Scans have shown that paedophilia may be the result of faulty connections in the brain.

A programming lesson I keep relearning. The design of the central data structure of an app determines the quality of the app, in every way. Any extra thought that goes into this, will pay off in: 1. Maintainability of the code. 2. Size of the code (you'll write less code with a well thought-out central data structure). 3. Simplicity of the user interface (the structure inevitably shows through in the UI). 4. Ability to respond to feature requests. 5. Adapt to new hardware, OS changes, other apps. 6. More "it just works" experiences. This is why it's sometimes the right thing to start over from scratch. Programmers often want to start over because they look at the code and it looks complicated, and they think they can make it simpler if they start over. They're right, of course, it will be simpler when they start over, because it won't do nearly as much as the mature product does. Once they finish building out the feature set, it may well be just as complicated. It's a judgement call. I remember looking at the source of Unix kernel for the first time as a grad student in Wisconsin, and being amazed at the simplicity and obviousness of the code. I couldn't believe something so simple actually worked. Your code at its kernel level must have this simplicity. But at the edges, where you're accomdating the minds of users, inevitably it gets a little messy. The key thing to look for is how hard is it to add a completely new feature. It should be easy to do that. If it's not, it's likely because of a poorly organized (and therefore not well-understood) central data structure. I've rewritten apps many times, over many years, because when I wrote the first or second versions, I didn't understand the problem well enough, and the code had turned into a morass of patches and workarounds. Right now I'm recoding the internals of a special-purpose aggregator. I've written many of these, over the years, always quickly, trying to get something running fast, and then lived with data structures that resulted. This time I'm going slowly and carefully, with an installed base of one (me) and ripping up the pavement whenever I find even a slightly better way of doing something. I have other users who are waiting, but that's life. 5/7/97: "When a programmer catches fire it's because he or she groks the system, its underlying truth has been revealed."

Social-learning network with free access to MIT course content to add portal for high school students and teachers.

The DCCC is out with a new Web ad Wednesday. WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, looking to link high gas prices to congressional Republicans, released a new Web ad Wednesday that paints the GOP as a key ally of the oil industry. Set to the tune of the one-time Golden Girls theme [...]

Creating linkbait, or getting website to link to you on their own, and with Google starting to devalue paid links, it couldn’t be a better time to start utilizing linkbaits. Creating linkbait can be difficult and pushing it through can be even more difficult. This post will go over a few of the [...]

The future is here--at least, as we imagined it in 1962! Here's what you need to live that Jetsonesque life. Entrepreneur Paul Moller, who is based in Davis, Calif., has spent 30 years and, reportedly, tens of millions of dollars trying to develop a mass-market flying car. All he's gotten for his pains are a few prototypes and a $50,000 fine from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Flying cars won't be in the mainstream anytime soon. And the same goes for a whole host of futuristic technologies that have been pop culture staples for years. But, if you're willing to think of living like the Jetsons as a trip to the past, rather than the future, you can start having some fun in the here and now. Add a few modern gizmos to the mix--one savvy shopper has even posted a list of Jetsons-friendly gadgets available through Amazon.com (nasdaq: AMZN - news - people )--and you're practically ready for the next space age.

One of Godfrey's wire craft bulls. If there are any economics students out there looking for an interesting topic for a thesis, allow me to suggest this one: a study of the many roadside sellers of ...

Four brand new light installations, focusing on the 2010 Soccer World Cup and South Africa’s Rugby World Cup victory, will add excitement to this year’s festive lights in

The Turkish government is preparing to offload a 15%-20% stake in national fixed line operator Turk Telekom, with proposals for the privatisation already submitted to the Cabinet. Local press reports suggest a sale could take place via an initial public

Researchers are improving the chances of women faced with an aggressive and difficult to diagnose form of breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer spreads quickly and can be lethal in six to nine months. [click link for full article]

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