A To Z Challenge: Horology And How Your Computer May Be Going To Spaz

  © Copyright Peter Trimming and licensed for
reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Horology is the science of measuring time and the study of making timepieces. Humans have been working at the definition and measurement of time for thousands of years; as early as 3100 BCE the Egyptians had developed a 365-day calendar based on the appearance of the star Sirius in the sky and around 3500 BCE they had developed obelisks that acted as sundials. Technology has come a very long way since large angular pillars stuck in the ground, and our current idea of a "clock"--a steady mechanism capable of standing on its own--began to emerge in 1656 when Christiaan Huygens developed the first pendulum clock.

Taking another rather large leap forward in time, today's computers (whether PC or Apple or what have you) are running on what's known as Unix Time. (The name "Unix" comes from the fact it was a dominant operating system back when computing was just getting started.) It's based on a 32-bit number and has been counting every second since January 1, 1970.

Once the number reaches 2,147,483,764, however, there's a bit of a problem: When a 32-bit number reaches this value, it can no longer count upwards. Because of this, computers using Unix Time will revert to December 13, 1901 once time hits January 19, 2038, i.e. devices will believe it's the 1900s when it's actually the mid-2000s. The solution? Switch to 64-bit systems, which will run out of values in the year 292,277,026,596.

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Sources:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/horology
http://www.horology.com/vir-lib-horology.htm
http://www.nist.gov/pml/general/time/index.cfm
http://www.unixtimestamp.com/index.php

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Is your computer a 32-bit? Do you think there will be any major problems in 2038, or do you think all the important devices will have been replaced with 64-bit by then?


-----The Golden Eagle

A To Z Challenge: Forensics And Finding The Right Evidence

Forensic science, or forensics, is a field you've no doubt heard of. It focuses on the use of science and technology to present evidence in court, and in a lot of fiction forensics is simply presented as your lead detective sending something to the lab and getting back important evidence against a criminal or criminals. However, forensics is complicated and has a lot more depth than just comparing someone's DNA--and they're beginning to find holes in practices that have gone on for decades, including bite mark analysis and even fingerprints.

In addition to physical evidence, with the surge in digital devices in people's lives a new branch of forensics has been added: Computer forensics. This is the analysis of data found on someone's hard drive (and other storage devices) or, in cases of remote attacks, a tracing of information packets that can sometimes be followed along the route of attack; the latter is called "network forensics".


If you live in the USA (because PBS restricts access and their videos aren't playable outside the country, darn it--though you could conceivably download a VPN to circumvent a regional block) and are interested in the field, then I highly recommend watching this NOVA program about forensics. It's fascinating.

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Sources:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/forensics
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/weekinreview/28santos.html
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12589
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/40151/computer-forensics
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/forensics-on-trial.html
http://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/forensics.pdf
http://www.newyorkcomputerforensics.com/learn/forensics_process.php

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Do you have any favorite examples of forensic science, either fictional or real? Do you think older techniques that are now proving to be less-than-reliable should be completely phased out? Are you in favor of DNA profiling if there's biological evidence it can be extracted from?


-----The Golden Eagle

The Red Angel's Inanimation Blogfest

I was thinking yesterday "Oh, right! I signed up for the Inanimation Blogfest back in April. When was it? The 14th! That's only . . . um, tomorrow. Tomorrow?!"

Information about this blogfest:

The idea is to write an entry of NO MORE THAN 1000 words that somehow incorporates the personification of inanimate objects. It can be a poem, a short short, a letter (perhaps to your favorite childhood toy?), a fairytale, a scene from a dream, or even a song--anything you want! It can be something you've written in the past or it could be totally brand new...it's all up to you!

Sounds like fun, right?

My entry:

Tap, tap, tap.
   Mutters.
   Grumbles.
   Tap, tap . . .
   Thud.
   I listen.
   Mutters.
   Tap . . .
   . . . smack.
   The human moves away.
   I hum to myself.
   Hum.
   Chitter.
   I turn into dancing lights.
   Steps.
   Thump, thump, thump.
   Tap, tap, tap.
   Pound, pound, pound.
   Human's angry now.
   I change.
   Flash and blink.
   Tap, tap . . .
   Click.
   Click!
   I watch.
   I remember.
   I send a message.
   Wait.
   I start to chitter more.
   Hum louder.
   HHRRMMM.
   BANG.
   Ouch, that hurt.
   Ta . . . tap.
   Laughter.
   Frantic talk.
   I flash about some more.
   I'm closed.

"The Daily Life of A Computer"

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What do you think?


And, if you're participating in this blogfest, do mention it so I can find your entry!

-----The Golden Eagle

Guest Post at My First Book, Awards, and Watson

Breaking News, everyone! Today I'm guest posting over at Misha's blog My First Book on Strong Female Protagonists.

It would be awesome if you went to check it out. :)

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In other news, I was awarded the Stylish Blogger Award by Luke Raftl at All your stars are out. Thank you so much, Luke!

(I hope you'll excuse me if I don't pass this on/answer the questions. I've done it before, and I don't have a  lot of time today.)

Also, The Words Crafter at The Rainy Day Wanderer recently handed the Write Hard award to those who came by her blog, and I decided to do the same; so, reader, go ahead and take this one if you want it!

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And you know what? Watson--a computer created by IBM--actually did win Jeopardy!

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Finally, don't forget to check out the interview with Nicole MacDonald below, if you haven't yet!

Have a wonderful weekend, bloggers!


-----The Golden Eagle

Some Things People Have Said

Here's a list:

"There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home."

{President and founder of Digital Equipment Kenneth Olsen, 1977.}

(Good heavens. You mean that I've been following a dying trend . . . ?)

"Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality in 10 years."

{President of vacuum company Lewyt Alexander Lewyt, 1957.}

(I want a nuclear-powered vacuum cleaner, 'cause that sounds like the ultimate dust-attacker. Apparently, they're quite overdue.)

"With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn't likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market."

{Business Week magazine, 1968.}

(And Toyota, Subaru, Suzuki, Mazda, Nissan, Mitsubishi are . . . what, Antarctic?)

"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value."

{French military strategist, future World War I Commander Marshal Ferdinand Foch, 1911.}

(Too bad the rest of the world didn't think so . . .)

"[Man will never reach the moon] regardless of all future scientific advances."

{Inventor of the audion tube and father of radio Dr. Lee De Forest, 1967.}

(What about women?)

"[Television] won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night."

{Head of 20th Century-Fox Darryl F. Zanuck, 1946.}

(Billions of people must be bored out of their minds, then.)

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."

{Western Union Internal Memo, 1876.}

(Email, right?)

"The Earth is the center of the universe."

{Ptolemy, 2nd Century.}

(And the USA is the center of the Earth.

Just kidding about that. Really. It's not. It's important, but not the center.)

"Nothing of importance happened today."

{King George III of England, July 4th 1776.}


(Nothing like, you know, the colonies declaring their independence from under good ol' George's rule?)

"Everything that can be invented has been invented."

{U.S. Commissioner of Patents, Charles H. Duell, 1899.}

(Then where were all the patents for computers and whatnot? Don't tell me the U.S. Patent Office has been holding out on us since 1899 . . .)

"These Google guys, they want to be billionaires and rock stars and go to conferences and all that. Let us see if they still want to run the business in two to three years."

{CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates, 2003.}

(Rock stars? You can become a rock star by starting up an Internet search provider? I'm there.)


Got anything to add? Any stupid/funny quotes you know of?

-----The Golden Eagle