Saturday December 18, 2004

SourceBeat, for magazines

Joe Ottinger is disappointed with the Java Developers Journal again. Carl Fyffe suggests that Joe, Charles Miller, Matt Raible, Alan Williamson, and some others band together to create a new magazine.

While I know little to nothing about publishing, it put me in mind of the following idea. Perhaps the SourceBeat (SB) guys could help out. They've already got a subscription model, they've already got a stable of good authors. They recently managed to get their titles produced in hard-copy for sale on Amazon, so they've an established relationship with a printer. Maybe they should spin-off a periodical, "Source Beat Monthly", which *could* include updates from their author stable. Then those who have purchased a SB title without the subscription could instead subscribe to the magazine.

I would think they wouldn't want to limit it to just SourceBeat content, but include other authors and topics not covered in X-Live books. This would provide value for those who have purchased an X-Live subscription as well.

Just a thought.
( Dec 18 2004, 11:54:45 AM ) Technology Permalink Comments [4]
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Thursday December 16, 2004

I'm A Functional Idiot

Ever since Rodney Waldhoff created the Jakarta Functor project I've been trying to figure them out. I thought I had some idea of how to use them, though not a thorough enough understanding for actually applying the concepts/code. So when I found a link to Abhijit Belapurkar's article Functional programming in the Java language I checked it out.

I thought Abhijit did a descent job of explaning functional programming concepts. But then he started demonstrating it. I didn't quite follow his examples of "you're already using it", though I felt I understood. Then he started demonstrating with the Jakarta Functor library. Once he got to "expression composition" I was lost. The example of a BinaryFunction wasn't bad, but part of his explanation seemed backwards (to me) as applied to the code:
  new CompositeUnaryFunction(calcTax, calcDiscountedPrice);
The calcDiscountedPrice functor is supposed to be executed before the calcTax functor. I haven't looked at the Functor library in a couple years, but does it evaluate the right argument before the left argument?

Then we get to "binary composition". I have to say that this one threw me completely. Maybe the example just needs more whitespace or something, but I cannot keep track of all the *Function classes. Most likely its the fact that I haven't internalized "unary" vs "binary" (I know, 2 vs 1), but the exposition following the code had my mind glazed over. Perhaps if the author presented the code in chunks, each followed with explanatory text, it'd be easier to follow. As it is I cannot keep track of which Function is being discussed.

I'm not a CompSci major, not even a minor, so it's quite likely that I just don't have the educational background to appreciate this topic. But this isn't the first article I've read on the topic (though it is the first in over a year). Still, I likely need a refresher or a more 'freshman' level article.
( Dec 16 2004, 08:02:13 AM ) Technology Permalink Comments [4]
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Monday December 06, 2004

Well color me red!

Ralph Reed says in a USA Today article

Values voters, in the South or the heartland, are concerned about preserving marriage, protecting children from violent or sexually explicit entertainment, teaching the same values in school that are taught at home and reducing the number of teen pregnancies and abortions. More than any single issue, they seek to redress a coarsening of the culture and a loss of civility. They want a family-friendly society that is compassionate to the needy and holds people accountable for their conduct...["So who were those values voters?"]

That describes me to a T, yet I voted Blue. And that the "values in school" that I want are critical thinking; not accepting everything you hear/read at face value. I don't feel that "gay marriage" is a threat to heterosexual marriage, I think that divorce is a much greater threat. And I don't believe that the way to reduce the number of abortions is to outlaw them. Outlawing behavior worked real well with alchohol, remember? And it has done wonders with drugs and prostitution. We have to get to the root cause of these problems, why people abuse drugs, why don't people use adequate birth control? ^[1]

I don't have the right answers, but I recognize wrong answers when I hear them; and that is what I heard from the Republican candidates again this year. And yet they won. I believe that is because they gave the easy answers, the ones (most) people wanted to hear, the ones with the least ambiguity.

Now don't take this as an attack on those who voted Red. The easy answer is very appealing, especially when no other is given. I don't think the Blue team presented much of any answer, except to occasionally (rarely) say "it isn't that simple." The bright spot? Nearly half of the country recognized it isn't that simple and voted for the guy without a clear solution.

[1] Note that several Congress members have suggested outlawing all forms of birth control (I forget their names). How would that reduce teen pregnancies or reduce abortions?
( Dec 06 2004, 05:42:08 PM ) Politics Permalink
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Sorry For All The Political Content but nothing has captured my interest more than this (recent) election, before and after. In fact, I've become significantly more motivated post-election, trying to understand the results as they relate to my personal beliefs. Intellectually I understand *what* happened even if I don't understand *why*. Emotionally it makes me sarcastic and bitter.

That the results in the last two Presidential elections could be so close (within the margin of error with regard to polls) says that neither side was "right", and that neither side was particularly convincing. It was a "battle of the bases". And those bases appear to have become polar opposites. But I don't think they really are so opposite. I think they have the same goals in mind, so far as making America a better place, they just differ on the means for achieving those objectives.

That said, I don't really want a discussion, I pretty well know what you're gonna say (from having visited many sites/blogs from both sides). If you feel you must respond please do so on your own site - you may use trackbacks.
( Dec 06 2004, 05:03:48 PM ) Politics Permalink Comments [1]
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Friday December 03, 2004

Hate Apache much? This is about the snottiest tone I've ever read in a 'technical' article.
( Dec 03 2004, 11:51:06 AM ) Technology Permalink Comments [4]
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Custom favicon.ico

Nice tip for creating a favicon for your (Roller) blog.
( Dec 03 2004, 10:17:44 AM ) Technology Permalink Comments [1]
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Wednesday November 24, 2004

Fighting Words For A Secular America

While I value the religious beliefs of everyone, I view the increased tenor of religion mixing in our government as something to fear. Evidently I'm not alone, as Mr's Washington, Franklin and Jefferson agree with me.
( Nov 24 2004, 11:00:49 AM ) Politics Permalink Comments [4]
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Friday November 19, 2004

Tomorrow may be too late

A wonderful quote from Martin Luther King Jr. (via William Gibson)

I call on every man and woman of good will all over America today
...to take a stand on this issue. Tomorrow may be too late. The book
may close. Don't let anyone make you think that God chose America as
his divine messianic force, to be a sort of policeman of the whole
world. God has a way of standing before the nations with judgement, and
it seems that I can hear God saying to America 'You are too arrogant!
If you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of
your power! And I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't
even know my name. Be still and know that I am God.'" -- Martin Luther King, 4 April 1967

That man provided us with a lot of lasting wisdom, it's a shame he wasn't allowed to live longer. Along with him, I often wonder what our country/world would have been like if Robert Kennedy hadn't been assassinated.
( Nov 19 2004, 12:58:38 PM ) Politics Permalink Comments [2]
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