Algorhyme - poetic network protocols from 1985

Researching data centre networking at the moment, and reading up on the origins of the spanning tree protocol. It was proposed in an ACM SIGCOMM paper in 1985 by Radia Perlman, and the abstract went as follows:

Algoryhme
I think that I shall never see
A graph more lovely than a tree. 

A tree whose crucial property
Is loop-free connectivity. 

A tree which must be sure to span
So packets can reach every LAN. 

First the Root must be selected,
By ID it is elected. 

Least cost paths from Root are traced.
In the tree these paths are placed. 

A mesh is made by folks like me
Then bridges find a spanning tree.

If more papers went like this I'd probably get through them faster.

Home networking explained

There is a mysterious wireless dead spot in our home network that just happens to be in the same space as the bed where I sit, so I've been looking into ways to improve this state of affairs. This three part tutorial on CNet seems pretty good, so I thought I'd share it here for posterity:

Part1 introduces the basics of home networking, explaining terms like 'router' and 'access point' and covers the types of wireless available, and the relatively new method of networking through your power socket.

Part 2 goes into more detail on wireless - how to set up a network with good security and how to extend your network's range.

Part 3 gets hardcore, with instructions on how to make your own Ethernet cable and wall sockets. Now that would be fine to try some day.

If you're looking for network tips, I hope these help!

Which flat panel TV is best?

For quite a few years, Dad and I used to look at the large flat panel TVs in shops and, although I'm a sucker for shiny new technology, we both agreed that they looked pretty shoddy.

With the advent of HD I reckon that's changed a lot. But walking into a TV shop, not only are there different technologies available, but also a big variation in image and quality.

So what do you do? Well, in the case of my family you wait until they get lots cheaper and your CRT dies, but if you prefer to buy now, here's a handy article from CNET that tells you what to do.

Conclusion? If you watch in the dark, get Plasma, if you watch in daylight get LED LCD, if you want cheap and for your TV to look like the rubbish ones that we used to see, get the other kind of LCD. And if it's a good name manufacturer it will apparently be good whichever you get. As much as they look incredible in the shop with something like Avatar in HD playing on it, there's nowt wrong with waiting for the LEDs to get cheaper, they're still pretty new and expensive.

3D without screens through coloured lasers

Maybe one day we will manage to achieve the Star Wars-style holographic displays.

Of course, there are still issues I'd have thought around capturing images that give you 3D that can be viewed from all sides - even 3D cameras only get a 3D perspective of one side. That said, it's still quite exciting:



And as the article says, you can get R and B as well as G - so full colour is possible :)

Credit: CNet

Google are so cool

Not only do they make loads of cool stuff for free, but they also have a secret research lab. Not only that, but it's called Google X and the robotics section is at a secret location. Nice.

Frankly, Apple have got nothing on them.

'via Blog this'

Important advice to web designers

Don't ever, ever make a fully Flash-driven website. Please.

I've recently been looking at the Singtel website to help Denise choose a new phone. But I'd like to share some opinions about the consequences of using Flash:

1) Websites that have a loading bar are incredibly irritating. This is an all-too-common feature of websites that are completely built on Flash. Don't let this happen, I would rather have a less pretty website that loaded at the same speed as any other site. Avoid.

2) Make sure that I can open new items in new tabs. If I am choosing from a range of phones I want to be able to have them all open at once so I don't have to keep going back to the list of search results to look at a different phone. The otherwise excellent thetrainline.com website is another example of this - it can only handle one journey being viewed at a time. Not helpful.

3) Flash crashes. I don't want to have to reopen Chrome every time the Flash plugin that is integral to the website's functionality crashes - I like to look at other websites at the same time and don't want to reopen them. I will make an exception for Youtube, as their video player is great. But then again Youtube rarely crashes my plugin.

So there you go, three important considerations the next time you consider building a website out of Flash. Don't. Try HTML 5.0.

Image Resizing Made Easy with PHP | Nettuts+

Working on an image website - needed a good way to create thumbnails in php - look no further...

Image Resizing Made Easy with PHP | Nettuts+:

'via Blog this'

NSFR - Not Safe For Revision

One of the interesting things about revision is that online flash games suddenly become mind-blowingly interesting. I haven't actually spent much time at all on these two, but they're both potentially quite addictive:

Stick Cricket - Surrey edition
The original stick cricket has been around for ages, but this is a mod for Surrey that has a couple of nice features (such as batsmen changing ends):

Yeah, I'm pretty rubbish at it... (proof I haven't played much!)

Multitask
This game is hugely challenging - it starts off easily enough, but gets very hard, very quickly. The best I managed was 80 seconds - again cos I haven't been playing much, ok?

As you can see this game is about to go pear-shaped

So anyway, if you are looking for something to occupy your time with, go do something more useful. If you're looking to waste away your life, these are a great way to do it.

Your Apple is now no safer than Snow White's...

Well, that's an exaggeration, but it would appear that there's been an increase in the number of Mac-attacks recently. It is hardly surprising that as Macs become more widespread, the attention turned on them increases.

I've always believed that Macs survive largely because no one has bothered to write a virus for them, rather than because they're just so amazing.

I know this is kind of wrong, but it is particularly enjoyable reading the comments thread and thinking about all the smug Mac fanboys who actually have to think about viruses (I'm sorry, but the amount people go on about their Macs, I can hardly help feeling smug when something like this happens!).

So yes, I confess to writing this with a little smirk on my face... :-)

Bad news PS3 lovers

Because PSN has been hacked...again!

James has the details. Over to you James.

Update: You're in luck, the article James linked to now reports the problem has been patched. Phew.

End of the season and technology dramas

After Saturday's loss, it's rather looking like Spurs won't be getting Champions League football next season. We should top Liverpool as we have a game in hand, but Spurs have underachieved against the smaller teams and have paid the price. That said, we was robbed on Saturday. Much has been written on the subject of technology in football, but nothing has changed. I think Harry Redknapp hit the nail on the head when he suggested that the reason for this is that the ones making the decisions didn't have the idea, and so they are refusing to implement it. Technology has been used to great effect in many other sports, only football lags behind with absurd ideas about lower levels not being able to have technology (as if that bothers the other sports), and once again a team has been hard done by because of a lack off willingness to implement something that already has solutions ready to go.

Spurs could still overhaul Man City, and that match against them will be a crucial 6-pointer, but it seems unlikely at this stage. I'm also still backing Man Utd to win the league, but it could get interesting. Again, Man Utd v Chelsea will be a crucial game in the title race. I almost wonder if Arsenal could do it, but with only three games left that seems absurdly unlikely. I think of all the teams though, Man Utd deserve it the most - they have had the most consistent, if not most spectacular, form throughout the course of the season. Wenger will need to bring in some experience if he's going to deliver some victories next season, Arsenal can be great, but have some big flaws, especially as Fabregas is good enough to go looking in more silvery climes.

I also really hope that Blackpool stay up. If they could just sort out their defence they could do pretty well in the Premiership, and it would be sad to lose Ian Holloway from Match of the Day.

How to hack like the movies

I don't know about you, but I've always been bothered by the way hackers in films can get crack open any computer system in the world with a few key presses and a couple of seconds, no password crackers, no rainbow tables, no issues about connecting remotely, nothing.

Well, now you can too, with HackerTyper.

Also worth a read is this article on computer usability in movies by Jakob Nielsen. Check out the side article on the astonishing compatibility between human and alien computer systems at the end of Independence Day too, that scene always bothered me - although I think it's one the of those wonderful films that's so bad it's great...