2007.01.19
Open source as a paradigm for evolving complex systems
Scientists in the 1980s hotly debated the feasibility of US's proposed Strategic Defence Initiative, commonly known as Star Wars. One argument concerned the amount of software needed to control the missile detectors and weapons.
Continue reading "Open source as a paradigm for evolving complex systems"Last modified: Friday, January 19, 2007 9:33 am
2007.01.15
Landscape vs Portrait Monitors
Laptop monitors keep getting wider and wider.
What I would really like would be for them to get higher.
Continue reading "Landscape vs Portrait Monitors"Last modified: Monday, January 15, 2007 5:47 pm
2007.01.12
The Perils of Naive Sorting
I wanted to compare the aggregate cited half-life of works in
different scientific disciplines. This figure tracks the median age
of the articles cited during the last year. The ISI Web of Knowledge offers such a tool, and allows sorting
by the a field's half life. I found the first three entries in the list,
mineralogy (10), orthopedics (9.7), and agriculture (9.5), slightly odd.
Continue reading "The Perils of Naive Sorting"Last modified: Friday, January 12, 2007 10:50 am
2007.01.08
Why Key Fingerprints are Important
I admit it: I seldom verify the key fingerprint of a host I connect to
against a fingerprint I have obtained through secure means.
As things stand today, I consider it unlikely that somebody will
stage a man-in-the-middle attack at the time I first connect to
an unknown host.
Today however I almost got bit.
Continue reading "Why Key Fingerprints are Important"Last modified: Monday, January 8, 2007 2:35 pm
