Alexander Saint Croix

After a long hiatus, I've finally resumed work on the quantity archetype pattern for the Commercial Object Relational Model (CORM) project that I've been working on. There are several reasons, most revolving around its use of Javolution, that I have decided to completely scrap JScience for my project. All I want is a clean, straightforward, lightweight, and usable API for representing arbitrary quantities, measures, metric conversions, and the like, in a small set of persistence-ready entities.

So, with the help of my good friend Gregory Bringman, I've begun dissecting the task at hand again. What I've found is that trying to use all of the new features of the Java language alongside the new JEE persistence architecture and EJB 3 is tangling me up a bit. I'm casually investigating progress on F# and other languages to see if I can offload the complicated task of numeric and scientific computing into a language more suited for it. So far, no results. This is not a matter of fast prototyping, but of formalizing a programmatic representation of the dimensional analysis process, which I am not certain has been done yet outside of JScience's hopelessly entangled attempt. There may exist a calculus that formalizes the various processes, but I have not found it yet.

The whole process is starting to remind me of an XKCD entry.

Posted by Alexander Saint Croix on 8 January 2009 at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Oh, the GOP needs to change? Really, Governor Pawlenty?

Last May, at the Minnesota State Republican Convention, the Minnesota GOP chose to deny the supporters of then-candidate Ron Paul their voice on the subject of realigning the party with its roots. Our delegates were systematically shut out of the proceedings, our candidate was denied the opportunity even to speak, after coming all the way to Rochester.

I want Ron Carey, Mark Drake, and the rest of the Minnesota GOP stalwarts to know that the series of events that unfolded last May at the state convention cemented my decision not to vote for one single Republican in this year's election. Not one. I didn't give one shiny nickel to the MN GOP, didn't canvas, didn't do any literature drops, didn't volunteer at any phone banks, didn't put up any yard signs, bumper stickers, didn't tell a single one of my friends or colleagues to support a single republican candidate. Nothing. Not even a supportive comment on a news website.

For all her misguided and unsupportable policy positions, Senator Clinton from New York knows about the importance of catharsis in the matter of a federated government structure. When only six counties around the state -- only two more than went to Paul -- went to McCain on Super Tuesday, faking a unified front for McCain last May was dishonest and disenfranchising to the party activists who came out in the cold last February in support of the other candidates. The majority of the state voted for Romney and Huckabee, not for McCain! You didn't let them represent their real choice at the state convention, much less the national convention. Did you expect us all to just fall in line and pull the lever for McCain? Manipulating the machinery to feign the illusion of "unified support" showed just how much you actually valued our participation in the process. Not quite, but thanks for playing.

I cannot express, while maintaining civility, the low opinion I hold of the people who are presently in charge of what, I'm told, used to be the GOP. If you have anything to say, I'll be curled up with some Hayek, Rothbard and Mises this winter. That's stiff competition, so make it good.

Posted by Alexander Saint Croix on 18 November 2008 at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Thomas Jefferson famously warned that "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." San Francisco gay marriage advocates are learning the hard way what he meant by that statement this week, as their misplaced reverence for democracy turns against them.

When you invite the state to become involved in the private institution of marriage, you expose yourself to the tyranny of the majority.

The United States, and for that matter, the California Republic, is not a democracy. We are a Federal Republic! Look at your state flag! This means that any powers not expressly granted to the Federal Government by the U.S. Constitution are deferred to the State Governments, and any powers not granted state governments (read: yours) by their state constitution should be deferred to the counties. In this federated republic structure, people actually get to live under their own local laws.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people in the United States, and I daresay the majority of people in San Francisco have unwittingly bought into the lie of democracy, despite the advice of the founders. There are people who continue to fight, tooth and nail, for this essential aspect of liberty, but most in San Francisco would not give us the time of day, because we supported a little known Republican doctor from Texas in last year's primary. That man recognized that in a democracy, the majority gets to run your life and dictate their morals to you. If we can agree on no other principle, it should be that everyone has the sovereign right to liberty, and that a "majority vote" cannot strip that right from you.

So, if you are gay in California and wish to marry, but don't want to defend yourselves against the biases of the popular majority in your state, then please continue on as cheerleaders for democracy, and ignore the fact that you live in what was intended to be a Federal Republic. Otherwise, my advice is to start a campaign to diminish the power of your state government and strengthen the power of your county governments. For my part, I wish you the absolute best of luck, and hope you are able to live happily as you wish, and as your own morals instruct you to live.

To the rest of you in California who feel you can dictate morality through the ballot, be forewarned. Your liberties are next.

Posted by Alexander Saint Croix on 6 November 2008 at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This semester I'm taking 4 courses at the University of Minnesota: Advanced Algorithms & Data Structures, Introduction to Computer Security, Data Visualization and Artificial Intelligence I.

The cross-pollenation from Data Visualization and Intro to Computer Security is potentially very interesting. We're studying channel capacity for various human perceptions. There are many references to different aspects of neuroscience, but I'm interested in the channel capacity concept as it pertains to perceptions of trust.

I wonder what the human univariate channel capacity is for judgments of trust?

I think that notions of "integrated assessments" as we view these puzzles and illusions are thought provoking to say the least.

Posted by Alexander Saint Croix on 9 September 2008 at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

SELECT COMMAND => acd;u;m;12345,1;crs;;;doy;?;9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;r,9/3,11/22,11/23,12/24;;;;
    
    ?
     9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;R,9/3,11/
    2,11/23,12/24;;;;         STE          $?    H;
 
**  VERIFY DISPLAY
** DAY OF YEAR SCHEDULING               18:05:26     08/29/08
PILOT NUMBER 37900                                   USER GROUP 1
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
JAN-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-JAN
FEB-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    -FEB
MAR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-MAR
APR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -APR
MAY-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . .-MAY
JUN-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -JUN
JUL-. . . H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-JUL
AUG-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-AUG
SEP-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -SEP
OCT-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-OCT
NOV-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . .  -NOV
DEC-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . . . . .-DEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
**KEY INFORMATION:     H = HOLIDAY        E = EXCEPTION      . = NON-HOLIDAY
                   
RETURN CONTINUES DISPLAY..... => 
                   
DAY OF YEAR     TYPE                 TOD ENTRY     CG  NUMBER
-------------------------------------------------------------
   HOLIDAY      NIGHT SERVICE            -              -
   NON-HOL      DOW                      -              -
DOES UPDATE VERIFY ? => Y
TABLE CHANGE PERFORMED
CRS TRANSLATION:TOD,DOW,DOY; ? or Return=END. => @
 
SELECT COMMAND => acd;u;m;19998,1;crs;;;doy;?;9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;r,9/3,11/22,11/23,12/24;;;;
    
    ?
     9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;R,9/3,11/
    2,11/23,12/24;;;;         STE          $?    H;
 
**  VERIFY DISPLAY
** DAY OF YEAR SCHEDULING               18:07:22     08/29/08
PILOT NUMBER 49998                                   USER GROUP 1
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
JAN-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-JAN
FEB-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    -FEB
MAR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-MAR
APR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -APR
MAY-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . .-MAY
JUN-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -JUN
JUL-. . . H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-JUL
AUG-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-AUG
SEP-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -SEP
OCT-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-OCT
NOV-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . .  -NOV
DEC-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . . . . .-DEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
**KEY INFORMATION:     H = HOLIDAY        E = EXCEPTION      . = NON-HOLIDAY
                   
RETURN CONTINUES DISPLAY..... => 
                   
DAY OF YEAR     TYPE                 TOD ENTRY     CG  NUMBER
-------------------------------------------------------------
   HOLIDAY      NIGHT SERVICE            -              -
   NON-HOL      DOW                      -              -
DOES UPDATE VERIFY ? => Y
TABLE CHANGE PERFORMED
CRS TRANSLATION:TOD,DOW,DOY; ? or Return=END. => @
 
SELECT COMMAND => 
** MMP ERROR: UNDEFINED COMMAND
** MMP ERROR: PLEASE REPEAT RESPONSE
 
SELECT COMMAND => acd;u;m;19938,1;crs;;;doy;?;9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;r,9/3,11/22,11/23,12/24;;;;
    
    ?
     9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;R,9/3,11/
    2,11/23,12/24;;;;         STE          $?    H;
 
**  VERIFY DISPLAY
** DAY OF YEAR SCHEDULING               18:10:28     08/29/08
PILOT NUMBER 49998                                   USER GROUP 1
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
JAN-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-JAN
FEB-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    -FEB
MAR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-MAR
APR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -APR
MAY-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . .-MAY
JUN-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -JUN
JUL-. . . H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-JUL
AUG-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-AUG
SEP-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -SEP
OCT-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-OCT
NOV-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . .  -NOV
DEC-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . . . . .-DEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
**KEY INFORMATION:     H = HOLIDAY        E = EXCEPTION      . = NON-HOLIDAY
                   
RETURN CONTINUES DISPLAY..... => 
                   
DAY OF YEAR     TYPE                 TOD ENTRY     CG  NUMBER
-------------------------------------------------------------
   HOLIDAY      NIGHT SERVICE            -              -
   NON-HOL      DOW                      -              -
DOES UPDATE VERIFY ? => Y
TABLE CHANGE PERFORMED
CRS TRANSLATION:TOD,DOW,DOY; ? or Return=END. => @
 
SELECT COMMAND => acd;u;m;18855,1;crs;;;doy;?;9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;r,9/3,11/22,11/23,12/24;;;;
    
    ?
     9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;R,9/3,11/
    2,11/23,12/24;;;;         STE          $?    H;
 
**  VERIFY DISPLAY
** DAY OF YEAR SCHEDULING               18:11:03     08/29/08
PILOT NUMBER 38855                                   USER GROUP 1
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
JAN-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-JAN
FEB-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    -FEB
MAR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-MAR
APR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -APR
MAY-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . .-MAY
JUN-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -JUN
JUL-. . . H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-JUL
AUG-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-AUG
SEP-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -SEP
OCT-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-OCT
NOV-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . .  -NOV
DEC-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . . . . .-DEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
**KEY INFORMATION:     H = HOLIDAY        E = EXCEPTION      . = NON-HOLIDAY
                   
RETURN CONTINUES DISPLAY..... => 
                   
DAY OF YEAR     TYPE                 TOD ENTRY     CG  NUMBER
-------------------------------------------------------------
   HOLIDAY      NIGHT SERVICE            -              -
   NON-HOL      DOW                      -              -
DOES UPDATE VERIFY ? => Y
TABLE CHANGE PERFORMED
CRS TRANSLATION:TOD,DOW,DOY; ? or Return=END. => @
 
SELECT COMMAND => acd;u;m;17980,1;crs;;;doy;?;9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;r,9/3,11/22,11/23,12/24;;;;
    
    ?
     9/1,11/27,11/28,12/26;R,9/3,11/
    2,11/23,12/24;;;;         STE          $?    H;
 
**  VERIFY DISPLAY
** DAY OF YEAR SCHEDULING               18:12:07     08/29/08
PILOT NUMBER 57980                                   USER GROUP 1
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
JAN-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-JAN
FEB-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .    -FEB
MAR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . . . . . . .-MAR
APR-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -APR
MAY-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H . . . . .-MAY
JUN-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -JUN
JUL-. . . H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-JUL
AUG-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-AUG
SEP-H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  -SEP
OCT-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .-OCT
NOV-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . .  -NOV
DEC-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H H . . . . .-DEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                      1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
**KEY INFORMATION:     H = HOLIDAY        E = EXCEPTION      . = NON-HOLIDAY
                   
RETURN CONTINUES DISPLAY..... => 
                   
DAY OF YEAR     TYPE                 TOD ENTRY     CG  NUMBER
-------------------------------------------------------------
   HOLIDAY      NIGHT SERVICE            -              -
   NON-HOL      DOW                      -              -
DOES UPDATE VERIFY ? => Y
TABLE CHANGE PERFORMED
CRS TRANSLATION:TOD,DOW,DOY; ? or Return=END. => @
 
SELECT COMMAND => AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
** MMP ERROR: INVALID ANSWER
** MMP ERROR: PLEASE REPEAT RESPONSE
SELECT COMMAND =>  

Posted by Alexander Saint Croix on 29 August 2008 at 06:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm shocked at the callousness displayed in many of the comments for this Reuters article on black personal responsibility. As an educated middle-aged male white guy who abhors every form of drug use, I want to remind the others reading this article that the national policies for mandatory prison sentencing on non-violent, drug-related crimes have literally devastated the African American community, torn apart millions of families, and have done so in ways that are clearly discriminatory against African Americans.

What's the difference between possession of one ounce of pure cocaine and one ounce of crack cocaine? The latter is cut with baking soda to make it affordable. So why does crack possession guarantee prison time and cocaine doesn't? This sort of arbitrary policy favors the wealthy (white) and incarcerates people who should instead be in hospitals.

This is only the beginning.

Tens of millions of suburban white teenagers around the nation are pumping billions of dollars into an entertainment industry that paints African Americans in the worst light possible, as thugs and illiterate criminals, because it permits these white teenagers to live out their adolescent fantasies about black identity. But it also chokes out recognition of real black achievement and leaves inner city youth whose fathers are in prison for non-violent crimes, without solid role models.

We have a collective duty to carve these institutional cancers from our nation and to take responsibility for the role of the majority in creating this soul-crushing trap for nearly a quarter of our population. Electing Obama is not a "get out of guilt free" card.

Posted by Alexander Saint Croix on 27 July 2008 at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My friend David just assembled a very useful Beijing Olympics Video Travel Guide at his website videotravelbook.com. It has a set of wonderful professionally produced training videos for your iPhone, so that you can give written or spoken directions to your taxi driver (for example). He's worked very hard on it during his many trips to Beijing to visit family in the last couple of years. Check it out!

Posted by Alexander Saint Croix on 12 June 2008 at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)