Month August 2006

Development, Evolved.

In ‘Cosmiblog’, the previous incarnation of my blog (2001-2005), I had written several times about how the Computing industry, as manifested through the development of operating systems, applications, hardware, is stuck in a vicious circle of pointless-reinvention very occasionally disturbed by massive paradigm shifts originating either from brilliant startups or industry leaders aiming to maximise […]

Mel didn't approve of compilers…

I remember reading this in my first year at university. 'Lest a Whole New Generation of programmers Grow up in Ignorance of this Glorious Past...'

A puzzle

Ι played this flash puzzle about a year ago and a friend just reminded me of its existence. If you haven't seen it, you should; it's quite fun. [Check this out too. By the same guy]

Προς τα πίσω.

ADSL. Τρία χρόνια και κάτι, που τελείωσε η αναμονή για τους έλληνες και αντικαταστάθηκε με απογοήτευση. Έβαλα ADSL εβδομάδες αφότου ξεκίνησε η διάθεση στο ευρύ κοινό στην Ελλάδα το καλοκαίρι του 2003. Μια βασική διαφορά μεταξύ της παροχής ADSL στην Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό ήταν η εξής: η διαφοροποίηση της παροχής της γραμμής (από τον […]

Canon EOS 400D/Digital Kiss X/Digital Rebel XTi

After the release of Nikon D80, Canon's response was to be expected. It's out and it's probably going to make as big a noise as the 300D did three years ago. Canon finally added a dust-reduction system, upped the resolution to 10.1Mp and removed the top LCD. For newcomers to the SLR world, now is the time to get a camera. For those already owning Canon D-SLRs and in need of a second body, it's quite attractive too, although they will miss out on some of the more creative/technical perks that the higher end offers (say, spot metering). Most impressive: The dust-reduction system. Unfortunately the EOS 30D and 5D cameras came out just a few months ago so it'll be a while longer until the Canon mid-range gets dust reduction. The long-awaited replacement to the EOS 1-series, expected late 2006 or early 2007, will most certainly have it though.

Beyond the Shuttle

In the late 1970s the space shuttle programme at NASA was completed. NASA, an organisation that had seen much of its funding disappear in the post-lunar landing world, badly needed the shuttle, if not for the technical advantages it would bring (and they were supposed to be many), for the economic ones. The idea of […]