Ruby training fun
HacketyHack, “the coder’s starter kit” is a free, odd/funny/interesting Ruby training program. Related posts: Fun Ruby guide A fun Ruby manual Why they hate ruby (or a bunch of Ruby nits)
View ArticleWufoo, the online form builder
A web2.0ish code-free form builder, an interesting way to develop simple surveys and stuff. Looks almost usable for normal people. Related posts: Comic book builder China, uncensored Php/Ajax form...
View ArticleTwilight Princiess (cube), another solid installment
[stars: 4] Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube). A brilliant installment in the Zelda series, well worth its 50+ hours of casual-gamer play. The art style is more like a standard Japanese RPG, and the...
View ArticlePhilip K. Dick on Universe building (and writing science fiction)
Philip K. Dick on writing science fiction in his longish (but interesting) essay titled How to Build a Universe That Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later. Related posts: Book review: How to write science...
View ArticleSelection bias
I was talking to one of our bright devs the other day about selection bias and usability testing, it’s easy to be blinded by bad stats. Somewhat related, Microsoft’s statistics for Word 2003 feature...
View ArticleAttack of the Clone, Clone wars, or Rails versus Javascript
TrimPath Junction is the Javascript “Rails” clone. Looks … interesting. Related posts: Yegge ports Rails to Javascript (EMCA script) A Rails rant Rails ActiveRecord conventions
View ArticleThe cost of running a web business
A detailed “autopsy” of 4 webapps, including line counts (server/client/styles), and comparisons of conversion rates and relative support costs. The most interesting tidbit: conversion rates of 1% are...
View ArticleDevelopers, canticas, and Dante’s Inferno
An interesting take on the 3 kinds of software developers. If you’re ever asked, “what kind of developer am I?”, be wary if they’re a perpetually intermediate developer (they won’t like the answer)....
View ArticleHTTP header fun and abuse
Some analysis of HTTP header oddities out in the wild. A longish list of interesting HTTP header fields and guesses at their purpose. My favorite pseudo-header? X-Subliminal: You want to buy as many...
View ArticleCoupling 101
An interesting description of coupling and complexity, with nifty diagrams and clear explanations. Related posts: Game diagrams The Complexity Zoo Google’s BigTable
View ArticleMachine Learning and Dragons
Here’s a short article about a machine learning project written in pygame. It’s an interesting approach with some intriguing possibilities (yes, I’m tempted). Related posts: Learning and improving, by...
View ArticleDebate formatting, and the question of template mechanisms
Which is better, XML or Python for Python templates? I like the Php approach myself (intermixed language/template), as it matches the natural state of each language. The linked debate is interesting,...
View ArticleA detailed Pixar history
Here’s an interesting, detailed history of Pixar, including some of the prehistory. An interesting Saturday read. Related posts: A Colossal (Cave) history Browser history possibilities History is...
View ArticleVPS or not to VPS?
An argument against VPS hosting. I’m waffling on moving some of my sites to a shiny, new VPS, but I’m also pretty happy with shared hosting for most things. Related posts: Dreamhost on Web Hosting’s...
View ArticleBurnout as a problem of work ethics
Here’s an interesting NYT feature on burnout, which suggests that burnout is a problem with self-efficacy, a lack of social support, and an increasingly chaotic environment. One of the most interesting...
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