Re: [FRIAM] frigatebirds - short video

[Hugh Trenchard]

Phil,

Thanks for the follow up. As Dr. Lissaman says in a subsequent post,  that 
clip by itself may say nothing, but it's only an indication of the type of 
formations I was referring to, namely a complete vee formation without 
flapping that I observed (while gliding, and in relatively stationery 
positions - ie. not moving across the sky at high speed), but not shown in 
that short video.  The "phase change" I referred to would have involved 
several frigate birds in the formation like the two shown next to each other 
in the video.

By the way, I would say that there may be forms of coupling that go on when 
two lions on the savannah walk side-by-side. For example their gaits may be 
synchronized or phase-locked.  It would be interesting to see what emergent 
patterns might arise if you put one hundred globally coupled in that 
fashion, side-by-side and set them all walking.

My thought on the leadership question is that the frigatebirds wouldn't 
undergo a "phase change" unless there was some energy reduction benefit for 
them to do so.  This would be an evolutionary development and in my mind 
would apply across species.  But as you or someone pointed out, there are 
ways to confirm that, as I certainly can't state that as a fact.  There may 
be elements of leadership involved, but in my mind any emergent formations 
are more likely to result from local physical rules, although I can imagine 
some emergent patterns could arise from a combination of leadership and 
local physical rules, and there probably are plenty of examples of that.

In terms of "physically feeling the vee formation effect", I would argue 
that they can certainly feel the reduction in energy output required in the 
most efficient positions, and perhaps are aware of the positions of other 
birds in their field of view and perhaps have seen other Vees off in the 
distance, but they end up in their formations because they learned, 
originally by accident at some stage in their evolutionary development, that 
there was smaller energy output in certain positions.  My point is they 
could very well not be aware of the global pattern they are forming, just as 
in a much larger flock, birds will only be aware of their immediate 
neighbours.

>From my experience as a bicycle racer, it's obvious that cyclists can feel 
the physiological benefits of certain formations, but in a large peloton, 
the cyclists may easily not be aware of certain pattern formations, which 
become observable only from the air and upon a closer analysis of their 
global movements.

I agree that we are largely guessing when determining the underlying 
mechanisms for certain behaviours, but if we can find similar behaviours 
among different groups, and can identify mechanisms underlying one group, 
then it is some evidence similar mechanisms apply to the other groups. Not 
proof obviously, but it is *some* evidence, and it is certainly cause for 
closer investigation for the curious minded.


- Original Message - 
From: "Phil Henshaw" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "'The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group'" 

Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 4:55 AM
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] frigatebirds - short video


That video is very nice for putting it into context.  There's an
appearance, for that 10 seconds, that one pair are flying together in
locked position and another is in the group mixing positions.   Is that
what you first meant by the first two parts of "often hover and glide
for several minutes at a time without flapping and that they tend to
glide in disordered configurations until they spontaneously undergo a
phase change"?

I was also hoping I could get you to clarify a comment you made about my
suggestion that some communities might have more 'leadership' (i.e.
social structure).  You said "As we all know, self-organized phenomena
arise without leaders to guide the emergent patterns - I can't think of
why it would be any different for frigatebirds."   I would be surprised
if you thought self-organization in sand piles and communities of
intelligent species happened the same way.  Peter described how the
birds would be able to physically feel the 'V' formation effect, and I
was essentially suggesting that some communities may have stronger group
awareness into which that would fit.

For much of the instrumental mechanisms of natural system behaviors like
these we're left wildly guessing, of course.  I just try to balance the
shakiness of my foundations for it with my confidence in the
conclusions, always looking for the strong foundation of the behavior's
particular growth dynamic as an anchor.


Phil Henshaw   .·´ ¯ `·.
~~~
680 Ft. Washington Ave
NY NY 10040
tel: 212-795-4844
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
explorations: www.synapse9.com


> -Original Message-
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Hugh Trenchard
> Sent: Sunday, January 07

Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Marcus G. Daniels]

>
> In other words, all the other players were just playing, not serious. 
I think Microsoft is starting to get serious with Windows Mobile, but of 
course they won't do a good job until they really see a major market and 
the certainty of losing it.  I hope the iPhone is a better product, 
across the board, because in this day and age this stuff really ought to 
work right. 

(And it would be funny if it really is, because the Windows CE platform 
has been around so long, and this is Apple's first generation embedding 
of MacOS X. )




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Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Owen Densmore]

There are a lot of sub-plots to this.  One I like is the whole Linux  
for Devices thing.

I got the Nokia 770 web tablet and was amazed how little support  
Nokia gave to the linux platform it used.  Similarly, I know the  
Linux guy at Motorola, and they too have a weak Linux platform  
approach.  It took Apple (note: no longer Apple Computer .. they do  
more than that .. so changed their name to just Apple Co.) to port  
the linux/unix/mach based OS X to small devices.  In other words, all  
the other players were just playing, not serious.  Apple is going to  
really change the fundamentals of phones and PDA-like devices.  They  
really get "convergence" and are willing to work HARD at making it  
real.  So long Treo.  Nokia, go hide.  Windows Mobile, OK for some  
but...not most.  Apple has just taken the lead.

Another interesting thing here is the "second UI".  Those of us  
who've used the Mac "Front Row" UI with the Apple Remote have been  
exposed to an entirely new UI.  Sorta iPod on steroids.  And you  
know? .. its not bad!  I found myself staring at the UI, then  
downloading Remote Buddy, a software stunt that vastly extends Front  
Row to all apps and has simple plugins for managing all your apps  
with that new UI.

At first I thought it was weird, but now I see it is a unified  
attack.  It will make iTV a really interesting interface.  And  
naturally ditto for the iPhone.

I'm not a fanboy here.  Very skeptical of Stevie.  He's not a  
friendly.  Note Cingular.  But he does truly have a wide, coordinated  
vision for Apple Computer^W Co.  And he's the only one willing to  
commit.  Really commit .. to the hard work of making the new digital  
devices really work.

 -- Owen

Owen Densmore   http://backspaces.net





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Re: [FRIAM] [OT] Snow Thrower

[Stephen Guerin]

hmm..does it come with software to solve the snowblower problem :-)
http://arxiv.org/abs/cs/0603026 


> -Original Message-
> From: Owen Densmore [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2007 1:46 PM
> To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
> Subject: [FRIAM] [OT] Snow Thrower
> 
> At the last FRIAM, several folks mentioned wanting to know 
> which snow thrower we bought.  Here's the critter:
>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B5OQMG/102-9266426-1206509
> .. and yes, the 1 day delivery worked fine (we have Amazon 
> Prime but I think you can always pay for the 1 day delivery 
> and its worth it if you're covered with snow!)
> 
> We've cleared two very large/long gravel driveways with success, and  
> even though they say it shouldn't be used on gravel, it 
> worked fine.   
> It is very basic: not self propelled or 2-stage design.  But we  
> really wanted to avoid the alternative: a heavy, touchy gas system.   
> This is quite light (easily picked up by its handle just beside the
> chute) which is very nice when getting into tight spaces.  It 
> threw the snow far enough in every case we encountered.
> 
> We were surprised it could handle the large (2 feet) snow 
> fall, even though its designed for much lighter use.  Its 
> "the little engine that could" sort of thing.
> 
> Not perfect, but small, light and doesn't have all the 
> drawbacks of gas.
> 
> Epinions has several reviews as well.
> 
>  -- Owen
> 
> Owen Densmore   http://backspaces.net
> 
> 
> 
> 
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College 
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
> 
> 



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Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Stephen Guerin]

Interesting that it uses multitouch. Anyone know if its the a variant of Jeff
Han's approach (http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/) that we've discussed? Or is
it something else?

-S


> -Original Message-
> From: Giles Bowkett [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 11:10 AM
> To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
> Subject: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone
> 
> http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/
> 
> today around 9am pst
> 
> --
> Giles Bowkett
> http://www.gilesgoatboy.org
> http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com
> http://gilesgoatboy.blogspot.com
> 
> 
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College 
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
> 
> 



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Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Owen Densmore]

Apparently many folks were also concerned that Cingular is such a  
shitty carrier.
   http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/09/1857231
Just search for "unlocked".

 -- Owen

Owen Densmore   http://backspaces.net



On Jan 9, 2007, at 6:27 PM, Frank Wimberly wrote:

> This doesn't make it sound promising:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/ybsylm
>
> It's interesting that Apple's stock went up over 8 percent today while
> that of AT&T (owner of Cingular) went up only about 0.4 percent.
>
> Frank
>
> ---
> Frank C. Wimberly
> 140 Calle Ojo Feliz  (505) 995-8715 or (505) 670-9918  
> (cell)
> Santa Fe, NM 87505   [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> -Original Message-
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
> Behalf Of Owen Densmore
> Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 4:24 PM
> To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone
>
> Has anyone determined if the iPhone will be available unlocked?  And
> if so, for how much?
>
> I'd really hate to have to switch from TMobile to Cingular just for
> this critter, but I would if I have to.
>
>  -- Owen
>
> Owen Densmore   http://backspaces.net
>
>
> On Jan 9, 2007, at 11:09 AM, Giles Bowkett wrote:
>
>> http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/
>>
>> today around 9am pst
>>
>> -- 
>> Giles Bowkett
>> http://www.gilesgoatboy.org
>> http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com
>> http://gilesgoatboy.blogspot.com
>>
>> 
>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
>> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
>> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>
>
> 
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>
>
> 
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org



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Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Frank Wimberly]

This doesn't make it sound promising:

http://tinyurl.com/ybsylm

It's interesting that Apple's stock went up over 8 percent today while
that of AT&T (owner of Cingular) went up only about 0.4 percent.

Frank

---
Frank C. Wimberly
140 Calle Ojo Feliz  (505) 995-8715 or (505) 670-9918 (cell)
Santa Fe, NM 87505   [EMAIL PROTECTED]

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Owen Densmore
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 4:24 PM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

Has anyone determined if the iPhone will be available unlocked?  And  
if so, for how much?

I'd really hate to have to switch from TMobile to Cingular just for  
this critter, but I would if I have to.

 -- Owen

Owen Densmore   http://backspaces.net


On Jan 9, 2007, at 11:09 AM, Giles Bowkett wrote:

> http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/
>
> today around 9am pst
>
> -- 
> Giles Bowkett
> http://www.gilesgoatboy.org
> http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com
> http://gilesgoatboy.blogspot.com
>
> 
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org



FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
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FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Owen Densmore]

Has anyone determined if the iPhone will be available unlocked?  And  
if so, for how much?

I'd really hate to have to switch from TMobile to Cingular just for  
this critter, but I would if I have to.

 -- Owen

Owen Densmore   http://backspaces.net


On Jan 9, 2007, at 11:09 AM, Giles Bowkett wrote:

> http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/
>
> today around 9am pst
>
> -- 
> Giles Bowkett
> http://www.gilesgoatboy.org
> http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com
> http://gilesgoatboy.blogspot.com
>
> 
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org



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Re: [FRIAM] Research in Formation Flight

[Phil Henshaw]

Peter, 

I like your sig, but maybe you could add, "knowing when to ask the 
stupid questions".   So many people don't ask about what they surely 
think they should already know, and so never get to look behind the 
unexpected things marked 'door'.

..
>Trubble is -- how the hell do you know it's BS -- if you
> don't know already!!
> 
> Peter Lissaman,  Da Vinci Ventures
> 
> Expertise is not knowing everything, but knowing what to look for.
> 

-- 
Phil Henshaw   .·´ ¯ `·.
~~~
tel: 212-795-4844 
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]  
explorations: www.synapse9.com


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Re: [FRIAM] Hi-speed transfer demo

[David Breecker]

I haven't heard about that demo, but as I understand it, NLR gives you as many 
lambdas as you like (or can pay for) at 10 Gbps apiece.  So if they did 17.7 
peak on what appears to have been a single lambda, I would think more is 
feasible?
db
  - Original Message - 
  From: J T Johnson 
  To: 1st-Mile-NM ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] com 
  Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 10:39 AM
  Subject: [FRIAM] Hi-speed transfer demo


  Of interest.  Yes, it was "lab" conditions, but on a pretty good-sized lab 
bench.  But hasn't someone recently mentioned a demo of 40Gbps through Lambda 
Rail?


  Researchers Set Record For Network Data Transfers 
  A team of university computer scientists, network engineers, and physicists 
from the California Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan, 
with partners at the University of Florida and Vanderbilt , set records for 
data transfer speeds during a conference "bandwidth challenge" in Tampa, Fla. 

  The team achieved a peak throughput of 17.77 gigabits per second (Gbps) 
between clusters of servers on the show floor of the SuperComputing 2006 
conference in Tampa and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. 
Following rules set for the challenge, the researchers used a single 10-Gbps 
link provided by National Lambda Rail that carried data in both directions. 

  One of the key advances in the demo was Fast Data Transport (FDT), a Java 
application developed by Iosif Legrand of Caltech, that runs on all major 
platforms and achieves stable disk reads-and-writes and smooth data flow across 
a long-range network. FDT streams a large set of files across an open TCP 
socket, so that a typically large data set composed of thousands of files can 
be sent or received at full speed without the network transfer restarting 
between files... For more information, click here.

  -- 
  == 
  J. T. Johnson
  Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA
  www.analyticjournalism.com
  505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h)
  http://www.jtjohnson.com [EMAIL PROTECTED]

  "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. 
  To change something, build a new model that makes the 
  existing model obsolete."
 -- Buckminster Fuller
  == 


--


  
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Re: [FRIAM] TEDTalks (audio, video)

[David Breecker]

For those unfamiliar, TED is considered top-notch among the geek elite, 
attracts luminaries from the titular sectors (Technology, Entertainment, 
Design) to its confabs.  So a lot of the material should be good, and 
judging by a quick scan, it is.
db

- Original Message - 
From: "Giles Bowkett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group" 
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2007 9:49 AM
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] TEDTalks (audio, video)


> That's a pretty great resource.
>
> On 1/7/07, Owen Densmore <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> A friend passed this on:
>>http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/
>> looks pretty broad and interesting.
>>
>>  -- Owen
>>
>> Owen Densmore   http://backspaces.net
>>
>>
>>
>> 
>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
>> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
>> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>>
>
>
> -- 
> Giles Bowkett
> http://www.gilesgoatboy.org
> http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com
> http://gilesgoatboy.blogspot.com
>
> 
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>
> 



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Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Carl Tollander]

There will probably be some aftermarket for the electric razor, 
toothpicks, iTweeze (tm), etc., just
like for iPods.  Pity it costs iTeeth.

Of course, when you drop it, it will probably land butter-side down.

Raymond Parks wrote:
> Douglas Roberts wrote:
>   
>> They need to work on the ergonomics of that thing.
>>
>> ;-}
>>
>> Wipe the saliva off of your chin, Carl.
>> 
>
>Oh, it's not that cool.  It doesn't have an electric razor to shave 
> with on your way to work.  Heck, a Swiss Army knife has more stuff - the 
> iPhone doesn't have a toothpick, a magnifying glass, or a pair of tweezers.
>
>Of course, since I play a professional bad guy in red teaming, my 
> first thought is how many of the features would be useful for a black 
> bag job.  Lots of memory to suck down documents, lots of wireless to 
> connect to systems and make them spill their guts, instant comm back to 
> base, camera, video playback, maps and instructions for getting out 
>   While I can imagine the iPhone as the latest product placement gadget 
> in a James Bond movie, it might steal the stage from James.
>
>   


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[FRIAM] Research in Formation Flight

[Peter Lissaman]

The video of frigate birds is charming but says nothing.  Anyone who can
read anything from that must be an astrologer.  (I'm an Aquarian and
Aquarians don't believe in astrology!).  Mebbe two lions ambling side by
side across the bushveldt are practicing "drafting"!  You can bet they're
sniffing the breeze for a few foolish upwind hunters!   But, but, but, the
wings of frigate birds are indeed interesting, because the highly tapered
tip planform is contrary to established aerodynamic theory.  We dunno why! 
I have a Ph. D. student at USC working on this.

It seems wise not to use the word "draft" incorrectly, it has a
well-defined meaning among professionals.

There is no issue of whether "there is a physical principle underlying
formation flight"  - this has been established since Wieselsberger (1914). 
I'm told that Doktor W. went on to help the design of the Albatros D.III, a
favorite gun platform of Von Richthofen!
  
Benefits of formation flight are supported by a large body of research.  In
fact, the field is overripe in research to the level of decay.  There is a
huge amount of professional stuff in the aerodynamic and ornithological
literature.  There's a nice recent Ph. D. thesis by Rachel King that I had
something to do with (On the Use of Wing Adaptation & Formation Flight for
Improved Aerodynamic Efficiency, NCSU, 2005). It contains a 69 entry
bibliography, all legit., I think!Her supervisor, Ashok Gopalakrishnan,
knows a lot more than I about this topic -  I've only published six papers
on it and given one grad course on this at UCLA.   Also one can find stuff
in Google that provides a start, if slightly dangerous!  Google has an
extract from a bit I wrote on formation flight for Tony Filippone's book, 
Flight Performance of Fixed and Rotary Winged Aircraft (Elsevier, 2006). 
The extract is slightly wrong, but OK in many respects.  Be careful of web
material - lotsa stuff I've found in Wikki on advanced mathematics is
incorrect.Trubble is -- how the hell do you know it's BS -- if you
don't know already!!

Peter Lissaman,  Da Vinci Ventures

Expertise is not knowing everything, but knowing what to look for.

1454 Miracerros Loop South, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
TEL: (505) 983-7728FAX: (505) 983-1694






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Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Raymond Parks]

Douglas Roberts wrote:
> They need to work on the ergonomics of that thing.
> 
> ;-}
> 
> Wipe the saliva off of your chin, Carl.

   Oh, it's not that cool.  It doesn't have an electric razor to shave 
with on your way to work.  Heck, a Swiss Army knife has more stuff - the 
iPhone doesn't have a toothpick, a magnifying glass, or a pair of tweezers.

   Of course, since I play a professional bad guy in red teaming, my 
first thought is how many of the features would be useful for a black 
bag job.  Lots of memory to suck down documents, lots of wireless to 
connect to systems and make them spill their guts, instant comm back to 
base, camera, video playback, maps and instructions for getting out 
  While I can imagine the iPhone as the latest product placement gadget 
in a James Bond movie, it might steal the stage from James.

-- 
Ray Parks   [EMAIL PROTECTED]
IDART Project Lead  Voice:505-844-4024
IORTA DepartmentMobile:505-238-9359
http://www.sandia.gov/scada Fax:505-844-9641
http://www.sandia.gov/idart Pager:800-690-5288



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Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Marcus G. Daniels]

Carl Tollander wrote:
> Oh dear, I just dropped my cell phone.
>   
Cingular EDGE is ok in Santa Fe, but not great.   I'd say limit 
expectations for web browsing, etc.
As far as GPRS/EDGE coverage goes, heading north to the Pacific 
Northwest on highways,  coverage was must better than last year.

A great idea to abandon the stylus!



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Re: [FRIAM] Hi-speed transfer demo

[Carl Tollander]

Download available at 
http://monalisa.caltech.edu/monalisa__Download__.fdt.html

Carl

J T Johnson wrote:
> Of interest.  Yes, it was "lab" conditions, but on a pretty good-sized 
> lab bench.  But hasn't someone recently mentioned a demo of 40Gbps 
> through Lambda Rail?
>
>
> Researchers Set Record For Network Data Transfers
>
> A team of university computer scientists, network engineers, and 
> physicists from the *California Institute of Technology* 
>  and the *University of Michigan* 
> , with partners at the *University of Florida* 
>  and *Vanderbilt * , 
> set records for data transfer speeds during a conference "bandwidth 
> challenge" in Tampa, Fla.
>
> The team achieved a peak throughput of 17.77 gigabits per second 
> (Gbps) between clusters of servers on the show floor of the 
> SuperComputing 2006 conference in 
> Tampa and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. 
> Following rules set for the challenge, the researchers used a single 
> 10-Gbps link provided by National Lambda Rail  
> that carried data in both directions.
>
> One of the key advances in the demo was Fast Data Transport (FDT), a 
> Java application developed by Iosif Legrand of Caltech, that runs on 
> all major platforms and achieves stable disk reads-and-writes and 
> smooth data flow across a long-range network. FDT streams a large set 
> of files across an open TCP socket, so that a typically large data set 
> composed of thousands of files can be sent or received at full speed 
> without the network transfer restarting between files... For more 
> information, click here 
> .
>
> -- 
> ==
> J. T. Johnson
> Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA
> www.analyticjournalism.com 
> 505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h)
> http://www.jtjohnson.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> 
>
> "You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
> To change something, build a new model that makes the
> existing model obsolete."
>-- Buckminster Fuller
> ==
> 
>
> 
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org


FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Douglas Roberts]

They need to work on the ergonomics of that thing.

;-}

Wipe the saliva off of your chin, Carl.

--
Doug Roberts, RTI International
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
505-455-7333 - Office
505-670-8195 - Cell

On 1/9/07, Carl Tollander <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


Oh dear, I just dropped my cell phone.

On the concrete.

From, oh, say, 10 feet.

How sad...

Giles Bowkett wrote:
> http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/
>
> today around 9am pst
>
>


FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org


FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

Re: [FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Carl Tollander]

Oh dear, I just dropped my cell phone.

On the concrete.

From, oh, say, 10 feet.

How sad...

Giles Bowkett wrote:
> http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/
>
> today around 9am pst
>
>   


FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

[FRIAM] apple announces iphone

[Giles Bowkett]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/

today around 9am pst

-- 
Giles Bowkett
http://www.gilesgoatboy.org
http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com
http://gilesgoatboy.blogspot.com


FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

[FRIAM] Hi-speed transfer demo

[J T Johnson]

Of interest.  Yes, it was "lab" conditions, but on a pretty good-sized lab
bench.  But hasn't someone recently mentioned a demo of 40Gbps through
Lambda Rail?

Researchers Set Record For Network Data Transfers

A team of university computer scientists, network engineers, and physicists
from the *California Institute of Technology*  and
the *University of Michigan* , with partners at
the *University
of Florida*  and *Vanderbilt*,
set records for data transfer speeds during a conference "bandwidth
challenge" in Tampa, Fla.

The team achieved a peak throughput of 17.77 gigabits per second (Gbps)
between clusters of servers on the show floor of the SuperComputing
2006conference in Tampa and the
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Following rules set for the challenge, the researchers used a single 10-Gbps
link provided by National Lambda Rail  that carried
data in both directions.
One of the key advances in the demo was Fast Data Transport (FDT), a Java
application developed by Iosif Legrand of Caltech, that runs on all major
platforms and achieves stable disk reads-and-writes and smooth data flow
across a long-range network. FDT streams a large set of files across an open
TCP socket, so that a typically large data set composed of thousands of
files can be sent or received at full speed without the network transfer
restarting between files... For more information, click
here
.

--
==
J. T. Johnson
Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA
www.analyticjournalism.com
505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h)
http://www.jtjohnson.com [EMAIL PROTECTED]

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the
existing model obsolete."
  -- Buckminster Fuller
==

FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

Re: [FRIAM] TEDTalks (audio, video)

[Giles Bowkett]

That's a pretty great resource.

On 1/7/07, Owen Densmore <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> A friend passed this on:
>http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/
> looks pretty broad and interesting.
>
>  -- Owen
>
> Owen Densmore   http://backspaces.net
>
>
>
> 
> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>


-- 
Giles Bowkett
http://www.gilesgoatboy.org
http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com
http://gilesgoatboy.blogspot.com


FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org

Re: [FRIAM] frigatebirds - short video

[Phil Henshaw]

That video is very nice for putting it into context.  There's an
appearance, for that 10 seconds, that one pair are flying together in
locked position and another is in the group mixing positions.   Is that
what you first meant by the first two parts of "often hover and glide
for several minutes at a time without flapping and that they tend to
glide in disordered configurations until they spontaneously undergo a
phase change"?

I was also hoping I could get you to clarify a comment you made about my
suggestion that some communities might have more 'leadership' (i.e.
social structure).  You said "As we all know, self-organized phenomena
arise without leaders to guide the emergent patterns - I can't think of
why it would be any different for frigatebirds."   I would be surprised
if you thought self-organization in sand piles and communities of
intelligent species happened the same way.  Peter described how the
birds would be able to physically feel the 'V' formation effect, and I
was essentially suggesting that some communities may have stronger group
awareness into which that would fit.   

For much of the instrumental mechanisms of natural system behaviors like
these we're left wildly guessing, of course.  I just try to balance the
shakiness of my foundations for it with my confidence in the
conclusions, always looking for the strong foundation of the behavior's
particular growth dynamic as an anchor.


Phil Henshaw   .·´ ¯ `·.
~~~
680 Ft. Washington Ave 
NY NY 10040   
tel: 212-795-4844 
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]  
explorations: www.synapse9.com


> -Original Message-
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Hugh Trenchard
> Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2007 1:15 PM
> To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] frigatebirds - short video
> 
> 
> http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/votacio.phtml?idVideo=3621&tipus=1
> 
> Here is a link to a short video which provides a small inkling of the 
> "drafting" behaviour or frigatebirds.  It isn't a long enough 
> video to know 
> if the alignment there was more than accidental, nor does it 
> show more than 
> two in alignment, but it's a start.  Thanks for the suggestion about 
> contacting bird-watchers in frigatebird territory for a 
> work-around, I'll 
> look into it.
> 
> Hugh
> 
> 
> - Original Message - 
> From: "Phil Henshaw" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "'The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group'" 
> 
> Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2007 9:28 PM
> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] observations of complex phenomena while in Mexico
> 
> 
> I'll be glad to see what further patterns you find.  Just to 
> clarify, my suggestion was not just that the two colonies 
> were different, but that the variation in local colony 
> behavior might be as great as the
> variation in local environments where colonies are found.   
> If you were
> to make observations randomly across the range of the species 
> you'd get a better sense of what behaviors are universal and 
> what are local.  What you'd want is a work-around, of course, 
> that would be a little less work. Perhaps you could try 
> getting a list of bird watchers in the frigatebird range and 
> randomly calling them to see what they have to say.
> 
> As to the generality of a "drafting principle", there is at 
> least one major example of  it I've given a good bit of 
> study, the formation and evolution of air currents.  If you 
> want an example of the vast creativity of local physical 
> processes you might do well to give them a
> little look.   Do all the modeling you like and none of it 
> will produce
> the degree of intricate and inventive complexity you find in 
> the pathway negotiations taking place around any even mildly 
> warm body like, for example, the one sitting in front of your 
> computer screen right now!
> 
> 
> Phil Henshaw   .·´ ¯ `·.
> ~~~
> 680 Ft. Washington Ave
> NY NY 10040
> tel: 212-795-4844
> e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> explorations: www.synapse9.com
> 
> 
> > -Original Message-
> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On 
> > Behalf Of Hugh Trenchard
> > Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2007 7:16 PM
> > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
> > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] observations of complex phenomena 
> while in Mexico
> >
> >
> > Thanks for all your comments. Next time I'm in Mexico, I will 
> > definitely do my best to get some video footage.  My 
> recollection of 
> > what I saw in October
> > 2005 in Mazatlan is that the various yaws and compensations
> > were easy to
> > see, as you say.  I can't remember how long the formations
> > were stable -
> > perhaps generally less than a minute, before the formation
> > would break down
> > (but I'm really just guessi