Cool stuff worth wasting time on.
So if you haven’t already figured it out, I’m a computer nerd. Meaning I spend a lot of time on the internet. In my online travels, I come across a lot of cool stuff. And I try to keep tabs on all of it. If you look to the left, you’ll see a tab on the sidebar called My Delicious Links. Anytime I find something I like, I link it and it shows up there. You’ll find a lot of stuff related to web development, so you can safely ignore that if you’re not into it. But today, I’m showing a couple of my more recent awesome finds.
When I was a kid, I was into trains. So when I saw this link, I was intrigued. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. These pictures ended up being much better looking than I thought they would be.
The site is a photoblog about Russia. Just go to the main site and start going through some of the photos. There is some really beautiful pictures. Everything from abandoned buildings to countryside.
WARNING: DO NOT visit this site unless you plan on wasting a lot of time. The basic idea of the game on this site is to move a box from one place to another using nothing but a few special tools. Here’s some of my designs: Toss, So Simple, Nudge, Bulldozer, Swing, Pulsating, and Push!
This site is another photoblog. But it’s a good one. If you look on the left side, everythings broken out by category. Really some amazing pics.
This site is probably the best I’ve seen relating to Linux. It digs into the nuts and bolts of how Linux works. It has tons of resources for people trying to figure out how the underlying Linux/Unix architecture is designed.
15 of the Hottest Wearable Gadgets
As stated, I’m a nerd. So gizmos and gadgets make me happy. These are just cool. The airbag for motorcycles has a special place in my heart.
A collection of papers on Algorithms and Software Design. It’s like an academic journal. But one that I’ll actually read.
I read this on how Digg, a very high traffic site, does their DB Design. Most of the things they do are things that I had come up with on my own. But it still offered some insights that helped me get ready to play with the big boys.
Stanford Engineering Everywhere
Stanford School of Engineering is offering some of its classes online. For free. Yeah.
Simple and funny.
Eric D. Snider was one of the founding members of the BYU Improv Comedy Group, The Garrens. This is a column he started when he was in school and has been writing ever since. It’s funny stuff. This one is political, but not against any one party.
10 Principles of the PHP Masters
This site has tons of web development tips and tricks. This page specifically is about PHP development, but the principles apply to a number of languages.
Top 10 Things that Annoy Programmers
WOW. This nails it completely. Especially number 1.
The most previlant design pattern in application development is called MVC. It was designed in the 70’s and still is in use today (which says something in the world of computers). It has a ton of merit as a design pattern. But the problem is that so many developers lock themselves into the pattern without seeing its flaws. This page is the first one that advocates breaking away from it when needed. Further, the use of MVC frameworks is possibly the worst practice I’ve seen in web application development. But this post isn’t about that.
It never ceases to amaze me how far some people have gone off the deep end.
This just goes to show that those in the military have a sense of humor.
*snicker*
Top 10 Concepts that every Software Engineer Should Know
I’m especially good at 10, 8, 7, 6, and 1. And I’m ok at the rest.
Hugh Nibley on the Book of Abrahams Facsimilies.
A great article on the facsimilies from the Book of Abraham. Presented in Q&A format.
The 12 Breeds of Clients and How to Work WIth Them
Ever since I became manager of my department, this article has become very valuable.
This was the best OS of its time. Way ahead of everything else created. But it never caught on. IBM needs to bring it back. If they do things right, it could easily overtake Windows, OS X, and Linux.
Take that!
This video takes you on a tour of one of the biggest datacenters in existance. It’s nerdy. Really nerdy. But still, impressive.
How NOT to clean up a dead whale off of the beach.
How math was created.
Anyone who does anything with databases need to read, understand, and live by this article.
Most of the time, I look at advertising and think, “Are they on drugs? ‘Cause it looks like they are on drugs!” But these? Not so much. In fact, they are pretty awesome.
How my Mother’s fanatical Feminist views Tore Us Apart
To quote from the articles abstract:
She’s revered as a trail-blazing feminist and author Alice Walker touched the lives of a generation of women. A champion of women’s rights, she has always argued that motherhood is a form of servitude. But one woman didn’t buy in to Alice’s beliefs – her daughter, Rebecca, 38.
Here the writer describes what it was like to grow up as the daughter of a cultural icon, and why she feels so blessed to be the sort of woman 64-year-old Alice despises – a mother.
This is a rendition of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” by Tim Burton. Narrated by Vincent Price.
1 GB of storage. Then and now. You’ve come a long way, baby. And what’s amazing is things have come even farther since this picture was taken.
I SOOOO love this place.
Penn and Teller Explain their Flag Burning Trick
These guys are some of the funniest commedians I have ever seen. They have a show in Vegas, and I’m thinking of taking a trip down there just to see it. They usually do humor+magic, but every now and then, they throw in a bit of politics. And I happen to agree with just about everything I’ve seen of theirs.
10 Items You Think Make You Cool, But Don’t
I have to admit, I’m guilty of a couple of these.
This book is the Bible for Web Application Developers.
Programmers Don’t Read Books, But Should
This article is good, but the real gem is near the bottom. It lists 5 books that every programmer should read. I’ve read excerpts from Code Complete, and I must say, it was one of the best things I’ve read. And if these other books are in the same vein, then all will probably be good. Can you say “Christmas Presents” anyone?
Well, that’s it for now. I hope some of you like some of these. And keep an eye on the Delicious feed on here. You’ll see even more cool stuff.
I came across Fantastic Contraption on Kongregate (www.kongregate.com — you’ve been warned) a few days ago. It is, by far, the best flash physics game I have ever seen (if not the best physics game). In fact, I was going to recommend it to you before I saw you had found it yourself.
October 6th, 2008 at 4:32 pmA lot of these were too computer-ish for me; I lost interest before I finished the first line. However, there were some interesting things…
Trains of Russia–I had no idea how beautiful Russia is.
Wearable Gadgets–crazy stuff!
Hugh Nibley–I printed this out to read and study another time
Military Humor–Some of those were hilarious!
Thanks for sharing your list!
October 11th, 2008 at 3:27 pmThe contraption game is great. I could not stop until I passed every single level. Time well spent though, – lots of fun.
October 14th, 2008 at 8:26 am