Next week some friends will be attending this year’s Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. Here is a terrific interview with her by David Letterman a few years back:
YouTube: “Grace Hopper on David Letterman”:
Author Archives: Karl
Emacs links for September 25, 2010
SaltyCrane Blog: “My Emacs Python environment” – good tips here.
dot unplanned: “org-mode in your pocket is a gnu-shaped devil”
mobileorg-android – I might want to dip my toes into this
Whew! Glad the past month or so is over!
By the end of last week I was feeling run down.
Simultaneously with helping relaunch Xfinity.com (and playing a role I’m not used to playing – but looking to do much more of (hopefully did well at it) – everyone did a fantastic job), Richelle first got an ear operation (new tubes), then went on vacation, then came back with a cold. There were three birthdays (including mine and on the 21st, Mom (miss you Mom). The 9th anniversary of my nephew passing away from SIDS (miss you Hunter). On top of that, Dad was dealing with something that looked scary health wise, and a friend had a mastectomy (she’s doing great – I’d love to have her strength). They are the two who were dealing with real stress in the circle of my life – my thoughts have been with them both amidst all this. Oh and Emma went back to school. Although no stress there – she was all systems go, she loves it. She keeps the spring in my step.
My apologies on missing emails, tweets, comments, and more.
This is water. Hopefully I’ve done a good job of staying in the moment.
Counting political party stories on Google News
I am *not* accusing anyone of coverage bias. I’d bet that Google News’s story inclusion algorithms probably reflect what people are linking to and discussing generally.
Google News: “Republican Party”: 11,579 stories
Google News: “Tea Party”: 22,977 stories
Google News: “Democratic Party”: 15,668 stories
Fascinating.
What is the “iron triangle”?
Ambysoft: “The “Broken Iron Triangle” Software Development Anti-pattern”. Recognize it. Respect it. Be flexible, but be aware of it.
2 TDD Links for Python
These two links are good starting points for getting in the habit of TDD with Python:
Giv Parvaneh: “Test-Driven Development – How Do I Start?”
O’Reilly Media: Jason Diamond: “Test-Driven Development in Python”
Rebooting Democracy thoughts on Activists versus Pundits and Law
The difference between an actual organizer/activist working in a movement and someone of the punditry; there are *concrete* artifacts pursued by an organizer/activist and the primary artifact of a pundit is their cult of personality.
If there aren’t proposals behind the bluster of someone considered a leader, maybe what you have isn’t a leader, but a pundit in pursuit of nothing more than fame and power.
There is a Rebooting Democracy movement brewing among many in technology spheres. Lawrence Lessig is one of the activists (not pundits) behind this and a perfect example of this is a movement he and many others are pursuing to pass the Fair Elections Now act. Check it out.
Activists tend to be far more boring than pundits in my experience (no offense you activists out there). When you start to coalesce energy into real action (which in turn means facing the gears of bureaucracy and process), it can be frustrating, slow and yes, boring. But it’s the body of democracy. And we are part of it.
YouTube: “Schoolhouse Rock- How a Bill Becomes a Law”:
There is a challenge here for the Rebooting Democracy movement. Where is the list of laws or bills on the books that lets me find those I might be interested in supporting or fighting to have dismantled? The tools that are out there require a lot of work and are not where they need to be. Until I can locate laws and bills, Local, State, and Federal that would call me to action (even ‘like’-ing them on Facebook) and such activity can be aggregated some how for our representatives to act on, we remain in a position where those who speak the loudest, or have the greatest cash pile, have the ear of our law-makers.
We say we want an informed citizenry and participatory democracy. To me, this is an achievable small measure along that path.
So if you are a software engineer out there who would like to build the infrastructure for this, or are part of this, let me know, because I want to be involved where I can. There is code to write. System’s to build. So that all of us can better connect, be informed, and participate.
Related:
O’Reilly Radar: Mark Drapeau: “What does Government 2.0 look like?”
I hope you have a great Labor Day
I hope you have a great Labor Day.
NYTimes: “Labor Day, Now and Then”
The Library of Congress: “This Day In History”
Watch WKRP in Cincinnati classic on Fancast
There are leadership lessons in this classic WKRP episode “Watch Turkeys Away” (and gut splitting laughs).
I forgot how great this show was at times.
Food for thought links
- Scott Berkun shares the perfect quote of the week:
John F. Kennedy:
The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie — deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
- Dick Polman missing George W. Bush and concerned about the politics of short term gain: The American Debate: Where has all the love gone?
- A stirring call that we are all minorities and immigrants in America – YouTube: What It Means To Be An American – Have You Forgotten?:
- Michael Bloomberg: on the Daily Show:
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c Michael Bloomberg Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party - Jonathan Mann: YouTube: : The Ballad of Steven Slater (don’t play around the kids!):
- Danny Glover speaking Julia K. Dinsmore’s “My Name Is Not “Those People””:
- I’ve taught myself this one and will play it out some day – Billy Bragg’s cover of Woody Guthrie’s “I Ain’t Got No Home In This World Anymore”