Monthly Archives: August 2009

Over the past month or so, I’ve been dealing with a frustrating problem: my motion-correction seems to make images worse, instead of better, when operating in certain orientations, but works fairly well in others. Last night I may have finally … Continue reading →

It looks like Fidelity “provisionally” refunded the charges against my account this weekend. I think that makes the total time from theft to return just over two weeks. Not bad, I suppose, but not ideal.

Last week, I walked out after to work to find my rear bicycle tube mysteriously, entirely flat. Yesterday I finally had time to replace the tube, which had a small but visible hole near the valve stem. I rode the … Continue reading →

Saturday we went rafting. That means inflatable dinghies, paddles, helmets, 7 guests in a boat, and a river so shallow our guide occasionally had to get out and push. That’s not to say that it wasn’t exciting. Although it was … Continue reading →

Most science fiction movies, I think, are a bit politically “conservative”. This comes in many forms, following the many strands of conservative political thought. One strand is the Establishmentarians of Star Trek, where the cast’s derring-do is done on behalf … Continue reading →

I’ve finally managed to understand nonlinear Kernel PCA and Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces. In machine learning, this is called “the kernel trick”, and tricky is right. The idea is almost hilarious. You have a technique (like PCA) that allows you … Continue reading →

I’m flying to Colorado to visit my brother Jeff on Thursday, and then flying back on Sunday. I think that might make this my shortest ever airplane round-trip, though I’m not entirely sure. It’s certainly not as bad as one … Continue reading →

For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt a compulsion to harmonize with machines. I mean this in a literal sense. Lawnmowers, microwave ovens, humming air conditioners… they all produce a steady drone, like the base note of a … Continue reading →

I had a meeting with some friends tonight. We’re thinking about starting a club at Harvard for scientist interested in political issues… but there’s already a marginally active science policy club, so maybe we’ll just try to join up with … Continue reading →

I sent my response to the affidavit as certified mail. It cost me $5.54. I’m still a little unclear on what certified mail certifies. I guess it certifies that it didn’t get lost in the mail, which, given the stern … Continue reading →