Nice simple explanation of Shannon Entropy. Information, Uncertainty and Shannon Entropy – The Math Introduction at Nonoscience The phrase ‘Information Entropy’ is one of the most confusing in science, since entropy is the lack of infomation. But the problem is not with the idea of equating information theory and entropy, just eth sloppy phrasing. Information Entropy means Entropy within the concept of information science (as opposed to thermodynamics, for example).
In 2004 I wrote: I want my iPhone And boy did they deliver. The iPhone looks like the best Apple product yet.
I’m launching a new site called Smashing Telly. Over the last 6 months, I have rarely watched regular TV, but did not have the patience to download programs, having found a wealth of timeless classics such as Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation (sic) available instantly, as a streamed video of ‘good enough’ quality. Smashing Telly is a hand edited collection of the best free TV on the web. Not 30 second clips of a dog on a skateboard, or the millionth person to mime the Numa song, but full length programs. Over the next week I’ll be posting a bunch of new items.
Have been playing around with WordPress.com – very nice. For years now people have obsessed with separating style from content and have thought that ‘style’ is the same as ‘layout’. CSS has been used for layout, which it is a very bad language for (unlike many templating languages glancing at a CSS file does not tell you what a page design will look like which ruins the whole ‘view source’ model that made html so successful). XML is a much better language for layout, but we are stuck with CSS, and so will have to split CSS into separate layout and style documents. Andy Skelton & Scott Allan Wallick’s Sandbox theme is the first time I’ve seen something that moves towards separation of style from layout, not just style + layout from content. There is a lot that could be done with that – particularly if the semantic placeholders that…
An animated map of the Spread of religion. One thing it suggests to me is that Judaism and subsequently the other Abrahamic religions are actually based on Hinduism. After all, Krishna was crucified and rose again and was referred to as Kris (Christ). [Thanks Keith.] History of Religion
Innevitably a visit to Europe always ends up in endless analysis of what better Europe vs the US. This time was partiularly strange, since much of Europe feels more futuristic that the US. My arrival at Zurich airport epitomized this, the airport having the same atmosphere as the film Gattaca. In the tunnels for the shuttle between terminals, pinpoint strobes light up 160 light box images of a post modern Heidi such that each frame syncs with the shuttle windows to produce an 8 second flipbook style movie. case study
2006 Predictions 1. US loses control of middle east foreign policy. Israel says will use Nuclear tipped warheads to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, unless the US attacks. Saudi Arabia says will invade Iraq to protect Sunni Iraqis if the US pulls out. The president has a mandate for neither of the options allowed to him, domestically. 2. Recession signs. Weather related losses, over leveraged debt, house price declines a weak dollar and middle east political instability. The sooner the inevitable recession comes, the quicker and milder it will be, 2007 if we are lucky, but probably 2008. 3. Global warming hits reinsurance. Insurance has traditionally been a guaranteed money maker, you asses the risk and take a premium while the government pays to mitigate much of that risk, with things like the police and fire services and the military. But the weather is different, and the weather will play a…
A holiday tradition, for me and my dad: The 102nd King William’s College Quiz is out.
Following Jason’s My Year in Cities, 2006 (kottke.org). Here’s lists of cities visited this year: (The reason I’m doing this is I’m collecting lists for some new Wists features, which I’ll be able to show shortly). New York, NY Philadelpia, PA Austin, TX San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA London, England Geneva, Switzerland Paris, France Barcelona, Spain and bonnie Selkirk!
Threads, was a drama, about the build up and aftermath of a full scale nuclear war – like ‘The Day After’ but less sanitized. It terrified me when I first saw it in 1984, it still terifies me. Nuclear War was the anxiety of my generation, as we grew up. Yet today, in part due to the incompetence of the Bush foreign policy, the nuclear threat is possibly greater than ever. Watch Threads and realize just how pathetic war is.