Recently updated blogs

Folks, I have some exciting news to share. 🤩 Today I start a new chapter in my career. After a decade at MIT, teaching and doing research at the intersection of usability and programming language design, I wrapped up my PhD two weeks ago (yes, I’m a Dr now! And damn right I will — once it actually sinks in) and today I start my new role as Product Lead …

The cheatsheet that came with the Teenage Engineering KO II was pretty but a bit hard to parse, at least for me. Meanwhile the manual seems to leave some features undocumented. So I scratched together what I could, plus tips from forums, and condensed everything down to this.Things still unclear:The difference between "Reset fader" and "Erase fader"Does group FX send (hold FX, move fader) override the fader's own FX send …

A crowd lined up for a screening at the 2024 Wisconsin Film Festival (Source: Wisconsin Film Festival Facebook) KT here: About a month ago, August 17 to be precise, Variety published an essay by Owen Gleiberman. In it he decries the fact that while national grosses of mainstream films, especially blockbusters, have been recovering from the problems caused the pandemic and the writers’ strike, art-house films have not seen a …

Years ago I bought a cheap chinese E-Cigarette 510 box mod, the Eleaf iStick Pico 25. It's running the ArcticFox custom firmware which sadly seems to be no longer available. I never really used it for anything, but for reasons I want to get it going again. Unfortunately the display is so dim that it can no longer be used. So I wanted to repair the device. I found this …

Book Review – September 2024 I had for some time believed the key to effective writing was to concentrate on the surface of things. Record them faithfully, and they’d do the work for you. After all, the world is manifestly absurd and provides you with everything you need in the way of character and environment and plot; why complicate – or simplify – things with undue authorial mediation? Recently, however, …

Image: Bathhouse built on top of a hot pool, Taiwan. Photo from early 19th century, public domain. No Running Water at Home For people in industrial societies, few activities demand more privacy than washing and grooming the body. We usually do it alone, in our private bathrooms, with locked doors. Seen in a historical context, that is unusual. Bathing in the presence of others has been the rule rather than …

Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy by Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman is a rip-roaring read and simultaneously terrifying. The reader is left with the clear impression of fragility in the world financial system – bad enough in itself – that could tip over into armed conflict. Eek. The book is about the intersection of the discovery by the US of physical choke-points in the global internet with …

A while ago I went to north Wales with my daughter. I posted here a few pictures from that trip. We wanted to visit a place I saw in various websites, that at first looked like a mistake. Someone must have taken the wrong pictures, I first thought. These pictures looked like a place from another country. And actually, that is the intent of Portmeirion, a fake Italian village someone …

Today’s Washington Post has an opinion piece from Brian Greene, running under the demonstrably false title Decades later, string theory continues its march toward Einstein’s dream. In the piece, the argument of string theory critics is given as: Critics argue that the situation is untenable, noting, “If you can’t test a theory, it’s not scientific.” Adherents counter, “String theory is a work in progress; it’s simply too early to pass …

The Communal Table is a weekly art jam at The Drawing Room in San Francisco. There are plenty of tables, art supplies, beverages, and even a live band. I had a great time at the event and highly recommend checking it out if you are in town. It happens every Friday from 6-10pm at Drawing Room SF (on the corner of Valencia and 17th St). It is all ages and …

AN ORAL HISTORY OF HAWKWIND IN THE 1970s by Joe Banks £14.99 Revised and Expanded Edition 248 pp. | 216 x 156 mm 60 illustrations Shipping 31 October PRE-ORDER HERE Available only from Strange Attractor Press and select record shops. The first 500 orders from our web site will come with a ‘Hawkfan’ postcard. The stories of Hawkwind told by those who made it happen. While writing his acclaimed history …

Una premonición del desastroso año después de que la UE apruebe el control del chat, y lo que podemos hacer hoy para impedirlo.

Fans of the simcade racer have a new update to enjoy as Hot Lap Racing adds three new cars and Epic Games Store listing with a promotional 15% discount until September 26th, 2024. The trio of fictional new vehicles are the RBM 4LM JTC, which is a rear-wheel drive choice in the Japanese GT Championship […] Hot Lap Racing Adds Three New Cars and Epic Games Store OnlineRaceDriver - Sim …

FREDERICK: The study of birds and their habits is quite fascinating, Mrs. Gamely. I was only reading about it in stir… Sir Benjamin Stir, I mean… he’s the leading author on the subject, you know. MILDRED: Oh yes? FREDERICK: For instance, did you know there are some species of birds which are now practically extinct? MILDRED: Really? FREDERICK: Now, you take the little bustard. Now it seems that 50 years …

Bit more warmth to tide us over until the long dark descends upon us. An hour on Golden Pond before dusk, little movement but a tiny fizz of bubbles and this cormorant scarred skimmer took a fancy to a Swim Stim durable hooker. Hateful birds. I'd lost a puddle chucker early doors but a fitful breeze conspired to drift it cocked just into netting range at the same time.Sunday and …