Tag Archives: obituary

Links

My delicious.com bookmarks for December 16th through December 21st

On this day in 1996, Apple acquired NeXT – Fifteen years ago today Apple effectively started its upward trajectory.
Why big companies can’t change – "At the polar opposite position from big industrial companies sit startups, nearly every one of which begins with an effortless expression of why? Big companies ask What? then How? but almost never Why?"
Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011 – "I’m not going to say R.I.P. I don’t think Christopher Hitchens is at rest. I don’t think there is anything left of him to rest. I think he is dead. But tonight, I’ll be raising a glass of Scotch in his honor. The world is a better place because he was in it, and it is a sadder, less interesting place now that he’s not."

Links

Android Orphans: Visualizing a Sad History of Support – I think this is one of Androids biggest failings.
John McCarthy — Father of AI and Lisp — Dies at 84 – Really not a good month for IT or Computer Science.
The original iPod, 10 years later: a re-review – The original iPod is ten years old and, actually, stands up pretty well.

Links

C and Unix pioneer Dennis Ritchie reported dead – It's a sad week for the IT industry.
Alma telescope opens its eyes – Awesome. In the original sense of the word.
Mercury’s Explosive Volcanic History – Both beautiful and fascinating.
Apple’s iPod: ten years old – Is it really a decade since the first iPod?

Links

Ideas are Nothing – Execution is Everything – "How often have you been approached by somebody who has a great idea for an iPhone app, and they will tell you the idea if you just do the programming, and then you will both share in the profits? As an aside, I wonder if this happens to book authors as well."
‘Fractal’ mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot dies aged 85 – Ah, I remember all that time playing with Fractint on my 386SX… And I still don't really understand the maths.

Links

Three Cheers for Afghan Women – it's a little depressing to think that, as the article notes, this is actually progress.
Audio slideshow: Sir Clement Freud – I only really know Clement Freud for his contribution to Just A Minute. I remember that I wasn't sure what to make of him when I first heard his lists and slow, deliberate delivery, but that changed pretty quickly. It won't be the same without him.
Laptop Hunters: Homeless Frank – If you've not seen Microsoft's new adverts this probably won't make much sense. If you have, you'll realise that Frank's analysis of the PCs is more nuanced that the supposedly "real" people in the original videos.