May 2008
The Archives
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05.30.08Sometimes slow is goodWhen you flip a light switch "on" you expect the lights to immediately illuminate around you. When they don't, you suspect the bulb is burnt out or the power is off. We've come to expect instant from so many things around us that it doesn't surprise us at all as things accelerate toward zero and generally annoy us when they don't. I can think of two technologies I use where the push toward instant might not be a perfect fit. Internet connections were first introduced into American homes over telephone networks and modems -- collectively known as ...
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05.28.08Keep on keeping onOne of my favorite games to play while running is to stalk other runners. The rules of the game are simple: Pursue the runner discretely If you are spotted you must back off You must pass the other runner if you aren't spotted, and You cannot stop or slow down until the runner is out of sight (behind you). For maximum fun, screw time and mileage, make the number of overtaken runners your goal of the outing. I share ...
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05.22.08I was pondering value, you should be tooAt a recent visit to the mall, you bought a shirt. In the week since the purchase, you haven't had the opportunity to too wear it. Unfortunately you never will because last night it was stolen. How do you assess the loss? Do you feel you've lost the monetary cost of the shirt since it has gone unworn? Since it went unused, you received no value from the money you exchanged. Or have you lost something intangible? Our wardrobes are a strong part of our culture; they speak about us. Does this feeling change if ...
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05.20.08What happened to Joost?Tech startup Joost was supposed to revolutionize the way we consumed video. I realized today it's been months since I had last heard a mention of the effort. No one is talking about them anymore: The market is saying YouTube has given it more than enough to digest for the moment: No disruption here please, thank you. Ahead of it's time?
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05.16.08I saw a Black Swan todayPaul Kedrosky was talking about this today as well so I'm going to blame him for what happened... I needed to sweat tonight. My legs were sore but felt like they had more to give. I set out to make up for the poor workout I had yesterday. So I biked to the track and ended up punishing my legs. Realized I was in the zone when I pulled myself away after 50 sprints up 42 stairs (no walking). Easily the best workout I've had in a year. Never heard no in my head, all ...
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05.15.08From inside a sinking shipHumorous email coming from a now-former employee at a failing company: From: XXXXXXX, XXXXX (Employee) Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 9:38 AM To: XXXXXXX, XXXXXX (Manager) Cc: XXX, XXXX (Manger's Manager) Subject: XXXXXX, I felt compelled to come in this AM and let you know that as of our conversation on Monday I resign. You made several remarks that helped make this decision 1.You stated " I would think at your age you ...
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05.15.08Oil at inflation-adjusted high?The following charts stops at December 2007's $83.48 price per barrel. With oil hovering around the $125 mark, we are at an all-time high. [from a comment here]
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05.15.08Are you (relatively) rich?Where do you fall on this chart of US Income Distribution for 2005? Note that this chart excludes incomes over $250K/year which amounts to < 2%. Hat-tip to a new favorite VisualizingEconomics. I have a feeling that most people that view these data are (relatively) rich indeed. Why? Because statistically speaking, you're educated, and educated folks find themselves in the tail of the income distribution: [via WikiPedia] Interesting that the professional degree holders earn more than their PhD counterparts. If you are going back to school, aim for your desired ...
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05.13.08Frustrating experiences with the Twitter APII've been working on a Java framework to develop Twitter services recently and have found the API and Twitter's reliability to be a real problem. The strict API limitation of 70 requests per hour (~ 1 API request per minute) is highly restrictive. Especially when you are placed in Twitter-jail for exceeding the limit in a given hour. Forget about making API calls while Twhil is open. That's the quickest way to bring development to a halt. That's frustrating. What's surprising is the large number of errors I'm receiving from Twitter on simple requests. Over the last 7 hours and 30 ...
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05.09.08Windows XP is gone (sort of)I found this amusing. Windows XP just won't die. The folks at Lenovo will be discontinuing preloads of the OS May 20, but will still offer a DVD "downgrade" for those smart enough to avoid Vista. My only question is when are we going to see downgrade DVDs of Vista? Sooner than the 7 year span of market success XP has seen, no doubt.
recent posts
- The Wallstrip Edge [Book Terser]
- How to name your own price
- Keep your worthless predictions
- The Definitive Book of Body Language [Book Terser]
- Terse Reviews
- Flatten; because users are lazy.
- P(recession) = 1, P(American is shopper) = 1
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