$1000USD for a digital cable?

Audioquest Diamond cables are more than $1000USD. I cannot think of any reason that a digital cable would be so expensive, particularly because the reason to go digital is that as long as you can drive the inductance and capacitance, you can make the cable as long as you want. Digital is what makes under-sea fibre lines work.

So, let one consider that the line can be modelled as an Elmor delay line with as an inductor and resistor in parallel with a capacitor to GND. You can then throw in some values and see if it matters how carefully the cable is made; however, HDMI is less than 1GHz, so I would think that 1nS would be enough time considering that you can huge line drivers on the HDMI interface. I am sure that I could design a cable for less than $10USD that would hit electrical specifications.

Rock Machine!

This is a great bar. It's in a basement, but the master is super nice, and the company is as well. The clientele seems to primarily be educated, albeit foreign. I had a wonderful time there.

The location is difficult to describe, but it's
here.


View Larger Map

He seems to not get going until 9pm; however, he's still there at 8am, so I guess you could get a 6am beer if you wanted.

「やさしく歌って」なかった。

日本にいた時にかくのが忘れた。それを歌うと思って、何処でもなかった！

The bus!

I'm back in the USA, so of course, I took the bus. I've never been clear on why public transportation is geared toward the poor in the USA. I like the Japanese version, where it's designed to move workers around. It seems to make more sense. The thing that really gets me is that when I am away from the USA, I forget what a terrible world that black women live in. I see the same woman on the bus every day and we almost always talk, and she's just trying to find a decent black man.

There is something odd about the Atlanta culture where the men are something between worthless and voilent, and this makes no sense to me because the men are the product of the women. In Japan, the women make their sons completely dependent on them and thereby they become dependent on their wives, and the power circle completes. In the USA, there seems to be something that breaks down. I know what type of men these women want, but I do not understand why the generations are not producing it.

Safe to say that I will never be dating a black man.

Heiwajima hot spring

This place is great: Heiwajima hot spring

It's on the second floor of a huge entertainment complex, so you can just take the bus from the #6 place at Oomori JR Station. It's only 100yen. I spent 1500 Yen over the next three hours bathing and taking a nap.

The other thing is that it's open all night. The next time that I come into Haneda at midnight, I think that I might just spend the night there.

The most difficult thing...

I have found that it is almost impossible to have a discussion outside of academia where there is a null hypothesis. I find that counter opinions are always positive, as it allows one to have a more focused argument. The people who say "you should be more openminded" often use that statement as a cudgel to end the test of the strength of convictions.

Consensus is not assessment.

Whether I speak in Japanese, English or Chinese, the fundamental flaw in conprehension is that people strive for the safe answer, and not the competent answer. It's almost maddening.

Patrick Rothfuss is class

The Name of the Wind is a wonderful book. The video below is also wonderful.



The guinea pig is a fish.

What did they eat?

Have you ever wondered what the Italians ate before pasta (from China) and tomatoes (new world)? The Chinese dictionary that I have (1970s PRC, so you know, they had opinions) say that tomatoes and corn (new world) are from China.

I think that it would be fun to have regional dinners circa 1000AD.

やさしく歌って

I am no Roberta Flack, but I think that my next KARAOKE session will include this:

I passed the 2nd amendment test, and the US citizenship test.

I got 11/12 on this 2nd amendment issue test. This made me read the Japanese Constitution and American one. The EU constitution was too daunting, at 1800 pages.
The Japanese and American documents have their strength in that one can read the documents. I am very much against complexity in general, and I am opposed to large government very much for that reason, but Article 26 of the Japanese document is good for society.

Here is the quote:
第26条　すべて国民は、法律の定めるところにより、その能力に応じて、ひとしく教育を受ける権利を有する。
２　すべて国民は、法律の定めるところにより、その保護する子女に普通教育を受けさせる義務を負ふ。義務教育は、これを無償とする。

I am not sure of the history of this article:
23条　学問の自由は、これを保障する。
...but I guess that is required when you do not have freedom of speech.

Technical documentation is a guideline.

I have been using an Analog Devices ADC for a project. It's an AD7685, 16-bit with SPI. It works with a SPI bus, but not unless you have a SPI master that is more flexible than pretty much anything that I have ever seen. One cannot just attach the device and have the SPI bus communicate. The chip select line controls the conversion, and the MOSI line controls the 'mode behavior'. The /CS line needs to be double dipped, and because the device has an internal clock, it seems to be very picky about the timing.

I've modified Figure 35 for the datasheet. Have you ever seen a /CS line with this behavior? The other thing is that the image suggests that the /CS line can be unasserted after the initial rising edge that starts the conversion.

Here's the reality of functionality. The datasheet states that there needs to be minimum of 3.2uS between the rising edge on /CS and the data to be valid to be clocked out. I can tell you that they are absolutely correct, and the device is finicky about this timing. If you happen to get leading '1's in your data value, you have violated this setup time. If you reach 10uS between /CS and clocking, I also received incorrect sample data on the bus.

I was trying to be smart and get this double-dip /CS from the previous SPI request or in some other way, but because MOSI needs to be '1' when /CS goes low, you basically need to dedicate this bus time exclusively to this IC. Considering that this setup time takes as long as the total data transfer, it is very disappointing.

In summary, the failure mode of violating SPI (which this barely qualifies) timing is the MSB being '1's of your data sample and you will need to bit bang the SPI unless you are lucky enough to have control over the logic in your SPI controller.

Poor choices.

Wardrobe consultants, Colourist, Hair Consultant.... those are the poor choices that I have been exposed to this week. Three days on the bus, three different woman with children who are under 25, who are not making it. One of the interesting things about Americans is that they like to talk, whereas the English cling to their privacy.

I have never felt that I owed anyone a thing, nor have I expected to be owed something. Those 3 women are the best argument against democracy that I've met recently. They want what I have, but they do not want to work for it, and they are unable to understand that their choices have put them where they are.

It reminds me of a line from Trainspotting.
Rent-boy: Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?

macports and arm-elf-binutils

port install arm-elf-binutils
It threw a few shoes on MacOS 10.7. For some reason, on 10.6, the binaries that were build had PowerPC code.
The solution is to install gcc45, and then update the compiler flags in the portfile.
The resulting Portfile for arm-elf-binutils has the following directives:

depends_lib port:gettext
configure.cppflags -I${prefix}/include
universal_variant yes
configure.compiler macports-gcc-4.5

Someone should make me the maintainer of these...

I've always loved Keats.

I have always loved Keats, but I hate poetry. What I liked about him was that he was trying to find the essence of what made poetry good. Sometime in my youth, I grabbed onto that idea and I never could quite let go of that concept. I find that I will analyze things without knowing it, just to determine what makes it good. It's one of my happy actions.

I have decided that I the best two examples of good percussion in rock are Kashmir and Lost in the Supermarket. Percussion has a history of directing musical traffic, and thankfully jazz and the big band remedied that; however, people often run a beautiful musical piece with poor percussion. It's like directing traffic in China. It works, but it's not pretty. In the case of Kashmir, the slightly shifted signature perfectly carries the melody. In the case of Lost in the Supermarket, the beat changes with the mood of the measures. The most important part is the the transitions. Both songs have perfect percussion transitions. The percussion is what makes the song in both cases, and if you play either without it, you have nothing note worthy.

I love music.

Atlanta Startup Scene

This article is about the start-up scene in Atlanta. The one thing that I noticed was that the Atlanta scene seemed a bit software focused, but more to the point, the Atlanta money likes software because it is comfortable. I have reviewed and seen many business presentations over the years in and around Atlanta, and very promising businesses are often ignored for the hope of another Google. The good news is that often these companies that are ignored have real, tangible goods, and that allows them to succeed without the angle money.

When not given a silver spoon, bootstrap yourself to success.

AT91SAM7S SPI

There seems to be a huge bug in the AT91SAM7S documentation regarding SPI. When you do a software reset via the control register, it resets the mode register.
So, after a AT91C_BASE_SPI -> SPI_CR = AT91C_SPI_SWRST;, you need to do a AT91C_BASE_SPI -> SPI_MR = 0x00000001;

Here's code to get the SPI transfer working:

inline void spi_configure()
{
 AT91PS_SPI     pSPI = AT91C_BASE_SPI;
 static unsigned int perphA=
  ((unsigned int) AT91C_PA11_NPCS0   ) |
  ((unsigned int) AT91C_PA13_MOSI    ) |
  ((unsigned int) AT91C_PA12_MISO    ) |
  ((unsigned int) AT91C_PA14_SPCK    ); // Peripheral A

 AT91C_BASE_PIOA->PIO_ASR = perphA;  //set the SPI pins to the periphial functions
 AT91C_BASE_PIOA->PIO_PDR = (perphA);  //disable GPIO from changing SPI pins.
 AT91C_BASE_PMC->PMC_PCER = ((unsigned int) 1 << AT91C_ID_SPI);  //enable SPI clock
 AT91C_BASE_SPI -> SPI_CR  = AT91C_SPI_SWRST;
 AT91C_BASE_SPI -> SPI_CR  = AT91C_SPI_SPIEN;
        AT91C_BASE_SPI -> SPI_MR  = 0x00000001; //Enable the MASTER mode

You can then see the transfers on the MOSI pin with:

unsigned int spi_test()
{
 AT91PS_SPI     pSPI = AT91C_BASE_SPI;
 unsigned int data=0x55555555;
 data = data & 0x010FFFFF; // mask non-used bits
 pSPI -> SPI_TDR = data;
 return(data);
}

The fact that a software reset changes the mode register is a pretty important thing to include in the documentation. It took me a week to figure out what was going on. I looked at the ATMEL SPI example, and it has the bug as well. Perhaps there was change between the Rev B and Rev C processors, such as the FLASH issue.

Walk, While...

Sometimes, you cannot send something to "work".

Straight outta Dunwoody.

I used to live near Dunwoody.
Straight Outta Dunwoody on youtube.
The one thing that I will give them is that they are indeed correct, it is clean. In south Fulton, people seem to think that everything else is someone else's job. I find that I would pick up trash at the bus stop, whereas in south Fulton, I would not even consider it.

It's China.

There has been a buzz on the Chinese boards about the
toddler hit by a car. Having spent over a year on the ground in China, I can say that I completely understand the response. The problem that I have found in China is that it is a liability to take on any responsibility as the government or people will use it against you. As a non-Chinese that travels off the beaten path, the only thing that I am afraid of is the police and military. They want my money, they want my passport, and the only thing that has saved me this far is that I do not look like I will hit you the throat and run. I would also walk by a bleeding child. I have walked by the new born females on the streets of Harbin in the winter because it would bring attention to myself, I would be forced to pay a bribe, and explain where I got the child because "children are not disposed off on the street" (that's a quote from the police officier to which I mentioned what was down the streets).

I'm terribly sorry China, but you think that you are great, and you are actually a scary place. The 'win at all costs' culture just means marginalization of those who are willing to accept responsibility. My Chinese friends will disagree with that statement, but I will point out the possibly underaged olympic team, the milk, and my favorite: "My father is Li Gang!"

Nature calls! Please check the map!

If you must hastily tinkle, you might as well know how to efficiently use your time. The toilet has map that indicates open stalls.

This woman is not well informed, but she probably does not know that...

This is scary: HPV vaccines and her fears. This woman does not know her chemistry, and I could talk her through it, but I do not believe that she would take me up on it. I could write for hours and hours regarding her terrible analysis, but as an example:

The New Jersey government has this listed in their "Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet." (16) Reactivity: Aluminum Phosphate reacts violently with STRONG BASES (such as SODIUM HYDROXIDE and POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE) and STRONG ACIDS (such as HYDROCHLORIC, SULFURIC and NITRIC). FIRST AID AND DECONTAMINATION: Remove the person from exposure. Flush eyes with large amounts of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove contact lenses if worn. Immediate medical attention is necessary. Remove contaminated clothing and wash contaminated skin with soap and water. Begin artificial respiration if breathing has stopped and CPR if necessary. Transfer to a medical facility.

Super, so something in the vaccine is reactive, and even corrosive in high molarity. I wonder how she feels about Aluminium Phosphate as the flux in her dental fillings, or pharmaceutical gels.

Potassium Chloride would be a challenge for her as well. She can complain about toxicity though ignorance while her nerves fire via ion transfer across a lipid layer.

Science with an agenda is very concerning thing.

馬鹿！

この人がバカです。（笑）

Invest in whomever licenses this patent.

I have a soft-spot for catalyst chemistry. My Science magazine from 8 July 2011 fell behind my desk and I just read through it and found something very exciting. The abstract is below, but also here.

"Palladium-Catalyzed Aerobic Dehydrogenation of Substituted Cyclohexanones to Phenols"

Aromatic molecules are key constituents of many pharmaceuticals, electronic materials, and commodity plastics. The utility of these molecules directly reflects the identity and pattern of substituents on the aromatic ring. Here, we report a palladium(II) catalyst system, incorporating an unconventional ortho-dimethylaminopyridine ligand, for the conversion of substituted cyclohexanones to the corresponding phenols. The reaction proceeds via successive dehydrogenation of two saturated carbon-carbon bonds of the six-membered ring and uses molecular oxygen as the hydrogen acceptor. This reactivity demonstrates a versatile and efficient strategy for the synthesis of substituted aromatic molecules with fundamentally different selectivity constraints from the numerous known synthetic methods that rely on substitution of a preexisting aromatic ring.

Why is this paper important? Firstly, the work is low-temperature, by the benefit of the catalyst. Also, phenols are the most important group of industrial chemicals. What this means for a company is that you can make more of a chemical, faster, cheaper and more efficiently. If I had money (well, some to spare) I would hedge on whomever licenses the patent for this work. I really applaude the authors for this phenomenally relevant work.

Ready Reckoner

From the "Encyclopedia of Universal Knowledge" circa 1904.

How to Find the Contents of Barrels and Casks
RULE. -- Add the diameters of the head and bung in inches and divide the sum by 2, and this will equal the average diameter. Then multiply the square of the average diameter by the length in inches and multiply this result by 34, and cut off the four right-hand figures. This is the number of gallons.

As interesting as this is, it still does not enlighten me to the contents of the casks.

Avoirdupois Weight

Just a reminder of why the English systems of measurement are terrible.

Avoirdupois Weight:

437.5 grains	=	1 oz.
16 oz.	=	1 lb
2000 lbs.	=	1 ton
2240 lbs.	=	1 long ton

Troy Weight:

24 grains	=	1 pennyweight
20 pennyweights	=	1 ounce
12 ounces	=	1 pound
480 grains	=	1 ounce

This system seems to be designed to cheat people by overlapping labeling. There are 7000 grains in an avoirdupois pound, and 5760 grains in a troy pound. This means that if you were in 19th century England and purchase tea, a dishonest seller has one pound by troy weight you are cheated, but he sells you an ounce by troy weight he cheats himself out of 42.5 grains.

so many options...

I need a new pan. Look at this catalog!
Highland Restaurant Supply
Highlights from items that I never knew existed:

#55975: Easy Chicken Slicer
#35SSA: Hot Dog Steamer w/Juice Tray
Tankless Electric Booster Heater


Page 202 is the best. There seems to be some implied correlation between fluid ounces, weight ounces (I had to look these up honestly), and gallons and cups. I cannot fathom what use that information has considering it's uncoupled from any reality of density. I assume that water is considered to be the medium of measurement; however, I would still likely have difficulty explaining to anyone in the food service industry that Saturn would float on the oceans of the Earth due to density.

Median age: 78

Listeria doesn't scare me. I couldn't figure out how so many people are ill, and then the CDC nailed it: Median age 78.
http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/cantaloupes-jensen-farms/092711/epi.html
I guess those nursing homes should nix the fruit plates for awhile.

Fungi and bacteria infections are generally what kill the elderly. I have often wondered how wasabi plays a part in the longevity of the Japanese due to its interesting anti-bacterial properties.

The 10 best albums of all time.

I have decided that I disagree with most music critics regarding the best albums. I do not necessarily believe that the best album has to be the most influential. I describe the "best" as what I can listen too over and over and over without getting tried it. This means that there are constant subtleties and nuance that I am discovering or rediscovering. Here is the list of what I believe the top 10 albums to be, in no particular order:

1. The Stone Roses -- Second Coming
2. Van Morrison -- Veedon Fleece
3. Angel Tech -- Angel Tech
4. The Clash -- London Calling
5. Radio Citizen -- Berlin Serengeti
6. The Beatles -- Sergent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
7. Pink Floyd -- Wish You Were Here
8. Color Filter -- Sleep in a Synchrotron
9. Dr. Dre -- 2001
10. Nine Inch Nails -- Pretty Hate Machine

Of course, I'm a huge fan of Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Tori Amos and others that are in my regular rotation (as you can tell I have a thing for folk and blues), but they don't have the draw of constant play that I get from these albums. There are many albums which I wish were in this list, but just are not quite right for perpetual play. Gramophone by Gramophone is a wonderful album for example. Led II is wonderful as well, but it all comes down to mood. I think that "Second Coming" is the best album of all-time for my disposition.

暖かくて寒くて？

I like my casual frozen food to be hot. 大磯のホテルにあった。

Windows does not have unixtime. :(

I like my Mac. I like unixtime. It helps keep me organized, but I was surprised to find that Windows does not have a similar feature from the shell. I did find that I could generate unix-like time, which made me happy. :)

In a batch file, can do substrings that can be used to generate new date information.
My batch file sui.sh was:
echo %date% %time%
echo %date:~-4,4%%date:~-10,2%%date:~-7,2%.%time:~0,2%%time:~3,2%%time:~6,2%%time:~9,2%

The output produced:
Tue 08/30/2011 11:28:31.09
20110830.11283109

Happy, happy sui. :)

Compressor jet engines work best at altitude, but you cannot get around being on the ground. Here's my numbers for fuel burn during taxi taken with a stopwatch from single-engine start to runway-hold. 10gal/min is a rule of thumb for taxi, but the carriers keep the actual numbers close to their chest. I have much more detailed information, but you get the gist of it.

FLT	Origin	Dest.	Min	sec	gal/min	total
DL1412	ATL	DTW	21	23	10	213.83
NW1730	DTW	BOS	10	30	10	105.00
DL1857	ATL	BOS	28	55	10	289.17
DL63	ATL	LAX	7	30	10	75.00
DL9010	LAX	SFO	6	0	10	60.00
DL1074	SFO	ATL	12	25	10	124.17
DL1852	ATL	BOS	32	20	10	323.33
DL1855	BOS	ATL	20	12	10	202.00
DL1516	ATL	DTW	12	40	10	126.67
NW25	DTW	NRT	30	30	10	305.00
DL500	NRT	ATL	5	15	10	52.50
DL372	ATL	BOS	10	45	10	107.50
DL1855	BOS	ATL	19	27	10	194.50

Y_{0}?

I was told that I should add to blog, why not?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaTeX