Technology, Books and Other Neat Stuff

I was exchanging email with autopope at the end of last week, and somewhere along the line I had this story idea. I'll turn it into something longer (I'm guessing around 4000 words or so) once I've finished the tidying up on the current pieces. And actually getting round to submitting them...

( A bit of modern Lovecraft in Japan )

...unfortunately for you all, I finished reading the latest Dozois The Year's Best Science Fiction last night, and so I plan to do a review of the whole volume next...

(Mwah hah hah hah!)

As you probably know, I write columns for two different magazines. At the moment these are PC Plus' XML Masterclass series, and the Internet Development column for Application Development Advisor.

The ADA column is currently focusing on developing web service applications in a wide range of languages and technologies, as well as on working with XML on the web. I've even covered working with Flash... As ADA provides its recent issues as PDF format files from its web site, here's a set of links to recent columns. Enjoy!

• Success with RSS

• Getting Flash with XML

• Pushing the envelope with PHP

• An introduction to PHP

• Telcos and portals collide

• Bringing 3D to the web

• The web in your pocket

• Weaving a web of services

• A personal touch for ebusiness

• Don't forget your Passport

• Apache’s no cowboy

• Easy ebXML

• Getting Flash with XML

• Web on the road

Until today you had to pay to receive SMS warnings of problems with the Tube on your mobile phone. They've just announced that the service is now free for anyone to use. This is quite definitely a good thing.

You can sign up for travel alerts here on the Transport for London web site.

Linux desktops have always been confusing things. They've tried to be all things to all people, taking elements from Mac OS, the CDE, Windows, Motif and popular X Windows managers, and throwing them into a melting pot. And they all come out different, leaving us with Gnome/KDE religious wars instead of an easy to use, easy to configure desktop operating system.

Red Hat is currently betaing a version of its OS that attempts to offer similar looks, feels and functionality for both Gnome and KDE - to a mix of praise and derision. Well, file my vote on the side of praise - especially in the light of this essay from Owen Taylor at Red Hat. He makes a lot of sense on why they've done this, and on what it should mean for Linux desktop developers.

Sure, the L33T can skin away as much as they like, but folk who need to get work done as soon as they've installed the OS will find this move an important one, and one that will benefit them in both the long and short run, improving usability first and performance over time.