The Insider News

Nettuts+[^]:

It’s been a bumpy ride, in regards to namespace support in PHP. Thankfully, it was added to the language in PHP 5.3, and the applicable structure of PHP code has improved greatly since then. But how exactly do we use them?

TechHive[^]:

Throughout its first decade on the market, the compact disc represented a tangible link to the future for many consumers. It combined two cutting-edge technologies, the laser and the digital computer, into a relatively inexpensive consumer product with capabilities unimagined just a decade prior.

Channel 9[^]:

TypeScript is a programming language that makes it easier to write cross-platform, application scale, JavaScript that runs in any browser or in any host. Microsoft Technical Fellow Anders Hejlsberg explains how TypeScript, which is a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to idiomatic (normal) JavaScript, can dramatically improve your productivity by enabling rich tooling experiences, all while maintaining your existing code and continuing to use the same JavaScript libraries you already love.

Steve Losh[^]:

Now that Sparrow is effectively dead many of its users will be looking for a new email client. If you’re not afraid of the terminal you may want to give Mutt a try. Mutt certainly isn’t the prettiest email client around, and its setup/configuration process is one of the ugliest out there. But once you get it set up it’s got a lot of advantages over many other email clients.

Jon Skeet: Coding Blog[^]:

This weekend, I was writing some demo code for the async chapter of C# in Depth - the idea was to decompile a simple asynchronous method and see what happened. I received quite a surprise during this, in a way which had nothing to do with asynchrony.

SteveStreza.com[^]:

Building a NAS took a lot of research, and other people have been equally interested in building their own NAS storage system, so I have condensed what I learned and built into this post. Doing this yourself is not for the faint of heart; it took at least 12 hours of work to assemble and setup the NAS to my needs, and required knowledge of how UNIX worked in order to make what I wanted. This post walks through a lot of that, but still requires skill in system administration (and no, I probably won't be able to help you figure out why your system is not working).

Practically Efficient[^]:

If you use Time Machine, USB storage devices, or online options for routinely backing up your data, that’s fantastic. Good for you. You’re probably in a minority. Unfortunately, your safety net may be little more than a cardboard cutout propped over cold concrete. Here are a few things that happen in real life with alarming regularity… things you don’t want to happen when you really need to recover data.

Ars Technica[^]:

HP has already announced a slew of touch-capable Windows 8 products targeted at consumers, but today it has unveiled hardware for the business set. The HP ElitePad 900 is a 10" Windows 8 tablet running Intel's Clover Trail-based Atom processors, and features business-class security features along with a sturdy aluminum frame reminiscent of the company's business-class EliteBook laptops.

The Atlantic[^]:

While the underlying concept is good, the typical foil helmet fails in design and execution. An effective Faraday cage fully encloses whatever it's shielding, but a helmet that doesn't fully cover the head doesn't fully protect it. If the helmet is designed or worn with a loose fit, radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation can still get up underneath the brim from below and reveal your innermost thoughts to the reptilian humanoids or the Bilderberg Group.

Google[^]:

Technology offers so many opportunities to help improve users’ lives. This means it is really important to focus or we end up doing too much with too little impact. So today we’re winding down a bunch more features—bringing the total to nearly 60 since we started our “spring” clean last fall.

8th Light[^]:

If you've read The Clean Coder, you probably know that writing clean code is one of the marks of a professional developer. However a true professional doesn't stop with the code, but keeps everything around the code clean, including Git history.

Ars Technica[^]:

With a little time and energy, it's possible to put together the right combination of hardware and software to provide a great SOHO server. For those without the inclination, though, a NAS box can provide a great alternative. NAS makers have done the hard work of building compact, energy efficient hardware, and putting an interface between you and the operating system that makes configuring the server a relative snap.