De-Institutionalization of Education

This brief report could just as easily be called The Status of Education 2.0 but I think we are over this versioning. What is really at work is a de-institutionalization of education as an institution. What we are witnessing is the reorganization of learning outside of the organizing principles of the Medieval University. Institutional Decline ... Read more

Adaptive vs. Responsive vs. Multi-Platform

These misleading terms Adaptive and Responsive don't matter much, but rather the result which is an experience of the user (and higher conversion rates) across various platforms (including operating systems, browsers and screen resolutions). For authors and publishers (both book and web formats), design is a rather important topic. Hardcover, paperback, ebook, web are physical/digital ... Read more

Apostrophe and Quotation Mark

Back in the days of the typewriter, there was a time when the humble apostrophe would serve as apostrophe, single quote and double quote (two strokes). There were also a few other technical uses or meanings (actually, glyphs), but these three were sufficient overloading of the character. ASCII, HTML, Unicode In the ASCII definition (also ... Read more

Relearning Programming (Python)

First published in 2014, updated in 2021 Back in 1998 I applied for a MS in Information Science at UC Berkeley. There was a programming requirement, so I took a C class. Then in 2000 for my graduate thesis we needed some kind of user interface so I designed that in ColdFusion, an easy-to-learn web ... Read more

Common URL Structure

For all website designers and administrators, especially those with multiple sites, a common URL structure is the key to sanity. Of course this also works for those who only have one website. After all, best practices for busy site designers are best practices for those with a single site, as well. Basic Rules for a ... Read more

Node.js and Coffeescript for Publishing

While many of these projects are obviously a few years old, it seems that everywhere one sees the emergence and increasing importance Node.js and Coffeescript-based tools for publishing. That is, front-end development tools and languages are starting to displace traditional "native" (C and its ilk, misbegotten java) and older scripting languages (python, ruby). That is, ... Read more

Multiplatform Text Editors and the Cloud

> Note: These days it comes down to Atom on the desktop, StackEdit.io on the web, and Writebox on iOS (this app is no longer in the appstore, but still works great). Editing code, text bits, and larger documents is a bit of a pain these days with multiplatform and cloud synchronization becoming more important. ... Read more

Dromomania and the Permanent Traveler

Permanent Traveling is a well-documented Personality Disorder, and there are additional unsavory related compulsions. These people need help. Ah, the digital nomad. Those who have left the rat race behind, or perhaps they have taken it with them? Digitized its essential nature? Is in fact a symptom of the problem and not a purported cure? ... Read more

Best Editors of 2014 – Updated

In this case, editors means software editing tools, and 2014 means April 14, 2014. We also mean to include the three main platforms: Desktop, Browser and Android (updated: iOS). Note: I've updated this for 24 October 2014. What a difference six months makes... Other Articles on Editors Visual Studio Code Editor Multiplatform Text Editors and ... Read more

Software Development Considerations

There are many different considerations around software development as well as the development of the software developer. My last application development experience was back in the early 2000s. Now that it is mid-2010s (apx. 12 years later), there seems to be an order of magnitude of complexity (all of course designed to simplify and accelerate ... Read more