Off to DragonCon 2022!

Off to DragonCon 2022!

No tech posting for a week.

Photos will follow!

Post-COVID, the Office-Centric work style is coming back, but there are reasons to still go with Remote Work.

Post-COVID, the Office-Centric work style is coming back, but there are reasons to still go with Remote Work.

“improving diversity boosts both decision-making and financial performance,” but Remote Work is the best way to handle diversity.

https://fortune.com/2022/08/23/what-jp-morgan-ceo-jamie-dimon-got-wronga-meta-remote-work-diversity-careers-gleb-tsipursky/

Apple Alumni Jean-Louis Gassée examines if Apple AR Glasses are the NBT.

Apple Alumni Jean-Louis Gassée examines if Apple AR Glasses are the NBT.

I love his comment that Apple will always need a Next Big Thing… "it's in the company's DNA."

https://mondaynote.com/apple-ar-glasses-a-next-big-thing-candidate-bfe2b3e9d32b

A friend, a VR/AR researcher at GMU, is looking for people to interview for a project.

 A friend, a VR/AR researcher at GMU, is looking for people to interview for a project. He especially would like to talk with designers/QA testers/developers. If you are also involved with VR/AR, all the better, but it is not required. The interview is very short, so if you have a few minutes for something like this, please get in touch with me so I can pass your name on. Thank you!

Should we go there? Absolutely. Do we have the infrastructure, I seriously doubt it.

Should we go there? Absolutely. Do we have the infrastructure, I seriously doubt it.

It is a chicken-egg issue, won’t have enough charging station until we have enough cars and visa versa. Maybe forcing the issue is the right solution.

https://www.popsci.com/environment/california-ban-gasoline-cars/

Saturday Tech Humor

 A true story, and one of the sweetest comments I have ever seen. Hire that girl!

Video game pioneer John D. Carmack & computer scientist/podcaster Lex Fridman ask if a General AI is in our future (among other discussions).

Video game pioneer John D. Carmack & computer scientist/podcaster Lex Fridman ask if a General AI is in our future (among other discussions).

A very entertaining episode from Lex Clips podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLi83prR5fg

Print Magazine provides a review and excerpt of the new book “The Making of Prince of Persia: Journals 1985–1993”

Print Magazine provides a review and excerpt of the new book “The Making of Prince of Persia: Journals 1985–1993”

For those without a degree in Software Game History (or a long memory), it was one of the earliest groundbreaking animated games for the Apple //.

https://www.printmag.com/design-books/jordan-mechner-the-making-of-prince-of-persia/

I am not a fan of Video Doorbells, but here is one that saved its owner from a big mistake.

I am not a fan of Video Doorbells, but here is one that saved its owner from a big mistake.

Maybe there is something to be said for remote viewing of your home/office if the security is tight!

https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2022/08/03/ring-doorbell-cam-mistaken-eviction-orig-jk.cnn

A new Kickstarter shows that Information Age has little to do with Electronics.

A new Kickstarter shows that Information Age has little to do with Electronics.

Spintronics has a kit for fulling functional computer circuits using mechanical, not Electricity.

Sidenote: Years ago, I made some design sketches for steam-powered computer components. Basically, it was an explanation for AND, OR & NOT gates using air pressure rather than electrons. Since then, I have been told that MIT and several other schools have done similar projects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=957kZIBKob8

Spintronics Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/upperstory/spintronics-build-mechanical-circuits

I love my Tesla with its screen, but I understand why a physical UI is better than a virtual one.

I love my Tesla with its screen, but I understand why a physical UI is better than a virtual one.

This study shows that the latest touch technology is less efficient than a tactile button.

https://www.vibilagare.se/nyheter/physical-buttons-outperform-touchscreens-new-cars-test-finds

Two Minute Paper explores how Microsofts used their Virtual Human AI to explore new algorithms.

Two Minute Paper explores how Microsofts used their Virtual Human AI to explore new algorithms.

By creating massive numbers of Virtual faces, you can use the data set to calculate better landmarking of real faces.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-FESfXHF5s

SwiftUI 4 has a ton of features for the upcoming iOS 16.

SwiftUI 4 has a ton of features for the upcoming iOS 16.

Anupam Chugh's article explores the use of Charts, Bottom Sheets, Shared Links, and more.

https://betterprogramming.pub/swiftui-ios16-d7685c08f8d5

Saturday Tech Humor

Old programmers never die…

…they just decompile.

…they just lose their memory.

…they just byte it.

…they just get bugged with life.

…they just can’t C as well

…they are garbage collected.

…they just hit a breakpoint.

“Bjarne Stroustrup, creator and developer of C++, delivers his talk entitled, The Essence of C++.”

“Bjarne Stroustrup, creator and developer of C++, delivers his talk entitled, The Essence of C++.”

Stroustrup is one of the pioneers in Computer Science, winning the Faraday Medal & the Computer Pioneer Award for his lifetime work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86xWVb4XIyE

Bjame’s webpage: https://www.stroustrup.com

Will Tesla’s “Optimus” actually be an actual product? More details are coming from Elon Musk, including the possibility of seeing it this year.

Will Tesla’s “Optimus” actually be an actual product? More details are coming from Elon Musk, including the possibility of seeing it this year.

Supposedly, Tesla made the robot slow and weak so humans could escape it. Let’s feed Frankenstein-ish fears here.

https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/elon-musk-unveils-tesla-robot-says-it-will-perform-boring-chores-by-years-end/

Mark Rendle gives a presentation on the Worst Programming Language Ever (no, it is not Fortran or COBOL).

Mark Rendle gives a presentation on the Worst Programming Language Ever (no, it is not Fortran or COBOL).

As software engineers, we are always trying to improve. There is something to be said for taking the worst features and mashing them together.  If we don't know what is bad, we might repeat it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcFBwt1nu2U

Smartphones are not the only devices where “The Right To Repair” is debated. How about Farming Equipment?

Smartphones are not the only devices where “The Right To Repair” is debated. How about Farming Equipment?

A hacker has basically “jailbroken” a John Deere tractor, raising security, privacy, and self-repair concerns.

https://www.popsci.com/technology/john-deere-tractors-jailbreak-right-to-repair/

Created by Dominik Hackl, Magic Keys is a Mixed Reality piano learning app, along the lines of Guitar Hero.

Created by Dominik Hackl, Magic Keys is a Mixed Reality piano learning app, along the lines of Guitar Hero.

An Oculus Quest version will be coming soon, but this type of app will really shine on proper AR device!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgBxlsJ8gIE

Magic Keys: https://dominikhackl.com/project/magic-keys/

Why can’t all educational videos be this well done? Or as colorful?

Why can’t all educational videos be this well done? Or as colorful?

Thanks to CGP Grey for coming back after a half-year break.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD6bPNZRRbQ&t=3s

Steffan Morris Hernandez gives us some thought points from Tripp Mickle’s book ‘After Steve’.

Steffan Morris Hernandez gives us some thought points from Tripp Mickle’s book ‘After Steve’.

Steve Jobs’ product philosophy, Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication & X Service products are some topics in this intimate insight into the past, present & future of Apple.

https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/what-i-learnt-about-apple-in-8-visuals-by-reading-after-steve-6c7ce16f79f2

Saturday Tech Humor

 Question: How can you tell which one of your friends has the new gold iPhone?

Answer: Don’t worry, he will let you know!

I been working on some board game design, and found this engaging book by Geoffrey Engelstein & Isaac Shalev

I been working on some board game design, and found this engaging book by Geoffrey Engelstein & Isaac Shalev

The book is basically a Design Pattern guide to modern Tabletop games, breaking down into type, movement, features, and such, with contemporary examples.

https://www.routledge.com/Building-Blocks-of-Tabletop-Game-Design-An-Encyclopedia-of-Mechanisms/Engelstein-Shalev/p/book/9781032015811

Link to list of other books on wargame designs: https://paxsims.wordpress.com/about/research-bibliography/

Please make the Star Trek Communicator sound when you flip it open!

Please make the Star Trek Communicator sound when you flip it open!

Seriously, the design of this duel screen device is interesting. Though still high, the price is major reduction of the previous two screen fold phones.

https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/electronics/samsung-galaxy-z-flip-4-pre-order

From the Quanta Magazine YouTube channel, here is an interview of Turing Award-winning computer scientist Leslie Lamport.

From the Quanta Magazine YouTube channel, here is an interview of Turing Award-winning computer scientist Leslie Lamport.

Besides being one of the pioneers of the theory of distributed systems, he was the initial developer of LaTeX, the first document preparation language. That makes him the direct grandfather of all markup languages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkZzg7Vowao

It is too late if you have a few billion dollars to invest. Amazon beat you to buying the iRobot corporation (maker of Roomba).

It is too late if you have a few billion dollars to invest. Amazon beat you to buying the iRobot corporation (maker of Roomba).

Besides the wow of the price, this is important because it shows Amazon is continuing to invest in home tech & automation.

https://www.popsci.com/technology/amazon-buy-roomba-irobot/

Side Note: Does anyone remember "Door Into Summer" by Robert Heinlein? It was written in 1957. The main character successfully manufactures the first home-oriented automation, a robot vacuum cleaner. Yep, good old RAH predicted the success of Roomba. Yes, I know he also invented the term and concept of the Waldo, but part of me was surprised it took this long to come up with a “Hired Girl”. Yes, that was the 1957 name for it.

Survivorship Bias has one of the best stories to describe data analysis mistakes.

Survivorship Bias has one of the best stories to describe data analysis mistakes.

This HS Math teacher, and Australian TV host, does an excellent job explaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9WFpVsRtQg

OpenAI DALL·E 2, generates realistic and accurate images from simple descriptions.

OpenAI DALL·E 2, generates realistic and accurate images from simple descriptions.

Text-To-Art has been around for a while, but they are starting to get really good!

https://openai.com/dall-e-2/

A teacher in Oakland, CA (my birth town) has been collecting what is accidentally returned in library books, and made a website from it.

A teacher in Oakland, CA (my birth town) has been collecting what is accidentally returned in library books, and made a website from it.

I Love Libraries organization gives us this delightful story of digital recording what you find in physical books.

https://ilovelibraries.org/article/found-in-a-library-book/

Actual site: https://oaklandlibrary.org/found-in-a-library-book/

Saturday Tech Humor

 Few people remember that original Mac was considered portable (for that time). It had a handle, and came in a massive carrying case, that barely fit in overhead compartment.

From Prickly City April 3, 2022.

Apple has made a real estate purchase in San Diego of what may become a series of large remote campuses.

Apple has made a real estate purchase in San Diego of what may become a series of large remote campuses.

This had been planned for a while due to the staggering price of living in Silicon Valley. But like so many things, COVID hit.

https://9to5mac.com/2022/08/01/apple-new-san-diego-campus-modem-work/

Tom Scott comes thru again with the most enormous walking robot of all time. And it’s a Dragon!

 Tom Scott comes thru again with the most enormous walking robot of all time. And it’s a Dragon!

Forget Disney World animatronic or Japan Giant Robots; the “Tradinno” is an 11-ton, has a 36” wingspan, and breathes fire!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPPiOFaAlig

How do you design your UX for Accessibility AND make it playful?

How do you design your UX for Accessibility AND make it playful?  

Designer and software engineer, Elise Hein has some good thoughts on this.

https://uxdesign.cc/wheres-the-fun-in-accessibility-b78c6b9d280d

This explanation of SwiftUI Lifecycle was a big help recently.

This explanation of SwiftUI Lifecycle was a big help recently.

Thanks to Vadim Bulavin, Creator of Yet Another Swift Blog, for this well-written article.

https://www.vadimbulavin.com/swiftui-view-lifecycle/

Paul Hudson off Hacking with Swift allows us to simulate depth using SwiftUI.

Paul Hudson off Hacking with Swift allows us to simulate depth using SwiftUI.

Paul uses Core Motion, tracking the device's movement, to simulate a reflecting light source. Cool trick!

https://www.hackingwithswift.com/articles/253/how-to-use-inner-shadows-to-simulate-depth-with-swiftui-and-core-motion