In 2015, a research paper by Gatys, Ecker and Bethge posited that you could use a deep neural network to apply the artistic style of a painting to an existing image and get amazing results, as though the artist had rendered the image in question. Soon after, a terrific and fun app was released to the…
They say that a fan tells 3 people about great service, and someone who has received poor service tells 10. Well, I’m pissed at Amy Schumer’s tour company and I’m pissed at ticket reseller Viagogo for being very scammy. I’d like to shift gears from the usual topics on this nascent blog (tech, data analysis,…
In WWII, researcher Abraham Wald was assigned the task of figuring out where to place more reinforcing armor on bombers. Since every extra pound meant reduced range and agility, optimizing these decisions was crucial. So he and his team looked at a ton of data from returning bombers, noting the bullet hole placement. They came…
I’m on a parent advisory committee at my daughter’s school. The committee is taking a look at the school’s existing Computational Thinking curriculum and where it might want to head in the future. Luckily for us, the faculty is already doing a very good job with the curriculum. So our role as advisers is to provide a…
“Steve, the wifi is down.” As the go-to guy in the house for all tech issues, I’ve been hearing that call, and reading that SMS text from family members for more than a decade. I’ve come to dread those words. In recent years, it’s been all-too-frequent. And since the longest-running wifi configuration in our house…
Thanks for joining me! I’ve updated this blog to include some thoughts on technology, data analysis, Seattle municipal issues, photos from travel, and more. Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
Here’s how to update Plex Media Server on a server running Ubuntu. Make sure you replace the URLs and packages with the latest release. Find the URL for the latest Plex Media Server package here. SSH into your server. Download the latest package (replace filename with the latest), then install it: Following installation, remove the installer file…
I’ve just discovered an incredibly cool project on Github: DeOldify, which uses deep learning to automatically colorize old black & white photos. It’s not perfect, but what it’s able to do is pretty amazing, and improving rapidly. In addition to ninja-level coding, author Jason Antic (@citnaj on Twitter) does a terrific job writing up how…
My primary development machine is a desktop Windows PC, and I’m an iPhone user. Often, I’ll want to share a website that I’ve discovered on my desktop PC via the iPhone’s Messaging app, and as of this writing, the world of iMessage is still completely isolated from Windows, likely for strategic reasons on Apple’s part….
I met John Warrilow in 2010, when we were both living in France. John’s an experienced entrepreneur, a published author (his own book, columns for Inc. and other business publications.) He runs Built to Sell Inc. and the informative business podcast “Built to Sell Radio,” which talks about the steps involved in selling your business, and…
