Ruby snippet: Generate a ten-character random alphanumeric string

a = ('A'..'Z').to_a+('a'..'z').to_a+(0..9).to_a (1..10).collect { a[rand(a.size)] }.join

That’s 839,299,365,868,340,224 combinations, if you’re counting. Handy for creating unique, relatively-unpredictable URLs.

My internet infrastructure

  1. Registrar: Domain Discover’s prices are reasonable, and their management UI is better than most. But the real kicker here is that they’re local to me and they emphasize customer support with 24/7 phone support. It helps that I am personal friends with just about their entire CSR team, and they’re just plain cool people. $10/domain/yr

  2. DNS servers: DNS Made Easy does DNS, just DNS, and they do it fast and well. Five redundant nameservers, each IP geographically separated and multicasting to redundant hardware. Or something like that. Their UI desperately needs an overhaul, but they’re very fast, highly reliable and not shouting at you with “value adds.” $2–5/mo

  3. Web hosting: I don’t understand why Slicehost doesn’t charge more for their amazing service, but I guess that’s why they have such a long waiting list. They’re my bread and butter for client sites. Then there’s Joyent, one of the best in industry. I’ve got some big plans for my Medium Accelerator. Next on the list is dabbling with AWS. $20–75/mo

  4. Email & IM: Google Apps means all the wonders of Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, and Google Docs, for my own domains, for zero money and next to zero time and effort. Really, how can that be beat? $0–

I think I’ve assembled here some of the best, most reliable services for their respective cost in time, effort and money. Now you, too, can go forth and host websites to your heart’s content without breaking the bank.

Paul Downey :: The Web is Agreement

Newbreak Cafe

Great view and consistently the best americanos I’ve ever had.
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I think writing copy on web applications should be like telling a story. Now time to imbibe some caffeine and put that theory to the test.

“Evolution IS a Blind Watchmaker” (via Pharyngula)

Natural selection is cool, and “evolution” is not “abiogenesis” so what’s everyone arguing about?

taoyue.com: Why I Never Hire Brilliant Men

God Almighty, in fashioning his most useful men, often works slowly with quite common stuff… most of His better grade line is ordinary in everything except the extra effort, and dogged determination, which have given it a finer texture and finish. A good and humbling lesson. I would do well to acquire that dogged determination.