My Kindle Fire arrived yesterday afternoon, and so far, it’s exactly what I was hoping for. Why did I sell my iPad 2 ? I sold my iPad 2 because: it was too big, the screen resolution is crappy, and I didn’t and wouldn’t use it to create content of any kind, ever. After trying …
Read Moresoftware creativity vs. escaping poverty = similar psychologies ? 0
I read this article today, and saw similarities between the psychology described with that of the creative aspects in software development. Specifically, that in relation to common practices at a wide range of companies that enforce specific technologies and structure architectural review around the “how” instead of the “what, and why it’s important”, these practices …
Read MoreJoli OS/Cloud => buh bye family sys admin duties 0
If you’re tired of administering a family members Windows PC, or just happen to have an old computer lying around that you’d like to do something with, JoliOS is definitely worth checking out JoliCloud In terms of building a low-maintenance-required computer for anyone, including kids or the elderly, Joli OS works a treat. As you …
Read MoreiPhone 4 antenna histeria 0
I’ll start by saying that I got my iP4 on 6/23, a day early. I’ve been using it exclusively since, and have terrible reception at home (nothing new for me). Even with the latest 4.0.1 I drop lots of calls, and have periods during almost every call where the call fades in and out but …
Read MoreIt’s the data stupid (“The Fourth Paradigm”) 0
I stumbled across this New York Times article in my RSS feeds this AM regarding a Microsoft research endeavor/book titled “The Fourth Paradigm”. I’ve skimmed TFP so far, and have highlighted a few sections I want to read in depth, and it looks quite good. Essentially, it explores today’s data volumes in the science realm …
Read MoreClosure, perhaps it will convice some JavaScript haters to stop… 0
Google open sourced their Closure JavaScript Tools! If you’re not familiar with them, and you do any web development at all, now’s the time to read up. In short, this is a set of groundbreaking tools for the JavaScript developer, which bring some amazing capabilities to the table. If you are in any way involved …
Read MoreCalendar Heat Maps 0
I’m a huge fan of data visualizations, and this one is pretty cool. calendar heat maps of two different time series data sets 1. Performance of Microsoft’s stock 2. Airline Peformance This certainly has potential a little closer to home than some of my other favorites, and may end up finding its way into some …
Read MoreTravelFli 0
Last night at Boulder New Tech Meetup, the founders of TravelFli showed us their latest. They also talked about some interesting stats regarding frequent flier miles in general, such as it being one of the largest untapped assets. Their app can scrape all of your mile accounts and allow you to book travel in such …
Read MoreWhy is engineering software so hard/different than other engineering pursuits ? 0
I’ve been pondering this topic a lot lately, and have had several discussions with colleagues and friends on what steps one might take to improve matters when working on a project which has issues associated with this topic. This Dr. Dobbs article brought the topic to the forefront of my mind and has recently resulted …
Read Moreprogramming language typing, static and dynamic 0
I just read Bruce Eckel’s blog entry which discusses programming language typing, static vs. dynamic. His conclusion is that we, software developers, need “Strong testing, not strong typing.” and I couldn’t agree more. I’ll expand on his statements and reiterate that all too often software folks get caught up evangelizing their chosen technology and lose …
Read Moreroot cause analysis – keeping software simple and high quality 0
I posted a brief thought on RCA on my Sun blog In short, software developers could improve quality and simplify by employing RCA during development. Avoid getting caught up in what’s new and cool and focus on what your intended users really need.
Read MoreRating Software Developers 0
It takes all kinds of people to make any project successful; designers, code monkeys, requirements junkies, architects, and there are no repeatably good mechanisms for evaluating folks to determine if you want them to be a part of your team or not. This sort of rating or measurement is something people from all three perspectives …
Read MoreCentralized vs. Decentralized Storage 0
A number of times thus far in my career, common storage has been a sizable bottleneck in the application frameworks in which I’ve worked. Centralized solutions are slow and easier to manage. Decentralized ones are relatively rare, complex, and less than ideal. One decent solution is DRBD, which when combined with OCFS2 or GFS can …
Read MoreAdded FreeMind to SoftwareGoodies 0
Mind maps rock. I’ve found them abundantly useful for thinking through problems, and for mapping out tasks to help plan a project. FreeMind is a Java based mind mapping app which is very useful. There’s a link on the SoftwareGoodies page.
Read MoreAdded The Black Swan to books page 0
Yes, I’ve been reading more lately. Go to the books page to see my quick review/summary, and pick up a copy from Amazon.com.
Read MorePerceived Value In Consulting and Services 0
You might think that an individual, or organization, that provides a superior product or service always comes out ahead in the business world. This idea is currently most pertinent to me in relation to consulting groups and service providers representing the IT industry. I’ve dealt with a number of different consulting groups lately in some …
Read MoreEntitlement should positively fuel Empowerment 1
All companies should strive to instill a sense of empowerment in their employees. Unfortunately, the hard truth is that most inflict a negative, bitter sense of entitlement instead, which usually results in high turnover. This phenomenon begins even before the start of an employees appointment within a company. Promises of both the written and verbal …
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