20130508

This is meant as a list of things that have interested me lately.  Some of it is from best-of lists from other blogs (best of, best of?), and a lot of it I found in my Evernote trashcan.

Personal Status

I'm waist deep in my second Android class (of three).  I'm really enjoying the platform, but I am getting a little frustrated with not being as well-acquainted with Eclipse and Java as I'd like to be.  At some point the best way I'm going to learn is to apprentice with a more experienced Android developer.

Headliners

Stop reading the news
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/apr/12/news-is-bad-rolf-dobelli
I found it ironic that a story about not following the news looks a lot like a news article.  I also found it funny that I got the lesson out of this article by only reading the title and all the bold subtitles.

You should blog even if you have no readers
nathanmarz.com/blog/you-should-blog-even-if-you-have-no-readers.html
It's like they were talking directly to me!

Android: Handling configuration changes with Fragments
http://www.androiddesignpatterns.com/2013/04/retaining-objects-across-config-changes.html
(i.e. using AsyncTask when the user changes the phone's orientation)
I'm to the point where I feel comfortable researching Android topics on my own, I still feel like I can't really give advice to others as to the best way of doing something.  Even so, I found this post especially useful for handling AsyncTask threads. 

The battle between flat design and skeuomorphism
http://sachagreif.com/flat-pixels/
Skeuomorphism is the word you use these days to signal to others that you are smart, hip, and with it.  It's one of those words that reminds you what it feels like to be a Freshman - everyone around you hates being made fun of, but then the next year you make fun of everyone the new Freshman class.  I never understood the lack of empathy in these situations.

The Exceptional Beauty of Doom 3's Source Code
http://kotaku.com/5975610/the-exceptional-beauty-of-doom-3s-source-code
A nice little analysis of Doom's source code.  This is a summary of another article, but there is a link to the original analysis that I also enjoyed.  I'm not hot on debating the position of a curly bracket, but some of the other stuff was useful to keep in mind.  I especially like the section on Const and Rigid Parameters. 

Tools that might be useful

BitTorrent Sync
http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrents-secure-dropbox-alternative-goes-public-130423/
BTW, don't "dropbox" me: there's nothing wrong with looking at alternatives

Interesting Stories 

The rise and fall of AMD
The Making of Pulp Fiction
Meet the men who spy on women through their webcams
Interesting story involving Dennis Rodman and North Korea
How to avoid Drones
Beat by Dre

Entertainment

Guns in movies being replaced by thumbs-up
Salary Negotiations: Whats possible when there is no more money?
Funny animated gifs of infomercials
It's like sky-mall for your computer!