On the 8 Spot

There is often no alternative but thinking in terms of a “second” or “third” best. But that thinking is more soundly directed if done in terms of an image of what the “first” best would be, and how the “second” and “third” bests might be designed to move in the direction of that “first” best, or at least not to be in contradiction with it.

via .Too Good for the Comments: Ebeling on Mises the Applied Economist

great news!!

Google Adds Cycling Routes to Their Maps!

Category: Research
Posted on: March 12, 2010 12:20 PM, by Travis Saunders

Regular readers of Obesity Panacea will know that I am a huge fan of active transportation (e.g. walking or cycling to work, rather than commuting by vehicle).  I just can’t say enough good things about it.  It often takes about the same amount of time as commuting by vehicle, plus it ensures that you’re getting at least some physical activity on even the busiest days.  Even just taking transit instead of driving yourself increases your chances of meeting the daily physical activity guidelines, since transit trips almost always involve some walking on either end of the trip (for more info on the transit/physical activity link, click here).

via ScienceBlogs.com:Obesity Panacea: Google Adds Cycling Routes to Their Maps!

I’m reminded of a saying by Andrew Carnegie : “Take away my people and leave the factories, and soon there will be grass growing on the factory floors, but take away my factories and leave my people, and soon we will have bigger and better factories.”

Code is expendable; developers aren’t
Finally, companies should evaluate their software investments for what they are: short-term assets. The intellectual property value of any one version of a custom Web application is minimal. Far more valuable are the developers who built it, because they’re the ones who will be asked to rewrite it in response to the ever-changing business and technology landscapes.

Google and Microsoft, among others, understand the value of hiring, retaining, and incentivizing good developers, and they do it well. It’s a shame that so many companies promote their best programming brains into needless middle-management positions or allow them to leave the field entirely, rather than retaining them for their value as developers.
via Lessons from a lost decade: Developing for a disposable Web