A Million Useless Thoughts

This is actually two thoughts in one, but they are both phone related. Thought 44.1: The backside keyboard. We created the typewriters since 1829 and they've use all of our fingers in an effort to create efficiency. We have even created varieties of key layouts such as qwerty and Dvorak to improve the typing speed. Then we took a huge step backwards and created the cell phone with only the 12 buttons for typing, reducing not only the number of keys by the number of fingers usable on those keys. Then we made the thought that if we just replicate the full qwerty things would be better. And to some extend they are, but we still are reduced to just 2 fingers, or rather thumbs to type with. Then it struck me, the full key set could go on the back of the phone. Well at first it seems rather stupid how do you see the keys to type on them, but does/should a touch typist ever look at the typewriter or keyboard? No. The buttons on the back could be a full qwerty keyboard split and r...

First Recycling is a good thing, but I have been wondering about whether we have been going about the whole process entirely the wrong way. Gripe #1: End users do all of the work. Currently the burden on recycling is on those who want to do something good. That is we sort the containers, wash some, and in some locations (like where I live) must drive to the recycling center. Not that I'm opposed to any of things, but it just leads us to Gripe #2: Some Recycling Plants MAKE money. Sure you can if you'd like get deposits back, or cash for raw metals, or even save money for bringing your own bag to the grocery store. Again this is your work, you save, good. It's when you have done this work and the recycle plant gets to keep the profits of your labor. Granted you are helping to "save the planet", but even the places that give you money for recyclables (mostly metal) still make money from you bringing it down to them. Gripe #3: We are smarter than this. I thin...

A bit whelmed at the moment of the project I have taken on in getting COG to work better. While I have no doubt that the tasks can be completed, they need to be listed out and taken down one at a time. At the moment it feel a bit like treading water. The List: AI: Cog needs some interactive capabilities. AIML: A language for bots that can 'chat'. It's fairly simple in terms of it is mostly just a challenge response type bot, but it is a good starting point for make things work. There are other things out there and certainly a few that seem better, but this is free, just poorly documented. And quite possibly the biggest/longest task that may never be finished. Pidgin AIML Plugin: This is give COG an online presence while the batteries are being charged. It will simply be AIML running through pidgin as a plug-in. It is a good place to start for recording logs and trying to get some adaptation/feedback from people. Text-2-Speech: This can be done through...

Working COG now that he has a face book presence. But there is a need to make him more interactive if I want it to go well. Any I found this rather humorous with A.L.I.C.E. and Kirk chatting at each other. I am planning on using AIML to with a Pidgin Plug-in to get some sort of interactive presence. Given what I've seen so far. I'll need to put in some work on learning all of this crazy stuff. But I'm having fun with it, and if COG starts out as a very odd on-stage ALICE than so be it. I know I'll have to keep at it to make it all work. Also if you have a picture of yourself try this out for fun. I think I have research to do on all of the stuff they did here. But I can see how it works. Anyway just keeping this blog moving forward.

After letting go of the feeling of disconnection, realized I should embrace the madness in public, instead of only letting people in slowly. So, instead of walking the dogs on roller skates at 4 in the morning where there is no one, I walked them at 4 in the afternoon. As expected people where just staring at the fact that someone is walking their dogs on skate, but who cares, the dogs and I are having fun. I think I'll do that some more. Also Cog is progressing a bit, and I tested his motors capabilities and sure enough cog can pull me on the roller blades. Considering there's a future plan to make cog a 4x4 instead of 2 + caster, he could evolve into a electric vehicle of sorts. We'll just keep pushing this, until they come with the pitch forks and torches!

Maybe I'm not as disconnected as previously thought: Guy Marries Virtual Girl Friend. Or date a robot. Either that or we are all coming apart at the seams!

Feeling a little like the world is just a little different at the moment. And maybe I've always been this way, but just starting to see it myself. I feel slightly disconnected with the world. Not sure whether it the endless posts on facebook, twitter, etc. or remembering that work is a business sometimes, not just R&D, or even sometimes at home. The phrase "thinking outside the box" feels more like there might be a box somewhere, but I'm so outside of it I do not really know where it is. Examples: A friend asked "If you could live ANYWHERE, where would you live?" My first thought was Jupiter or Venus, because the atmosphere would be very cool to watch. That and in my limited travels, pretty much any place is just like any other, people generally have the same goals and actions. Maybe it's that I've only been to more modern places. But it's really just people are people, cities are cities, and maybe that's it I just cannot live in ...