Opening a door with code

On my drive home from work, I started to think about how programming syntax can be used in applications that apply to everyday life. The concept of everything has a purpose or function was something I read about in Language and Myth by Ernst Cassirer. This concept easily applies to object-oriented programming. Weird, huh? For this explanation I will use some VB pseudo code. Syntactically, when a program is written, it is written in the order in which the events should occur. All objects have methods or actions in which they can perform. For instance, a door can open and close. The door also has properties associated to it. For instance  the door is wood, closed, 6ft tall. So here is how to open a door in code:

If Door.closed = "true"

  Call Door.OpenDoor

Else

  Output "The Door is Already Open!"

End If

If User.Height < Door.Height

  User.GoThroughDoor

Else

  Call User.Duck

  Call User.GoThroughDoor

End If

The Facebook Conundrum

Sitting back, enjoying my Blue Shadow (tea), I surfed the net trying to keep up with the latest tech headlines. Between CNN, ZDNet, and HackADay, I tend to get my daily fix. The caffeine soaks into my brain, making every story about the big three (Microsoft, Apple, and Google) that much more invigorating. I tend to be somewhat (very) bias against some companies when news hits. But in a recent news, Facebook was the headliner company. Facebook gets quite a few hits, and at what point even surpassed Google.com in a single day. So when Mark Zuckerberg announced some new spiderweb-ultra-web-collaborative-web-web-web tool for people to "like" stuff anywhere on the web, well... I couldn't believe that someone would think that it's starting to cramp Google's style.

THIS JUST IN! Facebook has become the new MySpace! Should we expect it's death in the coming years? Stay tuned to find out!

Facebook users are happy they no longer have a MySpace account. But wait, doesn't that mean...YES! The MySpacers have arrived and are slowly depriving Facebook of everything great that it could have been. Originally founded as a way for college students (ONLY) to meet and greet, it has turned into a giant Farmville, cultivating a generation of minds that only know how to tell people what they are doing today. As I seek alternatives to Facebook, I ponder what will happen to the future of Facebook after people, like I, decide to move on to something more intellectual.

The new "like" buttons added to millions of websites around the web are only the start of Facebook's collapse. As information shared across the net skyrockets, the security risks tend to increase as well. Companies are already able to access personal information via your profile. And if they can't, what's to stop them from creating a bogus profile of their own with an attractive girl wanting to be your friend? MySpace spammers figured it out and a caffeinated dude at a desk in an Omaha software shop figured it out, so who's next?

Sites like these have a life expectancy. Facebook has grown up and is ruling the web (not really, they aren't even close to Google). We've seen it before and it won't be too long before it will be another web fad that CollegeHumor.com decides to poke fun at. The MySpace fad lasted a few years and died due to security issues and profiles that nobody wanted to visit unless it was their own. AOL had a good run, until ISPs figured out that they could create a faster internet that isn't dependent on a client application (beyond the browser) for service. MSN still has this problem. So when should we expect the initial decline of Facebook? I would give it anywhere from 1 to 2 years. Add another 1 or 2 to that for its eventual death.

Why will Facebook die, everyone is on it, right? Yea, everyone, and their mother, and their grandparents, and their unborn children. User activity on Facebook is generated by people from 12-40 years old. It's a big population. Nothing changes on Facebook. People update their statuses and post pictures and add videos. The limits have been set, and people will naturally move on to something more entertaining and/or something that actually brings a new idea to the table. You can't sell a 10 year old computer to a nerd and tell them it's good enough. They want NEW!

In the meantime, I'm looking for something new that I can drag my real 20 of 220 friends to.

The Death of Apple

The Mac. Known for it's sleek, simplistic designs and media capabilities, the Mac may see its last days within the next decade. Picking a fight with HTC over copyright several months back, created an almost unbeatable alliance. HTC is not a large enough company to survive any attack by Apple. But when Google's android platform and Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform are attacked by copyright infringement, Apple started a war it cannot win. The latest story is about Adobe, however. Apple stated it will no longer support some of the cross-compiler tools from Adobe. BIG MISTAKE!!! People buy Apples for multimedia purposes. With Adobe out of the picture, Apple users will be left in the dust. The Alliance is already starting to form and Apple simply cannot win this war. Adobe looks towards development on the Android and Ubuntu platforms, which could dramatically increase the number of Linux converts. All of this comes only a week after the iPad was released, without Adobe Flash...

Apple FAIL!!!

Sapphires are forever...

SO , the weekend is over. My mouse died yesterday. Poor little Logitech Optical... Going hunting for a new one over lunch today. Over the past few weeks, (post Startup Weekend), I have been working on some graphic design. Being the poor college student / Linux nut that I am, I sought out some open-source alternatives to create some sweet graphics. GIMP is by far the most popular open-source graphics editor/creator available. Many even compare it to Photoshop. Never using Photoshop, I assume most features are the same, with a few odds and ends left out of GIMP. But if you are used to paint, and have never used Photoshop, and have never taken a graphic arts design course... even GIMP can be someone complex to use. It is a very powerful tool, but I passed it on by to look and see what other free tools are available. After a quick search of Adobe Illustrator on OSalt.com , I found a tool that blew my mind. Inkscape is a free vector graphics tool that offers the simplicity of MSPaint, with a powerful graphics editing tool. It has become my favorite graphic design tool, and is able to create 3D vector graphics as well as produce some pretty bad-ass logos and designs.


Anyway , I have used my graphic design tool to start building a collection of logos and hopefully some sites in the future... all under the name "Sapphire Digital Studios". Here are a couple of samples I did over the past few days.

Definition of a Hacker

After reading through a CNN article today revolving around "hacking", I figured I would clarify the true definition of a hacker.


When people misuse the term "Hacker", I cringe. The term hacker has come to mean the evil persons in the world attacking websites or shutting down servers. This, by NO means, is the definition of a hacker. The true definition of a hacker is someone who analyzes and utilizes various forms of knowledge to solve a common problem. This doesn't even have to be computer related! Finding loopholes in internet security is known as a cracker. Crackers are commonly mistaken for hackers. Where as all crackers are hackers, not all hackers are crackers. Even when the term "hacker" or "cracker" is used, it is most often used to label what are known as "Black Hats". Black Hat Hackers are hackers whom use their hacking/cracking ability and knowledge to bypass security for destructive/intrusive purposes. The "White Hat" hacker is the security administrator who uses their hacking knowledge to protect a network from malicious attacks by Black Hats.


CNN Hacker Article

Why the iPad will Fail...

The iPad, announced back in January has received some good and bad press over the last few months. So what makes this device so controversial. It's sleek, shiny, and has support for millions of apps already available via the App Store. So what are we missing here? It's thinner than any notebook and has the largest touch screen of almost any device... but for the $500+ price tag, it lacks in some very important features. The iPad has no room for expansion, no USB available, is still running the same Safari from the iPod touch prevents any flash sites from being viewed, and in the end, it doesn't bring anything new to the table. The oversized iPod Touch is simply that... an oversized iPod Touch. For anyone interested in tablet computers, there are a few Android-based devices going to be available soon. Expect them to be cheaper and have the standard expansion you would expect from a non-Apple device.

Life Goal: Grad School

Nothing says "I'm smarter than you," than attending MIT, the most prestigious school in the U.S. Thus, I have decided as a Life Goal, to do everything in my power, to attend MIT. Grades are important, but doing something outside of school is the real trick to achieving my goal. Yes, I can build computers and write code in a half dozen languages, but I must master something or create something that could change the IT world. I would enjoy making advancements in the programming field, creating ubreakable algorithms, or inventing something amazing. Challenge accepted!