Tag Archives: Tech

Light-Mode vs. Dark-Mode Again

Posted on 2019-10-31 by jcs

This is my third post on the burning issue of whether light-mode or dark-mode is better and, more importantly, what do we mean by “better”. Given the frequency of my revisiting the matter, you might think it’s something I care … Continue reading →

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An Interview With Hal Abelson

Posted on 2019-10-29 by jcs

Many of you know that I consider Abelson’s & Sussman’s Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP) one of the best Computer Science books ever written. Although I read it late in my career, it opened my eyes to a … Continue reading →

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When Gmail Isn’t Free

Posted on 2019-10-27 by jcs

If you’re a Gmail user, the past is coming due. After years of what seemed like an infinite amount of free storage, Google is starting to charge for more space. Many people are surprised by the move. They shouldn’t be. … Continue reading →

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Red Meat Friday

Posted on 2019-10-25 by jcs

I’m a little behind today so let’s have another Red Meat Friday. For all you OO lovers and haters out there, Kontra has this offering: Rob Pike (of Unix, UTF-8, Go fame): “object-oriented design is the roman numerals of computing” … Continue reading →

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Asynchronous Communication

Posted on 2019-10-21 by jcs

Amir Salihefendic of Doist notes that study after study have shown that remote workers are more productive and asks why that is. One thing that everyone cites is the time saved on commuting and to a lessor extent the lack … Continue reading →

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A Talk With Brian Kernighan

Posted on 2019-10-18 by jcs

Back in March, John Mashey interviewed Brian Kernighan at Princeton about his career and technical work. It’s a wonderful video that covers his career from his undergraduage years to his current position as a professor at Princeton. We’ve heard some … Continue reading →

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The Many Functions of a Smartphone

Posted on 2019-10-16 by jcs

Remember back in the original Star Trek series how Spock carried around a tricorder? I always wanted one of those. Now, of course, I have something even better: my iPhone. Smartphones are general purpose devices that perform many functions, certainly … Continue reading →

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Toasters, New and Old

Posted on 2019-10-12 by jcs

About a year ago, ESR wrote a post on consumer grade toasters and how, regardless of price, they are all essentially the same, suffer from identical problems, and are basically junk. It’s hard not to sympathize. Here at Irreal headquarters … Continue reading →

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Ken Thompson’s Password

Posted on 2019-10-10 by jcs

Many years ago, (the old) SCO released the source for some “ancient” versions of Unix. They did that by releasing a tape dump of the file system. Included in the image was a copy of the password file. The file … Continue reading →

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Obsolete Tech That Refuses to Die

Posted on 2019-10-07 by jcs

In my The Times They Are A-changin’ post, I passed on the news that the last pager service in Japan was quitting operations. The BBC picked up the same news and decided to look at obsolete technology that is refusing … Continue reading →

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