September 2010
1 post
My cream cheese is made with renewable energy
And you can see how at http://creamcheese.com
August 2010
1 post
Solo IP stimulus
Thank you Solo for your visionary false marking and the ensuing litigation stimulus plan. No firm left behind despite the bum economy.
July 2010
10 posts
2 tags
A decorator for detecting memory leaks in python
I thought I had a memory leak in a program I was writing for my wife today and found this awesome answer on StackOverflow. I turned it into a decorator to I could detect memory leaks more easily in the future. The code for the decorator is below. def report_memory_leaked(f): """ Counts objects allocated in memory before and after the decorated function and reports the results. If...
2 tags
A decorator for detecting memory leaks in python
I thought I had a memory leak in a program I was writing for my wife today and found this awesome answer on StackOverflow. I turned it into a decorator to I could detect memory leaks more easily in the future. The code for the decorator is below. #!python def report_memory_leaked(f): “”” Counts objects allocated in memory before and after the decorated function and reports...
Send email via Postmark from Appengine
I’m trying out Postmarkapp in order to improve my email deliverability for a business I own. The API is dead simple and it only took about an hour to get integrated into my existing code. Below is a simple Python class that is a subclass of GAE’s EmailMessage class and allows you to send mail via Postmark instead of GAE’s built-in mail service. Obviously, you need your own API key from...
Multiple field full-text search using...
Elasticsearch is a Java application and set of shell scripts that makes it nearly trivial to add full-text search to your web application. It’s powered by Apache Lucene, but its got a significantly lower barrier-to-entry as you can see from the intro slides. I could extoll numerous virtues of Elasticsearch, but there’s one I think is particularly cool: you get a full query syntax...
Multiple field full-text search using...
Elasticsearch is a Java application and set of shell scripts that makes it nearly trivial to add full-text search to your web application. It’s powered by Apache Lucene, but its got a significantly lower barrier-to-entry as you can see from the intro slides. I could extoll numerous virtues of Elasticsearch, but there’s one I think is particularly cool: you get a full query syntax...
Mutiple field full-text search using elasticsearch
[Elasticsearch]() is a [Java]() application and set of shell scripts that makes it nearly trivial to add full-text search to your web application. It’s powered by [Apache Lucene](), but its got a significantly lower barrier-to-entry as you can see from the [intro slides](http://www.elasticsearch.com/products/elasticsearch/). I could extoll numerous virtues of Elasticsearch, but...
Increase email deliverability on Appengine by...
Email deliverability is a a huge problem. I’m a big fan of Google Appengine and send a fair amount of email from it. I noticed recently that some of it was being caught, particularly by the Postini spam filter on the most aggressive setting. After investigating, I decided to set up the SPF DNS record for the domains sending email from Appengine. But, there’s a catch, answered by a...
Bishop A. Coward
That is a terribly unfortunate name. Although, if you had a good sense of humor about it, you’d definitely have easy conversation fodder at cocktail parties.
First mover advantage in price negotiations
I saw this stack of cheap box fans mislabeled at Walmartand it reminded me of the the first mover advantage in price negotiations. Don’t be afraid to ask for the price you want on your first bid: it helps set expectations for everybody.
Paste like a champion on Mac OS X
With three quick steps you can drastically improve your copy/paste efficiency on Mac OS X. Add a keyboard shortcut for “Paste and Match Style”. This is key if you copy content from the web because it enables pasting as plain text. I hate pasting into a document only to get a jumble of different styles that have to be normalized later. (My shortcut for this is use open-apple + shift +...
June 2010
1 post
Recycle your old cell phones at Target
I saw these four recycling bins at Target. The last one accepts old cell phones and mp3 players. Great idea, but I suspect they’re infrequently used.
May 2010
6 posts
Secure your API with two-legged OAuth
If you have some kind of website or service and need to create an API for developers, consider using two-legged OAuth. OAuth is an easy way to “secure” your nacent API because there are a lot of libraries you can use to handle both the server and client side. This will save you time and future-proof you when you need something full-blown. I own part of a business that spends a lot of...
How the Android-iPhone-RIM battle will play-out in...
Android, RIM, and the iPhone are locked in a battle royale. Fifty bucks says, in one year, Android will have the most market share but iPhone and RIM devices will capture/retain the most valuable parts of the market. Here’s why. The iPhone is just one phone, so it can’t appeal to everybody. People come in all shapes/sizes and with heterogeneous desires. Android runs on numerous...
Google I/O today was a downer
Ugh — I’m hoping for a real surprise tomorrow at Google I/O. Today was a real disappointment. Obviously, the conference was a complete dude-fest, replete with Tevas, wolf T-shirts, and beards. That’s par for the course. There were three unexpected FAILs: the wireless, the keynote, and the product announcements. The new file storage for developers had no obvious advantages over...
Steve Blank is partially wrong about business plan...
In case you didn’t read it Steve Blank doesn’t like business plan competitions. I like ‘em. Obviously (if you’ve been in a start-up) he’s right that the plan will not survive first contact with customers, but [in my much more narrow experience] the competitions, and even the plans, do have some redeeming qualities. Specifically, they’re a comfortable...
1 tag
Purell for your toilet seat
I collected numerous photos of bathrooms and bathroom signs throughout Asia over the last four years. (For some reason I find them hilarious and interesting.) Asian toilets range from the pit in rural China to crazy robo-toilets in upscale Tokyo hotels. Here’s something I’ve never seen before: Purell for toilet seats instead of paper gaskets. (Seen in the Hong Kong airport. Wonder...
Bad management is pervasive in academia
Management is hard and bad management common, but it absolutely pervades academia and causes the suffering of grad students on a grand scale. How ironic: what is the PIs job if not manager of their group? Chief fund-raiser and spokesperson, yes. But, 99% of it is the day-to-day management of students, postdocs, and staff. I feel there are three causes largely responsible for the unskilled...
April 2010
3 posts
1 tag
WatchI really need to update my ‘05 study…
1 tag
Patent News →
Sweet, timely patent news including new patent infringements. Required reading.
Here we go again
Decided I should really start blogging (again). Since, clearly, I have profound insights to share with the masses. For example, videos of pandas sneezing and text copied from other websites.