Comment And this is news how? (Score 4, Funny) 636
Old news for anyone who's spent time around Apple users. Just saying. ;)
Comment They Lied (Score 3, Insightful) 333
The old policy said our files were encrypted with mil-spec encryption, etc etc. Now they're telling us they'll turn our files over if asked.
Dropbox lied. No two ways about it. But this why you never store anything sensitive in "the cloud" anyway.
Comment Re:Won't work because of drivers (Score 1) 373
Drivers can be dropped into standard spots on standard Android releases and the same concept still holds. The various vendors are already testing this, they just load a ton of crap on top after they do the testing.
Comment Re:Easy solution (Score 1) 373
That's brilliant. Let Sprint put their crap Nascar apps and everything else on my EVO, but require them to have a button for an over the air plain vanilla latest Android install. Add tons of warnings, etc, but provide that button. I love it.
That would highly motivate carriers to ~add value~ instead of taking dollars from partners to shove crap on phones.
That would highly motivate carriers to ~add value~ instead of taking dollars from partners to shove crap on phones.
Comment More Arduino Info... (Score 1) 80
If you're not familiar w/the Arduinos, you'll have to return your geek license. ;)
Arduinos can be used so many different ways... here're a few things you can do with them:
http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Projects/ArduinoUsers
Comment Great Starting Point (Score 1) 1
If you're not familiar w/the Arduinos, you'll have to return your geek license. ;) Arduinos can be used so many different ways... here're a few things you can do with them:
http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Projects/ArduinoUsers
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/category/arduino
http://hackaday.com/category/arduino-hacks/
The top hit on Hack-A-Day isn't a typical project.
Submission + - Arduino: A Quick-Start Guide 1
Muad writes: BOX DATA Title: Arduino: A Quick_Start Guide Author: Maik Schmidt Pages: 263 Rating: 8/10 Reviewer: Federico Lucifredi ISBN: 9781934356661 Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Quick-Start-Pragmatic-Programmers/dp/1934356662/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297643169&sr=8-1
END BOX DATA
Maik Schmidt, Arduino: A Quick-Start Guide — The Pragmatic Bookshelf, $35
Maik Schmidt is our guide in the Pragmatic Bookshelf's venture into the world of electronics. This is a compact work, like all others in the series, it goes straight to applicable examples and makes you get your hands dirty with real work. The Arduino platform has been described in many ways, but the best I have heard so far insightfully labels it "The 555 of the future," referring to the ubiquitous timer chip so many simple electronic projects make use of. If you haven't been hiding under a rock for the past few years, you have doubtlessly seen the plethora of material on the subject that's out there: even O'Reilly, which usually does not ship multiple titles on a single subject, has a variety of them. Most of these works are rather similar, the ones I prefer are Massimo Banzi's Getting Started with Arduino (O'Reilly, 2008), by one of the original developers of the platform, and the strongly related Getting started with Processing by Casey Reas and Ben Fry. These are brief books in the 100-page range, not exhaustive works, but covering the core philosophy and basic operation of the tools is sometimes the best way to jump into a new subject.
There is a lot of material on the subject, even the current issue of Make magazine has a very good roundup (and not for the first time, if I may add). So, how does Maik's work stand out in the fray? Right after a brief introduction to ease you into the Arduino environment, the book turns to interesting projects, more sophisticated than the usual fare (read: not the usual LED-blinking using pulse-width modulation that every tutorial out there walks you through). Examples of this include connecting with a Wii Nunchuk, motion sensing, networking, infrared remote control interfaces, and more. These projects are the high-note of the book, and span almost two-thirds of its length — and are significantly better than most other project material currently in print.
This is a hands-on book, theory is kept to a minimum, as you don't really need previous experience to tackle an Arduino: the platform was specifically designed to cater to artists and designers, it is meant to be approachable by users who are not EE wizards. That said, if what you are after is learning the underpinnings of low-level electronics or hardcore embedded systems programming, this book is not for you: pick up a copy of Horowitz and Hill's The Art of Electronics (possibly including the student manual), and check back with us in a year or so for the digital followup recommendation. But if you have less time on your hands, and you just want to network-enable a coffeepot or build some interactive art display, the introduction to Arduino Maik delivers is quite sufficient for your aims, and it spans material other authors have been remiss to include, like developing libraries and (Appendix C) use of serial line protocols.
Zooming in on the details, perhaps the comment can be made that it would be good if there was a single kit available including all components used in the text: perhaps Makershed or Adafruit Industries will supplement their existing kits with one comprising the full range of the author's selection. On the plus side, I must highlight the extensive illustrations, which visually represent the breadboard linkage between the Arduino and the sensor or actuator being used with extreme clarity, and are much more effective in teaching neophytes than more traditional circuit designs. Where these are not actual pictures, they were generated using the alpha release of Fritzing, a very interesting piece of software (see fritzing.org) aiming at facilitating circuit design for those of us without a background in electronics.
The landscape of Arduino publications is shifting faster than many other subjects in print, and doubtlessly Maik's status as "king of the Hill" is but temporary — however, among those books on the subject I have personally surveyed, I am pleased to say that he currently holds the championship cup.
Federico Lucifredi is the maintainer of man (1) and a Product Manager for the SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE distributions.
Maik Schmidt, Arduino: A Quick-Start Guide — The Pragmatic Bookshelf, $35
Maik Schmidt is our guide in the Pragmatic Bookshelf's venture into the world of electronics. This is a compact work, like all others in the series, it goes straight to applicable examples and makes you get your hands dirty with real work. The Arduino platform has been described in many ways, but the best I have heard so far insightfully labels it "The 555 of the future," referring to the ubiquitous timer chip so many simple electronic projects make use of. If you haven't been hiding under a rock for the past few years, you have doubtlessly seen the plethora of material on the subject that's out there: even O'Reilly, which usually does not ship multiple titles on a single subject, has a variety of them. Most of these works are rather similar, the ones I prefer are Massimo Banzi's Getting Started with Arduino (O'Reilly, 2008), by one of the original developers of the platform, and the strongly related Getting started with Processing by Casey Reas and Ben Fry. These are brief books in the 100-page range, not exhaustive works, but covering the core philosophy and basic operation of the tools is sometimes the best way to jump into a new subject.
There is a lot of material on the subject, even the current issue of Make magazine has a very good roundup (and not for the first time, if I may add). So, how does Maik's work stand out in the fray? Right after a brief introduction to ease you into the Arduino environment, the book turns to interesting projects, more sophisticated than the usual fare (read: not the usual LED-blinking using pulse-width modulation that every tutorial out there walks you through). Examples of this include connecting with a Wii Nunchuk, motion sensing, networking, infrared remote control interfaces, and more. These projects are the high-note of the book, and span almost two-thirds of its length — and are significantly better than most other project material currently in print.
This is a hands-on book, theory is kept to a minimum, as you don't really need previous experience to tackle an Arduino: the platform was specifically designed to cater to artists and designers, it is meant to be approachable by users who are not EE wizards. That said, if what you are after is learning the underpinnings of low-level electronics or hardcore embedded systems programming, this book is not for you: pick up a copy of Horowitz and Hill's The Art of Electronics (possibly including the student manual), and check back with us in a year or so for the digital followup recommendation. But if you have less time on your hands, and you just want to network-enable a coffeepot or build some interactive art display, the introduction to Arduino Maik delivers is quite sufficient for your aims, and it spans material other authors have been remiss to include, like developing libraries and (Appendix C) use of serial line protocols.
Zooming in on the details, perhaps the comment can be made that it would be good if there was a single kit available including all components used in the text: perhaps Makershed or Adafruit Industries will supplement their existing kits with one comprising the full range of the author's selection. On the plus side, I must highlight the extensive illustrations, which visually represent the breadboard linkage between the Arduino and the sensor or actuator being used with extreme clarity, and are much more effective in teaching neophytes than more traditional circuit designs. Where these are not actual pictures, they were generated using the alpha release of Fritzing, a very interesting piece of software (see fritzing.org) aiming at facilitating circuit design for those of us without a background in electronics.
The landscape of Arduino publications is shifting faster than many other subjects in print, and doubtlessly Maik's status as "king of the Hill" is but temporary — however, among those books on the subject I have personally surveyed, I am pleased to say that he currently holds the championship cup.
Federico Lucifredi is the maintainer of man (1) and a Product Manager for the SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE distributions.
Comment Two Laptops? (Score 5, Interesting) 253
I'm not seeing the most obvious answer. Put two laptops in the kitchen. Use wireless internet. Use laptops with built in video cameras. Run any of the IM programs that have video capability.
Just leave the laptops turned on. Someone walks in, looks over, and says "Hi!"
Things You Drink Can Be Used To Track You 202
sciencehabit writes with an intriguing story about the potential of figuring out where people have been by examining their hair: "That's because water molecules differ slightly in their isotope ratios depending on the minerals at their source. Researchers found that water samples from 33 cities across the United State could be reliably traced back to their origin based on their isotope ratios. And because the human body breaks down water's constituent atoms of hydrogen and oxygen to construct the proteins that make hair cells, those cells can preserve the record of a person's travels. Such information could help prosecutors place a suspect at the scene of a crime, or prove the innocence of the accused." Or frame someone by slipping them water from every country on the terrorist watchlist.
Comment Re:slow data (Score 1) 551
I'm in the middle of RTP, North Carolina and constantly miss calls completely (it buzzes when the voice mail registers), dropped calls are more common that completed ones, etc
Comment In my humble opinion... (Score 1) 434
Many, many "Agile" teams are really just using the buzzword... saw it in a magazine (or on Slashdot!), and thought it sounded good. They pick the one practice they like, ignore all the rest, then blame "Agile" when it fails. (It's really "frAgile", not Agile, but that's another post).
In the OP's question, he wondered whether promoting great developers into a non-technical role was a good idea. It's the same age-old question about developers becoming managers. And the answer is? Almost always a horrible idea. Hire the skills. Find someone who wants to learn it. Don't do automatic promotions. In other words, THINK!
No pro sports player would try to play their sport without a coach, but developers try to pick up new techniques all the time by ourselves. Sometimes it works... sometimes, you need an expert to help you figure it out as quickly as possible. Team-wide (and company wide!) process changes are the times you always need a coach. Bring in an expert and solve these problems before you run into them.
Comment Re:Poor choice for screensaver? (Score 1) 907
Ubuntu Netbook Remix is what I'm using on a netbook (Wind U100)
http://www.ubuntu.com/GetUbuntu/download-netbook
The UI is set up for small screens and it's quite fast.
But I still get better battery life from OS X and XP (on the same hardware). But I like Linux better.
Comment Re:Pragmatic Programmers (Score 1) 271
Since I have (obviously) limited experience, I can't say... I assume you're correct (and have heard good things about you guys.)
However, the expenses on Ship It! were negligible... much less than I expected. I know Andy and Dave really go out of their way to keep costs down.
My take on it all? Find one of the good publishers (there's more than one), and PUBLISH! You'll never regret it.
However, the expenses on Ship It! were negligible... much less than I expected. I know Andy and Dave really go out of their way to keep costs down.
My take on it all? Find one of the good publishers (there's more than one), and PUBLISH! You'll never regret it.
Comment Pragmatic Programmers (Score 1) 271
My first book (Ship It! http://pragprog.com/titles/prj/ship-it ) was with the prags and it was a great experience. The book is now in 6 foreign languages editions and I keep getting quarterly checks. The editorial process was incredibly difficult, but that's because they push you to be the best you can.
And the 50% royalty rate is really what you get. I can tell you exactly how many books have been bought and returned, PDFs vs paper books, etc. I've not heard of anyone being able to match the level of information they provide authors.
The build system is also insanely cool. You can render the book on your local box, so you can see how it looks as you go. That's really motivating.
I just published a book on Lulu.com (for a variety of reasons, none negative towards the prags), and it was nearly painless. If you do publish on Lulu, be sure to start with their Word template and that eliminates a ton of the pain. But Career 2.0 ( http://www.lulu.com/content/5925115 ), my latest, has so many more typos, etc in it that Ship It!... it was easier to write, but the editing quality suffered a bit.
Regardless of who you publish with, you'll sell if you market it. Otherwise it won't. You write articles (InfoQ, DZone, etc), you set up a blog, you go to user's groups... you're the main PR arm for your book. You'll get out of it what you put into it.
And the 50% royalty rate is really what you get. I can tell you exactly how many books have been bought and returned, PDFs vs paper books, etc. I've not heard of anyone being able to match the level of information they provide authors.
The build system is also insanely cool. You can render the book on your local box, so you can see how it looks as you go. That's really motivating.
I just published a book on Lulu.com (for a variety of reasons, none negative towards the prags), and it was nearly painless. If you do publish on Lulu, be sure to start with their Word template and that eliminates a ton of the pain. But Career 2.0 ( http://www.lulu.com/content/5925115 ), my latest, has so many more typos, etc in it that Ship It!... it was easier to write, but the editing quality suffered a bit.
Regardless of who you publish with, you'll sell if you market it. Otherwise it won't. You write articles (InfoQ, DZone, etc), you set up a blog, you go to user's groups... you're the main PR arm for your book. You'll get out of it what you put into it.
Comment A few tips... (Score 1) 601
Break down the individual tasks to half day to a day's worth of work.
Then use the 'pomodoro' technique. Work for 25 minutes (no interruptions, like email or
Tell someone else what you'll get done today.
