Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Raspberry Pi - accessories



Raspberry Pi first look introduced the Raspberry PI...Now for some accessories (USB WiFi, monitor, and keyboard):

 

Monday, February 25, 2013

Sony DSC RX-100 first look



The specifications: 4" x 2 3/8" x 1 7/16" (101.6 x 58.1 x 35.9mm; Weight 8.5 oz (240g);  3.0 inch (7.5cm) (4:3), 1,229k dots TFT LCD; SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot; Micro HDMI and Micro USB ports; additional detailed specifications here.


Reviews:


On YouTube:

Random chart - means-tested programs



Per the CBO: "The federal government devotes roughly one-sixth of its spending to 10 major means-tested programs and tax credits, which provide cash payments or assistance in obtaining health care, food, housing, or education to people with relatively low income or few assets..." 

"... in 2012, federal spending on those programs and tax credits totaled $588 billion..."

"... Total federal spending on those 10 programs (adjusted to exclude the effects of inflation) rose more than tenfold—or by an average of about 6 percent a year—in the four decades since 1972 (when only half of the programs existed). As a share of the economy, federal spending on those programs grew from 1 percent to almost 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) over that period..."

"... Increases in spending per participant resulted mainly from two factors:
  • Growth in the cost of providing assistance (such as rising costs for medical care), and
  • Actions by lawmakers to provide more generous benefits (such as increases in SNAP benefits)"

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Random chart - expanding universe


Source: The Ultimate Mystery of the Universe, Stephen Wolfram Ponders a Unified Theory

Random charts - hacking





Report (76-page) by computer security firm Mandiant, which has tracked hacking activities around the world and has concluded that "... hundreds of investigations convince us that the groups conducting these activities are based primarily in China and that the Chinese Government is aware of them."

There is some skepticism about the report (e.g. see here and here), but for the most part it is getting good press... Make of that what you will - either because it is spot on (charitable explanation), or because vested interests such as infosec companies see it as good for business (the less charitable explanation). 

A primer on APT by ISACA (registration required) can be downloaded here....

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Indicators


Source: Daily Dish Quote For The Day & Game of Drones

Great quotes - McCruzism



“It is at a minimum relevant to know if that $200,000 that he deposited in his bank account came directly from Saudi Arabia, came directly from North Korea.”  
- Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Chuck Hagel's income from Corsair Capital.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Random chart - measuring health care

Source: Measuring the ‘Quality’ of Health Care 

Excellent article by Uwe Reinhardt on the difficulty and necessity of measuring quality in health care...

Previous blogs on healthcare and healthcare reform:
All you ever wanted to know about the MLR - Sep 23rd, 2012
Latest MLR updateDec 4th, 2011
The MLR saga continues - May 13th, 2011
Misc update (MLR) - Mar 26th, 2011
Misc update - V - Feb 13th, 2011
Misc updates - MLR - Oct 25th, 2010
MLR Redux - Aug 24th, 2010
MLR update - Jun 27th, 2010
Health care re-form VIII (More nonsense) - August 28th, 2009
Health care re-form VII (Nonsense) - Aug 26th, 2009
Health care re-form VI (Effectiveness) - Aug 15th, 2009
Health care re-form V (The sales job) - Aug 14th, 2009
Health care re-form IV (What is it?) - Aug 13th, 2009
Health care re-form III (Why we spend more) - Aug 8th, 2009
Health care re-form II (P4P) - Aug 4th, 2009
Health care re-form I (Issues) - Aug 4th, 2009
So? - Jul 27th, 2009
Random chart... - Jul 12th, 2009
Random charts... - May 22nd, 2009
Random chart... - May 9th, 2009
Wyeth v. Levine - Mar 22nd, 2009
Financial crisis & hospitals - III - Mar 22nd, 2009
Random chart... - Feb 1st, 2009
Financial crisis & hospitals - II - Jan 27th, 2009
Random chart... - Jan 26th, 2009
Hospitals' financial update - Dec 25th, 2008
Good for the goose - Dec 11th, 2008
Studies of interest - IV - Nov 16th, 2008
Studies of interest - II - Nov 16th, 2008
Financial crisis & hospitals - I - Nov 14th, 2008
 

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Random charts - Children & the environment

Source: America’s Children and the Environment 3rd Edition (412-pg PDF)

And now for something different...

Most of the phones currently coming out look very similar and there aren't many vendors trying out something new. Fortunately at least two have come out with something a little out of the ordinary. First up is the NEC-manufactured Medias W N-05E phone, that has two displays...


Next up, the YotaPhone. This has a high resolution LCD display on one side and an e-ink display on the back (note: the picture below is of 2 YotaPhones side-by-side)


For more check out the links below:
[Hands-On] MEDIAS W dual-screen Android smartphone 
NEC's Medias W unveiled: a folding smartphone with two 4.3-inch displays

YotaPhone: A New Archetype 
The Dual-Screen YotaPhone Is Probably The Coolest Idea At This Year's Otherwise Lame CES