Patrick Jost's Blog

Apple OS X Lion

2012-01-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

I finally made the transition to OS X Lion. Once the download was complete, it took about an hour.

I did not like the "new" look of Mail, so I'm very happy you can still use the "classic" look.

Many of the "changes" appear to be user interface issues, but others, such as enhanced security, go well beyond that and are worth further examination.

All of my key applications run without any problems, though not all of them support certain Lion features, such as the "full screen" view (this will probably come in time for most of the applications, and even if it does not, it is no big deal).

I do like the enhancements to Preview, which is underrated-it is much more than an "image viewing" application.

Apple OS X *is* the world's most advanced operating system, and this upgrade is well worth the price!

Mouse Tales

2011-11-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that I love Apple products.

Their mouse (on the right) may be an exception. I have gone through two of them in as many years. What goes wrong? The little trackball stops working. The trackball is a wonderful idea, and if you fiddle with it (rub it on a piece of paper, etc.) sometimes it will work-for a while.

So, when the second one died, I looked for a replacement (sorry, Apple). I selected the Macally IceMini (on the left).

Nice little mouse, and it is little. Right and left buttons and a robust scrollwheel. You can only scroll up and down, not back and forth, but that is not a huge problem.

ThinkGeek: The Bag of Holding

2011-10-31T08:27:00.000-07:00

It was time for a new shoulder bag, and, after much deliberation, I chose this one, the Bag of Holding from ThinkGeek.

It is named after a "gaming item" with (supposedly) infinite capacity. This bag WILL hold a lot of stuff…

It has several nice features:

A handle. The strap is nice, but there are times when you just need to grab the back and pick it up.
The zippers. You may not be able to tell by the picture, but they are metal and should last for a long time (unlike nylon zippers).
The bag uses magnetic clasps. You can see the "female" part of one to the right. These work very well, and do not seem to be magnetic enough to damage electronic equipment.

The bag has several compartments. My only complaint, such as it is, is about the front compartment, which has many small pockets in it. The pockets are almost too small to be useful (I have a flashlight in one). Heavy objects might fall out. I might have preferred more slots for pens.

All in all, though, a very nice bag, and I suspect it will last for a while.

Cyber Spying: Tracking Your Family's (Sometimes) Secret Online Lives

2011-10-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

Cyber Spying, by Ted Fair, Michael Nordfelt, Sandra Ring and Dr. Eric Cole is really all about the subtitle "Tracking Your Family's (Sometimes) Secret Online Lives."

This book serves as an excellent introduction to spying and counterspying on computers.

The vast majority of the techniques described in the book, however, require what the authors honestly refer to as "intimate access" to the machine of potential interest. Some of the techniques described require the installation of additional hardware (keystroke loggers) or software in order to accomplish the task at hand.

If such access cannot be obtained, much of what is in this book is useless.

But, in cases where it is necessary to "spy" on a family member, such as a spouse or child, this book may be for you.

Interestingly, the last section of the book contains a detailed discussion of countermeasures applicable to many of the techniques appearing in the rest of the book!

Calculus: A Modern Approach by Karl Menger

2011-09-03T13:09:00.000-07:00

It is an unfortunate reality many textbooks are quite expensive-often over $100.

Karl Menger's Calculus: A Modern Approach is a welcome exception.

This book costs less than $20 (available from Dover). It has the advantage of having been written by a noted Vienna Circle mathematician. One of Menger's areas of expertise was the "explication of [mathematical] concepts" and he also trained US military personnel in mathematics during World War II.

The book suits the needs of the absolute beginner: you can start on page one and proceed with a "miniature calculus" (which is developed into a "full calculus" in the course of the book), or, if you are using the book as a reference or refresher, the book can be used for that as well-note that it includes an entire chapter on scientific applications of calculus.

Necessary Madness?

2011-08-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

If there is one criticism of John Monahan's They Called Me Mad, it is the length-it is not long enough.

The book begins with a discussion of Archimedes (who is probably the first person to conceive of, and maybe attempt to implement a "death ray"),it then moves on to alchemy (misguided efforts to transmute lead into gold that laid the foundations for modern chemistry), dissection (from grave robbery to modern medicine), and the work of Nikola Tesla (which includes but is not limited to radio, remote control, and alternating current; Tesla, like Archimedes, had ideas about "death rays").

The book concludes with two related discussions: nuclear energy (with an emphasis on the work of Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer) and and the development of missiles, summarizing the "space race" between the United States and Soviet Union, and the pivotal role played by Wernher von Braun.

Economics 101 (almost)

2011-03-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

Adam Smith?

Thomas Malthus?

Karl Marx?

Thorstein Veblen?

John Maynard Keynes?

Maybe you've heard of them, maybe you haven't. They are key figures in economics.

Robert Heilbroner has brought them, and others, to life in his excellent book, The Worldly Philosophers, pictured here in a 1980 edition (many years before the bailouts, but you'll be surprised how timely the book still is).

Heilbroner teaches economics through the lives of prominent economists. You'll read about Adam Smith's absentmindedness, Karl Marx's boils, Thorstein Veblen's love life, and the fortune of John Maynard Keynes. You'll find out what the Wealth of Nations and Communist Manifesto are all about.

This book does not replace a course in economics, but it will get you started with what's important-the key ideas!

Michael Patrick Jost (March 2011).

Liquid Drain Cleaner

2010-07-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a "typical" topic but it is an important one.

My sink drain connects to my shower drain. Sometimes the sink backs up.

If I plunge the drain, I usually manage to push the blockage to the shower drain, resulting in two blocked drains.

I pondered the problem, and worked out that a "one two punch" using liquid drain cleaner does the job.

First, I pour an entire bottle of liquid drain cleaner down the sink. Sure, it may result in a blockage of the shower, but at least I know where the blockage is.

Then, I''ll clear the shower drain with liquid drain cleaner as well.

There are two kinds of liquid drain cleaner: acid and alkali. You want alkali unless you have something serious down the drain. This is still dangerous stuff, so observe the safety instructions.

Alkali drain cleaner works really well on hair, soap buildup, and organic "films" that grow in drains.

It is also important to follow use of the drain cleaner with LOTS OF HOT WATER to flush the (partially) dissolved clog all the way out (or it will be like when the sink clog has clogged the shower drain).

Three bottles did the job. Much cheaper than a plumber.

Modern Chess Strategy: "Chess for the Rest of Us" by Luděk Pachman

2010-05-14T15:10:00.001-07:00

Yes, another book from Dover Publications.

This is the one to get if you already know how to play chess (this book assumes you know how the pieces move) but are still rated below 2000.

Ludek Pachman is not the "household name" Bobby Fischer is, but Pachman did beat him-twice!

This is an excellent book, worth playing through every now and then, it seems there's always something new.

Pachman does not hesitate to criticize his own moves, and he has an interesting discussion on chess playing computers, that may seem a little dated (and he can be certainly be forgiven for that) but is well worth reading and contemplating nonetheless!

RIP Claude Levi-Strauss

2009-11-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

Claude Levi-Strauss, widely considered the father of modern anthropology for work that included theories about commonalities between tribal and industrial societies, died today, November 3, 2009. He was 100.

He was regarded as having reshaped the field of anthropology, introducing the concept of structuralism — concepts about common patterns of behavior and thought, especially myths, in a wide range of human societies. Defined as the search for the underlying patterns of thought in all forms of human activity, structuralism compared the formal relationships among elements in any given system.

During his six-decade career, Levi-Strauss authored literary and anthropological classics including "Tristes Tropiques" (1955), "The Savage Mind" (1963) and "The Raw and the Cooked" (1964).

Bye Bye Blackberry: Part 3

2009-10-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

My transition to the T-Mobile Android G1 is complete.

This is a wonderful phone for business and personal use.

The Blackberry excels at integration with Microsoft Exchange, but that's a non-issue for me.

The G1 is better at just about everything else, and I have had no problem with reading the keyboard (I have the "bronze" model with the black-on-silver keys). T-Mobile's clear plastic case protects it quite well, and a screen protector lasts about 2 months.

The combination of translit and anysoft's soft keyboard make Cyrillic input as easy as it could be (and of course, having a soft keyboard makes the G1 a match for both the G2 and iPhone).

The integration with Google is very clever. Keeping contact's on Google's server means that if you lose your phone, you can get everything back as soon as you get a new phone. There's no need to worry about SIM card backups.

Patrick Jost

Another Snow Leopard Update

2009-09-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

A few minor things, all resolved now: an incompatibility between Firefox and Flash, and new a new driver was needed for a Canon scanner.

Speaking of scanners, many of the software packages that come with them have "issues" with Mac OS X; a very good alternative is VueScan. In addition to running without problems, it has many features not found in the bundled packages.

All in all-Snow Leopard was more than worth the price!

Patrick Jost

Charles Sanders Peirce: Neglected American Genius

2009-09-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in mathematics, logic, linguistics, or astronomy, then you should get to know the life and work of Charles Sanders Peirce.

These books, from Dover Publications, are not only a great place to start, but there is more than enough substance here to develop a fine appreciation for Peirce's accomplishments.

For example:

Peirce's work on semiotics ("theory of signs") is key to linguistics.

He worked as an astronomer at Harvard, measuring the shape of the Milky Way.

He realized that Boolean algebra could be reduced to two operations, NAND and NOR. In addition, he recognized that Boolean operations could be performed with switches, anticipating the digital computer.

There are many more.

Patrick Jost

Bye Bye Blackberry: Part 2

2009-09-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the poor scan, but there's not much you can do with a phone in a polycarbonate case with a screen protector… (look closely, you can see the green and red buttons)

UPS delivered the G1. I called T-Mobile to get them to make the changes to the data package.

That was almost instantaneous! They offered to walk me through the process. The only near-showstopper was getting the back off to put the battery and SIM card in.

The T-Mobile representative had done it, but it is hard to describe.

After that, it was very easy. I'd already set up my accounts with gmail, so I only had to add the one account, and it took care of the rest.

I had to import my contacts from the SIM, that was an small, extra, and unexpected step.

There's a program called "translit" (free!) that handles Cyrillic quite well. Type a Russian message, set up an email or SMS, paste in the Russian, send. I had expected this to be something of an ordeal, it wasn't.

I like the G1. It is not a Blackberry, but that's fine. I have to get used to minor things like the alerts and where to look for messages, but not a problem.

I like the "real" keyboard. The polycarbonate case is very nice, but I would not want to have to take it off again.

The screen protector is not perfect, but they never are. I think I'm going to find that this is the phone for me.

The issues I've seen are minor and so far it already resolves some of my Blackberry issues.

Patrick Jost

Bye-Bye Blackberry: Part 1

2009-09-07T17:55:00.001-07:00

I had planned to end Labor Day Weekend with a review of a chess book, but the Blackberry situation demanded my attention. Watch for the chess book review though!

I've had a Blackberry for some time. I got it because I didn't like being chained to the computer.

One issue I've had is the almost complete lack of compatibility with Macintosh. Yes, there's a way to back things up, but that's about it.

I've also had a few them die, and all in the same way. The USB port used for power and data seems not to hold up, and when it starts to fail, you can't charge the phone.

So, when the current Blackberry's USB started to fail, I had a long talk with the people at T-Mobile.

I know they'd have given me a new Blackberry, but that's a hassle as I have to reload Cyrillic, and that requires Windows.

The compromise was a G1. There's no Exchange support, but I don't need it as I don't use Exchange.

If you're wondering "hm, why not an iPhone" the answer is simple-they are expensive and I don't want to have to rely on a touch screen in case I have to type something. I like keyboards.

I read up on the G1, and realized I'd need a dedicated gmail account. That's not as bad as it seems, as a gmail account can read other accounts.

Setting them up was fairly straightforward, but gmail seems to be a little balky about reading external accounts. I do like the idea of having all of my email on Google's servers, just in case something goes wrong somewhere. One of my primary accounts is hosted through Swissmail, and they are very reliable, but you can never have too much reliability.

T-Mobile advised that they have to make some settings changes for the G1. The plan is to pick up the G1 tomorrow, call T-Mobile, plug it in, and then set it up. I'm hoping this is not much more than putting in the SIM card, as email should be more or less sorted via the gmail account.

I went to T-Mobile today and bought a package of screen protectors and the polycarbonate case for it. It will be like Gort in Forbidden Planet (not the remake, please!), but, if airline inspectors want it opened, that may be a problem as I've read these cases are very difficult to get off once put on.

I should have an update at some point tomorrow.

Patrick Jost

Mellel: Simply the Best

2009-09-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

I've used a Macs since they came out. MacWrite was nice, but limited. The first version of Word got me through graduate school, but it had issues. WriteNow! was great, but sadly not available for OS X.

The best word processor for OS X is Mellel.

Go to http://www.redlers.com and download the trial and try it out. You'll be convinced.

Apart from being a great product, the company offers unparalleled support.

There was a minor issue with Mellel and Snow Leopard. It was resolved promptly. I received an email saying "within hours" and it was. The company is in Israel, so they were working well into the wee hours of the morning.

But this is typical-if you email, they respond. I have an old copy of Word as a last resort for reading documents. Pages is very nice, and my "Word reader" of choice. Bean is a nice product (and it is free) but Mellel is the one I have to have.

Patrick Jost

Shostakovich: The War Symphonies

2009-09-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting concept: a set of recordings of Shostakovich's wartime symphonies.

The result: well worth the effort.

The listener is treated to the little-performed Fourth Symphony; Shostakovich was beginning to develop his own style, and this is something of a bridge between his first three symphonies and the Fifth.

There are many recordings of the Fifth and Seventh, and these stand with the best of them.

The Eighth is a personal favorite of mine. Very heavy music, but also very, very good.

The Ninth is a lighter work; Shostakovich also feared comparisons with Beethoven's Ninth, so he took a safe way out.

Patrick Jost

The Advent of the Algorithm

2009-09-05T12:20:00.000-07:00

I really wanted to like this book, as well as another by the same author: A Tour of the Calculus.

The battered scan should convince you that I DID read this book…some parts several times…

David Berlinski clearly knows his mathematics, and his "formula" of explaining things through historical anecdotes, should work, but it doesn't.

The problem is that the anecdotes start, very quickly, to seem forced. You just *know* that they did not happen.

In addition, there are many other books-some reviewed here-that do a much better of of accomplishing what Berlinski set out to do.

Patrick Jost

Snow Leopard UPDATE

2009-08-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Very minor issue: the mail database conversion lost two of my passwords.

Not a big thing, but mail says a server is "offline" when it doesn't have the password, it should ask for the password.

The improved performance and extra features of Preview more than make up for this, though.

Patrick Jost

Watchmen Blu-Ray DVD

2009-08-29T08:43:00.001-07:00

I have to admit-I was not a "fan" of Watchmen until the film came out.

I would agree with many reviewers that without some familiarity with Moore's novel, the film could be confusing.

I know there are purists who think Snyder should have filmed it panel-by-panel, I don't completely disagree with them, but that may not have been practical.

This DVD was on sale at the place where I got the Snow Leopard upgrade. I noticed it was Blu-Ray at checkout, and nearly did not buy it.

I had noticed the "digital copy" designation, and they said I would, in fact be able to view the movie. I like the movie, but was not familiar with the "digital copy" concept, so I decided to give it a try (worst case: return it).

The digital copy option worked perfectly. I put the DVD into the iMac, and iTunes took care of the rest. The download was fast, and now I have Watchmen!

Patrick Jost

Apple Mac OS X Snow Leopard: First Impressions

2009-08-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have been a Mac user since 1984, and have trouble finding fault with the company or its products.

The iMac, combined with a few pieces of software (e.g., Mellel, the world's greatest word processor) make it an unparalleled business tool.

I had no problems with Leopard but was understandably curious about what improvements Snow Leopard might bring.

When I learned of the early release of Snow Leopard (on August 28, 2009), I decided that would be "Snow Leopard" Day!

The installation was painless-put in the DVD and go, just as it should be. The installation took just under an hour. I had seen reports of problems with restoring Internet access, but I did not have any.

The only moment of concern was with Mail-it did take about 5 minutes to rebuild the mail database, but there's a lot of mail to go through!

I have used it for about 12 hours, and have noticed increased speed, especially with opening documents.

The new features in Preview are nice, and it is now the way to go for viewing documents.

I still like Firefox, but it is obvious that Safari will win any speed test, so I may be using it for intensive browsing.

The upgrade is well worth the $29.99, and confirms the iMac as the leading business productivity tool!

Patrick Jost

Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World

2009-08-26T06:49:00.001-07:00

Bruce Schneier's 2004 Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World is still an extremely current book.

It is nontechnical yet detailed, providing information what various technologies do and their implications.

The organization is effective and interesting: Landscape, Technolgies, Strategies, with an excellent discussion of who the "bad guys" (such as they may be) are, what they want, and how to deal with them.

Highly recommended.

Patrick Jost

The Nature and Power of Mathematics

2009-06-11T11:45:00.001-07:00

I can't say enough good things about Dover Publications. I've done business with them for years, and will continue to do so. Take a look at their site.

This book, The Nature and Power of Mathematics, by Donald M.Davis, is just amazing. Davis begins in familiar territory, covering Greek mathematics (including π), then moving into Non-Euclidean Geometry and other topics, including a very lucid treatment of cryptography.

A bargain at $19.95. Very readable, well made, with nice illustrations.

Patrick Jost

NAXOS

2009-05-05T12:59:00.000-07:00

Do you like classical music?

Then you need to know NAXOS.

You will find wonderful performances of great music, and also recordings of works that I was happy to discover, such as Alwyn's piano concertos, Messiaen's Turangalila, and Yoshiro's symphony and piano concerto.

Happy Mid-2009

2009-05-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I've been busy and away.

Watch this blog for recommendations on software, books, music, and more…

Patrick Jost

New for 2008

2007-12-28T10:49:00.000-08:00

Software recommendations!

Russian Election News

2007-12-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

You can read the latest news about the Russian Election here and here.

Lists

2007-10-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

This blog is going to concentrate on lists; I contribute to other blogs, such as russianelection2008.blogspot.com, you can read my stuff there!