March 2009
42 posts
The Problem with Teaching Java...
…has got to be the disturbing amount of hand-waving that must be done just to get through the first day. So far I’ve heard “We’ll talk about that later…” about 20 times.
First day of Java training - we are using this book. Chapter 10 is helpfully titled “Arrays”. Shoot me now.
Just pulled off my first successful skid on the fixie.
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Javascript Life Updates
Thanks to the wonderfulness of DOM event delegation and jQuery’s live event handler, Javascript Life is now a little less resource intensive. Give it a try!
The unbelievable amount of cruft in Java in slowly driving me insane.
Why do people think that security by obscurity is a good idea? All it does is hurt the people trying to help you, while creating a small hurdle for those trying to hurt you.
I’m on a quest to run fewer programs - a terminal, an editor and a web browser are all I really need.
The Trouble with Twitters →
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I sheared a stack bolt - sigh - another day where I can’t ride. The good news is the chainline IS perfect now.
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Chainline Issues Resolved?
After moving my chainring to the inside of the spider and replacing the 103mm bottom bracket with a 110mm, I think the issue is resolved. My preliminary measurements put the chainline right at 42mm in the front!
If Twin Peaks was about computer programming the code I’m editing now would be the script…
The Chainline Saga Continues
After learning a lot more about chainlines, it’s been suggested by Matt and John (from MSU Bikes) that a bottom bracket change is about the only way to go. Time to measure the BB and figure out what the next step is… In other news, some folks have criticized the BBs coming from BikesDirect - I may pull the bracket out and grease it up when the crank arms are off.
Why I'm Not a Bike Mechanic
At MSU Bikes today, Tim Potter mentioned that I could easily fix my chainline issues by mounting my chainring on the inside of my cranks as opposed to the outside… hopefully I can do this tonight.
Adventures in Chainlines
I think I may have found my chainline issue. I’ve been reading the chainline article at Sheldon Brown’s incredible site. It turns out the chainline on my chainring is roughly 47.5mm. The article mentions that most newer track bikes use 42mm. My rear measurements put the chainline at roughly 42mm, so it looks like the 5-6mm difference I measured likely needs to be mitigated by...
Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline →
See more at http://reliques.online.fr/.
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First Fixie Ride
I did about 5-6 miles on the Clockwork today, but I’m wishing I had been along on this ride. Thankfully the chainline issue appears to not be incredibly serious as I’m still alive (no endos caused by spontaneous derailing). Hopefully the there’s a trick to fix it, as I’m a little nervous with what appears to be a 5mm line difference.
In other news - I can’t do any...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-3-15) →
“So I think the lack of a real computer science today, and the lack of real...”
– Alan Kay (via Lambda the Ultimate)
Daylight Saving Time Saves Money? →
Once again - bullshit!
“Babylon Band http://tinyurl.com/cqdmzn
(Mike posted this earlier this week,...”
– GhengisJung
DNS Tunneling →
I need to try this next time someone wants me to pay to use their AP.
Copyright and Patent Laws Hurt the Economy →
I’m glad there are finally some lawyers saying things similar to what I’ve been saying for a long time - Copyright and Patents should be for somewhere between 7 and 14 years, end of story.
The "Simple" Things Matter →
Want to be great at computers? The “simple” things matter. Things like typing, knowing your editor, and knowing your command line. Click the link for more.
Today's Dose of Pointless Legislation
To begin with, Illinois proves that Blagojevich is just the tip of the idiot iceberg. Then Oklahoma, not wishing to be left out, legislates against Richard Dawkins. Sigh…
Does Daylight Saving Time Conserve Energy? →
I stand by my earlier assertion that daylight saving time is bullshit.
Not Lisp again.... →
A wonderful description of why Lisp is a still a big deal. Be sure to read the previous two articles for context:
I Hate Lisp
Computers? Ugh.
WatchThe Daily Show on Twitter
Diebold Election Audit Logs Defective →
Please - if you are forced by your district to vote on Diebold machines, vote absentee. These machines are a democratic and technological travesty.
Schwarzenegger says: Stop whining! (about the...
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The Great Programming Language Experiment: Haskell →
Matt and I are thinking about learning either OCaml or Haskell - in order to decide, we’re writing a bunch of little CGI programs to get a feel for the languages and comparing notes. I’m doing the Haskell side of things and here’s my first real attempt. I can’t help but feel that I’ve done something wrong (or way too complicated) but it works.
Spent the afternoon practicing Nocturno for Jane with Jess. Two months until recital.
How FriendFeed uses MySQL to store schema-less... →
Very interesting read - especially if you’ve ever had to maintain a huge database.