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Learn a New Language While Helping to Translate the Web: 3 Duolingo Invites to Give Away

avoision — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:31:40 +0000

Every day, people use CAPTCHAs – a basic prompt/test that asks users to re-type in words they see on the screen. It’s an annoying thing for many of us, but it serves an important purpose: separate actual people from potential bots and automated scripts. The tests are simple for people, but difficult for computers.

Luis von Ahn learned that people spend, on average, 10 seconds filling out CAPTCHAs – and decided to put that time towards better use. His company, reCAPTCHA, works like a regular CAPTCHA, but when people go through the test… they’re also helping to digitize books, one word at a time. If you haven’t seen von Ahn’s TED talk about MassiveScale Online Collaboration, it really is worth a few minutes of your time. Jaw-droppingly good stuff.

Recently, von Ahn’s latest project, duoLingo went into public beta. It’s massive in scale, and his goal is an ambitious one: help to translate all the documents on the web, one word at a time. To pull off this feat, he created a structure that breaks the task down into small chunks. And he’s going to get you and me to help him out.

How? By offering people a way to learn a new language, for free. Currently, you can pick between Spanish and German (with French in beta). As you learn new words and phrases, part of the process will involve you translating actual text from the web. As you become more advanced and comfortable with the language, you’ll be translating more text for others. No ads, no subscription fees… absolutely for free.

I signed up for the early beta, and have gotten to see how things work, behind the scenes. It’s an interesting interface, with a reward tree structure in place that many gamers will recognize, allowing you to see your progress.

Up until now, it’s been a pretty private experience… but as of today, duoLingo users each get three invites to send to friends. I’ve only done a few of the lessons so far, but I’m definitely going back and trying to make it a more regular part of my day. I’m hoping that inviting others will help motivate me along. And honestly, I think it’s a pretty fantastic project… and would love to share it with friends.

So if you’re curious and want to learn another language, drop me a line in the comments. //Edit: I’m all out of invites. Sorry, folks!

Check out the official trailer for more info:

New Giant, Empty Billboard Installed in Logan Square

avoision — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:13:40 +0000

Last week, I happened to spot a bunch of guys working at the top of the building near the Logan Square Blue Line stop. I wasn’t quite sure what they were up to (there were three guys on the rooftop, working over the ledge), but was able to get close enough to grab this shot.

Turns out, they were installing another large billboard onto the side of the building. Which is weird because, the other billboard space has been blank since January of this year.

You know what? I was starting to make fun of this, but… in hindsight, I kind of like it as-is. It’s weird to see, but these billboards exude a kind of empty pleasantness that grows on you. I’m realizing now that were these billboards to actually contain ads, I’m sure the whole thing would look terrible and feel awfully annoying, and potentially make me feel accosted on my way to work.

For now, I’ll consider it an art installation – a symbol of consumerism’s inability to satiate the very desires it instills. Hopefully, the artists won’t sell out and go corporate, anytime soon.

Joe Smith: How to Conserve 571,230,000 Pounds of Paper Towels in Twelve and a Half Easy Steps

avoision — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:58:41 +0000

Every year, we Americans use over 13 billion pounds of paper towels. That’s right – billions. That is not a small number.

And you know what? I have a confession to make – I’m not helping with that number. I’m someone who’s in the habit of grabbing multiple paper towels to dry my hands. I’ve done this for a while, always with the belief that I needed more than one to fully dry my hands.

I’m here to say now: I was crazy. After watching this video by Joe Smith and actually trying out his approach, I’ve realized the error of my ways. One paper towel is more than enough to do the job.

The video itself is less than 5 minutes, and well worth watching. Perhaps this approach is old hat to some, but it opened my eyes as to how much I was wasting… and how little I actually needed.

The secret 12 and 1/2 steps: after washing your hands, shake them over the sink 12 times. Then use one paper towel, folded in half.

[via MetaFilter]

Allen Stone: Contact High

avoision — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:15:33 +0000

Since I looked up his name again a few days ago, I’ve been really liking this one song by Allen Stone.

Over the weekend, I’ve even go so far as to fire up Spotify, and suffered through the apps just to check out the album.

The Bunny Rabbits of Logan Square

avoision — Sun, 20 May 2012 15:37:39 +0000

On Friday, Liz and I took a stroll down the boulevard and walked to Provenance. We wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather, and to pick up a bottle of wine.

It’s a short trek from our place to California and Logan, and en route… we saw a ton of bunny rabbits. Literally one per block.

Not a block from our house, we spotted this little guy. He dashed across the sidewalk and started chomping away in a nearby yard. He was pretty well hidden from people walking by, but was super super tiny (about 1/4 the size of our rabbits).

I’ll admit, his size was a bit unnerving. Seeing him foraging was like seeing a 12 year old, panhandling downtown. It seems wrong for someone so young to be on their own, and you kind of want to swoop in and take care of them.

The next block we spotted this guy, lazily eating grass in plain view. No cover, nothing to hide behind… not even a gate between the yard and the sidewalk – just him munching away.

There were a few folks with dogs who walked by, and this guy was totally unphased. I walked up to him, and the most he did was back away maybe half a foot. Then he went right back to eating grass.

Another block, another rabbit. Seeing all these bunnies makes me feel like I’m way far away from the city (even though I’m not). Gotta love Logan Square.

Allen Stone: Live on KEXP

avoision — Sun, 20 May 2012 02:00:24 +0000

Last December, when I got an iPad for Christmas… I installed a ton of new apps on the device, just to try them out. One of the ones I installed was the NPR iPad app. Looking around the sections, I happened across this great performance by Allen Stone.

In the months since December, I’ve forgotten his name and on more than one occasion slowly tracked him down again. This performance of his is the clip I keep searching for, and the more I listen… the more I dig it.

Shame he’s not on Rdio just yet. Hopefully they’ll add his work soon, but if not… I may have to go and buy this album for myself.

// Edit: He’s on Spotify, but not Rdio. Boo…

Poetry and Taxes

avoision — Sat, 19 May 2012 01:33:04 +0000

Though my wife is really good with numbers, I wanted to have our accountant handle our taxes this year. Having gotten an official check from Google and also receiving a $1,000 cash grant, I wanted to make sure we had our bases covered.

I’ve been going to see James C. Kamin since 2006, and if you’re in Chicago and are in need of someone to handle your financials… consider this a recommendation.

Inside James’ office, near the waiting area, I noticed several copies of Poetry Magazine. Later, when we were talking about the past year… I found out James is a fan of poetry!

Of course, I ended up telling him all about the A Poem From Us project. I even had a project sticker on me, which I gave to him. He was kind enough to pose for another picture, yet again,

In case you’re interested in contacting James, here’s his official info:

James C. Kamin and Co.
1409 North Wells
P: 312.751.1253
F: 312.751.8799

Emmis Interactive: Pizza in the Park

avoision — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:03:43 +0000

Several folks at the company have been hard at work on a new project, and yesterday we had a scheduled break during lunch. This being my first “official” project on the Product Dev team, it was a bit new to me. In the past, this event involved spaghetti in some way… but yesterday turned out to be Pizano Pizza day.

Over lunch, a group of us headed out to Millenium Park during lunch. While a majority of folks were from the Dev and DB side, the group also included Product Dev, QA and Design – basically anyone who had been a part of the project, or worked on it in any way.

En route, we stopped off at Pizano’s, to pick up a few pizzas.

Setting up shop in Pritzker Pavilion.

Lots of pizzas!

Tim and Nisha, playing frisbee. Soon after this, people started to move away from the pizza and began making a wider circle to play as well.

I was tempted to try to record a video and catch a frisbee with my free hand, but then decided not to tempt fate. Last thing I wanted was to miss, and somehow get hit in the face with the frisbee.

The pavilion makes for a pretty great backdrop. Some folks played while others hung back, and talked shop.

Though it was little more than an hour, this break was an incredibly nice breath of fresh air. I’m very much familiar with the workings of the Design and Product teams, but with this project… I’ve gotten to see firsthand how the Dev folks function, day to day. And on special occasions like today, it’s cool to see how they celebrate and relax together. Yesterday was a facet of the company I had yet to see, and it felt really nice to be a part of it.

Hello Diablo III, Goodbye Productivity

avoision — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:35:02 +0000

I had plans for a few other projects that are now… on the backburner. Decided to give this game a go.

My tag name should be: avoision. Come play.

// Update

Here’s a screenshot of my character: Wizard, Level 4, with a cheapo Harry Potter looking wand. His name is Thrillho, of course.

I got disconnected because the server was applying a patch, so I’m killing time by doing some screenshots. Funny how the look of the login screen is so similar to WoW (World of Warcraft); it’s kind of hitting an old chord for me, in a good way.

Reminds me of a few screenshots I took, many years ago, when I was wasting real time in imaginary places.

Before and After I Fell on My Face: Journey to the End of the Night (Chicago, 20120)

avoision — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:45:14 +0000

This is me before and after my faceplant on Western, where I fell trying to avoid capture while participating in Journey to the End of the Night. These images are kind of an addendum to yesterday’s recap of the game.

Photos are courtesy of Ray Whitehouse, who was doing a ton of documenting throughout the event. He was there at the start, taking profile shots of all the participants near the registration area (that would be the photo on the left). I also ran into him shortly after I failed to elude capture, near Checkpoint 2 outside Holstein Park. I’m holding in my hands the special award that Evan gave me, for effort.

Here’s me with Evan, and the puppet he was using to lure runners into a false sense of security/confusion. I vaguely recall him having some kind of puppet thing, but given all the rain and the darkness… didn’t really see it fully until I saw these photos.

Despite the injuries – i had an awesome time. Looking forward to seeing what Ray captured, both at the starting line and throughout the night… and very much looking forward to the next game.