Category: linkblog

An important corollary to the “build vs. buy” decision is that when you buy (or bundle) third party code, you are assuming the risk of any damages arising from your use of that code.

Alas, how the mighty have fallen.

An oldie but a goodie. Good reminder to not rely on obscurity to protect yourself against SQL injection.

I’m very proud of my denomination tonight, for being the first Protestant denomination to permit LGBT ordination by democratic vote.

Like much else over the last ten years, Remnick goes from Osama to Obama in evaluating the change to the country.

The interesting question that seems to be skipped in entrepreneurship classes is: why does entrepreneurship succeed in the US where it fails elsewhere? Part of the answer, which seems obvious when you say it aloud, is that consumers in the US are more willing to embrace novelty.

The design problems involved in presenting a meaningful memorial to the dead of 9/11. And yes, it’s a real problem; how much less impactful would the Vietnam Memorial be without that chronology of names?

Interesting cultural observations. They support the notion that Google is no longer nimble.

“Not useful as a computer; too light to serve as a doorstop. “

Pretty comprehensive document describing how to secure home networks and computers.

Only encrypted backups save your passwords.

Measuring the impact of software on GDP is now a non-trivial problem, as whole product categories (video cameras, GPSes) are falling in favor of software on smartphones.

Don’t build software that requires people to provide your app with credentials from other services.

Because there aren’t enough people pissed off at Minnesota.

So why, again, do we continue to destroy our reputation and our souls by defending torture?

Really interesting article on building a type scale using CSS and web fonts. Mature typography comes to the web. At long last.

Because sometimes the only thing you can do is to laugh.

Clever little hack to get data between the devices when you’re stuck on the road.

I’ve been waiting for a cooking blog to discover the cuisine of Colonial Virginia. Here’s hoping Brunswick Stew is next.

Congratulations to the 2011 winners… ah, who the heck cares? It’s ad agencies talking to journalists, as far as I can tell.

Timeline of the operation that led to bin Laden’s elimination.

This Sloan alum is proud of the efforts to restore the Kendall Band. Spent a lot of time watching and playing the instruments when I was at school.

It’s painful to see what RIM is doing right now.

I really, really dig this joke fanfare that Ross put together from a bunch of disparate sources. The BSO used to be in the habit of commissioning fanfares when James Levine was first conductor; it would be great to hear one that sounded something like this.

My dad's junior yearbook. Thanks, Internet Archive!

My dad's sophomore yearbook.

My dad's freshman year yearbook!

Anonymized collection of location data is probably ok. Non-anonymized? Not so much.

My dad’s senior yearbook from NC State has been digitized at the Internet Archive. A couple of good photos on pages 105 and 380.

Interesting analysis of Obama’s foreign policy approach, which seems to be evolving toward military intervention in the interests of democracy but only when led by broader international stakeholders.

This is insane.

Honors for the July 4 program I sang in with the TFC.

Great web site from my Old English professor at UVA, with interactive exercises in grammar and pronunciation (requires Java).

Hey, free Paul Simon cover by the frontman of Vampire Weekend. Papa Hobo ftw.

Great interview with Paul Simon. I dig the new record too.

As always, Mark Pilgrim nails the undercurrents perfectly.

I love that chart.

Always glad to hear about music collections getting digitized. Looking forward to checking this stuff out as it becomes available.