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The Magpie Developer
Jeff Atwood is one of the best programmer/writers around. I love reading his stuff, some I agree wholeheartedly with, other stuff we disagree, but this post is about a dead-on as they come. This idea has been floating in my head for a long time, but it is hard for me to conceptualize it in words, Atwood does a brilliant job at it. Must read for any developer. |
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Andy Olmsted's Last Blog Entry.
(Warning: Pretty rough) No matter how you feel politically about the war, this reminds you that each number people throw around as statistics is a human life. This is extremely well written, and pretty rough on your soul towards the end, but something everyone should read. Its a shitty situation all around, but there is always a human face behind the statistics and I want to make sure I never forget that. |
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Drinking stories that put yours to shame
Via Keith
To preserve his body during the voyage home, the second-in-command stored Nelson's body in the ship's vat of rum and halted all liquor rations to the crew. Not a bad idea, but when the ship reached port, officials went to retrieve Nelson's body and found the vat dry.
Disregarding good taste (in every sense), the crew had been secretly drinking from it the entire way home. After that, naval rum was referred to as Nelson's Blood. |
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making vodka pills in 24 hours
Recently, Chef Fabian was experimenting further with the Adria/Torreblanca technique of making 'vodka pills.' I use this word to describe the process of making liquid-filled candies by pouring flavored alcohol syrups into cornstarch and letting it set until a hard outer shell forms. |
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Strategy Letter VI - joelonsoftware.com
As a programmer, thanks to plummeting memory prices, and CPU speeds doubling every year, you had a choice. You could spend six months rewriting your inner loops in Assembler, or take six months off to play drums in a rock and roll band, and in either case, your program would run faster. Assembler programmers don’t have groupies.
Entire Article is Dead On. A must read for anyone in the software biz. |
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(Monday, January 29)
3 excellent albums from last week...
As my last.fm stats will tell you, last weeks was a helluva good week for new music. 3 albums that I think might be in my top 25 of 2007 (yeah already in January) were purchased and are being loved on my ipod, x360, home and work computer:
Spyte at Eq2D told me about this one last week, not sure how I missed Albarn coming out with a new group/cd, but this is great. It IS NOT Demon Days Gorillaz, so if you are expecting something with high energy this is not the CD you are looking for *waves hand*. My favorite Gorillaz cd is Space Monkeys Vs The Gorillaz: Laika Come Home and although not as reggae as that album, this does have that moody, droning sounds to it coupled with great lyrics. Good stuff.
My wife was totally sick of me blaring Phantom Limb from the past few weeks from my office, but i couldn't get enough of that single. I would not say that the entire Wincing the Night away album is as catchy as that single, but there are some highlights for me Black Wave, Split Needles, and I don't know why the itunes Bonus track Nothing At All didn't make the album, it is excellent.
Orange Twin ftw! E6 bands have always gone from one end of the spectrum to the other with me. I love Beulah, Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control, although Neutral Milk Hotel and some others I never really caught on to. Of Montreal was kinda in the middle for me, not bad by any means, but also not stellar. This album is catchy and will probably propel them into the "buy next album for sure" status with me. Now to try that Apples in Stereo...
Update for Justin:
The Good, The Bad, and The Queen - Self Titled - Streaming Here.
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away - Streaming Here.
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Desroyer? - Streaming Here.
Note: As much as I loathe myspace, I am pretty impressed I was album to find all three of these albums streaming on there.
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(Monday, January 22)
It "might" have even happened in 2003, 3 years ago. Thanks TJX.
"Tens of millions of credit and debit cards might have been compromised by a computer security breach at the retailer that operates T. J. Maxx and Marshall’s in what could emerge as the country’s biggest case of stolen consumer data.
While the investigation is in its early stages, the number of accounts potentially exposed at the TJX Companies could exceed the 40 million involved in a data breach at the payment processor CardSystems Solutions in 2005, people briefed on the findings said yesterday."
I need to research what rights the Gov't has to enforce Visa and Mastercard's standards for data privacy, if any even exist. It seems like the dangling carrot of "we will revoke your ability to accept Mastercard and Visa for breaches like this" doesn't seem to work well and more than likely would never happen to a retailer as large as this.
Data Breach Could Affect Millions of TJX Shoppers - New York Times
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(Thursday, January 18)
GoogleSwitch -> GoogleGrid -> GoogleSkyNET -> THE WORLD
"Color us skeptics on this one, but we've got a tipster claiming to have the scoop on Google Switch. This version of the mythical Googlephone is said to be the result of a collaboration between Samsung -- not Alpha Networks or HTC. Of course, it's a button-less touchscreen device as is the rage these days only this time with GPS built-in for pinpoint navigation around Google Maps. What's pictured in that all too familiar blur (Photoshopped?) is the phone's contact program said to be an extended version of Gtalk combining Gmail, text and instant messaging. According to our tipster, the device doesn't have any on-board storage. That's right, all your applications are served up over the network with new apps 'attached' to your account via a web interface.
I will tell you what it is. It is the first salvo of my #3 prediction on my 2007 Predictions list starting to take shape. It is still awhile off I think, we might start hearing rumors of a Q2 - 2008 mini-release, but it will prob be Q3 or Q4 of 2008 before we have something everyone could pick up. But it is coming, and cell companies should be wary.
I gotta admit though, I was hoping it might look prettier. If this article/pic is true it look like Apple's iPhone might have an upper hand in the looks dept.
Also the "dumb terminal"-esque network app sounds just about right. Jobs wanted a leapfrog device and I don't think the iPhone was it. No Built In Storage/Everything From The Grid (EFTG) sounds more "froggy" to me.
The Google Switch: an iPhone killer? - Engadget
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(Thursday, January 11)
Beer Buying on Sunday. Call Your Local Rep!
SB 26 would let voters in individual cities and counties decide whether to put supermarkets and convenience stores on equal footing with bars and restaurants, which can already sell beer and wine on the Christian Sabbath.
Georgia is one of only three states that forbid the practice, and polls indicate strong consumer support for lifting the ban. The industry also argues that Sunday has become the No. 1 shopping day at many of its stores.
I worked the customer service counter of a large grocery store chain for 3 years in high school and college. I can't begin to explain the faces of out of state shoppers who would come into to buy alcohol on Sunday when I told them "You can't buy alcohol on Sundays in Georgia". Some people honestly would ask me to repeat myself a couple of times cause they thought I was joking.
Honestly I never really thought about the law until I was legal and we started doing our grocery shopping on Sundays. I can't tell you how many times I curse this state knowing I have to stop back by on my way home from work to get some brew because I can't buy it on Sunday. It is the stupidest f'ing law on Georgia's Books. I don't understand why the hell we still have it. If you feel the same way please let your rep/senator know about it. As the article states, I am sure there is already a coalition of preachers ready to pounce on this, but it really doesn't do anyone any good. I have heard stories of alcoholics drinking vanilla extract or scope just to get their high on a Sunday when they can't buy alcohol. Generally these people are not insured one would think and I am sure we all end up paying for the medical bills after someone attempts to drink vanilla extract or scope (via higher insurance premiums, state paid taxes, the whole 9)*. Even though this is just beer and wine, that would be a step forward in my opinion.
Please note: After this gets passed we are coming for you S. Truett Cathy and the Chick-Fil-A board of directors, there will be a Sunday night when I get to sit down in front of my TV for a pro football game and eat Caesar Chicken Wrap with waffle fries and a freshly-acquired Sam Adams Damn it.
* Of course I don't want them out on the road either, but this law does nothing to stop drunk driving on Sundays.
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(Tuesday, January 9)
AT&T FTW (IPTV on xbox360 Cont'd)
In talking to Microsoft today at their booth I discovered that the Podcasts speculation that this really won't be all that different from current cable TV is correct:
* The service will be offered in the US thorugh AT&T's lightspeed, which provides 35Mbps in bandwidth to the home. So AT&T would replace your local cable company and ISP.
* This bandwidth should be enough for 2 HD channels and 2 SD channels to be viewed simultaneously. The service will be comparable to existing cable offerings, only the provider will be AT&T.
* Availablity will be determined by AT&T's buildout of infratructure up to the last mile (The last mile will remain copper.).
* The service will be available with a regular set top box that is not an Xbox 360. However, with an Xbox 360 you get some nice features like the ability to access Xbox live (e.g. chat, accept game invitations) while wathing TV.
* For homes with an existing home network, your router will need to be replaced with a router that has special QOS (qulaity of service) features that enable the system to work well.
Just plain WOW (if this blog post is correct)
I had envisioned this to be brought out to multiple broadband carriers then slowly rescind into 1 carrier. MS is going for the death blow though with cable operators. Of course they are going to have to have a service provider with excellent speed (35MBS, I salivate over the thought of having that speed at my house), but man partnering for only one company in the US? Comcast (which includes Adelphia) should be convening a meeting of the minds on this one, they may get left behind when AT&T starts offering a free xbox360 with a 3 year contract to their service coupled with a 35MBS connection for regular voice (voip), Home Internet Service, and IPTV (Cable replacement). They could also throw in cellular service if they really wanted (Cingular acquisition).
If this is true, then AT&T seems a little more ahead of the game imho than some, in 2 days they possibly have made the announcements of huge deals above with Microsoft and also a very large deal with Apple (if you take into consideration the Cingular/iPhone announcements). Both of which are competing with each other in the digital TV home market. Apple with AppleTV and of course the MS with the x360.
Sounds kind of like when I read the Jobs keynote today, First Schmidt came out from Google, then Yang from Yahoo within a 10 min span. I bet the phrase "then everyone is a winner" gets thrown around at these high level meetings. I also wonder if it ever really works out that way though.
Peoples Republic Of: Xbox 360 and IPTV
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(Monday, January 8)
IPTV via the Xbox360
If you look at my 4th prediction on my 2007 Predictions Post (a few posts down) then you will say I said that "The x360 will continue to gain market share because of it's "marinated" network service." Well I did think it would continue to gain market share, but did I expect it to go for the axe kill of old school cable television? Yeah, but down the road some, not now. This just came out awhile ago from the MS Keynote at CES 2007. In a word? Awesome. THIS PUSHES THINGS FORWARD. I am extremely excited that IPTV will be coming to the x360. On Demand, anytime.
Couple of things I am gonna be watching out for which will stifle this bold jump:
1.) Whats the DRM going to be like? Are we locked into the x360 to view the shows that are time shifted? Will this be the jumpstart to the Zune (ie will you only be able to watch shows on the go via the Zune?) . This is a biggie with me. I understand OnDemand shows being DRM'd to the x360 I have no problem with that, but what about the all the divx vids I have on my computer. I use TVersity now to watch them all on my 360 because I don't want to worry about Windows Media Encodings and I want to keep them Divx when we watch them. Same with TV shows off the net. Same with my mp3 collection. Thats the one pet peave I have with my 360, why no "official" Divx support? Also where the hell is my on console browser? ;)
2.) MS has already succeded in getting me to convert every album I buy off iTunes into mp3 so that I can listen to it on my 360. I find the UPNP interface quite clunky, but it works. Is this MS's sword rattle at Apple's iTV announcement a few months back? I have heard rumors that Hollywood and TV stations are already amazed at how well TV shows and such are selling on the Xbox Live Marketplace, I guess this is a natural evolution, but is the IPTV gonna entail points purchasing or a monthly fee?
3.) This really might give IPTV providers a great way to leverage cost of contract. It might be pretty soon that we see Cable/IPTV companies giving away an x360 with every 2 or 3 year subscription to thier service, taking a hit on the hardware price and making it up on the backend with the contract. Much like the cellular industry. This will also give MS leverage with those companies for making mass market deals. It also gets MS's trojan horse into more houses.
4.) Like I said above, I hope this is a really fleshed out IPTV solution for the xbox 360 and not just a souped up version of their Xbox Live Marketplace (pay per media item with MS points). If it does go on a points system, then man we might have to start looking at Xbox Live as a actual market where people might start trading these things around and making money off the shifts.
5.)I run a podcast that is geared toward a subset of MMO players. One thing I love about itunes is that it puts us on even ground vs larger podcast creators (think ABC, NBC, etc) and levels the field for everyone. Their ranking is based on a large part on listenership and comment levels on the podcasts (don't get me wrong I have no delusions that if those larger networks threw money Apple's way this might change) but at least for the time being as long as we create a podcast that people enjoy we have a fair shot at being publicised via iTunes. It will be interesting to see if this new MS IPTV infrastructure gives avg joe and his videocast the ability to mix in with the big boys on IPTV. Will I be able to DL/Comment/Socialize/Discuss about a home brewer videocast by 3 guys in Michigan in the same way that I will be able to DL/Comment/Socialize/Discuss about last week's episode of Heroes? I sure as hell hope so. I tend to find that I like the avg joe's podcasts/videocasts as much (if not more) than I like the major media produced stuff when it comes to non-fiction.
Still in all very exciting. The cable industry (minus DVRs in almost every home now) is EXTREMELY slow industry. They have been collecting our flow for awhile now with not much advance (my god look how long it has taken HD and some people still can't get all their local channel in HD).
Of course Sony and the PS3 are going to try to chase this down and create a system of their own, but they are so far behind on the network sub systems of the consoles, that I might even venture to guess that Nintendo would be ahead of them on implementing something like this.
Very Exciting.
Microsoft Unveils Wave of New Products and Services at CES
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(Sunday, January 7)
Rainy Day Beer Bottling
Amber Cerveza (XX)
Yield: 5 Gals (ended up being 46 beers)
Starting Gravity Measurement: 1.041
Final Gravity Measurement: 1.006
Alch by Vol: ~4.5%
Hop IBUs: 20-25
Ingredients:
3.3lb Plain Amber Malt
2 lb Light Dry Malt Extract
8oz Rice Syrup Solids
8oz Crystal Malt 60L(Crushed)
< 2oz Irish Moss
Bittering Hop - Hallertau (1oz)
Finishing Hop - Saaz (.5 oz)
General Beer Yeast Pack
Only 4 more weeks..
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(Monday, January 1)
Predictions for 2007
This will be what I call a "growing" post. I will continue to edit it over the next for 3 days, so expect it to change.
My predictions of 2007:
Google will go beyond just being a larger application supplier in the mobile market. We won't see GoogleNet in 2007 but we will start to see smaller, sleeker Google data centers start to pop up in semi-metropolitan city centers maybe even with wi-fi where the local municipality isn't bright enough to understand anything except "you are willing to give us free wifi?" "Sure!", (think smaller markets where it would not be conducive to business to put a Google officer regularly). For example take your state's (except Cal, Tx, and Fla) 3rd largest city, that is where a new Google Datacenter will "pop-up" over night.
Amazon will be bought by Walmart.
Cell carriers will start to consider themselves threatened by free wifi/googlenet voip cell service and will start to try to nickel and dime mobile consumers out of every possible mobile webservice they can think of (which just means they ignore net neutrality on the mobile sector).
The x360 will continue to gain market share because of it's "marinated" network service. Blu-ray will peak around June, and Sony will realize that it must make a major decision, either start to produce HD-DVD movies, or keep going the way of the PSP movie format (aka the DeadEnd). The Irony? HD-DVD movies will thrive because of the allowance of the tech elite to copy HD-DVD movies by bypassing the DRM scheme, which is the reason more people buy HD-DVD players. Unfortunately the HD-DVD consortium of movie/media companies will not understand this.
Nintendo will have a good year as their mobile play system (DS) is merged into their home infrastructure (netconnect24) for the wii. They will start to discover (much to the discomfort of Microsoft) that people would like to continue playing the same save game over mobile as they would over the net at their home at night. (ie let's make Link better during the day while playing on the subway, playing the DS, which will upload his new stats at night when I walk through the door of my house for my console games).
Second Life will fall off the face of the press. Much like the tech bubble of the past, people who have millions in LD, will wish they would have cashed out much, much earlier, and although they may get out at the right time before the major crash, they still will become a majority jaded and write many massively critical articles about the 2nd life economy and Linden Labs handling of the crash.
Netflix (along with VC and major level investment backing) purchases Blockbuster (this is my wildcard)
MSN search gains HUGE market in the search sector after Vista's release, much to the surprise of many people. It will turn out that consumers WILL just find it easier to web search via some box in their OS rather than opening up a browser. Fair? No. Good Business for MS? Oh yeah.
The New Radiohead CD is fucking insane.
Amazon's Elastic Computing coupled with S3, really starts to catch on and many people (besides Walmart) start to see the value of the visionary that Bezos is (and takes Amazon with him).
I get into the Top 400 Hardwood Backgammon players on xbox live.
Yahoo's Panama overhaul flops, but fortunately for them so does PPC spending on Google. Everyone starts to realize that traffic doesn't matter for shit. Only conversions do. Where is the company offering Cost Per Conversions?
Apple's iTV will be lame and overslammed with DRM issues, but fortunately this will bring DRM issues to the main stream media. Where people will start to understand that unless you can acquire a physical non-DRM'd copy of whatever music/movies/TV shows you are going to buy, then you can automatically assume you will pay for it again the future. The general public will start to understand that most DRM services should offer a "free kingdom" in which they can take their media and convert it to some type of standard somehow, i.e. itunes .m4a files can be burned to CD then re imported as MP3s and thus be non DRM'd and reside in the "free kingdom".
Digg goes kaput. It was a great experiment. Welcome to Google's spam problems, minus the PHD's.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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Travis - The Boy With No Name
Travis is back. I wouldn't say I hated 12 memories, it was meant to be very political, I just thought it went a little overboard and was somewhat preachy. Then when the greatest hits CD came out to be honest I was really hoping it didn't mean the end to one of my favorite brit bands. Boy With No Name is everything they were capable of. Supurb CD all the way through. Every song is brilliant. Big Chair is probably my favorite song and the opening to the CD on 3 Times is as good as it gets in music imho. |
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Pop! Why Bubbles are Great For The Economys (Gross)
One of the better economic books I have read in while, where the author gets their premise across in a well written, clear and concise manner. Basically Gross believes that the infrastructure left over after economic bubbles, provides companies with the ability to move forward (maybe more than the original bubble did). Not a hard read, I would definitely suggest it for a day and the beach/lake. |
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Feist - The Reminder
I CANNOT GET "I feel it all" OUT OF MY HEAD. Period. Great album, angelic voice. |
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Catan - Xbox Live Arcade
I am hopelessly addicted to this board-turned-video game on the xbox360. I had never played the board game but had seen it being played in some comic shops growing up. Click the Pick and play the demo, it isn't the 360 interface, but same game. |
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Arctic Monkeys - Favorite Worse Nightmare
No Sophomore slump here. Just as good (if not better) than Whatever they Say. |
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Beautiful Evidence (Tufte)
Tufte reads like a text book, most people would say bleh, but the information about "information" that he can deliver is top notch. My first Tufte book was "A Visual Display To Quantitative Information" and it was extremely well done, albeit confusing at time. I think beautiful Evidence is a little easier of a read (I am still only half way through it) and a little easier for myself to understand the ideas he is presenting.. |
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Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather
Fountains of Wayne are the Gods of pop music. If Welcome Interstate Managers was a collection of short stories in song form, then Traffic and Weather is an even better collection with more humor. I already feel like CNN has the hottest female anchors, imagining them throwing their lust around like the Title track to the CD makes it even better. |
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Game of Thrones (Martin)
I started this book assuming it was going to be a high fantasy novel. Elfs, Dragons, Magic and the like. It isn't. It IS fantasy but more surrounding the politics and cunning of a few high ranking families. Incest, Murder, Intrigue, unscrupulous midgets. It has it all and more. |
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent my employer's view in anyway.
© Copyright 2003-2007, Eric Thompson |
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