bmj

87 ms·

871.
by bmj 17y ago
I swing back and forth in thinking that stuff like this is either fluffy navel gazing or serious introspection. I'd like to think it serious introspection. I'm on my laptop a fair amount, and at home there's almost always a laptop open on
872.
by bmj 17y ago
This is just a way of forcing people to upgrade to the latest non-jailbreakable hardware. "Forcing" only if those users actually want multi-tasking. I'm guessing a large percentage of the user base won't covet this feature.
873.
by bmj 17y ago
The device has potential for "industrial" applications, assuming developers have better control over the OS (or MS allows SteadyState to run). For those of us that write applications for single-use devices (medical use, for example), the A
874.
by bmj 17y ago
I wish I could mod this up more. As I've gotten older, I find I avoid using our vehicle more and more (I commute the 12 mile round trip to my office on my bike year 'round). Sitting in traffic in a car seems like a massive waste of my time
875.
by bmj 17y ago
Single-purpose industrial gadgets Not with the current App Store model. We absolutely drool over the potential of the iPad/iPhone/iTouch for our applications, but there is absolutely no enterprise support. On top of that, you can't take
876.
by bmj 17y ago
A quick favorite in my house is lentil-rice casserole. Basic recipe is here: http://www.gettingfreedom.net/2009/02/lentil-brown-rice-cass... Very easy, and can produce several days of leftovers. Another variation on the easy burritos is
877.
by bmj 17y ago
Agreed, and I don't take issue with Doctorow's position. My point is that plenty of developers and consumers seem to rather like the App Store model. And I can see how that won't change, at least for developers. Yes, you pay $100 a year,
878.
by bmj 17y ago
True, but if you don't think that model is fair, then don't write software for it. I agree that the AppStore model is flawed, and doesn't promote the sort of freedom that most developers (and users) are used to, but apparently many, many d
879.
by bmj 17y ago
Agreed. We tend to site on physical DVDs for awhile, but thanks to the movies available on demand, we more than make the monthly cost worth it. The other downside of physical DVDs is that often, the discs we received are scratched or damag
880.
by bmj 17y ago
[Comment redacted] Sorry. I felt like this discussion was leaning towards the sorts of subject matter frowned upon here.
881.
by bmj 17y ago
For me, it is important to personally know my coworker. You cannot do that with chat. I disagree. My employer's development group (only six people) is split between Pittsburgh and Santa Cruz, CA. Most of my work is with one of the progr
882.
by bmj 17y ago
Some influential and interesting books on how humanity interacts with technology (and vice-versa): * The Technological Society, Jacques Ellul * Tools for Conviviality, Ivan Illich * Shop Class as Soulcraft, Matthew Crawford
883.
by bmj 17y ago
But if a child is never exposed to work (that is, focusing on things that don't necessarily interest them rather than simply floating between things they find fun), he may not be equipped to make the proper decisions later in life. Don't mi
884.
by bmj 17y ago
It strikes me that your choice should reflect her knowledge of math and basic logic. If she has a good grasp of these, then perhaps a "typed" language might be a good idea, otherwise, something like Alice (as suggested below) might be bett
885.
by bmj 17y ago
I agree. And the folks at that blog don't typically do the blogspam thing, at least in my experience.
886.
by bmj 17y ago
As another homeschooler, there is a fine line between gauging interest and imparting self-discipline. Of course, such "hard work" looks radically different at home than it does in the classroom. It's important to teach your children that
887.
by bmj 17y ago
If you're interested in such ultra-endurance events, but you aren't sure if your body can handle such pounding, try out randonneuring--essentially, ultra-long distance (200+km) cycling. You can achieve the same sorts of mental and physical
888.
by bmj 17y ago
I typically send an email in the morning of the day I'm working remotely with my availability schedule. If my schedule is going to be fluid, I tell folks to look at my Skype status--if I'm online, that means I am available. It's also advan
889.
by bmj 17y ago
I'm not saying that people asking work-related questions is a Bad Thing(TM)--I'm saying the assertion that you can easily get into a distraction-free groove in the office is not necessarily true. It might be true in the case of a small sta
890.
by bmj 17y ago
I just don't buy the "you won't be distracted in the office" argument. I work from home ~12 hours a week, and I find being in the office more distracting because people are constantly badgering me with questions. And I see plenty of oth
891.
by bmj 17y ago
It's worth noting that Chrome only runs on Mac OS 10.5 and better. I can't install it on the iBook we keep around, running 10.4.
892.
by bmj 17y ago
I can't help but think these sorts of issues aren't limited to the IT world. Programmers and sysadmins are not the first, nor the last, groups to be asked to work long hours (or work them voluntarily), nor are they the only groups to sit a
893.
by bmj 17y ago
The word on the street is that we'll be moving to Sharepoint for some document management. I'll be curious to see how that goes. My group (R&D) has been using a home-grown requirements management system for a few small projects, and id
894.
by bmj 17y ago
It's surprising how some non-programmers cannot wrap their heads around source control. I work in a high-regulated environment, so we produce reams of documentation for a project, and various non-technical members of the team must be able
895.
by bmj 17y ago
I agree. Mostly. I think we need to remember he's talking about kernel specs. For those of us writing end-user applications, you can (and should!) get feedback during the spec writing process. You write a draft of the spec (which shou
896.
by bmj 17y ago
My schedule is very similar to yours. I go to the office 3-4 days a week (and work 7-8 hours there each day), and work from home 1-2 days (I've done stretches of several weeks out of the office because of extenuating circumstances, however
897.
by bmj 17y ago
But this isn't the point you made your initial comment. Sure, most of us here understand the engineering processes of figuring out how and why things break, but that doesn't mean an article in a nationally-read newspaper is superfluous.
898.
by bmj 17y ago
The article might be superfluous for engineers and programmers, but there are plenty of people who read the Washington Post that don't understand engineering processes. I suspect most people figure that Toyota is just hiding something, and
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by bmj 17y ago
Agreed, and such subsidies tend to prop up factory farming operations, not small operations. In fact, the government makes life quite difficult for small farmers (again, read Salatin).
900.
by bmj 17y ago
I'm not sure it's possible for factory farms to change, especially when raising animals. If you talk to someone who raises animals in a sustainable way (if you don't personally know a farmer, read Joel Salatin), they will tell you there is

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