Why I call myself Petey

My family doesn't really do nicknames. I think that it comes from my family's very proper culture (especially by Californian standards) and from my parents' desire to remind us of our Biblical namesakes. I'd been called Pedro occasionally as I grew up, but it never really stuck. "Stevie Wonders" didn't long outlast my brief moment of 4^th-grade recess football glory. Everyone I knew called me Peter for my entire childhood.


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I’m an old man: What I learned from Taylor Swift

I own copies of two Taylor Swift albums and a single. This is about as much as I own by any artist, excepting the Beatles. I'm pretty sure my liking for her music flies in the face of the stereotypes that are typically applied to me: most computer geeks don't (openly) listen to her, and I'm not sure that most men my age do, either. Despite the seeming incongruity, I love what she has done. She has a gift for melody and another for words. More importantly, her songs about love are usually about love and not lust - a sadly rare distinction but one that is very important to me.

As with the work of any artist, some of Taylor's works speak to me less than others. For example, I like that Mean fights back against abuse but think that the vengeful attitude it portrays won't solve the problem. I have a problem with The Way I Loved You because I've felt like the nice guy who finished last too many times. I don't really get the whole kissing in the rain thing (Taylor: feel free to contact me if you'd like to educate me). And some of her songs have rubbed me wrong because they are so wholly about emotion - and because they sometimes depict an unrealistic idea of emotional satisfaction. Being as left-brained as I am, this is fairly natural. But, at least in this last regard, I'm beginning to experience a change of heart.

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Geeks in large groups

Three weeks ago, I attended CAV, an academic conference about formal verification (proving that computers actually do what we think they do). Yesterday, I attended a practice run for some of the talks that will be given at SIGGRAPH, a conference about computer graphics. Despite the fact that the two conferences treat very different topics, I had a very similar experience with both events. Some of my observations are of an academic nature. The rest are insights into geek culture.
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DRM only makes things worse

Intellectual property is a fiction that we create to encourage innovation. By fiction, I mean that it is contrary to the nature of ideas for them to be limited. Ironically, a system that protects intellectual property discourages innovation: because derivative works are one of many ways to diminish the value of a work, the right to create them must be restricted. The irony of limiting innovation to foster innovation should not be lost; however, without such limitation, innovators could not hope to benefit financially from their inventions. The idea is to strike a balance: limit knock-offs enough to encourage innovation but still allow innovators to build on each other's work.

In an attempt to create such a balance, the Constitution of the United States of America gives congress the right to create laws that give exclusive rights to creators for a limited period of time. The idea is that in that limited period of time, innovators can be rewarded. After the time period elapses, other people may innovate further, improving upon what has already been created.


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Behind blue eyes

Introduction

People look at me quizzically when I tell them that I had a nasty temper as a kid; if they've met me since junior high, they usually have a hard time imagining me being angry. The truth of the matter is that I did have a nasty temper when I was young and that I've changed dramatically in more recent years.

This post is very personal - I don't often talk about these things. But a conversation I had recently convinced me that my experiences might be beneficial to others. I hope that by writing this, I'll enable readers to help themselves or people they know to eradicate anger from their lives.

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Other drivers aren't always sociopaths

Road rage is an interesting phenomenon: people who are usually level-headed become irritated - or even irate - when people drive poorly or aggressively around them. I've given some thought to road rage because  I've mostly removed anger as a part of my life, but I frequently get annoyed with other drivers.
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Simple ways to troubleshoot laptop battery problems

Laptops are a godsend for those who are always on the move, but they are heavily dependent on battery power.  Your laptop is nothing but a piece of hardware if the batteries are not functioning well enough. Most laptop users get frustrated when their laptop batteries get drained on a regular basis, and many mistakenly buy new batteries, only to go through the same problem as before.

Let’s take a look at some of the common laptop battery problems and check out some simple solutions for the same: 

Problem 1: When you plug in the adapter in the power outlet, the battery indicator on your laptop does not flash. When you switch on the laptop, the battery notifier displays Plugged In, Not Charging, or the battery charging indicator bars does not light up.

Problem Areas:

• Battery Adapter
• Laptop motherboard
• System BIOS
• Battery

You need to follow the isolation technique to diagnose the root problem. Remove the batteries and install them again and check if they are being charged when connected to the adapter.

Step 1:

Borrow a compatible adapter from your friend and connect it to your laptop. If the battery notifier indicates that the batteries are being charged, you can conclude that your adapter is faulty.

Solution: Replace the adapter.

Step 2:

If the batteries are not being charged after changing the adapter, then your DC power jack on your laptop may be loose or damaged. Go to Step 3 to verify if the DC power jack is not damaged.

Step 3: 

The laptop BIOS plays an important role in charging the batteries when the system is off. The BIOS contains information about the connected AC adapter and the installed battery pack. The information/values change in real-time in the Device Information section of your BIOS when you connect or disconnect the adapter. If the AC adapter is listed as “Unknown Device installed”, then you have to change the adapter.

Step 4: 

It can so happen that your BIOS is showing the adapter as an unknown device because of hardware issues. If so, you need to update your BIOS to resolve such issues. Download the latest BIOS drivers from the laptop manufacturer’s website and run the utility. The system will restart, and BIOS will be updated.

Step 5:

If none of the steps given above work, then it may so happen that the problem lies with the batteries themselves. If possible, try swapping compatible batteries and see if they are being charged through the adapter; if they are being charged, it means that your laptop batteries are faulty.

Solution:  Replace the batteries.

Problem 2: Battery overheating.

You sometimes notice that the batteries in your laptop become very hot when you are working.

Solution:  If you face frequent overheating issues, contact your laptop manufacturer and get the batteries replaced.

Problem 3: The charge won't last long enough even when you charge the batteries overnight.

This is very common in the case of older batteries and occurs when you don't let your batteries discharge completely and recharge frequently. Lithium-ion batteries need not be discharged completely. Recharge them when your system issues a low battery warning.

Solution: Allow the batteries to discharge completely and recharge them only when they need to be recharged.

Problem 4:  You have not used your laptop for a long time and now, it won't start on battery power.

In this case, you should remove the batteries if you are not going to use the laptop for a while. If you keep the batteries inside the laptop for a long time, the charge slowly gets drained.

Solution: Recharge the batteries.

Problem 5: My new laptop doesn't start.

If you have purchased a new laptop, you should know that the batteries need to be charged for a few hours before using it for the first time since they are new.

Solution: Keep your laptop connected to an electrical outlet for at least 10-12 hours before using it for the first time. You can derive maximum performance from your battery after it is recharged 2-3 times at the outset.

Problem 6:  I removed the batteries and now, my laptop won't start after inserting the batteries again.

If your laptop doesn't start after inserting the batteries again, you should check if you are inserting the batteries the right way. If you had removed the batteries a month back and kept it in an unused state, then it may be possible that all the charge from the batteries has been drained out. 

Solution: Recharge the batteries.

Problem 7: My laptop works on an AC adapter, but the batteries don’t get charged.

If your laptop is working on an AC adapter, then there may be some problem with the batteries. Remove the batteries and clean the connectors. Also check the batteries and connectors for any visible signs of damage.

Solution: Try charging the batteries in another laptop to ascertain that the batteries are not faulty.

Laptop batteries are an important component of your laptop, and you should follow the right maintenance procedures to extend their life. Replace the batteries only if you are sure that they are faulty.