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Back in 1994, I remember asking my English teacher whether or not I could use “the Internet” to aid me on a project. She asked “what is that?”

And if this 1993 Canadian broadcast is any indication, she was not alone. I’m especially fond of the interview with the football fan who suggests that everyone is nice and friendly. Flame Warriors anyone?

Also, since everyone bumps into spam mail and pop-ups today, a buddy of mine linked me to a rather comical episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force that tackles this uninvited phenomenon.

Coincidentally, it ties in with a recent article from Robert Higgs.

Via BK Marcus.

During the winter break, one of the more memorable stops along the Top 10 list announced by David Letterman was that only seven people have ever received official written consent by Major League Baseball.

Who knows if anyone actually has.

We do know of someone who didn’t get permission from the NFL.

Forget Ninja Turtles and Lego’s, as a kid I would have wanted a B’Owl.

And of course, there is some debate as to whether I am this guys son.

Next on Jerry.

While the dust has settled for now, I found one quote of particular interest surrounding the new Orion system from D-Wave.

The CEO of the firm noted that it was not a true quantum computer, but rather one that used quantum mechanics to solve problems. Stating,

“Users don’t care about quantum computing—users care about application acceleration. That’s our thrust,” Martin said to the Associated Press. “A general purpose quantum computer is a waste of time. You could spend hundreds of billions of dollars on it” and not create a working computer.

For those who complain that basic research budgets are on the decline and clamor endlessly for financial hand-outs, this strikes precisely at the root of the issue.

As I’ve noted previously (as has Klein), D-Wave’s business philosophy is a good thing, because it appears management practitioners have perhaps matured to the point where they want to not just create cool, whiz-bang technology — but technology consumers are also willing to buy.

For those stuck in an Ivory Tower, I know it must seem like a crazy and radical business model, but maintaining profitability is something private firms cannot ignore like their subsidized academic counterparts. Perhaps this motivation is the reason why the private industry has actually shown a useful and usable solution first — sell or become extinct.

I have not looked at the current numbers, but as of December 2006, could you guess what the most popular podcast in the Higher Education section of iTunes was?

Turns out it was from a high school teacher in Long Island discussing the Byzantine Empire.

Talk about leveling the playing field (just like the intarweb has done to research salaries across the country).

I mention this because a friend of mine sent me a WSJ article today (”Yale on $0 a day“), which discussed the continued growth of high-quality material placed online for free or at a low price. It turns out Yale has now jumped on the pioneering bandwagon: taping and releasing videos of undergraduate lectures onto the web por gratis.

And again, like MIT and others, they do not feel these substitute for the direct, invaluable interaction between students and teachers. This may be temporarily true for some specialties, but is it the case for all?

Will the wide consumption of such podcasts eventually eliminate redundant teaching positions at other institutions — after all, why continue paying for circular overhead when you could just outsource lectures to gregarious instructors with an army of teaching assistants?

And it has already happened with text books and curriculum methods (e.g., some of the classes I took at the management school were modeled after the Harvard case-study approach)… perhaps those on the vocational, self-taught track can take advantage of it too.

Not really.

However, back in 2003 he was granted a patent on the prestin molecule. Prestin is a protein found in the inner ear of every mammal.

Oddly enough, it turns out that 20% of the human genome is patented by someone. This of course leads to problems for, among others, drug researchers who cannot create vaccines targeted at specific genetic defects without permission/royalties on patented genes.

In fact, there is a whole slew of problems that were recently addressed in an informative article in the NY Times entitled Patenting Life — which was written by controversial author Michael Crichton. [Note: one of the more humorous comments regarding his piece was at Slashdot]

One of the biggest problems with being allowed to patent biology is that quite simply: no human invented it, let alone the individual(s) laying claim to it. Sure they may have discovered it, but would that not open up the floor to debate on who owns the rights to mitochondria, T-cells, or heaven forbid: proteins found in semen?

The tie in with prestin is that, as the New Scientist noted, “it may be 10,000 times more efficient at generating power than the best manmade material.”

If Dallos owns an artificial monopoly on it, what could be the negative consequences of his judicious enforcement upon the technology sector?

Unfortunately this looming issue will continually come back to hinder technological and potentially life saving progress, and will invariably effect individual freedoms — after all if you are currently not allowed to do what you want with your own organs, what won’t you be allowed to do with your itty bitty genes?

If you are a fan of real-time strategy games like StarCraft or Commander & Conquer, then you may have looked at TA back in 1997 and scratched your head.

While you could conceivably employ the typical Zerg rush type of tactic, many of its hardcore fans would rather spend hours on end erecting elaborate defenses before first blood was spilled. And that is exactly what my friends and I would do on weekends (that and smuggle WMDs from Mexico).

TA was unleashed onto the gaming world in 1997 as one of the first 3D games in its genre and ten years later, its “spiritual successor” carries the torch even farther, into the fourth dimension. And it cures cancer.

Actually, Supreme Commander was developed by the same guy as the original TA and he put together yet another gem.

I had the chance to play the demo that was released last week and based on my first impressions, it survives all the hype surrounding its upcoming release. Note: the demo only lets you play one of three factions, the Cybran Nation.

Lamentations:
- there is no air engineer capable of building structures on top of hills
- the extra ACU’s you build are impossible to locate after you build them
- the artillery experimental unit is absolutely worthless (never fired a single shot, no matter how close/far it was from an enemy)
- some clipping issues with each of the experimental units (they could fly through my own walls/structures as if they didn’t exist)
- would have liked to have a dual-purpose defensive missile launcher capable of shooting both ground and air (perhaps other factions have this)
- the quantum gate is utterly worthless, it takes forever to beam the commander anywhere and when you do, his HP limits his frontline effectiveness
- its dual monitor support was very taxing on my system (Athlon64 3800+, 2 GB RAM, 7600 GT) so I simply played with one — which was fine because there is a mini map you can pull up as part of your HUD.

And speaking of the HUD, it takes up a huge amount of the screen. Hopefully the tools included in the full version will allow this area to get an overhaul.

Adorations:
- fantastic graphics, although, you aren’t always zoomed close enough to really watch the fireworks take place — the water refraction is also cool
- the ability to upgrade the tech trees is streamlined (one factory can produce all three levels, instead of having to build a factory at each level)
- the commander is one total bad ass if you get a chance to actually upgrade his weapons (the laser beam can put your eye out…)
- shield generators add a new strategic element to the game — plus they look so damn pretty, very similar to what the Gungan warriors deployed in the Battle of Naboo
- small power generators are a nice change from the space-consuming solar panels, so is the ability to bundle them next to other structures for bonuses
- the tech engineers can move around on the water alleviating the superfluous need for water-only engineers (it would be cool to submerse them though)
- you can finally zoom out far enough to grab your erratic-minded air units (whom all suck against shield generators and SAM sites)

Judgement

4.5 out of 5: my only real beef with it was the lack of units compared to the initial amount that were included with TA — although this will change with the release of modding tools and perhaps even official units (the developers for TA released a new unit each Friday back in the day, perhaps they will do this again)

Gameplay note: even with the current unit build limit (currently hardcoded at 250 in the demo) you can have fun decimating any offensive the computer sends at you by building 200+ laser turrets which are protected with medium artillery and a couple dozen shield generators. It is pretty neat to see the ginormous experimental units get lit up faster than Evel Knievel, from a barrage coming from an actual Maginot Line.

Here is a not-so-complimentary view of the game and one that is glowing. Video of gameplay: 1 2

A couple of my friends from high school put together a highly polished parody of the TV series ‘24‘ entitled: 24 Hour Pizza Delivery

Mis amigos are the writer (Bill Zilliox) and director (Scott Ricamore). Scott and I took a Cisco-sponsored network engineering class that met a couple hours each day… and Bill was in the same class at a different time. We kept in touch over the years by attending a local junior college during the summers and visiting many computer game conventions (e.g., PGL events, QuakeCon).

If nothing else, this shows what you can do with a lot of talent on a low-budget.

Great script. Perfect editing. Excellent intensity. Hire them.

And another friend sent me this recently made parody of 24 and the Boston/Aqua Teen Hunger Force bugaboo created by National Lampoon staff members.

Note: I can’t say I’m a fan of 24, it is way over-the-top and if anything, only adds to the sky-is-falling attitude post-9/11.

You’re probably familiar with the sensational Boston Bomb scare by now.

A friend just sent me this well-made parody video.

The only question I have is, how on earth did the producers make such a high-quality production in less than a week?

Over the past week I had a chance to sit down and play two of the newest games in the turn-based strategy genre.

I can’t say that I like either one a whole lot — and I’ve played the previous versions.

For those unfamiliar with either game, EU 3 and Medieval 2 both have a table-top map in which the player chooses a specific province or country to play as (kind of like Risk).

Medieval 2 starts in the year 1080 AD (after the Norman Conquest) and ends 400+ later. Its underlying game engine is also used on the History Channel, for shows illustrating the Roman war machine. And, EU 3 begins in the year 1453 and concludes in 1792. Both require city management, diplomacy (or lack thereof), and continuous historical warfare.

[Note: in some respects, Medieval 2 closely resembles the early '90s game, Castles and its sequel (Castles II: Siege & Conquest), which you can still play thanks to Abandonware]

While several new features have been added to the foray, EU 3 felt simply like an slightly patched up version of the 2nd one. I say this despite the fact that it boasts a novel 3D engine.

The problem is that despite being released last Fall, Medieval 2 has a much better look and feel to the grand strategy portion of it than to the week-old EU 3.

EU 3 had a ton of potential, due in part to its much more open framework — you can choose to start from around 250 obscure nation-states, where Medieval 2 only lets you play the grand campaign through the eyes of 10 global players (including the up-and-coming Scotland…).

In addition, I did like the speed, and date-based calendar employed by EU 3 moreso than the seasonal turns used in Medieval 2 (the historical events felt more organic). I also liked the hundreds of conquerable provinces in EU 3, 1500 or so (versus the logarithmically lower amount found in Medieval).

One problem I found with Medieval 2 was that the actual real-time battles that are continuously advertised are simply not fun to play — and it completely defeats the purpose of having a high-end graphics card (7600 GT). It is really two-games-in-one, which some players enjoy, however I found myself letting the computer automatically duke it out, rather than wasting my time setting up and moving the troops around. Thus, only half of the game is worth paying for (you can’t even play the table-top map game in multiplayer, only the real-time battles).

This issue is the same complaint I had towards Stronghold and its sequels because you could never click on individual units that are just sitting around. The pathfinding AI used in Medieval 2 left a bad taste in my mouth (in every battle there are always dozens of units that just stand around, rather than helping their comrades fight).

Never fight an elephant with a horse

If I had my druthers, I would like to mix the enormous scale found in EU 3 with the graphics and clean interface of Medieval 2 and the army management found in games like Age of Empires. On that note, perhaps both sets of developers could create a sequel which allows you to manage naval units during battles (like Age of Sail or AoE).

Oh, and while we are at it, I would love for someone to make a better version of Stronghold, because building and defending castles is a lot of fun to this cosmopolitan Aggie.

The Verdict

EU III: 3 out of 5 stars — if you have an unhealthy fetish for the previous 2, you’ll probably like this one
Medieval II: 3.5 out of 5 stars — again, if you are fan of the TW series, then this is up your alley, otherwise play the demo and see if it is your thing

Gameplay note: Spain totally kicks ass in Medieval II (playing as England is difficult, and France is almost impossible once Milan and Sicily show up). Oh, and in EU 3, don’t invade Savoy if you are playing as Switzerland. Hell, don’t invade anyone if you are playing as Switzerland. And no matter which game you try, never waste your time on a crusade — just ignore the Pope.

And speaking of the Crusades, be sure to watch Kingdom of Heaven — it really puts some perspective to the cut-scenes in the “Historical Battles” found in Medieval 2.

Just for the record, I’m pretty sure that based on my own intimate relationship with her, Anna Nicole Smith would have wanted me to be the sole inheritor of her estate.*

However, I’m not sure I need the stressful lawsuits in my life at this time.

*By intimate relationship I mean I saw Smith in revealing clothing on her super awesome reality show numerous times.

Actually, it’s a few of my favorite scientists/technologists: Seth Lloyd and Geordie Rose (any relation to Jeff?).

Anyways, it turns out that Dr. Rose will showcase his little quantum baby next week. And in the Techworld write-up, the author grabbed a quote from the always eclectic Dr. Lloyd.

I’m not much of a betting man, but I’d wager the D-Wave system will definitely have more substance than either xMax or the Phantom game system combined.

See more on Lloyd here: 1 2 3

Unfortunately I think the telecom world will ultimately feel the wrath of additional FCC regulation and Congressional oversight in the near future.

And this will create a lose-lose situation for just about everyone. Cui bono?

In fact, the only people that will benefit through ”net neutrality” types of policies are politicians, regulators, and content providers.

Consumers and innovators will be left out to dry because they will have fewer choices and clogged pipes. Well, not really clogged, just less intelligent bandwidth allocation tools at their disposal (i.e., when bit discrimination is outlawed, only outlaws will discriminate bits. Note: discrimination is a good thing for consumers, you pay for what you want to use [MPLS, QoS]).

Despite the fact that these provisions were shot down last year, this not so bueno outlook comes at a time when so many influential geeks have banded together to promote the nationalization of the plumbing.

The latest example comes from a recent sensationalistic report over at GigaOM, written by a Paul Kapustka.

While I have touched on how this issue is really a battle over private property and contracts (e.g., peering agreements), Kapustka insinuates that essentially anyone against “net neutrality” policies is a paid shill of the telecom industry.

A brief disclaimer: I am on a permanent $1 million dollar retainer to companies such as AT&T and MCI… so take my meanderings with a grain of salt.

Be sure to check out Richard Bennet’s comments in that GigaOM link as well as his own blog post on the topic.

See also:
The Spectrum Should Be Private Property
What To Think About Reregulation?

Don’t get me wrong, I liked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles just like everyone else did — but this girl takes it a little far. Especially with the pizza toppings…

Reminds me of people that get dressed up for Comic Cons, Furries and LARPing.

If you are a fan of Borat’s impromptu press conference held last fall, then you will probably enjoy this one.

The interview is regarding the recent “bomb scare” in Boston. It turns out that a TBS affiliate over-reacted and published a rather lame, sensationalistic report about possible bomb devices located throughout the city.

If nothing else, this is just another exhibit of how paranoid certain individuals are — shoot first, ask questions later?

Addendum: my buddy Randall noted that the graphic has already become part of a subculture meme (originally started at SomethingAwful, picture #4 and here).