Better Living Through Thinking

New blog: Scott's blarney

I've moved my blog here. This blog is now deprecated and won't be updated other than deleting content (some of the useful content has already been moved over).

Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

This is true for me

<indexed.blogspot.com/2008/05/lead-follow-or-get-of-of-way.html>

Fancy Pants Adventure World 2

It's finished...and awesome

<http://armorgames.com/play/553/the-fancy-pants-adventure-world-2>

Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up

PMG's "The Way Up" is near the top of my short list of "Things That are Amazing."

My friend Danny sent me this a while back. I was just reviewing it again and decided it's worth repeating:

But Metheny says the extended form the album took was also intended as a political statement to the culture at This record in a lot of ways is a protest record. "Lyle and I both feel completely out of step with ...

OS X Focus-Follows-Mouse Debate

Steve Yegge

<http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2008/04/settling-osx-focus-follows-mouse-debate.html>

Many programmers feel that autofocus is delicate butterfly and autoraise is a big, stinky buffalo. That's just how they feel about it. No accounting for taste. I, for one, think of autoraise as a big, stinky, deceased buffalo carcass that someone thoughtfully dragged into my living room while I was on vacation, probably ...

J.D. Eggleston in Freakonomics: How Valid are T.V. Weather Forecasts?

I've been wanting to do this for years, I'm glad someone finally did it:

<http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/how-valid-are-tv-weather-forecasts/>

Some actual quotes from forecasters:

We have no idea s going to happen [in the weather] beyond three days out. ...

It's Ready...

After 5+ years of development, the Glass Bead Network (version 1.0) is finally ready to play.

Enjoy!

Caring for Your Introvert

Jonathan Rauch

<http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200303/rauch>

My name is Scott, and I am an introvert.

Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone. They often seem bored by themselves, in both senses of the expression. Leave an extrovert alone for two minutes and he will reach ...

Jackson Hole Soda Company Buckin' Rootbeer

Nothing remarkable. To be honest, I should have written the review a little closer to the time I drank this.

Scott's Score: 6 (out of 10)

Orson Scott Card: How Software Companies Die

Excerpt from an essay (dated 1995) by author Orson Scott Card:

<http://www.zoion.com/~erlkonig/writings/programmer-beekeeping.html>

Here's the problem that ends up killing company after company. All successful software companies had, as their dominant personality, a leader who nurtured programmers. But no company can keep such a leader forever. Either he cashes out, or he brings in management types who end up driving him out, or he changes and becomes a management type ...