Dealing with difficult clients: Patrick Andrews offers a short taxonomy and set of tips at Builder.com… seems practical, effective. [JD on MX]

“How to be a programmer:” This is a 40-page PDF essay from Robert Read. “I have attempted to summarize as concisely as possible those things that I wish someone had explained to me when I was twenty-one… Debugging is the cornerstone of being a programmer. The first meaning of the word to remove errors, but… Continue reading Untitled

Privacy News from Wired News – 9-Digit 'Social' Overused as ID. For many American companies and universities, it's common practice to use Social Security numbers as unique identifiers. But growing concerns over identity theft are pressuring state legislators to limit the practice. [ … ] Faced with growing pressure from constituents concerned about the risks… Continue reading Wired News

ABC News (Australia)- Face scan set to replace passport check.. A new air passenger identification system that uses automatic photo-matching technology instead of a Customs officer has been launched in Sydney. The technology is called biometrics and uses body characteristics like fingerprints, iris patterns and face recognition to check identity. Passengers will walk through a… Continue reading Face scan set to replace passport check.

US Navy Prepares To Navigate With Wireless Lans. Wireless LANs are being installed on Navy warships to free up manpower, reduce crew sizes, and improve monitoring of a range of mechanical and electrical systems. The installation effort, dubbed Total Ship Monitoring, lets Navy crew members check and control systems from computers anywhere on board. It's… Continue reading US Navy Prepares To Navigate With Wireless Lans

Why everything goes wrong. Joel Spolsky offers an insightful sermon that explains why everything goes wrong at once. [Mark Bernstein]

Welcome to the Word Police Academy. – “The Word Police are looking for a few good people. As a certified Word Police officer, you will be entitled to issue Grammar Citations when you see or hear crimes against the language. To be inducted into the force, you must pass a Word Police Academy exam.” “The… Continue reading Welcome to the Word Police Academy

Any Text. Anytime. Anywhere. (Any Volunteers?). – “It's a bad day in the stacks.” “I go three for seven: three books found, one that should be there but isn't, one recorded lost, and one checked out that will have to be recalled. The seventh is the one I really want: QB54.C661. There's no copy in… Continue reading Any Text. Anytime. Anywhere. (Any Volunteers?)

Is this mob just too smart?. Collective Detective, www.collectivedetective.org, is an online community dedicated to Collective Gaming and Immersive Entertainment. Collective Detective members who joined together to play Terraquest, www.terraquest1.com, an online game by MindQuest Entertainment, solved the first phase of the game only Three days after Terraquest's launch. Phase One, offering a $25,000 prize… Continue reading Is this mob just too smart?

The Economist on the future of the internet. Far from being over, the computer and telecoms revolution that created the internet has barely begun. These technologies will change almost every aspect of our lives—private, social, cultural, economic and political. In some areas, the changes may be marginal, but in most they will be profound, and… Continue reading The Economist on the future of the internet