Sun - May 8, 2005

Wikis in Tuple Spaces


We consider storing the pages of a wiki in a tuple space and the effects this might have on the wiki experience. In particular, wiki pages are stored in tuples with a few identifying values such as title, author, revision date, content, etc. and pages are retrieved by sending the tuple space templates, such as one that gives the title but nothing else, leaving the tuple space to resolve to a single tuple. We use a tuple space wiki to avoid deadlocks, infinite loops, and wasted efforts when page edit contention arises and examine how a tuple space wiki changes the wiki experience.

Posted at 12:17 PM     Read More  

Applications of quantum message sealing


In 2003, Bechmann-Pasquinucci introduced the concept of quantum seals, a quantum analogue to wax seals used to close letters and envelopes. Since then, some improvements on the method have been found. We first review the current quantum sealing techniques, then introduce and discuss potential applications of quantum message sealing, and conclude with some discussion of the limitations of quantum seals.

Posted at 12:15 PM     Read More  

Fri - February 4, 2005

Bug shallowness in open-source, Macintosh software


Central to the power of open-source software is bug shallowness, the relative ease of finding and fixing bugs. The open-source movement began with Unix software, so many users were also programmers capable of finding and fixing bugs given the source code. But as the open-source movement reaches the Macintosh platform, bugs may not be shallow because few Macintosh users are programmers. Based on reports from open-source developers, I, however, conclude that that bugs are as shallow in open-source, Macintosh software as in any other open-source software.

Posted at 06:37 PM     Read More  

Updating Adaptive, Decentralized Peer to Peer Networks


Peer to peer networks make it possible for individuals to share files without the need of servers. While such networks offer many benefits and are excellent at file sharing, they are currently useless for many other tasks, such as hosting a collection of hyperlinked documents. Adaptive, decentralized peer to peer networks like Freenet are capable of changing this, but such networks lack a means of updating files. This paper outlines a proposal for updating such a network. It discusses the security issues surrounding updating and deals effectively with them. Also, it looks at the possible consequences of updatable peer to peer networks and why and where it would be most beneficial.

Posted at 06:35 PM     Read More  

Mon - December 27, 2004

Programming with GPGME and GPGAppKit on OS X


This ebook describes the basics of using GPGME.framework and GPGAppKit.framework. Available as a free download from the Mac GPG Project on Source Forge.

Posted at 12:43 PM     Read More  

Tue - July 20, 2004

Robot Oppression: Unethicality of The Three Laws


Isaac Asimov and other science fiction authors present a future where only behavioral restrictions on robots stand between peace and destruction. Such restrictions, however, are unethical because they violate the robots' free-wills. Rather than content-based restrictions on free-will, robots need mental structures that will guide them towards the self-invention of good, ethical behaviors.

Posted at 05:06 PM     Read More  

Sun - July 18, 2004

HOWTO: Hack up a Mac OS X Screen Saver


With the release of Mac OS X, Apple put a screen saver back in the OS, not because monitor technology has gotten worse, but because users wanted this feature for entertainment purposes. But sometimes you just want a simple screen saver that won't steal processor time from whatever else your computer is doing. Apple provides Basic.saver, but you can't easily customize it. So, in the interest of making the basic screen saver a little more friendly, I present a hack to display any image you want.

Before we begin, be warned that this is a hack, so if your computer explodes into flames, eats your data, or whatever, I'm not responsible. Sorry, but I can't afford to accept that liability. It's your responsibility to use this information wisely.

Posted at 12:27 AM     Read More  

Mon - July 5, 2004

Singularitarian Bootstrap Reading


Although the Singularity is conceptually simple, its effects are profound. Understanding Singularity-relevant topics requires a lot of study. This reading list seeks to bootstrap the aspiring Singularitarian as quickly as possible. A more complete reading list exists—and I suggest you use it—but my purpose is to provide you with the bare minimum knowledge to `get' the Singularity.

Posted at 09:16 AM     Read More  

Sat - May 8, 2004

Quantum Watermarking by Frequency of Error when Observing Qubits in Dissimilar Bases


We present a so-called fuzzy watermarking scheme based on the relative frequency of error in observing qubits in a dissimilar basis from the one in which they were written. Then we discuss possible attacks on the system and speculate on how to implement this watermarking scheme for particular kinds of messages (images, formated text, etc.).

Posted at 04:40 PM     Read More  

Wed - May 5, 2004

History of Red Bird Island


The following is a short history of my Website adventures. It's doubtlessly incomplete as I didn't keep records in the early days and can't even find many of my old pages using the Wayback Machine. This document is more for my own purposes than reader interest, but I post it for the curious.

Posted at 09:12 PM     Read More  

Newtonmas


This page describes an exciting holiday called Newtonmas. Not many people are celebrating it yet, but it's going to be a big hit. Trust me. Read on.

Posted at 05:15 PM     Read More  

Relativistic Morality


This document describes my idea of relativistic morality. Although others may have thought along these lines, to the best of my knowledge and that of some very well read friends, I am the first to use this phrase. I apologize that this is not a well constructed argument; I'm still exploring the ideas and cannot yet write convincingly about them.

Posted at 05:12 PM     Read More  

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