I remember when this project was first announced and ‘PR’d. It’s just another good reminder about the unpredictability of these world-changing projects. Sad but interesting: Electric car company Better Place shuts down after burning through $850M | VentureBeat: > Better Place is the electric car company that hoped to change the world with its ambitious battery-swapping stations. But today it said it’s shutting down. The closure brings to an end arguably the most audacious “clean tech” company ever attempted.
If you are, or ever were, a Billy Joel Fan you will really like this interview. Fascinating to read what seem to be the reasonably honest thoughts and feelings of a Rock Star! [Billy Joel on Not Working and Not Giving Up Drinking – NYTimes.com](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/magazine/billy-joel-...
Do you watch Mad Men? I know it’s very good. I always watch it. But sometimes, it doesn’t make sense, and I wonder, have I been sucked into a reality distortion field myself? Is it really good? [REVIEW: Mad Men – Episode 8: The Crash – Celebrity Gossip, News & Photos, Movie Reviews, Competitions – ...
Can Cholesterol Drugs Undo Exercise Benefits? – NYTimes.com: > An important new study suggests that statins, the cholesterol-lowering medications that are the most prescribed drugs in the world, may block some of the fitness benefits of exercise, one of the surest ways to improve health.
Starters Guide to iOS Design: > As someone who does work on both the development and design side of iOS apps I find that many designers struggle with the transition to UI work, or with the different processes involved in iPhone and iPad app design. In this guide I’ll describe the deliverables you’ll be expected to produce, outline the constraints of the medium and introduce fundamental iOS and UI design concepts.
How to Be a ‘Woman Programmer’ – NYTimes.com: > But none of it qualified me as extraordinary in the great programmer scheme of things. What seems to have distinguished me is the fact that I was a “woman programmer.” The questions I am often asked about my career tend to concentrate not on how one learns to code but how a woman does.
International Space Station switches from Windows to Linux, for improved reliability | ExtremeTech: > The United Space Alliance, which manages the computers aboard the International Space Station in association with NASA, has announced that the Windows XP computers aboard the ISS have been switched to Linux. “We migrated key functions from Windows to Linux because we needed an operating system that was stable and reliable.”
Kirk McDonald: Sorry, College Grads, I Probably Won’t Hire You – WSJ.com: > According to one recent report, in the next decade American colleges will mint 40,000 graduates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, though the U.S. economy is slated to create 120,000 computing jobs that require such degrees. Now, I don’t know where this gentleman, Kirk McDonald got this statistic but if you are teaching computer science then it’s a pretty sobering statistic. I am going to try digging deeper to see if I can find the source.
Here’s my five-step plan for world domination: 1. I am creating a comprehensive taxonomy of characteristics of smartphone apps. Much more detailed than a feature list: “is it on android or iPhone” but really micro. I will have 20 different user interface ‘styles’ defined scientifically. I will ...
Here’s what I think: If economic analysis says that technology does not contribute to the overall productivity of the country, check the analysis. It’s incorrect. It’s self evident and obvious that technology – computers, smart phones, tablets, cloud computing, robotics, and on and on make us more ...
In Venture Capital Deals, Not Every Founder Will Be a Zuckerberg – NYTimes.com: > It’s the dream of entrepreneurs to sell their company for millions of dollars. But the dirty secret of venture capital is that the dream can be dashed as the venture capitalists make millions in a sale, leaving the founders with nothing.
What do you think, are younger people better programmers? Are they more productive, more clever, work longer hours? Or do older people have some advantages? Here’s a bit of research that says they do! [NC State News :: NC State News and Information » Older Is Wiser: Study Shows Software Developers’...
I have to do a little research. It seems to be a favorite talking point by politicians on all sides of a debate to criticize or dismiss a piece of legislation based on the number of pages it has. It’s an odd bit of criticism: how long is too long, how long is too short, doesn’t it depend on how many laws the bills are enacting? doesn’t it depend on the number of amendments? Watch this space. I am going to find some answers. If you know some of the data, please post a response or send me an email!
This trend is now unstoppable – massive open online courses – or MOOCs – are constantly in the news. The angle often seems to be about whether or how or how much they will impact higher education and education in general. It’s a topic I am very interested in. [Here’s another piece of the puzzle, th...
A long long time ago there was a product called Lotus Improv. Our premise was that complex spreadsheets were very difficult to maintain, to audit and to modify. So much so that we had heard stories about companies fearing making any change to the spreadsh...
As you know the topic of the future of the university, the role of MOOCs, and online learning, is highly topical these days. I happen to be interested in it too so I refer you to this [David Broo...
while waiting around...
As you know the topic of the future of the university, the role of MOOCs, and online learning, is highly topical these days. I happen to be interested in it too so I refer you to this [David Broo...