Apple has named Pittsburgh-based language learning smartphone application Duolingo as the iTunes App Store App of The Year. Apple announced today that Duolingo, created by Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor Luis Von Ahn, was the editor's choice for 2013 App of the Year. The free iPhone app, described in Apple's App Store as "fantastically well-designed and easy to use," beat out San Francisco-based photo editing app VSCO Cam and San Francisco-based educational game Endless Alphabet.
Duolingo: Apple's App of the Year
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Judge Finds Dragnet Surveillance "Indiscriminate" and "Arbitrary", Allows It to Continue Anyway
Like the executive and legislative branches of government, the judiciary is an active opponent of basic constitutional rights and liberties in the United States. Even when judges recognize the dangers posed by government action, they rarely act to stop it. From Reuters:
From Texaswatch.org
The U.S. government's collection of massive amounts of data about telephone calls, a program revealed in June after leaks by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, is likely unlawful, a judge ruled on Monday.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon stayed his own ruling pending an expected appeal by the government, but in a significant challenge to U.S. spying authority, he wrote that the program likely violated Americans' right to be free of unreasonable searches.
"I cannot imagine a more 'indiscriminate' and 'arbitrary invasion' than this systematic and high-tech collection and retention of personal data on virtually every single citizen," Leon wrote, citing earlier court precedent.
SteamOS to Released Tomorrow
From Ars Technica:
PC gamers who are champing at the bit to build their very own "Steam Machines" won't have to wait long to start tinkering, as Valve has revealed that its recently announced SteamOS will be available this Friday.
The announcement comes alongside word from Valve that its prototype Steam Machines, along with the companion Steam Controller, will be shipped out to 300 randomly selected US beta testers on Friday. Valve plans to notify the lucky testers via e-mail at 2pm Pacific today, and beta participants will get a special badge on their Steam accounts so journalists and fellow players can start bugging them for their impressions incessantly.
Harlem to Become Nation's Largest Public Wifi Zone
From NYC.gov:
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the launch of a new outdoor
public WiFi network in Harlem accessible to all users at no cost. The Harlem WiFi network will extend 95 city blocks, from 110th to 138th Streets between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Madison Avenue making it the largest continuous free outdoor public wireless network in the nation. The network, which will be rolled out in three phases in coordination with the city’s Technology Development Corporation and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, will increase digital access for approximately 80,000 Harlem residents, including 13,000 public housing residents, as well as businesses and visitors in the area.
The free public network will serve the community for an initial five-year term and is funded through a generous donation from the Fuhrman Family Foundation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The first phase, extending from 110th to 120th Streets between Madison Avenue and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, is underway and the remaining phases will be complete by May 2014. The Mayor was joined at the announcement by Chief Information and Innovation Officer Rahul Merchant, Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman, Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City President Megan Sheekey, Chief Digital Officer Rachel Haot, New York City Housing Authority Chairman John Rhea and Harlem Children’s Zone President and Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Canada.
“Our new Harlem wireless network brings critical connectivity to residents and visitors, giving them 24/7 access to everything from education materials for kids, to information about Harlem’s rich history and attractions, to everyday needs like paying bills, checking library hours – or even just keeping tabs on the Knicks and Nets,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “In 2013 being successful requires being connected; thanks to the Fuhrman Family Foundation and the Mayor’s Fund, we are wiring nearly 100 blocks in Harlem and giving 80,000 New Yorkers another tool for success.”
Big Business and Big Government: Dragnet Surveillance Already the Norm from the FBI to the Local Police
If only there were some kind of document that outlined the established powers of government, and provided for reasonable and rational limits to what that government is legally allowed to do, and if only it were faithfully enforced and adhered to, we would live in a very different world. The war on the Fourth Amendment continues apace. From Wired:
The nation’s mobile phone carriers received more than 9,000 requests last year for cell-tower dumps, which identify every mobile phone at a particular location and time, often by the thousands.
The revelation, revealed in a congressional inquiry, underscores that domestic authorities, from the FBI to the local police, are performing a massive amount of surveillance on Americans on domestic soil, sometimes without probable-cause warrants.
Figures provided by the nation’s largest carriers, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon and AT&T, and smaller companies, like C-Spire and Cricket, show that the carriers overall got as many as 1.1 million requests for customer cellular data last year. They’ve earned tens of millions of dollars processing the data, the records show. . . .
But the most startling figures show that the authorities are obtaining information on the whereabouts of perhaps thousands of people at once, often by a judge’s signature based on assurances from the authorities that the data is relevant to an investigation.
Tech Firms Call for International Ban on Dragnet Surveillance
From the Guardian:
The world's leading technology companies have united to demand sweeping
changes to US surveillance laws, urging an international ban on bulk collection of data to help preserve the public's “trust in the internet”.
In their most concerted response yet to disclosures by the National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Twitter and AOL have published an open letter to Barack Obama and Congress on Monday, throwing their weight behind radical reforms already proposed by Washington politicians.
“The balance in many countries has tipped too far in favour of the state and away from the rights of the individual – rights that are enshrined in our constitution,” urges the letter signed by the eight US-based internet giants. “This undermines the freedoms we all cherish. It’s time for change.”
"Don't Go Fishing While Your House is on Fire" and Other Go Proverbs for Bitcoiners
It would be interesting to find out if there are many Go players in the Bitcoin community. As a casual Go (i.e. Baduk) player, I often find that traditional proverbs on the game's strategy and tactics are applicable to other aspects of life, the world and everything. And that includes Bitcoin. So I thought I'd share some Go proverbs that may be helpful to other Bitcoiners out there. Here are nine Go proverbs and some thoughts on their application to Bitcoin. You can find more Go proverbs over at Sensei's Library.
"If it has a name, know it."
In Go, this of course does not mean that we should just pick up some fancy jargon and start throwing it around. Rather, the idea is that if something is important or common enough to have a name, you should know what that thing is, and study it – whether it is an opening move, a pattern, a trade-off, or a protocol. One of the more interesting aspects of Bitcoin is that it requires a non-trivial amount of inquiry to gain a basic understanding of what Bitcoin is, how it works and how to use it, let alone how to improve it. For the average person, there are a lot of new things to learn or understand before you can comfortably and competently navigate the conceptual and practical aspects of Bitcoin, same as on the Go board. Simply put, this means: do your research and your due diligence!
"Lose your first 50 games as quickly as possible."
There is a significant learning curve to Go, but you can learn all the rules in a few minutes. You are going to make beginner mistakes (sometimes even the pros make them!). It is better to make those mistakes quickly, in a low stakes environment, and learn from them. With respect to Bitcoin, just think of how many people have gotten tripped up by the way in which the original client handles the change from one address when you make a fractional transfer to another! If only they had tested the waters early on with a small transaction, they wouldn't have been caught off guard when there was more on the line.
"Play urgent moves before big moves."
In Go, it is a grave error to attack a strong position from a weak base, or to expand to new territory before consolidating your current position. Build your defenses before you go on the attack. Planning on buying a bunch of bitcoin? or moving a bunch of currency around? or investing a ton of money in hardware? Make sure you've got a strong and secure base from which to make your move. Secure your wallet.
"Don't go fishing while your house is on fire."
This is a more colorful version of the previous proverb, but the redundancy emphasizes the importance of the lesson. Make sure your base is covered before taking off on flights of fancy! Consider also that the study and research advised in the first proverb above are themselves necessary to properly secure your base in practice.
"A rich man should not pick quarrels."
On the Go board, this means if you find yourself in a strong position with a big lead, don't take needless risks at your opponent's expense or your own. Others will react violently when their survival is threatened, and you may inadvertently risk your own survival by opening yourself up to attack.
"The greedy do not get success."
This proverb is closely related to the previous one, and again re-enforces the lesson. The notion of greed is a central concept in the psychology of Go. Greed can cloud one's judgment and cause an otherwise rational person to make rash decisions or take excessive and needless risk with little forethought. Don't invest more than you can afford to lose.
"Sacrifice plums for peaches."
In Go, it is not wise to be greedy, but you still have to take profit if you want to come out ahead. And oftentimes you have to sacrifice something – big or small – to get something more in return, or to get anything at all.
"Use go to meet friends."
Visit your local go club, meet new people and learn from them, and teach people in your circle of friends. Check out your local Bitcoin meetup group or start one yourself.
"Don't follow proverbs blindly."
This meta-proverb is one of my favorites. Don't be rigid in your thinking or in your play. Always be skeptical and think for yourself!
Any other Go playing Bitcoiners or Bitcoining Go players out there? What are your favorite Go proverbs?
"If it has a name, know it."
In Go, this of course does not mean that we should just pick up some fancy jargon and start throwing it around. Rather, the idea is that if something is important or common enough to have a name, you should know what that thing is, and study it – whether it is an opening move, a pattern, a trade-off, or a protocol. One of the more interesting aspects of Bitcoin is that it requires a non-trivial amount of inquiry to gain a basic understanding of what Bitcoin is, how it works and how to use it, let alone how to improve it. For the average person, there are a lot of new things to learn or understand before you can comfortably and competently navigate the conceptual and practical aspects of Bitcoin, same as on the Go board. Simply put, this means: do your research and your due diligence!
"Lose your first 50 games as quickly as possible."
There is a significant learning curve to Go, but you can learn all the rules in a few minutes. You are going to make beginner mistakes (sometimes even the pros make them!). It is better to make those mistakes quickly, in a low stakes environment, and learn from them. With respect to Bitcoin, just think of how many people have gotten tripped up by the way in which the original client handles the change from one address when you make a fractional transfer to another! If only they had tested the waters early on with a small transaction, they wouldn't have been caught off guard when there was more on the line.
"Play urgent moves before big moves."
In Go, it is a grave error to attack a strong position from a weak base, or to expand to new territory before consolidating your current position. Build your defenses before you go on the attack. Planning on buying a bunch of bitcoin? or moving a bunch of currency around? or investing a ton of money in hardware? Make sure you've got a strong and secure base from which to make your move. Secure your wallet.
"Don't go fishing while your house is on fire."
This is a more colorful version of the previous proverb, but the redundancy emphasizes the importance of the lesson. Make sure your base is covered before taking off on flights of fancy! Consider also that the study and research advised in the first proverb above are themselves necessary to properly secure your base in practice.
"A rich man should not pick quarrels."
On the Go board, this means if you find yourself in a strong position with a big lead, don't take needless risks at your opponent's expense or your own. Others will react violently when their survival is threatened, and you may inadvertently risk your own survival by opening yourself up to attack.
"The greedy do not get success."
This proverb is closely related to the previous one, and again re-enforces the lesson. The notion of greed is a central concept in the psychology of Go. Greed can cloud one's judgment and cause an otherwise rational person to make rash decisions or take excessive and needless risk with little forethought. Don't invest more than you can afford to lose.
"Sacrifice plums for peaches."
In Go, it is not wise to be greedy, but you still have to take profit if you want to come out ahead. And oftentimes you have to sacrifice something – big or small – to get something more in return, or to get anything at all.
"Use go to meet friends."
Visit your local go club, meet new people and learn from them, and teach people in your circle of friends. Check out your local Bitcoin meetup group or start one yourself.
"Don't follow proverbs blindly."
This meta-proverb is one of my favorites. Don't be rigid in your thinking or in your play. Always be skeptical and think for yourself!
Any other Go playing Bitcoiners or Bitcoining Go players out there? What are your favorite Go proverbs?
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