In September 1985, Jon Bentley published Programming Pearls. A collection of aphorisms designed to reveal truths about the field of programming. It's 40 years later - long enough to see several revolutions in the field - so surely these are obsolete, right? They belong in the same category as "always carry a bundle of hay for the horses" or "you won't always have a pocket calculator with you" or …| Terence Eden’s Blog
For boring technical reasons, computers think the world began on 1st of January 1970. To keep track of the future, they count the number of seconds since that momentous date. So zero seconds represents midnight on that day. So how do computers deal with dates before The Beatles' Abbey Road was top of the UK album charts? Negative numbers! Most modern computers can deal with dates far in the…| Terence Eden’s Blog
I maintain a a test-suite for TOTP codes. It contains a bunch of codes which adhere to the specification, some of which stretch it to breaking point, and some that are completely invalid. These codes are a good starting point for checking whether a 2FA / MFA app works correctly. Proton have release a swish new authenticator app for Android, iOS, Mac, Linux and Windows. Sadly, their open source…| Terence Eden’s Blog
It started with a hummingbird dive-bombing Amelia Thomas over her morning coffee, and a pair of piglets who just wouldn’t stay put. Soon Amelia, journalist and new farmer, begins to question the communications of the creatures all around her: her pigs, her dogs, the pheasant family inhabiting her wood, her ‘difficult’ big red horse: even the earwigs in the farm’s dark, damp corners. Are they all…| Terence Eden’s Blog
I've written before about the nascent WebMonetization Standard. It is a proposal which allows websites to ask users for passive payments when they visit. A visitor to this site could, if this standard is widely adopted, opt to send me cash for my very fine blog posts. All I need to do is add something like this into my site's source code: <link rel="monetization"…| Terence Eden’s Blog
I'm reasonably sure I've read all the "Old Man's War" books. As the last one was published a decade ago, you'll forgive me if I don't remember all the intricacies of galactic politics and interpersonal intrigue. Thankfully, Scalzi has carved off a side character from a previous book and given them a brand-new adventure. There's enough exposition to tickle the parts of your brain that go "Ah,…| Terence Eden’s Blog
At some point around the start of the pandemic, The Algorithm instructed me to listen to music by Rainbow Girls. Who am I to question the ineffable will of the machine? I don't know what it was about their harmonies, slide guitar, and double-bass which tickled my brain, but I was hooked. A few days ago, a different algorithm alerted me to the fact that they were touring the UK - so I snapped up…| Terence Eden’s Blog
Is it offensive to call a burlesque show "charming"? Sure, it is a funny and mildly titillating evening, but Show:Girls is suffused with such good natured charm that it is hard to describe it as anything else. Unlike Gallifrey Cabaret which puts on a plethora of variety acts, this is a rather stripped down production. The central conceit is that two acts have been accidentally double booked.…| Terence Eden’s Blog
Let's see if this post makes it through the spam filters! Sluts With Consoles is a brilliant two-hander. Girly-twirly pick-me Player One and Gothy just-one-of-the-boys Player Two are locked in mortal - and emotional - combat. They represent the duality of the female gaming experience. Is it better to be feminine or feminist? Is gaming an escape from the cliques of teenage oppression, or just…| Terence Eden’s Blog
combatdavey is blogging again| combatdavey
combatdavey is blogging again| combatdavey
I recently had a chance to ask a question to one of the top AI people. At a Q&A session, I raised my hand and asked simply "What is your estimation of the future educational value of AI?" The response was swift and utterly devastating for those laggards who want to hold back progress. The AI guy said: Books will soon be obsolete in schools. Scholars will be instructed through AI. It is possible …| Terence Eden’s Blog
Mr Wickham is ready to set the record straight. Celebrating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, Adrian Lukis, who starred in the renowned BBC TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, returns to the role of Mr Wickham. Join Pride and Prejudice’s most roguish gentleman, George Wickham, on the eve of his sixtieth birthday, to lift the sheets on what exactly happened thirty years on from whe…| Terence Eden’s Blog
I am massively sceptical of any claims that Blockchain can be useful. I even took the Certified Blockchain Professional course so I could better understand the batshittery. At the risk of appearing on QTWTAIN, and seeking a papal indulgence from Betteridge, I think I might have stumbled on a retroactive use-case for Blockchain! First up, what is LIBOR and what was the scandal which led to…| Terence Eden’s Blog
I have rarely been this bored during a West End Show. Conor McPherson seems to have fundamentally misunderstood what makes an engaging drama and, simultaneously, what makes for an enjoyable "jukebox musical". The writing is like an exaggerated soap opera script which consists solely of angry people asking each other questions, which are then answered with more questions. Sample dialogue: Who…| Terence Eden’s Blog
An abandoned warehouse in Deptford hosts one of the most audacious, ostentatious, and sumptuous shows I've ever attended. An immersive theatrical experience which is lush with texture, ambitious in scope, and yet - somehow - slightly less than the sum of its parts. The pre-show is exemplary. You're handed a lanyard with a room number and make your way through the imposing set until you find…| Terence Eden’s Blog
Look, I'm an idiot. I know that, you know that, and the man on the moon knows that. Let's not get into why I'm an idiot; let's just accept that I have my peculiarities and you have yours. My idiocy is a quest to make sure all my portable electronics can recharge using USB-C. Modern smartwatches are tiny and they do a lot. As a consequence, their battery life is generally poor. The industry's…| Terence Eden’s Blog
Dr Hibbett - he of the eponymous and well-regarded Hibbert Method - has taken the "Sing Your Thesis" concept to a brand new level. Who is Doctor Doom? I have only a passing interest in the increasingly convoluted Marvel Cinematic Universe, so I walked into this new comedy show with no idea. I assumed a baddie of some sort? I left with, if not a university education on the subject, then a…| Terence Eden’s Blog
It looks like the new Google's Pixel 4 watch comes with yet another incompatible change in charging technology. This is a ridiculous situation. The original Pixel Watch used one type of wireless charging. Then the Pixel Watch 2 & 3 removed wireless charging and swapped to a different charging mechanism. And now the 4 has changed again. So three different charging cables in under three years.…| Terence Eden’s Blog
Janice Hallett is back with another epistolary mystery. Told through a series of transcribed conversations, WhatsApp messages, and torn-out pages from diaries - we the reader have to piece together the facts and crack the case! Much like her previous novels - The Appeal and The Twyford Code - you have to be willing to suspend your disbelief a fair bit. Do people really talk like that when they…| Terence Eden’s Blog
Better nutrition for better health - Podcasters know that healthy eating is the key to good health. That’s why making the most of your diet is so important. But| Definitive Info
Google's monopolistic stranglehold on Android results in poor experience for power-users, and artificially restricts choice for those who have older phones. For example, Google Wallet is the de facto way to use NFC payments on Android. There's one problem though - it only works with Google's Android. If you have the temerity to install a 3rd party Android OS - like the hyper-secure GrapheneOS - …| Terence Eden’s Blog
Back in 2020, Andy Bell introduced me to the idea of grouping attribute values. You've probably seen something like this before: HTML A single class over-encumbered by all sorts of things. The more modular way to write this would be: HTML That's pretty…| Terence Eden’s Blog
Friends, I have big news! Nine years, pretty much to the exact date, after buying my first-ever Traveler’s Notebook, I...| Daisybutter
Less than a year after seeing James Blunt in concert for the first time, I was back at Manchester Arena to see him again on 15th February 2025.| Notes of Life
Are you looking for a small gift for your bookish friend? Look no further! I’m a lover of both books and enamel pins, so when I came across Joyella Design I couldn’t help but treat myself! The heart and soul behind Joyella Design is a lovely lady named Sam from Northern Ireland. Sam has mixed […]| Notes of Life
As the year comes to an end, it’s time for my annual review. Sadly, the blog was a little neglected this year as I didn’t even average one post a month. However, I aim to do better in 2025!| Notes of Life
Several years ago, I purchased a Clevo N151CU laptop with the idea that I'd gradually upgrade the RAM, storage, and other bits. After my keyboard failed, I found it difficult to find replacement parts. The whole point of the Framework laptop is that it is specifically designed to be modular. It come in kit form, […]| Terence Eden’s Blog
This is a retropost. Written contemporaneously in 2020, but published four years after the events. It's May 2020 as I write this. I'm typing to capture the moment. Right now, I've no idea what the impact is. This is the exact moment, on Thursday May 7th, I hit the Big Red Button - three of […]| Terence Eden’s Blog
Most Adopted Nephrology-Specific Electronic Health Record System Also Receives Accreditation from Epic Cambridge, Mass. – March 28, 2023 – Interwell Health, a physician-centered organization dedicated to reimagining kidney care, celebrates the success of Acumen Epic Connect (Acumen), which has surpassed five million patient charts entered into the platform. Acumen is the nation’s most adopted electronic… Read More »| Acumen Physician Solutions
On October 29, 2021, CMS published a final rule updating the ETC (ESRD Treatment Choices Model) that went into effect on January 21, 2021. And the changes in the new rule go into effect soon—on January 1, 2022. The most jarring provision is an increase in the achievement benchmarks for the Performance Payment Adjustment (PPA)… Read More »| Acumen Physician Solutions
On giving myself permission to take a break.| Cultural Chromatics
Tomfoolery crikey bits and bobs brilliant bamboozled down the pub amongst brolly hanky panky, cack bonnet arse over tit burke bugger all mate bodge fanny around butty, Richard spiffing a load of old tosh porkies hunky-dory ruddy dropped a clanger. Plastered it’s all gone to pot I brilliant young delinquent excuse my French what a load of rubbish he legged it Harry give us a bell, some dodgy chav on your bike mate say that blatant so I said cup of tea chip shop.| ThemeNcode Docs
