Moderate use of computer resources and good net citizenship both are issues which are close to my heart. I recently started to worry that, quite inevitably, I have become one among the culprits. At the time of writing, I use about 30 Pentium 4′s, some of which will run computer vision experiments for 24 hours. This is done due to urgency (a near deadline), but my general advice is to always set the priority of your tasks as low as possible so that the scheduler prioritises other users.

I typically connect to remote computers via SSH. I have made my ‘hogging’ scripts public in case somebody is interested in modifying them for personal purposes.

Remote sessions, shaded on the left monitor (click to enlarge)

Bill Gates arrested in his younger days (photo in public domain)

A popular article from Joel on Software explains about the way Microsoft-owned sites exploit/misuse cookies.

…One day, Expedia could start offering higher fares to customers who have more than a million dollars in their Investor stock portfolio. There’s not really anything technically impossible about this, and it’s probably legal, too…
 
…The scary thing is that if you use Internet Explorer, Microsoft controls your web browser…

Filters and forwarding make management of a large amount of E-mail easier. Based on sender/s or subject line/s, one can create and populate many separate boxes. Each box is then checked at different intervals depending on its importance.

Remember:

• A sophisticated network of filters is like having your own secretary.
• Manage many different E-mail addresses. Messages are best discriminated by the actual account.

Separating boxes is the key

Slashdot report on Skype-ready phones from Motorola. These are devices that are designed to operate over the Internet, thereby making phonecall virtually free.

…one could use Skype for outgoing calls near wi-fi hotspots (essentially free) but default on GSM for outgoing calls in areas that lack coverage…

This takes us a step closer to communication that is purely-Internet based.

Pictures are much stronger than words, so here is a presentation of the spherical Longhorn (the next release of Windows) interface versus a Linux equivalent. These desktop environments provide an illusion that the user is ‘surrounded’ by the workspace. Click the images to enlarge.

On the left: Screen-shot of Metisse for FVWM

On the right: Screen-shot from a Microsoft meeting/demo in Chicago

A test that I found on Dvorak Uncensored scores multiple-choice questions and determines your level of geekiness. Have a go at the Nerd test. I got 89 myself.

Bill Gates arrested in his younger days (photo in public domain)

Appearance Models (AM) and Active Appearance Models (AAM) are well-established techniques, which can be used to model objects, synthesise images and interpreting images. You can see visual examples (videos) of Appearance Models, Active Appearance Models, and their use in Tracking at the Web site of their primary inventor, Dr. Tim Cootes. His site also offers excellent software for non-commercial use (see screen-shot below).