Windows-NT vs. CP/M
Microsoft has come out with a number of benchmarks and comparison papers championing the fact that Windows-NT is much better than Linux. I find such comparisons fascinating, but rather than rehash this argument, I've decided to create my own comparison. Not of Windows-NT vs. Linux, that's been done. But of Windows-NT…
P vs. NP for Dummies
A reader named Darren commented on my last post: I have this feeling that this whole P and NP thing is not only a profound problem that needs solving, but something that can be infinitely curious t…
C: The Complete Nonsense
Back in 1996, having heard horror stories about Herbert Schildt's C: The Complete Reference , I decided to check it out. I flipped the book open; I found glaring errors. I paged through it. I found more glaring errors. In short, the book had lived up to the hype; it was awful. Being a pedantic sort, and having just…
A bad design is a good reminder
Our new office has a dishwasher. It’s sleek, modern, and silent. It blends into the stainless cabinets and countertops just perfectly. It has the same handle style as the drawers and doors to the left and right. It has no buttons or lights or anything on the outside. You don’t even know…
The Asian domain-name extortion scam
We are a leading internet solutions organization in Asia, and we have something urgent to confirm with you. Yesterday we received a formal application from a company called ” Varmer Investment Co., Ltd “. They were trying to apply for ” instapaper ” as Brand Name and following Domain Names through our organization:
How Ultima Online rares were born
Amaranthar in the comment thread on the last post referred to “rares” in Ultima Online as a feature. They weren’t really, though. They were a bug .
Can't start a business only eating a Tombstone pizza every day
The official blog of Inkling Markets. We make prediction market software for organizations to improve their forecasting and make better decisions.
No, you are not "running late", you are rude & selfish
This post may offend some readers, recruiters or not. But only because it’s going to cut close to the bone for many. And I don’t care if I sound old-fashioned, because actually it’s nothing to do with ‘fashion’ or ‘generation’. It’s got everything to do with basic good manners and respect for other people. So
Let's just say it: 3D TV is a joke.
(At Panasonic's IFA booth: People using 3D glasses and monitors to watch the live women in front of their faces.) If you determine the big story here at the IFA tech show here in Berlin based on raw square footage in the booths, there's no question what it is: 3D TV is everywhere. The massive boot
Generating code from natural language is closer than you think
Articles by Stephen Wolfram covering artificial intelligence, computational science and computational thinking, data science, education, future and historical perspectives, sciences, software design, technology, Wolfram products, more.
Google's mismanagement of the Android Market
Earlier this week, CNET ran an article critical of the permission model of the Android Market. Google’s response to the criticism was that “each Android app must get users’ permission to access sensitive information”. While this is technically true, one should not need a PhD in Computer Science to use a smartphone…
TDD: tastes better without the T?
Writing tests turned me off the whole enterprise so much that eventually I decided I’d just write without them. And nothing awful happened! In fact, it was as much a breath of fresh air as I&…
The App Store Spam Problem
The first two are real. Rocket Bird 3D and MY BEST FRIEND are other things (although probably keyword spammers). The other six of the top ten results for this game’s name are pure spam. Judging from the number of customer ratings, a lot of people are downloading them — and, reading the reviews, it looks like they’re…