Quantum Theology

Nikon Software Development Issues

michael.dufel — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 01:14:12 +0000

I’m rapidly getting edumacated in the ways of C/C++ development on the OS X platform. I’ve been having a LOT of issues related to the relationship between binaries and dynamic libraries which might be complied for either the PowerPC or Intel architectures. This is because the dynamic libraries that Nikon has for the D40 are compiled on the PowerPC architecture, while my laptop and some key programs running on it are either Universal or Intel binaries. You can’t link to a PowerPC library from an Intel executable.

After HOURS and HOURS of doing some strange things to try to get around this issue, I discovered that the SDK for the D60 uses the SAME libraries but are Universal! Oh man, what a lucky find.

I’ve just now gotten a simple PERL script to load the libraries without crashing … now to write some usefull code.

Nikon Hacking

michael.dufel — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 04:10:11 +0000

I’d like to try my hand at HDR photography … but the Nikon D40 leaves something to be desired due to it’s lack of exposure bracking. This make things difficult because you need to adjust the shutter speed by hand, which means I have to jostle the camera between exposures.

Not good.

The two alternatives are to either use a single RAW image, or perhaps use software to control the camera. Of these two alternatives, the latter will probably make a better HDR. The nice thing about the Nikon cameras is that you can control everything from a USB cable attached to a PC or Mac. The bad thing is that the camera control software from Nikon will set you back about 100 bucks and its not specialized enough for what I want to do.

I took the liberty of downloading the Nikon SDK which handles the RAW image format as well as controlling the camera from the USB interface. Of course, it’s written in C which makes things ackward since I’m not the best C hacker around. I considered writing a JNI interface so that I could control things from within Java, but from experience I know that JNI can be a major pain in the butt. An alternative I’m pursuing now is to wrap the SDK in the PERL scripting language. This should in theory allow me to write scripts on the fly to make my camera do what I want.

There are some open-source command line tools for HDR image processing, so it’s quite possible that I will eventually be able to write a script that will take the pictures from the camera, convert them into an appropriate format, and run them through the HDR software. I’d be able to see the results nearly instantly instead of having to go through the time consuming process of navigating cumbersome menu’s.

I’ve gotten so far as getting the code to compile in XCode, but I fear that I will have to re-write the example code that comes with the SDK as it’s more suited for use in an application than in a library. It looks like a lot of work ahead, but it’s a fun change of pace from my normal programming fare.

I don’t know C#

michael.dufel — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:30:46 +0000

But I’m betting that putting ‘GC.collect()’ inside a heavily used method is a bad idea.

The Difference Between Big Towns And Small Towns

michael.dufel — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:38:37 +0000

I am supposed to get some additional hardware for my home office. The question was asked if my house was secure. People who know me should get a giggle at that. Of course I answered ‘yes, but of course.’ I’m sure they were thinking about people with ski masks raiding my house. I was thinking about mountain lions and bears. They detected a strangeness in my tone, so they next inquired if I had an alarm system. I simply said, “I have a gun.” The silence was priceless!!

Is it getting time to buy stocks again?

michael.dufel — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:32:33 +0000

Or is it the end of western financial supremacy?

Do you double down or get out while the getting is good?

How you decide this could either make you rich or poor.

British Humor I Actually Get

michael.dufel — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:43:49 +0000

It’s a bit long, but you will be rewarded at the 8th minute mark.

Quite Possibly The Best Daily Show Clip

michael.dufel — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:23:56 +0000

A Few Good Men

michael.dufel — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:02:23 +0000

All senators aren’t corrupt or lacking in wisdom, it’s just the vast majority.

Bernie Sanders and Jim Bunning are a few good men in a den of thieves.

Sub prime society

michael.dufel — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:19:13 +0000

From following the financial crisis and the response by law makers, I have come to the conclusion that our entire society is sub-prime from bottom to top. We have sub prime voters who act sub prime in their jobs and who vote in sub prime politiicans who make sub prime legislation and sub prime foreign policy choices. In this respect it’s hardly surprising that we have a sub-prime financial system.

I was pleased that a lot of legislators voted down the bail out bill, but that only lasted until I heard their reasons for opposition. They voted ‘no’ but for the WRONG REASONS because they don’t have a clue. They voted ‘no’ because of a lack of restrictions on short selling and because they actually thought the problems could go away if the accountants can simply make up values for their assets. When our leaders say idotic stuff like this I just KNOW that the country lacks the constitution to solve the upcoming entitlement fiscal crisis.

Thoughts On The Financial Bailout Of Bad Men In Suits Drinking Starbucks And Talking On BlackBerry’s

michael.dufel — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:59:05 +0000

Folks, the sad reality is that we have a subprime financial system which is insolvent. I think that there are some realistic options. You either have government remove the bad assets from the banks balance sheet, or you have the banks default on their obligations, or you print a lot of money and hand it over to the banks. I’m sure there are other things that could happen, I just don’t know what they are. The bottom line is that we only get to pick who pays and when. There is no solution where the problem just magically goes away.

Clearly the system is not as we would like, but wishing we had a better system won’t stop the current system from sinking us all. A bailout of some form is necessary to deal with the limitations of the current system.

Paulson’s plan for buying up the bad assets at above market prices will probably work. Here is the problem. Paulson and his banker friends want the bailout to happen without any downside to them personally, or in the fundamental way in which they do business. In other words, they want business to continue as usual after this unfortunate affair. This is like carting away the dead bodies from some guy on a shooting ramage without shooting the perp. A great deal for the perp, but not so good for the victims.

The system as it exists today is a systemic risk and needs to be fundamentally changed. Financial innovation is a good thing. Securitization of mortgages is a good thing. Making money is a good thing. Perverse bonus systems which reward risky and destructive behavior is a bad thing. Giving golden parachutes to CEO’s who wipe out their shareholders is a bad thing. The bribery of congress is a bad thing. The existence of institutions which are too big to fail is a bad thing. In general, the lack of accountability is a bad thing.

In order for capitalism to work, you need a way for good decision makers to be rewarded and bad decision makers to fail. This system needs to be restored. Your neighbor who purchased a home he/she couldn’t afford should not be allowed to keep the home and should not get special treatment of any kind including any sort of loan workout deal. Senior management at public corporations have great incentives to the upside if a company does well. They also need to share in the downside if the company does poorly. We need to FORCE companies to be truthfull and transparant when making public statements to shareholders and failures to do so should require either termination or even jail time.

It seems that the liberals want to have to government get shares in any bank that gets the bailout. Government ownership isn’t the answer. The government that can’t fiscally manage the country shouldn’t be allowed to influence others unless it can prove it can manage it’s own affairs. Bailing out homeowners isn’t the answer either. Why should the system protect those who can’t read a loan document or accurately calculate what they can or can’t afford?

It seems that being fiscally conservative has meant cutting taxes while running up deficits, and allowing the market to function without any meaningful oversight. This is just as flawed as what the liberals want. Running up deficits is nothing more than a scheme to tax your children for what you consume today. Capitalism is an unstable system without a minimum of controls. The root of capitalism is self interest and greed, and these vices will consume the system if not checked. It’s not that we didn’t have controls, it’s just that nobody was around to make sure they were followed in the manner in which they were intended. What’s the point of public SEC filings if content is a bunch of lies, half truths, and obfuscations?

Is a bailout necessary? I’d say that it is. I’d also say that after the bailout, the system should be fundamentally reformed. Unfortunately, the liberals don’t get it and neither does the current crop of conservatives. The sad reality is that the system is only as good as those who run it. While the constitutional government and capitalistic market works well even in the face of bad people, no system can work when the corrupt, evil, and incompetent fill every level and every office.

At this point, I wonder if it might be better for the entire system to crumble. At some point you have to stop trying to patch the levy and start building a new one. I didn’t leave the Republican party because I disagreed with the stated platform, I left because the leaders have shown a willingness to circumvent the constitution, place party loyalty over competence and in doing so have shown an ineptness at running the government itself. They have shown a propensity for corruption, and failed to demonstrate any kind of integrity or values in how they conduct our business, while they speak of the same in their speeches. They have appealed to fear instead of courage, and foolishness instead of sober reason. The political parties need to be refined by fire and the dross cleared before I will consider another vote for the status quo.

The Bible holds leaders to a higher moral, ethical, and professional standard. I think that’s sound advice.