There is Always More
Telling a story is like reaching into a granary full of wheat and drawing out a handful. There is always more to tell than can be told.
the Forty-Second Parallel
Hello, I'm Matt Grayson and this is my website. Feel free to learn more about me or just browse the archives. If you feel so inclined, you can also drop me a line. Thanks for stopping by!
Archives for July 2007
12 entries were found in the archives.
How to Have Short Meetings
Like John Dilworth, I too think that I need a policy on meetings:
Maybe I need a policy sheet to explain why I’m leaving meetings early. After 15 minutes, I’ll just drop my policy on the table and cut out.
Heh. If only ...
Elegant Languages Are Their Own Worst Enemy
I was browsing around the other day for a content management system (CMS), with my preference being something in Ruby, then maybe Python, then some other language after that. My searching again confirmed for me that the amount of good software written in a language is inversely proportional to the elegance of that language.
It's an interesting proposition, but I don't know how much truth there is to it. I think awareness of a language among developers has more to do with it. Although Ruby has been around longer than PHP, it's only been within the past few years that it's even appeared on the radar of many developers. If developers don't know a language, they can't write apps in it.
What 'Non-Trivial' Really Means
As a developer, there have been times when someone has asked me to build something or implement a feature that I told them just wouldn't be possible to do because it would be "non-trivial" to build. Well, what i really meant was:
It means impossible. Since no engineer is going to admit something is impossible, they use this word instead. When an engineer says something is “non-trivial,” it’s the equivalent of an airline pilot calmly telling you that you might encounter “just a bit of turbulence” as he flies you into a cat 5 hurricane.
- Xooglers, via Charles Miller
On the Prospects of Hyperlocal News
As big-media companies and entrepreneurs alike rush into the hyperlocal arena, it's worth pausing and asking: Is there a real business in this kind of business?
So far -- and admittedly it's still very early -- the answer is no.
On Owning a Computer
To make myself as plain as I can, I should give my standards for technological innovation in my own work. They are as follows:
- The new tool should be cheaper than the one it replaces.
- It should be at least as small in scale as the one it replaces.
- It should do work that is clearly and demonstrably better than the one it replaces.
- It should use less energy than the one it replaces.
- If possible, it should use some form of solar energy, such as that of the body.
- It should be repairable by a person of ordinary intelligence, provided that he or she has the necessary tools.
- It should be purchasable and repairable as near to home as possible.
- It should come from a small, privately owned shop or store that will take it back for maintenance and repair.
- It should not replace or disrupt anything good that already exists, and this includes family and community relationships.
World's. Greatest. T-Shirt.
This t-shirt rocks.
Yahweh-yireh
My wife stays home to raise our daughter. But, I am not the provider for my family.
He uses me and my work as a conduit for provision, but I should never claim responsibility for His blessings.
Word of the Day
I was checking my Gmail account a minute ago and this was one of my web clips:
Dictionary.com Word of the Day - acclimate: to accustom or become accustomed to a new climate, environment, or situation.
Oh, the irony.
JavaScript as a Language
John Resig (dude at Mozilla Corp.) on the transformation of JavaScript into a "significant programming language." Via Ajaxian.
Thorncrown Chapel
If only all churches were designed with such care for creation (Thorncrown Chapel near Eureka Springs, Arkansas) ...
"For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God." — Romans 8:19-21
Copyright © 2003 - 2008, Matt Grayson
