More Light! More Light!

• 6 free online editors for your site
  (tags: wysiwyg javascript editor textarea)
• SourceMonitor Version 2.4
  * Collects metrics in a fast, single pass through source files.
  * Measures metrics for source code written in C++, C, C#, VB.NET, Java, Delphi, Visual Basic (VB6) or HTML.
  * Includes method and function level metrics for C++, C, C#, VB.NET,
  (tags: metrics tools programming development code c# performance refactoring utilities free freeware)

• The Kaywa Reader
  mobile app for scanning qr codes
  (tags: barcode code qrcode reader tools qr mobile)
• QR-Code Generator
  put in txt, phone numbers, etc, get qrcode image. Could you have one small enough and put it on your business card?
  (tags: generator barcode qr qrcode)
• YouTube - It’s Not a Compound
  mind go slurrrrrrrr
  (tags: video weird music religion subversion awesome)

• txt2re: headache relief for programmers :: regular expression generator
  take a sentence, pick tokens in it and get back skeleton regex code in perl, php, python, js, java, coldfusion, c/c++, ruby, vb, c#, etc
  Very hot because you use them so infrequently
  (tags: regex generator online)

My buddy Nate pointed me to this convincing explanation of the events on the tv series Lost.

When I was working on AddArt for Steve at Eyebeam I figured out how to install two firefox extensions at once using a multiple install bundle xpi. Useful if you have an extension that is dependent on another extension.

• How to package two firefox extensions at once
  A short explanation about how to create an .xpi file that installs two extensions. Includes a sample install.rdf file
  (tags: firefox extension development xpi packaging dependencies dependency deployment)

• Cookin with Coolio » #4 Game Day Turkey
  Never have I expected so little and been given so much.
  (tags: cooking funny video recipe turkey rappers coolio)

March was full of some really high quality reading. If only every month brought such riches.

• Two stories from Ted Chiang, both via boingboing:
  • The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate, a lovely time travel fable in an ancient arabic setting
  • 72 Letters - A loopy mix of golem’s, DNA, golempunk and self reference. The ending is lovely.
• Glory - Greg Egan. Greg Egan always brings stunningly original ideas into his work and the climax is always for huge stakes. He does not disappoint here.
• The Things They Carried - Tim O’Brien. This powerful collection of Vietnam War stories was a random gift from Sally Nelson, but it was a sock in the gut. Each story has the quality of a carefully composed poem and individually worthwhile and cohesive. The kind of story you have to take a breather after. The collection as a whole is more than the sum of the stories as the characters, events and themes reference each other and wind back on themselves.
• Superman: Red Son. It’s a great comic book superficially about superman landing in the U.S.S.R instead of landing in Kansas. It’s really about free will and political choice. The execution here is much better than the summary of the gimmick.
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret. What a wonder this is. A beautiful combination of full rich sketches, text, and film stills. It’s a children’s book, but so unusual and exquisite that it kept me spellbound.
• I am a Strange Loop - Douglas Hofstadter.  I found it convincing and persuasive.  Gave me a fuller understanding of Godel’s theorem, a way to apply it to more problems, and an understanding of how consciousness can be an illusion that believes in itself.  Fascinating and even more accessible than his first book, “Godel, Escher, Bach: and Eternal Golden Braid”.

If you were to read only one of these books, I’d hope it was “I am a Strange Loop”.   I think it is a powerful and touching explanation of what is going on in the meat between our ears.  But I’d hope you’d read more than one.  “The Things They Carried” and “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” are well worth your precious time.

• BoxMaker
  BoxMaker is a little Java application that can generate the outlines for a box to be out of some material with a cutting device (ideally using wood/acrylic on a lasercutter!).
  Great little utility to use with a service like Ponoko
  (tags: diy design template tools software cutter laser free freeware free.tools)
• Multiple Item Packaging - MDC
  How to create a multi item package if you have a dependency on another extension
  (tags: extension firefox programming development packaging mozilla addart)

Cinco de Matto is coming up, and it is a time of celebration for everyone. It can also be a time of anxiety, as many folks agonize over the question: “What can I buy Matt that will ensure his favor for another year?”

You may add to the list of possible items to buy me the best bike in the world.

Photo taken on Henry and Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights by Adrian Kinloch