...since determining the steering direction from the input image merely involves a forward sweep through the network, the system is able to process 10 images per second, and drive at up to 55 mph. This is over five times as fast as any non-connectionist system as driven using comparable hardware (Crisman, 1990; Kluge, 1990).      from Defense and Civilian Applications of the ALVINN Robot Driving System As I was reading this paper for class, I though to myself,...

∀p∈{people}( ∃t∈{time}( Person 'p' can be fooled at time 't' ) ) ∃p∈{people}( ∀t∈{time}( Person 'p' can be fooled at time 't' ) ) ¬( ∀p∈{people}( ∀t∈{time}( Person 'p' can be fooled at time 't' ) ) )      -- Abe Lincoln (Or words to that effect.)

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/story?id=2288095&page=1 I think this article is the coolest thing I've read in a long time. Forget the sensationalist implication cats are responsible for everything we think, feel, and do. (Oh wait, that wasn't an implication. That was the damn headline. Effing reporters.) Focus on this: Cats host a 'parasite' that can infect rats (and other animals, but focus on the rats for now). When a rat is infected, its personality is changed drasti...

I came across this little quote while reading this essay about essays . Fundamentally an essay is a train of thought-- but a cleaned-up train of thought, as dialogue is cleaned-up conversation. Real thought, like real conversation, is full of false starts. It would be exhausting to read. You need to cut and fill to emphasize the central thread, There's the root of my problem right there. I developed my expectations of social interactions while watching movies and reading books. I'm tr...

Hikikomori You know, I see a little bit of myself in them. I'm not that bad, thank god, but still. "You think so?" he said. "I don't know. It might be too late for me." He is 23 years old. Interesting quote from the article. Clearly the author doesn't think it's too late for Takeshi. Maybe it's not too late for me, either.

For Christmas 2005 I got my first digital camera. These are the images that I've captured. 1/3/06 - Distorted Christmas Trees 1/3/06 - Our Christmas Trees 1/3/06 - Playing with digital cameras

Forlorn lover leaves ring in unlocked car That article seems to me to be a bit out of place on HappyNews.com . Sure, it's about somebody who left his car door unlocked, and instead of getting his stereo stolen somebody left a $15,000 diamond ring on his seat. But it's just as much about someone who bought a $15,000 ring for someone and then gave it away with a note that said "Hopefully this will land in the hands of someone you love, for my love is gone now." There's no merry Chri...

So there I was, sitting in the living room playing Eat Hot Death! , when suddenly I hear "Pete! Pete, come here! You've got to see this!" What was it I had to see, you ask? It was a really big worm that my mom found in the compost pile. I've known since I was four that playing with worms was the best part of gardening. I'm glad to see she's finally come around to my way of thinking.

Sometimes I feel an urge to write something here. Express what I'm feeling, or something like that. The problem is I don't have anything specific in mind that I want to say. Maybe I'm feeling something that I just can't identify and put into words, or maybe what I'm feeling is just the need to reach out, so there's no specific set of words that would be meaningful. I do feel better when I write things out, though. It's actually kind of funny: if you had told me back in high school that ...

I was just looking at Neil Gaiman's website and noticed that his new book is coming out on my birthday this year. I usually don't like to spend the money for a hardcover book, but maybe I'll get myself a birthday present this year. The cover looks a whole lot like the cover of American Gods . It seems to have a pretty similar theme, though, so maybe that's intentional.

My grade report came in the mail today, and I noticed that it's calling me a 5th year student. I guess that must mean I'm really behind on doing my co-op, since I just finished my third year. In a 5 year program, you're a 5th year student if you have 144 or more credits. As of now I have 155. I really need to address this co-op situation if I want to graduate.

Check out the Google ads at the bottom of the sidebar. Google has analyzed my blog and determined that anyone reading it needs serious mental help. Which can, of course, be obtained over the internet. I'm not really miserable 24/7, it's just that when I'm in a good mood I don't exactly dwell on it like I sometimes do when I'm in a bad mood. Plus, it doesn't take as many words to explain it when things are going right. When i started this blog I had an idea that it would provide insight i...

I believe it was Chris Rock who said that insurance should be called "In Case Shit Happens," and the policy should be that if shit doesn't happen, you get your money back. A friend of mine remarked that, even though this wouldn't be the best business model for the insurance industry, it would be more "moral." That's not the way I see it, though. Insurance isn't like putting money aside so you'll have it in case shit happens. It's more like everybody putting money into a general fund so ...

So I found out that the interview that I thought was on Wednesday was actually on Tuesday, and I missed it. Majorly upset about that, as you can imagine. Here's the thing, though. As soon as I found out, I got into bed, pulled the covers over my head, and slept for two hours. I remember doing that in the past, going to sleep when I feel bad and hoping it's better when I wake up. I always do feel better after a nap, but I'm wondering if maybe I should try to find a better way to deal with...

Way down at the bottom of the sidebar, right there on your right, just above the ads, is a list of referrals. That is, the links that brought people to this site. At this moment it tells me that 24 people came here from google.com. A few through Gmail (most likely because they put an article on their watch list and got an email when a comment was left. At least one of those is me.), but most from the search engine. "Egyptian girl" seems to be the most popular search, probably because the...