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Nick Johnson04/16/13
14563 views
0 replies

Algorithm of the Week: Fountain Codes (from "Damn Cool Algorithms")

Today's subject is Fountain Codes, otherwise known as "rateless codes". A fountain code is a way to take some data - a file, for example - and transform it into an effectively unlimited number of encoded chunks, such that you can reassemble the original file given any subset of those chunks...

John Sonmez04/16/13
4605 views
7 replies

So You Think You Can Polymorph?

In the true spirit of this blog I am going to take the complex idea of polymorphism and make it as simple as possible. Now you may already think you understand polymorphism—and perhaps you do—but I’ve found that most software developers don’t actually understand exactly what polymorphism is.

Allan Kelly04/16/13
4030 views
2 replies

Requirements: Whose Job are They Anyway?

Companies believe that Developers will somehow comprehend what is needed from a simple statement. In the worst cases this is a condition I refer to as: “Requirements by Project Title”. Just because Developers understand the technology doesn’t mean they understand what is needed.

John Blanco04/16/13
4822 views
2 replies

I Have An Idea for an App! Now What?!

It’s 10:00 AM, you’re in your office (or better yet, at home on your couch) dreaming up million-dollar app ideas when — BAM! — like a bolt of lightning it hits you. EUREKA! You have conceived of The Next Big Thing™

Andy Hawthorne04/15/13
1389 views
0 replies

MySQL and Ubuntu 12.10

I recently had reason to be shunting large amounts of MySQL data around on my Ubuntu 12.10 powered laptop. The data was exported from MySQL in .sql files, and they had a file size in excess of 50Mb. That ruled out PHPMyAdmin for re-importing the data. Here is what I did to solve the problem.

Esther Derby 04/14/13
2840 views
0 replies

A Tale of a Too-Hands-Off Manager

Managers of self-organizing teams need to discern when it’s time to step in and when to step back, allowing the team to solve the problem on its own. How do you know when a light touch is called for and when action is needed?

Alex Curylo04/14/13
1539 views
0 replies

Writing Web Services

As an iPhone/iPad developer, it can be really useful to be able to write your own simple web services that integrate with your apps. Well here's how you can do it.

Johanna Rothman04/14/13
3028 views
0 replies

We Cannot Choose Between Management And Leadership

Choosing to be a manager without being a leader is like choosing to drive across the country without a map. Choosing to be a leader without having management skills is like choosing to be a fish without gills. You have to know where you’re going, and you have to know how to breathe in your environment.

Esther Derby 04/13/13
8169 views
3 replies

Dealing with “Difficult” Co-workers

Life is too short to let the people we work with fray our nerves. We can’t change those irritating people, but we can recognize the source of our irritation and change our own response.

Tobias Mayer04/13/13
3187 views
0 replies

Timebox != Commitment

Procrastinating this evening, I got lost in a long stream of tweets about timeboxing, fascinated at how much disdain was aimed at a simple unit of time, and how it was blamed for sloppy workmanship, poor quality, panic and many other dysfunctional behaviors.