Coach Brooks she is not, but Dr. Dugan's TED Talk about the magical land of DARPA is still worth watching. She talks about some current projects and shows off the new hummingbird UAV.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
TED Talks: Regina Dugan
Coach Brooks she is not, but Dr. Dugan's TED Talk about the magical land of DARPA is still worth watching. She talks about some current projects and shows off the new hummingbird UAV.
The DARPA example?
The most famous name in American innovation today isn’t Apple or Google. Nor is it Facebook, Boeing, or Intel. ..
...Ford and GM each spend more on R&D than DARPA. So do Intel, Microsoft, and Cisco. Merck does too.From IEEE Spectrum
Army vs. Navy
From the TBD:
Should the Army be more like the Navy in holding its commanders accountable?How do we explain the huge disparity between the large number of Navy Commanders getting fired (more than 30 in 2011) and the relatively small number of Army Commanders getting fired?
There are a few common and unwritten themes on this topic:
1. A commander can delegate authority, but not responsibility. Authority refers to "who is in charge" while responsibility refers to "who is accountable."
2. A commander is responsible but very often not in control.
3. Commanders have a responsibility to ensure their subordinates are trained and can operate independently based on the commander's intent.
4. Commanders have a responsibility to set a command climate wherein subordinates will act ethically in the absence of leaders.
Interactive History Timeline
Sometime between Mrs G's 9th grade world history class, World History 303, and the ocasional curiosity about how different events relate through the past, I came up with the idea that a visual aid would be a great way to remember history (original I know). Well Roland Saekow apparently had the same idea AND the smarts to do something about it:
ChronoZoom
Coding for all
Make An iPhone, Android App Without Knowing A Line Of Code
JamPot's new TheAppBuilder asks a series of questions and spits out a genuine, though limited-function, app. It could blow the market wide open.
Will cash always be king?
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| fastcompany.com |
If you’re wondering what our cash-free future may look like — what will it do, e.g., to panhandling? — consider a trip to Sweden.
SATs now?
Deadspin has a humorous piece about a 35 year old who re-takes the SAT.
"I took the SAT a grand total of one time when I was in dipshit prep school. This was 1993. Like any other kid, I wanted to do well on the test, primarily so that I would NEVER have to take it again, but also because kids at my school were real dicks about their SAT scores. You'd hear through the grapevine about other kids who aced the test, and all that test gossip resulted in an great deal of fear and paranoia about your own performance. It was horrible. If you can, avoid going to high school altogether..."
Elon Musk
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| starkindustries1.blogspot.com |
It’s all done in a manner that reflects his public perception as a robotic genius—the real-life inspiration for the Tony Stark character in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man. Much of that reputation is deserved.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Simple Fitness Test
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| hamptonroads.com |
If you don't have a Navy SEAL fitness lab at your disposal--you'll never be in a Hollywood movie--but you can still try this simple test:
The standards are on the site (kinda corny) but you will get the idea. Navy bashing aside, the Marines usually get fitness right--or closer to right than the Army anyway.1 mile run (max effort)3 min restMax pull-ups one set, no breaks3 min restMax burpees in 2 min
Seconds count
When competing in the Olympics and cooking pasta, seconds count. To no one's surprise that is also true for the internet.
Research on U.S. Net habits suggests that if this sentence takes longer than a second to load, many citizens will have clicked elsewhere already. If you've got the patience (or are European) read on for more shocking data on not dawdling.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Record Freefall: Successful test jump
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| RedBull |
Decapitation and the cartels
After a few trials and some tribulations, the military learned in Iraq and Afghanistan that killing the most senior insurgent leaders was actually less effective than killing the mid-level facilitators. Rand wrote about it back in 2002. I suspect that the counter-cartel establishment is going through a similar learning experience.
Rise of the (swimming) Machines
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| geek.com |
Swimming robots made it to Hawaii from San Francisco--on their own.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Nuclear Iran?
I don't know who this "Old Soldier" is but I think he is right.
A nuclear Iran is not good, and not preferable, but it is not the end of the world. To bomb makes little sense and may be the policy equivalent of committing suicide out of the fear of death.
Don't go to college?
Another post from James Altucher on why you shouldn't go to college if it is going to put you in serious debt:
At the end of the day we want to be happy. There are a million ways to get educated. To enjoy life. To enjoy your passions. To do the work on this planet that you were destined to do. God is not a high school guidance counselor. College is not a mandatory step to happiness. But it will give you debt, stress, indentured servitude (to pay down the debt), and ultimately limit your choices (because you will feel required to do what you majored in college).
Running Mechanics
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| runnerschoicekingston.com |
Wired has an interesting article about a presentation from this year's South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive. Jay Dicharry, the director of the Speed Performance Clinic at The University Of Virginia used a recent 800m race to demonstrate good and bad running biomechanics. I couldn't find the talk so the rest of the links will have to do for now.
Mud Runs
Primal Mud Run (East Coast)
Above and Beyond Mud Run (Medford, NJ)
USMC Mud Run (Columbia, SC)
Spartan Race (everywhere)
Tough Mudder (everywhere)
Clint Eastwood: handyman
I still haven't seen Gran Torino but I guess I need to put it at the top of the list. From the Art of Manliness:
The Walt Kowalski Toolbox
Facebook threats
Another reason Facebook is bad for you:
Chinese spies use fake Facebook pages to gain intel
DARPA Director to Google
It looks like my plan to eventually become the director of DARPA is an even better idea than I had realized. And if it doesn't work out, Bud Selig's job should be coming open soon.
Education Reform: Khan Academy
The Khan Academy has been in the news a lot lately. I think it is fascinating.
Khan Academy on 60 Mins
Khan Academy iPad App
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Exercise Metabolism
Fuel Utilization During Exercise, Aerobic and Anaerobic Metabolism, Control of Muscle Protein Metabolism/Anabolism
Effective Email
There is an interesting post over at Freakonomics titled "Surviving the Tyranny of Email". It reminded me of an article that a boss once gave me. So I did a quick search and quickly realized there is so much email advice out there that I probably wouldn't find the original article.
So why does it seem like everyone is still ignoring the usually good advice?
A few good links:
So why does it seem like everyone is still ignoring the usually good advice?
A few good links:
MindTools.com: effective email
Forbes.com: effective email
Bones Jones
Jon "Bones" Jones is my new favorite professional athlete. And it doesn't hurt that his brother is a Raven.
Jones is sweet and vicious
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Record Freefall
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| Red Bull Stratos Project |
The Stratos Project sponsored by Red Bull has been working to set a new record for a while and it looks like they will finally get their chance. The capsule is ready.
I can't wait.
Bonus: Wired has an explanation of the Physics involved with such an extreme skydive.
Monday, March 5, 2012
The Democratization of Technology
From DefenseTech:
He’s not just talking about hackers who can quickly develop cyber weapons capable of penetrating the Pentagons networks or terrorists using smart-phones, twitter and google earth to plot attacks and avoid government forces, he was also referring to the fact that even relatively poor nations or terrorist groups can buy 90-percent of the electronics needed to make advanced electronic warfare gear on the open commercial market.
Rise of the (musical) Machines
This video went viral once the tech blogs found it. An ensamble of micro-UAVs was programed to play the theme from James Bond on makeshift instruments. Q would be proud.
TBD: The Quran Burnings
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| reddogreport.com |
Federal Decryption
The story about a federal court that ordered a suspect's laptop decrypted didn't make much noise outside the tech blogs but this latest development is post worthy.
The argument is now moot, as authorities have managed to access the laptop's data without any aid from the defendant, thereby obviating any Constitutional conundrums.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
The revolution in education is spreading.
Welcome to the brave new world of Massive Open Online Courses — known as MOOCs — a tool for democratizing higher education. While the vast potential of free online courses has excited theoretical interest for decades, in the past few months hundreds of thousands of motivated students around the world who lack access to elite universities have been embracing them as a path toward sophisticated skills and high-paying jobs, without paying tuition or collecting a college degree.
Tako Negative
Sarah Jackson from Clanton, Alabama was a finalist in Smithsonian Magazine's 9th Annual photo contest with this negative picture of a octopus.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
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