How to Explain RSS to Normal People - 2008 Edition

As a geek who enjoys spending too much time on the internet, I like RSS almost as much as delicious toast. As a blogger, RSS is the shiznitz because it lets you consume a lot more information and it makes it easier for other people to read your blog without having to drop by every few days to see if you’ve written something new.

For something so useful, it’s pretty hard to explain why people should use RSS. Lots of people try to do it. This is my take on it. It’s 2008 and explaining RSS should be much simpler because if you’ve used Facebook, then you’ve used RSS.

The Canary in the Coal Mine of Open Source Code Re-use

Don’t reinvent the wheel. It’s one of those things that’s much easier to say then it is to do, particularly when it comes to programming. Programmers suffer from a horrible mental disease called Not Invented Here Syndrome (it’s in the DSM — check if you don’t believe me). We will happily rewrite a perfectly good tool because someone else wrote it and it’s easier to rewrite than it is to understand. Sure, we might not handle all the bells and whistles of the original tool (unicode is for sissies) — but we got to DIY.

Rewriting from scratch is particularly a bad idea when it comes to open source software. If there’s an open source library or plugin available that does the trick then there’s no reason at all for you not to pick it up and use it. If it doesn’t work the way you want it to then you can rewrite that small part. There’s no reason to reinvent the open source wheel…

Google’s Social Network Orkut Gets a New Look

The social network Orkut that Google launched in January 2004 (based on a personal project by a Google engineer) is launching an updated look.
Remember the first time that you logged into orkut? Maybe you received a coveted invitation from a friend, heard about it in a blog, or stumbled upon it when searching for a [...]

Opting Out of Technorati - The Break-up

Breaking up is hard to do, but it’s over between me and Technorati.

I’ve spent far too many lonely nights wondering why you never link me anymore… it’s time for a fresh start.

comic: The Spider-man Alien Symbiote Costume

Tags: harold is a robot, comic, cartoon, web comic, robots, robot, spider-man, symbiote, venom, parasite, spider-man 3, costume, super-hero, villan, comic-book

Lions, Tigers and Managers Oh My - The IT Animal Kingdom (by guest blogger logtar)

This is a guest post by logtar.

Now that I have liberated myself from the last zoo I worked at, I feel that it is my duty to document the IT (Information Technology) ecosystem for those that happen to enter it. I’m intending this as a good PSA (Public Service Announcement) for all the non-IT people out there. It is no accident that I have made all of the managers predators. You may find yourself fitting one of the animal profiles.

This is Harold

Tags: harold is a robot, comic, cartoon, web comic, robots, robot, 300, sparta, this is meme, this is sparta, tonight we dine in hell, movie, gerald butler, data, star trek, zack snyder, frank miller

How to Create LOLCats aka MemeCat aka Kittah aka Cat Macros

LOLCats are pictures of cats with funny sayings on them (wikipedia page for LOLCats). On their own they aren’t so funny, but for some reason a page full of them can really get you going.

Follow this simple guide to make your pet famous on the internet.

Global Warming 2007

Tags: harold is a robot, comic, cartoon, web comic, robots, robot, global warming, global warming awareness 2007, weather, mother nature, natural disaster, ottawa, canada, pariliment hill, windows vista, windows server

5 Reasons Why Blogging Is Better Than Sex (With Me)

Or “Please Don’t Call the SPCA”.

According to Dilbert Creator Scott Adams 95 Percent of Men Would Have Sex With a Robot

Tags: harold is a robot, comic, cartoon, web comic, robots, robot, sex, intercourse, googe, dilbert, scott adams, roomba, vacuum cleaner, foreplay, apology, poetry, bad poetry, love, sad robot, ok robot, Barack Obama, Tammy Nyp, Michelle Manhart, Yahoo Pipes

Show Your Geek Love with Code Poetry (in Perl)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Perl is the best language,
There's nothing it can't do.

But what about programming poetry?

comic: Harold Is a Robot #4 - Ode On a Silicon Yearn

Tags: harold is a robot, comic, cartoon, web comic, robots, valentine’s day, feb14, romance, poem, poetry, ode on a grecian urn, silicon yearn, john keats, violet blue, bad poetry, love, relationships

How to Earn a Six Figure Income from Blogging in Two Easy Steps

Tags: harold is a robot, comic, cartoon, web comic, robots, wordpress, blog, blogs, blogging, problogger, career, money, income, profession, job, seo, smo, adsense

Q+A: What is your favorite online web comic?

I’ve always been a fan of comic books and cartoons (I’m still an awkward teenager at heart). Here are some of my favorite web comics.

comic: Harold Is a Robot #2 - Sexual Innuendo

Tags: harold is a robot, comic, cartoon, web comic, robots, sexual innuendo, google, urban dictionary, slang, rusty trombone, rim job, raspberry beret, roman helmet

comic: Harold Is a Robot #1 - She Sucks

Tags: harold is a robot, comic, cartoon, web comic, robots, bus stop, mean people, roomba, love, girlfriend

Top 10 Resolutions That I Will Not Feel Bad About Not Keeping (2007 Edition)

Writing New Year’s Resolutions is very cathartic but a complete waste of time. It is good to take a moment to reflect on your life, especially with an eye to the detrimental or “weak” areas that need improving. But the act of writing down your resolutions gives you a false sense of accomplishment; most people never go beyond the step of creating a list.

I looked back a past lists I’ve made and to my chagrin I have a near zero percent success rate. Did I spend less time on the Internet, and more time on the phone? Do I spend more one-on-one time with friends? Did I learn another language? Have I moved to another city and bartended my way through Europe or Australia? I did manage to stop drinking so much, but any goal to be more “sporty/active/less nerdy” fell to the wayside.

Here are my Top 10 Resolutions That I Won’t Feel Bad About Not Keeping (2007 Edition)

Is Santa Claus Real? - A Look at the Physics

No idea who the original author is, but this is a good take on the physics of Santa Claus.
 

1) No known species of reindeer can fly. BUT there are 300,000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does [...]

Bill Gates for President

I don’t often foray into the realm of politics (I’ll leave that to Beats Entropy), but this is one I can’t turn down. Scott Adams makes some compelling points that Bill Gates would make for a fine president of the USA. Someone has even created a website: http://www.billgatesforpresident.net/
Scott makes a *very* compelling argument:
I was amazed [...]