><br />I've never tried this, nor do I know anyone who's tried it. I don't know if it works, and if it does, it sure seems damn unethical. Ebay gives you the ability to send message to other bidders. If you're bidding against, or plan to bid against someone, you might send a message or two to increase their uncertainty about the seller, and as a result, reduce the maximum amount they're willing to bid. For example, you could send a message like, "hey man, I'd be careful if I were you. My sister's boyfriend's ex-roommate's mother bought a slide rule from that seller 6 months ago, and when the box arrived, IT WAS FULL OF DEAD RATS!" (Or something like that.) Be forewarned that eBay has moderators who can make your life miserable if you try anything fishy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beware of Phishers/Spoofers.<br /></span>Whenever I get an official looking email saying "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Important: your eBay/PayPal acount has been suspended due to suspicious activity</span>" I immediately forward it to either <span style="font-weight: bold;">spoof@ebay.com </span>or <span style="font-weight: bold;">spoof@paypal.com</span>. In a matter of minutes, automated tools check the email and respond "Thanks for telling us about that, it's a hoax. We are now investigating." I figure, why bother trying to guess if it's legit when ebay will tell me? That's why I always forward anything that looks ominous.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-110602197023831921?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1128309171895489562005-10-02T21:40:00.000-05:002005-10-02T22:25:27.063-05:00Round AgesOne hundred months ≈ 8 years<br />One thousand months ≈ 83 years<br />One thousand weeks ≈ 19 years<br />Ten thousand days ≈ 27 years<br />One hundred thousand hours ≈ 11 years<br />One million hours ≈ 114 years<br />Ten million minutes ≈ 19 years<br />One billion seconds ≈ 31 years<br /><br />It looks like the next round age for me will be 83 years, and, God willing, 114 years. Thanks to the ignorance of youth, my previous round ages passed by, unnotice. Such opportunities squandered!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-112830917189548956?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1128045990621180952005-09-29T21:04:00.000-05:002005-09-29T21:41:42.820-05:00Boolean Logic<a href="http://www.antiquark.com/img/logic-operations.gif"><img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/logic-operations.gif" width=430></a><br /><tt>The 16 Boolean logic functions (Click for bigger image)</tt><br /><br />Knuth's latest pre-fascicle, <a href="http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/fasc0b.ps.gz">Boolean Basics</a>, is up. It's hardcore, and I didn't read it, but the intro has a neat list of the 16 possible logical operations and their synonyms. (Knuth is nothing if not thorough.)<br /><br />(Via <a href="http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/news.html">Knuth News</a>. A PDF version of the file can be found here: <a href="http://www.antiquark.com/img/fasc0b.pdf">fasc0b.pdf</a>)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-112804599062118095?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1127873230002940882005-09-27T21:00:00.000-05:002005-09-27T21:08:10.223-05:00Roshambo-25Dang! Just when I finally perfected my <a href="http://www.worldrps.com/">RPS strategy</a>, along comes <a href="http://www.umop.com/rps25.htm">RPS-25</a>. How are we supposed to remember all that? <br /><br />Although... after a cursory glance, I'm intrigued by the Alchemy Gambit (Air, Rock, Fire, Water). The Eden Manoeuvre (Man, Woman, Snake) also looks promising. <br /><br />(via <a href="http://3dpancakes.typepad.com/ernie/">Ernie's 3D Pancakes</a>)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-112787323000294088?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3000598.post-1124907419364687352005-08-24T13:14:00.000-05:002005-08-24T13:19:21.100-05:00History of Honda Robots<img src="http://www.antiquark.com/img/asimo_history.jpg" /><br /><br /><a href="http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/history/">ASIMO: History</a><br />Detailed history of Honda's bipedal walking robotics program, all the way from 1986. A few of those look like the <a href="http://www.restrainingbolt.com/swprops/pics/characters/gonk/gonktutorial.html">Gonk Droid</a> from Star Wars.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3000598-112490741936468735?l=www.antiquark.com' alt='' /></div>Derekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15124149993876812603noreply@blogger.com0