Live Code and 95 Theses

This is going to be a wild and crazy week at work. My mentor is going on vacation next week so I'm planning on releasing two projects this week and starting on a third one at the same time. Now the days should go super fast! I had never heard of live programming before today, but it sounds so cool that I just had to take a minute to talk about it. I always say that the best part of programming is seeing the end product go, especially after wrestling with a bug. It really gives your development time a sense of meaning, and the idea of live coding is that this happens while you code. What if you could see your changes immediately after you made them? It's a real neat concept, but only possible in languages like Python that don't have to be compiled (I think, at least), which are primarily interpreted languages. Still, it's a fun concept that I'm definitely going to try out sometime. I think we all remember from World History the 95 Theses that became the foundation of Protestant faiths, and now one guy has published what he believes to be the equivalent for techies everywhere to be the basis of geek activism. The vast majority of his list are great, and I'm especially good at preaching #31. He's missing net neutrality, but he has a ton of other great current issues like Creative Commons, the futility of DRM, and open source software. Anyone with a strong interest in a technology should definitely give that list a run through just to spur some thought and discussion if nothing else.

One thing that all techies should do is backup their hard drives regularly (I'm still looking for the right drive for me), and new services are making it easier to do that by synching up your data online. If my Internet here didn't blow I'd totally use that, but I strongly recommend that all you do if you don't already have a backup hard drive set up. AMD has decided that it will be slashing its prices by 47%, which was a bit more conservative than what some were expecting, but I think that it still gives them a decent edge in their lower range processors. The big daddy though, the FX-62, is still over $800. Apple is planning to release a Bluetooth-enabled wireless Mighty Mouse very soon, according to a recent FCC filing with revealing pictures, which have now been revealed for all to see. I feel kinda of bad for Apple since these pictures are very revealing, but it's definitely something that's long overdue. If you ever get permanent marker on your white board (a tool I use all the time, by the way), then you'll be happy to know that there's actually a way to erase it! I don't know how it works, and I haven't tried it myself, but I believe it. Lastly, if you're a loser like me trying to find a date, you might find this interesting for just general knowledge. I had no idea so many big dating sites existing, and a couple of them are really unique (I especially like GreatBoyFriends, which covers both sexes, actually).



That poster is advertising the re-release of The Nightmare Before Christmas, which will be in digital 3-D this fall. I will definitely try to see this one if I can find the appropriate theater in Austin. AICN got a close look at some Transformers teaser posters being shown at ComicCon, and they don't look half bad. We also have a new Iron Man poster, but it's little more than the one we got some months ago. MSN movies picked up the poster and trailer for The Protector which stars Tony Jaa, who is a totally awesome kung fu flick guy from Thailand who is a true spectacle to watch. If you don't believe me, rent Ong Bak. Meanwhile, JoBlo got its hands on some production photos from Grind House. They're not much, but I'll take whatever I can get. Real Player got exclusive rights to the trailer for Stranger Than Fiction, and it doesn't seem as funny as Will Ferrell's usual stuff but it's not all that easy to tell just from that trailer. It sounds like a decent idea though. IGN spoke to the key players in Spider-man 3 (Sam Raimi, Kirsten Dunst, Tobey Maguire) about the movie at ComicCon, and it's mostly the usual stuff, but it helps add some background to the production. Lastly, Pan's Labyrinth is sounding better and better as I learn more about it, and I just thought I'd share that.

Now for some Monday Madness:

1. I won't eat past _____ o'clock in the evening.
10, unless I'm planning on pulling an all-nighter. I usually sleep by 11:30 (because of work), but even on school nights I'm in bed by 2:00 AM on my later nights, and so I like to have a good digestion buffer.

2. My favorite subject for photographing is _____.
Still life. It's just easier to take pictures of.

3. I use _____ most often to edit my photographs.
Picasa. I used to use the Canon software before I screwed up my computer by trying to install SP2. I have Photoshop, but it's just not needed for everyday edits.

4. If I'm having trouble sleeping, I usually _____.
Watch some television. It helps a little, but if I can't sleep than it really sucks. It doesn't happen to me very often, fortunately.

5. When I'm hungry for a snack, I usually eat _____.
Honey roasted peanuts. They're so tasty and actually surprisingly filling, but bad for you in large quantities. They are choc-ful of protein though!