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Media

Submission + - First Fan-Sponsored Ad Runs on Network TV (betabeat.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: Fans can be passionate about their favorite TV programs, but the Bronies (adult My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) fans have taken it to the next level. In an effort to support the show, they have purchased commercial air time on The HUB, the network that airs My Little Pony.

The ad thanks the makers of the show for doing such a good job, and encourages viewers to donate to Toys for Tots to show their appreciation. As far as can be determined, this is the first time (Star Trek included!) that fans of a show have ever purchased advertising time. The group that produced the ad, The Brony Thank You Fund, is also in the middle of fundraising to endow an animation scholarship at CalArts.
Security

Submission + - The Cost of Crappy Security in Software Infrastructure (oreilly.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: Everyone these days knows that you have to double and triple check your code for security vulnerabilities, and make sure that your servers are locked down as tight as you can. But why? Because our underlying operating systems, languages, and platforms do such a crappy job protecting us from ourselves. A new article suggests that the inevitable result of clamoring for new features, rather than demanding rock-solid infrastructure, is that the developer community wastes huge amounts of time protecting their applications from exploits that should never be possible in the first place. TFA: The next time you hear about a site that gets pwned by a buffer overrun exploit, don't think "stupid developers!", think "stupid industry!"
Media

Submission + - Is Television Paying too Much Attention to Fans? (csmonitor.com) 2

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: Forums and chat groups are letting fans organize and discuss their favorite shows with increasing ease, but what happens when the writers and producers of TV shows start paying attention? An article in today's Christian Science Monitor takes a look at how the production staff of recent shows has interacted with their fan base, and how the fans are having an increasing influence on not only the popularity, but also the plot and characters.
Television

Submission + - Just Who is the Average Brony? (herdcensus.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: The Brony movement (adult and largely male My Little Pony:Friendship is Magic fans) has been all over the Internet lately, and has even leaked over into the real world (as far as The Colbert Report, among other places.)

But just who are these Bronies? One fan set out to get a demographic picture of the "herd", and gathered over 9,000 responses to a census he created. The numbers have been crunched and the "2012 State of the Herd Report" is now available, with some surprising results. Among other things, there are 58 PhDs out there who take time out to watch My Little Ponies.
The Internet

Submission + - Fail Blog and the Ethics of Crowdsourcing (oreilly.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: Sites like Slashdot, reddit, and especially Cheezburger Network sites such as Fail Blog depend on crowdsourcing for most of their content. But what are the ethical considerations that need to be taken into account when accepting material from (sometimes anonymous) third parties? In particular, Fail Blog is vulnerable to being used for cyber bullying.

O'Reilly Radar asked Cheezburger Network CEO Ben Huh to talk about the guidelines they use when accepting material for Fail Blog, and how he views the future of crowdsourcing as a strategy for content generation. Frequent Fail Blog readers will be happy to hear that they do, in fact, make sure that no one is seriously injured in any of the videos they post, so you can enjoy your schadenfreude with a clear conscious.
Technology

Submission + - Is the Maker Movement making it cool for kids to b (csmonitor.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: For most adults into technology, childhood was a alienating experience, pigeon-holed as a nerd and relegated to the A/V, Computer or Gaming club in high school. But according to a Christian Science Monitor article that looks at young Makers, the next generation of tech geeks are social and gaining increasing support for corporate America. Radio Shack is stocking Arduinos, Autodesk bought Instructables, and teens are flocking to local Hackerspaces to learn how to create their own gear. WIRED Geek Dad David Giancaspro, thinks that people's need to create with their own hands is responsible. "As we've moved further and further away from that, towards what people call 'knowledge work,' as opposed to producing something physical, that urge is starting to come back," he says.
Software

Submission + - Dear FOSS Zealots: Proprietary has a Place Too! (oreilly.com)

Submitted by
blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: "After years of having the more extreme elements of the Free Software community imply that he and his kind are akin to war criminals for writing proprietary software, O'Reilly Radar commentator James Turner has had enough.

In an essay out today, Turner argues that FOSS has it's place in the software ecosystem, and that it naturally tends to dominate it. But, equally, there are places where FOSS makes no sense at all, and it's silly to demand that all software should be free. He's especially fed up with demands that he settle for less than the best software he can get, simply to support the FOSS movement unconditionally. TFA: "In many cases, proprietary software fills niches that FOSS software does not. If individual activists want to 'wear a hair shirt' and go without functionality in the name of FOSS, that's their decision. But I like linen, thank you.""
Programming

Submission + - Is Process Killing the Software Industry? (oreilly.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: We all know by now that Test Driven Development is a best practice. And so is having 100% of your code reviewed. And 70% unit test coverage. And keeping your CCN complexity numbers below 20. And doing pre-sprint grooming of stories. And a hundred other industry 'best practices' that in isolation seem like a great idea. But at the end of the day, how much time does it leave for developers to be innovative and creative?

A piece on O'Reilly Radar is arguing that excessive process in software development is sucking the life out of passionate developers, all in the name of making sure that 'good code' gets written. TFA:"The underlying feedback loop making this progressively worse is that passionate programmers write great code, but process kills passion. Disaffected programmers write poor code, and poor code makes management add more process in an attempt to 'make' their programmers write good code. That just makes morale worse, and so on."
Apple

Submission + - Is Apple Playing Favorites With Their App Store Po (csmonitor.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: Recently, Apple improved the transparency of their iOS review criteria by publishing a list of no-nos. This was an attempt to deflect criticism that they employed arbitrary standards when determining which applications to be allowed into the store. But it may turn out to be a double-edged sword, because it is now much easier to spot examples of applications that appear to break the rules. As an Christian Science Monitor story points out, the new "Atari's Greatest Hits" app seems to fall squarely into that category, by allowing the application to download code.
Wii

Submission + - A Kickstarter project to Free the Wii (kickstarter.com) 1

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: The Wii is a great gaming platform, but it suffers from a range issue with the sensor bar. Specifically, it's really short. As more and more games for the Wii are sit and shoot, rather than stand and twist, being able to use your Wii from a couch across the room is becoming a useful thing, not to mention trying to use a Wii with Netflix. My son and I have decided to fix the problem of the wimpy sensor bar, and have launched a Kickstarter project to produce a really high-powered sensor bar replacement.

The MegaBar has not one, not two, but 9 IR emitters on each 'end' of the bar, and is visible from 10' away on the lowest Wiimote setting. If we can get 100 like-minded souls to come in on the project, the project will fund.
Medicine

Submission + - Improving healthcare in Zambia with CouchDB (oreilly.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: In the developing world, the integration of medical records that we take for granted is a rare thing. But a project in Zambia is trying to improve healthcare in rural areas by keeping volunteer works in rural villages in contact with clinics and supervisors. A big component of making this work is the NoSQL database called CouchDB, because it provides reliable synching of medical records over slow and sometimes unreliable connections. In an interview over on O'Reilly Radar, one of the principal architects of the system talks about the project, and why CouchDB was such a good fit.
Books

Submission + - O'Reilly Running Contest to Create the Best API (oreilly.com)

Submitted by blackbearnh
blackbearnh writes: O'Reilly usually is where you go to learn about APIs, but now they're turning the tables by opening up their data and asking third parties to create interesting APIs to access it. They're using the FluidInfo writable API technology, and the person who creates the best API will win a free trip to OSCON, including hotel and airfare. Runners-up can win iPads (or a Xoom) and books

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