around the traps
- I'll die before the endgame, says Terry Pratchett in call for law to allow assisted suicides in UK | Mail Online:
'I believe that if the burden gets too great, those who wish should be allowed to be shown the door,' he said. 'In my case, in the fullness of time, I hope it will be in the garden under an English sky. Or, if wet, the library.'
... Pterry's journey is heart wrenching, but he obviously intends to make a difference in the world (and jokes) to the very end. - Derek Powazek - Programmers are Tiny Gods:
Like designers, if you give a programmer a problem with parameters, they’ll apply every bit of genius they have to solve it in the best possible way. If you tell them how to do it, you’ll suffer the wrath of an angry God.
Understanding geeks 101: if you do not understand what they do, just describe what you need and explain why you need it. If something's frustrating, you can say so but try to do it as unemotionally as possible - "...and that is frustrating because then we have to manually cross check with a printout" or whatever. Because then they have a clear problem to solve. Don't make it personal. The geeks generally know 100 ways the system could be better for every 1 you can think of; and there'll be a reason why they're not fixed - probably a reason the geeks have bitched about in the pub. So don't act like they're too stupid to know the bloody system's not perfect. - Video: Moldover CD case rocks a light theremin, our socks:
The awesome part is the custom-designed circuit board that accompanies the CD and lists the tracks while doubling as a theremin instrument with headphone jack -- all in a standard-size jewel case. Hit the on button and start making 'music' by waving your hand in front of the light sensors.
- AMC - Blogs - SciFi Scanner - John Scalzi's Guide to the Most Epic FAILs in Star Wars Design and The Inbox Of Nardo Pace, The Empire's Worst Engineer
- yeah, I know I’ve had too much ‘nip to drive – I Can Has Cheezburger?... mostly because that cat appears to be the My Cat Hate You cat ("Meow, asshole") after a bender with Zelda ("Flibberdy gibbut hot bam whiskey fizzle WAH!").
- xkcd - A Webcomic - Tech Support Cheat Sheet.... true, so true.
- Hobbit Huts in Latvia | English Russia
- Shakesville: Cat Experiments:
Livs—who, unlike any other cat I've ever had, has been fascinated with mirrors and her own reflection since she was a kitten—had seemingly come around to the French door to check out her reflection and examine how it looked and moved when she moved, then gone back to the front door and compare it with the image of the visiting cat she was seeing through the window. Only when she was satisfied it was a different cat did she start communicating with it.
- Microsoft apologizes for race-swap photo incident | cNet. Apparently MS employ at least one complete fucking tool in Poland.
- World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale. Most interesting bit is really at the end, I wish the clip went on into the discussion!
- RISK VS. REWARD – I Can Has Cheezburger?, Were you going for clown couture? – I Can Has Cheezburger?
