You know, writing the same program five times in different languages is just not fun at all. I didn't think it would be this bad, but it's really a pain in the butt.
CNN: Police: Teen abduction foiled by cell phone cam
(CNN) -- A quick-thinking 15-year-old boy used his Sprint cell phone camera to take pictures of a man who allegedly tried to lure him into his car, leading to the man's arrest, police said.
A spokeswoman for Sprint, the manufacturer of the phone, says the incident is the first time -- as far as the company knows -- someone has used the year-old technology to foil a criminal.
That's awesome.
OH MY GOSH I THINK THERE ARE BEAR PRINTS ON THE HOOD OF MY CAR!!
They're enormous, and way too big to be the prints of even a great dane - and they're not the same as dog prints anyway. The only thing I can think of is that they're bear prints. I've heard that we have bears at Ramapo (Ramapo Reservation. Woods and mountains and a lake and stuff five minutes from my home), and a little while ago I was there late at night - it basically got dark while I was trekking around the woods, which was silly of me - a bear must have gone and romped around on my car while I was in the woods! It's even rained a tiny bit since then while I was driving, but the footprints are still easily distinguishable. Craaazy!
Via Ned Batchelder, check out Darwin in a Box.
The idea is called a genetic algorithm. It creates a random population of potential solutions, then tests each one for success, selecting the best of the batch to pass on their "genes" to the next generation, including slight mutations to introduce variation. The process is repeated until the program evolves a workable solution. Originally developed in the 1960s by John Holland at the University of Michigan, genetic algorithms are increasingly being harnessed for real-world tasks such as designing more efficient refrigerators.
Gross believes genetic algorithms have the potential to revolutionize engineering. Instead of using software as merely a visualization tool that helps draw a contraption, he envisions genetic algorithms that can handle the entire design process. You define your organism, your genes, and your fitness function and let the software do the hard work of actually figuring it out.
Check out the demo video they have of a genetic algorithm getting some legs and a torso to walk. Pretty fascinating.
While of course I don't think doing engineering using genetic algorithms is much like evolution at all, I think it's totally fascinating, and I agree that it will probably be very useful in helping to find solutions to engineering problems.
Note to self: If I ever get a masters, genetic algorithms might be a neat idea to do a thesis on... hmmm...
"I'm With Busey" is an amazing show.
Saturday, August 2, 2003
Permalink
new⇒Trogdor tattoo!!
Oh, so cute, wowoowow....
Kathy Mead: Sep 7, 6:07am