Optical mark recognition (OMR) software

My friend and I are seeing if we can put together an open source OMR solution for teachers to use.
http://www1.cs.ucr.edu/index.php/main/eventlookup/?id=65

Edit 1/4/10: A few people have asked - we never ended up pursuing this project. Please do post in the comments if you are aware of some open source OMR software. In case you're about to head to Google for a look, I'll save you the time: open source OMR.

Scan This Book! - New York Times

Scan This Book! - New York Times
Here's a great article talking about what is the likely future of print media (books, magazines) copyright law. The punch line comes at the end, when Kelly suggests that copyright owners owe the world a duty of searchability.

I agree that it seems reasonable to create a web-friendly Copyright 2.0, under which it is legal to scan and copy for search & fair-use retrieval purposes.

A copyright duration of 70 years is outrageous, and far outlasts the duration needed as an incentive for publication of creative works. Congress should change this as well, but the powers that be (e.g. insert-your-publisher-here) won't let that happen.

To quote Kelly, "Search opens up creations. It promotes the civic nature of publishing. Having searchable works is good for culture. It is so good, in fact, that we can now state a new covenant: Copyrights must be counterbalanced by copyduties. In exchange for public protection of a work's copies (what we call copyright), a creator has an obligation to allow that work to be searched. No search, no copyright."

Microsoft and Google Grapple for Supremacy - New York Times

Microsoft and Google Grapple for Supremacy - New York Times
Interesting article. I will be working for the big G in Seattle. They've treated me very nicely thus far, including a popcorn tin and some gift cards. :)

Boston, Swimming, Job [Google!!], etc.

Dear Friends -
During the past couple months, I've been enjoying being back in the Boston area and the US in general. It's good to see old friends and meet the new freshmen that will be taking over the reins from us seniors in only a few years :) I'm really encouraged by the number of strong Christians I see rising up in the Boston area. The people that go through this city will change the world, and I figure the world will be better off if they've at least had a chance to hear and make an educated decision on Christianity.

The swim season ended last weekend. I swam under our new coach Bill Smyth for about one month, and came in with about three weeks of my own training. Somehow, during that month in our new pool, I brought my times down to personal record levels in the 50, 100, and 200 free. In all three events (which I swam at conferences last weekend), I dropped time, breaking 1:50 in the 200 free (1: 49.22), breaking :50 in the 100 free (:49.92), and breaking 24s in the 50 free (23.14). It was a hugely encouraging weekend, and a great way to leave on a high note. I'm very grateful Bill let me swim with the team.

I interviewed frantically across the country for a couple weeks in late Jan/early February, eventually getting offers at Raytheon, Fidelity, Microsoft, and Google. I watched the super bowl from the Univ of Washington campus. We were disappointed with the calls during the game on that day, but I was very happy with the results of my interview the next day at Microsoft. After some waffling back and forth between Google and Microsoft, I found the best of both worlds and will be accepting a position in Google's Kirkland office, which is only 2.5 hours driving from home for me. I'll be working on such exciting projects as Google Earth, Google Talk, Google Pack, and more. [Google Pack, by the way, is a really easy way to get a new computer ready to roll.]

Granted, it will rain more and give me more overcast days, living in Washington state. However, I think the tradeoff of being much closer to home and still having a new city (Seattle to discover) will keep me more than busy and happy for the next couple years. Please pray for my decision as I consider a summer project in Central or East Asia before I begin, probably in early September.

As before, I welcome any updates you want to send my way.

Sincerely,
Brian Patton

Aesthetic Audacity

Aesthetic Audacity
Visit my friend Derek's web page, advertising...himself :)

Catholic Church says Bible might have flaws

Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible - Times Online

I'm going to have to disagree with them on this one, given that they presumably (and heretofore have) accept(ed) the passage saying "All scripture is God-breathed and is suitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness." from Timothy. Given that scripture is inspired by God, I can't believe it would have a flaw, nor can I believe that the "secular" parts of the Bible in Gen. 1-11 are legendary or false. A short while ago, the church would have realized that some critical analysis of such passages, as well as a critical look at evolution/creation/design will not reveal any particular scientifically provable deficiencies in scripture. On sheer probabilities, I find the Bible at least a little easier to believe.

Boston is 2nd most expensive place to rent

Most Expensive Rental Markets In America 2005 - Forbes.com: "a"

Boston has made the top ten list... #2, actually, behind NYC...
Apparently 35% of people rent, and avg. "Class A" cost is around $24/sf. wow!

A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping

New Scientist Breaking News - Arguments dramatically slow wound healing

Apparently, if you argue, your wounds will heal slower. So pray for a good marriage...it'll be better for your immune system!

Christian facebook/friendsters

I've come upon two Christian networking sites, essentially working to bring together a Christian social network. This is something I've been thinking about during the last week. I'd like to see it take off. They are:
www.5loaves.net
www.christianster.com

Just for kicks, a sudoku solver

Well, this puzzle has really fascinated me. I love how quickly people have taken to it. Swept the entire globe since about last May. So I made a solver.
It's not entirely complete in all possible complexity (there is some need for set logic for the very few complex puzzles), but this can generally solve most sudokus.
For some examples, visit here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,18209,00.html
Sudoku Jigsaw - click here: http://www.sudoku.org.uk/jigsaw.asp

For a more-complete logical solver, here: http://www.sudokusolver.co.uk/index.html

For the code:
grid.cpp
grid.h
main.cpp

Coming home soon!

Dear Friends -

Seems like the semester has flown by, and yet the last couple weeks have been so slow. I have been applying for jobs and would ask you to forward on my resume to anyone you know in a Software / IT / Finance type of job. I'm sure that's one of the best ways I can find a great place to work.

My internship will be finished next Thursday. I have enjoyed the time and recently established more of a rapport with my boss than before (it still seems a bit cold & professional), and I've got mixed feelings on the consulting industry. Probably not somewhere I would want to start unless I can really use my technical degree. Finance, IT both sound interesting. And then there's computer vision... which would probably require some grad school.

I will be arriving back in Boston on the 15th around 5pm, and spending a night there before heading home (8 time zones from here) for a month off! I can't wait to see my family, as I've missed them since MAY. While in Boston, I hope to round up some friends for a party, including you, as long as you don't have a final the next morning (even if you do, if you study in advance).
I'm praying about doing a summer project before going to work. Pray that I'll have some clarity on that. Mostly, I could use your prayers for my job search, that I'll choose the right location, employer, etc.

I will go to a rugby game (London Wasps) on Sunday. I will present my research to my team, then go out for a British Christmas dinner on Monday. I will be seeing A Christmas Carol this coming Tuesday. It's nice to hear Christmas music again. Finally, on Saturday morning, I head to Germany for a few days... Can't wait to visit Imke and see a quaint German village... Then I'm back for a class, a final, and a trip back home!

Hope you've all had a great fall/winter. I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone.

God bless
-Brian <><

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Brian Patton
http://people.bu.edu/bjp/
http://people.bu.edu/reallife/ourstories.html

Looks like Google is going to the moon

Our new goal is to "organize all the useful information in the universe and serve it to you on a lightly salted cracker."
http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html

CSS to print webpage different from rendering

<link rel="stylesheet" 
media="print" 
type="text/css" 
href="http://img.thisismoney.co.uk/style/print.css" />

Using that line for a special print-only .css file, you can control how the page will print. Then, users don't have to click a "Print this page" link. Check it out...

Look at
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=404961&in_page_id=2
and then click file->print preview

ROI and the death of business

I found this article insightful, given that all they teach us in B-school is about management by numbers (you can't really teach intution & genius, anyway): Google's cached copy

And then there were none

^^ That's the name of the Agatha Christie novel-turned-play that I went to see last Friday night. Pretty intense and scary, but really a fun show.

It's been a good few weeks since you last heard from me. I've made good progress on the presentation I'll soon be giving to some investment management consultants on the state of the European investment management market at KPMG. Meanwhile, I've started looking for jobs, which has got me stressed to the max! I can't decide where I'd like to live, which company would be the best fit, what the right trade-off of intrinsic vs. extrinsic benefits is, and it's got me altogether flummoxed, to use a fun word. Nonetheless, I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing some of the companies that are out there in the marketplace, developing what they can, marketing it in completely different sectors, and generally having a great past couple years. It's a great time to get hired right now (apparently), especially for qualified CS majors. They say technical degrees are in high demand and that there aren't enough qualified people. The problem is, the qualifications presented by some companies are so complex that I'd be surprised to meet any perfect individual. There are plenty of smart people looking for work, if you'll give them a month of training time!

In case you're wondering, I am a computer science major, by the way. Business minor, loved working on a computer vision project and would be very interested in an AI/computer vision job. The problem is, I would probably be equally interested in an IT/development job with an investments firm, and those are two very distinct fields I'm thinking about. Pray for me, please.

I will be trying to go to 2 church services tonight, so that I can hear John Stott speak (at the second one) at All Souls. It will be an intense 3 hours of church/travel/church, whew!

I visited the Tower of London and Kensington Palace last weekend. Both were fun places, the tower with its devices of torture, the palace with its dresses and fancy state rooms. The Lord Mayor's show was last weekend... basically, a fancy-dressed guy rides a BEAUTIFUL gold-gilded carriage, behind a 2-mile-long parade. The parade was a kick, all kinds of Britons old and young, variously dressed and including creatively decorated cars, driving couches (thank you Intel), decorated buses, and marching bands. That night there was a dramatic fireworks show. Pretty enjoyable weekend, last weekend.

The prior weekend, I went to two fireworks shows for Guy Fawkes day. It's the closest the Brits get to a 4th of July, and it takes place on the 5th of November. Remember, remember the 5th of November. A group of (persecuted) Catholic rebels planted some dynamite in the basement of Parliament and Guy Fawkes was to light it. Unfortunately for him they found him out, tortured him (the rack) and then he was drawn and quartered, sent to the corners of the UK (like William Wallace). So they celebrate the day they caught him, but they name the day after the terrorist himself... interesting people, these. Did I mention they burn his effigy in huge bonfires all over the country every year?!

I'm working today and tonight on assembling a portfolio for my internship, so I must go. Hope you all are having a great November and enjoying the warmth and coldness of your respective locations. Oh, and congrats to my friend Olga from Central Asia, who just got engaged!
-Brian

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Brian Patton
http://people.bu.edu/bjp/
http://people.bu.edu/reallife/ourstories.html

The printer will become the new water-cooler

My hypothesis is that the printer may be becoming the new water cooler about which important conversations are had and networking is done.

A few notes

1) Sauerkraut might cure bird flu, in case you get it. Anyway, apparently cabbage is good for your immune system. Might have to do an overhaul of my eating habits :)
2) Went to a presentation on London/services marketing last night. Apparently London just passed NYC for international business transactions. The Rt Hon Lord Michael Heseltine of Thenford (Minister of Commerce & Industry under Margaret Thatcher) gave a presentation on what he sees as the future of marketing, which will increasingly strive to sell services and beat out India & China. He used four R's:

• Reach
• Responsiveness
• Relationships
• Renewal/Revision

Interesting descriptions accompany each, although I hesitate to include the renewal process in marketing, thinking it falls more into organizational culture/change/operations.

Thinking...

Been thinking a lot recently, praying about some stuff:
1) What am I supposed to do? Go back to a major investments firm? Go very technical with some place like Google or MS? Go to BAE and design defence IT systems? (note the British spelling)
2) Where am I supposed to be? Boston? Central Asia summer project? Home?
3) What is baptism in the Spirit in the book of Acts (yeah, I know kind of random relative to the others, but relevant nonetheless)?
Pray for me on those.

Pictures posted

Posted a handful of within-the-last-month pictures on http://bjppics.blogspot.com

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Brian Patton
http://people.bu.edu/bjp/
http://people.bu.edu/reallife/ourstories.html

Back in London and busy again

Greetings from London!
Well, as you might have guessed from my incommunicativeness over the past couple weeks (is that even a word, incommunicativeness?) I have been busy!

Since returning to London, I have (a) started an internship with KPMG, an international business services company specializing in audit, tax, and advisory. I fit in to the UK member firm's financial services advisory/performance management block. It's been a fun couple weeks of learning my way around, which is how it always goes with a new job. Nice people. Admittedly, I felt a little lonely after a week and a half among British speakers. However, I have admitted to myself that I'm American to stay, and I feel much better about my American-ness now :) In fact, I even met another guy who started at KPMG US and is now working for the UK firm.

I got to go out for curry with my immediate (Investment Management) team last night. It was fun. We had a meeting where everyone summarized what they've been up to and what clients they're on/hope to secure. I met a couple partners (who apparently rake in the dough, around £ 200,000 min per year in salary + bonus/profits) and a lot of people whom I haven't even seen in the office (they've been putting in 130% client time). We had a meeting Monday night called "Cascades" as in, information cascading down the chain to the little guys on the bottom, which includes me. Apparently the division I'm in grew by some huge proportion and the company as a whole has done really well this last year. They set the bonus pool to £ 59 million this year, a big jump from last year. Of course, that doesn't compare much with the Goldman Sachs bonuses of up to 200k. Their traders went out that night to a ritzy bar and asked for the most expensive cocktail available - TEN OF THEM. Well, at 385 pounds a piece ($700ea), those added up, and the Crystale and other drinks they got brought a two-man bill up to £ 13,000. Ridiculous. Yeah. These people are absurd. Send a bit of that my way (at least pay me for working! ;-)

Those people would be described as POSH. The origin of the posh term is this: when British women used to go to India, they would faint with their huge dresses and corset if they were on the side of the boat that faced the sun. So when they ordered tixx, rich women would order P.O.S.H. tickets, meaning Port Out Starboard Home, which would put them on the left (North) on the Eastbound journey, and the North on the way home. Both ways in the shade. There's your etymology for the day.

I am thoroughly enjoying my current class, which meets Fridays only. The professor makes the class what it is (great!). He's very relaxed, brings in food every week, and is very well-read when it comes to thinking about international management. It's funny how much I could loathe an Organizational Behavior class under Prof. Zenger-Baker but love a nearly-OB class on international management, organizational structure, change, leadership, etc. under Prof. Lang. I guess that's a sign that the teacher has a large impact on student perceptions of the subject. I gave a presentation today, on a case study about Acer, Inc. the Taiwan-based computer maker. We have fun discussions about how outrageous prices are here in the UK, and how the professor always orders off ebay US, buys in Germany (his car!), or asks his sister-in-law to send goodies over from the US. He recently got an iPod which he loves. Did I mention we share a birthday, which happened to be the first day of class?! Yeah, he brought me a bottle of champagne (from Champagne, France) the following Friday. I don't suspect he anticipated it, but I brought him the chicken and bacon sandwich he had requested, so we did a little gift exchange a week late.

My birthday, by the way, was a kick. We went to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, a pub that dates back as early as the late 1500s. Our table was near an original copy of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. It was a nice experience. I suppose Rome was a bit older, but this did the trick. I had a nice chunk of lamb and was given Phantom and Josh Groban in concert DVDs, as well as a Phantom mask just for kicks :)
I am, by the way, still a little in awe of Les Mis, in case you were wondering. Saw a crude play called On Tour. It was small & intimate (i.e. ~100 seats), but yeah just dirty.

My roommate got back from Croatia/Bosnia alright. All his limbs intact. Fortunately he had hired a translator/guide, 'cause he said he almost stepped on a mine, but the translator stopped him.

I'm going to a Man City v. Fulham football game tomorrow afternoon. Don't have any particular loyalties, but it should definitely be a good time.

I'm going through this course called Alpha, which is a course discussing the very fundamentals of Christianity in a pretty intellectual environment. It's kind of taking the world by storm, as in, around 10% of the UK population have been on Alpha, and it's definitely getting big in Boston/elsewhere in the US. I might have a hankering to lead a course next semester. We'll see how that pans out.

Hope this gives you some rough overview of what's going on with me. Send me food or chocolate or cards if you like :)
Love you all.
-Brian

Brian Patton
43 Harrington Gardens
London, England
SW7 4JU
UK

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Brian Patton
http://people.bu.edu/bjp/
http://people.bu.edu/reallife/ourstories.html