Cloud Backups Using Arq
I have long considered the cloud better suited to data than apps. I can't explain my aversion to web apps, the cloud just seems better suited to serving data than CPU time.
We access the data on our computers via a hierarchical caching structure that grows successively larger and slower …
The Case for Creativity in a Vacuum
Mankind's greatest challenges demand the combined effort of many, but collaboration thrives on trust. As such, teams often falsely bolster positivity through the acceptance of unfit ideas, dismissing critical people as pessimistic or pedantic. Valuable insights are therefore tempered, with group harmony taking precedence over excellence.
I recently met a …
Becoming a Mac User
In early 2009, the hard drive of my laptop failed. Replacing a hard drive is trivial, but I had been saving for a while and decided it was time to buy a new machine. In the beginning, I had no intention of switching to a Mac — I hated Apple, and …
Using Apple Routers with ADSL
I've been using a faithful DG834GT router for as long as I've had an ADSL connection, but it is now showing its age. I recently bought a Time Capsule with an inbuilt 802.11n router. Unfortunately, it caused my internet to drop out sporadically, especially under heavy loads. I suspected …
Push Mail
Most OS X hints are cumbersome and inelegant, but this one rocked my world: Push email in Mail.app
A great way to keep your mailboxes up-to-the-second current without having Mail.app hog the bandwidth
Yes, I hate email as much as anyone else. Nope, this doesn't make sense to …
Streamlining Static Websites
I witnessed a dramatic boost in the performance of my website after switching to a Sydney-based server. In hindsight this is hardly surprising, but it illustrates how the performance of a website is dictated by more than pure bandwidth. My website is made with static HTML, which mitigates server-side lag …
Amazon S3 TurboBoost
Amazon doesn't have much of a presence here in Australia, but the limited set of services they do offer are excellent and affordable. I use Amazon Web Services to host this site, which is both extremely cheap (~1c per month) and extremely reliable. Unfortunately, until recently their closest server was …
Professor of War
Mark Bowden's article The Professor of War describes the life of David Petraeus, the General recently shamed for having an affair with his biographer. It was written back in 2010 before this scandal got the better of him.
I didn't know much about Petraeus before the gossip mill exploded; it …
Pee-Powered Generator
Alex Wilhelm, writing for the next web, African girls have created a pee-powered generator
What have you built lately? 14-year-olds Duro-Aina Adebola, Akindele Abiola, Faleke Oluwatoyin, and 15-year-old Bello Eniola have created a urine powered generator.
And we just pump it out to sea. Also, I now feel bad about …
Sketching Designs
The learning process gives us some appreciation for the unfathomable plasticity of our brains. Many of the skills we acquire throughout life are learned, rather than instinctual. For example, although I can't draw, over the years I have learned how to make a convincing sketch. I understand that even this …