on Code

Is that really what you meant?

Errant — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:44:38 +0000

Seen on a BBC news article: He then went through the entire building systematically and randomly shooting people,” Mr Jordan told ABC News’ Good Morning America earlier on Tuesday. Sigh

The next project will always be bigger

Errant — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:58:54 +0000

For the first time in my life, just about, I’ve finished a piece of software. Or, at least, finished it to the extent that it can be sold. Not finishing has been a bit of a feature in my engineering … Continue reading →

Copy my idea, not my design (or what I learned from Obtvse/Svbtle)

Errant — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:30:45 +0000

How far can copying a website layout go before it goes from “inspired” to “ripped off”? It’s a question I’ve been turning over in my head this morning, after reading the commentary around nwienert’s clone of dcurtis’ recently announced “Svbtle” … Continue reading →

Scribd Suck

Errant — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:58:13 +0000

Scribd are really annoying. I was put off of them years ago when Hacker News was set up to to append an auto-scrape url to the end of PDF submissions (the owner of HN is the same one who runs the … Continue reading →

I cannot believe it is ten years…

Errant — Wed, 25 May 2011 22:45:31 +0000

since Douglas Adams died, on 11 May 2001. A lot of people ask me “why” I am an Atheist, and pretty much the reason can be summed up in the two words “Douglas Adams”. A uniquely comic and thoughtful technology … Continue reading →

Wikimedia Board of Trustees Election

Errant — Wed, 11 May 2011 14:45:27 +0000

Last week I made a potentially life altering decision to stand for election to the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees (the non-profit corporation that looks after Wikipedia and associated projects). This is a massive change in direction for me. Last … Continue reading →

Color is in a bubble all of its own

Errant — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 22:34:46 +0000

Now the “haters” have died down a bit, let’s take a slightly more relaxed (though critical) look at color, the new smartphone app phenomenon sweeping the tech scene. When I first heard of color it took me an absolute age to … Continue reading →

The truth about passwords

Errant — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:24:55 +0000

So, password security is in the news again with the Gawker break in. As usual there is a lot of average advice about passwords. Here’s some tips… Choosing a good password is all about entropy. One common piece of advice … Continue reading →

Bittersweet ads

Errant — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:06:17 +0000

I both love and hate this advert. It seems crude, but the first 56 seconds I find profoundly beautiful. There is an intense story of passion – even when they get to the supermarket and you realise how it began. It … Continue reading →

I can’t do this job without it

Errant — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:07:03 +0000

Apparently, musician Nigel Kennedy needs to use Cannabis to do his job. “I can’t do this job without it, I need it to relax.” This is not true. He is being charged in Germany for use/possession the drug. But Kennedy is conjuring up a vision … Continue reading →