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Minnebar 2008: Geeks 1 Minnesota Fishing Opener 0

Today is a national holiday in Minnesota, Fishing Opener. When one survives another bitter Winter here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes (actually 15,000+, but we're modest), the need for some outdoor fun is HUGE. Yet, this geek / fisherman is attending, along with 400 other nerds on a Saturday, Minnebar 2008.

If you've never attended an "unconference" (Wikipedia link), you need to get with it! Earlier today I personally presented on Social Search in the Corporate Environment. Later I attended a session on using mashups in the enterprise ... and this afternoon I am looking forward to the "lightning rod demos".  Anyone may demo, but with an extreme time limit (3 minutes??). If you want to learn about tens of new ideas quickly, this is a great deal.

Finally I just attended the State of the State: Technology in Minnesota. We may not be Silicon Valley (who cares?), but we have our own start-up success stories. This panel responded to questions about what is takes to create a vibrant development community here in Minnesota.

While most of you will not care about the answer to this question (Minnesota development community), the key takeaway from a barcamp is the phenomenal interaction among attendees. Attend a barcamp in your local area.

In fact ... information can just flow in to a person. While creating this post Adam Des Autels stopped by to chat. He had attended my session this morning, and knew of my love of intelligent RSS. His recommendation was to check out a new RSS aggregator that uses fuzzy logic to improve you results ... sounds very neat.  I've taken an initial look at PARTicls, and it deserves a thorough review. Time to attend another session!

GMaps Pedometer ... Tracing our Tracks!

I discovered this tool while reading PC World yesterday evening ... very cool. Expand the thumbnail image to see how GMaps Pedometer uses Google Maps to easily track and measure a running or walking route ... even when footpaths are involved. This will come in handy later today when I do a 20 mile training run in preparation for Grandma's Marathon.
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Nature's Scientific Programming

Although I consider myself a software geek, I know very little about this field ... Genetic Programming. However, before you think I'm talking about genetic engineering of plants and animals, read on. This field studies nature, and tries to learn lessons for solving technical problems ... an intriguing idea. You may now download a very detailed manual on the process, A Field Guide to Genetic Programming. Here is how the book's web site describes the area:

"Genetic Programming is a systematic, domain-independent method for getting computers to solve problems automatically starting from a high-level statement of what needs to be done. Using ideas from natural evolution, GP starts from an ooze of random computer programs, and progressively refines them through processes of mutation and sexual recombination, until solutions emerge. All this without the user having to know or specify the form or structure of solutions in advance. GP has generated a plethora of human-competitive results and applications, including novel scientific discoveries and patentable inventions."

I am definitely adding this manual to the Engineering Learning Wiki's manual section. If you are interesting in learning more about this discipline, a trip to the University of Illinois Genetic Algorithms Laboratory would be worth your while. Besides, any lab which refers to their blog at IlliGAL must have a sense of humor. I leave you to figure out the play on words!
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12 Years at #10 Downing Street (a web birthday)

Most of us don't get to hang out in Silicon Valley. I decided to take a few days of vacation and come out to Mountain View and see some friends. Little did I realize that my trip would bring me out to ground zero during the 15th anniversary of the world wide web. Link to the Web Guild to read the announcement and watch the video.

I decided I couldn't let this historic date pass without some recognition ... ponder ... ponder ... how does one say Happy Birthday WWW ? With web sites! Thus via the Internet Wayback Machine I decided to give you the history of the web ... #10 Downing Street style!

The oldest year I could find was 1997. Click upon any thumbnail for an expanded view.

1997 on ...

The Google Innovation Machine

One of my favorite podcast, Harvard Ideacast, just published a podcast on the process innovation at Google. Before you think ... my organization is not like Google ... give the podcast a listen. It talks about practical things that any company can try.

• Reverse Engineering Google's Innovation Machine

It's a Virtual World!

Last month, a pioneer of "true" science fiction died, Sir Arthur C. Clarke.  This gentleman had an incredible imagination, and ability to envision where science might be taking us ... read his short story, The Sentinel (concept idea for 2001, A Space Odyssey). Thus, Clarke would be pleased to know that just two days ago on April 1st (no April fools joke), the US House of Representatives held this hearing (Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet):

• Online Virtual Worlds:  Applications and Avatars in a User-Generated Medium
• April 1 at 9:30 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building
  • Webcast of Hearing ... 42 minutes in duration
  • Witness List

As a fyi, the panel included Philip Rosedale, President of Linden Labs (owner of Second Life), and Dr William Parris, a vice-president of IBM. (my thanks to some co-workers who keyed me in about the webcast and The Sentinel).

Engineering in America ... What's the Future?

Last night we put down my son's enrollment deposit to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (#1 ranking from US News). Erik is excited about his choice (read my entire series ... the college search from a parent's perspective). I'm also thrilled with his choice, but as a father I must consider this issue: What's the future of engineering in America?

For an answer, I'm going to pull upon my alma matter, Dartmouth.  Dean Helble notes that American Media has taken a sensationalistic approach which makes it seem like "the sky is falling". In fact, this year's graduating class at Rose-Hulman had on average 5 job offers per newly minted engineer! If one keeps current, there is plenty of engineering work in the U.S.A.

Here is a quote and podcast from Dean Helble which further expands upon this subject:

• Podcast: Making Engineering Relevant
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• Quote: (read entire article)
  "Unfortunately, students considering a technology-based education these days are confronted by stories of the growing numbers of engineers in countries such as India and China, stories suggesting that many U.S.-based engineering jobs will be outsourced. The implicit message is that America doesn't need to develop its own technical talent. This is wrong, and it is a dangerous message to send to those now making decisions about colleges, their majors and their careers." ...
  "It is true that India and China produce more engineers than the United States, but per capita production of engineers in those countries lags far behind that of the United States, and those countries, with their needs for basic infrastructure, have ample work to keep their local engineers busy for decades, The question is not whether we are graduating as many engineers as India or China, the question is whether we are producing the technical talent we need to create new industries and address pressing problems in energy, health care, the environment, sustainable manufacturing, security and communications."

Finally, some of Dean Helble's article is based upon the report written by the former president of the University of Michigan, James Duderstadt: Engineering for a Changing World.

I think Erik made a great choice, and has an excellant future!

   

The Engineering of Baseball!

Spring is here, and thoughts of young boys turn to baseball! With Opening Day I bring you the application of engineering management via Branch Rickey to baseball courtesy of Professor Richard Puerzer (Hofstra University)

Wikipedia describes Branch Rickey in this manner:

"Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an innovative Major League Baseball executive best known for two things: breaking baseball's color barrier by signing the African-American player Jackie Robinson, and later drafting the first Hispanic superstar, Roberto Clemente; and creating the framework to the modern minor league farm system."

Here is the opening paragraph from Professor Puerzer's article:

"Branch Rickey is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of professional baseball. Although he is most renowned for his role in the integration of the game, he left other equally indelible marks on the way professional baseball is played and managed. One of the many quotes attributable to Rickey is "luck is a residue of design." (1) This brief quote outlines Branch Rickey's approach to baseball management, which begins with his belief that "baseball is a science," and thus requires a "scientific approach" in its management. The philosophies Rickey used in his management approach are quite similar to the methodologies taught within the discipline of engineering management."

Read online or print the entire article via Google Books (pages 81 to 92)

 

A Mathematical Leprechaun

So you think you're good at math? Prove it! One of my favorite sources for MatLab tutorials, Blinkdagger, just started a bi-weekly math contest.

There are 1000 engineering-centric Leprechauns, all of whom are members of the prestigious group, Mensa. Each of the Leprechauns have an extremely high IQ (top 2% among the general population) and each Leprechaun is fully aware that all the other Leprechauns are also members of Mensa.

One day, the Leprechauns receive news that there is an abnormally large pot of gold at the end of the rainbow near China. All of the Leprechauns rush to the end of the rainbow and arrive simultaneously. In this situation, according to Leprechaun Lore, the treasure is to be divided by the following manner ...

Link to Blinkdagger to learn (and solve) the Leprechauns' problem.
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The Human Mind Is ...

A phenomenal computer! Anne Bartlett-Bragg from down under has a great post on her Learning Technologies Blog about how the brain can work through data. If the following content intrigues you, browse on over to her blog. It has some great posts which review how the mind handles learning. Thus, quoting directly from Anne Bartlett-Bragg's Blog:

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too!

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Note to my own children: Dad still says spelling IS important!
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