Author Archive: Brian

Like it or not, electric cars are the future.

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Anybody in their 30s or 40s now will definitely be living in a world where electric cars, charged by renewable energy such as solar or wind power, will be the majority of vehicles on the road. Major trucking companies have already put orders in for the Tesla Semi based on ROI for delivery in 2019. AND, they release an electric car that does an 8.9 second 1/4 mile with a 600 mile range at highway speeds.Gasoline and diesel engines will go the way of the steam engine in the next 30-40 years.

Digital Video Editor Certification is now Available!

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I am proud to announce that the Digital Video Editor Certification offered by Electronics Technicians Association, International (ETA) is now complete! I served as a Subject Matter Expert on this committee for the last half year, and we believe we have created a certification test that employers will value. The future job prospects for this field are expected to grow much faster than average, and median wages for a DVE were $30.18 an hour!

ETA is a US-based not-for-profit 501(c) 6 professional association which provides certifications in industries such as basic electronics, fiber optics and data cabling, renewable energy, information technology, photonics and precision optics, customer service, biomedical, avionics, wireless communications, radar, and smart home. ETA is also one of the 13 COLEMs (Commercial Operator License Examination Manager) for U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) testing. ETA works with technicians, educators, and military personnel. ETA also partners with companies such as Motorola Solutions to provide certification to their employees.

Fred Rogers melted Senator Pastore in about 6 minutes

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I very seldom share a video or a meme or something like that from another page on Facebook, because seldom do any of them get more than a few second response, be it a quick chuckle or a scroll-through. This video will stay with you throughout the weekend. I guarantee it.

In 1969, Mr. Fred Rogers gave the following emotional plea to a Senate Subcommittee. President Richard Nixon was trying to cut funding for PBS. Mr. Rogers was trying to save it. This speech is one of many fantastic memories that remind us just how fantastic a happiness hero this man really was.

Somehow using nothing but a few minutes of gentle words, Mr. Rogers was able to convince them not to pull funding from public television. The transition of the committee’s chairman from skeptical and dismissive at the beginning to having an attitude of outright admiration at the end is beautiful to behold. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when kindness and the happiness of others is your goal.

Facebook’s Artificial Intelligence and ALT Tags

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Facebook’s Artificial Intelligence, and ALT tags. #Engadget #alttags

I figured I would post something about this because I haven’t seen it discussed on any forum I am familiar with on the Internet.

Facebook reveals a little information about the information it collects from the pictures you post in the form of ALT tags. ALT tags are included in the raw HTML code of nearly every website you visit. They are primarily used to briefly describe a particular picture, image, or graphic for users that can’t view images, either because they are visually impaired, or their Web browser doesn’t support it.

By inspecting the HTML code of anyone’s Facebook profile, you can see some of what Facebook can recognize in your photos. Take for instance these examples on my own profile. In the first example on the thumbnail with my girlfriend and I in the car, Facebook believes it sees 2 people, smiling, sitting, outdoors, with sunglasses and a beard. This is amazingly accurate (it HAD been a few days since I shaved!) In the second example on the thumbnail of me jumping my four-wheeler at Jordan Supercross, Facebook believes it sees one or more people on a motorcycle outdoors. Again, not too shabby on Facebook’s part!

If you care to experiment a little, what other criteria can you find that Facebook’s AI can successfully identify? Share here!