"There is really only one way, now, to save the world: we must conserve.
Throughout recorded history, all true spiritual traditions have counseled against greed and advocated simplicity; the Quaker voice is merely a conservator of that wisdom.
The planet has grown hotter.
Our energy supplies are dwindling.
There is no time like now to heed the Quaker testimony on simplicity."
Bitten by the Enterprise Bug - The Daily WTF: "Aaron questioned why it had to be so much more code to load a simple request. The consultants explained: In our experience, enterprise applications require significantly more code as non-enterprise."
The whole article is kind of depressing, but if something requires way more code to be written for no clear benefit then it is probably the wrong way to go as an app. developer. Of course, it could be a good way to go for consultants :-)
"Same old story from what I can see. Anyone that wants an agile enterprise can get it using technology that is ten years old or more. There is *no* need to invest in WS-* or an ESB. I think an ESB could be a good investment in some cases but not because of any promise of a 'standards-based platform'."
You really earned it Peter , PCL's great book.
Absolutely. I'd recommend it even if you don't really want to learn Lisp - it is a grea example of a pragmatic programming language tutorial!
And so am I !! In the interests of science, I currently have one done with the quick knot, and one with the secure knot. The latter looks a real mess on my leather laces!!
Man what a cynical view of human nature!Seth's Blog: The problem with "global warming":
"The muted reaction to our impending disaster comes down to two things:
1. the name.
Global is good.
Warm is good.
Even greenhouses are good places.
How can 'global warming' be bad?
I'm not being facetious. If the problem were called 'Atmosphere cancer' or 'Pollution death' the entire conversation would be framed in a different way."
In other words, damn it he's right.
"Robert Oppenheimer agonized over building the A-bomb. Alfred Nobel got queasy about creating dynamite. Robert Propst invented nothing so destructive. Yet before he died in 2000, he lamented his unwitting contribution to what he called 'monolithic insanity.'"
Quotes of the Day - The Quotations Page: "
'A liberal is a person whose interests aren't at stake at the moment.'
"Some of you have been worried about our future here at Writely. As one concerned user wrote:'I love Writely, but... I was wondering, is there any way to send you guys some money? I understand it's free and all, but I just feel bad that you don't charge. Thanks!'
We appreciate the sentiment, and all the support we've gotten from our users, but thankfully, your donations won't be necessary, for one very exciting reason:
Writely is now part of Google!"
Good news - I have a Writely account ( so I can sit smugly whilst others now have to wait to sign-up) and, whilst I haven't used it that much, I really love the idea and look forward to many new improvements - so long as the takeover goes smoothly!
This one made me smile :-)
Bill Clementson's Blog: The Most Important Idea in Computer Science: "'Java and C make you think that the new ideas are like the old ones. Java is the most distressing thing to hit computing since MS-DOS.'"
On the Java theme: Mak Guzdial: Report on OOPSLA97"Java is a great step forward. For the C Community."
Looks like a good MP3 player built on Firefox, but don't you just hate sentences like this:Development | Songbirdnest.com: "We plan to keep the vast majority, if not all, of our source code available under a GPL license."
Open Source: "What does an EHM do for a living? He builds the American empire the way a dope dealer builds a network of dependency. The drugs an EHM sells are aid agency loans to developing countries Â? loans that bind the country to hiring American companies to build the highways or design the power plants. Most of the real benefits therefore stick with American contractors and corportions. The loans, by design, are also too big to repay on time so that the country effectively becomes a pawn the U.S. can use for military or political or economic convenience. And one more thing: these loans enrich a tiny minority in the debtor country (usually including a corrupt head of government) and impoverish the masses by increasing the national debt. Perkins says heÂ?s witnessed this cycle over and over again. He was part of what drives it. .....Does John Perkins’s argument ring true to you? What would you like to ask him? And who should mix it up with Perkins on the air?"
BBC NEWS | Health | Drug limits foetal alcohol damage: "A drug may be able to reduce the damage caused to babies whose mothers drink heavily during pregnancy."
Anyone tried it?
Google Reader: "If you're an identity management supplier it is time to set up a UK office. If you're already here its time to hire more salesmen and lobbyists. No delays, no excuses. Jump in. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity - practically all upside, with little or no oversight."
Don't read it all unless you are interested in liberty, democracy, your taxes etc.
