Good Math, Bad Math – I Get Mail – Iterative Compression

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Mark C. Chu-Carroll writes about data compression and shrinking gains with multiple pass encryption…. He\’s a little on the technical side, but anyone with a basic understanding should be able to easily keep up…
Good Math, Bad Math : I Get Mail: Iterative Compression: \”He\’s invented a method where he can take a source document, and repeatedly compress it, making it smaller each time.
This is a stupid idea that I\’ve seen entirely too many times. But instead of just making fun of it, I thought it would be interesting to explain in detail why it doesn\’t work. It touches on a bunch of basic facts about how data compression works, and provides a nice excuse for me to write a bit about compression.\”

Hacking Your VCR Yields Monster Results

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Hacking Your VCR Yields Monster Results: \”

Roy sent me the link to this awesome VCR hack just when I needed some entertainment (that Daylight Savings Time lost hour is weighing heavily on me right about now).\’

I could use another iPod Touch, so maybe I\’ll stay awake an hour or so longer and pull apart the old VCR that\’s still sitting in the TV cabinet…\’ Then again, I already have 3 dogs and 2 cats running around the house right now- do I really need to add a monster to the mix?

\”

(Via Geekdad.)

Lovecraftian School Board Member Wants Madness Added To Curriculum

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

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The Union news network is reporting that Charles West, one of Arkham\’s school board members is arguing that there is not enough Cthulhian madness in the school\’s education plans…
Here\’s a clip…
ARKHAM, MA—Arguing that students should return to the fundamentals taught in the Pnakotic Manuscripts and the Necronomicon in order to develop the skills they need to be driven to the very edge of sanity, Arkham school board member Charles West continued to advance his pro-madness agenda at the district\’s monthly meeting Tuesday.
\”Fools!\” said West, his clenched fist striking the lectern before him. \”We must prepare today\’s youth for a world whose terrors are etched upon ancient clay tablets recounting the fever-dreams of the other gods—not fill their heads with such trivia as math and English. Our graduates need to know about those who lie beneath the earth, waiting until the stars align so they can return to their rightful place as our masters and wage war against the Elder Things and the shoggoths!\”
Lovecraftian School Board Member Wants Madness Added To Curriculum

Indigo Remote Device Listings v1.05

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Here\’s a relatively quick application to list all your devices via the Web Plugin system of Indigo…
The application will display:

  • Device Name
  • Description
  • X10 or Insteon Address
  • The Device Type
  • The Device\’s Firmware level
  • Status
  • Last Modified Date

For example:

\"Picture

How about some feedback, and suggestions on what else you might want to see?
Indigo Remote Device Listing v1.05
Recent Changes so far:

  • Added better error checking, and resolved some issues with Single Digit Firmware values

Watchmen Saturday Morning Cartoon?

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Watchmen Saturday Morning Cartoon?: \”

No, not really. But this hilarious take on what would happen if television executives from the 1980s got their hands on the rights for Alan Moore\’s masterpiece just made my morning. I salute its creator, Harry Partridge.

Watch as the Silk Spectre plays keytar in a girl band, Ozymandias and Bubastic solve crimes à la Shaggy and Scooby, and Dr. Manhattan turns into a car for the rest of the Watchmen to ride.

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Click to watch the video

Via Why, That\’s Delightful!

(Via Geekdad.)

Free Book Helps You Stand Up to an IRS Audit

Benjamin SchollnickNo Comments

Free Book Helps You Stand Up to an IRS Audit [Tax Time]: \”

Fred Daily, tax attorney and author of Stand Up to the IRS, has put the book\’s entire content up online, and it\’s a great read if you and the tax collectors are having some disagreements.

Photo by mjmalone.

Daily\’s book runs topic-by-topic through the common audit points and taxpayer confusion, covering family and inheritance, self-employed and small business income, penalties and interest, and a lot of other ground. It\’s also full of wisdom on what you should and shouldn\’t worry about, which anyone who\’s gotten the stark white envelope with the distinctive logo can benefit from. Get Rich Slowly likes, in particular, the 25 most frequently asked questions, and so do we. Free to read and print.

Stand Up to the IRS (chapters) [The Tax Law Offices of Fred Daily via Get Rich Slowly]

(Via Lifehacker.)