Copyright 1998-2013 Tweakers.net B.V. Sun, 19 May 2013 23:01:42 GMT Sun, 19 May 2013 23:01:42 GMT http://tweakers.net/reviews/76 Tweakblogs.net is the weblog service provided by Tweakers, the largest hardwaresite and techcommunity in the Netherlands. http://tweakblogs.net/ http://tweakimg.net/g/if/logo.gif 60 60 Tweakblogs.net en http://confusion.tweakblogs.net frontpage@tweakers.net http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3378/harvesting-energy-from-wifi-and-gsm-networks.html Source: Oh Gizmo, Engadget At CES 2010, a company called RCA has presented a device called 'Airnergy', which is supposedly able to harvest energy from WiFi (and GSM) networks, for instance to charge your cellphone. Now this raises immediate suspicions: if that is possible, why aren't mobile devices powered by these networks in the first place? However, given the feeling that we are surrounded by a...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3378/harvesting-energy-from-wifi-and-gsm-networks.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3378 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:21:07 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3360/i-just-started-hating-java.html A new year, a new hatred. I've just officially begun hating the language in which I do most of my work: Java. The tiresome verboseness finally got to me. Please compare with me: Java:123456789101112 private static String joinObjectFields(final List<SomeObject> objects, ...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3360/i-just-started-hating-java.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3360 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:42:00 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3028/debian-aptitude-update-segmentation-fault.html Hmmm, my 'aptitude update' currently ends with E: Method rred has died unexpectedly! E: Sub-process rred received a segmentation fault. I'm not going to investigate the cause, but from http://ja.pastebin.ca/1655916, a workaround is toWorkaround: Until a solution is found, try updating your repositories with this: apt-get update -o Acquire::PDiffs=false Or by setting Acquire::Pdiffs false; in...Confusion http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3028/debian-aptitude-update-segmentation-fault.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3028 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:38:42 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3027/eten-laten-bezorgen-in-amsterdam-thai-kitchen!.html Ik ben zeer tevreden over Thai Kitchen, een bezorgtoko in Amsterdam. Amsterdam Zuidoost is nogal een uithoek, maar ze bezorgen er gewoon. Het eten is lekker en de service is goed: ze zijn vriendelijk en als ze iets vergeten zijn, dan komen ze het netjes nabrengen. Het enige minpuntje is de bezorgtijd: hou er rekening mee dat het minstens een uur duurt. Het eten is echter wel altijd warm als het...Confusion http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3027/eten-laten-bezorgen-in-amsterdam-thai-kitchen!.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/3027 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:14:41 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2959/avoid-storing-configuration-data-in-your-revision-control-system.html After a discussion with a colleague this afternoon, I thought I'd share the following: you should avoid storing configuration data in your revision control system. Especially authentication credentials should not be in there. Here's why:When securing servers and networks, things like the server hosting an RCS don't get the same priority as, say, your web facing production server. Mistakes are easy...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2959/avoid-storing-configuration-data-in-your-revision-control-system.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2959 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:02:27 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2886/wikipedia-can-be-funny.html From the article about Daniel Dennett:In October 2006, Dennett was hospitalized due to an aortic dissection. After a nine-hour surgery, he was given a new aorta. In an essay posted on the Edge website, Dennett gives his firsthand account of his health problems, his consequent feelings of gratitude towards the scientists and doctors whose hard work made his recovery possible, and his complete lack...Confusion 4 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2886/wikipedia-can-be-funny.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2886 Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:11:19 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2790/een-pluim-voor-dunea-(voormalig-duinwaterbedrijf-zuid-holland).html Altijd fijn als instantie vlot van zich laten horen na een vraag. Eergisteren halveerde de waterdruk in mijn appartement opeens en sindsdien varieert de druk tussen die helft en de normale druk. Dat is goed te overleven, hoewel het vervelend is als die variaties net voorkomen als je onder de douche staat, aangezien de temperatuur daar ook behoorlijk van gaat schommelen. Aangezien de druk van het...Confusion http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2790/een-pluim-voor-dunea-(voormalig-duinwaterbedrijf-zuid-holland).html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2790 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:17:23 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2357/telecomratten.html Telecombedrijven... ze hebben het tot kunst verheven om hun klanten te bedriegen en ze op die manier op torenhoge kosten te jagen. We kennen allemaal de verhalen van mensen die per ongeluk een dienst aan hadden staan op vakantie en honderden euro's moesten betalen, terwijl ze de dienst niet eens gebruikt hadden. Heel klantvriendelijk allemaal. Sinds de nummerinformatie dienst in april 2007 is...Confusion http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2357/telecomratten.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2357 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:15:32 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2125/be-sure-to-know-enough-of-the-language-you-are-arguing-against.html Act 1. Someone makes an outrageous claim about a programming language.[1]Act 2. Someone points that claim out to others.[2]Act 3. Someone compares a snippet of code in the original article to his version in his preferred language and asserts that language is superior.Act 4. Someone, in this case me, points out that the exact same solution is possible in the original language. [3][4]A flamewar...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2125/be-sure-to-know-enough-of-the-language-you-are-arguing-against.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2125 Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:31:00 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2104/installing-db2-express-c-on-linux.html For anyone else trying to install DB2 Express C, the free community edition of IBM's DB2, on his linux system and running into problems:You need to source sqllib/db2profile in every shell where you are going to run commands from sqllib/bin: code:1 confusion@ulm:~$ . sqllib/db2profileRunning the db2val validation program multiple times in a row can yield different results. For instance, on the...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2104/installing-db2-express-c-on-linux.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2104 Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:43:00 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2083/a-simple-java-puzzler.html Java:12 final long YEAR_IN_MS = 1000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 365; System.out.println(YEAR_IN_MS); What will be printed?Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2083/a-simple-java-puzzler.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2083 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:59:17 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2041/undecipherable-product-descriptions.html Today I had to merge a Flex frontend into a Java project. Inside the Flex project, in a 'lib' directory, I found something called 'cairngorm.swc'. Having no experience with development in Flex, I had no clue what this file was. The person responsible was not available at the moment, so I did the only natural thing: Google it. That turned up Adobe's homepage for Cairngorm. The first section, which...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2041/undecipherable-product-descriptions.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2041 Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:57:17 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2019/nasty-java-hashmap-race-condition.html After reading this I think I need to check some applications I wrote in the past. The piece is excellent and details matter, but I'll attempt a summary anyway: if you use a regular HashMap in a multithreaded environment, it seems the worst that can happen is that you incur some additional cache misses due to race conditions. In a lot of situations that is perfectly acceptable and since wrapping...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2019/nasty-java-hashmap-race-condition.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/2019 Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:03:26 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1714/will-technological-innovation-ever-end.html Sometimes people seem to make sense, but when you think about it a bit longer, you discover they're just rambling. Take What if our tech is good enough. Based on observations of the sales of Blue-Ray discs, Windows Vista and some other technological advancess, the author concludes that the improvements these technologies offer are too small to attract consumers and consequently there is no more...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1714/will-technological-innovation-ever-end.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1714 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:16:00 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1701/thoughts-on-telecommuting.html The author of an interesting Nerd Handbook had some thoughts on working remote. He hits a few important nails, that should be on the mind of everyone that works remote, has co-workers working remote or supervises people working remote. As often, the Hacker News comments are also worthwhile.Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1701/thoughts-on-telecommuting.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1701 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:00:28 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1642/we-should-be-able-to-fire-politicians.html Freakonomics reports on a proposal by an Oregan representative to tax bike ownership:bikes have used the roads in this state forever and have never contributed a pennyAs dozens of readers at Freakonomics point out:Cycling hardly cause any wearing of roadsDriving a bicycle instead of a car greatly reduces the costs of the transportation to society. If anything, cyclists should be subsidizedEveryone...Confusion 4 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1642/we-should-be-able-to-fire-politicians.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1642 Sat, 04 Apr 2009 10:32:17 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1590/reclame-onzin-zilvermoleculen.html "Nieuw Nivea For Men Silver Protect met zilvermoleculen" schreeuwt de radio. Ik hoop dat iedereen op dat moment denkt: .... pardon? Wat in vredesnaam zijn 'zilvermoleculen'?! Ik kijk op de website: misschien dat daar iets zinnigs staat. Maar nee, daar wordt het alleen maar erger:Silver Protect is de eerste en enige deodorant op basis van uiterst effectieve en wetenschappelijk bewezen...Confusion http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1590/reclame-onzin-zilvermoleculen.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1590 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:19:00 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1566/go-forth-and-talk-to-strangers.html I sometimes wonder why I keep taking the trouble of rummaging through the thousands of bits of information that RSS feeds offer me on a daily basis. As always, I don't have to wonder for long, for behold, I stumble upon another wonderfully educational insight:When I was growing up, children were commonly taught: "don't talk to strangers." Strangers might be bad, we were told, so it's...Confusion 4 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1566/go-forth-and-talk-to-strangers.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1566 Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:42:00 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1093/the-ability-to-predict-a-decision-does-not-disprove-free-will.html Every once in a while an experiment is published that seems to disprove the existence of free will. For a recent case, see this /. article. The experiments are usually sophistications of Benjamin Libet's famous experiment, in which he showed that you can predict that someone is going to respond to a certain event, before the subject himself is consciously aware of the fact that he is going to...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1093/the-ability-to-predict-a-decision-does-not-disprove-free-will.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1093 Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:56:00 GMT http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1456/writing-good-code-requires-you-to-perform-experiments.html How often do you have to solve a small problem that is a part of a larger project and decide to take the time to perform some seperate experiments to solve the problem, before adding the partial solution to the whole? In the past, I hardly ever did that and everytime I encounter such a situation, I still have to resist the temptation to take the route that seems to be the shortest, but that has...Confusion 3 http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1456/writing-good-code-requires-you-to-perform-experiments.html#reacties http://confusion.tweakblogs.net/blog/1456 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:52:00 GMT