• Ameliorations – Blogging the Blogsphere
  “a chilling reminder why Linux, even with its UI woes, has as much market share as it does.” Look for that to increase if MS delivers late and bloated (oops, already there), and efforts like Ubuntu gain traction.
  (tags: linklove microsoft linux)
• Shakespeare Searched.
  To search, perhance to find. via the Armchair Anarchist.
  (tags: Shakespeare search Literature)

• Pa^2 Patois: After 9-11
  A human poem
  (tags: 911 terrorism)
• dejargonator: Count the Buzzwords
  Wowch. Dave Greten takes the buzzword hatchet to some old marketing copy from one of my clients. We’ll have to work on that.
  Subscribed.
  (tags: jargon buzzwords marketing)
• The Church Of Google
  It’s almost a little too true to be funny. Thanks, TDavid.
  (tags: geek google humor internet search religion)
• Download – Paul Graham On Lisp
  Paul Graham’s book On Lisp, downloadable in Postscript or PDF
  (tags: lisp programming reference theory tutorial books)
• Top 25,000 in Technorati
  John Koetsier breaks into the top 25K (or roughly the top 0.05%). Congrats, and thanks for the link!
  (tags: linklove rankings)
• SOB: Scion Of Backronymics » Wasabi: more heat than light
  When I read Joel’s first post on Wasabi, I had one of those “brain damage” moments
  (tags: linklove dsls programming language)

Like any other endeavor, software development manifests itself in multifarious forms, from craft to craftiness.

Doc the inimitable links to Christopher Buckley’s lament over the state of Republican policy, “Let’s quit while we are behind.”

I have never registered for any political party, preferring to remain independent. I vote for the person, not the platform. That said, I have voted for more Republican presidential candidates than Democratic ones, although the last two elections narrowed that margin considerably.

Contrary to what some Democrats may wish you to believe, not all Republicans are anti-intellectual reactionaries intent on establishing a moralistic theocracy. It’s just that the subset so described includes one individual seated in the Oval Office.

The other day as I was pulling onto the ferry, I noticed a sticker on the red Dodge Ram truck ahead of me — one of those yellow ribbon stickers that usually say “Support Our Troops”. This one said instead, “Support Our Stupidity”. An admission that invading Iraq was a mistake, with a plea to support our troops until we can successfully withdraw (if success can be defined here). I also noticed another sticker on that same vehicle in support of the Republican senatorial candidate, Mike McGavick. Methinks Christopher Buckley isn’t the only Republican who is experiencing conflicting feelings about their party.

• The Beez’ speaks..: Hasta la Vista, part 1: Microsofts final death march
  I’m not a Microsoft basher, but some of this history is pretty scary
  (tags: microsoft linux apple history)
• The Beez’ speaks..: Hasta la Vista, part 2: MSFT Titanic
  …the death march continues…
  (tags: microsoft linux apple history vista)
• Strange new worlds, and programming languages…: Good bye Microsoft; Pete has now left the building!
  We’re onto a theme here — with some emotionally charged blogging
  (tags: windows microsoft programming blog apple linux politics passion rails ruby)
• The Universe of Discourse : Design patterns of 1972
  “Patterns are signs of weakness in programming languages.”
  Thanks, assaf.
  (tags: programming patterns Design)
• dilbert.gif (GIF Image, 500×178 pixels)
  Image of Dilbert strip with condescending UNIX user — I never could find this one in the dilbert.com archives. Thanks to apotheon for digging this up.
  (tags: dilbert funny unix computer)
• What is Music?
  Super-stimulus theory of music. And you can have the book for a song.
  (tags: music science music_science theory books)
• Ameliorations
  Joseph responds to the question I asked yesterday about the hatred of radical Islamists for the US
  (tags: 911 terrorism libertarianism iraq afghanistan christianity islam)
• Link-Love – iBLOGthere4iM
  He cannot spell, now did you know it?
  Yet Randy Morin’s quite the poet
  (tags: linklove poetry)
• Coding Horror: Has Joel Spolsky Jumped the Shark?
  I’ve been thinking the same thing lately. I mean, I’ve done DSLs before, and they have their place, but based on VBScript? And then Ruby’s performance is a reason not to use it?
  Joel, ever think about a CAT scan?
  (tags: programming ruby dsls)

Disclaimer: Amazon Associate.

Yesterday I finished reading The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson (thanks again, Randy). Even though I found the writing style to be a bit pedestrian, the book contained some valuable insights backed up by lots of research. The main point: niche markets, which have been largely underserved in the pre-web era due to scarcity of the means of production, distribution, and filtering are now becoming viable for commerce. Which means that individual tastes no longer need be dictated by the few hits that are able to reach the market.

I found the fractal nature of tails (tails within tails) an interesting observation as well. For example, in my industry (software development) my area of greatest expertise (Synergy/DE) lies pretty far down the tail of popular software development environments. Yet within that community, I’m sitting pretty much at the top of the curve.

People might be tempted to think, “Oh, we’ve discovered the Long Tail! So many diverse markets to be served! Now all we need to do is produce In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida decorative doilies and put them on the web, sit back and wait for the moolah to come rolling in.” Similarly to the way many first-time bloggers thought that getting an instant voice meant getting an instant audience.

Can people make real money from the Long Tail? Yes, in at least two ways:

1. If you can choose select segments of the tail and serve those better than anybody else, then you can make an income that’s dependent on the size of that slice. Be the big frog in the small pond. The keys to success: quality of service and communication. When someone searches for your niche, Google had better know who you are.
2. If you can aggregate a large portion of the tail (maximize the diversity of your offerings), then the sum of the divergent markets can be lucrative. Own all of the small ponds. The key to success: filters. Help users find what they’re looking for. Think Amazon.com.

In summary, Chris Anderson reveals a dimension to markets that has gone mostly unnoticed. You still have to work to develop a market, but you don’t need to target just the greatest hits in order to succeed.

Next on my reading list, something on the lighter side: Ulysses, by James Joyce.

• Chip on Rmail – R|mail blog
  Randy responds to my review of R-mail by launching a site design contest.
  (tags: linklove webdesign web2.0 rss)
• Ameliorations
  “Blogging is Jazz is Blogging” — goes with emo.
  (tags: linklove jazz blogging)
• Naked Conversations: Is Blogging the Jazz of Writing?
  Shel Israel picks up my jazz metaphor: “Some bloggers remind me of a saxaphone at dawn while others a drummer who went off somewhere and doesn’t know how to get back.” Deliver us from drum solo blogging.
  (tags: linklove jazz blogging)
• Web Strategy by Jeremiah » Participatory Arts: Jazz and Blogging
  Jeremiah contrasts the barriers to entry between blogging and jazz. How hard is it to get an audience? Of what size?
  (tags: linklove blogging jazz)
• Leonardo / serenella / Blog – dàimona
  This blogging = jazz meme has legs. Or should I say “piedini”?
  (tags: linklove jazz blogging)
• GeekPress
  Self-referential list of logical fallacies — thanks, assaf.
  (tags: geek humor fallacy logic language)
• Ideas and Thoughts from an EdTech » I like jazz
  Shel really got the ball rolling on this old post of mine
  (tags: linklove jazz blogging)
• Offensive Coding
  We need more “stupid-free zones” in our code. Thanks, assaf.
  (tags: programming java coding tips)
• SOB: Scion Of Backronymics » correct != right (or: ‘correct’ ne ‘right’)
  apotheon uses my post on English skills to expound on comma-correctness, prefixed by a distinction between morality, ethicality, and correctness.
  (tags: linklove english morality ethics rules)
• 3spots: Feedshow’s Dynamic OPML URL for widgets
  Since Feedshow updates its feed list in OPML dynamically, no need to export to services like SYO or my OPML blogroll widget. Keep it all in one place.
  (tags: opml widget wordpress linklove)

My daughter came home from school today and asked me, “How did you feel on September the 11th?”

At first, I didn’t comprehend how terrible it was. Back then, I used to start my day on the NordicTrac in front of CNN. They reported that a plane had hit one of the towers. I immediately thought “Damn terrorists. It’s probably Osama bin Laden.” But I was done exercising and turned off the TV before they reported about the second plane or the Pentagon. Nor had they specified the size and fuel load of the first plane. I thought it was probably a one-man suicide attack in a Cessna. I figured that, like the earlier bombing of the World Trade Center, the structure would withstand the blast.

Later, I woke up my wife and said, “I hope you don’t know anyone who works in the World Trade Center, because it was hit by a plane.” My wife grew up in northern New Jersey, and often visited the towers. She immediately got up and turned on the TV, just in time to see the first collapse.

We were stunned.

For months.

Any many ways, we still are.

How about you?

Your English Skills:

Punctuation: 100% Grammar: 80% Spelling: 80% Vocabulary: 80%

It’s tougher than you’d think. Don’t cheat!

Thanks, Randy

• If IT had been responsible for the Creation
  Six day project my ass — and a two-headed exploding one at that! Thanks, assaf.
  (tags: humor development)
• Was Offshoring Responsible for Hamlet?
  Masterfully woven humor — Subscribed.
  (tags: humor outsourcing shakespeare)
• FreeDOS finally hits 1.0 milestone
  “FreeDOS 1.0 is a major milestone that has finally been released. By now, we have a stable and viable MS-DOS replacement” Now if we can just find a stable and viable replacement for Michael Jackson, we can all go back to living in the 80′s.
  (tags: msdos)
• [Geeks are Sexy] technology news: Update: Installing WordPress Locally Under Windows XP
  Kiltak updates his fine step-by-step to include running apache and IIS on the same system
  (tags: linklove wordpress howto windows apache iis)
• Web Design References
  Shelley Powers: “probably the best and most comprehensive Web Design Reference site I’ve seen.”
  (tags: webdesign reference css AJAX javascript webdev graphics)
• Phil Factor’s Phrenetic Phoughts : The DBA’s Demise: a recitation.
  This guy cracks me up.
  (tags: humor sql)
• Phil Factor’s Phrenetic Phoughts : The Pub Lunch and Programming.
  Sign me up for the study!
  (tags: humor alcohol programming)
• Ameliorations – Marriage
  Joseph makes a good case that he’s not “marriage material.” I’ve always said (at least, after my first marriage) that you should only enter into marriage if it describes a relationship you already have, rather than to accomplish any type of change.
  (tags: linklove marriage)