Eamonn O'Brien-Strain

LinkedIn


date: '2005-07-29 17:46:00' layout: post slug: maybe-available-to-help-your-project status: publish ref: http://eamonn.obrien-strain.com/bio/ title: Maybe available to help your project wordpress_id: '79' categories: Personal


You might want to have a look at my resume if you are in the San Francisco area and looking for a senior technologist with a lot of programming and research experience.

Here are some hints as to why I might be available:


date: '2005-07-08 11:17:24' layout: post slug: how-to-capture-video status: publish ref: http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/capture/start.html title: How to capture video wordpress_id: '78' categories: Product


It looks like Capture Guide will be a good resource for me as I try to figure out the best way to capture broadcast video to disk.


date: '2005-06-15 15:34:07' layout: post slug: free-background-music-loops status: publish ref: http://www.flashkit.com/loops/ title: Free background music loops. wordpress_id: '72' categories: Product


Great. I just found this source for music loops that I can use as background for my synthesized video.


date: '2005-06-09 11:09:28' layout: post slug: comparison-of-different-sql-implementations status: publish ref: http://troels.arvin.dk/db/rdbms/ title: Comparison of different SQL implementations wordpress_id: '71' categories: Programming


Comparison of different SQL implementations is a useful reference.

I am writing some SQL that I would like to work with Sqlite, Derby, and MS Access. It turns out there is more variablility than I thought. Most annoying is that autoincrment is handled differently by each.

Thanks to the E-Language mailing list for pointing me to this example of why JavaScript is a much more interesting language than you might think.

(Caiỹdean) (Nua)

Cúirt an Mhean-Oíche Brian Merriman

Ba ghnáth mé ar siúl le ciumhais na habhann

Ar bháinseach úr is an drúcht go trom,

In aice na gcoillte i gcoim an tsléibhe

Gan mhairg gan mhoill ar shoilseadh an lae.

Do ghealadh mo chroí nuair chínn Loch Gréine,

An talamh, an tír, is íor na spéire

Ba thaitneamhach aoibhinn suíomh na sléibhte

Ag bagairt a gcinn thar dhroim a chéile.

Ghealfadh an croí bheadh críon le cianta—

Caite gan bhrí nó líonta le pianta—

An séithleach searbh gan sealbh gan saibhreas

D'fhéachfadh tamall thar bharra na gcoillte

Ar lachain ina scuain ar chuan gan cheo,

An eala ar a bhfuaid is í ag gluaiseacht leo,

Na héisc le meidhir ag éirí anairde

Péirse i radharc go taibhseach tarrbhreac,

Dath an locha agus gorm na dtonn

Ag teacht go tolgach torannach trom,

Bhíodh éanlaith i gcrann go meidhreach mómhar,

Léimneach eilte i gcoillte im chóngar,

Géimneach adharc is radharc ar shlóite,

Tréanrith gadhar is Reynard rompu.

...

Cúirt an Ṽean-Oík̃e Brian Merriman

Ba ĥnáĥ mé ar siúl le ciuw̃ais na haŵann

Ar ŵáinseak̃ úr is an drúk̃t go trom,

In aice na gcoillte i gcoim an tsléiṽe

Gan w̃airg gan w̃oill ar ĥoilseaĥ an lae.

Do ỹealaĥ mo k̃roí nuair k̃ínn Lok̃ Gréine,

An talaṽ, an tír, is íor na spéire

Ba ĥaitneaw̃ak̃ aoiṽinn suíoṽ na sléiṽte

Ag bagairt a gcinn ĥar ĥroim a k̃éile.

Ỹealfaĥ an croí ṽeaĥ críon le cianta—

Caite gan ṽrí nó líonta le pianta—

An séiĥleak̃ searṽ gan sealṽ gan saiṽreas

D'~éak̃faĥ tamall ĥar ŵarra na gcoillte

Ar lak̃ain ina scuain ar k̃uan gan k̃eo,

An eala ar a ŵfuaid is í ag gluaiseak̃t leo,

Na héisc le meiŷir ag éirí anairde

Péirse i raĥarc go taiṽseak̃ tarrṽreac,

Daĥ an lok̃a agus gorm na dtonn

Ag teak̃t go tolgak̃ torannak̃ trom,

Ṽíoĥ éanlaiĥ i gcrann go meiŷreak̃ mów̃ar,

Léimneak̃ eilte i gcoillte im k̃óngar,

Géimneak̃ aĥarc is raĥarc ar ĥlóite,

Tréanriĥ gaĥar is Reynard rompu.

...

One of the nice things about the Irish language is that its spelling is very regular. However for non-Irish speakers some of the pronunciation rules can be confusing.

This is particularly true of some of the lengthened consonants which in the modern spelling are indicated by adding an “h”:

“th” and ”sh” (pronounced /h/)

“bh” and ”mh” (pronounced /w/ or /v/ depending on context)

dh” and ”gh” (pronounced /y/ or a /g/, /h/ mixture depending on context)

“fh” (silent)

I propose that we adopt a new spelling system that is more accessible to non-Irish speakers.

Consonant Lengthened, In Standard Spelling Lengthened, In New Spelling Example
p ph Gaiṽ mo f̃ardún.
t th Go raiṽ maiĥ agat.
c ch Óik̃e w̃aiĥ.
b (+aou) bha bho bhu ŵa ŵo ŵu An laŵarann tú ...?
b (+ei) bhe bhi ṽe ṽi Sa ṽliain 2005 ...
d (+aou) dha dho dhu ĥa ĥo ĥu Dia ĥuit.
d (+ei) dhe dhi ŷe ŷi rud a ŷéanfaí
g (+aou) gha gho ghu ĥa ĥo ĥu Cuireaĥ ĥá ~oclóir
g (+ei) ghe ghi ỹe ỹi k̃uir an taiỹde seo
m (+aou) mha mho mhu w̃a w̃o w̃u Tá fáilte row̃at.
m (+ei) mhe mhi ṽe ṽi teanga a ṽíniú
s sh míle bliain ó ĥin
f fh ~ K̃un treorak̃a a ~áil


date: '2005-03-13 14:03:00' layout: post slug: taking-plato-out-of-software status: publish title: Taking Plato Out Of Software wordpress_id: '67' categories: Programming


Object-oriented methods are considered the best way to build large, maintainable software systems. Languages such as C++, Java, and Python now dominate in many areas, and the conventional wisdom encourages us to do analysis and design in an object-oriented manner.

It seems pretty obvious to me that object-oriented thinking is a direct application of Plato’s philosophy of ideal types that has been the foundation of much of Western philosophy and religion. If we look outside this parochial tradition we find that Buddhism proposes that there are no such ideal types, that objects and people are constantly in flux, and have indefinite boundaries. It proposes that the perception of type, or even self, is an illusion.

Imagine there was a software methodology that was based on Buddhist philosophy rather than Plato’s philosophy. What would it look like?


date: '2004-12-17 17:25:53' layout: post slug: a-tedious-explanation-of-the-fstop status: publish ref: http://www.uscoles.com/fstop.htm title: A Tedious Explanation of the f/stop wordpress_id: '65' categories: Product


I have learned and forgotten what f/stop means several times in my life. A Tedious Explanation of the f/stop, which is not at all tedious, explains it nicely. Maybe now I won't forget.


date: '2004-12-09 19:30:57' layout: post slug: kid-language-reference status: publish ref: https://web.archive.org/web/20050212200948/http://lesscode.org/projects/kid/wiki/KidLanguage title: Kid Language Reference wordpress_id: '64' categories: Programming


I really like Kid — an elegant pythonic templating language.