Data, fonts, transparency, and exceptions:
- Performance Comparison: Key/Value Stores for Language Model Counts (Brendan O’Connor) — sort-of benchmarking for the various distributed key-value stores. One of the first efforts to systematically investigate in such a way that there can be informed comment on value and quality of the alternatives. (via mattb’s delicious stream)
- Typographica’s Favourite Fonts of 2008 — what it says. (via waxy)
- Transparency is Bunk (Aaron Swartz) — So government transparency sites end up having three possible effects. The vast majority of them simply promote these official cover stories, misleading the public about what’s really going on. The unusually cutting ones simply make plain the mindnumbing universality of waste and corruption, and thus promote apathy. And on very rare occasions you have a “success”: an extreme case is located through your work, brought to justice, and then everyone goes home thinking the problem has been solved, as the real corruption continues on as before.
- To Except is Human, To Handle Is Divine (Marco Tabini) — this is a great piece on how to write code that deals with exceptional circumstances. Sample headings: Errors as Opportunities and Break Before You Fix