Jim Huggins

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Jim Huggins

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Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Jim Huggins" journal:

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May 17th, 2012
05:33 pm [Link]	Iran threatens to sue Google for not labeling Persian Gulf - CNN.com Iran threatens to sue Google for not labeling Persian Gulf - CNN.com This article illustrates why geography is still important. (Though I confess that I have a bit of T.S. Eliot running through my head ... "the naming of cats is a difficult matter" ....) Current Mood: thoughtful (Leave a comment)
April 18th, 2012
11:58 am [Link]	People Aren't Smart Enough for Democracy to Flourish, Scientists Say - Yahoo! News People Aren't Smart Enough for Democracy to Flourish, Scientists Say - Yahoo! News This is a provocative article ... and reflects my own experience with democratic organizations. The alternatives aren't necessarily much better, of course. But we all should have the humility to recognize that democratic organizations don't always produce idea results. Current Mood: contemplative (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
April 9th, 2012
02:30 pm [Link]	In search of passion, and a few geocaches It's been an odd few months, professionally (and, by implication, personally). So, while I'm sitting here avoiding work (tis always thus on the first day back from vacation, right?), I think I'll finally pull my thoughts together ... as much for my own reflective benefit as anyone else's. Disclaimer: this is long, introspective, and perhaps a bit whiny. Read on at your own risk. ( Read more... ) Current Mood: thoughtful Tags: self-reflection (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
February 20th, 2012
08:37 am [Link]	If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It: Ancient Computers in Use Today \| PCWorld If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It: Ancient Computers in Use Today \| PCWorld This is a marvelous story. It shows one of the important ways that computing is different from other modern systems. Old computer programs don't fall apart like old bridges do. In fact, the older a program is, the more likely it is to be more effective than a new program, since old bugs have probably been found and fixed. Current Mood: impressed (Leave a comment)
February 15th, 2012
11:07 am [Link]	Pacifist Gaming (?) Apparently, this is a thing now. I'm suitably impressed. Virtual Pacifism (from On The Media) In other words ... if you don't like the rules that other people use to play the game, choose your own rules. (Hm. Something profound in that ... which I probably need to learn ...) Current Mood: impressed (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
January 19th, 2012
10:43 am [Link]	The Gentleman Hacker of 1903 - On The Media Think hacking is a new phenomenon? Check this out ... The Gentleman Hacker of 1903 - On The Media Current Mood: impressed (Leave a comment)
December 30th, 2011
08:33 pm [Link]	2011: the year in review (meme) Swiped from the Internet somewhere ... ( meme ) Current Mood: contemplative (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
November 24th, 2011
10:31 am [Link]	In Person: Falling Off the Ladder: How Not to Succeed in Academia - Science Careers - Biotech, Pharm In Person: Falling Off the Ladder: How Not to Succeed in Academia - Science Careers - Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Faculty, Postdoc jobs on Science Careers Mark Guzdial posted this link to his blog back in February ... and I just got the chance to read it now. (Yes, I'm terribly behind in reading my email, why do you ask?) The story is haunting ... in part, because it resonates so much with how I'm feeling professionally at the moment. Why is it that the things that I find interesting to do aren't as rewarded by the surrounding institutional structures as those made by others? Why am I unwilling to acknowledge the rewards I have received, and keep coveting the rewards I haven't? While I'm not in Dr. Weston's position of feeling "pushed" out of academia, I do find myself wondering if my life choices have put me into a position where I'm professionally stranded. And yet, what's wrong with being "stranded" in a job that I love, doing work that I love, with a life that I love? Am I really so concerned about the approval of others? (Sadly ... I probably am.) When I think about these issues, I keep coming back to two quotes ... The Grandfather in The Princess Bride: "Who says life is fair?" Steve Jobs: "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." Current Mood: contemplative (Leave a comment)
November 9th, 2011
02:23 pm [Link]	GPS Tracking and the (U.S.) Fourth Amendment Supreme Court Hears Arguments in GPS Case (from NPR) This is an interesting case which touches on many things we discuss in my computing ethics course: the nature and scope of privacy, how new technologies interact with societal norms, the need to balance privacy and liberty against security, and so on. Current Mood: thoughtful (1 comment \| Leave a comment)
November 7th, 2011
01:18 pm [Link]	Loops - Radiolab Loops - Radiolab I'm a big fan of RadioLab. This particular episode has elements appealing to my mathematical side --- how the concept of "zero" relates to loops and infinity, and a wonderful exposition on the mathematical concepts of undecidability and mathematical incompleteness. As usual, the Radiolab folks find a way to present the information in a manner accessible by ordinary (educated) folks. It's well worth an hour of your time. Current Mood: impressed (Leave a comment)

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