Sunday, September 01, 2013

Visualization: Maps Size

The TRUE Size of Africa – Have Our Maps Been Misleading For Over 500 Years? | Collective-Evolution

Visualization: Data/Time (History)

Interesting idea... same could be applied to any data set over time... The 1931 Histomap: The entire history of the world distilled into a single map/chart.

Micro-USB vs Mini-USB

USB - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Types of USB connectors left to right (ruler in centimeters): Micro-B plug, UC-E6 proprietary (non-USB) plug, Mini-B plug, Standard-A receptacle (upside down), Standard-A plug, Standard-B plug
Counter-intuitively, the "micro" is the most durable 

Fusing WebGL, CSS 3D and HTML

Web graphics is getting seriously fast, in particular in Chrome...

Zero to Sixty in One Second — Acko.net:
"Hence the goal: to fuse 3D elements into the page like before, but with full 60 fps rendering. Plus to use WebGL instead of CSS 3D where possible, and be free of the constraints of the DOM."

Visualization: Maps Distributions

The Best Map Ever Made of America's Racial Segregation | Wired Design | Wired.com (20 maps)

"White: blue dots; African American: green dots; Asian: red; Latino: orange; all others: brown

This map, created by Dustin Cable at University of Virginia's Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, is the most comprehensive representation of racial distribution in America ever made. Here: New York City. Image: Dustin Cable

Tesla Model S REST API

Tesla Model S REST API Authentication Flaws - Programming - O'Reilly Media

"For the most part, people use the Tesla REST API via the iPhone and Android mobile apps. The apps enable you to do any of the following:

  • Check on the state of battery charge
  • Muck with the climate control
  • Muck with the panoramic sunroof
  • Identify where the hell your car is and what it’s doing
  • Honk the horn
  • Open the charge port
  • Change a variety of car configuration settings
  • More stuff of a similar nature"

The authentication protocol in the Tesla REST API is flawed...There’s no immediate danger from this architectural flaw that compromises the safety of the Model S...

Nissan Self-Driving Cars

Nissan Sets Goal of Introducing First Self-Driving Cars by 2020 - Bloomberg


"Nissan Motor Co. (7201), which grabbed a global lead in electric car sales with its Leaf hatchback, wants to do the same thing with self-driving vehicle technology and plans to offer such models by 2020...

Nissan has sold more than 75,000 Leaf electric vehicles worldwide since late 2010. Including alliance partner Renault SA (RNO) of France, they have delivered about 100,000 electric cars.

The company showed off self-driving Leaf models at a former U.S. military base in Irvine yesterday, with the robotic cars ferrying passengers in simulated urban driving conditions."

Book: ‘The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet’

An optimistic view on the future, powered by innovation and market forces

#34. A Summary of ‘The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet’ by Ramez Naam | New Books in Brief

And the really wonderful thing about our ability to innovate is that, unlike natural resources, it does not shrink over time. Rather, it only expands. This is because innovation is built on ideas, and ideas themselves only grow and multiply. Ideas can even be shared without ever being diluted. Instead, the sharing of ideas often generates even more ideas. The power of ideas—and the innovation that goes along with it—truly is an infinite resource.

about author: Ramez Naam (scientist, ex Microsoft executive)


One observation from the book is that patents have enabled easier
sharing of ideas. Patents laws started in 1474 in Venice,
and this coincided with greatest expansion of technology, science and wealth creation...

Trouble is that the system of patents now really protects only biggest companies (Microsoft, Apple and similar).
From this book such semi-monopolistic system was main reason for China not to progress as fast as Europe, where a dynamic market of small players enabled fast evolution of ideas...

Time to improve market of ideas?