British film company put together a live action first person shooter and invited people on Chatroulette to play. The “making of” video linked at the end explains how they did it. (tags: chatrouletteshooterfirst-personlivegames)
“So it is with deep sadness that I observe the current culture of intensity in the tech industry. My intellectual conclusion is that these companies are both destroying the personal lives of their employees and getting nothing in return. A candidate recently deciding between Asana and another fast growing company told me that the other team starts their dinners at 830pm to encourage people to stay late (he’s starting here in a few weeks). I also hear young developers frequently brag about “48 hour” coding sprints. This kind of attitude not only hurts young workers who are willing to “step up” to the expectation, but facilitates ageism and sexism by indirectly discriminating against people who cannot maintain that kind of schedule.” (tags: workproductivityrestcrunchovertime)
WordPress files suit against two people who misused the provisions of the USA’s Digital Millenium Copyright Act to suppress speech about them they don’t like. Bravo to WordPress, though as the miscreants are in the UK and India, I’m not sure how much good a California court will do. (tags: wordpressdmcacopyrightlawlegalcensorship)
Simon Blackburn on Hume’s Dialogues: "So is Hume himself an atheist? The word does not fit, and he never so described himself. He is much too subtle. Philo the sceptic says that we cannot understand or know anything about a transcendent reality that explains or sustains the ongoing order of nature, while the theists like Demea say that we cannot understand or know anything about the transcendent reality, which is God, that explains or sustains the ongoing order of nature. Since the inserted clause does not help us in the least, the difference between them is merely verbal. And this is Hume’s conclusion." (tags: religionhumeatheismphilosophydavid-humesimon-blackburn)
Commander Riker has a way with chairs. The YouTube video is doing the rounds, but I’m linking to the Metafilter thread as it contains comments from "The Riker Who Mounts the World", as well as links to Wil Wheaton’s take on it. (tags: chairfunnyenterpriserikervideostar-trek)
"Outside of traditional Christianity, most of what counts as religion and “spirituality” in America nowadays is actually recycled German academic philosophy from two hundred years ago. This might sound absurd, or irrelevant. In this metablog series, I hope to show that it is true, and that it matters." (tags: germanphilosophyspiritualityidealism)