Recently updated blogs

James Brandon Lewis has been an integral part of some site favorites over the past few years — Mendoza Hoff Revels, The Messthetics, Alan Braufman’s Infinite Love Infinite Tears — but its nice to see him back at the head of a trio for his latest. The new record pairs Lewis with Chad Taylor (drums/mbira) and Josh Werner (bass/guitar), a formidable lineup that found the three working off of one …

It's triple zero, used to call the emergency services in Australia. That is the lowest possible number. We did it!Well that was boring. And you, dear reader, probably don't even live in Australia,* so it's not your shortest phone number. Let's come up with a new rule to make this more interesting: Everyone should be able to call the number.That means we'll only consider numbers that can start with an …

Welcome to Glimpse of Google, a blog series written by a former Google software engineer, offering a firsthand look into the inner workings of one of the most transformative companies of our time. This series will uncover how Google operates from an engineering standpoint and explore the broader company culture, guiding principles, and unique approaches that make it a powerhouse in technology. Whether you're an engineer, a tech enthusiast, or …

New Releases w/e 101/01/205 Blondshell – “T&A “ New year, new Blondshell Her second album “If You Asked For A Picture”, drops May 2, 2025, via Partisan Records. Featuring the new single “T&A” and inspired by Mary Oliver’s poetry, Sabrina Teitelbaum explores vulnerability, storytelling, and the complexities of love. If You Asked For A Picture by Blondshell Deep Sea Diver – Shovel Seattle-based alt-rock band Deep Sea Diver, fronted by …

Nikon Zf; 28mm f/2.8 SE Nikkor lens; 1/320th sec. @ f/8; ISO 100; camera set on Deep ToneMonochrome. (click to enlarge)There's not much I like about winter. About February I grow very weary of those dull, gray days and bland landscapes. There are a few things, however, that I do enjoy. First, there is the colder temperatures. I've gotten to the point where I really dislike those hot, humid summer …

The TTABlogger has once again gone out on a limb to chose the ten (10) TTAB decisions that he considers to be the most important and/or interesting from the previous calendar year (2024). This is the second of two posts; the first five (5) selections are posted here. Additional commentary on each case may be found at the linked TTABlog post. Laverne John Andrusiek v. Cosmic Crusaders LLC and Lewis …

This is 9-minute timelapse of LEGO builder Solid Brix Studios constructing a 15-foot, 250,000-piece diorama of the Battle of Geonosis from Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. The actual build took over 2 years to complete. Damn! If I could choose between 9 minutes or 2 years to complete something, I’d definitely choose 9 minutes. And ideally less than 5. Honestly if I could just not do something …

Back in the fall of 2023 I started working on Baba Yaga's hut. It came assembled, and while the chicken legs are great, I wanted to be able to use the house on its own. So I started the process to remove the legs in a way that I hoped would allow me to use them in the future. Ideally I'd be able to put the house on the legs …

Health Care AI, Intended To Save Money, Turns Out To Require a Lot of Expensive Humans Darius Tahir January 10, 2025 Preparing cancer patients for difficult decisions is an oncologist’s job. They don’t always remember to do it, however. At the University of Pennsylvania Health System, doctors are nudged to talk about a patient’s...

For almost two decades (!) the de-factor object storage system for Rails apps has been AWS S3. It’s resilient (99.999999999% durability!) and Active Storage makes it very easy to use. There was also little competition so it was basically a no-brainer. We used S3 to store terabytes of customer receipt data for FreeAgent, and 37signals used it to store petabytes of data for Basecamp and HEY (recently 37signals have started …

Map created by geo.facts_The map above shows traffic signs for crosswalks/zebra crossings throughout Europe. Here’s some more key details from the map’s author: Most of the countries refer to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, except from Moldova, Spain and Ireland. This is why all of the signs look so similar, although if you check carefully they are almost all different! Sweden is the only country in …

2025 will become my personal year of philosophy. I turn forty this year, which, if all goes well, marks the first part of my life as over. Considering recent illnesses along my family and friends, I have little hope of ever reaching eighty, but let’s keep that as a grand goal for the sake of the argument. I’ve been reading more philosophy lately, including Joep Dohmen’s De kunst van het …

Short Cruise on a Destroyer Escort, By Ernie Pyle: “So now I’m a D-E sailor. Full-fledged one. Drenched from head to foot with salt water. Sleep with a leg crooked around your rack so you won’t fall out. Put wet bread under your dinner tray to keep it from sliding. They are rough-and-tumble little ships. Their afterdecks are laden with depth charges. They can turn in half the space of …

Echo is finally doing well, though winter is not great for him. He is active, eating and sleeping well. Though his urinary problems continue, they do not threaten his day-to-day activities. Temperatures have been quite low in Bengaluru this week, and Echo feels cold. I started using a standing table during COVID-19, and it's still a habit. I plan to mix it up a bit this year, alternating between standing …