Events

The fuzzy dude turns 5 today: Parker's Petfinder mugshot, at 8 weeks old.

Andrew Binstock, editor of Dr. Dobb's, has a pair of editorials in praise of and instruction to create small classes: High levels of complexity, generally measured with the suboptimal cyclomatic complexity measure (CCR), is what the agile folks correctly term a "code smell." Intricate code doesn't smell right. According to numerous studies, it generally contains a higher number of defects and it's hard — sometimes impossible — to maintain. ... My question, though, is how to avoid creating complexity in...

I've always thought this photo looked cool: October 1985, Northbrook, Ill., Kodachrome-64.

Adam Mansbach's new book hasn't hit stores yet, but already Audible.com has it available for (free!) download, narrated by—wait for it—Samuel L. Jackson. Brilliant. Feckin' brilliant.

The UK Independent's Jon Rantoul won't be using clichés any time soon: Normally, though, politicians are the worst offenders. It is not clear how much they themselves are to blame, or how much they are simply overwhelmed by the substandard drafting of civil servants and speech writers. Perhaps they lack the time to put a pen through it and rewrite it themselves. It is a national scandal that the Civil Service provides such ghastly drafting of official documents, full of turgid abstractions that are...

Along a public footpath, Amberley, West Sussex, U.K.: 14 August 2009, ISO-100, 1/250 at f/8, 18mm, here.

A B-17 bomber built during World War II crashed today and was completely destroyed by a post-crash fire. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. Unfortunately, the 67-year-old airplane, restored to flying condition just a few years ago, was a total loss: The B-17, christened the "Liberty Belle," took off from the airport at 9:30 a.m. and made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Highway 71 and Minkler Road in Oswego after the pilot reported an engine fire, according to Sugar Grove Fire Chief Marty...

Another one of my favorites, from Maho Beach, Sint Maarten: 14 February 2009, ISO-400, 1/2000 at f/8, 31mm, here.

I love the first weekend of June in Chicago, because I love ribs. Once again, Parker and I walked up to Lincoln and Irving Park. And once again, we got some ribs. I only got four samplers this year. It's too bad I don't have time to go back today, because I'd love to try a few others. Of the ones I did try: Mrs. Murphy's Irish Bistro, at 3925 N. Lincoln Ave., once again topped my list. The sauce has some tang, some heat, and something else (I think it's Guinness). The ribs were fall-off-the-bone but not...

Looking out from the entrance to the Sé, Lisbon, Portugal: 13 January 2011, ISO-100, 1/60 at f/8, 18mm