John Haro's Blahg

posts from a technologist and ne'er-do-well

Derek Eder and Forest Gregg Hack ClearStreets in 12 hours

This app was hacked together with python, php, google fusion tables, javascript, html/css, and a humble batch script. Here's how we did it:

1. We dug around in the Plow Tracker code and stumbled into the data feed of GPS plow locations. We pulled these dots.

2. In order to figure out which streets had been cleared, we needed to turn these dots into plow paths. Lukas Kabrt's MatchGPX2OSM did the trick. It takes a series of GPS locations and snaps them to the street grid in order to calculate the most likely path taken by the vehicle. The street grid itself was provided by the thousands of unsung heroes at OpenStreetMap.

3. We then wrote a script to import this data into Google Fusion Tables, so we could display it using Derek Eder's searchable map template. Finally, we styled the template and flipped the switch.

We'll post the code on Github later. It will be embarrassing.

via derekeder.com

Racing against the upcoming storm, these guys hacked a useful snowplow tracker. It's not perfect, but it's "done".

Louis CK on the results of selling DRM free

The show went on sale at noon on Saturday, December 10th. 12 hours later, we had over 50,000 purchases and had earned $250,000, breaking even on the cost of production and website. As of Today, we've sold over 110,000 copies for a total of over $500,000. Minus some money for PayPal charges etc, I have a profit around $200,000 (after taxes $75.58). This is less than I would have been paid by a large company to simply perform the show and let them sell it to you, but they would have charged you about $20 for the video. They would have given you an encrypted and regionally restricted video of limited value, and they would have owned your private information for their own use. They would have withheld international availability indefinitely. This way, you only paid $5, you can use the video any way you want, and you can watch it in Dublin, whatever the city is in Belgium, or Dubai. I got paid nice, and I still own the video (as do you). You never have to join anything, and you never have to hear from us again.
via buy.louisck.com

Following an experiment first validated by Radiohead with the release of In Rainbows in 2007, Louis CK shows that everyone (except the middleman) can win.

Spotify is the future and end of music

Spotify is the place in technology where my deep appreciation of what 'average normal people' care about and what I (as a geek and music collector) care about are at odds.  
In some way or form, I suspect that what Spotify is or does is going to be the way music is commonly distributed.  Its all going to be out there, subscription based for the masses to consume all-you-can-eat.  The ability to listen to what you want, when you want, and not really 'own' anything is probably the way most average consumers care for it to work, but not the way I feel very comfortable working.  I feel the need to 'own' my media… and the idea of it being on-demand out there for everyone just feels strange to me. It feels as if the music is losing its soul or becoming a commodity.  I can see where the future is going and I don't like it.  It is a weird and uncommon feeling and makes me feel old despite having gone 100% digital. 

What Amazon, Apple and Google are doing may not really compete with the huge ton of people that just want to listen to whatever Ke$ha just shat out and then move on.  
Posterous theme by Cory Watilo
  
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