Eddie Welker.com

1) The idea of beautiful programming books representing the connection between art and programming is an interesting one. I think that there is an “art” to programming, but I don’t think there is really a direct connection. As a musician, I have a very formal vision of an “artist”, and knowing many programmers, few have qualities that I consider artistic. I think that the art of programming is different than visual or music arts. That being said, there are many artistic looking books, including programming books. My favorite is The Little Schemer, and it’s successful typography.

2) I’m glad to hear that David Letterman and his group pulled off a deal with the Writers Guild. Not only do I like his humor more than others, but he impresses me as a substantial human being. Way to go Dave… the beard, however, is kinda weird.

3) My friends are onto the fact that I have a blog. They really don’t need any more ammunition for calling me a nerd. Be that as it may, I am going to try to be more social, in the wake of my father’s passing.

4) One of the books that was recommended as “beautiful” in #1 was a book on Processing. I have been putting off looking into it (so I can relearn my Graph Theory, learn Python for the first time, among other things). But when I found that it included techniques for data visualization, I added it near the top of my to-do list. If only I can find enough free time to finish with Graph Theory or Python!

5) The Giants looked better against the Patriots than I had expected. Their downfall was similar to that of the Ravens and Eagles; not being aggressive enough in the second half of the game. I’m not sure what teams do during halftime, but they came out flat, and tight. It would be nice, however, if they could use this game as a springboard for their playoff game next week.

6) I hadn’t realized that there was a book created to be a sequel to Strunk & White. I’ve had Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace on my wishlist for a while, but it just shot up near the top. Liz, the interviewer, has written a few posts that have turned me on to a number of Information Architecture books. And now this. I know she plays the cello… I think her brain works A-D-G-C just like mine.

7) I’ve been hard at work designing a new version of My NCBI, while thinking in terms of designing a base application class for all NCBI applications (using the new system inheritance feature). I haven’t had to deal with large-scale OOP for a while, and feel a bit rusty. I’m thrilled to be working through the rust. That, and the new spending bill should make sure that I am working on this for a long time. Exiting times.

And #8:  January 1: My birthday.