Shawn Driscoll's Tech Blog


Stuff That Happened in the Past

Monday, August 31, 2015

Windows Techs Need Our Credit Card Numbers (as if)

Everyday for a little over a week now, I've been getting a call from a "Windows" tech company regarding my Windows computer. Today it was some guy named Alex, with a hindi accent, who wanted my credit card number, etc. I just tell them I don't have a Windows computer and they hang right up.

This has been a thing now all summer I'm finding out. And my name is coming up on their "to-call" lists now it seems. It's weird that they call me everyday at 10:30am. I guess I'll be expecting another call tomorrow from them.

Friday, August 21, 2015

NASA is Missing the Moon

NASA 360 talks about going to Mars. I think they're missing the Moon on this one, because an asteroid is no substitute for playing in space dirt. But if the whole purpose of a Mars trip is to just land a couple people there for a few hours and then head back to Earth, I can see why NASA is skipping over the Moon.

The Moon is only three days away. Habitat building on the Moon can give us the experience needed for building them on Mars.

As it stands now, the best NASA 360 can do is a 180 for its Mars trip.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Looking Forward to Robotics

In the end, machines replace people simply because it is cheaper for business. Humans have too many political excuses for suing everyone. And the government control and paperwork involved in dealing with humans is a b*tch. So replace them. Humans are really only good at consumerism anyway. I'd be curious to see which robots in the future get the most richest, and which get the most dangerous. And if they even bother with politics or governments at all like humans seem to hang onto.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Life After Computers

Simulated intelligence can be used to replace customer service and sales people. Then later used to replace managers and IT people. The more advanced creative intelligences would replace hardware/software developers. This is the point where machines are making themselves better, and leaving humans out of the loop. Humans would be delegated to whatever it is that humans will still do that machines won't or don't do.

But the even more advanced creative intelligences... who's to say what they will be thinking about. Maybe a completely new form of life. Not biological. Not mechanical. Not chemical. God atomics, maybe. The guiding hands of planet building for infant stars.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Python: How Do I Display a List From PyQt4's QListWidgetItem()?



You may have to change self.listWidget.item() to PyQt4.QtGui.QListWidgetItem() for your situation.