Hackathon Aimed to Promote Meat Production

Image: sustainabletable.org

In a comic twist, Stanford University recently served as the venue for a hackathon intended to promote meat production. According to a story in siliconvalley.com, around 200 presumably carnivorous code writers and hackers gathered to cook up new ways to drive the sustainable production of red and white animal flesh.

The idea, asserted an event organizer, was to level the playing field between big meat's players and their small meat counterparts.

I hope the ambitious app developers ate before the event. There was no mention in the story whether participants were fed, although some were paid something more than peanuts for the rights to their creations.

The MOOC Movement's Big Splash

Daphne Koller
(photo from Stanford University)

The Massive Open Online Courses movement, often called by the acronym MOOC, has recently taken a strong step forward into a brave new higher educational world. An online startup called Coursera is offering courses in selected tech subjects and math suitable for higher education. The firm is the brainchild of two Stanford University professors, one of whom is a MacArthur grant winner. Their goal is to transform "the face of higher education," noted Daphne Koller, one of the Stanford pair.

Coursera, and its MOOC relatives, essentially provide courses taught by star professors. Participants don't earn university credit, but then again, the courses are free. The story, which has received wide, big-league media coverage, hints at MOOC's tremendous implications without really stating them. (The Seattle Times version, which has a hometown interest, as the University of Washington signed a deal with Coursera, is linked here.)

The rather obvious implication in the MOOC movement is turning higher education into a monopoly of star professors. Why would anyone want to study chemistry or poetry from some also-ran doc? Those who has endured the American university system knows first hand how many courses are occupied by researchers who can't teach or communicate. For lower-tier colleges, MOOC is an existential threat, unless they turn their faculty into glorified MOOC teaching assistants. Of course, that strategy would lower salaries and, voila, make college cheaper to operate. The star profs, meanwhile, would be worth millions.

Coursera and others in the MOOC movement have considered the profit motive in their enterprises' calculations. The Seattle Times story quoted a University of Washington provost's estimate of $30,000 required for "one online course, and 'you have to monetize this in some fashion.' Coursera has outlined two models for making money....Under terms of the contract with the UW, the organization would get a 7 to 15 percent return of gross revenue under either scenario...But Coursera's courses still would be free."

Image from Jeremy Knox,
a co-instructor for a Coursera course.

The most interesting part of the story is how Coursera would use "data-mining software" to grasp how students were learning. I'm doubtful any system based on data analytics can foster true intellectual growth. Instead of the Socratic method and dialogue, we're left with a data-driven nightmare principally designed for the benefit of top-down management and financial efficiency. While Coursera and MOOC programs may very well be splendid, they lack the intimate human touch genuine education needs.

Peter Thiel Returns To Stanford University As Star Lecturer

Peter Thiel (photo from vator.tv
and The Founders Fund)

Silicon Valley icon Peter Thiel, who made his first zillion with PayPal, has agreed to offer a lecture course at his alma mater, Stanford University. His course, to be held in the school's largest lecture hall, is fully booked at 250 paying customers. The story, as reported by Reuters, appeared in today's siliconvalley.com.

Thiel's decision struck some observers as a curious one, given the Bay Area investor's assertion that, for many, a college education is a waste of money and time. However, Stanford students who have the entrepreneurial fever are clearly flocking to listen to Thiel's ideas. Hopefully, some of them will quiz Thiel on his unabashed financial support for fellow libertarian Ron Paul.

One glamorous aspect of Thiel's class is the unannounced roster of guests he will include in his course. Speculation has centered on Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, quite possibly the world's richest college dropout, and Sean Parker, Silicon Valley's Prince of Darkness, for whom a sheepskin was something to cover his very active schwanz.

Study Finds Popular Websites Share User Info, E-Mail Addresses Despite Privacy Promises

The integrity of online privacy always feels wobbly. Assertions that your data is "anonymous" sounds like the cliched line "I'll respect you in the morning." Little wonder data gold miners, such as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, can publicly maintain that privacy is a quaint, largely obsolete concept.

However, in this era of the data-driven nightmare, it's tough to obtain facts to substantiate anecdotal evidence or intuitive "hunches" about online privacy invasion. That's why a recent Stanford University study on the topic offers some useful, disturbing, and frankly unsurprising, findings.

The study was released at an online privacy forum in Washington today, and was covered by the San Jose Mercury News.

Among the sites noted in the study were Home Depot, NBC's main site, and Bleacher Report. Are you surprised that I didn't hot link or label those sites for my post?

Steve Jobs' Speech at Stanford University 2005 Commencement

Commencement speeches are among the most deadly dull forms of public address. Steve Jobs' words of wisdom to Stanford's 2005 graduating class are an exception. His brief remarks provide useful insight based on Jobs' life and career experiences. They include a window into the mix of thoughtful understanding and irritating hubris characteristic of Apple's guiding light. They're worth reading; his "don't settle" advice is spot on.

Here's the link from Scott Herhold's column in the San Jose Mercury News. The photo is from the June 12, 2005 edition of the Stanford Report. Its associated story noted that Jobs wore jeans and sandals under the traditional black graduation gown.

Taiwan Semiconductor Founder Feels US Should Keep More Manufacturing Ventures

Dr. Morris Chang is not a household name outside the semiconductor field. However, Taiwan Semiconductor's founder and chairman draws media swarms when he makes public appearances in the island nation (or "renegade province," if one follows the party line of the People's Republic of China). He visits his firm's Silicon Valley offices a few times each year, hardly a surprising development for one with a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford.

Chang's comments during a recent interview are instructive. He feels the United States should retain more of its industrial base. "Maybe Silicon Valley or the United States has given up too much manufacturing," he said. Read that comment and the complete Mercury News story here.

Projected Warmer Weather Trends Threaten California Vineyards

A recently released Stanford University study asserts that higher temperatures associated with global warming trends could negatively impact "high value" California vineyards. According to an LA Times story about the research, the hotter weather could cut approximately one-half of current wine production. The areas most likely to be affected would be Napa and Santa Barbara counties.

If the projected temperatures become an everyday fact, then the wine most severely challenged would most likely be Pinot Noir. This particular variety of grape is notoriously finicky about climate and soil. It typically grows best in cooler regions, with Burgundy being the paradigm. It's challenging for Napa wine producers to manage conditions for optimal Pinot Noir growth. A temperature increase would raise the odds of Pinot Noir wines being successfully cultivated in that region.

The hotter weather would also impact flagship Cabernet Sauvignon vintners that shape Napa's reputation for quality.

All this doom and gloom doesn't mean wine can't be produced in Napa or Santa Barbara. On the contrary. Wine does grow in hot weather climates, with Sicily, Spain, and Portugal being three prime examples. They do demonstrate a different character than their Burgundian competition. Reds from the Mediterranean's warmest regions are typically heavier and stronger than Pinot Noir. However, the financially daunting implications for vineyards would certainly cast a shadow over Napa's and Santa Barbara's wine business. New vines would have to be planted and nurtured over a number of years. Wines would require appropriate branding and acceptance from consumers. Some high-end vineyards would not be able to continue producing limited runs for an exclusive clientele.

I suppose the moral of the story is "get it while you can."

Orange Bowl KOs Stanford University Band

Incredibly, Orange Bowl administrators have nixed a halftime appearance by the Stanford University band at tonight's football game between the smarty-pants California school and the Virginia Tech Hokies. And, in a fit of equal treatment, the Orange Bowl also removed the Hokie band removed from the halftime show.

One splendid response to the uptight Orange Bowl suits could be a harbinger of the future. Stanford electrical engineers, among the world leaders in the field and deeply associated with Silicon Valley firms, could arrange for a "virtual halftime" show by the band. Virginia Tech, as well, features a strong electrical engineering student, alumni, and corporate base. It's tempting to think Va Tech could join Stanford in giving an electronic middle finger to Orange Bowl management, while launching a new and potentially groundbreaking event.

A "virtual halftime" show is not such a wacky idea. Stadiums such as the new Dallas Cowboys' pleasure palace have massive 3-D capable screens over the football field. Clearly, the Cowboy ownership had something more than football in mind with the installation of the screens. A halftime show could now be shown strictly on a screen, without humans on the field of play at all. Patrons would not necessarily need to look at the 3-D screen; they could use their phones or other handheld devices. Stanford or its savvy alums could even patent the process and make even more money for the already financially strong university. Or the U could combine with a corporate heavyweight, such as Disney-Pixar, to create this sort of venture. The Orange Bowl? They'll just have to go to the end of the line.