Weekly roundup

I thought I’d try something new and share some links I collected while reading this week, along with some commentary on why they were interesting to me. I hope you find some of them worth a read!

• Cable Companies Can Now Force You to Rent Set-Top Boxes. Here Are Your Alternatives. – Makes me happy to have ditched cable companies years ago. Ridiculous.
• How Your Commute Affects Your Bottom Line – Many people seem to drive to work just out of habit, forgetting about walking, biking, or taking the bus. A daily walk to work is a great thing!
• the future of advertising – One of Leo’s first posts in a while. I can certainly agree with his perspective, but so many people have become so used to pervasive advertising in return for free goods or services that going the opposite direction is an uphill battle…
• How to create near-infinite clones of your favorite tomato (or any) plant – I remember doing this as a kid, but this article made me excited about being able to garden again in the future.
• Alienware Joins the Ubuntu OEM Family – Clearly, it’s a good thing that Steam for Linux was released. It’s exciting to see major vendors picking up Ubuntu, although it has quite a ways to go before becoming mainstream.
• Unless Apple changes its rules, Facebook won’t have a Home on iOS – One of several reasons my next phone won’t be an iPhone. Not that I want Facebook Home that much – but it’s nice knowing that it’s an option. Although it may be rubbing Google the wrong way, I see it as a major win for the Android ecosystem.
• I’m Cory Doctorow, and This Is How I Work – The working habits of a visionary SciFi author, which are surprisingly similar to my own. However, I can’t see myself making breakfast like that every morning.
  • A Seven Year Old Learns About Credit Cards – Thinking about credit cards this way is second nature to me at this point. Worth reading as a reminder!
  • Your Degree Isn’t a Ticket to a Career – I know this is especially true for software engineering. You always need to be constantly improving and pushing yourself to become better at your craft (including networking with others in your field).
  • Buy Your Groceries Sensibly – A reminder that Trent (the author) lives in Iowa too. Fareway and Aldi are always great baselines (I tend to prefer Fareway, as they’re based in Iowa)… however when you need more than staples, you sometimes need to shop elsewhere (your local food co-op isn’t a bad place to start, if you know their sales).</ul>