November 2006 Archives

• Gingrich raises alarm at event honoring those who stand up for freedom of speech - "Gingrich, speaking at a Manchester awards banquet, said a 'different set of rules' may be needed to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message."
• What the 80/20 Rule Tells Us about Reducing HTTP Requests - Time to focus on the other 80%...
• An HD video acquisition card with HDMI for Mac and PC - I hope that this hits shelves in the US sometime soon!

• Can I see your receipt, sir? - "Another fun approach, if you are detained, is to inform the store that they may indeed inspect your bags or your receipt, if and only if all items are immediately returned for a full refund."

• Bacon-of-the-Month Club - If you're looking for the gift that says "I love you," this is it!

Just started playing around with zooomr. There are some things that I like about it and the way it handles geotagging, but I haven't quite groked the interface yet. It's definately different than Flickr, and that may or may not be a good thing. It relies more on AJAX, that's for sure.

More comments as I play around with it...

• The James Bond title sequences - GooTube playlist of all the Bond title sequences.
• Free online file conversion - Convert from one file type to another. 100MB limit.

• Airport Security - linked from Bruce Schneier
• e - The Collaborative Text Editor for Windows - seems interesting

When I posted a couple of links the other day relating to software/management consultants, little did I know that today I would be living in an Office Space moment.

Long story short, my boss's boss needs to show that he is doing something about some of the issues we've been having (most relating to 3rd party tools, but I digress) so he brought in a consultant to find the silver bullet.

What's the first thing this consultant asks for? SLOC.

The next thing he asked for, however, really and truely boggles my mind. He wants to know the number of columns in our database schema. Not tables, but columns. This seems even more assanine then knowing SLOC.

Apparently he has some sort of tool that will tell him how many man hours it took to build, etc. Not sure how that factors in, but I'm sure it doubles the estimates or something. There's some geeking out after the jump, but I leave you with this fun little motivational poster.

• Boeing 777 Wing Stress Test - Wow.
• Why can't Johnny download? - "Programmers do this naturally, because programmers know the difference between transmission of data by value and transmission of data by reference. But almost nobody else does." -- Don't be alarmed if I don't attach a file, but rather send you a URL.

• Cartoon hotel room - Be fun to stay in.
• Tell DHS to Help Keep RFID out of Government-Issued ID - Apparently the DHS has a draft document explaining the downsides of using RFID. Feel free to send them your comments and show your support for getting RFID out of our ID system.
• The S stands for Simple - Hilarious dialog on how "simple" SOAP is...
• Kansas man shoots himself in groin - Uhhh... oops.

• system76 :: Linux Laptops, Linux Desktops, Linux Servers - providing linux hardware for the masses

• The stages of an exploding laptop battery - Hope you returned your recalled batteries...
• How Two Hours Can Waste Two Weeks - so true

• Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Illinois - A selection of airports in IL that used to exist and how they look today. Links to other states as well.
• Marinated Shark Steaks - I never had shark before last night. It's really good as long as you don't overcook it. This marinade is very easy to throw together as well.

• The Lonely Libertarian: A View From a Disaffected Republican - I'm glad Frank's a lawyer because he knows how to say what I was thinking...

• On Vacation - This seems to ring true, even outside of architecture (the focal point of the cartoon)

• Deron Williams over Ike Diogu - For all of the Illini fans out there...

• Amazing 747SP Retirement Landing - What if you were planning to retire a Boeing 747SP and leave it on static display?
• Which is the real logo? - Flash game... I got down in the 30s range, but it took me 5 or 6 tries...

Although I live in a country that requires the ability to vote electronically, I am happy to state that in Cook County, IL, I still get a choice. I was pleased that when I went to vote this morning I was presented with the option to vote paper. It's not as easy as punching a punch card anymore--it's done with a huge scantron sheet--but at least there is a verifiable paper trail.

I think what made me happier was the number of people, when presented with the option, either firmly chose paper, or asked "is there some sort of paper verification of my vote with the touchscreen?" Now, that being said, there were a lot of lines to draw on the paper scantron sheet. At one point my laziness kicked in and I was wishing for the touchscreen, but I feel more strongly about the need for a paper trail.

Apparently 90 other people in my precinct before me did, too, as the ballot verification machine had a counter on it.

• The Parable of the Two Programmers - See what happens when you find the simple, elegant solution to a problem?
• Pac-man chart - hehe

• The Comcast HD DVR Is Simply, Terribly Awful - The Tivo is like an Audi, but the Comcast drives like a 1972 Gran Torino Station wagon.

• Flying below the radar - This looks like fun!