Monday, May 30, 2016

What have I been reading this week? (20160529)

I missed posting last week because I was finishing up an online course called "Developing with Embedded Linux", which included cross-compiling ARM binaries on an X86 system, followed by cross-debugging for same. I have little experience with the former and none with the latter so completing the lab took a bit of extra time. It's definitely something that I have to keep practicing.

The class itself was interesting. It was an online class with one instructor (somewhere in Britain) and three other students (mostly in the Eastern time zone). There was at least one lab per day (sometimes two). The course was more or less an overview of skills needed when developing on Linux-based SBCs.

U-boot was also covered. The course may have given me enough information to debrick an old NAS in my junk box. Some soldering (putting a header on the JTAG interface) and a bit of courage will be required on my part.

In preparation for this fall's classes (pursuing my next degree)(Dave has been after me to get off of the dime), I've started building my next computer. I'm taking my time with this one and making as few compromises as possible.

In any case, from the past two weeks (usual disclaimers[1] apply):

2016-05-16

- The slow death of purposeless walking - BBC News
My parents used to "go for a walk" quite often, taking us kids with them (I miss it). Later in life, it often involved a horse and cart. My father was notorious for going for a "short walk" and not coming back for hours (he would always stop at neighbors' places to chat or help with a chore).

- UC students suit claims Google scanned accounts without permission
Recommend filing this in the "Too Dumb To Read ToS's" category. Is there any hope that they get smacked with the legal fees?

2016-05-17

- Academics Make Theoretical Breakthrough in Random Number Generation
Ok, but I'm not holding my breath. How soon can it be practical? I seem to remember that using multiple low quality inputs tends to reduce the quality of the output, not improve it.

2016-05-20

- How to Write 225 Words Per Minute With a Pen

2016-05-25

- The Curse of Culture

- TOTP SSH port fluxing
Something for my "to do" list.

2016-05-26

- Esperanto: the language that never was

- 45 years since its creation. The C language still very popular.

- A list of everything that could go in the header of your HTML document

2016-05-28

- 4 bit computer built from discrete transistors
I'm old enough to remember when it was done this way (but I _was_ a kid).

- FaceTime iMessages hang in the balance after possible Apple loss to patent troll
Maybe I'm missing something but, in reading the patent claims, I'm not "seeing" anything new/novel.

- Extinction Level Event
Discusses the future of FPGAs.

- Op-ed: Oracle attorney says Google's court victory might kill the GPL
This one looks like it's in the running for the title of "Most asinine case" (or maybe it should be in the greed category?), competing with the SCO and Prenda cases. Hopefully it doesn't turn into another one of those shambling zombies like the SCO case (which is still out there).

- Three tips for getting started with NLU

- Google stole Java: Oracle loses again case closed for now
You think that this was ugly? I'm watching for a MySQL-related case. From Oracle's commercial license page for MySQL: "Purchasing a commercial license means that the GPL does not apply,..."

Above was generated by a homegrown bolt-on script for Wallabag, which is a free utility for capturing web content so that it can be read later.

[1] Usual disclaimers include but aren't limited to:
   - Commentary is just my own opinion.
   - Don't get yer knickers bunched up!
   - I am NOT a lawyer. If you need, you should consider me a layman or just a dumb blogger.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

What have I been reading this week? (20160515)

Working hard on the RPi3 review and finding out (the hard way) that 1 GB still isn't enough. Have worked my way through updating Docker to v1.11 (doesn't work well as a number of things are missing from the ARM build script), have built out Bitlbee with almost all plugins (it randomly crashes just like the x86 machines!), and am now working my way through setting up a homegrown jukebox based on Savonet/Liquidsoap. Still have about 5 weeks to go so, if there's ample time, will probably be running other stuff on it (Traccar, Squeezebox, etc.).

Call me paranoid, but I think my new favorite author (Charles Stross, whom I'm currently binge reading) has visited a few of my places of employment (or his commenters have). Take a gander at the classic workplace sabotage article!

2016-05-09

- Four Episodes in the Life of Einstein s Mother
- Why I do not sign Non-compete agreements

2016-05-10

- Which first language is best for learning programming techniques? Future-Tech Blog

2016-05-12

- Announcing SyntaxNet: The World's Most Accurate Parser Goes Open Source
- Google Calendar gains the ability to automatically log you into conference calls

2016-05-13

- I must sadly withdraw my endorsement of yubikey 4 devices and perhaps all

2016-05-14

- In Oracle v. Google a Nerd Subculture Is on Trial

2016-05-15

- Updating classic workplace sabotage techniques
- How I found a huge data leak of a company during a college lecture
- Why I haven't fixed your issue yet

Above was generated by a homegrown bolt-on script for Wallabag, which is a free utility for capturing web content so that it can be read later.

Monday, May 9, 2016

What have I been reading this week? (20160508)

Spent the weekend trying to get Spectrum2 to compile on an ARM board. (I'd been chosen to provide a hardware review and often use odd solutions to put them through their paces.) So far, no joy. Savonet/Liquidsoap is next. I like Spectrum2, I hate building it. (This is related to why I greatly like Docker.)

In any case, this past week's readings:

2016-05-02

- Recovering Evidence from SSD Drives in 2014: Understanding TRIM Garbage Collection and Exclusions
- The Feed Is Dying

2016-05-03

- How the Pwnedlist Got Pwned Krebs on Security
- 7 lessons from DuckDuckGo's Instant Answers project

2016-05-04

- Supersingular isogeny Diffie-Hellman 101
- The Cryptographically Provable Con Man
- Validating Satoshi Or Not

2016-05-05

- IBM allow free access to quantum processor online - BBC News
- Please please please stop asking how to find a technical co-founder.
- Preparing for the Future of Artificial Intelligence

Above was generated by a homegrown bolt-on script for Wallabag, which is a free utility for capturing web content so that it can be read later.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

What have I been reading this week? (20160501)

Work had signed me up for a out-of-town course, and then rescheduled it when they found an in-town offerring (which turned out to be better). The out-of-town course required completion of 4 online mini-courses, the in-town didn't mention them. I managed to work through all four by Sunday night. Finished the new course a few days ago.

Looking forward to the next class (in about 6 weeks) as it involves coding for for embedded systems and it's online (Jammies, food I'm not allowed to cook at work, and overworking the coffee pot while in class!).

In any case...

2016-04-28

- Where Do the Terms Nerd and Geek Come From?
- Docker on Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5
- Inside OpenAI Elon Musk s Wild Plan to Set Artificial Intelligence Free
- Artificial intelligence now fits inside a USB stick
- HTTP Evader - Automate Firewall Evasion Tests

2016-04-29

- The Code4Lib Journal How to Party Like it s 1999: Emulation for Everyone
- Poor Software QA Is Root Cause of TAY-FAIL Microsoft's AI Twitter Bot

2016-04-30

- Microsoft has created its own IFTTT tool called Flow
- Minecraft ENHANCE! Neural Networks to Upscale & Stylize Pixel Art
- 15 Fundamental Laws of Software Development

2016-05-01

- The Increasing Problem With the Misinformed
- To become a good C programmer
- Harvard Institute of Technology Magazine The Harvard Crimson
- I'm Writing a Book on Security
- Infosec's Jerk Problem
- CABINET // Forensic Topology
- Art of the Steal: On the Trail of World s Most Ingenious Thief
- Former Tor developer created malware for the FBI to hack Tor users
- Introduction
- We've found the real Bastard Operator From Hell The Register

Above was generated by a homegrown bolt-on script for Wallabag, which is a free utility for capturing web content so that it can be read later.