Category Archives: Software

Software

bLOG tOOL

I am using a HP6515 GPS phone with a Spectec mini SD card and a SD 512K memory card running PPC2003 (which replaced my the older PALMs). I am manging the device with Total Commander (free) and the build-in IPAQ Backup (free); the Today screen uses PocketBreeze (€) and Ilauncher (€). I am navigating with OziExplorer (€), TomTom (€) and Metro (free). For internet access I am using the buildin messaging client, Opera (€) and pRSSreader (free) which works all together without major problems with >21 MB internal memory left. The mp3 mediaplayer (free) is being a good choice. So – display is not so sharp, ear phones have low quality, torch not very light, GPS not as good as standalone devices, WLAN has weak signal, camera a poor quality with a device rather large for a mobile – but there is only 1 device and 1 charger which outweights everything! Yea, yea.

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Philosophy, Software

Vicious cycle?

PNAS has an interesting paper: Until now I had believed that the major search engines provide some kind of self-enforcing loops as they show web sites first that are already highly visited. Visitors of these prime websites will then know (and link) only these websites giving them even a higher rank (rich-get-richer). But that does not see to be true. Nay, Nay. The use of search engines actually had an egalitarian effect as shown by empirical and theoretical arguments. On the other hand I can not renember an own paper, that would have received more than 50 citations without being in an “upper-class” journal. Did you ever want ot know how Google works? Check Ghemawat S GH, Leung S-T: The Google file system. ACM, SOSP’03, October 19-22,2003, Bolton Landing, New York.


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Related posts: Conflicts of interest| PLoS ONE – a wikipedia like publishing system?| Scholarship, academic libraries, and publication| Link farms| Net travel (2nd birthday post)|

Software

Nightmare

An anonymous reader at slashdot writes that AOL released search logs of 657,427 users “AOL has released very private data about its users without their permission. While the AOL username has been changed to a random ID number, the ability to analyze all searches by a single user will often lead people to easily determine who the user is, and what they are up to. The data includes personal names, addresses, social security numbers and everything else someone might type into a search box.” The German Green Party already filed a legislation proposal that companies and institutions will need to inform their clients about such accidents. This seems to be very important also for genetic data. Yea, yea.


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Philosophy, Software

PLoS ONE – a wikipedia like publishing system?

PLoS ONE may revolutionize science communication. Have a first look at www.plosone.org. As they write: “Be one of the first to appear in this new Open Access 2.0 online forum—and qualify for a great low pre-launch price. We’ll peer review your work and publish it online as soon as possible so that it can start a conversation within the community that will enhance scientific progress.” Will it still be traditional, 1:1 translated publishing system? Or can we even edit any text? What about lists of open questions? And a true synopsis – like the one theologians use to compare the four canonical gospels? Yea, yea.


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