02.28.06
Posted in Programming, SAnToS at 12:15 am by Todd
Just found a really cool new tool (well, the tool isn’t all that new, just new to me) called args4j. It provides a way to leverage Java annotations (brought to us in Java 5) to parse command line options. It looks like you put in a few annotations into your code, compile like normal, and then use the args4j parser in your main method. And shazam, you can parse command lines in a few lines of code.
Up until now I had been using Apache’s Command Line Interface (CLI) in Bandera. But if I can swing the time, I may just switch over and see how much code it saves me (and how easy it is in reality). Of course this assumes that I am willing to restrict Bandera to only be useful with a JDK 1.5 compiler and runtime (not sure I am ready to concede that yet).
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02.21.06
Posted in SAnToS at 1:42 am by Todd
It appears as though I will get my first paper published in conference proceedings (TACAS 2006). I am really quite excited about this since it is my first publication of any kind. I am also excited to get my name on the same paper as Dr. Matt Dwyer and Dr. John Hatcliff (two well respected researchers). It is also great to see that all of my hard work driving the development of Bandera has paid off.
On the other hand, it really is not all that important since I did not actually author any of the content of the paper (I helped to drive the discussion on what we wanted to write about, wrote a major portion of the experimental software, and performed all of the experiments).
Anyway, just wanted to brag a little bit. Hopefully we will eventually finish the website that will be associated with this paper and everyone can see the paper, the process, and the results.
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02.16.06
Posted in People at 10:45 pm by Todd
It is high time I say my farewell (publicly) to Ben Dolezal. He has been working for me (or rather the Santos Lab under my supervision) and the CIS department for quite a while (2.5 years) and has done some fantastic work.
He has moved to Dallas, TX and started a job at Kendall Creative Shop Inc.. Based upon our conversations about the company and the portfolio they have online, he will be a great fit and will be a great addition for the company.
We are really going to miss him at work and I am really going to miss having him around. I am really going to miss him because he was such a good dog-sitter for Anna (my dog really likes him) and because he is really good at filling up my garage with paint fumes and blowing breakers.
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Posted in Manhattan, People at 10:18 pm by Todd
Just wanted to provide some free publicity for brookeandjer and let everyone that reads my blog know that they will be having another concert this friday (17 February 2006) at 8:30p at the Westview Community Church Coffee House (map and directions). It sounds like they will be playing for about an hour. Kari and I will be heading up there with a couple of friends (Jodi, Mike, and Olivia Milliner).
Hope to see you there (free admission to all readers of my blog … oh wait, free admission to everyone).
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Posted in Politics at 2:00 am by Todd
I just got an email from a friend that included a letter from the Mayor of Tall ‘Afar (Ninewa, Iraq), Najim Abdullah Abid Al-Jibouri. I have mixed emotions about the content of the letter. My first reaction is that I am very proud that our soldiers are doing such fine work and truly making a difference. But then my next reaction is, why is it that I did not hear about this during my daily mainstream media time (I watch the morning news on the Today show and catch the first 15 minutes of one of the network new stations at night). Based upon the “mainstream media” accounts of the war in Iraq, there is only death and destruction with no improvement for our soldiers or the Iraqi people. But being the cynical guy that I am, I usually discount those reports as biased and look for other sources of information (like CSpan, blogs, first-hand accounts, and sometimes I even watch Fox news) to provide a well-rounded perspective on the situation. So the letter provided below certainly does provide a different view than what NBC, CBS, ABC, and CNN are reporting.
Hopefully my many readers (and by many I mean the two people that read this blog) will also be enlightened with this letter.
From: Mayor of Tall ‘Afar, Ninewa, Iraq
In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful
To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who
have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which
terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing
with life.
To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists
who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many
months.
To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us
restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and
gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and
stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.
Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The
city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our
schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our
streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were
barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every
corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the
city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses
of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to
kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young.
This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto
them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who
liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh
fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to
flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of
other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally
destroyed them.
I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are
not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God
Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.
The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey,
LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom.
Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of
knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of
a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to
date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in
military science. This military operation was clean, with little
collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and
precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city
without causing unnecessary damage.
God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated
these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the
families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the
families of
those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in
reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not
in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around
us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for
giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most
valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and in every flower
growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be
proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.
Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment,
I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and
soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary
heroes and their brave families.
NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID
AL-JIBOURI
Mayor of Tall ‘Afar,
Ninewa, Iraq
[Editors Note: In an effort to make sure this was not some hoax or just some slanted view, I did some google searching and found a couple of other postings of this same letter here and here. I also found a transcript of a presentation that quotes from this letter here. If any of these sources are unreliable, please let me know since I did not research them fully.]
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