subvisual » programming

links for 2009-12-18

adam — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:10:53 +0000

Please Scroll

(tags: webdesign humor)
War? There’s an iPhone app for that | Technology | guardian.co.uk

My first thought was, surely the military would not expose itself to the risks of a consumer device? But then I thought it is inevitable that technology as ubiquitous as the iPhone seems to becoming gets put to some usage that many of us would not feel comfortable with. It’s usually the other way round anyway, we get the military gadgets that have been civilianized. But as the article points out – the applications have their place in disaster emergency situations.

(tags: iphone technology apple apps)
How to recognise a good programmer

Another checklist to run your decisions by. There is probably a lot of sense in this article, but the truth is, when you are in the interview situation, from either side of the table, you know when you have a match. Sure there are basic skills that must be met, but most important is the idea that you can work with this person. If you’re starting from a checklist, you are probably starting from the wrong angle.

(tags: interview jobs programming)
Rally Wants To Bring Location Back To Its Core, With Only Your Real Friends.

I haven’t so far really got into Foursquare. I have checked in a few places, but no-one else I know is playing. (Let me know if you are) This aims to be even more limited in terms of social circles – and I agree with the principle. I think there is something to be said for deeply valuable connections over multiple, transient ones. Unless you’re like me and no one else you know is playing, in which case you have to resort to real conversations, perhaps face to face.

(tags: apps iphone socialmedia)
The secrets behind menu design – (37signals)

No not user interface menus. Some good business principles here taken from restaurant menus, understanding what you really have of worth to offer your clients and users, and what they are willing to pay for. The basic idea: know your customer.

(tags: design pricing business)
Dishwashers, and How Google Eats Its Own Tail

Paul Kedrosky points to what could be Google’s weakness, whereby it is the victim of its own success and via adword fuelled top search results its search results become useless to the average user. Google eats its own tail. This of course assumes the giant is incapable of accommodating a changing landscape and reacting to this threshhold. Will a new pattern emerge?

(tags: google advertising seo future)
Using Google Reader “Send To” with WordPress | thingelstad.com

This could be useful for my blogging workflow!

(tags: wordpress tools)

Turner Media Innovations website

adam — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:02:22 +0000

Earlier this year at Clinic London we launched the new website for Turner Media Innovations, the advertising and media consultancy part of Turner Entertainment representing Cartoon Network, CN Too, Boomerang, Cartoonito, TCM and Adult Swim.

I developed the bespoke application that runs the site content and CMS.

Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg

adam — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:24:04 +0000

I recently enjoyed reading Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg, (full title: Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software) in which author embeds himself in a software development team for three years, and reports on his discoveries.Anyone involved in making software or websites should read this. If you are a programmer, you will identify with almost every aspect of this study. You will recognise the pressures and the decisions and the desires to make software that works better. Managers will recognise the concept of ‘software time‘ and how it challenges all planned process and scheduling. If you are a relative or friend of a programmer, this may help you understand what they have to go through every day…

Part history, part story, part exploration of the essence of programming and software development, Dreaming in Code was primarily a good read. From my techie perspective, i realised that the problems I face as a developer are inherent in the tools and technology I have to deal with, and with the type of mental challenges and associated geekish personality traits that go into doing this work. I recognised myself and the types of decisions I’ve made on the projects I’ve worked on over the last six or seven years.

“Making software is hard”. We work in a difficult field, and it’s not getting any easier… but somehow, despite the seeming hopelessness of all it describes, this book made me feel calmer about my work. So it’s hard, but it’s got an essence, a history and I love it.

Check the book website for an excerpt and links to purchase.