Random links
Time for another collection of random links! This time round, I’ve been experimenting with collecting interesting-looking posts as I go using the ‘sharing’ feature in Google Reader (which functions in a similar way to del.icio.us bookmarks).
Vending machine apparel, a story from the New York Times. Check out the slideshow. (via Bruce “I want to be able to disguise myself as a Japanese vending machine” Schneier).
Ben Collins-Sussman: Version Control and “the 80%”. “[A]nyone who tells you that [distributed version-control] is perfect for everyone is completely out of touch with reality.” Or, if you find that hard to swallow,
s/distributed/centralised/
, it’s just as valid. I’ve often thought we need some kind of flowchart for choosing between distributed and centralised version-control systems, or perhaps some kind of scoring system once you’ve ranked the features you need.WebKit supports arbitrary matrix transforms via CSS. First
<canvas>
, now this? I think we’re going to see some extremely cool web-based interfaces once this is in shipping browsers.Bit Twiddling Hacks. Okay, probably not really that useful, but I love this stuff. Interesting to compare the runtime (and complexity) of “Find integer log base 10 of an integer” and “Find integer log base 10 of an integer the obvious way”. (via DeWitt Clinton).
Unpacking the Zeitgeist. Great post by Charlie Stross about how much shared state we need to know to be able to understand current events — and what that means for fiction writers. The comments are worth a read, too.
Pharyngula, on death-by-wild-monkey, wherein someone appears not to have read their Jurassic Park recently.
And finally, a (bad) photo of something I found lying around the office: