February 2012
75 posts
1 tag
I just recently listened to a great interview with Bram Cohen, the guy who invented BitTorrent. What struck me is how this guy has really dramatically pushed the technology forward—he created a super efficient way for a huge number of people to download a really big file—yet all people think of BitTorrent for is piracy. He talked about how inefficient digital TV is from an engineering...
1 tag
One thing that really stuck with me from Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, other than how big a prick its protagonist was, is the idea of taking pride in what you make. I used to use my blog as sort of a sounding board for any half-organized thought that went on in my head. Now when I write a post, even if it’s just to think out loud, I make sure it is something more polished....
1 tag
As a fan of manga, scanlation is a phenomenon that endlessly fascinates me. When a new chapter comes out in Japan, somewhere there will scan it and put it online. These “raw” scans are then translated by fan communities, who remove the Japanese text and replace it with English. These translations are then put up on hundreds of mirror sites across the web. Every so often VIZ will come...
clientsfromhell:
Client: I saw the press release you published. I don’t like the picture, please change it.
Me: You’re holding today’s newspaper with the article in your hands, right?
Client: What’s your point?
“Although Sega of America spent heavily to build up a massive support...”
– The Rise and Fall of Sega Enterprises
Sounds eerily familiar
My Love Letter to Video Games →
1 tag
Even more than the programmer or the engineer, I think the future belongs to the statistician. We live in a world awash in information; there will be more information produced on this day than humanity was capable of making over the course of years before we all moved to the web. Basic economics tells you that the best position to be in is to be a scarce complement to something that is plentiful....
“We recently shared January results for KDP Select and it was a great month for...”
– Kindle Direct Publishing Newsletter
I find what Amazon is doing with their Lending Library and indie authors to be very, very interesting.
1 tag
I had a thinly veiled contempt for econometrics when I was in grad school, because it seemed like so much story-telling under the guise of science. Looking back now, it’s the one thing I wish I had seriously invested in understanding while I was there. When I read about how companies like Valve are doing data analysis—never mind companies like Amazon or Google—it makes me realize...
“We tend to–pricing is just part of an overall broader question about–we’re...”
– Valve’s Gabe Newell talks wearable computers, why consoles should open up, and game ownership
1 tag
Our family dog passed away yesterday. He was almost 13 years old, which is ancient for a dog of his size. I remember when we brought him home for the first time as a puppy; he cried for the entire trip and gunked up my arm with his runny nose. When we got home he grew excited and ran around in the backyard—or tried to, as he couldn’t get very far without tripping over his giant puppy...
1 tag
Paragraph of the Day
I’d like to get into the habit of writing one paragraph a day. This was inspired by a conversation with Catherine, my fianceé, about setting daily goals for ourselves. There are no activities that give me as much satisfaction as writing. My father separates the world into those who have to write, and those who don’t, and I have always been the former. Still, sometimes life gets in the...
tiffanyb:
gingerhaze:
White Collar is the story of an adorable couple that adopts a con man and raises him as their own. Together, they fight crime!
Yep, that’s about right.
“When I see an old movie, like from the ’40s or ’50s or ’60s, the people look so...”
– Rudy Rucker (via wilwheaton)
Yup, staring into space, sure sounds like paradise to me.
Kelly: Summer just accidentally bashed her head against an open cabinet door, then reeled backwards
now she is sniffing it suspiciously
Adam: another day in the life
Kelly: I take back everything bad I have ever said about this dog: she was worth every penny
clientsfromhell:
Me: Can you send me that on DVD?
Client: Well, it is 4.15 GB file so I’ll have to use two of them.
Me: DVD should hold 4.7 GB - I think one’ll be enough.
Client: Are you listening to me? It is 4.15 GB. 15 is more than 7. Idiot…
“Every time a man writes that Pinterest is successful because...”
– HOW TO STOP BEING A PINTEREST SEXIST | Clever Girls Collective
I am so fucking glad someone finally wrote this article.
(via meganwest)
PREACH.
(I have an account but have yet to really get into Pinterest. Clearly, my femininity is suspect.)
(via lizlet)
