IRONY MAIDEN
Why Metallica was interrupted live at BlizzCon by copyright-free music — and how they laid the groundwork for this to happen 20 years ago
There are a number of ironic song titles that Metallica has produced over the years that could fit an article title about this topic, depending on your perspective. “For Whom The Bell Tolls,” “Sad But True,” “Seek & Destroy,” “Am I Evil,” “Harvester of Sorrow,” and “Damage, Inc.” all seem to be applicable in some way, depending on how you approach recent events at BlizzCon as streamed on Twitch.
But I went with “The Memory Remains.” Why? Because, for many of us, the memory still does remain. We remember Metallica’s lawsuit against Napster in 2000, and we get to look…
Origin Stories
The surprising origins of some of the strange words we take for granted.
Ever wonder where certain words in the English language came from? And why some seem to make complete sense, while others just seem nonsensical? From portmanteaus to branding to the classics of literature, many of our words have similar entry points into the modern English lexicon.
Despite similar ways of entering the language, all of these words have a unique history. (Actually… all but 2 of them.) This article scratches that word-trivia itch that so many of us get when we hear a word and think, “That just sounds so weird, I wonder where it came from?”
Astroturf
Astroturf originally comes…
Debugging Tips
The easiest way to make debugging JS in your browser super smooth and easy on the eyes.
This is something I didn’t know about for a long time, actually. If you’re reading this, you probably don’t know about it yet. Or maybe you’re just looking for a refresher.
Either way, applying styles to JavaScript console output is super simple, extremely easy to learn, and it will provide results immediately if you do any amount of debugging in your browser.
The Situation
You’ve been at it all day. You have 3 different browsers open. You’re hunting some bug — it doesn’t matter what the bug is, all that matters is the sheer amount of console.log() output that is going on.
…
AI and machine learning algorithms are going to make endless amounts of never-before-seen content; they’re also going to take your job
Stories are conflict, and conflict is Discord
You could say it all started on a Discord server.
I occasionally like to write what I consider “meme-fic” — a few paragraphs in an offhand comment, tying together current events, genre tropes, and other meme-able concepts and topics. My tendency towards absurdist humor makes it incredibly easy to just mash up random stuff and turn it all into truly bizarre alternative-reality fiction.
I’m not the best writer. I’m probably not even a good writer. But I am pretty creative at times.
However, general creativity only gets you so far. I often find myself reaching a point halfway through writing…
Stanislav Petrov doubted the accuracy of an automated system — and then he single-handedly prevented global nuclear annihilation.
запуск! запуск!
The year was 1983, and it was early in the morning in a bunker near Moscow when the sirens went off. The word запуск was displayed in bold red letters. A man stood up and stared at the screen. Perspiration began to gather around his temples.
A short time later, the siren went off again, and the screen again indicated what it had previously — that a missile launch was detected.
And again it happened. And again. And yet again. The alarms blared. Flashing red letters demanded attention to anyone watching the display. …
Your words don’t have to be limited by generic, universal ‘advice.’ You can create dynamic content by mixing active and passive voice.
Beginner advice is for beginners
The passive voice is generally considered such a curse to writers that there now exist apps specifically built to locate and underline it with bright red squiggly lines. Think about that! Teams of developers creating tools that are devoted to automatically fixing a simple writing habit!
One of the first pieces of advice you’ll receive when you try to improve your writing skills is “Don’t use the passive voice.” While there is a lot of helpfulness in this advice for a new writer, it shouldn’t be treated as an eternal truth.
The passive and active voices emphasize the importance of…
These are requirements that you need to enact today for developing modern web app front ends.
1. Organize Your Files Properly
I keep components and every asset that each component requires inside their own folder. This helps to compartmentalize components from a file organization perspective, and it lets you see everything that each component needs right there alongside the component itself — right where its file is stored.
Some developers acquired a terrible habit a long time ago. The habit that they acquired that has absolutely ruined their file management ability was grouping similar files together. They keep all of their CSS in one folder. They keep all of their JS in one folder. …
Make your preprocessor variables make sense!
You know what they say:
Programmers are good at three things — naming stuff, and off-by-one errors.
Use these 5 quick tips to fix your SASS variables and get the most out of your preprocessor, right from the start of your project.
1: Justify Your Variable Use
Don’t make a variable that you use just once. Don’t make a variable for a primary color that you aren’t going to need to potentially change at any point in the future. Variables are supposed to be variable, right? …
Listen up, me, because I’m only going to say this once.
To me, age 8: Don’t listen to her, she doesn’t actually know who you are or who you will want to be. Find ways around all of the arbitrary rules you get caught up in to do the things you want to do. Trust me, they exist. I know, I know — rules are there for a reason, you’ve got to follow them. But honestly… you usually don’t. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
To me, age 11: You won’t even remember who these people are. Start ignoring others’ opinions sooner. 95% of the people at any point…
Think Trump’s going away in 2021? Well, you’re wrong. He’s making an app.
The events at the nation’s capital the other day were a disturbing reminder that there are still plenty of “patriots” who aren’t interested in democratic processes at all, despite their exclamations and hand-wringing about unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud. I am sure that as time goes on, plenty of revelations will occur over the events that transpired on January 6th — but I won’t try to guess what those will be. I am absolutely sure that they will be illuminating when they show up in the headlines. …
