It is the the duty of a Webmaster to allocate URIs which you will be able to stand by in 2 years, in 20 years, in 200 years. This needs thought, and organization, and commitment. (https://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/URI) Joel Spolsky did it: I’m bending over backwards not to create “linkrot” — all old links to Joel on Software…
Tag: Rant
The Heat Source Paradox
It is not a paradox – it is a straight-forward relation between a heat pump system’s key data: The lower a heat pump’s performance factor is, the smaller the source can be built. I would not write this post, hadn’t I found a version of this statement with a positive twist used in an advert!…
No, You Cannot ‘Power Your Home’ by One Hour of Cycling Daily
In the past days different versions of an article had popped up in my social media streams again and again – claiming that you could power your home for 24 hours by cycling for one hour. Regular readers know that I craft my statements carefully in articles about energy, nearly as in the old times…
Social Debt (Tech Professional’s Anecdotes)
I have enjoyed Ben Horowitz’ book The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Farnamstreet’s review is perfect so I will not attempt at writing one. I will focus on one idea I found most intriguing. I read Horowitz’ book as an account of dealing with hard decisions in general, about having to decide alone, about personal accountability,…
On Resisting the Bait
I don’t mean click-bait. I mean write-bait. That article that wants you to launch your 2.000 words rhetoric missile, and click the red button: Publish. I am pondering about one of the most successful genres clicked and shared on social media: a blend of popular psychology, life hacking, and business wisdom, perhaps enriched by trusted…
Do I Have an Opinion on Education at Large and on MOOCs in Particular?
Something education-related seems to have hit the blogosphere – many blogs I follow cover online-courses, teaching and education yesterday. My feelings are mixed. Important note: Though this was intended as a balanced review. But it ended up as one of my usual posts attributed to this genre I have no name for. I could invalidate…
The Largest Experiment in Applied Game Theory Ever
I am very interested in the LHC at CERN. Not only in the fundamentals of physics unveiled by the experiment, but in the amazing efforts in logistics, project management and engineering that make the world’s largest machine (Borrowed from Sean Caroll and Lisa Randall) work. Probably I have studied physics to contribute to such experiments…
The Dark Side Was Strong in Me
Once in a communication skills training I learned: For each of us there is a topic / a question / a phrase that will turn us raging mad or leave us in despair, or both. The point the trainer wanted to make, of course, was to use your combatant’s topics to your advantage. There are mild variants: Topics you…
elkemental Force 