Month: July 2005

Rails 0.13. It looks like Rails 0.13 has been released. There's a lot of nifty-looking stuff in there, but the one that really grabs my eye is the new migration facility. Rails now has the ability to make schema changes when you upgrade your app. So, when version 1.1 of your app comes along, and… Continue reading Rails 0.13

Writeboard: The “app-less” web-app. What makes a web-app an app? I’d argue it’s not the functionality — there’s a lot of functionality on the web that we wouldn’t explicitly consider a “web-app.” I’d argue it’s the account, the infrastructure, the multi-page UI, the navigation between elements, the billing, the overview pages, etc. That’s the stuff… Continue reading Writeboard: The “app-less” web-app

Bird flu: World is on the edge. Asia's bird flu outbreak is at a critical stage where it could easily become a human pandemic, health experts warned yesterday, urging mass poultry vaccinations to prevent a crisis. [The Scotsman]

Business Owners and CEO's: Do You REALLY have control of your IT Systems?. I've seen it happen first hand. The company loses access to their entire network due to administrative reasons which results in company downtime and sometimes complete loss of business. Think it can't happen to you? Think again. [Security Awareness for Ma, Pa… Continue reading Business Owners and CEO's: Do You REALLY have control of your IT Systems?

Jefferson sez. “Error has often prevailed by the assistance of power or force. Truth is the proper and sufficent antagonist to error.”—Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Religion, 1776. “The judges should always be men of learning and experience in the laws, of exemplary morals, great patience, calmness and attention; their minds should not be distracted with… Continue reading Jefferson sez

Tell me again why the Mac is better?. I'm still finding the Mac experience surprisingly frustrating. I posted this in the comments, but it's worth putting it on my main blog to invite people to respond. My biggest surprise is that I'm seeing few things that are actually better on my Powerbook than my old… Continue reading Tell me again why the Mac is better?

U.S. Seeks to Keep Role on Internet. The Bush administration has called for the United States to retain – and perhaps enhance – its long-standing role in Internet management. By VICTORIA SHANNON, International Herald Tribune. [NYT > Technology]

Lind on the second 4th Generation war we are fighting Bill Lind points out the worsening situation in Afghanistan. We are now in two 4G wars. The reason we will lose (in Afghanistan) is that our strategic objective is unrealistic. Neither America nor anyone can turn Afghanistan into a modern state, aka Brave New World.… Continue reading Lind on the second 4th Generation war we are fighting

Low Long-term Interest Rates As Far as the Eye can See? Cooper Capital has a great newsletter. The most recent issue has some excellent (albeit short) analysis of why the emergent global economy is going to keep US long-term interest rates and inflation in check. It is now widely understood that there is no strictly… Continue reading Low Long-term Interest Rates As Far as the Eye can See?

Oil Shockwave Washington decision makers are war gaming global guerrilla disruption scenarios. This type of gaming is just the tip of the iceberg… WP . The United States would be all but powerless to protect the American economy in the face of a catastrophic disruption of oil markets, high-level participants in a war game concluded… Continue reading Oil Shockwave