it occured to me while reading the most excellent Linux Network Administrators Guide that there are no good guidlines for when to print an online guide and when to leave it in electronic form.
the default choice is to leave it electronic, and leave it on the net. this allows updates to propogate seemlessly. however, modern displays make reading lots of online text, especially in book form, hard on the eyes. in addition, the nature of the text may make it impossible to access. for example, a text on setting up your network interface could very well interrupt your reading if your following along. :)
will i need to read this away from any computer? if i do, how much of it do i really need? will i need to take notes (this might affect printing format)? will i need to read this on a computer, but potentially disconnected from the internet? will the text be changing drastically in the following months? if i make the wrong choice, will it be easy to correct? (and if the answer to that last question is 'yes' then just keep it online at first. :)
being patient with technology - and learning to leave unneeded things aside
programmers sometimes get frustrated or annoyed with new technology. then they get enthusiastic and finally they realize it's nothing new. this is not my own thought - someone else has long ago made this observation.
patience can be very difficult when it seems that the originators of a technology seem to have a different viewpoint than your own. perhaps they wanted to solve a more general problem, and therefore put together a general library and documentation without addressing (what you believe to be) the major application of the technology. the w3c's specifications are classic in this regard. ironically this frustration (and even elation) is not helpful. it blinds you to the reality of the technology.
the solution is to be patient and accept technology for what it is, warts and all. it may help to familiariaze yourself with the human side of things, and to realize that this thing that frustrates you was created by someone with the best intentions. after all, it takes a lot of work to write usable software and a lot of commitment to release it to the public. learn to ignore the parts that you don't need. use your patience to write documentation for others that come after you. realize that there probably is a good reason for complexity that initially appears needless. (perhaps there isn't a good reason, but give the author the benefit of the doubt, at least!)
patience can be very difficult when it seems that the originators of a technology seem to have a different viewpoint than your own. perhaps they wanted to solve a more general problem, and therefore put together a general library and documentation without addressing (what you believe to be) the major application of the technology. the w3c's specifications are classic in this regard. ironically this frustration (and even elation) is not helpful. it blinds you to the reality of the technology.
the solution is to be patient and accept technology for what it is, warts and all. it may help to familiariaze yourself with the human side of things, and to realize that this thing that frustrates you was created by someone with the best intentions. after all, it takes a lot of work to write usable software and a lot of commitment to release it to the public. learn to ignore the parts that you don't need. use your patience to write documentation for others that come after you. realize that there probably is a good reason for complexity that initially appears needless. (perhaps there isn't a good reason, but give the author the benefit of the doubt, at least!)
running your company on web apps
evhead: Running your company on web apps: "spars" via Rael Dornfest. My brother-in-law is looking to improve the way his small company works, and really web-apps are the way to go. Some of the applications mentioned in Rael's article I have not heard of but seem very interesting.
Artist vandalises cars with key
BBC NEWS has an article on Mark McGowan, 37, who photographed himself keying cars, and which will be exibited in a gallery. I have had my car keyed and i must say that it is not a good experience. it is also very expensive and time consuming. while i think that vandalism could be considered art, i also think that Mark should not be suprised when his victims demand remuneration for their time and trouble.
"penny arcade" - tycho and gabe living on the border between gaming and reality
Penny Arcade! is an acutely funny romp through the lives of gabe and tycho, two unabashed (gaming) geeks. the cartoons are often angry, cynical, bitter but they are insightful and extremely creative. i am still browsing the archives and will keep track of particularly funny ones. these dudes live with one foot in our world and the other foot in one game or another. it strikes home because i have those tendencies and know many similiar people.
it is perhaps better to live life more fully in reality and avoid distraction, but there is also great joy in accepting who you are and that gaming (or anything else that isn't generally accepted) is a big part of it. this comic strip is about accepting who you are, and being able to laugh about it. the ease with which they shift from talking about the realities of games - new systems, lying marketers, sleazy CEOs, poor gaming performance, and being in the game itself - dealing with noobies, spawn camping, etc - is only possible with a large dose of self-acceptance.
it is perhaps better to live life more fully in reality and avoid distraction, but there is also great joy in accepting who you are and that gaming (or anything else that isn't generally accepted) is a big part of it. this comic strip is about accepting who you are, and being able to laugh about it. the ease with which they shift from talking about the realities of games - new systems, lying marketers, sleazy CEOs, poor gaming performance, and being in the game itself - dealing with noobies, spawn camping, etc - is only possible with a large dose of self-acceptance.
Recapitulation theory - does it apply to software development?
Recapitulation theory "claims that the development of the embryo of every species repeats the evolutionary development of that species fully." If you look at Haeckel's picture, you can see how eight different species develop, and how they look like 'lesser' life forms earlier in their development.
i believe that good software develops in a similiar way. that is, that a software system begins as something that a programmer from the sixties would be comfortable understanding. then that system is modified, or systems of that level of complexity are combines, to create a greater system. it is another way to look at test first methodologies - you make sure the animal can breath before you check if it can swim. you make sure it can swim before checking to see if it can do the back stroke.
in a more literal sense, all software begins life as a script. as the script becomes longer, more structure is necessary. perhaps libraries are introduced. perhaps a different language is used, or a database introduced. but to begin with a script and a flat file is the right thing to do. let the project grow if it needs to, but keep it primitive. keep it simple. have humility and do the minimum necessary thing to make the product work. ironically i think this minimal approach is the mark of a master programmer.
(thinking about it some more) there is another angle to this. a programmer must be comfortable on his computer before actually programming anything. that means he must understand what makes his very own computer tick before attempting to make it tick differently.
Neil Gaiman's wonderful life (and wonderful blog)
Neil Gaiman has a wonderful blog. he is an excellent author (most recently i've read american gods and i was researching a bit of trivia and ran across his blog which has been going for about 4 years now. his life sounds like one creative endeavor after another with the only difficulty finding enough time to spend with a wonderful wife and children, and being in too high a demand among his myriad friends and coworkers. i must admit to feeling a little jealous.
another way to publish - SourceBeat
i was reading a talk with bruce snyder on Castor, Maven and some other Java stuff, and he plugged SourceBeat at the end of the article. it is an interesting concept: $30/book/year and often early access to chapters. this is similiar to the o'reilly safari model but perhaps slightly better because the content is more up-to-date. there is nothing in their library that interests me right now or perhaps i'd give it a shot.
sailing in newport harbor today
a physics researcher from uci invited me sailing today, and i accepted. the wind was a steady 15 knots and the weather was warm and beautiful.
i will be assist teaching a capri class this sunday. i am looking forward to it.
(blogging from flickr is nice. it would be even better if there was a good way to insert links in the composer.)
i will be assist teaching a capri class this sunday. i am looking forward to it.
(blogging from flickr is nice. it would be even better if there was a good way to insert links in the composer.)
my cat 'squeak'
she is a sweet cat with some quirks. she has very little patience with the dog. she has gotten a little better over the last 3 years though, and rarely makes contact with his nose anymore.
garden state
a wonderful movie. one of the few times i've felt at peace saying that without an analysis. i am reminded that in order to accomplish more i will say less. the world is heavily infused with my own thoughts, and this is not healthy. it is time that i learn to let the world be. i am not concerned about vanishing because i know that the things that i add will be genuine and more of me than before. it is a liberating thought. just another variation on a well-known theme, but perhaps a useful one.
going to vipassana
this is a picture from a moving car on the way to north fork, ca for a lengthy vipassana sit. the beginning of a truly wonderful adventure. i have many pictures which i would like to post and once i find an efficient way to do so i will.
my relationship with blogger
my first attempt with blogging started with a traditional web hosting provider and wordpress as installed by fantastico. since then i have explored blogger and blogspot, as well as tripod and read some about moveable type. so far my favorite is blogger. it is free, ad free, and the composition editor is very easy to use. i find my own blog software difficult to maintain, and moveable type isntallation resources are difficult to find (for a wonderful example of what mt can do see http://www.vagabonding.com). i also appreciate the blogger integration with flickr and picassa (however yahoo's recent aquisition of flickr casts future blogger integration in doubt).
a long term concern will be backing up and potentially migrating this data away from blogspot. an example condition under which this would be necessary would be if they began to charge a large fee for the service, or began serving unwanted ads. in that case the web host provider would be a better alternative. until then, blogger is the best solution i've seen.
i will keep my site hosted with blogomania for a while at $10/month. i'm sure that over time the amount of features will go up and the prices will come down for virtually all online resources.
a long term concern will be backing up and potentially migrating this data away from blogspot. an example condition under which this would be necessary would be if they began to charge a large fee for the service, or began serving unwanted ads. in that case the web host provider would be a better alternative. until then, blogger is the best solution i've seen.
i will keep my site hosted with blogomania for a while at $10/month. i'm sure that over time the amount of features will go up and the prices will come down for virtually all online resources.
my dog 'buddy'
this is my boy buddy. he's an australian shephard. he loves to play soccer and he loves the cat and he is perpetually suprised at her rejection. but hope spring eternal, and he tries again. perhaps that is where the phrase 'doggedly determined' comes from.
beautiful music from sarah mclachlan
i enjoy her music very much. it is a pretty lullaby. i am suprised that allmusic describes her voice as 'exotic'. certainly it is throaty and rich like an excellent chocolate. i find it comforting rather than challenging.
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