is huge and the threads are "real" (i.e. you can actually use those extra cores you have).
I'd give the JVM a serious look even if you're not interested in Java.
Good finds on the Scheme front.
-- Nate
Anders Conbere said:My problems with Clojure stem only from the environment in which it runs. Somehow in my career I've managed to completely avoid the whole Java/JVM mess and I've taken that for granted. Now whenever I try to use tools like... Clojure or Scala or any of the many interesting languages being developed on it, I find myself swamped in a see and meaningless information, and a ton of learning materials for people who know Java which I don't. One could probably argue that it would be best if I just learned Java, but there are so many other more interesting languages to learn :)
Factor is an interesting stack based language (like forth with some extra bits attached). Mostly I wrote some factor when reading through Thinking Forth. If you haven't ever written in a stack based language it's probably worth your time as much like the APL lineage they're pretty weird and a bit of a mind bender to get your head around.
As for the topic at hand, amazingly enough there have been some articles that popped up on HN and Reddit this weekend that started to offer some insight.
http://planet.plt-scheme.org/
was easy enough to find and the documentation for using it
http://docs.plt-scheme.org/reference/require.html#%28form._%28%28li...
and then a cookbook
http://schemecookbook.org/
…
at happened and what it means to tech and Hawaii's "New Day" initiatives.
Join us for this important luncheon event where we will hear from: Andrew Aoki, Governor Abercrombie's Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Sam Slom, Senate Minority Leader and President of Small Business Hawaii, Professor Neal Milner, savvy political analyst and Chad Blair, reporter-host on Civil Beat. They will tell us what was accomplished at this year’s legislative session and how it will impact our community. Fresh from battling a $1.3 billion dollar hole in the State budget, find out what measures were taken to stem the tide of red ink. What programs were thrown under the bus? What taxes were raised? What monies were diverted? What tax cuts were eliminated? Will there be a special session? You need to know. Otherwise, just come and join in the great networking, collegial atmosphere and good food.
Join us Thursday, May 26, 2011 at the Plaza Club, 20th floor beginning at 11:30AM. Register by visiting http://hvca.org/?cat=8 and sign up using PayPal which accepts all major credit cards. Sorry, no parking validation. Aloha attire is kindly requested by the Plaza Club.
TechHui members can attend at the HVCA member rate of only $29.
See you there.
Bill Spencer
President
Hawaii Venture Capital Association…
yway, we just submitted a NSF grant proposal on May 12. If we get this grant we should be able to start the IT Academy program. Initially, the program would involve two public schools. Instructors from my campus, Honolulu Community College (HCC) would teach some of the lessons in the high schools and also train the high school teachers. The idea is to offer two year-long courses at the high school level. The first course would be an introduction to using basic computer applications (word processor, spreadsheet, database, simple web pages) with an emphasis on math and science applications. This would help schools to fulfill STEM requirements. The second course would be an introduction to programming, that would once again have math and science applications.
At HCC I teach a CS0 introductory programming course using the Python language. Although this course starts off with the basics, it winds up with the students writing a program that does XML parsing to write to either a HTML file or another XML file. If we expand this to a year course (instead of a semester) at the high school level, I would probably have the students write to both a HTML with CSS (as an example of producing formatted text files), and an XML file (for the semester that just ended the students wrote to a Flex .MXML file).
What I would like to do with this Academy model is have the students gain experience with the basic computer applications and with programming so that we can cover more programming (even for students who pursue just a 2 year associates degree). In particular, once the students reach our campus, they would take ICS 111 (Java), a databases course, and then a web programming course (using PHP and probably also Rails).
Anyway, I apologize once again for not being active and not responding sooner. If it looks like we are going to get the NSF grant (I hear it takes 5-6 months to hear anything), I will be asking TechHui members like you what kinds of things to include in an IT Academy program. I would also be asking people to serve on an Advisory committee for that program, but at this point it is premature to be doing either.
I would be happy to discuss things further if you have any questions/comments.
Vern…
waii Slack - https://www.hawaiislack.com
An open Slack instance for Hawaii for real-time messaging. Channels for developers, photographers, educators, and more. You can skip the moderated sign-up process with this link.
Hawaii Tech Group on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/groups/hawaiitech/
Created alongside HawaiiTech.com, a local sci-tech/STEM news site I run (with a job board), this group surrenders to the near inevitability o Facebook in daily life. This public group is certainly a good fit for anyone here!
Hawaii Threads - https://www.hawaiithreads.com
If you're interested in more than tech, this old-school message board has been running since 2004. The golden page of the web forum is ancient history, but for those hoping to escape the maw of Facebook, it's a good alternative! Registration is manually moderated, but I can create an account for you at ryanozawa@gmail.com.
I'd also encourage you to check out:
HawaiiCal - https://www.hawaiical.com
A calendar of local tech events, science cafes, education unconferences, hackathons, and so on. If it's a real-life gathering of curious creatives, it should be listed here. (Event submissions welcome!)…
is how we evaluate them and that there is no accountability. It is OUR failure to properly evaluate sources. I think it stems from what Colbert labels Truthiness. It is true simply because someone say it is true. This, of course, only holds if we do not evaluate our sources. So an expert is only an expert if we do not use our skills to check to what extent this is true.
Now of course it is a little annoying to see people you know have no true understanding whatsoever jump on the band wagon (ie. they consult on Twitter, and their twitter account is 1 month old..I suspect their bookshelf is filled with "... for dummies" ). The problem isn't really that they call themselves an expert, (I suspect Faux News would happily label them as one) it is that hiring people does not have a framework for how to evaluate these "experts". All they see is their report to the board that they are "on this Twitter thing" with no respect or understanding on how to monetize on it or on real conversion rates.
Another "problem" are people that "know enough to be dangerous". The constant pull to own something by discounting other fields (this will seem a little ironic since I will be railing a little about it here). There is a person in the twitterverse that has written a book about the "the-whuffie-factor" which is to my understanding basically about social capital.
She takes a commonly used concept renames it and attempts to own the concept. Very good as a personal marketing scheme, but it confuses what should be the real debate namely what social capital is. She talk about cloud computing, and "..-as-a-service" without knowing the complexities and problems involved in creating such systems....and then she discounts it by saying that her concept "community-as-a-service" (as if this is a new thing) is much more complex and harder to create than clouds!!! and other -"...as-a-service" products. She tops it off with a some "pre-conditions" that goes against a lot of scientifically verified social-psychology theories about community creation, and group creation....but she still has a book that is about to be published.
My point is this: A social media expert does not know everything there is to know, even is they give that impression. It is the hiring manager's duty to evaluate the sources, and go into some depth on it...even if it takes hiring someone to help evaluate sources, and then hold them accountable for what they are saying.
I am doing a case study with the class I am teaching at UH on how to evaluate sources online. I hope something interesting will come out of it. :-)
Anyhoo take care,…
science communication specialist Christine Shepard and learn about her role in launching an innovative research and outreach program for the University of Miami’s Shark Research Lab.
Over the past four years, Christine worked to build and grow outreach initiatives at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, with photography and video as key components. Primary objectives included generating public interest, clarifying research methods and goals for the public, improving scientific literacy, deepening connection and conservation ethic for the ocean, inspiring careers in STEM, and generating interest for program funding. During her presentation, she will not only share this detailed case study of her multimedia work, but also provide practical tips for scientists, engineers and business owners on how to incorporate visual media into their own outreach and marketing efforts.
Christine Shepard is the owner of Coral Cove Imagery, a media production company in Kailua Kona. She’s been named a finalist in two categories of BBC’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year and a Highly Honored Winner in Nature’s Best International Photography Competition. She has been a regular contributor and host for the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet science news show, and has been featured in dozens of mass media outlets including Oprah’s O Magazine, Popular Science Magazine, The Marine Biologist Magazine and Scientific American.
This pau hana is potluck, so please bring a pupu and non-alcoholic beverage to share. Reusable plates and cups are encouraged, as is taking home your own trash.
Agenda: 5:00-5:15 p.m. Gather and Networking 5:15-6:15 p.m. Presentation and Q&A 6:15-7:30 p.m. More Networking
…
ace Apps Challenge, sponsored by a consortium of local technology companies; DevLeague, Sudokrew Solutions, Ikayzo, Goma Games, and HTDC. While most hackathons focus on coding, the NASA Space Apps Challenge is designed to bring together all passionate problem solvers to create solutions with a global impact. This 48-hour event will be open to designers, artists, makers, coders, engineers, and storytellers of any age or discipline.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring a world class event like this to Honolulu. The NASA Space Apps Challenge was of particular interest to us because the event focuses on a more comprehensive STEM audience, bringing together the innovation sector as a whole and looking at solutions of truly global proportions. We hope the event will continue to grow in coming years as this is will be the first of an annual series and we are excited to partner with other organizations in the community, across many different sectors.” said Jason Sewell, co-founder of DevLeague.
Honolulu will be one of 128 host cities spanning the globe for this 48-hour event, with an event kick-off on Friday, April 22nd at the Manoa Innovation Center at 4 pm. This free event is open to the public, though space is limited to the first 70 registrants.
When:
Starts April 22 at 4:00 PM
Ends April 24 at 5:00 PM
Where:
Manoa Innovation Center, 2800 Woodlawn Dr., Honolulu, HI 96822
Registration:
https://2016.spaceappschallenge.org/…
the “Hawaii Policy Portal” as “a new ‘advocacy-made-easy’ tool that helps politically-motivated individuals and advocacy groups get their friends, members or constituents to very easily submit testimony via a pre-populated web form.”
To me the preceding could be characterized as non-partisan.
As I had stated earlier, members of TechHui represent a broader ideological spectrum. My concern is perhaps more a matter of being conscious of civility. Let’s not forget that the entity that Daniel and Mika created is a community, however latent, and ideological civility is more conducive to change than presumptive denigration or unconscious dismissal.
In my youth (I am 56 yrs. ticking) I was more concerned about being “right” and prevailing in discourse. Now I am more appreciative of civility as being conducive to the art of persuasion. Over the decades I have maintained communication with the “opposition” and have found that respect for those with whom I disagree with leaves me with better opportunities to persuade. If you are looking for results, the political objective is not to denigrate the “opposition”, but to convert.
So, it was this initial lack of initial transparency that I found disturbing. If you are unable to grasp how others might view the overture a misleading, I suggest finding out. The exercise will only serve to strengthen your skills of persuasion.
Do I share many of your concerns that we may have reached or passed tipping points that are both qualitative and quantitative? Do I ascribe to all? No. In part, I am interested in results, and I note regrettably positions such as,
“Our assumption is that the laws of physics should be a basis for the laws of society, particularly since our own basic human needs as well as the economy itself are completely dependent upon ecological systems.”
while perhaps emotionally gratifying to state, will not further the objectives we do share. Am I concerned that this planet is in increasing peril? Frack yes, since the late sixties. But the above speaks more to chest thumping somehow enlightening the opposition. It doesn’t work. This is the conundrum I couldn’t recognize in my younger years:
“It is one thing to show a man that he is in an error, and another to put him in possession of the truth.”
Yes, like Kant, another dead white guy, John Locke. His observations remain fresh. Cool your jets and think on this. The imperatives you speak to are going to be present for the rest of your life. I know the issues at bay will extend beyond my lifetime. It’s not sexy, but leaning into the harness and settling in for the long pull is the reality of it. Beating the other sonavabitch with a buggy whip isn’t going to help.
I doubt anything I said holds sand with you, but I believe my observations may prove to be germane for other readers.
And Daniel, I concur on being prejudiced against untenable and irresponsible policies (as well as deliberate lack of such). But breeding more of our ideological ilk isn't the solution. It takes too long, contributes to the population problem, and you know kids, they may turn on us. Changing enough disbelieving minds in time is the only thing that will propel the necessary change in public policy on a global basis.
A sobering task. Let's get to work.…
Added by Dave Takaki at 7:58pm on February 17, 2009
In response to the 2009 recession, only Hawaii has reduced school days and, consequently, compromised its future. Below is an essay that I shared with our elected officials in…