Kendall Giles

Great news for Kindle 2 owners --- the version 2.3 software update includes support for rendering .pdf files.

Here is a .pdf file I copied onto my Kindle, shown in portrait mode:

And here's the PDF file shown in landscape mode:

This software update also allows for manual screen rotation!

I should also point out that they've consolidated Kindle 2 lines, and so now any purchase of a Kindle 2 comes with *global* wireless connectivity.

There is also an update for the Kindle DX , which provides for better cropping of .pdf files and increases the length of time before the Kindle switches to screensaver mode.

Here's a really cool new feature: you can subscribe to my blog on Amazon --- this is my blog's subscription link. This will automatically load onto your Kindle my blog so that you will always be able to read it, even if you do not have Internet access. Also, the Kindle version has just my articles --- it removes a lot of the other ads and sidebars that are on my main web-access version.

Just as an example, here is a Kindle screenshot of one of my articles:

As you can see, the images turn out pretty good, and the text font size is freely sizable, as always on the Kindle.

The low monthly price (which was set by Amazon, by the way) will help me create better reviews and discussion pieces, so thank you in advance for your support!

I never thought I would be impressed by a timer --- usually they feel flimsy, cost too much, are tedious to use, or don't have the features I need. So I was surprised when I started using this Gymboss timer and found that it has all the features I need, it is very easy to use, it seems quite rugged, and it is inexpensive.

As you can see from my photo, the unit itself is fairly small and compact, and it has a belt clip on the back. There are three buttons on the unit --- they are used to set up the mode (repeating intervals, countdown, stopwatch), alarm type (high/low beep or vibrate) and duration, and timer start/stop. The display is very easy to read, and I like that the unit remembers the previously-used interval settings when you power on the timer. The timer also keeps track of the number of intervals you've completed when in repeating intervals mode.

You can buy the Gymboss Interval Timer directly from the Gymboss website, or from Amazon.

So you may find this timer very useful, especially if you are interested in fitness --- whether you do MMA, martial arts, cardio/sprint intervals, kettlebells, weight lifting, strength training, or other activities.

These days, we seem to be traveling a lot more and are carrying lots of mobile devices with us when we do --- laptops, Kindles, iPods, etc. Each one of these devices carries precious memories, important information, and/or data that is simply impossible or difficult to replace.

We can find useful packs in which to safely carry all this equipment with us, but the fact remains that we are carrying a lot of data that is very susceptible to damage or loss. This calls for a prudent backup strategy, but making timely backups might not be convenient if you travel a lot.

Enter the Iomega eGo 320GB Hard Drive. This great little drive is light and rugged enough that you can just throw into your pack and go, so that your extra data and backup ability are never far away.

This drive is quiet too. Even better, this unit is powered by the data transfer cable, so you don't need to carry around an additional external AC/DC power source. Finally, due to massive increases in drive memory capacities and drops in prices, units like this (available in a variety of colors --- jet black, ruby red, and alpine white) make for very reasonable data storage and backup solutions. In fact, there aren't many valid excuses for why you *don't* get something like this and backup your data. Just do it.

That said, if you want a data storage option that is even more portable, say for quick data transfer and backup, you might consider the Kingston DataTraveler 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive. This memory stick provides 16GB of capacity in a very small package --- the USB connector retracts inside of the actual dongle, and extends via a small slide. A perfect data pocket companion.

Amazon just released a kindle reader application (Kindle for iPhone link in iTunes) for the iPhone and iPod touch.

If you were hesitant to buy a kindle 2 book reader (review), but still wanted access to Amazon's huge selection of electronic books, then this free application might be just what you were looking for.

As an example, here is the title page of the book Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School:

With this application you can download books you have already purchased from Amazon for free, read the first chapter of any book before you buy it, and add bookmarks and annotations to your text.

One really neat feature is that your reading location in a book is automatically synchronized between your iPhone and your kindle book reader. Say you stopped reading on page 59 of your book on the kindle, then left your kindle at home to go run some errands. If you have a moment to read whilst out and about, you can pull out your iPhone and your reading location in your book will automatically be in the right spot.

And, of course, to turn the page of a book on your iPhone, you just swipe your finger across the screen, like turning a page on a physical book.

Here's how the screen looks when the application is showing you options for saving a bookmark, changing font size, synchronizing, etc, while reading:

Note that normally when reading these option buttons are not there, so that the entire screen's real estate can be used for book text.

And did I mention that the Kindle for iPhone application was free?

UPDATE [25 November 2009]: The Kindle 2 now has support for viewing PDF documents with the 2.3 software update! This update also allows for screen rotation, so you can read your books in portrait mode or landscape mode.

UPDATE: I've posted my review of the Kindle DX ebook reader, here. You might say it's the new Kendall book reader, since my wife swiped my Kindle 2 (review below of the Kindle 2).

So I just received the new Kindle 2 book reader, available from Amazon, and reading has never been as much fun --- especially with the recent price drop!

The design and build quality of the new kindle book reader (now called the kendall book reader by my wife) is much improved over the original kindle. The next-page buttons are better-placed, the case is sturdier, it holds a lot more books (about 1500), and the 5-way direction stick allows for easier navigation and selection.

Buying any of the over 240,000 available books (with more being added daily) is very easy, as is subscribing to magazines, newspapers, and blogs. Reading text with the e-ink display and turn-page buttons makes the device "disappear" --- you aren't constantly reminded that you are using an electronic device to read a book, as perhaps with other book readers or devices (like your cell phone ?!).

Battery life is great, since the e-ink displays do not drain the battery to refresh the screen --- only on the turn of the page (which may confuse some flight attendants).

The cellular, free connectivity is very handy, especially since I am often on travel and without an Internet connection --- you can download new books, surf, and access your content even if you are not near a wifi network using Amazon's Whispernet service. Again, for free. This means you can access Amazon and even the WWW via the built-in web browser without having to be tethered to your computer or be near a wifi access point. (Note that some websites are creating mobile versions --- webpages that look good when rendered on a small mobile device screen.)

In addition to reading commercial content, you can view your own documents or documents sent to you from other people. Amazon charges a small fee to convert these documents for wireless download to your kindle (which some people gripe about), but I figured out that this conversion service is actually free if you send the converted pdf/document first to your computer, then to your kindle, rather than directly to your kindle over the cellular network from Amazon.

The kindle also plays audio books from Audible.com (review) as well as mp3 files --- you can even have your favorite song playing in the background while you read your book.

The graphics are much improved over the original kindle, as can be seen in the images on this page.

In case you want to travel with your kindle --- which is one of the main benefits of the kindle, since you can carry a truck load of books with you in the palm of your hand --- you may want to purchase a travel case in which to carry your kindle, such as the Belkin Neoprene Sleeve Case, shown below.

I should point out that this device is not an iPhone --- you can't interact with the device by touching the screen, for example, and other user-interface decisions are different from the iPhone experience. But this device provides a reading environment better than any other electronic device. In addition, it provides other advanced features (such as text-to-speech, and taking notes within the book) that are way-beyond the capabilities of other devices.

In all, the Kindle 2 is what it was meant to be --- a great book reader.

When I got lost one day in my labyrinth of stacked journal articles, receipts, photographs, and other paper detritus, I knew I needed help.

While Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek (review), might suggest outsourcing the scanning all my documents into digital format for storage, in order to eliminate the paper yet retain the useful information, I first decided to go the manual route. This meant finding a good, easy-to-use, fast, document scanner that works on my Mac, and I think I found just that in the Fujitsu ScanSnap S510M Instant PDF Sheet-Fed Scanner.

With a footprint smaller than an 8.5x11" sheet of paper, the ScanSnap is really cutting through my stacks of documents. It handles multiple pages and makes fast, two-sided, color pdfs of the documents with just one button push. It also easily scans in photographs, business cards, envelopes, etc. The software gives you a choice of saving the pdf to a folder, emailing it, printing it, importing into iPhoto, part of iLife '09, or creating a searchable pdf. The latter makes the contents of your pdf document searchable by your OS or other search/filter applications, for instant retrieval of information buried in a large document repository.

"One touch" pdf creation, indeed.

Here's my review of the Kindle 2 book reader.

But from the article "10 reasons to buy a Kindle 2 and 10 reasons not to", here's one of the reasons why you might not want to buy a Kindle:

7. Flight attendants will tell you to turn it off on take off and landing. You can't explain that it's epaper and uses no current. You just can't. It's like explaining heaven to bears.

UPDATE [November 25, 2009]: There have been a lot of improvements to the Kindle 2 since this post was written: the Kindle 2 now has support for viewing PDF files, allows for manual screen rotation, and provides for *global* wireless access.

The Kindle 2 shipped on Feb 23, (and now that mine has arrived, here is my review of the kindle book reader), but here is a roundup of a few interesting pre-reviews:

• http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/02/amazon-unveils.html

  A little more than a year after the Kindle made its debut, Amazon announced a new, updated version of its popular e-book reader Monday with a big endorsement from Stephen King.

• http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/feb2009/id2009029_980088.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_top+story

  Kindle 2 is more than just a prettier version of its Kindle 1. Though the 10-oz. machine is only one-third of an inch thick--that's 25% thinner than an iPhone--it stores up to 1,500 books vs. 200 in the original. And it offers sharper on-screen images, with 16 shades of gray to offer graphic nuances. Amazon added these based on e-mails from Kindle customers, says Laura Porco, director of Kindle Books. "We're always listening to customers," she says. "We took their feedback to design some things: They said, We want Kindles to hold more books, and we want crisper images."

• http://www.macworld.com/article/138722/2009/02/kindle2_handson.html?lsrc=rss_main

  The Kindle 2 now powers up from USB--a boon for all of us who hated carrying an extra charger with the original device. The mini-USB port at the bottom works not only for power but also for allowing the Kindle 2 to act as a USB mass-storage device, in the event you want to drag and drop files to the handheld.

• http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2340721,00.asp

  So, yes, there are many reasons to dislike the Amazon Kindle 2, but as I see it, the benefits still far outweigh the disadvantages. Trust me, you're going to want a Kindle 2.

• http://ireaderreview.com/2009/02/09/kindle-20-review-should-you-buy-kindle-20/

  WhisperNet and Amazon's great range of book titles (over 230,000 titles including 7,000+ free public domain classics etc.) are still the 31 feature and make the Kindle 2.0 the best eReader available.

Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World

There is much wisdom contained in the sayings and writings of our ancestors. Unfortunately, especially as evidenced by today's many crises, this wisdom has been forgotten.

If you care to learn some of this ancient wisdom, then you might want to see the new application I wrote for the iPhone and iPod touch called Wise Words.

Now the ancient wisdom of the Havamal, from the Poetic Edda, can always be at your fingertips, for quick inspiration and guidance, or for long-term study, meditation, and growth. The Poetic Edda is a collection of Old Norse poems written in the 13th century from oral traditions, and the Havamal gives practical advice about life, love, and living.

Available now on the iPhone App Store.

One of the best accessories I've bought in a long time is the $20 Nike + iPod Sensor.

It is a lozenge-shaped device that you can put inside special Nike shoes, or, really, attach to any running shoe (see my review of various running shoes and running styles here).

What is really neat is that the new iPod Touch and iPhones have built-in support for this device (see my review of the new iPod Touch).

Just turn on your iPod Touch or iPhone, select a workout music playlist, select the workout type (timed, open-ended, calorie target, mileage target, etc.), and off to the races you go. A pleasing voice will call out workout milestones, and will encouragingly motivate you when you are nearing workout goals. You can even denote a special "power song" to play during your final push for the goal line.

Once you've completed your workout, you can view a summary of your workout (distance traveled, time, pace, calories burned). Moreover, you can have these statistics uploaded to a free Nike Plus web account where you are effectively included into the world's largest running club.

There, you can view your workout history (as you can on your iPod Touch or iPhone), along with graphs of your workout pace. You can also challenge other members to virtual races, participate in virtual group runs, and otherwise chart your fitness growth and history.

Not bad, in my book, for a $20 device.

As a bonus, my understanding is that many gyms are installing Nike + iPod compatible workout devices so that you can log your workouts for more than just runs using the Nike + iPod sensor.

So I've long had "learn to play the guitar" on my list of goals. However, despite several attempts at learning such, life, travel, work, and other higher-priority items have jumped ahead in the queue. I know a couple of chords, and can probably pick my way through some simple tablature, but I can in no way say I know how to play the guitar.

Of course, the ideal way to learn is probably to find a professional instructor and take classes on a regular basis. Alas, the major difficulties of frequent, weekly travel and intense work schedules remain a constant in my life, so the luxury of finding an instructor is out.

And I've tried learning from a book before---that doesn't work, for me, either (or maybe I just haven't found the right book). However, perhaps the perfect storm of software, high-tech, and computer-controlled LED goodness offered by Fretlight is the missing key.

There are a couple of things different about the Fretlight system. First, there's the FG-421 guitar:

While their first models from years ago evidently had some quality issues, their current 400 series are solid and seem very well made. In fact, I bought mine from Ebay and it is just like new.

It looks like a regular electric guitar (they have acoustic models as well). However, here's the same guitar, with the lights dimmed:

As hinted by its name, the fretlight guitar has LEDs embedded in its polymer fretboard, and the lights can be controlled to indicate chord and note finger placements.

But if that were all the Fretlight guitar promised, then this would be not much better than a digital version of the old analog system for learning guitar promoted by Roy Clark, where stickers placed on the fretboard indicated where you put your fingers.

Perhaps it is the second differentiator in the Fretlight guitar that is most significant---the guitar jacks into the computer (in addition to the normal amplifier connection in typical electric guitars), allowing for software control of the LED lights. Interactive software lights the LEDs, steps you through complicated finger patterns on lead and rhythm guitar selections, and converts tablature songs into tempo-controlled patterns so you can learn any song you like. Loops, chord progressions, lessons on music theory, lessons on different music styles, video lessons, comprehensive chord charts, improvisation lessons, song editing, and even a GarageBand plug-in round out their offerings. Downloading new lesson packs and songs is painless, and their website interface seems well done. And, they support Macs!

So we'll see if this method works, or if this is just a Guitar Hero for adults.

I'll be giving a talk this Wednesday titled "Knowledge Discovery with Iterative Denoising".

Abstract:

The tasks of proper data analysis and knowledge extraction in data are beset by multiple difficulties when the datasets are large and in high dimension. From a performance perspective, it can be prohibitively expensive to search in a high dimensional space. Also, complex datasets often have local relationships of interest, findings that might be missed with global searches. While some progress has been made with addressing Curse of Dimensionality issues, traditional data mining algorithms largely take a static approach to the data mining process---simply tabulating the outputs of a particular algorithm from a given input, leaving the user to start the process over again with new inputs if another run is desired. With this static approach, the user is prevented from interacting with the data mining algorithm as well as with the data.

Towards addressing these issues, we discuss our methodology, called Iterative Denoising, which is a statistical pattern recognition framework for analyzing complex datasets. An important realization of our methodology is that users may want to interact with visualized representations of their data. We not only provide to the users lower-dimensional-space representations to highlight (possibly) desired structures in the data, but we also allow the user to interact with the data through an explicit interaction step. For example, the user may wish to change the displayed geometry relationships between objects, say to reflect some metadata intelligence the user has received that is not reflected in the original data. We highlight these contributions with examples from the analysis of text data.

Logistics:

12PM, October 8, 2008, Computer Science Department, Virginia Commonwealth University

If you like, I've just set up a Twitter account for my blog - you can get updates via Twitter by following kegblog.

I am sure you recognize the interface by now:



Yes, it's Apple's new iPod Touch 2.0, dubbed "the funnest iPod ever" by Steve Jobs.

It has a new outer design - sleeker than the first generation iPod Touch, now with a shiny stainless steel design. There are also volume control buttons on the side - convenient when you want to quickly change the volume of a song without having to activate the interface. It also has a built-in speaker - convenient for when you want to set a wake-up alarm, but not too useful when you want to listen to music or watch a movie in a crowded subway - you'll still want your earphones in that case.

It also has built-in Nike+ sensor software - you just need to add the shoe sensor and you can save your running workouts directly to your iPod Touch. Also, there is longer battery life - up to 36 hours of audio or 6 hours of video, plus the built-in accelerometer, which adds new dimensions to user interface possibilities.

Speaking of which, perhaps the best feature of the new iPod is the AppStore. Apple opened up their development environment to allow anyone to create games, utilities, reference applications, entertainment packages, and other finance, sports, social networking, productivity, weather, travel, photography, news, navigation, music, lifestyle, healthcare and fitness, education, business, and book applications, and offer them for free and for sale through their App Store. Downloading and installing new software packages is trivial, and the number of useful software packages will only increase going forward.

And there's even a built-in stock tracker, in case you would like to keep track of how poorly your stocks are doing.

The built-in Safari browser renders web pages in a very readable format, and the ability to zoom in at-will with the Touch's unique interface makes reading and surfing very enjoyable on such a small device.

But one of the main reasons I got one was because I travel a lot, and like to listen to audio books while on the road. Especially if you have an audible.com account, the iPod is perfect for this.

As for where to buy them, I tried hard to buy it from an Apple retail store. I called prior to going there to see if they had them in stock - they didn't, and didn't know when they would get them in stock. Might be soon, they said.

After waiting a week, I called again and they said they *did* have them in stock. But by the time I drove all the way out to the store, they didn't have any more in the 32 GB version.

So rather than deal with the hassle, I finally decided to order it online. If you order from the Apple store, then you can get free engraving, as well as free shipping. Interestingly, with the default shipping option, my iPod travelled from the engraving factory in Kunshan, China, to my doorstep in Virginia in three days, stopping briefly in Shanghai, China, Anchorage, Alaska, Indianapolis, Indiana, and a few more little towns on the way to my doorstep.

iPod Touch

Prices as of 23 September 2008:

Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation)$219.94

Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation)$289.94

Apple iPod touch 32 GB (2nd Generation) $379.94

With the summer travel season nigh, here are a few travel tips, especially for those who are more technologically inclined and security conscious.

For general technology travel tips, from wired.com:

Pick up some CD-Rs for backing up your images. If you don't have a laptop with you, make your backups at an internet cafe. Not only do CD backups let you clear out your memory card, they also aren't affected by x-rays at the airport. X-ray machines around the world are often much stronger than those in U.S. terminals. Memory card don't get scrambled often, but it does happen, and optical media has definite advantage.

For tips on making your laptop safe for from customs officials, from news.com:

Turning off your computer is especially important for OS X users, at least until Apple patches a security glitch that keeps account passwords in RAM. In the default configuration, the account password is the keychain password and yields passwords to wireless networks, Web sites, accounts accessed via SSH, network-mounted volumes, etc.

Finally, here are some more security-related technology tips, from the EFF's Jennifer Granick:

Another option is to bring a clean laptop and get the information you need over the internet once you arrive at your destination, send your work product back, and then delete the data before returning to the United States. Historically, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) generally prohibited warrantless interception of this information exchange. However, the Protect America Act amended FISA so that surveillance of people reasonably believed to be located outside the United States no longer requires a warrant. Your email or telnet session can now be intercepted without a warrant. If all you are concerned about is keeping border agents from rummaging through your revealing vacation photos, you may not care. If you are dealing with trade secrets or confidential client data, an encrypted VPN is a better solution.

Travel safely, and securely!

I've just been appointed to a research position with the Human Language Technology Center for Excellence (HTLCOE) at Johns Hopkins University.

The purpose of the Center is to:

focus on advanced technology for automatically analyzing a wide range of speech, text and document image data in multiple languages.

I am looking forward to this!

Technorati Tags: academia, security, technology

The wonderful folks at Synthesize.us have made a Star Trek theme for the Nokia N810, so now it has an LCARS display just like those PADD tablets they use on Enterprise:

Energize!

Technorati Tags: culture, technology

Due to the heavy marketing by Apple and Amazon, you are surely by now familiar with the iPhone and Kindle. Those are very interesting devices, but I recently made a comparison between them and the new Nokia N810 and, in the end, went with the N810.

The iPhone is slick, but I did not want to be hobbled with a long AT&T cell-phone contract -- monthly voice and data charges and fees really was not appealing. I have a cell phone for voice calls, but more and more I find myself using VOIP, especially Skype, for my voice calls. With an Internet connection this means I can make voice calls for free. Currently, making simple, free Skype or other VOIP calls is not possible with the iPhone. In addition, I live in a region with no cell phone service, so the thought of monthly cell phone charges is doubly discouraging. Also, the iPhone currently is a "closed" environment, meaning that the applications you can use on the phone are limited by Apple. Finally, I wanted a device that I could use to read documents, and doing so on a cell phone was really not practical.

The Kindle is really geared for reading ebooks, and its free EVDO connectivity option means that I can easily buy ebooks from Amazon. However, it is not a platform for making voice calls, its computer network and Internet access is limited, and it is also a closed platform for applications. But it is even lacking in the edocument arena, since it does not support the ubiquitous .pdf format. I have thousands of .pdf files, and so a device that does not facilitate reading my own documents is not very useful.

The Nokia N810 is the new Internet Tablet and is the newest generation, building on the N800 and N770. The N810 features a full keyboard, webcam, GPS, and Wi-fi network connectivity. Moreover, the operating system is built on Linux, and the Finnish company takes an "open" approach to developers and new software applications. To me, the N810 offered more features and had less undesirable features than either the iPhone or the Kindle.

The keyboard slides out from under the screen if you need to use it, but it also accepts screen inputs using the stylus or, like the iPhone, your finger. The screen is also larger and has a higher resolution than the iPhone's, meaning images and text are clearer.

The desktop is very customizable - you can run desired applets, like the Google search bar, an Internet radio applet, or an RSS newsfeed applet.

Because the Nokia is taking an open approach with developers, a lot of new and useful applications are being developed for the device. Here is a music player customized for finger input just like on the iPhone.

Having builtin Wi-fi network connectivity means the WWW is just a click away.

The N810 also plays videos, via YouTube or video files on the device.

Other bonuses include a builtin GPS receiver and mapping application, Bluetooth, and memory expandable up to 10GB with an 8GB SD memory card.

Technorati Tags: technology

THE COMMENTARY BELOW IS FOR THE ORIGINAL KINDLE.

Andy Ihnatko has a very interesting article on the Amazon Kindle:

So here's what Amazon went and did. Metaphorically, the company invented a humanoid robot capable of autonomous action. Every day at 4 a.m., it gets in your car and drives all over the state, buying fruit, milk, butter, eggs and other staples straight from the farm. By the time you wake up and trudge into the kitchen, there's a steaming plate of waffles waiting for you, made from scratch, and topped with fresh-picked strawberries and whipped cream.

It's one of the most awesome consumer products ever. It might even be a landmark moment in technology. ... and Amazon is promoting it as a $399 waffle maker.

Technorati Tags: book, technology

THE COMMENTARY BELOW IS FOR THE ORIGINAL KINDLE.

Amazon has introduced an ebook reader -- the Kindle.

While many people have been longing for a competent ebook reader for some time, to date no one has been able to produce an ebook reader with the right features:

• read files (books, magazines, newspapers, documents, text) in a variety of formats, including open ones, such as .doc, .pdf, .txt, .rft, .html, etc.
• allow the easy addition and deletion of books from the device
• display the books competently
• have an interface suitable for book reading, browsing, searching, and note-taking
• don't overwhelm me with fees and crippled file formats

Is the kindle the iPod of books?

While Amazon seems to have done OK on the display part, and the book reading interface seems to be OK, unfortunately the kindle seems to fail on the other points. The words of Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos gives you a hint of why the kindle is not the device we have all been waiting for:

This isn't a device, it's a service.

Basically, Amazon is selling you a $400 device that you use to rent digital books from Amazon and then read them on that device. You are not actually buying a digital copy of a book from Amazon. You are renting the book because Amazon encodes the book in a proprietary (DRM) format that does not work with other devices or software. Further, that crippled book can only be read as long as Amazon wants you to be able to read it. From their terms of service:

Your rights under this Agreement will automatically terminate without notice from Amazon if you fail to comply with any term of this Agreement. In case of such termination, you must cease all use of the Software and Amazon may immediately revoke your access to the Service or to Digital Content without notice to you and without refund of any fees. Amazon's failure to insist upon or enforce your strict compliance with this Agreement will not constitute a waiver of any of its rights.

And, unlike real books or digital files that are not crippled (DRM), you cannot share your rented Amazon book with anyone else:

You may not sell, rent, lease, distribute, broadcast, sublicense or otherwise assign any rights to the Digital Content or any portion of it to any third party, and you may not remove any proprietary notices or labels on the Digital Content. In addition, you may not, and you will not encourage, assist or authorize any other person to, bypass, modify, defeat or circumvent security features that protect the Digital Content.

Other deal-breakers include the fact that, while you can read Amazon-selected files with the kindle, you must pay a few dollars per month to do so - you must subscribe to read a blog that you can read for free using your computer. Also, some files can be transferred to the device via USB, but some must be emailed to the device via Amazon - Amazon "converts" the document into a kindle format (applies DRM) and charges you $.10 per document for the privilege.

If Amazon included a digital copy of each book I buy from Amazon, I think the kindle would work. But as it currently is configured, especially without support for at least .pdf files (a really big deal -- I have a lot of .pdf files on my laptop, and I would pay good money for a viable device to read them with) the kindle business model does not make sense to me. I currently do not need an expensive device that basically allows me to read rented books on it, and where I am nickle-and-dimed with monthly fees for the privilege. It seems like a step in the right direction for a useful ebook reader, but Amazon has more work to do. Maybe in version 2.0 they will do better.

Other commentary on the kindle:

dive into mark
boing-boing gadgets
kottke.org
wired
macworld

Technorati Tags: book, review, technology

Michael Yon, who has spent far more time embedded with combat troops in Iraq than any other writer or photographer, has part 1 of an article discussing his recommendations for cameras that can take excellent photographs under extreme conditions.

This dispatch is in response to requests like the ones above. This installment will focus on digital still cameras. My opinions are well-informed on the specific products I describe, but I am no camera expert. My opinions on the cameras described lack a detailed field comparison with other products. Although I conducted careful research, I have not tested dozens of models. I try to select the best gear on the market for the conditions expected. As the saying goes, sometimes the magic works.

Technorati Tags: review, technology

Congratulations to Virginia Tech - in the latest DARPA autonomous robotic vehicle challenge, which required autonomous vehicles to navigate sixty miles in an urban environment, do three-point turns, park, follow the rules of the road, etc., Virginia Tech's vehicle won third place.

The DARPA Urban Challenge is an autonomous vehicle research and development program with the goal of developing technology that will keep warfighters off the battlefield and out of harm's way. The Urban Challenge features autonomous ground vehicles maneuvering in a mock city environment, executing simulated military supply missions while merging into moving traffic, navigating traffic circles, negotiating busy intersections, and avoiding obstacles.

Appropriately - their robot vehicle was named Odin.

Read more about the team and the contest on their blog or the team website.

Technorati Tags: academia, science, technology, virginia

Mike Shea has a really good review of his initial impressions of the new Apple operating system, Leopard.

I never heard of anyone who looked forward to Vista the same way those Apple folks looked forward to Leopard. They made a lot of money at that store yesterday and they did it by building an OS that people wanted, even if it didn't jump way ahead of what OSX could do before. Apple learned that people need to like their computers, not just use them. This is why few people give a damn about Vista or even hate it while Apple fanboys will line up for blocks to buy Leopard.

Technorati Tags: technology

I have put my slides online for a talk I was asked to give at IPAM today. The talk was titled "Scan Statistics on Enron Graphs", work done by Carey Priebe, John Conroy, David Marchette, and Youngser Park.

Technorati Tags: academia, technology

If you are going to be in the L.A. area on October 10, 2007, you might want to drop by the IPAM building at UCLA. Peter Jones has asked me to give a talk on Scan Statistics on Enron Graphs.

Technorati Tags: academia, science, technology

A Viking ship that was built in 1892 and sailed across the Atlantic, down the Erie Canal, through the Great Lakes and to Chicago for the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, is currently in need of your help. The image above is of this ship moored in front of Manufactures, Chicago, in 1893.

This 76-foot ship, known as The Viking, is currently housed in Geneva at Good Templar Park (near Chicago). Left to neglect, this ship is doomed unless a restoration project receives funds.

From an article by the Norwegian National League:

The "Viking" was built at Framnes Shipyard in Sandefjord, Norway in 1892. It was copied after the ancient Viking ship "Gokstad". Excavated in 1880, the "Gokstad" had been called the most beautiful ship ever built. The "Viking" is approximately 76 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 7 feet high from the bottom of the keel to the gunwale. Clinker built with planking hand split from green logs, the "Viking" made 11 knots and the hull was observed to flex with the waves.

Most importantly, the Viking ship was declared one of ten most endangered historic sites in Illinois by a statewide historic preservation group.

American Express is running a competition for projects to receive funds, and the Viking ship is in the runoff. Some of the other projects and buildings in the competition might be nice things to do, but are not in as imminent danger of being destroyed --- the Viking ship will decay into the water unless we take action now to preserve this important cultural icon.

How can you help?

Go to: the partnership in preservation site, register, and VOTE FOR THE VIKING SHIP - you can vote ONCE A DAY, EVERY DAY, until voting ends on October 10, 2007.

Other links of interest on Vikings and Viking Ships:

• http://www.vikingship.us
• http://www.stigombord.dk/index_uk.html
• http://www.abc.se/~m10354/bld/viking.htm
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vikings/ships.html
• http://sio.midco.net/danstopicalstamps/gokstad.htm
• http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/vikingteacher.htm
• http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/norse.html

Technorati Tags: academia, culture, living, technology

A recent article by Neal Koblitz in the Notices of the AMS, titled "The Uneasy Relationship Between Mathematics and Cryptography," reminds me of the Leo Breiman paper "Statistical Modeling: The Two Cultures."

Both papers talk about the cultural and practical differences between various academic departments and how they do research. In the Breiman paper, he noted how progress was a bit limited in the field of statistical modeling by "classical" statisticians until computer scientists came along and opened up the field with new approaches, and corresponding new results.

The Koblitz paper discusses the field of cryptography, and describes how mathematicians and computer scientist cryptographers at first worked well together in coming up with various crypto-systems, but how now that relationship is no longer as solid. While the crypto-systems published by the computer scientist cryptographers are often more practical (usable), they also sometimes rush to publish papers with dramatic errors that might have been caught, say, by a more rigorous approach by a mathematician, such as Koblitz.

Technorati Tags: academia, security, technology

I have posted my PageRank and Knowledge Discovery talks I gave at IPAM for the Knowledge and Search Engines workshop online on my presentations page if you would like to have a look.

Technorati Tags: academia, technology

Just a few assorted security items of interest.

I've heard about this before, but here's an article about how the FBI reportedly can remotely turn on the mic of someone's cell phone in order to listen to their conversations.

The technique is called a "roving bug," and was approved by top U.S. Department of Justice officials for use against members of a New York organized crime family who were wary of conventional surveillance techniques such as tailing a suspect or wiretapping him. ... Kaplan's opinion said that the eavesdropping technique "functioned whether the phone was powered on or off." Some handsets can't be fully powered down without removing the battery; for instance, some Nokia models will wake up when turned off if an alarm is set.

And if you wanted more news of security holes companies are building into their products, it seems there is a new system called the Nike+iPod SportKit, where your Nike shoes transmit data to your iPod in order to track your running progress. While this sounds neat at first, Computer Science researchers at the University of Washington itemized several of the security problems with the device.

As noted in Wired:

The first problem is that the RFID in the shoe sensor contains its own on-board power source, essentially turning your running shoe into a small radio station capable of being received from up to 60 feet away, with a signal powerful enough to be picked up from a passing car.

This hole could easily be exploited. One scenario is a stalker or company wanting to track the movements of a target:

Molnar also speculated about how easy it would be for a company to build their own tiny readers and deploy them in a large environment, selling the data stream to those who would track spouses or teens, or collect information about how many people wearing Nikes visit malls or movie theaters. "Given that there are no laws about skimming data in California right now, it would be perfectly legal to do it there," he said.

What to do? Well, companies are starting to market products to help protect people from the security holes in other companies' products. As an example, DFIRwear makes RFID-blocking wallets and passport holders.

Wait---there are RFID chips in passports now? Yes.

Travel safely and securely this Yule season.

Technorati Tags: security, technology

A while back I noted the new Voltaic solar backpack I purchased. Well, after eight months of using and testing this pack, I have concluded that it does not work for me.

I really tried hard to like this pack. The solar panel itself is well-done, and the panel did a very good job of keeping my MP3 player and cell phone charged while I was on the go. It also promotes effective use of technology, which is always a good thing. I also appreciated the wiring of the adapters throughout the pack (down the shoulder strap, for example).

However, there are a few shortcomings that make this system not usable:

• the rechargeable battery is not firmly attached to the pack, and it falls off.
• the backpack zippers on the sides often open by themselves, which is a security risk in that things in those compartments can get lost if the zippers open spontaneously.
• the backpack zippers easily jam when opening and closing; moreover, when zipped, the teeth can easily open with just a little pressure (like when you actually carry something in the bag), causing almost total backpack failure
• the zipper closures are weak and can easily break (like when trying to unjam the zipper, as noted above).
• the shoulder straps can bite into your shoulder.

So, Voltaic had a good idea, but they implemented it on a weak/cheap backpack, that defeats the whole system.

Technorati Tags: review, technology

Perhaps you can say it's because it has something to do with Earth Day (22 April 2005), or perhaps you can say that we just like well-designed products that provide utility with style, but we thought we would try out the Voltaic Backpack.

I haven't yet had much of a chance to take it for a test-drive, but just out of the box, it seems to be made very well. The solar panels ( 10V peak voltage, 400mA peak current, and 4W peak power), which charge a 2200mAh @ 7.2V lithium ion battery pack, are well-integrated into the bag itself. Cabling is provided throughout the bag, and there is even a phone/MP3 player pouch on the right shoulder strap.

In addition to being able to charge the battery by the solar panels, there is also an AC charger as well as a car charger. And a variety of included adapters allow for charging a multitude of electronic gadgets.

Maybe this solar backpack will encourage me to get out more, or at least work on my laptop outside...

Technorati Tags: review, technology