Dwayne Phillips ' Day Book
Items
I happen to view each day. Science, Techonology, Management, Culture,
and of course Writing
This is my day book for this week. I have modeled this after science
fiction and computer writer Jerry Pournelle's view, or as he calls it,
his Day Book.
I encourage you to see Jerry
Pournelle's site
and subscribe
to his services.
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This
week: 5-11 June, 2017
Summary of this week:
- Another terrorist attack in the UK—regulate the Internet!
- GitHub users, only 3% female
- Apple has a big event and ups all its technology
- HP releases more high-power gaming machines
- Silicon Valley uses more H-1B visas than reported for years
- Silicon Valley and the Democrats battle each other (odd?)
- Adam West (TV's Batman) dies at 88
Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Monday June 5, 2017
There was another terrorist attack in the UK over the weekend. Our
President can't exercise a lawful authority because judges claim what
he said 9 months ago prevents that. I pray these judges don't wake one
morning to hear about a person who would have been banned from entry
doing...well, you know.
The British Prime Minister has a simple solution to terrorism: regulate the Internet.
Apple is holding a big event today. They haven't announced much in their recent big events.
Panera cut the line to order (not to get your food) from eight to one minute. The "mosh pit" is gone.
Open-source software, GitHub, and only 3% of users are female. uh, this means something.
Elon Musk discovers that workers are injured on the job in factories.
Jean Sammet, co-designer of the COmmon Bussiness-Oriented Language, died at 89.
Should organizations be allowed to hack back? Self defense?
Remote work: the technology is routine now. You, uh, er, have to actually manage the work, and that keeps some away.
Self education for a lifetime: get a good book and study it.
The feedback loop at Facebook is broken. You read a story, Facebook's software sends you more of the same.
Toyota wants to build a flying car that will deliver the Olympic torch at the 2020 games.
Coming (maybe): Windows 10 Workstation edition.
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Tuesday June 6, 2017
Apple had a big event yesterday with a few announcements.
Core ML: Apple releases a machine learning API to aid mobile AI.
Apple
releases the HomePod—a smart speaker with Siri and technology to
provide real music sounds. This is not just a Amazon Echo clone.
Apple makes an iMac with computing power. Only $5,000.
Apple updates its online store.
Apple releases an augmented reality toolkit ARKit for its mobile devices.
Finally! The next macOS will support external GPUs.
Uber hires someone to try to fix their toxic work culture. Too late?
San Francisco subpoenaes Uber and Lyft for records. Just let these companies fail. They are not profitable.
Major US tech companies vow to meet the Paris Accords as good business, not government regulation. They may not realize it, but they have endorsed our President's stepping away from forced compliance.
Woes at the FAA and with air traffic control, and then there are the airlines who drag old men off planes.
Tech companies shout back at London's Mayor about their aiding murderers.
IBM shows the first produced 5nm chip.
Buy a Tesla; pay higher insurance rates. This surprises some people?
HP has several releases aimed at high-end gaming including this external GPU box.
HP has a new line of Omen computers for gaming.
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Wednesday June 7, 2017
The mobile world is about to make the jump from 32 to 64 bits and leave old apps unworking.
How Silicon Valley uses more foreign workers than earlier reported. They have a way of hiding it.
The sex harassment search at Uber is over; the firing begin.
Apple creates a way for businesses to use iMessage as a customer service platform. Now we can groan about Comcast in a new way.
Apple increases the storage and flexibility on iCloud.
Facebook starts allowing closed captioning on Facebook Live. For now, you have to provide the captions.
WalMart tests a "kiosk" building where you pickup online orders without parking and entering the big store.
Our former First Lady thinks it is important to tell people that females are not mental midgets. And who said they are?
Absurdity reaches a new level as people sue to be Twitter friends with our President.
Odd? Democratic goverment officials are screaming at their friends in Silicon Valley.
Silicon Valley gives them million$ in campaign funds. Why don't these
officials use their influence in Silicon Valley. I am
confused—honestly, not exagerating—about all this.
Audi, of all companies, is the first to test self-driving cars in New York state.
The plight of "contractors" at the elite Silicon Valley companies. Low wages in a high cost-of-living region.
Tesla promises to deliver its first production cars next month.
It appears that colleges teach very little. Hmmm, lots of money spent, little return.
California prisons now cost more than Harvard. Either Harvard is becoming efficient or...
A 30-year study (a real one) shows that alcohol impairs brain function.
Life in the gig economy—what we used to call working odd jobs.
Scott Adams has an interesting take on the language used by the media in reporting terrorism.
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Thursday June 8, 2017
No Internet viewing today.
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Friday June 9, 2017
The biggest Internet story of the week is the auction of these Apple rainbow logo shoes.
In what must be the big news of the day, Taylor Swift's music returns to the Internet.
More disgust coming out of Uber. Why didn't anyone there grow up?
Of course tech CEOs will attend a White House meeting on tech in the government. That is their business, and the government has lots of money.
Softbank buys two robotics companies from Google; one is Boston Dynamics.
In actual crime-related news, our Dept of Justice fines Dish Network $280million for calls to folks on the do-not-call list.
Microsoft is bringing some changes to Windows 10 this Fall.
Intel, Qualcomm, Microsoft, and others hint at legal battles with x86 emulations.
Hyundai recalls 400,000 cars whose hood may pop open while driving.
Boeing is testing pilotless airplanes. This won't work in passenger flights.
Europe has a windy week and generates a lot of wind power.
The UK election results are in. It was a tie. Now confusion reigns.
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Saturday June 10, 2017
Limited Internet viewing today as I had to work for Comcast and
restore Internet at home. Too bad Comcast just can't get out of their
own way and serve their customers.
Adam West dies at 88. For kids like me, he was BATMAN.
Technology stocks pull down Nasdaq.
Ride sharing services drop Chicago taxi use 40%. Not surprising as Uber takes a loss on every ride.
Programmer? Gotta' have this 49-inch curved monitor. Not really, but it might be fun.
Self-flying planes, a.k.a., autopilot is decades old. The pilots are often present for theater.
The $5,000 iMac Pro. Others can't build with those specs at that price.
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Sunday June 11, 2017
The plutocrats tell the school system what to do. It hasn't worked, yet.
Slowly but surely, China has eaten itself out of land.
Eric Schmidt seems to get it concerning hiring people: persistence and curiosity. You learn and you stick to it until the job is done.
Excellent advice, "Dont' quit your day job."
The hope of augmented reality and on-the-job training.
How to create a Writing Center inside a corporation.
Writers, “What have I been avoiding lately?” Write about that.
Inspired to write? Not inspired? Who cares? Do it anyway.
In the age of cultural appropriation, writers know that we borrow all the time.
Some good tips towards moving to a living as a writer. I like "practice in public." Write something substantial each week and publish it where the whole world can see it (a blog or something).
Writer's block, fear, and maybe I just don't want to do this right now.
Some of the good that comes from writing short stories.
I find these to be excellent tips on working at home.
How long should a piece of writing be? This post has a good guide.
Clever question to help a writer discover what a character would do.
Writing a memoir is easy. The trouble is no one else would read it. Writing a memoir that others will read is quite difficult.
Things to do; get things done. Stuff writers who make a living are doing.
Only look at these photos if you are brave enough. We used to call this trick photography.
Practicing our writing. There is a difference between writing pieces every day and sometimes just practicing.
Balancing creative writing with write-for-pay stuff. There is a balance, and we can do it.
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