Brain Training

Interesting analysis of the Brain Training phenomenon. I would hardly call it a “trojan horse” or claim that it is not a game, but otherwise a nice description of what makes the software so popular.

Now, if they could just have a few questions/quizzes to make people more careful with how they treat their (and others’) data.

As a side note, I had several conversations about user education today and then I found Bruce Schneier had posted something about it on his blog as well. He mentions a counterpoint by Marcus Ranum, but this just made me think of the fundamental differences in perception by the soft-spoken Bruce versus tough-as-nails Marcus. They both seem to love educating others and spreading the word about good security practices, but both also make a case for a world with less need (Bruce by creating incentives for people to make simpler technology and Marcus by creating incentives for peope learn risks faster).

One big problem with Marcus’ theory, incidentally, is that people may never realize the true cause of failure was not incidental. I have heard this referred to as the theory that a cat might not step on a particular hot stove again after they get burned, but they tend not to translate their experience into “red stove tops are hot, don’t step on them again”. I posted a comment on Bruce’s blog to highlight an issue with his theory of “just make things safer”.

Judge blocks plans for logging US reserves

The AP shows some disturbing effects of the Bush administration on the Forest Service:

The plan to allow logging of trees up to 30 inches in diameter aimed to protect sequoia trees from wildfires, Mathes said. He stressed that the Forest Service had no plans to allow logging of sequoias, which can grow up to 270 feet tall and 30 feet in diameter.

“When the smaller-diameter trees catch fire, that’s the one thing that can kill the giant Sequoia trees towering above them,” Mathes said. “We need to take another look at how we’re going to manage this monument to protect these magnificent trees from fire.”

Ah yes, they have no plans today, of course, which is very different from saying “will never” have plans. No need for plans yet since they can start by logging the small ones. Then, only after the little guys are all gone, plans can be revised to log the Sequoias or they can just be logged without plans. It’s plausable, especially from an administration notorious for manipulating facts, obscuring details, and abusing public trust.

The plan would have allowed up to 7.5 million board feet of timber — enough to fill 1,500 logging trucks — to be removed each year from the preserve, the plaintiffs said.

“We think today’s ruling is a huge step toward more intelligent, more protective management of the monument,” said Pat Gallagher, the Sierra Club’s director of environmental law. “It deserves to be managed like the national treasure that it is.”

The Forest Service was disappointed with Breyer’s ruling and may appeal, said spokesman Matt Mathes.

The reason for appeal? Forest fires? The report points out that a space with two-thirds of the worlds largest trees would be subject to the logging proposal. One can only wonder why Mathes is using the “stop forest-fires” argument to justify his position, especially when the Giant Sequoia National Monument site itself says fires are beneficial:

Federal land managers know natural burns, like this lightning-sparked Comb Fire, is Mother Nature’s tool to change the natural landscape.

Naturally-caused fires that remain small are efficient thinning tools. They meander here and there, consuming low brush, shrubs, small trees [my emphasis] and snags, reducing the accumulation of forest fuels. The larger trees survive, and openings are created for healthy new ones to grow. Cycling nutrients back into the soil, and regulating insects and disease are additional gains. Some trees, like the giant sequoia, need the heat of fire to drop their seeds. Animals benefit too. Some insects fly to fires to lay their eggs in warm trees. And the three-toed woodpecker wanders erratically in search of timber killed by fire just to feed on those insects.

Scientists estimate that over the past several centuries, unsuppressed natural fire had burned 15,000 to 18,000 acres a year in the Sierra Nevada.

Seems a bit contradictory to me if the position is to stop forest fires by logging, but then their own website extolls the virtues of naturally-caused fires that burn small trees. Perhaps more information would be helpful to explain this twist of logic? Unfortunately, it looks like the Forest Service has recently shown signs of disclosure-itis. They apparently failed to inform the public about key details of their plans:

Levi wrote that forest officials had “no explanation” for why some already-finished documents couldn’t be released to the public when completed, or at least summarized in the letters.

One of the Shasta-Trinity projects ultimately included 296 pages of reports about potential environmental effects, Levi wrote.

But in a letter seeking comments, the project was described in one sentence.

I wonder if the administration justified their position with “look we’re being environmentally friendly by keeping you in the dark — less paper means more trees (to log for safety reasons)”.

Ishmael Reed

What ever happened to all the talk about IM as a form of poetry?

Ishmael Reed was there first.

Lazy (efficient?) typists unite.

Here is an excerpt from his badman of the guest professor, showing he was not only ahead of his time in form, but in commentary on politics as well:

 

listen man, i cant help it if
yr thing is over, kaputs,

    finis

no matter how you slice it dick
you are done. a dead duck all out
of quacks; d nagging hiccup dat
goes on & on w/ out a simple glass

    of water for relief

New diesel land speed record

Rudolph Diesel would be pleased, I think. The way I read his story, he was depressed that so many people judged his design for what it could do at the time rather than for its potential. Now, more than 100 years later diesel engines are finally getting the interest that they deserve in terms of research investments that are leading to incredible breakthroughs in efficiency and performance:

Today the JCB DIESELMAX became the ‘world’s fastest diesel’ , a fantastic and emotional day the team! The FIA timed the car at an average speed of 328.767mph subject to FIA ratification, breaking the old record of 235mph.

Through the timed mile a fine 333.364mph speed was recorded despite Andy mistakenly braking before the end of the mile!

No matter, the record was in the bag, broken by almost 100mph. Time for a mass of media photographs and interviews before the team wheeled the car away.

Tomorrow the car will be in action again on the Salt Flats, aiming to raise the bar further! This evening there is more work to do with the aim of improving the cooling system.

Very exciting news and the best of luck to the team tomorrow. I think this is a bit of a stretch, though:

JCB DIESELMAX will occupy a unique place in record breaking history as the first car designed entirely by computer. Besides advanced aerodynamics that break fresh ground the car is innovative in other areas.

Surely someone was giving the computer instructions? You just can’t tell me that someone typed “world’s fastest diesel” into their favorite search engine and a finished design popped-out…that’s about as likely as the answer “42”.

The most impressive part of the story, for me at least, is the ability to take a diesel industrial powerplant and turn it into a high-performance speed machine:

The results of the JCB DIESELMAX engine development work are truly impressive and the headline figures speak for themselves: with each delivering peak power of 750hp and torque of 1500Nm, the engines are over five times the power of the production version and at 150hp/litre, they exceed even motorsports applications as the world’s highest specific power diesel car engines.

I was just saying to someone the other day that my next car might just be a Caterpillar, given their investment in diesel technology. The hybrids are cool, but many people are still unaware that a diesel engine today already gives better economy than a Prius. Thus, it only makes sense that a clean-diesel hybrid…