Smalltalk with James Robertson

In the Smalltalk IRC channel:

no smalltalk vm implementation in redstone yet

Hehe

Technorati Tags: smalltalk

Today's Smalltalk 4 You continues with Monticello - today we start a fresh image and load the code we worked on last time. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, pharo, monticello, vcs

Apple has managed to keep the iPad available at a lower price than any (current) rival, and also has high profit margins. How? Vertical Integration:

Apple is the most vertically integrated company in the world. In addition to operating its own retail chains, all Apple hardware and software are designed in-house, and Apple also runs its own digital content store, iTunes.

Given all that, I wonder just how much higher their costs would be if they set up highly automated assembly plants in the lower cost parts of the US? Sure, labor is cheaper in China, but the shipping costs are much higher. It would be interesting to know, especially if fuel costs rise.

Technorati Tags: manufacturing

Looks like people are asking about the impact - of a Libyan shutdown (like the one that happened in Egypt) on services like bit.ly. It looks like the immediate impact would be slight, as the root servers for that domain are located outside of Libya. However, if such a shutdown lasted long enough:

In the case of .LY, the absolute maximum for that is configured for 28 days (SOA expiry TTL is 2419200 seconds). Without external intervention, the availability of .LY domains would be compromised somewhere between 0 and 28 days if the Libyan registry is cut off the Internet.

Another reminder for those who forget - the virtual world is tied to the real one, and events in the real world can have large scale impacts on it. The net as a whole was architected to route around damage, but some kinds of damage can blow noticeable holes in the net.

Technorati Tags: dns

I really like Minecraft - and some of the bugs are amusing:

Welcome to episode 18 of Independent Misinterpretations - a Smalltalk and dynamic language oriented podcast with James Robertson, Michael Lucas-Smith, and David Buck. This week Dave and I spoke about some of the hard problems we've been confronted with over the years, and what the solutions - and often more importantly, the search for the solutions - looked like. This is part 1 of a 2 part podcast, so be sure to come back next week.

You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or any other podcatching software) using this feed directly or in iTunes with this one.

To listen now, you can either download the mp3 edition, or the AAC edition. The AAC edition comes with chapter markers. You can subscribe to either edition of the podcast directly in iTunes; just search for Smalltalk and look in the Podcast results. You can subscribe to the mp3 edition directly using this feed, or the AAC edition using this feed using any podcatching software. You can also download the podcast in ogg format.

If you like the music we use, please visit Josh Woodward's site. We use the song Troublemaker for our intro/outro music. I'm sure he'd appreciate your support!

If you have feedback, send it to jarober@gmail.com - or visit us on Facebook - you can subscribe in iTunes using this iTunes enabled feed.. If you enjoy the podcast, pass the word - we would love to have more people hear about Smalltalk!

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, problem solving, debugging

Welcome to episode 18 of Independent Misinterpretations - a Smalltalk and dynamic language oriented podcast with James Robertson, Michael Lucas-Smith, and David Buck. This week Dave and I spoke about some of the hard problems we've been confronted with over the years, and what the solutions - and often more importantly, the search for the solutions - looked like. This is part 1 of a 2 part podcast, so be sure to come back next week.

You can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or any other podcatching software) using this feed directly or in iTunes with this one.

To listen now, you can either download the mp3 edition, or the AAC edition. The AAC edition comes with chapter markers. You can subscribe to either edition of the podcast directly in iTunes; just search for Smalltalk and look in the Podcast results. You can subscribe to the mp3 edition directly using this feed, or the AAC edition using this feed using any podcatching software. You can also download the podcast in ogg format.

If you like the music we use, please visit Josh Woodward's site. We use the song Troublemaker for our intro/outro music. I'm sure he'd appreciate your support!

If you have feedback, send it to jarober@gmail.com - or visit us on Facebook - you can subscribe in iTunes using this iTunes enabled feed.. If you enjoy the podcast, pass the word - we would love to have more people hear about Smalltalk!

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, debugging, problem solving

Just when you think things can't get weirder, they do.

Today's Smalltalk 4 You takes a pass by "Squeak by Example" - a great way to learn Smalltalk using Squeak if you prefer printed material. You can get the pdf free, or buy the book from Amazon or Lulu.. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, squeak, tutorial

This will make me consider it:

AT&T has reportedly provisioned the new Personal Hotspot WiFi sharing feature of iOS 4.3 beta 3 for a developer, indicating it will follow Verizon's lead in offering the feature to its subscribers.

The hotel wifi is often terrible when I travel, so....

Technorati Tags: apple, iPhone, att

Today's Javascript 4 You. Today we take a look at constructors for Javascript object creation. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. Join the Facebook Group to discuss the tutorials. You can view the archives here.

To watch now, click on the image below:

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

Technorati Tags: javascript, dom, tutorial

Here's an interesting idea - LOTR from the other side's perspective. Sort of a large sacle fleshing out of the idea that "the victors write the history books" :)

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Spotted in Engadget:

You know all of that time you've been wasting on Angry Birds HD? Looks like your flying friends may have company when it comes time to, um... kill time, as Markus Persson has confirmed to Gamasutra that an iOS port is "in the works." That means that an official Minecraft build will soon pop up in Apple's App Store, with iPhone and iPad versions hinted at. Aron Neiminen, a new recruit to the Mojang team, is responsible for the port, and if all goes well, it'll be let loose later in the year. Persson also confirmed that the iOS version won't receive every update that the original browser / download versions get, but that it'll be "granted features that make sense for the touchscreen platform." Raise your hand below if you're giddy beyond control.

After reading through the forums, I was sure this was never going to happen, but there it is. IMHO, it makes too much sense for it not to happen :)

Arden Thomas is talking about Polycephaly at the NY STUG this Thursday evening:

Please join us on Thurs Feb 24th for this interesting discussion with Cincom Smalltalk’s product manager. Open house starts at 6:30 followed by the presentation at 7pm. Beverages will be available.

Today's Smalltalk 4 You takes a pass by "Pharo by Example" - a great way to learn Smalltalk using Pharo if you prefer printed material. You can get the pdf free, or buy the book from Amazon or Lulu.. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, pharo, tutorial

Today's Javascript 4 You. Today we take a further look at querying DOM objects in Javascript. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. Join the Facebook Group to discuss the tutorials. You can view the archives here.

To watch now, click on the image below:

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

Technorati Tags: javascript, dom, tutorial

Today I'm getting the downside of using metro to get to DCA. I use it because parking at Greenbelt is much, much cheaper than parking in long term parking at DCA itself, but - metro closes before midnight on weeknights. Why does that matter? Well, I arranged a 6:30 pm flight tonight, and it was delayed for over an hour. So... I'll be arriving right around the time the system closes. Which means I have to cab it to the metro stop in order to fetch my car.

This is one of the many small annoyances surrounding transit solutions that transit advocates never really get around to noticing. Given the built environment we actually have, it's just not an ideal solution all of the time - and tonight seems to be one of those times. I gambled on the savings, and lost :)

Technorati Tags: dc metro

Today's Smalltalk 4 You takes a look at some of the online tutorial materials that Gemstone has created. If you have trouble viewing it here in the browser, you can also navigate directly to YouTube. To watch now, click on the image below:

If you have trouble viewing that directly, you can click here to download the video directly. If you need the video in a Windows Media format, then download that here.

You can also watch it on YouTube:

Technorati Tags: smalltalk, gemstone, tutorial

The war between Google and various SEO outfits continues:

Many of the changes we make are so subtle that very few people notice them. But in the last day or so we launched a pretty big algorithmic improvement to our ranking—a change that noticeably impacts 11.8% of our queries—and we wanted to let people know what’s going on. This update is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites—sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful. At the same time, it will provide better rankings for high-quality sites—sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on.

I predict another post very much like this one a few months or so from now, after the vast army of SEO zombies has taken another bite at the apple, and tweaked their gaming of the ranking system. The real problem isn't the SEO outfits; it's the places that hire them and use their strategies. At some point, they'll have to sit down and actually do the hard work of creating organic content that brings in links.

I know, crazy talk...

Technorati Tags: marketing, web

Spotted in Planet Squeak:

Alain Plaintec has published the call for papers for the International Workshop on Smalltalk Technologies which will be held on 23rd August during the ESUG 2011 conference in Edinburgh. The goal of the workshop is to “create a forum around advances or experience in Smalltalk and to trigger discussions and exchanges of ideas”.

Looks like you need to submit your proposals by June 17th, so you have plenty of time.

Technorati Tags: esug2011, iwst

I encountered something today that demonstrated to me just how fragile the environment we've set up is. I went down to a Walgreens to buy some cold medicine. Just before I got there, the power blinked and came back - which forced all of their registers to reboot.

That brought sales to a screeching halt. I was thinking "why don't they just accept cash and keep paper records in the interim, and settle it all up later", but on the way home I realized the issue with that: I bet the registers were locked while they rebooted. So with the power out, they really were dead in the water.

Now, for a few minutes worth of downtime, that's nothing but a hassle. What if power went out for an extended period though? I wonder whether retail outfits have any kind of contingency plan for that kind of thing, or whether the plan is basically "pray that it doesn't happen"?

While I sympathize with this post by DHH, it suffers from an interesting case of myopia. Take this:

You no longer need a tech person at the office to man “the server room.” Responsibility for keeping the servers running has shifted away from the centralized IT department. Today you can get just about all the services that previously required local expertise from a web site somewhere.

If you assume that tmost of IT is email and shared folders, maybe. In truly large enterprises - like the one I work in now - it's more about large production databases with mission critical (sometimes classified as well, depending on the customer) data. You can't run that kind of thing on Amazon's RDS, or on BigTable.

DHH may be correct about small firms - it makes perfect sense for them to outsource nearly everything to the cliud in order to lower cost. For big enterprises though? DHH simply has no idea, probably through lack of experience in the subject.

Technorati Tags: enterprise

I just played through the Dragon Age 2 demo, and wow - it looks pretty cool. The combat system looks a lot like the one BioWare used in Mass Effect 2, which is great - that game was really good. I can't wait until March 8th!

Technorati Tags: da2

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