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Saturday, February 28, 2004
[Killing Time (but in a humane way)]
Hmm.. I must use this opportunity to my advantage. This post is allowing me to prevent myself from writing a VERY boring paper (it is definitely a boring paper as shown by my use of caps). This use of my time is so well spent that maybe I should try to extend this post (after all it is my first). Oh I know! Now no laughing since this took me 5min to translate: "Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?" "Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?" Anyways, that is about all I got, I'm serious, completely drawing a blank right now. Well I did manage to delay my fate for about 10mins, so thanks.
[Posted by Luke at 5:28 PM]
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[No. THIS is fun.]
Ha ha. I just realized I didn't provide the first link I meant to in the previous post. What was supposed to be "fun" was this -- Flash ping pong! And it is. (Fun) What is funny about it is that I did what I usually do when I'm making a post and I don't have the URL off hand. I just create an empty hyperlink tag with just a "" rather than a "http:// etc..." But empty quotes in a link tells it to link to the current page -- so I just linked you to mathcaddy.com and said "This is fun." When I realized it, I could have fixed it, but I think it actually makes sense that way with the post. Whatever. I'm done with this. But does it win?
[Posted by adam.b at 3:48 PM]
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[This is fun. This is not.]
This is fun.
This is not: we had a pageload size of 220k yesterday because a couple of the thumbnails were over 30k! One was even 90k! Using PhotoShop, I was able to reduce the size of the page to a sleek 31k. Please adjust the quality to medium or low for all thumbnails. If you don't know what I'm talking about, figure it out or ask. Or, at absolute minimum, email me if you're posting something that's large. I can usually fix it in less than a minute... if I know about it.
Also, if you're a contributor and you'd like to be able to put pictures on the sidebar, just let me know.
[Posted by adam.b at 6:04 AM]
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[Crap. I think I've caught VB.]
Or at least that's what it feels like. Getting it was marginally fun, like play...but getting rid of it is another story. I'm afraid I may be stuck with it for an as-yet undetermined length of long weighty time. I can't quite say, but I'm pretty certain that I wish I had never gotten into Visual Basic.
Don't misunderstand me though, the program I'm working on will surely help my research. The goal is for it to consolidate 4 other programs (written in various languages - Fortran, C, QuickBasic, Japanese) into one, slower, bloated piece. But nevermind that - the real stitch comes in trying to prevent crashes by anticipating every stupid thing a user could do. Like entering letters in a numeric field. Or feeding a sandwich through the drive door. I'm still working on the first one.
It's rather strange though. I can't get anyone at Tech to admit to using VB, though the guilt can be clearly seen spread across their promiscuous faces. Filthy bastards. I'd switch to a different language if it wasn't already too late.
And in preparation for my trip to Japan, I've taken on learning one indispensable Japanese word each day. Today's word is:
admonishment - kyoukai
[Posted by Mesmer at 12:27 AM]
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Friday, February 27, 2004
[googled to death]
I wanted to try out Google's simple search tool, and I got it up and running with very little effort. Horray!
But... the problem is that it uses the information google stores in its system.... and it has indexed the old search archives, meaning that the whole stupid site is missing! You can't click on a link older than about a week ago without getting a 404 error.
So... if you want to use the search, the simple solution is to look at the cache for now. I will soon have a perl script search that will run on our server and search the text of this site. Hopefully soon. If only I could find one! Arr. Any help would be greatly appreciated. (Unless you can't provide any helpful help, in which case, keep it.)
[Posted by adam.b at 9:36 PM]
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[statscaddy]
For anyone thinking I might have been exaggerating about the flood of traffic to mathcaddy.com over grey tuesday, you can check out site stats here, updated a couple of times a day. And if you ever feel the urge to check the traffic, you'll find a handy-dandy "site stats" link listed at the bottom of the left sidebar, in addition to a "top searches" link to see what crazy stuff people typed into search engines that got them here.
And one simple rule for the future: please, do not mock the traffic. Ever.
...
Okay, mock away.
[Posted by adam.b at 8:24 PM]
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[songs/albums]
In no particular order...
"What ever happened" by the Strokes
Chutes to narrow by The Shins
Anything by the Long Winters
Oistad and Davis "These Walls are Thin" (my first album)
alaska!
BRMC
...to be continued
[Posted by A2 D2 at 3:03 PM]
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[Friday Fun]
I hope that this post doesn't get edited as well, because it's important that we importantly understand the importance of a game that involves penguins and landmines. Comment with your top score to see who wins (even though we all know that Steve always does...)
[Posted by Eric at 9:11 AM]
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Thursday, February 26, 2004
[Yellow Thursday]
I have to make this update to Eric's earlier post -- we at mathcaddy.com are no bearers of misinformation, so let me set the record straight.
The new article in the NY Times on Grey Thursday should be out tomorrow (based on what the reporter said). His article would be the second he has written on the subject and would primarily be a follow-up of what effect the protest had. I was not interviewed and as of now do not expect to be, but my name is listed among those who are willing to have their identities and statistics quoted. So, there is a chance that my bandwidth could be maxed out after all... but who knows?
[Posted by adam.b at 9:06 PM]
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[Mathcaddy Radio Session 1]
With apologies to Acts of Volition, mathcaddy.com launches Mathcaddy Radio.
Anyone with a microphone is weclome to contribute their own four to eight track radio show playlist, but the mp3 file must include commentary on each track and be all one file.
So... here is Adam's Mathcaddy Radio session 1: [37 mb]
If you have problems, please understand it was thrown together hastily just to try it out quickly. There are a number of things that will be improved for session 2 (if there is a session 2). First, I will use better recording and mic technique. Second, I will arrange my comments ahead of time regarding each track. I figured it would be easier than it was. I had a hard time not just saying, "this was a good song," or "that was a great track" all the time.
After hearing it (if you choose to) please leave a comment-- yay or nay: is it a worthy thing to keep trying to do? and if so, what are your thoughts? if not, then why not?
[Posted by adam.b at 12:56 AM]
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Wednesday, February 25, 2004
[back to content...]
I have been listening now and then to what I think is a really good idea. It's a radio playlist with commentary by Steven Garrity of Acts of Volition, just done straight off of his weblog. I think it's a great idea. In fact, when I play his show on my iPod in my car, I have this really great "fresh radio" feeling. It just makes listening more fun when it seems someone else is randomly picking songs they like. The whole radio show thing sounds like it would be pretty fun. Maybe if I can get a good microphone I might do it on a fairly regular basis.
The weirdest thing about the few songs that make Garrity's radio playlists is that there are so many that at different times were incredible stand out songs to me: Counting Crows - Angels of the Silences, Ben Folds - Brick, Foo Fighters - Hey, Johnny Park!, Poor Old Lu - Ring True, and a couple more.
On another note, it's back to the old standby: I invite any regulars to share your current top 10 albums or songs that they're listening to. I will consider mine and be posting something sometime this evening.
[Posted by adam.b at 12:00 PM]
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[It's over.]
The links are now dead, for our visitors joining the party a little too late...
And now we wait to see the real response and effects of this landmark day of online protest.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled web site. We will no longer be gray, despite what had been suggested previously. I got a little tired of the absolute lack of color. I just kept expecting to wake up, surrounded by farmhands and saying, "You were there... and you were there.... and you were there!"
Long live the Copyright Reform Movement!
See also:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
Larry Lessig: "Open Culture" [Flash lecture]
Larry Lessig: "What I Thought We Knew" [Real Video]
Robert S. Boynton: "The Tyranny of Copyright" [NY Times article]
These are just a few sites, articles, and lectures that I've found very interesting reads in the past few days. Of them all, Lessig's "Open Culture" is the best and most interesting. I highly recommend it, although it will take some time, as it is an actual lecture.
[Posted by adam.b at 12:00 AM]
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Tuesday, February 24, 2004
[Beginning a New American Revolution]
As pretty much everyone knows, mathcaddy.com is participating in Grey Tuesday, which is today.
Why am I taking part in this protest?
Because I believe today is the copyright equivalent to the Boston Tea Party.
EMI's cease and desist letter makes it sound as if Grey Tuesday is about infringement and theft. It's not. It's about copyright reform. And the internet provides the perfect platform for such a protest. Just as was dumping tea into the Boston harbor, this is a symbolic protest. It is ridiculous to believe we are really contributing toward infringement on a significant level. If the demand for this album is there on the internet, people can already get it on many different p2p applications. We are putting the album on our web sites because it makes a dramatic statement. Practically as significant as dumping tea into a harbor.
The people who are taking part in Grey Tuesday are not only protesting for the right of musicians to sample. They are also standing up to the RIAA's general oppression of freedom as well as their attitude that demands absolute control of all copyrighted works, and - most importantly - the fact that they are so large and so rich that they will get what they want. Unless, of course, the people stand in their way. (You know, the "people" referred to in "We the People...")
On a larger level, Grey Tuesday is about the freedom to peaceably assemble in order to protest something we think is wrong. It is about whether our government values more highly the rights of the people with the rights of the corporation. The supreme court and many other lower courts are constantly attempting to balance rights, weighing the freedoms of individuals against the protections given to copyright holders. However, in my opinion, a victory of EMI in any of the potential lawsuits against protesters would be a clear statement that our country no longer values the rights of its citizens.
This is the cutting edge of a new American Revolution. Where a small percentage of people once took it upon themselves to speak out and act out against Britain's attempts to undercut the rights of colonial citizens, a small number of people are beginning to light a fire that has been quietly flickering in many hearts.
Make no mistake. Due to the financial and legal might of the record companies, this is not a majority revolution. Nor was the first American revolution. In fact, only a third were for it (a third were against it and a third were indifferent). While the colonists were afraid for their lives, people today are afraid for their bank accounts.
Fear is a reasonable emotion, especially given the fact that we do face corporate entities that could will any of us into bankruptcy through sheer brute force.
But I believe in this country and the foundation upon which it was built. And if corporations wish to subdue the freedoms of citizens of the 21st Century in the name of profit and control, there are a large number of people who are willing to fight them for every square inch.
[Posted by adam.b at 2:09 PM]
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Monday, February 23, 2004
[Flash]
After seeing a site like this I start to wonder what is keeping me from learning Flash. If a monkey can make stuff like that, why can't I make a circle that stops when it hits a wall? HUH?? WHY AM I NOT A WINNER? I also need to find something that is funny besides repeating the phrase 'but does it win?' all the time. But then you have to ask yourself a question, would the new phrase really win? I think not.
[Posted by steve at 11:07 PM]
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[Grey Tuesday Collected Updates]
Update: Read the legal response to the c&d from downhillbattle.org here.
Update 2: It appears the law firm sending the c&d not only represents EMI, but a whole host of other very large corporations, including (but not limited to) BMG, Sony Music, Clear Channel, Coca-Cola, Universal Studios, Columbia Pictures, JC Penney's, AT&T, IBM, Major League Baseball, the RIAA, and the fricking Empire State Building. Oh yes. And American Girl doll company.
And, if you're interested, here's a pic of Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman's "Hottie of the Month", who also happens to be the lawyer Mr. J. Christopher Jensen, himself.
Update 3: mathcaddy.com gets a high-profile mention from downhillbattle.org in relation to this post on mathcaddy.com. See the note below their statement in their reply to the cease & decist email.
[Posted by adam.b at 10:22 PM]
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[They see you!]
The lawyers have a very powerful zoom on their binoculars... They see all! You cannot escape! Muhahahahaaaaaa!
[Posted by Eric at 7:41 PM]
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[Little Piggies]
I received this cease and desist today.
And this is my response:have you seen the little piggies
crawling in the dirt?
and for all the little piggies
life is getting worse
always having dirt
to play around in
have you seen the bigger piggies
in their starched white shirts?
you will find the bigger piggies
stirring up the dirt
they always have clean shirts
to play around in
in their sties with all their backing
they don't care what goes on around
in their eyes, there's something lacking
what they need's a damn good whacking
- The Beatles: "Piggies" (From The White Album) We do not negotiate with pigopolists.
[Posted by adam.b at 4:27 PM]
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[We've come a long way, baby]
Using a great application of permalinks, take a look at this cute little chart from almost exactly a year ago.
1076 hits a month? Was I on crack being that excited? Mathcaddy gets that in a day now! And usually more like 2000! Sheeeesh.
But does anyone know if it wins?
[Posted by adam.b at 3:32 PM]
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[Permalinks work!]
Woo! We now have permalinks.
Next major site addition is a "search archives" feature. There is also a slight chance that this site will move to movabletype instead of using blogger. Movabletype is a server based blogging app, meaning you would actually log in to a page on mathcaddy.com to add stuff to this site. Please let me know what you think. I may set up a demo site for you to review movabletype.
[Posted by adam.b at 1:40 PM]
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[goin' grey early? so is mathcaddy.com]
Okay, it's not Tuesday yet, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to go grey for a whole week, so Monday through Monday is Grey Tuesday at mathcaddy.com.
[Posted by adam.b at 12:23 PM]
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