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Four short links: 8 November 2010

xkcd Incarnate, Git Lover, Algorithm Design, and a Gameboy in Javascript

by | @gnat | +Nat Torkington | Comments: 3 | November 8, 2010
  1. xkcd 576 Made Real — a Kiwi coder used the API to the local equivalent of eBay to build a real-life version of xkcd cartoon 576. You can follow its daily purchases on Twitter.
  2. Linus Torvalds’ Greatest Invention (Dominus) — slides to a talk Mark Jason Dominus gave to the Philadelphia Linux User Group. I like to see informed critical appreciation of technical works like this.
  3. The Design of Approximation Algorithms — textbook available for free download. (via Hacker News)
  4. Gameboy Emulation in Javascript — at some point surely I’ll cease to be amazed with what can be done in the browser with Javascript and HTML now, but I’m not at that point yet.
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  • Ed M

    Is there a copy (audio, transcript) of Mark Jason Dominus’ talk on Linus and Git? Slides are, well I’m not even going to say nice, incomplete. As Mark Jason says it was a 60 minute talk. I didn’t count the number of slides but I am sure he presented much more information in those sixty minutes then just what appears on those slides.

    If I could change one thing in the world, I would (after create world peace, end hunger, homelessness, etc.) I would require everyone who post slides to include a transcript (audio/video/text) of the talk. This is not a rant against PowerPoint presentations and their poor usage/information conveyance; it is a rant against people communicating poorly. Having a map in hand, you wouldn’t tell someone who is lost how to get to their destination by just pointing to the map without also speaking the directions. Nor would you just speak the directions and not also use the map. “Slide Only” postings are lacking context and could be dangerously misleading; that lost person could fall into a manhole!

    Seriously, a presentation is intended to convey information to an audience. Why share just a portion of that?

  • Ed M

    Is there a copy (audio, transcript) of Mark Jason Dominus’ talk on Linus and Git? Slides are, well I’m not even going to say nice, incomplete. As Mark Jason says it was a 60 minute talk. I didn’t count the number of slides but I am sure he presented much more information in those sixty minutes then just what appears on those slides.

    If I could change one thing in the world, I would (after create world peace, end hunger, homelessness, etc.) I would require everyone who post slides to include a transcript (audio/video/text) of the talk. This is not a rant against PowerPoint presentations and their poor usage/information conveyance; it is a rant against people communicating poorly. Having a map in hand, you wouldn’t tell someone who is lost how to get to their destination by just pointing to the map without also speaking the directions. Nor would you just speak the directions and not also use the map. “Slide Only” postings are lacking context and could be dangerously misleading; that lost person could fall into a manhole!

    Seriously, a presentation is intended to convey information to an audience. Why share just a portion of that?

  • http://techworklove.com/ Andy Lester

    Seriously, a presentation is intended to convey information to an audience. Why share just a portion of that?

    Because posting a transcript involves more time and cost to him.

    I’m very glad he posted what he did, and have forwarded to as many people as possible, as well as posting it to Reddit. I would never even think of complaining that I wasn’t given enough for free.

    it is a rant against people communicating poorly.

    You’re confusing “people communicating poorly” with “people not giving me everything that I feel entitled to.”

    If it’s so important to you to hear the entire presentation, why don’t you hire Mark to come to you and give the presentation? I’ve hired Mark myself, and he’s a fantastic teacher. Here is his rate card.

    Or you would you just rather he not post at all? Attitudes like yours make people not want to bother.