Citizens Of Tech

Citizens of Tech 012 – Biofuel Pyramid Cables

Intro The National Ocean Service, part of NOAA here in America reports that: “According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are over 332,519,000 cubic miles of water on the planet. A cubic mile is the volume of a cube measuring one mile on each side. Of this vast volume of water, NOAA’s National Geophysical Data Center estimates that 321,003,271 cubic miles is in the ocean. That’s enough water to fill about 352 quintillion, 670 quadrillion gallon-sized milk containers!” If you’re glad you know that, you are obviously a Citizen of Tech! In today’s show, we acknowledge our software overlords, let the cars do the driving, investigate Lego prosthetics, deep dive on diving, and more. So we start off looking at tech news of today with a disturbing-yet-awesome story from the ubernerds at MIT… Present Programs patching programs http://developers.slashdot.org/story/15/07/10/132204/computer-program-fixes-old-code-faster-than-expert-engineers http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/computer-program-fixes-old-code-faster-than-expert-engineers-0609 MIT Software called Helium.“revamps and fine-tunes code without ever needing the original source, in a matter of hours or even minutes.” The process works like this: “The team started with a simple building block of programming that’s nevertheless extremely difficult to analyze: binary code that has been stripped of debug symbols, which represents the only piece of code that is available for proprietary software such as Photoshop. … With Helium, the researchers are able to lift these kernels from a stripped binary and restructure them as high-level representations that are readable in Halide, a CSAIL-designed programming language geared towards image-processing. … From there, the Helium system then replaces the original bit-rotted components with the re-optimized ones.Results: Helium can improve the performance of certain Photoshop filters by 75 percent, and the performance of less optimized programs such as Microsoft Windows’ IrfanView by 400 to 500 percent.” Their full academic paper (PDF) is available online.Uber wants to buy all 500k of Tesla’s Autonomous Cars in 2020 http://www.computerworld.com/article/2945817/telematics/uber-will-buy-all-the-self-driving-cars-that-tesla-can-build-in-2020.html?utm_content=buffer17b93&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer Uber wants to dump the driver. “If Tesla can produce half a million cars by 2020, then Uber CEO Travis Kalanick will buy them all for his service, according to venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson..”I don’t think self-driving cars are actually viable by 2020. Referring to Automobile Magazine, August 2015 edition. Expense – these cars are loaded with technology.Legislation – who’s responsible when a driverless car kills someone? State by state issue.

Citizens of Tech 010 – Vinyl Glacier Robot Earthquakes

Stephen Hawking in A Brief History of Time writes, “Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing?” If that question made you stop and go, “Hmm,” then you might find the Citizens of Tech podcast interesting. So pull up an earbud, and have a listen. I’m Ethan Banks, and joining me is Eric Sutphen. You can find us on Twitter @citizensoftech. This show is a part of the Packet Pushers podcast network. Citizens of Tech and other fine technology podcasts can be found at PacketPushers.net. Our show is in three segments. We examine tech stories of the present, glance over our shoulder at the past, then peer towards the horizon at future tech we hope someday will become reality. On today’s show recorded July 8th, 2015, we cover news from Amazon, review a cheap IP surveillance camera, dive deep on retina displays and how your eyeballs work, and do not discover extraterrestrial life. Also, robots duel, and glaciers cause earthquakes. Among other things! So let’s dive in with our first story… Present Amazon throws in $100 million, developer tools to open Echo’s Alexa ecosystemhttp://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-throws-100-million-developer-tools-to-open-echos-alexa-ecosystem/ The software developer kit (SDK) is called the Alexa Skills Kit, which is a series of application programming interfaces that allow developers to create voice features for Alexa.Amazon said that it will open Alexa’s voice services up to third party hardware makers and they will allow hardware vendors to use the Alexa Voice Service for free.Echo is now available to the public, not just Prime subscribersCheap IP Surveillance Camera Review – Microseven http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M5PHAYWWide angle field of viewONVIF (onvif.org) – works with my Synology. “Driving IP-based physical security through standardization.”“ONVIF is an open industry forum for the development of a global standard for the interface of IP-based physical security products. ONVIF is committed to the adoption of IP in the security market. The ONVIF specification will ensure interoperability between products regardless of manufacturer.”“The cornerstones of ONVIF are: Standardization of communication between IP-based physical securityInteroperability between IP-based physical security products regardless of manufacturerOpen to all companies and organizations”“The ONVIF specification defines a common protocol for the exchange of information between network video devices including automatic device discovery, video streaming and intelligence metadata.”PoEIP66 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_CodeIngress Protection MarkingFirst number – solid particle protectionSecond number – liquid ingress protectionThe first “6” = dust tight. There is no higher number.The second “6” = powerful water

Citizens of Tech 009 – Robotic Conservation Game Unicorns

Captain’s log: Stardate 68927.1 We have made contact with a strange subset of the species homo sapiens. They seem to be consumed with all things technological. At first we feared that they were a newly assimilated unit of the Borg collective. Thankfully we’ve determined that is not the case — they are simply Citizens of Tech! Today on the show: unicorns watching your every move, reducing your electricity consumption, bikes, E3 bombshells, tiny robotic lassos and more. So buckle into your Aluminum Falcon and prepare to jump to hyper-speed as we dive into this week’s edition of Citizens of Tech! Present Unicorns – New Livestream App Lets Strangers Watch You Use Your Phone http://www.wired.com/2015/06/unicorns-app/ Called UnicornsSeriouslyIntended audience is developers, game demos / walkthroughs / “let’s play” / anyone that needs to give a presentation of an app on a phone.Accidental “overshare” of information is a big concern. PINs, email contents / contacts / etc.“Think about what Twitch did for games that nobody seemingly thought others would watch,” says Owen Williams, who writes for The Next Web.Ethan’s notes. Periscope lets you livecast from your phone. Seems to have lots of buzz with the young people.Perch.co lets you use your tablet as a remote window into coworkers’ spaces. Helpful for distributed companies.Saving Electricity From a high over 40Kwh per day to under 20Kwh per dayLED BulbsConservative light usage (natural light FTW)Lowered timer for landscape lightingMonitors from 3 to 1Shut down equipment in lab rackCut back on laundry loadsCut back on dishwasher loads, set to “smart wash” setting with no heated dryingRemoved small refrigerator that was seeing little useHard to cut back Electric stoveNext steps More equipment shut downs in rackReviewing everything that’s plugged in (the tiny electrical thieves)Cutting back on dryer useAdjusting a bicycle front derailleur: 4 tweaks Barrel adjustorCable tensionUpper limit screwLower limit screwBig Announcements from the E3 Conference: XBox One backward compatibility with Xbox 360 (Via emulation) !!Microsoft Hololens; Halo and Minecraft Hololens is *not* Oculus or HTC Vive – Not “VR”Hololens *is* “AR” – augmented realityNew DoomStar Wars: BattlefrontGears of War 4Mass Effect: Andromeda – 2016Mirror’s Edge – 2016 (2008 Original – 8 years later)Dark Souls 3Fallout 4 – Boston!!Just Cause 3Kingdom Hearts 3Final Fantasy 7 Remake: 18 Years later (Wow, that makes me feel old!)The Last Guardian: Part 3 of the Trilogy – Ico (2001), Shadow of the Colossus (2006)Deathwatch Goodbye, ello.TIL TIL the inventor of the heart stent approached numerous companies for funding and was rejected. It was funded by the owner of Fuddrucker’s, whom he met by chance on a golf course. Past The Computer History Museum 1401 N Shoreline Blvd. Mountain View, CA 94043

Welcome once again to the Citizens of Tech podcast! It’s late spring – June 12, 2015 to be precise, and on this day we sat down to discuss: Electronic Legos, Quantum Encryption, Solar Powered Flight, and more. So kick back and ready your ear holes to delve into the nerdfest that is the Citizens of Tech Podcast! Present Microduino mCookie: The smallest electronic modules on LEGO®https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/microduino/microduino-mcookie-the-smallest-electronic-modules What is Arduino?Arduino is a tool for making computers that can sense and control more of the physical world than your desktop computer. It’s an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple microcontroller board, and a development environment for writing software for the board.Arduino can be used to develop interactive objects, taking inputs from a variety of switches or sensors, and controlling a variety of lights, motors, and other physical outputs. Arduino projects can be stand-alone, or they can communicate with software running on your computer (e.g. Flash, Processing, MaxMSP.) The boards can be assembled by hand or purchased preassembled; the open-source IDE can be downloaded for free.The Arduino programming language is an implementation of Wiring, a similar physical computing platform, which is based on the Processing multimedia programming environment.Microduino and mCookie brings powerful, small, stackable electronic hardware to makers, designers, engineers, students and curious tinkerers of all ages to build open source projects or create innovative new ones.The Microduino mCookie series is Arduino-compatible open source hardware. It can be programmed in an Arduino IDE development environment and integrated into existing Arduino sketches.Microduino mCookie snaps together magnetically with four magnets inside four corners, makers can connect mCookie modules quickly and correctly with a satisfying snap. The modules will reject each other if they are not angled correctly, so you can’t get it wrong – making it easier for makers of all ages to work and play, and eliminating the need for soldering.Built with two raised circular fixators on each side, mCookie can be stacked with all LEGO series products. With LEGO compatibility, we’re making it easier than ever for beginners and children to get started with DIY electronics!Stackable pins can be easily bent during usage. New spring pins inside mCookie provide rugged surface-to-surface connection between circuit boards for a longer usable lifetime.Experienced and professional makers can write their own programs in the Arduino IDE and transmit their code to the hardware via USB, while beginners can use the Scratch graphic programming tool to drag and drop components to bring their application to life.Quantum Encryption: Oh Boy!http://m.phys.org/news/2015-05-team-key-quantum-network-solution.html Amazon Echo: Alexa, what’s the weather like in Seattle?http://amazon.com/echo Dragonfly is an innovative, multi-lens array designed for ultra-low surface brightness astronomy at visible wavelengths.http://www.dunlap.utoronto.ca/instrumentation/dragonfly/ Evidence of small galaxy mergers into l

On this day, May 27th, 2015, the Citizens of Tech gathered to make this momentous recording. By traveling great distances (across town), and overcoming unfathomable challenges (our calendars), we screw up our courage, scratch our balding pates, and grab our microphones to record this, show #7 against the odds so firmly stacked against us. Why? We, like you, are citizens of tech, that’s why! We do what we must, because we can. And you, fellow citizen, have joined us to do the needful. Let’s raise a glass to one another as we discuss the Kerbal space program, waterproofing your phone without a case, Scrabble letting down humanity, IPv6’s importance to gaming according to Microsoft, light speed computing, high dynamic range TVs, liquid metal antennas, and more. Present Kerbal Space Program - It’s not rocket science… oh wait, yes it is. https://kerbalspaceprogram.com/ Coating your phone to repel liquids http://www.liquipel.com/shop/treatment/treat-my-phone/http://www.invisiblewaterproofing.com/purchaseimpervious/Scrabble letting in a bunch of new words http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/us/scrabble-new-words/ A fresh reason to lose faith in humanity.Additional 6,500 words include.. lotsa, twerking, lolz, emoji and ridicFacetime, lolz, Bezzy, Wahhsexting, blech, shizzle, cakeholeUsage of Teredo and IPv6 for P2P on Windows 10 and Xbox One https://labs.ripe.net/Members/mirjam/usage-of-teredo-and-ipv6-for-p2p-on-windows-10-and-xbox-one Carrier grade NAT is a multi-layered NAT scheme where not only are you NAT behind your own firewall, but the IP you’re served by your carrier is NAT later on down the line. This can result in applications of all sorts being broken. CG-NAT is a way to prolong IPv4 in the face of IPv4 address space running out globally. IPv6 is being rolled out into the industry, but the speed the deployments are happening vary regionally and by operator. For instance, IPv6 is, as yet, not offered to me by my local ISP. I checked TCPIPUTILS.com to check the AS nearest me, and no IPv6 prefixes are being announced. This is a negative impact to gaming as IPv4 continues to struggle in the global Internet. SomaFM http://somafm.com Deathwatch Fax machinesFM radioTidalPop over adsPast http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasses 1st century AD – Seneca the Younger notices that letters can be seen magnified and more clearly when using a globe or glass filled with water.In 1021, a convex lens is noted to do the same thing ia Alhazen’s Book of Optics. That book led to the invention of eyeglasses in 13th century Italy.Sunglasses used in the 12th century in China.First eyeglasses in Italy in about 1286. By 1301 there were regulations governing the sale of eyeglasses.In 1352, de Modena paints a portrait of a cardinal using them to read.Glasses were not scientif

On this week’s Citizens of Tech podcast, we conclude our special on how complex games are developed. Regular host Eric Sutphen (@zutfen) and special guest Jeff Pugliese (@tpyowritr) continue their interview with game developers Tim Anderson and Giovanni Martello from Saga of Lucimia. Topics include community, archetypes, and character progression. Links www.sagaoflucimia.com and @sagaoflucimia

In this special episode of Citizens of Tech, Eric Sutphen (@zutfen) and Jeff Pugliese (@tpyowritr) interview game developers Tim Anderson and Giovanni Martello from Saga of Lucimia. Topics covered include the inspirations for the game, world concepts, and the core game play. This is your chance to find out what goes on behind the scenes in complex game creation. There’s a second part to this recording that we’ll post later in the week. And then we’ll go back to our regularly scheduled format. Enjoy!

Citizens of Tech 004 – Retro Virtual Reality Kittehs

Hello, fellow Citizens! This is Citizens of Tech show #4, recorded on the 21st of May, 2015. You can follow the podcast on Twitter @citizensoftech. You can give us feedback or just interact in whatever way you so desire. Your host today is Eric Sutphen, who you can follow @zutfen on Twitter. Ready to take a nap immediately following his distillation and application of techie goodness to your earbuds is Ethan Banks, @ecbanks. (Seriously, Ethan was really tired when we started recording this show. Because nightmares.) Present “Retro VGS” console aims to revive the humble video game cartridge http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/index/~3/3gO5w3xKDmM/ Old Atari Jaguar hardware manufacturing tools*NOT* Jaguar internals, just the shell16-bit Graphics? 32-Bit? 2D? 3D?Cart-based games – Single game per cart or SD with loader?Researchers craft network attack to “hack” surgical robot (sort of) http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/index/~3/KbtejLgkjhQ/ Planned test.Intended to expose platform issues.Remote telemedicine is a growing field.With podcasts and video, Spotify becomes an all-in-one streaming service http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/20/spotify-adds-video-podcasts/ “Keep all of the things you listen to in one place.”“In terms of content selection, ESPN, ABC, NBC, Comedy Central and many more — including a load of popular podcast networks — will be available inside the app.”“Spotify’s website says it has more than 60 million active users, of which 15 million are paying subscribers. Still, the company has yet to turn a profit.”Nvidia turns on 1080p 60 FPS streaming for its Grid cloud gaming service http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/05/nvidia-turns-on-1080p-60-fps-streaming-for-its-grid-cloud-gaming-service/ $199 Console to go with that service http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/03/nvidias-shield-is-a-199-android-tv-streaming-microconsole-powerhouse/ NASA: 10,000-year-old ice shelf gone by 2020: http://www.wmur.com/national/nasa-10000yearold-ice-shelf-gone-by-2020/33060844?absolute=true “One of the last remaining sections of Antarctica’s Larsen B Ice Shelf is dramatically weakening, according to a new NASA study.”“Larsen B measured 4,445 square miles in January 1995. It went down to 2,573 square miles in February 2002 after the major disintegration, and a month later Larsen B was down to 1,337 square miles. At present the Larsen B remnant is about 618 square miles. That’s less than half the size of Rhode Isla

Intro Hello, fellow Citizens. This is Citizens of Tech show #3, recorded on the 12th of May, 2015. Hey, we’ve gotten some good feedback on the show, so now you can tweet @citizensoftech. That will be the best way to talk to us, because our inboxes are already kinda full. So let’s keep it on the Twitterz. I am Ethan Banks, you can follow me @ecbanks. Joining me, wearing a mitre, and with an air of suffused dignity, Eric Sutphen ministers technology oracles to you and joins me on the microphone. Request We’re looking for good book recommendations. Anything you’ve got that you’d like to share with your fellow Citizens, let us know – tweet to @citizensoftech. Setup Citizens of Tech runs in 3 segments — present, past and future. We start off with newsy tech things we thought were interesting, take a look back and past tech we think was cool, then peer over the horizon to technology coming soon (ish). Present 1. Exoprotein https://www.exoprotein.com/why-crickets “While the consumption of insects has gained renewed attention recently, it is in fact nothing new. As eclectic omnivores, it’s likely that humans have consumed insects, the most abundant terrestrial life form excluding bacteria, for an exceedingly long time. Today, 80% of the world still eats over 1,600 species of insects, from Jing Leed in Thailand to Escamoles in Mexico to Casu Marzu in Italy. Eating insects simply makes sense.” Insects are exceptionally nutritious.Insects have marginal environmental impact.We need a new source of protein, one that can sustain the world into the future.2. The Mr. Money Moustache Blog http://www.mrmoneymustache.com Think of this site as finance hacking.It’s not about “retirement” really. About financial independence. No assumption that you’ll stop working unless you want to. The point is that you could, not that you will.Major ideas. Stop spending. Save as much as possible.Your dollars are little soldiers that can work for you. Build a mighty army. Grow your “stash.”Budgets are dumb. They are freedom to spend, just up to a limit. That’s wrong thinking. Spending of any kind should be a careful, painful decision. Parting with your money means putting off your independence that much longer.Stop commuting. Live close to your job. Bike, not ride. “Clown car” trips. Cars are for intracity travel, not trips to the supermarket. If you own a car, should be the least costly, most fuel efficient, reasonable car. A car should not be a status symbol, as they are grossly inefficient energy expenditures in general.Frugal doesn’t mean cheap.DIY. Stop paying others to do what you could if you took the time to learn. Those skills payoff in the long run.3. Study Reveals Wikimedia Foundation Is ‘Awash In Money’ http://news.slashdot.org/story/15/05/11/1229222/study-reveals-wikimedia-foundation-is-awash-in-money Wikipedia Costs about $2.5 Million to run per year$53 Millio

Citizens of Tech is a show about all things interesting to technology aficionados — not just gadgets. Gaming, science, energy, minimalism, cord cutting, financial independence, etc. We figure that if it’s interesting to us, it will be interesting to you. This is show #2 in this grand experiment, incubating in the Packet Pushers Community Podcast channel. We’ll run it up to 10 shows or so, and give the show its own channel if we think Citizens has an audience. We saw over 4K downloads of the very first show with some good feedback, so thanks for that! Please keep telling us what’s good, bad, and ugly about the show. We’ll improve. We’re figuring this out as we go. Citizens of Tech runs in 3 segments. The present (news of the day), the past (our ode to historical awesomeness) and the future (new first world problems on the way). Please enjoy show #2! With faces made for podcasting, your hosts… Eric Sutphen @zutfen http://zutfen.com Ethan Banks @ecbanks http://ethancbanks.com Present Hubble 25th Anniversary – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope Google Fi – http://www.wired.com/2015/04/google-make-wireless-carrier-irrelevant/ Project 1999 endorsed by Daybreak Games – https://www.everquest.com/news/project-1999-daybreak Microsoft Universal Bluetooth Folding Keyboard – http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/universal-foldable-keyboard US Defense Secretary: Snowden Caused Tensions With Techies – http://www.wired.com/2015/04/us-defense-secretary-snowden-caused-tensions-techies/ Deathwatch Tidal (We still don’t get it, 770K subscribers notwithstanding) –  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/26/jay-z-s-tidal-is-a-disaster-the-hip-hop-icon-defends-tidal-against-smear-campaign.html FM Radio (because Norway’s killing it) – http://phys.org/news/2015-04-norway-blazes-global-path-fm.html What’s On PRIME Now? – http://whatsonprimenow.blogspot.com/ How to Reduce VR Sickness? Just Add a Virtual Nose – http://www.wired.com/2015/04/reduce-vr-sickness-just-add-virtual-nose/ Past Trains – Efficient transit for goods and people - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport Future Tesla PowerWall – http://www.zutfen.com/powerwall-teslas-power-appliance/

Citizens of Tech is an experimental podcast about technology and other things interesting to techies. We know there’s other podcasts in this space, but it’s something we really wanted to do, so we thought we’d give it a try. Who’s “we”? Well, we is me — Ethan Banks — and my good friend Eric Sutphen. We’ve known each other for years, once worked together at the same company, and still happen to live nearby. We’re also unstoppable nerds. So hey — why not give this thing a shot? We figure lots of you that are into networking are probably into tech as well, so what better audience to gather feedback from than the Packet Pushers community? The format of the show is in three segments: present, past, and future. Also, we’ve already instantiated a Deathwatch we’ll update regularly. Because some tech sucks. We hope you like show number one. Here’s what we went on about. Present Coin, the one credit card. Disney’s 3D printer that makes huggable things. DIY Raspberry Pi laptop. Google’s QUIC protocol. Why knuckles crack, as revealed by an MRI and a man named Fryer. We looked at 100K galaxies, but found no sign of alien life. Deathwatch: Tidal. Past Our ode to the sweet, sweet Commodore 64. I think I’m going to cry…tearing up…have to go now.   Future Kraftwerk powercell – charge your USB devices with butane.