Don’t say I didn’t warn you… Continue reading “Step by Step Guide: How to install an Ubertooth Bluetooth LE (BLE) Sniffer”
EVE Valkyrie might be the most disappointing Oculus Rift experience available
So I bought an Oculus Rift this weekend. The stores finally had filled all their pre-orders and I found it in-stock at my local Best Buy.
Continue reading “EVE Valkyrie might be the most disappointing Oculus Rift experience available”
2016 USA Presidential Candidates Race to the Bottom
How did we end up with two, completely awful, bone-headed jerks running for President of the United States in 2016? Is it a testament to how utterly stupid USA has become? Is it a testament to our anger? Our bigotry? Our complete lack of empathy? Or is it a system that is designed to be statistically aligned on the 50-yard line, to keep America divided. Continue reading “2016 USA Presidential Candidates Race to the Bottom”
9 Things to remember as a Noob 3D Engine Programmer
As a professional computer programmer, I’ve naturally always been fascinated by cutting edge technologies that generate 3D worlds from geometry. In reality, however, the vast, vast majority of professionals in this business don’t ever get the opportunity to work in 3D. Over 50% of computer programmers are stuck building databases that amount to nothing more than designing forms for companies to fill out, while the minority of programmers actually get to do “real work” and most of that work doesn’t dive into 3D imaging or graphics. Furthermore, 3D-programming is demanding and changing constantly, historically making it only feasible to conquer if you are one of those few people who were fortunate enough to program full-time-3D on someone else’s dime. True reality is that you would probably need a whole team of people, including mathematicians, artists, and even building architects, to stay at the head of the pack. Continue reading “9 Things to remember as a Noob 3D Engine Programmer”
Why XML is Garbage
XML, the ugly step-child of the uglier HTML, is pervasive everywhere in computers these days. Since the beginning of time, my bosses have tried to get me to embrace and adopt XML behind the scenes into my designs and since the beginning I’ve been defiant. So what’s wrong with XML? Why do I hate it so much? Continue reading “Why XML is Garbage”
Don’t use USB 3.0 Disks With Windows unless you’re okay with total failure.
USB 3.0 in Windows Server 2012 r2 (and presumably many other flavors of windows) is utterly broken. It has been broken since USB 3.0 came to market, and despite what the Microsoft Core USB engineering blog will tell you, it is still broken in the worst way possible. If you haven’t read it, check out this very active blog post from the Microsoft core team, but ignore the part at the top where they claim that all the crap you have to go through to work around the problem “is no longer required“. I assure you, they still have a long way to go before I’ll certify that USB 3.0 is stable on Windows. Continue reading “Don’t use USB 3.0 Disks With Windows unless you’re okay with total failure.”
Don’t Try this At Home: Replacing TCP with a UDP-based protocol
I’m exhausted. I’ve had this bit of code floating around for a long time that aims to replace TCP with a UDP-based protocol. I’ve written about it before, and I arrogantly have made many posts recommending such an approach to the masses, both here on this blog and out in the rest of the internet world. Continue reading “Don’t Try this At Home: Replacing TCP with a UDP-based protocol”
Why is MNsure so broken? A Computer Programmer’s perspective
Lets face it, it is now 3 years into it, and the MNsure website is still fatally broken, ill-designed, ill-conceived, ill-planned, and ill-operated. This website alone is arguably the biggest stain on Mark Dayton’s governorship (aside from giving billions to the Wilf family, convicted of civil fraud in New Jersey… but that’s a whole other subject). Continue reading “Why is MNsure so broken? A Computer Programmer’s perspective”
Thinking of working for a startup? Questions to Ask a potential Future Employer.
When you go to work for a startup company, you are taking a risk that is arguably as big or bigger than the investors and founders who fund the company. Know the right questions to ask your potential future employer.
Continue reading “Thinking of working for a startup? Questions to Ask a potential Future Employer.”
Are IT guys idiots who like to spend money?
Seriously, I have wondered this my entire 21+ year career as I watched IT admins blow money on equipment they “needed” at 10x the cost of things that would work equally as well. Continue reading “Are IT guys idiots who like to spend money?”