Bob Salmon
@bobsalmon.bsky.social
code / data / people / quality / etc.
I sometimes blog at RandomTechThoughts.blog
I sometimes blog at RandomTechThoughts.blog
Pun perfection
A murder of crows? You mean caws of death??
August 13, 2025 at 6:03 AM
Pun perfection
Reposted by Bob Salmon
Reposted by Bob Salmon
Reposted by Bob Salmon
Love this. In his “I Agree” installation Dima Yarovinsky-Yahel took the content from terms of service statements for companies like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tinder and printed them out on A4 paper with a standard font size for legal contracts to demonstrate the length of these agreements.
April 27, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Love this. In his “I Agree” installation Dima Yarovinsky-Yahel took the content from terms of service statements for companies like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tinder and printed them out on A4 paper with a standard font size for legal contracts to demonstrate the length of these agreements.
In the future if all bills etc. arrive electronically, will writing on the back of envelopes be considered a quaint bygone thing like lamplighters?
Also, is the online comment the modern equivalent of writing in the margin of books?
Also, is the online comment the modern equivalent of writing in the margin of books?
March 28, 2025 at 9:41 AM
In the future if all bills etc. arrive electronically, will writing on the back of envelopes be considered a quaint bygone thing like lamplighters?
Also, is the online comment the modern equivalent of writing in the margin of books?
Also, is the online comment the modern equivalent of writing in the margin of books?
Ah yes, that time again. Mandatory corporate training using the platform that applies the 'needs more cowbell' approach to vertical scrollbars. That's right - 3 vertical scrollbars, next to each other, because 1 and even 2 aren't enough.
Ambassador, with these scrollbars you are spoiling us.
Ambassador, with these scrollbars you are spoiling us.
March 25, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Ah yes, that time again. Mandatory corporate training using the platform that applies the 'needs more cowbell' approach to vertical scrollbars. That's right - 3 vertical scrollbars, next to each other, because 1 and even 2 aren't enough.
Ambassador, with these scrollbars you are spoiling us.
Ambassador, with these scrollbars you are spoiling us.
When two disparate parts of my contact group converge. Historian of books and paper @dbellingradt.bsky.social, and computer resilience expert @norootcause.surfingcomplexity.com.
March 24, 2025 at 9:18 PM
When two disparate parts of my contact group converge. Historian of books and paper @dbellingradt.bsky.social, and computer resilience expert @norootcause.surfingcomplexity.com.
When I'm pretending to be a Tudor (as in my avatar) I sometimes teach people how to do arithmetic as normal Tudors would (as opposed to how the academics of the day would).
This involves Roman numerals and a counting cloth, which makes adding and subtracting simple. /1
This involves Roman numerals and a counting cloth, which makes adding and subtracting simple. /1
March 15, 2025 at 9:17 PM
When I'm pretending to be a Tudor (as in my avatar) I sometimes teach people how to do arithmetic as normal Tudors would (as opposed to how the academics of the day would).
This involves Roman numerals and a counting cloth, which makes adding and subtracting simple. /1
This involves Roman numerals and a counting cloth, which makes adding and subtracting simple. /1
Reposted by Bob Salmon
There are 2 environments:
testing and ✨spicy testing✨. Some people erroneously call ✨spicy testing✨ "prod"
testing and ✨spicy testing✨. Some people erroneously call ✨spicy testing✨ "prod"
March 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
There are 2 environments:
testing and ✨spicy testing✨. Some people erroneously call ✨spicy testing✨ "prod"
testing and ✨spicy testing✨. Some people erroneously call ✨spicy testing✨ "prod"
Reposted by Bob Salmon
"Software is not limited by physics, like buildings are. It is limited by imagination, by design, by organization. In short, it is limited by properties of people, not by properties of the world. 'We have met the enemy, and he is us.'”
-- Ralph Johnson
(from "Who Needs an Architect" by M. Fowler)
-- Ralph Johnson
(from "Who Needs an Architect" by M. Fowler)
March 5, 2025 at 8:20 AM
"Software is not limited by physics, like buildings are. It is limited by imagination, by design, by organization. In short, it is limited by properties of people, not by properties of the world. 'We have met the enemy, and he is us.'”
-- Ralph Johnson
(from "Who Needs an Architect" by M. Fowler)
-- Ralph Johnson
(from "Who Needs an Architect" by M. Fowler)
A palimpsest is where two or more documents are blended, for instance because one document was partially erased and then the second one written over the top.
They show up in history, in things like wax tablets and parchment.
They show up in history, in things like wax tablets and parchment.
February 7, 2025 at 11:04 PM
A palimpsest is where two or more documents are blended, for instance because one document was partially erased and then the second one written over the top.
They show up in history, in things like wax tablets and parchment.
They show up in history, in things like wax tablets and parchment.
Can a game be too easy to be fun? I was approached via my blog by a group of people who'd made a Top Trumps game, and the feedback they'd got was that it could be more fun.
My first thought was to do some kind of hill-climbing approach, to tweak the numbers. randomtechthoughts.blog/2019/08/18/o...
My first thought was to do some kind of hill-climbing approach, to tweak the numbers. randomtechthoughts.blog/2019/08/18/o...
Optimisation part 2: Hill climbing and simulated annealing
In the previous article I introduced optimisation. In this article I will go into two optimisation algorithms – hill-climbing and simulated annealing. Hill climbing is the simpler one s…
randomtechthoughts.blog
February 1, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Can a game be too easy to be fun? I was approached via my blog by a group of people who'd made a Top Trumps game, and the feedback they'd got was that it could be more fun.
My first thought was to do some kind of hill-climbing approach, to tweak the numbers. randomtechthoughts.blog/2019/08/18/o...
My first thought was to do some kind of hill-climbing approach, to tweak the numbers. randomtechthoughts.blog/2019/08/18/o...
If you've tried to spell out a name or (UK) post code or car registration number over the phone, you might have used the radio alphabet (alpha, bravo etc.). I wondered how similar the sounds were of the words in the alphabet, so I transcribed them and did some analysis.
January 28, 2025 at 10:21 PM
If you've tried to spell out a name or (UK) post code or car registration number over the phone, you might have used the radio alphabet (alpha, bravo etc.). I wondered how similar the sounds were of the words in the alphabet, so I transcribed them and did some analysis.
Me: I'm really good at identifying all the data series in a chart.
Them: You legend.
Them: You legend.
January 16, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Me: I'm really good at identifying all the data series in a chart.
Them: You legend.
Them: You legend.
Inspired by an excellent thread (bsky.app/profile/dbel...) by @dbellingradt.bsky.social on paper sizes (remember when you last put paper into a printer or on the glass of a scanner - it's still a thing, unfortunately) here's a thread by a software geek (me) on how pairs have helped security
/1
/1
Say hi to the "Bologna stone" of 1389 carrying the oldest known European paper sizes, dear #skystorians.
»Imperialle« (500 x 740 Millimeter)
»Realle« (445 x 615 Millimeter)
»Meçane« (345 x 515 Millimeter)
»Reçute« (315 x 450 Millimeter)
A thread for #paperhistory and #bookhistory folks.
1/
»Imperialle« (500 x 740 Millimeter)
»Realle« (445 x 615 Millimeter)
»Meçane« (345 x 515 Millimeter)
»Reçute« (315 x 450 Millimeter)
A thread for #paperhistory and #bookhistory folks.
1/
January 5, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Inspired by an excellent thread (bsky.app/profile/dbel...) by @dbellingradt.bsky.social on paper sizes (remember when you last put paper into a printer or on the glass of a scanner - it's still a thing, unfortunately) here's a thread by a software geek (me) on how pairs have helped security
/1
/1
Programming is a social activity that happens to include computers.
It's about discovering and expressing meaning with colleagues and users, plus engineering stuff like efficiency and robustness, plus making tools that fit the hand nicely.
It's about discovering and expressing meaning with colleagues and users, plus engineering stuff like efficiency and robustness, plus making tools that fit the hand nicely.
Programming is both a means of learning & discovery & a medium for communication. It's inevitably at odds with itself--we're trying to both saying things clearly & concisely & at the same time learning new concepts that we can't possibly express clearly & concisely because we just learned them.
December 27, 2024 at 4:01 AM
Programming is a social activity that happens to include computers.
It's about discovering and expressing meaning with colleagues and users, plus engineering stuff like efficiency and robustness, plus making tools that fit the hand nicely.
It's about discovering and expressing meaning with colleagues and users, plus engineering stuff like efficiency and robustness, plus making tools that fit the hand nicely.
What do you think are helpful skills and experiences for someone building software? Computer science, maths, engineering and that sort of thing? How about arts and humanities?
randomtechthoughts.blog/2024/12/21/a...
randomtechthoughts.blog/2024/12/21/a...
Arts and humanities in computing
You might work in software because you just like to build cool things. I understand this, and I also like to geek out about things like balanced trees and coupling and cohesion. However, you’…
randomtechthoughts.blog
December 21, 2024 at 2:58 PM
What do you think are helpful skills and experiences for someone building software? Computer science, maths, engineering and that sort of thing? How about arts and humanities?
randomtechthoughts.blog/2024/12/21/a...
randomtechthoughts.blog/2024/12/21/a...
People used to wait while the valves in their television warmed up. Now we wait while the software in our television boots up or updates itself.
December 15, 2024 at 11:19 PM
People used to wait while the valves in their television warmed up. Now we wait while the software in our television boots up or updates itself.
Technical knowledge can help with what and how, but you need humanities to help with why (and why not) and for whom?
Roses are redde
Noble are the manatees
Yf we wante a bettir future
Teach artes & humanityes
Noble are the manatees
Yf we wante a bettir future
Teach artes & humanityes
December 15, 2024 at 9:46 AM
Technical knowledge can help with what and how, but you need humanities to help with why (and why not) and for whom?
When you try to log into my website, it sends Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen round to your house for a cup of tea and a chat. Afterwards, they decide if you're genuine and so let you in or not.
It's expensive and slow, but Two Actor Authentication does give decent security.
It's expensive and slow, but Two Actor Authentication does give decent security.
December 12, 2024 at 8:27 AM
When you try to log into my website, it sends Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen round to your house for a cup of tea and a chat. Afterwards, they decide if you're genuine and so let you in or not.
It's expensive and slow, but Two Actor Authentication does give decent security.
It's expensive and slow, but Two Actor Authentication does give decent security.
For the last few years I've done a music Advent calendar. Only some of the music is obviously Adventy. I hope you find something you like. baccatabob.github.io/advent/bob20...
Bob's Advent Calendar 2024 - a slightly seasonal selection
baccatabob.github.io
December 1, 2024 at 12:12 AM
For the last few years I've done a music Advent calendar. Only some of the music is obviously Adventy. I hope you find something you like. baccatabob.github.io/advent/bob20...
See also the film Good Morning Vietnam.
Goooooooood morning Vietnam! It's 0600 hours. What does the "O" stand for? O my God, it's early!
Goooooooood morning Vietnam! It's 0600 hours. What does the "O" stand for? O my God, it's early!
November 27, 2024 at 8:57 PM
See also the film Good Morning Vietnam.
Goooooooood morning Vietnam! It's 0600 hours. What does the "O" stand for? O my God, it's early!
Goooooooood morning Vietnam! It's 0600 hours. What does the "O" stand for? O my God, it's early!
I was inspired by a couple of historian friends to visualise the lives and marriages of Henry VIII and his wives. I go into the data a bit, how I made it and why I made the design decisions.
randomtechthoughts.blog/2024/11/25/t...
randomtechthoughts.blog/2024/11/25/t...
The lives and marriages of Henry VIII and his wives
Recently a historian friend of mine put some data on Facebook about Henry VIII of England and his wives. It showed how old the women were when they married him, how old when they died and how old …
randomtechthoughts.blog
November 25, 2024 at 9:38 PM
I was inspired by a couple of historian friends to visualise the lives and marriages of Henry VIII and his wives. I go into the data a bit, how I made it and why I made the design decisions.
randomtechthoughts.blog/2024/11/25/t...
randomtechthoughts.blog/2024/11/25/t...
People used to wait while the valves in their television warmed up. Now we wait while the software in our television boots up or updates itself.
November 25, 2024 at 12:24 PM
People used to wait while the valves in their television warmed up. Now we wait while the software in our television boots up or updates itself.