The short-form week of 19–25 Aug 2013

26 Aug 2013

The week in review, 140 characters at a time.

This document was created automatically from my archive of my Twitter stream. Due to limitations in the Twitter API and occasional glitches in my archiving system, it may not be 100% complete.

Monday at 10:41am

Creative process: 1) This is going to be awesome 2) This is hard 3) This is terrible 4) I'm terrible 5) Hey, not bad 6) That was awesome—@boltcity

Monday at 01:19pm

Thing -> hype -> { misapply, misunderstand } thing -> danger -> new thing!—@edd

In a conversation that started on Monday at 03:59pm

Blog post: Sigh.. http://t.co/FTiwFX5H75—@jasnell

Talk about bad code smell: http://t.co/Z3vRb2Tehi /via @jasnell—@ndw

@ndw @jasnell After reading @lcamtuf's book, I'm pretty sure that's the smell of a latent security vulnerability.—@dckc

@ndw I wonder if there is even *any objective reason* to optimize the parsing of the HTTP method. That looks like premature optimization.—@ebruchez

@ebruchez That’s a very generous summary :-)—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Monday at 05:06pm

Interested in XML or semantic technologies? Want it hands on and intense? And in Oxford? Come to XML Summer School! http://t.co/Tg4o10DMiF—@ndw

@ndw Yr obviously making a huge mistake not inviting me to speak at this thing! ;)—@kendall

@kendall I’m sure you’re right. I’ll bear that in mind for next year. At the same time, shipping faculty across the Atlantic is expensive.—@ndw

@ndw I know. No biggie.—@kendall

In a conversation that started on Monday at 06:27pm

Now that governments are actively harassing journalists for reporting crimes, are we sure Wikileaks and Manning were doing it wrong?—@kendall

@kendall Were we ever sure of that?—@ndw

@ndw Me? No.—@kendall

In a conversation that started on Monday at 10:18pm

As a man who routinely does stupid things, I’d like a moment of respect for my ingenuity: putting ‘docs’ in a branch was supremely stupid.—@ndw

@ndw We just had a house-wide moment of silent respect. Then we all cried "NORM WALSH!" at once. It was really quite cathartic.—@pointybrackets

@pointybrackets Happy to be of service.—@ndw

Monday at 11:08pm

Amazing maps: http://t.co/HYpeoRBnmZ /via @skepticscience—@ndw

Tuesday at 07:12am

XML Stars, the journal is out! http://t.co/lNS6ggKpyZ ▸ Top stories today via @ndw @georgebina—@dominixml

Tuesday at 10:05am

RT @xmlcalabash: XML Calabash v1.0.13 released. User defined extension functions. http://t.co/CgDmv5kFDY—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Tuesday at 02:44pm

An American in a car at a red light at 3am will sit through the whole cycle, having perfectly internalized the Master's desire for order.—@kendall

@kendall In college, on the way to crew practice before 5:00am, the rule was “no cop, no stop”.—@ndw

@ndw That's how I was taught.—@kendall

@ndw I was taught that if you couldn't even see another car, there was unlikely an invisible one that would hit you.—@kendall

@kendall On the other hand, I did get a written warning once for rolling through a stop sign. No one for miles except the concealed cop.—@ndw

Tuesday at 04:10pm

RT @radleybalko: 200+ years, and some are still unclear on this: Constitutional rights are *supposed* to make policing more difficult. http…—@ndw

Tuesday at 05:15pm

Dear HP, for the love of all that is holy, please do not continue using OpenStack as a verb.—@edd

Tuesday at 05:27pm

Puns about monorails always make for decent one-liners.—@AlexSmyth

Tuesday at 06:04pm

Schrödinger's Surveillance State: Until your file has been observed, you are both an innocent and a terrorist.—@PrivacyWonk

Tuesday at 09:17pm

"I am not given to hyperbole, but memory-channel-attached flash storage is a game changer, a sea change, a paradigm shift, and a revolution"—@peakscale

Tuesday at 10:44pm

RT @speakfaithfully: .@BarackObama : In case you were confused we wanted you to crack down on Wall St. and mega-corps, not the press and ou…—@ndw

Tuesday at 10:49pm

"In explanations of human actions, muddling through and incompetence are underestimated, rational optimizing and conspiracy overestimated."—@ndw

Wednesday at 04:39am

Have a full time job *and* you create Open Source projects? Congratulations, now you have two full time jobs.—@iamdevloper

Wednesday at 11:46am

Dear Islamist Fundamentalists: we hear it said of you that "they hate us for our freedom". We fixed that for you. Sincerely, @BarackObama—@MikeTaylor

In a conversation that started on Wednesday at 12:41pm

These are the permissions my bank's Android app is asking for. Are they crazy? Am I crazy? http://t.co/Yj2zKrT8DP—@timbray

@timbray You may be crazy, there’s no evidence one way or the other in that pic, but they *are* crazy.—@ndw

Wednesday at 12:41pm

Want to make sure my UK SIM is still active. Did password reset dance. New password sent by…text. Logical, I guess, but…*sigh*—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Wednesday at 12:49pm

I’m OK with all of those @cibc app permissions except contacts. Camera, location, etc make perfect sense. But banking isn't social!—@timbray

@timbray I’d reject camera, application info, phone calls, and social information.—@ndw

@ndw I’m OK with camera (capture a cheque image) and location (nearest ATM). Phone calls is silly but damaging. Social?!? Ewwwwwwww—@timbray

@timbray I don’t object to loc, I could give on the camera. More obviously, why can’t *I* decide what privs each app gets?—@ndw

@ndw @timbray Not just what data, but what used FOR. Eg calendar - Add useful entry vs. rip entire calendar as dump of my life.—@timberners_lee

@ndw The UX problems are REALLY hard, and too many people already blow through permission screens. But the idea is attractive.—@timbray

@timbray @ndw image capture via existing Camera app doesn't require Camera permission. The developer is being lazy. http://t.co/pfGJchzh4i—@telcodud

Wednesday at 01:04pm

Socialism or barbarism, the man presciently said, and it's pretty fucking obvious which one the US is choosing.—@kendall

In a conversation that started on Wednesday at 03:15pm

Barclaycard sends offer for “the best travel card.” It isn’t chipped for chip-and-pin. #facepalm In other news, when does the US get C&P?—@ndw

@ndw There is a credit union which can do one, ask @noahmendelsohn IIRC—@timberners_lee

@timberners_lee @ndw Last I checked, chip n pin Visa cards are offered by State Department Federal Credit Union.—@noahmendelsohn

Wednesday at 03:19pm

RT @NotTube: When I click on an article and it turns out to be a video, it never occurs to me to watch it. I just feel disappointed and clo…—@ndw

Wednesday at 03:31pm

Milage bonus program informs me I get substantially smaller bonuses if I opt out of their spam. Like I don’t know how to filter my mail?—@ndw

Wednesday at 05:12pm

YOU MUST BE FSCKING KIDDING ME! https://t.co/GAjpd51E0l—@ndw

Thursday at 12:57pm

For Dorothy Parker's birthday, I grant all my tweeps a free pass to be drunk and snarky. In other words, carry on about your business.—@kiphampton

In a conversation that started on Thursday at 01:49pm

I’m pretty sure I eat too many #hottamales….—@hungarianhc

@hungarianhc I’m pretty sure that’s not possible.—@ndw

In a conversation that started on Thursday at 05:19pm

I assume booking a trip to HK makes me “more interesting” to some computer illegally sifting through my communications. [expletive deleted]—@ndw

@ndw Careful they don't subpoena that expletive now.—@ceri

@ceri I’m not worried about a subpoena. I’m worried they’ll break down my door and drag me away.—@ndw

@ndw Might be best served just swearing then.—@ceri

@ndw the friends of your friends of your friends suddenly also got more interesting. well played!—@icing

Thursday at 08:11pm

What doesn't kill you ... only reminds you of the inexorable approach of age, infirmity, and death.—@emckean

Sunday at 02:47am

When you stop saying "there must be a compiler bug" you're no longer a novice. When you start saying it again you are very experienced.—@channingwalton