Friday, March 31, 2017

A Brief History of Random Numbers

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/a-brief-history-of-random-numbers-9498737f5b6c
Random number and how they've been generated through the ages. 

Google open source projects

https://opensource.google.com/projects/explore/featured
Explore the myriad OpenSource projects that Google sponsors.

Updated: Super Simple High Return Filter Strategies For Lending Club And Prosper

http://www.lendacademy.com/updated-super-simple-filter-strategies-for-lending-club-and-prosper/
better stragegies

My Personal Filters for Lending Club and Prosper in 2015

http://www.lendingmemo.com/filters-lending-club-prosper-2015/
increasing returns

Yes, React is taking over front-end development. The question is why.

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/yes-react-is-taking-over-front-end-development-the-question-is-why-40837af8ab76
Introduction to React and why it's overtaking Angular for front-end development. 

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Microservices – Please, don’t

http://basho.com/posts/technical/microservices-please-dont/
A few words against the trend of microservices. 

Annex 2way Bookshelf Speaker Kit Design

http://makeaudio.net/front-page/shop/makeaudio-annex-2way-bookshelf-speaker-kit-design/
the design process of a simple bookshelf speaker system. 

1M downloads of an open source project

http://ivanakimov.com/1m-downloads-of-an-open-source-project/
Lessons learned from an open source project that hit 1M downloads. 

6 must-do before hosting your Laravel web platform on AWS

https://medium.com/@scaleup/6-must-do-before-hosting-your-laravel-web-platform-on-aws-35af4e8bccd8
6 things to do when hosting Laravel on AWS.

Alternative Reality Games

https://www.argn.com/
Podcast about Alternative Reality Games. This is a thing. 

Building a User Invitation System with Laravel

https://laravel-news.com/user-invitation-system
Neat case study of building a user invitation system with Laravel.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Nothing will change until you start building.

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/nothing-will-change-until-you-start-building-2681e85e7bdc
What changes things? Starting to build, starting to do.

Hardware fundamentals: how pull-down and pull-up resistors work

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/a-simple-explanation-of-pull-down-and-pull-up-resistors-660b308f116a#.8g6gmxrb5
In electronic hardware, the roles of pull-up and pull-down resistors: 

Be So Prolific, They Can’t Ignore You

https://medium.com/the-mission/be-so-prolific-they-cant-ignore-you-82d674e56194
Maybe your aren't good, but maybe you can be volumious.

Is it worth the trouble?

https://medium.com/personal-growth/is-it-worth-the-trouble-9792513b9bfa
Cadmus and the absurdity of life and what to do about it. 

8 CSS gotchas to start your morning off right

https://medium.com/@isaaclyman/8-css-gotchas-to-start-your-morning-off-right-c5daade0731d
The Joys and Heartbreaks of CSS.

I got tired of commoditized content for entrepreneurs. Here’s what I started watching instead.

https://blog.yalabot.com/i-got-sick-of-commoditized-content-for-entrepreneurs-heres-what-i-started-watching-instead-cdf9a5b28652
Curated list of youtube videos about startups. 

How to Read (a Lot) More Books This Year, According to Harvard Research

https://medium.com/the-mission/how-to-read-a-lot-more-books-this-year-according-to-harvard-research-e1dfc55e0b9f
Some common-sense (and some anti-common-sense) hints on how to read more. 

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Podcasting Continues to Boom as Four in Ten Americans Tune In; Smart Speakers Make Their Debut

http://www.edisonresearch.com/infinite-dial-2017/
The state of Podcasting in the US. Great potential for smart speakers in the home. 

5 open source dashboard tools for visualizing data

https://opensource.com/business/16/11/open-source-dashboard-tools-visualizing-data
Some #opensource dashboard visualizing tools. Could there be a SaaS business hiding here? 

The Road to Perfect AWS Reserved Instance Planning & Management in a Nutshell

https://www.botmetric.com/blog/road-perfect-aws-reserved-instance-planning-management-nutshell/
HowTo on purchasing reserved EC2 instances on AWS.

IBM unveils Blockchain as a Service based on open source Hyperledger Fabric technology

https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/19/ibm-unveils-blockchain-as-a-service-based-on-open-source-hyperledger-fabric-technology/
IBM tries to make a cloud play with BlockChain As A Service. Dunno. 

Requiring modules in Node.js: Everything you need to know

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/requiring-modules-in-node-js-everything-you-need-to-know-e7fbd119be8#.jn2cf1tgz
The phases of using Node.js modules. No! Not Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Depression, etc.  

7 significant changes to digital marketing in 2017

https://www.geektime.com/2017/03/19/7-significant-changes-to-digital-marketing-in-2017/
7 new wrinkles to digital marketing. Most outfits I know of are struggling to keep up with 5 years ago. 

Google Tango means you'll never get lost in a store again

https://www.cnet.com/news/google-tango-means-youll-never-get-lost-in-a-store-again/
Legit use for Augmented Reality. Find your way in a Big Box store: 

Sunday, March 19, 2017

5 web analytics tools every business needs

http://infoworld.com/article/3180756/analytics/5-web-analytics-tools-every-business-needs.html
Hyperbole in the title. Every business doesn't need these 5 analytics tools, but they're useful to some. 

Automating AWS Lambda Function Error Handling with AWS Step Functions

https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/compute/automating-aws-lambda-function-error-handling-with-aws-step-functions/
Interesting way to go serverless: set up AWS Lambda functions as series of state machines via exceptions.

Google's new algorithm shrinks JPEG files by 35 percent

https://www.engadget.com/2017/03/17/googles-new-algorithm-shrinks-jpeg-files-by-35-percent/
Google open-sources (apache 2.0) a new algorithm that claims to cut JPEG file sizes by 35%. Isn't BGP still better?

You don't need to be a coder

https://bubble.is/
Interesting almost-an-app development suite. Largely JavaScript for mobile browsers. 

The RedMonk Programming Language Rankings: January 2017

http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2017/03/17/language-rankings-1-17/
Interesting methodology from RedMonk to determine most popular programming languages:

Physicists Find That as Clocks Get More Precise, Time Gets More Fuzzy

http://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-find-as-clocks-get-more-precise-time-gets-more-fuzzy
Does measuring time more precisely make nearby time measurements more fuzzy? Short on detials: 

Making this one change could eliminate spam, says police tech chief

http://www.zdnet.com/article/making-this-one-change-could-eliminate-spam-says-police-tech-chief/
DMARC's been around since, what? 2012? If it would eliminate SPAM, why aren't we all using it? 

Saturday, March 18, 2017

CSS Grid Layout: Introduction

https://alligator.io/css/css-grid-layout-intro/
Jumping-off spot for several nice articles about CSS Grids. 

A Complete Guide to Grid

https://css-tricks.com/snippets/css/complete-guide-grid/
A VERY complete guide to CSS Grids. Wonder which browsers have all these implemented? 

CSS Grid: One Layout, Multiple Ways

https://css-tricks.com/css-grid-one-layout-multiple-ways/
Ways to do a 3-column layout with CSS Grids. 

Things I’ve Learned About CSS Grid Layout

https://css-tricks.com/things-ive-learned-css-grid-layout/
What's after Flexbox? CSS Grids!

We Made the Whole Company “Serverless”

https://blog.cloudsploit.com/we-made-the-whole-company-serverless-5a91c27cd8c4#.lrhrlaiel
case study on how one company went serverless with aws lambda running node.js

Swiper Most Modern Mobile Touch Slider

http://idangero.us/swiper/demos/#.WM096Y7at0t
#opensource touch mobile image slider and tons of variations. 

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Angular vs. React: An epic battle for developer mind share

http://www.infoworld.com/article/3178012/javascript/angular-vs-react-an-epic-battle-for-developer-mind-share.html
Overview of the differences in design and philosophies, strengths and weaknesses of Angular and React. 

5 Steps You Can Use to Find Your Niche

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/272808
Not the usual "follow your passion" article about finding your niche in the world. 

Best new web design tools for February 2017

http://www.creativebloq.com/features/best-new-web-design-tools-for-february-2017
Best new web design tools for 2/2017. 

3 Essential Stories You Need on Your Website to Attract Customers

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/269881
Are the best websites those that tell stories? If so, here's three you might should tell. 

Using Google Postmaster Tools

https://www.sparkpost.com/blog/using-google-postmaster-tools/
Using Google Postmaster Tools

Magento 2 Videos and Building on Accidental YouTube Success

https://www.ostraining.com/blog/news/magento-2-videos/
Do screencasts benefit from on-screen personalities? 

Russian company 3D prints a tiny house in 24 hours

http://www.treehugger.com/tiny-houses/russian-company-3d-prints-tiny-house-24-hours.html
Could 3D printing be part of the solution to the housing gap?

Design Better Cards The component that symbolizes the web

https://uxdesign.cc/design-better-cards-c0d12ab581c4#.470bkrn9h
Practical advice on designing the ubiquitous HTML card.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Startup Idea Matrix

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k5sTdMpWKvPIqUi1UNIKQ8xBpw5DEyRfwnAQxZoHmDw/edit#gid=874147518
B2C edition of the startup idea matrix.

Startup Idea Matrix - B2B Edition

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xafwdQyWczCwPDGsGoiCSe8SdlbgN-QHjktLemqRo7s/edit#gid=1298089993
B2B business idea generator in the form of an idea matrix. Categories I'd not though of before. 

10 New Reasons You Have To Quit Your Job In 2017

https://medium.com/the-mission/10-new-reasons-you-have-to-quit-your-job-in-2017-5e31f8856b42#.tp16regqz
10 reasons to quit your job before it quits you. 

5 Key Elements Every Small Business Website Should Have

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/290030
Basics of what every small business website should have.

These Are the 50 Most Promising Startups You’ve Never Heard Of

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017-fifty-best-startups/
List of startups flying under the radar. Lots of online security here.  

Sunday, March 5, 2017

How to choose and pair typefaces

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/how-to-choose-and-pair-typefaces-98fee945d13c#.dbz2gc3cn
First typography article I've seen in a while to talk about details like stress. Very informative!

Electronic energy meters’ false readings almost six times higher than actual energy consumption

https://www.utwente.nl/en/news/!/2017/3/313543/electronic-energy-meters-false-readings-almost-six-times-higher-than-actual-energy-consumption
Thanks to new switching power supplies, old-style RMS power meter readings are wildly inaccurate.

Saturday, March 4, 2017

How Google builds web frameworks

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/how-google-builds-a-web-framework-5eeddd691dea#.xzt833g1p
Counter-intuitive way Google builds code.  Some numbers aren't adding up for me.

Go Web Examples

https://gowebexamples.github.io/
Examples of using the Go Language for web development. Looks too much like Node.js for me.

How my friends and I grew our side project into a $17,000/month business

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/growing-a-side-project-into-a-17-000-month-business-46024d2aa87f#.m0mpa0598
Startup notes from a marketing firm. 

NASA software catalog

https://software.nasa.gov/
Treasure trove of open source software from NASA. 

EVER WONDER WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE IN ANOTHER COUNTRY? LISTEN TO EXPATS SHARE THEIR STORIES OF THE BEST, THE WEIRDEST AND THE WORST OF LIVING ABROAD.

http://expatsandwich.com/
New podcast about expats.

React’s JSX vs Vue’s templates: a showdown on the front end

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/reacts-jsx-vs-vue-s-templates-a-showdown-on-the-front-end-b00a70470409#.ozch4bh49
Good first-glance "hello world" type comparison between React and Vue. 

How to Sell Anything: Aristotle and the Ancient Art of Persuasion

https://betterhumans.coach.me/how-to-sell-anything-aristotle-and-the-ancient-art-of-persuasion-bc53c6c27ea6#.tyfkws4rk
Aristotle's formula is used on just about every squeeze page I know of. See also Thinking, Fast and Slow. 

We’re All Guinea Pigs in a Failed Decades-Long Diet Experiment

https://tonic.vice.com/en_us/article/were-all-guinea-pigs-in-a-failed-decades-long-diet-experiment
Low-fat diets just don't work. 

How To Learn In 2 Days What Normally Takes 6 Months

https://medium.com/the-mission/how-to-learn-in-2-days-what-normally-takes-6-months-8ed09f229596#.6tx2ccpse
Recasting of well-know advice: It's not enough to understand, you have to be able to DO. 

Path for Emory University to join Atlanta runs through a backyard

http://www.myajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/path-for-emory-university-join-atlanta-runs-through-backyard/7JRjnX8DZC9KbdXdwjzkXJ/
Before Emory can be annexed into Atlanta, they have to touch. They bought a house just for that purpose.

The 2 Mental Shifts Highly Successful People Make

https://medium.com/the-mission/the-2-mental-shifts-every-highly-successful-person-makes-c757ead99a99#.t8n957x73
Modes of thinking that successful people have. 

Laravel Server Monitor

https://docs.spatie.be/laravel-server-monitor/v1/introduction
Nifty little Laravel-based app to monitor servers

How to build cross-platform mobile apps using nothing more than a JSON markup

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/how-to-build-cross-platform-mobile-apps-using-nothing-more-than-a-json-markup-f493abec1873#.kx41zf1es
Interesting approach to cross-platform mobile apps. Reminds me of XUUL. 

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Before you bury yourself in packages, learn the Node.js runtime itself

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/before-you-bury-yourself-in-packages-learn-the-node-js-runtime-itself-f9031fbd8b69#.6sz8hx46h
Interesting twist: instead of learning Node packages, a deep-dive into Node itself. 

Inside the Knotty World of ‘Anyon’ Particles

https://www.quantamagazine.org/20170228-anyons-a-new-kind-of-quantum-particle/
Is an "anyon" more like a "nunya"? 

A Georgia Tech student is behind the scenes of Academy Award-nominated film Hidden Figures.

http://www.news.gatech.edu/features/film-figures
How accurate is the math in the Movie "Hidden Figures"? Pretty accurate, thanks to...

Physicists Uncover Geometric ‘Theory Space’

https://www.quantamagazine.org/20170223-bootstrap-geometry-theory-space/
How meta can one get? Now we're looking into "theory Space" Finkelstein would be proud.

Light dawns

https://aeon.co/essays/why-is-the-speed-of-light-the-speed-of-light
Why is the speed of light c? Or my favorite, why is the fine constant 1/137? 

An Introduction to Redis in PHP using Predis

https://www.sitepoint.com/an-introduction-to-redis-in-php-using-predis/
PHP can either use a PECL extension for Redis, or the predis package, as in this tutorial.

Getting Started with Redis in PHP

https://scotch.io/tutorials/getting-started-with-redis-in-php
Good intro to using Redis (like from AWS Elasticache) in PHP.