I finally managed to find enough bits-and-pieces to get a Raspberry Pi (borrowed from a friend - thanks Matt!) up and running, in order to test out the code from Python for Kids. A USB charger for an old Nokia phone, a somewhat dodgy-looking USB power adaptor from the bottom of a cobweb-filled...
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Finding your way
We went to Rome over the weekend. Despite the weather (mild but wet), gelato seemed one of the higher priorities - a task that was more difficult than you might expect, when you want to go to one of the more famous Italian ice cream parlours, and you're relying on the slightly oddly printed tour...
Continue reading...Two years of effort
My author copies arrived from No Starch today - the culmination of two years of not-an-inconsequential amount of effort.
If you happen to have ordered a copy, here's hoping it arrives in time to stuff the Christmas stocking.
Continue reading...Scratch the Kindle
I had thought that, at some point, I would consider buying a Kindle. If this Boing Boing story proves to be true, I'm not so sure. Certainly, in a feature-by-feature comparison with the competitors, it's something to bear in mind...
Ref #1: http://boingboing.net/2012/10/22/kindle-user-claims-...
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On iOS Maps
One interesting thing I've noticed with the new Maps app in iOS 6 is that (unlike Google Maps) there's no longer an English translation for streets in Bangkok (or if there is I haven't found how to switch it on yet). I've tried searching for the common English spellings for some streets and it appea...
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TRS-80
The TRS-80 is the computer that got me started (over 30 years ago). It's funny that even up till now, I hadn't realised that the "TRS" (pretty obviously) stood for Tandy Radio Shack.
Please Don't Call It Trash-80: A 35th Anniversary Salute to Radio Shack's TRS-80
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Learning to code?
Back in 2006, author David Brin lamented the lack of a good way to get kids into programming (Brin's article was actually my impetus to start writing an e-book for teaching small humans to code): Why Johnny can't code.
Compare with the situation now...
John Naughton thinks kids should be taugh...
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