Xcode 2.3

A new version of Apple's Xcode software development toolkit was just released on May 23. Check out what's new or login to the Apple Developer's site to download it. Personally, I don't do a lot with it, but it can be handy to have around when you're messing around with scripts, and apps like FileMerge come in handy.

D&D: Attack of the Messengers

The saga notes don't do it justice, but they're online. In this outing, the fledgling Persuaders Guild goes up against the Messengers Guild ... and loses quite badly. As in, "heads-removed-from-bodies-and-left-on-guildmaster's-bed" badly.

Nuketown Updates

If you're wondering what's going on with Nuketown, check out "Welcome to the New Burg, Same as the Old Burg", in which I discuss the current state of the redesign and post a screenshot of the current alpha build of the new site.

Visual C#

After many, many years away from it ... I'm programming for Windows again, specifically using C# to create an RSS screensaver. Thankfully, there's a C# Express RSS Screen Saver Starter Kit that should simplify things nicely.

Right now I'm searching for good C# reference boks -- so far I've come up with Programming in the Key of C# by Charles Petzold and C# Cookbook, 2nd Edition by Jay Hilyard, Stephen Teilhet.

Mouse Milestone

Jordan used a mouse correctly for the first time yesterday. Albiet it was a single-button, Mac-mouse (kinda of like training wheels for mice) but she was able to manuever the cursor and click on large Web page icons. Contrary to what you might expect from a geek dad, I haven't been pushing computers on her -- she likes to play pretend with them, but I haven't been in a huge hurry to get her actually interacting with one. Now that she's three and change though, her coordination is starting to collide with her interest. Fortunately, I've got an old G3 iMac just waiting for her...

"Why do we fall Bruce?"

"So we can learn to pick ourselves up" -- Thomas Wayne, Batman Begins.

T-Mobile Doesn't Rollover for Feds

Goot to know that T-Mobile USA, Verizon Wireless say they are not participating in NSA phone-records project; this makes me proud to be a T-Mobile customer. Just because the government asks you to piss all over the Constitution doesn't mean you have to actually do that.

SCIFI Wiki

SCIFI.com has launched its own wiki, SCIFIPEDIA. It's got 1,087, which isn't bad for a just-launched wiki; more over it's not just the word "wiki" slapped onto a static site, but an honest-to-god wiki -- it looks like they're powering it with Wikimedia (the same wiki software behind for Wikipedia).

NSA Building Massive Database of Phone Records

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't tracking everyone you call.

Bad Twin

Uncle Bear has a review of Bad Twin, the book by almost-LOSTie Gary Troup, who died en route to The Island. It's not bad, but not great, and it raises some interesting questions -- like why was Troup working real-world (at least, real in his world) corporations like Hanso into a fictional book?

Life Imitates Brazil, part 2

Wired reports that military service and high security clearances aren't enough to keep you from getting snagged by the government's terrorist watchlist. All that we need now is for someone's name to get mispelled by a bug jammed in some machinery and for them to get shot by a SWAT team, and the conversion to real-life Brazil-think will be complete.

Drupal 4.7.0 Released

Drupal 4.7.0 is out, which means I can now go ahead with my planned upgrade of Nuketown to that open-source CMS. In other words, no more excuses.

Worse Than a Wall

Reason provides a prime example of life imitating Brazil, with the immigration devolving into a bureaucratic monstrocity that's sure to a) not accomplish its goal and b) make life hell for everyone in the United States, legal, illegal or just visiting.

'Revenge of the Nerds' Being Remade

Story here. Someone needs to cue Hollywood into the fact that we already won. Maybe Steve Jobs could do it.