Thursday, June 28, 2018

Minecraft Reference

Will try to fill in more details later, but for now these are the most useful reference info-graphics I have seen for mastering Minecraft.

Mob spawning ranges:


Villager trading chart:


Brewing chart:


Stronghold distances:


How to respawn the Ender dragon:



And just for fun, here's the "Link" skin I used for my character:

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Podcasts

Why Leaders Eat Last -- by author Simon Sinek

A few great episodes from This American Life:
452 Poultry Slam 2011
540 A Front
544 Batman

An intelligent podcast discussion of government surveillance.
from the podcast "Berkman Center for Internet and Society"
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/audioberkman/~3/c76sSH9bQv8/
Duration 1:29h, Published 4/10/14 3:45:38 PM

A good podcast on morality - analyzing what feels right or wrong instinctively, how we sometimes override that, and the conflicts between different people groups' moral codes
http://kuow.org/post/why-can-t-we-all-just-get-along

FISA courts - everything you might have wanted to know. An interview with Dave Opderbeck of Seton Hall Law School. This is from 2012, I just happened to find it now, but I do not think anything has changed since then.
http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/podcasts/20130702-Levin-187-Opderbeck.mp3
I heard this on the "Hearsay Culture" podcast - http://www.hearsayculture.com/?feed=rss2

Bees practice Democracy better than humans...
http://podcastdownload.npr.org/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast/5194672/136636626/npr_136636626.mp3 (3 MB)

Excellent podcast episode from Planet Money, with two stories that explain the idea of "quantitative easing" (printing money) as a fix for a recession.
http://podcastdownload.npr.org/anon.npr-podcasts/podcast/510289/291533350/npr_291533350.mp3 (9 MB)

A good talk that includes some information I didn't know, like how the Wright brothers went around enforcing their patents, keeping American aviation held back until they were basically stopped by congress.
http://archive.mises.org/18290/open-science-versus-intellectual-property/

Do you want work to be more fulfilling, fun, or just less defective? Check out this interesting podcast on how WordPress does it.

Stack Exchange Podcast #23 - about gamification, used for good and evil, addiction and the Skinner Box, and more

Radiolab: Mischel's Marchmallows - about self-control and how it was discoverd to be a very strong predictor of success

SE-Radio Episode 176: Quantum Computing - a good overview of what quantum computing is, why it is being pursued, and how far along we are

SE-Radio Episode 79: Small Memory Software - strategies for coping with small memory requirements, presented in a clear and simple way.

SE Radio Episode 88: Singularity - a Microsoft research operating system, with some really cool sounding features that allow secure code. If only Microsoft would implement more of them in its commercial products.

An excellent overview of copyright - the reasons, history, and controversy.

Bath podcast: GULP Maths and the Making of the Modern World
If you've ever asked "what good is mathematics", check it out.

A look "at how particle physics has developed...and what developments we might expect." Pretty much a walkthrough of particle physics from atoms to current theory. Remember that quantum mechanics is the dream stuff is made of, so this is a dream interpreter. =-]

IT Conversations - Clay Shirky on Technology Insight
itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail4411.html
An insightful talk on "contracts with the users", and how freedom to create is a vital element of social media projects. No words wasted, a good listen.

Cory Doctorow: The Coming War On General Purpose Computation
or if you must do youtube - youtu.be/HUEvRyemKSg
The best explanation of computers and the problems of their legislation that I have ever heard, 5 stars! Covers the problem, in context, in a way that everyone can understand. It is a bit long, but worth it; only the first 30 minutes is the original speech, then there is Q&A for 20 minutes.

Amy Jo Kim: Beyond Gamification: 7 Core Concepts to Create Compelling Products
itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail4870.html
A reluctant favorite - gamification is overhashed and not that subtle, but this really is a good clean overview with clear, specific points. If I ever want to apply gamification, I will probably come back and listen to it again.

Really just the part about time tracking and "evidence based scheduling", which can be read in the transcript: https://stackoverflow.fogbugz.com/default.asp?W29122

The IP Colloquium - Tim Wu and The Master Switch
ipcolloquium.com/mobile/2010/12/wu/
An interview/conversation about the rise and consolidation of phones and cell phones, how regulation impacts innovation; and speculation on the internet and network neutrality.

Surprisingly Free - "Nathaniel Gleicher on the Stored Communications Act and the need for reform"
surprisinglyfree.com/2010/03/22/nathaniel-gleicher-on-the-stored-communications-act-and-the-need-for-reform/
Discussion of how users are tracked as they browse the web, the Stored Communications Act, the protections of the 4th Amendment, and the need for reform. This is an overview of how the laws are currently interpreted, and the implications (not that I in any way agree with those interpretations).