jcm's blog

[ from the spoiler-potential dept. ]

I just returned from seeing Matrix Reloaded. While the film is visually stunning, it did not do for me what the first one did. I believe that the next film may offer the explanation that Neo is existing within a Matrix, represented as the “real world”, which itself contains “The Matrix”. Witness the repeated references to such a concept in Neo being able to control aspects of the “Real World”, of the Architect discussing the repeated anomilies, and that Zion would have to have been built several times before for continuity to work. Either this is the big twist in Matrix Revolution or these points must be addressed in some other way. Neo is not in any coma in the traditional sense.

Jon.

[ from the interesting-diversions dept. ]

I decided to play around with a few things to plug gaps in knowledge. On the one front, we have the gtk. I am going to write a few more simple apps to become more familiar with this library. Then there is also SVG to be played with muchly. I downloaded Toby’s DrawTool and Jok and I used it with netcat to send little messages to each other as per the documentation. I eventually found the Apache batik project Squiggle SVG browser to view output from svgdrawtool since it would seem PowerPC Linux users are left with Java-only viewing solutions. It complains about the version of the SVG DTD in use and dies when displaying svgdrawtool output but that can be fixed.

We are going to campus to revise for the Operating Systems exam. That happens on Saturday morning, and then one final exam of Advanced Computer Communications. Matrix tonight to see SSH exploits in widespread cinema use. Finally a serious crack with the correct tools and hopefully the correct terminology. Though it does claim “level 9″ access for those seeking traditional Hollywood technoshite. Film is at 23:30.

Investigating summer plans somewhat. Yesterday I read about working going on at Apple and have decided to dig in to Darwin a lot more when I have the time. I have also been reading more about MMIX recently. Also yesterday I read more about Java Card and other SMART Card technologies. Differential Power Analysis attacks combined with the non-garbage collecting, non-typcial Java Card environment make for some interesting theorectical attacks. Blah blah blah blah.

Jon.

[ from the please-publish-it-soon dept. ]

I have had an order for BREY – Motorola PowerPC since before the date it was due to be published. Apparently I ordered on the 23rd of February. So my question to Prentice Hall publishers is WHERE IS MY BOOK? – I want to read it now and if they could hurry up and bring it out this year then that would be greeeeaaat.

Jon.

[ from the this-one-is-funny dept. ]

Yet another random entry…

I was reading through some of the INTERCAL documentation and came accross this paper which is just plain damn funny. That guy really didn’t deserve an ‘F’…

Staying up to read some notes and listening to “DJ Sammy – Heaven (Candlelight Mix)” since there is no accounting for taste.

Jon.

[ from the book-early-book-often dept. ]

I have booked a ticket to see the Matrix Reloaded on Wednesday the 21st of May 2003. Anyone else in Nottingham who wants to see it is welcome to join me for the 23:30 performance at the Warner Village. They are offering free Matrix DVDs while stocks last – so I will probably not get one now.

I will also go to see this with the Nottingham LUG if possible and probably with Hussein and others. This is one film that I am likely to end up seeing too many times whether I want to or not. Star Trek First Contact was a film that I actually ended up seeing 6 times in the cinema before it finished, then I bought the VHS Video, the DVD, the counselling, etc.

Jon.

[ from the Visiting-Computer-Science-Dignitaries dept. ]

Yesterday I was in Oxford to hear Donald Knuth talking about Metapost. The talk was indeed most interesting and had a unique style – I particularly enjoyed discovering that he wrote TeX so that it produces output similar to the typesetting used in his first calculus book.

There was a smaller session afterwards at which we ended up discussing all manner of topics – including INTERCAL – and where I was able to privately ask a few things about MMIX. Knuth initially thought he had met me previously, which was pretty cool.

I impulsively purchased the O’reilly book on POSIX.4 Programming For The Real World so damn yet another bookshop for making me want to buy more books!

Jon.

[ from the something-to-think-about dept. ]

I am looking for a project which uses LD_PRELOAD to override the standard glibc file handling routines with magical ones which perform transparent filename munging and encryption of content. If such software does not currently exist then I will look in to the problem myself.

This mechanism is not entirely secure against deliberate malicious intent however should provide a user on a shared computer system with some level of protection against a casually interested Administrator or anyone else who would potentially consider having a look around a user filestore.

Jon.