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mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: The Toyota Witch Hunt

I've been beginning to suspect this as well, mainly because of all the media coverage this has been getting.

If this theory is true, it's saddening because Toyota's image is completely tarnished in many people's eyes, and they won't be able to recover from this for years (if ever).

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: OK Go's new music video, featuring an insane Rube Goldberg machine

I'm pretty sure it was all one take - most of their videos are like that. It may have taken multiple tries to get everything right ('Here it goes again', their most popular video with the treadmills, took 17 attempts, but they captured it all in one take [source:Wikipedia]).

No word yet on how many attempts this took - hopefully they didn't drop too many pianos

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: Google Buzz

You make a good point. I personally don't use FB too much, and don't see myself migrating, but I can see a lot of my friends who use FB possibly making the move.

For me, I use several of Google's products daily, and always have my Gmail open. That's why I like Buzz, because it seems like it fits me well.

What do you see happening to twitter then, if people move to FB mail, in addition to the introduction of Buzz?

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: Google Buzz

From the looks of it, Google has integrated Buzz into their existing products (gmail, maps, places) that makes it more than just a me-too product. Specifically, a big advantage is in the way Buzz integrates with Gmail - it's brilliant.

Compare how you would reply to an email notification from Facebook or Twitter: you'd have to login to the site and post your reply (or even see the actual reply) there. With Buzz, it's inline.

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: Google to Add Social Feature to Gmail

The additional functionality is okay with me, so long as Google keeps it in the Labs section.

Just out of curiosity, what is being added that is making gmail less stable for you? In the years I have been using gmail, I've never had any issues, and I currently have 17 labs features running (FWIW).

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: How Colleges Can Better Nurture Startups

While I was in undergrad for my CS degree at NC State University, I took an "Innovating in Technology" course. We were split into groups and tasked with coming up with a startup idea/concept, and then spent the remainder of the course working on it. Throughout the semester, our professor provided thought experiments, examples, and principles we should keep in mind.

In the middle and near the end of the semester, an angel investor came in to hear our ideas, and provided helpful feedback for our ideas and presentations.

While this course wasn't as extensive as the programs the article discusses, I think it was a great intro to entrepreneurship, and I found it to be the most helpful and influential course I took in undergrad. Personally, I would like to see the CS degree at NCSU have some more classes on the subject.

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: Is Adrian Peterson a Liability? A running back's fumble rate distribution

I don't think this is necessarily something to put on Peterson. Over the years, the Vikings have added more offensive weapons, notably a better receiving core and aquarterback. With Brett Favre there this year, the Vikings had a passing threat that was lacking with Tavaris Jackson, so Peterson wasn't relied on as much to run the offense (This is similar in San Diego with LT - his role is reduced now that Philip Rivers has become a better qb). I also think that defenses are more prepared for him than in previous years, when he was first breaking out on the scene.

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: Diagrammr - create diagrams by writing sentences

Thanks for pointing that out. That was my only complaint - perhaps the author should put that on the page where you create your diagrams rather than on the "About" page.

Otherwise it's a neat little app. Love the "How I Met Your Mother" reference on the example diagram. Great show.

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: Teux Deux: slickly designed little to-do app

Having some problems as well, only after I have signed up. In Google Chrome, the 'ellipses' feature where it shortens the longer list items does not work for me; instead, the text wraps around to the next line.

Otherwise, a very simple and pretty web app. Love the demonstration video.

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: Why Go to Graduate School and Getting into the Program of your Dreams

Support for Master's students really depends on the school. UCSD, where the author works, provides good support for Master's students. I have a friend who is attending UCSD for a Master's (albeit in Civil Engineering) who has received a TA position that covers his in-state tuition (but has to pay out-of-state fees), and pays a stipend.

Almost all the graduate schools I have researched have explicitly stated whether or not they offer any support to Master's students.

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: Why Go to Graduate School and Getting into the Program of your Dreams

I'm in the same boat, applying to graduate schools right now for a M.S. in Artificial Intelligence, specifically machine learning and knowledge representation. Just submitted my application for the University of Toronto today. All others in the US I will be submitting around December 15.

I appreciate the insightful and helpful comments, and I agree with m0th87's reasoning for taking the Master's route. Personally, I decided to apply to the Master's because I want to work in the industry for 3-5 years before returning to school to complete a Ph.D. For some reason I feel like applying for a Ph.D to then take the consolation Master's is (in some way) cheating the system, and I can't bring myself to do that. Any thoughts?

mawhidby | 16 years ago | on: The Leading Cause of Startup Death – Part 1: The Product Development Diagram

In my recent experience with startups, or at the very least ideas for startups, I'm beginning to find that not acting upon your ideas quickly can also be detrimental to your startup. Being stuck in the "Product Development Diagram," particularly in the "Concept/Bus. Plan" phase can allow others with similar ideas to get a head start, and possibly even get to launch before you've even started.

Personally, I think that by getting into the development of your idea as soon as possible will help you. As an added bonus, there are always ideas, features, or a different method of implementation that get brought up while you are developing that you cannot anticipate during the planning/conceptualizing phase.

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