While I was in Spain, I presented a web seminar or “webinar” on embedded web development with the Rabbit family of embedded computers. It was the highest attended seminar in our company’s history and it has been posted on the web here:
The nice thing is that our stuff is very easy to work with and making an interactive web page to control or monitor hardware is pretty easy. I’ll probably be doing a sequel in early June which I like to call Web Dev 2 – Wrath of RabbitWeb.
In my work as an engineer, I troubleshoot customer hardware and software design all day. In that line of work, opinion and a whole list of other social niceties take a back seat to fact and the scientific method. The search for a failure’s root cause is the primary goal of an engineer like me and it doesn’t provide any room for opinion.
I want to start with two quotes that illustrate my point.
On the meaning of San Diego
Ron Burgundy: Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale’s vagina.
Veronica Corningstone:No, there’s no way that’s correct.
Ron Burgundy:I’m sorry, I was trying to impress you. I don’t know what it means. I’ll be honest, I don’t think anyone knows what it means anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.
Veronica Corningstone:Doesn’t it mean Saint Diego?
Ron Burgundy:No. No.
Veronica Corningstone:No, that’s – that’s what it means. Really.
Ron Burgundy:Agree to disagree.
~Anchorman
Math Impressions
“Instead of having ‘answers’ on a math test, they should just call them ‘impressions,’ and if you got a different ‘impression,’ so what, can’t we all be brothers?” ~SNL’s Jack Handey
What is Fact?
In the most basic sense, a scientific fact is an objective and verifiable observation; in contrast with a hypothesis or theory, which is intended to explain or interpret facts. Factual accuracy is not forgiving or understanding of our feelings.
Consensus does not create fact
Repetition does not create fact
Compromise does not create fact
Emotional overtures do not create fact
Civility or the lack of it does not create fact
Let me create a hypothetical demonstration to illustrate the above points:
A 747 is flying over the Atlantic when the copilot runs to the bathroom at the back of the plane. While he is gone, the pilot has a heart attack and dies at the controls leaving the plane descending towards the ocean.
FACT: Without a pilot the plane will crash.
The failure of consensus - The copilot rushes back towards the cockpit when a passenger named Joe stands up and proclaims that God will save them. All the other passenger’s agree and block the copilot from getting to the cockpit.
The failure of repetition - The copilot asks the crowd to move so he can regain control of the plane. Joe repeats that God will save them and the rest of the passengers repeat it as well continuing to bar the copilot from the cockpit
The failure of compromise – The pilot asks the crowd to move again. Joe agrees to a compromise and lets him halfway through the cabin but not all the way to the cockpit.
The failure of emotional overtures - Seeking to make the copilot understand Joe picks up a baby and, with tears in his eyes, explain that God loves them all and couldn’t possibly let a bad thing like a plane crash happen.
The failure of civility - The copilot finally screams, “Get the Hell out of my way you stupid moron!! This plane is crashing!!” Joe and the other passengers are shocked at his outburst and Joe replies “I think your bad manners have proved my point.” and the other passengers all nod together right before they crash into the ocean.
While compromise, consensus, and civility are all wonderful things when dealing with other people, none of these makes any difference when attempting to establish factual accuracy. (If these things did make a difference with regards to facts, the clients I work with wouldn’t need me.)
Keep in mind that proposing a bogus theory isn’t bad science. In fact, it is great science provided that you objectively test and verify the result. Bad science is clinging to a bogus theory after the facts have shown it to be incorrect. Once we go there, it becomes a belief system and we get to file for tax exempt status as a church.
To bring this back into my everyday life, once you can identify the root cause you can proceed to a solution, but all the wishing and arguing in the world won’t solve the problem without addressing the facts.
In Feburary, I arrived in Spain and then the next week hopped onto a train to head to a small conference for the Fulbrighters in the tiny mountain country of Andorra.
The Spanish have a high speed rail called the Ave which is fairly impressive. First, you come into the Atocha station which has a small tropical rain forest inside it.
The Rainforest in Atocha Station
This is Mary having a good time taking pictures of Atocha Station. (She just likes taking photos.)
Then you board a train like this one.
The Ave
These trains go faster than 200 km/hour. (That’s over 120 mph in American terms.)
In the United States, Obama’s Stimulus package has set aside $8 billion for implementing high-speed rail as shown in this video:
Here is a map of the proposed high-speed rail routes:
My name is Puck Curtis and I am an electrical engineer and fencing teacher.
Behold the Geekness of Me
As far as the geek side goes, I specialize in embedded systems and I work for Rabbit Semiconductor. Embedded systems tend to be very small computers that don’t require much power and specialize in a bang-for-buck rather than processing power. If you stack a Rabbit device up against the latest ATI Radeon 4870×2 you will notice the following things:
RCM5400W WiFi computer, webserver, and all around cool thingy
1 processor at 73.73 Mhz
512K of SRAM memory
16-bit memory bus
~38.4 killoflops per second
~2 Watts of power consumption
$119
It’s easy to see that the little Rabbit loses when it comes to sheer number crunching, but this little guy will work as a WiFi device with encryption, serve web pages, and act as the brain of a robot all at once while only pulling just a bit of power. If you shut down the WiFi the power consumption drops even more. This is why I consider embedded design part of the Green Economy. Lower power means lower carbon footprint and the world is a bit better off for it.
Fencing
When it comes to fencing, I’m trained as an Italian classical fencer and I currently hold the teaching title of Provost at Arms through the San Jose Fencing Master’s Program. This title is specific to classical Italian foil, epee, and sabre. On December 13, 2008 I will take the fencing master’s exam and if I pass and present an acceptable thesis, I will be able to call myself a Maestro of classical Italian fencing.
I also teach historical fencing and sit on the board of the Tattershall School of Defense and I am a historical fencing coach at the Davis Fencing Academy. I have been fencing within the SCA since 1992 and my current interests are Italian rapier, Italian longsword, and Iberian swordplay from Montante (greatsword) to sidesword. I am one of the two people responsible for maintaining the Destreza Translation and Research Project.
