Call this week eventful would be an understatement. Monday was the anniversary of Mom's death. Wednesday night the Phillies win the World Series, yesterday my friends's 2 month old son has a successful surgery to address an intestinal issue, and today it is Halloween (wait till you see Emma) and the Phillies parade (which we will hopefully get a chance to attend - we're leaving now!), all the while, work continues hot and heavy.
And next week, with the election and me seeing a college admissions councilor looks to be almost at hectic.
Wow.
Be seeing you, memento mori, happy Halloween.
Friday, October 31, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Two great pieces that I'll be sure to reference in the future (expecially when I redesign this blog):
Stefano's Linotype: Why Programmers Suck at CSS Design
niqos design studio: CSS for Programmers (and anyone else who appreciates clean, approachable CSS)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Jeff Passan at Yahoo! Sports says Baseball's crown event is beyond repair due to the handling of the game in face of the weather.
Phil Sheridan at the Inquirer, in a much linked to piece, says it's the league's pursuit of television ratings that's to blame.
Jayson Stark at ESPN says that now, no matter what the story of this World Series will be about the weather.
Maybe all this is true.
What isn't however, is Michael Radano's characterization of Philadelphia, in light of this, as
the angriest place on Earth. I'm so tired of the stereotypes branded about of Philly sports fans and Philadelphia. Anger relies on being surprised by something that you don't expect. Most folks I know looked at what happened and simply said "only in Philadelphia". Everyone I know is looking forward to the game. Not angry. Anxious about yet another letdown. But that's it. I think most just simply stand behind the team and believe.
Go Phillies!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
I didn't say it. xkcd did
The maintainer of VIM on Debian has switched to Emacs!
Two Mac users switch to Emacs.
Vimeo: What You Can Learn From ido.el
Monday, October 27, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Today might be the day that Carlton, Schmidt, McGraw, Rose, get some company in Philly sports immortality.
Today is that one year marker I mentioned in a previous post.
Go Phillies!
(Oh, and I haven't shaved since Friday. Not going to until this is over. So it is a scruffy manic Monday!)
Monday, October 27, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
The guitar scale version, the software engineering version.
Related:
Mozila Developer Center: Class-Based vs. Prototype-Based Languages.
Wikipedia: Prototype pattern
JavaWorld: A look at the Composite design pattern
Fluffycat: Java Design Patterns
Monday, October 27, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
The year has gone by so fast, and it still seems like yesterday. Maybe it always will. At least now, when I dream of Mom, I end up waking with a smile and a bounce to my step.
So...
Hi Mom,
I'm doing good. Work is going well, Emma and Richelle are doing great. Dante and Katie say hi. So do Brendan and Matt. You should see their house. You'd be so proud. Al and family say hi too. My back is feeling a bit better. Just have to keep working at it. Anyways, I bet you've made some friends, and ruffled a few feathers here and there. That's okay ya know. Not everyone will like you, even if you'd like that to be true. But ya know, those people that know you love you. I miss your giggles and wicked sense of humor. I swear I see it in Emma more every day. And I've been known to crack a goofy smile more myself these days. As for the world, Obama might win, and the Phillies are one game away from doing the same in the World Series. I can see you right now in some over sized Phillies jacket enjoying the show. I know you'd be calling me after every game if you could to share some joy. Ya know, you once told me that it was I who was the adult, and you who was the child, but in the end, that can't be true, because even though you may not think so, it was you who taught me much.
Love you Mom,
Shane
Sunday, October 26, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
As part of their Women In Tech series, Blogher's Virginia DeBolt interviews Shelley Powers. It's a terrific interview. Check it out.
Thursday, October 23, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Old news on my Twitter stream, but thought I should share here: SOAWorld republished a piece of mine I wrote a while back on principals I've picked up from programming.
Thursday, October 23, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
More and more families are facing homelessness. According to Reuters, Wal-Mart customers are delaying buying necessities till payday, including infant's formula. It wasn't that long ago I can forget, where I was living payday to payday, check cash to check cash. But I didn't have a family to support back then. It would be a terrible struggle to be in such a place in this day and age.
Meanwhile: $150,000 Wardrobe for Palin May Alter Tailor-Made Image - yeah - keep on believing she's someone you can relate to.
Thursday, October 23, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
CIMer and friend Aaron Held writes a great post on specialization and the issues it raises in a development organization.
The Heinlein quote he shares is a keeper, and so is the podcast he linked to: Escape Pod: EP179: Arties Aren't Stupid. I'm new to Escape Pod, which, apparently is a podcast where a sci-fi story is read and then discussed. The comments thread on this one is hot and heavy with folks arguing the effect of the narrator's accent and slang - I think they transport you deep into the story's universe. It's an awesome fun recording. I typically don't find the time for podcasts, but in this case, I'm subscribing.
Thursday, October 23, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Susie Madrak commented on the possibility some folks just may not care about this World Series since the two teams involved aren't the usual suspects - but like last night shown - you're going to get get great baseball. Every game is going to be a nail biter.
Interesting places to get some World Series news:
Ballbug from Memeorandum.
Philly Future: Phillies Search - see what the Philly blogosphere is saying.
Thursday, October 23, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
It went great, but there's some lessons to be learned to manage and grow it into the success it deserves to be.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Three links from two Comcasters:
codeartisan: Jon Moore: Measure your improvements
codeartisan: Jon Moore: Cracking down on technical debt
code zen: Arpit Mathur: Isn't quality code a feature?
Sunday, October 19, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
IBM developerWorks: Documenting software architecture, Part 1: What software architecture is, and why it's important to document it
IBM developerWorks: The architecture of Web applications
W3C: Architecture of the World Wide Web, Volume One
w3.org: Web Architecture from 50,000 feet
Sunday, October 19, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Gabor Cselle: "The Future of Email" Talk in Sydney
Identity Management Manifesto: via robert_francis
Burningbird: This Week's Semantic Web, Burningbird style
Waxy.org: Memeorandum Colors: Visualizing Political Bias with Greasemonkey
slacktivist: They need help: Information -- facts, reality, the rebuttal and debunking of lies -- is one kind of help that the captives of unreality need. That information is necessary, but not sufficient, for those who have chosen their own captivity. What else is necessary, and what might be sufficient to help them choose not to make that choice, is something I want to continue exploring.
Sunday, October 19, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Penny Arcade! posted a comic that summarizes what many think of online anonymity and the Internet: John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory: Normal Person + Anonymity + Audience = Total Fuckwad.
Up until the past few weeks, I would have agreed. But now I am starting to adopt a more nuanced view.
I don't want to get into what has triggered the change of heart, and no - I am not anonymously blogging - my name lends credibility that I am not willing to trade. However, I have come to realize there are those who need to be able to speak out, and without anonymity cannot do so.
It's confusing subject matter, so here are a few links of various viewpoints:
CNet: U.N. agency eyes curbs on Internet anonymity
Business Week: Busting a Rogue Blogger: Troll Tracker has been unmasked as a patent lawyer for Cisco. Now they're both facing litigation
SSRN: Anonymous Blogging and Defamation: Balancing Interests of the Internet: It is important not to silence communication on the Internet, but it is just as important not to silence victims of defamation. Therefore, this comment argues for the protection of libel plaintiffs facing defamatory comments from anonymous bloggers.
Media Bloggers Association: Announces Libel Insurance For Bloggers - huge news for those who intend to pursue acts of journalism independently.
Must See Video: Hope2604 - Steve Rambam Pt 1 - Privacy Is Dead - Get Over It
Must See Video: Hope2604 - Steve Rambam Pt 2 - Privacy Is Dead - Get Over It
Wired.com: 'Anonymous' Member Unmasked, Charged With Web Attack on Scientology
Bruce Schneier: Essays and Op Eds
Time Berners-Lee's new World Wide Web Foundation
Global Voices Online: Global Voices Advocacy: A project of Global Voices Online, we seek to build a global anti-censorship network of bloggers and online activists dedicated to protecting freedom of expression and free access to information online.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Slashdot: Your Rights Online
Sunday, October 19, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Metafilter: If information is power, then access is empowering
NYTimes: Overfeeding on Information
NYtimes: Spinning a Web of Lies at Digital Speed
NYTimes: The Rise of the Machines
Andrew Sullivan: Why I Blog
Reason.com: Every Man a Derrida
Rough Type: Googling and intelligence
Techdirt: Is Web 2.0 About Exploitation Or Empowerment?
Sunday, October 19, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
I've been dealing with a few things, including migrating all of my personal sites to a new web host (next - upgrading my templates to meet latest MT versions), that have kept me away this past week, but hopefully today will catch up on my blogging.
Sunday, October 19, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Chron.com: Answers come too late for Ike worker's daughter: Clear Lake woman uses Web to track down adult child of man killed while saving dogs from freeway
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Funny post over at Mind Hacks.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Calvin Coolidge famously said: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan press on has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Seth Godin: Is effort a myth?
Overcoming Bias: Make an Extraordinary Effort
All we can do is play the cards we are dealt the best we can. And try to do so with every hand.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Lots of material out there to read to understand what is going on. Here are some of the more interesting ones I've found:
The Money Meltdown - a set of links that attempts to summarize the situation and how we got here.
Slate.com: Subprime Suspects: Puts to rest the idea that poor homeowners are somehow to blame for this.
60 Minutes: A Look At Wall Street's Shadow Market
Megan McArdle: How did it all happen? - some cognitive science behind this.
Forbes: The Economics of Trust - Capitalism requires trust. Break the foundations of trust between people and institutions and something like this is inevitable.
And the best two explanations I have heard so far were on This American Life: The Giant Pool of Money and Another Frightening Show About the Economy
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
I have a problem on my host. This came in handy.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 | TrackBack (0)
Google's Matt Cutts asked this very same question a while back and followed up. Know any yourself? In particular, those that you can donate to via the United Way?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008 | TrackBack (0)