Technology Tidings: Google Wave

Google's latest offering promises "a personal communication and collaboration tool" and was announced by them at the Google I/O conference on May 27, 2009. Being a Google tool it is a fully web-based computing platform, and communications protocol designed to merge e-mail, instant messaging, wikis, and social networking. It is designed as a collaborative, real time interactive tool that not only allows conversations but full document collaboration.

We are currently testing the product but all initial impressions are positive!

The "wave" component is a new term for what Google calls "equal parts conversation and document". Conversation are stored as threads in a forum style layout but display real time updates and conversations in a fully searchable format. If you imagine all the verbal conversations you have had in the past they all (to a lesser or greater extent) entailed the conversation itself, things that were referred to (external resources), documents discussed (text, maps, images etc), people discussed who may also have joined and left the conversation as it occurred, decisions made and action steps agreed upon. In Google Wave all of these assets (for want of a better word) are collated under a titled "Wave". Some of these assets would also have been utilized or referred to in other conversations and Google Wave lets you cross correlate those items as well.

Google Wave is written in Java and utilises OpenJDK. Its web interface uses the Google Web Toolkit. Google intends to release the source code as a public open source resource allowing other developers to create their own Wave services as well. There are also Third Parties working on commercial plugins as well.

I will post more as I continue my journey down the Google Wave rabbit hole!

Movie Mumblings: The Godfather Trilogy

I finally found the time to sit down and enjoy the Coppola restoration versions of the Godfather series. The new set (which I actually purchased at the end of last year) is a meticulous restoration by Paramount Pictures, overseen by Coppola himself. In September last year they released the fully restored first two films along with the newly remastered version of The Godfather Part III as a full collection called "The Coppola Restoration Collection".

The Godfather and The Godfather Part II underwent extensive frame-by-frame examination and restoration utilizing state-of-the-art digital technology which took more than a year to complete. The result is an enhanced feast of these academy award endowed favourites.

The films track the evolution of the Corleone crime family.

In "The Godfather" we follow Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) as his power wanes, and his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino) as he rises to become the family head.

In "The Godfather Part II" we follow Michael's further challenges as the Don as well as flashbacks of Vito's (Robert De Niro) early childhood migration to America and rise to power in the 1920s.

In "The Godfather Part III" we follow Michael's attempt to legitimize his family's business interests against a changing world of young hungry gangsters.

What makes these films such a pleasure for me is their lack of reliance on violence and over the top special effects and high action (which have their place in other favourites of course :D). Instead the films focus on the characters, their strengths and weaknesses, their victories and failures and their interactions as both a family and bunch of mobsters making offers "you can't refuse!".

Set aside some serious time though to watch them all together as combined they are 8 hours 47 mins of sublime viewing.

Brain Banterings: Dark Chocolate

Sometimes, just sometimes a snippet of knowledge presents itself which refutes my "all the good things in life seem to be bad for you" presuppositions and today, with a fanfare of trumpets in the background, the health benefits of Dark Chocolate (a very old time guilty favourite) made themselves known and God himself gave me a conspiratorial wink.

"Dark chocolate boosts your brain while protecting you from heart disease and cancer" they tell me in my new favourite book "Training your Brain" in the "Teach Yourself" series from Hodder. "Eating approximately 20-150g a day of dark chocolate can improve your learning and your memory...improve blood flow and therefore oxygen to your brain...relax your blood vessels reducing blood pressure, brain damage and risk of heart disease."

Researching this further I found that the health benefits are vast and somewhat of a well kept secret (It was even used in the Spanish courts as a medication and brain stimulant and was so highly prized that its presence and use was considered a state secret, the revelation of which was punishable by death! - I know how they feel though as I have murderous thoughts when I find my stash depleted too!) I will paraphrase the "Teach Yourself" data here as it is a well collated.

"Professor Ian McDonald found the increased blood flows in the cerebral cortex persisted for up to three hours after eating dark chocolate. Dr Helen Berg of Harvard found that rates of heart disease were lower by 1,280 percent in parts of the world (for example, Panama), where drinking dark chocolate was part of the everyday diet." Now that's science I can believe in!

The Magic of Dark Chocolate

1. Dark chocolate contains anandamide (known as the BLISS chemical" because it makes you feel good (and is similar to THC you get in Cannabis except that it doesn't act on the whole brain and make you lose your mind [though surely there are some health benefits in that too?])).
2. Dark chocolate contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) which allows the anandamide (as well as general dopamine (feel good chemical that cocaine tries to replace)) to circulate more freely in the brain. These are already high in children but less so in older adults resulting in decreased physical activity, mental spontaneity and general levels of joy. A shot of dark chocolate then can bring back your youthful exuberance! A good antidote to negative thinking and depression too.
3. Dark chocolate also produces endorphins that induce that loving feeling that can lead to sex. (Do I really need to go on)
4. Dark Chocolate contains magnesium which decreases coagulation of your blood and helps your heart deliver oxygen to your vital organs.
5. Dark Chocolate is rich in antioxidants (flavonols). It is twice as rich in them as red wine, three times richer than green tea and five times richer than the well favoured blueberries. This means less DNA damage and susceptibility to tumours and cancers as well as less sticky platelets which decreases the risk of strokes.
6. Dark Chocolate contains theobromine which is a brain stimulant similar to caffeine, but unlike caffeine (which brings a downer after it has worn off) theobromine is gentler and more sustained, lasts four times longer and is kinder to your heart.
7. Dark Chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA) which activates the neurotransmitters in your brain that control mental attention, concentration and alertness. This gives the same effect as enjoying a great movie, sports events or social gathering and results in that "time just flew" experience of euphoric engagement.

Well there it is. A great day in knowledge gathering which I am now celebrating with a great big mug of dark chocolate. As they say in the book - "Sometimes life is less complicated if you just eat the chocolate"...nuff said.

Social Scrutinies: A Mensan

Well curiosity finally got the better of me and I applied to join Mensa International, a high IQ society founded in 1946 by Roland Berrill, an Australian barrister, and Dr. Lancelot Ware, a British scientist and lawyer. Mensa is an international society with only one criterion for membership: a score on a standardised IQ test higher than that of 98 per cent of the general population.

Mensa is a not-for-profit society with its stated purposes as being:

• to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity,
• encourage research into the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence, and
• to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members

They have regular entrance examinations in each state where all you need to bring is 3HB pencils, an eraser and a clear mind (they recommend no heavy drinking prior to the exam - lucky they warned me!). There are actually two exams so you get a 'second chance draw' if something goes horribly wrong with the English Language first test. The second is designed to be language independent and works more on direct pattern recognition than language knowledge and was good fun.

I received my confirmation two weeks ago of my acceptance and today received confirmation of membership from the Qld representative. I look forward to meeting my fellow mensans at the next do!

Of real interest to me is the Special Interest Groups, or SIGs, which are groups of Mensans with similar interests or backgrounds. There are SIGs to join from within Australia and around the world. They range from the predictable chess, maths and Star Trek groupies to Densans (Mensans who don't always act too bright), Bardolatry (For lovers and enthusiasts of the Bard of Stratford-Upon-Avon) and Naturists (Nude Mensans).

"Mensa encompasses members representing many points of view. Consequently, Mensa as an organization shall not express an opinion as being that of Mensa, take any political action other than the publication of the results of its investigations, or have any ideological, philosophical, political, or religious affiliations."

Book Botherings: "Assassin's Apprentice" - Robin Hobb

The is an oldie but a goodie and I am now reading it for the third time so I figured it warranted a post in my book botherings. "Assassins Apprentice" is the first in Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy and her first book under this pseudonym (she is really Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden born in 1952 in California). It was published in 1995. Hobb really hit the nail on the head with this series, expertly drawing you in to her fantasy world from page one. It forgoes the usually "scene setting" blah blah that a lot of fantasy writers feel necessary as a preface and instead launches into the story from the point of view of a six year old boy who is only himself learning about this new world he finds himself in so his discoveries deliciously parallel your own. The supporting characters are imbued with almost too human characteristics (the vile Regal haunts me still) and the main character Fitz is immediately and irreconcilably a cherished child or vicarious self.

This first book covers the beginning of Fitz's life as a disclosed "bastard" of the then Prince Chivalry and his introduction to Buckkeep. He is initially ignored by his would be relatives and left to his own devices but after a chance encounter with King Shrewd, he is scrubbed up and sent to be trained as an assassin and protector, a job he successfully fulfills in safeguarding the throne from his treacherous uncle Regal, an act which almost costs him his own life.

The Fool, Chade, Shrewd, Verity, Burrich, Pleasant, Galen, Nosy, Molly Nosebleed and a rich caste of other characters makes for an enjoyable and refreshingly unique fantasy feast. I highly recommend this one to any fantasy fiction connoisseur!

Social Scrutinies: TED - Ken Robinson

This is an old favourite from Feb '06 which I thought I would link in here. TED is a collection of riveting talks by remarkable people presented free to the world. If this isn't a signpost for a changing world then I don't know what is. I have spent hours devouring the thoughts, feelings and experiences of fellow humans who are just up to the full game of life. They are inspiring! Ken's lecture below on how Schools kill Creativity has stuck in my head for many years and forms part of the basis on which I relate to my sons.

Text link to video

To really value creativity on par with science and mathematics and business acumen is both liberating and humbling. I see people in all walks of life struggling and pushing through depression and 'deadness' to fit in with the way things are. Some find little avenues of creativity that let true pieces of themselves out to play but rarely do I see them fully self expressed. Those who do find full self expression often live on the fringe and remove themselves mostly physically sometimes psychologically from the rest of us in order to be free of the bonds that bind us. We are in a trap not of our own making. We have inherited it and live inside its walls as though it were real. TED I find opens the door here and there to show you what is possible beyond the barricades.

Music Mutterings: Don McLean (American Pie)

Don McLean's American Pie remains a real favourite and enigma...what the hell was he singing about. I have researched this over the years but nobody really knows. There are many guesses and suggestions but nothing from the man himself. Maybe it will be a deathbed confession.

A long, long time ago...

I can still remember

How that music used to make me smile.

And I knew if I had my chance

That I could make those people dance

And, maybe, theyd be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver

With every paper Id deliver.

Bad news on the doorstep;

I couldnt take one more step.

I cant remember if I cried

When I read about his widowed bride,

But something touched me deep inside

The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.

Drove my chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.

And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye

Singin, thisll be the day that I die.

Thisll be the day that I die.

Did you write the book of love,

And do you have faith in God above,

If the Bible tells you so?

Do you believe in rock n roll,

Can music save your mortal soul,

And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that youre in love with him

`cause I saw you dancin in the gym.

You both kicked off your shoes.

Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin buck

With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,

But I knew I was out of luck

The day the music died.

I started singin,

Bye-bye, miss american pie.

Drove my chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.

Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye

And singin, thisll be the day that I die.

Thisll be the day that I die.

Now for ten years weve been on our own

And moss grows fat on a rollin stone,

But thats not how it used to be.

When the jester sang for the king and queen,

In a coat he borrowed from james dean

And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,

The jester stole his thorny crown.

The courtroom was adjourned;

No verdict was returned.

And while lennon read a book of marx,

The quartet practiced in the park,

And we sang dirges in the dark

The day the music died.

We were singing,

Bye-bye, miss american pie.

Drove my chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.

Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye

And singin, thisll be the day that I die.

Thisll be the day that I die.

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.

The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,

Eight miles high and falling fast.

It landed foul on the grass.

The players tried for a forward pass,

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume

While the sergeants played a marching tune.

We all got up to dance,

Oh, but we never got the chance!

`cause the players tried to take the field;

The marching band refused to yield.

Do you recall what was revealed

The day the music died?

We started singing,

Bye-bye, miss american pie.

Drove my chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.

Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye

And singin, thisll be the day that I die.

Thisll be the day that I die.

Oh, and there we were all in one place,

A generation lost in space

With no time left to start again.

So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!

Jack flash sat on a candlestick

Cause fire is the devils only friend.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage

My hands were clenched in fists of rage.

No angel born in hell

Could break that satans spell.

And as the flames climbed high into the night

To light the sacrificial rite,

I saw satan laughing with delight

The day the music died

He was singing,

Bye-bye, miss american pie.

Drove my chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.

Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye

And singin, thisll be the day that I die.

Thisll be the day that I die.

I met a girl who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news,

But she just smiled and turned away.

I went down to the sacred store

Where Id heard the music years before,

But the man there said the music wouldnt play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,

The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.

But not a word was spoken;

The church bells all were broken.

And the three men I admire most:

The father, son, and the holy ghost,

They caught the last train for the coast

The day the music died.

And they were singing,

Bye-bye, miss american pie.

Drove my chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.

And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye

Singin, thisll be the day that I die.

Thisll be the day that I die.

They were singing,

Bye-bye, miss american pie.

Drove my chevy to the levee,

But the levee was dry.

Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye

Singin, thisll be the day that I die.