OK, I promised I'd have something... while waiting for the app to get final review approval to post to the webOS store, here is a video demo of the application I created:

Basically, it's kitty crack software.... cats will stare at this for ages, many will find themselves trying to pin the toy under their paw, and be rewarded when they do!  

https://developer.palm.com/appredirect/?packageid=com.wtflolomgbbq.haxe.vct

Video Source: YouTube

Download Video

 If you were lucky enough to get a Touchpad, cool... I've been working on an app for webOS, and I should be getting it to the Market soon. This one is tailored for cat lovers, and I hope it's a hit.

My next post will hopefully be able to give more details.

...as for the Touchpad, what a deal. $99 for a 16GB 10" Tablet! Rumor has it that HP will be making more of them, and I can't say it's a bad strategy if HP hopes to unload Palm to a mobile phone manufacturer, since the gain in market share will psh the value of Palm back up above any loss incurred in the "fire sale".

What I can say is that webOS is a great platform, probably the best tablet OS out there, and it would be a shame if this ends up being its swan song.

This might be a little long, but I felt I needed to explain what has been happening with me in the past 6 months or so...

If you had asked me what I thought of the idea of having a cancerous tumor inside my eye, I'd probably have said that it sounds like the scariest thing I could have happen to me. In reality, it probably is one of the worst ways to get cancer... why? because it can evade detection until it is too late, and as I've read up on Ocular Melanoma, it tends to be extremely aggressive once it metastasizes. It's a "Primary Cancer" - that is, it isn't caused by other cancer in the body. Detection seems to be the main key to recovering from this sort of cancer, with treatment ranging from my own radiation therapy to removal of the eye.

In August of 2010, I went to the eye doctor for the first time in 8 years, looking to get a better prescription. During the exam, the optometrist discovered an issue with my retina, and pointed out that I had lost some of my peripheral vision in my right eye. I had "noticed" this, but I hadn't really "acknowledged" the issue since the blind spot was in my vision to the upper left of the right eye (toward the center of my brow). They took images of the spot they saw on the back of my optic nerve, and referred me to a retinal specialist. A week later, I got the bad news from the retinal specialist - the spot was a lump. They referred me to University of Michigan's Kellogg Eye Center in Ann Arbor. The retinal specialist asked if I saw any flashes, and of course, once I went to bed that night, I saw them... or at least I finally paid attention to them. "Glints" throbbing along the area of my vision where the blind spot was, i.e. at the edge of the lump over my optic nerve. Ugh... this was going to drive me nuts, between the things I ignored before, and now noticed, and the very scary thought that I might have a cancerous tumor in my eye.

My visit to the Kellog Eye center in early September brought the awful reality of the situation to full light: it was cancer. Four hours of poking and prodding... including an ultrasound that was performed directly on the surface of my eyeball. The ultrasound was not the worst thing I'd have to endure; and in retrospect, was not nearly as bad as I had envisioned. They applied numbing drops to my eye, and most of the time the probe was at the inside corner of my eye. The buzzing sound the probe made was reminiscent of a dentists drill, but logically, I knew there would be no harm done to my eye. Really, it was that thought that got me through - nothing they did to my eye would cause it any real harm. All I had to do was endure the brief periods where they needed to do something directly to my eye.

Very quickly, they scheduled radiation therapy, and before I could actually have the operation done, I also needed to get a full cancer screening to insure the cancer had not spread. A full cancer screening meant a doctor's physical, chest x-rays, liver function test, and an ultrasound or CAT scan of my abdomen. Cleared of obvious signs of the cancer spreading, I was ready for my operation. I also met with the radiologist who was preparing the radioactive plaque for implantation… I asked him if the radiation would cause other problems, given that it was essentially right next to my brain, and was assured it would not be an issue. The Ocular Oncologists had already informed me that the radiation would, however, impact my vision, since it would also kill a significant part of the “good” optic nerve.

The plan was pretty straightforward... I would go in Monday, and the doctors would implant a radioactive plaque (chip, if you prefer the term) containing a specific amount of material, directly onto my eye beneath the tumor. Some muscle would be cut and the chip was sewn into place... I was put under general anesthesia for the treatment, so I awoke with gauze taped over my eye and a “shield” in place (this was a large radiation shield, which covered about a quarter of my face). I would keep the shield over my eye, and the gauze, until the radioactive chip was removed on Friday afternoon. I was not allowed to be in the company of anybody for more than 20 or so minutes at a time, and I’d have to sleep alone to minimize exposure to others. I had painkillers to help with the dull throbbing pain from the implant, but for the most part, I felt better than I had in some time. The glints gave way to a strange sparkling that branched out around the edges of my blind spot. The strain on my left eye was bad… it was very difficult to work without taking many breaks.

On Friday, I was ready to get the radioactive chip removed. After the operation Monday, I was prepared to have them put me under, but that was when they informed me they were putting me under “MAPS” – not general anesthesia. I would “not care about it and forget about it” but I would be conscious for the operation… yikes. My anxiety level rose as they wheeled me to the operating room, but that was the last thing I remembered. As it turned out, I had pain issues, and they put me under general during the operation. Removal of the plaque was followed up by laser therapy, and I awoke about 4 hours later, the familiar gauze taped over my right eye, but thankfully, no radiation shield. I was informed I would have a follow up in a month or so to examine the eye, and that I would have two more laser therapy sessions – one in 4 months and another in 8 months. I would use Atropine drops daily in my eyes, and apply antibiotic ointment 3 times a day to the eye (by “scooping” it into my lower eyelid)

When I finally removed the gauze, I found that my vision was, well, just plain terrible in my right eye. Double-vision, and obvious weakness in muscle control, made things like driving very difficult, particularly night time driving. It took several weeks before I felt as though my vision had recovered well enough to attempt driving. Even so, eyeblinks were enough to throw my right eye “off” and skew my vision sometimes.

One of the things I noticed after the operation, when putting in the eyedrops, was a large “lava lamp-like” black blob that descended on my vision when I tilted my head back. In the course of the operation, some blood, apparently, had gotten into my eye, and I was seeing the remnants of the blood as my vitreous humor rolled around. When I figured out what this was, it didn’t bother me as much. Blood take a LONG time to absorb back into your system inside the eye. It would eventually shrink to nothing.

By the time I had my follow up exam, the right eye was still very blurry, but my overall vision wasn’t too bad (the left eye provided detail, the right eye helped with depth perception). The exam provided some positive news – the biopsy came back negative for metastasization of the tumor, and also, it was a “Type A” Colloidal Melanoma, apparently the less malignant form of the cancer. All signs pointed to a good recovery and that the cancer had not spread. The tumor was shrinking as expected, and my vision would continue to become less blurry, particularly after I stopped using the Atropine drops used to keep the eye dilated. I continued to use the ointment, as needed. Besides another ultrasound on the eyeball, I also had one scary moment when the doctor proceeded to take out a pair of tweezers and tug at a stitch that still remained on my eye!!  This was more disconcerting than painful, and the doctor quickly responded by having more numbing drops put in to easy my discomfort.

By mid-November, I made an interesting discovery when out shopping with my son… though my right eye’s vision was still a bit blurry, I could see 3D (as in 3D TV) just fine. When I had been informed that I’d probably lose most of the vision in my right eye, over the next several years, I made a vow to get a new plasma HDTV with 3D capability to replace our old 720p Rear-Projection CRT TV. I had already put aside money for the purchase, so upon learning that my eyesight was good enough to enjoy 3D TV, we went ahead and purchased a Samsung 58” Plasma with the 3D extras (Shrek 3D kit with 2 glasses and a Blu-Ray player).

Now it is mid-February, and after 2 attempts, I finally got my “4 month” laser therapy done. My original appointment was on January 19, but I opted to reschedule the actual therapy until February 2^nd, because the examination took too much out of me. Unfortunately, February 2^nd was the day of our big storm, and I had to reschedule again (this time for the 16^th).

After all the rest of it, the laser therapy caused me a bit of anxiety… the doctor had informed me that it would be painful, so I was unsure what to expect. As it turned out, the painful part turned out to be the injections they had to give me directly under my eye, performed like the dentist does in the gums. It felt worse because thee ae a lot of nerves there, and, well, it’s my eye… the squirting noises from the syringe didn’t help matters, but once they were done, my eye became immobilized and eventually, my eyelid drooped down as well. At that point, the doctor took out some sort of “lens” device, flopped open my eyelid with his thumb, and placed the lens on my eye. The eyelid dropped over the lens (there was some sort of lip around it to keep the eyelid from closing in front of it). The procedure at that point was pain-free and quick – about 10~15 minutes, with the doctor moving around his light to observe the tumor as he aimed the laser at it and burned the edges of the tumor. As he depressed the foot pedal, a tone emitted with the activation of the laser (no other sign the laser was doing anything, for me at least) and he called out different strength levels to the assistant. No pain during the therapy itself or afterward. When he was done, he pulled the device (which “plopped” out from the eyelid that was closed around it), put gauze on the eye, and I was ready to go.

My eye was frustratingly immobile until I went to sleep that night. Eyestrain was bad again, but it was only a few hours. When I awoke the next morning, I could tell my eyelids could open behind the gauze, so I removed it and beyond the blurriness, I at least had some vision in my right eye.

That was a few days ago, and my right eye is still slightly blurry, but I can read text, at least. No pain from the therapy at all.

At this point, I have one more follow up in 4 months and everything looks good for full recovery.

I’d like to add that the doctors at the University of Michigan are great, particularly Dr. Demirci. I hope my story can help others who may have to go through the same procedure… it may be daunting, but it can be endured. Please make sure you get regular eye exams, and when you something amiss, take notice! Had I not had my exam when I did, I’d probably be terminal and counting the days. I was very fortunate to also have a path of treatment that, while uncomfortable at times, was far easier than people that must undergo chemotherapy or actually have surgery to remove cancers.

One last thing before I sign off on this story for now… remember when the doctors told me the radiation would only affect my eye? I’m not too sure about that. I was looking through some digital photos we took with one of our cameras, from 2005 – and a strange cat appears in one of them, in our house (we currently have 4 cats). While my family remembers “Tigger” I do not. Not one single memory of this cat, which according to my wife, had heart problems and we eventually had to put him to sleep after several trips to the vet. How I could forget this cat is beyond me… it’s like the memory was plucked clean out of my head! My suspicion is that the radiation somehow took out a key neuron linking my memory of this cat. I have come across nothing else in my experience that might be “missing” from my memory… no technical knowledge, family members, friends… I can account for quite a bit of memory through my life, trips I’ve taken, for both vacation and work, cars I owned, etc… but this cat, “Tigger” still eludes me today. Small price to pay, I guess, for escaping death. 

UPDATE: A couple of months ago I underwent my final laser therapy, and the doctor let me know that the tumor continues to shrink. Basically, it's going as good as can be expected, though I'll have to make regular checkups and cancer screenings for the rest of my life. The eyesight in my right eye is getting a little "wonky" - a little blurriness in tiny, random spots that become noticable when I close my left eye; this is due to the radiation treatment, and was expected.

Anybody besides me notice that Google's searches have become sloppy to the point of being completely useless to do specific searches?

The default behavior used to be that Google would only return results for pages that contained EVERY word in your search term, unless you went into "Advanced" - but now, it may turn up thousands more hits, mostly with pages that only contain two or three of your search terms. A few years ago, this sometimes happened as people stuffed metadata into their pages to "catch" searchers, but this isn't the case with thes errant results. So what is going on with Google? Even going into "Advanced Search" and specifying the terms in the "Must Contain All These Words" entry doesn't return the correct search results.

This whole mess wouldn't bother me so much if it still managed to return useful results, perhaps with pages that had all my words in the body of the pages at the top, metadata following below those, and the partial hits past that, but often the top result contains half my keywords (and none present in metadata, including the "cached" version Google indexed, which is sometimes gamed by unscrupulous web admins to include extra data when it sees the google crawler accessing a page), and that's just unacceptable. I will start my search (pardon the pun) for a search engine that actually does what it says it's doing, returning results based on my keywords, and not some vague notion of results. I'm not sure why Google is doing this, but if Bing, or some other searh engine can provide more accurate results. It's interesting that for the 9 term search I was using, Bing returned a reasonable 1600+ results, while Google returned 23,400+, and if any of Google's actually had all 9 terms, I didn't find them in the first few hits. Yahoo returned 1200+ hits, and again, using the cached versions, found the terms I had searched on.

OK, I've had to deal with numerous trojan infections on my sons' machines over the years, ad a few on my Mom's machine, as well (usually thanks to my youngest being a bit overzealous about installing downloaded programs). It's always a pain, and I'm always reminded, when I begin the long task of recovering from these infected computers, of the severe lack of effective tools when it comes to dealing with the problem.

Perhaps the biggest problem is that the evil people designing malware are just too smart, but it amazes me how spotty the anti-malware/trojan tools really are.

Hijackthis is always lauded for being such a great tool, yet all too often, checking "fix" to disable a startup item results in no action whatsoever. Most antivirus and anti-malware apps have also become victim of the "cry wolf" syndrome, insisting that many legit programs are some sort of virus-infected apps, because they may be keygens or patchers (yeah, yeah, piracy is bad, whatever, my antivirus program shouldn't be giving me inaccurate information, at any rate.). Worse, many of the apps never do a damn thing when a trojan "tweaks" policies or registry entries to disable programs.

On a recent recovery operation, MalwareBytes came through in spades (after I had manually cleaned out the trojan executables), discovering some confounding registry entries that were causing many critical apps to fail, including my antivirus app!! Made aware of this incredibly dangerous registry entry, I've decided to create my own tool, HeatSeeker, to ferret out applications that perform suspicious hooks into the system and give those of us with some bit of knowledge, a more powerful tool in rooting out infections.

I'm currently working on it, so that's all I'll say for now, but expect a post here in a few weeks. My idea is simply to suppliment the existing tools, with an app you run in Safe Mode/Administrator to find anything suspicious, and present the user with a list, and REAL INFORMATION that will allow them to make a semi-informed decision. I expect to delve deep into the internal functions of Windows to figure out what apps might be dangerous, remove those files and registry entries, and give you a fighting chance to recover your system without having to re-install Windows. Files marked as  hidden, or with permissions tweaked to prevent their access will no longer be a problem.

In short, I'm sick of getting punked by the scum that write these apps, and I'm fighting back.

How will this tool be used? As I stated above, you'll run this in SAFE MODE, and after it provides a list of potential villians, you'll "fix" those villians and then run your normal suite of antivirus/malware tools to clean out the rest of it. Ideally, I'd also like to add in lspfix functionality (for trojans that hook into your network stack) and even the ability to read registry hives directly (so you can run this from a "bootable windows" disc)

Wow... played on a touch screen table, this really looks cool. My only issue is that a touch screen table is of limited usefulness for a lot of the things I do now.

This is pretty cool... a company is taking buildings, developing a 3-D model to synchronize the animation, and projecting fantastic displays including balls of light, water falling, and even a collapsing facade!

It reminds me of what these guys did... projecting  a "prison escape" onto the wall of an actual prison - realistic enough to cause the guards to sound the alarm!

I'd like to take a moment to discuss where video technology will take us in the next decade with movies. Let's start by looking where we've been and where we are....

In the dawn of the TV era, the only movies we could enjoy on TV were those broadcast from TV stations. In the late 60s/early 70s came cable and the "pay channel" stations, which revolutionized TV by bringing commercial-free, first run movies into your living room... but even that was a short-lived revolution, as the video tape recorder made its debut. We all know the battle between Betamax and VHS, and for a little more than a decade after VHS won that battle, tape ruled. Laserdisc, a superior (though still "analog") technology was relegated as a sideline, due to its inability to record and higher cost. DVD came along in the mid 90s, and finally started overtaking VHS by 2000. DVD offered a clear difference in quality, didn't require rewinding, and (barring scratches and dirt) played the same the hundredth time as it did on the first.

Today, our choices have become more "muddy" - Not everybody has hi-def TVs, and many of those that do have a hard time imagining that a movie might look better in a hi-def format over what they see from a DVD. We had HD-DVD, which lost the hi-def disc wars against Blu-Ray, but we also have hi-def content being delivered by broadcast TV thanks to the digital switchover, on demand content delivered by cable providers, and even hi-def content streamed from the broadband internet. Industry pundits have lauded all of these methods of delivering the sharp hi-def content into the future, but few of them focus on what I believe will be the future of hi-def content delivery in the future.

Before I get into what my thoughts on the future are, however, let's talk about Blu-Ray, and why the industry is backing it currently... as well as my reasons for believing it will have a very short life-span. Blu-Ray, like DVDs before it, are built on the idea of encrypting the content to prevent the everyday user from copying commercial discs. Some parts of this scheme have worked quite well
(HDCP), but ultimately, Blu-Ray, like DVD before it, have been cracked open like eggs by the rather large pirate community that thrives on the trade of movies (now in 1080p content, too) over the internet and on the streets. Blu-Ray is the victim of its own arrogance, in some ways.... a technology that is too overpriced to get into enough homes to gain critical mass, with encryption that barely challenged the hacker community. More importantly, all of the tools that were non-existent during the VHS reign, and in their infancy during the opening decade of DVD, have become mature in the past 4 years, offering everyday consumers the means to decrypt and recode with minimal quality Blu-Ray releases; broadband offers internet users an easy avenue to distribute or download these hi-def movies, and a whole host of affordable (i.e. cheaper than a Blu-Ray player) options exist to play back that material on HDTVs. In short, the primary reason the movie industry pushed Blu-Ray is gone... and it's continued high cost makes it more convenient for all but the most scrupulous consumers to simply hop onto a torrent site and get what they want via P2P.

With Blu-Ray already relegated to the "almost could have been" corner, like Laserdisc, the movie industry needs to start thinking outside of the box to deliver the next generation of packaged content, and like Star Trek movies, perhaps the consumer will look at Blu-Ray as an odd-numbered movie, worth skipping for the next media platform. What will that platform be? Memory cards. Not flash memory cards... that would not be practical, nor would it deliver the features consumers and content owners (the movie studios) require.

I propose a new ROM card format, similar to SDHC in form factor, but with added encryption (imagine that, a live encryption chip embedded in the device), and capacities from 8GB to whatever (at least 64GB, but let's keep that standard open ended). It would have an HDCP encryption chain that starts at the Memory Card and ends at the display. How much for a player? I'd be amazed if you couldn't deliver a player for less than $50 today, and the media could probably be produced for less then $5 for 16GB (Masked ROM, not flash, which saves on complexity and an encryption chip). Times have changed since Nintendo flamed out trying to push expensive cartridge technology with their N64 console, and memory technology has gotten dirt cheap, and grown into usable densities. By creating a specific slot for a movie content memory card (Let's call it MCMC for now), consumer devices can be made that handle all sorts of media.... an MCM slot, an SDHC (flash memory card) slot, USB ports for external hard drives and thumb drives... recording done to flash memory, while commercially pre-packaged movies getting their own slot and the protection of active encryption technology. The "trust" chain changes slightly, but should be stronger for the inclusion of an on-board, handshake-able chip. Even better.... companies that create media players (like the iPod/iPhone, Zune, Zen, etc...) could include an MCMC slot - effectively removing the need for people to make "fair use copies" to play on their media players. Such an interface would only add a few dollars to the Bill of Materials (what it costs to manufacture a product) right now, and eventually, would only add pennies.

By being open ended on capacity and display format, such devices could also provide a very long lifecycle for the format. What comes next? Holographic displays? Perhaps my proposed format can take that in to consideration... with enough capacity, it certainly could deliver content into foreseeable technologies that might come along in the next decade or two. Long life and future-proofing the media provides consumers with the confidence to invest in the new format, along with inexpensive players and the added convenience of portability, my proposed "MCMC" format offers far more reason to upgrade form DVD than Blu-Ray or any of the other choices.
 

Sorry there haven't been many updates.... I've been busy with a lot of things.

Here's a great special from National Geographic on the 4th of July. Enjoy!

Primrose flowers blooming just before it gets dark, after sunset.