Pdf to Mp4

Kevin and I were exercising and we came up with the idea that there should be an app that will take your pdf or book and make it into a mp4 video that will scroll through your document that you want to read.  It will do it at a pace that is at your reading speed.  If enough people have read the book you could get their average read speeds for various sections and set the speed accordingly.

I just had the idea that if we had a head/iris tracker we might be able to guestimate where on the page you are at and move the page accordingly.  They have it on Galaxy S4.  However, I’d imagine that if you are walking or running basing it off of your head or iris will be difficult as your head will be bobbing.  Also, you might scroll unintentionally.

Faucet version of Nebia

I had an idea this morning that i had forget but now remembered!  It wasn’t that good, but I still thought it’d be worth writing since I remembered :).  So, the idea was that faucets (like in your kitchen and bathroom) should have water atomizers like in the shower head that Nebia makes.  I don’t think that that unlike with the shower we’d want it to be adjustable so that if we wanted a fast stream of water we could and if we just wanted to wash our hands we could get the atomized version.  Because there are things like filling a water cup or whatever where we actually need it blasting.  Otherwise, we are wasting water.  We already have faucets that spray out a couple thin streams of water.  However, I hate those.  I think its because I don’t feel like my hands are wet enough.  I think if the spray was like the Nebia that I’d like it.

I think that this idea could go rather well with my other idea of putting a kinect like device for vision to control the faucet.  Then it could also control how the water would come out.

Bitcoin mining and Bounty hunting

I just now realized that the bounty systems is very similar to the bitcoin mining method for getting tasks done.  There can be multiple people working on the same mining job at the same time.  However, only the system that finishes first gets the reward.

According to a Quartz article on bitcoin mining

Or rather, some miners are rewarded. Miners are all competing with each other to be first to approve a new batch of transactions and finish the computational work required to seal those transactions in the ledger. With each fresh batch, winner takes all.

Math problem of the day

Since I’m taking my last semester of classes I realized that I might never take a math class again :(.  So, I was thinking to keep my math skills sharp I might start a problem of the day (or in some other increment).  I really don’t want to loose my mathematics skills.  Also, I can’t find anything like this for more of the advanced math like DE and probability theory stuff.  I’ll post the question along with my solution.  This might remind you of Project Euler, but I’m thinking that I’d like to keep the problems (at least for me) to those that require less computers and more mathematical tools.  So, basically they can be solved entirely with a pen and paper without a computer in less than a half hour.  Also, I’d like to then expand my own math skills so I might have a day where I find a problem from some graduate level math.  If I actually find I do this I might start its own page.

Letter from Calvin to Cranmer 1552

On the procrastination that softened the impact of the Reformation in England: a piercing critique written in season – To Thomas Cranmer, 1552
‘I, for my part, acknowledge that our cause has made no little progress during the short period the Gospel has flourished in England.

But if you reflect on what yet remains to be done, and how very remiss you have been in many matters, you will discover that you have no reason to advance towards the goal with less rapidity…lest after you have escaped danger, you should become self-indulgent.

But to speak freely, I greatly fear, and this fear is abiding, that so many autumns will be spent in procrastinating, that by and by the cold of a perpetual winter will set in…for external religious abuses have been corrected in such a way as to leave remaining innumerable young shoots, which are constantly sprouting forth.

In fact, I am informed that such a mass of Papal corruptions remain, as not only to hide, but almost to extinguish the pure worship of God.’ (Letters p.141)

(Copied from another wordpress blog here)  The full version I found here, google has the whole book for free.

Apparently in 1552 the Gospel is still new.  He is seems to be referencing the fact that although Christianity in the form of Catholosicm has been around for at least 500 years the Gospel and the Reformation on just began in 1517.  And he is correct.  There was a massive paradigm shift in terms of Christianity in a very short period.  However, with such a shift a lot of work is involved.

Therefore, Calvin is reminding and Cranmer (and to us too) that he still has much to do.  To make it relevant to us we have to think that we are called to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  So, by reflecting on this, we see that just like Cranmer we have no reason to slow down.

Calvin also comments on the fact that Cranmer has been remiss on many matters.  That to me was very curious.  I don’t know anything about Cranmer so I’ll ask about what was Calvin may be referring tonight.  Calvin just might be commenting on the fact that we are all generally remiss on matters, as we are human?  However, I’d surmise there is something more specific Calvin is referring to here.  I believe while reading the entire letter from google that Calvin brought up a few points about missuse of money and people that have stolen from the church.

I love how right after Calvin says that Cranmer has been remiss on many things and is in danger of becoming self-indulgent that he says “But to speak freely”.  I was like, what!  Calvin and Cranmer must have been pretty good friends because I’d say that so far he has been quite frank.  So, maybe this was a bit humorous.

Overall I think I’d like getting letters from Calvin.  He has a very nice style and is very forthwith.  I find that he has great tact and does a good job of encouraging and speaking the truth in love.

As Calvin ended the letter:

Adieu, most distinguished and esteemed Primate

Change

So, as a young person in the 90’s (and of course earlier) we didn’t photograph and video everything with everyone, everywhere at anytime.  We would just remember the events, forget them, or be reminded by others about them.  Currently we can and most do take pictures and video and share with everyone about pretty much everything.  I wonder what the long term affects of having pretty much everything digitally recorded about our lives will have on the memory and society?  Will our memories be more accurate or will just forget things more easily and can just look at them when we want.  We rely on Google or Facebook to tell us what was happening in our lives “at this date one year ago today”.

Certainly ethicists, philosophers and historians have discussed and considered the lasting effects of changes to society and how our current digitization of society will effect the world.  Will the future look back at the time when we couldn’t replay a nice summary of the day with disquietude while we look to the future where that is the case also with disquietude?

This brings me to the point of prejudice across time.  Culture is rooted in time and space.  But resisting change that is perceived as progress (pedestrian thinking haha) seems to be something that is socially unacceptable across time and space.  Will this ever change? Humans are natural hill-climbers