Special Interest Group on CRAP

Picture taken recently at work, taken in the area of parking spaces reserved for electric vehicles. In this picture you’ll see five electric vehicles, including: A Tango A RAV 4 EV Larry’s Tesla (the silver one) Sergey’s Tesla (the red one) A gemcar I can’t wait to park my Aptera in one of these spaces…

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I recently signed up for 23andme.com. I was motivated in part because I don’t know the genetic background on my mother’s side (she was essentially a stolen baby, without any knowledge of her parents). I’m optimistic about science being able to make use of genetic information to improve the human condition in the future, but [...]

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I’ve owned a hybrid car (a Toyota Prius) for almost three years now, and it’s been quite satisfying. It’s amazing to routinely get 50 miles per gallon on every tank with no effort on my part. I just get in it and drive it like any other car. OK well maybe not like my other [...]

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There was a time when commercial publishers provided a crucial service in the printing and distribution of scientific publications. That need has diminished to the point where it doesn’t make sense to continue to use this model. USENIX has announced that they will make all of their conference proceedings freely available online. This marks a [...]

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There is a crying need for a button on most consumer electronics these days. I call it the “FUCK YOU” button. I’ll offer a few examples: You put a DVD into your DVD player, but none of the buttons on the remote will function until you finish watching the promotions, the FBI copyright warning, and [...]

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I recently was around someone who used the term “war on terror”. I almost started ranting, but decided to pause and think about why that term bugs me so much. Sometimes it’s better to think before you speak. I was reminded of it again when I heard a talk by Thomas Barnett from the TED [...]

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During your lifetime there are a few songs that will stop you in your tracks and grab your attention. Maybe it’s the moment, or the melody, or the people you are with, or a snatch of the lyrics. Here’s my list. I don’t need to fight to prove I’m right. I don’t need to be [...]

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