Top posts
Every blog post that took off on Hacker News, ranked by the votes of its best submission. 465 posts.
Outdoor Computing with a Deck Desk
Experiments in outdoor computing, deck desking, and reclined computing.
Two brothers invented an alphabet for their native language, Fulfulde
Meet two brothers working to preserve the Fulani language and the culture embedded within it.
What I've learned sending proposals to conferences
This year I sent out quite a few proposals to the majority of mobile conferences in Europe. Some ignored me, the others replied with automated rejections. However, some accepted and it was fun. Here is what I've learned on the way.
How I use my Raspberry Pis to help me work on with my side projects
Undeniably, Raspberry Pi has revolutionised the way we use computing technology in our lives. In addition to being energy efficient, a Raspberry Pi is a single board computer that does not take up …
Relentlessly Simplify
Notes on simplifying daily life by stripping unnecessary apps, disabling notifications, and trimming subscriptions to reduce decision fatigue.
The Life of a Cherry Drying Pilot (2009)
What it’s really like.
Friends of Vast Industrial Concrete Kafkaesque Structures
Photos of the Los Angeles River
So Long, MSDN Blog
UPDATE 4: My original MSDN blog content, minus the comments, has been archived publicly on the MSDN site; thanks again to Scott and Dan and everyone else who made this happen. Why minus the comment…
New partnership changes everything for the DIY diabetes community
I don’t speak in hyperbole very often, and I want to make sure that you all ...
Outschooling
A few months ago I posted some data on this blog that showed the growth of homeschooling in the US with almost 5% of K12 students being schooled at home. I wrote at the end of that post: This is a trend to watch and, possibly, to invest in Well, invest in it we did. […]
Geek Social Fallacies (2003)
Within the constellation of allied hobbies and subcultures collectively known as geekdom, one finds many social groups bent under a crushing burden of dysfunction, social drama, and general interp
Study finds that mindfulness is associated with reduced procrastination
A study that was recently published in Personality and Individual Differences sheds light on the relationship between mindfulness and procrastination .
Playing with model trains and calling it graph theory
You’ve probably played with model trains, for instance with something like the Brio set shown below.1 And if you’ve built a layout with a model train set, yo...
Mental Mountains
I. Kaj Sotala has an outstanding review of Unlocking The Emotional Brain; I read the book, and Kaj’s review is better. He begins: UtEB’s premise is that much if not most of our behavior is dr…
What Is Suspension Trauma a.k.a. Harness Hang Syndrome?
orthostatic intolerance hypotension hang syndrome suspension trauma
The speed reading fallacy: the case for slow reading
Speed reading promises to help anyone read at speeds of above 1000 words per minute. Sounds fantastic. The problem? It’s completely bogus.
Mental models
Mental models affect how we see problems and people. Depending on how you use them, mental models can be incredibly constructive or destructive.
iPad Pro as Development Machine
I purchased an iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard and Pencil to use as my main computer. Can it replace my local workstation? Is it powerful enough for my day-to-day tasks? Let's find out.
The Zero-Sum Bias: When people think that everything is a competition
The zero-sum bias occurs when people mistakenly expect gains and losses to be directly balanced in a situation where they’re not, especially in terms of one party benefiting directly at the expense of others. For example, the zero-sum bias can cause someone to think that a resource they’re interested in is limited…
My Laptop Bit Me – The Shocking Truth (2012)
Apple aren't the only company with products that can feel tingly or buzzy to a light touch, it is all due to the widespread use of switched...
A Death Sentence for a Life of Service
Note: This article is written by a Uyghur scholar who writes using the pseudonym Amy Anderson. It is based on interviews with Tashpolat Tiyip’s friends, students and relatives. Their identities can…