Scientific American: Throwing Einstein for a Loop
Quantum theory mixed with General Relativity can create some strange combinations. Such as the existence of discrete quantum universes with light cones, which cause a different universe for each of us. Interesting if crazy stuff.
AOP… it’s been a while since I’ve checked out some alternative means of programming - this aspect oriented programming looks interesting. The idea is that you can hook into calls matching certain templates and execute common calls. For example, if you want to add logging or timing to a whole set of different classes. As you can’t extend multiple classes, you would need to build this either into a superclass of each class, or in each subclass.
AOP allows calls matching certain patterns to be intercepted, resulting in the ability to implement this kind of behaviour without modifying the classes themselves.
A very interesting article on the power of evolutionary design and testing against up-front design, which can create complexity in the wrong places, and lack flexibility where it is needed.
Salon.com Technology | Microsoft wants your cellphone
This is a good article about reasons why Microsoft may find it tough to get a large market share of the mobile phone market. The article deals with issues of branding and trust in the main, and gives the thumbs up to Opera as a web browser manufacturer who might succeed in the market.
However, Simon Marks, Microsoft Office product manger, said that Microsoft would not be interested in joining if the technical committee produced “just another file format that panders to the lowest common denominator.”
Microsoft’s idea is pretty cool as well - okay a common Office format is pretty important, but I can also see the flexibility in offering XML output through XML schema.
I guess the point is that we should have a common format, so OASIS are right. But Microsoft also have a pretty cool feature which other word processors should consider emulating…
MP opens windows to Linux - The Economic Times
For us it is not a question of Microsoft versus Linux. It is just a matter of choosing between a free software and a monopoly. We feel that when we are putting public information out in the open, then it should not be through a proprietary software
Well, Joe Hewitt (he of mozilla fame) has created SUCH a nice site here. Try with mozilla anyway - it works perfectly. I haven’t tried with any other browser yet. I’m still shocked and in awe.
Such a great idea!
c o n a l l o b r i e n . c o m
I remember Netscape 0.99 (I was in Fifth Year I think?). And I remember DR-DOS and old MS-DOS - can’t remember the version number but then I didn’t have a PC myself, just looked at other people’s versions! altavista.digital.com was one of my more frequent haunts initially in the Internet world. It got what I wanted more frequently than Yahoo, which seemed to be the main alternative…
Though Conall’s apparently keeping thoughts close to the modern era… it’s rather easy for me to remember the OLD C64 - the fat ugly version - and monochrome monitors which had a switch to select whether you wanted brown or green!
Talk to Juan though - he remembers scarily old versions of Mosaic, and really old Internet links over FTPMAIL ‘n stuff.
My feed at index.xml was updated from 0.91 to 2.0. For those who care 
Adler Press Room / Leonid Meteor Shower
Once again the Leonid meteor shower is on the way - Tuesday 19 November. Try to stay up for it if you can! And maybe take a trip out of Dublin…
The first cloud will cause a flurry of meteors over Europe at about 0400 UTC. Later in the morning there should be a bigger shower over the US - it’ll be too bright in Europe at that stage though… so here’s the time you have to be up…
