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Category Archives: Computers and technology
Thomas Kurtz
A salute to Thomas Kurtz, who created BASIC with John Kemeny in 1964. BASIC was my first programming language, and I stuck with it long enough to graduate to QuickBASIC, without GOTOs or line numbers. In fact, I first really got structured programming in QuickBASIC.
Roy Clay Sr.: a salute to a Black pioneer in Silicon Valley
Wow, Roy Clay Sr. was such a pioneer: leader of the development of HP’s first computer, the first Black executive at HP, the first Black elected to the Palo Alto City Council, and so on. The history of Black Americans in Silicon Valley and the tech industry needs to be better known.
Computing as a career
This is an update of a blog post I wrote in 2012. Be sure to look at a comment written by Daniel Azuma, who made a lot of excellent points of his own. Here are some thoughts for students who are considering computing, including computer science and software engineering, as a career. While these tips …
Computing as a career
Here are some thoughts for students who are considering computing, including computer science and software engineering, as a career. While these tips are particularly geared for high schoolers going to my alma mater, Monta Vista High School, they can apply to many others. What do I enjoy about computing? Computers are capable of doing amazing …
Mac OS X: Clipboard vs Pasteboard
In my previous blog post, I noted my surprise and distaste for the term “Pasteboard” over “Clipboard” in Mac OS X. It seemed like an unnecessary change in terminology. However, a friend and long-time Mac user later pointed out to me that OS X still calls it a Clipboard, for example, Edit→Show Clipboard in the …
Tips for Inkscape on a Mac
Last night, I worked on an SVG file that Caitlin Kelleher had created with Inkscape (for the cover of the proceedings of VL/HCC 2011). I also used Inkscape, but it took a few tricks on my Mac to get it to work properly. I wanted to use Helvetica Neue for all of the text, but …
Twitter highlights: May 1–7, 2011
James Landay: “Nice profile of Scott Klemmer’s work in Technology Review: Tools for Better Web Design” Watch President Obama announce the death of Osama bin Laden: MSNBC [May 1] Osama’s death have prompted huge crowds to gather at World Trade Ctr. (Wall Street Journal) Hard to believe I was there <36 hrs ago. Sadat Shami: …
Twitter highlights: April 17–23, 2011
Sadat Shami: “Giving up tenure… and getting happiness in return? Reflections from someone who did” (The Scientist via Nick Diakopoulos) I think I’ll get a standing desk (New York Times) Jeffrey Bigham: “How languages may have diffused from Africa, modeling phonemes” (New York Times) Boris Smus: “Allow me to explain sorting algorithms through interpretive dance” …
Twitter highlights: April 10-16, 2011
Backbone.js is a model-view-controller JavaScript library in just 4KB (via Boris Smus ) SparkFun intros IOIO, which allows Android phones to control DIY electronics. (Engadget) Everyone in Google Doodle for Charlie Chaplin’s birthday are part of Doodle team, and like many of Chaplin’s films, it was filmed in the Niles District of Fremont, California. More …