With a few parts from around-the-office components and a quick trip
to Radio Shack, you can create a device that allows you to listen in
to conversations on the INSIDE of windows that you point the laser
at. Previously, the realm of spies, now in the reach of soldering-
capable nerds everywhere.
http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/767822/laser_espionage_microphone_how_to.swf
An interesting article about the environment Programmers need to put the design into their heads…
“Ran across a couple of essays that might sound sort of esoteric but are both approachable and useful for us layfolk.
The first is a piece by Paul Graham called “Holding a Program in One’s Head,” and it resonated with me because the optimal conditions for the creative process of writing code sound very similar to those for writing prose. “A good programmer working intensively on his own code can hold it in his mind the way a mathematician holds a problem he’s working on,” Graham begins. “Mathematicians don’t answer questions by working them out on paper the way schoolchildren are taught to. They do more in their heads: they try to understand a problem space well enough that they can walk around it the way you can walk around the memory of the house you grew up in. At its best programming is the same. You hold the whole program in your head, and you can manipulate it at will. … Ordinary programmers working in typical office conditions never enter this mode. Or to put it more dramatically, ordinary programmers working in typical office conditions never really understand the problems they’re solving.” Graham offers eight suggestions to help get into that zone, conditions that not coincidentally are the hallmarks of innovative, off-the-books, labor-of-love projects.”
http://svextra.com/blogs/gmsv/2007/08/quiet_programmers_and_loud_music.html
A couple of quick tips to enhance and refine your Googling experience…
http://greattime.true.ws/2007/06/20-tips-for-more-efficient-google.html
Error Message: Your Password Must Be at Least 18770 Characters and Cannot Repeat Any of Your Previous 30689 Passwords
Interesting article about a company formed by ex-Microsofties…
“A team of ex-Microsofties leftto create Jackson Fish Market, with the tagline “Handcrafted Software Experiences,” in November 2006. In their introductory blog post, co-founder Hillel Coopermantalks about his grandfather’s fish store, Jackson Fish, a “small businesses was run by family, with everyone pitching in as best they could” and which sold “handcrafted products” that “that both address a core customer need, but also make them feel emotionally satisfied, content, and… happy.” They credit 37 Signals with much of the inspiration behind the company.
They’re working on a number of projects, and “They’re Beautiful” is the first to launch. It’s a free virtual flowers site. Users can send a virtual bouquet to any email address (even without registering). The recipient sees the bouquet and can choose to put it in their Greenhouse on the site by registering. They then must return every few days to “water” the flowers and keep them from wilting.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/07/08/ex-microsoft-team-launches-theyre-beautiful/
Create a Sailing Clicker Remote Control on iPhone and use your iPhone as a remote control for music:
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-iphonexmlphp/?ca=dnw-831
Seeking answers to searching questions: Today brings two developments in the continuing efforts to better understand and measure online search. First, search engine marketing firm iProspect released a study that found, among other things, that 67 percent of online searches were driven by offline sources, specifically television ads, word of mouth, print ads, brick-and-mortar stores, and radio ads. What’s more, the study found, 39 percent of those searches resulted in a purchase. “It’s intuitive, said iProspect President Robert Murray. “It makes sense that offline channel messaging could pique a user’s curiosity enough to motivate them to search for additional information. But, most offline advertising doesn’t exactly make it easy for customers to find a company’s website.” The big takeaway from the research, Murray said, is that “today, it’s incumbent upon marketers to integrate search with their offline efforts. Quite simply, their offline messaging needs to be memorable and facilitate search, and their search efforts need to echo that messaging and integrate those keywords. The bottom line is that integration is no longer optional.”
Here’s a handy PDF that offers a diagram of programming paradigms. Say that three times fast.