http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Tales of a software engineer who keeps kosher and hates the web. en-us Sun, 13 May 2012 10:54:47 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2012/05/upgrade_to_movabletype_438.html unsolicitedDave got a Google malware warning, so I upgraded MovableType. I hope everything is fixed now. 1135@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ The Web Sucks Sun, 13 May 2012 10:54:47 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2011/07/full-sized_flickr_image_do.html Came across a couple of good tools today that replace the cool Photocastr app to give you batch/bulk access to your Flickr images in various sizes/resolutions: Flickr Feed Image Re-sizer from Yahoo! Pipes. I'm using this to subscribe feeds in iPhoto and also for a Mac OS X screensaver. Default RSS feeds from Flickr only come in a Small size, which isn't good enough for anything. Some simple regexes (hosted by Y! Pipies) can easily convert from small to Medium, Large, or Original size. Nice. This tool is free. Bulkr, an Adobe AIR app that lets you download in bulk/batch your Flickr images. I plan to use this to fill up an SDHC card and still into the digital picture frame I recently purchased. There's a free version and a $29.95 Bulkr PRO version with more features. 1130@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ The Web Sucks Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:15:09 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2011/06/a_letter_to_sivan_hallel_r.html Our dear sweet girl, We are so blessed to have you here today, to introduce you to our community and to share with you the blessings of the covenant of the Jewish people. You are the newest member of the Radwin and Schlesinger families. We have been waiting for you! Since Pesach we have been counting each day and anticipating your arrival. We're so excited to finally meet you. And, after getting to know you a little bit this week, studying you, watching you breathe and sleep, we have chosen for you the name Sivan Hallel. Your first name, Sivan, is chosen to remember two very special women in your family tree, both named Sylvia. Sylvia Weinstein was the dear younger sister of your mother's grandfather Julius. Sylvia Weinstein was born in 1915 and died just weeks before your parents' wedding. She had many extraordinary traits, but maybe one of the most special was that, in her eyes -- everything and everyone was wonderful. Especially family. She would have thought that you, Sivan, were wonderful, and she would have been so thrilled to meet you and welcome you into the family. We miss her today even as we remember her and name you for her. You are also named for your father's grandmother, Sylvia Burns Radwin. Sylvia was a high school biology teacher, a counselor, and an artist. Sylvia was always singing, or humming melodies or songs. Any word you spoke that reminded her of a song lyric would inspire her to sing. She was a bird-watcher, a tennis-player, and a swimmer. She tried unsuccessfully to instill a love of all three of these things in your father. But perhaps these loves skip a generation or two or three, and you will be the one to carry on these passions. Sylvia was a phenomenal story-teller, and we hope to share some of her stories with you. Remind your father some day to tell you the story about the watermelon at summer camp. Your middle name, Hallel, comes from your great-grandfather, Arthur Radwin. Although his proper American name was Arthur, his Hebrew name and his name in his early years was Haskel, a Yiddish version of the name for "Ezekiel." Arthur was a lifelong high school educator who taught biology and later became a principal. He had a delightful wry sense of humor, and an unusual culinary aesthetic. Arthur ate leftover cold oatmeal with grated parmesan cheese on more than one occasion. Arthur shared Sylvia's love of tennis and bird-watching, and taught your father and Uncle David to play soccer. Your name also comes from the season in which you were born. You made your entrance into this world just 10 days ago on Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the eve of the new Hebrew month of Sivan. Sivan is the third month of the Hebrew calendar year, which, according to the Torah, begins in the spring with the month of Nissan. Sivan, you have both the privilege and the challenge of being born as the third child in our family. You enter a family that not only welcomes you, but that already has a sense of itself -- rhythms, habits, stories, and personalities. Some very big personalities. You have a brother and sister who have already demonstrated how deeply they love you and welcome you, and who also have years of practice of sibling interaction. You will both insert (and assert) yourself and learn from those who have come before you. We welcome you into our family, and eagerly await how you will change it. We also want to reflect a little bit on a second meaning of your middle name, Hallel. Hallel, is not only like your great-grandfather Haskel, but also means "praise." And, at the beginning of any new Hebrew month is a holiday called Rosh Chodesh, literally the "head of the month" when we include additional prayers. One of the extra prayers for Rosh Chodesh is Hallel, in which we sing Psalms 113-118 as praises to God, often with joyous melodies. Hallel is not only an expression of gratitude for all that is good in the world, but an opportunity to recognize the magnitude of our Creator. When we think of what it means to "praise," it seems easy to confuse that with thanksgiving or gratitude. Those are important too, and we take for granted that, growing up in our family, you will develop a deep appreciation and disposition of gratitude for all that will be yours in the world. But to praise is actually a step deeper, because it isn't personal. It is a choice to see what is good in a world that doesn't always seem praiseworthy. We live in a world which we wish were kinder, more peaceful, and more just. And yet, "Anachnu nevarech Yah me'atah ve'ad olam"-- we shall praise God now and forever. Halleluyah!" To us, this means to never give up on seeing all that is good, mighty, and powerful. To never lose sight of the miracle of creation-- the incredible miracle of the sun rising every morning, setting every evening, the stars and planets suspended forever, the earth spinning, the trees and plants growing, and we humans partnered with God to perfect the world. To praise God is to choose to see the beauty... not just to thank God for what is ours to enjoy, but to recognize all that isn't. We ask you to take this as a charge for who you may become: your task in this life will be to find your own calling, your own uniqueness, the way that you can add your voice to the chorus of voices in this humongous world, the harmony that you can bring that nobody else can bring. There are praises of God that you can sing that nobody else will be able to sing, particular gifts that are yours alone, and we as your parents ask you to sing them well. Sivan Hallel, may you lead a life of Torah and ma'asim tovim, and may you someday be blessed to stand under the chuppah. Welcome to the world, Brucha ha-ba-ah, our little Sivan Hallel. Love, Ema and Abba 1129@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Radwin Family Sun, 12 Jun 2011 21:09:42 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2010/10/school_soup.html Chop (dice) and sauté in olive oil: 1 bunch of celery 4 leeks 18 carrots After the vegetables are soft, add 8 sweet potatoes, chopped up 2 cups red lentils 16 cubes "Organic Gourmet" vegetable bouillon cubes(with salt) 32 cups of water Cook for about an hour until all vegetables are soft Then add, chopped up, 2-3 bunches of Broccoli, cut as you prefer 4-6 carrots, if you want more - cut as you prefer 1 Cabbage, cut up or torn up by the children 1 bunch of Kale leaves without the stems, cut or torn by the children 2 cups of Quinoa Cook for ½ hour or so. 1125@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Food Sun, 31 Oct 2010 15:10:52 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2010/10/mysql_user_defined_functio.html We've open-sourced geoip-udf, a set of MySQL User Defined Functions for the MaxMind GeoIP API. 1124@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Computer Science Thu, 21 Oct 2010 15:02:34 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2009/10/the_uninvited_guest_a_brow.html The marketing department at my company produced a slick video of browser hijacking based on some of our research. 1112@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ The Web Sucks Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:28:55 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2008/11/video_of_dad_playing_with_.html Here's a video of Mark Radwin z''l playing with his grandson about a month before he passed away. 1102@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Radwin Family Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:21:18 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2008/07/blogging_again_software_up.html David Jeske has inspired me to upgrade MovableType on radwin.org to a more modern version. Pretty seamless upgrade so far to MT 4.12 personal, but good golly, that's a way different UI than I'm used to. [Update: Damn, I need some anti-spam comment plugins. Now that I'm back on a more modern version of MT, the spammers are back.] 1096@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ The Web Sucks Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:22:27 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2008/05/that_girl_is_poison.html I just got BBD's "Poison" from The Best Of Bell Biv Devoe 20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection. Damn, I love 99 cent MP3s. Now ya know. Yo, Slick: Blow. 1091@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Books/Music/Movies Fri, 30 May 2008 07:22:01 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2008/04/either_we_kill_click_fraud.html We got a little bit of good press today. See JackMyers Media Business Report: "Either We Kill Click Fraud or Click Fraud is Going to Kill the Online Ad Business." Anchor Intelligence Launches ClearMark. I've been at Anchor Intelligence (formerly Fraudwall Technologies) for a little over a year now. Writing code to fight the bad guys is good fun. 1088@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ The Web Sucks Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:26:30 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2008/02/yael_goldie_photos.html Professional photos from the Simchat Bat taken by Natasha Valik. Not-so-professional photos taken by me and other family members. 1086@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Radwin Family Thu, 14 Feb 2008 09:07:01 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2008/02/a_letter_to_yael_goldie_ra.html Dear Little One, Welcome to the world, to the community, and to our immediate family. We are overwhelmed with the joy of seeing you, of holding you, of loving the you that you are and the you that you will become. You have made such a graceful entrance into our lives, sharing with us with the sweetness of your face and surprising us with your vibrant auburn red hair. We have spent many hours this week looking at you, thinking of both what we know of you and what we hope for you, and choose for you the name Yael Goldie. In the womb, you were so active. We would watch and feel you kicking, and wonder who was in there! When you were born with the shock of red hair, we recognized the biological imperative of your feistiness. We have chosen for you a biblical name of one of the most feisty women in our tradition. Yael the Kinnite woman heroically defended the Jewish people by pinning a tent pin through the head of an enemy general, Sisera. She was a brave military heroine, resourceful enough to be both seductress and warrior as she broke through the rules in zealous protection of her people. The name Yael has three other meanings. First, and most famously, a Yael is a mountain goat, or ibex. This desert animal certainly is no match for your beauty, but is sure-footed and steady on rough desert terrain. Secondly, Yael can also mean to ascend, or go up. The letters of "Yael" are from a similar root of "aliyah," moving towards Torah, Jerusalem, or God. We hope that you find your own aspirations of height, and move towards them with the sure-footedness of your namesake. There is yet one more possible meaning of Yael, perhaps one of the foremost considerations when picking your name. While Yael in Hebrew is spelled yod-ayin-lamed, the syllables suggest a different spelling of: "Yah"- "el"-- two names for God. The name said out loud is in itself an affirmation of God. It also shares something in common with both of your parents-- the names Michael and Ariella both use "el" to refer to God. We hope that you will find meaning, as we do, in a name that carries within it the name of God. Your middle name is Goldie, which we know is an unusual name for a little girl born in 2008. Your namesake, Goldie Kassel was born 110 years ago, and yet you are the first little girl to be born in the family since she passed away in 2001. Your grandmother will speak to you more about her own grandmother, but we just wanted to reflect the very gentle way that Goldie Offenbach was, in her own way, an incredibly fesity woman. She possessed about her an incredible zest for life, and she found her own feistiness giggling her way through life. We hope for you the same infectious fun. For your Hebrew middle name, rather than choose a translation of "Goldie," we choose the name Gila, which means joy. It seems a rather fitting tribute to your great-great-grandmother, and also a fitting name for you, named just a few days into the month of Adar, a month of rejoicing. And it is indeed a month for our family to rejoice in the addition of you. You enter our immediate family as a second child. Your older brother Noam has been awaiting your arrival so eagerly, rehearsing over and over the narrative of how you would be born, where you would sleep, and the love you would bring. Eleven days into your life, he is eager to hold you, to give you hugs and kisses goodnight, and to always account for your whereabouts. Enjoy it the best you can. Enjoy the close relationship you have with him, even though it is occasionally perilous these days. Nonetheless, we hope that as you grow, you continue to hold onto that closeness and share your life with him. You are also blessed to have a large extended family which is eager to love you. Today you have celebrating with you aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-aunts and uncles and great-grandparents who have come together to witness the miracle of you, to welcome you and bring you much love. As we write this letter to you, we also want to take a moment to reflect to you our hopes and prayers for what we hope will be a wonderful life in front of you. We know that we will have many more opportunities to speak to you, but today we are struck by the family, the community, and the world, and how you may change the places where you tread. We ask you to be a good citizen in the world around you. Be mindful of other people, and strive towards righteousness. Take care of the planet. Take care of yourself-- of your body and of your emotional state. Make good friends, and keep them forever. Do acts of justice and kindness. Study hard, learn things, and use the knowledge to make the world a better place. Share your wisdom with the greater community, become a sage, be a person that others admire. Thrive. We know that these are tall orders for a little person just 11 days old, but we hope that you will have a long healthy life to carry them out. Never stop trying. Who you are will leave an imprint on the people around you and the world at large. You will leave a unique mark on the world simply by being the best version of yourself that you can be, by finding your calling, and pursuing it. As your parents, we pledge to support the paths you choose in whatever ways we can. We are so happy to welcome you to our family. Welcome, welcome, Brucha ha-ba-ah, Yael Goldie. Love, Ema and Abba 1085@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Radwin Family Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:02:35 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2008/01/its_a_girl.html DSC_4366 Originally uploaded by mradwin Baby Girl Radwin was born January 31, 2008 at 2:40am. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 8 oz and is 19 1/2" long. Mom and baby are doing great, Noam is a proud big brother, and Abba is on cloud nine. 1084@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Radwin Family Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:22:09 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2007/06/i_want_a_dadgear_cargo_bab.html Costco DadGear Cargo Baby Gear Jacket Changing Pad, Diaper, Wipes and Bottle Pockets $69.99 Plus Shipping & Handling Fatherhood hasn't changed my general consumerist lust for new things. It has merely shifted it to a whole new class of products I didn't know I needed until now. The concept behind the DadGear style is simple - a masculine look combined with high quality materials and thoughtful design. The goal for DadGear products is not just neutral or unfeminine, but style that reflects who we are - guys. Guys who take pride in caring for their kids. Oh, and I want an iPhone, too. 1079@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Radwin Family Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:07:48 -0800 http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/2007/06/software_engineer_java_-_c.html Want to build something that hunts down the bad guys and puts 'em out of business? Got experience building complex systems in Java? Fraudwall Technologies has the job for you. We're looking for engineers at all experience levels who want to help build a massive data processing and modeling pipeline, using cutting-edge machine learning and network forensics. You'll be writing code that will make real-time decisions to prevent click fraud, and there's going to be a fire hose of data coming at you. This particular job comes with as much responsibility as you can handle. You won't just be writing code; you'll be doing design, architecture, implementation, testing, support, and more. Passion, talent, and raw brains are more important than tons of industry experience. Required experience: * 3-5 years of software development in Java (top-notch C++ and C# engineers can apply, too) * Superb understanding of data structures and algorithms * Effective communication skills: you'll have to be able to fluently communicate with modelers/analysts, business people, and other coders * Experience with Unix/Linux, and relational databases such as MySQL or Oracle * BS or MS in Computer Science or equivalent Desirable experience: * Machine learning, information retrieval, TCP/IP internals * Java frameworks: Hibernate, Servlets, Jakarta Commons * Proficiency with scripting languages such as Python or Perl About the company: Fraudwall Technologies provides advertising networks and advertisers with a pioneering solution for identifying click fraud. Fraudwall combines cutting edge science with the aggregation of data and characteristics from networks, search engines, and advertisers into one complete scalable solution. Fraudwall values honesty and integrity in dealing with each other and with our partners and customers. We offer competitive salaries, 401K, stock options, and health, dental, and vision plans. And of course, we provide an opportunity to work with world-class fraudfighters, systems builders, and serial entrepreneurs. All positions are for our office in Palo Alto, California. Send your resume to michael.radwin@fraudwall.net 1078@http://www.radwin.org/michael/blog/ Computer Science Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:08:23 -0800