Oracle Sues Google over using Java in Android

Oracle has filed a lawsuit against Google, charging that its Android phone software infringes Oracle patents and copyrights related to Java, Oracle said Thursday.

"In developing Android, Google knowingly, directly and repeatedly infringed Oracle's Java-related intellectual property. This lawsuit seeks appropriate remedies for their infringement," Oracle spokeswoman Karen Tillman said in a statement.

via computerworld.com

It seems like the many people that have worried about Java being a company controlled language as opposed to a community controlled one are correct, especially those that suspected that Oracle would be much more closed about it than Sun was... This is a great way to kill the language and make people afraid to use OpenJDK in any commercial software.

Interesting article on the biomechanics of efficient running form

The simple question of how do you run is largely unanswered in the running community. You have a bunch of pseudo-guru styles like Pose or Chi, but the key to running correctly to maximize performance is a topic that is largely left to elite coaches or biomechanics experts. As Pete Larson pointed out in his blog, elite coaches like Alberto Salazar extol the benefits of working on running form, but no one has told the masses how. In the following article, it's my goal to unmask the "secrets" and provide the answers. The bulk of this article comes from information gleaned mostly from working with world class track coaches like Tom Tellez and a great High School coach in Gerald Stewert. Throw in some biomechanics classes in undergrad and graduate school and the picture is a little more complete.
via scienceofrunning.com

I don't know if I can put it better than that. It's worth a read.

I'm going to try running in more minimal shoes today

My trusty Mizuno Wave Riders are seriously at the end of their life, so I needed to buy new shoes. It also seems like an opportune time to try some minimal shoes. I tried on the Saucony Kinvara (way too narrow) and the Nike Free Run+ (good feel, but also narrow, and with way too much height to be actually minimal) at Fleet Feet, but that was all they had in the category. After calling around with not much luck, I did more research online, and decided to order a few shoes from runningwarehouse.com (btw, runblogger.com has a 10% off coupon for Running Warehouse).

I decided on trying the Mizuno Ronin (I've been pretty happy with my Mizunos, and the Ronin is supposed to be a step more towards minimal than the Rider), the Asics Gel Hyperspeed 4, and the Inov-8 F-Lite 230. The Hyperspeed was recommended by folks on the Chirunning forums: people with wider feet seemed to like it, and it stil has some cushioning, so it was mentioned as a good shoe for transitioning to minimal. The Inov-8 was mention on runblogger.com in the minimal shoe roundup, and since I enjoy trail running more than road running, I figured it might be a good choice.

The shoes arrived yesterday, and the Mizuno almost immediatle disqualified itself. Unlike the nice flexibility of the Wave Rider, the Ronin has a much stiffer sole, which is something I just can't abide by. It was a much closer match between the F-Lite 230 and the Hyperspeed. Both have a good amount of flexibility and feel good. However, the F-Lite 230 was a little large, and I had ordered the last one that Running Warehouse had in stock. Also, while I fancy myself a trail runner, right now I tend to run more on pavement, and the softer sole in the Hyperspeed seems much more suited to that. Lastly, the Hyperspeed is $60, and the F-Lite 230 is $95. That pretty much closed the argument.

So I'm going to do my lunch run today in the Hyperspeed 4's and see how things go. 

Update: Somehow I think this post got caught by Posterous's spam filters, and I must have missed the email that told me that I needed to tell posterous that yes, I was the one that posted it. But now that I've noticed that, I've posted it. Yay.

Garmin Commuincator Plugin for Linux

Currently there is no linux support from Garmin. To be able to use paperless geocaching under Linux I wrote a Browser plugin that simulates the Garmin Communicator Plugin. Using this plugin your are able to transfer Geocaches from Geocaching.com using the "Send to Gps" button.
via andreas-diesner.de

I've been recently thinking about if my next computer should be a Mac or a Linux box since while my MacBook Pro is miraculously still working, I'm expecting that it's going to kick the bucket sooner rather than later. The Garmin Plugin was one of the things that I figured I'd miss if I decided to go with the Linux option, since it makes posting to Daily Mile really easy. On a whim, I searched for a Linux version of the Garmin Plugin, and to my surprise, I found it. It hasn't been tested with Daily Mile, but if it doesn't work, I don't expect it to be that hard to fix it.

Mark Hurd (HP CEO) resigns

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Hewlett-Packard /quotes/comstock/13*!hpq/quotes/nls/hpq (HPQ 46.30, +0.03, +0.07%) Chief Executive Mark Hurd has resigned as a result of an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against him and H-P by a former company contractor. H-P said the investigation found "no violation of HP's sexual harassment policy, but did find violations of HP's Standards of Business Conduct.
via marketwatch.com

And he was doing a rather excellent job as CEO. Until now, of course... That definitely makes me less optimistic about HP's prospects. *sigh*

I just discovered Perl::Critic thanks to @chromatic_x

Perl::Critic is an extensible framework for creating and applying coding standards to Perl source code. Essentially, it is a static source code analysis engine. Perl::Critic is distributed with a number of Perl::Critic::Policy modules that attempt to enforce various coding guidelines. Most Policy modules are based on Damian Conway's book Perl Best Practices. However, Perl::Critic is not limited to PBP and will even support Policies that contradict Conway. You can enable, disable, and customize those Polices through the Perl::Critic interface. You can also create new Policy modules that suit your own tastes.
via search.cpan.org

Is that not nifty?