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Thursday, September 26, 2002

David Weinberger wrote a column where he said programmers are cynical and this is a good thing. This bothered me. I don't think of programmers as cynics, that's too negative. I played around with the thesaurus a bit, and think cynic is the wrong word. I think the correct work is skeptic. Or if you're British, sceptic. And when he talks about programmers telling the truth, that's something else entirely. "You can't lie to the compiler." People with an imprecise understanding of the truth don't make software. They can't. [Scripting News] more about cynics 2:59:59 PM    Clarence Westberg's Links & Comments

Do a google search for "go to hell" and see what you get... 2:56:29 PM    Clarence Westberg's Links & Comments

MSNBC.  Playstation to cross over into TiVo land.  I applaud any effort to get rid of one more box in my entertainment center.  Now, a playstation that does CDs (including MP3s), DVDs, TiVo-type PVR (including CD and DVD capture onto the hard-drive), ethernet, standard Internet functionality (which doesn't look half bad on a 480p or 720p DTV), games, and advanced A/V functions would be a real wild-card.  This is really close. [John Robb's Radio Weblog] 2:15:23 PM    Clarence Westberg's Links & Comments

Internet clipboards. Rich Persaud sent me this delightful tidbit on Remote Clip, an Internet clipboard: ... [Jon's Radio] 1:29:43 PM    Clarence Westberg's Links & Comments

Wired.  GM unveils new car shell based on the skateboard fuel cell chassis.  Nice.  Basically, if GM focused on the skateboard chassis development (including fuel cell efficiency and a strong API for programming driving characteristics) rather than shell design and marketing, it could remake the car industry. "(The reusable chassis) could be a defining moment in the new era of personal transportation," said David Cole, president of the nonprofit Center for Automotive Research.  Using one chassis across product lines gives GM the benefit of economies of scale, said Cole. "It's a potential game changer." [John Robb's Radio Weblog] 12:48:12 PM    Clarence Westberg's Links & Comments

The mind of the engineer David Weinberger tries to explain why engineers seem to be so cynical -- and why that's not such a bad thing, for them and us: "Cynics believe there is an ideal that humans choose not to live up to. For engineers, the ideals often are those of rationality: they like their work relationships characterized by the interchange of objective information unsullied by subjective, selfish motivations." It's a short piece, worth reading in full. [Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comment] 7:24:07 AM    Clarence Westberg's Links & Comments

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