I've just watched Paprika and I have to say it may be one of the best Anime movies I've seen in years. Absolutely surreal and epic yet perfectly sane. The plot borrows from some older scifi and takes things a step further. I think this story would make a wonderful Hollywood live action provided they could find an actress that could pull off the lead role without making us think that Paprika is merely silly, crazy, or deranged. The truth is Paprika is the wisest character in her world but wears it lightly recognizing that she and everyone she meets are merely the figments of other people's imagination.

If I double-click in the space between two words in Firefox, X highlights both words. In an xterm and in Vim, it just highlights the space. In a properties dialog within Rythymbox, and in the Openoffice spreadsheet, whichever word is nearer the cursor gets highlighted.

Update: I've come to use this whenever I want two words in Firefox, which is pretty often. So now it's a feature.

Aviation Week and Space Technology says

The radar site was struck with a combination of electronic attack and precision bombs to allow the Israeli force to enter and exit Syrian airspace unobserved. Subsequently all of Syria's air-defense radar system went off the air for a period of time that encompassed the raid, U.S. intelligence analysts told Aviation Week.

...

The analysts don't believe that any part of Syria's electrical grid was shut down. They do contend that network penetration involved both remote air-to-ground electronic attack and penetration through computer-to-computer links.

"There also were some higher-level, non-tactical penetrations, either direct or as diversions and spoofs of the Syrian command and control capability, done through network attack," one U.S. intelligence specialist says.

TIOBE has published their yearly Programming Community Index and it got me thinking... What is the most commonly used programming language in the Slashdot community? What language did you learn in the last year?

Personally, I've just started working in Groovy this year which has entered the TIOBE list at number 35. The biggest mover on this list seems to be Lua and Lua's rank on this list is enough for me to decide to check it out.

jwagon sent me these mind bending groovy class manipulations in a chat today:

#!/usr/bin/env groovy

class AA {
                def msg
                AA(something){ msg = something }
        }

def c = { a, b ->
  def x =a.newInstance(b)
  println x.msg
}

c(AA, "foo")

Or how about....

#!/usr/bin/env groovy
def m = java.lang.String
def n = m.newInstance("foo")
println n

I was remembering how much I loved working in Europe but how the exchange rates ruined my contract there making it impossible to stay. I was paid out of Texas in dollars but I was living physically in Germany. A bad combination.

I wonder how hard it would be to get a job in London, paid in British Pounds, living on the British economy... as an American citizen. Has anyone ever done this? Is it possible for a geek? Do they need Software Engineers or Informaticians over there bad enough to entertain the idea?

Is anyone out there using Groovy and Grails? Thoughts? Ideas about Groovy?

This feels like a mega-spam entry, and I'm very self conscious about posting it, but I'm excited about this and I wanted to share . . .

I just published my third book, The Happiest Days of Our Lives. I mention it here because it's all about growing up in the 70s, and coming of age in the 80s as part of the D&D/BBS/video game/Star Wars figures generation, and I think a lot of Slashdot readers will relate to the stories in it.

I published a few of the stories on my blog, including Blue Light Special. It's about the greatest challenge a ten year-old could face in 1982: save his allowance, or buy Star Wars figures?

After our corduroy pants and collared shirts and Trapper Keepers and economy packs of pencils and wide-ruled paper were piled up in our cart, our mom took our three year-old sister with her to the make-up department to get shampoo and whatever moms buy in the make-up department, and my brother and I were allowed to go to the toy department.

"Can I spend my allowance?" I said.

"If that's what you want to do," my mom said, another entry in a long string of unsuccessful passive/aggressive attempts to encourage me to save my money for . . . things you save money for, I guess. It was a concept that was entirely alien to me at nine years old.

"Keep an eye on Jeremy," she said.

"Okay," I said. As long as Jeremy stood right at my side and didn't bother me while I shopped, and as long as he didn't want to look at anything of his own, it wouldn't be a problem.

I held my brother's hand as we tried to walk, but ended up running, across the store, past a flashing blue light special, to the toy department. Once there, we wove our way past the bicycles and board games until we got to the best aisle in the world: the one with the Star Wars figures.

I'm really proud of this book, and the initial feedback on it has been overwhelmingly positive. I've been reluctant to mention it here, because of the spam issue, but I honestly do think my stories will appeal to Slashdotters.

After the disaster with O'Reilly on Just A Geek, I've decided to try this one entirely on my own, so I'm responsible for the publicity, the marketing, the shipping, and . . . well, everything. If this one fails, it will be because of me, not because a marketing department insisted on marketing it as something it's not.

Of course, I hope I can claim the same responsibility if (when?) it finds its audience . . . which would be awesome.

Obviously we do a fusion prequel/sequel two parter and turn it into a
Trilogy.

In the first half, the Parliament is not happy with Mal, but now they have bigger problems. And so does Mal. In his experiences he realizes that he will not find peace as long as Parliament is still in power. And with the help of his crew he discovers that there is no one better to help him understand and navigate the maze of power and how to attack Parliament than the person he most despises in the universe, the Operative. Through a series of new scenes and flashbacks (Which give us back Wash & Book, for a while) Mal realizes that Book was an operative, and that his nemesis, now in reclusion (like Book was) is the only one who can help him.

So the first of the sequels brings Mal to the realization, and Mal finds him. Their eyes meet, but not a word is said fade to black end of part one.

In the second, it picks up with the exact shot we left before, almost as though we just 'blinked.' The Operative joins Mal's crew (with all the expected edginess) and together they bring down Parliament. (Accomplishing almost single-handedly what the Browncoats could not do openly!)

To paraphrase Independence Day: "Any Questions?" "Let's Do It!"

I just had a conversation with a promising young help desk attendant. He wanted to get into programming and asked if I could teach him. I told him that I could teach anyone to program... but just like singing... only some of us will ever do it well.

When someone shows up on American Idol and sings their heart out and the totally and utterly suck. How do you tell them? How do you tell the young bright and highly motivated student that they don't "think like a programmer" or that no matter how hard they work they will never become a great programmer. How do you tell?

I am convinced that anyone can learn to program and I can see a day in the not too distant future where every child is taught to program just as they are taught to use a keyboard and mouse today. The day is out there on the horizon.

Every child is taught science but only some will learn to become world changing scientists.

Every child may take music and art but only some will become musicians and artists. Their talent will be spotted early. They will be mentored to become better in their area of interest. They may even get to specialize on a particular skill.

One day programming will follow this path too. Just as promising young mathematicians and engineers are singled out and nurtured due to their skill. So too will the young budding programmer.

Today a child with an interest in medicine can visit a hospital and spend a day with a real nurse. An aspiring lawyer can visit a court room. An aspiring accountant (yes I've met children that aspire to be accountants) can visit an accounting firm and learn more about it.

Aspiring young technologists can visit Red Hat summer camp.

But, how do you evaluate that young dreaming no-talent that thinks he can be the next American Idol but clearly doesn't have the chops? What do you say to the young no-talent that wants to be a programmer?

I told my young charge that I can teach anyone to program but only some people will be great at it. Just as anyone can be taught the mechanics of writing and can write a 300 page novel if only they have the determination and willingness to learn. However, only the innate talent and skill developed by the pupil can turn them from merely a trained student into something great.

The teacher can give you voice lessons. The pupil can study. But only that intangible gift called talent can make them great. Study under the best. Work your hardest. And, it could pay off... if you don't try at all there is no way you will succeed. But, at the end of the day there is this intangible thing called talent that no one can give you.

You can paint a picture but no one may want to look at it.

You can write a book but no one may want to read it.

You can sing a song but no one may enjoy it.

You can write software but it may not be something others want to use.

Still, how else should you proceed? So you pour everything you have into your skill and into your art. You sculpt yourself and hone your abilities.

"Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men." Proverbs 22:29

You have to believe that or else not try at all. You have to believe that all your effort and sacrifice will pay off. You have to believe you can serve before kings.

Slashdot user padonak discontinued his relationship with me today. I have no idea if he was a fan or a freak, but I went to look at his page and found this:

    http://slashdot.org/~padonak/

wow. And his account is still active.

Try this.

those were the days... when slashdot showed me love. *sigh*

According to this dated BLS article Software Engineer is going to be one of the fastest growing jobs through 2014. Are the salad days of IT back?

I started writing in the slashdot journal system because most of what I write about is "news for nerds" type stuff. If I put a blog out on blog spot I'm lost in the crowd. Here I'm with like minds.

That said, why do you write in Slashdot Journal?