Friday Links
Back in the day I used to always have a Friday link blog post and I’ve noticed I’ve been doing a lot more reading so it just feels right to visit this back.
- Apple owes everyone an apology and it should start with me, specifically - You can’t but own one of the latest Apple MacBook Pros and not hate the keyboard. I’ve been “lucky” enough to experience all three versions of it. The latest is on my new laptop from Spatial Networks which I have to admit feels the best of any of them but I’m just waiting for the “f” key to stop working like it has on all my other ones. I used to enjoy typing on MacBooks but not anymore. The thing is they keep trying to fix broken and not just go back to something that worked.
- Electric scooters have zipped by docked bikes in popularity - Here in Tempe, AZ we get to see all of them. Bird, Uber/JUMP, Lime, Razor and various ones I can’t even tell the brand. Their are like lice on every corner just fallen over and broken. I noted in St. Pete that they didn’t have any scooters and it was surreal walking around on sidewalk without jumping out of the way of some idiot on a scooter. I don’t understand the business model but I hate to say they are here to stay.
- A look at IBM S/360 core memory: In the 1960s, 128 kilobytes weighed 610 pounds - I mean the title says it all. These things were HUGE! X and Y wires. It’s madness but apparently it worked!
- Notre Dame Cathedral will never be the same, but it can be rebuilt - Thanks to all the pictures and Lidar imagery, the Catheral will be rebuilt and be very close to original. But…
While architects have enough detailed information about the cathedral to pull off a technically very precise reconstruction, the craftsmanship is unlikely to be the same. Today, the stone that makes up the cathedral would be cut using machinery, not by hand by small armies of stonemasons as in the 12th century. “Nineteenth-century and 20th-century Gothic buildings always look a little dead, because the stone doesn’t bear the same marks of the mason’s hand,” Murray told Ars Technica.
Still I look forward to watching this happen.
Baseball is Back
Nothing makes me happier than when baseball is back. Nothing feels like spring more than baseball. I’ve been reflecting on the San Francisco Giants chances this year and there will be no even year magic. I’ve gotten to the point of acceptance with this team. The infield is basically the same since the last World Series title but their WAR isn’t close to what it was back then. Any dynasty (except maybe those in the NFL) eventually has to pay for decisions made to get those titles. And the Giants are knee deep in this problem. Back in 2016, they sacrificed young players to get a good core to make one more run. Well that team collapsed and here we are in 2019.
So with that in place, I can enjoy this team in whatever they do. No longer worried about each series and how that might result in hosting postseason games or not. In 2 years this team will look nothing like it does and that’s OK. Baseball is back!
Baseball is Back
Nothing makes me happier than when baseball is back. Nothing feels like spring more than baseball. I’ve been reflecting on the San Francisco Giants chances this year and there will be no even year magic. I’ve gotten to the point of acceptance with this team. The infield is basically the same since the last World Series title but their WAR isn’t close to what it was back then. Any dynasty (except maybe those in the NFL) eventually has to pay for decisions made to get those titles. And the Giants are knee deep in this problem. Back in 2016, they sacrificed young players to get a good core to make one more run. Well that team collapsed and here we are in 2019.
So with that in place, I can enjoy this team in whatever they do. No longer worried about each series and how that might result in hosting postseason games or not. In 2 years this team will look nothing like it does and that’s OK. Baseball is back!
Latest Podcast Episode: PostGIS
Bill Dollins and I have our latest podcast out today. It is a day late because of some work related stuff but that’s the best news this week for me. This was was a lot of fun, we dive into PostGIS with some suggestions on how to get started and tools we use to get the best value out of everything we do in PostGIS. Please enjoy and rate us on iTunes or Google Play if you have time.
Latest Podcast Episode: PostGIS
Bill Dollins and I have our latest podcast out today. It is a day late because of some work related stuff but that’s the best news this week for me. This was was a lot of fun, we dive into PostGIS with some suggestions on how to get started and tools we use to get the best value out of everything we do in PostGIS. Please enjoy and rate us on iTunes or Google Play if you have time.
The Scooter Infestation
As Spatial Networks is in St. Petersburg I’m spending my first week at the company here for orientation and meeting the team. If you’ve never been to St. Pete its a great small city that isn’t that complicated. The one thing I’ve noticed walking around the city is the lack of electric scooters. There are no Bird, Lime, Razor, Uber or whatever latest company is throwing scooters around. In Tempe, there are so many brands that I can’t even keep track of them anymore. But not here in St. Pete. It makes the sidewalks less crowded, you don’t seem scooters knocked over on ever street corner and honestly seeing everyone actually walking around feels relaxing. You just don’t notice it until you don’t see them. I miss those days…
