Author: Sistertech

i4i patent case redux

The One In Charge probably isn’t surprised. But you’d think Microsoft would accept defeat gracefully. Guess not.

The world’s largest software company wants all 11 judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which handles many patent and trademark cases, to review the long-running case against Toronto-based i4i Ltd, in the hope of overturning the original judgment.

Microsoft appealed the case last year, but in December a panel of three appeals court judges rejected its arguments, and upheld the federal jury decision.

That jury, in U.S. district court in Texas, ruled last August that Microsoft had infringed a patent belonging to i4i relating to text manipulation software in the 2003 and 2007 versions of Word, Microsoft’s word processing application.

Pi, Pi, Pie in the Sky

Sigh. This is getting old so fast. I can’t believe people are still working on this. I suppose it’s all part of that silly GodMode tendency humans have, or I should say, some humans have. The following is at the bottom of this webpage.

A French computer scientist has calculated pi to a record 2.7 trillion digits, smashing the old record of 2.6 trillion. One can only imagine what unimaginable feats of pi calculation of which quantum computers might be capable. 2.8 trillion? Perhaps even 2.9 trillion? Who knows, or dares to dream…?

Algorithm so complex no computer can use it

Just my kind of project. An algorithm only a quantum mother…um, quantum computer would love (or use).

The newest algorithm, developed by Aram W. Harrow of the University of Bristol in England and Avinatan Hassidim and Seth Lloyd of MIT, tackles linear equations, which is something many students run across in high school or college. An example of such an expression is 3x + 4y = 12, with the variables and the constants on each side of the equation. Although it’s relatively easy to solve an expression with only two unknown values, it is another matter entirely to solve systems with billions of unknown values.

Supplying Iran with technology

Sistertech has plenty to do right here in the Bay Area, but let’s face it, The One In Charge is monitoring everything, everywhere, 24/7. The Guardian UK reports that Iran received some sensitive technology, once again breaking the U.N. sanctions against Iran.

A Taiwanese company agreed to a request from a firm in China to procure sensitive components with nuclear uses, then shipped them to Iran, the firm’s head said Friday. Such transactions violate U.N. sanctions imposed on the Middle Eastern nation.The admission by Steven Lin of Hsinchu-based Heli-Ocean Technology Co. Ltd. comes amid an international effort led by the United States to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. While Lin said he didn’t know whether the parts — a vital component in the production of weapons-grade uranium — were eventually used by Iran militarily, he did acknowledge that they have nuclear applications.

I’m not happy about it simply because I don’t trust the current regime in Iran to be responsible users of nuclear technology. (Do I need to spell out the reasons why? Didn’t think so.)

Windows 7 GodMode

An unfortunate turn. This is precisely what Sistertech has been dreading. It seems that every time human beings go into “God Mode” bad stuff happens. I’m all for going under the hood of your PC people, if, and that’s a big IF, one knows what one is doing.

Here’s the latest according to CNET:

To enter “GodMode,” one need only create a new folder and then rename the folder to the following:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

Once that is done, the folder’s icon will change to resemble a control panel and will contain dozens of control options. I’m not sure it’s my idea of playing God, but it is a handy way to get to all kinds of controls.

I’ve asked Microsoft for more details on the feature and how it came to be. But so far, Redmond is silent on the topic.

No kidding! You betcha they’re silent on the topic. I haven’t reached out to The One In Charge yet. It should be clear by now that this latest gambit takes hubris to a whole new level. Big Time. And to make matters worse, my unsuspecting colleagues at CNET even produced a how-to video. Oh the horrors!

Wait. I think I hear The Choir singing:

Iudex ergo cum sedebit,
Quidquid latet, apparebit:
Nil inultum remanebit.

When therefore the judge will sit,
whatever hides will appear:
nothing will remain unpunished.

Psalm of the Day

Thursday, 7 January 2010

Psalm 103

Of David.
1Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
2Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
3who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Another fav. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and hey! Don’t forget about all those benefits! But what caught my eye tonight was: “who forgives all your iniquities.” And don’t we all have them! So for the times I procrastinated about backing up my files, and leaving the power strip on and plugged in over the week off we had at Thanksgiving, and, oh. The poor posture…

That’s a big one for Sistertech.

6The Lord works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.

I haven’t followed the latest from Iran. Sistertech is impressed by those who are protesting and yearning for justice. I’m proud that the international IT community has been helpful.

7He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
10He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;
12as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.
15As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.

All this bit about being “mortal”, about the ephemeral nature of our own lives has got me thinking about our digital culture. What on earth is going to happen when all the “lights go out”? Librarians are already having difficulties retrieving what they’ve digitally archived already.

Rather than get freaked out about it, Sistertech’s advice is simple: Live. Log on. Listen. Love. Leave a good word or two every day.

17But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
18to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
19The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
obedient to his spoken word.
21Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers that do his will.
22Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Well, Sistertech is trying to do her bit to bring a little happiness and solace to the human beings whom she has on her “tech watch list”. So far they’re doing well. Maybe I’ve been a good influence. I sure hope so.

Psalm of the Day

Epiphany

Wednesday, 6 January 2010

One of my all time favorites: Psalm 100

1Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
3Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

What a psalm to let it all hang out! Joy! Fun! Music! Soaring praise! Well, perhaps coming closer to earth we might crank up this psalm when the updates install without hanging, when the spam filter actually works. Yes. Life is good. Wireless connection is flowing nicely through the ether. Yes. Give thanks. Give thanks.

It’s amazing the number of things that transpire every nanosecond for which we ought to be giving thanks. It’s a product of being a citizen in the most technologically advanced country in the world – last time I checked. Our technology works. Our daily, mundane technology works. On this Epiphany I give thanks for the light that comes on when I flip the switch. And I’m grateful for the light that has come to expel the darkness.

We could join the psalmist in add some shouts of joy to our repertoire whenever we turn that “on” button on the ol’ laptop. The thing actually “fires up” and is “ready to go”, to echo a familiar phrase.

So let me just say on this Epiphany that I’m thankful for being Sistertech. I’m grateful for having a mind that can soak up this tech stuff, mess around with it and have fun doing it.

Psalm of the Day

I’m going to do my best to stay up on the lectionary this year. We’ll see how it goes.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Psalm 2

1Why do the nations conspire,
and the peoples plot in vain?
2The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and his anointed, saying,
3‘Let us burst their bonds asunder,
and cast their cords from us.’

Who can read this without hearing Handel’s Messiah. I was reading a blog/Twitter conversation on “open content”. I need to mull over the various perspectives before weighing in on this myself. But the notion of “kings” and “rulers” and “nations” made me think about ownership issues with respect to the Internet. Who’s in charge here?

4He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord has them in derision.
5Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6‘I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.’

Then there is the probably dated view (or joke, depending on your point of view) that has Microsoft as the lord over all of us, or at least a software behemoth that lords it over the little people. What with the decade long monopoly lawsuit in the EU (I think) recently resolved, and with so much open source code out there, and “the Google” launching its browser and basically ready to launch its OS, the notion of one “lord over all” is a bit of a joke.
7I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, ‘You are my son;
today I have begotten you.
8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9You shall break them with a rod of iron,
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.’
10Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11Serve the Lord with fear,
with trembling 12kiss his feet,*
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way;
for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Happy are all who take refuge in him.

I do enough Biblical study to be in the habit of inserting myself (or various other characters) into scripture. Whom do I serve? Whose feet do I kiss trembling as I do so? Hmm. When I think about this in the context of computing it seems so very anachronistic: serve Darth Vadar (aka Bill Gates)? Nah! It’s been a long time since I felt that I was a helpless slave of some computer brand or some computing system. What with hacks and tips and tricks, even when Apple was on its death bed back in the mid 90’s, there have always been “options” out there so that one doesn’t have to serve the OS with fear.