Musings on law, tech, chess & other topics by a geek

I have spoken with a few nonprofits lately that were not aware that the city of Seattle has a cable contract that enables free high speed internet access through community computing. Please check it out and help spread the word:

The City of Seattle, in cooperation with Comcast and Broadstripe, is providing free high speed Internet connections to organizations in Seattle providing community computer access and to a limited number of other non-profit organizations. This is part of the City’s effort to ensure technology literacy and access for all.

If you are interested in participating or have questions,contact Derrick Hall at derrick.hall@seattle.gov or (206) 233-5061. To apply for a connection, fill out our Internet service application form and email it to us. If you want a hard copy or need help, let us know.

Please know that completing the form does not promise service. Each site must be approved by the City of Seattle Department of Information Technology. The sites must also be in a location that the companies are able to provide service to. They will check this after an application is submitted.

Download the application form

One of the best ways to improve your chess game is to look at your own games critically for areas where you could have played better. Earlier this week at SOHO Coffee Company, one of my favorite places to play chess in Seattle the owner has a chess board behind the counter, I failed to find a crushing move. Take a minute or two and see if you can find the best move with Black to move:

What would you play? (post your thoughts in the comments)

When I reached this position I knew there was a strong chance of a wining tactic. Black is only a pawn up but there are several factors that should point to a tactical win:

• Black pieces control the center of the board
• Several of those pieces threaten the white king
• Black controls a lot more squares then white
• Black’s pieces have a lot of coordination
• The white king is running low on safe squares
• The g2 pawn is pinned against the king leaving h3 weak
• The white kings pawn cover is weakened
• whites pieces lack coordination

In this Position I took two to three minutes to look for a knock out blow and could not fined one so I played my Queen to f6. My opponent then started exchanging attackers with Ra3 and the game continued in with an edge to black, but no easy win in sight.

SPOILER (make your comments or guesses before reading this):

Here is the algorithm I use to calculate moves in this type of situation.

• Check the checks
• Check the captures
• Check the forcing moves

I progress through this iteratively until I am out of tactical moves, then look for a way to improve my position strategical.

Here is what went through my mind I looked at:

1. …. Bxg2+ the rook on a2 can capture and the attack ends

1. … Rxh3 2. Qxh3 Attack is over, g2 has lots of defenders

1. …Qxg4 2. Bxg4 and the attack is slowing down

1. … Bf5?? 2. Bxf5 Now it is black that is losing

1. … Qd6 threatening the undefended bishop which allows for 2. Bf5 and white to starts exchanging attackers

I thought I had checked all best possible moves. but there was a human blind spot in my calculations. The move I misses was what FIDE Master Charles Hertan, a Massachusetts area chess coach and author of Forcing Chess Moves: The Key to Better Calculation, would call a FORCING MOVE that one needs COMPUTER EYES to notice. This move was:

1. … f5!! this leaves blacks queen undefended but threatens 2. … Rxh3 mate if white goes after the queen. To avoid mate white has to avoid the queen and sacrifice material to stay alive. This move would have ended the game in short order. My attachment to my queen did not allow me to even consider this move when I was making calculations.

Take away when calculating check ALL the forcing moves! As humans the only way we can over come our biases is to recognize them and the specifically work to change them. Knowing that I am overly attached to my queen the next time I am in a situation like this I will intentionally look for moves that might appear to give the queen away.

I hope this helps you improve your calculation skills! I also recommend Forcing Chess Moves: The Key to Better Calculation for advanced students(1400 to 2200 ELO) wanting to get better at tactics. For beginners I recommend Winning Chess Tactics by Grand Master Yasser Seirawan and for kids: Chess Tactics for Students by John Bain.

If interested in taking private chess lessons check out my chess page.

The premier research center for online maters, Berkman, is accepting applicants for the next academic year.  Projects from Berkamn include the Digital Natives research project the Citizen Media Law Project.  One of my favorite ideas FriendlyTOS is also housed at Berkman (although it needs an Evangelist/leader).

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is now accepting applications for fellowships for the 2011-2012 academic year.

We are currently accepting applications through two distinct channels:

• First, we are accepting applications for a specific fellowship opportunity: our academic fellowship for rising early-to-mid career academics.
• Second, we are accepting applications for fellowships through our annual open call.

The academic fellowship is intended for a rising scholar who will use the period of the fellowship to develop his/her teaching and research career and produce compelling, potentially paradigm-shifting contributions to our understanding of cyberspace.  It is a stipended fellowship and residency in Cambridge, MA is required.  The deadline for applications for the academic fellowship is 11:59 p.m. ET on November 15, 2010.

Our annual open call for fellowship applications is an opportunity for academics and practitioners working on issues related to Internet and society to apply to be part of the Berkman fellows community.  Stipends and administrative determinations are made on a case-by-case basis, and residency in Cambridge, MA is preferred, though in lieu of residency, routine visits to Cambridge are required.  The deadline for applications through our open call is 11:59 p.m. ET on December 15, 2010.

More information about the academic fellowship can be found at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/academic20112012.

More information about our annual open call for fellowship applications can be found at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/opencall20112012.

Much more information about the Berkman Center Fellowship Program can be found at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships.

A Fellowship Program FAQ can be found at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/getinvolved/fellowships/faq.

Good Luck, if any one reading this is interested in applying, please let me know I am willing to help however I can.

I just finished reading Confessions of a Public Speaker, it is a very personal and practical look at public speaking. I give about 20 public talks a year not including another 30 to 60 in class lectures. I wish I had read a book like this before I started public speaking. This book is filled with practical advice and real insights into what it means to be an orator. I strongly recommend this book to anyone that gives public talks. Here is a longer video review:

Quick review note:

• very strong behind the scenes look at the world of public speaking
• this book has one must Chapter 4 the Science of not boring people, chapter 6!
• the book focus on practical advice
• learn by example, watch the best TED talks like Wade Davis one of my heroes, steal their techniques

Grade: 3.6 out of 4

Recommended for anyone that gives more then 2 public talks a year, this include teachers.

As a Bonus: one of Scott’s talks on the myths of  innovation:

This is one of Scott’s best talk it is very interactive given the group size and uses several techniques he talks about in the book.

Disclosure: My wife Sarah Davies and I were interviewed when Scott was writing the book. Scott is also a friend from the local Seattle tech scene.

I have been playing with a new plug in that creates polls.  Here is my first hack at it, have fun sharing your thoughts on privacy v. free speech.

Ezra Klein has a great piece up at the Washington Post on innovation Facebook: Where genius was 1% inspiration, 99% timeliness

Here is my favorite part:

Human beings are more comfortable thinking in terms of people than in terms of technology. And a movie about a socially inept genius is certainly more interesting than a film about conferences where programmers present advances in social network software. But the focus on people leads us to overinvest in the rewards for individual innovation and underinvest in the intellectual commons that make those innovations possible.

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agree with Ezra Klein, we need more investment in the intellectual commons not in the rewards for innovation. Especially when the rewards, ie patents, prevent others from innovating.