Month: May 2004

PHP scaling

We honestly have a bigger problem with the SQL server keeping up than PHP consuming too much CPU. The site listed in my home page URL here runs on 3 servers, 1 for MySQL, 1 for most PHP scripts, and 1 to serve all the images. The 2 httpd servers handle about 1200 requests per second, and the loads are pretty low. 95% of those requests are PHP scripts.

looking for indesign developer

wyona is looking to work with a indesign developer for an interesting project where the goal is to import xml data into indesign. let me know if you are interested, and please forward as appropriate. Start of the project is ASAP.
Requirements for InDesign developer
Task
Import xml files into a given layout in InDesign. Part of the task is to define an xml suitable for import into InDesign.
Requirements
This is a job for a programmer who knows InDesign very well and has a good working knowledge of xml technologies. There is no graphical design involved.
Design Is given
XML Input will be created by 3rdparty. The exact content and form of the xml is to be decided.

one for the road

This age old saying comes from the days of public hangings. On the day of execution the condemned man would be taken from the prison and driven down the main thoroughfare of the town through screaming crowds, to the gallows. It was customary at the time for him to be given a drink from every ale house that stood between him and the rope, (which could be as many as 20) the intention being to make the poor soul completely bladdered before reaching the rope, thus making his passing easier. Hence, ‘One for the road‘.

anchors sinking to the ground

ex-CNN tokyo chief rebecca mackinnon on bypassing anchors with your newsreader:

I got even more excited just now when my Sharpreader notified me of the Reuters TV headline: “Congolese Soldiers, Hutus Clash”. Clicking on the link, I got to watch a raw Reuters feed of video and sound bites from the aftermath of the latest violent mess in Congo without some reporter’s narration, accompanied by a text story that explains what I am seeing. Somehow I doubt this story is going to be on the network or cable TV news shows this evening, or if it is, it will be a brief 30-second anchor-read.

tv might just have become a viable information medium again.

Document-based communication

# Tell me why you like wikis.
Wiki, briefly, are the hottest thing in Social Software right now. All this “friendster” stuff is important, but it’s just a ruse. People don’t see the real revolution that wiki represents. Wiki is terribly important because it’s the first public communication system that is DOCUMENT based. Instant Messaging, E-Mail, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Online Message Boards, all this stuff-
It’s all MESSAGE based.
It’s a “quick signal.” You send a message to someone, and they do something different than they would have done before. “Someone.” Sometimes even a group of people. Maybe you’re on a mailing list, or something. After the message is done, it’s spent. It’s indexed by google, and someone looking for something can find your message amidst a sea of messages, and try to apply it to their situation.
But wiki is totally different. It’s document based.
The fundamental element of a wiki is the document. It’s not a one-off message. (Though, you CAN attach messages to the bottom of a wiki page. Very common.) It’s something that people can use, and refer back to, time and time again.

a Map of Every Thought

How to Make a Complete Map of Every Thought you Think
That’s the title of a book I wrote. Guess what it’s about! It’s about how to make a complete map of every thought you think! But it has some other things in there; It talks about visual language, maps, computerized notebooks, theory of notebooks, yadda yadda yadda.

I am a huge mind mapping fan, and friends who are into notebooks. You may also like this interview with Lion. Thanks to the always interesting Seb.