Ben delicioused me a link to an interesting paper called “Bowl: token-based media for children“. It describes a media player that is controlled by placing various objects (tokens) into a bowl. The idea was to create a control interface that is easy for children to use and which establishes links between particular physical objects and digital media. Aside from being a really cool means for interacting with a media player, it would have to be one of the neatest uses … →
MapReduce
Last week I read a 2004 paper called MapReduce: Simplified Data Processing on Large Clusters. It was written by a couple of Google researchers, and details a simple programming model and library for processing large datasets in parallel. MapReduce is used by Google under the hood for lots of different things, from indexing to machine learning to graph computation. Very handy indeed. So imagine my surprise to find in last Friday’s edition of ACM TechNews that this paper has been … →
Xander 0.5
Today marks six months since Xander was born. We marked the occasion by dashing off to South Bank as soon as the sun broke out from behind the clouds. It was a nice break from the dramas of the last couple of weeks and a nice way to spend the last day of holidays for me, too.
Trip to Tamborine Mountain aborted
On Saturday we had planned to take Xander to Tamborine Mountain for a walk in the rainforest. Little did we know that most of the routes (if not all the routes) up to the mountain were closed due to flooding. The photos below show the flooded Clutha Creek near the small town of Tamborine. We had to do a U-turn and head someplace else. Of all places we ended up at the cafe by Springfield Lake.
Goodbye 7, hello 8
2007 was a huge year for my family and me. The main event was, of course, the birth of our son, Xander, on 07/07/07. For that reason, 2007 is one of the best years on record, but also one of the most challenging. Karen’s done a wonderful job and made some pretty big sacrifices… Unfortunately the year didn’t end quite as well as it might have. Xander had an anaphylactic reaction when we tried to feed him some formula for … →
Xander photos
I’ve updated my rather neglected photo gallery with some photos of Xander. To access this section of the gallery, you need to be a registered user. If you’ve already registered as a user on The Thin Line, then you already have an account for the gallery. Here’s one of the photos.
Book review: The Upside of Down
Albert Einstein once said In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity. I suppose it is this observation that lies at the heart of The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization, a book by Thomas Homer-Dixon. I was really looking forward to reading this book, having read an interview that New Scientist did with its author a while ago. So interested was I to read it, that I sent the author an e-mail asking him if … →
Pim Verbeek to coach the Socceroos
Later today, Pim Verbeek will be announced as the coach of the Australian national football team. This comes after he was recommended to the FFA by former manager Guus Hiddink, and another Dutchman, Dick Advocaat reneged on his contract. So Australia is staying Dutch, so to speak. Verbeek has extensive experience in Asia, which was certainly a major factor in his selection. The other main contender was Phillippe Troussier, a Frenchman who also has experience in Asia, leading Japan to … →
The end of Movember
So, the last day of Movember has arrived, which means, tomorrow, my mo disappears. I’m in the awareness raising game rather than the money raising game this year, because I couldn’t get my act together. Maybe next year. Anyway, if you feel like donating some money to the Movember cause, I’m sure Michael and/or Jim would love a last-minute sponsorship.
