Found this PDF via Google, it’s one of the best references for video formats, tape formats and other technical specifications for digital video I’ve seen in one place.

Digital Television Standards (pdf)

I started on a longish posting tonight and wanted to include some hand-drawn diagrams when I realized (again) how much I still hate the whole process of including images in web pages. Ten years later and it’s still just a total drag. I swear I originally got into computer graphics because I hated scanning physical art.

A remarkable collection of illustrated and animated Sorting Algorithms with links to Java source code. Seeing how Quicksort compares to other methods of sorting reinforces why it’s one of the most important algorithms in current use. This page has examples of Quicksort implementations in a bunch of languages.

Quicksort uses a recursive divide and conquor approach to sorting lists. It was created by Tony Hoare in 1960.

Here’s another QuickSort animation which shows exactly what is happening during the sort. It’s a little slow, but after watching one or two iterations, it’s very, very easy to see what is happening.

While I don’t understand how they measure the O(n) space optimization, I love the thinking that goes into these.

No church bells this year, at least none that seemed to correspond to anything. I walked by two fire stations; Engine 5 is across the street from my apartment, Ladder 3 is on 13th Street between 3rd and 4th. There was some sort of family lunch inside the ladder 3 station house, I passed by quickly not wanting to gawk. Engine 5 had flowers outside the door. There weren’t any earlier in the morning when we headed to the playground at Tompkin’s Square.

For much of the day I was trying to figure out why I felt a certain numbness to this anniversary. Today was another milestone in time, but September 11th, 2001 has never left me. Earlier I looked at several photos and read a few stories which hardened the pit in my stomach, but in some ways it felt like I was forcing the pain. Maybe that’s what today is supposed to do.

I haven’t forgotten. There are constant reminders and, as one friend described it, there is “a certain low level paranoia about living in New York City.” I notice it most when I’m not here.

The Towers of Light are back and I can see them from our front window. I considered walking down to get a closer look and some photos, but decided to stay in and work instead.

September 11, 2003
September 11, 2002
September 11, 2001

Astounding realization: I went all the way through college without ever owning a computer.

well that didn’t take very long.

Reasons I haven’t posted anything recently (in no particular order):

• Construction in two-thirds of our apartment for the past 2+ months. I seem to be co-contracting, co-constructing and co-suffering.
• Thinking a lot about the connectedness of information, or lack thereof. Knowledge doesn’t necessarily improve itself, corrections don’t always stick to the things they’re correcting. Will something ever thread weblogs into a cohesive timeline of information? This is sort of like the main construct of Hesse’s Magister Ludi: The Glass Bead Game, the essence of Hesse’s “game” is the connection of knowledge into threads and weavings showing the interconnectedness of all subjects. I’d settle for informational glue which gloms refutations and addendums onto original works. Too many people spend too much time reading subjects or ideas which have been disproved. I don’t have time for that and delving into an obsolete subject is deeply frustrating.
• Thinking a lot about politics. No intention of opening that can of worms here (or dealing with the inevitable aftermath)
• Good code is happening. One of my goals at WWDC was to pick up better programming practices, gleaning better working practices and methods from people who were formally trained or otherwise excelled in the art of programming. That happened. I’m working faster and smarter than ever before. Code’s now in CVS, my homemade “compiler” and other AppleScript tools are making working faster and easier.
• Things at the office keep breaking.
• I have to go out for coffee. A double-esspresso over ice at Starbucks (“iced dopio?, ugh.”) is $2.06. There are two starbucks within a five minute walk from my house. The coffee is dependable but uninspired. But I’m a junkie and need caffeine to make it through the afternoon.
• This site seems stale to me. I want to redo it, but I can’t spare the time right now. Also, the thinking about connecting information is complicating any ideas I have towards redesigning. Maybe I’ll figure out how to post from my phone, I’m getting good at T9Word entry and tend to have more disconnected thought snippets while I’m away from my computer.
• Blogging about blogging is boring. Just typing that out was boring. I don’t have time for boring.
• I’m red-lining the Stress-O-Meter, but in a good way, generally.
• Mostly, I’m just busy, fulfilled and exhausted. No shortage of ideas, just spending more time making things than talking about things I won’t make. Lots of big stuff stewing in back.