Wolfram Alpha

Ξ May 3rd, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Research, Science, Technology |

Wolfram Alpha seems like a funky thing – not a “search engine,” but a “computational knowledge engine” [Wolfram's words]. Apparently it’s implemented in 5 million lines of Mathematica code.

Here’s a Slashdot mention with more links.  And, here’s a video of a public demo.  Pretty poor quality, but it does at least show it in action.

Lastly, here’s a link to a time-lapse video of the hosting datacentre being built.

Who’s Got the Most Temp Files then?

Ξ April 21st, 2009 | → 4 Comments | ∇ Coding, Geeky, Microsoft, Programming, Research |

For ages, at every boot, I’ve run a small program called TempClean: all this really does is to clear my Temp folder of stuff that’s left over by programs that don’t clear up after themselves [like a man].  Ok, so it does a little bit more than that [unlike a man] – but that’s its main function.

Anyway, I’d be really interested in knowing how much litter [unwanted files] you have on your Windows machine, and so rather than ask you run the real TempClean [it doesn't have an installer - just save it somewhere and run it!] – which you might be unsure/wary off – here’s a small VBScript ‘script’ so that you can find 0ut for yourself. BTW, this doesn’t remove anything!

Here’s the code:

dim fso
dim fld
dim fle
dim l

set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

set fld = fso.GetSpecialFolder(2)

wscript.echo "Your Temp folder is set to: " & fld.path

sub walk(fld)

    wscript.echo vbCrLf & "Looking in: " & fld.path

    if fld.files.Count > 0 then

        for each fle in fld.files

            wscript.echo vbTab & "Found: " & fle.name

            l = l + fle.size

        next

    else

        wscript.echo vbTab & "No files found"

    end if

    for each fld in fld.SubFolders

        walk(fld)

    next

end sub

walk(fld)

wscript.echo vbCrLf & "The total bytes taken up by your temp files is: " & l

All you need to do to run this is:

• copy ‘n paste it into Notepad [or just download it here];
• save it as, say, tempfiles.vbs;
• run it from a Command Prompt [I'll assume you know how to open a Command Prompt, unlike a woman, to quote Colin Hay "or a woman, if you are one" ... ask a man"].

For example, if I’d saved it to my root folder on C, I’d run it like this, in a DOS/Command prompt:

C:\cscript tempfiles.vbs

BTW, cscript is a Microsoft VBScript interpreter that you’ll almost certainly have on your machine already.

Note again that running this script doesn’t remove anything – it just reports what you’ve got hanging around, and that’s taking up space unnecessarily.  And, on that last bit, you might like to output the results of running this to a file – else the output might disappear off the top, never to reappear!

You could do that like this:

C:\cscript tempfiles.vbs > dump.txt

The > redirects the output into a file call dump.txt.  So you can then open dump.txt in Notepad and have a look at what you’ve got hanging around – which you might find A) interesting, and B) a lot!!

BTW, if you’d like to remove these temporary files, you can just add either these two lines after the l = l + fle.size, e.g.

l = l + fle.size

on error resume next

fso.deletefile fle

Or, if you want to do a proper job [like a woman], download and run the real program [link to TempClean above].

Please post up your results, from whichever method, and in summary preferably!

Dasher

Ξ January 3rd, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Coding, Geeky, Maths, Mumble, Oxford, Programming, Research, Technical |

Bloody hell!

Just been watching the Royal Institution’s Christmas Lectures and saw a demonstration of a tool called Dasher.

Very cool, but a bit of a kick in the nuts, and a wake-up call for me really. The reason? Well, I had a system doing more or less the exact same thing in 2000 [it was better than what was demonstrated too]! I even showed it off to various Computational Linguistics folk at Oxford [who said "nice, but" ... [who'd use it|so what|it runs on Windows!|you've got too much spare time on your hands|etc]].

Crap!

god – what a gas!

Ξ September 23rd, 2008 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Education, Philosophical, Research, Rhetorical, Science, Shite! |

This [updated] is a draft ‘missive’ … spent a week’s holiday in France and mostly listened to Richard Dawkins’ ‘The God Delusion’ whilst trolling around the place.  Anyway, it made me think once again about the origin of ‘stuff’ [as Dawkins avoided it (for a later book?)], like believing in ‘invisible friends’.

Just a draft/daft right now; but I would welcome feedback; and lots of ‘argument’.

Britain From Above

Ξ August 6th, 2008 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Coding, Geeky, Maths, Oxford, Programming, Research |

A new series, Britain from Above starts on the BBC one this Sunday at 9.00pm.

In the main, GPS data is used to reveal traffic-information; on the sea [through the Dover straits], in the air, and even by London cab-drivers.  The GPS data are overlaid, and visualised against a backdrop of the country.  Additionally, there’s an interesting bit showing how the telephone system lights up during a working day.

A taster clip on the programme is here.

Going back to taxies, it reminded me of a piece of game-theory software I once wrote for a professor of economics here at Oxford.   He had too many variables for which he/we needed to find some sensible constraints/limits for, or, better still, turn into constants!  The game was about n cab-driver’s choice of strategies, as they drove around Belfast … such that they weren’t A) robbed [of their cash] B) robbed [of their cash *and* their taxi] C) shot,  killed, i.e., robbed of their cash *and* their taxi *and* their life]  You get the idea.  The game-theory bit worked alongside a social sciences experiment examining moreorless the same thing [except that their experimenters had to be in Ireland].

Anyway, watching the clip, I couldn’t help but be reminded of that system, as it played itself on our cluster many 1000s of times a second, in either role; the cab-driver or the robber [and later the police], and in how it might suddenly switch into some very complex behaviour; perhaps as a result of a robbery, generated randomly by the system.  Oh, fun times indeed!

Fab Children

Ξ March 7th, 2008 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Research |

Researcher: “What kind of sums do you like to do?” Child: ‘Well, I don’t like hard ones; like “what’s a hundred add seventy”. Seventy-seven add seventy-seven is ok though’

The child actually said “what’s a hundred and seventy” – meaning he’d been asked to add the two numbers in his made up question. ‘and’ is often used in place of ‘plus’ [an additive of some sort in English] of course.

Extra ‘amusing points’ really. As he stated it, the answer is the same as the question [apart from the "what’s"]

Thesis Phrases

Ξ January 24th, 2008 | → 1 Comments | ∇ Oxford, Research |

I’d love to do a search and replace on a D.Phil student’s thesis!

Travelling is Good

Ξ November 7th, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Loves, Mumble, Oxford, Research, Work |

So, here I am in Finland at an academic conference – one that I’m to present a keynote at [on which note my nerves need quelling somewhat!]

Finland is lovely – or it would be but for the fact that tonight there are parents here grieving for their children: cut down really before their lives had even started.  Understandably, it’s hard to enjoy myself.

I’m also awaiting some news as I write this … from a woman [she’s not answering] – the word, when/if it comes will at least [no doubt] set a course for me – never a bad thing.  Is it?

So, life goes on.

Finland is quite lovely, and full of bustle, which is surprising really – I mean, given the size of the country, and its population, there’s really no one here!

I’m in a place called Vaasa.  Beautiful buildings, the Finish language [or is it Swedish?], water, crisp air – and with cab drivers that regard a Harley Davidson as the ultimate motorcycle three so far]!  Ok, so I agree – although my other ultimate bike is a 999S Ducati.  All I need now is both of those [or either] and an opportunity to go touring with my one remaining brother.  BTW, I would add that it’s cold here – except that when I mentioned that to a native, I was told that it’s actually rather mild.  It’s zero degrees, but cold apparently starts at -35!  Yikes.

So, tomorrow I once again return to thoughts on thoughts – how is it that we, us humans, do what we do – either well, or as is often the case, not so well as others?  If I ever find out I’ll return to the comlab and do some more AI perhaps.

Busy boy

Ξ October 1st, 2007 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Geeky, Research, Technical, Work |

Been quite busy today – well, tonight mostly.

The first thing that’s ‘entertained’ is a 3Com 1100 switch. That’s a ‘proper’ switch – although slightly long in the tooth I’ll admit! Having one of these in the home presents many a happy hour [no wonder I don't meet girls!] of fun and frolics. However, before it goes live, it just has to have the fans changed!

This type of switch – super clever as it is – was designed to run in a rack – in some kind of machine room, where its fans could merrily sing along with all the others – and thus make not the slightest bit of difference to the overall cacophony! Home is a different beast all together then!

So, I’ve ‘Mr. Screwdriver’ on charge [the mountings of the old fans need drilling out], and tomorrow I begin the hunt [local at first] for some replacement – quite – units. If that fails, there are plenty on eBay. Just to be uber geeky, I must say that I like the sound of Silenx fans. There, that’s done.

Second stuff tonight – now the switch is in bits – was to design a better logo for our research-based Numeracy Intervention website. Actually ‘better’ doesn’t really do the job justice. The first logo was purely temporary, and now that we’re to go ‘live’ on 1st November, I thought I’d have a bash at something more creative. Please have a look – http://www.numeracyintervention.net.