The BitTorrent Effect

I read a very interesting Wired article by Clive Thompson. It's about BitTorrent and its creator Bram Cohen. I really liked the article because it talks a lot about Cohen. One interesting thing I learned is that he has Asperger's syndrome, a type of autism. He is very skilled with complex puzzles and programming code, but also has some deficiencies in his social skills. I think the insight into the life of BitTorrent's creator really separates this article from others I've read. The article also makes some interesting points about the current and future role of peer-to-peer networks for distributing media.

Google Maps

Well, I suppose it was just a matter of time before Google would bring along it's own map service. I must say it certainly is quite good. I really like the navigation features, and it's all in Javascript so it works just fine in Firefox. They also have a link feature so that you can just link to a location. This makes it really easy to get directions to places, like say my house. They have also tied it in with Google Local which is also nice. With the local search, you can search for things within the map area. So if you're zoomed in within say a 100 sq. mile area (10 mi. x 10 mi.), you can find all the bars near by. Very cool!

Atom Feed Fixed

Bwana bought it to my attention that my Atom feed was broken. I figured out what was wrong with it and it's back online now.

The Latest Programming Craze

Today Bwana told me about a new programming language called Ruby. It didn't take long for it to get my attention. He also told me about a web framework for Ruby called Ruby on Rails. Apparently the framework makes new application development quite trivial. Bwana told me about a very nice little todo application written with it called Tracks. There are some more sample apps developed with Ruby on Rails available here. He also told me about the one-click installer for Ruby. When I get the chance, I'll have to sit down and fool around with this.