TextStream (archived 8/10)

01 June 2008

If you try hard enough, you can always find a way to be lazy.

22 March 2008

Some random quick thoughts on wines

zinfandel & merlot - strong
chianti - fruity & goes with stripped bass
chateau du quint (merlot + cab mixture) - goes with fish
pinot noir - goes with fish

03 March 2008

Yale Reverse Phone Number Lookup

http://scripts.its.yale.edu/cgi-bin/ph/directory.yale.edu?Query=office_phone%3D432-6105

mpage

to print multiple page on linux

The addition of small epsilons to give a big delta

attachments in outlook express

tools --> options --> security tab --> checkbox

02 March 2008

Quick thoughts on Reading Supercrunchers

Liked this book. Some things that I remembered:

* Nice ending with a motivation of Bayesian stats with a test for breast cancer afflicting 1% wtih a high FP rate.
* Useful stat that SD on pregnancy 9 months +/- 15 days.
* Suggestion of "mining free" products.
* Privacy concerns as the "darkside of digitization".
* Potential of a face recognition company to ID photos on flickr.
* Mentions that AOL search was comprimised by one keystroke (correct?).
* Discusses centralizing shift of power implicit in move to supercrunchers
* Some characters Donaghue (?), Levitt vs....
* Mentions Ec. miner who find evidence of cheating in wide point spreads
* Some dubious stuff: Is regression really exponential complexity (???) and NN the main new mining technique ?
* Buying and selling race

http://del.icio.us/mbgmbg/link_supercrunchers

Simple Ex of HTML to create a forwarding webpage

<html>
  <head>
    <title>Redirecting...</title>
    <meta http-equiv="Refresh" content="0; URL=http://outbox.gerstein.info/"
>
  </head>
  <body>
    Click <a href="http://outbox.gerstein.info/">here</a> if you are not for
warded immediately.
  </body>
</html>

Where one's stuff is splattered over windows

I find it frustrating that my "personal data" is often splattered all over different locations on Windows XP. Here's a list of some places that I've uncovered below. (My windows userid is "mbg".)

* List of recent files used in Office
C:/Documents and Settings/mbg/Application Data/Microsoft/Office/Recent

* List of temp files
C:/Documents and Settings/mbg/Local Settings/Temp

* Contains list of profile directories
c:/Documents and Settings/mbg/Application Data/Thunderbird/profiles.ini

* contains X1 index files
C:/Documents and Settings/mbg/Local Settings/Application Data/X1 Desktop Search

* contains outlook data file
C:\Documents and Settings\mbg\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

* contains all of firefox's data, which is cleared by the clear private data command
C:\Documents and Settings\mbg\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ingyn1a7.default
C:\Documents and Settings\mbg\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\s2ocgep1.default

* contains all the pictures and videos from a palm sync, which don't seem to get deleted properly by the palm application.
C:\Documents and Settings\mbg\My Documents\My Pictures\Palm Photos\mbgtre\Expansion card 1319\Palm
C:\Documents and Settings\mbg\My Documents\My Pictures\Palm Photos\mbgtre\Internal\Palm
C:\Documents and Settings\mbg\My Documents\My Pictures
C:\Documents and Settings\mbg\My Documents\my videos\Palm Videos

* contains a listing of recent files opened
C:\Documents and Settings\mbg\recent

* cygwin home (could be reset to a different directory, useful to clear history)
C:\cygwin\home\mbg

* Windows Temp -- doesn't seem to have much personal data beyond what is cleared directly through clearing the IE cache
C:\WINDOWS\Temp

* Additional things include:
- removing all one's palm files (C:\...\palm)
- Disabling calendar sync stuff (e.g. change passwd on google calendar sync. & disable "syncmycal" agent)
- Start Picasa and remove all folders. Then it will compact its DB.
- Start firefox and delete all private data. Start IE and do the same .

16 February 2008

Driving Directions to Claire's in New Haven

Here's how to get from GW bridge to Merritt.

Here's how to get from Merritt to Claire's.

Entrace to parking garage is between Chapel and Crown on College St.

10 February 2008

Thunderbird issues

"Thunderbird can't use the profile because it is in use to continue close the running instance of thunderbird"
In relation to the above error message found the only thing to cure this is to restart windows and re-run thunderbird.

The lock file that often gums up a thunderbird session is:
D:\vmshared\PERS\mailstuff\mbg\parent.lock

My other thunderbird hints are at: http://del.icio.us/mbgmbg/Link_ThunderbirdFixes

09 February 2008

Some Ipod Notes

Notes on water proofing an iPod
http://www.waterproofcases.net/headphones.html
http://ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/comments/otterbox-for-ipod-4g-photo-ipod/
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/comments/h2o-audio-sv-imini-underwater-housing-ipod/
B0009I2M7C
B0009IZSAK
http://www.slicsound.com/ss001.asp

To reset an iPod with a Click Wheel
(below extracted from a page on the web)
Including the following:
* iPod mini
* iPod mini (Second Generation)
* iPod with color display (iPod photo)
* iPod (Click Wheel)
* iPod nano
* Fifth Generation iPod (also known as iPod with video)

1. Toggle the Hold switch on and off. (Slide it to Hold, then turn it off again.)

2. Press and hold the Menu and Select buttons until the Apple logo appears, about 6 to 10 seconds. You may need to repeat this step.

Tip: If you are having difficulty resetting your iPod, set it on a flat surface. Make sure the finger pressing the Select button is not touching any part of the click wheel. Also make sure that you are pressing the Menu button toward the outside of the click wheel, and not near the center.

If the above steps did not work, try connecting iPod to a power adapter and plug the power adapter into an electrical outlet, or connect iPod to your computer. Make sure the computer is turned on and isn't set to go to sleep
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61705

01 February 2008

let. to ed. ("23andMashup") re. "23AndMe Will Decode Your DNA for $1,000" -- Wired

Here's a letter to the Wired that was published:
23andMashup
I enjoyed the article about personal genomics company 23andMe ("Your DNA Decoded," issue 15.12). I was especially interested in the visionary and somewhat whimsical idea of connecting social networking with understanding one's genome. We can take this idea a step further and combine it with another phenomenon — the rise of easy-to-make consumer mashups. People could use Web services to share their genomic information in meaningful ways. For instance, friends on a social networking site might look beyond external characteristics like hair and eye color and instead search for sequence variants they have in common. Alternatively, you could mash up genomic profiles with marathon times and highlight common characteristics of fast runners. However, people will only share genomic information if it's done in a way that doesn't reveal too much about themselves: To be viable, genomic mashups should be interesting, but not too specific about future health implications.

Citation of the Letter:
http://www.wired.com/culture/culturereviews/magazine/16-02/rants
Wired Magainze, Issue 16.02, Pg. 17 (Feb.)
Mark Gerstein, New Haven, Connecticut
Rants Section

Article letter is in response to:
Wired Magainze, Issue 15.12
23AndMe Will Decode Your DNA for $1,000. Welcome to the Age of Genomics
By Thomas Goetz
http://www.wired.com/medtech/genetics/magazine/15-12/ff_genomics
At the age of 65, my grandfather the manager of a leather tannery in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, suffered a severe heart attack. He had chest pains and was rushed to the hospital. But that was in 1945, before open heart surgery, and he died a few hours later. By the time my father reached 65, he was watching his diet and exercising regularly. That regimen seemed fine until a couple of years later, when he developed chest pains during exercise, a symptom of severe arteriolosclerosis. A checkup revealed that his blood vessels were clogged with arterial plaque. Within two days he had a triple bypass. Fifteen years later (15 years that he considers a gift), he's had no heart trouble to speak of.....

Text that was submitted to the magazine (before editing):
I enjoyed the recent article about the new personal genomics company, 23andMe, and was especially interested in their visionary and somewhat whimsical idea of connecting social networking with understanding one's genome. We can take this idea a step further and combine it with another emerging phenomenon of the past year -- the creation of easy-to-make consumer mash-ups (such as Yahoo Pipes). Then, we can begin to imagine people using web services to interrelate and give personal meaning to their genomic information, just as we currently see discrete bits of apparently meaningless data related to location come together into an emergent whole when they are mashed up with a map service such as Google's -- think of collecting all the photos taken near Times Square on Flickr to get an overview of the neighborhood. However, unlike the case of vacation photos, people will only be willing to share genomic information if they are not worried that it reveals too much about themselves. That is, to be viable mash-ups of genomic information should be interesting, but not too specific about future health implications.

29 January 2008

WinXP within WinXP with VMware (BlogEntry_VMconfigT60b_Xmg)

This document contains some public notes I've made on the arduous process of getting VMware to run with a Win XP guest on a Win XP host. (One might wonder why I'm trying to do this, but this will take too much text here. I'll let any reader just speculate.) In general see below and some of my relevant del.icio.us links .

## Del.icio.us Links

My central collection of bookmarks around this endeavor is:
http://del.icio.us/mbgmbg/Useful_VMconfigT60b_Xmg

In addition, some extensions that I found useful for Firefox and Thunderbird
http://del.icio.us/mbgmbg/UsefulExtension

## Outlook

Getting Outlook to work with the Palm Treo and VMware

* Have to keep main outlook DB in
C:/Documents and Settings/mbg/Local Settings/Application Data/Microsoft/Outlook

Doesn't seem to work when moving it another location.

* archive stuff to archive.pst and then compacted

* When synching with the VMware and treo, host application often seizes the "context." This happens particularly on the second sync attempt. Have to tell it to "take no action" on a sync on the host application dialog box.

* See treo hints under http://del.icio.us/mbgmbg/useful_vminstalls to work with Verizon wireless sync.

## Blackberry
Works fine in VM

7750M_PBr4.0.0_rel201_PL1.5.0.30_A4.0.0.171.exe
BlackBerry_400_33_desktop_ml.exe
user "mbg"
Select "Blackberry Internet Email" Option

Run desktop mgr
set it to use USB
use default folder
C:/Documents and Settings/mbg/Application Data/Research In Motion/BlackBerry

## Thunderbird
Getting it to run in VM and then have it's mail directory outside.

* Install normally
but then edit c:/Documents and Settings/mbg/Application Data/Thunderbird/profiles.ini
to be thus:

[General]
StartWithLastProfile=1
[Profile0]
Name=default
IsRelative=1
Path=Profiles/knnjxcfu.default
[Profile1]
Name=mbg
IsRelative=0
Path=J:/vmshared/PERS/mailstuff/mbg
Default=1
[Profile2]
Name=mbg2-yahoo
IsRelative=0
Path=J:/vmshared/PERS/mailstuff/mbg2
[Profile2]
Name=mbg-old-rec
IsRelative=0
Path=J:/vmshared/PERS/mailstuff/mbg-old-rec
[Profile3]
Name=mbg-old-sent
IsRelative=0
Path=J:/vmshared/PERS/mailstuff/mbg-old-sent

* To access profiles,
"C:/Program Files/Mozilla Thunderbird/thunderbird.exe" -ProfileManager

* Profile0 was there, now adding profile1
Thunderbird should then come up with full mail setup

* One has to install quicktext manually.
Then all the stuff should be there.

Make sure you check the auto download of messages.

## Google Earth
It runs under VMware but not in directX mode

## Itunes
Key point here is putting iTunes DB in another location and then configuring VMware to access this location with another.

## MS Office

* Installs fine on the VM
* Transferred settings from "office-saved-settings-for-MG-29Dec07.OPS"

However, then ran to documents to go problem -- interface with word was messed by copying over the prefs (see above). Found fix at http://support.dataviz.com/support.srch?docid=12792 , viz:

How to manually uninstall Word Add-In:
1. Open Word
2. Go into Tools menu
3. Click on Templates and Add-Ins
4. Uncheck DVZWDAddin.dot - this menu should then be removed
5. Close Word, then press CTRL-ALT-DELETE to bring up the Task Manager, and check to make sure all instances of WINWORD.EXE are closed
6. Go into the following directory: C:/Documents and Settings/<user name>/Application Data/Microsoft/Word/STARTUP
(NOTE: The Application Data folder is a hidden folder. If you can't see hidden folders, go to Tools > Folder Options, select the View tab, select the option to "Show hidden files and folders" and click OK.)
7. Delete the file "DVZWDAddin.dot" and all of its temp files (i.e. ~$ZWDAddin.dot)

## This doc

Tips in formatting include using ^l (in word) instead of ^p before import into Google Docs. Within GoogleDocs one can just do "shift-return" .

25 December 2007

Your fingers are the best comb.... -G Ray

24 December 2007

let. to ed. re. "For a Tunnel to Go 16 Miles, No Light Yet" -- NY Times

Here's a letter to the Times that wasn't published:
I was very intrigued by your recent column about a proposed tunnel
connecting Long Island to Westchester. As the piece noted, this
tunnel follows a route long ago advocated by Robert Moses. If such a
tunnel were ever to be built, it would validate one of Moses' original
designs for the road network encircling New York City; thus, in a way,
this proposal revitalizes his original dream. However, it is worth
pointing out that Moses' original plan was for a bridge, not a tunnel.
Moses, in fact, strongly disliked and actively opposed tunnels,
whereas he felt bridges made a stronger and grander statement. Thus,
the interesting twist in the column is how it simultaneously revives
Moses' original dream just as it implicitly criticizes his
stubbornness.

Letter in response to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/29/nyregion/29towns.html
November 29, 2007
Our Towns
For a Tunnel to Go 16 Miles, No Light Yet
By PETER APPLEBOME
GARDEN CITY, N.Y.
A reasonably sane person contemplating the modest proposal of the
developer Vincent Polimeni to build a $10 billion, privately financed,
16-mile tunnel linking Long Island and Westchester the longest
autos-only tunnel in the world and the first to be privately built in
the United States might start with two thoughts.
The first: This might be a brilliant idea or a nutty one, but in an
era of shrunken ambitions, give the guy credit for a big idea that
goes back to Robert Moses, who in the 1960s championed a bridge over
pretty much the same route.....

03 December 2007

Cycling in DC (TripBethesda)

Cycling from Bethesda into DC and back

Route taken on Google Maps
Summary: ~40 miles cycling
Geotagged images, served from [P]icassa or [F]lickr (also look at overall flickr map)

02 December 2007

Potential alternate terms RFBRs for chIP-chip "hits"

The ENCODE paper coined the term RFBR for "hits" in chIP-chip experiments, viz: "We refer to regions with enriched binding of regulatory factors as RFBRs. RFBRs were identified on the basis of ChIP-chip data in two ways..." Some other terms were considered instead of RFBR. Here's a list of some of them:

CHIRP -- chip hit of regulatory potential
EIGR -- experimentally identified genomic region (like mountain)
GRAF -- Genomic region associated with function
GRAB -- Genomic region associated with binding
MONOD
RELIC -- Regulatory element in living cells
GELC -- Genomic element in living cells
FELC -- Functional event in living cells
MOJO
EDGE -- Experimentally determined genomic element
GEMMS -- Genomic element defined by multple methods
LORE
REIVE -- Regulatory element in vivo
GERP -- Genomic element of regulatory potential
TRE -- transcriptional regulatory element
GIVE -- Genomic in-vivo element
LRE -- long-range element
RFBS -- regulatory factor binding site

11 November 2007

Bad MILK. How does milk know when to expire? - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum

Some useful quotes on what makes milk go bad:
"Generally, if kept constantly cold, bacteria in milk will grow at a constant slow rate. The bacteria generally feeds on the lactose, turning it into lactic acid. As it accumulates, it makes the milk taste more and more sour. But our taste buds will generally ignore the small bit of sourness. The milk is considered bad when the sourness becomes noticeable. The proteins in the milk will start to stick to each other in an acid environment. However, for this to happen on a large scale requires the milk to be fairly acid (pH around to 5.5). Our taste buds register sour at a much higher pH (~6)."

01 November 2007

Some Durable Indoor Plants (from visiting a nursery)

Pictures of them at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbgmbg/tags/kw30sep07nurseryvisit

Listing of plants

Snake Plant - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansevieria_trifasciata
(verabella?) palm plant
Jade Plant - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant
ZZ plant (durable) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamioculcas
Rubber Plant (not as durable) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_elastica
Bamboo plants (need to be immersed in water) - http://www.bamboogarden.com/care.htm