yonkeltron » Politics

Messing with OpenStreetMap

Jonathan Magen — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:31:34 +0000

Some people might not see the reason for a project like OpenStreetMap when there are plenty of good mapping products and services laying around. I am not one of them. Whenever I use a GPS, I think quite a bit about it’s inner workings. How does it figure out which route is best? How does it calculate things on the fly? All of these questions usually lead me to think, at one point or another, that it depends very much on the data. While most mapping services and individual GPS devices use various algorithms for calculating routes, etc. (prob based on some weighted graph or something), they also rely on different sets of map data. A GPS can only tell you where on the planet you are, not what road you are on. For that, it needs map data. The only issue is that all of the map data used by popular services is proprietary!

Enter, OpenStreetMap. Seeded with the geographical data made publicly available by various governments and public universities, OpenStreetMap provides Free (as in freedom, licensed under CC-BY-SA) map data to anyone who wants it. The data is usually in pretty good shape because the initial measurements are in good shape. However, things aren’t perfect. Lucky for the web, OpenStreetMap.org allows users to help improve the data in a number of ways.

First, users can upload GPS traces to help improve the quality of unmapped regions such as seriously-rural areas along with bike and hiking trails. Second, users are able to tweak the mapping data to correct errors. There are a number of ways to do this but OpenStreetMap.org has an online editor which lets you overlay OSM data onto sattelite imagery so you can move those roads, landmarks and the like into the right location. In about an hour, I had cleaned up much of my hometown and began to add local landmarks, parks and buildings. It’s quite easy.

The project itself seems off to a great start and the planet shows a fair bit of activity. In particular, I like the idea of mapping parties where people get together and work on a given area. This seems like a great way to give back to the community and I plan to float the idea at the next SCOSUG meeting.

Languages, platforms, paradigms and speed

Jonathan Magen — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:13:15 +0000

Ever since the latest round of Ruby benchmarks came out and everyone got all excited, I got to thinking about the overall discussion about languages and the interpreted vs. compiled debate. To be fair, there will always be those who take a specific side for some small-but-important-to-them reason yet this has not stopped so many projects from bridging the gap, albeit with varying degrees of success. In many instances, it comes down to the different approaches taken by various language themselves and the payoffs they offer.

In my investigation, I came across some very enlightening sources of information on the overall discussion of language speed, code optimization and the tension between different paradigms. Please peruse the following:

Compiling and Optimizing Scripting Languages – Google Tech Talk by one of the maintainers of phc, the PHP compiler.
Compiling Dynamic Languages – Another Google Tech Talk focusing on optimization of Python.
What To Know Before Debating Type Systems – From the neo-classics department, this essay by Chris Smith helped me gain a great deal of perspective with respect to type systems
LLVM stuff – Google Tech Talk about LLVM 2.0, tons of LLVM-related papers and presentations
A formally verified compiler back-end – Paper by Xavier Leroy that was too long for me to finish

Something missing from this list?

Back from the Saligman Israel Trip

Jonathan Magen — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:03:10 +0000

Just got back today from two weeks in Israel with the 8th grade from Saligman. Such a great trip and I’m struggling to get the last of the photos online but, in the meantime, here is a little something. On the flight back, I casually asked the El Al flight attendant on our Boeing 777 to reset my seat’s video terminal. My hunch was confirmed! The whole entertainment system is built using Linux!

New startup page

Jonathan Magen — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:10:32 +0000

After having Slashdot as my browser’s startup page for over 8 years now, I am switching to having Google Reader now displayed by default. I do this primarily because I am very annoyed by the changes Slashdot has made recently as it seems to be attempting to make itself more “Web 2.0″. When I hit my desk in the morning, all I want is my news. So, I’ve subscribed to the Slashdot RSS and will read it along with the other stuff. End of an era, I say.

Starting my own Israeli political party

Jonathan Magen — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:21:43 +0000

I’ve decided that, in honor of the Israeli elections, I’m going to start my own political party. The one rule: nothing you say can be understandable. Basically, it’ll fit in pretty well with the others. This new party will be headed by none other than Dror Avraham.

The DTV transition would happen as scheduled if it wasn’t for those meddling congresspeople

Jonathan Magen — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:04:25 +0000

Sadly, the DTV transition has been delayed until the summer. Grumble.

DTV transition will not be delayed!

Jonathan Magen — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:01:49 +0000

Here’s one for getting it over with. It seems that the bill before the house (looks like H.R. 339) proposing that the DTV transition will be delayed has failed to pass. Hat tip to Slashdot. The magic begins on Feb 17th!

Bet on the future

Jonathan Magen — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:01:14 +0000

Post over at TechCrunch reveals the launch of a startup called Nostradomical which encourages users to vote on future events. This newcomer is In good company with other companies like HubDub, Predictify, NewsFutures, The Foresight Institute and Intrade. Interestingly enough, Intrade allows you to bet real money for real returns while Predictify only gives cash prizes.

Prediction markets seem to be a hot thing to the point where there is even a Prediction Market Industry Association (PMIA). In fact, it would seem that some have even proposed prediction markets as a way to drive, or even replace, government. I’d bet that a futarchy is a bad idea.

Whole-currency-unit coins are good stuff

Jonathan Magen — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:17:47 +0000

The other day, I received four dollar coins as change from a vending machine. I forgot how much I love them! In fact, during my last visit to Canada a few years ago, I recall being quite smitten with the utility of the loonie, toonie and friends. Naturally, I am equally fond of the shekel coins found in Israel. Why haven’t more people learned to love these wonderfully-convenient pieces of currency? In all fairness, some actually do like it. We make such heavy usage of fractional coins that it seems only natural to stay the course and use a full-dollar piece! Just a thought…

Finally, Debian Lenny to be released as stable!

Jonathan Magen — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:34:29 +0000

Question: Can I have stable Lenny yet?
Answer: Yes. Yes, I can.

Saw this article (hat tip to Mukidohime)which pointed me to this email telling me that the kernel firmware resolution was finally voted on and Debian Lenny is now free to be released! It’s a good thing and I’m very excited for the goodies which will show up in Squeeze, set to be the new testing. Also saw this article on Ars Technica and this post on OStatic.