The article Casual Cryptography for Web Developers is probably the nicest, most concise explanation of some of the important crypto principles and practices that web developers will need. Whether you are new to web development, need a refresher or are just curious about the fundamentals, this is one of the best starter articles I’ve seen.
By now, you’ve probably heard about the latest revisions to Apple’s laptop lines.
For the MacBook Pro:
- There are slight speed increases. The last revision featured “Merom” versions of the Core 2 Duo processors running at 2.2 and 2.4 GHz; the new ones feature the “Penryn” versions running at 2.4 and 2.6 GHz.
- More RAM. The last revision featured graphics cards with 128MB and 256MB RAM; the new ones’ graphics cards have 256MB and 512MB. The new versions also boast new larger L2 caches.
- A new trackpad. The new versions of the MacBook Pro feature the same multi-touch trackpad as the MacBook Air.
The only change made to the MacBook was processor speed – the last revision has speeds ranging from 2.0 to 2.2 GHz; the latest revision has speeds ranging from 2.1 to 2.4GHz.
Unless you’re one of those people who can sense the difference a few hundred megahertz makes and who absolutely must have the latest and greatest revision, this refresh of the Mac laptop line means that the machines supplanted by the just-announced models are now selling is today’s slightly cheaper special. There’s also a tiny bonus in that from this revision on, the Apple Remote no longer comes “free” with your laptop — it’s now a $20 add-on.
The now-previous generation of Mac laptops are selling for a couple hundred dollars less than they did a couple of days ago, and the refurbished ones (here’s the U.S. page for refurbished Macs; here’s the Canadian page) are even cheaper. If you’re looking for a new Mac and are trying to get as much bang for the buck as you can, this is a good time to go shopping.
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Internet House Party
What if some of the most popular sites went to a college house party? Here’s what Those Aren’t Muskets! think:
…is this Threadless T-shirt design whose title is The Madness of Mission 6:
Click the image to see the t-shirt order page.
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Do Not Learn Ruby, Python or Perl
It started with the article titled Do Not Learn Ruby, after which came a response titled Do Not Learn Perl, and then came Do Not Learn Python.
Why shouldn’t you learn these languages? Because they’ll get under your skin. You’ll start to loathe whatever other programming language you’re working on, especially if it’s statically compiled. You’ll start thinking it’s impossible for you to keep using the technology you’re currently using at work.
The moral of the story: don’t use these languages!
The Taliban wants mobile phone networks shut off at night. It’s less about their war on all things fun and more about their belief that American soldiers and rebels within Afghanistan are using mobile phones to track down remaining Taliban members. Afghanistan’s 4 mobile phone operators were told to expect their towers and offices to start exploding if they don’t shut down their networks between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.. Ironically, these demands were made via mobile phone.
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DemoCamp 17 Tonight!
DemoCamp 17 takes place tonight. If you wanted to see what’s on tonight’s agenda, see this entry of mine featuring abstracts for tonight’s demos and Ignite presentations.
Please note that tonight’s DemoCamp is sold out. What this means depends on your situation:
- If you have a ticket: You’re on easy street. Show up between 5:00 and 6:00 this evening and you’re in.
- If you DON’T have a ticket: It’s tricky, but you might have a chance of getting in. There are always some no-shows, and we let them in if there’s still space in the room (fire regulations keep us from packing the place). Failing that, you can always catch up with us at the after-party at the Duke of Westminster at 9:00 p.m..