Hey, check it out — the new Palm devices are at palmone.com already.
Archive for September, 2003
<erinmak> OK, dorkier than carrying a mix CD of Zelda music around? Playing the Zelda theme song on the RMC piano for all to hear.
This IETF draft for URI namespaces is intriguing, but what’s to stop cybersquatters and other namespace predators from swallowing up all the namespaces (just as…
≡ 9:59 am
How to survive vim 6.2 and Python: Starting in version 6.2, the default python.vim syntax file tries to use spaces, which is the current Right Way to indent Python code. It doesn’t try Hard Enough however, because shifting operators still use raw tabs; this devolves into Mixed Space And Tab Madness pretty quickly. Add the following to your .vimrc and be happy:
” python stuff for gvim6.2
let python_highlight_all = 1
autocmd FileType python set tabstop=4|set shiftwidth=4|set expandtab
Further reading: vim.org tip #12; Indent Finder.
Salon: War is Peace, a brief interview with the authors of Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush’s War in Iraq.
Just as there is the “Fox effect” in the Western world, there’s an opposite sort of thing going on in Arab and Muslim countries. The way they compete for market share is by getting to see who can present the most outrage and direct that outrage toward the United States. The ironic thing is that if you watch Arab television, and you can actually get some of it on the Web now, it looks a lot like Fox news!
Dan has convinced me to begin a new feature on erinmak, giving my opinion on the British and American versions of Coupling.
≡ 8:18 pm
Dan has convinced me to begin a new feature on erinmak, giving my opinion on the British and American versions of Coupling. He believes I’m uniquely qualified to offer such commentary, having seen every episode of the British version. We’ll see for how long this is interesting, but for now…
For Zire 71 owners, a freeware tool to help avoid accidentally turning the device on in your pocket:
≡ 7:50 am
I just found this color palette toy that includes some of the same color-theory as my Foam screensaver (the color controls panel reveals some of…
≡ 7:19 am
I was thinking of starting to present some of my journal entries as sketches or inked drawings.
≡ 10:36 pm
I was thinking of starting to present some of my journal entries as sketches or inked drawings.
Then I came to my senses. What the hell was I thinking?
Quick notes for the evening:
- The US version of Coupling isn’t nearly as good as the BBC version. It is also, however, not nearly as bad as I was afraid it might be. So, I mean, “there’s an upside.”
- Erin finally opened one of her birthday albums — the new John Mayer release, Heavier Things. (This is the album that she was compelled to desire after listening to Mayer interviewed on NPR.) We’ve barely scratched the surface of the music (so to speak — damned slot-loading CD player!) but I’m already blown away by the design of the CD (classic Columbia records throwback, with late-1950’s phonograph line art and “COLUMBIA” set in Century (or similar)) and the liner notes (charming, hilarious, inspired infographics and statistics accompanying each song).
secsh is SO GOOD for a couple of reasons:
- It is a pure-python implementation of an SSH2 client, supporting private key and password authentication.
- “milestone releases are being named alphabetically after pokémon.”
Someone forwarded me a link to this ThinkGeek t-shirt, explaining that it made him think of me.
≡ 9:23 am
Someone forwarded me a link to this ThinkGeek t-shirt, explaining that it made him think of me.
I believe this is cause for deep, deep shame on my part.
A Slashdot article appearing last Monday, which reported on the claim that scrambled words are legible as long as first and last letters are in…
≡ 7:11 am
A Slashdot article appearing last Monday, which reported on the claim that scrambled words are legible as long as first and last letters are in place, was circulated to the University of British Columbia’s Linguistics department. An interesting counter-example resulted:“Anidroccg to crad cniyrrag lcitsiugnis planoissefors at an uemannd, utisreviny in Bsitirh Cibmuloa, and crartnoy to the duoibus cmials of the ueticnd rcraeseh, a slpmie, macinahcel ioisrevnn of ianretnl cretcarahs araepps sneiciffut to csufnoe the eadyrevy oekoolnr.”As demonstrated, a simple inversion of the internal characters results in a text which is relatively hard to decipher. — Slashback 9/25
JERUSALEM (AP) — A group of reserve air force pilots drew condemnation Thursday for refusing to carry out airstrikes in Palestinian areas, but their unprecedented…
≡ 10:24 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — A group of reserve air force pilots drew condemnation Thursday for refusing to carry out airstrikes in Palestinian areas, but their unprecedented protest set off an emotional debate on the ethics of the targeted killings of militants.
I don’t know if you’ve been reading the Apple stories on ComputerHistory.org, but this Andy Hertzfeld anecdote is very cool.
≡ 7:22 am
For the second time in two days, someone has walked up to our house and attempted to walk into it, apparently by mistake.
≡ 12:11 pm
For the second time in two days, someone has walked up to our house and attempted to walk into it, apparently by mistake.
Today’s episode: A small Asian woman in scrubs, sunglasses, and a sun hat, carrying an M.D. Anderson bag, just started trying to force the doorknob. I opened it, and she started to brush past me into the house. I blocked her, and said, “Excuse me, I’m sorry, what is it?” And she looked around, and said, “Uh, is my sister here?” I replied, “No, I think you have the wrong house.” She said, “Oh, sorry.” and walked away.
Everyone thinks our house is someone else’s, and that I’m the hired help or something. (Yesterday, it was some random guy, who — after I opened the door — remarked with some confusion, “You got a lock?” Me: “Huh?” Him: “You got a lock? … Aw, man, I’m trippin’, I got the wrong house.”) Erin speculates that it’s the spurned magical crickets in our neighborhood, out for revenge.
Seen recently: CloudShield, which sounds almost too Orwellian to be believed.
The notion that networks should remain ‘dumb’ and simply perform transport is outdated. Deploying certain application functions closer to the network core, instead of solely at the edge, relieves pressure on downstream access devices and applications, and allows the network to be more efficient, manageable, resilient and secure.
This company’s entire raison d’être is the idea that the Internet would be even better if, instead of being a decentralized, open medium for data communications, it were instead filtered and monitored in a central location. Brilliant! [via bb:isen]
After the interminable barrage of disappointments that was our move to brand-new office space, I am highly susceptible to what can only be referred to…
≡ 9:01 am
After the interminable barrage of disappointments that was our
move to brand-new office space, I am highly susceptible to what can only
be referred to as commercial architecture porn: Fog
Creek Software’s new office space. Bullet points: Twenty AC outlets per
office (four on battery backup); an 8-port switch per office; mildly
translucent acrylic wall material; naturally-lit offices for every programmer
(and secluded alcoves for the cubicle-dwellers).
While luncheoning at the Central Texas BBQ with Trey today, I was struck by the vibrant 1970’s Michelin “X” and “ZX” posters attached to the…
≡ 6:02 pm
While luncheoning at the Central Texas BBQ with Trey today, I was struck by the vibrant 1970’s Michelin “X” and “ZX” posters attached to the wall. Beautiful illustrations, in oil paint and oil pastel, depicting olive and orange racing coupes powersliding over rainslicked streets; great green military vehicles peering out of the night; the umbilical highway of a modern city, full of vehicles proudly using the high-performance all-weather radial to ferry their passengers back to the suburbs in the rusted summer evening.
(I would show you an example, but this stupid Internet thing doesn’t seem to want to help me out.)
As seen on the ‘dot, Tech Horoscopes. Mine is uncanny!
Taurus
April 21–May 21It’s time to wrap up a long-term project you inherited. Don’t be afraid to set aside the old tried-and-true, especially when dealing with technology past its prime. New career opportunities raise your confidence and enthusiasm, so be sure to say “yes” to everything that comes your way. Finding new ways for individuals and groups to communicate becomes a priority towards after the new moon on September 27. Although your workload may increase, you will feel more relaxed and less like a firefighter. That’s because you’re finally acting proactively instead of reactively. One bit of caution: Be sure to double-check facts before offering your opinion to C-level bosses.
Personal keyword: legacy application
Related reading: Integrating disparate IT






