Big Dave’s Blog

Derik Whittaker : Definition of ‘Done’

Having managed more than a few successful projects to on time completion, this definition is one of the hardest things to get right. Too many developers forget what done means when estimating tasks. Done is when it’s coded up, right? Done means it is really done. The software works, and it’s tested and documented. Most projects that I’ve seen have problems were doomed before they even started due to estimates that did not take everything into account.

How-To: The ultimate iTunes Media Server – MacTalk Forums

OK, I’m a big Mac fan, but there are some things that a PC (Windows or Linux) just does better, and a media server is one of them. I’m an audio / video nut. Combine that with some handiness with construction and computer knowledge, and you end up with a fully automated home theater and multi-zone audio system built by yours truly. The above system is nice, but it breaks a couple of hard rules for me.

1. I don’t want to have to fire up a computer to choose what to play. The system must be available via a learning remote.

2. It needs to easily support multiple zones of audio and UPnP players.

3. My mother should be able to use it. This is nothing against my mother, but she is a good test case when it comes to technical issues.

My media server is a Windows PC running J. River’s Media Center, TheaterTek, and various other automation applications. There is no monitor, keyboard or mouse connected to this server. It is connected to a display but only for playing DVDs. All audio equipment is in a locked closet. If I do need to connect to the server for maintance, I use VNC from one of my other computers. From my Phillips Pronto remote, I can play any album, playlist, song, or DVD at the touch of button without navigating a computer screen. Users of the system do not know they are dealing with a PC. Apple and Microsoft expect you to have a computer running to select anything. That’s great, but how many people have a computer in their living room?

With my system, all I need is a small handheld remote to choose anything I want. I can be watching a movie downstairs, listing to a playlist outside, and have a Roku playing music in the kitchen at the same time. It’s all served from the same server, and I never once had to look at a computer screen. There are commercial products that do the same thing, but they are several times the cost.

For most people, this is how it needs to be.

Atlantic Dominion Solutions – Blog Archive – JRuby 1.0 Released

Saw this a while back, but I haven’t had a chance to comment. Ruby is fine system that is slightly hindered in performance by not being compiled. I’m curious how much this will help and how much extra complexity it will add.

Once I make some more progress on my current Ruby project, I will have to try it.

After the launch of Apple’s much awaited mobile phone iPhone in January 2007, Jobs said “Java’s not worth building in. Nobody uses Java anymore. It’s this big heavyweight ball and chain…”

This is interesting coming from a guy and a company that were huge supporters of Java until recently. Apple used to make a big deal about all Macs having a full Java development environment. Now, Leopard will not have it. Instead Ruby will be the big thing.

To some extent, I agree with him. If I was building a single web site that did not require lots of enterprise integration, Java would not be my first choice. There are many other platforms, including Ruby, that are much more productive. However, if your application requires a lot of enterprise features and integration, then Java may still be your best bet.

Why music really is getting louder-Arts & Entertainment-Music-TimesOnline

For a serious music lover like me, this has been an issue for several years now. How loud and distorted became synonymous with sounding better is beyond me. Maybe I’m an audio snob, but I like to hear all the dynamic range. I like all the small details, and I don’t want them clipped off in the name of making the recording as loud as possible. Maybe if I only listened on an iPod, it wouldn’t be as much of a deal, but I built myself a media room in my basement (when I’m not coding and building products, I’m coding some new automation system or tweaking the sound down there). Most new music is hard to listen to on a good system. Rather than sound better because it’s louder, it becomes difficult to stand. I know what you’re thinking. Maybe I just don’t like the music. I assure you that is not it.

To really hear this, set up a playlist with a combination of old and new recordings. When an old recording is playing, set the volume fairly high and wait for a newer recording. When the new recording comes on, you will find yourself reaching for the volume control.

Please Mr. Recording Engineer, let is hear the music as the artists intended.

June 6, 1944

It was a long time ago, but it is a day no one should ever forget. Several thousand men and women died on that first day, and many more would follow on the road to Berlin. Personally, I’ve always been fascinated by history, but this particular period has always been the most interesting to me. It’s hard to fully comprehend what those soldiers went through unless you go to the Normandy beaches at low tide and stand at the waterline (as I have). In front of you is 200+ yards of open beach with nowhere to hide. Behind that is an amphitheater of bluffs where you can still see some of the machine gun emplacements. It amazes me how anyone got all the way across the beach in one piece. Saving Private Ryan got a lot of things right, but the beach they filmed it at was nowhere near as wide as the Normandy beaches are at low tide. Obviously, you got an idea of the carnage, but not of the distances.

I will be saying a lot of silent “Thank You’s” today.

Check out the D-Day Musuem if you are ever in New Orleans. It’s quite a place. Note, the museum has since changed its name to the National WWII Museum.

I highly recommend these books:

Some other sources:
Invasion of Normandy
The Staff Ride to Normandy

Check out this post on Guy Kawasaki’s blog. The founder of Truemors started a relativey successful company with $12,107.09, and he probably could have done it for a lot less. It is amazing these days how much you can do without a lot of money. My first start-up experience involved $8M if initial investment followed by 2-3 more rounds to keep things going. The company is still doing well, profitable and growing, but software is such a different world these days. Now, it’s hard when a VC suggests taking more money, and you have to figure out a smart way to spend it so it returns good value. Before, it was all about never having enough money.

May we all continue to live in interesting times…