Amit’s Interesting Links

Most everything I post now is to my blog.

Interesting Things

Single Point Urban Interchange. A new type of road/freeway interchange that looks like it’s more efficient than what we’ve been using for decades.
Common Errors in English. A list of errors that are commonly made in English text.
American Culture. If you’re American, be sure to read this!
Uptalk. How the way people speak English is changing.
Font design standards. Have you ever wondered about ascenders and descenders? Vertical and horizontal alignment? Old style vs. proportional vs. fixed width numerals? Neutral vs. left vs. right vs. baseline vs. guillemet vs. prime mark quotes? En dash vs. em dash? If you’re interested in fonts, this is a must read.
Did Al Gore invent the Internet? We’ve made fun of him but this article gives us good facts about what he really said, and whether he was telling the truth.
Linux Viruses. Why don’t we see them? Ecology tells us diversity keeps viruses from spreading in nature, and we should expect the same in the computer world.
Why software is bloated. I always wondered why everyone complained that Office was bloated, and yet the very same people wouldn’t buy Works instead of Office. And they complained that Netscape was bloated, and yet the very same people wouldn’t use Opera instead of Netscape.

Is there oil deep within the Earth? A bit about Thomas Gold and his theory about oil.
Geoengineering. An alternative to fighting global warming by reducing comfort.
A New Germ Theory. Are heart disease, depression, and cancer caused by infections?
The Future of Lighting. This is what I’d like to have in my home!
Megascale Engineering. Engineering of huge projects!

The Dao of Web Design. Read this if you write web pages. Also this Zen story.
HTML Tutorial. A good set of pages describing how to write proper HTML; also check out other pages on webreference.com.
Content Creation for Average People. One thing I’ve long felt was the best part of the web was that regular people can put up web pages. It’s not limited to people with money and power.. The web isn’t just another form of television — it’s dialogue. Blogs may do a lot to help here.
When not to use XML. A good read for anyone who’s trying to decide about XML.

C++ in the Real World. A good article to read if you hate C++
C++ Guru of the Week. A great way to learn about topics from C++ gurus
Boost Libraries. High quality free C++ libraries that may make it into the next standard
Python. An easy to use scripting language. I recommend starting with the online tutorial, then keep the library reference handy.
A Refreshing Look at Software development. Why you should question what people tell you is “good”. It may just be a fad.
Taste. An essay on good taste.
Hackers and Trackers. Is programming for everyone like literacy for everyone?
Architecture Astronauts. An article about architectures that solve all your problems (Java, XML, .NET, SOAP, etc.).