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Set your Java 7 Phasers to stun

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:02:22 +0000

Saw a very interesting note today from Doug Lea on the concurrency-interest mailing list. Looks like they are extracting a useful internal part of the fork-join framework and making it available in java.util.concurrent as a new Phaser class.

BeetleBot Revisited

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Jerome Demers, who did the BeetleBot project in Volume 12 of MAKE, has posted an updated version of the project, which is says is simpler to build, on Instructables.

How to Build a Robot - The BeetleBot v2 ( Revisited)

From the pages of MAKE:

MAKE Volume 12: if you are a subscriber you can read it now in the include (free) digital edition... - Link.

If you don't have MAKE you can start with the latest volume by subscribing and you'll get access to the digital editions right away too. Since you're reading this on the Make: Blog we can give you a special code that takes an additional $5 off (USD) it's CMAKE and it will get you MAKE @ $29/year, that's half off the cover price. Click here to subscribe and get started with MAKE!

36 steps to success as technical lead | Little Tutorials

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:59:20 +0000

The “tech lead” role can be treacherous at times. While the name implies “leadership“, most of the times it doesn’t come with implied authority like a manager role for example. It often happens that this role is in a no-man’s-land where it brings a lot of responsibility but not enough formal authority. In order to successfully help a project from this position one has to navigate through narrow and convoluted straits.

Integrating Google Maps into Your Web Applications

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:59:11 +0000

No special development tools are required in order to take advantage of Google's mapping API; all that is necessary is a text editor, Web browser, and a public Web server from which the scripts can be served. Note the server must be public, you can't develop on an internal server, as each request must communicate with the Google mapping server in order to work correctly. You will however need an API key provided by Google so that usage quotas can be monitored. Begin by reading through some of the usage rules and applying for the key here: http://www.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html

HTTP request flow diagram

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:24:36 +0000

Alan Dean published a flow diagram of the process of an HTTP request inside a webserver, and all the possible status code outcomes.

How to process and manipulate output with SimpleXML

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:14:07 +0000

Using the power of SimpleXML to implement quick fixes and hacks site wide using output buffering.

The Hockey Organ

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:00:00 +0000

Using a repurposed Casio SK1, the Hockey Organ controls player movement via keypresses - it even has two vidcams and a screen to capture and display the live-action - The Hockey Organ 2007

British Regulators Prescribe More Fiber for ISPs

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:47:07 +0000

While we laggards in the U.S. are still celebrating the FCC decision to (finally!) up the classification of broadband speeds to a lazy 768 kilobytes per second (but, hey, that’s up from 200 kilobytes per second) and lamenting our coming bandwidth caps, the Brits are prepping for a broadband boom.

The UK regulatory agency Ofcom is planning to release a regulatory framework in September to guarantee a financial rate of return on fiber rollouts in the UK. According to a story in PCAdvisor, Ofcom Chief Executive Ed Richards said at a conference that there had been a “step change” toward the idea of investing in fiber.

“Ofcom favours a regulatory environment for the next generation of networks and access that both allows and encourages operators to make risky investments, to innovate for the benefit of consumers and, if the risks pay off, for the benefit of their shareholders too.”

The goal is to help ISPs compete against the coming threat of wireless broadband from 4G cellular networks. Such LTE networks can reach speeds of up to 150 Mbps down and 30 Mbps up, although those in the telecommunications industry think it will likely start out at 20 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up. Either way, it looks like a competitor to a fat pipe into the home, and apparently many in Europe are eager to ditch their existing fixed-line service provider, be it for voice or DSL.

The framework might help the UK better compete with its neighbors; France, Germany and Sweden all have much faster broadband speeds and lower pricing, according to data from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Given the demand for data, anything that helps get the fiber buildout rolling is good news for web publishers and consumers.

LiveMocha - Smell The Coffee & Learn The Lingo

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:31:04 +0000

As you log on to Facebook or MySpace, how about taking a slight detour to a social networking site of a slightly different kind? Launched in September 2007, LiveMocha promises to make language tuition as warm as a cup of mocha. Mocha, by the way is a rich pungent Arabic coffee. So brew yourself one and read on.

English has been the ‘lingua franca’ for a very long time, but with the trend towards globalization, no individual or business can ignore the impact of the native tongue. The concept behind LiveMocha is simple. It is a Web 2.0 platform from its interface to the culture of social interactivity that makes learning a new language not only fun, but more importantly free.

LiveMocha adopts a community based approach to learning a new language. Users help each other learn a new language by offering tips, checking each other’s uploaded exercises or assignments and also engaging in one on one interactions. A speaker fluent in English might for example want to learn the subtleties of French. Through this site you can teach a native Frenchman (or better, a mademoiselle) some English and be tutored in French in return. As LiveMocha calls it – return the favor.

The log-on process is simple and attractively free. Imagine learning a whole new way to communicate without spending a dime. LiveMocha to date offers lessons in 11 languages - English, Spanish, French, Hindi, German, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, Icelandic, Italian and Chinese.

Choose your language and if your tongue can handle the linguistic challenge you can choose more than one. With ‘4′ modules covering four different learning levels, spending 160 hours can take the user from the basics to a level of passable everyday conversation.

The Courseware

Each level drills down to ‘units’ and further to ‘lessons’. The learning content uses text, audio and video inputs to teach the nuances of a language, leveraging the advantages of a Web 2.0 platform. The student follows a defined path -

1. Learning through visual and auditory cues.

2. Reading and associating it with an image.

3. Listening to the way the word is pronounced.

4. Magnet, a small exercise. The student listens to the word / sentence and drags it to a box to check the match.

5. Writes some text and submits it to the community for feedback.

6. Records a passage and submits it to the community for feedback.

The learners and the teachers can communicate with each other through texting, talking or with a webcam.

It is not all footloose learning. Using some real world devices like a course progress bar, course points and a ‘leaderboard’ with the names of the five top ranking members taking the same course keeps the involved learner on his (or her) toes. Members also earn points based on their contributions to the community and their level of interactivity within the community. For example, tutoring someone earns points. So does sending out invites for signups.

Practice makes perfect

Learning a foreign tongue need not be a solitary exercise. With this thought, the practice section of LiveMocha helps the student brush up on his or her vocabulary and diction with the aid of a community member. Text, speech or dialogue, some community member is always ready to lend a hand or an ear.

There is a “flashcards’ utility on the site. Akin to the real world, flash cards can be created by the user to help him or her along with any lesson revisions. An user can also use the flashcard sets created by another user. A friendly way to share and share alike.

The community of learners

This is an atypical community of learners. A global one, every learner is also a tutor here. The text and chat tools are a great learning aid providing real time interactivity. LiveMocha is a friendly meeting place of learners with a common purpose. Just like any other social networking site worth its salt, you can invite friends, search for friends, and send messages and/or chat. Plus if you don’t like a pesky one just press delete. To help you keep track there is the ubiquitous ‘Recent Activity Feed’ which records your activities within the site.

The report card

The biggest advantage of a social learning site is that it encourages interactions and helps the user gain conversational skills by understanding the peculiar ways each language is spoken.

Though the website still carries the beta tag, it seems to be gung-ho with nearly 350,000 users globally. New improvements like a TOEFL preparatory course also are in the pipeline. So are more enhanced levels of instructional content like live tutoring and certification tests. These may come at a cost in the near future.

As its founding CEO Mr. Shirish Nadkarni elaborated, the name ‘LiveMocha’ was used to deliberately suggest a lively and light ambiance of a coffee shop on the net. That is the only drawback. The brewing has to be done at home.

Do you use LiveMocha? Or do you use another website to learn a foreign language? Tell us all about your online foreign language learning in the comments.

(By) Saikat is a techno-adventurer in a writer’s garb. When he is not scouring the net for tech news, you can catch him on his personal blog ruminating about the positives in our world.

Pool noodle chair

admin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:30:00 +0000

Here's a chair made out of furniture-grade birch plywood, pine dowels, cast aluminum, and pool noodles for the cushions.

Four Square Chair

News portal: technology the best weblog aggregator on the web

Set your Java 7 Phasers to stun

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