A little over a year ago, I opined that in writing code in service of our users, we as developers should spend our time bettering the tools that build on the platforms that our users are using. I was speaking mostly about web development, and it's a given that code – standards, libraries, frameworks...
I read this pretty interesting article on the engineering of pedals and hinges, the life expectancy of components and the rigorous testing for reliability in mechanical parts. Engineering is ultimately about tradeoffs, and this was a classic example of balancing cost and weight against stability and longevity. It made me think about how developers try...
Inbox Zero; Getting Things Done; IDEs; Notes and Annotations. These are the tools and techniques that we – the productive, naturally – use to make sense of our busy lives, to squeeze the most out of limited time and focus, and to accomplish and achieve to our maximum potential. Right? I'm as guilty as everybody...
I was listening to the last episode of the This American Life podcast, and they were detailing how a company called Journatic was basically outsourcing newspaper articles to the Philippines. Now, they were previously an under-the-radar content company, but the investigation TAL followed through on has uncovered some major newspapers in partnerships with the company,...
Like three million other people, I went out and got an iPad on launch day. I had bought the original iPad for my fiancé short after its original debut, and I'm surrounded by iPads at work, but this is actually the first time I've had a tablet for myself, loaded with...
I ran across this insightful article in the New York Times about the state of gadget manufacturing in the world and why the US has lost out to China and other Southeast Asian countries. In short, the premise is that beyond the cost of wages, other factors play a big role in the decisions made...
