Category: General

“From an efficiency point of view we should be happy that the rich don’t get too much “- Alex Tabarrok

“Religions are the longest-lived human institutions. They are more likely to survive war, disasters, epidemics and climate change than corporations or governments.” – Phil Wolff

Amen.

All the religions I’ve been exposed to are “monetized” via “because of” not “with”. That is, it’s free to attend a service, but the paraphernalia cost. Throw in extra special gear around annual traditions, some cool songs, and a passionate community and we’re talking a self-sustaining ecosystem.

Eternal life.

Historically, this was only within the reach of a few chosen individuals. Perhaps another realm the internet will democratize?

But if my documents (saved in proprietary formats) from a just few years ago won’t open on today’s technology, what are the chances they’ll open in next century’s technology?

This is why unsexy plain text and XML are the most valuable formats in the long view.

From a development standpoint, there’s huge benefit to developing applications in for HTML – if simply because the barrier to entry is much lower than other development platforms.

In addition, there’s no vendor behind HTML. In front of – yes. Behind – No. This means a website written a decade ago still loads in today’s browsers on today’s hardware. The same isn’t true of stack of desktop apps from the same time period.

From a maintenance standpoint – a developer today could crack open yesterday’s HTML page and figure out what’s going on. Or more importantly – vice versa.

Until fairly recently, browsers were limited to general use computer (desktops, laptops, handhelds). Now, TiVo, XBox, Playstation, any device with any kind of network connection has a browser.

Each one of those devices is a different context, each still has it’s own unique capabilities. Why wouldn’t I want a readable – if not writable – calendar, mail client, etc on each of them?

The differences between Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari are irrelevant once we start talking about having a productive, cohesive experience across all the devices I touch during the day.

Yes, this my sound like a 180° from my earlier positions. But it’s more of a clarification.

HTML as a presentation layer holds the promise of easy, write once, run everywhere development. Desktop applications with HTML at their core are very compelling from a number of angles (maintenance, development) but they’re still Desktop apps. That means they’re expected to be keyboard controllable, accessible offline, and dare I say – integrate with other Desktop applications in addition to the cloud.

Today marks a decade of marriage for Jen and me.

Back then, I had no idea how dramatically our relationship would improve over the years. I didn’t know that we’d catch our stride 5 years in, nor how much easier that makes things.

Especially with the big stuff. All of which I owe to her.

Jen,
Thank you.
I love you.
More.

(oh, and yes, I’ve waited 4 years to reference the opening line from Wonderlicks’ ‘Right Crazy’)

AJ gave me call today wondering when there was going to be another First Crack podcast. Thanks AJ!

The answer – Soon. I hope. I’ve been working on a new podcast receiver app, which is eating up all my podcast production time.

Then there’s the bit about needing some new inspiration. There’s something new fermenting. I’m excited about it, but more excited about what I’m calling a ‘feed curator’.

Until then, I’ll be posting at garrickvanburen.com and on Twitter.

IsItChristmas.com makes me giggle – especially because it has a feed. Thanks davedelaney.

“Would you pay an extra $2.99 for a vanity code, containing your favorite four-letter word?” – Mike, Rogue Amoeba

Almost feels like an entry from Marginal Revolution’s ‘Markets in Everything’.

According to Ed Kohler, I’m smack dab in the middle of the Top 25 Minnesota Blogs by Google Subscribers.

Just being on the same list as Doodledee, Blogumentary, Tech-Surf-Blog, and s4xton makes me smile.

I’ve yet to perceive the dancer spinning counter-clockwise.

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
“big picture” oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can “get it” (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

If the kitchen renovation has told me 1 thing it’s: when you empty one room in your house, every room in your house gets more cluttered. While I anxiously await the finished kitchen so the rest of the house can get back in order, I’ll be tracking Erica Mauter’s Cut the Fluff 30-Day Challenge:

“Every day, for 30 days (which began on Monday, October 1) we are required to pick something to give or throw away, which we will photograph before we toss them or set them aside to be given away en masse.” – Erica Mauter